Frodi

Old Norse: Fróði
Old High German: Frute
Meaning: "Learned Man"

1. a Danish king,
2. father of Hledis,
3. perhaps father of Kari,
4. a sea-king

1. Frodi was a legendary Danish king. The peaced he had in the time he ruled became very famous under the name Frodafrid (see above), but himself was best known for his unlucky appearence in the Gróttasöngr. Frodi was the son of Fridleif and and belonged to the race of the Skjöldungs. He ruled in the time, when Augustus reclaimed peace over all the world.
Once Frodi visited king Fjölnir in Sweden and bought two giantess-slaves, who named Fenja and Menja, and found two mill-stones in Denmark, that were able to grind whatever the grinder wii
shed. But noone except the two giantesses was strong enough to drag them. Frodi gave them orders to grind gold, peace and prosperity, but forbade them “not a moment’s rest nor even sleep longer than while the cuckoo was silent, or a song might be sung”. (Gróttasöng translated by William Reaves). Fenja and Menja sang the Gróttasöngr and ground till’ they had an army to kill Frodi. He was slayn by the sey-king Mysing. This was also the end of the Frodafrid.
In Germanic tales he appears as Frute from Denmark. His name often appears in referrence to “gold” or gold-kennings. He also appears in the Prologue of the Prose Edda, where he was called Frjódigar.

- Poetic Edda: Gróttasöngr, Helgaviða Hundingsbana In Fyrri
- Prose Edda: Prologus, Skáldskaparmál XLIV, LII, Háttatál XLV

2. Frodi was the name of Hledis’ father. He was married to Friund and was the grandfather of Ottar, lover of Freyja.

- Poetic Edda: Hyndluljóð

3. Another Frodi, who too was mentioned in the same poem as the Frodi above was (perhaps) the father of Kari, who was an ancestor (maybe father) of Ketil.

- Poetic Edda: Hyndluljóð

4. Frodi was also the name of a sea-king, that was listed in the Prose Edda.

- Prose Edda: Nafnaþulur I

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