{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/wikisource_The_Age_of_Fable_Chapter_XXXVIII/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/wikisource_The_Age_of_Fable_Chapter_XXXVIII","id":"wikisource_The_Age_of_Fable_Chapter_XXXVIII","license":"Public Domain / CC-BY-SA (see source)","rights_basis":"wikisource_site_inclusion_policy","source":"wikisource","source_url":"https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Fable/Chapter_XXXVIII","summary":null,"tags":["Headers_applying_DefaultSort_key","Subpages"],"text":"XXXVIII. NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY \u2014 VALHALLA \u2014 THE VALKYRIOR\n\nNORTHERN MYTHOLOGY\n\nThe stories which have engaged our attention thus far relate to\nthe mythology of southern regions. But there is another branch of\nancient superstitions which ought not to be entirely overlooked,\nespecially as it belongs to the nations from which we, through our\nEnglish ancestors, derive our origin. It is that of the northern\nnations, called Scandinavians, who inhabited the countries now\nknown as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. These mythological\nrecords are contained in two collections called the Eddas, of\nwhich the oldest is in poetry and dates back to the year 1056, the\nmore modern or prose Edda being of the date of 1640.\n\nAccording to the Eddas there was once no heaven above nor earth\nbeneath, but only a bottomless deep, and a world of mist in which\nflowed a fountain. Twelve rivers issued from this fountain, and\nwhen they had flowed far from their source, they froze into ice,\nand one layer accumulating over another, the great deep was filled\nup.\n\nSouthward from the world of mist was the world of light. From this\nflowed a warm wind upon the ice and melted it. The vapors rose in\nthe air and formed clouds, from which sprang Ymir, the Frost giant\nand his progeny, and the cow Audhumbla, whose milk afforded\nnourishment and food to the giant. The cow got nourishment by\nlicking the hoar frost and salt from the ice. While she was one\nday licking the salt stones there appeared at first the hair of a\nman, on the second day the whole head, and on the third the entire\nform endowed with beauty, agility, and power. This new being was a\ngod, from whom and his wife, a daughter of the giant race, sprang\nthe three brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve. They slew the giant Ymir,\nand out of his body formed the earth, of his blood the seas, of\nhis bones the mountains, of his hair the trees, of his skull the\nheavens, and of his brain clouds, charged with hail and snow. Of\nYmir's eyebrows the gods formed Midgard (mid earth), destined to\nbecome the abode of man.\n\nOdin then regulated the periods of day and night and the seasons\nby placing in the heavens the sun and moon and appointing to them\ntheir respective courses. As soon as the sun began to shed its\nrays upon the earth, it caused the vegetable world to bud and\nsprout. Shortly after the gods had created the world they walked\nby the side of the sea, pleased with their new work, but found\nthat it was still incomplete, for it was without human beings.\nThey therefore took an ash tree and made a man out of it, and they\nmade a woman out of an elder, and called the man Aske and the\nwoman Embla. Odin then gave them life and soul, Vili reason and\nmotion, and Ve bestowed upon them the senses, expressive features,\nand speech. Midgard was then given them as their residence, and\nthey became the progenitors of the human race.\n\nThe mighty ash tree Ygdrasill was supposed to support the whole\nuniverse. It sprang from the body of Ymir, and had three immense\nroots, extending one into Asgard (the dwelling of the gods), the\nother into Jotunheim (the abode of the giants), and the third to\nNiffleheim (the regions of darkness and cold). By the side of each\nof these roots is a spring, from which it is watered. The root\nthat extends into Asgard is carefully tended by the three Norns,\ngoddesses, who are regarded as the dispensers of fate. They are\nUrdur (the past), Verdandi (the present), Skuld (the future). The\nspring at the Jotunheim side is Ymir's well, in which wisdom and\nwit lie hidden, but that of Niffleheim feeds the adder Nidhogge\n(darkness), which perpetually gnaws at the root. Four harts run\nacross the branches of the tree and bite the buds; they represent\nthe four winds. Under the tree lies Ymir, and when he tries to\nshake off its weight the earth quakes.\n\nAsgard is the name of the abode of the gods, access to which is\nonly gained by crossing the bridge Bifrost (the rainbow). Asgard\nconsists of golden and silver palaces, the dwellings of the gods,\nbut the most beautiful of these is Valhalla, the residence of\nOdin. When seated on his throne he overlooks all heaven and earth.\nUpon his shoulders are the ravens Hugin and Munin, who fly every\nday over the whole world, and on their return report to him all\nthey have seen and heard. At his feet lie his two wolves, Geri and\nFreki, to whom Odin gives all the meat that is set before him, for\nhe himself stands in no need of food. Mead is for him both food\nand drink. He invented the Runic characters, and it is the\nbusiness of the Norns to engrave the runes of fate upon a metal\nshield. From Odin's name, spelt Woden, as it sometimes is, came\nWednesday, the name of the fourth day of the week.\n\nOdin is frequently called Alfadur (All-father), but this name is\nsometimes used in a way that shows that the Scandinavians had an\nidea of a deity superior to Odin, uncreated and eternal.\n\nOF THE JOYS OF VALHALLA\n\nValhalla is the great hall of Odin, wherein he feasts with his\nchosen heroes, all those who have fallen bravely in battle, for\nall who die a peaceful death are excluded. The flesh of the boar\nSchrimnir is served up to them, and is abundant for all. For\nalthough this boar is cooked every morning, he becomes whole again\nevery night. For drink the heroes are supplied abundantly with\nmead from the she-goat Heidrum. When the heroes are not feasting\nthey amuse themselves with fighting. Every day they ride out into\nthe court or field and fight until they cut each other in pieces.\nThis is their pastime; but when meal time comes they recover from\ntheir wounds and return to feast in Valhalla.\n\nTHE VALKYRIE\n\nThe Valkyrie are warlike virgins, mounted upon horses and armed\nwith helmets and spears. Odin, who is desirous to collect a great\nmany heroes in Valhalla to be able to meet the giants in a day\nwhen the final contest must come, sends down to every battle-field\nto make choice of those who shall be slain. The Valkyrie are his\nmessengers, and their name means \"Choosers of the slain.\" When\nthey ride forth on their errand, their armor sheds a strange\nflickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making\nwhat men call the \"Aurora Borealis,\" or \"Northern Lights.\"\n\nOF THOR AND THE OTHER GODS\n\nThor, the thunderer, Odin's eldest son, is the strongest of gods\nand men, and possesses three very precious things. The first is a\nhammer, which both the Frost and the Mountain giants know to their\ncost, when they see it hurled against them in the air, for it has\nsplit many a skull of their fathers and kindred. When thrown, it\nreturns to his hand of its own accord. The second rare thing he\npossesses is called the belt of strength. When he girds it about\nhim his divine might is doubled. The third, also very precious, is\nhis iron gloves, which he puts on whenever he would use his mallet\nefficiently. From Thor's name is derived our word Thursday.\n\nFrey is one of the most celebrated of the gods. He presides over\nrain and sunshine and all the fruits of the earth. His sister\nFreya is the most propitious of the goddesses. She loves music,\nspring, and flowers, and is particularly fond of the Elves\n(fairies). She is very fond of love ditties, and all lovers would\ndo well to invoke her.\n\nBragi is the god of poetry, and his song records the deeds of\nwarriors. His wife, Iduna, keeps in a box the apples which the\ngods, when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to\nbecome young again.\n\nHeimdall is the watchman of the gods, and is therefore placed on\nthe borders of heaven to prevent the giants from forcing their way\nover the bridge Bifrost (the rainbow). He requires less sleep than\na bird, and sees by night as well as by day a hundred miles around\nhim. So acute is his ear that no sound escapes him, for he can\neven hear the grass grow and the wool on a sheep's back.\n\nOF LOKI AND HIS PROGENY\n\nThere is another deity who is described as the calumniator of the\ngods and the contriver of all fraud and mischief. His name is\nLoki. He is handsome and well made, but of a very fickle mood and\nmost evil disposition. He is of the giant race, but forced himself\ninto the company of the gods, and seems to take pleasure in\nbringing them into difficulties, and in extricating them out of\nthe danger by his cunning, wit, and skill. Loki has three\nchildren. The first is the wolf Fenris, the second the Midgard\nserpent, the third Hela (Death), The gods were not ignorant that\nthese monsters were growing up, and that they would one day bring\nmuch evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to send\none to bring them to him. When they came he threw the serpent into\nthat deep ocean by which the earth is surrounded. But the monster\nhad grown to such an enormous size that holding his tail in his\nmouth he encircles the whole earth. Hela he cast into Niffleheim,\nand gave her power over nine worlds or regions, into which she\ndistributes those who are sent to her; that is, all who die of\nsickness or old age. Her hall is called Elvidner. Hunger is her\ntable, Starvation her knife, Delay her man, Slowness her maid,\nPrecipice her threshold, Care her bed, and Burning Anguish forms\nthe hangings of the apartments. She may easily be recognized, for\nher body is half flesh color and half blue, and she has a\ndreadfully stern and forbidding countenance.\n\nThe wolf Fenris gave the gods a great deal of trouble before they succeeded in chaining\nhim. He broke the strongest fetters as if they were made of\ncobwebs. Finally the gods sent a messenger to the mountain\nspirits, who made for them the chain called Gleipnir. It is\nfashioned of six things, viz., the noise made by the footfall of a\ncat, the beards of women, the roots of stones, the breath of\nfishes, the nerves (sensibilities) of bears, and the spittle of\nbirds. When finished it was as smooth and soft as a silken string.\nBut when the gods asked the wolf to suffer himself to be bound\nwith this apparently slight ribbon, he suspected their design,\nfearing that it was made by enchantment. He therefore only\nconsented to be bound with it upon condition that one of the gods\nput his hand in his (Fenris's) mouth as a pledge that the band was\nto be removed again. Tyr (the god of battles) alone had courage\nenough to do this. But when the wolf found that he could not break\nhis fetters, and that the gods would not release him, he bit off\nTyr's hand, and he has ever since remained one-handed.\n\nHOW THOR PAID THE MOUNTAIN GIANT HIS WAGES\n\nOnce on a time, when the gods were constructing their abodes and\nhad already finished Midgard and Valhalla, a certain artificer\ncame and offered to build them a residence so well fortified that\nthey should be perfectly safe from the incursions of the Frost\ngiants and the giants of the mountains. But he demanded for his\nreward the goddess Freya, together with the sun and moon. The gods\nyielded to his terms, provided he would finish the whole work\nhimself without any one's assistance, and all within the space of\none winter. But if anything remained unfinished on the first day\nof summer he should forfeit the recompense agreed on. On being\ntold these terms the artificer stipulated that he should be\nallowed the use of his horse Svadilfari, and this by the advice of\nLoki was granted to him. He accordingly set to work on the first\nday of winter, and during the night let his horse draw stone for\nthe building. The enormous size of the stones struck the gods with\nastonishment, and they saw clearly that the horse did one-half\nmore of the toilsome work than his master. Their bargain, however,\nhad been concluded, and confirmed by solemn oaths, for without\nthese precautions a giant would not have thought himself safe\namong the gods, especially when Thor should return from an\nexpedition he had then undertaken against the evil demons.\n\nAs the winter drew to a close, the building was far advanced, and\nthe bulwarks were sufficiently high and massive to render the\nplace impregnable. In short, when it wanted but three days to\nsummer, the only part that remained to be finished was the\ngateway. Then sat the gods on their seats of justice and entered\ninto consultation, inquiring of one another who among them could\nhave advised to give Freya away, or to plunge the heavens in\ndarkness by permitting the giant to carry away the sun and the\nmoon.\n\nThey all agreed that no one but Loki, the author of so many evil\ndeeds, could have given such bad counsel, and that he should be\nput to a cruel death if he did not contrive some way to prevent\nthe artificer from completing his task and obtaining the\nstipulated recompense. They proceeded to lay hands on Loki, who in\nhis fright promised upon oath that, let it cost him what it would,\nhe would so manage matters that the man should lose his reward.\nThat very night when the man went with Svadilfari for building\nstone, a mare suddenly ran out of a forest and began to neigh. The\nhorse thereat broke loose and ran after the mare into the forest,\nwhich obliged the man also to run after his horse, and thus\nbetween one and another the whole night was lost, so that at dawn\nthe work had not made the usual progress. The man, seeing that he\nmust fail of completing his task, resumed his own gigantic\nstature, and the gods now clearly perceived that it was in reality\na mountain giant who had come amongst them. Feeling no longer\nbound by their oaths, they called on Thor, who immediately ran to\ntheir assistance, and lifting up his mallet, paid the workman his\nwages, not with the sun and moon, and not even by sending him back\nto Jotunheim, for with the first blow he shattered the giant's\nskull to pieces and hurled him headlong into Niffleheim.\n\nTHE RECOVERY OF THE HAMMER\n\nOnce upon a time it happened that Thor's hammer fell into the\npossession of the giant Thrym, who buried it eight fathoms deep\nunder the rocks of Jotunheim. Thor sent Loki to negotiate with\nThrym, but he could only prevail so far as to get the giant's\npromise to restore the weapon if Freya would consent to be his\nbride. Loki returned and reported the result of his mission, but\nthe goddess of love was quite horrified at the idea of bestowing\nher charms on the king of the Frost giants. In this emergency Loki\npersuaded Thor to dress himself in Freya's clothes and accompany\nhim to Jotunheim. Thrym received his veiled bride with due\ncourtesy, but was greatly surprised at seeing her eat for her\nsupper eight salmons and a full grown ox, besides other\ndelicacies, washing the whole down with three tuns of mead. Loki,\nhowever, assured him that she had not tasted anything for eight\nlong nights, so great was her desire to see her lover, the\nrenowned ruler of Jotunheim. Thrym had at length the curiosity to\npeep under his bride's veil, but started back in affright and\ndemanded why Freya's eyeballs glistened with fire. Loki repeated\nthe same excuse and the giant was satisfied. He ordered the hammer\nto be brought in and laid on the maiden's lap. Thereupon Thor\nthrew off his disguise, grasped his redoubted weapon, and\nslaughtered Thrym and all his followers.\n\nFrey also possessed a wonderful weapon, a sword which would of\nitself spread a field with carnage whenever the owner desired it.\nFrey parted with this sword, but was less fortunate than Thor and\nnever recovered it. It happened in this way: Frey once mounted\nOdin's throne, from whence one can see over the whole universe,\nand looking round saw far off in the giant's kingdom a beautiful\nmaid, at the sight of whom he was struck with sudden sadness,\ninsomuch that from that moment he could neither sleep, nor drink,\nnor speak. At last Skirnir, his messenger, drew his secret from\nhim, and undertook to get him the maiden for his bride, if he\nwould give him his sword as a reward. Frey consented and gave him\nthe sword, and Skirnir set off on his journey and obtained the\nmaiden's promise that within nine nights she would come to a\ncertain place and there wed Frey. Skirnir having reported the\nsuccess of his errand, Frey exclaimed:\n\n\"Long is one night,\n\nLong are two nights,\n\nBut how shall I hold out three?\n\nShorter hath seemed\n\nA month to me oft\n\nThan of this longing time the half.\"\n\nSo Frey obtained Gerda, the most beautiful of all women, for his\nwife, but he lost his sword.\n\n\u00a0\n\nThis story, entitled \"Skirnir For,\" and the one immediately\npreceding it, \"Thrym's Quida,\" will be found poetically told in\nLongfellow's \"Poets and Poetry of Europe.\"","title":"The Age of Fable/Chapter XXXVIII","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":2970}