g, for on the
dry land he might see naught. But Fafnir was by far the greatest and
grimmest, and would have all things about called his.

"Now," says Regin, "there was a dwarf called Andvari, who ever abode in
that force, (1) which was called Andvari's force, in the likeness of a
pike, and got meat for himself, for many fish there were in the force;
now Otter, my brother, was ever wont to enter into the force, and bring
fish aland, and lay them one by one on the bank. And so it befell that
Odin, Loki, and Hoenir, as they went their ways, came to Andvari's
force, and Otter had taken a salmon, and ate it slumbering upon the
river bank; then Loki took a stone and cast it at Otter, so that he gat
his death thereby; the gods were well content with their prey, and
fell to flaying off the otter's skin; and in the evening they came to
Hreidmar's house, and showed him what they had taken: thereon he laid
hands on them, and doomed them to such ransom, as that they should fill
the otter skin with gold, and cover it over without with red gold; so
they sent Loki to gather gold together for them; he came to Ran, (2)
and got her net, and went therewith to Andvari's force, and cast the net
before the pike, and the pike ran into the net and was taken. Then said
Loki--

"'What fish of all fishes,
Swims strong in the flood,
But hath learnt little wit to beware?
Thine head must thou buy,
From abiding in hell,
And find me the wan waters flame.'

He answered--

"'Andvari folk call me,
Call Oinn my father,
Over many a force have I fared;
For a Norn of ill-luck,
This life on me lay
Through wet ways ever to wade.'

"So Loki beheld the gold of Andvari, and when he had given up the gold,
he had but one ring left, and that also Loki took from him; then
the dwarf went into a hollow of the rocks, and cried out, that that
gold-ring, yea and all the gold withal, should be the bane of every man
who should own it thereafter.

"Now the gods rode with the treasure to Hreidmar, and fulfilled the
otter-skin, and set it on its feet, and they must cover it over utterly
with gold: but when this was done then Hreidmar came forth, and beheld
yet one of the muzzle hairs, and bade them cover that withal; then Odin
drew the ring, Andvari's loom, from his hand, and covered up the hair
therewith; then sang Loki--

"'Gold enow, gold enow,
A great weregild, thou has