THE NINE
O RL D S
S TO R I ES FR O M NO R S E M Y THO L O G Y
MA R Y
B
G I NN
E
L IT C H FIE L D
.
A ND
O S T O N,
L O ND O N
C O M P A NY , P U B L I S H E R S
1
0
0
9
E NT
ERE
D
CO
B
Y
P
PY
R IG H T
MA R Y E
ALL R
T Y P OG R A P H Y
S TA T I ON
AT
BY
R E SS W O R K
J
.
BY
.
IG H T S
C
U
HA L L
LI TCH FI ELD
R
ESER E
8: C O
V
CO
.
o
8 90 ,
S H I NG
G NN
I
1
,
ER S
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D
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B O STON
B O STON
,
U S A
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U S A
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r
i
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ti
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ti
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i
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f E r p ti ll th
th r g i
l v th
t ry ig ht h ndr d
w r
y r g th N r w g i
ti ll w r hipp r f O di
It i
i t r ti g l
th
r d f
f th r
m
bl d
th
wh
till r s i
v i w h m d bt l w ti ll r mb l i
m y
I
T
H I N K S c a n di n avi a n
an
an
o
on s
e
ese
ea s
a
n e es
o
wa
ys
u o
o
o
n o ur
e
an s
e
e e
c ee
e ns,
i
thi
an s m,
e
e
a s o as
a
one
or
s,
.
e
n
un
s
e
p
o
o
ou
n
e e
to
us
h e r e , is m o
a es
e
,
o s
s
ou r
a
es s
e s
e s,
n
o
en
e
e s
u
e
:
es e
n
n
e
s
.
os e
e
n
nue
c on
.
cen u
en
n e es
e
oo
an
so
.
i k wi g
ith r i th r
b t thi l d
m thi g
f th r
pg im f
i ly d m bi d w ith hig h r
U
l
thi g it i i
t
th
t
d
f
ith
w
ith
l
k
it
i
l
T
w
u
y
y
bri g u i t l r d l r r r l ti w ith th p t w ith r
— T H O M A S C A RL Y L E
w
i th p t
p
i
Ne
e
s
an s
o
ou r
s,
s
n us
s
n o c os e
“
a
n
n
o
n
s
os s e s s o n s
n o us e
e e
e s
a
e
n
a
an
e
o
a
c ea e
as
.
,
a
e a
so
e
an
co
n
no
n c o n s c ou s
.
,
n
ons
.
o
n
a
ou
s
o
ne
e
no
c on s c o
e
—
as
s
ou
,
.
P R E FA C E
.
r i t i ng th e se stori e s o f the No r s e g od s m any b ooks h ave
b e en onsulted an d espe c i all y the f ollowing A nde rson s No r se
M y th ol og y the t ran sl ti on o f R y d b e rg s T e ut oni c M yth ol og y
an d
the Y oung e r Edd b y the s m e auth or G ri mm s
of
T e utoni c M yth ol og y t r an sl ated b y S ta ll y b r a s s a n d Th orpe s
tr an sl ati on o f S aem u n d s E dd a
M y im h as b een to w r ite a st o ry si m pl e en oug h f or c hil d r en
My
b u t n ot so s i m pl e a s to b e uninte r e stin g to olde r pe r sons
o wn inte r e st in No r se m y th ol og y w a s a r ou sed m an y y e a r s ag o
b y tw o b ook s H e r oe s o f A sg a r d b y A an d E Kea ry an d
Wonde r f ul S to rie s of Nor the r n L and s b y J uli a G odd ar d
T h e e xc u se f or thi s b ook is th a t in m an y r e spe c t s it is unl ike
A n d thi s is
a n y th a t h a e b een w r itten o n the s a m e s u bj e c t
p ar tl y ow ing to the f ac t th at R y d b e rg s r e se a r c he s h av e m ade
it p ossi bl e f or the fi r st ti m e f o on e to f o r m a de finite c on c ep
ti on of the c o sm og r aph y of the m ythol og y and al so b ec ause
he cl e ars awa y m any in c onsi stenc ie s that h ave l ong c lung to it
I h av e wr itten the st o r y o f the g od s a s it h as f or m ed itsel f
in m y m ind a f te r m uc h r e ading an d think ing I n som e c a se s
the w or ds of the p oe m s of S ae m u n d s E dd a h ave b een used
e spe c i all y in the l ast c hapte r T h e Twili g ht of the G od s I
have taken the lib e rt y of p utting a p ar t of the V ala s P r op h
IN w
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c
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’
a
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a
’
a
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a
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v
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r
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P
v1
R E F AC E
.
Other
p r ophec i e s into the m outh of O din bec ause
he is r ep r e sented in the E dd as as knowing al l that is to c om e
in the f utur e I n the stor y of B al d ur I hav e f oll owed R y d b e r g
the Y oung e r E dd a R y d b e rg c l ai m s
r athe r th an the a uth or o f
that the l atte r h as dep ar ted f r om the ol d m ytholog y in m an y
instan c e s an d e spe c i ally in his ve rsi on of the B aldur m yth
I n or de r to m ak e a d r am ati c wh ol e out of the se p ar ate st or ies
it h as b een ne c e ssar y to supp l y c onne c ting links an d to g iv e
spe c i al p r om inenc e to c e r tain c h arac te r s L oki is the c entr al
fi g ur e an d T hiassi a s p or t r ay ed b y R y d b e r g p la y s an i m p o r
tant p ar t Whatev e r is c oa r se or unp oetic in the ol d stor ie s
h as b een l e f t ou t an d m u c h h as b e en a dded f r om m y ow n
i m ag inati on For instan c e the r e is n o f o undati on f or the
c h apte r O din seeks W i s d o m f r om M i m i r e xc ept in the l ine s
R
u
s ong
ted
r
m
din
s
ne
u
o
f
o
O
q
I wi sh to exp r e ss m y sinc e r e th ank s to tho se wh o hav e k ind ly
an sw e r ed my q ue sti ons or hel ped m e b y thei r c r iti c i s m s
ecy
an d of
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C O NT E NT S
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D UC T O R Y C H AP T E R
O DI N S E E K S W I S D O M FR O M M I M IR
T H E B I N DI N G O F T HE W O LF
T H E J U D GM E N T H A LL O F T H E D E A D
B A LD U R A N D L O KI
B A LD U R S D R E AM S
T H E M I S T L E TO E
L O KI MA K E S TR O U B L E B E T W E E N T H E A R T I S T S A N D T H E
H O W T R I A SS I C A P T U R E D LO K I
T H I A S S I C A RRI E S O FF I D U N A
T H E G O DS GRO W O L D
L O KI B RI N G S B A C K I DU N A
T H O R AN D T H R Y M
T H O R A ND S KR Y M IR
T H O R S J O U R N E Y T O G E T T H E KE T T L E F O R AEG IR
FR E Y C LI M B S I N T O O DI N S H I G H S E A T
FR E Y S L O V E F O R G E RD
S KIR N IR S J O U R N E Y T O W I N G E RD F O R FR E Y
T H E D E A T H O F B A LD U R
B A LD U R S FU N E R A L
H E R M O D S J O U R N E Y I N S E A R C H O F B A LD U R
L O KI A T AZ G I R S FE A S T
T H E C A P T U R E O F L O KI
T H E T W ILI G H T O F T H E G O D S
I N T RO
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’
’
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GO
DS
N I NE W O R L D S
THE
N O R SE
FR O M
S TO R IE S
I NT R O D U C T O R Y
O
.
M Y TH O L O G Y
C HAP TE R
.
.
an cestors who lived hundreds of ye a rs a g o
believed in many gods Th e stories of thes e gods
however were written not in sacred bo oks but in the
memories of the peopl e ; for in thos e early days the
Teuton s living in north ern E urope h ad n o w r itte n lan
1
guage
For centuries the fathers handed down to
their children th e tradit ions they had received from
former generation s
unt il finally C hristianity took
the place of the old religion
E ven after this the belief in th e gods lingered long
in out of the w ay p l aces ; and at last in Icel a n d some
of the stories about them were collected and written
down The books in w h ich the y are written are called
E ddas
There are two of them
The E lder or
S ae m u n d s E dda which consists of poem s and T h e
Younger or S n orre S tu r l e s on s E dda which is prose
UR
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1
p
h ey
T
osse ss
h ad
m ag
i
c
f ew
a
r
p
o
p
e
rti
c
h arac t e rs
es .
ca
lled
r u n es,
.
th t
a
we
r
e
s upp ose d
to
2
ST
OR I ES
F
RO M N OR S E M YT H O L O G Y
.
Probabl y these stories collected in I celand are n ot
ij ust like those told hundreds of years befor e in E urop e
because thi n gs handed dow n by word of mouth are
sure to change a little with each generation S till they
gi v e us in the mai n a true idea of the gods our warlike
forefathers believed in The stories that fol l ow in this
book are for the most part based upo nth e E ddas
O ur ancestors knew but little of the wor l d and W hat
—
they s aw made them think that it was fl at
a great
fi at region encircled by a river c a l led the O cean
They be l ieved th a t there were nine worlds in stead of
1
one arra nged in s ome such w ay as this :
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( S O UT H)
( NO R T H)
R EG IO N O F
B
EO
L
W
TORT UR E
RT S E
S
S E
’
SU
D EP
FIER Y DA L E B EL
UR D ’
R ALM
NIFL HEL
OW
of al l w a s Asgard the hom e of th e f E s ir
or gods ruled over by O din or Wodan
N ext below came Midgard the world of men with
the river O cean around it B eyond the O ce a n on th e
same plane w a s J O t u n h e im the upper giant world
H ighest
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1
I n th e p l an
,
-
,
of
.
rl d Rydb rg
th e n in e w o
s
e
h as b e e n f
o
ll ow ed
.
I
N T R O D U C T OR Y C H A P T E R
3
.
Far below these stretched the under world vast
comp ared with the regions above it and containing four
of th e nine worlds
I n the n orth was Niflh e im the
-
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EA S T
VV E S T
S O UT H
th rn r
pri g H g l m i i Nifl h l Nifi h im u d Y g g d il
W ll f W i d m i M im ir R l m u d r Y g g d il m idd l r t
R l m u d r Y g g d il u th r r t
U r d W ll i h
( )
s o
n
o
n
e
e
s
e
a
2
( )
e
n
er
s
ea
n
e
r as
s
s
o
(3)
H
m
e o f th e V a n ir
o
(4)
h
H
m
e
o
f
t
e
E
l
v
e
i
n
i
r
a
l
m
s
o
M
i
m
s
e
R
(5)
t
w
e
r e B a l d u r d w e l t w i th th e A s m é g ir
a
s
l
e
h
6
C
( )
n
n
i
f
i
m
t
o
r
h
e
r
E
d
o
f
B
r
O
r
d
e
d
H
e
d
a
ll
N
s
t
u
a
b
g
y
(7)
f
e
r
n
n
i
f
t
t
h
E
d
o
B
r
o
s
n
e
a
r
r
d
s
W
e
ll
8
S
o
u
U
( )
1
S
v er
n
e
r
,
n
e
or
e
n
,
’
r as
,
’
r as
er
’
’
e n
,
’
s n or
e
s
oo
e
oo
o o t.
.
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’
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’
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,
lower giant world cold dark and misty I n the south
Urd and her two sisters ruled over the kingdoms of
the dead B etween thes e two regions lay M im ir s la n d
where besides the wis e old giant there dwelt many
m ighty beings among whom were N ight (the ancient
mother) bright D ay and D e l ling the elf of the dawn
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S T OR I ES
4
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
E ven the S un and Moon had resting places there
and
;
in som e parts there were elves a n d dwarfs West of
M imir s land was the home of the Vanir a noble race
akin to the f E Sir S ome of the Va n ir lived in Asgard
—
There were regions lower still
the l a nd of s ub
terranean fire
S urt s deep fi ery dales
below Urd s
realm and t h e worl d o f torture u n der Nifl h e im
T w o things a bridge and a tr ee united all these
worlds
1
Bifr o st the trembling bridg e t hrew its m ighty arch
d
over A sgard W hi l e its northern end
upon
the
e
g
mountains of Nifl h e im and its sout h ern end reached
to the land of Urd It was very useful to the gods
w h o crossed it daily on t h eir w ay to the j udgment ha l l
in Urd s realm ; but it had to be carefully watc hed
lest hostile giants Should by its help find their w ay t o
Asgard H eimdall a pure and wise Van guarded its
northern end H is ears were s o good that he co uld
hear the grass pushing up through the ground and
the wool growing on the backs of the Sheep ; and he
needed less sl e ep than a bird
The tree which connected th e n ine worlds w a s called
2
Yggdrasil
Its three main roots were watered by three
fo un tain s in the under world and the rootlets went
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-
Rydb erg m ain tain s th at th
o ri g i n a l o f
B i f rost
2 Y
n ash tr ee
r
i
l
s
a
w
a
d
as
gg
1
’
.
-
.
e
,
i
M lk y W
ay , an d
n ot
th e
ri
a n b ow ,
is th e
S T OR IES F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
6
n or
g
e
l id
wa
v
es
rth i t d
h v
b
tw
h ti
b f r B r
r i d p h v
th y w h th
m id
rth h p
ea
’
as
a
e o e
c
a
’
s
u
-
ea
s
v
e,
c
h
as m
s on s
ea
o
e
o
c
ao
u
a se
N ot long
en
ea
;
n o t,
ex s e
n or
.
v lt
’
au
en s
bl
e
no
a
d
e
,
e
1
.
fter the creation of Ymir a cow Aud
hum l a w a s formed ; and the gi a nt Y m I r fed upon her
m i l k The c ow l icked the m a sses of frozen vapor for
they were s alt
And as S h e w a s l icking the first
evening a man s hair a ppeared ; a n d the s econ d d ay
his head ; and the third day the w hole m a n cou l d be
seen
H is name was Bur
H e w a s very l a rge and
fair and had gre at stren g th
H e h a d a s o n c all ed
a
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From under the ar m of the huge gi a nt Ymir there
grew two children a boy and a girl They w ere gi ants
but sti l l they were good a n d from them descended
many wonderful beings M imir, the boy g rew to b e
the wisest person in a ll the nine wor l ds U n fortunate l y
he lost his life in a great w a r O din cut of f his head
and preserved it ; and it kept on giving good advice
as though it were Mimir himse l f The great goddess
N ight w a s Mimir s daughter The girl who came from
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1
r
F
om
th e V
l
o us
i
n T
a
p
h rp
o
’
e s
tr
l ti
an s a
o n of
S aem un d
’
s
E dda
.
I N T RO D U C T O R Y C H A P T E R
7
.
un der Ymir s arm was called B e s tl a
S he was the
m other of O din
While a race of good and wise giants descended from
M imir and B e s tl a a race of evil giants and monsters
came from a s ix headed s on of Y mir s This monster
grew from Ymir s feet
H is descendants were s o
powerful that in the end they were to conquer O di n
and cause the de struction of the world The ruin of
the gods however w as to be brought about in part
by their own shortcomings : they were not strong and
noble enough to resist the evil forces array ed against
them
O din and his two brothers slew th e gia n t Ymir
dragged his body into th e middle of the ab y ss and
from it formed the worl d
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r
F
Ym ir
om
’
th e e a
rth
was f
r
om
h is
and
h v
th t i
d fr m
th e
of
f
ea
a
an
en
f
r
c e -c o
o
h
rm d
fl es
s
his
b
o
e
ld
hi ll
th e
o n es
om
,
s,
k ll
th e s u
i
t
g
b l d th
an
,
oo
e
1
s ea
.
“
’
The melancholy clouds were formed from Ymir s
brains S ome of the sparks that flew over into G in u n
gagap were placed in th e heave n s and m e n called them
stars
.
,
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1
r
F
E dda
.
m Th e L ay
o
of
V a f th r fidn ir in T
h orp e s tran sl ati on
’
of
S aem un d
’
s
S T OR IES F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
8
O n e day O din and his brothers
1
.
w ere w a
l king n ear
the s e a when they came upon two trees an ash a n d a n
elm From these trees they created the first human
beings — a man and a woman An old poem says
,
,
.
,
.
Th y f d
rth
rl y p w r l
d E mb l
A k
v oid f d ti y
d t
S pirit th y p
th y h d t
m tiv p w r
bl d
d
ly
l
r
o
g
S pirit g v O di
v
H
ir
g
blo d g v L d r
d g o d ly
l r
ou n
e
nea
on
e
o
a,
es
o
n or
e
a
no
n or
o
e
co o
a
a
a
o
an
.
os s es s e
o
s e ns e
n
e
s e ns e
oo
,
es s,
an
s
ea
o
,
o
e s,
.
oe n
e
,
n,
e
e
no
o
,
u
co o
2
.
’
The elves and dwarfs swarmed in Ymir s body after
he was killed they we r e not created by the gods
I n E urope there are still ancient customs and old
say ings that go back to the time when men believed in
Thor and O din
I n some parts of G ermany until
recently the peasants left a clump of grain standing
for O din s horse when they gathered the harvest
E ven here in Am e r i ca there is something to remi n d us
of the old gods Tuesday is n amed for Ty r the god
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i t i th t H ir d L d r
b r th r
O di
Fr m th V O l p a i T h rp
tr l ti
1
Y e,
Rydb erg
,
’
n s
2
o
ma
o
e
n a ns
e s
oen
a
an
o
u
ar e
i d ti l w ith V il i
en
ca
.
us
n
o
’
e s
an s a
on o f
S aem un d
’
s
E dda
.
an d
.
I N T ROD U C T ORY
CHA P T E R
9
.
gave his right hand to s a ve hi s people from the
dangerous wo l f
Wednesday is O din s or Wodan s
H
e
placed
wisdom
being
a bove everything else
a
dy
W illing to give even his eye f or one drink from M im ir s
well
Thursday belongs to Thor the fi erc e thunder
—
w e are
god ; and Friday to Frigga Frey or F r e y ia
not sure which
H ow did people com e to believe in all these gods ?
N o one w i l l ever know j ust how the belief began and
how it grew but it is possible to learn something
about it
We w h o live now have h a d s o many things fou n d out
for u s that we can n ot im a gine how th e world seemed to
people w h o knew very litt l e and W h o had t o find out
everything for themselves or make their own guesses
about thi n gs I n the earl y ages men lived in a worl d
of mystery ; the s u n t h e moon the s e a th e wind
every thing w as strange and wo n derful
Life was a
struggle I n the north it w as hard to provide for the
needs of the long cold winter Man had not learned
how to control the force s of nature and h e w a s contin
u al l
warring
against
them
The
mountain
s
shut
him
y
in ; the forest s were dark and awful ; th e snow and
the ic e and the desolate wastes s e t themselves against
him to thwart his best endeavors Was it strange that
these hostil e forces seemed like cold heartless giant s
O ppos e d to all that was j o y ous a n d gentle an d human ?
who
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S T OR I ES
IO
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
Thus bega n the be l ief in fros t gia n ts and mountai n
giants
T h ere were kindly powers ho wever and chief amo n g
th ese w a s the sun man s best friend H e gave man l ight
and heat Through his influence the rivers burst their
b onds the grass grew green a n d the crops ripened
Whi l e the s u n reigned life w a s h appy But in the
north at a cert a in tim e of the ye a r the s u n lost his
power ; and in t h e e x t r e m e n or t h he sank out of Sight
and left the world in d a rkness As men s aw him dis
appearing what anxiety must h ave fi ll ed their hearts !
H ow could they be sure th a t this mysterious being upon
?
W hom their ve ry lives depended wo uld ever return
H ow e a gerl y they must have w atched for him ; and
when the first faint flush appeared wh at r eJO I CI n g !
N o wonder they hailed the returni n g s u n as a god
the god w h o gave l ight and j oy
The ch a r a cter of O din is said to have come from men s
fee l ing about the s u n S ome books s ay that O din gave
one of his eyes for the drink from Mimi r s we l l and that
the s un represents O din s Si n gl e eye We can easil y
s e e that the story of Iduna has somethi n g to do with
the go ing an d coming aga in of the S ummer
Baldur is the god w h o represents most fully th e
feeling that m en had for the s u n in the far north
Baldur w as the pure and shining god And as the s un
sank out of sight and left the world in darkne ss so he
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I N T ROD U C T ORY CHA P T E R
.
died and went t o the un der world causing untold grie f
in Asgard and M idgard
The thunder was pictured as a strong fierc e god with
fiery hair and h e ar d who rode in h is iron chariot and
fl u ng his m ighty hammer at the rocks and m ountains
Thor the foe of the gi a nts
All the gods ca n not be easily traced back to some
thin g in nature ; indeed
ost of them lost their original
char a cter as the years rolled on and became very
hu man in their attributes ; and w e must not think of
them as representing to their worshippers simply some
obj ect in nature M en and women lived hard lives
in those rude times and thought much about life and
death and the unkno w n future What they believed
and hoped w as expressed in the character of their gods
and in the pictures they made for themselves of the
unseen worlds
As we read their poems and stories w e
feel that they were trying to get at the secret of life
the great open secret that no on e has Wholly gues
even with the Ligh t that has come in to the w
s m c e those days
It w a s a fighting ag e Th e hero looked forward to
death on the b a ttle fiel d as th e greatest of b l e s s I n g s
H e believed that s o dying the Va l kyries would come an d
take him to O din s pa l ace of Valhalla where the fi g h t
ing an d the feasting would go on for ages S till with
all their love of war these people did not believe that
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S T OR I ES
12
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
force w a s to be victorious or that evil w as to triumph
over good The Strong gods were to h a v e their day
but were to be defeated at R agnar o k the n Baldur was
—
to come the ruler of a new and better world G ood
ness and purity were to conquer in the end
A l l this has passed away a n d those w ar l ike people
have left l itt l e to remind uS th a t they once lived here
—
Y e t one herit a ge we h ave
not a few pyramids of
stone but nine wor l ds bui l t of that airy stu f f t h at
out l a sts S olid granite and peop l ed with beings stra n ge
and wonderful S ure l y h e who l oves th e p a st will care
sometimes to wander amid the shadows of those ancient
w orl ds
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O D I N S EE K S WI S D O M F R O M M I M I R
.
was night in A sgard th e home of the gods A
s oft light fell upon the sleeping city Showing it s v 1 n e
clad hills and glittering palaces and touching even the
deep still va l leys th a t lay between For the trembling
bridge Bifr o st spanned the cit y like a rainbow of silver
meeting the horizon at the n orth an d south Toward
th e south as f a r as the eye could reach rose mountains
with c a stles upon their tops and sides ; while toward
the north stretched th e level and grassy plains of Ida
From a structure upon the highest place of th e cit y
a shaft Shot up Slender and glittering as a tal l spire
rises from some great cathedra l I t rose high above all
th e cast l es an d towers s o high as almost to touch the
arch of the celestial bridge This slender shaft w a s
O din s H igh S eat
From its top could be s een n ot
only Asgard but also a large part of the worlds below
H ere the A l lf ath e r s at alone buried in tho ught
A lone except for two wolves that l ay sleeping at h is
1
feet and two ravens perched upon his shoulders weary
after their j ourney through the nin e worl d s
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day
O di n
s
rv
th y fl
ew o
e
’
a
ens
we
v r th
e
r
e,
i
H ug
e n ne
i ( th g h t)
rl d b ri g i g b
wo
an d
ou
n
s,
n
n
a ck
M un
ti di
i
n
ng s
ry) ;
m
e
m
o
(
to
O di n
I3
.
e ach
S T OR IES F RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O GY
I4
.
After sitting a l ong whi l e in meditation O din looked
down upon the stately homes of his chi l dren and upon
the fi elds that stretched aw ay beyo n d the high wa ll s
and the dark rushing river that surrounded the city of
the gods Then his eyes tri ed in v a in to pierce the
d ense blackness that Sh r ouded a land far below him
toward the north H e g azed long and e a rnest l y and a t
last rose up an d descended quickly to the pal a ce j ust
be l ow his H igh S eat The va st h al l s resounded as he
strode thro u gh them
H e hastened to a building ne a r by and soon appeared
again leading a gray horse This hors e was we l l fitted
to be a r the fa t h er of the gods ; for he had a powerful
frame and eight l egs A S he stoo d wai ting for O din to
mount he trembled with eagerness and flames poured
from his nostri l s I n a n instant O din w a s on his back
a n d the wonderful horse was carrying him toward the
north with the speed of the wind
The high wall a n d the dark river surrounding the city
were no obstacle to Sl eipnir H e l e ap e d e a s il y over
them a n d kept on his swift w ay across th e fie l ds on the
other side which stretched green and l evel to the dis
t ant hori z on H ere and there were groves in whose
quiet depths a less rapid trave l ler m ight have heard the
trickling of fount a ins And occasionally a lake reflected
on its dark surfa ce the silvery arch of B if r O s t
At l ast they re a ched the point where the celestial
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OD I N SEEKS WI S DO M
F
RO M MI M I R
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S
bridge touched the outer edg e of Asgard The eight
footed horse rushed unhesitating l y upon the bridge
although it trembled beneath his weight sending up
Like a comet among the stars S leipnir
fi tf ul flames
sped on h e ar in g O din over the black depths
At length a faint light reached the m from the north ;
and soon O din s aw a horseman clad in a w h it e garment
coming towards him The horse had a mane of gold
which shining full upo n the rider revealed h is pure
pale face Approachi n g h e said
Welcome Father
O di n I have been wat ching for you ever since I h eard
S leipnir s eight h oofs stri k e the bridge
Doubtless
some deep purpose brings you across Bifr o st at night ?
Yes H eimdall you have j udged rightly said O din ;
a great matter u r ges me on ; and many days must
I j our n e y ere I r e t u r n home
I must go through the
dark l and of our enemies the frost gi a nts of the lower
w or l d ; a n d then far beyond to region s that few have
visited Fortunate are t h e gods that H eimda l l guards
for them th e trembling bridge Were it not for y our
keen ears that hear th e grass growing and the wool
thickening on the backs of the sheep our enemies
might ere this have crossed the abyss an d have
stormed Asgard
As he Spoke they both looked down upon the land
beneath them dark except for the l ight that streame d
from H eimda l l s far shi ning cast l e at the bridge head
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S T OR IES F RO M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
16
.
And they c ou l d s e e the glistening tops of ice mount a ins
rising above the mists
O ur enemies are strong
A S O din looked he said
I fear the tre a cherous Loki w h o is ever going
a nd
between Asgard and the giant world We have need
of all your wat chfu l ness H eimd a l l and of a l l the
strength of Thor th e dread foe of th e gi a nts to keep
Wh a t great wisdom do I need to
o u r enemies a t b ay
prot ect the real m of Asg ard a n d the world of m en !
They kept on their w ay t o w ard H eimda ll s castle
which w as on a high mount a in ne a r th e bridge head
The cast l e w a s apparent l y made of th e sam e material
might
have
a s the bridge a n d as it rose to w ard the s k
y
bee n t aken for a structure of cloud b ath ed in moo n
l ight But in truth it shone with a soft fire of it s own ;
for r a di a nce stre a med from it in al l directions lighting
up a s we have seen a p a rt of the cold foggy land of
the gi a nts The appro a ch to the bridge w a s in this
w ay made s o clear l y visib l e that it w ould have been
i m possib l e for any one to get ne a r without H eimd a ll s
kn o w l edge eve n h a d his he a ring been l ess keen
Then too the c a st l e w as strongl y fortified surrounded
by a high w a ll and a moat the waters of which like
those of the A sgard river were covered with a mist
that fl a shed into flam es when disturbed by an enemy of
the gods
C ome in O din said H eimdal l as they re a ched the
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OD I N S EEKS W I S DO M
F
RO M MI MI R
I
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7
cast l e ; your j ourney h a s been l ong a n d a hard road
”
lies before y ou
They e n tered a large b al l whose walls were made of
something that resembled white m a rble or al abaster
All the decoration s were of silver
Vines bearing
clusters of Silver grape s r a n al ong the w alls and
curious horn s a n d l amps hung from the a rches above
Ta l l youths cla d like H eimdall a l l in white brought
1
in tank a rds of foaming m e a d
The two gods drank the mead and ta l ked earnest l y
together unt il at last O din rose saying O ne favor I
ask of you H eimda l l : keep S l eipn ir for me unti l my
return There are few to whom I would intrust him
but he will be s afe with you
I wish to j ourney
unk n own through the w orld of cold and darkne ss and
th e horse would betray m e
H eimda l l accomp a nied O din a short distance down
t h e steep mountain a n d then returned t o his post to
guard the brid g e of the gods
2
As O din went down int o Nifl h e im a chilly fog closed
about him shutting out th e li g ht from H eimd a l l s
castle and making it h a rd for him to keep to the path
A s he got lower th e co l d becam e int ense and his foot
Slipped on the icy road which broadened into a river of
ice There were sounds of creaking a n d crashing a n d
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2
H on ey
Th e g
an d
i tw
an
-
t r f rm t d
rl d i th rth r
wa
o
e
,
n
e
en e
e no
an d
e n
vrd
t f th g r t
fla
r
a
p
o e
o
.
e
ea
un d e
r w rl d
-
o
.
1
S T OR I E S F RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
8
.
in the dist a n ce c o u l d be heard the moaning of w a ves a s
they broke u pon the desol a t e Sh ore A s he m a de his
way he could j ust distinguish through the mist and
darkness the enormous mount a ins of ice surrounding
him S ome of these seeming ice m ount a ins were re al ly
frost gi a nts whose huge heads wou l d s l o w l y turn to
follow him O nce a n iceberg in the s e a went t o pieces
with the noise of distant thunder an d he cou l d long
hear the booming and cr a shin g S ometimes a deluge
of icy w a ter wou l d rush upon him from a cascade that
h e had not perceived a n d then he would he a r the S l ow
heavy laughter of the giants sounding l ike the r oar of
At one point in his j ourney he c a me
h oarse wi n ds
upon a fie l d of ice ; and as the fog lift ed h e cou l d s e e
that it stretched on a l l sides level and white covered
with snow H ere th e sounds of creaking a n d crashing
ceased a n d he no longer he a rd the l a ughter of the
giants : the si l ence w as absolute
H e stood alone
u nder the stars
After a lo n g j ourney through the ice region O din
reached a country W here dark savage mountain s took
the p l ace of icebergs and here and there on their
peaks loomed up the strongholds of the mountain
giants A S he kept on his way he cou l d sometim es
distinguish the g i ants them se l ves looking like huge
m oving m a sses of rock This land w a s a s dreary as
the l and of ice ; for a l though there w as no fog and a
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S T OR I E S
20
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
loomed up t oward th e south ; and one higher than the
others down whose sides rushed twelve rivers O n the
top of this mountain w a s the ice cold spring H v e r g e l
mir O ne of the three roots of the great World Tree
Yggdrasil w a s bathe d by the w aters of this spring ;
and the rivers that flowed fro m it went in a l l direction s ;
some flowing through the cold foggy land of the giants
to the northern ocean while oth e rs flowed to w ard the
1
2
south through the vast realm s where M imir and Urd
guarded their wells under the other two root s of the
World Tree
As O din neared th e mountain his w ay led through a
gloomy cave where he could hear the baying of a dog
and the creaking of an iron gate This gate he knew
barred the descent to th e world of t orture below Nifl
—
heim
a world far more dark and dreadful than that
through which he had j ust passed O nce out of the
cave the road led over the m ountain O n the highest
peak stood a solitary watchman the trust y guardian of
the spring and the dread foe of the gia n ts
A s O din came near b e greeted him :
D id the mon
s t e r s try to harm you O din ?
The hateful crew would
be glad enough to crush the father of th e gods and get
possession of Asgard
And your Loki is too much
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1
2
r
p
Th e g
Ur d
ese n
t
,
i t wh
an
an d
an d
f
o
r
g
h e r tw o
tr
u u e
’
.
r m d r Y m ir
itr wr r
ew
f
o
s s e s
un
e
e e
’
s ar
n o n s, or
f
m
.
t
a e s,
r pr
e
es e n
ti
ng
th e
as
p
t
,
OD I N SEEKS W I S DO M
F
RO M MI M I R
I
.
with them I often s e e him th ere H e thinks hims e l f
well hidden by th e darkness ; but my eyes are trained
to s e e in the dark
”
replied O din ; your eyes and H eim
Y e s E gil
dall s ears ar e the best defenc e w e have against our
foes I came through safely as you s e e Their attacks
would have been more fi erce had they known me As
for Loki I am well aware how dangerou s he has b e
com e S til l I may not yet turn h im out of Asgard for
I am bound by an oath mad e when we both were
—
y oung
when I thought him inno cent But I m ust
”
hasten E gil ; a great purpos e urges m e on
As O din went down the southern slope of the m oun
tain a pleasant prospect greeted h is eyes wearied with
the gloomy Sight s upon which the y had been looking
for s o many days The country w a s still mountainous
but it was not black and sterile R ich metals S eam ed
the rocks and h ere and there were the mouth s of
caves W here sparkled crystal s and ge m s When O din
stopped and listened he could hear the picks and ham
mers of the dwarfs Twilight still hung over the scene
but at intervals lights streamed across the Sky their
rich colors playing upon the mountains
O din had n o w to cross a broad river and then he
could s e e in the distan ce a castle of fantastic shape
which w a s ornamented in an unusual manner S tone
dragon s grinned from it s corners their large j ewelled
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ST
22
OR I E S
F
RO M
N OR
S
E M YT H O L O GY
.
eyes gleaming like fire as th e lights flashed upon them
About the Slender column s tw i ned go l den snakes and
li zards of copper ; and metal vines ran thick l y a l ong
the walls bearing gems for flowers A fire shone from
one part of the building and it w a s evident that work
of some kind was going on
This strange castle was the hom e of S indri and his
—
brothers
dwarfs and famous artists who had made
wonderful weapon s and or n a m ent s f or the gods N one
approached them in Ski ll except the sons of Iv al di
The latter were part l y of giant blood and were said to
be magicians as we l l as artist s Between them and the
dwarfs there was some riva l ry but as yet no hard
feeling
O din passed near the castle but did not
enter
As he went on the mountains lost all their savage
wildness and ro s e in gentle outlines against the S k y
They were clothed with forests and vineyards Down
their slopes rushed brooks changing into cascades of
mist
Peaceful valleys stretched between the mou n
tain s while high above al l were c l ouds glowi n g with
the colors of an eternal sunset For this was a land
where dark night and gl a ring mi dd ay never came
The mountains grad u a l ly softened into hills and
t hese at last were lost in broad stretches of level
fields covered with golden grain or tall waving grass
T h e rivers glided along deep and peacefu l
Flower s
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O
DIN
S EEKS
W
IS D O M
F RO M M I M I R
23
.
bloomed every where th eir bright colors refl ected in th e
still waters of little po n ds H erds of deer came t imidly
up t o O din and birds sang to him as he passed O nly
the gentlest bree z e stirred the leaves and all sounds
were low and sweet
Along th e southern horizon there n ow appeared a
bank of white clouds piled high one upon another
B ut as O din neared them th ey changed to m ountains
of marble evidently enclosing some sacred spot Like
pure white sentinels they stood bat hed with rich
colors
There seem ed to be no entrance through this marble
wall ; but when O din reached it he knocked with h is
sta f f an d a door w as opened A man of grave and
reverend aspect greeted h im and led the w ay through a
Spacious cave sparklin g with crystals that reflected the
l ight of his torch At the further end of the cave was
a door larger than the one by which O din had entered
opening into a circular va l ley
The sides of the valley were formed by the m arble
mountains ; but they did not look like mountains on
the inside ; for they had been carved into beautiful
shapes and delicate vines ran over them veiling the
whiteness of the marble
From the centre of the valley grew th e root of the
enormous World Tree ; and the waters of the deep we l l
of wisdom bathed the root of the tree A t the furth e r
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ST
OR I ES
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
of the val l e y rose a stately p alace H ere and there
w ere groups of trees and rare plants b l oomed on all
sides N ear a pool a large turtle his bac k covered
with the I ncrustations of ages basked la z ily in the
light H arm l ess serpents with bri l liant eyes twined
about the trunks of trees Dragons slept with fo l ded
wings while m any ancient and uncouth monsters
rested amid the grove s or sunned them selves in t h e
niches of the marb l e wa ll s G ay colored birds fl itt e d in
and out among th e branches and peacocks wal ked
proud l y about spreading their tai l s
The scen e was
made more fa ir by the l ight that fell upon it It W a s
and one could not tell whence it c a me ;
n ot sun l ight
but it flooded the peaceful va l ley with the softest
radiance
O din stood for a few moment s lo o
king at the sce n e
before him and then wa l ked slowly to w ard the centre
of the va ll ey Under the root of the Worl d Tree sat a
m an of g iant stature apparently absorbed in w at c h in g
the waters of the we ll Long silver locks floated over
his s h ou l ders and a w h ite beard fell upon his breast
There w a s no look of o l d age in his face a l though a s
he raised h is head the wi sdom of the centuries gleamed
from his deep b l ue eyes and his who l e aspect ex
pressed perfect peace
H is hand rested upon the
edge of the wel l which w a s thickly overl a id with go l d
N ear him stood an immense chest curious l y carved
en d
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OD I N S EEK S WI S DO M
F
RO M MIMI R
2
.
5
containi n g treasures from bygone ages A l arge horn
of silver lay upon the chest bearing H eimdall s name
in runic characters of gold
A s O din c ame near Mimir rose s aying Welcome
O din ! You come fr om the north I s e e
This time
you h ave chosen the h a rd ro a d an d on foot too !
Yes Mimir an swered O din ; I chose th a t road
bec a use I wished to e xplore the land of my enemies
a n d I h a ve com e to you for cou n sel and help
G ladly will I help you as you know said Mimir
I know your readiness replied O din ; but this
time I a s k wh a t no one has ever asked of you My
realm is beset with d a ngers Loki grows in wickedness
1
H e h a s taken for his w ife th e witch of the I ro n wood
and their chi l dren thre a ten to prove our most for
And the frost gian ts and the mountain
m idab l e foes
gi a nts, as you know are on l y too re a d y to attack us
whenever there is a chance of success
I need great
wisdom right l y to govern a n d protect Asg a rd a n d
”
M idgard the wor l d of men
Both were si l ent for a moment ; and then O din said
l ook ing e a rnest l y a t M imir I n order that I may g a in
this w isdom I a s k for one drink from your deep we ll
After a long si l ence M imir s a id s l ow l y You have
O din ! Are you p repared to p ay
a sked a great thing
the price for it ?
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1
Th e p
ri ip l
nc
e of
e
vi l
,
th e f
i i
t rp rt
e m n n e c ou n e
a
of
L
ok
i
S T OR I E S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
26
.
replied O din eagerly ; “al l the go l d of
Asgard our best swords our j ewe ll ed shields ! E ve n
S l eipnir wi l l I give you for one dr a ught of the precious
!
water
These things w i ll not buy wh a t you desire said
M imir ; w is d om a m be g a in ed on ly by s uf f e r ing a n d
Wou
l
d
you
give
one
of
your
eyes
for
s o w 755 A
{
wisdom ?
A c l oud came over the bo l d face of O din and he
pondered l ong
Fin all y he said s l ow l y
I wi ll give
one of my eyes and I wi l l su f fer w hatever e l se is
”
necessary if I m ay thereb y g a in the wisdom I need
Y
e s,
,
,
,
”
“
,
/
,
,
“
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,
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.
No
one ever k n ew al l th a t O din su f fered and learned
in th a t mysterious v a ll ey
S ome s ay that he rea ll y
gave one of his eyes in return for the drink fro m
M imir s we l l But as nothing is s a id of that in the o l d
song ca l led O din s R une song a n d a s the fa ct of his
being one eyed is n ot mentioned in s ome of the o l dest
poems it seems doubtfu l whether that sacrifice was
required of him O din s ays in his R une song
.
’
.
”
’
“
-
,
-
,
-
.
th t I h ng
wi d r
k d tr
ig ht
wh l
w ith
p r w d d
d t O di
ff r d
I
k
on
n ow
n
a
n In e
an
oc
-
o e
a
s
o
m ys e l f
u
a
n
to
ee ,
s,
ou n
ea
n
e
o
e e
mys el f ;
e
,
T H E B I N D I N G O F TH E W O LF
.
O DIN
returned to Asgard after a long absence and
all noticed that he looked m ore grave and maj estic than
1
ever H e Spoke to n o one but Fr ig g a his wife of the
wonderful things h e h ad seen and h eard Frigga never
revealed wh at w a s told her in confiden ce
Loki w a s away when O din returned ; and th e latter at
once took steps to place the chi l dren of the treacherous
god and the witch of th e I ron wood where th ey could
do no harm
The children were worthy of their p a rents O ne was
a wolf F enrir not ye t fu ll y grown him O din had
2
brought to Asgard and given in charge of Ty r one of
the stro n gest and bravest of the ZE S ir Another was
a dangerous serpent ; and he w a s put into the river
O cean that surrounded M idgard the world of men As
soon as he touched the bott om of the s e a he began to
grow an d grew so fast that before l ong he reached
entirely around Midg a rd ; and his tai l finding n o other
p l ace gre w down his throat H e w a s c a l led the Midgard
serpent from that time forth But more dreadful in ap
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1
2
ri
F g g is th e
S on
of
Odin
u s ua
l f rm
o
on e - a
.
rm
ed
g
o d of
w ar
.
T HE
BI N D I N G
THE
O F
W
O LF
29
.
than either of these mon sters w a s the t h ir d
S he had th e form of a woman but the hard heart of h e r
mother the witch of the Iron wood ; and half her body
was of a deathly white color s o that n o on e could bea r
to l ook upon her O din sent her to U rd guardian of
the fou n tain under the third root of the World Tree
and ruler of all th e realms of the dead S he made this
dreadful being qu ee n of the world of torture unde r
a
r
a
n
e
c
e
p
.
,
-
,
,
,
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,
.
Niflh e im
.
Loki s last two children were we ll disposed of for the
present at least ; but the wolf Fe n rir kept growi n g
stronger and fi e r c e r each day ; and Tyr po w erful as he
w a s f ound it no easy matter to cont rol him
After
con sulting together th e gods decided to bind him with
an iron chain
There w a s a Smithy in Asgard with the best facilities
for maki n g all kinds of m etal t h ings such as chains
swords Shields and axes And in this smithy the gods
forged a chain larger and stronger than any that had
ever been seen in A sg a rd They took it to Fenrir an d
asked him to amuse them b y showing his strength
Fenrir w a s very proud of his strength ; and as soo n
as h e s aw the chain
he k n ew he could easily break it
S o he let them bind him standing quietly as th ey did
so
When the y had finished he stretched his l imbs
a n d th e ch a in in stantly broke in several places
The
gods pretended to consider it a good j oke and praise d
’
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S T OR IE S F RO M N OR S E M Y T H O L O G Y
0
3
.
the wolf for his strength sayi n g they would try the
game again som e day
The y n ow realized that to make a chain stro n g
enough t o bind the wo l f was like ly to prove n o easy
task
This time the most skilful workers in metal
were se cured and they did their best to make th e second
chain th e strongest that cou l d possib l y be forged
When it w a s finished all declared that nothing like it
had ever been seen in a l l the nine worlds
They went to Fenrir a s before ; but when he s aw
them bringing a chain s o heavy t h at it took s everal
gods mere l y to dr a g it along th e grou n d his suspicions
were aroused H e refused to be b onn d Then they
appealed to his pride ti l l h is strength swe l led within
him ; and eager to Sho w his power he let them wind
the chain a round till h iswhole body was covered w ith
iron links Then he rolled on the ground and stretched
his huge limbs and the bonds burst as though made of
some brittle met al The gods dissembled their feeli n gs
as best they cou l d and praised th e stre ngth and cour
age of the wo l f more than ever
O din with his great wisdom realized how important
it w as that Fenrir should be bound Finding th a t
Asgard could not produce a chain stro n g enough for
th a t purpose he se nt S ki r nn: to the hom e of the dark
elves to get one For great a s were the gods the elve s
an d giants knew more about some thin g s t h a n they did
,
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T HE
BI N D I N G
OF
T HE W
OL F
3
.
1
A nd indeed the dark elves must have been very wise
and skilful to have mad e the chain which they gave
S kirnir H ow they managed t o get the materials of
which it was composed is a mystery ; for it w a s made
Six things se l dom s een in Asgard or M idgard
of
n amely : th e footfa ll s of a c a t the beard of a woma n the
roots of a mountain the sinews of a bear the breath of
a fi sh and the spittle of birds O ne could believe
al most anything of a chain made of such t h i n gs It is
no wonder that it w as as soft and smooth as a silken
string an d that its strength w a s greater than that of
any chain made since the nin e worlds were form ed
S kirnir did his errand very quick l y co n sidering the
long distance h e had t o go ; and happy were the gods
w hen he returned with the delicate
si l ken string
They fe l t sure of success now ; for things made by the
dark elves al w ays possessed wo n d erful properties
I n order to disarm the suspicions of Fenrir the gods
planned an excursion to a rocky islan d pretending that
the sole obj ect of the trip w as amusement
The
amusement w a s to con sist m a inly in trials of strength
Fenrir w ent with them H ad he d iscovered any ch a in
he wou l d have suspected foul play ; but there w as noth
ing of the kind t o be seen
A s soon as they reached the island the sports began
They ran races leaped over barriers Shot with bo w s
w rest l ed a n d in short did a l l those things that test
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ST
2
3
OR I ES
F
RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
.
men s strength and skil l After the tri a l s w ere ended
and the victors had been crowned they s at on the grass
near Fenrir talking and j esting
O ne of the gods then drew from his bosom the magi c
chain and handing it to his neighbor s a id They S ay
this c ord i s stronger than it looks S ee if you c a n
break it
Th e one to whom it w as given tried in v ain
and then with a j est he passed it to the god n ext him
and s o it went the rounds
When all h a d tried and fa i l ed S kirnir said as though
struck by a sudden thought
Let Fenrir try H e h a s
strength in break ing chains if he can do n othing
else
S o one of the gods held up the cord saying Wo uld
you like to try your strength on this l itt l e string Fen
rir ? Perhaps you wi ll scorn to be bound by s o s l ight a
thing ; but it is too strong for our hands to break
The wo l f refused the tria l f or he suspected t r e a c h
ery Then they taunted him saying that only a coward
would refuse to be bou n d by such a cobweb T h e I r
tau n t s stirred F e n r ir s pride ; and he fin a l l y agreed to
let them bind the chain ab out him if one of their num
b e r wou l d put his right h a n d into his j a w s while it was
being don e a s a pledge of their good faith
Upon this the gods looked at one another in dismay
B u t after an instant s p a use Tyr we ll knowing w hat
th e result would be stepped up to the wo l f and thrust
’
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,
‘
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'
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’
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T HE
BI N D I N G
O F
T HE
W
O LF
33
.
his right han d into h is j aws saying with a l a ugh You
s e e it is on l y a j oke Fenrir
The wolf let them bind him ; and when the magic
cord was tight l y around the gods moved away all b ut
Ty r for they knew the strugg l e would be terrible
The monster now stretched his l imbs ; and finding
that the more he struggled the tighter grew th e string
he bit Tyr s hand of f at t h e wrist and then ro l led on
the ground rending th e air with his howls of rage and
despair When he had worn him self out w ith his des
perat e struggles the gods secured him an d took him
back to A sgard
O din had him carried to a dark cave on a rocky
1
I sland in the regio n s of torture be l ow Nifl h e im
He
was chained to a rock that was sunk far into the earth
and h is j a w s were kept open by a sword th a t w as thrust
into them s o that th e hilt stood in the lower j aw and
the point in the roof of his mouth
F rom his j aws
flo w e d a poison o us river
There he would remai n
chained unti l R a gnar ok the Twi l ight of the G ods
shou l d com e
Brave Tyr by his s a crifice h a d saved A sgard from
a da n gerous foe
“
,
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'
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’
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'
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1
Rydb rg
e
ri
d esc b e s th e
r gi
e
on s o f
t rt r
o
u e
in h is T e u
t i
on c
th l g y
My
o o
.
THE
N
E
M
T
D
G
U
J
HAL L
O F THE
D EAD
.
EACH
day O din and the other gods rode ove r
B if r O s t going toward s the South and went down to
the lower world N ear the southern end of the celes
tial bridge was the well that w at ered the third root of
Yggdrasil An o l d book says that the waters of this
we l l were s o holy that everything that is put in the
we l l becomes as white as th e m embrane b etween the
egg a n d the eggshell
The roots of Yggdrasil were
continuall y sprinkled with it s wat ers and were as white
as silver in consequence T w o swans of purest white
the p a rent s of al l the swans that ever have been glided
over its surface ; and it s edge like that of M imir s well
w as thickly overl a id with gold
Urd the great n or n who w as queen of th e world of
the dead dwe l t near the well with her two sisters
Multitudes of m essengers and attendants stood read y
to do her bidding ; for her realms were vast h er power
extending even to the dark region under Niflh e im A ll
beings w h o died in Midgard came first to the great
j udgment hall n ear her well And it w a s to meet them
there and with Urd to pass j udgment upon them t h at
the gods crossed each day the trembling bridge an d
,
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“
”
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’
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34
BALD U R A N D L O K I
.
NON E of the gods stood so high in the j udgment
ha l l of the dea d as Baldur While he was not famed
as a fighter or noted for his strength his pure heart
and righteous life made his j udgment so clear that his
decisions were abso l utel y j ust and once spoken were
n ever questioned
Besides being a perfect j ud g e, Baldur had other
qua l ities that made every one love him even the strong
and fierce H e w a s s o fu l l of kin dness a n d sympath y
that wherever he went th e s u n shone more bright l y and
j oy fi l le d all hearts From th e first his life had been
blameless and his one aim had been to make others
happy The loveliness of his character was expressed
in his face a n d in his form ; he was the most beautiful
of all the gods : indeed they often called him Ba l dur
the Beautiful ; and in M idgard men named the whitest
flower they could fi nd Baldur s brow
But dearly loved as he w as Bal dur had one deadly
—
the fa l se vindictive Loki Loki secretly hated
en em y
all the gods but none s o much as Baldur H is fierce
j ealo u sy w a s stirred because Baldur held such a high
lace
in
Asgard
H
e
hated
him
as
the
darkness
hates
p
'
.
,
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’
,
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36
.
B A L D U R A ND L O K I
37
.
the l ight and as evil abhors good ; an d all h is plot s and
—
t h e destructi on of thi s
schemes tended to on e end
hated being H e had long hoped t o bring about in
some way the downfall of O din an d the ruin of A sgard
but first h e wou l d kill Baldur for well he k n ew th at
n othing would cause such universal grief as h is deat h
,
,
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,
.
B A LD U R S D R E A M S
’
B
A
.
L D U R the beloved of the gods had grow n
s ad
,
,
"
.
1
no
palace the H all broad shining sple ndor
longer gave him pleasure and N anna his wife could
H is voice was not heard in the
n ot c omfor t him
cou n cil hall of the gods Finally after su f feri n g long
in silenc e he confided to O din and Frigga the cause of
E very night for a long w hile he had bee n
h is sorrow
tormented b y dreams wh ich told him that the day of his
death was not far distant that he must leave the home
h e loved s o well to dwell in the under world apart
from all his brethren This thought made him s o sad
t hat the most j oyous sights and sounds could not drive
a way his melancholy
O din at once called a council of all the gods and god
desses and after conferring t ogether they se n t some of
their number to consult wise giants and other beings
w h o knew more of the future than the y themselve s
k n ew All said that Baldur must die
The n it w a s determined that from every living crea
ture and from all plant s an d meta l s the oath not to
harm B aldur should be exacted
F r igga received their
H is
“
-
,
—
of
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~
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1
B
r id b l ik
e
a
.
B
A L D U R S D R E A MS
’
39
.
oaths ; and for day s Asgard was thronged with the
multitude of beings who came t o take the s olemn oath
until finally all had sworn
But even this did not satisfy O din H e resolved t o
go to th e lower world and there seek information about
the fate of h is son S l e ip n I r was saddled and the All
father took th e same road that he had t ravelled when
h e visited the realms of M imir in search of wisdom
Again he crossed the celestial bridge going towards
th e north and passed again the Shining castl e of H e im
dall the sleepless watchman
But this time S leipnir
bore him swiftly through the dark ice region and the
gloomy land of the mountain giants
As he was going toward the south a dog met him
having com e evidently from th e cave near M ount
H v e r g e l m ir
The breast of the dog was bloody an d s o
were his throat and his lower j aw H e barked furiously
at O din and howle d long after he had passed ; but the
A l l f ath e r rode on not hee ding him
I n the eastern part of Mimir s realm ne a r the home
of D elli n g the elf of the dawn O din came to a dense
1
forest that he could not remember having see n before
,
,
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,
°
,
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’
,
,
,
.
r t d tl h v b i tr d d i t th B l d r myth
Rydb rg
th rity M im ir v d m p r m rt l t th tim f
im p di g
t tr ph
tl B l d r m f t r
d th m i th i
d pl
h i d th
A f t r th
f th w r l d
t
d r l d Ov r th m
d tr ti
m rt l w h h d l
R g ok B l d r w t r l
d th
rv
h
i
m
d
g
1
Th e f
’
e
en
o es
s
n
au
an
c as
o
.
c a as
o
e
a
een
e
sa e
e , an
ac e
n
so
o
u e
e
e
uc e
n
n o
o
s c as
e
a s
e
e
a
u
a
.
u
a
on
e
an
o
ca
e, a
e
o
e
,
s
a
ea
n ar
an
,
u e
e
e
.
e
e
es
uc
on
o
,
a
‘
,
a
u
asx o
u e , an
e se
o
a s,
o
a
on
se
e
,
40
ST
OR I ES
F
RO M
NOR
S
E M YT H O L O GY
.
Yet the locality was familiar to him an d he knew that a
1
little farther to the east was the grave of the Vala who m
he wished to con sult After penetrating for a long dis
tance into the silent depths of the wood he came to
a wall higher than the one around A sgard H owever
S leipnir was not daunted by this obstacl e and in an
in stant O din foun d himself in a large garden from the
midst of which rose a castle of singular beauty T h e
doors stood hospitably open : evidently no enemies were
anticipated in this charmed Spot protected by forest
Th e A l l f ath e r dismounted an d entered
a n d wall
Tall men and fair women walked about the castle
or talked together I n sma l l groups ; an d there were
preparations as for some h onored guest whose coming
was expected At the upper end of the hal l w a s a
throne of gold and near it benches strewn with rings
,
,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,
,
we
r
e
to
t e -p e o
l
e
p
S aem un d s E dda
’
th e
ea
r f rt
e e
o
rth
T
.
h e s e l i n es f rom
th e l ay
t
j
Wh t m rt l will l iv
th
wh
g r t Fim b l w i t r
h ll f r m m h v p d ?
th e
s ub e c
o
a
en
s
a s
e
h
b ut t
a f th r
r
r
a
e
e
1
a ss e
.
l
’
b ol t
s
.
ews
ll h v f
th m sh a ll
om
n e
c on ce a e d
e
d
n in g
t ey wi
F
fi d n ir
ll b
wi
in H o d d m im ir
h
e
a
-
L if th r a s ir ;
ey
Th e m o
u
en
V
and
e,
ea
o
a
L if
:
A p
f
or
m en b e
r ph t
o
oo d .
e e ss .
b orn
.
of
V af th r fidn ir in
B
A L D U R S D RE A M S
’
4
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1
and ornaments ; while on th e table th e m ead stoo d
read y ; b ut it w as covered with a shield
A S O din ent ered a graceful y outh cam e forward s ay
A re y ou the good king and th e wise
in g reverentl y
that M imir has long promised us You s e e that every
thing is in readiness and y our subj ects await y ou with
impatienc e
A nd O din answered I am indeed the king of a fair
realm but not y our king What i s the nam e of him
W ho is t o rule over you ?
And th e youth replied
M imir has not told us his
name ; but we know he is to come erelong ; and h e
will be s o noble and so pure that w e shall all love h im
and serve him gladl y
O din sighed thinki n g of B aldur After talking a
little with th e inhabitant s of the castl e the A ll f ath e r
left them and made his w ay o ut of th e forest
Upon reach ing the grave of th e Vala O din chanted
a magic song compellin g her t o rise and an swer him
S he rose an d with a deathlike voice said
What man
is this to m e unknow n w h o has for me increased an
?
irksom e course
I have with snow be en decked by
r ai n beaten and with dew moistened ; long hav e I bee n
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de adf
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give his real n am e but said
V e g t am
Is m y nam e ; I am V al tam s s on
Tell me what I wish
to k n o w of the realms of death ; from earth I call on
O din did
n ot
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S TO
2
4
RIES
F
RO M
N OR S E
MY T H O L O G Y
.
’
who m are those benches strewn o er with
”
ri n gs and those costl y couches o e r l aid with gold ?
And the Vala answered
M ead stands for Baldur
brewed ; over the bright potion a Shi eld is laid ; but
the f E s ir race are in despair B y compulsio n I hav e
”
spoken I will n ow b e Silent
The n O din spoke again
B e not sile n t Vala ; I will
question y ou until I know all I must y et know who
”
will Baldur s slayer be w h o wi l l kill the s on of O din ?
1
The Vala said
H O du r
wi l l thither his glorious
brother send ; h e wi l l the Slayer of Baldur be ; he wi l l
kill the s on of O din By compul sio n I have spoken ; I
”
wi ll now be sile n t
H owever O din kept on questioning the Vala until
he asked something that revealed his true character ;
and s h e said
N ot V e g tam are you as I before b e
l ie v e d ; y ou are O din lord of m en !
H omeward ride
O di n and exult ! N evermore Shall man thus vi s it me
”
until R agnar o k the Twilight of the G ods have come
A s She s aI d this the Val a sank back into the earth
A n d O din rode again to Asgard little comforted by
what he had learned in th e lower world
u
o
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i
S a d to b e b l
summer
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i
n d.
H e m ay
h ave repr e sent ed
w
i tr
n e
,
th e
lyr
s a e
f
o
S T OR IE S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
44
.
What ! said th e woman in a weak shak y voice
”
H ave a l l t h ings sworn not to harm him ?
”
”
Yes replied Frigga ; all things
Then She added
carelessl y There w a s on e little shrub th e mistletoe
that grows on the eastern Side of Va l halla too weak to
do any harm I did not exact an oath from that
H ad Frigga been watching the old woman narrowly
s h e would h a ve seen a look of triumph come into her
face as s h e heard these words But the queen of the
gods scarcely noticed her s o absorbed was s h e in think
ing of her de a r s on A nd th e beggar crept quietly out
of the palace and disappeared behind a cl ump of bushes
I n a few moments Lo k i w a s talki n g gayl y with the
gods on the plains of I da and congratulating Baldur on
his abi l ity to stand unhurt amid a Sh ower of weapon s
After dark when a l l Asgard was asleep a form m ight
have been seen creeping stealthily towards the eastern
Side of Valhal l a
I t was Loki When he found the
slender mistletoe he pu l led it up by the roots and hid
it in his bosom
From that time it never left him ;
and he was continually planni n g to get some skilful
maker of weapons to form from it an arrow fatal to
B aldur
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L O K I M A K E S T R O U B L E B E TW E E N TH E
1
A R TI S T S
AND TH E GOD S
.
O K I on ce cut off th e beautiful hair of S if Thor s
wife
And wh en Thor found out that Loki w a s the
culprit he threatened to cr u sh every bone in his body
if he did not repair the mischief he had don e
Lok i
promised to do this for he feared Thor H e went
at once t o the son s of I v al d i for help
The y were
famous artists these son s of I v al di Many were the
weapon s and ornaments they had made for th e god s
They quickl y spun some gold en hair for S if This
wonderf ul hair grew to her h ead becomin g like her
own hair except that it was gold
B esides th is th ey s ent a spear to O di n and a sh ip t o
Frey The spear w as sure to hit the mark each tim e
and the ship called S k idb l ad n ir could be folded up
like a napkin and put into the pocket when not i n
u se : it would al w ay s have fair winds
It h as been told how O din on his j ourney t o M imir s
well passed n ear the singular hall of the dwarf S indri
O ne day when Loki w a s near ther e
an d his brothers
it occurred to him that it would be an easy matt e r to
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1
Th e
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rti t
a
s s,
th e p
r
oduc
tiv
e
f
r
o c e s of
v
t ti
eg e a
on
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S T OR IE S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
6
4
.
stir up j ealousy between th e two sets of artist s Per
haps t oo he could at th e same time make trouble
between them and the gods
O n e of S in d r i s brothers was outside the castle as
Loki came near ; and the latter at once began to ta l k
with him a bout the making of beautifu l and curious
obj ects Loki described t h e w on de r f ul gift s th e sons
of I v al di had sent the gods by h I m and then said I
wi l l wager my head that you cannot make you and
your brothers three treasures a s good as those I have
j ust des cribed !
The d w arf was angry at this disparagement of their
Ski l l an d hurried into the h al l to t e l l S indri of Loki s
Loki went in after him and repeated what he
w ager
had said adding that if they would m ake the gifts the
gods themse l ves shou l d be the j udges and pronou nce
upon the merits of th e rival artists
They went to the smithy which was in another part
of the castle The heat from the great furnace w as s o
intense that even Loki who loved fire could hard l y bear
it S indri took down a pigskin tha t was hanging on
the wa l l and putting it into the furnace told his
brother Brok to b l ow th e bellows and not stop b l ow m g
unt il h e took the pigskin out
Loki stepped behind some iron work and in stantly
a fly appeared upon the hand of Brok as he w a s blowing
the bellows and stung him b adly ; b ut he bore th e
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L O K I M A KES T RO UBLE
47
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pain and did not stop blowing Very soon S indri drew
from the furnace a boar with golden bristles
N ext S indri put som e gold into the furnace giving
his brother the sam e direction s
This time the fly
settled upon Brok s neck and stung him s o that he
lifted his shoulders but still kept on blowing
The
r esult was a ring
The next ti m e S indri put iron into the furnace ;
and as Brok was blowing the fly bu z zed angrily an d
s ettling between his eyes stung h im s o severely on
the e y elid that the blood ran down into his eye and he
could not s e e H e stopped blowi n g for an instant an d
brushe d the fly away A hammer cam e out this time ;
but the handle was a l ittle too short
The three treasures were now finished and Loki left
the dwarfs naming a day for them t o meet him in
Asgard H e s e t out at once for the home of the sons
of Iv al di O ne of these artists T hia s s i w h o was as
large as a giant and w h o was said to have great ski l l
as a magician went with him to A sgard The treasures
made by the last n amed artists were already in the pos
session of the god
I t w as a fair m orning in the beautiful cit y whe n the
j udgment w as t o be pronounced G lad sheim glittered
Upon its marble walls were pictured the
in th e s un
wonders of the nine worlds an d th e mighty deeds of
gods and heroes in the earl iest times Mimir s my s te
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S T OR IES F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
8
4
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valley Urd s pure fountain M ount H v e r g e l m ir
—
with it s ice cold spring
al l could be see n on those
walls
A nd there t oo were S urt s fiery dales
v ast
below the re a lm s of Urd the dark misty regions of
Nifl h e im and even the world of torture with its stag
nant s e a
I n other pictures lived again the stra n ge
beings and huge uncouth monsters of the ancie n t
wor l d
The great ha l l of G ladsheim w a s to be the sce n e of
the j udgme n t
Th ere w a s O din s throne
O ver it
rose the arch of B if r O s t s o like th e real bridge that
it sent forth fi tf ul flames Back of the thron e was a
golden tree representing Yggdrasil the World Tree
The trembling lea v es flashed in the sunlight that
streamed in through the eastern O penings S if with
her golden hair s at near a table in th e centre of the
hall A nd upon the table lay O din s Spear and Frey s
Ship made by the sons of I v al di
Th e hour had come and all eyes were turned toward
the wide door as Loki entered accompanied by the
enormous T h ias s i Loki s eyes sparkl e d with ma l icious
pl e asure ; and after making his reverence to O din he
began talking gayly with the other gods T hias s i cam e
in awkwardly as though unused to scen es of such
gra n deur and beauty H e saluted O din and the greater
gods and th en seated himself near S if who tried in
v ain to make him talk with h e r
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L O K I M A KES T RO U B LE
9
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In a few moments two dim in u tiv e fi g ur e s appeared
at the great entrance and with them a large boar whose
golden bristles dazzled the eyes O ne of the dwarfs
led the boar while th e other carried a sma l l ham mer
They paid their respects t o O din and th e other gods in
a peculi a r j erky manner and then stood looking about
with eager inquisitive faces
O din rose and said in a deep voice We are here to
decide upon the comp a rative ski ll of two sets of artist s
The y are both very ski l ful and we are indebted to both
for many rare and valuable gifts It wi l l b e a di f ficu l t
i
task to j udge rightly and we regret that Lok has made
a j udgment n ecessary H e however has promised to
forfeit h is h ead to S indri and his brothers should th e
”
decisio n b e in their favor
H e paused a mome n t and all looked at Loki s head
on which the stiff red hair gleamed l ike fi re ; a smile
lurked about his treacherous mouth and his eyes
twinkled
O din went on
Let T h ias s i state the peculiar
properties and specia l merit s of his work and that of his
broth ers ; an d then S indri sha l l follow him and speak
of his gifts
T h ia s s i rose up a sulle n defiant look in his face ;
evident l y h e was forced to p l ay a part i l l Suited to h im
Pointing to S if he said There is Thor s wife you
”
can all s e e her go l den hair ; it needs no praise
Tak
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S T OR IES F R O M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
0
5
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ing up the Spear that lay on the table he went on
”
This is a good spear ; it never misses the mark
H e n ext t ook from th e table what seemed to be a
white napki n but a s he held it it bloomed and spread
until a Sh ip appeared that grew larger a n d larger while
he ta l ked
This ship i s l ike no other he said ; it
can be made sma l l enough to be c arried in the pocket
or large enough to ho l d many men it alw ays has a fair
wind
T h ia s s i did not raise his eyes as he talked but u t
t e r e d every sentenc e as though it cost him an e f fort
making long pauses betwee n When he had finished
—
speaking he put the Ship w h ich again looked l ike a
—
napkin
upon th e table a n d w ith a sigh of relief s at
down
S indri then came forward his small bright eyes peer
ing everywhere and his face eager and excited H is
brother stood by his side watching him intently and
im itating all his gestures S indri pointed to the boar
saying : This boar is w orthy of high er pr a ise than I
can give him You s e e how h is golde nbristles flash in
th e sun l ight ; but in the d a rkest n ight their brightness
is the same O n this boar Frey can ride through Nifl
hei m itself and still have day ; and so swift is h e that
S l eipnir with his eight legs cannot outrun him
He
can fly t h rough the air or Skim over the sea as h is rider
AS he said this S indri looked keenly at
w ills
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5
ST
A
OR I E S
F
RO M
N OR SE
S indri
MY T H O L O G Y
.
finished speaking he an d his brother
looked arou n d exultingly T h ia s s i s face w a s expres
s ion l e s s except for a haughty curl of the lip
A fter a short pause O din rose s ayi n g Let S if
come here and let all the treasures be brought We
wi l l examine t h em carefully and then pronounce our
”
j udgment
While the gods were examining a n d con sulting the
dwarfs watched them intent l y their quick glance goi n g
from on e to a n other ; but T h ia s s i s at motionless his
head buried in his hands apparently half asleep
After a long consultation s ilence was commanded
AS O din rose every eye was fastened upon him
It
he began to decide between
h as been a hard task
such wonderful an d useful gifts ; but the decisio n must
be given We consider that the gift s made by th e
dwarfs S in dr I and h is brothers surpass in some r e
”
Then turn
s p e c t s those made by the Son s of I v a l di
ing to Loki he added Loki you have forfeited your
head defend yourself a s best you can
As O din pronounced the j udgment a look of dis ap
pointment came into T hia s s i s countenance fo ll owed by
an expression of fierce hatred and bitter words escaped
through his closed teeth But the faces of th e two
dwarfs be a med with triumph and de l ight
S indri instantly sprang towards Loki cryi n g
Your
N ev er again sha l l
h ead belongs to me you crafty god !
S
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L O KI M A KES T RO UBLE
53
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y ou turn yourse l f into a fly to spoil th e work of S indri !
Your red hair wil l make brist l es for my next boar !
H e tried to seize Loki w hile he drew from ben eath his
mantle a large knife
The nimble god slipped from his grasp however
and w a s instantly out of the hall and speedi n g like th e
wind over the plain s of Ida
S indri called for help
Then Thor laughing m ightil y
at the frantic rage of the dwarf took up his hammer
and cried in a voice of thu n der C ome back you c ow
ard or I ll try my hammer on you ! R emember it
always hits !
The sound of Thor s voice produced a
quick e f fect upon the runaw ay H e stopped and cam e
Slowly back to the palace
Try your wits n ow y our heels have fai l ed y ou
said Thor
As the dwarf again approached Loki prepared to cut
off his head the latter cried The head is yours but
”
n ot t h e neck !
S indri stopped and looked question
in g l y at the gods
And the y a l l said Loki is right ! N ot the neck !
I am c heated
yelled the angry dwarf
And
quickly s e 1 z 1 n g h is brother s aw l he sprang toward
Loki and in an instant had sewed his l ips together
with a stout thread
Thereupon he and his brother
left the hall
He
T h ia s s i w a s nowhere to be seen
had disappeared whi l e S indri and Loki were disp u ting
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S4
ST
OR I ES
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
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Well had Loki succeeded in stirring up j ealous y and
hatred where all had been peace and g ood will T hias s i
had left the great palace full of rage against the gods
and with plan s for revenge a lrea dy seething in his
brain ; while S indri and his brother were equally angry
at the loss of their wager and at the mirth of the gods
at their expense Besides the bitterest j ealousy w as
n ow aroused between the two sets of artists
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H O W T H IA S S I
O D I N,
CA PTU R E D L O K I
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Loki and another god set out upon a j our
The
road
lay
through
thickets
where
they
could
ne
y
scarcely make their w ay and up steep hi l ls ; s o that
fatigue and hu n ger at last compe l led them to stop
They threw themselve s down on the edge of a fi eld
where some oxen and cows were grazing Loki whose
appetite was always keen s uggested that one of th e
oxen would make a good meal In a few moment s th e
creature was captured and killed While Loki was pre
paring th e meat for b oiling the other gods brought
boughs and small trees t o make the fire Then th ey
retired into th e Shade
Loki watched the fire with delight The red flames
sent their forked tongues up around the huge iron
kettle th e steam rose in clouds and the water hissed
as the pot boiled over
H e laughed gleefully and
c ried
B urn fire hot and high and cook us a dinner
fit for gods
And h e threw on more wood
S oon it was time for the meat to be done S o L oki
f ound a f orked stick a n d fi shed out a piece which h e
exam i n ed an d tasted To his asto n ishment it w as as
raw as when first put in H e stared at the pot and at
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55
S T OR IE S
6
5
F
RO M N OR S E MY T H O L O G Y
.
the fire with a look of bewilderment Then he piled
on wood till the fire roared
In a littl e whil e h e again tried the meat but with
no bette r success : it w a s still raw
The fooler of
others the knave among the gods was at his wit s
end
H e ga z ed at the kettle exc l aiming
The evi l
po w ers are at work ! T h e f rost giants have got into
”
the fi re !
J ust then he heard a m ocking l augh which seemed to
A n d looking up he s aw an enor
come from above
m ous eagle that returned his gaze with a steady stare
that near l y put him out of countenanc e ; for the eagle s
e y es sh one like stars
Finally the bird spoke :
Wel l friend Loki why
?
doesn t your meat cook
You seem to lack skill or
else h ad luck attends you G ive m e my share of the
feast and the meat will be don e soon enough
Loki was already out of patience and the words of
t h e eag l e made him angry
S top your j eering he
c r ied or y ou shall feel the might of an A sa !
Then the mo cking l augh sounded again ; and th e eagl e
K eep your threats Loki for those whom you c an
s aid
reach
You are little pot soon h ot unlike y our big
”
kettle th ere
The god w a s now thoroughly enraged ; but knowi n g
him self to be he l p l ess h e controlled his anger and said
mildly S uppose w e stop our j esting an d get the m eat
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T R I A S SI C A P T U R E D L O KI
HO W
57
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cooked Take your portion if it will help matters The
”
meat is bewitched
Upon this the eagle swooped down and sei z ing a leg
—
and two sh oulders of the ox
which might certainly
—
w a s about t o fly off with
be called the lion s share
them when Loki seeing what he had done quickly
sei z ed a long pole that was lying near and struck him
a hard blow But alas for Loki ! Th e po l e stuck fast
to the eagle s back and the other end would not leave
Loki s hands The bird sailed up into the a ir carrying
with him the astonished god
H e soon lowered his
flight s o that Loki was dr a gged over trees and sharp
rocks ti l l he ho w l ed with p a in
After a w hi l e th e eagle tired from c a rrying s o heavy
a burden stopped on the crest of a hi l l and looked
around at h is captive The latter w a s n earl y dead with
fright and pain ; but he got his bre a th in a moment
and began to beg for mercy
The bird listened to him an d laughed his mocking
laugh again as h e said
Don t you kno w me yet
Loki ? D o you forget your friends s o soon
Loki stared for a mom en t and then cried You are
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Thia s s i !
O f course I am
replied the bird
I did
n ot th ink you could be so e asil y deceived
But I have
n o desire to harm you
It is the other gods I wish to
—
those w h o pronounced in favor of the dwarfs
r e ach
“
T h ias s i,
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S T OR IE S F RO M N OR SE M Y T H O L O G Y
8
5
.
D earl y shall the y pay for th e insult don e to us ! They
”
shall y et feel the edge of the fatal sword ! and the
e agle s e y es flashed
”
said Loki
D o not count
H ow can I serve you ?
m e an enemy I beg of you
I kn ow y ou of o l d Loki replied T hias s i ; an d I
know that mischief delights you w hether th e victim be
friend or foe The gam e I am going to play wi l l be
1
aft er your own heart Iduna as you may remember is
a k in swoman of mine I s aw her the day the j udgment
w a s pronoun ced
the first time in years I fancy She
must at times weary of the charming m onoton y of
Asgard and long for a peep at her giant kin I int end
to gratify her un spoken wish
In s o doing I shall
cause some discomfort to my enemi es the fair gods
Their brows will soon be wrinkled and their forms bent
if the charming I duna with her golden apples l eaves
them
At the picture of the happy gods careworn and
wri nkled Loki laughed aloud forgetting his recent
T h ias s i your plan is excellent and I wi l l help
pain
”
you carry it out ! he cried ;
but in return promise
to do one thing for m e It wi l l hurt your foes more
than the los s of Iduna
S peak
said T h ias s i ; I will do anyt hing f or r e
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v en
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ef
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1
I d un
or
I dun n ,
l f rm ;
usu a
o
th e g
o dd e s s o f
ea
rly pri
S
ng
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6O
S
T OR IE S F RO M N OR S E MY T H O L O G Y
.
standing up as a m ark for the f E s ir
H e thinks him
self safe now ; but I happe n t o possess a little secret
of great importance M other Frigga in h e r i n nocence
confided it to m e taking me for a begg a r woman When
s h e made a ll creatures swe a r not t o h ar m Ba l dur there
was one s h e neglected beca u se it was so weak s o
powerless to harm any one It w a s the l ittle shrub
mist l etoe that gre w on the east ern Side of Val ha ll a
O f cours e I at on ce secured th e p l ant and here it is
And Loki drew from his bosom the withered mist l etoe
N ow for my p l ot friend T h ias s i ! From this wea k
plant you with your wonderfu l ski ll can make an arrow
that wi l l kill the fair faced Baldur the dar l ing of the gods
I would
T h ia s s i pondered a moment and t h e n said
not do s o much t o p l ease you You are in my power
and I can compel y ou to he l p me w hether you wil l or
not
But I like your p l ot
G ive me the mist l etoe?
The arrow I m ake Shal l be deadly ; for it sha l l be pois
I have al rea dy m ade a fatal sword whose
on e d by hate
Mimir the wise
e dge the f E s ir sh a ll fee l some day
took it from me whi l e I s l ept I kno w not where it 1 S
but it wi ll surel y fu l fi l the end for which it was made
B efore they parted it was arranged that Loki Should
entice Iduna outside the wall s of A sgard so that T h ias s i
could carry her of f to J O t u n h e im And T h ia s s i as h e
flew towards the n orth bore with him th e w ithered mis
tl e t oe from which he w a s to m a ke the fata l arrow
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C AR R I ES O FF ID UNA
T H IA S S I
.
ID U N A w a s
Sitting in her garden one afternoo n when
Loki w a ndered in and threw himself down on a l ow
se a t All the gods came often to s e e Iduna I t w as a
charming spot this garden with its fountains and bow
ers a n d Iduna w a s a lovely goddess But the gods had
—
anoth er reason for coming
the y came to get Iduna s
apples
These apples were the most de l icious fruit They
were golden in co l or j ust touched with red ; and one
seemed to be e ati n g whatever he liked best in the worl d
when he tasted them And there was Something still
more wonderful about them Whoever a t e them if o l d
grew young and if tired fe l t a s fresh as t hough j ust
awaking from s l eep
Because of th ese virtues the
f E s ir pri z ed them above a ll th eir treasures
As Loki s at th e r e Thor the strong god of thunder
came for refreshment aft er fighting with the giant s in
n
h
i
m
O
u
e
Ba
l
dur
the
Be
a
utifu
l
ca
m
e
for
even
he
t
;
J
needed to t a ste the won drous fruit I n a moment Tyr
w al ked up strong and cheerfu l in spite of the loss of
his right hand Later came Frigga and som e of the
other goddesses And all ta l ked pleasantl y together as
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6
1
6
S T OR IES F RO M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
2
.
t h ey stro ll ed about among th e trees or rested in the
shady bowers
Loki chuckle d as he thought to him self H ow wi l l
migh ty Thor feel when his h and is too weak to fling
?
the hammer at the giant s and how wi l l Frigga look
when she can n o longer stand e rect queen of the gods
?
but must totter about a bent o l d wom a n
O h it wi l l
be rare sport !
Th e gods cam e and went and the Shadows length
ened but sti l l Loki l ingered When at last h e w as
alone with Idu n a he s aid careless l y Let me s e e one
of your apples a moment ; I wish t o e x amine it
After looking at it critical l y he smelt of it and tasted
it Then he said in a decided ton e Yes it is as I
thought those apples are much finer !
Iduna looked at him with an expressio n of bewilder
m ent
H e continued : The go l d is brighter and the r e d
a more be a utiful Shade and the flavor is beyo n d that
of a nythi n g I have ever tasted I wou l d never have
be l ieved there w e re apples better than yours in all th e
nine wor l d s h a d I n ot seen and t a sted them myself
A s Loki talked amazement and an x iety were p I c
t u r e d on Idun a s face
and wh e n he finish ed She burst
?
out
Why Loki what do you mean
There c an
not b e apples better than mine
A l l the gods s ay s o
”
— eve
and he has been everywhere
n O din h imself
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C A RR I E S
T H IA S S I
S o the gods
IDU NA
O FF
63
.
”
but
how
can
th
ey
prove
it
said
y
I have seen fi ner ones a n d h ave eaten
L ok I smi l ing
them They grow j ust beyond the w al l and river of
Asgard in a grov e N o one would ever think of look
ing there for apples I found them by chance the
other day when searching for something I had lost
O Loki ! cried I duna with t ears in her eyes
I
cannot bea r to think there are apples b etter than mine
?
I wonder if they are also apples of youth
A S to that I cannot s ay replied the god ; I o n ly
k n ow that I was quite exhausted when I came upon
them and the first taste made m e feel a s fresh as a
lark S o I presume they surp a s s your a pples in their
youth givi n g and refreshing qua l ities a s we l l as in other
H ow é v e r
thi n gs
h e added seeing Iduna s look of
distress you need not be alarmed I know how s ad
a thing it would be for you to lose your position as sole
possessor of the wonderful fruit And s o out of con
sideration for you I have spoken to no one of my
discovery
You charming I duna w h o have always
been so gracious and so generous in di spensing your
treasure you alon e must have the new golden apples
”
H ow kind you are Loki ! said Iduna the tears
still in her eyes ; won t y ou get me some of them s o
?
t h at I can s e e for myself how much better they are
It seems a s though I cou l d not w a it
Let m e think said Loki m editative l y ; I m u st
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sa
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S T OR I E S F RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
64
.
?
start for Midgard to night H ow can I manage it
Then in a moment h e added :
I Should not have time
t o get the a pples and come back here with them ; but
this is wh a t we c an do You go with me I shall have
tim e t o s e e you s afely into Asgard a gain ; and once
I n s I d e the w a lls you wi l l not mind comi n g hom e a l one
O r if you pref er you need not go outside at a l l I wil l
get the a pples whi l e you w a it inside You can decide
”
which you wou l d rather do when we get there
The u n s u s p e c tI n g I dun a prepared t o go with Loki
S he threw over her shou l ders a light green mantle her
flower embroidered robe Showing gayl y below it Then
s a id
I wonder whether I had b etter hide my
she
apples or take them with m e
O h t a ke them Loki replied and then y o u won t
be worrying about them
They started of f I duna half frightened and half
pleased a t the prospect of s o l ong a trip ; for s h e ra re l y
left her own home and had not been beyond the wa l ls
for years
I wonder wh a t Bragi wi l l say if he c omes back and
do e s not find me She mur m ured
I hope I sha ll
get home before da r k !
A nd She w a s almost ready to
turn b a c k But Loki w a s very g ay a n d his j ests and
stories soon made her forget h er fears
After a l ong w a l k
a n d gods wa l k much faster than
—
mortal s
the y reached the wa l ls of the city
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T H I AS S I
C A RR IES
O FF
IDUNA
65
.
said Loki which wi l l y ou do ? st ay here or
It
makes
n
o
differen
ce
unless
you
wou
l
d
o with me ?
g
like t o s e e the apples growing ; and possibly y ou m ay
not fan cy bein g left by yourself in such a lonely Spot
I am a little afraid to st ay here alone said Id una
and I should like t o s e e the apples growi n g I thi n k
I will go with you There c a n t be any h a rm in my
going if it i s s o near
Loki h elped her over th e high wall A n d strange t o
there
was
a
curious
boat
j
ust
where
they
got
down
sa
y
on the other S ide H ad Iduna been in the least s u s
might
have
won
dered
at
its
being
there
i
S
h
e
i
o
u
s
c
p
S he did not stop to wonder but stepped in w ith Loki
The boat went over the rushing river w ith its dangerous
mists as easily as a swan crosses a smooth lake For
in truth it w a s no common boat but one made by
T h ias s i for this very occasion
As they stepped on s h ore Loki pointed t o a grove of
trees saying The apples are in there
They went t ow a rd the grove a n d soon the long rays
of the afternoon s u n were shut out by the trees and the
thick undergrowth
I duna w a s tired and said in a weary tone
I s it
much furt h er Loki
N o onl y a little way
he rep l ied ; but if you are
tired here is a nice mossy seat in this little openin g
You c an rest a few moments while I go and get some
Now
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S T OR IE S F RO M N OR S E MY T H O L O G Y
66
.
water from the Spring that b ub b l e s out from the other
”
side of t he large rock yonder
I du na s at down holding her basket of golden apples
in her lap and lea n i n g her beautifu l he a d agai n st a
tree Looking up through the ope n ing she could s e e
the white clouds sailing lazily in the deep blue Sky
In a few moments her eyes closed and She was fast
asleep
S he w as suddenly awakene d by a whirri n g sound and
when s h e looked up the blue Sky had vanished and
a dark thunder cloud was coming rapidly towards the
opening
Loki ! Loki ! come back !
she cried
There was no reply and the cloud came swiftly dow n
AS it touched the tree tops a few feathers fell into
Iduna s lap ; and as s h e gazed in fear and wonder it
took the form of a large eagle with Shining eyes Iduna
screamed with terror and sank back h elpless upon the
mossy seat A s the eagle seized her a small arrow
dropped upon the ground near w h e r e s h e had been
Sitting
Iduna was borne rapidly away toward J otu n h e I m
When th e e ag l e w a s so f a r up that he looke d no larger
t h an a swal l ow a form appe a red from behind the large
rock and Loki a look of m al i c I O u s triumph in his face
picked up the mistletoe arrow
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S T OR IE S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
68
.
Loki seemed s o innocent that they cou l d not suspect
him of knowing anything more of I duna s whereabouts
than they did
That n ight and the day fo ll o w ing and every day the
search for Idun a w a s kept up ; but no trace of her
could be found G reat sorrow w a s felt throughout the
city of the gods With her the warm summer that
never lef t th a t h a ppy home departed giving place t o
dreary N ovember
C old winds blew from the north
chi ll ing the de l icate flowers
A look of decay came
over th e hi l ls and fie l ds ; a n d yel l ow leaves fe l l from
the trees le a ving them b a re an d brown Vines that
had always borne fruit and flowers during every month
of the year rattled their lifeless stems against the tot
teri n g wa l ls A cold breath touched the ponds and
streams covering them with a thin coating of ice
And the birds left for the first time the summer land
of the gods a n d flew toward the south The s u n itself
shone with a pa l e sick l y light scarce l y warming the
blood even at noon And the nights grew long and
dark
But if nature mourned for I duna the gods felt her
loss still more As l ong a s She gave them her golde n
apples weariness and old age could not touch them
E ach one enj oyed the fu ll est life After Iduna s going
O din the wise A l l f ath e r grew older : h is beard becam e
as white as the h e ar d of Mimir and there w a s a look
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THE
GOD S
OLD
G R ow
69
.
of sadnes s on his king l y features S t a te l y Frigga the
mother of the gods became wrinkled an d gray E ve n
Thor th e mighty thunder god showed Signs of age
although his Spirit was unbroken Matters were fast
becoming s o desperate that O din decided to ca l l a
council to consider what could be don e to remedy
the evil
The gods and goddesses assembled
those wh ose
homes were far a w ay as we l l a s those w h o l ived in
Asgard A l l came e x cept H eimd a l l w h o could n ot
leave his post a s guardi a n of the bridge B if r O s t
NiO r d came from his w ind b l o w n p a l a ce by the s e a
on a strand outside of w hich the s w an s Sing in the
western part of the l o w er wor l d
Frey came from
A l fheim the land of the light e l ves ; and Vidar th e
S ilent left his lonely vine grown home deep in th e
mountain s at the call of O din
All came a n d a l l
showed the signs of weakness an d Of age
O ne alone w a s a bsent when the ZE S ir w ere assem
bled Loki w a s not there And it h a d been remarked
that he seemed little aff ected b y I duna s absence H is
hair g leamed red and fi ery u n ml x e d with gr a y ; and his
restless eyes had lost n one of their brightness
All were Silent unti l O din a rose feeble yet maj estic
his countenance lighted by the wisdom for which he
had paid s o dear
My chi l dren he said
I duna has
gone an d th e wor l d is growing o l d
The gods grow
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S T OR I ES
0
7
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
feeb l e Winter winds a lre a d y howl a rou n d G ladsheim
The shadow of death i s upon us Who will bring bac k
”
Iduna ?
AS he finished speaking a god ros e from his seat
H e w a s one that was not often among them ; for he
l ived f ar from Gl adsheim n ear th e high wall of Asgard
May I speak f ather O din
he asked
O din bowed his h ead ; and he went on
I heard in
m y lonely hom e th a t I duna h a d gone ; but it did n ot
o ccur t o m e until recent l y th a t certain str a nge thi n gs
I h a d seen co u l d h a ve anything to do with her dis
appearance
What I have t o s ay m ay unravel the
mystery
O ne a fternoon rather late I climbed the high wa l l
w hich is near my castle a n d looked down upon the
dark Asgard river
S uddenl y my attention w a s at
tra cted by a pecu l iar whirring sound such a s is made
by a bird in rapid flight Looking up I s aw an enor
mous eagle carrying somethi n g in his talons I could
not t ell what I w atched h im until he bec ame a m ere
speck and at last v an ished on the northern horizon
a
O n looking dow n I s aw another stra nge sight
Singular bo a t th a t crossed the d a ngerous river a s e a sily
as though it h a d been a com m on stream N ight w a s
coming on but I cou l d distinguish Loki as he leaped
from the boat concealed it amid some bushes and then
quickl y c limbed the wall and went towards the centre of
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G OD S G RO W O L D
THE
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Asgard I do n ot s e e Loki here a n d that makes it
seem still more probable th a t h e had something to
do with I du n a s dis appeara n ce
A s the god s at down Thor sprang up the old fire
flashing in his eyes
O din he cried
sha l l not
?
B ragi an d I seek Loki
H e sh a l l pay dearly for it if
!
he is the cause of all this
O din gave h is permission and they left the hall
They soon came b a ck bringing Loki w h o put on a n
air of careless gayety i l l suited to th e occasion O din
calmly repe a ted what the god had s a id a n d Loki fi n d
ing it useless t o deny that he had crossed the river
with I dun a to l d the whole story : how he was captured
by T h ias s i on th e day when h e suddenly dis appeared
while travelling with O din and the other god a n d how
to save himse l f he h a d b etrayed I d un a into T h ia s s i s
hands
Thor advanced towards the guilty god with his
hammer r a ised ; a n d then Loki thoroughly frightened
begged for mercy s aying he would sure l y fi nd a w ay
t o bri n g back Idun a if they wou l d only give him
time
Loki said O d in sternly we will give you time ;
but if at the end of on e month you do not bring her
back you Sha l l b e put to de a th w ith terrible tortures
Loki a sked f or a m o ment s si l e n ce that h e might
think of some w ay in w hich h e cou l d outwit T h ia s s i
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S T OR I E S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O GY
2
7
.
This was not an e a s y thing to do because the latter
was a great magician H e b ur I e d h is face in his hands
but in an instant looked up s aying : I h ave a p l a n
but a disguise is needful If Fr ey ia will lend m e her
falcon p l um a ge I wi l l match T h ia s s i w 1 th his eagl e
”
feathers
And h e l a ughed gleefu lly a t the thought of
out w itting the gre a t artist Then h e co ntinued : I
know some runes by which I c a n change I duna into
a nut s o that I can easily bring her back Let me
go ; I long t o fool the giant who trailed me over the
”
rocks and trees
The gods looked coldly on L oki ; for the y s aw that
his chief desire was not to rescue I duna
A litt l e later a fal con might have been seen flying
towards the desolat e mountains of J O tun h e im
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L O K I B R I N G S BA C K I D U N A
V
'
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T H E home w here T h ia s s i n ow l ived w a s in J O tun
heim a l and inh a bited by giants This regi on w a s sepa
rated from Midga rd by the gre a t river O ce a n a n d l ay
between Asg ard a n d the lo w er worl d After the gods
pro nounced in favor of the d w a rfs Th ia s s i c ame here
and Shut himself up in a grim stone castle where he
spent most of his time m a king w e a pon s to be used
against his foes
H is dw e ll ing was ne a r the sea a n d
rose like a j ag ged mount a in a mid the gr a y rocks of the
co a st
A few stunted trees a n d bushes clung to
crevices in the rocks a n d in the va l l eys were sc a n ty
p a tches of coarse gr a ss
A du l l twi l ight reigned
always a n d over al l hung a l e a den Sky
Loki s flight w a s very r a pid a n d it did not take him
long to reach J O tu n h e im a l though it w a s so f ar from
Asga rd As he n e a red the co a st he m a de large c 1r c l e s
flying f ar out to s e a There he s aw T h ia s s i fi s h in g
a most fortun ate thing ; for h ad he been at home it
would have been h a rd for Loki to rea ch I duna w ithout
his knowledge
N ext he circ l ed around th e cast l e coming nearer each
time a n d ex amining it carefully on every Side A s h e
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S T OR I ES
74
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
p a ssed b y one of the rude openings th a t served a s
windows a gle a m like sunshine Shot out into the gray
twilight Loki a l ighted on the edge and looked in
There on a rough couch l a y I dun a sleeping There
were tears on her cheeks and the basket of go l den
apples was c l a sped firm l y to her breast
H er long
ye l low hair fi ll ed the b a re room with r a diance a n d
the light stream ed out thr o ugh the O pening m aking a
litt l e sunshine in that land of g l oom I n her sleep s h e
”
sobbed a n d L oki c a ught the word Asg a r d
Losing no time he fl e w I nto the room and t aking
his proper sh a pe gent l y aw a kened her S he stared
vacant l y for a moment an d then fear an d reproach
pictured themselves up o n her fa ce
F a l se Loki s h e
cried
why a r e you here ? Through you I am a
prisoner f a r from Asg a rd !
D o not wast e time in repro a ches fair I duna said
Loki ; I al one c a n save you ; and I wi l l if you do as
”
I bid you
S eeing the look of distrust sti l l on I duna s
fa ce he added : You may trust me ; for if I do n ot
c a rry you s afely back to Asga rd I am to be put to
death with dre a dful tortures A ll the gods a r e gro w i ng
o l d an d Asga rd is desol a te You m ay th a nk me a fter
a l l ; they wi ll th ink more of you th a n ever when you
go b a ck w ith your precious fruit
S o Idun a s fears were quieted ; a n d as th ere was n o
other hope of esc ape s h e decided t o trust herse lf to Loki
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S T OR I E S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
6
7
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could s e e the mountain s and castle s of J O t u n h e irn
C old winds ble w and A sgard looked cheerless in the
waning light of the afternoon Beautiful as ever rose
the statel y hom es of the gods ; but the plain s of Ida
lay brown and bare except for a few scattered snow
flakes N o su m mer sounds were in the air ; for the
birds had flown and even the song of the cricket w a s
hushed
O din kept his eyes fixed upon the distant mou n tains
that he might c atch the first g l impse of the returning
Loki H e kne w better than any one else the vast im
portance of Loki s errand ; and his face grown old and
lined with care expressed the great anxiety h e felt
H is raven s had not come back from their daily j ourney
but the two wolves l ay at his feet watchi n g his coun
t e n a n c e with eager eyes : n ear him stood H ermod the
messenger god
S uddenly a gleam Shot across th e stern fac e of th e
A l l f a th e r and a light like the fire of battle s h on e in h is
eyes
G o H ermod ! he cried ; tell the ZE s ir Loki
comes ! B ut stay he added : an d then in a m oment
s ay T h ia s s i c l ad in his eagle plumage pursues him !
”
The gods wi ll soon s e e them from the wall of A sgard
H e rmod haste n ed to tell the gods and more eagerly
tha n e ver did the y scan the northern h orizon for t h e
wish ed for Sight
H ermod went back to O din but soon rej oi n ed th e
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L OKI B RIN GS BA C K I DU NA
77
.
A
l
lf
a th e r gave Loki important in
ods
sa
y
ing
The
:
g
H e bade him lower
s t r u c tion s before he left Asgard
his flight as he n eared the city for th e mist s of th e
r ushing river cannot har m him ; but Should T hia s s i fly
low enough they will burst into flam es sin ce he is now
an enem y to the f E s ir
I n a mom ent two specks could be seen in the north
Then what suspense w a s felt by the gods ! E very eye
The ZE s ir
w as fixed upon the swiftly advancing birds
showed signs of weakness as the y stood there and
looked older b y years than when Iduna left them
The chill wind whistled through their g a rments but
they did n ot feel it N or did they s e e th e s u n as he
sank wearily behind the dark clouds in the west as
though he too had grown old O ne thought alon e fi l led
all their minds
C ould Loki hold out ? Would he
reach A sgard before the powerful Th ia s s i w h o seemed
to b e gaining upon him
N earer and nearer comes Loki
H is flight is v ery
and although th e eagle is gaining upon him the
s wift
?
dista n ce is short Wi l l he remember to lower his flight
Yes ; he sudde nl y swoops down as h e nears the d a rk
river The gods stand breathless with outstretched
arms T h ias s i too lowers his flight forgetting the
dangerous mists At last Loki is over the river and
over the wall and n ow he fa l ls exhausted to the ground
B ut the g ods heed him not s o intentl y are the y watch
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S T OR I E S F RO M N OR S E MY T H O L O G Y
8
7
.
ing T h ia s s i AS the eagle flies over the river the
mists burst into fierc e fl am e s burning his w ings
but
he can neither stop nor turn back his headway is s o
great H is scorched wings h e a r him over the wall
and he fal ls dead in their midst
AS the gods turn t o look at Loki they behold him in
his natura l form and near h im stands Idun a radiant
with j oy holding out with her old gracious smi l e her
basket of golden apples The sun as though suddenly
grown y oung sends a p a rting stream of ra diance from
t he west ; the clouds are turned to gold ; G ladsheim
glitters in the distanc e Youth and summer have com e
back to the home of th e gods
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THR Y M
TH O R A N D
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TH OR and Loki went to J O t u n h e im in search of ad
ventures
O n the way home night overtook them
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and they l ay down and Slept on the edge of a forest
When Thor awoke h e felt for his hammer and it w a s
gone
H is wrath w as t errible
H is fi ery eyes and
h e ar d darted forth light n ings and he struck h is fore
head as though he wou l d awaken from a dream
”
Loki ! Loki !
he cried
awake ! H ear what I
t e ll you ! N o one on earth or in heaven knows this !
The f E s ir s hammer is stolen
Loki s face showed surprise and b e wilderment
S tolen ! he replied ; y our hammer ? That cannot
be
The n they looked a l l about them in the grass ; but
no hammer could be found
”
Thor s a id Lo k i
if I had Fr ey ia s feather gar
ment I might find out where the hammer is D o
you think she wou l d lend it to m e ?
The hammer must be found said Thor ; if not
the giants of J O t un h e im m ay prevai l aga inst u s
”
F r e y ia will not refuse to he l p m e
Very early I n the morning they entered the city and
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79
S T OR I E S F R O M N O R S E MY T H O L O G Y
80
.
’
went to Fr ey ia s p alace Many warriors feasted there
each day
mort a ls w h o had died on the field of batt l e
and lovers who h a d been faithful unto death AS they
e n tered the wide h all Fr e y ia ros e t o greet them And
seei n g th a t Thor s brow w as dark s h e said W h at ails
you Asa Thor ? S om e trouble is s urel y in your he a rt !
And Thor a n swered
The hammer M iO l l n ir is
!
stolen ; it is in th e hands of our enemies
”
“
cr ied F r e y ia
H ow can t h at
M iO l l n ir sto l en !
be ? Who cou l d t a ke the hammer from mighty Thor ?
”
I slept said Thor and when I awoke t h e ham
mer w a s gone I can tell you no more
S he p on dere d a
Fr e y ia knew we l l wh a t this meant
moment and then said
H ow can I help you Thor
”
Wi l l you lend me your feather garment ? said
Thor
With the help o f that the hammer may be
found
I would give it to you if it wer e m ade of gold and
trust it to you if it were of silver rep l ied F r e y ia
Thor and Loki left Fr e y ia s pa l ace taking with t h em
the feather garment When they had gone a little way
they stopped an d Loki put on the plumage and flew
towards J O tu n h e im H e flew s o swiftl y that the plu
mage rattled
When h e reached the icy land he s aw T h r y m th e
T h ur s a r s lord sitting on a mound plaiting gold band s
f or his greyhou n ds and smoothi n g his horses ma n e s
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T H OR A ND
T HR Y M
81
.
knew Loki in spite of his disguise and said H ow
are the f E s ir getting on
A nd the elves
Wh y have
y ou come a l one t o J O t u n h e im ?
The E s ir are in a b a d p l ight a n d s o are the elves
Loki replied
Where have y ou hidden Thor s ham
”
mer ?
T h r y m laughed aloud and said
I have hidden
Thor s hammer eight miles beneath th e earth ; and n o
m a n shall get it again unless he brings m e F r ey ia for
my wife
When Loki heard this h e too laughed ; for he w a s
n ot sorr y that Thor had lost hi s hammer
H e flew back to Asgard in th e rattling plumage
When he cam e near t o Thor s palac e the latter s aw
him and called out
H ave you had succes s as well as
labor ? Tell me y our story from the air The man
w h o sit s down leaves out too much
an d h e who lies
”
down speaks falsel y
Loki ans wered from the air : I have had labor and
success T h r y m th e T h u r s ar s lord has your hammer
A nd no man can get it aga in unl es s he bring him F r ey ia
”
for h is wife
Then Loki flew to the ground and took
th e feather garme n t ; and he and Thor went to
of f
Fr e y ia s palace
When Fr e y ia s aw them s h e welcomed them G lad
was s h e to get her falcon p l umage again But Thor s
brow w a s dark and he said
Put on your bri dal
He
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S T OR IE S F RO M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
82
garments
”
heim
F r e y ia
,
.
for we two must drive t o J otun
e
.
Fr ey ia
did not understand him S o h e told her that
unles s s h e became the wife of the giant T h r y m M iol l
n ir would never be returned
Make ready therefore and come with me !
said
or th e giants will st orm Asgard ; and without
T hor
the h a m mer , who can defend it ag a in st them
S he w a s a
Fr e y ia grew very angry as Thor talked
mighty goddess t a ll and powerful And as her anger
raged the hall where they were trembled and the gre a t
1
N ever will I
B r is in g a necklace shivered into pieces
”
drive with you to J O tu n h e im ! cried Fr e y ia
N ever
will I be the bride of T h r y m
Thor and Loki left the palace a n d sought O din the
W I s e A l l f at h e r
A s soon a s O din he a rd wh a t had h a p
pened he called a cou n ci l of al l the gods and goddesses ;
for the safety of Asg a rd depended upon their getting
back Thor s hammer
The counci l met When many had spoken to no pur
pose H eim da l l arose H e had the wisdom of the Vanir
I think I know how w e m ay get b a ck the h a mmer
he said
Let Thor be cloth ed in F r e y ia s garments ;
l e t keys j I n g l e at his Side ; place precious stone s on his
breast ; around h is neck put th e fa med B r is in g a neck
2
C l a d thus he
l a ce ; and s e t a neat coif on h is head
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A f
l
am ous n e c k a c e
m a d e b y th e dw ar f
s
2
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,
A k
i
n d of
ca
p
.
S T O R IES F RO M N O R S E
84
R ise
M
YT H O L O GY
.
up J O t u n s
h e cried a n d deck the be nches ;
for they bring F r e y ia NiO r d s daughter from N o atun
to be my wife B ring hither gold horned cows and a ll
b l a ck oxen for the j oy of the J O t u n S I had many neck
l aces and many tre a sures ; but F r ey ia I l a cked With
her I sh a l l want nothing
E arly in the eve n ing m a ny gi a nts c a me to th e w e d
ding fe a st ; an d much beer w a s brought out for them
Thor alo n e devoured an ox a n d eight sa l m o n a n d a l l
the sweetmeats women like H e also dra nk three bar
rels of me ad
Th r m the king of the gi a nts was astonished to s e e
and he said D id you ever see
a woman eat so much
such a hungry bride
I never s a w a bride eat s o much
n or a m a iden drink s o much me a d
The craf ty servi n g m aid s at close by and s h e found
a ready an swer S he said to the J o tun
For eight
days Fr e y ia h as eaten nothing She h as longed s o for
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O
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J
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Then the g i ant stooped to kiss the bride under her
veil but he suddenly sprang back saying Why are
F r e y ia s looks s o piercing ?
M ethinks fire comes from
her eyes
The crafty serving maid found again fitt ing words
W é l l may her eyes h e piercing ; F r ey ia did not
sleep f or eight night s s o eager w a s s h e for J Otu n
heim
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TH OR
A
ND
THR Y M
85
.
The siste r of th e giant then cam e in S he luckles s
G ive me the r uddy
w oman d a red ask for a br ide gift
if you would gai n m y
r i n gs from y our hands
s h e s aid
friendship and my love
B ring in
T h r y m t h e T h u r s a r s lord then s a id :
the hammer to consecrate th e bride Lay M iO l l n ir on
the maiden s knees Unite us with each other in th e
” 1
nam e of Var
When h e s aw th e hammer Thor s h eart leaped withi n
him Fierce j oy fi l led his soul at the Sight of Mi ollnir
H e rose in his might and slew
the T h u r s ar s
lord and crushed all the rac e of giants Last of a l l he
slew the giant s aged sister For a bridal gift s h e got
—
the stroke of Mi ollnir
blows of the hamme r in stead
of man y rings
Thus did O din s s on get back his might y hammer
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V ar
or
V535
,
th e g
o dd e ss o f
be
tr th l
o
a s an d
rri
ma
ag e s .
T H O R A N D S K R YM I R
T H OR
.
in h is great p alace of whic h O din said
1
Five hundred floors and fort y eke, I think has
"
B il S k ir n ir
with its windings
O f a l l the roofed houses
th at I kno w is my son s th e greatest
The thunder
o
w
a
uneasy
for
his
fi
erce
restles
s
Spirit
could
d
s
;
g
n ever be satisfied un l ess w a rring against the gi a nts or
adventures in some d ist a n t l a nd H e went
s e ek In g
from one h all to a nother and a t l a st with a Sigh threw
h imself upon a couch that was covered with the Skin of
H is powerful fr a me Showed the muscles
a wild beast
of an athlete a n d his red beard gleamed like fire
The w al l s of the ha l l where he l ay w ere thick l y h ung
w ith shields of r a re wo r kmanship a n d between them
were Spears and swords th a t fl a shed in the sunlight
But the g l ories of his gre at p al a ce had no charm for
Thor now ; he y a w ned a n d c a st wistful g l an c e s t ow ar ds
the nort h a s though he cou l d discern even a t th a t dis
tance the dreary mountains of his foes
S uddenly a form d a rkened the doorw ay and Loki
s tood before him
The thunder god did not like Loki ;
h e distrusted him
The love of adventure was s o
s at
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1
A
l so
2
.
86
“
A m om e n
t hi i
-
s
n n
g
,
s o n am e d
f
r
om
th e
l ig h t
n in
g
.
S T OR IE S F RO M N OR S E MY T H O L O G Y
88
.
Thor ! With your great strength you forget that ordi
nar y gods may get tired and hungry after rattling about
”
in your chariot a l l day with nothi n g to eat !
Thor laughed heartily and said : I forgot who was
with me ; Loki and f ood may n ot long b e p arted This
”
is a sma l l house but it may give us food and shelter
The y alighted from the chariot and went in The
peasants c ow e r e d in on e corner of the room on seeing
the wonderful strangers s o tall that they could not
stand upright in the sm a ll house
Loki Spoke : D o n ot b e frighten ed good people
We are hungry travellers w h o desire rest and food
We will n ot harm y ou but will reward y ou generously
”
for y our hospitality
R eassured b y L ok I s mild words and Thor s good
The
n atured s mil e the y came forward still trembling
wo m a n made a deep courtes y and said : M y good
lord s we welcome y ou an d would gladl y give y ou
s o me s upper ; but th e l ittl e food we had is eaten and
”
there is n othing left in the house we are very poor
”
N ever mi n d
said Thor ; do as I bid y ou a n d I
”
Then turning to the man h e
will manage the rest
“
G o and u n h a rness my goats while y our w ife
s aid
make s th e fi r e and get s the pot ready ; w e wi l l cook
Som e m eat
T h e peasant s did as Thor bade them though they
c ould not imagine where the me a t was coming from
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T H OR A ND S K R Y MI R
89
.
“
Loki helped the woman make the fi re while Thor
followed the man out A s soon as the goats were
unharnessed he knocked them both on the h ead with
his hammer and t old th e peasant to prepare them for
cooking S oon an enormous platter of goat s flesh w as
smoking on th e table
A s Thor helped the peasant s and their two chi l dre n
to the meat he said : E at all y ou will good people
but beware of breaking the bones I have a Special
”
r eason for wishing them to be kept whole
T h ial fi the s o n had rarel y tasted meat s o this w a s a
great feast for him AS he w as picking the meat from
one of the thigh bones Loki whi s pered The marrow
”
inside th e bone is best of all ! and T hial fi forgetting
Thor s command cracked th e bone and sucked out the
marrow
R aska his sister ate but little
S he spent h er time
in ga z ing with open mouthed wonder at the tall
strangers w h o ate with such evident re l ish the goats
that served them a s hors es An d s h e asked herself
what the y would do on th e morrow with the he avy
iron chariot and no goats to draw it
A fter the hearty meal all were soon fast asleep
Thor awoke as the first rays of the earl y dawn shot
into the little room J umping up quickly h e gathered
together the bone s of the goats an d put them into /t iie
s kin s
Then l ifting his mighty hammer he r epeate d
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9
S
T OR IE S F RO M N O R S E MY T H O L O G Y
.
om e magic words called runes I nstantly the two
goats were Skipping about as livel y as if they had e n
j o ye d a good meal and a night s rest inste a d of having
served as food for others ; but Thor noticed th a t one
of them limped
S uspecting the c a use h e becam e
furio us with anger and Called out in a loud voice
Wake up you wretched peasants ! S ee what y ou
have done to m y goat s
The peasants st a rted as though waked b y a thunder
clap and cowered trembling before the angry god
”
Who broke the thigh bon e of my goat ? roared
Thor clutching M iO l l n e r t i l l his knuckles grew whit e
while flashes of light came from his eyes and h ear d
threatening to b urn the room
Then T h ial fi w h o was a brave l a d plucked up
h is courage and said :
O h ! mighty s ir I broke the
thigh bone of your go a t I forgot what you said ; the
m eat w a s s o good ; and I wanted to get the marrow
Punish me but do not harm the ot h ers ; the y have done
”
n othing
The boy s courage and honesty touched Thor w h o
And he said : You have
w a s r e a lly kind a t he a rt
don e a very b a d deed but I w i l l forgive y ou because
y ou are br ave a n d spe ak the truth A liar and a cow
But you a r e too good a fel l ow to
a r d I c a nnot a bide
Spend your life in this b u t l ike a be a st C ome with me
and y o u sha l l s e e the wor l d Y o ur Si s ter sh all com e
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ST
2
9
OR I ES
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
they travelled on and on e par t of th e woo d
w a s s o exactly like another that th ey might have gone
about in a circle h a d n ot T h ial fi now and then climbe d
to the top of a tall tree to make sure that they were
oI n g I n the right direction
g
AS night fell th e little lig h t that filtered through the
branches faded away leaving them in utter darkness
I t was impossible to go on without running against
the trees Thor impatient as h e w as t o proceed de
cided to s t op a n d wait for the morning In the dark
nes s they felt around for a good p l ace to s l eep As
Loki w a s g r oping about he touc h ed so mething th at w a s
n ot a tree ; a n d as he ran his hand up it seemed like
t h e entrance to a house
This I s very strange ! he exc l aimed
S trike a
light T h ial fi ! here is som e kind of a house but
whoever lives in it must be fond of the w oods !
T h ial fi did a s Loki requested a n d by the fl a ring light
of a dry stic k they cou l d distinguish a l a rge opening
A dwe ll ing of some kind it w a s certain l y but of a n e w
pattern for the door was the Size of the who l e front of
th e house
There s nothing like trave ll ing to s e e strange
sights ! said Loki And a s they went in he r em a rked
This house is of a n odd shape but it seems to be a
”
good p l a ce to s l eep in
A ll
d ay
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T H OR A ND SK R YMI R
93
.
The y threw thems elves dow n on the floor of the
l arge entrance hall and were soon fast asleep
About m idnigh t they were awakened b y a t errible
shaking of the earth together with a rumbling noise
like thunder The y started up expecting to feel a n
other Shock in a moment for apparently it was an
earthquake
B ut all w a s still
Thor placed him self
in the main door of the house W hile the others found
some S m
a l ler room s tha t promised greater quiet
A s soon as the first r ays of th e s u n struggled through
th e branches so th a t Thor cou l d distinguish one obj ect
from another h e fast ened on his b elt of strength drew
on his iron gauntlet s and grasping his hammer firm l y
strode out into the fore st to seek the cause of the noise
and the Shaking that had so disturbed their Slumbers
H e expected to find a mighty chasm yawnin g n ear b y
the result of the earthquake
H e had not gone far when he s aw a hill rising in
an opening a m id th e tree s ; and at th e sam e t ime he
heard a loud sound th a t evidently came from the fur
ther side of the hil l When Thor reached that Side he
could j ust distinguish in the dim light the enorm ous
head of a giant from whose open mouth came the
sounds h e had heard What Thor had taken for a hi ll
was th e g I a n t s body H is eyes were closed and his
eye brows stood out like line s of bushes from abov e
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S T OR IES F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
94
.
them H is hair looked more like a forest of trees tha n
like th e h air of a common person
Thor looked at th e sleeping giant for a moment and
then aimed his h ammer at his forehead But instead
of flingi n g it he stopped short and reachi n g up put his
mouth n ear his ear and roared in a voice of thunder
?
What is your n a me
The giant stretched his huge l imbs an d slowl y
opened his eyes At first he s eemed dazed ; but grad
u al l y a look of inte ll igence came into his face and he
said Slowly Did anybody speak
Yes roared Thor I did What s your n ame ?
A s the giant heard Thor s voice h e turned his large
head S l owly around and l ooked at him A fter a lon g
stare he replied
S krymir
Then he added
I
know y ou ; you are Asa Thor
You had better thank m e said Thor
I se l dom
begin m y acqu aintance with giant s in s o polite a m an
”
n er as some of your friends have learned to their cost
S krymir smiled but i t took a good while After a n
other pause he broke the silence with What have you
don e with m y glove ?
An d he Slowly stretched out
his hand an d picked up the hous e where they h ad spent
the night Lucki l y Loki and the others had j ust left
it There was a l ook of amusement on S krymir s enor
mous features that irritated Thor greatly ; but he trie d
to look unconcerned
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S T OR IES F RO M N OR S E MY T H O L O G Y
6
9
.
to Thor say i g
H ere A s a Thor take this
I am
m ore sleepy than hungry and do not care for food
In an instant he was sound asleep and snoring so loud ly
that the woods resounded and the earth trembled
Thor took the bag and started to untie the strings ;
b ut with all his e f f orts not a knot would com e undon e
nor could h e even loosen one At this his blood bega n
to boil ; and seizing M iO l l n ir he flung it with all his
m ight at the hea d of the sleeping giant
S krymir stirred a littl e put his hand to his head and
Slowly opened his large blue eyes saying Did a leaf
”
?
fal l on my head
I thought I felt somethi n g
Then
looking at Thor he asked H ave you eaten your s u p
?
per y et
Aren t you going to bed
Y es replied Thor ; w e are going t o bed
A nd
a s he wou l d not ask S krymir to untie the sack the y l a
y
down hungry and tired under a tree not very far from
the giant
S krymir made such a roari n g that it was almost
impossible to sleep A S Thor lay there he a ring the
dreadfu l noise he grew more and more furious
At
l ast he started up with an oath and going to where the
giant l ay swung M i oll nir w ith all h is Asa might and
plunged it into his forehead up to the handle
The giant stopped snoring and turning uneasily
muttered
Wh at is the matter now ? D id an acorn
fall upo n my forehead ? Where ar e y ou Thor ?
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T H OR A ND S K R YMI R
97
.
Then with a sigh he w a s fa st a s l eep again and snoring
as loudl y as ever
Thor was by this t ime so angry t h at even had al l
bee n quiet h e cou l d not h ave Slept H e s at for hours
lean i n g against the tree his comrades asleep ne a r him
I nstead of growing ca l mer he grew m ore enraged as
the hours went by
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When the morning light Showed again the outlin es of
the gia n t s h uge form he w ent over t o where he lay
This time he swung M iO l l n ir a s he had never swu n g it
before and buried it so deeply in th e giant s temp l e
that only a little of th e handle stuck out
C a n you
?
feel that
he roared
S krymir opened his eyes and as they rested upon
the angry god asked sleepily : Are there any birds
?
on the tree above m e
I thought some m oss fell
upon m y forehead
Then opening his eyes wider
he added
B ut it is morning and we must start
on
When they were ready to go the giant turned t o
Thor with an odd smile on his face and said You
evident ly think me rather large A s a Thor ; but when
y ou reach Ut gar d you will find larger m en than I
Let me give you s Om e advice : do not brag too much
U tg ar di i ok i the lord of Utgard and his big courtiers
will not stand the b oasti n g of little men like y ou I n
fact the be st thing y ou can do is to turn back and give
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S T OR I E S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
8
9
.
up visiting Utgard
D angers that you litt l e suspect
”
may lie before you i n that gi a nt land
Thor tried to answer S krymir but h e w as s o choked
with rage that the words wou l d not come out
The giant continued
If you ar e determined to go
on turn to the east toward the mount a ins that you s e e
yon der
And taking the provision sack he dis ap
r
in
the
woods
d
a
e
e
p
Thor started afte r him with M iO l l n ir ; but he seem ed
to have changed suddenly into a la r ge gray mountain
at their right
As the giant had carried of f th e food the y were
forced to content themselves with the few berries a n d
roots that they could find on their w ay ; for there w a s
no game in the woods
About noon the forest ended abrupt l y and they came
into a large p l ain that extended on all sides l ike a gray
sea There were rocks here and there but not a blade
of grass n ot a tree gladdened the eye as it ro a med over
the dreary waste I n the midst of the pl a in w a s a huge
castle E ven at t h a t distance they had to bend back
their necks in order to s e e its turrets h al f hidden by
clouds It looked as though carved rough l y by gi a nt s
out of a rocky mountain It s rude walls bore the scars
of time an d Showed in places the fierce sport of the
lightning
Thor and his companions went towards the castle
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IO O
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OR I E S
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
faction that sounded like the roaring of the wind H is
feat ures were slow in changing their expression H is
large rou n d eyes were neither kind nor fierce for they
had no more human feeling in them than cold mountain
lakes
O n each side of t h e table there were stone benches
whose high backs made comfortable resting places f or
the heads of the giants These giant s were n earl y as
large as Utgard Loki and all were drinking beer
S ome on e had evidently made a j oke j ust before Thor
an d his companion s entered ; for a deep slow H a !
ha ! cam e from one and then another of the giants
u ntil the roar of their great guff aws fi lled the vast
hall and rolled out like thunder into the gathering
n ight
The gods could examine everyt h ing at their
leisure ; for not one of the giant s seemed awar e of
their presence
T h or s blood began to boil as he looked at the dull
mountain like creatures and h e longed t o fli n g h is ham
mer an d change them into real mountain s as they s at
o n their ben ches of stone ;
b u t h e f or e b or e and going
up t o Utgard Loki placed himself directly in front of
him
Th e king turned his expressio n less e y e s upon
him and after staring for several moments burst into
a loud laugh showing his granite teeth
Why what have I before me
he roared
This
stripling must be A sa Thor of who m I have often heard
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TH
OR A ND S K RY M I R
101
.
I am surprised ! but perhaps you are rea l l y bigger tha n
”
you look !
Then in a moment he added
Wha t can
?
y ou do
We alw ays m ake our guests prove their
strength or their skill before w e invite them to eat
and drink with u s
Loki was very hungry and pushing himself in front
of Thor he cried eagerly
I will wager that n o one
here can eat as fast as I can !
An d he laughed to him
self a t the thought of contending with the Slo w clum sy
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giants
Then Utgard beckon ed to a man that Loki had not
noticed H e s at a t th e lo w er end of the table and was
small a n d agile compared with the giants A trough
full of meat was brought in
Logi said the king Sh ow thi s littl e man that
giant s can be as quick as he
The y beg a n t o eat se a ted at O pposite ends of the
trough Loki ate ravenous l y for pride and hunger both
spurred him on N eith er stopped to look at the other
ti l l at l ast they met in the very middle of the trough
Loki then s aw to his amazement that while he had
eate n all the m eat on his side Logi had consumed not
only th e m eat but the bones and even the trough
it self S o there w a s no question as to w h o h a d w on
the victory H owever the fact that he had enj oyed a
hearty meal conso l ed Loki in part for his defeat
Utgard next turned h is eye s to where T h ial fi stood
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S T OR I ES
F
RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
.
and poi n t ng at him with his huge forefinger asked ;
?
What c an that young man do
I
T h ial fi s traightened up and answered proudl y :
can run a race w ith any one you may appoint H e
”
must be swifter than the eagle if he can outrun m e !
The king rose Slowly from his seat and wa l ked with
a lumbering gait th ro ugh the vast hall and out upon
the plain surrounding the castle A few giants fol
lowed on e after another and seated them selves on the
large bowlders that lay around
Utgard Lo ki pointed out the course and then ca ll e d
in a loud voice
come
here
!
J ig i
uick
as
a
flash
appeared
an
agi
l
e
little
fe
l
low
appar
!
ently m ore akin to the elves than to the giants A
peculiar dull smile overspre a d the features of the king
as he said We do not match you little people agains t
our gian ts ; that would be h ard l y fair ; this is on e of our
”
dwarfs
And he and his courtiers laughed loud a nd
long at the j oke
The course pointed out was a lo n g one but T h ial fi
sta r ted like a steed of high mettl e e ager for the ra ce
H e flew a s the sw a l low flies Yet H ugi w as s o much
swifter that he touched th e goa l and met T h ial fi on
the return before the latter had finished the c ourse
Utgard Loki laughed saying
You must ply your
legs better littl e T hial fi ; though you are a very f a ir
run n er !
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S T OR IES F RO M N OR SE
1 04
MY T H O L O G Y
.
the ha ll and was there lost in the Shadows Tho r
gazed at it with interest H e saw that strange s e a
monsters were carved upon it and th a t its coils were
encrusted With Shells and bar n acles and fringed with
s e a mosses
The god was very thirsty and with an expression of
satisfaction h e raised the horn to his lips Long and
deep was his draught As h e dra n k the sound w a s
like that of water breaking upon a pebb ly beach Yet
when he stopped bre athless a n d looked to see h ow
much beer was left in the horn h e fou n d to his s ur
prise that there w a s ab out as much as at first
R a ising the horn again h e dr a nk as long as he could
without taking breath and then looked in Th e liquor
had sunk even less than before
Utgard Loki smiled broadly and said
H ow now
Thor ! H ave you not saved for the third draught m ore
?
than you can m ake a w ay with
You m u st not Spare
yourself too much in a test of this kind If you wish
to drain th e horn you must drink deep !
Thor was in a towering passion a s he r a ised th e horn
for the third time It seemed as though he would
never stop drinking T h e noise he m a de w a s l ike the
roar of th e waves as they dash upon the rocks in a
st orm ; and yet when he stopped and looked at the
horn the liquor w a s s o high that it could onl y j ust b e
c a rried wit h out Spilling
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T H OR A N D S K R YMI R
S ham e
1 05
.
an d
’
anger were pictured on Thor s face as he
gave back the horn to the cup bearer
I own m y se l f
beaten h e said ;
but let me try something else : I
k n ow I can outdo you giants in something
There is a little game our children sometimes play
supposing you try that I would not
s aid th e ki n g ;
propose a child s game to Thor had he not shown
himself much we a ker than I thought him S ee if you
can lift m y cat from the ground
A s he w a s Spe a king a large gray cat ran across the
hall Thor sprang to w ards her and putting his hand
under her body tried to lift her from th e ground ; but
as h e raised his hand s h e curved her back and with his
utmost efforts he could only raise one foot fro m the
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fl oon
J ust as I expected said Utgard Loki ; the c a t is
”
large an d Thor is small compared with our men
cried Thor thoroughly enraged ;
Y o u call me small
but which of you dares wrestle with m e n ow that I
?
am angry
and his eyes darted forth sparks and from
his beard shot flam es of fi re lighting up th e gray hall
I s e e no one here said the king looking arou n d
w h o would not think it beneath him to wrestle with a
little man l ike you But here comes my old nurse E lli ;
She has thrown to the ground man y a man as strong
”
a n d bo a stful as Thor
An old woman bent nearl y double came into the
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S T OR IES F RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
1 06
.
ha ll S he was tooth l ess a n d had scant gray locks !
H er thin for m tremb l ed a s S h e ra ised her bleared a n d
a l most sight l ess eyes to Thor H e looked at her with
disgust
Wrest l e with him mother s a id Utgard Loki
Whereupon she w ound her l ong thin arms about
Thor and the more he tried to thro w her the more
firm l y did She st a nd At l a st worn out with th e con
flic t the god s a nk upon one knee
The king then stepped forward and said it was
enough Then he a dded A l though you l itt l e people
have shown yourselves we a k comp a red w ith us giants
sti ll w e admire your Spirit and we invite you to eat a n d
drink with us
Thor an d his comp a nions were by this time thor
ough l y vexed and humb l ed They gave up the contest
and a ccepted t h e hospita l ity of Utga rd Loki
Long w as the fe a st a n d stra nge and dul l were the
stories told by the gi a nts as they nodded over the
foaming beer Thor a s he s at in the dreary stone ha ll
thought of the wit a n d g ayety th a t reigned in G ladsheim
But the gi a nts seemed to be enj oying themselves
The gods awoke at d aybreak and Utgard Loki went
with them through the iron gate When on the other
side he said : Wh at do you think of your j ourney Asa
Thor ? D o you consider th at you hav e met your matc h
among the giants this time ?
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S T OR IE S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
1 08
.
could n ot s e e reached to the ocean You drank s o
deepl y that y ou lowered the great river When y ou
reach it on your way ho m e y ou will s e e how the water
has fallen I n Midgard they will hen ceforth call this
the ebb When you lifted from the ground one p aw
of my cat you were in reality raising the great M id
gard serpent that encircl es the earth And you lifted
h im s o high that you n earl y pulled his tail out of his
mouth We feared th e foundation s of J O t un h e im wou l d
be shaken But y our wrestling with E l li w a s the most
astonishing feat of all S he w a s no other than old age
And there never has been an d never will be a m an
whom ol d age cannot lay low if he abide her coming
You are a mighty god A sa Thor and I shall take good
care that you never find my country again ho wever
dilige n tly you may seek for it We giants dul l a n d
heavy as we m ay seem have the wisdom of the ages
Thor raised hi s hammer but Utgard Loki had van
An d turning his eyes to where the castle w a s
ish e d
he s aw nothing but a beautiful green pl ain upon which
th e Slow m oving clouds cast their shadows
Thor returned to his home in A sgard but the mem
ory of his adventure s in the castle of Utgard Loki stung
him continuall y ; an d he det ermined to reve n ge himself
b y attacking the Midgard serpent in his ocean home
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T H O R S J O U R N E Y T O G E T T H E K E TTL E
’
f E G IR
FO R
f E G IR
.
the ruler of the stormy western s e a feasted
all th e gods at harvest time but there w a s never quite
enough beer t o go round This angered Thor for it
Showed a lack of h ospitality ; and he told n ir very
blunt l y w hat he thought of it
n ir appeared to feel hurt a n d said : Your words
are rude an d unkind A sa Thor ; the reason w h y the
beer does not hold out is that I h ave no kettle large
enough for the bre w ing I t is no sma l l matter t o make
beer for al l the d w ellers in Asg a rd
My
Ty r w h o stood near turned to Thor and s a id :
father the fierce gia n t Hym i r d w e ll s near heaven s
end H e owns a c a l dron a mile d eep I think we can
manage in some w ay to get it from him
n ir will
then have the satisf a ction of entert a ining his friend s in
”
a manner befi t ting h is generous nature
”
It is too bad to trouble you
s a id n ir ; it is
such a lo n g j ourn ey a n d you may not be able to get
the caldron after a l l
cried Thor w e count nothing
O h friend n ir !
as trouble if it o n ly ob l iges you C om e Tyr let us be
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1 09
I IO
S T OR I ES
F
RO M NOR S E M Y T H O L O G Y
.
off
My goa t s are ready and I long to s e e J o tunheim
again If I can only meet the Midgard serpent on this
j ourney I will pay him well for de c e IV I n g m e as he did
at Utgard Loki s
making me lift him for a cat
S o the two gods started of f together Tyr was a
m ore fit companion for Thor than Loki was H e was
as fe a rless as the thunder god him self and one of the
noblest of the f E s ir
Thor put up his goats at s ome distance from the
gi ant s c a stle ; for wherever he we n t in hi s great rum
bling ch a riot he was kno w n as the mighty god of thun
der ; and this time he wished to go quietly
N ight w as coming on a s the y neared the dwell
ing of H ymir which stood b y the froze n shore s u r
rounded by rocks a n d ic ebergs The sides of the huge
castle g l istened with fro st a n d from its proj ectio n s
hung long icicles As they went I n through the wide
door the first obj ect to meet their eyes w as a giantess
with n ine hundred heads S he w a s nodding sleepily
with a l l her heads in a corner of the vast hall and s h e
did not notice them This w a s H ymir s mother
A great fire of pine and fir trees burned at one end
of the room and ne a r it s a t a lovely wom a n the fi r e
light Shining on her golden brown hair S he greeted
her s on and his friend j oyful ly and brought beer to
refresh them a fter their long j ourney Then looking
out into the night s h e said : My husband will soon be
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S T OR I E S
1 12
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
he brought his friend Thor with him
Thor the
great thunder god I know you wi l l be glad to s e e
an d
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them
”
?
Where are they
ro a red Hymir ; a n d he glanced
tow a rd the dark end of the ha l l w h ere th e kett l es hung
The huge wooden be a m broke as his eyes rested upon
it and eight kettles fell all breaking but one That
one w a s the largest of all a hard hammered c a l dron
T h e gods then stood forth their sh a pely form s in
strange contrast with the huge uncouth figure of the
gi a nt When Hy ir s aw the flashing of Thor s eyes
he felt th a t it boded evil to him
Three oxen were cooked for supper a n d Thor a t e
The gi a nt thinki n g such a guest wou l d
t w o of them
soon make h avoc in h is l a rder s a id g r u f fl y We sh al l
have to live on what we can catch in th e s e a to
morrow
N othing would suit m e better th a n to go fi shing
with you giant Hymir s a id Thor
The next morning the giant got ready for the e x pedi
tion Be ing in a bad humor he s a id G et your ow n
!
m
Y ou can catch an ox
bait if you are going with e
for y ourself
Thor found the herd of the giant a n d going u p to a
coal b l ack bull the finest of a l l wrung his he a d from
his neck and took it for bait
Whe n H y mir s aw the head of h is best bu ll he s a id
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T H OR S
E
O
U
R
N
Y
J
’
1 13
.
I wish you had s at quiet and had let m e get the
b a it
They started out in Hymir s boat both rowi n g
Thor s mighty strokes sent the boat scudding over the
angry sea When they were far out the giant said
Thi s is m y fi s h in g ground
H ere I c a tch whales
We will stop
I t is child s p l ay to fish s o ne a r the shore said
Thor redoubling the might of his strokes
The s e a grew rougher and great w aves broke over
the boat When at last they were in the very midd l e
of the ocean Thor stopped ro w ing The gi a nt a t once
threw his line a n d drew up t w o wha l es w ith one b ait
Then Thor took out a l ine which a l though S l e n
der
w a s of gre a t strength
H e f a stened the gory he a d of
the bl a ck ox fi rm l y t o the hook D o w n do w n w ent the
bait far below the rough waves ; deeper th a n where the
wh ales sported ; down t o the very b o ttom of the ocean
There l ay th e mighty earth encircl er the giant serpent
1
of the deep
For years he had l a in in the quiet of the
deep s e a with his tail do w n his t h ro at w a iting with
slo w burni n g hatred for the time of vengeance the
Twi l ight of th e G ods The coi l s of his mighty body
were fringed with s e a mosses a n d covered with clingin g
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an d
ti
S e e ( E l e n s c h l aeg
P oe
on of
try
of
Eu
r
o
CEl e n s c h l aeg
p
’
er s
e
.
’
er s
p
o em ,
Th e
“
T
sa m e
G o ds
of
h r s Fi shi
p
o
’
oem
th e
No
ng
,
m ay b e f
rth
”
.
in L
ou n d
ong
in
ll
Fry
f
e
’
ow s
’
e s
P oe
t
s
tr a n sl a »
S T OR I ES
I I4
F
RO M
N OR SE
M YT H O L O GY
.
she ll s Tall sea palms waved gent l y in the dim w a ters
above his head N ever in a l l the long years had bait
with hook com e near his du l l eyes
Thor had secured a m ost tempti n g bait The gory
head of the ox cam e near th e s erpent s head and then
floated slowly away like a living thing Then it c a me
near ag a in A look of e a gerness came into th e s e r
pent s cruel eyes and he d rew his t a il s l o w ly from his
j aws As it reached him the third tim e he opened
wide his j a w s sn atched it a n d s w a l lowed h e a d h ook
and all Then c a me the strugg l e
Thor pu l led with such strength th at his feet broke
through th e bottom of the bo a t a n d he stood on the
floor of the s e a The serpent hissing a n d l a shing w ith
pain w a s dr a wn up through the v a st depths of mid
ocean The s e a aw ay t o the horizon was covered with
poisono u s fo a m H igh w a ves rose like tossing moun
tains over the v a st exp a nse
H e avy clouds m et the
waters and Thor s l ightnings d a rted amid the seething
billows The horrid coi l s of the gre a t serpent rose
above the s e a g l iste n ing with venom a n d h is huge
j aws gaped as he strove to seize his powerful en emy
Thor gra sped h imin his a rms and the strugg l e grew
S heets of pois o nous fo a m mi x ed w ith the
fi e r c e r stil l
clouds The cr a shi n g of the thunder ming l ed with the
loud hissing of the serpent ; a n d e x cept for the lig h t
ning d a rkness covered the s e a Th o r loosed his hold
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S T OR IES F RO M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
I6
shattered but the cup
a dent
,
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unhurt showing not eve n
w as
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’
The n Tyr s mother whispered in Thor s ear S trike
”
at the head of Hymir ; that i s harder th a n any cup
Tightening his belt of strength Thor again threw
the cup and this tim e full at Hymir s forehead The
cup w a s sh a ttered t o atom s
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Then w a s H ymir astounded and troubled
That
was a good cup he said
never again can I s ay
wh en the beer is handed to me Beer thou art too hot
And thinking it best to be rid of so dange r ous a guest
as soon as possibl e he said to Thor No w tis to be
seen whether y ou can carry M ile deep out of our
”
dwelling
Tyr went up to the huge iron pot and tried t o lift it ;
but he could only tip it a little toward on e side Then
Thor with his iron gloves grasped it by t he brim
wh ile his feet burst through the floor ; and putting it
upon his head he started of f the rings j ingling about
his heels Ty r followed him
They had not gone far when th e y heard a loud noise
behind them ; a n d turning around they s aw a m ighty
ba n d of frost giants with Hymir at their head S ome
brandished gre a t stone c l ubs whi l e others carried
bowlders an d blocks of i ce to throw at the f E Sir they
shouted and roared as they came on Then Thor put
dow n M i l e deep and grasping M iO l l n ir hurl ed it at
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U
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RN E Y
J
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T H OR S
I 17
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the savage cr e w I nstantl y all w a s still ; and in pl ace
of th e nois y giants a line of snow y mountains raised
their heads to the Sky
Thor and T y r soon reached the place where the
goat s were tied and putting the kettle into the chariot
drove rapidl y toward n ir s halls The y were delay ed
a littl e because the goat whose thigh bone had been
inj ured fell down and then went lam e
But in spite
of this the y were not long in reaching n ir s palace
The s e a god welcomed them but looked with dismay
at M ile d eep knowing how great a brewing there would
have to be in the future when he feasted the gods
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FR E Y
C LI M B S I N T O O D I N S H I G H
1
’
EY was the ruler of th e light elves
S E AT
.
H e therefore
Spent the greater part of his time in A l f heim th e home
of the elves in the lower world H e w a s often in
Asgard however and hi s kind heart and j o y ous nature
made him a great favorite there
O ne aftern oon he arrived in the city j ust as the s u n
was setting and foun d it almost deserted H e wan
d ered about for a tim e feeling very forlorn
He
looked at the glittering palaces whose towers reached
to th e clouds ; and then his ga z e went higher still and
rested upon O din s H igh S eat th e most sacred place
in A sgard S udde n ly he w a s seized with an int ens e
desire t o climb up and s e e for once all that the mighty
O din s aw when he looke d abroad each day The All
fath er had n ever said that no one but himself might s it
in that sacred place ; but had an y god ventured to
climb up there he would have been thought very pre
if
not
worse
K
nowing
this
Frey
hesitated
s u m in
g
while his e y es rested longingly upon the gleaming point
At last with an air of determ ination h e entered the
great palace from which the H igh S eat shot u p a n d
FR
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1
r
F
e y, a
V
a n -g o d ;
rlr
u e
of
th e
l ig h t e l v e s
-
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S T OR I ES
IZO
F
RO M NOR SE M Y T H O L O G Y
.
felt sure that he cou l d distinguish his f ather s c a st l e
N oatun by the sea
H is curiosity w as satisfied at last a n d he w as j ust
turning away when a gle a m from the north from icy
O
t
n
i
h
u
e
m
h
caug
t
his
eye
AS
he
looked
keen
l
y
in
J
that direction he s aw a beautifu l gi a nt maiden l ifting
her fa ir white a rms to undo the l atch of a gate in t h e
castle wal l The gl e a m of l ight th a t h ad attr a cted him
c ame from her sno w w hit e a rms a n d her go l d en h a ir
Frey w a s s o a stonished to s e e such a sight in the l a nd of
cold an d d a rkness th a t he cou l d n ot t ak e his eyes aw ay
A s the maiden p a ssed through the g ate She turned her
face toward Asg ard for a moment and Frey f a ncied th a t
her large blue eyes l ooked appe al ing l y up to him The
keenness of O din s sight must h ave bee n gra nted to him
j ust then or he never cou l d have seen al l this so pl ain l y
The vision l asted but a moment The maiden disap
i
n
m
O
h
e
behind
the
cast
l
e
w
l
l
lay
in
e
a
a
n
d
t
u
r
a
e
d
J
p
darkness
It seemed to Frey th at w hen the g l e a m of her sno w
w h it e a r m s v a nished from the l and of the gi a nts the
light of day fa ded from a l l the wor l ds E ven Asgard
w a s d a rk and g l oomy
Frey s he art fe l t strange l y
heavy
N ever had the merry m a ster of the e l ves
known sorrow H is l ife h a d been one long bright
A str ange new fee l ing possessed him
s ummer day
With a heavy step he went s l owl y do w n the winding
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F R E Y C LIMBS I N T O
OD
I N S HI G H S E A T
’
12 1
.
'
stairs When he reached the cit y it w a s still deserted
S o he entered the sp a cious h al l of Gl adsheim and thre w
him se l f upon one of the rich l y c a rved se a ts When t h e
gods returned he tried to assume his usual cheerful
ness but a l l noticed the ch ange in him ; a n d he w a s
thankful when the Sh a dows deepened an d he cou l d be
a l one S l eep would not come however O ne picture
the fair giant maiden
w as continua ll y before his eyes
with her g l eaming white arms and her s ad b l ue eyes
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F R EY S L OV E F O R G E R D
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the wife of N iord Frey s father S he was
t h e d aughter of T h ia s s i who was killed by the burning
mists of the Asga rd river The gods were sorry for
T h ias s i s death bec a use a l though he h a d tried to in
j ure them h e had in the past done them gre a t servi ce s
S o to honor h is memory O din placed his eyes in th e
heavens where they shone like stars Then he sent for
S k a di his daughter to come to Asgard ; a n d soon after
NiO r d S home w a s in
s h e becam e the wife of N i ord
the V an ir l an d ; but both he and S k adi were often in
Asgard with th e f E s ir
S k a di had grown very fond of Frey ; a n d when s h e
found him p a l e a nd s ad on the morning after he had
climbed to the H igh S eat s h e tried in every w ay to
comfort him but in vai n S he sent h im to I duna ; but
for once her golden app l es w er e powerless As he
grew s a dder and we aker a ll known remedies were tried
but his ma l ady wou l d yie l d to none of them And no
one could fi n d out the c a use of his trouble
Frey had a friend n amed S kirnir ; a mortal he w a s
said to be w h o l ived w ith the gods in Asgard H e
S KA D I w as
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1
A V
an
-
g
od ;
f
a
th r
e
of
ry
F
e
an d
Fr e y ia
.
S T OR I ES
1 24
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
would not hear to such a thi n g And even could
I g a in their consent how could I get the good wi l l of
her p a rents who a r e hostile gia nts
Perhaps even her
own he a rt is co l d tow a rds me S ometimes I think She
did not s e e me at al l as She glanced towards Asgard
and that the look I thought I S aw in her eyes was not
re ally t h ere
S kirnir pondered a few moments and then said
I think I c a n he l p you F rey The gods a r e so con
cern ed about your he al th t h a t I a m sure they w ill con
sent to the m a rri a ge however l itt l e they may like it
An d as for the m a iden herse l f and her p a rents let me
arrange with them You know I have been on many
di f ficult errands a n d have a l ways succeede d R est
quietly I wi l l come b a ck soon a n d co n sult with you
about my j ourney to J otunheim
S kirnir left Frey and w ent to O din a n d the other
gods to tal k the m a tter over w ith them H e tol d them
that love for the gi a nt m a iden G erd w a s the c ause of
Frey s Sickness and t h at in order to b e cured he must
h ave the m a iden for h is wife When the gods learned
this they agreed to sanction the m arri age
J
E S II
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SKI RN I R S J O
’
U R NE Y
W IN G ERD
TO
FR E Y
FO R
.
S KI RN I R
went quickly back to Frey and to l d him that
the gods co n sented to his marri a ge with G erd the giant
m aiden When Frey heard this the weary look left
his face and the lig h t of hope shon e in his eyes J oy
gave him strength ; an d he helped his friend make
re a dy for th ed a ngerous j ourney
—
Two things S kirnir must h ave
O din s horse and
Frey s s w ord Sl eipnir w ou l d c a rry him s afely through
the fl ames with which n o dou b t the g i ant surrounded
h is castle ; and Frey s sword wou l d protect him in
fight Iduna gave him eleven go l den apples to win the
heart of the maiden ; a n d O din his wonderful ring
made b y the dwarfs
By the time S kirnir w a s re a dy to Start n ight w as
over Asga rd ; and as he mounted S l eipnir he spoke to
him saying : Dark is it without it is time for us to go
over the misty fel l s over the giant s land
We shall
both return or the powerful giant will seize us both
”
W e will not desert one another !
The h o rse turned
h is ears back a n d listened as S kirnir spoke to him
The n he sped on toward the l a nd of the gi a nts
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S T OR IES F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
1 26
.
I t w as a long j ourney from Asg ard to J O tu n h e im ; but
at last S kirnir could s e e through the mist the castle of
G y m ir G erd s father
It was on the top of a lo n g,
n arrow mountain : a deep chasm y awned at the foot of
the mountain
S kirnir had been on s o ma n y perilous j ourneys an d
had see n s o m a ny strange Sight s th a t h e knew t h e
dangers of c r os s m g the ch a sm The heav y I ron gate
on the other Side w a s shut and th e bridge was dra w n
up for the night although it w a s not l ate S k i r n I r
could have gone no farth er had it n ot bee n for his
matchless steed H e spoke softly in S l eipnir s e ar and
the noble cre a ture cleared th e ch a sm a n d the w a l l a t
a bound while sharp lightning fl a shed and crackl ing
thunder sounded
The chasm was c onsidered such a s afegu a rd that no
w atchm a n stood outside the castle ; but t w o fierce dogs
were Chained at the entran ce A s S kirnir c a me near
he s aw a cowherd who was T es ting aft er h aving
Shelt ered his cat tl e for the night H e rode up to him
and said : T ell me co w herd as you s it there on the
mound looking all ways h ow can I p a ss the fi erce
dogs t h at I may Spe a k with G y m ir s young d a ughter ?
”
I have a message for her
The cowherd w a s struck dumb a t the s i g ht of S kirnir
and at his bold words Inste a d of ans w ering h I s ques
tion he st a red in Si l ence Then he exclaimed : You
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S T OR I E S F RO M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
1 28
.
S kirnir
left his horse and followed the serving maid
into the castle
The dogs growled but did not o f fer to
touch him AS h e entered he s aw that the vast hall
and everythi n g in it w as of stone cold and gray At
the upper end s at the g iant maiden on a high seat over
which w as thrown the skin of a wild beast
H er
gle a ming white a rm s and her golden hair lighted up the
gloomy h a l l S he w a s very beautiful ; but as S kirnir
entered s h e gazed a t h im with a cold haughty expres
sion As he cam e near a n d knelt before her she said
?
Who are you stranger
Do you belong to the r a Ce
of the elves or to the ra ce of the gods ? or are you one
of the wise Vanir ? Why have you come through the
flaming fire t o V isit our h a l ls
S kirnir replied
I belong n either to the race of th e
elves n or to the race of the gods ; nor am I one of the
wise V a nir ; yet I h ave come alon e through the flaming
fire to visit your halls
?
Why h ave you come
demanded G erd imperiousl y
S kirnir then told her of Frey : how h e had seen her
and loved her ; and how he to save Frey s life had
the d a ngerous j ourney
S kirnir s face
u ndertaken
glowed as he spoke of h is friend and told of his
sunny lov able n ature of his faith f ulness in friendship
and his bravery in battle B ut G erd was untouched ;
s h e looked as cold and h a ughty a s when S kirnir first
cam e in
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SKI RN I R S J O U RN EY
’
1 29
.
Finding that he must use other mean s to win her
S kirnir drew from beneath his m a n tle the e l even go l den
app l es given him by Iduna H o l ding the m to w a rds the
maid h e said : H ere a r e e l even go l den app l es G erd ;
these you sh all have if you wi l l give yo ur h eart to Frey
Weariness and old age v a nish at the taste of these won
de r f ul apples
G erd said coldly : N ever will I accept the eleven
golden apples to pleas e any on e god or mortal
Frey
and I S h all never while our lives last live together
S kirnir then took fro m his fi n ger the precious ring
made by S indri The stones fl a shed as he h eld it up
H e told G erd how the d w a rfs made it do wn in th e gre a t
under world ; and how every ninth night eight rings of
equal beauty dropped from it An y wom a n even the
daughter of a giant must care for such a treasure
S kirnir thought
G erd was still unmoved She said haughtily : The
ring I will not take
I have gold eno ugh here in
I Share my father s we a lth
G y m ir s courts
Then S kirnir grew angry with the proud giant maiden
H olding high the
w h o cared neither f or l ove nor j ewels
fatal glittering sword he cried
Look at this sword
young maiden ! S ee how thin it is how it glitters !
Beneath it s edge Shall y ou fall and your father the old
giant
A t this G erd rose from her se a t her blue eyes flash
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S T OR I E S
0
3
F
RO M N O R S E MY THO L O G Y
.
ing w ith anger
N ever c a n you frighten the d aughte r
”
of Gy m ir with your threats ! S h e cried
S oon sh a l l
you meet my fa ther in fight You w i ll learn to fear
the giants then
—
a
S kirnir fe l t for mome nt that he must give up
he
cou l d do no more I n his wr ath h e cou l d have ki ll ed
the proud girl ; but that would not h av e h e l p e d his
friend : it was her love he wanted
not her death As
S kirnir thought of Frey dying of love he w as fired
w ith the determin a tion to win her for him
Fi x ing his piercing eyes upon her he said : Listen
G erd ! Wh a t I te l l you is the truth ! If you by your
h a rd heartedness cause the de ath of Frey be l oved of a l l
the f E s ir dearly sh al l you pay for your crim e You
Shall go f ar f a r be l ow J O t u n h e im to Nifl h e im the world
of mist and darkness A l l good beings wi ll h ate y ou ;
your on l y comp a nions wi l l be stony gi a nts who wi l l
ever stare cold l y upon you with their l a rge eyes You
wi l l be bowed to the earth with a load of care and s or
row ; terror wi ll fill your soul food wi l l be loathsome to
you With bitter anguish a n d remorse wil l you think
of Frey and how you c a st his love away leaving him
to die of grief Too l ate wi l l love for him fi l l your h a rd
heart a n d y ou wil l long for the days th at mig h t have
been All this will surely come to pass S uch are
the punishments t h at await the enemies of the gods
Think of this O G erd ! and then t h ink of what
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S T OR I ES
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
H e would not rest even one night in the castle kno w
ing how eagerly Frey was watching for him And
while thick dar k ness covered the land of the giants he
sped swiftl y tow a rds t h e bright city of the gods
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S o the fair giant maiden became th e wife of Frey ;
r
an d a life of love a n d happ i ness opened before h e
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H owever ,
to gain the consent of h er parents Fre y w as
forced to give them the fatal sword made by T h ias s i
This w as a gr e at loss ; for when the T w i l i g ht of the
G ods should come the s w ord would b e in the h a nds of
his enemies to be used against him ; but Fre y had
w
as
ho
e
lov
for
his
portion
and
he
satisfied
e
n
c
s
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T H E D E AT H O F BA LD U R
.
L O K I proposed one day that they shoul d have some
sport s on the plains of Ida ; and h e named among other
things the game of Shooti n g at Baldur
Toward sundown the f E s ir went out upon th e broad
green plain and Bal dur stood up in the midst of them
H e stood there like a beautiful victim surrounded b y
h is fo es
but his face w as peaceful and h e smiled to
s e e how they enj oyed th e strange sport
At l ast all had Shot except H O du r When h is t u rn
came he had n o weapon S ome s ay he w a s b l ind a n d
that was w h y he cou l d not shoot J ust then Loki came
up a n d said H ere is a little arrow I found the other
”
day ; perhaps this will d o and he gave H O dur a sma l l
we l l made arrow H o dur took the arrow fitted it to
the string and in an instant it was whizzing through
t h e air
The next moment Baldur had fa ll en pierced
to the he a rt by the fatal we a pon of mistletoe
The gods were so astounded that at first no one
moved Then Thor sprang forward and lifted Ba l dur
—
gently from the ground
but he was dead All eyes
were now turned towards H o dur for the f E S ir did not
s uspect that
Loki w as the re al a uthor of the deed
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S T OR IE S F R O M N O R SE M Y T H O L O G Y
1 34
.
’
S till ,
no one sought to avenge B aldur s death ; for the
l aw s of the peace stead where they were permitted no
v iolence
Wailing and lame n ting they took up the bod y and
went slowl y toward the palace of G ladsheim The bird s
stopped singing and th e flowers drooped as the dead
god passed b y When O din s aw them co m ing and
knew that B aldur w as killed h e bowed his head and
said
M y s on is dead ! Th e light is gon e from AS
gard !
Frigga clasped him in her arms and vainly
begged him to com e back
The sorro w of N anna
Baldur s wife w a s too deep for tears S he did not
speak or cry ; but the color left her C heek an d her e y e
r
w
dim
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1
S T OR I E S F R O M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
6
3
.
world and on that w a s built the funeral pile
The
huge tree s brough t by the giants were first laid on ;
the n smaller trees ; and fina l ly branches of all sweet
smelling woods O ver the boughs were laid mantles
beautiful l y wrought
Baldur s horse richly capari
A n d last all who
s on e d was n ext placed upon the pile
wished t o honor the dead god brought gifts to be burnt
with him O din gave his ring made by S indri ; Thor a
finel y tempered sword many of the goddesses brought
their necklaces and bracelets the d w arfs gave precious
j ewels and the light elves having n o possessions
strewed the pile with flowers
When a l l w as re a dy they went to Baldur s palace
The youths w h o had been watching there pl a ced the
bod y upon a go l den litter and bore it slowly towards
the ship Behind them wa l ked N ann a supported by her
maidens S he w as clothed in white and her long hair
float ed over h er shoulders The others however dis
played a l l their m agnificence in ho n or of the de a d god
O din w a s there with his wol v es and his ravens Frigga
wore her richest garments although her heart w a s s ad
Frey rode the boar with the golden bristles and Fr ey ia
was in her chariot drawn by cats Thor had h is famous
goats Many gods rode steeds of great beauty And
even H eimdall had l eft his post at the n orthern end of
B if r O s t and came mounted on G ol d tO p whose mane
shone like the s u n
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B
A L D U R S FU N E R A L
’
I 37
.
A stra n ge procession it was ; gods giants elves and
dwarfs a l l uniting to honor the purest of the f E s ir
A n d strange wer e the hymns they sang as they slowly
traversed the long road from Bald ur s palace to the s ea
The deep tones of the giants b l ended for once with the
shrill piping voices of the light e l ves as ancient battle
hymns and songs of peace rose upon the still air
When they re a ched the ship all stood silent while
Baldur s body w a s l ifted upon the funeral pile AS the
youths stepped down they s aw that N anna h a d fallen
and her mai d en s were trying in vain to bring her back
to life H er heart had broken when s h e s aw Baldur
leaving her to go alone upon his l a st voy a ge S o th ey
p l aced her beside him whom she had l oved better than
life itself
Thor raised high his mighty hammer and consecrated
the pile while sharp lightnings flash ed and thunder
sounded through the clear s k y The white sails were
sp r ead the youths lighted t h e pile with their torches
and the ship R in g h or n left forever the Shores of Asgard
an d sailed towards the setting s u n AS it sailed away
the smoke rose to heaven and soon the whole ship w a s
in flames ; until at last it sank behind the wester n
hori z on in a blaze of glory
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H ER
IN S EA RC H
U R NE Y
’
MOD S JO
B AL D U R
A F TE R
OF
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’
Baldur s death Frigga asked whether any one
would be willing to go t o the lower world in search of
him while preparations for his funeral were g oing on
in A sgard
H erm od th e m essenger god o f fered to go
and started of f at on ce on S leipnir the swiftes t of
steeds
The f E s ir watched eagerl y for his return and loud
shouts went up when he appeared H e entered the
great hall of G ladsheim where all were gathered and
approaching O din said : I bring you h O p e ! Baldur
greet s you and s ends again this ring made by th e
dwarfs which he asks you to keep always in rem em
brance of him
Then turning t o Frigga he gave h e r
a carpet and other gifts from N anna ; and to Fulla
on e of her maidens
a fi n g e r ring
After be stowing
these gifts and giving each one a message from Bald ur
he s aid
I went as y ou know by the bridge B if r O s t w h ose
northern end is near Nifl h e im
F or n ine n ights
S leipnir bore m e through valleys deep and dark and
at last I reached the r iver Gj O l l which is spanned by
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138
S T OR IES F RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
1 40
.
with beings w h o were evidently r e j oic in g a t Baldur s
coming T h ey did n ot S eem to be gods and yet were
fairer and nobler than mortals
Baldur rose to greet m e as I entered and his face
b e am ed with the sam e expression of peace and good
will that it wore when he was among u s And N an na
looked as happy as on the day when s h e first came t o
Asgard as B a ldur s wife I was filled with wonder
Baldur said kind ly H ermod you are a stonished a t
seeing us s o well and s o happy here in the lower wor l d
We have been warmly welcomed by the people Wh o
live in this beautiful castle and their golden mead h as
the virtues of Idun a s apples a n d even more ; for it h a s
restored N ann a and myself to the fullest enj oyment of
life
Who a r e these peop l e Ba l dur I inquired
I m ay not tell you a l l about them B a l dur rep l ied ;
but they are my loya l subj ects a n d rep ay my love a n d
care with the gre a test devotion
Then w e t a l ked of Asg a r d and of you al l a s w e
drank the go l den me a d I a sked Ba l dur w hether he
would return to us shou l d the gr ea t goddess of the
realms of death a ll o w him to do s o
H e pondered deep l y and then replied
Yes I
would return were it a l lowed ; not who l ly for my ow n
pleasure — for I a l re a dy love my new subj ects ; but
because you al l grieve s o for my loss in the upper
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HE
RMOD
’
S
J O U RN E Y
14 1
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worlds
A nd he added with a smile We ar e very
h appy here
When I left the palace he and N anna put into my
ha n ds the gifts I have brought and seemed loath to
part with me
From there I went south to the land of Urd so
well known t o you a l l I found th e mi g hty god dess
se ated by her w e ll her two sisters ne a r When I
begged her to a ll ow B al d u r to return to Asgard s h e
said Is B a l dur unhappy in the lo w er world
N o I replied ; but we grieve for him in Asgard
The s un itse l f seems t o have lost its brightness since
Baldur left u s ; and not the gods alone al l m a n kind
th e dw a rfs and the elves and even the stony giants
long for B aldur s return
Are you sure th at a l l mourn for B aldur
said the
dre a d goddess in her deep solemn voice
Yes a ll I rep l ied
Then after a p a use She s a id slowl y S hould e very
creature wish for his return shou l d e a ch one weep f or
him he might go back to Asgard n ot otherwise R e
member a l l m us t w e ep
And s o I bring you hope ; for surely al l wi l l weep
for Baldur ; he w as s o loved by a l l
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Messengers were sent f ar and wide to bid a l l beings
weep for Baldur ; even the trees and stones
On
.
S T OR I ES
F
RO M
N OR S E
MY T H O L O G Y
.
swift steeds th e heralds rushe d along cry ing
Baldu r
the B eautiful is dead ! Weep for him !
O ver high
mountains through deep val l eys b y the lonel y shore
everywhere the y went crying Baldur the Beautiful is
dead ! Weep for him !
And as they heard the cry
all beings even the rocks and the stones wept for the
god beloved of gods and m en
The messengers were going home rej oicing in their
success wh en they met a giantess who c a l led h erself
Thok A S she gazed at them with her co l d unfeeling
ey e s the y cried Baldur the B eautiful is dead ! Weep
for him
But s h e answered
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Th k wi ll w p
W ith dry t r
B ld r
d th ;
F
N ith r i l i f
i d th
G v h m gl d
L t H l k p wh t h h
o
ee
ea s
e
e
e
e
ea
s
n
e
e
a
u
a
or
’
e
e
n or
a
ee
n
ness
a
s
ea
.
e
as
.
As She Spoke these words th e giantess laughed a
hard mocking laugh and disappeared ; and the mes
s e n g e r s went Slowly back to Asgard
N o one kne w
until afterwards that the giantess w as really Loki in
disguise
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S T OR I E S F RO M N OR SE MY T H O L O G Y
1 44
.
of th e rainbow and around the edge w a s a r im of gold
It had undergone a sea change a n d w a s now indeed
something rich an d strange
S ea y ouths and s e a
maidens some of them n ir s ow n chi l dren walked or
rather floated about the palace ; for in the deep s e a n o
on e walked as he wou l d on t h e land The m a idens
w or e r ob e s of green and looked like mermaids w ith
their long hair and th eir crow n s of go l d
The guests were se a ted and the feasting began
E g ir s at at the head of the table with O din beside
him ; whi l e R a n his wife s at next Frigga
Loki h a d not been invited ; for a lthough no one
could s ay that he had ki ll ed Ba l dur a l l the f E S ir fe l t
th at he had p l anned to bring about h is death ; and t h ey
could n o longer endure his presence But u nbidden
he appeare d whi l e they were feasting ; determined to
spoil their p l easure if he might not Share it H e stood
near the great door looking with eyes of hate upon the
fair scen e When some of the gods prais ed ZE g ir S
servants h is fierce j ealous y was aroused for he could
not endure to hear any one praised And t h ere in the
presence of n ir and the gods h e sle w one of the s e r
vant s
Thereupon the AES ir shook their s h ie l d s and
drove him from th e hall H e quickl y disappeared in
th e forest of s e a trees
The y went back t o their feasting ; but it w a s n ot
long before Loki returned With a sneer on h is lips
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L O KI
AT
’
ZE G I R
FE A S T
S
45
.
and fierce hatred in his e y es he asked for a drink of the
mead and a seat at the table B ragi had great cause
for disliking Loki because he had betra y ed I duna his
wife into the hands of T h ia s s i ; and he Spoke first :
A seat an d place will t he f E s ir never find for y ou at
their board !
Loki an swered him with taunt s and
sneers Then he t urn ed t o O din and reminded him
of the oath they h ad sworn when both were y oung ;
and he told how in those day s O din refused even to
taste beer u n less it were o f f ered to him al so
N ot wishing t o have the feast disturbed O din spoke
t o Vidar the silent and said R ise Vidar and let the
wolf s s ire s it at our feast that h e may not utter inso
lent words in [E g ir s hall
S o Vidar rose up and pre sented Loki with a cup Of
mead ; but in stead of drinking the latter began t o pour
out abus e upon the gods N o on e escaped his venom
ou s tongue
A nd unfortunately man y of the bitter
things he s aid were onl y too true ; for brave and beau
tiful as were the gods few of them were pure an d good
like Baldur T h e worst he could s ay of H eimd all was
th a t he had to spend h is life guarding the trembling
bridge
When he reviled Frigga s h e said
F alse Loki
had I a s on like Baldur here you would not go out
”
unhurt You would be assaulted
Then his rage and hatred making him forget ca ution
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S T OR IE S F RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
1 46
.
Loki replied S hall I tell y ou more of m y wickedness
Frigga ? I am the cause of Baldur s absence B ecause
of me y ou do not s e e him riding to these halls
At these awful words the gods rose to their feet and
grasped their weapons ; but at a Sign from O din they
restrained their wrath and again seated themselves
N o violence m ight be done in ZEg ir s halls
Loki kept on cursing the gods until he came to S if
Th g r s wi f e Thor was not there ; he w a s far from
Asgard when th e f E s ir were h idde n to th e feast
H ow
ever a s Loki w a s abus ing S if one of F r e y ia s m aidens
cried
The floor of the s ea tremb l es I th ink Thor
i s com ing from h is home H e will s ilence this reviler
of the gods
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right I n a moment a noise like thunder was
heard and Thor appeared bearing his mighty hammer
When he understood what was goi n g on he called out
to Loki : S ilence vile creature ! My mighty h ammer
I will strike y our
M iOl l n ir Shall stop your prating
”
head from your neck : then your life W Il l be ended
Loki s fear of Thor did n ot prevent h is utt e r I n g
in sult ing words to him also
The n again the fierce thunder god cried in a loud
voice :
S ilence V ile creature ! My mighty hammer
M i ol lnir shall stop your prating Up will I hurl you
to th e east region ; and no one shall ever s e e y ou
again
S he
w as
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T H E C APT U R E O F L O K I
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L O K I after he h ad fled from n ir s ha ll s hid among
high mountain s and there bui l t himself a hous e with
four doors which looked north south e a s t a n d west
N ear the house a stre a m rushed fo a m i ng over the rocks
into the s e a H ere he lived in const a nt fear of the
gods ; for he knew th a t since he had o w ned him
self the real slayer of Bal dur t h ey would Show him
no mercy B ut although he h ad chosen the remotest
and most secure hiding place O din from his H igh S eat
spied him out a n d Thor and some of the other gods at
once s e t out to capture him
Loki k ne w that the gods were coming some tim e
before they reached the house And h a stily c a sting a
fi s h in g net that he w as making into the fire he ch a nged
him self into a salmon and le aped into the h e ig h b or in g
stream
The gods entered the house but there was n o Loki
They se a rc hed but cou l d not find him As they were
looking c a reful l y in every nook and corner knowing
th a t the cra fty god possessed the power of changing
himse l f into dif f erent Shapes one of their number
noticed something pecu l i a r in the a shes a n d c alled
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1 48
TH E
C
A P T U RE
O F
L O KL
1 49
the others to come a n d l ook O n e s a id th a t it looked
a s thoug h a device for Ca tching fish had been recently
thrust into the fire ; an d on pu ll ing it out they found
that it w as a hal f burnt net This suggested the idea
that in order to elude them Loki h ad changed himself
int o a fish and had le a ped into t h e stre a m near by
The gods at once s e t to w ork and wove a net after
the p attern of the one found in the ashes an d when It
Putting it in
w a s finished they took it to the river
they let it Sink to the bott om And then Thor took
one end whi l e the other gods took the other a n d thus
they drew it a l ong the stream The wily sal m on how
ever thrust himself between two stones a n d th e net
p a ssed over him ? S o when the gods drew it up they
found that although it had touched some l iving thing
there was no fish in it
The next t ime they put great weights into the net
Loki finding
s o that it r a ked the bed of the river
th at he cou l d not esc ape if he st ayed a t the bottom a n d
knowing th at it w a s but a Short dist a nce to the s e a
swam rapid l y down the stream and leaped over the net
to where the river fell foaming over the rocks The
gods s aw him as he rose above the water in h is flying
l eap The next time they divided themse l ves into
two bands and they dragged the net while Thor fol
l owed wading in the m idd l e of the river Loki must
—
o
w
n
do one of tw o things
leap again over the net
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S T OR I ES
O
S
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
a
a
stre
m
or
swim
r
pidly
out
to
H
e
chose
the
s
e
a
p
former course an d leaped high into the a ir But Thor
w a s ready and with a quick m otion caught him in h iS
han d The s a lmon w a s so S l ippery th a t he wou l d have
1
escaped had not Thor h a d a firm grip on his tai l
Loki was n ow forced to t a ke his proper sh ape ; an d
they bound him and c a rried him to the lo w er worl d
I n the great j udgm ent ha l l ne a r U rd s well his doom
A ll beings w h o had suffered throu g h
w as pronounced
him or w h o kne w of his crimes w ere c a ll ed upon t o
testify Frigg a ch a rged him w ith t h e de ath of Baldur ;
Br agi with the betr ay a l of I duna ; an d S k a di said
that he h a d c aused the de ath of h e r fa ther T hia s s i
—
All
gods e l ves d w a rfs a n d gi a nts w itnessed to
the h ar m th e y or their fr iends h a d su f fer e d at the h ands
of the w icke d god When al l the ev idence w a s brought
in it seem e d a s though no punishment could be great
enough for s o crue l a n d t re a cherous a being
Urd s serva nts took him bound to the dark cave
ne a r Mt H v e r g e l m ir And ther ethe I ron gate s were
opened and they went down to the world of darkness
Torches shed t h eir lurid light up on the a w ful scenes
—
H ere were confined m a ny h orrib l e monsters
gi a nts
—
witches and dragons
foes to gods a n d men
After a long j ou r ney they reached the borders of a
d a rk s l uggish s e a T a king a b oa t they rowed out t o a
u
,
.
,
.
,
.
.
.
.
’
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
~
.
,
.
’
,
,
.
.
.
,
.
,
.
,
,
,
.
1
vr i
E
"
e
s nce
th t tim
a
e sa
lm
on
h av e
h ad
v ry fi
e
ne,
th i t il
n
a
s
.
T H E TWI LI G H T O F T H E G O D S
W
.
H E N the gods returned to Asgard ,it seemed to
them that everything w a S c h an g e d B aldur w a s gone
forever and Loki once a gay witty c om p an I on an d
later a secret and dreaded foe was secu r el y bound in
the worl d of darkness AS evening fell upon the c ity
O din surrounded by the greater gods stood l ook I n g out
upon the s ea over which the Ship R in g h or n had b orne
the dead B aldur
All were silent until at last O din spoke : Baldur
A n e w life beg i n s ;
h a s gone and Loki is punished
an d it is right that y ou th e wisest and strongest of the
f E s ir should know what lies before you an d before us
all
You are strong and can bear the t ruth hard
though it be You have heard that a time i s coming
called the Twilight of the G ods it is of that I will now
speak
Then silence reigned again while O din stood
with bowed head
A t last he spoke uttering this solemn prophec y
while his eyes seemed looking into the far dim future
A s th e ages roll on wickedness shall increase i n
Witches and mon
C A s g ar d and in the world of m e n
s t e r s Shall be b r ed y p in the Iron wood and Shall s ow
the seeds of evil in the world Brothers shall Slay each
‘
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
.
“
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
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,
,
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,
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,
,
,
“
,
,
.
-
,
m
.
1 52
T W ILI G H T
T HE
GODS
T HE
O F
I 53
.
other ; co u sin s shall kin ship violate ; sh i elds Shall be
cloven ; no m an will Spare another H a rd shall it be in
—
the world a n axe age a sword age a wind age ere
the world Sinks
The great Fim b ul winter shall come when snow sh al l
fall from the four corners of heaven deadly wi ll be the
frosts and piercing th e winds and the d a rkened sun
will impart no gladness
Three such winters shall
com e and n o summer to gladden the heart with s u n
shine Then shall fo ll ow m ore winters when even
greater discord Shall prevail
Fierce wo l ves sh al l
devour the s u n an d moon and the st a rs sha ll fal l from
The earth sha ll tremble the stony hi ll s sh al l
h e a ven
be dash ed together giant s s h all totter a n d dw a rfs
groan before their stony doors
M en sha l l seek the
paths leading to the rea l m s of death ; and earth in
flames shall sink ben eath the seething ocean
Then sha l l the aged World Tree tremble ; and
loudl y shall bark t h e dog of hel l At that sound sh a ll
”
t h e fetters of Loki an d th e wo l f be broken ; and the
M idgard serpent with terrib l e l a shing and strugg l ing
sha l l forsake the s e a
The ship Nag e l f ar Sha ll be
loosed fro m it s moorings by the rocky isle ; and al l the
hosts of evil shal l go on boar d while Loki steers th em
1
across the sluggish s e a
S urt shal l le a ve his fiery
.
.
,
,
,
.
“
,
,
,
.
,
’
,
.
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
“
.
D
,
,
,
,
.
“
,
.
1
rt
Su
ta in e d
w a s th e f
th e p o e
ti
c
a
th r
m e ad
e
of
S uttun g
th e m e a d
,
f
ro
th t
a
m w
c ou
h
o
i tr h
m
p t
m Od
ld m
ak e
n
e ac
en
oe s
.
e r ous
ly
oh
1
S T OR I ES
54
F
RO M NOR S E MY T H O L O G Y
.
dales and j oin the hosts of evi l t o fi g h t against the
gods
“
Loudly shall th e ancient horn of H eimdall then r e
sound throughout th e nine worlds A nd when they
hear the sound the host s of O din shall make ready ;
the gods and all the warriors of V a l h al l Shall buckle on
their armor for the l ast great fight O din shall seek
wisdom from Mimir that h e may know how best to
m eet his foe
1
Terribl e will be the ons et when on the great plain
the hosts of the sons of destruction meet the armies of
the gods Th en will come t h e second grief to Frigga
when O din goes to meet th e wolf For then will her
beloved fall B ut Vidar the great s on of O din shall
pierce the heart of Loki s o f f spring and ave nge his
father s death M ight y Thor will meet th e Midgard
serpent and in h is rage will slay th e worm Back nine
—
h e w h o feared n o
pace s will h e go and then fall
—
T XL
foe
Slain b y th e venom of th e deadly beast
shall meet the fierce dog of hell and th ey shall Slay
each other Fr ey wil l meet his death at the hand of
S urt slain b y T h ia s s i s fatal s word Little shall the
love of G erd avail him on that day
H e imdall the
w ise and pure sha l l fa l l at th e hand of Loki the father
of m on sters and sha ll in turn cause Loki s deat h
Few shall be left a l ive w h o meet in that g reat fight !
'
,
,
.
.
,
.
:
,
c
“
,
.
.
,
.
,
’
,
’
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
’
’
.
,
,
.
,
,
’
,
.
”
.
1
T
h i s pl ai n
w as
a
h un dre d m i l
es s
r
u
a
e
q
.
1
S T OR IE S
6
5
F
RO M NOR SE MY T H O L O G Y
.
who rule s over all
H e shall dooms pronounce a n d
strifes allay an d hol y peace e stablish which shall
be forevermore
I s e e a hall with gold bedecked
,
.
,
,
.
,
brighter than the sun standing in the high heavens
There Shall the righteous dwell forevermore in peace
an d happin e ss
A s the vision faded O din looked upon the gods w h o
s t Ood silent before him
M y children said t h e All
father let us b e strong and valiant Long will be the
ages hard will be the fighting an d many the woes that
w e must endure ;
but th e brave heart l oves danger;
and the strong s oul sh rinks n ot from evil and sorrow
To do our best knowing that w e shall fail ; to fight t o
th e end and then give place t o thos e w h o are wholly
—
pure and good
that is th e fate of th e old go d s
He
whom w e may not nam e has s o decreed it ; and H is
decrees are ever j ust and right
,
.
,
”
.
,
,
“
,
.
“
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
.
.
V O CA B U L A R Y
rd r
pr p r
IN
th e
ar
th e
as e
i
as e a
o
in
o
in
0 as
s
j
as
8
a
oo
a
e
l
om
ll
to o
n
th
ri g i l pr
th e o
b rv
se
na
th e
e
i ti
o nun c a
on of
2
ll
i
r
l
f o ow ng u es :
n
er e
.
h rt r
d d
o
e
e
.
.
.
e a s ou n
equ
s
n
oo
n
dr
es em
a en
or s
,
e nc
n
u
i
o
n
y
y
g
o
e e
bli
g
ev ow e l
s oun
di
n
lzea r
’
a
it h
;
as
.
e
.
l is h
E ng
s no
e qu
iv l t
a en
.
.
l way s s h arp
.
a n d s om e o
in w el l
as W
we
r
f
ar
.
iv l t
i m d
h rt r
i Fr
h ; th r i
n
f
.
.
a
t h in T/
zor
v
e
o w e s s ou n
ou
as u
o
a
s ou n
e
r od e
u as 0 0
y
es ,
h ld h v
E g li h
no
e
n eed , o r s
b th v
e i,
to
or s
,
in l et
3
6
na
e
in f
as
not
e
o
a as
d p rt t
m
it m y b
h rt r
v w l
d i th
o
1
th r w rd
e
o
h a s th e
s
s ou n
d
of
th
in f
a tfi er
.
.
m
t
r
y
pr
vi
i
l
l
i
h
th
y
ti
ll
I
E
g
g
y
H v
r ! th r i th g
mi g
A
E i
th g d r l d v r b y O di
A l f h im ( l f l
d) g iv
t th g i f t
t Fr y
A l lf th
f O di
m y
m
A g r d th h m
f th AZ i
p ll i g f h p r p r m T h rp h b
f ll w d
m t
I
h
r h r th A d r
h fi
li d i t d f
T h rp g i
d fi ii A d r
b
A ll
pt
d
h
h
f ll w d
I
th
ml
h v b
m itt d
l f pr
i i
b d p h r l i S w t I l d iO
Th
b k th t d l w i h O l d I l d i i i l i l p ri d b tw
P rim r
E g ir
od o f
,
or
r
s as
e
e
er
a
s
a
1
at
c ase s ,
an
er
,
2
e
a
,
a
oo
1 2 00 a n d 1 3 5 0
.
e e
s
o
u e
o
n
na
es
e en o
e
a
ea s
e
s
sa
,
.
-
.
.
.
na
o
e s on
es
e
as
e
o
v es
o
o
o
e
,
In
os
’
t e
een
e en
as
na
o
e
an
zr
ns ea
a c c e n ts
.
o
e
e xc e
.
o n u n c a t on a r e
or
oo
s
.
n
an
e
n
e
as a
e s on , a s
n
co
e
s r
o
n t on s
o
er
n
nc a
o
o
e
t e
n
.
e ea
en
n s
n
e
s
’
e O
e
s ea
,
o
t e
e r u es
e
an
an
e
aut
e u
e
,
o ne o
e s
n
.
-
e
,
n t
s o
e a ca e
a
s
th e
t
ase
c e an
on t
u
c
n
e
u es
n
ts c a ss c a
ee
e
'
c e an
s
o
,
e
een
1
A
8
5
s
ash
(
k
)
th e n a m e o f
,
L o d ur
and
j
th e
dd
sy n ur
A
u
d h u m b l a , th e
B
al
dur
B
e s t l a c am e
r
h
t
e
(
a n
or
s on of
,
r t d b y O di
m an
s
c ea e
H oe n
n,
ir
,
es s e s
.
r m d f r m th f r
vp r
b t ; th f r m t ) th g d f th e m m r l ig ht
d r Y m ir m M i m ir i t r ; O di m th r
fr m
tr m b l ) th bridg f th g d T h M il ky W y
a
B
-
f
c ow
un
e
o
o e
e
o
ow
(
n ir
g
e
ri b
B il s k ir
o
es
t
o
(
Ost
th e
B
,
fir t
th e
.
.
A
B if
O CA B U LA R Y
V
o
os
’
e
e
e
,
o
s un
e
s
.
’
n s
s s s e
o
e
.
su
’
e o
o
a
o
s ar
e
,
oz e n
e
o
e
.
e
.
or
a
.
t hi i
m om e n
ur
-
n n
s
)
g
Th r
o
,
’
l
a
ac
e
p
s
.
.
r f th r f B
pr g it r f th E i
d V ir ;
pr du d b y th w l i ki g th ri m t
B
i d b l ik ( br
d b l i k ; br d hi i g ) B l d r d w ll i g
m d b y th d w r f
B i i g m
F yi
kl
B
k
d w rf ; S i d i br th r
D
i
m
drip
O
di
ri
d
b
y
h
d
r
f
w
t
t
p
)
g
(
D l l i g ( d y pri g ) th
lf
f th d w ; th f th r f d y
E g il g u rdi
pri g H g l m i ;
f th r
f I l di
of th
Emb l
f rm d f r m
tr
th fir t w m
f L ki
F
H
r i th m t r w l f
ki ll O di
d i
ki ll d b y Vid r t R g r ok
f
d
w
w
h
i t
r
t
l
i
t
r
pr
di
F im b l
t
d
th
t
g
g
ti
f th w r l d
m k r
f B ld r
d N
F
th p
t
h
l
d
t
N
r
l
r
v
r
l
i
ht
l
v
f
O
V
P
;
y
;
g
f
h
f
o
f
i
t
r
f
F
r
y
d
d
ht
r
N
i
rd
H
l
t
ll
i
i
F
y
g
b tt l b l g t h
f
h
F ig g
d
t
l
v
i
f
f
O
di
d
w
F ig g
q
g
(
)
m id
f Fri g g
F ll
i
m
F
h
G
ht
r
i
t
b
l
v
d
b
y
r
y
f
t
d d
G
y
g
g
d th d d i th e
bridg b t w
th l ivi g
b id g
th
Gi ll
u d r w rl d
H i m d ll h r
w hi h h w i ll b l w t R g n r k
h
Gi ll
f
R
h
f
t
h
b
d
ri
ht
t
r
t
G im il l ( h v
G im l i
g
g
)
r ok
h
I
f
t
m
h
f
r
l
v
id
b
r
r
ti
h
t
Gi
g g p
l v th
t ry th
b tw G r l d d Vi l d ( Am r
c ll e d G i
ic ) w
g g p
B
ur
B
or
o
r e
e
a
,
r o
oa
en
r au
n r
a
a
en
r
n s
n
s
on s e
o
o
-
-
e s on e s
an
an
s r
e
-
n n
s
,
,
e
e
a
e
e
.
’
u
a
a
n
a
e
s
n
e
a
s
a
e
a
v er
e
r
on e o
e
o
a
ee
s on
,
o
.
.
.
o
n
a n,
o
s
n
e e
,
e s
e
,
e
o
s
,
e
,
r
o
e
a ce ,
’
an
a
,
n
o
n
e
a s nec
’
n
oa
’
en
o
,
c
s
n
-
re
,
a
a
,
’
e co
a
a
or
o
e
ce
s n
r
u
o
o
s
.
e
o
e
ac e o
a
.
va
.
.
e
.
n,
s
an
s
'
a
e
u
-
n
W
on o
or s e
r e
er
,
e
,
a
e
ea
.
an
u
a
n e
e ce
an
an na
n
e s r uc
e
.
e a c e-
a
r
a
s on o
na
a
o
e
e,
,
e
s on o
,
an
u
a
o e
u e
e
-
e
.
es
.
’
a
r e
,
r
or
r
o
er
’
a
au
,
ar
n
a
e
ar
-
o
au
o
a
.
e
e ns
a
en
a
n
r
,
e o
ee n
e
e
o
e
s
.
.
an
e
ue e n o
n an
e o
,
s
e
.
e
e,
or n
-
o
e
r
-
er
o e
a
a , on e o
u
an
e
e on
e
a
o
S s e
e
e
e
n
.
an
ea
e
n
,
.
,
e
a
’
ea
or
o n,
s
en
e
,
a
o
o
e
c
e
o
a
e ou s
e
a o
a
a
.
a
e
'
na
.
nun
a
e e
en
a
a
,
e c
ce n u
as
a
a os
e sea
n nu n
es s
o
or
a
e
-
a
een
.
o
e o e
e en an
an
c ea
on
.
n an
n
e
e
16 0
OC A BUL A R Y
V
t b i g i th i w l d ; h g r w f r m u d r
m f Y m ir ; g
th
rd d th w ll f w i d m Ry d b rg ll
h im th m t c h r t ri ti fi g r
rth r m y th l og y
f
M
i
m
m
f
r
y
O
di
r
v
n
)
(
M i O l l i o M j O l i Th r h mm r
M d g d th e m id w h k pt th G i ll brid g
l
M
h im th fi ry w r l d
p
N g lf
th
hip i w hi h L ki i l w ith th
f d tr u ti
to fig ht g i
t th g d
N
d g ht r f N p ( b d) w i f f B l d r
N ifl h i m ( m i t ; f g ) h m
f th g i t i th
d r w orl d
N iO d
k
d
i
f
V
d
h
b
d
f
S
d
th
r
r
y
F
f
F
d
i
g
y
H dw l t i N t
in th w t r p rt f th
d r w rl d
N
t
N iO d
h m
N
h v ly r U d V d d
th w ird i t r ; th thr
t d F t r ) Th y g rd d th
d S k l d ( P t Pr
r d w ll d r Y g g d il third r t d d id d wh t h l d
f
hh m b i g
b th l i f
W
d
O di
tl
d B
f B
th r l r f th f E i
H
t i n h d f w i d m th f d r f l t r ; th l rd
i th f
m d f
h im
f b tt l
d vi t r y
W d d yi
R
e k th l t d y ; th T wi l ig ht f th G d
g
R
h
m
w
d
i
ht
dr
i
h
wif
f th
S
i
g
g
n
g
p l
d t k th m t h
t
R O k
R
t g irl w h w t w ith Th r t U tg rd
k
th p
L ki
R
h
Y
irr
l
th
a
t
d
d
w
t
br
h
f
d
a
t tO k
p
q
gg
M i m ir , th e w
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