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It should be quite clear that Hollander spells names with "th" when we would often normally expect to see a "d": thus Volund's brother is Slagfith rather than Slagfid, and likewise Óthin rather than Odin. In the following I'll try to remember to spell names the more standard way with "d", except when quoting Hollander's translation.

So, Slagfid, the Finn smith, seems almost a double (perhaps originally an epithet) of Volund. Orchard points out that not only smiths but the Finns themselves had reputation for being magical. And the two brothers marry Valkyrie swan-maidens that are themselves sisters. Egil seems the odd brother out; if anything he has a reputation for being an archer rather than a smith, and though he too weds a Valkyrie swan-maiden, she is not sister to his brothers' wives. Nevertheless, both brothers disappear "from the stage" after their wives depart during their eighth winter together while the "weather-wise" brothers are hunting in the forest. Egil sought for his Valkyrie wife to the east, while Slagfid sought for his wife to the south. Volund waited back in Wolfdales for his Valkyrie wife to return.

Nídud and his warriors came to Volund's hall while Volund was out hunting...

Hollander notes "They take no more than one ring (which probably had magic power) in order not to arouse suspicion. Fearing the supernatural strength of Volund -- he is termed a lord of the alfs -- they mean to overcome him sleeping, and so lie in wait for him until he returns weary from the chase." In Hollander's translation Volund is termed "the alf's folk-warder" in the passage above, and later Nídud calls him once "lord of alfs" and once "alfs' leader" -- so Volund is definitely considered, as an elf, otherworldly. The golden armring Nídud takes he presents to his daughter Bödvild, and he takes Volund's sword for himself.

Back in his own hall, Nídud's unnamed queen warns him about Volund:

Sævarstath (Orchard: Sævarstad) is 'Sea Stead'. With this hamstringing Volund becomes even more crippled than Hephaistos, for he cannot walk at all, but would have to crawl about using his arm strength, and sit (not stand) at the forge.

Nídud's (also unnamed) young sons one day arrive (accompanied by their nurses) with desire to look at all the precious and wondrous objects Volund had made that were kept in "the chest." Volund convinces them to return the next day alone to see "the gleaming gold":

Hollander notes this is the scene pictured on the Franks Casket. He also notes that in Thiðreks saga (a quite late conflation of many "hero's tales") "Volund tells the boys to return when fresh snow has fallen, and to walk backwards to the door. After their disappearance, Volund is suspected but clears himself by showing the tracks leading from his door." Volund covers their skulls with silver and presents them to Nídud as drinking vessels. He creates shining beads from their eyeballs and "gave to the cunning queen of Níthoth," and sent "beauteous brooches" made from their teeth to Bödvild.

Next, Bödvild herself comes to Volund to have the golden armring repaired.

Orchard quotes these lines (from a different translation) identifying the drink as "beer." This is all that's said at this point in the poem, which continues:

Hollander thinks there may be lines missing here, basically saying that though I cannot use my hamstrung feet, I've forged me wings, and I'll fly with my strong arms. Orchard points out that Thiðreks saga does report that Volund manufactured the wings himself. Here, clearly he escapes from his smithy prison in the same manner that Daidalos escaped from his smithy prison.

Volund flies to Nídud's hall, and perches high there to taunt the king. Seeing him there Nídud speaks...

Finally, I found another passage in Kveldulf Gundarsson's Teutonic Religion:

Sometimes one wonders how precise or accurate certain translators are. Hollander's is my only translation of The Poetic Edda, and in looking for some other translations to order, I noticed his translation being criticized for emphasizing poetry over precision. I'll see how different the versions I've ordered are.

In the meantime I've noted Bellow's translation of the Volundarkvitha (from his Poetic Edda, at the following website: http://www.waylands.net/public/smithy/volund.htm

He points out the prose sections as the composition of an annotator(s), who also added the various indications of who is speaking. The poem itself is (perhaps much) older than these annotations. Bellows argues that it is only the annotator who identifies the three swan-maiden wives as valkyries, in addition to being swan-maidens. His translation of the poem differs considerably from Hollander's in avoiding any reference to valkyries, direct or indirect, in reference to the wives. Indeed this is clear from the very first stanza of the poem. Hollander's translation:

Bellows' translation:

That the brothers were sons of the King of the Finns, Bellows also points out as a contention of the annotator(s), noting again their reputation for being magical. In the poem Volund is always identifed as elvin, indeed the epithet(s) that Hollander translates as "lord of alfs" and as "alfs' leader", Bellows translates as "greatest of elves."

I was mistaken above when I mentioned that neither brother is noted after they leave Wolfdale ("Ulfdalir") to search for their swan-wives. Though not noted in this poem, Egil the archer somehow comes to Volund's aid. In Thiðreks saga Egil is said to have shot down the birds whose feathers Volund used in manufacturing his wings. Indeed the 7th century Franks casket interestingly has a carved scene of hamstrung Volund sitting at his smithy with Egil outside shooting arrows up towards the sky and another carved scene (labeled due to its lesser familiarity) of the adoration of the Magi.

One thing that had struck me is how similar is the concept of Volund donning his self-made wings to fly and the swan-maidens donning their swanskins to fly. Both may resolve to feather-adorned shaman (and shamanka) robes, donned before a ritual journey to the spirit-world. Indeed, this may have been the ultimate source for Daidalos' wings and flight.

The shield of Achilles is usually envisaged by scholars with it's scenes arranged in concentric circles, presumably on the model of the shield of Agamemnon (Iliad 2:32-7) which had "ten circles of bronze upon it". This means the fifth circle corresponds to the rim of the shield, on which we’re told Oceanus was represented. Given the only kind of shield design that might have been contemporary with Homer would have been executed in the Geometric style, the obvious way to represented Oceanus on the rim would have been with a meander. I find it interesting that, as described by Homer, the dance scene was placed next to the rim in the fourth circle. (Can’t imagine what kind of Geometric "filling" device would have symbolized dance, though.)

I received by UPS two additional translations: (1) Poems of the Elder Edda, Revised Edition, translated by Patricia Terry (1969; 1990). (ISBN 0-8122-8220-5) AND (2) The Poetic Edda: A new translation by Carolyne Larrington (1996) (ISBN 0-19-283946-2).

Whereas Bellows translates the first stanza of the Lay of Volund (see above) without any suggestion the flying maidens are valkyries (recall he argues that the representation the swan-maidens were also valkyries was a conception of the annotator (in prose) and not apparent in the earlier originally orally transmitted poem), Terry's translation does carry the implication:

On the other hand, Larrington's translation agrees more with Bellows':

Another stanza Hollander translates thus:

So too, Terry:

While both these translations would belie Bellows contention the poem does not characterize the swan-maidens as valkyries, again Bellows and Larrington's translations offer no implication of that.

Bellows:

Larrington:

Clearly the phrases (apparently found in both stanzas) that Hollander and Terry translate as referring to war or battle, Bellows and Larrington translate as referring to a personal fate.

Note that all these translators, in translating the annotator's prose introduction to the Lay of Volund, do refer to the maidens as valkyries and to battle:

Hollander: "Early one morn they found by the shore three women who were spinning flax. By them lay their swanskins, for they were valkyries. . . . Thus dwelled they seven years. Then flew they away to be at battles, and did not return."

Bellows: "Early one morning they found on the shore of the lake three women, who were spinning flax. Near them were their swan-garments, for they were Valkyries. . . . There they dwelt seven winters; but then they flew away to find battles, and came back no more."

Terry: "Early one morning they found on the shore three women who were spinning flax. Their swanskins were lying beside them. They were valkyries; . . . They lived together for seven years. Then the valkyries flew away to go to battles, and didn't come back."

Larrington: "Early in the morning, they found three women on the shore, and they were spinning linen. Near them were their swan's garments; they were valkyries. . . . They lived together seven winters. Then the women flew off to go to a battle and did not come back."

Terry's translation of Volund's epithets are "The Master of Elves" and "Elf King" and "Lord of Elves." Larrington translates these, in order, as "Prince of Elves" and "Lord of Elves" and again "Prince of Elves."

Following her translation of the Lay of Volund, Terry provides this information:

In the stanza where Volund seduces and rapes Bödvild, Larrington annotes the phrase (in her translation) overcame her with beer, by noting the "scene is illustrated on the eighth-century whalebone box known as the Franks Casket, which can be seen in the British Museum."

Larrington's translation of the stanza in which Volund then takes flight is rather unique among the four translations:

The other translations all have Volund (recall he had been hamstrung at Nidud's orders) wishing he could walk -- apparently an ironic or sarcastic statement (to Bödvild?) since then he rises into the air with (triumphant?) laughter. Hollander does footnote the line about wishing he could walk as "Conjectural." Larrington annotates her webbed feet thus "this phrase, and the crippled smith's method of escape from the island, remain obscure. It is possible that the ring which he has now recovered has some transformative power, changing Volund into a swan (hence the webbed feet), like the swan-maiden for whom it was made. The later prose account of the story Thidreks saga, has Volund's brother Egil come to his rescue, shooting down geese with his bow so that the smith can make himself wings. This scene may also be illustrated on the Franks Casket." Finally, she annotates Volund's declaration that Bödvild is with child, with "in Thidreks saga Volund returns with an army, kills Nidud, and marries Bodvild. Their son, Vidia, becomes a great Germanic hero."

One final intriguing set of epithets for Volund.

Three of these translations identify Volund as "weather-wise" while the last identifies him as "weather-eyed." This epithet appears to refer to some supernatural ability Volund has -- either to alter the weather or more likely, given the joint implication of "wisdom" and "sight," to foresee the weather with accuracy -- certainly a boon to a huntsman.