Vafþrúðnismál is composed as a wisdom contest between a god and a giant. The genre itself has parallells elsewhere. Medieval literature often used the dialogue form to convey knowledge on religious matters. An influence on the eddic poem from Christian texts has been argued. Closer correspondances are found in the Indo-Iranian tradition, however. The author concludes that the framework of Vafþrúðnismál represents an ancient genre with roots in the Indo-European past.
https://doi.org/10.33063/diva-400601