Vavtrudnir, the wisest of all giants was once visited by Odin, who wanted to know how much he really knew. Frigg tried to stop him, but he went of to see the giant. Odin didn't want the giant to know who he was, so he changed his name to Gagnrad. When he gets there the giant claims that Odin first have to answer four questions; about the names of the day and the night's horses, about the flood between Asgard and Jotunheim and about the battlefield of Ragnarok. Then Vavtrudnir is satisfied and invites Odin to sit down. They make an agreement that one wrong answer from Vavtrudnir gives Odin the right of killing him. Odin starts with 12 questions each starting with "If your brain is good enough, and if you know it". The questions are; Where does earth and heaven come from? What's the name of the Moon and the Sun's father? Who gave birth to night, day, winter and summer? Who is the oldest among all the creatures? Who gave birth to Vavtrudnir himself and what is the first thing he remember? What happens
when it gets windy? Where is Njord from? How does the einheriar live? How could Vavtrudnir possibly know this much? Odin gets the correct answers to these questions and asks six more, now with the starting words "I traveled alot, I got tempted alot, I have tried the power alot". These questions was about who is going to survive the Fimbulwinter, how it can be sun after Ragnarok, the norns when a child is born, which aesirs that will survive the fire of Ragnarok and how Odin will die. The last question was; What did Odin whisper in Balder's ear when he was on his funeral boat? That is something nobody knew, except Odin and Balder. Vavtrudnir admits that he has been defeated.
Related links:
Odin Vavtrudnir
Aegir's feast
