Óðrerir
Kettle of the
Mead of Poetry
Norse Mythology
Eiður Eyþórsson, 16th of August, 2026
1
Introduction
Óðrerir is a kettle in Norse mythology associated with the Mead of Poetry. According to Skáldskaparmál, it is one of three vessels, together with Són and Boðn, into which the blood of Kvasir is collected after he is killed by the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar. The dwarfs mix the blood with honey, creating the Mead of Poetry, which grants poetic skill and wisdom to anyone who drinks it.
Later in the myth, the mead comes into the possession of the jötunn Suttungr, who stores it inside Hnitbjörg under the guard of his daughter Gunnlöð. Disguised as Bölverkr, Odin eventually reaches the mountain with the help of Baugi and the auger Rati, where he drinks all of the mead from Óðrerir, Són, and Boðn before escaping in the form of an eagle.
2
In the Sources
Óðrerir is attested in both the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. The most detailed account appears in a section of the Prose Edda, called Skáldskaparmál, where Bragi explains the origin of the Mead of Poetry.
After the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar kill Kvasir, they collect his blood in three vessels. One of which being Óðrerir:
“…letting his blood run into two vats and a kettle. The kettle is named Ódrerir, and the vats Són and Bodn; they blended honey with the blood, and the outcome was that mead by the virtue of which he who drinks becomes a skald or scholar.” [1a]
Here, Óðrerir is introduced as the kettle into which Kvasir’s blood is poured before being mixed with honey to create the Mead of Poetry. This is also the only passage that explicitly distinguishes Óðrerir from the two accompanying vessels, Són and Boðn.
The name Óðrerir also appears twice in Hávamál, where Odin reflects on obtaining the Mead of Poetry. The first occurrence reads:
“Of the well-bought mead I made good use:
to the wise now little is lacking;
for Óthrœrir now up is brought,
and won for the world of men.[3a]
– Hávamál
Later in the poem, the name appears again:
“From the son of Bolthorn, Bestla’s father,
I mastered mighty songs nine,
and a drink I had of the dearest mead,
got from out of Óthrœrir.” [3b]
– Hávamál
Unlike Skáldskaparmál, Hávamál doesn’t explain what Óðrerir is. Both Lee M. Hollander and Henry Adams Bellows interpret the name differently in these two stanzas. In their commentaries, they understand Óðrerir in stanza 107 to refer to the Mead of Poetry itself, whereas in stanza 140 they interpret it as the vessel containing the mead.
Returning to Skáldskaparmál, the story continues with Suttungr taking possession of the mead and storing it inside Hnitbjörg, where his daughter Gunnlöð guards it. At the end of the account, Bragi explains that poets use numerous kennings for poetry derived from the myth:
“Because of this we call poesy Kvasir’s Blood or Dwarves’ Drink, or Fill, or any kind of liquid of Ódrerir, or of Bodn, or of Són, or Ferry-Boat of Dwarves–since this mead brought them life–ransom from the reef–or Suttungr’s Mead, or Liquor of Hnitbjörg.” [1b]
Here, Óðrerir is used not only as the name of the kettle but also as one of several poetic names associated with the Mead of Poetry.
The final mention occurs later in Skáldskaparmál, when Odin reaches Hnitbjörg and is permitted three drinks:
“In the first draught he drank every drop out of Ódrerir; and in the second, he emptied Bodn; and in the third, Són; and then he had all the mead.” [1c]
The text names all three vessels together but does not distinguish between their individual contents or functions. Óðrerir remains closely associated with the Mead of Poetry throughout the narrative, first as the kettle in which it is created and later as one of the vessels from which Odin drinks before escaping from Hnitbjörg.
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Interpretations and Theories
Óðrerir is mentioned only a handful of times in the surviving sources. While Skáldskaparmál consistently presents it as the kettle containing the mead, the references in Hávamál are less explicit. Modern translators such as Henry A. Bellows and Lee M. Hollander interpret the name differently in the two attestations of Hávamál, understanding it to denote the Mead of Poetry itself in stanza 107 and the vessel in stanza 140. The surviving sources therefore preserve not only the object itself but also a subtle variation in how its name is used.
Guðni Jónsson has suggested that Hávamál was not originally a single composition, but a collection of poems. In his division of the poem, the first mention of Óðrerir belongs to Gunnlaðarþáttr, while the second belongs to Rúnatal. Guðni considered Rúnatal older than Gunnlaðarþáttr and allowed for the possibility that the two sections were composed by different poets.[5]
Guðni does not connect this proposed composition history with the differing uses of the name Óðrerir. However, his interpretation raises an interesting possibility. If the two passages originated independently, their differing use of Óðrerir does not have to represent an inconsistency within a single poet’s conception of the name. It may instead reflect different understandings of Óðrerir, although the surviving evidence does not allow this to be determined with certainty.
The proposed chronology adds another interesting dimension. In Gunnlaðarþáttr, which Guðni considered potentially younger, Bellows and Hollander interpret Óðrerir as the mead itself. In Rúnatal, which Guðni considered older, they interpret it as the vessel containing the mead. The latter usage therefore agrees with Snorri’s much later account in Skáldskaparmál, where Óðrerir is explicitly identified as a kettle. This does not establish any direct relationship between Rúnatal and Snorri’s account, but it cautions against assuming a simple chronological development from one meaning of Óðrerir to the other.
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References
[1] Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, 1916, The Prose Edda, Skáldskaparmál, ch. I [a] [b] [c].
[2] Guðni Jónsson, 1954, Edda Snorra Sturlusonar, Prentverk Odds Björnssonar, Skáldskaparmál, chapter 5 [a] [b] [c].
[3] Lee M. Hollander 1928, The Poetic Edda, Prentverk Odds Björnssonar, Hávamál, stanza 107 [a] & stanza 141 [b].
[4] Guðni Jónsson, 1954, Eddukvæði, Prentverk Odds Björnssonar, Hávamál, stanza 107 [a] & stanza 140 [b].
[5] Guðni Jónsson, 1954, Eddulyklar, Prentverk Odds Björnssonar.
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