Rati
The Mythical Drill
Norse Mythology
Eiður Eyþórsson, 1st of August, 2026.
1
Introduction
Rati (“The Traveller”) is the name of an auger or a drill in Norse mythology. It is the tool by which Odin gains access to the mead of poetry, a substance associated with poetic inspiration and wisdom. Rati is not personified beyond its name and only plays a role in one myth in the literary sources.
In the myth, Odin persuades Baugi, the brother of the giant Suttung, to bore a narrow hole through the mountain Hnitbjorg using Rati. This opening allows Odin to slither through the mountain in serpent form and reach the chamber where the mead is concealed.
2
Rati in the Source
Rati is attested in two primary sources. The earliest is Hávamál in the Poetic Edda, where it is mentioned only briefly in one stanza in a part of the poem generally referred to as Gunnlaðarþáttr. The second is Skáldskaparmál in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, which recounts in greater detail how Odin used the auger to obtain the Mead of Poetry.
Although Hávamál mentions Rati only once, the reference is significant because it appears to assume that the auger is a part of a story already familiar to its audience. The stanza alludes to Odin’s journey into the mountain without explaining the surrounding events. Skáldskaparmál, by contrast, recounts the episode in detail and identifies Rati by name as the auger used to bore through the rock.
The mouth of Rati made room for my passage,
And space in the stone he gnawed;
Above and below the giants’ paths lay,
So rashly I risked my head. [1]– Hávamál, st. 105.
In the stanza, Odin recounts boring through the mountain with Rati to reach the chamber where the Mead of Poetry was hidden. No further explanation is given, and neither Baugi nor the mead itself is mentioned by name. The poem assumes familiarity with the underlying narrative rather than recounting it in full.
Snorri Sturluson later tells the same story in Skáldskaparmál, where Rati is introduced by name and its role is described in detail:
“Then Bölverkr made suggestion to Baugi that they try certain wiles, if perchance they might find means to get at the mead; and Baugi agreed readily. Thereupon Bölverkr drew out the auger called Rati, saying that Baugi must bore the rock, if the auger cut. He did so.” [3]
– Skáldskaparmál, 6th chapter.
According to Skáldskaparmál, Odin conceals his identity under the name Bölverkr while staying with the jötunn Baugi. [5] This detail is supported by Grímnismál in stanza 48, where Odin lists Bölverkr among the many names he has used during his travels. [6] Together, the two accounts identify Rati as the auger with which Odin gained access to the mountain containing the Mead of Poetry.
3
Meaning of the Name Rati
The name Rati is understood to mean “the traveller”. [7a] This meaning fits both the linguistic evidence and the role Rati plays in Norse myth. The name reflects the tool’s function rather than its shape or material, which is not mentioned in the source.
The verb að rata, which the name Rati is closely related to, means “to travel,” “to roam,” or “to navigate” in Old Norse. [7b]
Use of the verb að rata in an Old Norse text is, for example, found in Hávamál. There, it is used as follows:
5.
Wit is needful
to him who travels far:
at home all is easy.
A laughing-stock is he
who nothing knows,
and with the instructed sits. [8]– Hávamál, stanza 5.
4
Final Thoughts
The surviving sources reveal little about Rati beyond its name and function. Hávamál states that the auger made a passage through the stone, while Skáldskaparmál explains that Baugi used it to bore into the mountain containing the Mead of Poetry. Neither source describes its size, appearance, construction, or the precise manner in which it penetrated the rock.
This leaves several questions unanswered. The sources do not indicate how far Baugi had to bore, whether Rati possessed any extraordinary properties, or how close the chamber lay to the surface of Hnitbjörg. Attempts to reconstruct such details would therefore go beyond the surviving evidence.
Rati remains a minor but essential object in the story: it is the tool that opens Odin’s path into the mountain and allows him to continue his pursuit of the Mead of Poetry.
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References
[1] Henry Adams Bellows, 1923, The Poetic Edda, Hávamál stanza 105.
Available here on We Vikings.
[2] Guðni Jónsson, 1954, Eddukvæði I, Prentverk Odds Björnssonar, Hávamál stanza 5 [b] & 106. [a]
[3] Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, 1916, Prose Edda, Oxford University Press, Skáldskaparmál ch. I.
Available here on We Vikings.
[4] Guðni Jónsson, 1954, Edda Snorra Sturlusonar, Prentverk Odds Björnssonar, Skáldskaparmál ch. 6 [a] & Gylfaginning ch.16 [b]
[5] GKS 2367 4to (Codex Regius of the Prose Edda). Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Bibliotek. Fol. 24v, lines 32–35.
Digital facsimile available via Handrit.
[6] Finnur Jónsson, 1932, De Gamle Eddadigte, G. E. C. Gads Forlag, Heimskringla.no https://heimskringla.no/wiki/Gr%C3%ADmnism%C7%AB%CC%81l
[7] Zoëga, Geir T. A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910, page 293 [7a] & page 329. [7b]
Digital facsimile available via Internet Archive.
[8] Benjamin Thorpe, 1866, Edda Sæmundar hinns Fróða: The Edda of Sæmund the Learned, London by Trübner & Co.
Available here on We Vikings.
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