In Norse mythology

Norse mythology

Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...

, Fjalar and his brother Galar, were dwarves who killed Kvasir

Kvasir

In Norse mythology, Kvasir was a being born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar killed Kvasir and drained him of his blood...

 and turned his blood into the mead of poetry

Mead of poetry

In Norse mythology, the Poetic Mead or Mead of Poetry , also known as Mead of Suttungr , is a mythical beverage that whoever "drinks becomes a skald or scholar" to recite any information and solve any question. This myth was reported by Snorri Sturluson...

, which inspired poets. They appear in Skáldskaparmál

Skáldskaparmál

The second part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál or "language of poetry" is effectively a dialogue between the Norse god of the sea, Ægir and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined...

.

Myth

Fjalar and Galar murdered a giant named Gilling

Gilling

In Norse mythology, Gilling was the frost giant, father of Suttungr and Baugi and grandfather of Gunnlöð. He and his wife were murdered by Fjalar and Galar. Gilling is also a surname, although not very common.- Mythology :...

, along with his wife. Their son, Suttungr, searched for his parents and threatened the dwarven brothers, who offered him the magical mead. Suttungr took it and hid it in the center of a mountain, with his daughter, Gunnlöð, standing guard.

Odin

Odin

Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....

 eventually decided to obtain the mead. He worked for Baugi

Baugi

- Myth :Baugi is a son of Gilling and his wife, who were killed by two dwarves, Fjalar and Galar. His brother is Suttungr, and his niece is Gunnlöð. Suttungr had hidden the mead of poetry after obtaining it from Fjalar and Galar....

, Suttungr's brother, for an entire summer, then asked for a small sip of the mead. Baugi drilled into the mountain but Odin changed into a snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

 and slithered inside. Inside, Gunnlöð was guarding but he persuaded her to give him three sips; Odin proceeded to drink all the mead, change into an eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

 and escaped.

Source

• Snorri Sturluson
  Snorri Sturluson
  Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
  
  , Edda
  Prose Edda
  The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Nordic mythology...
  
  , translated and edited by Anthony Faulkes, London: Everyman, 1995, ISBN 0-460-87616-3.