{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_46288/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_46288","id":"gutenberg_46288","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46288","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Mythology, Norse"],"text":"Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n      file which includes the original illustrations.\n      See 46288-h.htm or 46288-h.zip:\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/46288/pg46288-images.html)\n      or\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46288/46288-h.zip)\n\n\n      Images of the original pages are available through\n      Internet Archive. See\n      https://archive.org/details/storiesfromnorth00bake\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\n      The Index includes pronunciation guides for many of the\n      entries, which contain an extensive range of accented\n      characters. These include:\n\n         characters with macron above, \u0101, \u0113, \u1e21, \u012b, \u014d, \u016b\n\n         characters with breve above, \u0103, \u0115, \u012d, \u014f\n\n         characters with tilde above, \u1ebd\n\n         characters with dot above, \u0227\n\n         characters with up tack below, s\u031d\n\n      If these characters do not display correctly, you may wish\n      to adjust your font, browser or reader settings. If this\n      is not possible, the reader should consult the HTML version\n      of this e-book noted above.\n\n\n\n\n\nSTORIES FROM NORTHERN MYTHS\n\nby\n\nEMILIE KIP BAKER\n\nAuthor of \"Stories of Old Greece and Rome\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew York\nThe Macmillan Company\n1914\n\nAll rights reserved\n\nCopyright, 1914,\nBy the Macmillan Company.\n\nSet up and electrotyped. Published September, 1914.\n\nNorwood Press\nJ. S. Cushing Co.--Berwick & Smith Co.\nNorwood, Mass., U.S.A.\n\n\n      *      *      *      *      *      *\n\n                     [Decoration]\n\n                 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n         NEW YORK \u00b7 BOSTON \u00b7 CHICAGO \u00b7 DALLAS\n                ATLANTA \u00b7 SAN FRANCISCO\n\n               MACMILLAN & CO., Limited\n              LONDON \u00b7 BOMBAY \u00b7 CALCUTTA\n                       MELBOURNE\n\n           THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.\n                        TORONTO\n\n      *      *      *      *      *      *\n\n\n\n                          TO\n                    SARAH M. HOMANS\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                            PAGE\n       I. How All Things Began                                 1\n\n      II. Odin's Search for Wisdom                             9\n\n     III. The Story of the Magic Mead                         18\n\n      IV. Gods and Men                                        27\n\n       V. Sif's Golden Hair and the Making of the Hammer      40\n\n      VI. The Binding of the Fenris Wolf                      51\n\n     VII. How Thor Went Fishing                               58\n\n    VIII. The Building of the Fortress                        66\n\n      IX. How the Hammer Was Lost and Found                   73\n\n       X. Iduna's Apples                                      80\n\n      XI. How Thor's Pride Was Brought Low.\n            Part I                                            91\n\n     XII. How Thor's Pride Was Brought Low.\n            Part II                                          100\n\n    XIII. The Wooing of Gerd                                 109\n\n     XIV. How Thor Fought the Giant Hrungner                 117\n\n      XV. The Story of Balder                                126\n\n     XVI. Andvari's Hoard                                    137\n\n    XVII. The Story of Siegmund                              149\n\n   XVIII. The Vengeance of the Volsungs                      159\n\n     XIX. The Magic Sword                                    169\n\n      XX. The Slaying of Fafnir                              183\n\n     XXI. The Valkyrie                                       196\n\n    XXII. Siegfried at Gunther's Court                       204\n\n   XXIII. The Wooing of Brunhilde                            215\n\n    XXIV. How Brunhilde Came to Burgundy                     228\n\n     XXV. The Death of Siegfried                             238\n\n    XXVI. The Last of the Hoard                              251\n\n   XXVII. The Punishment of Loki                             259\n\n  XXVIII. The Twilight of the Gods                           266\n\n\n\n\nLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n                                                     FACING PAGE\n    Odin disguised as a Traveller                             21\n\n    Loki                                                      41\n\n    Siegfried and the Famous Sword Balmung                   183\n\n    Siegfried fighting the Dragon                            190\n\n    Valkyrie bearing Hero to Valhalla                        200\n\n    Wotan's Farewell to Brunhilde                            202\n\n    Siegfried's Triumphant Entry into Burgundy with\n      Captives and Spoils                                    211\n\n    Gunther and Brunhilde arrive at Burgundy and are\n      received by Kriemhild                                  232\n\n    Gunther and Brunhilde                                    236\n\n    Siegfried and Kriemhild                                  240\n\n    Loki and Sigyn                                           264\n\n\n\n\nStories from Northern Myths\n\n\n\n\nHow All Things Began\n\n\nLong, long ago, before the earth was made,--and there was no sea and\nsky or night and day,--the vast, unending Land of Mist stretched away\non one side of a bottomless gulf,[1] on the other side of which lay\nthe Land of Fire. The Land of Mist was called Niflheim, and here\neternal winter reigned with fog and snow and darkness that wrapped the\ndreary land about like a shroud. From the heart of Niflheim there\nflowed a dark, tumultuous river, and as it rushed down into the chasm\nat its edge, the waters met the cold blasts that swept up from below,\nand great mountains of ice were formed on the side of the gulf over\nwhich the chill fogs gathered and the bitter winds blew.\n\n    [1] It is called in the Eddas \"Ginungagap.\"\n\nThe never changing twilight which brooded over the gulf was sometimes\nilluminated by sparks that were blown over from the Land of Fire that\nlay just beyond. This place was called Muspelheim, and here the whole\nland glowed like a living furnace with flames that burned with the\nheat of a million suns. Sparks of fire flew up in great numbers into\nthe clouds, and these, glowing like balls of fire, were thrown far and\nwide on the land. Some of the burning sparks floated northward toward\nthe land of snows, and as they fell into the ice-filled gulf, they\nchanged to clouds of steam which were soon congealed into hoar-frost.\nThen one day this great mass of frost, on which fresh sparks of fire\nstill fell, was suddenly warmed into life, and out of ice and snow and\nfire and heat the great giant Ymir was made.\n\nNow although Ymir was fashioned out of these strange elements and so\nnever felt the cold, he was soon very hungry in his home of ice and\nsnow, and there was no food to be found anywhere. For a long time the\ngiant wandered over the frost-bound land, and then one day he came\nupon the gigantic cow Audhumbla, who stood among the ice-hills calmly\nchewing her cud. From her udders flowed four streams of milk, and this\nwas more than enough to satisfy the giant's hunger. He never strayed\nfar from the wonderful cow, and one day, as he watched her licking\nsalt from the blocks of ice, he was surprised to see a head suddenly\nappear through the melting ice. Audhumbla kept on licking with her\nstrong, rough tongue, and soon the whole body of a man emerged. As\nthis strange being stood before the eyes of the astonished Ymir, the\ngiant was filled with fear and hatred, for he knew that from the\nmighty Iceman[2] would spring a new race that would soon make war upon\nthe giants and destroy them.\n\n    [2] His name was Bure, and his son was Bor, the father of\n    Odin, Vile and Ve.\n\nThis is, indeed, just what did happen later on, for from the children\nof the Iceman came the gods Odin, Vile and Ve, who began at once to\nmake war upon Ymir and all his kindred. In the terrible battle that\ntook place between the gods and giants, Ymir was killed; and from his\nbody poured forth such a great river of blood that all of the giants\nwere drowned in it except two. These were Bergelemer and his wife, who\nescaped on a chest that floated away to the edge of the world. From\nthem sprang a new race of frost-giants who continued to make trouble\nfor the gods just as their forefathers had done.\n\nThen Odin[3] took the body of Ymir, and with the help of his brothers\nhe fashioned from it the earth and the sea and the sky. From the great\nmasses of flesh they formed the earth, and all around it they planted\nYmir's eyebrows to make a high fence as a protection against the\nfrost-giants. His immense bones they shaped into hills, and out of\nhis teeth they made the cliffs, while his thick hair they used for\ntrees and bushes and grass. His blood supplied the boundless ocean,\nand his skull formed the arching sky in which the gods placed some of\nthe sparks that floated out of Muspelheim. These they caught and set\nin the heavens and called them stars. The sky was held in place by\nfour strong dwarfs who stood east and west and south and north with\nthe great weight resting on their shoulders. All this work seemed good\nin the eyes of the gods, and they knew that everything as it left\ntheir hands would prosper if only the frost-giants would stay in\nJ\u00f6tunheim--their dreary, fog-wrapped country that lay beyond the ocean\nwhich now encircled the earth.\n\n    [3] Sometimes spelled Woden, from which comes Wodensday\n    (Wednesday).\n\nTo the giantess Night, and her son, Day, the gods gave chariots and\nswift horses, so that they might drive through the sky every\ntwenty-four hours. Night had a dark chariot drawn by the black horse\nHrimfaxe (Frosty-mane), who rushed so swiftly through the heavens that\ndrops fell from his sweating flanks and bit, and these became dew or\nhoar-frost as they lighted on the earth. Day drove a white horse which\nwas called Skinfaxe (Shining-mane); and when the chariot of his dusky\nmother sank out of sight behind the hills, he harnessed his shining\nsteed and followed in the same path she had chosen.\n\nBeside the chariots which belonged to Night and Day, the gods set two\nothers in the heavens to light the newly made earth. From the flames\nthat leaped forever out of the Land of Fire they made the sun and\nmoon, and placed each one in a golden chariot so that they might be\ndriven through the sky. The horses which drew the sun and moon were\nbeautiful white creatures with shining golden manes. In order that the\nrestive steeds of the sun should not be scorched by its fierce heat,\nthe gods placed a great shield in front of the chariot to protect the\nanimals' flowing manes. The moon horses did not need anything to stand\nbetween them and its mild rays.\n\nThen Odin chose Mani and Sol--the son and daughter of a giantess--to\ndrive the chariots of the sun and moon; and the story goes that many,\nmany years later, when there were people on the earth, Mani looked out\nof his golden chariot one night and saw two little children--a boy and\na girl--carrying between them a heavy pail of water. These children\nwere the servants of a cruel giant who made them work all night\ninstead of sleeping; and Mani, feeling very sorry for them, and being\nrather lonely all by himself, put out a long arm and caught up the\nchildren from the earth. Then he set them beside him in the moon; and\nthey have remained there with Mani ever since.\n\nThe frost-giants, who loved dreariness and gloom, were very angry\nwhen they saw how bright the world was with the light of the sun and\nmoon; so they sent two fierce gray wolves to follow close upon the\ntrack of the bright chariots. Sometimes they came so near that their\ngreat black shadows dimmed the brightness of the sun, and sometimes\nthey hung so close to the wheels of the moon-car that its light never\nreached the earth. The wolves never succeeded, however, in eating up\nthe chariots, though their grim shapes often lingered threateningly in\nthe sky.\n\nWhen the gods had formed the earth--which they called Midgard--they\nchose the most beautiful spot they could find for their home. In the\nvery centre of the earth rose a lofty mountain, and on the top of it\nwas a broad, lovely meadow where the gods built their shining city of\nAsgard. In the midst of the city was a spacious hall, made of gold and\nthe purest marble, and here were the thrones where the gods sat when\nin council.[4] Beyond the hall were the palaces of the gods[5A] and\ngoddesses,[5B] also made of marble and silver or gold, and near by was\na huge smithy where the gods forged the weapons needed to defend their\ncity from their enemies the frost-giants.\n\n    [4] This hall was called Gladsheim, and the palace of the\n    goddesses was called Vingolf.\n\n    [5A], [5B] They are also called the Asas, \u00c6sir, Anses or Anse-race.\n\nFrom Asgard to Midgard the gods stretched a rainbow bridge which they\ncalled Bifrost; and over this they passed and repassed on their\nfrequent journeys to the earth. There was no human being on the earth\nat this time, and the gods felt sorry that no eyes but their own could\nlook upon the fruitful, blossoming land. No one ploughed the fields or\nbuilt houses, or sailed in ships across the seas. No voices of\nchildren rang over the meadows; no sound of the reaper's scythe broke\nthe stillness of the fields; and no ringing of metal on the smith's\nfirm anvil was heard throughout the silent earth.\n\nThen the gods took some of the earth-mould and made of it a host of\ntiny creatures which they called Dwarfs or Gnomes[6]; but when Odin\nsaw how ugly they were, with their misshapen bodies and great heads,\nhe condemned them to live underground and never to come up into the\nlight of day. So the dwarfs spent their time delving into the heart of\nthe earth for gold and silver and precious stones; and they became the\ncleverest workmen at their tiny forges, making wonderful things of\nevery kind of metal. They were cunning, too, and kept their secrets\nwell, so that neither gods nor men knew the hiding-place of their\ntreasures.\n\n    [6] Sometimes also called Trolls.\n\nBesides the dwarfs, the gods made the Fairies,--or Elves,--but these\nwere so airily and daintily fashioned that they seemed to belong to\nthe sky instead of the earth. So the gods built the fairy folk a home\nbetween Midgard and Asgard--a beautiful place called Elfland, all made\nof rainbow colours and moonbeams, and gossamer silks and delicate\nspiders' webs. The gods also gave these little people gauzy wings so\nthat they could fly down to earth and play with the butterflies, and\nmake caps of harebells, and dance in the moonlight round a fairy ring.\nThey were never wicked and spiteful like the Gnomes, though they\nsometimes liked to play good-natured tricks on stupid people; and\nfortunate indeed was the child or man who won a fairy for his friend.\n\nOne day Odin and H\u0153nir and Loki were walking about on the earth; and\nas they drew near to the seashore they saw two stately trees, an ash\nand an elm, standing side by side. Then Odin took the trees, and out\nof them he made two living beings that resembled the gods themselves\nin form and feature. H\u0153nir touched their foreheads, that they might\nhave sight and wisdom, and Loki gave them warm blood, with the power\nto speak and hear and feel. Thus man and woman were created; and the\ngods called the man Ask, and the woman Embla, from the names of the\ntrees from which they were made.\n\n\n\n\nOdin's Search for Wisdom\n\n\nAt the end of the rainbow bridge stood the wonderful tree Ygdrasil,\nwhich bound all the worlds together in the grasp of its mighty hands.\nSome of the roots were firmly fixed in Midgard, and even extended\nunderground to the home of the swarthy elves. Some roots branched out\ninto J\u00f6tunheim, where the frost-giants ever strove to tear them out;\nand one root struck down into the very depths of the earth, to that\ndark region of the dead where ruled the terrible goddess Hel. The Tree\nof Life also grew upwards to a marvellous height, and its branches\nspread out so widely that many birds and beasts came to it for\nshelter. The topmost boughs reached up to Asgard, where they\novershadowed Odin's hall.\n\nAt the foot of the tree Ygdrasil sat the three Norns--or Fates[7]--who\nweave the thread of each man's life. Every day the Norns sprinkled the\ntree with water from the sacred Urdar fountain; so the tree always\nflourished, and its leaves kept fresh and green in spite of the\ndragon[8] which forever gnawed at its roots, hoping to destroy it.\nThe heavy foliage that crowned its upper boughs never lacked for\nmoisture, but grew more beautiful each year, although Heidrun, the\ngoat of Odin, browsed on its leaves, and though it furnished food to\nfour great stags who grazed beside it. From the horns of these stags\ndew continually fell in such abundance that it supplied water for all\nthe rivers of the earth.\n\n    [7] Their names were Urd, Verdande and Skuld.\n\n    [8] The dragon's name was Nidhogg.\n\nThe very topmost branch of the Tree of Life was called the Peace\nBough, and on it sat a great eagle who kept watch over all that\nhappened in the worlds below. Up and down the trunk of the mighty\nYgdrasil scampered the squirrel Ratatosk, a mischievous little fellow\nwho delighted to make trouble between the eagle and the dragon at the\nfoot of the tree by repeating malicious speeches which he said each\nhad made of the other. In this way he hoped to stir up such strife\nthat he would some day see a terrible battle fought between them.\nRatatosk was daring enough to explore all the land that was\novershadowed by the boughs of Ygdrasil, but he never ventured near the\ngates of Asgard, nor did he risk going into the deep grove that\nsheltered Mimer's well--that wonderful well whose waters flowed down\ninto the roots of the Tree of Life.\n\nThe Peace Bough hung over the hall of the gods just above the golden\nthrone where Odin sat ruling the affairs of gods and men. On Odin's\nhead was a shining helmet shaped like an eagle, and over his\nshoulders was thrown a mantle of deep blue with such a wonderfully\njewelled hem that it looked as if the cloak were edged with stars. In\nhis hand he held a spear which was deemed so sacred that if any one\nswore an oath upon its point, he would never dare to break it. At\nOdin's feet crouched two great wolves[9] which he fed daily with his\nown hand; and on his shoulders perched his two ravens Hugin and Munin\n(Thought and Memory) who flew each morning over the earth and brought\nback to Odin the news of all that was going on in the earth below.\nSometimes they told him of the brave deeds of heroes; sometimes they\nspoke of the swarthy elves, or of the frost-giants plotting vengeance\nin their home beyond the frozen seas; and sometimes they warned him\nthat the Midgard serpent, who lay with his immense body encircling the\nearth, was lashing the sea into foam with his tail and rolling up the\nwaves until they threatened to cover the earth.\n\n    [9] Their names were Geri and Freki.\n\nSince the ruling of the world was in Odin's hands, he was anxious to\ngain wisdom enough for this great task; and though the gods far\nexcelled the earth-folk in knowledge, there were some of the\nfrost-giants who were wiser than Odin, for they knew of things that\nhappened long before the coming of the gods. On this account the\ndwellers in Asgard were ever fearful lest their enemies should\ndestroy their shining city; and Odin longed for the knowledge that\nwould make him greater than any one in all the worlds.\n\nThere was only one way to get such wisdom as Odin wanted, and that was\nto drink deep of the water that flowed into Mimer's well. No one save\nthe hoary old giant himself had ever tasted the water of the Well of\nWisdom; but Odin knew that without it he could never learn of things\npast and present and to come. So he laid aside his spear and helmet;\nand mounting his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, rode over the rainbow\nbridge to the deep grove of trees in the heart of which old Mimer sat\nguarding his sacred well.\n\nLeaving Sleipnir some distance behind, Odin advanced alone; and soon\ncame in sight of the giant seated like a stone image beside the Well\nof Wisdom. Mimer was so very, very old that he looked as if he had sat\nthere ever since the beginning of time; and as Odin stood in the dimly\nlighted grove, he seemed to be the only living thing in all that vast\nstillness. The giant's hair was white, and his beard had grown so long\nthat it reached almost to the ground as he leaned forward with his\nhead resting on his hand. In the other hand he held an ivory horn; but\nthough many had passed by the sacred well, no god or mortal had ever\nbeen given a drink from Mimer's horn.\n\nOdin advanced slowly to the giant's side; and the old man, who had\nsat for ages and ages looking down into the clear depths of the water,\nnow raised his eyes and fixed them, not unkindly, on the waiting god.\nGreat and wise as Odin was, being ruler of gods and men, he felt a\nstrange awe in the presence of this hoary old Mimer, who lived long\nbefore the creation of the worlds and was living before the gods and\nthe frost-giants engaged in their terrible warfare. As Odin approached\nthe sacred well, Mimer was fully aware of who his visitor was, for he\nknew all things that ever had been, or are, or were yet to be. His\neyes, so keen and piercing, looked kindly upon the god from beneath\nhis shaggy brows; and his voice sounded soft to Odin's ears as he said\nslowly:--\n\n\"What does the All-Father seek so far from sunny Asgard?\"\n\n\"I have come to beg a draught from your well, O Mimer,\" answered Odin.\n\nThe old giant's face grew grave. \"Whoever asks for that,\" he said,\n\"must be willing to give much in return. Many desire to drink of the\nwaters of wisdom, but few will pay the price. What will you give in\nreturn for a draught from Mimer's well?\"\n\nOnly a moment did Odin hesitate; then he said boldly, \"I will give\nanything you ask.\" At these words Mimer handed him the ivory horn,\nsaying: \"Drink, then; and the wisdom of the ages shall be yours. But\nbefore you go hence, leave with me as a pledge one of your eyes.\" So\nOdin drank deep of the well of wisdom; and thereafter no one in all\nthe worlds was able to compare with the Father of the Gods in wisdom.\nNone of the dwellers in Asgard ever questioned Odin concerning his\nvisit to Mimer's well; but they honoured him more deeply for the great\nsacrifice he had made; and whenever Odin visited the earth to mingle\nin the affairs of men, people knew him as the god who had but a single\neye.\n\nThere was one other person besides old Mimer who was reputed to have\ngreater wisdom than the gods, and this was the frost-giant\nVafthrudner. Now Odin was very anxious to measure his knowledge with\nthat of his old enemy, for if the frost-giants were no longer wiser\nthan the wisest of the gods, there was less need to fear them. To put\nhis wisdom to the test, Odin set out on the long, dreary journey to\nJ\u00f6tunheim; and soon he found Vafthrudner sitting at the door of his\nsnow-house. When the giant saw a visitor approaching, he stopped\nshaking the icicles from his frozen beard, and stared hard at the\nintruder. Odin had disguised himself as a traveller, so Vafthrudner\ndid not know him and thought he was another foolish adventurer who had\ncome to learn wisdom at the cost of his life. For the penalty which\nthe loser must pay in his strife with the giant's wisdom was death.\n\nSo Vafthrudner laughed until the mountains shook when Odin declared\nthat this was the object of his journey to J\u00f6tunheim; for it amused\nthe giant vastly to think that a mere man had come to contend with him\nin wisdom. He bade the stranger sit down, and Odin obeyed, pulling his\nslouched hat well over his eye, so that the giant might not guess who\nhis visitor was. \"Tell me,\" said Vafthrudner, \"the name of the river\nthat divides Asgard from J\u00f6tunheim.\"\n\n\"The river Ifing, where the waters are never frozen,\" replied Odin,\nquickly. The frost-giant looked surprised, but he only said:--\n\n\"You have answered rightly, O Wise One. And now tell me the names of\nthe horses that draw the chariots of Night and Day.\"\n\n\"Skinfaxe and Hrimfaxe,\" promptly replied Odin. Vafthrudner turned and\nlooked hard at this remarkable stranger who could speak so readily of\nthings that no man was thought to know. Then he asked many more\nquestions, to which Odin gave unhesitatingly the right answers; and\nsoon the frost-giant began to feel afraid of the strange traveller who\nseemed to know more than the gods themselves. Anxiously he put the\nlast question, saying, \"Tell me, O Great One, the name of the plain on\nwhich the Last Battle will be fought.\" Now Vafthrudner knew that no\nmortal man could possibly answer this question, so he waited\nfearfully for Odin's reply.\n\n\"On the plain of Vigrid, which is a hundred miles on each side,\" came\nthe answer; and at this the frost-giant began to quake with fear, for\nhis boasted wisdom had been fairly met, and at last some one had come\nto J\u00f6tunheim to defeat him.\n\nNow it was Odin's turn to ask questions; and he drew from this wisest\nof the giants a knowledge of things that happened long before the gods\ncame to dwell in Asgard. He learned all the secrets that the giants\nguarded so carefully; and he made Vafthrudner tell him of the dim\nunknown future, and of the events that would shape the lives of gods\nand men. So eager was Odin to gain the desired wisdom that he forgot\nhow long he had been sitting at the frost-giant's side and listening\nwhile Vafthrudner told him of the time when no gods were living, and\nof the time when no gods should be.\n\nThe long day waned, and the curious stars peeped out, and Mani--as he\ndrove his horses over the western hills--wondered why Odin lingered so\nlong in dreary J\u00f6tunheim. When the All-Father had learned all he\ndesired to know, he rose up and said: \"One last question I will put, O\nVafthrudner; and by its answer we may judge which is the wiser of us\ntwo. What did Odin whisper in the ear of Balder as that shining one\nlay on the funeral pyre?\" When the frost-giant heard this question he\nknew at last who it was that had been contending with him, and he\nanswered humbly: \"Who but thyself, O Odin, can tell the words which\nthou didst say to thy son? Thou art truly the wisest of all.\"\n\nSo Odin departed on the long journey back to Asgard, and the gods\nrejoiced at his return, for hitherto no one had ever been known to\nstrive with Vafthrudner and live.\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Magic Mead\n\n\nThere once lived on the earth a man named Kvasir; and he was much\nbeloved by the gods because they had given him the wonderful gift of\npoetry. Kvasir was a great traveller, and wherever he went men begged\nhim to tell them, in his singing words, of the life of the gods and of\nthe brave deeds of heroes. So the poet went from cottage to castle\nsharing his gift with rich and poor alike. Sometimes he told the\nfamiliar tales that had grown old on men's lips; and sometimes he sang\nof heroes in far-off forgotten lands.\n\nEvery one loved Kvasir--every one except the spiteful little dwarfs\nwho grew jealous of him, and longed to do him some evil. So one day\nwhen the poet was walking on the seashore, two of the dwarfs named\nFialar and Galar came up to him and begged him to visit their cave in\nthe rocks. Now Kvasir never suspected wrong of any one, so he\nwillingly followed the dwarfs into a dark cavern underground. Here the\ntreacherous brothers slew him, and drained his blood into three jars\nin which they had already placed some honey. Thus of sweetness mingled\nwith a poet's life-blood they brewed the Magic Mead, which would give\nto any one who drank of it gentleness and wisdom and the gift of\npoesy.\n\nWhen the dwarfs had mixed the mead, they took great care to hide it in\na secret cave; and then, proud of their cruel cunning, they set off in\nsearch of further adventures. Soon they found the giant Gilling asleep\non the seashore; and after pinching him awake, they asked him to row\nthem a little way in his boat. The giant, who was both good-natured\nand stupid, took the dwarfs into his boat, and began to row\nvigorously. Then Galar suddenly steered the boat so that it struck on\na sharp rock and was overturned. The poor giant, who could not swim,\nwas immediately drowned; while the wicked little dwarfs climbed upon\nthe keel of the boat and finally drifted ashore.\n\nNot content with this cruel act, they went straightway to the giant's\nhouse and called to his wife to come quickly, for Gilling was\ndrowning. The giantess at once hurried to her husband's aid; and as\nshe came through the doorway, Fialar, who had climbed up above the\nlintel, suddenly dropped a millstone on her head, killing her\ninstantly.\n\nAs the dwarfs were jumping up and down exulting over their success,\nthe giant's son--whose name was Suttung--came along. When he saw his\nmother stretched dead upon the ground, and the little men skipping\nabout in their wicked glee, he guessed who was guilty of this\nshameful deed. So he seized Galar and Fialar, one in each hand; and,\nwading far out into the sea, he set them on a certain rock which was\nsure to be covered with water when the tide rose. As he turned to go\naway, the dwarfs screamed to him in terror and begged him to take them\nback to land. In their fright they promised to give him anything he\nmight ask if only he would put them safe on shore.\n\nNow Suttung had heard of the Magic Mead, and he longed very much to\npossess it; so he made the dwarfs promise to give him the three jars\nin exchange for their lives. Much as Galar and Fialar hated to do\nthis, they had no choice but to agree to the giant's demand; so as\nsoon as they were on land again, they delivered the precious mead into\nhis hands. As Suttung could not be at home all day to guard his\ntreasure, he hid the jars in a deep recess in the rocks, and bade his\ndaughter Gunlod watch over them night and day. The mouth of the cavern\nwas sealed up with an enormous stone so that no one could enter except\nby a passageway known only to Gunlod, and Suttung felt that his\ntreasure was safe from both gods and men.\n\n  [Illustration: Odin disguised as a Traveller]\n\nMeanwhile the news of Kvasir's death had been brought to Odin by his\nravens Hugin and Munin, and he determined to get possession of the\nwonderful mead that had been brewed from the poet's blood. So he\ndisguised himself as a traveller, pulled his gray hat well over his\nface and set out for the country where the Magic Mead was hidden. As\nhe neared the giant's home, he saw a field in which nine sturdy\nthralls[10] were mowing hay. These men did not belong to Suttung, but\nwere the servants of his brother Baugi. This suited Odin's purpose\njust as well, so he went quickly up to the thralls and said: \"Your\nscythes seem very dull. How much faster you could work if they were\nsharper. Shall I whet them for you?\" The men were surprised at this\nunexpected offer of help; but they accepted the stranger's assistance\ngladly. When they found how sharp he had made their scythes, they\nbegged him to sell or give them the marvellous whetstone. To this Odin\nreplied, \"Whoever can catch it, may have it as a gift,\" and with these\nwords he threw the stone among them. Then began a fierce battle among\nthe thralls for the possession of the prize; and they cut at each\nother so fiercely with their scythes that by evening every one of them\nlay dead in the field.\n\n    [10] Thralls; servants.\n\nWhile they were fighting thus savagely, Odin sought out Baugi's house\nand begged for supper and a night's lodging. The giant received him\nhospitably; and as they sat eating, word was brought to Baugi that his\nnine thralls were dead. For a time Odin listened to his host's\ncomplaints of his evil luck and of how much wealth he would lose\nthrough his unmowed fields. Then he offered his services to Baugi,\npromising to do as much work as the nine thralls. The giant was very\ndoubtful whether his visitor could make good this boast; but he\naccepted the offer quickly, and next morning Odin set to work in the\nfields.\n\nBefore many days had passed, all the hay on Baugi's land was carefully\nstored away in the barns, and Odin came to the giant to demand his\nwages. \"What payment shall I make you?\" asked Baugi, fearing that a\ngreat sum would be named as the price of such remarkable service. He\nwas surprised, therefore, when Odin answered, \"All I ask is a draught\nof the Magic Mead which your brother Suttung keeps hidden in a\ncavern.\"\n\n\"That is not an easy thing to get,\" replied the giant, \"for though I\nwould be glad to fetch you some of the mead, my brother has never let\nme enter the cave. However, I will ask him to bring you a single\ndraught.\" So Baugi went in search of his brother, and told him of the\nwonderful service that Odin had rendered. Then he asked for one drink\nof the Magic Mead for his servant. At this Suttung flew into a great\nrage and cried:--\n\n\"Do you think I would give any of the mead to a stranger who can do\nthe work of nine thralls? No _man_ could have such wonderful power.\nIt is a god that you have been calling your servant, and the gods have\nbeen our enemies since the beginning of time.\"\n\nNow Baugi feared and hated the gods as much as his brother; but he had\ngiven his word to Odin to help him get the Magic Mead, and he did not\ndare to break his promise. So when he returned to his one-time\nservant, and told of the ill success of his visit to Suttung, Odin\nanswered: \"Then we must try some other way. Take me to the cavern\nwhere the mead is hidden; but see that your brother knows nothing of\nour going.\"\n\nVery unwillingly Baugi consented to show Odin the secret cave; and as\nthey walked, he plotted how to get rid of his troublesome servant. It\nseemed to take the giant a very long time to find the cavern; but when\nthey finally reached it, Odin drew an augur from his pocket, and began\nto bore a hole in the great stone that stood at the cave's mouth. As\nsoon as he grew tired, he made Baugi take his turn at the augur; and,\nowing to the giant's great strength, a hole was soon bored through the\nrock. Then Odin quickly turned himself into a snake and crept into the\nopening while Baugi, seeing his servant no longer beside him, and\nrealizing what the sudden transformation meant, made a stab at the\nsnake with the augur, hoping to kill it. But Odin had slid safely\nthrough the hole, and was already inside the cave.\n\nTaking his rightful form, Odin now began to look eagerly about him,\nand when his eyes grew accustomed to the dimness of the cavern, he saw\nthe daughter of Suttung seated in the furthest corner beside the three\njars that contained the Magic Mead. He came softly to Gunlod's side,\nand spoke to her so gently that she was not frightened at the sudden\nappearance of a stranger; and when he smiled at her with a reassuring\nlook, she asked, \"Who are you, and why are you here?\"\n\n\"I am a traveller, tired and thirsty after my long journey,\" answered\nOdin. \"Will you not give me something to drink?\"\n\nGunlod shook her head. \"I have nothing here save the Magic Mead, and\nthat I dare not give you,\" she said sadly. Then Odin begged for just a\nsingle draught, but the giant's daughter firmly refused to let him\ntouch the jars.\n\nAt last, after much coaxing and soft words, Gunlod allowed her visitor\nto take one sip of the mead; but as soon as Odin got the jars in his\nhands, he drained each one dry before the astonished maiden had\nrealized what had happened. Then he changed himself quickly into a\nsnake, and glided out through the opening in the rock. It was now but\na moment's work to assume an eagle's form, and start at once on his\njourney back to Asgard. He knew well that there was no time to lose,\nfor Baugi had already gone to his brother with the news of what had\nhappened at the cave's mouth.\n\nWhen Suttung heard Baugi's story and realized that his precious mead\nwas being stolen by one of the gods, he hurried at once to the cavern.\nJust as he reached it, he saw an eagle rise heavily up from the earth,\nand he knew this was some god in disguise bearing away the Magic Mead\nto Asgard. So he quickly changed himself into an eagle, and started in\npursuit of the one with slowly moving wings. Odin could not fly very\nfast, for the mead made him heavy; and he was much distressed to see\nthat the giant was easily gaining on him. As they both neared the\ngates of Asgard, some of the gods were looking out, and they saw the\ntwo birds approaching. They wondered what the pursuit might mean; but\nit was not until the eagles neared the outer walls that the watchers\nrealized that it was Odin fleeing from an enemy, and straining his\nweary wings to reach Asgard.\n\nThen they laid a great pile of wood on the inner walls, and to this\nthey applied a torch the moment that the first eagle had passed safely\nover. The flames shot up with a roar just as the pursuer had almost\ncaught his prey. The fire scorched Baugi's great wings, and the smoke\nblinded his eyes so that he fluttered helplessly down to the earth.\nMeanwhile the Magic Mead was safe in Asgard, and there it was put in\ncare of Bragi, the white-haired son of Odin. Thus the mead remained\nforever with the gods; but sometimes a favoured mortal is given, at\nhis birth, a drop of this divine drink; and then, in later years, men\nfind that a poet has been born among them.\n\n\n\n\nGods and Men\n\n\nI\n\nNear Odin's council hall was a fair white building called the Hall of\nMists,[11] and here sat Frigga,[12] the wife of Odin, spinning the\nmany-coloured clouds. She spent long hours beside her golden wheel;\nand when she spun by day, the clouds were white and soft and fleecy;\nbut toward evening Frigga put a touch of colour into her work, and\nthen the heavens glowed with yellow and violet and red. It was through\nOdin's careful wife that snow fell plentifully in winter, for then\nFrigga shook her feather beds, and made them ready for the touch of\nthe spring sunshine. At her command the rain fell all through the\nyear, so that the streets of Asgard might always be kept spotless. It\nwas Frigga, too, who made the wonderful gift of flax to men; and she\ntaught the women how to spin and weave.\n\n    [11] Also named Fensalir.\n\n    [12] Frigga is also called Fricka.\n\nFrigga was very fond of children; and one day, as she looked down upon\nthe earth, she saw two little boys playing together on the seashore.\nThey were Geirrod and Agnar, sons of a wealthy king[13]; and Frigga\ngrew to love them very dearly. She was so anxious to talk to them and\nknow them, that she persuaded Odin to go with her down to the earth;\nand, having disguised themselves as an old fisherman and his wife,\nthey took possession of a deserted hut. This hut was on an island many\nmiles from the country where Geirrod and Agnar lived; but Odin\npromised Frigga that in spite of this, the children would come to her.\n\n    [13] King Hraudung.\n\nOne day Geirrod and his brother went out rowing in their boat, and a\nstorm came up which blew the tiny craft far out to sea. The boys\nbecame terribly frightened; and the wind tossed them about on the\nangry waves until they would surely have perished if Odin had not been\nwatching over them. He kept their frail boat from sinking, and guided\nit to the very shore on which he and Frigga were living in the little\nhut. The boys were glad indeed when their feet once more touched the\nsolid earth; for they were tired and hungry and cold, and a good deal\nfrightened, too. They knew that they must be far from their own\ncountry; but they were so glad to be out of reach of the waves that it\nmattered little to them what land it was to which the wind had brought\nthem.\n\nWhen they began to look about them, they found that the island was\nvery bleak and bare, with no flowers nor fruits nor berries to be seen\nanywhere. Nothing seemed to be growing there but low, thorny bushes\nthat scratched them and tore their clothes as they attempted to make\ntheir way further into the island. Soon it began to get dark, and the\nboys stumbled helplessly through the briers; but at last they saw the\nglimmer of a light, and groped their way toward it. Presently they\ncame to a small hut, through whose open window the friendly light was\nstreaming, and, without a moment's hesitation, they knocked loudly at\nthe door.\n\nThey were a bit surprised at the appearance of the two people within\nthe hut; for although they were simply clad as peasants, there was\nsomething in their bearing that reminded Geirrod and Agnar of the\nlordly guests who had sat at their father's table. But the boys were\ntoo hungry and tired to pay much attention to the kind folk who took\nthem in, though they were grateful for the food and dry clothing and a\nwarm place by the fire. Some days later, Geirrod inquired of his host\nhow a fisherman could afford such wonderfully soft beds and food fit\nfor kings to dine upon. Agnar asked no questions, but wondered why the\nflowers bloomed so plentifully around the cottage door, and why the\nbirds sang all day.\n\nIt was too stormy for the boys to attempt to venture on the sea for\nmany days; and even when the storm was over, the waves looked dark and\nmenacing. Winter was coming on, and there was little chance that the\nsea would grow calm; so Geirrod and Agnar lingered day after day in\nthe fisherman's cottage, needing no persuasion to remain with their\nnew-found friends. Geirrod spent all of his time with the\nfisherman,[14] learning the lore of the sea and becoming very adept in\nthe use of the spear as well as the humbler net and line. He was also\ntaught to hunt the game that was plentiful on the island, and he grew\nvery proud of his skill with the bow. All day he stayed at the\nfisherman's side, listening, learning and wondering at the great\nknowledge which his companion had of things that had happened before\nthe world was made. He heard many tales of heroes, and learned of\nbrave deeds that had been done by men of his own race. He knew that\nthe fisherman told these stories so that he himself might see how fine\na thing it was to be brave and strong and noble; and Geirrod, who was\nby nature selfish and cruel, felt so thrilled by the old man's\nstirring words that he wished to be like the heroes whose lives were\nso loudly praised.\n\n    [14] The fisherman called himself Grimner.\n\nAgnar usually stayed with the fisherman's wife in the cottage; for he\nwas gentler and more timid than his brother, and preferred to help his\nkind foster-mother instead of hunting with Geirrod or venturing out\non the sea to spear the great fish. Agnar, too, heard many stories as\nhe sat by the goodwife's side while she spun her flax; but these were\nnot hero-tales nor stories of adventure. She told him how the god\nFreyr makes the flowers bloom, and the fruits ripen; and how his\nsister Freya watches over the earth all through the springtime. She\nspoke of the love which these two had for all the beautiful things in\nnature, for music and poetry, and how they even watched with delight\nthe dancing of the fairies in Elfheim. She told him how wonderful the\ncity of Asgard looked when the sun shone on the broad, golden streets;\nand how the sounds re\u00ebchoed through the great hall called Valhalla\nwhere Odin feasted with the heroes chosen from the battle-field.\n\nSo the winter passed quickly, and when spring came the fisherman built\na new, strong boat in which the boys were to make their voyage\nhomeward. Then Geirrod and Agnar said good-by to the kind folk with\nwhom they had passed so many happy days. Reluctantly they sailed away\nfrom the friendly island, and soon came in sight of their own country.\nA fair wind carried them gently all the way, for Odin had commanded\nNjord, the storm god, to keep his blusterous winds under control. As\nthe boat neared the familiar shores, Geirrod forgot all the generous\nlessons that the fisherman had tried to teach him, and he began to\nlook with hatred at his brother. As Agnar was the older of the two, he\nwould inherit the kingdom; so Geirrod was filled with a sudden rage\nagainst the gentle boy who stood in the way of his becoming king.\n\nAs the boat drew toward the shore, Geirrod sprang out, and giving the\nboat a mighty shove toward the open sea he cried: \"Go back to the\nisland, you weak, timid girl. You are not fit to be king.\" Then, being\na sturdy swimmer, he made for the land. The boat drifted out again to\nsea, and carried Agnar to a strange land, where he lived many years.\nFinally he returned to his own country in disguise and became a\nservant in his father's palace--but by this time Geirrod had already\nbeen made king. For when Geirrod swam ashore, he hastened at once to\nhis father and told him the whole story of his adventure with the\nfisherman on the island. When the king asked for Agnar, Geirrod said\nthat his brother had been drowned on the journey home by falling over\nthe edge of the boat. As there was no reason to doubt this story, the\nking mourned for Agnar as one dead; and the younger brother was\nacknowledged heir to the throne. Not many years later, the king died\nand Geirrod was made ruler over the whole kingdom.\n\nWhen Odin and Frigga, who had long since left the island and returned\nto Asgard, learned what had become of their favourites, Odin was very\nproud that Geirrod had become a great king. Frigga grieved, however,\nthat the gentle Agnar had suffered through his brother's treachery,\nand hated to see him serving as a menial in Geirrod's hall. When Odin\npraised his former pupil, she would say: \"He is a great king, but a\ncruel man. No stranger would dare to trust to his mercy.\"\n\nNow as unkindness to a stranger was a very despicable trait in those\ndays, this taunt of Frigga's roused Odin's wrath; and he determined to\nshow her that Geirrod was not the heartless king she declared him to\nbe. So he disguised himself as an aged traveller, and presented\nhimself at Geirrod's palace asking for food and shelter. Frigga,\nhowever, was equally determined to prove Geirrod's cruelty, and thus\ndefend her favourite, Agnar. So she secretly sent a messenger to the\nking bidding him beware of a strange old man who would come to the\npalace claiming the rights of hospitality.\n\nOdin was much surprised when he met with rough usage at the hands of\nGeirrod's servants, not knowing that the king had commanded them to\nseize any aged traveller who might come to the palace. He was not\nwelcomed to the well-filled table as he had expected, but was rudely\ndragged before the king. Now Geirrod, believing that this was the\nstranger of whom he had been warned to beware, commanded the old man\nto tell his name and the object of his visit. The traveller stood with\nbowed head, refusing to speak; and this made the king so angry that he\nthreatened the old man with torture and death if he did not answer.\n\nAs the stranger continued to keep silent, Geirrod commanded his\nservants to chain him to a pillar in the great hall and build on each\nside of him a hot fire whose flames would torture without destroying\nhim. So they dragged the unresisting old man to the pillar and bound\nhim with chains too strong for even the stoutest warrior to break.\nThen they kindled fires on either side of him and stood off, laughing\nand mocking at the trembling figure that seemed to crouch in terror\nagainst the pillar.\n\nFor eight days and nights the fires were kept burning, and during all\nthis time the cruel king allowed no meat or drink to be given to his\nprisoner. But one night, when the watchers were drowsy with ale and\nthe heat of the fires, a servant stole softly into the hall with a\ngreat drinking-horn in his hand. This he carried to the old man, who\nappeared to be in great suffering, and he smiled happily when he saw\nthe prisoner drain the cool drink to the last drop. This servant was\nAgnar, the king's brother, whom every one believed to be dead.\n\nThe next morning, Geirrod assembled all his nobles in the great hall,\nand they began to make merry over the prisoner's misery, asking him if\nhe would now speak and tell them who he was and from whence he came.\nThe old man shook his head, refusing to speak; but suddenly, to the\nastonishment of all, he began to sing. And as he sang, the listeners\ngrew strangely silent, while a nameless fear seized the whole company\nas they saw no longer the crouching figure by the pillar, but a tall\ncommanding form before whose awful majesty they shrank back trembling\nand afraid. As the singing continued, the power and sweetness of the\nmusic filled the echoing halls; and when the song was over, the chains\nfell suddenly from the prisoner's arms and he stood--a terrible\naccusing power--before the eyes of the terrified people. Geirrod as\nwell as his nobles knew now that a god had come among them; and the\nking, fearing for his life, tried madly to defend himself. He seized\nhis sword and rushed blindly at the tall form confronting him,\nforgetting--in his terror--that no weapon could prevail against an\nimmortal. Blinded by his fury, he fell forward upon his own sword, and\nin a moment lay dead at Odin's feet.\n\nThen the All-Father called to Agnar and bade him take his rightful\nplace on the throne which his brother had usurped. The people gladly\nwelcomed a kindlier ruler; and Odin, having righted the wrongs which\nGeirrod's cruelty had created, now returned to Asgard to report to the\nanxious Frigga that her favourite was at last made king.\n\n\nII\n\nThere was once a king named Gylfe who was reputed to be the wisest\nruler of his time. He kept many learned men at his court; but he was\neager to gain more knowledge than all these sages could command, and\nso sent far and wide for men skilled in magic and those whose eyes\ncould read the secrets of the stars.\n\nOne day an old woman[15] came to Gylfe's palace asking alms, and she\nwas brought at once into the presence of the king. Gylfe treated her\nwith great kindness, and while she sat at the king's table eating of\nhis own rich food, she turned to the monarch saying: \"Never has the\nstranger met with such kindness as this. What can I give you in\nreturn?\" The guests who were feasting began to laugh merrily, but the\nking answered, \"There is nothing that I wish for except wisdom.\"\n\"Then, listen,\" said the strange old woman, and she began to tell the\nking a story of the world as it was when it came fresh from the hands\nof the gods. Then she spoke of the frost-giants, the ancient enemies\nof the shining ones of Asgard; and as the king listened, he seemed to\nsee how all things must have looked in that first morning of the\nworld.\n\n    [15] Her name was Gefjun.\n\nWhen the old woman finished speaking and turned to leave the palace,\nGylfe begged her to accept some gift in return for her wonderful\nstories; and the stranger, who was really a giantess, replied: \"I will\ntake as much land as four oxen can plough in a day and a night.\" Now\nthe frost-giants had been envying the earth-folk many years, and they\nwished to add more land to their country beyond the frozen seas. So\nwhen Gylfe consented to the old woman's strange request, she brought\nfour immense oxen from J\u00f6tunheim, and harnessed them to a huge plough.\nThen the giantess cut such a deep furrow into the earth that a great\ntract of land was torn away; and this, being carried out to sea by the\noxen, was borne westward to J\u00f6tunheim. Thus Gylfe lost a large part of\nhis kingdom, but he felt that even that was not too great a price to\npay for the knowledge which he had gained.\n\nHaving learned from the giantess how wise were all the dwellers in\nAsgard, Gylfe determined to seek the gods themselves; though he knew\nthat in his eager desire for more wisdom he was likely to meet death\nat their hands for his presumption. So he set out on the journey to\nAsgard; but he would surely have never reached those sacred halls if\nOdin had not guided his footsteps and led him to the rainbow bridge\nthat reached up from Midgard to the city of the gods. Here, at the end\nof Bifrost, he met Heimdall, the watchman who stood all day and night\nguarding the shining city from the approach of the giants. Whenever a\nstranger appeared at the rainbow bridge he sounded his horn[16] to\nwarn the gods of possible danger. Heimdall never slept; and he not\nonly saw as well by night as by day, but his eyes had the wonderful\npower of seeing a hundred miles all around. He also had such\nremarkable ears that he could hear the grass growing, and tell whether\nthe wind was blowing on the sea.\n\n    [16] Heimdall's horn was called the Gialar-horn. At Balder's\n    funeral, Heimdall rode to the sea on his horse Gulltopp.\n\nHaving received a command from Odin to let the stranger pass, Heimdall\nallowed the king to enter the sacred city; and Gylfe soon found\nhimself in the presence of Odin. The Father of the Gods received him\nkindly; and, after learning the object of his journey, permitted Gylfe\nto seat himself in the great council-hall. Then Odin asked the king\nwhat it was he wished to know, and Gylfe began to question him freely\nand fearlessly. He asked about the creation of the world, about the\nseasons and the rainfalls, and the changes of the moon. He asked why\nthe elves kept themselves forever hidden in the earth, and why the\nfairies danced only in the moonlight. He spoke, though timidly, of the\ndark underworld, and asked why the dead never came back to earth\nagain. He even questioned Odin concerning the gods themselves; and to\nall these eager queries, the All-Father gave a willing answer.\n\nSuddenly the hall grew full of mist and shadows, and Gylfe could\nhardly see the foot of Odin's throne. A great noise like some\ndeafening thunder shook the council-hall, and the king, bewildered and\nfrightened, did not know where to turn for safety. Then all at once\nthe darkness and the sounds vanished, and Gylfe found himself on a\nbroad plain. At first he thought that he had seen the shield-hung hall\nand the shining streets of Asgard only in a dream; but soon the words\nof Odin came back to him, and he knew that he had indeed talked with\nthe greatest of the gods.\n\nSo Gylfe became the wisest ruler on the earth; but though all men\nhonoured him for his great wisdom, many refused to believe that he had\nreally been within the gates of Asgard.\n\n\n\n\nSif's Golden Hair and the Making of the Hammer\n\n\nI\n\nAmong the gods there was one who was really unfit to be a god and to\nlive in the shining city of Asgard. He was the cause of much trouble\nand mischief in his frequent journeys to the earth, and he brought\nevil upon even the gods themselves. But as Loki was the brother of\nOdin, he could not very well be banished from Asgard, so the gods\nendured his presence as best they could. Loki did many unkind things\nthat the gods never heard of; but once he met with just punishment for\nhis meanness. This was the time that he robbed Sif of her golden hair.\n\n  [Illustration: Loki]\n\nSif was the wife of Thor[17] the god of thunder. She had beautiful\nlong hair that fell over her shoulders like a shower of gold, and of\nthis she was very proud. One day Sif fell asleep on the steps of\nThor's palace,[18] and while she lay there sleeping Loki came walking\nby. There was nothing so dear to Loki as a chance to do mischief,\nand he never saw anything beautiful without wishing to spoil it; so\nwhen he found Sif fast asleep, he stole up softly behind her and cut\noff all her golden hair.\n\n    [17] From Thor's day comes our word Thursday.\n\n    [18] The palace was named Bilskirner.\n\nWhen Sif woke at last and saw what had happened, she began to cry\nbitterly, for her golden hair was the pride and joy of Thor, and she\nwas afraid that he would never want to look at her again now that it\nwas gone. So she got up from the steps where she was sitting, and went\naway to hide in the garden. When Thor came home, he looked for her all\nthrough the palace, and went from room to room calling her name. Not\nfinding her in the house, he went out into the garden, and after\nsearching for a long time finally found poor Sif behind a stone,\nsobbing bitterly. When he heard her story, he tried to comfort her the\nbest he could, but Sif continued weeping and covered her shorn head\nwith her arms.\n\n\"I know who did this shameful thing,\" cried Thor, wrathfully; \"it was\nthat mischief-maker Loki, but this time he shall pay dearly for his\nwickedness.\" And he strode out of the palace with a look so\nthreatening that even the gods might have trembled before him. Now\nLoki was not expecting to be caught so soon, and he had not thought of\nseeking a hiding place; so when Thor came suddenly upon him he was too\nfrightened to try to escape. He even forgot his ready lies, and when\nThor shook him angrily and threatened to kill him for his wicked act,\nhe made no denial, only begged for mercy and promised to restore to\nSif the hair he had cut off. Thor therefore released him, after\nbinding him by a solemn oath to fulfil his promise.\n\nThe real hair which Loki had cut off he had already lost, so to keep\nhis word to Thor he must find something else which would resemble it\nclosely enough to make Sif believe she had indeed her own hair again.\nAs there was only one place where skilful and cunning work like this\ncould be done, Loki crossed the rainbow bridge that spans the gulf\nbetween Asgard and the earth, and hurried to the tall mountain which\nhides, amid its rocks, the entrance to the lower world. No one but a\ngod, or one of the swarthy elves themselves, could have found this\nhidden opening, but Loki knew it well. He first looked for a tiny\nstream which flowed along at the foot of the mountain. This he\nfollowed to its source in a deep cave among the rocks, and when he\ncame to the spot where it bubbled up from the ground, he raised a huge\nlog that was lying, apparently by chance, close beside it. This\ndisclosed a small passage leading down into the very centre of the\nearth, and along this path Loki hastened, often stumbling about in the\ndarkness, until he came to the underworld where lived the swarthy\nelves. They were busily engaged in their wonderful workshop, which\nwas lighted only by the fires from the forge, but when they saw Loki\nthey laid down their tools and asked him how they could serve him.\n\n\"I have a task,\" answered Loki, \"which requires such great skill to\nperform that I hardly dare ask you to attempt it. It is nothing less\nthan for you to make of your gold some locks of hair that will be as\nsoft and fine and beautiful as the golden hair which adorns the head\nof Sif, the wife of Thor. You have heard, no doubt, of its beauty, so\nyou know how difficult a task I have given you.\"\n\nThe elves, nothing daunted, set at once to work, and selecting a bar\nof perfect gold, they pounded it very soft, then spun it into threads\nso fine that they looked like sunbeams, and so soft that they felt\nlike silk. When the work was finished and placed in Loki's hand, it\nexceeded in beauty anything he had ever seen, and he felt sure that\nThor could not complain of his gift. Then he thanked the swarthy elves\nand hastened with his prize back to Asgard and to the palace of Thor,\nwhere all the gods had assembled to see the fulfilment of Loki's\npromise.\n\nIn spite of the success of his undertaking, the fear of Thor's hasty\ntemper kept Loki somewhat humbled, for the Thunderer had been known to\ncrush the object of his anger with his hammer when once his wrath was\nfully roused. His face was now dark and threatening as Loki\napproached, and beside him stood Sif, weeping bitterly, and trying to\ncover her head with her hands. But Loki came up boldly and placed the\ngolden hair which the elves had made, upon her head. To the\nastonishment of all, it immediately grew fast, and no one could have\ntold that it was not her own golden hair. So Sif was proud and happy\nonce again, and Loki was forgiven.\n\n\nII\n\nWhen Loki went to the underground home of the elves to find the golden\nhair for Sif, he thought that it would be as well to get two other\ngifts--one for Odin and one for Freyr--so that their anger would fall\nless heavily on him for his cruelty to Thor's beautiful wife. The\ndwarfs were always very glad to help Loki when he was in trouble, for\nthey, too, delighted in mischief-making; so when he asked them for the\ntwo other gifts, they gladly set to work. The spun-gold hair they had\nalready placed in Loki's hands; and now they hurried about, getting\ntogether a hundred different materials to use in their work--for\nthings of earth, air, fire and water went into the making of the\nwonderful gifts that came from the hands of the elves.\n\nIn a short time they handed to the waiting god a spear[19] that would\nalways hit the mark no matter how badly it was thrown, and a\nmarvellous boat[20] that would fold up into a tiny package, but could\nalso expand large enough to hold all the gods and goddesses in Asgard.\nLoki was delighted with these gifts and hurried with them back to\nOdin's council-hall where the gods had assembled to pass judgment on\nhim for his cruel treatment of Sif.\n\n    [19] The spear was named Gunger.\n\n    [20] The boat was named Skidbladner.\n\nThough the hair of spun gold proved to be so perfect that Loki had\nnothing to fear from Thor's anger, he saw that Odin was still\ndispleased and was looking at him with stern brows. So the wily god\nproduced his two other gifts, and handed the spear to Odin and the\nboat to Freyr. Both the gods were delighted with the clever\nworkmanship of the elves; and all the company were so busy examining\nLoki's gifts that they did not notice the dwarf Brock, who had\nfollowed Loki to Asgard and was now standing in the shadow of Odin's\nthrone.\n\nWhen the gods grew loud in their approval of the magic spear and boat,\nBrock could contain his anger no longer and cried out: \"Can you find\nnothing better than those petty toys to praise? My brother Sindri can\nmake far more wonderful things than these.\" At this boastful\ninterference Loki grew very angry and said: \"Prove it, then; for I\nknow that your brother is only a stupid workman. Let us make a wager\nthat you cannot bring here three gifts better than those you scorn;\nand whichever of us loses in the contest shall pay for it with his\nhead.\" Brock accepted the challenge and set off at once to the cave\nwhere Sindri kept his dwarfs at work night and day.\n\nHe told his brother of the wager he had made with Loki, and Sindri\nlaughed and promised that the god's head should hang that night in the\ncave as a trophy. Then he made ready a huge fire, and as he worked\nbusily over his tools he bade Brock keep the bellows going as hard as\nhe could so that the flames would leap higher and higher. Then, when\nhe thought the right moment had come, he threw into the fire a\npigskin; and bidding Brock keep steadily at work on the bellows, he\nleft the cave.\n\nThe dwarf blew hard at the fire, and the forge gleamed so brightly\nthat the whole cave was lit up, and Brock could see the piles of gold\nand silver and glittering gems that lay all around. Then suddenly an\nenormous gadfly flew into the room; and, lighting on his hand, stung\nhim so badly that he roared with pain. Still he did not take his hand\nfrom the bellows, for, with the cunning of his race, he knew that the\ngadfly was none other than Loki who had taken this form, hoping to\nspoil Sindri's work.\n\nWhen the master-smith returned, he looked eagerly at the forge and saw\nthat the fire glowed as brightly as ever. So he muttered a few magic\nwords over the flames and drew forth a golden boar. This he handed to\nhis brother, saying that the boar had the power to fly through the\nair, and shed light from his golden bristles as he flew. Brock was so\nmuch pleased with this gift that he said nothing about his swollen\nhand; and when Sindri asked him to keep his place at the bellows, he\nwillingly agreed.\n\nThe smith then threw a lump of gold into the flames; and bidding Brock\nkeep the fire at white heat, he again left the cave. Brock began to\nwork harder than ever at the bellows; and as the fire glowed so that\nit seemed like daylight in the room, the gadfly flew at him and stung\nhim on the neck. He screamed with pain and tried to shake off his\ntormentor, but still he kept faithfully at his work and never lifted\nhis hand a moment from the bellows. When Sindri returned, he found the\nfire glowing brightly, and, leaning over it, he pulled out of the\nflames a fine gold ring, which every ninth night would drop nine gold\nrings as wonderful as itself.\n\nBrock was so delighted with this gift that he almost forgot about his\nwounded neck; and obediently kept his place at the bellows. Then\nSindri threw a lump of iron into the fire, and bidding his brother\nwork steadily at his task--for this was the most important gift of\nall--he went out of the cave. Brock grasped the bellows firmly, and\nbegan to work with all his might. Just as the flames were leaping\nfiercely and the room seemed lit by a million candles, the gadfly flew\nat Brock and stung him between the eyes.\n\nThe poor little dwarf was almost frantic from the pain of the wound\nand from the blood that poured into his eyes. But though dazed and\nblinded so that he could hardly see the fire, he kept doggedly at work\non the bellows, only lifting one hand for a moment to wipe the blood\nfrom his eyes. The fire had been glowing like a furnace, but in that\none instant the flames burned less brightly, and Sindri--who had just\nentered the room--began to berate his brother for his carelessness.\nThen the smith drew out of the fire a mighty hammer, perfect in every\nway except that the handle was too short, owing to Brock's having\nlifted his hand a moment from the bellows.\n\nSindri gave the three gifts to his brother, and bade him hasten to\nAsgard, and bring back the head of Loki as payment for the lost wager.\nWhen the dwarf reached Odin's council-hall, the gods had assembled to\ndecide the contest, for every one was eager to see what gifts Sindri\nhad sent. Brock handed the ring[21A] to Odin, who praised it highly and\nsaid, \"Now, I shall never want for gold.\" Freyr was delighted with his\ngift of the golden boar[21B] and said that it would be much more\nentertaining to ride on its back than in Loki's magic boat. Lastly\nBrock gave the wonderful hammer Mj\u00f6lner to Thor, saying, \"Here is a\nhammer which can crush mountains, can cause lightning and thunder when\nit swings through the air, and will always come back to your hand no\nmatter how far you may throw it.\" Then the dwarf turned to Odin and\nsaid, \"Decide now between Loki and me, O Wise One, and declare whose\ngifts are worth most to Asgard.\"\n\n    [21A], [21B] The ring was called Draupner, and the boar\n    Gullinbursti.\n\nThough the gods were reluctant to condemn one of their number in\nfavour of a dwarf, there was no disputing the fact that Thor's hammer\nwas worth more than all of Loki's gifts, for it meant a sure\nprotection to Asgard from the attacks of the frost-giants. So Odin\ndeclared that Brock had won the wager, and that Loki must pay the\nforfeit with his head. Now Loki had no intention of submitting to this\ndecree, so he first offered the dwarf a huge sum of money as a ransom;\nbut Brock angrily refused the gold, and insisted that the bargain\nshould be kept. Then Loki cried out, \"Well, you must catch me first,\"\nand sped off on his magic shoes, which could carry him through the air\nand over the water with wonderful swiftness. As Brock knew he could\nnever catch the fugitive, he grew black with rage, and turned upon\nOdin, crying, \"Is this the way that the gods keep faith, or shall the\nword of Odin stand fast?\" Now all the company knew well that a\npromise made by even the meanest among them must be held sacred; so\nOdin sent Thor after Loki. In his swift chariot, drawn by the\nsnow-white goats, the Thunderer easily overtook the runaway and\nbrought him back to Asgard. Then Loki saw that he must save his life\nby cunning, and he said to Brock, \"You may take my head if you wish,\nbut you must not touch my neck.\"\n\nNow as this was obviously impossible, the dwarf knew that he was\noutwitted by the crafty Loki, so he went away fuming with rage and\ndisappointment. But before he left Asgard, he took out of his pocket\nan awl and a thong, and sewed Loki's lips together so that, for a\nwhile at least, the tricky god could not do any more boasting.\n\n\n\n\nThe Binding of the Fenris Wolf\n\n\nIn the very beginning of time, when the gods first made the world,\nthere was joy and gladness not only in Asgard but over all the earth;\nsin and evil were unknown, and death had not yet come even among men.\nSo the gods were very happy--all except Loki, who looked on with\njealous eyes at the gladness which he could not share; for he knew no\npleasure save in devising mischief. Not satisfied with grudging others\ntheir happiness, he sought some means to bring about trouble, but\nfinding himself too powerless to accomplish anything alone, he married\na fierce giantess[22] and had three terrible children--Hel, the\nMidgard serpent and the Fenris wolf.\n\n    [22] Her name was Angerbode.\n\nThese dreadful creatures soon grew very strong and fearful to look\nupon; and Loki was not content to keep them in the dark cave in\nJ\u00f6tunheim with their gruesome mother, but allowed them to roam about\nthe earth. Soon they wearied of the narrow limits of the earth and\nfound no longer any pleasure in bringing terror and even death to many\nlands. So Loki took them up to Asgard and begged the gods to let him\nkeep them there. For a while all went well, but soon the presence of\nLoki's children became a menace to even the gods' safety; and they\ngrew fearful of Hel's deadly eyes, and the serpent's foaming mouth and\nFenrer's cruel jaws.\n\nSo one day Odin rose up from his throne, stern and wrathful, and cast\nHel down into the centre of the earth, to rule over the dark region of\nthe dead. Then he threw the Midgard serpent into the bottom of the\nsea, where he grew larger and larger, until his huge body encircled\nthe whole earth. But before he could banish Fenrer, Loki came forward\nand begged that the wolf might be spared and allowed to remain,\npromising the gods that he would see that it did no harm. So Odin\nconsented, though with doubt and mistrust.\n\nAfter a while the wolf became very large and fierce, and nothing\nseemed to appease his savage hunger. Only Tyr, the sword-god, dared\nfeed him, and he wandered about Asgard growing daily more hungry, and\nmore cruel and terrible to see. At length Odin called the gods\ntogether in council and said to them:--\n\n\"Fenrer is getting to be more of a menace to our lives every day, and\nI no longer trust Loki's promise to guard our safety. We must\ntherefore find some way to control the wolf, for we cannot kill him\nand so stain our shining city with his blood.\"\n\nThen Thor proposed that they should bind Fenrer with a strong chain\nwhich he himself would make; and to this plan the gods gladly agreed.\nSo all that night and for many days to come the sound of Thor's hammer\ncould be heard throughout Asgard as he forged the links of a massive\nchain that should bind the Fenris wolf.[23] When it was finished, the\ngods assembled before Odin, Thor carrying the heavy chain upon his\nshoulders, and Loki coming up cautiously with Fenrer, who stalked\nboldly beside him. No force could possibly be used with a creature so\nstrong and fierce, so the gods sought to gain their end by flattery,\npraising the wolf's size and strength, and daring him to match it\nagainst the strength of the chain which Thor had made.\n\n    [23] This chain was called Leding.\n\nNow Fenrer knew far better than they how terribly strong he had\nbecome, and therefore he willingly lay down and let them fasten the\nchain around his great body, and then secure it to a rock. When this\nwas done, the gods breathed more freely, for it seemed as if they had\nnothing to fear from the wolf any longer; but in a moment Fenrer rose,\nstretched his huge limbs and shook himself once. As he did so, the\nchain fell to pieces as easily as if it were made of glass. The gods\nlooked on in wonder and dismay, and the wolf walked off with a low,\nthreatening growl. Even Odin was silent with fear, for it had been\nrevealed to him in the runes that in the final overthrow of Asgard,\nthe Fenris wolf should bear a part.\n\nThor now came forward and begged permission to try again at making\nanother chain much larger and stronger than the last. The forging of\nthis second chain took many days and nights, for Thor tested every\nlink to see that it was strong and sure.[24] At last it was finished,\nand brought on the shoulders of the strongest of the gods to the foot\nof Odin's throne. Fenrer was again summoned, but when he saw the\nchain, he refused to be bound. No flattery or coaxing could move him,\nso the gods began to taunt him, laughing at his boasted strength and\naccusing him of cowardice. Apparently with great reluctance, the wolf\nagain allowed himself to be bound; and when the chain was secured\nabout his shaggy body and fastened tightly to the ground, the gods\nlooked on, feeling fearful and yet full of joy, for surely nothing\ncould be stronger than the massive chain which was wound round and\nround the prostrate wolf. But Fenrer rose slowly, stretched himself,\nand gave one bound into the air, while the gods drew back in dismay\nbefore the rattling shower of broken links.\n\n    [24] This chain was called Drome.\n\nThen Odin saw that no brass or steel or any metal could withstand the\nterrible strength of the wolf, and he bade Thor give up all further\nattempts to forge a chain, while he had it proclaimed throughout\nAsgard that Fenrer was to roam wherever he would. Shortly after this\nhe sent Loki on a journey far across the seas to a country so distant\nfrom Asgard that he would have to be gone many days. Though usually\nalert and suspicious, Loki set off on his errand, not dreaming that\nOdin had some purpose in sending him away. As soon as he was gone,\nOdin despatched Skirner, Freyr's trusty servant, with all speed to the\nhome of the swarthy elves, and bade him procure from them an enchanted\nchain, such as they alone knew how to make. Skirner set out at once\nand found his journey a safer and pleasanter one than he had expected,\nfor though the home of the dwarfs was underground, the road was easy\nto find. Odin had instructed him to look at the base of a certain\nmountain for a tiny stream of opal-tinted water. Having come to the\nfoot of the mountain, Skirner followed the stream to its rocky source,\nand the rest of the journey was quickly made.\n\nWhen he delivered his message to the elves,[25] they set immediately\nto work, and for nine days and nights Skirner heard no sound in the\nworkshop as the little men plied their task. No stroke of hammer or\nnoise of anvil was necessary in the making of this wonderful chain,\nfor into its weaving went the strangest things that Skirner had ever\nseen,--the down from a butterfly's wing, a handful of moonbeams, the\nlace of a spider's web, a humming bird's lance, the breath of the\nnight wind and many other queer and mysterious things. The work was\nall done in perfect silence, and Skirner sat by looking on in wonder\nas the magic chain grew into being under the elves' skilful fingers.\nAt last it was finished, and with the precious gift in his hands,\nSkirner hastened back to Asgard.[26]\n\n    [25] The home of the elves was in Svartalfheim.\n\n    [26] This magic chain was called Gleipnir.\n\nThen Odin called the gods together and summoned Fenrer to come and try\nhis strength a third time. When the wolf saw the chain which was to\nbind him, he became at once suspicious, especially when he found that\nLoki was absent. He had no doubt of his power to break brass and\nsteel, but he scented a possible danger in the soft, fine thread which\nlay in Odin's hand. As he had no one here to warn him if the gods\nmeant mischief, he felt that it was safer to wait until Loki was\npresent; so he drew away, growling and showing his teeth. At this Thor\ncried out,--\n\n\"How now, Fenrer, have you used up all your strength in breaking those\nheavy chains, and have not enough left to snap this slender thread?\"\n\nThis taunt made the wolf growl more fiercely than ever, though he\nconsented a third time to be bound, demanding first, however, that one\nof the gods should put his hand in the huge mouth, and leave it there\nas a pledge that no magic arts were being used against him. None of\nthe gods wished to take such a risk, and they all drew back in dismay\nexcept Tyr, the sword-god, who stepped boldly forward and thrust his\nhand into the wolf's mouth. Then Fenrer submitted to be bound, and\nallowed the gods to wind the slender thread all about him and fasten\nthe end to a rock. The moment it was secured, the wolf tried as before\nto shake himself free, but the more he struggled and strained, the\ntighter grew the magic thread, until at last Fenrer lay bound and\nhelpless and foaming madly with rage. Seeing that he had been tricked,\nhe closed his teeth savagely upon Tyr's fingers, and bit off his whole\nhand. But the sword-god felt repaid for the loss of his hand since the\nwolf at last was bound. Thus the gods left him securely chained to the\nrock; and there he lay until the final terrible day when it was\ndecreed that he should break loose again, and help in bringing\ndestruction upon all the dwellers of Asgard.\n\n\n\n\nHow Thor Went Fishing\n\n\nOne day the gods went to a feast given by \u00c6ger the sea-god; and they\ndrank so much ale that before the meal was half over the vessel which\nold \u00c6ger had filled was drained dry. He was greatly distressed at\nfinding there was not enough to drink, and he began at once to brew\nmore of the foaming ale. As his kettle was rather small for so great a\ncompany, he asked Thor to find him a larger one that would better suit\nthe needs of the gods. To this Thor, who was always ready for any sort\nof adventure, replied readily,--\n\n\"Tell me where to get the kettle, and I will fetch it, even if it is\nfrom the very heart of J\u00f6tunheim.\"\n\nNow \u00c6ger had no idea where to look for such an enormous kettle as he\nneeded; but just then Tyr spoke up and said:--\n\n\"My father Hymer has a kettle that is one mile deep and half a mile\nwide. If Thor wishes to risk the giant's anger, he can go with me to\nHymer's castle.\"\n\nSo the two gods set off for their long journey in Thor's swift\ngoat-chariot; and though they travelled quickly over the frost-bound\ncountry that stretched far away to the north, it was a long time\nbefore they came to the land where Hymer and his kindred lived. Here\nthey had to cross two half-frozen rivers over which the goats carried\nthem safely, and then they came to the foot of a great ice-covered\nmountain that looked as smooth as glass. Tyr advised that they go the\nrest of the way on foot; so, leaving the chariot by some low fir\ntrees, the two gods proceeded to climb up the slippery side of the\nmountain.\n\nAlmost at the top they came upon Hymer's castle, and they entered the\nspacious hall where a huge fire, made of entire trees, was burning on\nthe hearth. Near the fire was seated Tyr's grandmother, a hideous old\ngiantess who did not speak to the two gods as they entered, but only\ngrinned horridly at them, showing her long, pointed teeth that looked\nlike a wolf's fangs. Beside her sat a beautiful woman spinning flax\nwith a golden wheel. This was Tyr's mother, who was as lovely as the\nold woman was hideous, and as kind as the hag was cruel. She welcomed\nher son affectionately, but warned him that both he and Thor had\nbetter keep hidden until they found out whether Hymer was disposed to\nbe friendly--for when the giant was angry he was not a pleasant person\nto encounter.\n\nLate in the evening Hymer came home, tired and ill-tempered after an\nunsuccessful day's fishing. He shook the snow from his clothes and\ncombed the ice out of his long, white beard. Then he sat down by the\nfire, and while he watched the meat turn on the spit, Tyr's mother\nsaid softly: \"Our son has come to see you. Shall we welcome him to the\nfire?\" Before Hymer could answer, the old giantess croaked out, \"And\nThor has come with him--the strongest god in Asgard and the enemy of\nour race.\"\n\nHymer looked very angry as he heard this, and when his old mother\ncried, \"Look, they are hiding behind the furthest pillar,\" the giant\nstared at the pillar with such a piercing look that it cracked in two.\nThen the beam overhead suddenly snapped, and the kettles that were\nhanging from it fell with a crash to the floor. There were eight of\nthese kettles, and among them was the huge one of which Tyr had spoken\nto the sea-god. All of the kettles were broken by the fall except the\nlargest; and as Hymer was stooping to pick this up, Tyr and Thor\nwalked out from behind the pillar.\n\nThe giant was not very well pleased to see Thor, but as the visitor\ncame in company with his son, he decided to treat him civilly. So he\ninvited the two gods to come and eat with him, and made a place for\nthem by the fire. There were three oxen served for supper; and after\nThor had eaten two of them and started on a third, Hymer cried:--\n\n\"Ho, there! If you eat all our meat, you will have to catch us some\nfish to-morrow.\" Thor laughed and replied that he was only too glad\nof a chance to go fishing. So next morning when the giant set off at\nsunrise, Thor went with him to the beach, and watched him get the\nlines and the nets ready. \"If I am to catch the fish, will you give me\nsome bait?\" he asked, and Hymer replied with a growl, \"Go and find\nsome for yourself.\"\n\nSo Thor went over to the meadow where the giant's cattle were grazing,\nand, seizing the largest bull by the neck, he wrung off its head, and\ncarried this down to the boat. Hymer was very angry at this treatment\nof his property, but he said nothing, only bade Thor take the oars.\nThen he gave the boat a great shove, and sprang in with such violence\nthat the whole craft was almost overturned.\n\nUnder Thor's quick strokes the boat shot over the water like an arrow,\nand the giant looked a bit surprised to see how well his companion\ncould pull. With every dip of the oars the boat gathered speed, and\nthey very soon reached Hymer's fishing ground. He then called to Thor\nto stop rowing, but the god only shook his head and pulled all the\nharder. In a few moments they were out of sight of land, and the boat\nwas swinging heavily in the trough of the sea. Hymer begged Thor not\nto go any farther, but the god laughed and said,--\n\n\"There is much better fishing a few miles ahead.\" Then he bent hard at\nthe oars, and the boat flew over the waves with incredible swiftness.\nSoon Hymer began to be frightened, and called loudly, \"If you go much\nfarther, we shall be over the Midgard serpent.\"\n\nNow this was just what Thor intended; so he kept on rowing until they\nwere just over the spot where the huge snake lay coiled at the bottom\nof the ocean with his tail in his mouth. Then Thor drew in his oars\nand began to bait his line with the bull's head. Hymer had his things\nall ready for fishing, and as soon as he dropped his line into the sea\nthe bait was grabbed with a sudden jerk which nearly toppled the giant\noverboard. Regaining his balance, he proudly pulled up out of the\nwater two whales, and flung them in the boat. Then Thor threw out his\nline, and in a moment the whole sea was in an uproar, for the bait had\nbeen seized by the Midgard serpent and the hook was now caught fast in\nits great mouth.\n\nWhen Thor felt the terrible pull on his line, he grasped it with all\nhis might, and braced himself against the side of the boat. The\nserpent was indeed a match for him in strength, and Thor--to prevent\nbeing dragged out into the water--set himself with such force against\nthe framework of the boat that his feet broke right through, and he\nfound himself standing on the bottom of the sea. Here he could take\nsuch firm hold that he was able to draw the serpent up to the edge of\nthe boat. The monster lashed the waves fiercely with its tail, and\nchurned the water into foam as it writhed about in its efforts to get\nfree from the torturing hook. Its great head rose above the boat's\nside, and in its struggles the beast looked more terrifying than when\nits glittering eyes and great coiled body frightened the dwellers in\nAsgard.\n\nBut Thor was determined not to let the serpent go, so he only pulled\nthe harder and the sea became a great whirlpool of blood and foam and\ntossing waves. Hymer, who had been looking on in amazement at Thor's\nstrength, now sprang forward and cut the line just as the god was\nraising his hammer to crush the monster's head. The Midgard serpent\nimmediately sank out of sight, and Thor--wrathful at Hymer's\ninterference--struck the giant such a blow that he tumbled headlong\ninto the sea. In a moment, however, he had scrambled back into the\nboat, and bade Thor take up the oars and row back to land. When they\nreached the shore, Hymer slung the two whales over his shoulder, and\ncarried them up to his castle. Thor, having no fish, picked up the\nboat, and brought it along with him.\n\nAs soon as they were seated again by the fire, Hymer challenged his\nguest to prove his great strength by breaking a certain drinking-cup.\nThor took the cup and threw it against the furthest stone pillar. It\nstruck with a terrific crash, but--much to Thor's surprise--it fell to\nthe ground unbroken. Then he hurled it at the massive granite wall,\nbut it bounded back like a ball, and dropped at his feet. Thor looked\nvery disconcerted as he stared at the uncracked surface of the cup;\nand, as he was about to own himself defeated, he heard a soft voice\nsay, \"Throw it at Hymer's head.\"\n\nThough he knew that this kindly advice was given by Tyr's mother, he\ndid not dare to turn and thank her, but he took up the cup and dashed\nit at Hymer's forehead. Terrific as the blow was, it did not seem to\nharm the giant at all, but the cup was shattered in a thousand pieces.\nThe giant was very angry at having lost his wager; but he was now so\nthoroughly afraid of Thor's great strength and cunning that he made no\nobjection when Tyr asked for the great kettle to carry back to the\nsea-god \u00c6ger. \"Take it then, if you must,\" he growled sullenly. Tyr\nmade the first attempt to lift the kettle, but he could not so much as\nraise it from the ground. Thor, however, picked it up with great ease\nand set it on his head like a helmet. Then he marched boldly out of\nHymer's castle with Tyr following close behind him.\n\nThey had not gone very far down the mountain when Tyr, looking back,\ncried out that they were being pursued. And true enough, right at\ntheir heels was Hymer with a great company of giants ready to fall\nupon them. Thor did not even lift the kettle from his shoulders, but\nhe swung Mj\u00f6lner around his head until the lightning flashed and the\nthunder shook the hills. Then he rushed at the giants, hurling the\nhammer right and left; and in a short time not one of the pursuers\nremained alive. Then Thor and Tyr resumed their journey, and soon came\nto the spot where the goat-chariot was waiting. This bore them swiftly\nto \u00c6ger's palace, and the gods laughed merrily when they saw Thor\nenter with the kettle on his head. That night there was such a mighty\nbrewing of ale that it seemed as if none of the company could ever be\nthirsty again.\n\n\n\n\nThe Building of the Fortress\n\n\nAlthough the gods had felt less fear of the frost-giants since the\nmighty Mj\u00f6lner had been given to Thor, they were often very anxious\nwhen the Thunderer was obliged--as he sometimes was--to go off on a\nlong journey. Then Asgard was left quite unprotected; for although the\ngods were brave and strong fighters, they would be no match for the\nfrost-giants if their old enemies came against them in great numbers.\nSo they wished very much for some assurance of safety in Thor's\nabsence; and the best protection would undoubtedly be a high stone\nfortress that would encircle the whole of Asgard. But who was to build\nit?\n\nEven if some of the gods were willing to undertake such a long,\ndifficult task, who among them could spare the time for it, and who\ncould lift the heavy stones that would be needed for the work? It\nseemed therefore as if the hope of having a fortress must be given up,\nfor even Loki's quick wit could devise nothing; but one morning\nHeimdall, who guarded the rainbow bridge, blew a loud blast on his\nhorn to announce the approach of a stranger. When Odin looked down\nfrom his throne, he saw a huge figure standing beside Heimdall, and\nhe knew at once that his visitor was one of the frost-giants. He\nstepped down from his golden throne, and, crossing the many-coloured\nBifrost, he stood before the stranger.\n\n\"What do you seek here in sunny Asgard?\" he asked.\n\n\"I am a master-builder,\" replied the giant, \"and I have been told that\nyou needed a clever mason to build you a fortress. Give me the work to\ndo and you shall have a strong wall about your shining city.\"\n\nNow Odin knew that no word about the proposed fortress had ever been\nbreathed outside of Asgard; but he knew also that it was useless to\nmake any denial, for the frost-giants, with their mysterious wisdom,\nhad somehow learned the truth. So he said to the stranger: \"We _do_\nneed a fortress. Can you build one strong enough to resist any\nattack?\"\n\n\"That I can,\" replied the giant, quickly. \"And when my work is\nfinished, I will promise you that all the forces in the universe could\nnot move one stone from the wall.\"\n\n\"How long will it take you to build the fortress?\" asked Odin.\n\n\"Just one year--which is a very short allowance of time for so great a\ntask,\" answered the giant.\n\n\"And what payment do you ask for your work?\"\n\n\"My wages must be the sun and moon and Freya for my wife,\" cried the\ngiant, boldly.\n\nThis demand astonished and angered Odin; but, remembering how much he\nwas in need of such help as the giant could give, he concealed his\nwrath under soft words and bade the master-builder come the next day\nfor his answer.\n\nWhen Odin called the gods together in the great council-hall and told\nthem what the frost-giant demanded as payment for his work, a murmur\nof disapproval arose. Soon all the company cried out against making so\ndreadful a sacrifice; for it would be cruel to deliver the beautiful\nFreya to the arms of a giant. It was impossible to lose the maiden who\nwas the light and joy of Asgard, and it was equally impossible to take\nthe sun and moon from the heavens and compel the helpless earth to sit\nforever in darkness. So the gods decided to tell the giant that they\nwould not accept his terms. Just then Loki spoke up.\n\n\"Let my wit and cunning--which you always condemn--find a way out of\nthe difficulty. We will agree to the builder's demands, but you may\ntrust me to see that he does not get a single one of the things he\ncovets.\"\n\nThe gods were apt to doubt Loki's wisdom, and they always distrusted\nhis motives; but they knew that his craftiness and trickery often\nhelped him in his own difficulties, and they were now willing to use\nany means that offered a way out of their trouble. So they listened to\nLoki's plans, and next day, when the giant came for his answer, Odin\ntold him that the gods would accept his terms if he would promise to\nbuild the fortress in a single winter. He was also to agree to give up\nhis claims if the work was not finished by the first day of summer.\n\nThe giant was not pleased with these conditions, and he grumbled a\ngreat deal about the short time that was given him. He promised,\nhowever, to undertake the building of the fortress, and agreed to have\nit finished by the first day of summer if he could have his horse to\nhelp him in his work. Now Loki was not present when the giant made\nthis request; but Odin saw no reason why it should not be granted, so\nhe told the builder to come the next day at sunrise and bring his\nhorse with him. When Loki saw how the giant was going to be helped in\nthe work, he was not so certain that his own wit could save the day;\nfor the helper which the builder brought was an immense horse named\nSvadilfare, who could work night and day. This wonderful creature not\nonly dragged the great blocks of stone for the building, but also set\nthem in place with his strong fore-legs. The gods looked on in dismay\nas they saw how fast the work progressed, and berated Loki for having\ninduced them to accept the giant's offer.\n\nThe long winter wore on, and the fortress grew as if by magic. The\ngiant worked steadily without taking a moment to rest, and the\nwonderful Svadilfare brought pile after pile of huge stones to the\nspot where the builder was toiling with might and main. A few days\nbefore the end of the winter the work was all finished except one\nlarge slab that was to form the top of the gateway. The gods were now\nso alarmed at the prospect of having to pay the giant his extortionate\nwages that they threatened Loki with the direst punishments if he did\nnot find some way out of the difficulty.\n\nSo that night as Svadilfare was wearily dragging to the gateway the\nlast stone that was to complete the fortress, Loki changed himself\ninto a pretty little mare; and, trotting up to the great horse,\nsaid--in perfect equine language--\"Why must you work so hard when\nthere are yet three days in which to lay this stone? Come with me for\na romp in the meadows. You can be back again before your master\nreturns.\"\n\nNow Svadilfare knew that he ought not to leave his work; but his\nmaster was absent and he was very tired, and there was plenty of time\nto lay this last stone. So when the little mare trotted away still\ncalling to him, he kicked off his harness and galloped delightedly\nafter her. When the giant came to view the last of the work, one great\nstone lay by the unfinished gateway and the horse was nowhere to be\nseen. Believing that the gods had purposely hidden him in Asgard, he\ndemanded the right to search the city; but no print of Svadilfare's\nfeet were to be seen on the unmarred streets of gold. Then the giant\nrushed madly over the earth, and so heavy was his tread that the\ndwellers in Midgard awoke at night in terror, fearing that an\nearthquake was shaking the ground beneath them. Into the remotest\ncorners of the earth and even as far as J\u00f6tunheim the giant searched\nfor his missing horse; but he never found the secret grove where Loki\nwas in hiding with Svadilfare. When the builder at last returned to\nAsgard, the first day of summer had dawned, and, by the terms of the\nagreement, he had forfeited his wages.\n\nThe gods had assembled just inside the fortress; and when the giant\ncame raging toward them they were glad that Thor had returned from his\nlong journey and now stood among them with the mighty Mj\u00f6lner in his\nhand. The builder knew that in some way he had been tricked into\nlosing his wager; so when Odin demanded that he should leave Asgard\nand not trouble the gods any further, he flew into a terrible rage and\ncried,--\n\n\"If this fortress were not so strongly built, I would pull it to\npieces so that you might not mock me.\" Then he rushed past the\nassembled company and into the many-pillared hall of Valhalla, crying:\n\"Not for nothing does a frost-giant stand within the walls of Asgard.\nYour palaces are not built to stand forever, and I will send them\ncrashing about your heads.\"\n\nAs he spoke, he grasped two of the pillars in his powerful arms, and\nit is probable that the beautiful building would have fallen if Thor\nhad not rushed forward at this moment and struck the giant such a blow\nwith his hammer that the builder's head was shattered in a thousand\npieces. Then the huge body toppled headlong over the rainbow bridge,\nand kept on falling until at last it sank into the fathomless gulf\nthat borders on the Land of Mists.\n\nThus the gods obtained their much-needed fortress, and Freya stayed\nhappily in Asgard. There was now a sure protection against the\ninvasion of the frost-giants; but over the gateway, one stone was\nalways lacking, for no one among the gods was strong enough to set it\ninto place.\n\n\n\n\nHow the Hammer Was Lost and Found\n\n\nThe mighty hammer Mj\u00f6lner was not only a protection to Asgard, but\nserved to keep the frost-giants from doing harm to the earth. This\nwhole race hated brightness, and were not content to live themselves\nin a land of ice and snow and mist, but tried to make all the world\nlike their own dreary country. They longed to take the sunlight from\nthe earth, to kill the flowers and cover every green thing with a\nmantle of blighting frost. They would have done all this if they had\nnot been afraid of Thor's hammer, for whenever they strayed too far\nfrom J\u00f6tunheim and tried to nip the leaves and flowers with their icy\nfingers, Thor would drive them out of Midgard with his hammer; and the\nthunder and lightning would follow hard upon them until they were once\nmore within the limits of their frozen hills.\n\nOne day Thor came back from a long journey, and being very tired he\ndropped down on the steps of his palace and fell into a heavy sleep.\nWhen at length he awoke, he found to his horror and dismay that\nMj\u00f6lner was no longer in his hand or by his side. Some one must have\ncome while he was sleeping and stolen it away. Thor felt certain that\nit was one of the frost-giants, for none of the gods, not even the\nmischief-loving Loki, would have dared to commit this theft. But no\none had seen any of the giants lurking about Asgard, and Odin's ravens\nhad not met with them in their flights to and from the earth. Yet it\nmust have been some one of their ancient enemies who had stolen\nMj\u00f6lner, and therefore the hammer must be recovered speedily or the\nwhole race of giants would soon come to take possession of Asgard now\nthat its chief means of defence was gone. So Thor went in haste to\nLoki and begged him to devise some plan to recover the hammer.\n\n\"I will go myself,\" said Loki, \"and see if I can find out who has\nstolen Mj\u00f6lner. Perhaps we can regain it before it is too late, for\nthe thief may not yet have spread the news of its capture to his\nkindred.\" Thor was ready to welcome any suggestion, so he readily\nagreed to this plan, and Loki hurried off to the flower-filled garden\nwhere Freya was wont to walk.[27] He told the goddess of the theft of\nMj\u00f6lner and begged her to lend him her falcon plumage so that he might\nwaste no time in his search. Freya gladly gave him her feathery\ndisguise, and Loki sped northward across the frozen sea until he came\nto J\u00f6tunheim. He shivered continually under his delicate plumage, for\nthis ice-bound land with its snow-covered mountains wrapped in the\ncold of eternal winter was different indeed from sunny Asgard.\n\n    [27] Freya's palace was called Folkvang. She sometimes drove\n    in a chariot drawn by cats. From her name comes our word\n    Friday.\n\nHe walked for a long time without meeting any one, but at last he\nfound the giant Thrym seated on the side of a mountain, counting his\nflock of sheep. The giant was very ugly, and he was also terribly big\nand strong, but Loki felt no fear of him. He perched on a rock beside\nThrym, who looked at him craftily a moment and then said, \"Why does\nLoki try to deceive those who know more than the gods?\"\n\nSeeing that his disguise would now be of little service, Loki assumed\nhis own form, and drawing nearer to the giant greeted him in turn as a\nfriend. Thrym did not seem at all surprised at seeing a god in\nJ\u00f6tunheim; but he looked rather uneasily around, and went on counting\nhis sheep without replying to Loki's greeting. The cunning god then\ninstantly surmised that here was the thief who had taken Thor's\nhammer; so, in threatening tones, he accused the giant of the theft,\nand demanded that Mj\u00f6lner be at once returned. It was a bold stroke,\nbut it did not deceive Thrym in the least, for he knew that Loki was\nmaking mere empty threats, since Mj\u00f6lner was no longer in Asgard.\n\nThen Loki made the giant many promises of rich rewards from Odin, and\ntold him of the good-will which all the gods would have for him if he\nreturned the hammer to Thor. At this Thrym began to laugh, and he\nlaughed so loud that the trees upon the mountain shook. Then he tore\nup by the roots a huge oak tree and threw it like a straw into the\nsea, and turning to Loki said: \"You will never find that hammer,\nfriend Loki, for I have buried it nine fathoms in the earth, and\nneither you nor Thor shall ever see it again. Yet, if you really need\nthe hammer as a protection to your city, there is one condition on\nwhich I return it. You must give me the beautiful Freya for my wife.\"\n\nThis proposal rather staggered Loki, for he knew how impossible such a\nthing was. But he said nothing, only bade Thrym good-by and hastened\nback to Asgard.\n\nWhen Loki reported to Odin the result of his journey, the gods held a\ncouncil to decide what it was best to do. Of course it was out of the\nquestion to try to induce Freya to become Thrym's wife, and Odin could\nnot feel justified in demanding such a sacrifice. When the maiden\nherself learned of the giant's proposal, she grew so angry at the\ninsult that the necklace of stars which she wore around her slender\nthroat broke; and as the shining pieces fell through the air, people\nin Midgard exclaimed with delight at the shooting stars.\n\nSince it was impossible to think of yielding Freya to a giant even to\nrecover Mj\u00f6lner, the gods tried to form some other plan, and again\nthey turned to Loki for help, for he alone was clever enough to outwit\nthe giant.\n\n\"There is no way to get the hammer,\" said Loki, \"except by giving\nThrym a bride; and since we cannot send any of the goddesses to the\ncold northland, we must find the giant another wife. Let us dress up\nThor like a woman and send him instead.\"\n\n\"Never,\" roared Thor; \"I should be the laughing-stock of every one in\nAsgard.\"\n\n\"Nonsense,\" replied Loki, who rather enjoyed having Thor at his mercy;\n\"and what if you were? Is that anything compared to seeing the whole\nrace of frost-giants at the gates of Asgard? If something is not done\nvery soon, they will be ruling here in our places.\"\n\nThe situation was indeed so critical that at length Thor consented to\nthe plan, though much against his will. So Loki put on him a rich robe\nembroidered with gold, and wound a chain about his neck and put a\nbeautiful girdle at his waist. Then he threw over Thor's head a long\nbridal-veil, while he attired himself as a waiting maid to attend the\nbride. The gods harnessed Thor's milk-white goats to the chariot, and\ntogether Thor and Loki set out for the frost-giants' country. It was\nvery difficult to restrain the pretended bride from thrusting her\nsinewy hands from under the veil, and Loki feared that even a\nlove-lorn giant would not be fooled into believing that those massive\nshoulders belonged to a maiden.\n\nWhen Thrym beheld the bridal party coming, he was filled with joy and\nran to meet them. He wished very much to raise the bride's veil, but\nLoki forbade him until after the wedding ceremony.\n\n\"The goddess Freya who has come to be your wife is very timid,\" said\nLoki, \"and you must not distress her with your attentions, or she may\ngrow frightened and wish to return to Asgard.\" So Thrym obeyed Loki's\ncommand, and led the bride to his palace, where his kinsmen were\nassembled. There they found the tables spread with meat and wine as if\nfor a feast. Thrym urged his bride to partake of the fruits and\ndelicacies which had been brought especially for her, and with some\nshow of reluctance the supposed woman began to eat. First she devoured\neight large salmon, then twelve roasted birds, and soon followed this\nup with eating a whole ox and drinking three barrels of mead.\n\n\"Did ever a maiden eat like this one?\" thought the giants, and in\ntheir hearts they pitied Thrym for getting such a wife. When they\nspoke of the bride's appetite to Loki, he replied, \"It is eight days\nsince Freya has eaten anything, for she was so overjoyed at wedding\nThrym, that she could not touch any food.\" Thrym was too happy to\nnotice what the bride ate, and when the feast was over he cried to his\nbrother, \"Bring hither the hammer Mj\u00f6lner and place it in the bride's\nlap; then let us be wedded in the name of Var.\"\n\nSo the hammer was brought and placed in Thor's hand; but the minute\nhis fingers closed around it he tore the veil from his face, and the\nterrified giants beheld, not the mild countenance of Freya, but the\nface of the Thunderer himself. It was too late now to escape, and the\ngiants were so frightened that they could not move, even if they had\nknown where to flee from the fierce anger that blazed in Thor's eyes.\nHe had barely swung the hammer twice around his head when thunder and\nlightning was mingled with the crash of falling buildings; and those\nof the giants who were not killed by the blows of the hammer were\nburied beneath the crumbling ruins. Thus did Mj\u00f6lner return at last to\nAsgard.\n\n\n\n\nIduna's Apples\n\n\nThough sorrow sometimes came to the people of Asgard and they shared\nthe burden of grief and trouble that afflicted the human race, yet as\ngods they had one privilege which belonged to them alone,--the\nblessing of eternal youth. Sickness and old age never came within the\ngates of Asgard; and this was because the goddess Iduna had some very\nwonderful apples which gave, to those who ate of them, the strength\nand beauty of youth.\n\nIn appearance they were very much like other apples, of a beautiful\nred and gold; but when the gods had eaten of them they knew that such\nfruit could not be found anywhere outside of Asgard. For no other\napples except those in Iduna's casket could bestow eternal youth and\nthe power to defy all sickness and pain.\n\nThe goddess herself was very proud of her treasures, and proud, too,\nof the confidence which Odin placed in her in making her the guardian\nof a thing so priceless. The casket in which she kept the apples had\nonly a single key, and this Iduna kept fastened to her girdle.\nWherever she went she carried the precious casket with her, and never\nlet it be for a moment out of her sight. The gods felt no uneasiness\nwhile the apples were in such safe keeping, and there seemed to be no\nreason why they should ever lose the beauty and health and youth which\nhad always been theirs. But one day both Iduna and her golden apples\ndisappeared from Asgard, and no one knew where they had gone,--no one\nbut Loki, and he would not tell. This is how it happened.\n\nOdin and Loki and H\u0153nir once went on a visit to the land of the\nfrost-giants to find out, if possible, whether they were plotting any\nnew invasion of Asgard. It was an uncomfortable journey, for the air\nwas bitterly cold and the ground hard and frozen, so there was no\npleasure in travelling. They even felt rather sorry for the people who\nwere condemned to live forever in such a cheerless country. They were\nhungry, too, and could find nothing to eat; no game to kill, no fish\nto catch, not even any wild berries upon the barren hillsides. So Odin\nproposed that they return at once to Asgard; but just then Loki saw a\nherd of cows grazing near by, and exclaimed:--\n\n\"Here is meat in abundance. Let us eat before we set out again on our\njourney.\"\n\nThen he killed the fattest of the cows, and bore it on his shoulder to\nthe spot where Odin and H\u0153nir were already building a fire. They cut\nthe meat and put it upon a spit; and while Loki turned it, the two\nothers piled logs upon the fire. Now and then they tasted the flesh,\nthinking it must be cooked; but each time it was as raw as when they\nhad first cut it. Then Odin threw on more logs, and the heat became so\nintense that the gods could hardly stand near it. Still the meat\nremained uncooked. All night long they took turns cooking and tending\nthe fire; but morning found them hungrier than ever, and with yet no\nprospect of a meal. This was too much for even the good-natured H\u0153nir,\nwhile Loki became so angry that he would have killed the whole herd of\ncows and thrown them into the sea out of mere spite. But Odin laughed\nand said:--\n\n\"Nay, Loki, do not let us vent our anger so foolishly. We will return,\nrather, to Asgard, and tell the gods that, in spite of the drink from\nMimir's well, the frost-giants are yet wiser than Odin.\" For he knew\nthat it was through some mysterious intervention of their old enemy\nthat they could not enjoy the much-needed dinner.\n\nJust then there came a loud noise and a whirring of wings overhead,\nand, looking up, they saw a large eagle hovering above them.\n\n\"Ha, ha,\" he cried, \"so you cannot cook your dinner, I see. The meat\nmust be tough indeed that will not yield to such a fire. But give me\nyour promise that you will share the feast with me, and I will pledge\nyou to get it cooked.\"\n\nThe gods promised very gladly, and the eagle, moving nearer, said,--\n\n\"Stand aside and let me blow up the fire.\"\n\nSuspecting nothing, the gods moved away, and as they did so the eagle\nswooped down, and, seizing in his strong claws all the meat that was\non the spit, he began to flap his huge wings and rise slowly into the\nair.\n\nWhen the gods saw that the eagle meant to trick them, they grew very\nangry, and Loki, hoping to snatch his prize from the treacherous\ngiant,--for that was what the thief really was,--grasped one end of\nthe spit as it rose into the air and tried to drag it downward. But\nthe eagle's strength was greater than the god's, and he flew higher\nand higher, carrying the luckless Loki with him. Up they soared, far\nabove the heads of the bewildered H\u0153nir and Odin, who were helpless to\nrescue their comrade, and could only stand by and watch him\ndisappearing from view. Over the frozen sea and the snow-covered\nmountains the eagle carried the unhappy Loki, not pausing in his\nflight until they reached a huge iceberg. Here he stopped, and dropped\nLoki upon the ground, where the bruised and weary god was glad to\nrest; for the eagle had dragged him over ice and snow, sharp stones\nand frost-bound stubble that stung like so many thorns.\n\nThe moment the bird alighted it was no longer an eagle, but the giant\nThiassi, who grinned maliciously and said,--\n\n\"How do you like flying, friend Loki?\"\n\nLoki was in such a rage that he was tempted to try to hurl the giant\nfrom the iceberg. He knew, however, that this would only shut him off\nfrom a speedy return to his companions, so he restrained his anger and\nsaid:--\n\n\"You can indeed rival the gods in swiftness, and I should be glad to\njourney farther with you, but Odin demands my return to Asgard. Take\nme back to him, therefore, with all speed.\"\n\nThe giant laughed at Loki's assumed boldness, and answered: \"The gods\nare great indeed, but the frost-giants have no fear of them. Odin may\nneed you in Asgard, but you shall not return except on one\ncondition--that you promise to deliver into my power the goddess Iduna\nand her golden apples.\"\n\nFor some time Loki did not answer, for he hardly dared to make such a\npromise, since the loss of Iduna from Asgard would mean old age and\npossible death to the gods. Still, he did not intend to remain any\nlonger on the iceberg. Knowing well the stubborn persistence of the\nwhole race of giants, he felt that cajolery and threats were alike\nuseless, so he said,--\n\n\"I will promise.\"\n\nThe giant knew Loki's reputation for cunning, and therefore he\ndemanded that the god should swear by Odin's spear to keep his\npromise. Loki did this, though with great reluctance, and the giant\nthen assumed his eagle plumage and carried the god swiftly back to the\nplace where Odin and H\u0153nir were still standing by the burnt-out fire.\nIn answer to their questions, Loki told them of his strange journey,\nbut made no mention of his promise to the giant. Then the three gods\nreturned to Asgard.\n\nSome time later, Loki went to the palace of Iduna and asked to see her\napples. The goddess willingly brought out her casket, for she never\nwearied of looking at the precious fruit; but as she handed Loki the\napples, she said,--\n\n\"It is strange indeed for you to care so much for beauty--or is it\nthat life is aging you more quickly than the others of Asgard, and you\nneed still another of Iduna's apples?\"\n\n\"Nay,\" replied Loki, \"it is not for that reason that I desire to see\nyour beautiful fruit; but because I wish to assure myself that they\nare really the best apples in the world.\"\n\n\"Why, where would you find such as these?\" asked Iduna in surprise.\n\n\"Just beyond the gates of Asgard,\" answered Loki, \"is a wonderful tree\nwhich bears fruit in all respects like these apples you prize so\nhighly. I think they look even fresher, and as I tasted them I felt\nsure that they were finer in flavour than any you have here. It is a\npity you cannot go and see them.\"\n\n\"Is it far from here?\" asked the goddess, wistfully.\n\n\"No, indeed,\" replied Loki; \"just outside the city gates. It would be\nsuch a delight to you to see them, for they are so fine as they hang\nin the sunlight, and so easy to reach, too. Some day I will tell you\nmore about them, but now I must be away, for Odin has a commission for\nme to-day.\" So saying, he took his departure, and Iduna was left\nalone.\n\nFor a long time she thought over what Loki had said, and the longing\ngrew very strong to go and see those apples which he had declared were\neven finer than her own. She dared not go away and leave her casket\nbehind; but there surely could be no harm in taking it with her just a\nlittle way outside the gates of Asgard. Still she was doubtful and\ntroubled, and wished that her husband, Bragi, were at home, that she\nmight ask his advice. For a long time she hesitated, but at last her\ncuriosity grew too strong to be resisted, and with her casket on her\narm she left the palace and hurried outside the city gates.\n\nShe looked carefully all about her, but she saw no tree such as Loki\nhad described. Discouraged and disappointed, she was about to return\nhome, when she heard a loud noise overhead, and, looking up, saw a\nlarge eagle flying toward her. In a moment he had rushed down upon\nher, and before the terrified goddess realized what had happened, he\nhad caught her up in his strong claws, and was carrying her above the\ntree tops. In vain did she scream and struggle, for the eagle soared\nhigher and higher, carrying her far out of sight of Asgard. He flew\nstraight as an arrow across the mountains and over the frozen sea till\nhe came to his home in the dreary northland. Here he took the form of\nthe terrible giant Thiassi and began to beg the goddess for one of her\napples. Iduna, frightened and trembling, kept the precious key of the\ncasket clasped tight in her hand, and boldly refused to betray her\ntrust by giving the giant even a sight of the apples. So Thiassi shut\nher up in his ice-walled palace[28] and kept her there many days, not\ncaring though she grew pale and sick with longing to return to sunny\nAsgard.\n\n    [28] Called Thrymheim.\n\nMeantime, the gods were greatly troubled at the sudden disappearance\nof Iduna; and her husband, Bragi, sought her, sorrowing, over all the\nearth. No one had seen her leave Asgard, and none knew where she had\ngone or when she would return,--none save Loki, and he very wisely\nkept silent. At first the gods did not realize what the loss of Iduna\nand her apples meant to them; but as time went on and they felt\nweariness and old age creeping over them, they were filled with fear\nlest the goddess might never return, and there would be no longer any\nway to keep Death without the gates of Asgard. Odin's calm brow now\nbecame clouded, for not even his great wisdom was of any help in\nsolving the mystery of Iduna's strange disappearance. The ravens,\nflying far and wide each day, brought no news of the missing goddess;\nand meanwhile Time was leaving its unwelcome marks on the faces of the\ngods and goddesses. Frigga's hair began to turn white, and wrinkles\nfurrowed the fair cheeks of Freya. The mighty Mj\u00f6lner now trembled in\nthe unsteady hand of Thor, and the feeble fingers of Bragi could no\nlonger draw sweet music from his harp; in fact, all the dwellers in\nAsgard were growing old, and there was no way for them to renew their\nyouth.\n\nOne day the ravens whispered to Odin that he should question Loki in\nregard to Iduna's disappearance, and Loki was summoned to appear\nbefore Odin's throne. When accused of knowing something of the missing\ngoddess, he at first stoutly denied all knowledge of her; but Odin's\nlook seemed to search his thoughts, and he saw that lying and deceit\nwere of no avail. So he told all that he had done, and begged Odin's\nforgiveness. He promised to set out at once in search of the stolen\ngoddess, and swore that he would not return to Asgard until he had\nfound her and had brought Iduna and her apples safely home again.\nOnce more he borrowed the falcon plumage of Freya and flew over to the\nfrozen northland to the place where the giant kept Iduna a prisoner in\nhis ice palace. He found her sitting alone and weeping bitterly; but\nLoki wasted no time in trying to comfort her. She was so overjoyed\nwhen the god assumed his own form and told her why he had come that\nshe even forgave him for the misery he had led her into by his\ntreachery. She said that fortunately Thiassi was off on his daily walk\nacross the hills; but Loki, wishing to take all precautions, again put\non his falcon plumage, and, by his magic arts, changed the goddess\ninto a nut which he grasped firmly in his talons. Then, being warned\nby Iduna that the giant never remained long away, he flew with her\nstraight toward Asgard.\n\nThey had not gone far when Thiassi came home; and when he found Iduna\ngone, he knew that some of the gods must have come to her rescue.\nNevertheless he determined not to lose her so easily; and taking the\nform of an eagle he flew high up into the air and looked about for\nsome sign of the fugitive. Far in the distance he saw a moving speck\namong the clouds, and he followed quickly in pursuit. As he drew\nnearer he saw the falcon and its burden, and he knew that Iduna was\nbeing carried back to Asgard. So he redoubled his speed, and his great\nwings brought him rapidly nearer the falcon, whose laboured flight\nseemed to make an escape from the enemy impossible.\n\nAt Asgard the gods had assembled on the city walls, and they were now\nlooking anxiously across the earth, fearing that some misfortune had\novertaken Loki. At last they saw the falcon flying toward them, and\nthey felt sure that this was Loki returning with his precious charge.\nBut with the joy of this discovery came also a sudden fear as they saw\nthe eagle following close behind the falcon, and seemingly in hot\npursuit. These fears were confirmed as the birds drew nearer; and then\nthe gods realized that if they would save Loki and Iduna, something\nmust be done at once. Nearer and nearer came the falcon; but though\nhis flight was swift, he could not keep the pace of his pursuer, and\nthe eagle was steadily gaining on him. By this time the gods had built\na great pile of wood on the city walls and were waiting until the\nfalcon with his priceless burden had flown across it. The moment Loki\npassed, they quickly set fire to the wood; and as the eagle came\nrushing blindly on, he flew directly over the flames, which caught his\nfeathers and drew him down into the fire, burning him to death.\n\nIduna and her apples were safe at last in Asgard, and to celebrate her\nreturn Odin made a great feast in his palace hall, and the gods ate\nagain of the golden fruit and became young and beautiful once more.\n\n\n\n\nHow Thor's Pride Was Brought Low\n\nPART I\n\n\nOne morning Thor drove hurriedly out of Asgard in his chariot drawn by\nthe milk-white goats, and set out on a wonderful journey. He did not\ntell Odin where he intended to go, for he knew that the All-Wise One\nwould try to persuade him to give up the foolish expedition. For\nThor's purpose was to travel all through J\u00f6tunheim until he met with\nthe strongest of the giants, and then challenge him to a combat.\n\nSo he left Asgard secretly, and, avoiding the rainbow bridge as he\nalways did when in his heavy-wheeled chariot, he directed his swift\nsteeds toward J\u00f6tunheim. But though he passed through the gates of\nAsgard unseen by Odin, he was not quick enough for Loki, who, thinking\nthat Thor's haste betokened some unusual adventure, put on his magic\nshoes and followed the goats' flying feet. He found Thor quite willing\nto take him as a companion, and together the two gods hurried\nnorthward. They had hoped to reach Utgard, the great city of the\ngiants, before night fell; but by the time they gained the shores of\nthe ever-frozen sea that marks the boundary of J\u00f6tunheim, they found\nthat it was too dark to travel any farther. So they looked about for\nsome place to pass the night, and just over the hill they saw a small\nhut with a friendly light streaming from the window. When they asked\nhere for food and shelter, the cottager gladly offered them a lodging\nfor the night, but he confessed, reluctantly, that he had no food to\ngive them.\n\n\"That trouble is soon remedied,\" cried Thor; and stepping over to\nwhere his goats stood browsing on the scanty grass, he struck them\ndead with one blow of his hammer. Then to the great surprise of the\npeasant and his family, he skinned the goats and spread their hides\ncarefully upon the ground. After this was done, he offered their\nbodies to his host, saying: \"Here is meat enough to furnish us with a\nbountiful dinner. I must beg of you, however, not to break a single\none of the animals' bones, but throw them all on the goatskins.\"\n\nThe peasant and his wife carefully obeyed Thor's instructions, but the\nson, Thialfi, was so eager to get at the marrow in his bone that he\nbroke it. This greedy act was not seen, however, so the boy hoped that\nno harm would come from his disobedience. The next morning when the\ngods made ready to resume their journey, Thor struck the goatskins\nwith his hammer, and immediately the bones leaped into place. In a\nmoment the two animals stood alive and whole before the eyes of the\nastonished cottagers; but one of the goats limped badly. When Thor\nnoticed this he knew that his commands had been disobeyed, and he\nquestioned the peasants angrily. He looked so terrible in his wrath\nthat poor Thialfi did not dare to confess that he had broken the bone;\nand it was only when Thor threatened to kill the whole family if the\nguilt were not acknowledged, that the boy, terrified and trembling,\nadmitted his deed.\n\nAs he seemed so truly sorry for what he had done, Thor relented and\noffered to take the lad with him as his servant. So, leaving the goats\nand the chariot in care of the peasant, the two gods resumed their\njourney. It was impossible to go very fast on foot, as the ground was\nfrozen hard and covered with sharp bits of ice that cut through the\ntravellers' light sandals. The difficulty in crossing the river was\nincreased by the strong wind which blew from the high, bleak hills of\nJ\u00f6tunheim, and seemed to lay an icy hand upon them.\n\nSo it was well on into the night before Thor and Loki reached a\ndesolate stretch of moorland with mountains standing like grim\nsentinels all around it. This was the very heart of the frost-giants'\ncountry. There was no protection here that promised a night's rest,\nso the travellers kept on till they came to a strange building which,\nin the darkness, seemed to be a five-doored house, opening into a\nlarge courtyard. Here the gods built a fire to cook their evening\nmeal, and then went gladly to bed, each of them taking one of the\nlong, narrow rooms.\n\nThey had just fallen asleep when a great noise like the roaring of an\nangry sea filled their ears, and this was accompanied by a sort of\ntrembling in the ground beneath them. Thinking it was a sudden\nearthquake, they waited for it to subside; but the rumbling only\nincreased, and the strange noise grew almost deafening. This continued\nfor hours, so that the travellers gave up all hope of sleeping, and at\nsunrise they set off again on their journey, after eating a hasty and\nsullen meal.\n\nTheir road now lay through the thick woods, and here they were soon\nhalted by the sight of a giant stretched full length upon the ground.\nHe was so big that even Thor and Loki, accustomed as they were to the\nsize of the frost-giants, stared at him in surprise. As for Thialfi,\nhe dropped the bag of provisions he was carrying, and hid behind a\ntree. The mystery of the strange noise was now solved, for the gods\nsaw that it was merely the giant's snoring. The trees around him shook\nwith his tremendous breathing, and the hills re\u00ebchoed to the deafening\nroar.\n\nThe sight of the giant sleeping so peacefully aroused Thor's anger,\nand he determined not to be disturbed any longer by the prodigious\nsnoring. So he raised his hammer to strike a well-aimed blow at the\nsleeper; but just then the giant awoke. He sat up, and, smiling\ngood-naturedly at the travellers, said, \"What brings the mighty Thor\nand cunning Loki so far from Asgard?\"\n\nAs it would be useless to try and deceive any one as wise as a\nfrost-giant, Thor replied: \"I have come to J\u00f6tunheim to measure my\nstrength against the mightiest of your people. Will you show us the\nway to the city of Utgard?\"\n\n\"That I will do very gladly,\" cried the giant, getting up from the\nground and stretching his huge body until it seemed as if his hands\nwould touch the clouds. He then picked up a large sack that was lying\nnear by, and throwing it over his shoulders, bade Thor and Loki follow\nhim. Before they had gone far, he stopped, saying, \"I have forgotten\nmy glove; it must be somewhere in the forest.\" As he refused to\nproceed any further until it was found, the gods and Thialfi helped\nhim in his search. Suddenly the giant reached over the tops of the\ntrees, and picking up the very house in which the travellers had spent\nthe night, exclaimed, \"Here is my glove! I must have dropped it just\nbefore I went to sleep.\"\n\nPutting the glove into his capacious pocket, and throwing his bag of\nprovisions again upon his back, the giant started off across the\nhills. The gods had great difficulty in keeping within sight of him;\nand Thialfi, who was a swift runner, could barely hold to the pace the\ngiant set as he covered mile after mile with each of his great\nstrides.\n\nAt nightfall they were still far from the city of Utgard, so the giant\nproposed that they should eat their evening meal, and then sleep under\nthe trees. The dinner was soon disposed of, and after the giant had\neaten two roasted sheep and drunk a keg of ale, he stretched himself\nfull length upon the ground. In a moment he was fast asleep and\nsnoring louder than ever before.\n\nThe two gods knew that it was no use for them to think of sleeping, so\nThor, having nothing better to do, laid hold of the giant's sack and\ntried to unfasten the string with which it seemed so loosely tied. But\nthe more he pulled at it, the tighter drew the cord, and Thor\ndespaired of seeing what was inside the sack unless he ripped it open.\nThis failure made him very angry, and his anger was further increased\nby the giant's continued snoring. When the gods wished to speak to\neach other, they could barely hear their voices above the thunder of\nthe giant's snores.\n\nAt last Thor could restrain his wrath no longer; and, raising Mj\u00f6lner\nhigh above his head, he dealt the sleeping figure a terrific blow. The\ngiant opened his eyes, and looked slowly around him. \"Did a leaf fall\non my head?\" he asked. \"I thought that I felt something touch me.\"\nThen he went off to sleep again, and began to snore so heavily that\nthe gods felt the ground shaking beneath them.\n\nThor was surprised at the ill-success of his blow, and he grew angrier\nthan ever at the sight of the giant peacefully sleeping. Then he\nlooked at the sack with its seemingly simple cord which he could not\nuntie, and his wrath blazed out afresh. He rushed at the giant like a\ncharging bull, and the blow which he dealt him made such a noise that\nfor a moment it drowned the thunderous snoring. The giant roused\nhimself with a shake and called, \"Is any one throwing acorns at me, or\ndid a twig fall on my head?\"\n\nOn receiving no answer to his question, he sat up, and looking around\nat Thor he smiled pleasantly and said: \"Why are you not sleeping, my\nfriends? If you do not rest, you will be too tired for your journey\nto-morrow. But perhaps you are still hungry; so take what you wish\nfrom my sack. There is plenty for us all.\" He tossed his bag of\nprovisions nearer to the gods--then lay down again and went to sleep.\n\nThor was so furious by this time that he could barely wait until the\ngiant was asleep before he grasped Mj\u00f6lner in both hands and hurled it\nat the giant's head. Thialfi, seeing the god beside himself with rage,\nshrank back in fear before the terrible wrath that blazed in the\nThunderer's eyes; and he hid his face in his hands when he heard the\ncrash that shook the forest when Mj\u00f6lner sank almost up to the handle\nin the giant's forehead.\n\nThe sleeper stirred uneasily, then sat up, looking first at the\ntravellers, then up at the trees. \"Are there any birds about here?\" he\nasked. \"I thought I felt one pecking at my forehead.\" Then he sprang\nto his feet, and, taking up his sack of provisions, he opened the bag\nvery easily and took out half an ox. \"It is almost daylight, and we\nmust have an early start if we wish to reach Utgard by midday,\" he\ncontinued, smiling pleasantly at his companions, and offering them the\ncontents of his sack.\n\nThor was so angry that he could not eat, but Loki and Thialfi made a\ngood breakfast, and as they ate, the giant told them what they might\nexpect when they reached the city of Utgard. \"You may think that I am\na fairly big fellow,\" he said, \"but when you see those who live at the\ncourt of the king, you will consider me but a puny thing to be called\na giant. If Thor wishes to find a worthy opponent, he will meet his\nequal among Utgard-Loke's men.\"\n\nWhen the giant finished eating, he shouldered his sack, and laid on\ntop of it the bag of provisions that the two gods had brought, hoping\nthus to lighten their travelling. Then he struck off on a rough path\nacross the hills, with Thor and Loki hurrying after him, and Thialfi\nrunning at his heels. Soon they came within sight of Utgard, and when\nthey reached the city gates, the giant said: \"I must leave you now,\nfor my way lies in another direction. I think you will find a kindly\nwelcome at the court of our king, and you need have no fear of coming\nto any harm, for the frost-giants respect the rights of a guest even\nif it is their ancient enemy. But I advise Thor not to boast too\nloudly of his strength until he is sure that his pride will not be\nhumbled.\"\n\nThis last remark made Thor very angry, and his fingers closed tightly\nupon Mj\u00f6lner; but he wisely kept his temper. He paid no heed to the\nfriendly words of caution which the giant added as he said good-by,\nbut strode on ahead through the great gates that guarded the city of\nUtgard.\n\n\n\n\nHow Thor's Pride Was Brought Low\n\nPART II\n\n\nThe way to the palace was quickly found, and here the two gods were\nwelcomed by the king. Utgard-Loke sat upon a lordly throne, surrounded\nby a company of giants so much larger than the others of this race\nwhich had from time to time made threatening visits to Asgard that\nThor felt glad of the possession of Mj\u00f6lner. When the travellers\nentered his halls, the king greeted them kindly and asked the object\nof their journey. Thor told him boldly that he had come to measure his\nstrength against that of the giants, and Utgard-Loke courteously\nreplied: \"We have heard many tales of the might of Thor, the defender\nof Asgard; but we hope to show him that the frost-giants are no\nunworthy opponents. Before we begin our tests of strength, however, I\nwill ask one of our youths to meet your servant in some game of skill.\nDo you choose what it shall be.\"\n\nNow Thor knew that Thialfi was a very swift runner, so he answered\nthat his servant would run a race with any one of the king's young\nmen. Utgard-Loke then called to a tall, slender youth named Hugi, and\nbade him make ready for the race. The company adjourned to an open\nmeadow, and here the runners met to test their skill. Thialfi shot\nover the ground like an arrow sent by the practised bowman; but Hugi\nquickly outdistanced him and came first to the goal.\n\nThe gods were surprised and angry at the ease with which Hugi gained\nthe victory; but when the king asked to have a second race, Thor\neagerly agreed, and again Thialfi ran his swiftest. But although he\nflew with the lightness and speed of a race-horse, he found Hugi\nwaiting for him at the end of the course.\n\nThen Utgard-Loke said, \"You are a good runner, Thialfi, but you need\nto put more speed in your feet before you can rival Hugi.\" Now Thor's\nservant was almost breathless from his running, and he was also very\ntired; but the king's tone seemed so insulting that he insisted upon a\nthird trial. Again the two contestants ran over the course, but this\ntime Hugi gave Thialfi the start of half a mile. In spite of this\nadvantage, however, the young giant passed his competitor like the\nrush of the wind, and Thialfi lost the race a third time.\n\nAs the company had had enough of racing, they returned to the palace;\nand Thor, feeling angry and ashamed at his servant's defeat, began to\nwish he had never come to J\u00f6tunheim. Then Utgard-Loke asked his guests\nif either of them cared to challenge one of his men at an eating\ncontest, and Loki eagerly accepted this chance to prove his ability.\n\"I can eat more than any two of this company,\" he cried boastfully,\nand gave a loud laugh of scorn when an immense trough full of meat was\nbrought into the room and placed before him. Then the king summoned\nLogi to contend with the brother of Odin, and he and Loki sat one at\neach end of the trough.\n\nThere was surely never such eating seen before in all the world. Loki\ndevoured the food so fast that it seemed as if he would finish all\nthat was set before him in less than a minute; but when he came to the\nmiddle of the great dish, he found that Logi had not only eaten his\nown share, but had finished up the meat and bones and trough all\ntogether.\n\n\"Now let us see what the mightiest of the gods can do,\" said the king,\nas Loki withdrew to the furthest end of the hall. Thor had been\nlooking on gloomily at Loki's failure; but the king's tone roused up\nall his anger, and he stepped boldly forward, saying, \"I will\nundertake to empty in one draught any drinking horn that you can place\nbefore me.\" So Utgard-Loke commanded his men to bring out a great\ndrinking horn, and as he handed it to Thor the king said: \"Here is a\ncup which the youngest among us can empty in three draughts. A strong\nman needs to quaff it twice, but a mighty warrior such as you should\nfinish it all at one drinking.\" The king's tone was so insulting that\nThor felt his fingers tighten on the handle of his hammer, and he\nlonged to hurl it at Utgard-Loke's head; but he took the horn and set\nit to his lips.\n\nHe drank long and deeply until he felt sure that he had drained every\ndrop of the liquid; but when he looked into the horn, he saw that it\nwas but half emptied. \"What is the trouble, is the drink too large for\nthe Mighty One of Asgard?\" asked Utgard-Loke, contemptuously. At these\nwords Thor flew into a great rage, and, grasping the horn more\ntightly, he drank as he had never drunk before. Then he set the vessel\ndown, feeling sure that it must now be empty; but he found to his\nsurprise that it was hardly less full than before he began to drink. A\nloud laugh of derision greeted him, and the king cried scornfully: \"Is\nthis the great skill in drinking of which you boasted so freely? The\nemptying of this horn should be but child's play; but perhaps the\nmighty Thor is weary.\"\n\n\"Give me the horn,\" roared the angry god, who was raging inwardly at\nhaving to endure these taunts. So a third time Thor drank; and when he\nstopped to take breath, he threw the horn aside, not waiting to look\ndown into it, for he felt certain that there could not be a drop left\nin it. But one of the giants caught it up and showed him how much of\nthe liquid still remained. Enraged at this unexpected humiliation,\nThor refused to drink any longer, and would barely listen when\nUtgard-Loke asked him if he would engage in any trial of strength. \"We\nwill propose a game which is a favourite pastime among our children,\nso the defender of Asgard will be able to do the thing with ease. It\nis merely to lift my cat from the ground.\"\n\nThese words so infuriated Thor that he strode angrily out of the hall,\nbut before he had gone far, he encountered a huge bunch of bristling\nfur that effectively barred his way. His first impulse was to strike\nthe cat with his hammer, but remembering Utgard-Loke's insulting\nwords, he grasped the great creature by the middle, intending to throw\nit aside. But though he tried with all the strength of his powerful\narm to move the cat, he could not stir it from its place; and the\nhigher he sought to lift it, the higher it arched its back without\never raising one foot from the ground. Thor's arm was now lifted as\nhigh as it would go, but he could not budge the great cat an inch. So\nat last he let go his hold and turned to meet the scornful laughter of\nthe whole company of giants.\n\n\"Is this the strength we have been taught to fear?\" cried Utgard-Loke.\n\"Surely the gods do not call so puny a fellow as this the defender of\nAsgard. Perhaps Thor is only mocking us, however, and will prove his\nboasted strength in some worthier contest.\"\n\n\"Give me a chance to wrestle with the strongest giant among you, and I\nwill soon show you whether my strength can be scorned!\" cried Thor,\nwho was longing to hurl his hammer at the king's head and make him\ncease his insulting words.\n\n\"Your boasting has all been idle,\" said Utgard-Loke, looking sternly\nat the angry god, \"so I will not match you against our strongest men.\nBut here comes my old nurse, Ellie, and you may try a wrestle with\nher.\"\n\nThor looked around as a shrivelled old woman, bent and toothless,\nhobbled feebly into the hall. Her sightless eyes seemed to blink with\nan almost supernatural intelligence as she made her way straight\ntoward the spot where the god was standing. \"Do not scorn to wrestle\nwith old Ellie,\" cried the king, \"for she has got the better of many a\nstrong man before now.\"\n\nSo Thor grasped the hag firmly and tried to throw her to the ground,\nbut she gripped his body with her thin arms and clung to him with such\namazing strength that he had to exert all his force to keep from being\nstrangled. The more he struggled, the tighter grew the old woman's\nhold, and even his arm which held the hammer was rendered useless by\nher vise-like grip. He felt himself slowly weakening, and soon one\nknee was on the ground. Then the hag loosed her hold, and, with a\nmocking laugh, hobbled out of the hall.\n\nThor rose up, ashamed and humiliated by this last defeat; but the\nanger had died out of his eyes, and he stood before Utgard-Loke with\nbent head. No one had ever seen the strongest of the gods so humbled.\nThen the king smiled upon him kindly and said, \"Let us forget both our\npride and our foolish boasting, and share the feast as friends; for we\nwill now offer you the best of food and drink that there is in the\nland of J\u00f6tunheim.\" So a bountiful meal was spread before them; and,\nin the friendly hospitality of the king, Thor forgot the insults which\nhe had lately received at Utgard-Loke's hands.\n\nThe next morning the king accompanied his guests to the gates of the\ncity; and when they were well outside the walls he said to Thor: \"Now\nthat you are no longer within our gates, I will confess to you that\nduring your brief stay among us, we have been not only amazed but\nterrified at seeing how great indeed is your strength. We know now\nthat all our combined forces would have been powerless against you\nunless we had deceived you by our magic arts. For it was not superior\nskill or strength that defeated you in the contests, but enchantment.\nIt was I whom you met in the forest,[29] and when I found how terrible\nwas Thor's strength, I knew that it was rash to admit such a foe\nwithin our gates unless he could be deceived by magic, and his\nstrength be met by cunning. I tied the sack with a cord that no one\nbut myself could possibly undo, for every knot was made under a magic\nspell. Each time Thor struck me those terrific blows, I quickly slid a\nmountain between myself and the hammer; and you may now see the deep\nclefts which those blows have made. When Thialfi ran with Hugi, it was\nagainst Thought that he was racing; and when Loki strove with Logi,\nhis opponent was none other than Fire, who consumes whatever he\ntouches. Thor took such deep draughts from the horn that we were all\namazed at his wonderful drinking; but the other end of the horn was in\nthe sea, so try as he would he could never drain it dry. You will\nnotice, however, as you look over the earth, that the level of the\nocean has fallen far beyond its lowest ebb-line, owing to Thor's\nenormous drinking. The cat which could not be raised from the ground\nwas really the Midgard serpent, and we giants trembled, indeed, when\nwe saw how high Thor lifted it. Lastly the old nurse, Ellie, whose\nstrength seemed so marvellous to you, was not a woman, but Old Age\nitself; and in her hold even the greatest warrior is bound to weaken\nand fall.\"\n\n    [29] Utgard-Loke had told Thor that his name was Skrymer.\n\nWhen Thor heard these words of Utgard-Loke's, he was so furious at\nthe trickery that had been put upon him that he rushed at the speaker\nwith upraised hammer. But before the blow could fall, the giant had\ndisappeared; and when Thor looked about him he no longer saw the gates\nof Utgard nor any sight of the great city. He and Loki were standing\non one of the bleak moorlands over which the winds of J\u00f6tunheim blew\nforever night and day.\n\n\n\n\nThe Wooing of Gerd\n\n\nThe god Freyr was busy enough in the summertime when the sun shone\nupon the earth and everything bloomed and blossomed under his untiring\ncare; but when winter came there was no work for him to do in orchards\nor meadows, and he grew restless from the long enforced idleness. So\none day when Odin was away on some necessary journey, Freyr strolled\nidly through the golden streets of Asgard, and wished that he might\nsometime be taken as a companion when Odin went wandering among the\ndwellings of men. He wondered whether there was any spot in Asgard\nfrom which he could look down and see what was going on in the earth,\nand the longing grew very strong to see where Odin had gone.\n\nThere was one place which commanded a view of all the world, but Freyr\ndid not dare to think of usurping it, for Odin's throne was held so\nsacred that no other god had ever ventured to set foot there.\nDismissing this thought from his mind, Freyr wandered restlessly about\nfrom one marble hall to another, but getting nearer each moment to the\ngreat gold throne, until at last he stood directly before it. A long\ntime he hesitated, thinking of the punishment that might fall upon him\nif Odin suddenly returned; but finally the desire to see all the\nkingdoms of the earth grew too strong to be resisted, and Freyr boldly\nstepped into Odin's sacred seat.\n\nHe gave a gasp of wonder and delight as his eyes travelled quickly\nover the wonderful panorama of earth and sky that lay spread out\nbefore him. Far away to the north stretched ice-encircled J\u00f6tunheim,\nwhose snow-capped mountains reached up into the clouds. Still farther\naway lay the Land of Mists with its chill fogs, reaching out toward\nMuspelheim. The earth itself, which Freyr knew so well, looked\nwonderfully fresh and new when seen from this exalted place; and he\nfelt that he himself would never weary of watching over the affairs of\nmen, if only he could occupy Odin's seat.\n\nHe did not care to rest his gaze very long on frozen J\u00f6tunheim, for\nthere was nothing in that dreary country to attract the beauty-loving\nFreyr; but as he chanced to look at a tall old castle standing on the\ntop of one of the wind-swept hills, he saw the door suddenly open.\nThen a maiden appeared on the threshold, and Freyr gazed upon her with\nsurprise and delight, for she seemed too beautiful to belong to the\ngrim race of giants.\n\nShe stood a moment in the doorway, a very embodiment of warmth and\nyouth and light; and when the doors at length closed behind her,\nFreyr felt that all the brightness had gone out of the world. Never\nbefore had he seen any maiden whom he wished to make his wife; but\nhere in the land of the frost-giants he had found one whose loveliness\nalready made him thrill at the mere thought of her.\n\nHe descended slowly and sadly from Odin's throne, and began to wander\naimlessly about Asgard, more restless and unhappy than before he had\ntaken that unfortunate glance toward J\u00f6tunheim. For many days he\nroamed through the marble-pillared halls, seeking some distraction to\nmake him forget the golden-haired maiden whom he loved; but always his\nthoughts turned toward the castle on the wind-swept hill, and he\nlonged--till he grew sick with longing--for a sight of the giant's\ndaughter.\n\nOne day his trusted servant Skirner asked him why he looked so sad; so\nFreyr told him of his longing for the golden-haired maiden, and of how\nhe had watched her from Odin's throne. Then Skirner offered to make\nthe journey into J\u00f6tunheim at once, and do his best to woo the giant's\ndaughter for his master. So Freyr gave him his swiftest horse, and\nfilled his hands with rich gifts, and finally girded upon Skirner his\nown sword, which he promised to give to the wearer if the mission\nshould be successful. Then he bade Skirner ride with all speed\nnorthward.\n\nAs fast as the faithful horse could carry him, Skirner hurried toward\nthe giants' country; and when the setting sun threw the long, black\nshadows of the hills across the snow-covered ground, he crossed the\nlast of the fiords that lay at the edge of J\u00f6tunheim. Then a short,\nhard gallop over the frozen ground brought him to the foot of the\ncastle where the giant Gymer lived with his beautiful daughter. As he\nneared the gates, two enormous dogs sprang at him, barking furiously;\nand it was with difficulty that Skirner guided his horse well out of\ntheir reach. Not far away was a shepherd leading his flock to the\nscanty pasturage; and Skirner, riding slowly up to him, asked how he\nmight be able to enter the castle.\n\n\"What do you seek here?\" inquired the shepherd. \"No stranger ever\ncomes to Gymer's hall.\"\n\n\"I wish to speak with the giant's daughter,\" replied Skirner.\n\nThe shepherd shook his head. \"It is safer to have speech with Gymer\nthan with the beautiful Gerd,\" he said. Then, looking kindly at the\nhorse and rider, he added, \"If you are wise, you will not go too near\nthe castle gates, but call aloud her name, and perchance she may come\nto answer you.\"\n\nSo Skirner called loudly to the maiden until the hills re\u00ebchoed to the\nname of Gerd; and the giant's daughter listened to the cry, wondering\nwho the stranger might be that would dare to use her name thus\nboldly.\n\nAngry, and yet curious to see who stood without the castle, Gerd threw\nopen the great hall doors; and at the sight of her the two fierce dogs\nstopped howling and lay quiet at her feet. Then Skirner came boldly to\nthe maiden's side and begged her to listen to his story. As the laws\nof hospitality prevailed even in J\u00f6tunheim, the beautiful Gerd bade\nhim enter; and when they were seated by a great fire in the hall,\nSkirner told the maiden how Freyr had seen her from Odin's seat and\nhad loved her with a passion that would surely kill the once-joyous\ngod unless she consented to become his wife.\n\nGerd listened coldly to the speaker's words, and his impassioned\npleading left her unmoved. When Skirner finally spoke of taking her at\nonce with him to Asgard, she cried angrily, \"Go back to your master\nand tell him that though he should die for love of me, Gymer's\ndaughter will never wed with one who is the enemy of her race.\"\n\nThen Skirner brought out a wonderful ring and many costly gems--the\ngift of Freyr--and offered them to Gerd; but she haughtily refused to\ntouch them.\n\n\"You cannot tempt the daughter of Gymer with gold,\" she said. \"I have\nplenty here in my father's palace.\"\n\nFailing in this, Skirner drew his sword--the coveted blade which he\nhoped to win for himself by the success of his mission--and flashing\nthis before the maiden's eyes he swore by the spear of Odin that he\nwould kill her if she would not consent to wed with Freyr. But Gerd\nonly laughed at his threats, and looked unmoved at the glistening\nsteel.\n\n\"Keep your sword to terrify mortal maidens, or those who sit spinning\nin the halls of Asgard. The daughter of Gymer knows no such thing as\nfear,\" she said.\n\nAs neither gold nor threats could move the beautiful Gerd to listen to\nhis master's suit, Skirner tried his last resource; and, calling upon\nall the powers of earth and air and water, he pronounced a terrible\ncurse upon the maiden for her coldness to the unhappy Freyr. \"May the\nsun never shine without bringing pestilence upon your land, and may\neach day add some trouble to those which already burden you. May\nsickness throw its blight upon you, and loathsome diseases render your\nbeauty hideous. May old age lay its hand on you before youth is over,\nand may you sit lonely and desolate among your barren hills. May all\nthe good things of life turn to gnawing pains until you are glad to\npray for death. So shall there be no peace for you in all the world\nfor having spurned the love of Freyr.\"\n\nAt first the maiden paid no heed to these fearful words; but soon\nthey seemed to weave a sort of magic spell about her. She trembled,\nand her beautiful face grew pale with fear. Suddenly she stretched out\nboth white arms to Skirner, crying, \"Does Freyr indeed love me so\ndeeply that he can invoke all the powers of the earth to curse me for\nnot wedding him?\" Then Skirner told her how great his master was, and\nhow truly the curse would be fulfilled if she hardened her heart\nagainst the love of Freyr. And as she listened to the speaker's eager\nwords of praise, the heart of Gerd was touched and she gave Skirner\nher promise to become Freyr's wife.\n\n\"Though,\" she added sadly, \"it is strange indeed for Gymer's daughter\nto wed with a god.\" Skirner tried to persuade her to return with him\nat once to Asgard, but she said, \"Go back to your master and tell him\nthat I will meet him nine days hence in the groves of Bar-isle.\"\n\nSo Skirner mounted his horse again and rode away from J\u00f6tunheim.\nThough the journey back to Asgard was as long and hard as his coming\nhad been, it seemed to him to be far less wearisome; for the horse\nshared his rider's gladness and galloped more lightly over the frozen\nground, and the woods looked no longer as if peopled with dreadful\nshapes and shadows. When Skirner neared Asgard he saw far in the\ndistance Freyr standing by the rainbow bridge eagerly watching for his\nmessenger's return. The impatient god did not wait, however, until\nhorse and rider came close enough for him to see the gladness on\nSkirner's face; but, believing that his servant had been unsuccessful,\nsince he rode alone, Freyr turned sadly away. He did not even wish to\nspeak with the man who had done him so great a service; but thought\nonly of the loss of Gerd.\n\nThen Skirner spurred his faithful horse till its hoofs struck fire\nfrom the hard stones beneath; and when the gates of Asgard were\nreached, he rushed eagerly in search of Freyr to tell him of Gerd's\npromise. The god's face was lit with a great joy as he heard that his\nlove was to be rewarded, and that Gymer's beautiful daughter was\nwilling to become his wife.\n\nThe nine days of waiting seemed very long to the impatient lover; but\nat last the time came when the sun shone as it had never shone before,\nthe trees blossomed--although it was still winter--and flowers bloomed\nalong the path that led to the groves of Bar-isle. Then Freyr, full of\nthe glad spirit of youth and love and springtime, went gayly to the\ntrysting place; and there beneath the newly leafing trees stood Gerd,\nmore beautiful by far than when he had seen her standing in her\nfather's halls.\n\n\n\n\nHow Thor Fought the Giant Hrungner\n\n\nOne day Odin took a long journey into a land far beyond the seas; and\nas his road homeward lay through J\u00f6tunheim, he went with all speed\nacross that dreary country. With the swiftness of the wind his\nwonderful horse Sleipnir carried him over the ice and snow that lay\nthick on the frozen ground; and sometimes, when the mountains loomed\nvery tall in front of them, the horse rose into the air, soaring\nthrough mist and cloud as easily as some great bird.\n\nThen as the golden hoofs of Sleipnir struck fire from the hard rocks\nthat seemed to spring up everywhere beneath his feet, Odin rejoiced in\nthe strength and beauty of his horse, for he knew that there was not\nits like in all the world. He had almost crossed the last stretch of\ntreeless country on the edge of J\u00f6tunheim, when he saw a giant seated\non a rock, with his horse standing idly beside him. As Sleipnir came\nrushing by, the giant called out: \"Ho! stranger. Why do you ride so\nswiftly?\"\n\nOdin drew rein and came back to the rock where the speaker sat. The\ngiant looked critically at Sleipnir's splendid head and arching neck;\nthen he said, \"That is a fine horse you have.\"\n\n\"There is no steed that can equal him in beauty or in swiftness,\"\nreplied Odin, proudly. The giant scowled at these boastful words, and\nreplied angrily:\n\n\"Not so fast, my friend. It is easier to talk than to prove the truth\nof one's words. Now my horse Goldfax is fully as fine as yours; and\nthere is nothing to match him for speed in the whole land of\nJ\u00f6tunheim.\"\n\n\"J\u00f6tunheim!\" cried Odin, contemptuously. \"What could you expect from\nsuch a country as this? Why, my steed was reared in the sunny meadows\nof Asgard, where he still pastures night and day.\"\n\n\"Well, whatever he is, there is no need for us to waste words in\nboasting,\" said the giant. \"Let us run a race and prove whose horse is\nthe better.\"\n\nOdin gladly agreed to this; and when the giant mounted his horse\nGoldfax, the two riders set off on a gallop that made the hills re\u00ebcho\nto the sound of clattering hoofs. Sleipnir, overjoyed at the prospect\nof a race with something worth his mettle, threw back his head and\nsped like an arrow toward Asgard. The giant followed close behind, and\nso full was he of the excitement of the chase that he was unaware of\nbeing carried within his enemy's gates. Heimdall, who stood watching\nby the rainbow bridge, looked on in surprise as the Ruler of Asgard\nrushed swiftly by; and he would have sounded the usual alarm at the\nsight of the giant following, if Odin had not signalled to him to let\nthe strange horse and rider go past.\n\nWhen the giant, whose name was Hrungner, found himself surrounded by\nso many of those who were his sworn enemies, he grew fearful and began\nto look helplessly about him. Soon he realized, however, that the laws\nof hospitality assured every kindness to a guest, and he knew that he\nwas as safe in Asgard as he would be in J\u00f6tunheim. So when Odin\nsummoned him to the feast at Valhalla, Hrungner sat down to eat and\ndrink with the gods, feeling at heart very proud to be in the midst of\nso noble a company.\n\nAs the feast progressed, and the giant drained one horn after another\nof the sparkling drink the gods supplied, he began to grow boastful.\nHe laughed at the smallness of Odin's shield-hung hall, and told of\nthe great palaces that were built by the frost-giants. He boasted\nloudly of his own great strength; and as he drank more and more of the\nwine so freely poured, he cried: \"What a puny lot of men you are to\ncall yourselves gods! There is not a giant in J\u00f6tunheim who could not\nbeat any one of you in single combat. If I chose to make so unfair a\nreturn for your hospitality, I could pull this poor little hall about\nyour ears, and not leave one stone upon another in the whole of\nAsgard.\"\n\nThe gods grew very angry at these insulting words; but as Hrungner was\ntheir guest, they could not punish him as he deserved. So the giant\ncontinued drinking; and as his swaggering grew more unbearable, the\ngods with difficulty restrained themselves from striking him dead\nwhere he sat. \"I shall drink every drop of wine in Asgard before I\nleave here,\" he cried, glaring drunkenly at Odin. \"Then I shall pick\nup a handful of you people that are called gods, and carry you off to\nJ\u00f6tunheim as playthings for my children.\"\n\nSo pleased was the giant with his own wit that he began to laugh until\nthe cups rattled upon the table. The gods felt they could not endure\nhis presence any longer, and determined to hurl him out of Asgard,\neven if he was their guest. But Loki, who was enjoying the giant's\nboasts and drunken wit, begged them not to act too hastily; so\nHrungner kept on drinking unmolested. Suddenly he threw his cup with a\ncrash to the ground, and, looking insolently around at the company,\ncried, \"The gods have always been the enemies of the frost-giants; but\nsoon I will drive them from their lofty place, and take Sif and Freya\nto be my servants.\"\n\nThis insulting speech was more than the gods could bear; so they\ncalled upon Thor to rid them of the braggart in any way he desired.\nThen Hrungner saw the wrathful face of the god approaching, and saw,\ntoo, the upraised hammer; but he was too full of drunken courage to\nfeel afraid. Before Mj\u00f6lner fell, he roared savagely at Thor: \"If I\nhad my shield and flint stone here, you would not dare to come at me\nwith your wonderful hammer. It is very brave of you to strike an\nunprotected guest.\"\n\nAt these words Thor's arm dropped to his side, and the giant gave a\nmocking laugh.\n\n\"Let this mighty fighter meet me in single combat on the plains of\nJ\u00f6tunheim, and then I will prove that the frost-giants are stronger\nthan any of the timid dwellers in Asgard.\"\n\nThor was only too ready to accept the challenge, and arranged to meet\nthe giant on a certain plain in J\u00f6tunheim.[30] Then Hrungner, who felt\nthat there was nothing more for him to do or say in Asgard, took his\ndeparture; and, returning to his own country, spread the news that\nthere was to be a mighty combat between himself and Thor. The giants\ndid not feel very certain of Hrungner's victory over the god, so they\ndecided to help him in every possible way. They made a huge giant out\nof clay and stood him on the plain where the battle was to be fought,\nhoping by this stratagem to deceive Thor. As there was no human heart\nto put into the clay giant,[31] they gave him a mare's heart, and this\nmade the poor creature so timid that he could barely be induced to\nstand still on the plain and await Thor's coming.\n\n    [30] The plain was called Grjotlungard.\n\n    [31] The clay giant was named Mokkerkalfe.\n\nBeside the newly made giant stood Hrungner with his shield and\nflintstone, secretly hoping that Thor would mistake the clay figure\nfor that of his opponent, and so spend the first force of his blows on\nthe mock giant's head. Suddenly on the crest of the mountain appeared\na runner; and soon Thor's servant, Thialfi, came speeding toward them.\nHe called loudly to Hrungner: \"My master is on his way to meet you;\nbut he will not follow on the road I came. He is coming along\nunderground, and will attack you from beneath.\" The stupid giant\nbelieved this; so he threw his shield on the ground and stood firmly\nupon it, with the flintstone in his hand, ready to strike Thor's head\nthe moment it emerged.\n\nSoon there came a sudden roaring sound as if all the waters of the\nearth were rushing to pour themselves into the sea; the sky darkened,\nand through the thick clouds the lightning gleamed and flashed over\nthe darkening plain. Nearer and nearer came the crashing of thunder\nwhich heralded Thor's approach, and the hills answered with long, deep\npeals. Then on the brow of the hill overlooking the plain appeared\nThor's majestic figure, so terrible to behold that most of the giants\nfled away in fear. With incredible swiftness he rushed upon Hrungner,\nand the hammer--whirled through the air by his mighty arm--flew\nstraight at the giant's head. The terrific force of the blow hurled\nHrungner at once to the ground, but not before he had thrown his\nflintstone at Thor's forehead.\n\nThe noise of the combat was like the crashing of many mountains\ntogether. Hrungner fell to the ground like an oak tree that has\nreceived the last stroke of the axe; and, as he fell, Thialfi sprang\nat the clay giant and disposed of him with one straight blow. The\nflintstone which Hrungner had thrown, sank into Thor's forehead; and\nthe sudden pain made him so dizzy that he staggered forward and fell\njust where Hrungner's great body lay stretched upon the ground. Then\nThor found to his dismay that one of the giant's feet was resting\nfirmly on his neck; and, try as he would, he could not get free. So he\nbade Thialfi bring his little Magne, who was only three days old, and\nwhen the child came, he easily lifted the great foot from his father's\nneck. Thor was very proud of this display of strength, and he wished\nto give his son the giant's horse Goldfax, but Odin would not permit\nthe gift.\n\nThe frost-giants were discouraged over the complete defeat of their\nchampion, but they took great satisfaction in seeing the flintstone\nwhich Hrungner had driven into Thor's forehead. When the Thunderer\nreturned to Asgard he found that the stone caused him much pain, and\nthere seemed to be no way to remove it. So he sent for the sorceress\nGroa, who, as soon as she came, began to weave her magic spells, and\nchant weird songs, and Thor felt the stone in his head already\nbeginning to loosen. While Groa continued her incantations, and the\npain in his head grew less and less each moment, Thor tried to think\nof some way in which he could reward his benefactress for her\nkindness. Orvandel, Groa's husband, had been for many years away from\nhis home; and as the sorceress loved him very dearly, there was\nnothing she wished for so much as his return. Thor was partly\nresponsible for her husband's disappearance, for Orvandel had once\nangered him so that he had put the offender into a basket and carried\nhim to a far-off country, where he left the unfortunate man to find\nhis way back alone. During the journey the air was so cold that poor\nOrvandel nearly perished in his narrow prison. As it was, one of his\ntoes which protruded from the basket really did freeze; and this made\nThor so ashamed of his harsh treatment of Orvandel that he set the\nprisoner free. Then he placed his toe in the sky as a star, and in the\nnorthern heavens there is a bright constellation which is still known\nas Orvandel's Toe.\n\nWhen Thor told Groa what he had done, and promised to bring her\nhusband back to her at once, the sorceress became so overjoyed at the\nprospect of Orvandel's return that she forgot all her magic arts and\nspells. Full of happiness at the thought of seeing her husband, she\nsuddenly stopped her weird singing, and was unable to resume it,\nthough Thor begged her to continue the enchantment until the stone was\nloosed. But Groa had lost all her mystic power, and could never charm\nthings from their place again. So the flintstone remained in Thor's\nforehead, and in the far-off countries of the north, the children are\ntaught not to throw any stone too hard upon the floor, for when it\nstrikes the ground the flint in Thor's forehead moves, and causes the\ngod much pain.\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Balder\n\n\nIn all the city of Asgard there was no god so beautiful or so dearly\nloved as Balder. Wherever he went it was like the coming of sunshine,\nand every grief fled away before the brightness of his presence. In\nall his happy life he had never known a moment's sadness, and the gods\nbelieved that none could ever come to him. So beautiful and joyous and\nfree from care was Balder that he seemed to the gods to be the one\namong them who could surely never share in the final doom which they\nknew awaited all the dwellers in Asgard.\n\nThe days passed happily for Balder,[32] and no thought of sorrow\ncrossed his untroubled mind, until one night he had a dream which\nfilled him with strange fear. When the gods met again in council he\ntold them his dream, and begged them to interpret its meaning. They\ntried to laugh and banish his fears, but at heart they felt that an\nevil day had come. Over Asgard now hung a dark shadow which foreboded\nthe coming sorrow, for the dream spoke of approaching evil, even of\ndeath. So full of sadness did the gods become at the thought of\nlosing Balder, that they cared no longer to join in their accustomed\ngames or to make merry while some tragic fate might be overshadowing\nthe bright and joyous youth.\n\n    [32] Balder's palace was named Breidablik.\n\nOdin could not rest until he learned the truth about his favourite\nson; so he mounted Sleipnir and rode down to the dark region where the\ngoddess Hel ruled over her innumerable dead. In those silent halls[33]\nhe found a table spread, and dishes of gold and silver were set out as\nif for some honoured guest. At the head of the table was one vacant\nseat; and when Odin saw this, his heart sank with fear, for he knew\ntoo well for whom the chair was waiting. Hoping against hope, in spite\nof this sinister sight, Odin returned to the earth and sought out a\ncertain wood where a famous prophetess had long ago been buried. Over\nher grave he uttered some mystic words that roused the sleeper from\nher age-long rest, and at last she spoke in a faint, far-off voice.\n\"Who is it that comes to break my sleep?\"\n\n    [33] Hel's palace was called Eliudnir.\n\nAnd Odin answered, \"I am Voltam, and I have come to ask why the table\nis so richly spread in Helheim and for whom the vacant chair stands\nwaiting.\" Thus Odin spoke, for he feared to tell her his name.\n\nA silence fell over the dim old forest, and for a moment Odin feared\nthat his spells could not compel the dead to speak. But at last a\nfaint voice whispered, \"It is for the shining Balder that Hel and all\nher hosts are waiting.\"\n\n\"Who then shall send the Beloved of the gods to Helheim?\" asked Odin,\nand he waited fearfully for the answer.\n\n\"Blind H\u00f6der shall slay him, for so it has been written, and so it\nshall be,\" came the words which the anxious listener dreaded and yet\nwaited to hear.\n\n\"And who shall avenge the death of Balder?\" he asked sorrowfully. For\na long time no answer came; then the voice, which sounded still\nfarther away, cried mournfully:--\n\n\"Keep me no longer from my well-earned rest. For ages upon ages I have\nlain here, and the rain and snow have beat upon my head and the winds\nhave sung their songs in my ears. Depart thou hence and leave me to my\nsleep.\"\n\nSo Odin left the forest, for he knew that the dead would speak no\nmore; and slowly and sorrowfully he returned to Asgard. He did not\ntell the gods of his visit to Helheim; but kept to himself the sad\nknowledge he had gained.\n\nMeantime the goddess Frigga determined to avert, if possible, the\nunknown danger that threatened her son; so she went out one day from\nher palace and wandered over the whole earth. And as she went she\nbegged everything which she met to swear by a solemn oath never to\nhurt Balder. Fire, water, rocks, trees, iron, brass, birds and\nbeasts,--all were bound by a vow to do no harm to him; and everything\non earth gave the promise gladly, for all the world loved the bright\nand joyous Balder. As Frigga was returning home, she saw just outside\nthe gates of Asgard a small plant called the mistletoe; but it looked\nso harmless that she passed it by without asking for the promise, and\nhurried on to tell Odin of the success of her journey.\n\nWhen the gods heard how everything had sworn never to hurt Balder,\nthere was gladness again among them. But Odin, knowing the decree of\nthe Norns, could not rejoice with the rest; though in the general\nhappiness that reigned now in Asgard, no one marked his sadness. Then,\nto prove whether all the things which had given the promise would\nreally keep their word to Frigga, the gods placed the youth as a\ntarget before them, and hurled at him huge stones and sharp-pointed\nspears and the weapons which they used in battle; but each missile\nturned aside, and refused to hurt the shining Balder. Even the deadly\nbattle-axes fell harmless at his feet. Now Loki, who always hated\neverything beautiful, and who was jealous of Balder because the gods\nloved him, stood by watching the game. His heart was full of\nbitterness and envy, and he hated the glorious youth who could be so\nconfident and secure in the love which all the world had owned for\nhim. So he determined to work some harm to Balder.\n\nOne day a strange old woman came to the palace of Frigga and asked to\nhave speech with her. The goddess was sitting with her maidens\nspinning, and when the old woman was admitted to her presence, she\nspoke to her kindly and asked the object of her visit.\n\n\"I have come, lady,\" said the old woman, who was really Loki in\ndisguise, \"to learn what is going on here in Asgard that the shouts of\njoy reach even to the earth. I hear laughter and cheering in the court\nwhere the gods are at their games. Tell me, what does it mean?\" Then\nFrigga smiled happily and said, \"It means that the gods are hurling\ntheir battle-axes at Balder and trying to wound him, but he stands\nbefore them unhurt, for everything on earth has sworn to me to do him\nno harm.\"\n\n\"Has everything indeed made you this promise?\" asked Loki.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered Frigga; \"everything except a little plant called the\nmistletoe, and this looked so small and weak that I did not ask it to\npromise.\"\n\n\"And does this mistletoe grow far from here?\" continued the pretended\nold woman.\n\n\"Just at the gates of Asgard,\" answered Frigga. And Loki, having\nlearned what he wished, left the palace exulting in the ease with\nwhich he had deceived the unsuspecting goddess. Laying aside his\ndisguise, he sought the place where the mistletoe grew, and cutting\noff a branch, he shaped it into an arrow. Then he went to join the\ngods in their sport.\n\nJust outside the circle of the players stood H\u00f6der, the brother of\nBalder, silent and alone, for he was blind and could not share in the\ngames. Going up to him, Loki said,--\n\n\"Why do you not join in the sport, H\u00f6der, and throw some missile at\nthe wonderful Balder who now bears a charmed life?\"\n\n\"Because I cannot see where he is standing,\" answered H\u00f6der, \"and\nbesides, I have no weapon to throw.\"\n\n\"If that is all,\" said Loki, \"come with me and I will give you an\narrow and help you shoot it.\" So he led H\u00f6der forward, and the blind\ngod followed him willingly, for he dreamed of no evil.\n\nThen Loki put the arrow into his hand and directed his aim so well\nthat the fatal shaft flew straight to Balder's heart, and in a moment\nthe beautiful god lay dead.\n\nThere was mourning now in Asgard, and over all the world. The sun no\nlonger shone with its accustomed brightness; the birds stopped their\nsinging, and the flowers drooped their heads; even the beasts felt the\nsadness that lay upon the earth, and crouched silent in their dens.\nEverything that loved the shining Balder now wept and mourned for him.\nThen the gods arrayed his body in the finest cloth of gold, and\nbrought it down to the sea, where Balder's ship[34] lay close to the\nwater's edge. Very sadly they laid the body upon its deck, and heaped\naround the beloved form rings and chains of finest gold, jewels and\nweapons such as warriors love. When Nanna, Balder's wife, saw the body\nwrapped in readiness for burning, her heart broke from her great\ngrief, and the gods laid her, dead, beside her husband.\n\n    [34] The name of the ship was Ringhorn.\n\nThen they lit the funeral fires with a thorn-twig, which is the emblem\nof sleep; and took their last look at the dead Balder as he lay upon\nthe burning pyre. Odin, stepping forward, whispered in the unhearing\near of his son; but what he said no one ever knew.\n\nWhen they tried to launch the ship, they found to their dismay that it\nwas too heavily laden for their united efforts. So they sent for the\nmountain-giantess Hyrroken--who had ever been friendly to the people\nof Asgard--and begged her to grant this last service to the beloved of\nthe gods. The giantess came, riding on a fierce wolf, with twisted\nsnakes in her hands for reins. She gladly offered her help to the\ngods, and putting her shoulder to the prow, she gave it a mighty\nshove which sent the burning ship far out from the shore.\n\nThe flames rose higher and higher as the vessel drifted out toward the\nsea, bearing with it the light and joy of Asgard. A silence fell on\nall the watchers, and great sorrow filled their hearts. All the world\nseemed under a shadow, and in the solemn stillness no sound was heard\nbut the roaring of the flames on the burning ship. The gods stood upon\nthe shore watching the funeral pyre, and, mingled with their sadness,\nwas a dread foreboding of evil; for outside the ring of the shining\nones of Asgard was another group of watchers--the frost-giants--who\nseemed to be looking on in mockery at the solemn rites, and now and\nthen drew nearer, their tall forms looming up grim and threatening and\nterrible.\n\nThen the sea and sky seemed to burst into one mass of glowing flame\nand a wonderful golden light spread over the earth as the fire upon\nthe slowly moving ship burned each moment more brightly. Thus the\nvessel drifted westward toward the sea, and the gods knew that Balder\nhad passed forever from their sight.\n\nOne by one they returned sadly to Asgard; but Odin could not give up\nhis son without one last effort to reclaim him. He determined to go\nhimself to Helheim, and offer a ransom to the goddess Hel if she would\ngive Balder back to him. Meantime poor blind H\u00f6der had been mourning\nover the great evil which he had innocently wrought, and he wished\nwith all the fervor of his loving heart that he could bring Balder\nback to Asgard. Sadly he sought the palace of his mother Frigga, and\nasked her whether he might not go to Helheim and offer his life to the\ndread goddess in exchange for Balder's. \"The road is long and hard to\nfind,\" said Frigga, \"and what could a blind god do in the path where\nthe best traveller would lose his way? Go back to your own dwelling,\nand send for Hermod, our swift messenger. He loved the shining Balder\nand now mourns for him. Bid him ride to Helheim.\"\n\nH\u00f6der did as his mother commanded, and found Hermod only too willing\nto take the fearful journey for the sake of Balder. Odin gave him his\nown horse Sleipnir, who up to this time had never allowed another\nrider to mount him. Nine days and nights Hermod rode through the earth\nin darkness so thick that his horse could not see where to step. It\nwas a black and steep and fearful road down to Helheim, and only on\nOdin's horse could the journey have been made. On the tenth morning he\ncame to the golden bridge that spanned the river Gi\u00f6ll; and here a\nmaiden,[35] pale and sorrowful, kept guard. She halted Hermod as he\nrode across the bridge, and said:--\n\n    [35] Her name was Modgud.\n\n\"Who are you, and what do you seek here among the dead? Yesterday\nfive hands of men rode across the bridge, but they did not shake it as\nyou alone have done. Your face is not as the face of the dead. Why do\nyou come here? It is no place for the living.\"\n\nThen Hermod asked if she had seen the shining Balder pass over her\nbridge; and the maiden answered,--\n\n\"He has crossed it already, and has gone to the dark hall where the\nfeast is now spread.\"\n\nSo Hermod rode on until he reached Hel's gloomy palace and came face\nto face with the terrible queen who ruled over the kingdom of the\ndead. Hermod trembled with fear as he looked about him, but his love\nfor Balder gave him courage, and he stepped up boldly before the\ngoddess, saying:--\n\n\"I have come to beg a boon of thee, O Hel. Your land is full without\nthe shining Balder, and Asgard is empty and lonely since he has gone.\nEvery heart mourns for him, and every eye is filled with tears. Give\nhim back to us.\"\n\nSlowly and sternly Hel replied: \"Is there indeed no dry eye upon the\nearth? If it be true as thou sayest, that everything weeps for Balder,\nhe shall return to Asgard; but if there is one who will not weep, he\nshall stay forever in Helheim.\"\n\nThen Hermod hurried with the message back to Asgard, and when Odin\nheard the answer Hel had made, he gave the command, and everything\nupon the earth wept and mourned for Balder. Throughout the whole world\narose the sound of bitter wailing; and not a single eye remained\nundimmed by tears. But among the mourners in Asgard there was one old\nwoman[36] whom Odin spied standing apart and shedding no tear.\n\n    [36] Loki disguised himself as the giantess Thok.\n\n\"Weep,\" he cried, \"weep for Balder that he may return.\"\n\n\"Nay,\" replied the old woman, \"I will not weep. He has done naught for\nme that I should mourn him. Let him stay in Helheim.\" Then with a\nmocking laugh she hurried away, and Odin knew that it was Loki.\n\nSo Balder never came back to Asgard.\n\n\n\n\nAndvari's Hoard\n\n\nOnce Odin and H\u0153nir and Loki went on a visit to the earth, and in\norder to mingle freely with people without being recognized as gods,\nthey laid aside all their divine powers and became, even in\nappearance, like ordinary men. When they had wandered about the earth\nmany days, and talked with many people,--who never knew, of course,\nthat the gods were among them,--they grew tired of the busy life of\nthe world, and longed to find some place of quiet and rest. So they\nwent far into the heart of the forest, and sat down beside a brook\nwhere many fish were leaping about and darting through the sparkling\nwater. The gods lay idly upon the grass and watched them for a long\ntime. Presently, they spied an otter sitting on the bank of the\nstream, lazily eating a fish which he had just caught. The gods looked\non at the meal, and it made them remember that they too were hungry.\nOdin therefore proposed that they journey on in search of food, and to\nthis the others readily consented; but as they rose to go, Loki\nsuddenly took up a large stone, and, throwing it at the otter, killed\nhim instantly. At this wanton cruelty Odin became angry, and rebuked\nLoki for his act[37]; but Loki only laughed, while he skinned the\notter and cast its body back into the stream.\n\n    [37] The otter was held sacred by the Norsemen, and it\n    figures in the myths of many races. Even to-day the killing\n    of an otter is considered a great crime by the Parsees.\n\nThe gods then wandered on until almost nightfall before they came to\nany dwelling, and this was only a rude hut built on the side of a\nmountain. But they were too weary to look further, so they stopped to\nbeg food and a lodging for the night. The old man[38] who lived in the\nhut bade them enter and share his simple fare, and in return he asked\nthem to tell him of their adventures. Without revealing their\nidentity, Odin told him of their wanderings among men, and of the\nstrange things they had seen. H\u0153nir also related many stories; but his\nwere of brave heroes who had wrought the mightiest deeds on bloody\nbattlefields. When it came Loki's turn, they asked him to tell all he\nknew of the life lived by the bright dwellers in Asgard, but Loki\nlaughed and threw upon the ground his otter's skin. When the old man\nsaw this, he cried out:--\n\n    [38] The old man's name was Hreidmar (Rodmar).\n\n\"O wicked, cruel man, you have killed my son. He was fishing to-day in\nthe stream, and at this sport he always takes the form of an otter.\nAlas, this is indeed he, and you have slain him.\"\n\nThen he raised a loud cry, and called for help to his two sons,\nFafnir and Regin, who came running in from the woods near by. As soon\nas they heard of the killing of their brother, they seized the three\ngods and bound them hand and foot, for, in becoming men, the gods had\nlost all their divine powers, and they had no choice but to yield.\n\nWhen Odin begged the old man to ask whatever he would in payment for\ntheir ransom, both Fafnir and Regin demanded the life of one of the\ngods in return for their brother's. But their father spread the\notter's skin upon the ground, and, turning to Odin, said,--\n\n\"You and your wicked companions shall be free when you have covered\nevery hair of this hide with a piece of gold or a precious stone.\"\n\n\"We will do this,\" answered Odin; \"but first you must set one of us\nfree that he may go and procure the treasure. Let the other two stay\nbound as hostages until he returns.\"\n\nTo this the old man and his sons agreed, and Odin bade them unbind\nLoki, for he alone would know where to find such vast treasure as they\nneeded. Accordingly Loki was freed, and promising his companions to\nreturn with their ransom, he hurried away. There was only one place\nwhere a hoard of gold and precious stones might be found, and thither\nLoki directed his steps. There were many mountains to climb and\nrivers to cross before he reached the place he sought, and night\ncoming on made the journey more difficult and wearisome.\n\nAt last he spied upon a rocky mountain side the thing he had come so\nfar to find, a small, deep cavern in the rocks. As Loki drew nearer,\nthe moonlight revealed a little brook gushing from the mouth of the\ncavern and winding in and out among the rocks below. It was small, but\nbeautifully clear, and the pebbles in its bed shone in the moonlight\nlike diamonds. Just where it issued from the cave, the water flowed\nswiftly over a deep pool, and here it was so dark that only the sharp\neyes of Loki could have caught the faint shimmer of a salmon which lay\nlurking in its depths.\n\nLoki saw it, however, and his heart leaped for joy, for this salmon\nwas no other than the cunning dwarf Andvari, the owner of a wonderful\nhoard of gold and gems. The treasure was buried somewhere near the\ncavern, and it was to gain this glittering hoard that Loki had come so\nfar. So he now put forth all his skill to catch the wily salmon as it\ndarted to and fro in the stream. The dwarf knew, however, who the\nfisherman was, and why he had come, and he had no intention of being\ncaught and made to yield up his treasures. Loki spent many hours\ntrying to lure the salmon into the shallows, but all his efforts were\nin vain. The crafty fish never moved from his deep, dark pool. Then\nLoki saw that further attempts would be useless unless he had help\nfrom some one with magic skill, so he determined to seek the aid of\nQueen Ran and her wonderful net.\n\nLeaving the cave, he hurried down to the sea, and for many hours he\nwalked along the shore, searching carefully among the rocks for the\nhiding place of the cruel ocean queen. Somewhere here, or upon the\njagged reefs, he would be sure to find her spreading a net for her\nprey. But though he wandered for miles along the water's edge, he\ncaught no glimpse of her anywhere; and, wearied and disheartened, he\nwas about to give up his search, when he heard a low, rippling laugh\njust behind him, and turning he saw the beautiful daughters of the\nsea-king seated on the rocks combing their golden hair. Loki went over\nto them and begged them to tell him where he could find their mother,\nQueen Ran.\n\n\"Why do you seek her?\" one of the maidens asked.\n\n\"Because I am a fisherman, and would like to ask her where the big\nfish are gathering now,\" replied Loki.\n\nThe sea-maidens laughed again and said:--\n\n\"O crafty, cunning Loki, do not think to deceive us who know well who\nyou are, and why you have come hither. Play no tricks, then, and tell\nno lies to our mother, or you will not gain the object of your\njourney.\"\n\nLoki promised, and begged the nymphs to tell him where to find Queen\nRan, since no other than Odin himself needed her help.\n\n\"You must go about ten miles farther,\" answered one of the maidens,\n\"until you come to a place where the rocks are high, and project in\nsharp, dangerous reefs far out into the sea. Here the waves dash with\ntremendous fury, and here is many a good ship wrecked and all her\ncargo lost. Look among the shadows of the rocks, and you will find our\nmother sitting there mending her net.\"\n\nLoki thanked the nymphs and hurried on, for the night was growing\nblack and the moon was completely hidden, and he had yet far to go.\nWhen he felt sure that ten miles lay between him and the daughters of\nthe sea, he stopped and looked carefully about him. Near by was a\ngroup of tall, jagged rocks over which the waves dashed with great\nforce; but there was one spot so protected that even the spray from\nthe water did not reach it, and here Loki spied Queen Ran,\nlong-fingered, greedy and cruel, mending her magic net. When she saw\nLoki, she tried to hide in the shadow of the rocks, for she knew him\nand feared he had come with some unfriendly message from Odin. But\nLoki called to her and said:--\n\n\"Be not afraid, O Queen, for I come as a petitioner to beg a great\nboon of thee;\" and Ran replied, \"What does Loki wish, that he leaves\nthe shining halls of Asgard to travel over the earth to speak to the\nwife of \u00c6ger?\"\n\n\"I have journeyed thus far,\" answered Loki, \"because I have heard of\nyour wonderful net. They say that it will catch whatever you wish, and\nthat anything once caught cannot escape from its magic meshes.\nTherefore I have come to ask your help, for there is a certain salmon\nwhich I have long tried to snare, but which is too cunning to be\ncaught by ordinary means. Lend me, I beg, your magic net.\"\n\n\"I cannot! I cannot!\" cried Ran, \"there is a ship sailing hither which\nwill reach these rocks in the morning, and it is full of great\ntreasure--jewels, and gold, and rich apparel. I have sent my mermaids\nto lure it to the reefs, where it will be dashed to pieces, and the\nprize be gathered into my net. No, I cannot lend it to you.\"\n\n\"But let me have it for just one hour,\" pleaded Loki, \"and I will\npromise to return it in that time. I swear it on the word of a god.\"\n\nThe oath was reassuring, but still Ran hesitated to let the precious\nnet leave her hands. At length, however, she was persuaded, and with\nmany expressions of gratitude, Loki said good-by and hastened back to\nthe cave of Andvari, for the night was now far spent, and at daylight\nthe salmon would be sure to leave his haunts.\n\nWhen he reached the cavern, the fish was still lying idly in the\nwater, but upon seeing the net in Loki's hand it darted like a flash\ndown the stream. Then Loki quickly cast his net, and though the\ncunning fish swam with wonderful swiftness, it could not escape the\nmagic net which began to close slowly and surely about it. As soon as\nLoki thought that his prize was secure, he drew the net on land, and,\nafter slowly loosening the meshes, he at last grasped the struggling\nfish in his hand. Now, however, it was no longer a salmon fighting for\nits freedom, but the crafty dwarf Andvari. Any one less wise than Loki\nwould have dropped him immediately in surprise at the transformation,\nbut Loki only held on the tighter, and shook the poor dwarf until he\ncried for mercy.\n\n\"No mercy will I grant thee, thou master thief,\" exclaimed the god,\n\"until thou hast revealed to me the hiding place of thy ill-gotten\ntreasures. Show me where it lies, or I will dash thee to pieces upon\nthese rocks.\"\n\nSeeing that there was no hope of escape, Andvari promised to yield up\nhis hoard, and pointing to a large rock near by bade Loki raise it and\nlook beneath. Without loosening his hold of the dwarf, Loki tried to\nlift the stone, but though it was far from being heavy or beyond his\nstrength, he found that he could not move it. Then he knew that he was\nbeing tricked, and, grasping the dwarf still tighter, he shook him\nfiercely and commanded him to give his help. Andvari laid his finger\non the stone and immediately it turned over and disclosed a large pit\nbeneath.\n\nIt was quite dark now and the moon was completely hidden; yet even in\nthe dim light Loki saw the sparkle of thousands of precious gems and\nthe shimmer of many dazzling heaps of gold. It was truly a wonderful\nsight, and would have bewildered the ordinary finder of such wealth;\nbut Loki had no time to spend in admiration. He gathered all the\ntreasure together in the net, which, by its magic power, grew larger\nand larger as he continued to fill it.\n\nThe dwarf meanwhile stood by sullen and angry, watching the gold and\ngems being poured into the net. Had it been Odin who was robbing him\nof his hoard, he would have begged that some small portion of it might\nbe left him, but he knew better than to make such a request of Loki.\nSo when the last of the treasure had been gathered up, he turned away\nand was disappearing into the woods when Loki caught the glitter of\nsomething upon his finger, and seizing him roughly, cried out: \"Ho,\nho, my cunning elf. So you would keep back some of the gems, I see.\nYield me that ring upon your finger, or you shall not have one moment\nmore to live.\"\n\nAndvari's face grew black with rage, and he refused to give up his\nring, stamping his foot all the while upon the ground and cursing Loki\nfor his avarice and greed. Yet he knew too well that his fury was in\nvain, and soon he changed his tone, begging Loki, humbly, to leave him\nhis one poor gem. This appeal would have moved any other of the gods,\nbut Loki was never known to do a generous thing in all his life. He\nonly gave a mocking, hateful laugh, and, seizing the dwarf, tore the\nring from his finger.\n\nIt was a wonderful ring, shaped like a serpent, coiled, with its tail\nin its mouth. It had two blood-red rubies for eyes, and in the dim\nlight they seemed to Loki to glow with all the cunning and cruelty of\na living serpent. But this did not deter him from slipping the ring on\nhis finger, and laughing triumphantly at the dwarf, who was now\nfoaming with helpless rage. Then Andvari cursed the ring and said:\n\"May this ring be your bane, and the bane of all who shall possess it.\nMay it bring sorrow and evil upon him who shall wear it, and from this\nday be the source of envy and hatred and bloodshed.\"\n\nTo these dreadful words Loki paid no heed, and, throwing his precious\nburden upon his shoulder, he hurried down the mountain side and sped\nswiftly on to the old man's cottage. Odin and H\u0153nir were still bound,\nand they had almost given up hope of Loki's return. But they forgot\nthe tediousness of their captivity when they saw the great heap of\ngold and gems which Loki poured out of the net; for here was surely\nmore than enough to cover ten otters' skins, and the remainder of the\ntreasure would be their own.\n\nFafnir and Regin stretched the skin upon the ground, and bade Loki\ncover every hair. This seemed at first an easy thing to do; but the\nmore gold and precious stones that Loki spread upon it, the larger the\nskin seemed to grow, until it covered the entire floor of the hut; and\nthough Loki still added handfuls of gold, the brothers always found\nsome spot uncovered. At last every hair of the hide was completely\nhidden beneath some coin or gem, and the gods demanded their release.\nThe old man unloosed the cords which bound them and was bidding them\ndepart, when Regin uttered a loud cry and declared that there was one\nhair yet uncovered upon the otter's head.\n\nOdin and H\u0153nir looked at each other in dismay, for the net was now\nempty, and there was no way to procure further treasure. Meanwhile,\nthe old man and his sons were clamouring loudly for the gods to fulfil\ntheir promise. The case seemed indeed desperate; until Loki drew from\nhis finger the serpent ring of Andvari, and laid it upon the hair. The\nbrothers being now satisfied, the gods left the hut with all speed.\nOdin and H\u0153nir returned at once to Asgard, while Loki took back the\nnet to Queen Ran, who was anxiously waiting, and reached her just as\nthe dawn was breaking.\n\nThe treasure soon became, according to Andvari's words, a source of\nhatred and bloodshed; for the old man, wishing to keep the wealth for\nhimself, drove his sons from the house, and shut himself up with his\ntreasure. All day long he sat poring greedily over the heap of\nglittering gems, and running his fingers through the shining gold.\nAbove all, he loved to watch the serpent ring, with its glowing ruby\neyes.\n\nThen one night Fafnir came suddenly upon him, demanding his share of\nthe gold; and when the old man refused to yield up even one stone,\nFafnir slew him in his anger, and took possession of all the treasure.\nSoon he grew fearful that his brother might steal upon him sometime\nand rob, or perchance kill him; so he changed himself into a monstrous\ndragon which breathed forth fire and spat deadly poison. Thus secured,\nhe coiled himself about the hoard, and no one dared to approach him.\nRegin meanwhile fled to a neighbouring city, and became the king's\nmaster-smith, the maker of strong swords.\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Siegmund\n\n\nThe king whose protection Regin sought was named Alf, and when he\nlearned of the great skill that belonged to this stranger in his\nrealm, he gave Regin a place of honour among the sword-makers, and\nsoon promoted him to be master-smith. Before many years passed the\nfame of Regin's smithy had spread far and wide; for here men gathered\nnot only to learn the master's craft, but to share in that wisdom\nwhich he seemed to have gathered from all the ages. Even the noted\nwise men of the kingdom came to him, wondering at his great knowledge;\nand the king sought his counsel in all the difficult affairs of state.\n\nAt the court of King Alf lived his foster-son Siegfried,[39] who was\nmuch beloved by the king, although he was not of his own blood. The\nyouth was tall and strong, of fearless bearing, and with so keen an\neye that men often quailed before his glance. His hair was golden red,\nand fell down in long locks over his shoulders; and his body was of a\nstrength that matched the beauty of his face. Men said of him that\n\"never did he lose heart, and of naught was he afraid.\" When Siegfried\ngrew to manhood, King Alf sent him to Regin's smithy that he might not\nonly profit by the wisdom of this wisest of teachers, but also be\ntaught to fashion a sword that could be worthily borne by one of his\nname and race, for Siegfried was the last of the Volsungs--a race of\nwarriors whose fame was still fresh in the minds of men.\n\n    [39] In the Volsunga Saga his name is Sigurd.\n\nAt first Siegfried did not like to wear the woollen coat and rough\nleather apron of a smith, for he was a prince's son and he thought the\nwork menial; but he soon learned to respect his great teacher so much\nthat the place took on a new dignity in his eyes and he no longer\nchafed at the hard work or the simple fare he shared with Regin. Early\nin the morning the sound of Siegfried's hammer could be heard as he\nworked blithely at his trade, and he almost forgot that he had ever\nknown any other life than this one by Regin's side. When the long day\nwas over and he sat with his master by the glowing light of the forge,\nRegin would tell him wonderful tales of gods and heroes and especially\nof the warrior race from which Siegfried sprang. Many times they sat\nuntil the last bit of fire in the forge sank into lifeless embers, and\nstill the youth listened eagerly to the stories of brave deeds wrought\nby the long-dead Volsungs. The story which he never tired of hearing\nwas that of his own birth, and in this wise did Regin always begin\nthe tale:--\n\nThere was once a mighty king named Volsung,[40] who built a lordly\npalace such as men never saw before nor will ever see again; for its\nwalls glistened with thousands of shields taken from his enemies in\nbattle, and in the centre of the palace was a large courtyard in which\ngrew a wonderful tree. This tree was so high that it towered above the\ncastle walls, and its branches grew so thick that they spread like a\nroof over the whole palace. The king called this tree Branstock, and\nabout its mighty trunk the Volsungs gathered to feast and sing songs\nin praise of their king and their race.\n\n    [40] Volsung was the son of Rerir, who was the son of Sigi,\n    the son of Odin.\n\nTen sons and one daughter were born to King Volsung, and of these the\ngreat ruler was rightly proud, for the youths bid fair to excel their\nkinsmen in strength and courage, while the daughter, Signy, was so\nfamed for her beauty that suitors came from many distant lands. Now\nthere was a certain king named Siggeir, ruler of the Goths, who wooed\nthe fair Signy with many rich gifts, all of which the maiden coldly\ndisdained, for she distrusted his dark, evil-looking face. King\nVolsung, however, was much taken with the wealth of Siggeir and his\nseeming generosity, and he urged his daughter to accept this giver of\nrich gifts. For a long time Signy refused to listen to her father's\nwords, but at length she yielded and was betrothed to her hated\nsuitor. Then a great feast was proclaimed throughout the kingdom, and\nSiggeir gave freely of his gold. The wedding banquet was served in the\ncourtyard beneath the spreading boughs of the mighty Branstock, and\nthe guests were so many in number that they well-nigh filled the halls\nto overflowing.\n\nWhen the feasting and merriment were at their highest, there suddenly\nappeared in the midst of the revellers a tall old man. He had a blue\ncloak thrown over his shoulders, and his beard was long and white.\nOnly a few of the guests caught a glimpse of his face, but those who\ndid affirmed that he had only one eye. Stepping quickly up to King\nVolsung's wonderful tree, he drew from beneath his cloak a gleaming\nsword and drove it with great force into the tree trunk, up to the\nvery hilt. Then turning to the astonished company, he said, \"Whoso\ndraweth this sword from the tree shall have it as a gift from me; and\nhe shall find that he never bore in his hand a better sword than\nthis.\" So saying, the old man went forth from the hall, and none knew\nwho he was nor whither he went; but some whispered that it was Odin\nhimself who had been among them.\n\nThen one by one the guests of King Volsung tried to draw out the\nsword, but, though many of them were strong-armed warriors, not a\nsingle man had the power so much as to loosen it from the tree. King\nSiggeir was among the last to try his strength, and he strove until\nhis eyes almost started from his head. But he, too, failed as the\nothers had done, and returned to his place angered and humiliated at\nhis defeat. When all the guests had been put to the test, and no one\nhad drawn the sword, a certain lord said to King Volsung, \"Have you no\nmore sons?\" and the king answered: \"There is yet one more, but he is a\nmere lad. It would be cruel to shame him before so great a company.\"\nThe warriors urged him, however, to summon the youth; and though\nanxious to spare his youngest son, the king reluctantly consented to\nhave Siegmund[41] appear. The lad stood straight and strong and\nfearless before the lordly company, and asked what was the king's\nwill. Volsung pointed to the sword, and bade young Siegmund draw it\nforth. To the astonishment of all beholders, the lad stepped boldly up\nto the Branstock, and, grasping the hilt of the sword, drew it out as\neasily as if it had only been in the scabbard. The guests were\ndelighted at this evidence of Odin's favour toward an untried\nstripling; and they all praised Siegmund's good fortune--all but King\nSiggeir, who hated the youth from that day. He sought to buy the\nsword of Siegmund by offering him thrice its weight in gold, but the\nyouth replied: \"You might have had the sword if it were Odin's will\nthat you should bear it. But now it shall stay mine, though you\noffered me all the gold you have.\" Then was King Siggeir filled with\nwrath at these scornful words and vowed vengeance against Siegmund and\nall the Volsungs.\n\n    [41] Spelled Sigmund in the Volsunga Saga.\n\nWhen the wedding feast was over and the time came for Signy to set\nsail with her husband to his own land, King Siggeir spoke fair words\nto Volsung and his ten sons, and begged them to visit him in Gothland.\nThen said Signy to her father, \"I pray thee, urge me not to go away\nwith King Siggeir, for by my foreknowledge I am certain that no good\nwill come of this marriage.\" But Volsung answered: \"Speak not so, my\ndaughter; and go with thy husband, for it will bring great shame to us\nif we fail to trust him without reason. Moreover, he will pay us back\nmost evilly if we break faith with him for no cause.\" So Signy went\nwith her husband, and they sailed away from the land of the Volsungs.\n\nNow at the appointed time when the king had promised Siggeir to visit\nhim in Gothland, Volsung and his ten sons put forth in the ships with\na goodly following of men. After many days of pleasant voyaging, they\nreached the stranger's country, and came in toward the shore on the\nevening tide. But before they made a landing, Signy the queen came\nsecretly to them, and begged them to return at once to their own land,\nfor Siggeir had sworn to kill them. Her pleadings were in vain,\nhowever, for the grisly old king of the Volsungs had never yet turned\nhis back to a foe, and he had no fear of Siggeir and his hosts. So\nSigny went back to the palace, and the old king with his followers\nwaited for the dawn. At a fitting time they left the boats, and sought\nthe way to King Siggeir's palace. They seemed a gayly dressed company\nthat had come as guests to a marriage feast, but under their cloaks\neach man carried a sword--being mindful of Signy's warning.\n\nNo messenger came forth to welcome them, but as they neared the palace\nKing Siggeir fell upon them with a great army, and neither bravery nor\na good sword could withstand the assault of such numbers. The Volsungs\nfought hard, and with all the courage of their race, and many a Goth\nlay dead at the old king's feet and at the feet of his sons; but at\nlast Volsung himself was struck down by a treacherous blow; and when\nhis followers saw their leader dead, they lost heart for the fight.\nThen all of the goodly company that had come to Gothland with the king\nwere slain by Siggeir's men, and soon none were left of all the\nVolsungs but the king's ten sons. These were sorely wounded, yet\nalive, so they were bound with chains and carried before Siggeir that\nhe might determine by what torment they should die.\n\nNow came Signy to the palace hall and begged their lives of the king;\nbut Siggeir laughed at her prayers and bade his men slay the sons of\nVolsung before their sister's eyes. But first he took from Siegmund\nthe coveted gift of Odin, declaring that the youth should die by a\nstroke from his own sword. Then Signy threw herself at the feet of her\nlord and begged him to grant her brothers a few more days of life. At\nthe end of that time he might do with them as he wished, and she would\nplead no more. To prove that she had no thought of trying to release\nthem, she asked that they might be chained to a certain fallen oak in\nthe forest so that she could visit them without incurring the king's\ndispleasure. As all of the Volsungs were wounded, and some of them\nsuffering greatly, this idea of prolonging their torment pleased\nSiggeir's fancy; and he agreed to let the brothers live for a few days\nchained to the fallen oak; but meantime he shut Signy up in the palace\nunder a strict watch.\n\nNow it happened that at midnight a she-wolf came out of the heart of\nthe forest; and, seizing upon one of the Volsungs, devoured him, and\nthen went her way. When news of this dreadful disaster reached Signy,\nshe begged Siggeir to put her brothers in prison; but the king only\nlaughed again and left the Volsungs in the forest. Each night, at\nmidnight, the she-wolf came out of the deep woods to eat one of the\nbrothers; and this was repeated until all were devoured except\nSiegmund.[42] Then Signy called to her a trusted servant, and putting\na pot of honey in his hand, she bade him go into the forest and smear\nthe face and hands of her brother with the sweet liquid. The servant\ndid as the queen instructed him; so that night, when the she-wolf came\nout of the forest, she smelt the sweet odour, and instead of falling\nupon Siegmund to tear him to pieces, she began to lick the honey from\nhis face and hands.\n\n    [42] The she-wolf was supposed to be the mother of King\n    Siggeir, who had been turned into a wolf by a troll.\n\nSome of the liquid had dripped over Siegmund's lips, and when the\nshe-wolf thrust her greedy tongue into his mouth, he caught it firmly\nbetween his teeth and bit with all his strength. In her frantic\nefforts to get loose from the torturing grip, the she-wolf set her\nfeet against the fallen tree and strained so mightily that the chain\nwhich bound Siegmund snapped in two pieces and the youth found himself\nfree. Then he seized the wolf by the throat, and strangled her with\nhis mere hands. Leaving the beast's body and his own torn clothes by\nthe oak tree, he fled far into the forest.\n\nKing Siggeir believed that the last of the Volsungs had died in the\nsame manner as his brothers; but Signy felt in her heart that Siegmund\nhad succeeded, through her strategy, in escaping. Soon word was\nbrought to her by her faithful servant that Siegmund was alive and in\nneed of help; so each day she sent the messenger to the forest with\nfood for her brother and the assurance that she would always watch\nover his needs. Then Siegmund built himself an underground hut in the\nwoods, and lived as a wild man; and thither came Signy by night, for\nKing Siggeir had granted the queen her liberty, believing that all the\nVolsungs were dead. Between them they plotted many things to avenge\nthe murder of their kinsmen; but as yet their plans seemed futile, for\nhow could one youth prevail against a king's army?\n\n\n\n\nThe Vengeance of the Volsungs\n\n\nSo, many years went by, and two sons were born to Signy and King\nSiggeir, both of them so like their father that the queen saw no touch\nof the Volsung spirit in either one, and no courage on which she could\nrely to help her and Siegmund in their work of vengeance. When the\neldest was ten years old, his mother sent him to the forest that he\nmight be trained by Siegmund if there were aught in him worthy of the\nVolsung race. When the lad came to the earth-dwelling, Siegmund saw\nthat he had none of the right mettle in him; but he welcomed his\nsister's son and bade him make ready the bread for the evening meal\nwhile he himself went to seek firewood. On Siegmund's return the lad\nwas still standing with the bag of meal in his hand, and there was no\nbread laid upon the coals. When Siegmund questioned him, he answered,\n\"I dared not set hand in the sack, for there was something moving in\nthe meal.\" So Siegmund sent the lad back to his mother, for he knew\nthat such a faint-hearted youth could never help him to avenge his\nmurdered kinsmen.\n\nNext year Signy sent her second son into the forest; but he too was\nfearful of the meal, and said on Siegmund's return, \"There is\nsomething alive in the sack, so I dared not touch it.\" Then Siegmund\nbade him return to his mother. Some years later another son was born\nto Signy who in all ways resembled the Volsungs, so tall and strong\nand fierce he was, yet fair of face like Siegmund. When his mother\ndeemed him courageous enough and of hardihood enough to stand an\nextreme test, she sewed his shirt to his skin and then suddenly tore\nit off, at which the child only laughed and said, \"How little would a\nVolsung care for such a smart as that!\" Then Signy knew that she might\nsend the lad at once to her brother; so she bade him go forthwith to\nthe earth house in the forest.\n\nAs soon as the lad, who was called Sinfiotli, came to Siegmund's hut,\nhe was told to knead the meal for the baking, just as his brothers had\nbeen. Then he was left alone, and when Siegmund returned from\ngathering firewood, the bread was ready baked and lying on the hearth.\nWhen asked if he had seen anything move in the meal, the lad replied,\n\"Yes, I felt there was something alive in the sack, but whatever it\nwas I have kneaded it all together with the meal.\"\n\nThen Siegmund laughed and said:--\n\n\"Naught wilt thou eat of bread this night, for thou hast kneaded up\nthe most deadly of serpents. Though I may eat of any poison and live,\nthere is no venom which thou mayst take and remain alive.\"\n\nNow Sinfiotli stayed with Siegmund in the earth-dwelling, and was\ntrained in all things that befitted a warrior of the Volsungs.\nTogether they roamed the wild woods, hunting, fighting wild beasts and\nplundering like outlaws--for in no other way could they gain wealth.\nSinfiotli soon forgot the days he had spent in King Siggeir's palace\nand believed himself in very truth a Volsung. Now it happened that one\nday as they journeyed together through the forest, they came upon a\ncertain house in which lay two men fast asleep. On the wrists and\nankles of the sleepers were heavy gold rings, and over their heads\nhung two gray wolfskins. By this Siegmund knew that they were\nwerewolves and that this must be the tenth night--at which time the\nspell is removed and the enchanted may resume their human shape.\n\nThen Siegmund and Sinfiotli put on the wolfskins while the men lay\nasleep; and having once done this, they could in no way free\nthemselves from the enchantment until the appointed time. So they\nrushed forth into the forest howling like wolves, though each knew the\nmeaning of the other's cries. Having the nature of wild beasts, they\nwent in search of prey, but before taking their separate ways, they\nagreed to come to each other's aid in this wise: that if more than\nseven men set upon either of the twain, he should howl in wolfish\nfashion so loud that his companion would hear him. So each went his\nway, and in time Siegmund met with a band of men who set upon him with\nspears; but he gave forth a deep, far-sounding howl that brought his\nfellow-wolf at once to aid him. Still in his wolfish shape, Sinfiotli\nkilled every one of the men who had attacked Siegmund, and once more\nthe friends parted. Before he had gone far into the woods again,\nSinfiotli was suddenly surprised by eleven men with stout hunting\ngear; but so fiercely did he fight that in a short time the whole\nnumber were lying dead upon the ground.\n\nAs Sinfiotli, weary from the battle, lay under an oak tree, Siegmund\ncame to him, and seeing all the dead men, straightway asked, \"Why did\nyou not howl to me for help?\" And Sinfiotli answered, \"I was loath to\ncall on you for the killing of only eleven men.\" Then a sudden wolfish\nanger came over Siegmund, and he sprang upon Sinfiotli and bit him in\nthe throat. But as soon as he saw his friend lying dead, he sorrowed\ngreatly, and strove to bear the body on his back to the earth-house.\nThe following day, as he lay at the door of the dwelling, he saw two\nweasels fighting, and one of them bit the other so that he died. Then\nthe destroyer ran into a thicket and returned with a leaf in his\nmouth which he laid on the wound of the dead weasel. To Siegmund's\nsurprise, it immediately sprang up well and whole. Then a raven flew\noverhead with a leaf of the same herb in his mouth, and this he\ndropped just at the werewolf's feet. So Siegmund took the leaf and\nlaid it on Sinfiotli's wound, and he at once came to life again. Then\nthe two waited until the day on which the enchantment was ended and\nthey might cast off their wolf shapes. On this day they took the skins\nand burned them in the fire, that no further harm might come to any\nman through taking them.\n\nNow by the time Sinfiotli had grown into manhood, Siegmund felt that\nthe hour had come for avenging the death of the Volsungs, for he had\ntried the lad fully, and found no fear in him. So on a certain day\nthey both left the earth-house and came late in the evening to King\nSiggeir's palace. They had no mind to walk at once into the king's\npresence, so they hid themselves among some casks of ale which were\nheaped up in the hall. While they lay thus hidden, Signy was aware of\ntheir coming; and as the king sat drinking deep she came out to them\nand spoke softly with them. Then they plotted together how they should\nslay King Siggeir, but the queen dared not stay long with them lest\nsome servant should see her and tell it to the king.\n\nNow that very night as the two children of Signy and the king were\nplaying with a ball, one of the rings came off, and, rolling out into\nthe hall, glided among the casks of ale. The children ran eagerly\nafter it, but when they spied the two grim and well-armed men among\nthe casks, they ran screaming to their father and told him what they\nhad seen. Then the king grew fearful that some evil was awaiting him;\nand as he sat not knowing what to do, Signy led the children into the\nhall and said to her brother: \"See, these two have betrayed you. Kill\nthem, therefore.\" But Siegmund answered, \"Never will I slay thy\nchildren for telling where I lay hid.\" Hardly had he spoken these\nwords when Sinfiotli drew his sword and killed both the children. Then\nhe took up the bodies and cast them at King Siggeir's feet. This sight\nroused such wrath in the king that he forgot his fear and ordered his\nmen to seize hold upon the strangers and bind them with fetters.\n\nSo Siegmund and Sinfiotli were set upon by a great company of the\nking's men, but they fought so hard and bravely that many bodies lay\ndead all around them, and those who were wounded long remembered this\nnight's fighting. At last the strangers were overpowered and bound\nwith strong chains. Then King Siggeir had them cast into a dungeon,\nwhile he pondered all through the night as to what form of death he\ncould mete out to them. In the morning he had a great pit dug, and in\nthe midst of it he stood on end a flat stone that reached from one\nside of the pit to the other, but was so high that none could climb\nover it. Then he set Siegmund in the pit on one side of the flat\nstone, and Sinfiotli on the other, and bade his men cover over the pit\nwith turf, that they might be buried alive. But while the servants\nwere laying on the turf, Signy came by with a bundle of straw in her\narms. This she threw into the pit to Sinfiotli, and bade the servants\nsay no word of it to the king. Then the covering of turf was laid on,\nand Signy went her way again.\n\nAs soon as he judged the night had come, Sinfiotli unwrapped the\nbundle of straw to make himself a bed; and as he groped through the\nbale in the darkness he found a great lump of swine's flesh. This he\ntore eagerly apart, for King Siggeir had given the captives naught to\neat since they were taken prisoners. Then as he was rending the flesh\nin pieces, his fingers suddenly closed upon some hard steel; and when\nhe drew it forth he found in his hand a sword. It was Siegmund's\nsword, the gift of Odin, which Signy had concealed in the straw\nunknown to the king. Sinfiotli uttered a cry of joy, and grasping the\nhilt firmly, he drove the point of the sword into the great rock that\ndivided him from Siegmund. So fierce a blow did he deal that the sword\ncut through the stone up to the hilt; and by means of the great rent\nwhich it made, the two captives were able to speak with each other.\n\nThen Siegmund grasped the blade of the sword, and together he and\nSinfiotli worked all night until they had cut the great stone in half.\nWhen dawn came, they had sawed so fiercely that the sword-blade glowed\nin the darkness of the pit; and yet the keenness of its edge had never\ndulled. Soon Siegmund had cut a way through the turf and stones that\ncovered the pit; and he and Sinfiotli stood together in front of King\nSiggeir's palace. There was no sound within, for all were yet asleep;\nso Siegmund and Sinfiotli crept softly into the hall carrying wood in\ntheir arms; and this they placed in great piles around the sleepers.\nThen they kindled a fire which spread quickly through the dry leaves\nand wood; and the smell of it awoke the sleeping men, who looked about\nand wondered why so thick a smoke was filling the hall. Soon the king\nwas wakened by the loud screams of the women, and when he saw the\nsmoke and flame he cried out,--\n\n\"Who has kindled this fire in which I burn?\"\n\nAnd Siegmund answered him from without the hall, \"It is I, Siegmund\nthe Volsung, with Sinfiotli, my sister's son; and now thou mayst know\nat last that all of my race are not dead.\"\n\nThen he closed and barred the palace doors that none might escape, but\nfirst he begged Signy to come quickly out of the hall lest she should\nperish in the flames. And when she did not come, he offered her rich\ngifts and a place of honour among her own people; but Signy stood by\nthe king's side and answered:--\n\n\"I have kept well in memory the slaying of the Volsungs, and that it\nwas King Siggeir who wrought the shameful deed. I sent two of my sons\ninto the forest to learn how to avenge the wrong, and then came unto\nthee Sinfiotli who is a Volsung and none of King Siggeir's race. I\nalso bade thee kill my young children, since their words had betrayed\nthee. For this and naught else have I wrought all these years that\nSiggeir might get his bane at last. Now vengeance has fallen upon him,\nbut let the end come also to me, for merrily will I die with King\nSiggeir, though I was not merry to wed with him.\"\n\nSo Signy perished in the fire with her husband, and many died with\nthem that the wrath of Siegmund the Volsung might be satisfied. Then\nhe gathered together a great company of folk, and filled many ships\nwith the treasures of King Siggeir, and with Sinfiotli he set sail for\nhis own land. When he reached the country of the Volsungs, he found\nthat a neighbouring king had usurped the throne, and was reigning in\nthe old king's stead. Siegmund drove him from the country and himself\ntook the throne of his father, where he ruled thereafter for many\nyears. He and Sinfiotli waged war with other kings, and their fame\nspread abroad throughout the land. None could equal them in strength\nand valour, and of all the Volsungs King Siegmund bade fair to be\ngreatest in renown.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAs Regin spoke these last words, he turned to the youth at his side\nand smiled when he saw the glow of pride that shone in Siegfried's\nface as the master spoke of the brave deeds of the Volsungs.\n\n\"Shall I tell you the rest of the tale, and of how the sword of Odin\nfailed your father in his need?\" he asked, knowing well the answer\nSiegfried would make. Then the youth laid new coals on the fire; and\nthe master resumed the oft-told tale.\n\n\n\n\nThe Magic Sword\n\n\nSo Siegmund became a mighty king,--said Regin,--and was known far and\nwide as the giver of rich gifts. In time of war he fought with\nSinfiotli at his side; and when peace reigned in the kingdom, the son\nof Signy sat in the seat of honour by the king's throne. Now Sinfiotli\nloved a fair woman who was also wooed by the brother of Borghild,\nSiegmund's queen; and when they fought this matter out between them,\nSinfiotli killed the queen's brother and took the maiden for his wife.\nThen Borghild demanded that the slayer be driven out of the kingdom\nbecause of this deed; but Siegmund said that the man was killed in\nfair fight, and therefore Sinfiotli should not pay the forfeit of\nbanishment. Hoping to soften the queen's anger, he offered her gold\nand treasure as payment for her brother's life, but she would have\nnone of it. Seeing, however, that she could not win her way with the\nking, she pretended to forgive the deed; and asked both Siegmund and\nSinfiotli to the funeral feast which she held in her brother's honour.\n\nThere were many guests gathered to the feast, and Borghild, the queen,\nbrought drink to each one. When she came to Sinfiotli with the great\nhorn in her hand, she said, \"Drink now, fair stepson.\" But when the\nyouth looked into the horn he answered, \"Nay, I will not, for the\ndrink is charmed.\" Then the queen laughed and handed the horn to\nSiegmund, who drank the ale to the last drop, for no poison nor\ncharmed drink could work him any harm. A second time did Borghild come\nto Sinfiotli with the horn in her hand offering him drink, and again\nhe refused it, saying, \"Guile is in the drink.\" So Siegmund took the\nhorn and emptied it while the queen taunted Sinfiotli with his fears\nand said, \"Why must other men drink thine ale for thee?\" A third time\nBorghild came with the horn, and she goaded Sinfiotli with these\nwords, \"Drink now, if there is in thee the heart of a Volsung.\" So he\ntook the horn, but when he looked into it, he said, \"Venom is\ntherein.\"\n\nNow by this time Siegmund was so dazed with drinking that he had\nforgotten the queen's former hatred for her brother's slayer, and he\ncried to Sinfiotli, \"Drink and fear naught.\" So Sinfiotli drank, and\nstraightway fell down dead. When Siegmund saw the youth lying dead at\nhis feet, his senses returned to him, and he sorrowed greatly over the\nwords he had spoken. Then he lifted the body of Sinfiotli in his arms\nand bore it out of the palace hall while the funeral guests sat\nsilent, none daring to intrude upon the king's sorrow. Now Siegmund\nfared on through the woods till he came to the seashore, and here he\nfound a little boat with an old man seated at the oars. The man wore a\ndark blue cloak, and his hat was drawn down over his face; but\nSiegmund saw none of this, for his thoughts were with his dead\ncompanion. The old man asked if they would be ferried to the other\nside of the bay, and Siegmund came with his burden to the water's\nedge. The little boat could not hold them all, so Siegmund laid the\nbody of Sinfiotli beside the ferryman. But as soon as it was placed\nwithin, both the boat and the old man vanished, and Siegmund found\nhimself alone. Yet his heart was full of gladness, for he knew that it\nwas Odin himself who had come to take another Volsung to join the\nheroes in Valhalla. Then Siegmund returned to his own hall, and so\nhateful did the queen become in his eyes that he could bear the sight\nof her no longer and drove her forth from the palace. Not many months\nafter this, word was brought to him that Borghild was dead.\n\nNow there lived in a neighbouring country a wealthy king who had a\ndaughter named Hiordis--the fairest and wisest among women. When\nSiegmund heard of the maiden's beauty, he desired to wed her, though\nhe himself was now well on in years. So he chose the bravest warriors\nof his court, and with his horses well-loaded with gifts, he set out\nfor the country where Hiordis lived. At her father's palace he was\nroyally welcomed, and his proposals were received with favour; but\nthere was another king suing for the maiden's hand, so no promise\ncould be given to Siegmund. The father of Hiordis feared that,\nwhichever of the suitors was rejected, war and trouble would arise,\nand therefore he knew not how to answer them. So he went to his\ndaughter and said: \"You are a wise woman, and I will let this matter\nrest in your hands. Choose a husband for yourself, and I will abide by\nyour choice though my whole kingdom be plunged into warfare.\" Then\nHiordis answered, \"Though King Lyngi is far younger than Siegmund, yet\nI will choose Siegmund for my husband, for his fame as a warrior is\ngreater and we can rely upon his strength.\" So Hiordis was wedded to\nSiegmund the Volsung, and a great feast was held which lasted many\ndays. King Lyngi departed to his own country, but Siegmund knew that\nhe would hear of him again. After the wedding festivities were over,\nthe Volsungs returned home; but they had been there only a few days\nbefore word was sent to Siegmund that King Lyngi had landed on his\ncoast with a host of followers, and demanded that the Volsungs should\nmeet him in battle.\n\nSiegmund knew well that a great army had come against him, yet he\nanswered that he would fight until no man was left in his kingdom;\nand accordingly he gathered his army together and met the forces of\nKing Lyngi in an open field. The enemy rushed from their boats in such\nnumbers that it seemed as if there was no end to them; and Siegmund\nsaw that his followers would be no match for the great horde of\nfighting men that swept down from the enemy's ships. Nevertheless the\nVolsungs fought bravely when the horns blew that called the men to\nbattle, and Siegmund, at the head of his army, cheered his followers\non to the fight. He rushed boldly through the ranks of the foe, and no\nhelmet or shield could withstand the stroke of his sword. So fiercely\ndid he fight that none could tell the tale of those who fell before\nhim, and his arms were red with blood even to the shoulders.\n\nNow when the battle had raged a long while, there came a strange man\nsuddenly into the midst of the fight. He had a blue cloak upon his\nshoulders, and a slouched hat was pulled down over his face so that\nnone might see he had only one eye. He advanced upon Siegmund with a\nshield held aloft; and the leader of the Volsungs--now sore spent with\nbattle--knew not who the stranger might be, so he smote upon the\nupraised shield with all his strength. Never yet had the magic sword\nfailed him in battle, but now it broke in half, and as its pieces fell\nto the ground, the stranger in the blue cloak disappeared. Then\nSiegmund knew who it was that had come against him, and he lost all\nheart for the fight. His men fell fast all around him, and although he\nfought on bravely, as became a Volsung, he saw that the battle was\nalready lost. Soon he himself received a mortal wound, and when his\nmen saw their leader drop from the ranks, they had no longer any hope\nof victory, and died fighting half-heartedly beside the fallen\nSiegmund.\n\nNow Hiordis had left the palace with her handmaid when the battle\nfirst began, and she lay hidden in the forest where none of King\nLyngi's people might find her. She had brought with her from the\npalace as much gold and treasure as she and her bondwoman could carry,\nthat the conquering host might not enjoy the whole of Siegmund's\nwealth. When most of the Volsungs had fallen in battle, and King Lyngi\nknew himself victor, he hurried to the palace to take possession of\nSiegmund's riches and also Siegmund's queen. But when he entered the\npalace, he found everything in confusion. The treasure chests had been\nemptied, and none of the frightened servants could tell him what had\nhappened nor where the queen might be found. So King Lyngi contented\nhimself with what riches he found, and that night his followers made\nmerry in the halls of the Volsung, drinking ale and boasting of the\nday's victory.\n\nWhen Hiordis heard the noise of the midnight revels, she crept out of\nher hiding-place and sought for Siegmund among the countless dead. The\nbattle-field was a gruesome place, and she groped blindly and\nfearfully among the wounded, hoping that it might be here and not\namong the dead that she would find her lord. At last she came upon\nSiegmund, and tried to staunch the blood that still flowed from his\nwounds; but he put her aside, saying, \"I will not suffer myself to be\nhealed, since Odin wills that I should never draw sword again.\" Then\nthe queen wept softly and answered, \"If thou diest, who will then\navenge us?\" And Siegmund said: \"Fear not that the last of the Volsungs\nhas stood to do mighty deeds, for a son will be born to thee and me\nwho shall be greater than all those who have been before him. Cherish\ncarefully the pieces of Odin's sword which lie here beside me, for of\nthese shall a goodly sword be made, and our son shall bear it, and\nwith it he shall work many a great work so that his name shall be\nhonoured as long as the world endures. Go now, for I grow weary with\nmy wounds and would fain follow my kinsmen. Soon I shall be with all\nthe Volsungs who have gone before me.\"\n\nSo Hiordis the queen kept silent, but she stayed beside Siegmund until\nthe dawning; and when she knew he was dead, she took up the pieces of\nthe broken sword and carried them back with her into the forest. Then\nshe said to her handmaid: \"Let us now change raiment, and do thou\nhenceforth be called by my name and say that thou art the king's\ndaughter. Look over there to the sea, where some ships are now sailing\ntoward our shores. Neither to King Lyngi nor to the strangers that are\napproaching would I be known as Siegmund's queen.\" Then the women\nchanged raiment, and stood watching the ships as they neared the land.\n\nThe newcomers were not of King Lyngi's following, but were Vikings who\nhad put into that coast on account of the high seas; and when they\nmade a landing they came up over the shore and looked with wonder at\nthe battle-field and the great number of the dead. The leader of the\nVikings was Alf, the son of Hjalprek, king of Denmark, and as he gazed\nacross the battle-field he saw the two women watching him, so he sent\nhis men to bring them to him. When Hiordis and her handmaid stood\nbefore Alf, he asked them why they were standing thus alone, and why\nso many men lay dead upon the field. Then Hiordis, remembering the\nlowly position she had assumed, kept silent, but the handmaid spoke to\nhim as befitted a king's daughter, and told him of the fall of\nSiegmund and the death of the Volsungs at the hand of King Lyngi and\nhis hosts.\n\nWhen Alf learned that the woman to whom he was speaking was of the\nroyal household, he asked if she knew where the Volsungs' treasure was\nhid; and the bondmaid answered that she had the greater part of it\nwith her in the forest. So she led him to the spot where the gold and\nsilver lay; and such a wonder of wealth was there that the men thought\nthey had never seen so many priceless things heaped together in one\nplace. All this treasure the Vikings carried to their ships; and when\nthey set sail it was with the wealth of Siegmund on board as well as\nQueen Hiordis and her handmaid. They spent many days on the sea before\nthey reached Denmark, and during that time Alf spoke frequently with\nHiordis and her maiden, but often he sat by the bondwoman's side,\nbelieving her to be the king's daughter.\n\nWhen the Vikings at last reached their own country, they were met by\nthe queen mother, who listened gladly to the tale of their wanderings\nand welcomed the strangers to the palace. Before they had been home\nmany days, she came to King Alf and asked him why the fairer of the\ntwo women had fewer rings and meaner attire than her companion. \"For,\"\nshe said, \"I deem the one whom you have held of least account to be\nthe nobler born.\" And Alf answered: \"I, too, have doubted that she is\nreally a bondmaid; for though she spoke but little when I first\ngreeted her, she bore herself proudly like a king's daughter. But now\nlet us make a trial of the two.\" So when the men were feasting that\nnight, Alf left his companions and came and sat down by the women.\nTurning to the handmaiden, he said, \"How do you know what is the hour\nfor rising in winter when there are no lights in the heavens?\" And the\nbondwoman answered, \"In my youth I was wont to get up at dawn to begin\nmy tasks, and now I waken as soon as the day breaks.\"\n\n\"Ill manners for a king's daughter,\" laughed Alf, and, turning to\nHiordis, he asked her the same question.\n\nThe queen then unhesitatingly replied: \"My father once gave me a\nlittle gold ring, and this always grows cold on my finger as the day\ndawns. Thus I know it is soon time to rise.\"\n\nAt these words King Alf sprang up, crying: \"Gold rings are not given\nto bondmaids. Thou art the king's daughter.\"\n\nThen Hiordis the queen, seeing that she could deceive Alf no longer,\ntold him the truth concerning her history, and when he knew she was\nthe wife of Siegmund he decreed that she should be held in great\nhonour. Not long after this the son of Hiordis and Siegmund was born,\nand great rejoicing was made throughout the kingdom, for when the\nchild was but a few days old, King Alf wedded Hiordis, whom he had\nfound the worthiest of women. The boy was much beloved by his\nstepfather, and no one who looked upon him desired any other to\nsucceed King Alf upon the throne, for the child was beautiful to see,\nbrave and bold-looking, even as an infant. His eyes had already the\nkeenness of a falcon, and so straight and strong he grew that the\nheart of King Alf was filled with joy.\n\nWhen Regin reached this part of his story, he turned to Siegfried and\nlaid his hand on the youth's shoulder, saying: \"The gods have placed\nyou among a kindly people, and given you a foster-father that has ever\nsought to train you in wisdom and in strength. But you are not of this\npeople, and your place is not among them. Great deeds are in store for\nyou, and you are to be worthy of your race. All that I could teach\nyou, you have learned. Go forth, therefore, and by your own hand win\nfame that shall add to the glory of the Volsungs. Tomorrow you shall\nfashion a sword for your use, and it shall be mightier than any that\nhas come from our hands. But let us drop the tale now and sleep, for\nit is almost daylight, and only a spark glimmers in the forge.\"\n\nThe next day Siegfried made ready the fire, but before he laid the\nsteel in it he asked Regin what had become of the pieces of Odin's\nfamous sword. \"No one knows where they are hidden,\"[43] answered the\nmaster, \"for on the death of your mother Hiordis, the secret was lost,\nand no man can tell where the place of their hiding may be.\" So Regin\nselected the very finest steel for Siegfried's sword, and the youth\nset to work eagerly, for Regin's story had filled him with a burning\ndesire to go out into distant lands and do great deeds worthy of his\nname and race. For seven days and nights he never left his forge, but\nstood tempering and testing his steel, and throwing aside every piece\nthat did not seem perfect. At last a blade was finished that promised\nto be worthy of a Volsung. Regin praised it highly and said he had\nnever felt a finer edge. But Siegfried only said, \"Let us prove it.\"\nSo he took the sword and smote with all his strength upon the anvil.\nThe blade shivered into a dozen pieces.\n\n    [43] In the Volsunga Saga the queen, who is still living,\n    gives the pieces of the sword to Sigurd.\n\nNothing disheartened, Siegfried set to work again, and spent many days\nand nights at his forge, often forgetting to eat or sleep in his\neagerness to finish his task. When at last the steel had been finely\ntempered and seemed of perfect workmanship, he called to Regin and\nbade him try its strength. \"Nay, let us not dull the edge,\" replied\nthe master; \"there is no need to put it to the test, for I can see\nthat it is true and strong.\" But Siegfried took the sword and smote\nagain upon the anvil; this time the blade was blunted, though it did\nnot break in pieces. Then Regin besought him to try no longer, but\nthe youth, grim and determined, returned to the forge and made ready\nhis tools for another effort.\n\nThat night he paused many times in his work, and often felt so\ndiscouraged that he was tempted to give up the task; but each time he\nbecame ashamed of his weakness, and bravely set to work again. Once\nwhen he sat down by the fire to rest, he was conscious of some one's\nbeing in the room, but thinking it was Regin who had come to inspect\nhis work, he did not look up to see. At length, however, the silence\ngrew uncomfortable, and Siegfried turned around. Close beside him was\nstanding a tall man wrapped in a dark blue mantle. His beard and hair\nwere very long and very white, and by the dim light of the fire\nSiegfried noticed that he had only one eye. His face was kindly, and\nhis whole presence had an air both gentle and reassuring, yet\nsomething about him filled the youth with a strange awe. He waited for\nthe stranger to speak, but no word came, and Siegfried began to\ntremble with nervous fear. At this the old man smiled, and handed him\nthe pieces of a broken sword. Siegfried took them in wonder, but\nbefore he could frame a question he found himself suddenly alone; the\nstranger had disappeared.\n\nThe next morning Siegfried hastened to Regin and told him of his\nstrange visitor. Regin thought at first that the lad had been\ndreaming, but when he saw the pieces of broken sword, he cried out\njoyfully:\n\n\"Fortune now be with you, Siegfried; for it was no other than Odin\nwho visited you, and these pieces are of the famous sword which in\nformer days the ruler of the gods gave to your father. There is no\nfear for your future now, since Odin has chosen to watch over your\nwelfare; and by his decree you will stand or fall.\"\n\nGrasping the pieces of Odin's sword firmly in his hand, Siegfried\nwelded them together into a mighty weapon, the strongest that had ever\ncome from the hand of man. And he called the sword Balmung.[44] Then\nhe bade Regin test the mettle of the new blade, and when the master\nlooked upon it, it seemed as though a fire burned along the edges of\nthe sword. Now Siegfried grasped the weapon in his two hands and smote\nwith all his strength upon the anvil, but no pieces of steel fell\nshattered at his feet, for the sword had cut the anvil in two as\neasily as if it had been a feather. So Siegfried was satisfied.\n\n    [44] In the Volsunga Saga the sword is called Gram.\n\n  [Illustration: Siegfried and the Famous Sword Balmung]\n\n\n\n\nThe Slaying of Fafnir[45]\n\n    [45] In the Volsunga Saga the hero is now often called\n    Sigurd, Fafnir's bane.\n\n\nOne day Regin said to Siegfried, \"You have forged for yourself the\nfamous sword Balmung as your father Siegmund foretold. Now it remains\nfor you to fulfil the rest of the prophecy and win fame that will add\nglory to the name of the Volsungs. Of my celebrated wisdom you have\nalready learned all there is of worth, and there are no ties to hold\nyou to this people; but before you leave the land which has nourished\nyou, there is one more task which I would fain lay upon you--the\nslaying of the dragon which guards a wonderful treasure.\"\n\n\"How can I start out upon adventures with nothing but a sword, even\nthough that sword be Odin's gift?\" asked Siegfried. \"I have no horse,\nand I should make a sorry appearance if I went on foot.\"\n\n\"Go out into yonder meadow,\" said Regin, \"and there you will find the\nbest steeds that King Alf has gathered either by purchase or as the\nspoil of battle. Choose yourself one from among them; they are all of\nnoble race.\"\n\nSiegfried went over to the meadow where the stately horses were\ngrazing, and saw that each one of them was truly fine enough to be the\ncharger of a king's son. Indeed, they all seemed to him so desirable\nthat there was none which he would prefer above another. While he was\nhesitating, he heard a voice at his side ask, \"Would you choose a\nsteed, Sir Siegfried?\"\n\nSiegfried turned quickly around, for he had not heard any one\napproaching, and his heart beat fast when he saw beside him a tall\nform wrapped in a blue mantle. He dared not look closer, and he\ntrembled now with both fear and joy, for the form and voice were\nstrangely familiar. Then falteringly he answered:--\n\n\"I would indeed choose, but all the horses seem to me to be of equal\nbeauty and strength.\"\n\nThe stranger shook his head and said: \"There is one horse here which\nfar surpasses all the rest, for he came from Odin's pastures on the\nsunny slopes of Asgard. He it is you must choose.\"\n\n\"Gladly would I do so,\" replied Siegfried, \"but I am too ignorant to\nknow which he is.\"\n\n\"Drive all the horses into the river,\" said the old man, \"and I think\nyou will then find the choice easy.\"\n\nSo Siegfried drove them out of the meadow, and down a steep bank into\nthe stream below. They all plunged in boldly, but soon began to\nstruggle frantically against the current which was bearing them\nrapidly down the river upon a bank of rocks below. Some of the horses\nturned back when they felt the force of the water; some fought\nhelplessly against it and were carried down toward the rocks; but one\nswam to the other side and sprang up on the green bank. Here he\nstopped a moment to graze, then he plunged again into the stream, and,\nbreasting the current with apparent ease, he swam to the shore and\nstood at Siegfried's side.\n\nThe youth stroked the stately head and looked into the large,\nbeautiful eyes. Then turning to the stranger he said, \"This is he.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the old man, \"this is he, and a better steed did man\nnever have. His name is Greyfel,[46] and he is yours as a gift from\nOdin.\"\n\n    [46] The horse is called Grani in the Volsunga Saga.\n\nSo saying, the strange visitor disappeared, and Siegfried returned to\nhis forge full of joy and pride, for he knew that no other than the\nFather of the Gods himself had come to direct his choice.\n\nWhen Regin heard of this second visit of Odin's he said to Siegfried:\n\"You are truly blest and favoured of the gods, and it may be that you\nare the one chosen to perform the task of which I have already spoken\nto you. I have cherished the hope for many years that in you I might\nfind one brave enough to face the dragon, and restore the treasure to\nits rightful owner.\" Then he told Siegfried of Andvari's hoard, and of\nhow it came to be guarded by the dragon Fafnir. \"This monster,\" he\ncontinued, \"does not rest satisfied with the possession of his\ntreasure, but must needs live upon the flesh of men; and he has thus\nbecome the terror of all the country round. Many brave men have sought\nto slay him for the sake of the gold, but they have only miserably\nperished; for the dragon breathes out fire which will consume ten men\nat a breath; and he spits forth poison so deadly that one drop of it\ncan kill. He is, as I have told you, my brother, but nevertheless I\nbid you slay him.\"\n\n\"I will go,\" cried Siegfried, eagerly; \"for though the monster be all\nthat you have said, with Greyfel and my sword Balmung I fear neither\nman nor beast.\"\n\nThe following day Siegfried bade farewell to King Alf and started on\nhis journey, taking Regin with him, since the latter knew the road so\nwell and could guide him to the dragon's cave. They travelled for many\ndays and nights, and at last came to a narrow river whose current was\nso fierce that no boat, Regin said, was ever known to brave its\nwaters. But neither Siegfried nor Greyfel felt a touch of fear, and\nthe noble horse carried both riders safely to the opposite bank. Here\nthey found themselves at the foot of a tall mountain, which seemed to\nrise straight up like a wall from the river's edge. It was apparently\nof solid rock, for no tree or shrub or blade of grass grew upon its\nsteep side. There were no sounds of birds in the air, no sign of any\nliving thing inhabiting this dreary place; nothing to see but the\nrushing river over which the mountain cast its gloomy shadow. It was\nenough to dishearten the stoutest hero, but Siegfried refused to turn\nback, though Regin, now trembling and fearful, besought him to give up\nthe adventure.\n\nThey went on some distance farther along the river bank, to a place\nwhere the mountain appeared less rocky and forbidding. There were\npatches of earth to be seen here and there, and occasionally a\nstraggling tree sought to strike its roots into the unfriendly soil.\nPointing up through the trees, Regin said:--\n\n\"Look close and you will see what seems to be a path worn in the\nearth. It reaches from the mountain top down to the water's edge, and\nit is the trail of the dragon. Over this he will come to-morrow at\nsunrise, but think not to encounter him face to face, for you could\nnot do it and live. You must depend upon stratagem if you would hope\nto slay him. Dig, therefore, a series of pits and cover them with\nboughs, so that the dragon, as he rushes down the mountain side, may\nfall into one of them and not get out until you have slain him. As\nfor me, I will go some distance below, where the view of Fafnir's cave\nis plainer, and I can warn you of his approach.\" So saying, he went\naway, and Siegfried remained alone, wondering at Regin's cowardice,\nbut content to face the danger with only the help of Balmung.\n\nIt was now night, and the place became full of unknown terrors. Even\nthe stars and the moon were hidden by thick clouds, and Siegfried\ncould hardly see to dig his pits. Every time he struck the earth, the\nblow brought a deep echo from the mountain, and now and then he heard\nthe dismal hoot of an owl. There was no other sound save the noise of\nthe swiftly running river, and his own heavy breathing as he worked\naway at his task.\n\nSuddenly he was aware that some one was standing beside him, and when\nhe turned to look, his heart beat fast with joy, for even in the\ndarkness he fancied he saw the blueness of the stranger's coat, and\nhis long, white beard beneath the hood.\n\n\"What are you doing in this dismal country, Sir Siegfried?\" asked the\nold man.\n\n\"I have come to slay Fafnir,\" replied the youth.\n\n\"Have you no fear, then?\" continued the stranger, \"or no love for your\nlife that you risk it thus boldly? Many a brave man has met death ere\nthis in the perilous encounter you would try. You are young yet, and\nlife is full of pleasures. Give up this adventure, then, and return to\nyour father's hall.\"\n\n\"No, I cannot,\" answered Siegfried. \"I am young, it is true, but I\nhave no fear of the dragon, since Odin's sword is in my hands.\"\n\n\"It is well said,\" replied the old man; \"but if you are to accomplish\nthe slaying of Fafnir, do not dig any pits here on the river's bank,\nfor it will be of no avail. But go up on the mountain side until you\nhave found a narrow path worn deep into the earth. It is Fafnir's\ntrail, and over it he is sure to come. Dig there a deep pit, and hide\nin it yourself, first covering the top with a few boughs. As the\ndragon's huge body passes over this, you can strike him from beneath\nwith your sword.\"\n\nAs the stranger finished speaking, Siegfried turned to thank him, but\nhe saw no one there; only Greyfel was standing at his side. But his\ncourage now rose high, for he knew that it was Odin who had talked\nwith him. He hurried up the mountain side and soon found the dragon's\ntrail. Here he dug a deep pit and crept into it himself, covering the\ntop as Odin had directed. For hours he lay still and waited, and it\nseemed to him that the night would never end. At last a faint streak\nof light appeared in the east, and it soon grew bright enough for\nSiegfried to see plainly about him. He raised one corner of his roof\nof boughs and peeped cautiously out. Just then there came a terrible\nroar which seemed to shake the whole mountain. This was followed in a\nmoment by a loud rushing sound like some mighty wind, and the air was\nfull of heat and smoke as from a furnace. Siegfried dropped quickly\nback into his hiding-place, for he knew that the dragon had left his\ncave.\n\nLouder and louder grew the fearful sound, as the monster rushed\nswiftly down the mountain side, leaving smoke and fire in his trail.\nHis claws struck deep into the ground, and in his rapid descent he\nsometimes tore up the roots of trees. His huge wings flapping at his\nside made a frightful noise, while the black scaly tail left behind it\na track of deadly slime. On he went until, all unknowing, he glided\nover the loosely strewn boughs which covered the pit, and Siegfried\nstruck with his good sword Balmung. It seemed to him that he had\nstruck blindly. Yet in a moment he knew that the blow was sure and had\npierced the monster's heart, for he heard it give one roar of mortal\npain. Then, as he drew out his sword, the huge body quivered an\ninstant and rolled with a crash down the mountain side. But in drawing\nout his sword from the dragon's heart, a great gush of blood followed\nwhich bathed Siegfried from head to foot in its crimson stream. He did\nnot heed this, however, but sprang out of the pit and hurried down\nto where the dragon, so lately a thing of dread and horror, now lay\napparently lifeless at the foot of the mountain.\n\n  [Illustration: Siegfried fighting the Dragon]\n\nWhen Fafnir was aware that he had received his death-wound, he began\nto lash out fiercely with his head and tail, in hopes that he would\nthereby kill the thing which had destroyed him. But Siegfried stayed\nat a safe distance; and when he saw the dragon cease its frantic\nstruggles and lie quiet on the ground, he came nearer and gazed at it\nin wonder and half in fear--for Fafnir, though dying, was still a\nterrible creature to look upon.\n\nThe dragon slowly raised its head as Siegfried approached, and said,\n\"Who art thou, and who is thy father and thy kin that thou wert so\nbold as to come against me?\" At first Siegfried was loath to tell his\nname[47]; but soon he felt ashamed of his fears and answered boldly:\n\"Siegfried I am called, and my father was Siegmund the Volsung.\" Then\nsaid Fafnir, \"Who urged thee to this deed?\" and Siegfried answered, \"A\nbold heart urged me; and my strong hand and good sword aided me to do\nthe deed.\"\n\n    [47] There is an old superstition that the curse of the dying\n    is sure to be fulfilled if he knows his enemy's name.\n\nNow Fafnir knew well who it was that had set the youth upon this\nadventure, and he said: \"Of what use is it to lie? Regin, my brother,\nhath sent thee to work my death, for he is eager to gain the treasure\nwhich I guarded these many years. Go, therefore, and seek it out, but\nfirst I will give thee this counsel; turn away thy steps from this\nill-fated gold, for a curse rests upon it, and it shall be the bane of\nevery one that possesses it.\" As he spoke these words, Fafnir gave a\nfearful shudder that seemed to make the trees around him tremble; and\nin a moment Siegfried saw that the great dragon was dead.\n\nThen Regin crept out of his hiding-place, and drew near to the dead\ncreature, peering closely into the dull, glazed eyes to see if it were\nreally a thing no longer to be feared. A look of hatred came into his\nface, but it disappeared quickly when he turned to the youth at his\nside and said:--\n\n\"Bravely done, Siegfried! You have this day wrought a great deed which\nshall be told and sung as long as the world stands fast.\" Then he\nadded eagerly, \"Have you found the hoard?\"\n\n\"I did not look for it,\" answered Siegfried; \"for after what you have\ntold me of the curse which rests upon it, I had no desire to touch\nit.\"\n\nRegin seemed now to be trembling with excitement, and he exclaimed\nhurriedly: \"We must seek it at once, yes, at once, before any one can\ncome to claim it and we thereby lose a wonderful treasure. But let me\ngo alone to find it, for you would surely lose your way.\" Then as he\nsaw Siegfried wiping his blood-stained sword on the earth, he grasped\nthe youth's arm fiercely and said: \"Do not put the blade into its\nsheath until you have done one thing further. While I am searching for\nthe cave, do you cut out Fafnir's heart and roast it, that I may eat\nit upon my return.\"\n\nWhile he was speaking, Regin's face had lost its usual gentle and\nkindly look, and had become crafty and sly and full of cruel cunning.\nHe looked now and then suspiciously at Siegfried, but the youth turned\nhis head away, for he could not bear to look on at such a dreadful\ntransformation. Meanwhile Regin was muttering to himself: \"The gold!\nthe gold! and precious gems in great glittering heaps! All of\nAndvari's hoard is mine now,--all mine.\" And he hurried away, leaving\nSiegfried surprised and sorrowing to find how soon the curse of that\nill-fated gold had fallen on its would-be possessor.\n\nWhen Regin had gone, Siegfried set to work to roast Fafnir's heart,\nand when the dreadful meal was cooked, he laid it upon the grass, but\nin so doing, some of the blood dropped upon his hand. Wondering what\ntaste there could be in the dragon's heart to make Regin desire to eat\nit, Siegfried put the finger, on which the blood had dropped, to his\nlips. All at once he heard a hum of voices in the air. It was only a\nflock of crows flying overhead and chattering to themselves, but it\nsounded like human voices, and Siegfried could plainly tell what the\ncrows were saying. A moment later two ravens came flying by, and he\nheard one of them say, \"There sits Siegfried roasting Fafnir's heart\nthat he may give it to Regin, who will taste the blood, and so be able\nto understand the language of birds.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the other raven, \"and he is waiting for Regin to\nreturn, not knowing that when Regin has taken possession of the hoard,\nhe will come back and slay Siegfried.\"\n\nThe youth listened to these words in sorrow and surprise, for in spite\nof the look which he had seen on Regin's face, he could not believe\nhis master guilty of such murderous thoughts.\n\nSoon Regin returned, but what a change had come over him. Siegfried\nsaw that the raven's words were indeed true, and that the curse of\nAndvari had fallen upon the new possessor of the hoard. If Regin's\nface had been mean and crafty before, it was now ten times more\ndreadful, and his mouth wore an evil smile which made Siegfried\nshudder. It seemed, too, as if his body had shrunk, and its motion was\nnot unlike the gliding of a serpent. He was talking to himself as he\ncame along, and appeared to be counting busily on his fingers. When\nSiegfried spoke, he looked up and eyed him furtively, then his face\nbecame suddenly black with rage, and he sprang at the youth, crying:\n\"Fool and murderer, you shall have none of the gold. It is mine, all\nmine.\"\n\nWith the strength of a madman he dashed Siegfried upon the ground, and\nseizing a large stick struck him with all his force. But Siegfried\nsprang up quickly and, drawing Balmung, prepared to defend himself\nagainst Regin's attack. Enraged now to the point of frenzy, Regin\nstruck again and again, and suddenly, in his blind fury, rushed upon\nSiegfried's sword. Siegfried uttered a cry of horror and closed his\neyes, for he could not look upon the painful sight. When he opened\nthem again, Regin was lying dead at his feet. Then he drew out his\nsword, and, sitting down beside his slain friend, wept bitterly. At\nlength he arose, and mounting Greyfel rode sorrowfully away.\n\nThe good horse bore him straight to Glistenheath--to the cave where\nFafnir had hidden the ill-fated hoard. Here he found gold and gems in\nsuch heaps that his eyes were dazzled, and he turned away fearing to\nburden himself with the treasure and the curse which rested upon it.\nBut from the pile he took Andvari's ring, which he placed upon his\nfinger, and a gold helmet. He also chose from the treasures of the\nhoard a magic cape and a shield. Then he remounted Greyfel, after\nplacing upon him as many sacks of gold as the horse could well carry.\n\n\n\n\nThe Valkyrie[48]\n\n    [48] From this chapter on, the incidents follow the story in\n    the Nibelungenlied.\n\n\nFor many days Siegfried travelled on, saddened and discouraged, and\nhaving no heart for further adventures, since his first one had ended\nso sadly. He felt that he cared but little what became of him, and,\nletting the reins lie loose on Greyfel's neck, he allowed the horse to\ncarry him wherever it would. At night he rested under the shade of the\nforest trees, and by day he wandered aimlessly over the country, too\ndisheartened even to wish to return to King Alf's court again. But\nalthough he did not care to guide Greyfel, the horse was being led by\na hand far wiser than his own, for Odin had other tasks in store for\nSiegfried, and it was he who now directed the young hero's path.\n\nOne day at nightfall they came to the foot of a mountain[49] and\nGreyfel stopped, as if waiting for his master to dismount. Siegfried,\nnot wishing to rest here, urged his horse forward; but, for the first\ntime, Greyfel refused to obey. His master, wondering at this\nstubbornness, but too tired and indifferent to force him further,\ndismounted and prepared to remain where he was for the night.\nSomething about the place, its loneliness and silence, recalled the\nother mountain side where his first deed of glory and his first great\nsorrow had come to him. He could not sleep, so he wandered about among\nthe trees, now and then stopping to listen as some sound broke the\nstillness of the night.\n\n    [49] The mountain was called Hindfell.\n\nOnce when he was looking toward the mountain top, he fancied he caught\nthe glimmer of a light somewhere among the trees; and as he watched it\nlonger, he saw what appeared to be tongues of flame leaping up and\nthen disappearing. Alert now, and eager to get nearer this strange\nsight, he mounted Greyfel and directed him toward the fire. The horse\nobeyed readily, seeming to know the way; and when Siegfried drew\nnearer, he found that this was no common fire, but a circle of flames\nenclosing a large rock. There was no path up the mountain, and\nSiegfried felt uncertain whether to proceed. The horse, however, did\nnot hesitate, but began the ascent boldly, picking his way among the\ntrees and over the fallen trunks; sometimes stumbling and sometimes\nbruising his legs, but never once faltering or showing a desire to\nturn back.\n\nSuddenly Siegfried felt upon his face a scorching wind followed by\nthick smoke that blinded his eyes. A quick turn of Greyfel's had\nbrought them almost upon a wall of leaping flames, which rose so high\nthat Siegfried could see nothing beyond them. The intense heat burned\nhis face, and he dared not open his eyes to look about him. Greyfel\nsnorted and pawed the ground, then suddenly made a movement forward as\nif to plunge into the flames. For an instant Siegfried thought of the\nprophecy made by his father Siegmund that he should be the greatest of\nthe Volsungs, and he hesitated to risk his life thus lightly. Then he\nfelt ashamed of the momentary cowardice, and with but one quick throb\nof fear at the peril he was rushing into, he bent forward and spurred\nGreyfel into the fire.\n\nIt was all over in an instant. He felt the scorching flames lick his\nface, and then he heard the horse's feet strike upon solid rock. When\nhe opened his eyes to look about him, he realized that he had ridden\nthrough the fire all unharmed, and he was full of wonder at his\nsafety. Greyfel, too, was unhurt; not a single hair upon his mane was\nsinged; and Siegfried offered a silent prayer to Odin, who had guided\nthem through such peril.\n\nHe dismounted and looked about, and found that he was standing upon\nthe rock which he had seen from below, and which he now discovered to\nbe completely encircled by the wall of fire. But stranger even than\nthis was the sight of a man lying full length upon the rock, and\nseemingly unconscious of the fire which was raging all around him.[50]\nHis shield was on the ground beside him, but his helmet covered his\nface so that Siegfried could not tell whether he was dead or sleeping.\nHis figure was youthful and his dress of richest texture, while the\narmor which he bore seemed too fine to bear the brunt of warfare.\n\n    [50] In the Volsunga Saga, Brunhilde lies asleep in a\n    shield-hung castle surrounded by fire.\n\nFor a long time Siegfried stood beside the unconscious figure,\nwondering whether he had best awake the sleeper, or go away and leave\nhim undisturbed. At last his curiosity became too strong, and, lifting\nthe youth gently, he raised the helmet and gazed with wonder and\ndelight at the beautiful face beneath. Then, as the sleeper did not\nawake, Siegfried took off his helmet, hoping thus to rouse him; but\nwhat was his surprise to see a shower of long golden hair fall down\nover the shoulders of the seeming youth. He started back so suddenly\nthat the maiden awoke, and looking up at Siegfried said softly, \"So\nyou have come at last.\"\n\nThe young hero was too astonished to make any reply, but remained\nkneeling beside her, waiting for her to speak again. He wondered\nwhether she was really human, or only some spirit of the night. Seeing\nhis surprise, the maiden smiled, and, seating herself upon the rock,\nshe pointed to a place beside her and said:--\n\n\"Sit down, Sir Siegfried, and I will tell you my story, and how I came\nto be sleeping in this strange place.\"\n\nStill wondering, especially at hearing himself thus addressed,\nSiegfried obeyed, and the maiden began:--\n\n  [Illustration: Valkyrie bearing Hero to Valhalla]\n\n\"My name is Brunhilde, and I am one of Odin's Valkyries, or choosers\nof the slain. There are eight of us who do this service, and we ride\nto battle on swift-winged horses, wearing such armor as warriors\ncarry, except that it is invulnerable.[51] We go into the midst of the\nfight even when it is fiercest, and when any of the heroes whom Odin\nhas chosen are slain, we raise him from the battle-field, lay him\nbefore us on the horse, and ride with him to Asgard, to the place\ncalled Valhalla. This is a beautiful hall made of gold and marble, and\nit has five and forty doors wide enough for eight hundred warriors to\nmarch in abreast. Inside, its roof is made of golden shields, and its\nwalls are hung with spears of polished steel that give a wonderful\nbright light to all the hall. Every day the warriors drink of the mead\nwhich is prepared for the gods themselves, and they feast on the meat\nof a wonderful boar[52] which is daily slain and boiled in the\ngreat caldron, and which always comes to life again just before the\nheroes are ready to eat.\n\n    [51] The light made by the gleaming shields of the Valkyries\n    was the Aurora Borealis.\n\n    [52] The boar was called Serimnir.\n\n\"Sometimes Odin sits at the board and shares the feast with them, and\nwhen the Valkyries are not doing service on the battle-field, they lay\naside their armor and clothe themselves in pure white robes, to wait\nupon the heroes. When the feast is over, the warriors call for their\nweapons, and spear in hand they go out into the great courtyard, where\nthey fight desperate battles and deal terrible wounds, performing\ndeeds of valour such as they achieved while on the earth. Since in\nAsgard there is no dying, every combatant who receives some terrible\nwound is healed at once by magic power. Thus the heroes share the\nblessings and privileges of the gods, and live forever, having won\ngreat fame and glory.\n\n\"Now there was a certain battle being waged in a country far from\nhere, in which the combatants were an old warrior named Helm Gunnar,\nand a youth called Agnar. Odin had commanded me to bear Helm Gunnar to\nValhalla, and leave the other to the mercy of the conquerors. The\nyouth of Agnar moved me, however, to pity; so I left the old warrior\nupon the battle-field, though he was already sore wounded. Then I\nlifted Agnar from the ground, and, laying him upon my horse, I carried\nhim to Asgard.\n\n\"In punishment for my disobedience and daring, the All-father took\nfrom me forever my privilege of being a Valkyrie, or shield-maiden. He\nalso condemned me to the life of a mortal, and then he brought me to\nthis rock, where he stung me with the sleep-thorn, and made this my\nsleeping place. But first he surrounded the rock with a wall of fire,\nand he decreed that I should sleep here until a hero who knew no fear\nshould ride through the flames and waken me. I am well versed in the\nlore of runes, and I read there long ago that he who knows no fear is\nSiegfried, the slayer of Fafnir. Therefore thou art Siegfried and my\ndeliverer.\"\n\nFor a long time Brunhilde talked with him, and told him many wonderful\nthings, of the noble deeds of heroes and of bloody battles fought in\nfar-off lands. Then, knowing that he was but a youth in spite of his\nbrave acts, she imparted to him something of the wisdom she had gained\nas \"one of the greatest among great women\"--for thus it was that men\nspoke of her. She warned Siegfried of the dangers he would encounter\non his journey, and bade him beware of the wiles of those who would\ncall themselves his friends. She charged him to abide always by his\noath, \"for great and grim is the reward for the breaking of plighted\ntroth.\"\n\n\"Bear and forbear, and so win for thyself long, enduring praise of\nmen.\n\n  [Illustration: Wotan's Farewell to Brunhilde]\n\n\"Give kind heed to dead men--sick-dead, sea-dead, or sword-dead.\"\n\nThus spoke Brunhilde, and Siegfried listened, and ever, as she stopped\nspeaking, he begged to hear still more. Then she read for him many\nthings written in the runes, and Siegfried listened, marvelling at her\nwisdom.\n\nThe circle of fire had now burnt itself out, but daylight had come,\nand Siegfried could plainly see the perilous ascent he had made up the\nmountain. Brunhilde took his hand and bade him farewell, but, before\nshe left him, Siegfried put upon her finger the ring which he had\ntaken from Andvari's hoard. Then he watched her depart toward her\ncastle in Isenland, feeling very lonely, and wishing he might follow\nher. But Greyfel's head was turned a different way, and Siegfried knew\nthat Odin had other things for him to do, so he allowed the horse to\ncarry him away from Brunhilde's country, though he would fain have\ngone thither. And Siegfried longed for the maiden, and sorrowed at\nparting from her; but Brunhilde, though she loved him well, bade him\ngo his way, since thus it was written in the runes that not she, but\nanother, should be the wife of Siegfried.\n\n\n\n\nSiegfried at Gunther's Court\n\n\nFor several days Siegfried rode across the country without meeting any\none who could tell him in what land he was, or whither the roads would\nlead him. At times he longed to return to the palace of King Alf, and\nagain he hoped that Odin was conducting him to new adventures which\nwould prove that his father Siegmund had not prophesied great things\nof him in vain. He was growing very weary of the continued stretch of\nforest and mountain that never seemed to end, and he began to wonder\nwhether his dream of greatness was not, after all, a thing of\nshadows--a mere will-o'-the-wisp, which it would be foolish for him to\nfollow. Yet Odin's sword was in his hand, and the strange blue-cloaked\nold man had already come to help him when he was most in need of\nguidance. So, not knowing, himself, in which direction to go, he let\nthe reins lie loosely on Greyfel's neck, and trusted to Odin to lead\nthem.\n\nSoon the forest ended and they came out into the open country where\nSiegfried hoped he might meet with some one who could tell him whither\nhe was faring. The landscape now changed to meadows and ploughed\nfields, with here and there a castle perched high on the protecting\nhills. Siegfried kept as much as he could on the well-travelled roads,\nsince there he would be most likely to meet with some other rider who\ncould direct his way; but all those whom he saw seemed to be\nwanderers, like himself, and they could tell him little of the country\nor the people. In return, they would ask him whither he was going, and\nwhat was the object of his journey, but to all questions he offered no\nreply save that he was travelling in search of adventures. But at\nheart he had no desire for adventures, unless they led him among\npeople and into the life of the world. He had grown weary of his\nsolitude and his aimless wandering, and longed for the companionship\nof men.\n\nOne day, late in the evening, he found himself on the edge of a thick\nforest. He did not wish to enter this, for it looked dark and\nimpenetrable, and already Greyfel was picking his way among brambles\nand over uncertain ground; so he turned the horse's head and prepared\nto go back to the road he had lately left. But Greyfel knew better\nthan his master where to go, and persisted in moving forward into what\nseemed to be the very heart of the forest. In a moment, however,\nSiegfried found that they were not stumbling helplessly about, for he\nheard the sharp, clear sound of the horse's hoofs upon a hard road,\nwhile the glimmer of many lights in the distance told him he was not\nin a forest wilderness, but near some great city. Soon he met a man\non horseback, and inquired of him what country this was, and whither\nthe road would lead him.\n\n\"This is Burgundy, sir,\" answered the stranger, \"and yonder is the\ncity where King Gunther[53A] himself dwells. There you are sure of\nfinding shelter and entertainment for the night.\" Siegfried thanked\nhim, and spurred Greyfel toward the city.\n\nIn the palace of King Gunther, a great feast was being held. There was\nwine in costly beakers, and meat served upon plates of gold. At the\nplace of each guest was a silver goblet, and these were often lifted\nhigh as the company drank to the health of Gunther and all his noble\nrace. While the men feasted and drank, the women of the household\nstood at the palace windows looking down the road to see if some\nstrolling minstrel might not be passing by who could be summoned in to\nhelp them beguile the weary hours that would follow the days of\nfeasting.\n\nThe king's mother, Queen Ute,[53B] was busy with her loom, for she\ncared no longer for the gayety of the palace nor for any entertainment\nthat some wandering harper might provide. She was a wise woman,\nlearned in magic arts and the reading of dreams.\n\nOne day when her daughter, Kriemhild,[53C] the beautiful sister of\nKing Gunther, came to her with troubled face, she asked the maiden why\nshe seemed so sad, and Kriemhild answered: \"I dreamed last night that\na hawk with feathers of gold lighted on my wrist; and naught was so\ndear to me as this hawk. And I dreamed that I told both you and the\nking, my brother, that I would cast aside all my rich raiment and gems\nrather than lose the hawk that was feathered with gold.\"\n\n    [53A], [53B], [53C] In the Volsunga Saga, Gunther is called Gunnar,\n    Ute is called Grimhild, and Kriemhild is called Gudrun.\n\nThen said Queen Ute, the witch-wife: \"Trouble not yourself over\nstrange dreams. A hero is coming to woo you, and he shall stay at your\nside even as the hawk upon your wrist.\"\n\nNow on this day when King Gunther was feasting,[54] and the women idly\nwatched the long white line of road where often a gallant horse and\nrider came galloping toward the castle gates, the fair Kriemhild\nsuddenly exclaimed that some one was riding slowly along the road. Her\nmother rose from the loom, and standing by the open window she watched\nthe approaching figure with great interest. Then Queen Ute said:--\n\n    [54] In the Volsunga Saga, Siegfried goes to the court of\n    Giuki, king of the Niblungs, who has three sons: Gunnar,\n    Hogni and Guttorm.\n\n\"That is no wandering harper, child, for see how nobly he sits his\nhorse. It is some knight with tidings from a far country, or some king\ncome hither to claim your brother's hospitality. But summon Hagen and\nquestion him concerning the stranger.\" So Kriemhild went out into the\nhall where Gunther and his vassals sat at the great table drinking and\nsinging war-songs. Stepping softly to her uncle's side, she whispered\nthat a stranger was approaching the castle, and begged him to look out\nand see if he knew who the rider might be.\n\nHagen[55] was the oldest and most formidable warrior in all the land\nof Burgundy. He was tall and powerfully built, and gave the impression\nof great strength, in spite of his gray hairs. His face was dark and\ndeeply furrowed, and the frown which he always wore made him look grim\nand stern, as indeed he was. He had never been known to care for any\none or to show the least regard for even his own sister Ute and her\nhousehold. Only toward Gunther, his liege lord, did Hagen have perfect\nloyalty and a kind of doglike fidelity, which kept him ever at the\nking's side in the midst of the fiercest battles, and constant at his\nservice at the court when Gunther needed his advice or support. He was\nfamous, too, for his skill in statecraft, and in all matters of\ngovernment was considered wiser than any of the king's other\ncounsellors. He also added to this a wonderful knowledge of men and\nthings, and could recount the deeds of famous heroes, all of whom he\nknew by name and lineage.\n\n    [55] Called Hogni, in the Volsunga Saga. He is the king's\n    brother--not his uncle, as in the Nibelungenlied.\n\nWhen Hagen came to the window at Kriemhild's request, he looked out\nfor some moments in silence, then he said: \"The youth whom you see\napproaching is Siegfried, the slayer of Fafnir, and owner of a famous\nhoard.[56] It would be well for the king if he made this man his\nguest.\"\n\n    [56] In the Nibelungenlied, Siegfried took the treasure from\n    two princes, the sons of King Niblung.\n\nThe queen hastened to send word to the porters to open the castle\ngates and invite the stranger to enter. Then she told the king that a\nnoble prince had come to be his guest.\n\nSo Gunther and Hagen, followed by a retinue of knights, went to the\ngreat door of the palace and welcomed Siegfried to Burgundy. The young\nhero was surprised and pleased at such a cordial reception, and when\nthe king urged him to remain with them some days, he gladly consented,\nfor the castle with its gracious household seemed a pleasant\nresting-place after his days of wandering.\n\nMany feasts were now given, and games were held in Siegfried's honour,\nto which all the princes of Burgundy were invited. The king would not\nallow him to speak of leaving them, and Siegfried was readily\npersuaded to stay yet longer, for the days passed quickly and happily\nat Gunther's court. The king became his friend and constant\ncompanion, and the beautiful Kriemhild often talked with him. Only\nHagen kept aloof, grim, silent and distrustful.\n\nJust before Siegfried's arrival, Gunther had become involved in a war\nwith one of the neighbouring princes, and as the number of his forces\nwas much inferior to that of the enemy, he feared defeat and the\npossible loss of his crown. Since the very beginning, fortune had been\nagainst him, and he grew daily more fearful lest it should end in the\noverthrow of his kingdom. Not wishing to risk another disastrous\nbattle, Hagen went to the king one day and said: \"Let us not allow\nSiegfried to sit idly here in the palace while we go to the\nbattle-field. Bid him help us before it is too late.\"\n\n\"Nay, he is our guest,\" replied the king.\n\n\"What of that,\" cried Hagen, impatiently; \"he has been here many days,\nand, as he holds himself your friend, your cause should be his also.\nWe need help, and he alone is powerful enough to turn the tide of\nbattle in our favour. He has a magic cloak called the Tarnkappe, which\nis of little use to him as he sits here in the palace. He also has the\nmighty Balmung, which was forged from the pieces of Odin's famous\nsword, and which should not be allowed to hang idle at his side. With\nSiegfried as an ally, no enemy can stand against us. Entreat him,\ntherefore, before another day has passed.\"\n\n  [Illustration: Siegfried's Triumphant Entry into Burgundy with\n      Captives and Spoils]\n\nSo Gunther sought out Siegfried, and, after telling him of the plight\nof the Burgundians, begged him to aid them.\n\n\"Right willingly will I join you, my friend,\" said Siegfried. \"There\nis nothing I would gladlier do than help your cause. I would have been\nat your side long since had not your gentle sister besought me not to\ntrouble myself over the affairs of your kingdom, and assured me that\nyour forces were more than a match for the enemy.\"\n\nThe next day Siegfried fought beside the king, and then victory\nfollowed victory for the disabled ranks of the Burgundians. The\nsoldiers rallied under his leadership, and went boldly into the fight,\nwhile the enemy fell in great numbers beneath the terrible strokes of\nBalmung. A sudden panic came upon the hitherto victorious host, and\nthey fled in terror before Gunther's pursuing army. This battle was\nfollowed by many others in which the Burgundians completely routed the\nenemy's forces, and their leader was obliged to sue for peace. So the\nwar was ended, and the heroes returned to their homes to exchange the\nsword and shield for the milder pleasures of the palace.\n\nSoon after this, Hagen came again to King Gunther and said: \"This\ngreat victory has proved how strong an ally we have in Siegfried. It\nwere well, therefore, to keep him with us, lest trouble arise again\nand we need his help. Let us bind him to our house by some close tie,\nand as no bond is closer than marriage, you must wed him to your\nsister Kriemhild, who already looks upon him with favour.\"\n\n\"But that cannot be, much as I desire it,\" answered Gunther, \"for\nSiegfried will not wed with my sister, since his heart yearns for\nBrunhilde, and he is even now planning to seek her in Isenland.\"\n\n\"All this is true,\" answered the wily Hagen; \"and while Siegfried\nlongs for the shield-maiden, nothing can be done; but summon your\nmother hither, and bade her mix for him a draught of forgetfulness.\nShe is skilled in magic potions, and will give us such help as we\nneed.\"\n\nGunther sent at once for Queen Ute and told her of Hagen's plan, to\nwhich she willingly offered her assistance; and that night when\nSiegfried returned from a journey to a neighbouring city, she offered\nhim a cup into which she had put a magic drink which made him forget\nBrunhilde and his ride through the wall of fire. Then he turned more\nkindly eyes upon the beautiful Kriemhild, and before many days went\nby, he sought her hand in marriage of Gunther and the queen. Even to\nthe unfriendly Hagen did he urge the acceptance of his suit, and the\ngrim old warrior replied, \"Gladly do we yield to you this flower of\nBurgundy; but to no other man would we have given her for all his\nprayers.\"\n\nWhen it was known throughout the kingdom that such a powerful prince\nas Siegfried was going to ally himself with the house of Burgundy,\nthere was great rejoicing among the people, for Siegfried had already\nmade himself both feared and loved. The wedding festivities lasted\nseveral weeks, and many costly gifts were distributed by King Gunther\namong his vassals.\n\nYet in the midst of all the rejoicing, a strange feeling of uneasiness\noppressed Siegfried, and he felt himself struggling with some memory\nthat would not take shape in his mind. As his troubled looks seemed to\nworry the gentle Kriemhild, he tried to banish the haunting memory,\nand join in the merriment that attended his marriage.\n\nSoon Hagen, who knew that Siegfried was the possessor of Andvari's\nhoard, caused it to be whispered about that the young hero had brought\nno gift to his bride, and that he lived, with empty hands, upon King\nGunther's bounty. When this rumour reached Siegfried, he grew pale\nwith angry pride; then, in the presence of all the court, he made a\nformal gift to Kriemhild of all his treasure, both the chests of gold\nwhich he had carried on his horse, and the great hoard which still lay\nin Fafnir's cave. In his resentment and wounded pride he forgot the\ncurse which still rested upon it, and because of the drink which Queen\nUte had given him, he forgot the ring that he had placed on\nBrunhilde's finger. Gunther and his people were delighted with the\nmagnificence of the bridal gift, and even Hagen felt satisfied, for he\nknew nothing of the curse, and hoped sometime to induce Siegfried to\nhave the hoard brought to Burgundy.\n\n\n\n\nThe Wooing of Brunhilde\n\n\nSiegfried's days passed happily at Gunther's court, and now that he\nhad become the husband of the beautiful Kriemhild he desired nothing\nbetter than to spend his life beside her in the pleasant land of\nBurgundy. Ever since the day of his marriage all of his former life\nseemed to be shrouded in mist. He but dimly remembered the forging of\nBalmung and his fight with the dragon Fafnir, while the meeting with\nBrunhilde had, owing to the magic potion, passed wholly from his\nmemory. He was very happy with the lovely and gentle Kriemhild, who\nhad wedded him believing that she alone had won the young hero's\nheart, for her mother had spoken no word to her of the Valkyrie whom\nSiegfried loved, or of the draught which had been given to make him\nforget her. As for Siegfried, he was proud of being chosen above all\nthe other suitors who came to win the hand of Gunther's sister; and he\nwas sure that there lived upon the earth no maiden fairer than the\npeerless Kriemhild.\n\nOne day there came to the palace an old harper. His hair was white and\nhis figure bent with age, but he could still play wonderful music, and\nsing bravely of the deeds of heroes. Many days and nights he sang in\nthe great hall of the castle, and the listeners never wearied of his\nmusic. Sometimes he laid aside his harp and told strange tales of his\nwanderings; and one night as he sat before Siegfried and King Gunther\nat the feast, he spoke to them of a certain country called Isenland,\nwhere dwelt a beautiful maiden whom many kings and princes had sought\nto wed. \"But,\" continued the old man, \"she has never yet been won, for\nshe is a warrior queen, and to those who seek her hand she proposes a\ntrial of strength with the condition that he who loses in the contest\nmust also lose his life. This has daunted many a suitor, for the fame\nof the maiden's strength has spread far and wide, yet there have been\nsome brave men who have dared to try, and, failing, have forfeited\ntheir lives.\"\n\n\"But why is she willing to marry, if she has more than a man's\nstrength, and can go to battle like any warrior?\" asked Gunther.\n\n\"She does not wish to do so,\" replied the harper; \"but it is written\nin the runes that she must wed. She is determined, however, to yield\nonly to the hero whose strength can surpass her own, and therefore she\ndemands that all suitors shall meet her in this contest.\"\n\n\"What is her name?\" asked the king.\n\n\"It is Brunhilde,\" answered the old man, and at this Gunther looked\nfearfully at Siegfried, wondering if the name would bring back to him\nthe memory of his ride through the fire and his meeting with the\nValkyrie. But on Siegfried's face was a look of entire unconcern, and\nhe smiled as the blood rushed into Gunther's cheeks, and cried:--\n\n\"Look now at the king's face, Sir Harper, and see how quickly you have\nfound another victim for the warrior maiden. Methinks he is already\neager to behold her beauty and win her for his queen. How is it,\nfriend Gunther?\"\n\n\"Even as you have said,\" replied the king, \"for I would fain risk my\nlife to gain this wonderful maiden.\"\n\nIndeed, Gunther was so much in earnest in his wish, and so determined\nto journey to Isenland, that no advice from Hagen could turn him from\nhis purpose, neither were the gentle pleadings of Kriemhild of any\navail. He would have Brunhilde and no one else for his queen.\n\nWhen it was settled that he should go to Isenland, Hagen came secretly\nto him and said: \"If you are really bent upon going on this foolhardy\njourney, and desire to risk your life for a woman who is doubtless not\nworth the winning, take Siegfried with you. He has the sword Balmung\nwith which to fight your battles, should you be beset with foes, and\nhe has also the magic Tarnkappe which renders him invisible. This\nwill help to bring you out of many unknown difficulties. Urge him,\ntherefore, to go with you.\"\n\nGunther did as Hagen advised, but it needed no urging to obtain\nSiegfried's ready consent to accompany the king. He had grown somewhat\nweary of the quiet, uneventful life at the court, and longed for new\nadventures. The beautiful Kriemhild wept and besought him not to go\ninto a far country, and on an undertaking fraught with many dangers;\nbut Siegfried only laughed at her fears, and bade her get his clothing\nand armour ready for the journey. To Gunther he said, \"There is one\nthing you must do if you wish me to accompany you, and that is to give\nme your promise not to take any train of warriors with us, but to go\nalone with only Hagen and your brother Dankwart.\"\n\nThis seemed a very singular demand, and Hagen declared that the king\nshould not listen to it; but Gunther trusted Siegfried's discretion,\nand was willing to be guided by his wishes, so he consented, and no\none prepared for the voyage to Isenland save those whom Siegfried had\nchosen.\n\nKriemhild and her maidens spent many days making rich garments and\nembroidering costly robes, for she wished to have the warriors of\nBurgundy apparelled as became their rank. Queen Ute, also, brought out\nfrom her large chests many fine fabrics and rare jewels, and with\nthreads of purest gold worked beautiful pieces of raiment, that\nGunther and his friends might make a suitable appearance at the court\nof Brunhilde. But it troubled her that no retinue of lords was to be\nallowed to attend the king, as was customary when royalty travelled\nabroad; and she felt some resentment toward Siegfried for compelling\nthe ruler of all Burgundy to go to a foreign court with no followers\nsave three of his own kinsmen.\n\nWhile Queen Ute and Kriemhild were busy at their needlework, the ship\non which the king was to sail was made ready, and fitted up with all\nthings which might be needed on the voyage. The most skilful rowers in\nthe kingdom were placed at the oars, and at last the ship was launched\nand the sails set. There was much weeping at the departure of Gunther\nand his friends, and the watchers on the shore felt that they would\nnever return from the journey. But the heroes themselves were eager\nfor the voyage, and full of hope that their adventure would be\nsuccessful,--all but Hagen, who stood on the deck, grim-visaged and\nscornful, for he had no faith in this foolish undertaking, though he\nwould have followed his king to the ends of the earth.\n\nThe voyage to Isenland was long, but no peril of wind or weather\nfollowed the ship, and no dangers of rocks and shoals marred the\npleasure of the journey, or hindered the good ship's speed. When at\nlast they came in sight of a rocky coast, and saw on the top of the\ncliffs a tall, fortressed castle with frowning towers, Hagen told them\nthat they had now reached Isenland, and that before them was the\npalace of Brunhilde. It looked very forbidding, and Gunther began to\ndoubt if, after all, this venture had been a wise one; but Siegfried\nwas light-hearted as ever, and the gloomy towers brought him no\nanxiety or fears. As they were about to land he said to the king:--\n\n\"One thing further you must do if we wish to win in this undertaking.\nTell every one at Brunhilde's palace that I am your vassal, and have\ncome hither at your command to attend you.\"\n\nGunther looked surprised at this demand, but he consented, and on the\nway to the castle Siegfried followed behind the king, as became a\nvassal in attendance on his lord.\n\nFrom her chamber window the queen was looking down upon the knights as\nthey rode toward the castle,[57] and calling her maidens to her she\nsaid: \"Who are these strangers that have come to our gates? They seem\nof noble bearing, yet they have no attendants, so cannot be of royal\nblood. Let some one go to meet them, and inquire of their names, and\nwhy they have voyaged to Isenland, for in the harbour yonder I see a\nwhite-sailed ship.\"\n\n    [57] In the Volsunga Saga, the castle is called Hlymdale, and\n    Gunnar has to ride through the flames, with Sigurd's help, to\n    win Brunhilde.\n\nOne of the maidens went away at the queen's bidding, and soon returned\nbreathless with excitement.\n\n\"It is Gunther, king of Burgundy, my lady,\" she cried, \"and with him\nare his brother and uncle, and a noble youth named Siegfried. I hear\nthat they have come to match strength with you in the games.\"\n\nWhen Brunhilde learned that it was Siegfried who was at her castle\ngates, she trembled with delight and surprise; for _she_ had been\ngiven no draught of forgetfulness, and she well remembered the brave\nyouth who had ridden through the fire and wakened her from sleep. If\nhe had come to win her, she hoped that his strength was equal to his\nvalour, and that it would surpass her own. For the first time since\nOdin took away her shield, and with it the glory of being a Valkyrie,\nshe felt glad that she was a mortal maiden.\n\nWord was sent to the lords within the castle to let down the\ndrawbridge, and welcome the strangers to Isenland. The queen also bade\nthem give the guests the best which the palace afforded, and do\neverything which would make for their pleasure and comfort. When she\nherself was arrayed in her costliest robes, she descended to the great\nhall of the castle. There, seated upon a marble throne, and\nsurrounded by her chosen warriors, she received the stranger knights\nin royal state.\n\nTo Gunther, who approached first, she offered her hand and bade him\nwelcome. This courtesy she also extended to Dankwart and Hagen; but\nwhen Siegfried stood before her she rose, and, taking both his hands\nin hers, she said softly: \"So you have come again to seek me, Sir\nSiegfried, but this time it is not through a circle of fire. It is\nlong since we last met, but I have not forgotten you, nor have I lost\nthe ring you placed upon my finger. There is no one whom Brunhilde\nwould gladlier see within her halls.\"\n\nSiegfried at first seemed bewildered at her words; then a troubled\nlook passed over his face, and he rubbed his eyes as if awakening from\nsleep. He gazed long into the queen's face, murmuring, \"Brunhilde--the\nValkyrie--the wall of fire.\" Then all at once a mist was lifted from\nhis eyes; he remembered his ride through the flames, the sleeping\nmaiden, and all of the past which had been so long forgotten.\n\nBrunhilde saw the change in his face, but she mistook its meaning. She\nthought that he had carelessly forgotten her, and was now trying to\nrecall some memory of her. So her soft manner turned to hardness, for\nher pride was hurt, and maiden shame forbade her to show favours to\none who could so easily forget her. During all his stay at the castle\nshe kept aloof from Siegfried, and treated him with more coldness than\nshe showed even to the grim-visaged Hagen.\n\nAs for Siegfried, he knew that something had happened which had\nblotted out the memory of Brunhilde during all the years he had been\nin Burgundy; and he knew also that if he could now choose his bride,\nit would be the haughty queen who treated him so scornfully. But he\nwas here as Gunther's friend and vassal, and to help Gunther win this\nmaiden for his wife; so he laid aside his own regrets, and determined\nto do all in his power to further the king's suit.\n\nSoon after the arrival of the Burgundians, a day was set for the\ncontest between King Gunther and the warrior queen. At the appointed\ntime they assembled in the courtyard of the palace, and Hagen had many\nmisgivings when he saw five hundred armed knights standing about,\nwhose faces betokened no good-will to the strangers. However, it was\nnow too late to retreat, and he muttered to the king,--\n\n\"We have truly come hither on a fool's errand; for whether you win or\nlose in this contest, we will never be allowed to leave this place\nalive.\"\n\nAt this Gunther only laughed and said: \"Your gray hairs make you full\nof fears, O Hagen; and your age makes you blind to the beauty of this\nwonderful maiden, for whom a man might well risk his life. But fear\nnot for me, as something tells me that I shall win.\"\n\nAnd he went away, leaving Hagen to mutter curses on the whole mad\nadventure.\n\nWhen Brunhilde appeared in the courtyard clad in her coat of mail, the\nfour Burgundian warriors approached her, and Siegfried said, \"My liege\nlord has come from far to match strength with you, O Brunhilde, and\nshould he win in the contest, there is none who will give you\nallegiance as his queen more gladly than the humble and loyal vassal\nSiegfried.\"\n\nTo this Brunhilde answered coldly, \"Does your lord know the conditions\nof the contest and the forfeit we demand, should he lose?\"\n\n\"He does,\" replied Siegfried; \"but nothing outweighs the chance of\npossessing Brunhilde for his queen.\"\n\n\"Then we accept the challenge,\" said the maiden, and, turning to one\nof her attendants she added, \"Bring hither my armour, and let the\ngames begin.\" The servants then brought her a golden helmet, a\ncorselet of finely wrought silver, and a shield broad and heavy enough\nfor the most powerful warrior. After arming herself with these, her\nspear was carried in on the shoulders of three strong men. It was very\nlong, and of such tremendous weight that no arm but Brunhilde's had\never been known to lift it.\n\nWhile these preparations were going on, the Burgundian heroes were\nwatching with amazement, half mingled with fear, and Hagen muttered\naloud, \"Shall we stand idly by and see our king slain by a woman's\nhand?\" But Siegfried whispered in Gunther's ear, \"Take courage and we\nshall win, only show no sign of fear.\" Then he slipped out of the\ncrowd and hurried down to the seashore where the ship lay at anchor.\nHere he hastily donned his Tarnkappe, and then went back, unseen, to\nthe courtyard, where Gunther had already taken up his shield, and\nBrunhilde was poising her spear in the air ready to throw.\n\nHe took his stand close to the king's side and whispered, \"Fear not,\nonly do as I bid you.\"\n\nThough he could see no one, Gunther knew that it was Siegfried who was\nbeside him, so he took courage and grasped his shield more firmly.\n\nThe signal was given, and Brunhilde hurled her spear at Gunther's\nshield. The blow was a terrible one, and both Siegfried and the king\nstaggered beneath it. Borne down by the weight of the spear, and by\nthe force with which it was thrown, Gunther would have been crushed\nunder his shield had not Siegfried broken the force of the blow by\nplacing himself in front of the king, while he held before him the\nmagic shield which he had taken from Andvari's hoard. Then he quickly\nraised the king, and before the astonished spectators realized what\nhad happened, he picked up the huge spear and sent it, apparently from\nGunther's hand, back to Brunhilde. It sped with terrible swiftness,\nand struck her shield with a tremendous crash, carrying the warrior\nmaiden to the ground. In a moment she recovered herself and rose,\nflushing with shame and anger. Going to where the king stood, she\nsaid,--\n\n\"That was a noble blow, King Gunther, and I count myself fairly beaten\nat this first game, but you must also win in casting the stone and in\nleaping.\"\n\nAs she spoke, ten men came forward, carrying an immense stone upon\ntheir shoulders. This the maiden raised easily in her white arms, and\nswinging it once or twice above her head, she threw it to the farther\nend of the castle yard, some hundred yards away, and then leaped after\nit, landing just beside it.\n\nThe followers of Brunhilde shouted with delight, and every face showed\npride in their wonderful queen; but Dankwart trembled with fear, and\nold Hagen bit his lip and cursed the day that had brought them to\nIsenland. At Gunther's side, however, was Siegfried, still whispering\ncourage to the king, who could not see his friend, though he knew who\nit was that was winning the contest for him. Together they walked to\nwhere the great stone was lying, and Siegfried raised it from the\nground, while it seemed to the spectators that it was lifted by the\nking's hand. Then he swung it above his head, and hurled it across the\ncourtyard, where it landed far beyond the spot from which Brunhilde\nhad first thrown it. Immediately he seized Gunther in his arms and\nsprang after the stone, reaching the very place where it lay half\nburied in the earth.\n\nThe warrior maiden could do naught but own herself beaten in all the\ngames, and though her face showed disappointment and chagrin, she\noffered her hand to Gunther, saying:--\n\n\"We acknowledge ourselves defeated, my lord, and from henceforth\nBrunhilde is no longer her own master, but the wife and vassal of the\nking of Burgundy,\" and, turning to her knights and attendants, she\nbade them acknowledge Gunther as their rightful lord.\n\nThat night there was great feasting in the palace, though the hearts\nof the people of Isenland were heavy at the thought of losing their\nqueen. She herself strove to appear happy and proud at becoming the\nwife of a hero whose strength surpassed her own; yet while she seemed\nto honour her liege lord, her heart longed for Siegfried, and she rued\nthe day that had brought the Burgundians to Isenland.\n\n\n\n\nHow Brunhilde Came to Burgundy\n\n\nSo Brunhilde and the Lord of Burgundy were wedded, and, after many\ndays spent in feasting and merriment, Gunther told his queen that they\nmust prepare for the return voyage. It was some time since he and his\nfriends had set out on their journey to Isenland, and he feared that\nif he stayed much longer at Brunhilde's palace, his own people would\ngive them up for dead. Then he went secretly to Siegfried, and with a\nshamed, flushed face he said: \"My friend and brother, I have come to\nask your help in a strange matter. I cannot return to Burgundy with a\nwife who is my master, even as Brunhilde is now, for I shall become\nthe laughing-stock of all my people. The queen of Isenland does not\nlove me, and she treats me each day with more contempt. She does not\nscruple to insult me by making me the victim of her great strength,\nwhich I am powerless to meet. Her might--which no other woman has ever\nequalled--depends on a wonderful girdle which she wears; and when I\ntried to wrest this from her, she tied me hand and foot and hung me\non a nail in the chamber wall. Only by my promising never to trouble\nher again was I able to get release.\"\n\nSiegfried felt sorry indeed for Gunther's plight, and he offered to\ntry and subdue the warrior queen to her husband's will. So that night\nhe assumed the form of Gunther, and wrestled with Brunhilde until he\nhad taken from her the wonderful girdle in which lay all her unwomanly\nstrength. He also took from her finger the serpent ring of Andvari\nwhich he himself had given her when they had talked together on the\nmountain. Brunhilde, being now quite ready to obey her lord, believing\nthat he was truly her master by virtue of his superior strength,\nprepared for her departure from Isenland, and took with her as many of\nher own followers as Gunther would allow. He besought her not to\noverburden the good ship which had brought them thither with chests of\nraiment and household goods, since Queen Ute could amply provide all\nthat Brunhilde might desire.\n\nAs to the wealth she had at her command, he bade her leave all that\nbehind, for the rich lands of Burgundy yielded more than enough to\nsatisfy the proudest heart. The queen therefore opened her chests full\nof gold and silver and divided them among her knights and among the\npoor of her kingdom. Her rich robes, and all the costly apparel she\nhad worn, she gave to her maidens, and arranged to take with her only\na small part of her possessions. While preparations were being made\nfor the departure of Brunhilde to the country of her liege lord and\nhusband, Hagen was fuming uneasily at the long delay, and predicting\nall manner of misfortunes if they did not speedily leave Isenland.\nGunther tried to allay his fears and said:--\n\n\"You are restless, Hagen, because you are old, and cannot share your\nlord's joy in having won this peerless maiden for his queen. There is\nreally no cause for alarm, for the people here are friendly to us now\nthat I am their acknowledged king. Besides, have we not Siegfried with\nus, and how can we fear any harm when he is here to protect us?\"\n\n\"Yes, yes,\" answered Hagen, angrily, \"to be sure we have Siegfried\nwith us, but it is always Siegfried whom we have to lean on like a\nbabe on its mother. Before he came among us, we ourselves were counted\nwarriors worthy to be feared; but now it is always Siegfried who\nfights our battles, guides our ship, and brings us out of all our\ndifficulties. It is Siegfried, too, who wins us a warrior maiden whom\nwe would never have conquered alone, weak and nerveless men that we\nare. It is Siegfried, always Siegfried, and I hate his very name.\"\n\n\"Nay, now, good Hagen,\" said the king, soothingly, \"these things\nshould not provoke you to jealousy, but rather make you hold the youth\nin respect and honour. What would Burgundy do without Siegfried?\"\n\n\"That is just it,\" retorted Hagen, bitterly. \"Burgundy is naught\nexcept as she holds this foreign prince in her court. She boasts no\nwarrior so valiant, no soldier so dear to her people, as this man who\ncame to us a stranger. Better far that he should return to his own\ncountry than to stay longer among us.\"\n\n\"Nay, nay,\" answered Gunther; \"if Siegfried is so beloved by our\npeople, it is a greater reason for his remaining with them.\" But Hagen\nshook his head, and muttered something which the king did not\nunderstand.\n\nEverything was at last ready for Brunhilde's departure, and she bade a\nsorrowful farewell to all her household and to all the people of\nIsenland. Then she embarked on the white-sailed ship with the four\nBurgundian warriors. In a few days she was far out of sight of the\nland she loved, and was being borne toward a country unfamiliar and\nunwelcome. For even though she had been forced to own herself\nconquered in the games, Brunhilde had never been willing to become\nGunther's wife, or to go with him to his home across the sea.\n\nThe voyage was quickly and pleasantly spent to all except the queen,\nwho sat upon the deck, moody and silent, ignoring all Gunther's\nefforts to divert her. Siegfried felt happy at the thought of\nreturning to the beautiful Kriemhild, though his heart was heavy with\nfear that the coming of Brunhilde to Burgundy would bring trouble and\nsorrow in its train. The evident dislike which the queen felt for King\nGunther boded no good for the future to him or to his friends. Only\ntoward Hagen did she show any kindness, and her overtures of\nfriendship were, strange to say, very willingly met by the grim,\nreserved man. She would talk for hours with Hagen when no one else\ncould get from her a moment's notice, and the gray-haired old warrior\nseemed ever ready to please and serve her.\n\nAt last the voyage was over, and the king was again in his own land\nand among his own people. Great rejoicing was made over his return,\nand feasts were held for many days in honour of the wonderful maiden\nwho was now King Gunther's wife. But though everything was done for\nher pleasure, and many princes of the provinces of Burgundy came to do\nhomage to their queen, Brunhilde remained ever moody and silent. The\ngentle Kriemhild tried in vain to induce her to join in the feasting\nand merriment, but Brunhilde refused, almost angrily, and sat apart,\nbrooding over her unhappy lot. After a time Gunther sought his mother,\nQueen Ute, and begged her to give Brunhilde some drink which would\nmake her forget Isenland, and so be content to dwell with him.\nQueen Ute shook her head, and said sadly that she had nothing which\ncould accomplish this for him.\n\n  [Illustration: Gunther and Brunhilde arrive at Burgundy and are\n      received by Kriemhild]\n\nThe king went next to Hagen and said: \"You have won Brunhilde's\nconfidence, my uncle. Tell me, therefore, why the queen is silent and\nunhappy.\"\n\nAt this Hagen laughed mockingly and whispered: \"Ask your noble friend\nSiegfried whom you love and trust so fully what it is that makes\nBrunhilde's heart so heavy with longing, and so full of bitterness. He\ncan tell you far better than I.\" But shame and pride forbade Gunther\nto go again with his troubles to Siegfried, so he kept silent, and\nwaited for time to cure the queen's grief.\n\nThings went on in this way for some time, for nothing seemed to change\nthe haughty queen, or soften her dislike for all of Gunther's\nhousehold except Hagen. He remained her devoted follower, and her one\nconfidant and friend. Toward the gentle Kriemhild she showed both\njealousy and aversion, though the sweet, friendly wife of Siegfried\nwas at a loss to understand the reason for her sister-in-law's\nbehaviour.\n\nOn his return to Burgundy, Siegfried had been unwise enough to tell\nKriemhild of the stratagem by which he had won Brunhilde for the king,\nand how later he had wrestled with the mighty queen, and taken from\nher the magic girdle. He also gave Kriemhild the serpent ring which\nBrunhilde had prized more than all her possessions, but which she had\nyielded when--as she supposed--Gunther had outmatched her in strength.\nAll this trickery Brunhilde did not as yet even suspect, so Kriemhild\nwondered at her ill-concealed hatred of the king.\n\nOne day Brunhilde and Kriemhild were walking together in the palace\ngarden, and as they were about to enter the great feasting hall,\nKriemhild, being a little in advance of the queen, was just crossing\nthe doorway when Brunhilde called out angrily,--\n\n\"Do you presume to enter before me, your queen? you who are the wife\nof a vassal?\"\n\n\"I am no vassal,\" retorted Kriemhild, quickly, \"for Siegfried owns\nallegiance neither to you nor to any other.\"\n\n\"That is a lie,\" cried Brunhilde, wrathfully, \"for when Siegfried came\nto Isenland, he declared that Gunther was his liege lord, and himself\na humble vassal.\"\n\n\"That was only to save your pride,\" answered Kriemhild, now dropping\nher angry tone, for she saw that the queen was in a towering rage.\n\n\"Gunther deceived me, then,\" stormed Brunhilde, furiously; then she\nadded mockingly, \"Since Siegfried is no vassal of the king's, I\nsuppose he is a much greater and richer prince; that he is braver\nalso, and stronger, and could outstrip the king in a contest of\nstrength such as that in which Gunther won me for his wife.\"\n\n\"Even so,\" replied Kriemhild, \"for it was really Siegfried who outdid\nyou in the games, and not Gunther at all. It was Siegfried, too, who\nwrested from you the girdle and the ring, and he gave them to me as a\ntrophy dearly won.\" As she said this, Kriemhild showed her two\npossessions and then passed quietly into the hall, while Brunhilde\nstood at the door too bewildered by her words to speak.\n\nAt length she realized the meaning of Kriemhild's speech. Full of\nanger and fearful suspicion, she sought out Hagen, and demanded that\nhe should tell her all he knew of Siegfried's part in the contest. And\nHagen told her how Siegfried had put on his Tarnkappe and stood before\nthe king unseen; how he, and not Gunther, had flung the spear, and\nhurled the stone and made the wonderful leap; how it was Siegfried\nalone who had gained the victory, and he who should rightfully have\nwon her.\n\nUpon hearing this, Brunhilde wept in anger and sorrow, and said\nbitterly: \"I might have known that none but Siegfried could claim the\nwarrior queen for his bride. That fool and weakling, King Gunther, is\nno mate for Brunhilde, and never would he have called me wife had I\nnot been tricked and deceived. He is a coward, and merits all the\nhatred and contempt I have shown him.\" Then her anger grew fiercer\nthan ever, and she swore vengeance upon those who had wronged her.\n\n\"Cherish not your wrath against the king,\" said Hagen, \"for it is\nSiegfried who has brought this shame upon you. He has been a source of\nevil ever since he came among us, and he will yet be the king's bane;\nyea, and thine also. It were better that he died,--and soon.\"\n\n\"He shall die,\" cried Brunhilde. \"I will call Gunther hither and taunt\nhim with his weakness and cowardice. Then if he is a man, he will\navenge me of this insult which Kriemhild has put upon me.\"\n\nSo she summoned the king to her presence and poured forth the story of\nher wrongs, bidding him slay Siegfried if he ever hoped to merit\nanything but her hatred and contempt. The king listened to her words,\nbut though he felt ashamed of the sorry part he had played, he would\nnot give her the promise she desired, for he loved Siegfried, and\ncould not find it in his heart to kill him, even to win Brunhilde's\nlove.\n\nSeeing that neither threats nor pleading would move the king to do\nwhat she desired, Hagen begged the queen to leave them, and give\nGunther more time to make his decision. So Brunhilde went away, and\nwhen Hagen was sure that there was no danger of her returning, he came\nclose to the king and whispered:--\n\n  [Illustration: Gunther and Brunhilde]\n\n\"Blind fool that you are! Do you not see even yet why the queen has\nbeen unhappy ever since she came to Burgundy? She loves your friend\nSiegfried, and it is he whom she would fain call husband and lord!\"\nThen he left the king alone, and Gunther sat for a long time thinking\nover what Hagen had said. He felt discouraged and sick at heart; for\nhe knew that he was unable to solve the difficulties before him, or to\navert the dreadful fate which seemed to be overshadowing him and all\nhis household.\n\n\n\n\nThe Death of Siegfried\n\n\nShortly after this Hagen came one day to the king, and said: \"As long\nas Siegfried lives, there is naught that will appease the wrath of\nBrunhilde, or make her cease to weep. If you would have peace for\nyourself and would win the queen's love, it must be by Siegfried's\ndeath.\"\n\n\"But I cannot slay him, Hagen,\" answered Gunther, sadly; \"he is my\nfriend, and also my brother, and I cannot do such a treacherous\nthing.\"\n\n\"There is no need for you to perform the deed yourself. Only consent\nto having Siegfried killed, and another hand than yours will carry it\nout. It is useless to try and pacify the queen so long as Siegfried\nlives to arouse daily her jealous wrath. Consent, therefore, to his\ndeath,\" urged Hagen, \"and I myself will slay him and take all the\nburden of the guilt upon my shoulders.\"\n\nFor many hours he talked with the king, working upon a weak will and\nunsteady purpose, and rousing in Gunther the jealous fear that\nSiegfried would play him false. There seemed, indeed, only one way out\nof the difficulty, and at last Gunther consented to Hagen's wish and\npromised to aid him in carrying out his plans.\n\n\"If I cannot win Brunhilde's love except by Siegfried's death, then he\nhad better die,\" cried the king; \"for there is ever raging in my ears\nthe queen's words: 'Never will I live to be mocked by Kriemhild. This\nthing must be ended by Siegfried's death, or my death, or yours. Would\nthat I were again in Odin's hall--a shield-maiden starting for battle\nor returning with my weapons stained with red blood.' Do what you will\nthen, my uncle, for I would lay down my life to win Brunhilde's love.\"\n\nHaving won over the king, Hagen went away, determined to avenge\nBrunhilde's wrongs and rid the kingdom of one whom he had long feared\nand hated. His plans were then quickly made. He remembered that he had\noften heard it whispered about the palace that some magic charm kept\nSiegfried from ever being wounded in battle, since no weapon had the\npower to harm him. So before he could carry out his plans, he must\nlearn with certainty whether the report was true or false. There was\nbut one person who would be likely to know this; and accordingly on a\ncertain day when Siegfried had gone hunting with the king, Hagen went\nto Kriemhild, and seating himself beside her he inquired kindly if she\nwere very happy as the wife of Siegfried.\n\nKriemhild looked surprised at this unexpected visit from her uncle,\nfor he seldom took any notice of her; but she thought that he was\nprompted to a show of interest in her by his fondness for Siegfried.\nSo she welcomed him gladly and answered his question in a way to\nsettle all doubts concerning her happiness, had her uncle really felt\nany friendly interest. Hagen smiled at her reply, and said,--\n\n\"Then what will you do if Siegfried is wounded in battle, and brought\nhome dead upon his shield?\"\n\n\"That cannot happen,\" answered Kriemhild, betrayed into further\nconfidence by Hagen's seemingly affectionate concern.\n\n\"But such things do happen, even to the bravest warrior,\" persisted\nHagen, \"unless it be true, as I have sometimes heard, that Siegfried\nis invulnerable.\"\n\nNot dreaming of his purpose in asking this question, Kriemhild proudly\nreplied, \"It is indeed true, and that is why I have no fears when my\nlord goes to battle.\"\n\n\"Was this great gift from Odin?\" asked Hagen.\n\nNow Kriemhild knew that Siegfried had forbidden her to speak of this\nmatter to any one, but she thought there could surely be no harm in\nrevealing the secret to one so devoted and loyal as her uncle, so she\ntold Hagen all about the slaying of Fafnir. She said also that\nSiegfried had been bathed in the dragon's blood, and that this was\nsupposed to render him invulnerable.\n\n  [Illustration: Siegfried and Kriemhild]\n\n\"Was he completely covered by the stream of blood?\" asked Hagen, with\ngreat interest.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered Kriemhild, \"he was bathed from head to foot, except\none small spot upon his shoulder, on which a leaf happened to fall.\"\n\n\"Are you not afraid that he may be struck in that place by a spear or\narrow, and so meet his death?\"\n\n\"It might indeed be so,\" said Kriemhild, \"but I do not fear it.\"\n\n\"Still,\" persisted Hagen, \"it would be well to have some one always\nnear Siegfried in battle, to guard him against any death-blow, and\nsince I alone know of his point of weakness, let me be the one to\nprotect him. This service I shall be better able to render if you will\nsew a mark upon his coat over the exact spot on his shoulder where the\nleaf fell, so that when we are beset by enemies upon the road, or go\nforth to battle, I may keep beside him and shield him from a possible\ndeath blow.\"\n\nKriemhild was greatly moved by this evidence of loyalty in Hagen, and\nthanking him warmly for his devotion, she promised to sew upon\nSiegfried's coat some mark by which the vulnerable spot could be\nknown. Then she hurried away to begin her task, not dreaming of\nHagen's wicked purpose in obtaining her secret.\n\nSome days later Hagen proposed that there should be a great hunt\ngiven in one of the neighbouring forests, and Gunther, who had\npromised to aid him in his plans, urged Siegfried to accompany them.\nSiegfried gladly consented, for he had greatly enjoyed this sport\nsince his first coming to Burgundy, and had spent many a pleasant hour\nwith Gunther and his knights in search of deer or fox, or the fierce\nwild boar. In all of these expeditions he had been foremost in the\nhunt, and had usually borne off the prize, both in the size and number\nof his game. His spear was sharp, and shone brightly as he rode along,\nmounted on the faithful Greyfel, and his aim was so quick and sure\nthat his weapon never missed its mark, but went straight to the heart\nof the beast he was pursuing. This superiority in the chase added much\nto Hagen's anger and jealousy, for as Siegfried had proved himself the\ngreatest of warriors on the battle-field, so in the hunt he was the\npeer of all the knights of Burgundy.\n\nA day was set for the great hunt, and a forest was chosen which was\nfamous for the number and fierceness of its wild beasts. Then early\none morning Gunther, Hagen and Siegfried set forth with their knights,\nin full expectation of having a profitable as well as exciting day. It\nwas a beautiful morning in early spring, and the spirits of the\nhunting party rose high as they cantered out of the city gates and\nmade their way toward the forest.\n\nSiegfried rode ahead of the party, with Gunther and Hagen beside him.\nHis suit was of royal purple, embroidered richly by Kriemhild's loving\nfingers, and his spear shone bright in the sunlight as he galloped\nalong, light-hearted and unsuspicious of the black thoughts which were\nharboured in Hagen's wicked heart. He looked so brave and joyous, so\nbeautiful as a youth and so gallant as a knight, that all the warriors\nin Gunther's train said among themselves that no one in Burgundy was\nfit to be compared to Siegfried.\n\nThese remarks soon came to Hagen's ears, and hardened him in his\ndetermination to slay this foreign prince whom all his own countrymen\nwould so gladly make their king in place of the weak and unwarlike\nGunther. He hid this feeling, however, and kept close to Siegfried's\nside, looking eagerly for the spot upon his shoulder where the loving\nbut foolish Kriemhild had sewed the fatal mark.\n\nThe hunting party soon came to the edge of the forest, where they\ndivided into three groups. Each leader took with him a party of\nfollowers, and they set out in different directions, with the\nagreement that when the sun was overhead they should meet at a\nwell-known place where Gunther had arranged that their dinner was to\nbe set out. Siegfried galloped away, and a greater part of the\nknights followed him. Hagen saw this and frowned darkly, but he said\nnothing, only waited for Siegfried to get out of sight. Then he\nwhispered to the king:--\n\n\"To-day is the day for our deed. This must be the last time that your\nfriend Siegfried flaunts his superiority over the king.\"\n\nGunther trembled and answered weakly:--\n\n\"Must it be done, Hagen? Is there no other way to rid our kingdom of\nhim?\"\n\n\"No way but by his death,\" replied Hagen, firmly; then he added: \"and\ndo not you give way to foolish fancies, or my plans may fail. I have\nno womanish scruples, and Siegfried must die to-day.\"\n\nNot wishing to have it appear that anything unusual was in\npreparation, Hagen ceased to confer with the king, but summoned his\nknights to the chase, and, putting spurs to their horses, they started\nthrough the forest. But something in the faces of the leaders made the\nmen only half-hearted in their eagerness for the hunt, and a spirit of\nsilence and gloom spread over the whole party.\n\nThey hunted all the morning, but their success was small, and when\nthey finally drew up at the meeting-place, they found that they had\nvery little game to boast of. The men had already come from the\ncastle with great baskets of provisions, so the knights dismounted,\nand sat upon the grass to await the coming of Siegfried.\n\nSoon they heard the loud blast of horns, and the joyous hallooing of\nmen mingled with the barking and yelping of hounds; and in a moment\nSiegfried and his followers came in sight. They shouted merrily to\ntheir comrades, and galloped forward to join them, while those seated\nupon the ground looked with delight and surprise at the beasts which\nhad been slain by Siegfried's skilful hand. There was a large black\nbear of the kind which was known to be so fierce that it was well-nigh\nimpossible to kill or capture him. There was also a huge wild boar and\nthree shaggy wolves, besides a great number of smaller animals, such\nas the fox and deer. The knights were all loud in their praises of\nSiegfried's wonderful skill, and he took their homage gladly, seeming\nwholly unconscious of Hagen's cruel face or Gunther's averted eyes.\n\nSoon the midday feast was ready, and the men sat down to eat. Some of\nthe game they had caught that morning was roasted and placed before\nthem, and they ate almost greedily, for the sport had given them\nsufficient excuse for hunger. Presently Gunther said:--\n\n\"Is there no wine to accompany our meat? To eat without drinking is\nbut a poor way to feast.\"\n\nThe attendant to whom he spoke answered,--\n\n\"There was no wine provided, my lord.\"\n\n\"How is that?\" demanded the king, angrily.\n\n\"It was Prince Hagen's command,\" replied the servant, humbly, and at\nthis Hagen interposed, saying:--\n\n\"Why should the king ask for wine when not a hundred rods away is a\nbeautiful stream more clear and sparkling than the finest wine? Let us\ngo there and quench our thirst.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said Gunther; \"and for my part, I am satisfied with the\ndrink you offer. It remains for my guest to declare himself content.\"\n\nAt this Siegfried rose and exclaimed eagerly:--\n\n\"If that fear weighs upon you, let me prove how little you should\ncherish it. I will go first to the stream, and come and tell you how\npure and sweet is its water.\"\n\n\"Let me show you the way, then,\" said Hagen, and as he and Siegfried\nmoved away together, he asked hesitatingly:--\n\n\"Will you run a race with me, Sir Siegfried, to see which of us will\nreach the stream first? For though I am much older than you in years,\nI was accounted a famous runner in my time.\"\n\n\"Gladly,\" replied Siegfried; and they started off toward the stream.\nBut although Hagen went with wonderful swiftness considering his\nyears, he could not outrun the fleet-footed Siegfried, who reached\nthe goal some minutes before Hagen came up.\n\n\"You are truly a swift runner, even now, friend Hagen,\" he cried\ngayly, \"and I can easily believe your boast that you were once the\nmost famous runner in the kingdom.\"\n\nAt this Hagen smiled and said,--\n\n\"But what are we poor men, even the best of us, beside the noble\nSiegfried, who can outstrip all the warriors of Burgundy, no matter\nwhat the contest may be?\"\n\n\"Nay, you are overzealous in your praise,\" laughed Siegfried, but he\nwas pleased with Hagen's friendly words, for he did not detect the\nundertone of jealousy and anger. Then courteously he bade Hagen drink\nof the stream, but Hagen answered:--\n\n\"Do you drink first, and let me follow you, for though you would yield\nthe courtesy to me because of my age, I would rather give precedence\nto you as the better runner. Drink, therefore, but first lay aside\nyour armour, for the weight of it might throw you into the stream.\"\n\nSiegfried, ever trustful and unsuspicious, threw off his coat of mail\nand laid his spear beside it, thus leaving unprotected the inner coat\non which Kriemhild had sewed the fatal mark. Then he knelt upon the\nground, and stooping over put his hand into the stream and prepared\nto raise the water to his lips. At this moment Hagen, with catlike\nswiftness, caught up Siegfried's shining spear, and, aiming it\ndirectly toward the mark, hurled it with all his force.[58]\n\n    [58] In the Volsunga Saga, Guttorm, the younger brother, is\n    incited to slay Siegfried (Sigurd) while the hero is sleeping\n    in bed.\n\nThe weapon sank into the stooping body, and with a groan Siegfried\nrolled over upon the ground. As soon as he was able, he turned to see\nwho had done this cowardly deed; and only when he saw Hagen fleeing in\nguilty haste, could he believe that the blow was dealt by one who so\nlately seemed his friend. Siegfried put his hand feebly to his\nshoulder, and when he found where the spear had struck, he knew that\nhis wound was mortal. He made one great effort to rise, and gathering\ntogether all his strength, he drew out the spear and started in\npursuit of Hagen.\n\nThe treacherous murderer had fled for protection to the king, and\nthither Siegfried followed him; but before he reached the astonished\nand horror-stricken group who were watching his approach, the blood\nbegan to gush forth from his wound, and he sank helplessly to the\nground. The whole company of knights knelt down beside him, weeping\nand lamenting over the loss of their leader. One of them raised the\ndying hero's head and placed it upon his knee, while others tried to\nstanch the blood from his wound. Siegfried, however, bade them cease\ntheir efforts, for his end had now come.\n\nThen he turned to Hagen, and upbraided him for his cowardly deed, and\nfor his treachery in obtaining the secret of his vulnerability from\nKriemhild to use it in such a dastardly way. His strength was now\nalmost exhausted, and his eyes began to close; but suddenly he roused\nagain, and said to the trembling and terrified king:--\n\n\"Thou hast played a coward's part to thy friend who trusted thee, O\nGunther, and some day thou wilt bitterly repent of having aided thine\nuncle in his wickedness. But for this I will not reproach thee, for\nthou art already sorrowing. One thing only I ask of thee, and do thou\npromise it, and make what amends thou canst. Take care of thy sister\nKriemhild, and do not let Hagen's vengeance extend to her. Though thou\nhast proved an unworthy friend to me, yet I commend my wife to thy\nkeeping. Wilt thou swear to protect and cherish her?\"\n\n\"I swear it,\" replied Gunther, now weeping remorseful tears.\n\n\"Then see that thou play the man, nay, be for once the king, and keep\nthine oath to the dying.\"\n\nAs he finished these words, Siegfried sank back lifeless into the arms\nof the knight who supported him. All at once the clouds overhead grew\nfearfully dark, and the air seemed full of a strange, ominous\nstillness. The birds stopped their singing, and the forest was silent\nwith the hush of night. The warriors stood weeping beside the body of\ntheir slain leader, but no one dared to speak. Slowly and sadly they\nraised Siegfried from the ground; and, placing him on their shoulders,\nbore him to the place where the faithful Greyfel was standing,\npatiently awaiting the coming of his master. One of the knights led\nthe horse, while a solemn group of mourners followed, and not even the\nsternest old warrior among them felt ashamed of the tears he shed for\nthe dead hero.\n\nWhen the sorrowful procession reached the city gates, the news was\nquickly spread that Siegfried was slain, and by the hand of Hagen.\nThere was great mourning throughout the city, and beneath the wail of\nsorrow was a muttered undertone of threats towards the man who could\ndo such a cowardly and treacherous thing as to kill the friend who\ntrusted him. But Hagen faced the people, calm and grim as ever, and\nsaid boldly:--\n\n\"Let all the guilt of this deed rest upon me, for it was by my hand\nthat Siegfried died. Now there is but one lord of Burgundy, King\nGunther, and no longer shall Brunhilde sit in tears, for the insult\nput upon her is avenged.\"\n\n\n\n\nThe Last of the Hoard\n\n\nThough the news of the death of Siegfried had spread throughout the\ncity, no one dared to bring the dreadful tidings to Kriemhild, who sat\nin her bower with her maidens, waiting her lord's return. The day was\nnow far spent, and she began to wonder at his long delay, when the\nsound of some disturbance in the street reached her chamber windows,\nand she looked out to see what the unusual noise might be. At first\nshe feared it was an outbreak of war, but the solemn procession which\nwas wending its way toward the palace was not martial in its bearing,\nbut full of the awful stillness of a funeral march. She saw that some\none was being borne on the shoulders of the men--some one dead--and\nthe others were his mourning followers. She wondered who it could be,\nand why they were bringing him to the palace.\n\nAmong the group of knights who formed the funeral train, she presently\ndiscerned the figures of Gunther and Hagen, and she began to tremble\nwith fear and dread foreboding when she saw that Siegfried was not\nwith them. She strained her eyes to see if she could recognize the\nfeatures of the dead, but she was too far away, and could not see; so\nshe waited fearfully by the window, while the procession wound its way\nthrough the courtyard, and then into the great hall. Unable to bear\nthe suspense any longer, she left the room and hurried down to meet\nher brother and learn tidings of Siegfried. But the moment she entered\nthe hall, the faces of the men told her all she wished to know, and\nshe did not need to inquire who the dead might be.\n\nEvery one in the palace shared the grief of Siegfried's gentle wife,\nand all the city mourned with her in the loss of one so greatly\nbeloved as the hero whom Hagen called a \"stranger.\" As long as the\nfirst shock of Siegfried's tragic death engrossed all of Kriemhild's\nthought and feeling, she did not realize the part which Hagen had\nplayed in the event; but as the days went by and she had time to think\nof all that had gone before, she remembered how her uncle had\ntraitorously obtained the secret of Siegfried's vulnerable spot from\nher, and how she herself had, at his request, sewed the fatal mark\nupon her husband's coat. She had heard that it was by Hagen's hand\nthat Siegfried met his death, yet she could not believe him guilty of\nsuch a terrible deed. So one day she went weeping to Hagen, and asked\nhim to tell her by whom Siegfried was slain.\n\n\"The story of such things is not for a woman's ears,\" replied Hagen,\n\"and whether he died by my hand or another's is of small moment. It\nwas the will of the Norns, who rule the life of every man, that he\nshould die, and their decrees no one of us can change or avert.\"\n\nWhen the day was set for the great funeral fires to be lit, all the\nprinces of Burgundy came to attend the solemn festival, and sought to\ndo homage to the dead hero by bringing rich gifts to be laid upon the\nfuneral pyre. This imposing structure was erected in front of the\npalace, and on the appointed day the foremost lords of Gunther's\nhousehold brought the body of Siegfried from the palace where it had\nlain in state, and placed it sorrowfully upon the funeral pyre. Beside\nhim was laid his armour and his magic Tarnkappe, and last of all the\nfamous sword Balmung. The king had ordered that Greyfel be carefully\nguarded for fear that if he were brought upon the scene, he would leap\ninto the flames and perish with his master.\n\nAround these things, which were sacred to the memory of Siegfried, the\nprinces of Burgundy piled their most costly gifts, and everything was\nready for the fires to be lit. But no one of Gunther's men could bear\nto place a torch to the wood, and a dreadful stillness fell over the\nwhole assembly. At length Hagen came boldly forward and laid a burning\nbrand to the pile of logs which formed the funeral pyre. In a moment\nthe whole structure was ablaze, and the hungry flames leaped upward\ntoward the sky.\n\nGunther stood by, trembling and fearful, lest Odin should send some\nterrible retribution upon the one who had slain his chosen hero.\nKriemhild, weeping, hid her face in her hands, for she could not watch\nthe dreadful fires. On the faces of all the watchers was reflected a\ngreat sorrow, for no prince of Burgundy was so dear to them as\nSiegfried, even though he came from a foreign land. Only Hagen showed\nno grief or any sign of repentance for his deed, but stood by unmoved,\nlike a grim, avenging god.\n\nThen suddenly a figure appeared in their midst, wild and dishevelled,\nand seemingly mad with grief. It was Brunhilde, once a Valkyrie, come\nto claim her slain. Turning to the astonished group of mourners, she\ncried exultingly:--\n\n\"Look, you people of Burgundy, for the last time upon your queen whom\nyou have ever seen fulfilling the common lot of mortal woman, and know\nthat I was once a shield-maiden, one of Odin's Valkyries. I was\ncondemned to eternal sleep by the great All-father, but was rescued by\nSiegfried, the hero who knows no fear. And here he lies who rode\nthrough the wall of fire to waken me, and who won me in the games by\nhis godlike strength, though your cowardly King Gunther made false\nclaim to me. Here lies Siegfried, the chosen hero of Odin and the true\nmate of Odin's warrior maiden. Therefore for him alone does Brunhilde\nown her love, and to him alone will she be wed. The Valkyrie yields\nonly to the greatest hero.\" Saying this she leaped upon the funeral\npyre, and in a moment had perished beside Siegfried in the flames.[59]\n\n    [59] In the Volsunga Saga, Brunhilde kills herself with a\n    sword.\n\nAnd what of the ill-fated hoard upon which still rested Andvari's\ncurse?\n\nWhen the shock of the terrible events connected with Siegfried's death\nwas over, and quiet was once more restored to Gunther's palace, Hagen\ncame one day to the king and said:--\n\n\"You remember that Siegfried gave all of his treasure to Kriemhild on\ntheir wedding day, and although the hoard was never brought to\nBurgundy it still remains in the possession of your sister. Entreat\nher, therefore, to have it conveyed here; and, to accomplish your end\nmore easily, tell her that she can honour Siegfried's memory by\ndistributing his wealth among the poor. When we get the treasure into\nour hands, we will see, however, that nothing so foolish is done.\"\n\nThe weak-willed Gunther, always under the control of Hagen,\naccordingly sought Kriemhild and told her what great things could be\ndone in honour of Siegfried, if only the treasure in the dragon's\ncave could be placed at her disposal. Kriemhild was not suspicious of\nher brother, for she did not know what part he had played in\nSiegfried's death, so she listened readily to his words, and said,--\n\n\"It shall be done even as you say, for naught can now bring me solace\nin my grief save some way to make the name of Siegfried dearer to the\nhearts of the people.\"\n\nThen she handed Gunther the serpent ring which Siegfried had given\nher, and told him where to find the famous hoard in the cave of\nGlistenheath. She bade him keep the ring carefully, for Andvari might\nagain have taken possession of the treasure, though he would yield it\nto the wearer of the ring.\n\nThe king took the ring from Kriemhild, and hastened with it to Hagen,\nwho at once set to work to make preparations for conveying the hoard\nto Burgundy. In a few days a great number of wagons were fitted up,\nand with these a hundred men were despatched to gather all the\ntreasure and bring it back to the palace. Although most of the men\nwere Hagen's own followers, he could not trust them to go alone on\nthis important mission, so he placed Siegfried's ring upon his own\nfinger and led the expedition himself.\n\nThe hoard was found securely stowed away in Fafnir's cave, and not a\nsingle piece of gold had been taken since Siegfried rode away after\nslaying the dragon. The dwarf Andvari still guarded the treasure which\nhad once been his; but when Hagen showed the serpent ring, he allowed\nthe stranger to enter the cave. He would have preferred to deliver the\nhoard to Siegfried himself, but the possession of the serpent ring\nmade its wearer the rightful owner of all the treasure. So Andvari was\nobliged to admit Hagen's claim, and assist him in bearing away the\ngold.\n\nSome days later, the company which had set out from Gunther's palace\nempty-handed came back laden with such wealth of gold and precious\nstones that all the riches of Burgundy seemed nothing in comparison.\nThis great hoard was stored safely in Gunther's palace, and Kriemhild\nwas very glad to find so much wealth at her disposal.\n\nShe became very lavish in her gifts, and eager to pour out all her\nriches, if only it brought added honour upon Siegfried's memory. No\none who came to beg alms of her ever went away empty-handed, and the\npalace was always full of suppliants for her bounty. This extravagant\ngiving went on for some time, until one day Hagen came to the king and\nsaid:--\n\n\"If your sister continues to distribute so much gold among the people,\nwe will soon have them idle and rebellious, and then they will be\nuseless to us in time of warfare. Bid her, therefore, to cease her\ngiving.\"\n\nBut Gunther answered, \"I have brought enough sorrow upon her through\nmy evil deeds, and if this lavish giving can soften her grief, let her\ncontinue to dispose of her wealth as it pleases her, even though she\nshould exhaust all the treasure that is in the hoard.\"\n\nHagen determined, however, that it must not be so, and seeing that he\ncould get no help from the king, he planned to gain his end by other\nmeans. So he made every appearance of approving Kriemhild's lavish\ngifts, and in time prevailed upon her to give him access to the\ntreasure, that he might help her in disposing of it. Then one dark\nnight he gathered together a band of his own followers, and stole all\nthat remained of the hoard. They carried it from the palace by a\nsecret passage, and brought it down to the river, where Hagen sunk it\nmany fathoms deep. Neither he nor any one else could ever regain it,\nbut at least it was out of Kriemhild's hands.\n\nThus was the hoard of Andvari, with its fateful curse, placed forever\nbeyond the reach of men; but the charm and the mystery which hung\naround its very name still lingered through all the centuries that\nfollowed, and to-day the sailors upon the river Rhine are still\nlooking for some glimpse of the sunken treasure.\n\n\n\n\nThe Punishment of Loki\n\n\nThe curse which the dwarf Andvari had placed upon the hoard, and\nparticularly upon the serpent ring which Loki had wrested from him,\ndid not end with the sinking of the treasure in the river. Both Hagen\nand Kriemhild had been wearers of the ring, and evil soon fell upon\nthem as it had upon Fafnir, Regin, Siegfried and Brunhilde. Some years\nafter Siegfried's death, Kriemhild married Etzel, king of the Huns,\nand was slain by one of his knights. Before this, however, she herself\nhad struck the blow that killed the treacherous and cruel Hagen. With\nthe burial of Kriemhild, the ill-fated ring passed forever from the\nsight of men, and the curse of Andvari was never again visited upon\nits unfortunate possessors.\n\nAny other of the gods than Loki would have regretted the greed which\nmade him tear the serpent ring from Andvari's finger, and thus bring\nmisfortune upon so many innocent people; but Loki did not care whether\nhuman lives were wrecked by his misdoing any more than he felt one\nmoment's remorse for having slain the shining Balder.\n\nThe gods had never forgiven Loki for this wicked deed, and they\nlonged very much to drive him out of their beautiful city, which had\nnever harboured any other evil thing. But Loki was Odin's brother, and\nthey dared not punish him until the All-Wise One was ready to give his\nconsent. Odin knew as well as they, that the slayer of Balder was not\nfit to live among the gods; but he waited for Loki to commit one more\nact of cruelty before he drove the offender out of Asgard. This\noccasion came, at last, sooner than Odin expected.\n\nOne day all the gods were invited to a feast in the halls of \u00c6ger, the\nsea-king; and a bounteous supply of ale was brewed in the great kettle\nthat Thor had brought from Hymer's castle. Thor was not present at the\nfeast, for he had been obliged to go on a long journey; but Loki was\nthere, looking sullen and angry. No one spoke to him, and he sat\nsilent and alone, trying to appear indifferent to the hostile looks\nthat were directed toward him.\n\nThe palace of the sea-god was very beautiful, with its walls and\nceiling made of mother-of-pearl so delicately laid that the light\nfiltered softly through it. On the floor was strewn the finest golden\nsand, and all the food was placed in opal-tinted sea-shells. The only\nthing that marred the beauty of the scene was Loki's ugly, wicked\nface.\n\nAs the meal progressed and the gods grew merry over their cups, they\nalmost forgot the presence of the unwelcome guest; but Loki brooded in\nangry silence, waiting for some chance to wreak his ill-will upon the\nwhole company. A servant stopped beside him to refill his horn with\nthe foaming ale; and one of the gods, as he watched this, said to old\n\u00c6ger: \"Your servants have been well instructed. They are as careful to\nwait upon Loki as if he were an honoured guest.\" When Loki heard these\nwords, he flew into a mad rage; and, seizing a knife that was lying on\nthe table, he struck the unoffending servant dead.\n\nAt this wanton cruelty the gods sat speechless; but Odin rose, looking\nstern and awful in his wrath, and with a relentless voice he bade Loki\nbe gone. \"Never dare to tread our sacred halls again, nor pollute the\npure air of Asgard with your presence,\" he cried. So terrible did Odin\nlook that Loki slunk away out of the hall, and the gods returned again\nto their feasting. Soon a great noise was heard outside the hall, and\nall the servants came running in, looking very much frightened. Behind\nthem walked Loki, who came boldly up to the table and dared Odin to\nsend him out before he had spoken the words he had come back to say.\n\nThen he began to talk to each one of the gods in turn, telling them of\nall the foolish or mean or wicked things they had ever done--ridiculing\ntheir mistakes, and laying bare all their faults in such a dishonest\nway that each small offence seemed an act of monstrous wickedness. Not\ncontent with trying to shame the heroes of Asgard, Loki began to speak\nslightingly of the goddesses; and attributed to them all the hateful\nthings that his malicious imagination could invent. He was just telling\nsome shameful lie about Sif when a rumbling of chariot wheels was heard\noutside, and in a moment Thor rushed into the hall brandishing his\nhammer. He had heard Loki's last words, and he made straight for the\nslanderer, intending to crush him with one blow of Mj\u00f6lner. Loki,\nhowever, quickly changed himself into a sea-serpent, and slid out of\nthe room before Thor's vengeful hammer could descend upon his head.\n\nTaking his own shape, he made his way to the mountains of the north,\nand there he built a hut with four doors, opening north, east, south\nand west, so that he could see any one approaching and could easily\nmake his escape. The hut was close beside a swift mountain stream, and\nhere Loki spent many days in fishing--for there was little else to do\nto beguile the long hours. Remembering how easy it had been to catch\nAndvari after he had obtained the help of Ran, Loki made himself a net\nlike the one which he had borrowed from the ocean queen. It took him a\nlong time to weave the net; and one day, just as it was nearly\nfinished, he saw two figures standing on the brow of the hill. He did\nnot need a nearer view to tell him that the tall forms so clearly\noutlined against the sky were those of Thor and Odin. He knew that\nthey had come to punish him for his many evil deeds; but he did not\nintend to be caught without making every possible effort to escape. So\nhe threw the net which he was making into the fire, and, hurrying down\nto the stream, he quickly changed himself into a salmon.\n\nWhen Odin and Thor reached the hut where they knew Loki had been in\nhiding, they found that he had escaped them. Then Thor by chance\nstumbled over the logs on the hearth, and, in doing so, he discovered\nthe half-burnt net. Picking it up, he cried to Odin: \"So this is what\nour crafty Loki has been doing to fill his idle hours. There must be\nsome brook near by.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied Odin, \"and that is where he has just gone. He has\nchanged himself into a fish.\"\n\nSo the two gods went to the mountain stream, and there they saw a\nsalmon lurking in the depths of a pool. Odin had already mended the\nburnt net so that it was serviceable, and he quickly threw it over the\nfish which was now darting here and there among the rocks. He did not\ncatch the wily salmon, however, for it slid into a narrow opening\nbetween two stones. Then Odin cast again, and this time the fish gave\na great leap over the net and darted up the stream. Determined that\nthe tricky Loki should not outwit them, Odin and Thor followed the\nsalmon a long distance until the stream finally narrowed into a tiny\nrivulet. The salmon now gave another leap into the air in a vain\neffort to escape the enclosing net which Odin threw over it. Then,\nfinding itself caught, with incredible quickness it began to work its\nway through the meshes of the net, and would have slid out of the\ngods' hands had not Thor suddenly caught it by the tail. Since that\ntime, so the story goes, all salmon have their tails pointed.\n\nOdin now changed Loki into his proper form, and he and Thor dragged\nthe wicked god to a cave in the mountain. Here they bound Loki hand\nand foot with iron chains, and fastened these firmly to the rock. Then\nOdin placed over his head a venomous serpent which dropped its poison\nupon the face of the fettered god, causing him great pain. So, chained\nand suffering, he lay there in the cave, unpitied by either gods or\nmen. Only Sigyn, his faithful wife, felt any sorrow for his pain, and\nshe sat always beside him to catch the venom in a cup so that it\nshould not fall on the captive's face. When she was obliged to turn\naway to empty the cup, the drops of poison fell upon Loki, and he\nshook and writhed so terribly in his agony that the whole earth\ntrembled.\n\n  [Illustration: Loki and Sigyn]\n\nSo Loki lay chained in the cave until the day when, according to the\ndecree of the Norns, he was allowed to break his fetters and become\nthe leader in that terrible battle which ushered in the last great\nday--Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods.\n\n\n\n\nThe Twilight of the Gods\n\n\nThe gods hoped that when Loki was bound fast, there would be peace in\nAsgard, and an end to mischief-making on the earth. Odin knew,\nhowever, that the time was almost at hand when the end of all things\nwould come; and while gods and men rejoiced in the universal\nhappiness, Odin's face was full of sadness. He had given to the earth\nand to Asgard a brief respite from trouble by chaining the wicked Loki\nto the rock, but he felt that the day of reckoning was near.\n\nThe first warning Odin had of the nearness of that day was when a\nsudden deadly cold spread over all the earth, and he knew it was the\nbeginning of that long, long winter which had been foretold by the\nwriting in the runes. So sharp and long-continued was the cold that it\nchilled the hearts of men, and even crept upward to touch the robes of\nthose who dwelt in the eternal springtime of Asgard. Though all the\nearth shuddered under the winter's icy hand, people everywhere took\ncomfort in saying, \"It will soon be over and then the warm days will\ncome.\" But they waited day after day and week after week until the\nseason came which should have been summer, but still the snow and\nfrost and chill kept the world fast bound. Not a flower bloomed nor a\ntree budded nor any green thing appeared above the frozen ground. Yet\nthe folk of Midgard still hoped on, and waited for the summer that\nnever came. The terrible winter[60] lasted for three years, and\neverywhere the dead were numbered by thousands. No food was to be had\nexcept what by chance had been stored away, for nothing could grow in\nthe land where ice and snow lay always thick upon the ground. Knowing\nthat they had but a short time to live, men fought and killed each\nother for the mere love of bloodshed, and no one tried to restrain the\ncrime and wickedness that stalked unmolested through the streets. The\ngods looked down from Asgard at the desolation on the earth, and they\nsorrowed greatly to see men trying to drown their fears or buy\nforgetfulness in deeds of violence and brutish pleasure. Only the\nfrost-giants rejoiced over the long destructive winter, for they had\nalways wished to see the whole world wrapped in fog and cold like\ntheir own dreary J\u00f6tunheim. They turned their envious eyes toward\nAsgard, and waited in grim certainty that the rule of the gods was\nsoon to end.\n\n    [60] It is called in the old Norse the Fimbul winter.\n\nThere was still some warmth in Asgard, for all of the sun's rays were\nturned toward the sacred city; but Odin knew that they had but a short\ntime in which to enjoy this scant comfort. The two gray wolves that\nwere ever pursuing Sol and Mani were fed, during the long winter, by a\nfrost-giantess; and one dreadful day they rushed after the chariots of\nthe sun and moon with such unlooked-for swiftness that they at last\novertook the shining cars and devoured the charioteers. Soon a thick\ndarkness spread over all the world, and when the last gleam of light\nfaded from the sky, all the evil things that had lain hidden for fear\nof the gods, or that wished to live away from the light,--all these\ncame boldly forth from caves and dark forests and holes underground,\nfor they knew that their time had come at last.\n\nThen a terrible rending sound was heard as if the very foundations of\nthe earth were being broken up. There was a rushing noise like the\noutpouring of all the seas, and a trampling as of a million feet. The\nMidgard serpent reared its horrid head above the waves, and then drew\nits huge coils from around the earth, creeping slowly from the sea to\nthe land. The Fenris wolf broke his chains, and sprang with a fierce\nleap to the rock on the mountain where Loki lay bound. With the help\nof Fenrer, the fettered god tore himself free of his chains, and\nroamed over the earth with the great wolf at his side, gathering\ntogether all the hosts of evil that were eager to war against the\ngods.\n\nFrom J\u00f6tunheim came an army of frost-giants ready to fight with their\nold enemy in a last great battle; and out of Muspelheim marched a\ntroop of fire-giants under the leadership of Surter, who carried a\nflaming sword. Through a deep cleft in the earth Hel crept stealthily\nout of her silent halls; and behind her trooped thousands and\nthousands of dusky shapes that would never have dared to come up into\nthe light of day. The Midgard serpent, pouring forth poison from his\never-open mouth, spread his great length across the stricken land, and\nglided on to the plain called Vigrid where Loki had gathered together\na vast and hideous array. A cry like the howling of wolves rose up\nfrom the plain, and it beat in the ears of those who were waiting\nbehind the walls of Asgard. It was a cry full of hatred and defiance,\nand when the gods heard it they knew that the challenge could not go\nunanswered. Sadly--for each felt it was the end--they prepared\nthemselves for battle; and, while they made ready, the frost-giants\ndetermined to avenge themselves by taking possession of Asgard. So,\nbefore Heimdall could sound his horn to warn the gods of the\napproaching enemy, they began to rush across the rainbow bridge that\nled to the coveted city. They came in such numbers and with such\nviolence that Bifrost broke beneath the heavy tramp of feet, and the\nfrost-giants were obliged to return to the plain Vigrid and wait for\nthe coming battle.\n\nThe gods, with Odin at their head, marched bravely out of Asgard to\nmeet the great host of evil things which had leagued together to\ndestroy them. Then a terrible battle was fought, the like of which had\nnever been seen on the earth before, nor ever will be again. Though\nthe gods fought with the courage of despair, they knew that it was\nuseless to contend with the fury and strength and numbers that were\narrayed against them. One by one the shining heroes of Asgard fell\nbeneath the attacks of the madly exultant foe, and even the mighty\nMj\u00f6lner was powerless to avert the doom which had been decreed by\nfate.\n\nThor struggled fiercely with the Midgard serpent, and though he killed\nit at last with his hammer, the terrible coils closed slowly about him\nand he was drowned in the flood of venom that poured out of the dying\ncreature's mouth. Loki slew Heimdall; but not before the gods'\nfaithful watchman had dealt the leader of the evil hosts a mortal\nblow. Odin engaged in a deadly combat with the Fenris wolf, and was at\nlast torn to pieces by Fenrer's terrible teeth and claws. Seeing the\ngreatest of the gods so brutally killed, Vidar, Odin's son, sprang\nupon the wolf, and with the strength born of madness and despair,\nstruck the great brute dead. Surter, the fire giant, rushed quickly at\nFreyr, and destroyed the bright god with his flaming sword. Then he\nthrew fire and flames over all the earth, and soon everything was\nconsumed in the terrible conflagration that followed. Ygdrasil, the\nTree of Life, withered up and was caught by the wildly leaping flames.\nThe great tree burned like a dry twig; and when the last leaf\nfluttered feebly toward the encroaching fire, the high walls around\nAsgard fell with a crash to the ground, and let in the devouring\nflames. The stars dropped one by one into the sea, darkness reigned\nover all the world, and time itself seemed blotted out forever.\n\nThen silence and the brooding night took possession of the universe,\nand this lasted many, many years; but in time a new heaven and a new\nearth emerged from the chaos that followed the destruction of Asgard.\nThe sun shone again in the clear sky, and the moon and the stars once\nmore shed their soft light on the earth. The flowers bloomed as gayly\nas before, and the fields were thick with ripening grain. Then, when\nthe earth was ready for another race of men, a certain man and woman\nwho had lain all these years asleep in the depths of a cave, awoke.\nThey looked with delight upon an earth made fresh and new, and to them\nand to their children it was given as an everlasting possession.\n\n\n\n\nINDEX AND PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY\n\n\n    \u00c6ger, _also_ \u00c6gir (\u0101\u00b4gir), 58, 65, 143, 260-261.\n\n    \u00c6sir (\u0101\u00b4sir), 6.\n\n    Ag\u00b4nar (1), 28-36.\n\n    Ag\u00b4nar (2), 201.\n\n    Alf, 149-150, 176-179, 186, 196.\n\n    Andvari (\u00e4nd\u00b4v\u00e4 r\u0113), 140, 144-148, 186, 194, 203, 213, 255-259,\n      260.\n\n    An\u00b4gerbode, 51.\n\n    An\u00b4se race, 6.\n\n    An\u00b4ses (an\u00b4s\u0113s\u031d), 6.\n\n    Asas (\u00e4\u00b4sas), 6.\n\n    Asgard (as\u00b4g\u00e4rd), 6, 9, 25, 51, 66, 71, 77, 80, 86, 87, 120, 126,\n      128-130, 133, 135, 184, 260, 266-271.\n\n    Ask (\u00e4sk), 8.\n\n    Audhumbla, 2.\n\n\n    Balder (bal\u00b4d\u1ebdr), 16, 126-136, 259-260.\n\n    Balmung (b\u00e4l\u00b4m\u014f\u014fng), 182, 188, 190, 195, 210, 215, 217, 253.\n\n    Bar-isle (b\u00e4r i\u00b4sle), 115-116.\n\n    Baugi (bow\u00b4g\u0113), 21-26.\n\n    Bergel\u00b4emer, _also_ Bergel\u00b4emir, 3.\n\n    Bifrost (b\u0113f\u00b4r\u014fst), 7, 38, 67.\n\n    Bil\u00b4skirner, _also_ Bil\u00b4skirnir, 40.\n\n    Bor (b\u014dr), 3.\n\n    Bor\u00b4ghild, 169-171.\n\n    Bragi (br\u00e4\u00b4\u1e21\u0113), 26, 87, 88.\n\n    Branstock (br\u00e4n\u00b4stock), 151.\n\n    Breidablik (br\u0101\u00b4d\u0227 blik), 126.\n\n    Brock, 45-50.\n\n    Brunhilde (br\u00fcn h\u012dl\u00b4d\u1ebd), 199-203, 215-255.\n\n    Bure (b\u016b\u00b4re), 3.\n\n    Bur\u00b4gundy, 206, 209, 214-215, 228-231, 253-254.\n\n\n    Dank\u00b4wart, 218, 222.\n\n    Day, 4, 15.\n\n    Draupner, _also_ Draupnir (drowp\u00b4nir), 48.\n\n    Drome (dr\u014d\u00b4me), 54.\n\n    Dwarfs, 7.\n\n\n    Elfheim (elf\u00b4h\u012bm) or Elfland, 8, 31.\n\n    Eliudnir (\u0115l \u012d \u014f\u014fd\u00b4ner), 127.\n\n    Ellie, _also_ Elli (\u0115l\u00b4l\u0113), 105, 107.\n\n    Elves, 7, 42-49.\n\n    Emb\u00b4la, 8.\n\n    Etzel (et\u00b4sel), 259.\n\n\n    Fafnir (faf\u00b4nir), 139, 147-148, 183-195, 213, 215.\n\n    Fairies, 7.\n\n    Fates, 9.\n\n    Fen\u00b4rer, _also_ Fen\u00b4rir, 52, 54.\n\n    Fenris wolf, 51-57, 268-271.\n\n    Fensalir (fen s\u00e4 l\u1ebdr\u00b4), 27.\n\n    Fialar (fej\u00e4l\u00b4ar), 18-20.\n\n    Fim\u00b4bul-winter, 267.\n\n    Folk\u00b4-vang, 74.\n\n    Freki (fr\u0101\u00b4k\u0113), 11.\n\n    Freya, _also_ Freyja (fr\u0101\u00b4a), 30, 68, 74, 76, 78.\n\n    Freyr (fr\u0101\u00b4r), 30, 44, 55, 109-116, 271.\n\n    Fric\u00b4ka, 27.\n\n    Frig\u00b4ga, 27-33, 128-130, 134.\n\n\n    Galar (g\u00e4l\u00b4ar), 18-20.\n\n    Gefjun (g\u0101f\u00b4y\u016bn), 36.\n\n    Geirrod (g\u0101r\u00b4rod), 28-36.\n\n    Gerd, _also_ Gerda, 109-116.\n\n    Geri (\u1e21\u0101\u00b4r\u0113), 11.\n\n    Gial\u00b4ar-horn, 38.\n\n    Gil\u00b4ling, 19.\n\n    Ginungagap (\u1e21in\u00b4\u014d\u014dn g\u00e4 g\u00e4p\u00b4), 1.\n\n    Gi\u00f6ll, _also_ Gj\u00f6ll (\u1e21\u012b\u00b4\u014dl), 134.\n\n    Giuki (\u1e21\u012d\u016b\u00b4k\u0113), 207.\n\n    Gladsheim (gl\u00e4ts\u00b4h\u012bm), 6.\n\n    Gleipnir (gl\u0101p\u00b4n\u0113r), 56.\n\n    Glis\u00b4tenheath, 195, 256.\n\n    Gnomes (n\u014dmz), 7.\n\n    Gold\u00b4fax, 118, 123.\n\n    Gram (gr\u00e4m), 182.\n\n    Grani (gr\u00e4\u00b4ni), 185.\n\n    Greyfel (gr\u0101\u00b4fel), 185-186, 189, 195, 196-205, 242.\n\n    Grimhild (gr\u012dm\u00b4h\u012dlt), 206.\n\n    Grim\u00b4ner, _also_ Grim\u00b4nir, 30.\n\n    Grjotlungard (gry\u014dt\u00b4lun gard), 121.\n\n    Gro\u00b4a, 124-125.\n\n    Gudrun (g\u014d\u014dd\u00b4r\u014d\u014dn), 206.\n\n    Gullinbursti (g\u014d\u014dl in b\u014d\u014dr\u00b4st\u0113), 48.\n\n    Gulltopp (g\u014d\u014dl\u00b4top), 38.\n\n    Gunger (goon\u00b4ger), 44.\n\n    Gunlod (goon\u00b4lod), 20, 24.\n\n    Gunnar (g\u014d\u014d\u00b4n\u00e4r), 206, 220.\n\n    Gunther (g\u014f\u014fn\u00b4t\u1ebdr), 206-259.\n\n    Guttorm (g\u014d\u014dt\u00b4t\u00f4rm), 207, 248.\n\n    Gylfe, 36-39.\n\n    Gymer, 112-114.\n\n\n    Hagen (h\u00e4\u00b4\u1e21en), 206-259.\n\n    Hall of Mists, 27.\n\n    Heidrun (h\u012b\u00b4dr\u014d\u014dn), 10.\n\n    Heimdall (h\u012bm\u00b4d\u00e4l), 38, 66, 119, 269-270.\n\n    Hel, _also_ H\u0115\u00b4la, 9, 51, 52, 127, 133-136, 269.\n\n    Helheim (hel\u00b4h\u012bm), 127-128, 133-136.\n\n    Helm-Gun\u00b4nar, 201.\n\n    Hermod (h\u0115r\u00b4mod), 134-136.\n\n    Hindfell (h\u012dnd\u00b4fell), 196.\n\n    Hiordis, _also_ Hjordis (h\u0113 \u00f4r\u00b4dis), 171-180.\n\n    Hjalprek, 176.\n\n    Hlymdale, 220.\n\n    H\u00f6der, _also_ Hodur (h\u1ebd\u00b4d\u1ebdr), 128, 131, 134.\n\n    H\u0153nir (h\u1ebd\u00b4n\u0113r), 8, 80-85, 137-138, 147.\n\n    Hogni (h\u014dg\u00b4n\u0113), 207.\n\n    Hraudung (hrow\u00b4doong), 28.\n\n    Hreidmar (hr\u012bd\u00b4mar), 138.\n\n    Hrim\u00b4faxe, 4, 15.\n\n    Hrun\u00b4gner, 117-123.\n\n    Hugi (h\u014d\u014d\u00b4\u1e21\u0113), 101, 107.\n\n    Hugin (h\u014d\u014d\u00b4\u1e21\u0113n), 11, 20.\n\n    Hymer, _also_ Hymir (h\u0113\u00b4mir), 58-65, 260.\n\n    Hyrroken, _also_ Hyrrokin (h\u0113r\u00b4ro ken), 132.\n\n\n    Iduna (e d\u014d\u014dn\u00b4a), 80-90.\n\n    Ifing (\u0113\u00b4fing), 15.\n\n    Isenland (\u0113\u00b4sen land), 203, 212, 219-221.\n\n\n    J\u00f6tunheim (y\u1ebd\u00b4t\u014f\u014fn h\u012bm), 4, 9, 14, 16, 37, 51, 75, 91, 106, 108,\n      110-115, 117-120, 267, 269.\n\n\n    Kriemhild (kr\u0113m\u00b4hilt), 206-259.\n\n    Kvasir (kv\u00e4\u00b4sir), 18.\n\n\n    Land of Fire, 1, 5.\n\n    Land of Mist, 1, 72, 110.\n\n    Leding (l\u0101\u00b4ding), 53.\n\n    Logi (lo\u00b4\u1e21\u0113), 102, 107.\n\n    Loki (lo\u00b4k\u0113), 8, 40-50, 68-72, 73-79, 80-90, 91-108, 129-131,\n      137-148, 259-271.\n\n    Lyngi (lin\u00b4\u1e21\u0113), 172-177.\n\n\n    Magic Mead, 16-26.\n\n    Magne (m\u00e4g\u00b4ne), 123.\n\n    Mani (m\u00e4\u00b4n\u0113), 5, 16, 268.\n\n    Mid\u00b4gard, 6, 9, 267.\n\n    Mid\u00b4gard Serpent, 51, 62-63, 107, 268-271.\n\n    Mimer, _also_ Mimir (m\u0113\u00b4m\u0113r), 10, 12-14.\n\n    Mj\u00f6lner, _also_ Mj\u00f6llnir, 49, 65, 73-79, 97-98, 121, 262, 270.\n\n    Modgud, _or_ Madgu\u00b4dur, 134.\n\n    Mokkerkalfe, 122.\n\n    Mu\u00b4nin, 11, 20.\n\n    Muspelheim (m\u014d\u014ds\u00b4pel h\u012bm), 2, 110, 269.\n\n\n    Nanna (n\u00e4n\u00b4n\u00e4), 132.\n\n    Nibelungenlied (n\u0113\u00b4b\u0113 l\u014f\u014fng\u00b4enl\u0113t), 196, 208-209.\n\n    Niblungs (n\u0113b\u00b4l\u014d\u014dng), 207, 209.\n\n    Nidhogg (n\u0113d\u00b4h\u014fg), 9.\n\n    Niflheim (n\u012df\u00b4l h\u012bm), 1.\n\n    Night, 4, 15.\n\n    Njord, 31.\n\n    Norns, 9, 129, 253, 265.\n\n\n    Odin (\u014d\u00b4din), 3, 8, 10-17, 20-26, 29-39, 45, 48-50, 52, 66-69,\n      80-85, 88, 117-120, 126-129, 132-134, 137-139, 151, 152, 168,\n      171, 173, 181-182, 184-185, 189, 255, 260-271.\n\n    Or van\u00b4del, 124-125.\n\n    Ot\u00b4ter, 138.\n\n\n    Peace-Bough, 10.\n\n\n    Ragnarok (r\u00e4g\u00b4n\u0227 r\u014fk\u00b4), 265.\n\n    Ran (r\u00e4n), 141-143, 148, 260.\n\n    Ratatosk (r\u00e4\u00b4ta tusk), 10.\n\n    Regin (r\u0101\u00b4g\u012dn), 139, 147-148, 149-150, 168-169, 179-195.\n\n    Rerir (r\u0101\u00b4r\u0113r), 151.\n\n    Ring\u00b4horn, 132.\n\n    Rodmar, 138.\n\n\n    Serimnir (s\u0101 r\u0113m\u00b4n\u0113r), 200.\n\n    Siegfried (s\u0113\u1e21\u00b4fr\u0113d), 149-150, 179-250.\n\n    Siegmund (s\u0113g\u00b4mund), 153-175, 178.\n\n    Sif, 40-44.\n\n    Sigi (s\u0113\u00b4g\u0113), 151-167.\n\n    Siggeir (s\u012d\u1e21\u00b4g\u0101r), 151-167.\n\n    Sig\u00b4mund, 153.\n\n    Signy (s\u012dg\u00b4n\u0113), 151.\n\n    Sigurd (z\u0113\u00b4g\u014f\u014frt), 149, 179, 183, 220, 248.\n\n    Sigyn, _also called_ Siguna (s\u0113\u00b4g\u0113n), 264.\n\n    Sindri, _also_ Sindre (sin\u00b4dr\u0113), 45-48.\n\n    Sinfiotli, _also_ Sinfjotli (sin\u00b4fy\u0101t l\u0113), 160-171.\n\n    Skidbladner (skid bl\u00e4d\u00b4n\u0113r), 44.\n\n    Skinfaxe (skin\u00b4f\u00e4x), 4, 15.\n\n    Skirner, _also_ Skirnir (sk\u012dr\u00b4n\u0113r), 55-56, 111-116.\n\n    Skrymer, _also_ Skrymir (skr\u0113\u00b4m\u0113r), 107.\n\n    Skuld (sk\u014f\u014fld), 9.\n\n    Sleipnir (sl\u0101p\u00b4n\u0113r), 12, 117-118, 127, 134.\n\n    Sol, 5, 268.\n\n    Surter, _also_ Surtur _or_ Surt (s\u014f\u014fr\u00b4t\u0113r), 269, 271.\n\n    Suttung (soot\u00b4t\u014f\u014fng), 19-26.\n\n    Svadilfare, _also_ Svadilfari (sv\u00e4 dilf\u00e4\u00b4r\u0113), 69-71.\n\n    Svartalfheim (sv\u00e4r talf\u00b4h\u012bm), 55.\n\n\n    Tarnkappe (t\u00e4rn\u00b4k\u00e4p p\u0113), 210, 217, 225, 253.\n\n    Thialfi (th\u0113 \u00e4l\u00b4f\u0113) _or_ (t\u0113 \u00e4l\u00b4f\u0113), 92-93, 96-99, 100-101, 122.\n\n    Thiassi (the \u00e4s\u00b4s\u0113) _or_ (t\u0113 as\u00b4s\u0113), 84-90.\n\n    Thok (th\u014fk) _or_ (t\u014fk), 136.\n\n    Thor (th\u00f4r\u00b4) _or_ (t\u014fr), 41, 53-54, 58-65, 73-79, 91-108, 117-125,\n      263-265.\n\n    Thrym (thr\u00fcm), 75-79.\n\n    Thrymheim (thr\u00fcm\u00b4h\u012bm), 87.\n\n    Thunderer, _see_ Thor.\n\n    Tree of Life, 9, 10, 271.\n\n    Trolls, 7.\n\n    Tyr (t\u0113r), 52, 57, 58-65.\n\n\n    Urd (\u014d\u014drd), 9.\n\n    Urdar Fountain, 9.\n\n    Ute (oo\u00b4t\u0113), 206-207, 212-213, 218-219, 232-233.\n\n    Utgard (\u014f\u014ft\u00b4g\u00e4rd), 91, 95, 98.\n\n    Utgard-Loke (\u014f\u014ft\u00b4g\u00e4rd lo\u00b4k\u0113), 98, 100-108.\n\n\n    Vafthrudner, _also_ Vafthrudnir, 14-17.\n\n    Valhalla (v\u0103l h\u0103l\u00b4la), 31, 72, 119, 171, 200-201.\n\n    Valkyrie (v\u0103l k\u012dr\u00b4\u012d), 196-203, 215, 217, 222, 254.\n\n    Var (v\u00e4r), 79.\n\n    Ve (v\u0101), 3.\n\n    Verdande, _also_ Verdandi (v\u0115rd\u00e4n\u00b4de), 9.\n\n    Vidar, 270.\n\n    Vigrid (v\u0113\u1e21\u00b4r\u0113d), 16, 269-270.\n\n    Vikings, 176-177.\n\n    Vile, _also_ Vili (v\u0113\u00b4l\u0113), 3.\n\n    Vingolf (v\u012dn\u00b4g\u014flf), 6.\n\n    Volsung (King) (v\u014fl\u00b4s\u014f\u014fng), 151-155.\n\n    Volsunga Saga (v\u0113l s\u014f\u014fn\u00b4\u1e21\u00e4 s\u00e4\u00b4g\u00e4), 149, 153, 179, 183, 185, 199,\n      206-207, 208, 220, 248, 255.\n\n    Volsungs, 150, 155-168, 170, 172-175, 183, 198.\n\n    Voltam (v\u014dl\u00b4tam), 127.\n\n\n    Well of Wisdom, 12.\n\n    Wo\u00b4dan, Wo\u00b4t\u00e4n, Wo\u00b4den, _see_ Odin, 3.\n\n\n    Ygdrasil, _also_ Yggdrasill (\u012d\u1e21\u00b4drasil), 9, 10, 271.\n\n    Ymir (\u0113\u00b4mer), 2-4.\n\n\n\n\nThe following pages contain advertisements of books by the same\nauthor or on kindred subjects.\n\n\n\n\nBY THE SAME AUTHOR\n\nStories of Old Greece and Rome\n\n_Decorated cloth, 12mo, $1.50 net_\n\n\n\"... an excellent combination of mythology and literature.... Here is\na gift that is a tonic for the weak imagination of the modern\nchild.\"--_The Nation._\n\n\"An interesting and valuable book.\"--_N. Y. Times._\n\n\"Illustrated from photographs of famous statues and paintings, this\nwill be a valuable adjunct to the young person's library.\"--_The\nContinent._\n\n\"If you have not a volume of these myths of the gods and immortals,\nhere is an excellent one to buy.\"--_San Jose Herald._\n\n\"All that is classic, inspirational, tonic, and vital in Greek and\nRoman mythology is here repictured in charming phrase for young and\nold.\"--_Journal of Education._\n\n\"It opens up a new world to the childish imagination that is bound to\nfoster in its wonder much that is beautiful and idealistic.\"--_Boston\nTranscript._\n\n\"Had we the deciding vote in every Board of Education we would adopt a\ngeneral rule that all children should be made familiar with mythology\nat an early age.... This book by Emilie Kip Baker is an admirable\nguide and is published in a form that gives it the appearance of a\ngood reading book.\"--_Literary Digest._\n\n\"The book should make a valuable addition to the library of the\nteacher in mythology in elementary and high schools.\"--_The Classical\nJournal._\n\n\nTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n\nPublishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York\n\n\n\n\nNEW BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS\n\n\n_ANOTHER \"DEAL\" STORY_\n\nThe Winds of Deal\n\nBy LATTA GRISWOLD\n\nAuthor of \"Deering of Deal\" and \"Deering at Princeton\"\n\nWith Illustrations by George Harper\n\n_Decorated cloth, 12mo, $1.25 net_\n\nThat there are few men better qualified to write school stories than\nLatta Griswold has been amply demonstrated by that author's previous\nbooks. Here, in \"The Winds of Deal,\" he tells another tale quite as\nstirring as its predecessors. Deal School, the _locale_ of his first\nwork, \"Deering of Deal,\" is again the scene, while Tony Deering\nhimself once more figures in the action, though he is not the\ncharacter of chief importance. That person is one George Erroll, a\nmost likable chap and a very human creation, too. In the narrative of\nhis adventures Mr. Griswold has splendidly caught the spirit of school\nlife with its friendships, its trials, its tribulations as well as its\nsuccesses.\n\n\n_ROBERTS'S NEW ANIMAL STORIES_\n\nHoof and Claw\n\nBy CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS\n\nAuthor of \"Kings in Exile,\" \"Neighbors Unknown,\" etc.\n\nWith Illustrations by Paul Bransom\n\n_Decorated cloth, 12mo, $1.35 net_\n\n\"Under the faithful guidance of Mr. Roberts,\" the editor of the\n_London Athen\u00e6um_ once wrote, \"we have ventured among the wild beasts\nof land and sea; and we hope to do so many times in the future. It is\nan education not to be missed by those who have the chance, and the\nchance is every one's.\" \"Hoof and Claw\" is another of those books for\nwhich Mr. Roberts is so justly famous, a book much like the one\nreferred to in the preceding sentences. In it are told more than a\ndozen stories of animals. Mr. Roberts writes with an understanding of\nthe nature of the creatures of field and forest that is nothing short\nof marvelous, an appreciation of the wild life that has seldom if ever\nfound its equal in literature. Among the titles of the tales in his\nlatest collection are \"The Bear That Thought He Was a Dog,\" \"The Trail\nof the Vanishing Herds,\" \"The Cabin Door,\" \"A Basket of Fish,\" \"The\nFisher in the Chutes,\" \"The Runner of the High Peaks,\" and \"Up a\nTree.\"\n\n\nTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n\nPublishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York\n\n\n\n\n_BY LATTA GRISWOLD_\n\nDeering at Princeton\n\nDecorated Cloth, Ill., 12mo, $1.35 net\n\n\n\"The book gives a series of graphic pictures of undergraduate life at\nold Nassau, with a fine young Southerner as the hero.\"--_San Francisco\nChronicle._\n\n\"The book is an exceedingly pleasant one, of a good tone without being\nin the least priggish.\"--_N. Y. Herald._\n\n\"The story is written carefully and seriously, obviously by one well\nacquainted with Princeton customs and anxious to set before the reader\nthe various influences that mold the college man.\"--_Chicago Tribune._\n\n\"Deering is a good, clean type of American who lands the captaincy of\nthe Orange and Black football team.... A nice, wholesome\nbook.\"--_N. Y. American._\n\n\"... will take rank among the reliable narratives of American college\nlife.\"--_Newark Evening News._\n\n\"... an admirable story of its kind, head and shoulders above the\naverage.\"--_Providence Journal._\n\n\nPUBLISHED BY\n\nTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n\n64-66 Fifth Avenue, New York\n\n\n\n\nNEW VOLUMES IN THE\n\nMACMILLAN'S JUVENILE LIBRARY\n\n_Each volume, cloth, 12mo, 50 cents net_\n\n\nNEW TITLES\n\n    Cyrus T. Brady's _The Two Captains_.\n    Charles G. D. Roberts's _The Backwoodsmen_.\n    Lewis Carroll's _The Hunting of the Snark_.\n    Elisa H. Figyelmessy's _Two Boys in the Tropics_.\n    Alice W. Fox's _Hearts and Coronets_.\n    Gabrielle E. Jackson's _Peggy Stewart at Home_.\n    Edna Turpin's _Honey Sweet_.\n    Charles S. Wood's \"_Don't Give Up the Ship_.\"\n    Stewart E. White's _Magic Forest_.\n    Evelyn Sharp's _The Youngest Girl in the School_.\n\nWith the publication of the above volumes the usefulness of the\n_Juvenile Library_ is further extended. It is the purpose of this\nseries to present books for boys and girls which have been approved as\nsuitable reading by those who have made a study of fiction for\nchildren. Only those books the influence of which is undoubtedly of\nthe right kind are included. While this purpose is not lost sight of,\nneither is the child's point of view neglected. The stories are\nwithout exception of that entertaining character that appeal strongly\nto the youngsters for whom they were written.\n\n\nTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n\nPublishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York\n\n\n\n\nOTHER VOLUMES IN THE MACMILLAN JUVENILE LIBRARY\n\nEach Volume, Cloth, 12mo, 50 cents net\n\n\nAltsheler. The Horsemen of the Plains\n\nBy Joseph A. Altsheler\n\n\"A story of the West, of Indians, of scouts, trappers, fur traders\nand, in short, of everything that is dear to the imagination of a\nhealthy American boy.\"--_New York Sun._\n\n\nBacon. While Caroline Was Growing\n\nBy Josephine Daskam Bacon\n\n\"Only a genuine lover of children, and a keenly sympathetic observer\nof human nature, could have given us a book like this.\"--_Boston\nHerald._\n\n\nCarroll. Alice's Adventures and Through the Looking Glass\n\nBy Lewis Carroll\n\n\"One of the immortal books for children.\"\n\n\nDix. A Little Captive Lad\n\nBy Marie Beulah Dix\n\n\"The human interest is strong and children are sure to like\nit.\"--_Washington Times._\n\n\nGreene. Pickett's Gap\n\nBy Homer Greene\n\n\"The story presents a picture of truth and honor that cannot fail to\nhave a vivid impression upon the reader.\"--_Toledo Blade._\n\n\nThis collection of juvenile books contains works of standard quality,\non a variety of subjects--history, biography, fiction, science and\npoetry--carefully chosen to meet the needs and interests of both boys\nand girls.\n\n\nPUBLISHED BY\n\nTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n\n64-66 Fifth Avenue, New York\n\n\n\n\nOTHER VOLUMES IN THE MACMILLAN JUVENILE LIBRARY\n\nEach Volume, Cloth, 12mo. 50 cents net. Postage extra.\n\n\nMabie. The Book of Christmas\n\nBy H. W. Mabie\n\n\"A beautiful collection of Christmas verse and prose in which all the\nold favorites will be found in an artistic setting.\"--_The St. Louis\nMirror._\n\n\nNesbit. The Railway Children\n\nBy E. Nesbit\n\n\"A delightful story, revealing the author's intimate knowledge of\njuvenile ways.\"--_The Nation._\n\n\nWhyte. The Story Book Girls\n\nBy Christina Whyte\n\n\"A sweet, wholesome girl's book, full of fun, yet with an underlying\nearnestness that is part of its charm.\"\n\n\nWright. Dream Fox Story Book\n\nBy Mabel Osgood Wright\n\n\"The whole book is delicious with its wise and kindly humor, its just\nperspective of the true value of things.\"\n\n\nWright. Aunt Jimmy's Will\n\nBy Mabel Osgood Wright\n\n\"Barbara has written no more delightful book than this. Every child\nwill love it.\"\n\n\nLucas. Slowcoach\n\nBy E. V. Lucas\n\n\"The record of an English family's coaching tour in a great\nold-fashioned wagon. A charming narrative, as quaint and original as\nits name.\"--_Booknews Monthly._\n\n\nMajor. Uncle Tom Andy Bill\n\nBy Charles Major\n\n\"A stirring story full of bears, Indians and hidden\ntreasures.\"--_Cleveland Leader._\n\n\nMajor. The Bears of Blue River\n\nBy Charles Major\n\n\"A little boy of pioneer days has many exciting adventures, which will\nplease all real boys.\"\n\n\nPUBLISHED BY\n\nTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY\n\n64-66 Fifth Avenue, New York\n\n\n\n\n      *      *      *      *      *      *\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\nMinor punctuation errors have been corrected.\n\nThe following changes have been made:\n\n    Page 78--omitted word 'a' added--\"Did ever a maiden eat like\n    this one?\" ...\n\n    Page 78--omitted word 'a' added--\"Did ever a maiden eat like\n    this one?\" ...\n\n    Page 274--Hrauding changed to Hraudung (for consistency with\n    main text)--Hraudung (hrow\u00b4doong), 28.\n\n    Page 274--Hriedmar changed to Hreidmar (for consistency with\n    main text)--Hreidmar (hr\u012bd\u00b4mar), 138.\n\nIllustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in\nthe middle of a paragraph.","title":"Stories from Northern Myths","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":66517}