Skírnismál

The prose prologue to the poem says that the god Freyr, the son of Njörðr, sits in Odin's throne, Hliðskjálf and looked over all the worlds.

On looking to Jötunheimr, the land of the giants, Freyr sees a beautiful girl, Gerðr, and is immediately seized by desire.

The poem itself starts with the wife of Njörðr, Skaði, bidding Skírnir to ask Freyr why he is so sad.

In Snorri Sturluson's version of the tale, Skírnir successfully woos Gerðr without threatening to curse her.

Liestøl asserts that the runic inscription is a genuine spell, and was intended to work on a real woman.

"The Lovesickness of Frey" (1908) by W.G. Collingwood.
AM 748 I 4 to , one of the two manuscripts to preserve Skírnismál , has notes on the margin indicating the speaker of each verse. Some scholars consider this a clue that the poem might have been performed as ritual drama.