The sea is periphrased as Ymir's blood, husband of Rán and father of Ægir's nine daughters — the waves (Himinglæva, Hrönn, Kólga and others) — and as the ring of the islands and the road of sea-kings. Twelve verse examples, among them Snæbjörn's famous 'Amlóði's mill', in which the nine wave-brides grind the sea.
Hvernig skal sæ kenna? Svá, at kalla hann Ymis blóð, heimsækir goðanna, verr Ránar, faðir Ægisdætra, þeira er svá heita Himinglæva, Dúfa, Blóðughadda, Hefring, Uðr, Hrönn, Bylgja, Bára, Kólga, land Ránar ok Ægisdætra ok skipa ok sæskips heita, kjalar, stála, súða, sýju, fiska, ísa, sækonunga leið ok brautir, eigi síðr hringr eyjanna, hús sanda ok þangs ok skerja, dorgar land ok sæfugla, byrjar. Svá sem kvað Ormr Barreyjarskáld:
How shall the sea be periphrased? Thus: by calling it Ymir's blood, visitor of the gods, husband of Rán, father of Ægir's daughters — those named thus: Himinglæva, Dúfa, Blóðughadda, Hefring, Uðr, Hrönn, Bylgja, Bára, Kólga — land of Rán and of Ægir's daughters and of ships, and by the names of the sea-ship, keel, stems, strakes and seams, of fish and ice; the sea-kings' way and roads; no less the ring of the islands, house of the sands and seaweed and skerries, land of the fishing-line and sea-birds and the fair wind. As Ormr Barreyjarskáld spoke:
Svá kvað Refr:
Thus spoke Refr:
Svá sem kvað Sveinn:
As Sveinn spoke:
Ok sem kvað Refr:
And as Refr spoke:
Hér er sagt, at allt er eitt Ægir ok Hlér ok Gymir. Ok enn kvað hann:
Here it is said that Ægir and Hlér and Gymir are all one and the same. And again he spoke:
Sem kvað Einarr Skúlason:
As Einarr Skúlason spoke:
Ok enn sem hann kvað:
And again as he spoke:
Ok enn kvað hann:
And again he spoke:
Enn sem hann kvað:
Again as he spoke:
Ok enn svá:
And again thus:
Sem Snæbjörn kvað:
As Snæbjörn spoke:
Hér er kallat hafit Amlóða kvern. - Enn sem kvað Einarr Skúlason:
Here the sea is called Amlóði's mill. — And again Einarr Skúlason spoke:
Skaldic quotations
Ormr Barreyjarskáld (hav = Ymis blóð, Ymirs blod)
Útan gnýr á eyri Ymis blóð fara góðra.
Outside, Ymir's blood [the sea] roars on the gravel-bank of good travellers.
Refr (hav = lög; hvalmæni, valtaket)
Vágþeysta berr vestan, vætti ek lands fyr brandi, hvalmæni skefr, húna hógdýr of lög bógu.
The gentle beast of the mast-tops [the ship] bears its bows from the west, wave-driven, over the sea; I expect land before the prow; it scrapes the whale-roof [the sea-surface].
Sveinn (hav = Ægis dætr, Ægirs döttrar/vågorna)
Þá er élreifar ófu Ægis dætr ok tættu föls, við frost of alnar, fjallgarðs rokur harðar.
When the storm-glad daughters of Ægir [the waves], reared amid frost, wove and tore the hard squalls of the pale mountain-range [the towering waves].
Refr (hav = Gymis völva [Rán]; Ægis kjaftar)
Færir björn, þar er bára brestr, undinna festa oft í Ægis kjafta úrsvöl Gymis völva.
The spray-cold völva of Gymir [Rán, the sea] often bears the bear of the twisted cables [the ship] into Ægir's jaws, there where the wave breaks.
Refr (hav = Ránar munnr, Ráns mun)
En sægnípu Sleipnir slítr úrdrifinn hvítrar Ránar, rauðum steini runnit, brjóst ór munni.
And the Sleipnir of the sea-peak [the ship], spray-driven, painted with red, tears its breast out of the mouth of white Rán [the sea].
Einarr Skúlason (hav = svana strind, svanstranden)
Harðr hefir ört frá jörðu élvindr, svana strindar blakkr lætr í sog sökkva snægrund, skipi hrundit.
The hard storm-wind has driven the ship swiftly from the land; the steed of the swans' shore [the ship] lets the snow-ground [wave-crest] sink into the undertow.
Einarr Skúlason (hav = dorgar dynströnd, dörjens dånande strand)
Margr ríss, en drífr dorgar dynströnd í svig löndum, spend verða stög stundum, stirðr keipr, fira greipum.
Many a wave rises, and the roaring shore of the fishing-line [the sea] drives aslant toward the lands; at times the stays are strained and the rowlock stiff in the grip of men.
Einarr Skúlason (hav = holmfjöturr Heita, Heitis holmboja)
Grams bera gollna spánu, göfug ferð er sú jöfri, skýtr holmfjöturr Heita hrafni, snekkju stafnar.
The prince's ship-stems bear gilded weathervanes — a noble voyage that, for the king; the island-fetter of Heiti [the sea] speeds the raven [the ship].
Einarr Skúlason (hav = varar holmrönd, havets holmrand)
Haustköld skotar hélðum holmrönd varar öndri.
The autumn-cold island-rim of the sea [the sea] shoves the frosty ski of the bay [the ship].
Einarr Skúlason (hav = svalra landa sverrigjörð, de kalla ländernas gördel)
Sundr springr svalra landa sverrigjörð fyr börðum.
The whirling girdle of the cold lands [the sea] springs apart before the ship's stems.
Snæbjörn (hav = Amlóðis kvarn; Ægirs döttrar mal havet)
Hvatt kveða hræra Grótta hergrimmastan skerja út fyrir jarðar skauti eylúðrs níu brúðir, þær er, lungs, fyrir löngu, líðmeldr, skipa hlíðar baugskerðir rístr barði ból, Amlóða mólu.
They say the nine brides of the island-mill [the waves] swiftly turn the exceedingly battle-grim Grótti of the skerries [the sea] out beyond the edge of the earth — they who long ago ground Amlóði's meal [the sea]; the ring-diminisher [the seafarer] carves with his prow the dwelling of the ship's-side [the sea].
Einarr Skúlason (hav = Rakna fluga-straumr, sjökungens flygande ström)
Viknar ramr í, Rakna, reksaumr fluga-straumi, dúks hrindr böl, Þar er bleikir bifgrund, á stag rifjum.
The strong clinch-nails give way in Rakni's [the sea-king's] flying stream [the surging sea]; the sail's bane [the storm-wind] drives against the stay-ribs, there where the trembling ground [the sea] pales.