dwelt ever in the river, and bare fish to bank in his mouth, and
his prey would he ever bring to our father, and that availed him
much: for the most part he kept him in his otter-gear, and then
he would come home, and eat alone, and slumbering, for on the dry
land he might see naught. But Fafnir was by far the greatest and
grimmest, and would have all things about called his.

"Now," says Regin, "there was a dwarf called Andvari, who ever
abode in that force, (1) which was called Andvari's force, in the
likeness of a pike, and got meat for himself, for many fish there
were in the force; now Otter, my brother, was ever wont to enter
into the force, and bring fish aland, and lay them one by one on
the bank. And so it befell that Odin, Loki, and Hoenir, as they
went their ways, came to Andvari's force, and Otter had taken a
salmon, and ate it slumbering upon the river bank; then Loki took
a stone and cast it at Otter, so that he gat his death thereby;
the gods were well content with their prey, and fell to flaying
off the otter's skin; and in the evening they came to Hreidmar's
house, and showed him what they had taken: thereon he laid hands
on them, and doomed them to such ransom, as that they should fill
the otter skin with gold, and cover it over without with red
gold; so they sent Loki to gather gold together for them; he came
to Ran, (2) and got her net, and went therewith to Andvari's
force, and cast the net before the pike, and the pike ran into
the net and was taken. Then said Loki --

"`What fish of all fishes,
Swims strong in the flood,
But hath learnt little wit to beware?
Thine head must thou buy,