Svipdagsmál is the name given by Sophus Bugge to two poems, Gróugaldur and Fjölsvinnsmál, which obviously belong together as the beginning and ending of a single tale, as is evident from a later Danish-Swedish folk-song, The Ballad of Young Svejdal. These two poems have only been preserved in late, 17th century, paper manuscripts, although they seem to originate from the 13th century. They are generally regarded as a reworking of fairy-tale motifs, only loosely associated with Old Norse mythology, and thus excluded from most modern translations of the Poetic Edda. The interpretation offered here suggests that this is a misconception, and that these poems deal with events and ideas central to the mythology. Like other Eddaic poems, such as Grímnismál, Vafþrúðnismál, and Hárbarðsljóð, they seem to be poems full of riddles and allegories, which must be solved in order for the real meaning to shine through. They are written by a poet, who intentionally obscures his subject, and tries to mislead his audience, while at the same time supplying the shrewd listener with enough clues to decipher the central riddle. [MORE]