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TALES AND TRADITIONS 
 
 NORTHERN ANCESTORS 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
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 " #^^#rf$ Sid - : ;4\, 
 
 WOMAN'S WILD HUNT. 
 
lUgarfr anfr t\t dobs: 
 
 The 
 Tales and Traditions of our Northern Ancestors, 
 
 FORMING A COMPLETE MANUAL OF NORSE MYTHOLOGY. 
 
 
 ADAPTED FROM THE WORK OF 
 
 DR. W. WAGNER, 
 
 M. W. MACDOWALL, 
 
 AND EDITED BY 
 
 W. S. W. ANSON, 
 
 Editor of Dr. Wagner's ' ' Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages. 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 AP ^ 
 
 <$°^ 
 
 SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, Le BAS & LOWREY. 
 
 1886. 
 
Butler & Tanner, 
 
 The Selwood Printing Works, 
 
 Frome, and London. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A COMPLETE and popular English account of the 
 -*• -*■ religious beliefs and superstitious customs of the old 
 Norsemen, suited to our younger readers, has hitherto 
 been left unwritten. The editor feels sure that our elder 
 children can easily be brought to take a beneficial interest 
 in a subject of such great intrinsic worth to all of us, and 
 has therefore brought out the accompanying book. 
 
 Our old ancestors were a hardy, conservative race, and 
 tenaciously held by the treasured relics of their former be- 
 liefs and customs long after they had been shattered by the 
 onset of Christianity. They retained their primitive Odinic 
 belief as late as a.d. 800, and we therefore possess it in a 
 very complete state, far more so than any other European 
 system of mythology. We English have to this day in- 
 herited this conservative trait of their character, and are 
 still continually in every-day life coming across new and 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 unexpected remnants of our earliest beliefs. Paragraphs in 
 the newspapers, containing reports of police trials, etc., very 
 frequently bring forward new and as yet undiscovered 
 superstitions, which clearly hark back to the once popular 
 and all-extensive faith of the North. 
 
 Who would think, for instance, that in the time-old May- 
 day festivals, we should discover traces of the oldest cele- 
 brations of the triumph of the Summer Odin over the 
 Winter Odin, or that through the baby rhymes and nursery 
 sayings of to-day, we should be able to trace the common 
 creed of a nation of thousands of years ago ? To him un- 
 used to this kind of research, such things will appear im- 
 possible ; but we think our book will considerably extend 
 the sceptic's line of vision, if indeed it does not convert 
 him to an ardent student in the field he has before made 
 light of. 
 
 With regard to the translation of the passages quoted 
 from the Old Norse, Icelandic, etc., the original metres, 
 alliterative poems, etc., have been imitated as accurately as 
 possible, though it must be confessed that in one or two 
 places the effect appears somewhat weak and laboured, a 
 result that might have been anticipated, and one which it 
 is hoped the reader will overlook. 
 
 With reference to the orthography adopted : in most 
 cases the proper names have been anglicized in form, 
 
PREFACE. ix 
 
 according to established rules, as far as has been possible. 
 Let us take a few instances : — - 
 
 The Icelandic nominatival r has always been dropped, as 
 in the words Ragnarokr, Thrymr, etc. 
 
 In the case of reduplicated letters, the last has been 
 eliminated, unless an alteration in sound would have been 
 thereby occasioned, e.g., jotun has been adopted instead of 
 Jotun?2, Gunlod instead of Gumzlod, etc. 
 
 W has been throughout used in place of V, since scholars 
 have pretty generally decided that it more nearly represents 
 the original pronunciation than the English V ; thus we 
 spell Walhalla, Wiking, Walkyries, etc. 
 
 Many words have -heim affixed to them : -heim means 
 abode, dwelling, and is the same word as the English ko?Jze ; 
 as instances, Nifelheim, the dark home; Jotunheim, the 
 home of the Jotuns, giants, etc. 
 
 The suffix -gard appended to a word means place (Eng- 
 lish yard, ward, gard-en), and is found in such words as 
 Asgard, the place of the Ases, the gods ; Midgard, the 
 middle place, the earth ; Utgard, the out or lower place. 
 
 W. S. W. ANSON. 
 
 Octobej' \sL 1 8 So. 
 
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE rapid exhaustion of the first edition of this work 
 has called for its immediate reprint ; and the book is 
 therefore issued in its second edition with but very slight 
 alterations. 
 
 We have to thank our kind reviewers for their favour- 
 able critiques of our work, and to hope that they will ex- 
 tend it to Dr. Wagner's new volume, which we are about 
 to bring out, forming a continuation of the present work, 
 and dealing with the Epics and Romances of the Middle 
 Ages, of the Teutonic and Carlovingian cycles. The two 
 books together will, we believe, constitute a fairly complete 
 treatise of the mythical and traditional lore of the Ger- 
 manic race. 
 
 W. S.W. A. 
 
 April, 1882. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Myths and stories of the gods, 3 — The gods, their worlds and deeds, 4 — 
 Odin, Wodan, Wuotan, 5 — Frigg, or Freya, and her handmaids, 6 — Thor 
 or Thunar, 6 — Tyr, Tius or Zio, 9 — Heru, Cheru or Saxnot, 9 — Heim- 
 dal or Riger, 10 — Bragi and Iduna, 10 — The Wanes, Niorder, Freyer, 
 Freya, 10 — Fate, Norns, Hel, Walkyries, 10— Ogir and his com- 
 panions, 11 — Loki, 11 — The other gods, 12 — The Golden Age, 12 — Sin, 
 13 — Iduna's departure, 13 — Baldur's death, 14 — Ogir's banquet, 15 — 
 Loki in chains, 15 — Ragnarok, 16 — Lay of the Norse gods and heroes, 18 1 
 
 PART FIRST. 
 
 Legends and Myths. 
 
 Creation of the world, 22 — Day and Night, 24 — Two first human beings, 
 25 — Allfather, 25— Yggdrasil, the World-Ash, 26 — The divine kingdom, 
 31 — Influence of Christianity, 32 — The Runic language, 33 . . . 22 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 The Gods, Their Worlds and Deeds. 
 
 The Norns, 36 — Dwarfs and Elves, 38 — Giants, 42 — Worlds and heavenly 
 palaces, 47 ......... , . 
 
 36 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART THIRD. 
 
 Opponents of the Gods. 
 
 page 
 Loki and his kindred, 53 — The giants, 55— Muspel and his sons, 56 — 
 
 Surtur, 57 .51 
 
 PART FOURTH. 
 King Gylphi and the Ases. 
 Gefion, 58 — Gylphi in Asgard, 62 58 
 
 PART FIFTH. 
 
 Odin, Father of the Gods and of the Ases. 
 
 i. Wodan, according to the oldest conceptions, 71 — The myths of the Wild 
 Hunt and of the Raging Host, 72 — The sleeping heroes, 78 — The higher 
 conception of Wodan, 81 — Odin at Geirod's Palace, 83 — Odin, the dis- 
 coverer of the Runes, and god of poetry and of wisdom, 86 — The 
 draught of inspiration ; Odin's visit to Gunlod ; Journey to Wafthrud- 
 nir, 88 — Odin's descendants, 94. 
 
 ii. Frigg and her maidens, 96 — Other goddesses related to Frigg, 
 102. 
 
 iii. Holda, Ostara, 107 — Berchta, 115 — The White Lady, 116. 
 
 iv. Thor,Thunar (Thunder), 121 — Thor's deeds and journeys; Making 
 ofMiolnir, 125 — Journey to Utgard, 129 — Duel with Hrungnir, 137 — 
 Journey to Hymir, 141 — Journey to Thrymheim to get back Midlnir, 142 
 — Journey to Geirbd's-gard, 147 — The Harbard Lay, 151. 
 
 v. Irmin, 151. 
 
 vi. Tyr or Zio, 155. 
 vii. Heru or Cheru, Saxnot, 161. 
 viii. Heimdal, Riger, 166. 
 
 ix. Bragi and Iduna, 172 — Giant Thiassi steals Iduna, 174. 
 
 x. Uller, 177 66 
 
 PART SIXTH. 
 The Wanes. 
 xi. Niorder and Skadi, 183. 
 
 xii. Freyer or Fro, 189 — The wonderful Quern Stones, 191 — Skirnir's 
 Journey to Gerda, 199 — Young Swendal, 204. 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 PAGE 
 
 xiii. Freya, Frea or Frouwa, 206 — Freya and the young huntsman, 206 
 — Rerir and his love Helga, 209 — Swipdager returns to Menglada's 
 Castle, 212 181 
 
 PART SEVENTH. 
 
 Fate, 217 — Legend of Starkad, 219— King Fridleif, 222 — The Norns, 222 — 
 Hel, 225 — The Walkyries, 227 — Legend of King Kraki, 227 — Dises, 
 233 — Mandrake root, 234 . . . . . . . . .217 
 
 PART EIGHTH. 
 
 Ogir and His Followers. 
 
 Legend of the Lake Maiden, 236 — Legend of the Loreley, 241 — The Water- 
 Neck, 245 236 
 
 PART NINTH. 
 Loki and His Race. 
 
 The giant Skrymsli and the peasant, 247 — Loki's progeny, 250 — Loki's race, 
 
 251 247 
 
 PART TENTH. 
 The Other Ases. 
 
 Widar, 252 — Hermodur the Swift, 254 — Wali or Ali, Skeaf, 256 — Legend of 
 
 King Skeaf, 257 — Baldur and Hodur, 259 — Forseti, 264 . . . 252 
 
 PART ELEVENTH. 
 
 Signs of the Approaching Destruction of the World. 
 
 The Golden Age, 265 — Sin, 266 — Iduna's departure, 270 .... 265 
 
 PART TWELFTH. 
 
 Baldur's Death. 
 
 How Wala was conjured up, 273 — Loki visits Frigg in the dress of an old 
 woman, 276 — Death of Baldur, 278 — Hermodur sent to the realm of the 
 shades, 282 — Wali appears at Walhalla, and avenges Baldur, 285 . 273 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART THIRTEENTH. 
 Loki's Condemnation. 
 
 page 
 
 Ogir's banquet, 287 — Loki reviles the gods, 289 — Loki flees, is captured and 
 
 put in chains, 290 — The faithful Sigyn, 294 287 
 
 PART FOURTEENTH. 
 
 Ragnarok, thf Twilight of the Gods. 
 
 The Fimbul-Winter, 296 — The Last Battle, 298 — Surtur flings his fire-brands 
 over the nine worlds, 301 — Renewal of the World, 301 — Lif and Lifthra- 
 sir, 302— The Field of Ida, 305 — The Lay of Wala, 309 , . .296 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Frontispiece ......... facing title. 
 
 Frigga engaged in hunting . . . , .... 7 
 
 Ancient Hindu idea of the world . . . . ■ . . 17 
 
 Statue after Prof. Engelhard . ....... 19 
 
 Day ...... 24 
 
 Night ........... * 25 
 
 The Ash Yggdrasil .... ..... 27 
 
 A Northern landscape ......... 36 
 
 Elves , .... 38 
 
 Rocks in the Riesengebirge ........ 44 
 
 The sleeping giant . ......... 45 
 
 Surtur with his flaming sword . . . . . . 51 
 
 Gylphi beholding Asgard ........ 62 
 
 Odin between two fires in Geirod's palace ..... 85 
 
 Odin's visit to Gunlod . ....... 91 
 
 Frigg and her maidens ......... 97 
 
 Hilde, one of the Walkyries ........ 105 
 
 Holda, the kind protectress . . . . . . . .111 
 
 Thor and Loki's journey in women's clothes. .... 125 
 
 Skrymir attacked by Thor, when asleep . . . . .133 
 
 Chaining of the Fenria Wolf 153 
 
 Tyr, the Sword-God 159 
 
 Bragi and Heimdal receiving the warriors in Walhalla . .172 
 
 Uller the Bowman 179 
 
 Niorder and Skadi on their way to Noatun ..... 187 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Skirnir conjures Gerda to follow him . 
 
 Walkyries conducting the fallen heroes to Walhalla 
 
 Walkyries leading the warriors on to battle 
 
 Fingal's Cave 
 
 Ogir and Ran 
 
 Freya among the Dwarfs 
 
 Ogir's banquet 
 
 Loki in chains 
 
 Ragnarok, the Last Battle 
 
 Freya in her chariot . . 
 
 PAGE 
 
 199 
 216 
 217 
 
 236 
 
 243 
 265 
 2S7 
 292 
 299 
 303 
 
 r *£*> 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 JUST as in the olden time, Odin, the thoughtful god, gave his 
 eye in pledge to the wise giant, Mimir, at Mimir's Well, for a 
 draught of primeval wisdom, so men, longing for knowledge and 
 loving the history of old Germany, sought for the great goddess 
 Saga with untiring diligence, until at length they found her. She 
 dwelt in a house of crystal beneath the cool flowing river. The 
 eager enquirers went to her, and asked her to tell them about the 
 olden times, and about the vanished races which had once ruled, 
 suffered, fought and conquered, in the north of Europe. They found 
 the goddess sunk in dreamy thought, while Odin's ravens fluttered 
 around her, and whispered to her of the past and of the future. 
 She rose from her throne, startled by the numerous questions 
 addressed to her. She pointed to the scrolls which were lying 
 scattered around her, as she said : "Are ye come at last to seek 
 intelligence of the wisdom and deeds of your ancestors ? I have 
 written on these scrolls all that the people of that distant land 
 thought and believed, and that which they held to be eternal truth. 
 I went with these mighty races to their new homes, and have 
 faithfully chronicled their struggles and attainments, their deeds, 
 sufferings and victories, their gods and their heroes. No one has 
 inquired for these documents in the long years that are past ; so 
 the storms of time and the glowing flames of Surtur have caused 
 
 B 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the loss and destruction of many of them. Seek out and gather 
 together such as remain. Ye will find much wisdom hidden there- 
 in, when ye can read the writing and understand the meaning of 
 the pictures." 
 
 The men sought out and collected as many of the scrolls as they 
 were able. They arranged them in order, but found, as Saga had 
 told them, that very many were lost, and others only existed as 
 fragments. In addition to that, the runic writing on the documents 
 was hard to read, and the true meaning of the faded pictures un- 
 certain. Nevertheless, they allowed no difficulties to terrify them, 
 but courageously pursued their work of investigation. Soon they 
 discovered other records, or fragments of records, which they had 
 supposed to have been lost. What the storms of time had scattered 
 in different directions, what ignorance had cast aside as worthless, 
 they brought to the light of day, often from hidden dusty corners 
 and from the cottages of the poor. They arranged their discoveries 
 in proper order, learnt to read the mystic signs on the documents, 
 and the veil fell away before their increased knowledge. The old 
 Germanic world, with its secrets and wonders, and the views of its 
 ancient people regarding their gods and heroes, which were for- 
 merly lost in the darkness of the past, were now visible in the light 
 of the present. We intend to give, in the following pages, the 
 treasures that were thus rescued from oblivion, and to interweave 
 with them many scraps of information which are rapidly dying out 
 and being forgotten. We have endeavoured to make the book as 
 interesting as possible, to induce both the young and the old to 
 examine of what Teutonic genius was capable in the early dawn of 
 its history, a history which in modern times has shown its descend- 
 ants crowned with immortal laurels on many a blood-red field of 
 battle. The religious conceptions of the most famous nations of 
 antiquity are connected with the beginnings of civilization amongst 
 the Germanic races. If we unflinchingly follow out the traces of a 
 
I NT ROD UC TION. 
 
 common origin, in spite of the difficulties in our way, we shall often 
 find that the gods of the heathen Asgard, and the tales about them, 
 though apparently dissimilar, really have their basis in the cus- 
 toms and opinions held in the country in which they all had their 
 birth, and that in their early stages they were more or less con- 
 nected. Although in Central Asia, on the banks of the Indus, 
 in the Land of the Pyramids, in the Greek and Italian peninsulas, 
 and even in the North, whither Kelts, Teutons and Slavs wan- 
 dered, the religious conceptions of the people have taken dif- 
 ferent forms, yet their common origin is still perceptible. We 
 point out this connection between the stories of the gods, and 
 the deep thought contained in them, and their importance, in order 
 that the reader may see that it is not a magic world of erratic 
 fancy which is opened out before him, but that, according to 
 Germanic intuition, Life and Nature formed the basis of the exist- 
 ence and action of these divinities. Before we proceed to study 
 each individual deity in his fulness and imposing grandeur, let us, 
 for the better understanding of the subject, rapidly pass their dis- 
 tinguishing characteristics in review. 
 
 The Myths and Stories of the Gods of Norse antiquity come 
 first in order. We shall see, as our work goes on, that their 
 origin is to be found in the early home of the Aryan races in 
 the far East, when the spirit of man in the childhood of the world 
 bowed down before those phenomena of surrounding nature which 
 exercised a decisive influence on the struggles and life of humanity. 
 Our ancestors, like all other primitive folk, believed firmly in the 
 personality of these phenomena. All occurrences in the external 
 world, the causes of which were unknown, and all facts of men- 
 tal perception gradually assumed a human form in the mind of 
 the people. During their wanderings these were as yet vague ; 
 but after their settlement in their new home they got further 
 developed by wise seers and bards into typical forms ; and then, as 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 time went on, increased in number, until at length they faded away 
 as the old faith died out, or was thrust aside by a new religion. 
 Besides this, we find that many mythical figures arose from the 
 Teutons being brought in contact with other nations ; others again, 
 and these the greater number, were due to the idiosyncrasies and 
 characteristics of the Germanic race, and to the climate and mode 
 of life pursued in their new home. Next come the myths about the 
 creation of the world, the gods and their deeds. 
 
 The Gods, their Worlds and Deeds — In the abyss of im- 
 measurable space the ice streams, Eliwagar, roll their blocks of ice ; 
 the heat from the South creates life in the frozen waters, and the 
 giant Ymir, the blustering, boisterous, erratic, untamed power of 
 Nature, comes into being. At the same time as the clay-giant, arises 
 the cow, Audumla. She licks the salt-rock, and then the divine 
 Buri is born. His grandsons, Odin, Wili, and We, conquer and kill 
 the raging Ymir, and create the world out of his body. The 
 giant's children are all drowned in his blood, except Bergelmir, who 
 saves himself in a boat, and becomes the father of the giants. The 
 flood is here described, and the giants are to the northern mind 
 what Ahriman, the Principle of Evil, was to the Iranian. The gods 
 point out to the sun and moon, day and night, the courses they 
 must follow in chariots drawn by swift horses, after having com- 
 pleted which they are allowed to sink into the sea to rest. The 
 deities created the first men out of trees — Ask (the ash), and Embla 
 (the alder). Odin gave them life and soul, Honir endowed them 
 with intellect, and Lodur with blood and colour. 
 
 In the dark caverns of the earth the Black-Dwarfs, or Elves of 
 ^Darkness, creep about and make artistic utensils for the divine 
 yEsir, the Ases, by whom they were created. The Elves of Light 
 on the contrary, have their dwelling-place in the heavenly realms. 
 The latter are pure and good, while the former are often wily and 
 treacherous, but still are not bad enough to be the companions of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the wicked giants (known as the Jotuns), who continually fight 
 against both gods and man. As we learn from the myths which 
 follow, two horrible monsters are allied with these giants, and they 
 are to help to decide the Last Battle. They are the Fenris-Wolf 
 and the Midgard-Snake, which latter, lying at the bottom of the 
 sea, encircles the earth (the dwelling-place of the living) ; and they 
 are abetted by direful Hel, the goddess-queen of the country of 
 the dead. 
 
 Hidden or chained in the depths out of sight, these monsters 
 await their time. In like manner dark Surtur, with his flaming 
 sword, and the fiery sons of Muspel, lie in ambush in the hot south 
 country. They are preparing themselves for the decisive battle, 
 when heaven and earth, gods and man, are all to pass away. 
 
 Odin; Wodan, Wuotan — The scene changes; the separate 
 figures of the gods stand out in their characteristic forms as 
 northern imagination and Germanic poets have created them in 
 the likeness of their heroes. First of these is Wodan, the Odin of 
 Southern Germany, the god of battles, armed with his war-spear 
 Gungnir, the death-giving lightning-flash, and followed by the 
 Walkyries, the choosers of the dead, who consecrate the fallen 
 heroes with a kiss, and bear them away to the halls of the gods, 
 where they enjoy the feasts of the blessed. In the very earliest 
 times all Germanic races prayed to Wodan for victory, as we shall 
 see further on. He it is who rushes through the air in the midst of 
 the howling storm, with his tumultuous host, the Wild Hunt, fol- 
 lowing after him. In the arms of Gunlod he quaffs Odrorir, the 
 draught of inspiration, and shares it with the seers and bards, and 
 with those warriors who, for the sake of freedom and fatherland, 
 have thrown themselves into the fiery death of battle. Trusting in 
 his wisdom, he goes to Wafthrudnir, to take part in that contest in 
 which the fighting consists of the clash of intellect against intellect 
 in enigmatical speech, and he is victorious in this dangerous combat. 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Later, he invents the Runes, through which he gains the power 
 of understanding, penetrating and ruling all things. Thus he 
 becomes the Spirit of Nature, — he becomes Allfather. 
 
 Frigga, or Freya, and her Handmaids — Next to Odin appears 
 Frigga, the mother of the gods, seated on her throne Hlidskialf. 
 Amongst the Germans she was looked upon as the same as Frea, 
 the northern Freya, and was worshipped as the all-nourishing 
 mother Earth. Three divine maidens form the household of the 
 goddess ; her favourite attendant Fulla or Plenty, helps her to 
 dress, and carries her jewel-case after her ; the undaunted horse- 
 woman Gna, bears her orders to all parts of the nine worlds ; and 
 the faithful Hlyn protects her votaries. Frigga holds council with 
 her husband regarding the fate of the world, or sits in her hall 
 Fensal, with her handmaids, and spins golden thread with 
 which to reward the diligence of men. In later traditions she 
 is sometimes represented as a cunning housewife gaining all her 
 ends by craft ; but in the old legends she is uniformly represented 
 under the names of Holda and Berchta, as the benefactress of man- 
 kind. She furthers agriculture, law and order, apportions the 
 fields, consecrates the land-marks, keeps and takes care of the 
 souls of unborn children in her lovely gardens under the streams 
 and lakes, and takes back there the souls of those who die young, 
 that their mothers may cease to weep. As Holda or Dame 
 Gode, she appears as a mighty huntress, devoted to the noble pur- 
 suit of the chase. The maidens of the northern Freya are called 
 Siofna, the lady of sighs ; Lofna, whose work it is to bring lovers 
 together in spite of every obstacle ; and the wise Wara, who listens 
 to the desire of each human heart, and avenges every breach of 
 faith. 
 
 Thor or Thunar, whose turn it now is to be described, is the 
 ideal of the German peasant, as untiring at work as in eating and 
 drinking ; open-hearted, therefore often deceived, but when made 
 
FRIGGA, ENGAGED IN HUNTING. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 aware of the deception that has been practised on him, terrible in 
 his wrath, and overthrowing his opponent with fierce and mighty 
 blows. He receives Miolnir, the storm-hammer, from the dwarfs 
 who made it for him : he conquers Alwis, the all-wise, in a battle 
 of words. The giant Hrungnir pays for his temerity in challenging 
 him to fight, with a broken head. When deceived by Utgard-Loki's 
 magic, it is only want of opportunity, not of power, that prevents 
 him taking vengeance. When he goes to the ice-giant Hymir to 
 get the cauldron for brewing the beer for the feasts of the gods, he 
 appears in all the fulness of his god-like power. Enveloped in 
 Freya's bridal raiment, he gets back the stolen hammer from the 
 mountain-giant Thrym, destroys the whole race of giants in Thrym- 
 heim, and makes the place over to his hard-working peasantry to 
 till. He does the same at Geirodsgard after having overthrown 
 the wily Geirod, Although not to be withstood in his anger, he is 
 yet mild and gracious when with his hammer he is fixing the land- 
 marks, sanctifying the marriage bond, or consecrating the funeral- 
 pile. Then he is the god who blesses law and order and every 
 pious custom. For this reason he was deeply reverenced in all 
 German and Scandinavian lands, and it is only the later skalds, 
 as is seen in the Harbard lay, that make his glory less than that of 
 the hero-god Odin. 
 
 Tyr, Tius, or Zio. — And now, tall and slender as a pine, brave 
 Tyr comes forward. He has only one hand ; for when the terrible 
 Fenris-Wolf grew so powerful that he even threatened the gods 
 themselves in Asgard, Tyr ventured to chain him up with bonds 
 that could not be unloosed, and in so doing lost his hand. He 
 bears a sword as his proper badge, for he is the god of war. The 
 German people held him in high honour under the name of Tius 
 or Zio. 
 
 Heru, Cheru or Saxnot. — Another naked sword flashes on the 
 wooded heights in the land of the Cherusci ; it is the weapon of 
 
i° ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the sword-god Heru, Cheru or Saxnot, who some think is no other 
 than Tyr. Of this weapon Saga tells us that it causes the de- 
 struction of its possessor, should he be unworthy of owning it ; but 
 that in the hand of a hero it brings victory and sovereignty. 
 
 Heimdal or Riger. — The third sword-god is known as Heimdal 
 or Riger ; he always appears with his sword girded to his side, and 
 is the watchman stationed at the Bridge Bifrost to protect Asgard. 
 He lives on his heavenly hill near the bridge, and drinks sweet 
 mead all day. The faintest sounds are heard by him, and his 
 piercing gaze penetrates even rocks and forests to the farthest 
 distance. Then again he goes out into the world of men, and 
 makes laws and ordinances. He blesses the human race, and 
 keeps clear and visible the line of demarcation between the differ- 
 ent classes. 
 
 Bragi and Id una. — Heimdal is born of nine mothers, the wave- 
 maidens, and Bragi also, the god of poetry, rises upon the waves 
 from the depths of the sea. Nature receives him with rejoicing, and 
 the blooming Iduna marries the divine bard. She accompanies 
 him to Asgard, where she gives the gods every morning the apples 
 of eternal youth. 
 
 The Wanes, Niorder, Freyer, Freya — The Wanes are probably 
 a race of gods who were worshipped by the earlier inhabitants of 
 Germany and Scandinavia. Their war with the gods points back 
 to the battles fought between these people and the invading 
 Germanic races. At the conclusion of peace, the Prince of men, 
 Niorder, his son bright Freyer, and his daughter Freya, are given 
 as hostages to the gods, who on their side give up Mimir and Honir 
 to the Wanes. These Wanes rise to high honour and receive 
 wide-spread adoration. 
 
 Fate, Norns, Hel, Walkyries Orlog, Fate, a Power impossible 
 
 to avoid or gainsay, rules over gods and men ; it is impersonal, and 
 bestows its gifts blindly. Out of the dense darkness surrounding 
 
INT ROD UCTION. i » 
 
 it on every side, it also comes forth in visible shape as Regin, and 
 guides and rules all things, and sometimes in the form of the 
 gods, determines the life and actions of mortals. The Norns come 
 out of the unknown distance enveloped in a dark veil, to the Ash 
 Yggdrasil. They sprinkle it daily with water from the Fountain 
 of Urd, that it may not wither, but remain green and fresh and 
 strong. Urd, the eldest of the three sisters, gazes thoughtfully into 
 the Past, Werdandi into the Present, and Skuld into the Future, 
 which is either rich in hope or dark with tears. Thus they make 
 known the decrees of Orlog, or Fate ; for out of the past and 
 present the events and actions of the future are born. Dark 
 inscrutable Hel holds sway deep down in Helheim and Nifelheim. 
 According to most ancient tradition she was once the earth-mother 
 who watches over life and growth, and who finally calls the weary 
 pilgrim home to her through the land of death. 
 
 In the poems of the skalds she becomes the dark, terrible Queen 
 of the Realm of Shades, who brought death into the world. She has, 
 however, no power over the course of battles where brave men 
 struggle for the honour of victory. There Odin's Wish-maidens, the 
 Walkyries, rule and determine the fate of the combatants. Armed 
 with helmet and shield, they ride on white cloud horses to choose 
 their warriors as the Father of the gods has commanded them. 
 They consecrate the fallen heroes with the kiss of death, and bear 
 them away to Walhalla to the feast of the Einheriar. 
 
 Ogir and his companions.— Ogir or Hler moves about on 
 the stormy seas accompanied by his wife Ran. Ogir is of the 
 race of giants, but lives in friendly alliance with the gods. His 
 comrades are the Mumel-king, the wonderful player, and the 
 nixies, necks, and water-sprites. 
 
 Loki, the father of terrible Hel, the Fenris-Wolf and Midgard- 
 Snake ; Loki, the crafty god who is ever devising evil, now steals 
 forward that we may observe his corrupt practices and his real 
 
12 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 character. In primeval times he was Odin's brother by blood, the 
 god of life-giving warmth, and in particular of the indispensable 
 household fire. As a destructive conflagration arises from a hidden 
 spark which gradually increases in strength and volume, until at 
 last it bursts out furiously and consumes the house and all that it 
 contains, thus, as we shall show later on, the conception of Loki 
 was developed in the minds of these old races, until he was at last 
 held to be the corrupter of the gods, the principle of evil. 
 
 The other Gods. — As regards the other gods, the silent Widar, 
 son of Odin, first appears, armed with a sword and wearing iron 
 shoes. Joyfully he hears the prophecy of the Norns, that he should 
 on a future day avenge his father by killing the destroying wolf, 
 and that he would afterwards live for ever in blissful peace in the 
 renewed world. Then comes Hermodur, the swift messenger of 
 the gods, who fulfils his office at a sign from Odin. Another 
 avenger, the blooming Wali, is received with acclamation when 
 he enters the halls of Odin, for he is the son of Odin and the 
 northern Rinda, is chosen to avenge bright Baldur the well-be- 
 loved, and to give the deadly blow which shall send dark Hodur 
 down to the realms of Hel. So the story brings us to Baldur, the 
 giver of all good, and to Hodur, who rules over the darkness. The 
 myth tells us how both fought for the sake of the lovely Nanna, 
 and how the former received his death wound by magic art. His 
 son Forseti, who resembles his father in holiness and righteousness, 
 is the upholder of eternal law. The myth shows him to us seated 
 on a throne teaching the Northern Frisians the benefits of law, 
 and surrounded by his twelve judges, all of whom are somewhat 
 like him both in face and form. 
 
 The Golden Age. — From this brief glance at the individual 
 gods we pass on to the description of the events which concern 
 these divinities as a whole, and which lead up to the epic poems in 
 which they figure. The golden age, the time of innocence, is next 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 to be described, when the lust for gold was as yet unknown, when 
 the gods played with golden disks, and no passion disturbed the 
 rapture of mere existence. All this lasts till Gullweig (Gold- 
 ore), the bewitching enchantress, comes, who, thrice cast into the 
 fire, arises each time more beautiful than before, and fills the souls 
 of gods and men with unappeasable longing. Then the Norns, 
 the Past, Present and Future, enter into being, and the blessed 
 peace of childhood's dreams passes away, and sin comes into 
 existence with all its evil consequences. 
 
 Sin. — The poems of the skalds give another account of the 
 way in which sin makes its first appearance. The gods wish 
 to have a strong wall of fortification round their Asgard, to pro- 
 tect it against the assaults of the Jotuns, the giants. Acting 
 on Loki's advice, they swear by a holy oath to give the sun 
 and moon, and even Freya herself, the goddess of grace and 
 beauty, to an unknown builder, on condition that he finishes the 
 wall in the course of one winter. The master-builder turns out to 
 be a Hrimthurse (Frost-giant), who, with the help of his horse, 
 seems about to finish the high wall of ice, the sides of which are 
 as smooth as polished steel, within the allotted time. If the bar- 
 gain were to hold good, darkness would envelop the world, and 
 sweetness and love would disappear from life ; so the gods com- 
 mand Loki, as he values his head, to tell them what to do. He 
 outwits the giant by means of treachery and magic, and Thor pays 
 the master-builder in blows of his hammer. Thus the gods break 
 their oath, and inexpiable guilt rests upon them. 
 
 Iduna's departure. — Evil portents precede the coming horrors. 
 Iduna, the distributor of the apples of immortal youth, sinks from 
 her bright home amid the boughs of the Ash Yggdrasil, into the 
 gloomy depths below. She can only weep when the messengers 
 ask her the meaning of her leaving them. Bragi remains with 
 her, for with youth, games and song also pass away. 
 
14 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Baldur's death. — The day of judgment approaches, and new 
 signs bear witness of its coming. Baldur, the holy one, who alone 
 is without sin, has terrible dreams. Hel appears to him in his 
 sleep, and signs to him to come to her. Odin rides through the 
 dark valleys which lead to the realm of shades, that he may 
 enquire of the dead what the future will bring forth. His incanta- 
 tions call the long deceased Wala out of her grave, and she foretells 
 what he has already feared, Baldur's death. Whereupon Frigga, 
 who is much troubled in spirit, entreats all creatures and all lifeless 
 things to swear that they will not injure the Well-beloved. But she 
 overlooks one, the weak mistletoe-bough. Crafty Loki discovers 
 this omission. When the gods in boisterous play throw their 
 weapons at Baldur, all of which turn aside from striking his holy 
 body, Loki gives blind Hodur the fatal bough, which he has made 
 into a dart. He guides the direction of the blow, and the murder 
 is committed — Baldur lies stabbed to the heart on the bloodstained 
 sward. Peace and joy, righteousness and holiness disappear with 
 him. For this reason the gods and men, and even the dwarfs who 
 fear the light, the elves in their caverns, and the malicious race 
 of giants weep for him. They all assemble round his funeral pile. 
 Two corpses are stretched on the litter ; for Nanna, Baldur's beau- 
 tiful bride, has died of a broken heart. When the sunny-hearted 
 god of light dies, the flowers must also wither. At Odin's com- 
 mand Hermodur rides along the road leading to Hel's dominions, 
 to entreat the terrible goddess to permit the return of the Well- 
 beloved. He finds Baldur and Nanna seated at a table on which 
 are placed cups of mead, but they leave the foaming draught un- 
 touched ; they sit there as silent and sad as the other flitting 
 shades, which glide past them like misty phantoms. The dreadful 
 queen of the realm of the dead is seated on her throne, grave and 
 silent. This is her reply to Hermodur's message : " If every crea- 
 ture weeps for the Beloved he shall return to the upper world, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 otherwise he must remain in his place." The messenger of the 
 gods brings back this answer. Every creature weeps for her son at 
 Frigga's entreaty ; but one giantess alone, dwelling in an obscure 
 cleft in a rock, refrains from weeping, and so Baldur remains in 
 Hel's possession. But vengeance has yet to be executed on the 
 god who lives in darkness, and that duty is fulfilled by Wali, who 
 kills strong Hodur with his darts. Wali is the god of spring, who 
 destroys dark gloomy winter ; he is the risen Baldur. 
 
 Ogir's banquet. — The northern poems, apparently to break 
 the course of these tragic events, no^r lead us to Ogir's palace, 
 where the gods are assembled to hold a joyous feast after a long 
 period of mourning. The hall is brilliantly lighted by the golden 
 radiance of the treasures of the deep, and the tankards are full 
 of foaming beer or mead ; but the bard no longer sings to the 
 music of the harp. Instead of that, Loki forces his way into the 
 assembly ; he does not now hide his wickedness under the cloak 
 of hypocrisy, but openly boasts of what he has done. As the evil- 
 doer amongst men does not become a villain or a hardened 
 criminal all at once, but gradually ascends the ladder of wicked- 
 ness step by step until he reaches the summit, so it is with Loki ; 
 at first his actions are beneficial and good, then he begins to 
 give bad advice ; after that he plots against the general peace, 
 steals a costly treasure, and pitilessly works to bring about murder. 
 At last he shows his diabolical nature without disguise, when, 
 throwing aside the veil of hypocrisy, he hurls invectives at the 
 gods, and openly acknowledges his horrible deeds of wickedness. 
 The appearance of Thor forces him to take flight, and he barely 
 escapes the dread hammer of the god. 
 
 Loki in chains. — The murderer of Baldur, the blasphemer of 
 the gods, cannot remain unpunished. In vain he conceals himself 
 in a solitary house on a distant mountain, in vain he takes the 
 form of a salmon and hides himself under a waterfall, for the 
 
16 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 avengers catch him in a peculiar net which he had formerly in- 
 vented for the destruction of others. They bind him to the sharp 
 ledge of a rock with the sinews of his son, which are changed into 
 iron chains. A snake drops poison upon his face, making him yell 
 with pain, and the earth quakes with his convulsive tremblings. 
 His faithful wife Sigyn catches the poison in a cup ; but still it 
 drops upon him whenever the vessel is full. 
 
 Ragnarok — The destroyer lies in chains on the sharp ledge of 
 rock ; but he is not bound for ever. When the salutary bonds of 
 law are broken, when discipline and morality, uprightness and the 
 tear of God vanish, destruction comes upon states and nations. 
 This is what is to happen at the time of which the legend now 
 tells us. Nothing good or holy is respected. Falsehood, perjury, 
 fratricidal wars, earthquakes, Fimbul-Winter (such severe winter as 
 was never known before), are to be the signs that the end of the 
 world is near. The sun and moon will be extinguished by their 
 pursuers, the stars fall from the heavens, Yggdrasil will tremble, 
 all chains be broken, and Loki and his dread sons be freed. 
 Then the fiery sons of Muspel with dark Surtur at their head come 
 from the South, and the giants from the East ; the last battle shall 
 be fought on the field of Wigrid. There the enemy's forces are 
 drawn up in battle array, and thither Odin goes to meet them with 
 his host of gods, and his band of Einheriar. And now the moun- 
 tains fall down, the abyss yawns showing the very realms of Hel, 
 the heavens split open and are lost in chaos, the chief warriors, 
 the strong, are all slain in that deadly fight. Surtur, terrible to 
 look upon, raises himself to the very sky ; he flings his fiery darts 
 upon the earth, and the universe is all burnt up. Our forefathers' 
 conceptions as to the last battle, the single combats of the strong, 
 the burning of the world, are all to be learnt from ancient tradi- 
 tions, as we find them described in the poems of the skalds. 
 
 The Renewal of the World. — The myth compensates for the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 17 
 
 tragic end of the divine drama by concluding with a description 
 of the renewal of the world. The earth rises green and blooming 
 out of its ruin, as soon as it has been thoroughly purged from sin, 
 refined and restored by fire. The gods assemble on the plains of 
 Ida, the gods Widar and Wali are there, with Magni and Modi, 
 the sons of Thor, who bring with them their father's Miolnir, a 
 weapon no longer used for striking, but only for consecrating what 
 is right and holy. They are joined by Baldur and Hodur, who 
 
 ANCIENT HINDU IDEA OF THE WORLD. 
 From the drawing of a Brahmin. 
 
 are now reconciled, and united in brotherly love. Human beings 
 are also to be found there, Lif and Lifthrasir, who, hidden in 
 Hoddmimir's wood, dreamed the dreams of childhood, while the 
 horrors of the last battle were taking place, and who, being pure 
 and innocent and free from sinful desires, are permitted to enter 
 the world where peace now reigns. 
 
 We have thought it requisite, for the better understanding of our 
 
 c 
 
1 8 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 history, to throw a cursory glance over the whole of the great 
 drama, which describes to us the creation, prime, fall, destruction, 
 and restoration of the world and the gods. The separate parts of 
 the drama are not always connected with one another ; they have 
 grown up gradually in the course of centuries, and therefore are 
 not calculated to fit into each other. Sometimes, indeed, they 
 are in complete opposition to each other ; yet in spite of this, one 
 fundamental idea runs through all myths : we find in all that sin 
 causes universal destruction, and that the world, purified by fire, 
 rises again more beautiful and glorious than before. We have 
 classified the myths as much as possible in accordance with this 
 leading idea, and have also added their interpretations. 
 
 A good many parts of the Edda have, most likely, arisen in the 
 land of the Cherusci, in Osning or Asening, and have been founded 
 on songs in honour of the gods and heroes worshipped there. 
 Moreover, it is an undoubted fact that the Northern skalds trans- 
 lated those songs, changing partially their form, and incorporating 
 them with their own poems, so that the whole gained a northern 
 colourinsr. 
 
 LAY OF THE NORSE GODS AND HEROES. 
 
 Step out of the misty veil 
 Which darkly winds round thee ; 
 Step out of the olden days, 
 Thou great Divinity ! 
 Across thy mental vision 
 Passes the godly host, 
 That Bragi's melodies 
 Made Asgard's proudest boast, 
 
AFTER PROF. ENGELIIARD's STATUE. 
 (See accompanying- verses). 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 There rise the sounds of music 
 
 From harp strings sweet and clear, 
 
 Wonderfully enchanting 
 
 To the receiving ear. 
 
 Thou wast it, thou hast carried 
 
 Sagas of northern fame, 
 
 Did'st boldly strike the harp strings 
 
 Of old skalds ; just the same 
 
 Thou spann'st the bridge of Bifrost, 
 
 The pathway of the gods ; — ■ 
 
 O name the mighty heroes, 
 
 Draw pictures of the gods ! 
 
 Let the reader now follow us into the world of Germanic gods, 
 giants, dwarfs, and heroes. These fairy tales are not senseless 
 stories written for the amusement of the idle ; they embody the 
 profound religion of our forefathers, which excited them to brave 
 deeds, inspired them with strength and courage enough to shatter 
 the Roman Empire, and to set up a new order of things in its stead. 
 But when four hundred years after their dreadful battles against 
 Germanicus, the Teutons victoriously entered their new country, 
 the old faith had already faded, and they exchanged without 
 difficulty their hero-god for St. Martin or the archangel Michael, 
 and their Thunar for St. Peter or St. Oswald. The Saxons alone, 
 in whose land the much revered holy places were to be found, 
 clung to their gods, and when they were afterwards conquered by 
 Charles the Great, some of them fled the country, carried their old 
 religion to their northern brothers, and preserved it, until, at the 
 time of the Wiking wars, it lost its glory in Scandinavia, and feU 
 before the preaching of the Cross. 
 
PART FIRST. 
 
 LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 
 
 T N the beginning was a great abyss ; neither day nor night 
 ■*■ existed ; the abyss was Ginnungagap, the yawning gulf, without 
 beginning, without end. Allfather, the Uncreated, the Unseen, 
 dwelt in the depth of the abyss and willed, and what he willed 
 came into being. Towards the north, in immeasurable space where 
 dwell darkness and icy cold, arose Nifelheim (the Home of the 
 Mists), and to the south was Muspelheim (the Home of Brightness), 
 fiery, glowing with intense heat. The spring Hwergelmir (the 
 seething cauldron) sprang into life in Nifelheim, and out of it flowed 
 twelve and more infernal streams (Eliwagar) with their ice-cold 
 waters. The dreadful cold soon froze the waters, and blocks 
 of ice rolled over and under each other through the boundless 
 gulf towards the south and Muspelheim. In the air above, the 
 storms roared from Nifelheim, rooting up the icebergs ; while 
 from the Home of Brightness rays of beneficent heat poured forth 
 over Ginnungagap, and when the great blocks of ice began to melt 
 under the influence of this warmth, and drops of water to form and 
 run down their sides, then it was that life first showed itself, and 
 there arose a monster, the giant Ymir, or Orgelmir (seething clay), 
 
LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 23 
 
 terrible to look upon. From him are descended the Hrimthurses 
 or Frost-giants. 
 
 The warm rays awakened more life in the waters. The cow 
 Audumla, the nourisher, came into being ; from her flowed four 
 streams of milk which fed the dreadful Ymir and his children, the 
 Hrimthurses. But she had nothing to graze on except the salt 
 of the ice-rocks, which she licked. On the first day after she had 
 licked the rock, a head of hair was visible ; on the second day, the 
 whole head ; and on the third, the rest of the body, beautiful and 
 glorious of limb. This was now Buri (the Producer), who had a 
 son named Bor (born), and Bor married Bestla, daughter of the 
 Hrimthurses, by whom he had three sons, Odin (spirit), Wili (will) 
 and We (holy). 
 
 After this, war was made on the violent Ymir, and the sons of 
 Bor slew him, and flung his great body into Ginnungagap, which 
 was filled with it. But the blood of the monster flowed out cover- 
 ing all things, so that there was a great flood (Deluge) in which the 
 Hrimthurses were drowned. One of them alone, the wise Ber- 
 gelmir, saved himself and his wife from destruction by taking 
 refuge in a cunningly made boat, and he became the father of 
 the race of giants. This is the northern version of the story of 
 Noah. 
 
 Space was now void and drear, as we learn from an ancient 
 German lay : — 
 
 " I regarded among men as the greatest of wonders, 
 That the earth was not, nor yet the firmament, 
 Nor was there yet a tree, nor mountain, nor even sunshine, 
 Nor moon so radiant, nor ever a mighty sea." 
 
 The new rulers, who called themselves Ases, i.e., pillars and 
 supports of the world, did not like this state of things at all. So 
 they began to create as Allfather willed that they should. The)' 
 made the earth of Ymir's body, the sea of his sweat, the hills 
 
24 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 of his bones, and the trees of his curly hair. Of his skull they 
 made the firmament, and of his brain the clouds which float 
 below. Then, out of the giant's eyebrows the gods formed Mid- 
 gard (Middle-garden), the dwelling-place of the children of men, 
 who as yet unborn slept in the lap of time. 
 
 Darkness reigned throughout space ; only a few fiery sparks 
 from Muspelheim wandered aimlessly through the air ; the sun 
 did not know her place, nor the moon his* course, nor did the stars 
 know where they were to stand. But the gods collected the sparks, 
 
 made them into stars and fastened them in the firmament. They 
 created the chariot of the sun, harnessed to it the horse Arwaker 
 (Early-waker), which was driven by the maiden Sol ; she was 
 rapidly followed by the shining moon drawn by the horse Alswider 
 (All-swift), bridled and managed by the beautiful boy Mani. 
 Mother Night talked lovingly to Mani as she preceded him on her 
 dark horse Hrimfaxi (Frost-mane), whilst her son Day followed 
 her with his bright Skinfaxi (Shining-mane). 
 
 * In German the sun is feminine, the moon masculine. 
 
LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 
 
 -5 
 
 Creatures of all sorts crept like maggots in and out of Ymir's 
 body and bones. The gods therefore consulted together as to 
 what was best to be done, and they thought that their wisest 
 course would be to change these creatures into a useful people. 
 So they at once changed them into Dwarfs and Trolls, who were 
 gifted with a wonderful knowledge of minerals and stones of all 
 kinds, and an extraordinary power of working in metals. One 
 class of dwarfs was of dark complexion, cunning and treacherous ; 
 the other was fair, good and useful to gods and men. Three 
 mighty gods once left the place where the Thing or council was 
 
 held ; they were Odin, Honir or Hahnir (the Bright One) and 
 Lodur. While wandering over the face of the earth, which was 
 green with grass and with the juicy leek, they found two human 
 forms lying near the shore, Ask (the ash), and Embla (the alder), 
 both of whom were without power or sense, motionless, colourless. 
 Odin gave them souls ; Honir, motion and the senses ; and Lodur, 
 blood and blooming complexions. From these two are descended 
 all the numerous races of men. 
 
 Allfather dwelt in the deep and willed, and what he willed came 
 
26 ASGARD AND THE GODS 
 
 to pass. Then the ash Yggdrasil grew up, the tree of the universe, 
 of time and of life. The boughs stretched out into heaven ; its 
 highest point, Larad (peace-giver) overshadowed Walhalla, the hall 
 of the heroes. Its three roots reached down to dark Hel, to Jotun- 
 heim the land ot the Hrimthurses, and to Midgard the dwelling- 
 place of the children of men. The World-tree was ever-green, for 
 the fateful Norns sprinkled it daily with the water of life from the 
 fountain of Urd which flowed in Midgard. But the goat Heidrun, 
 from whom was obtained the mead that nourished the heroes, and 
 the stag Eikthyrnir browsed upon the leaf-buds, and upon the 
 bark of the tree, while the roots down below are gnawed by the 
 dragon Nidhogg and innummerable worms : still the ash could 
 not wither until the Last Battle should be fought, where life, time 
 and the world were all to pass away. So the eagle sang its song 
 of Creation and Destruction on the highest branch of the tree. 
 
 This is what a skald, a Northern bard, related to the warriors 
 who were resting from the fatigue of fighting, by tables of mead. 
 He and his comrades, intoxicated with the divine mead of enthu- 
 siasm, used to tell these stories to the listening people. The 
 myths were founded on the belief of the Norse people regarding 
 the creation of the world, gods and men, and as such we find them 
 preserved in the Songs of the Edda. At the same time the cata- 
 strophe is hinted at by which, in the opinion of these races, the great 
 world-drama was to end. It is true that many unlovely and even 
 coarse ideas are to be found mixed up with the rest, and that they 
 cannot be compared with the beautiful fancies of Hellenic poetry ; 
 but the drama as a whole is grand and philosophical, and had its 
 birth in that heroic spirit which forced the Teutons and Northern 
 Wikings out into their battles of life or death. We have also the 
 idea ot Allfather, the unquestionable original cause of all things, 
 though he is scarcely more than mentioned in the poems. This idea 
 came more prominently forward in later times, but could not grow 
 
THE ASH YGGDRASIL. 
 
LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 29 
 
 to its full proportions, because the preaching of the Gospel soon 
 afterwards did away with the old faith. Whilst struggling against 
 the horrors of a northern climate and sending out armies into 
 distant land, the Teutons fixed their eyes on certain aspects of 
 nature, and could not rise to distinct conceptions of the Eternal. 
 Still this idea lay originally at the foundation of the Northern 
 religion, and the kindred Aryan race in India developed and 
 exhibited it in a wonderful and poetical manner. 
 
 Neither in the one case nor in the other, did the myths arise 
 complete and perfect in the minds of these kindred people in the 
 form in which we read them in the ancient documents. They 
 needed a long time, a long period of development, before they 
 appeared as regular myths or mythical tales. We must try to 
 make clear to ourselves the process of the formation and develop- 
 ment of the myth. Nations, like individuals, have their childhood, 
 youth, prime and old age. In their childhood they cannot look 
 upon the inexplicable facts and manifestations of the forces 
 of nature, and on those of their own soul, otherwise than under 
 certain forms. Nature, on which they feel themselves dependent, 
 seems to them a Personality possessed of thought, will and per- 
 ception. Nature is the Divinity they worship ; she is the Self- 
 existent Power of the Indian Aryans, the Eros of the Hellenes in 
 their earliest home by the Acherusian Lake, and the Allfather 
 who dwelt less clearly in the mind of the Germanic races. Amongst 
 the Greeks the first departure from their earliest religious con- 
 ceptions was the deification of Gaia, the all-nourishing earth ; 
 amongst the Hindus and Teutons, it was that of the shining firma- 
 ment with its stars, its moon, its life-giving sun and its clouds with 
 their refreshing rains. 
 
 The vague notion of a deity who created and ruled over all 
 things had its rise in the impression made upon the human mind 
 by the unity of nature, but was soon overcome by that produced 
 
30 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 by certain particular aspects of nature. The sun, moon and stars, 
 clouds and mists, storms and tempests, appeared to be higher 
 powers, and took distinct forms in the imagination of man. The 
 sun was regarded now as a fiery bird which flew across the sky, 
 now as a horse and now as a chariot and horses ; the clouds were 
 cows from whose udders the fruitful rain poured down, or nursing 
 mothers, or heavenly streams and lakes ; the storm-wind appeared 
 as a gigantic eagle that stirred the air by the flapping of his great 
 wings. As the phenomena of nature seemed to resemble animals 
 either in outward form or in action, they were represented under 
 the figure of animals. The beast which does not think, and 
 which yet acts in accordance with some incomprehensible impulse, 
 appears to be something extraordinary, something divine. 
 
 After riper consideration, it was discovered that man alone was 
 gifted with the higher mental powers. It was therefore acknow- 
 ledged that the figure of an animal was an improper representation 
 of a divine being. Thus in inverted relation to that described in 
 Holy Writ, when " God created man in His own image, in the 
 image of God created He him," men now made the gods in their 
 own likeness, but at the same time regarded them as greater, more 
 beautiful and more ideal than themselves. 
 
 The monotheistic idea of Allfather, which formed the basis of the 
 
 Germanic religion, soon gave place to that of a trilogy, consisting 
 
 Aat first of Odin, Wili and We, and afterwards of Odin, Honir and 
 
 I Lodur. From these proceed the twelve gods of heaven, and they 
 
 s again are associated with many other divinities. 
 
 Polytheism has its origin in a variety of causes. The primary 
 reason for it is to be found in the numerous qualities attributed to 
 each one god, and also in his varying spheres of action. Hence 
 the many additional names bestowed upon him. In course of time 
 his identity with nature is forgotten, and people grow accustomed 
 to accept his attributes as so many separate personalities. Thus, 
 
LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 31 
 
 for instance, the powerful storm-god Wodan, the Northern Odin, 
 ^was regarded as the highest god, the king of heaven. He it was 
 9>who inspired both warlike and poetical enthusiasm. But still, the 
 dispossessed king of heaven, Tyr, was worshipped as the god of 
 war, while the art of poetry was placed under the protection of the 
 divine Bragi, who was unknown in earlier times. Freya, the god- 
 dess of beauty and love, was essentially the same as the goddess 
 of Earth, yet the German Nerthus and the Northern Jord and 
 Rinda were honoured as such ; from Freya was also derived Frigg, 
 the queen of heaven, who was raised to the position of Odin's 
 lawful wife. Another cause of the increase of the number of 
 divinities is attributable to the vast extent of country over which 
 the great Germanic race was spread, viz., over Germany, Scan- 
 dinavia, and far away to the east amongst the Russian steppes. 
 The numerous tribes into which the race was divided was another 
 circumstance in favour of polytheism. These tribes preserved their 
 language and their faith as a whole, but each had its own distinc- 
 tive peculiarities and its own particular tribal god. They were 
 sometimes communicated to other tribes, and in times of war the 
 conquerors either dethroned the gods of the vanquished or else 
 accepted them in addition to their own. 
 
 The divine kingdom as described in the legends of the 
 gods and heroes. — After the gods, the giants and the dwarfs 
 had become personalities capable of free action ; they were supposed 
 to have stood in human relation to each other. They were given 
 family ties and were finally brought under the laws of a divine 
 kingdom. As people had now forgotten that the origin of the gods 
 was to be found in the phenomena of nature, other motives for 
 their fate and actions had to be sought, and thus the myth was 
 added to, was made of wider significance, and its former meaning 
 completely altered. 
 
 During the centuries that were necessary to bring about this 
 
 1 ■'- " 
 ' '"' i 
 
32 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 development, there had been many changes in the fortunes of the 
 Germanic tribes. They had destroyed the Roman empire, and 
 had made their dwelling amongst its ruins. After that the proud 
 victors bent their heads beneath the Cross, and accepted the 
 Christian faith. Then the teaching of the Cross gradually made 
 its way into Germany, the home of these warlike tribes ; the 
 messengers who brought it endeavoured to root out all relics of 
 heathenism, and when preaching was of no avail, the power of the 
 already converted ruler was brought into play. Thus was the old 
 religion expunged from Germany proper. Still remnants of it are 
 to be found in popular customs and traditions, and in a few 
 fragmentary writings which suffice to show us the connection 
 between the religion of our fathers and that preserved in the 
 northern mythology. 
 
 It was different in the north, in Scandinavia. The preachers of 
 the Gospel did not make their way there until much later. In that 
 land the warlike chieftains dwelt in their towers and castles 
 surrounded by their retainers, drinking sweet mead and beer, or 
 the foreign wine they had brought home from their campaigns. 
 There the victorious warriors delighted to tell of their adventurous 
 voyages and Wiking raids, of battles with ice-giants, with winds 
 and waves, and with the men of the south. There the skalds 
 sang their lays in honour of the gods and heroes, and formed the 
 myths into an artistic whole, a world-drama, which a happy chance 
 has preserved to us. How this was done we shall now proceed to 
 show. 
 
 In the tenth century Harald Harfager (fair hair) was ac- 
 knowledged King of the whole realm of Norway. Many of the 
 Jarls and Princes, who had formerly been independent rulers, were 
 too proud to bear the yoke of the conqueror, and set out in search 
 of other homes. The brave Rollo and his followers conquered 
 Normandy and Brittany in France, others of the emigrants settled 
 
LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 33 
 
 in the Shetland and Faroe islands, while others again under Ingulf 
 and Horleif landed on the inhospitable coasts of Iceland, and 
 cultivated and peopled the island as far as its severe climate would 
 permit. These people carried with them from their native land the 
 old songs of the skalds, which the fathers sang to their sons, and 
 the sons again to their sons, passing them on to each new genera- 
 tion as a most precious heritage. It is true that Christianity was 
 introduced into Iceland towards the end of the tenth century,, but 
 before that time the people had preserved the songs of their fore- 
 fathers, first by means of very imperfect runes, and then by the 
 use of letters which had been brought to them from other lands, 
 besides which the Christian priests, who were mostly Icelanders, 
 were far from wishing to destroy the old tales. Many of them went 
 so far as to listen to the songs of the people and afterwards write 
 them down, and thus these treasures were saved from oblivion both 
 in Iceland and in the Faroe islands. It is believed that the learned 
 Icelander, Sasmund the Wise (a.d. 1056-1133), compiled the Elder 
 Edda, the first collection of these old songs, partly from oral tradi- 
 tion and partly from imperfect runic writings which had been copied 
 in Latin characters. This collection, which is called Ssemund's 
 Edda after its supposed compiler, contains first in the Woluspa 
 (Song of Wala) the mythical account given by the northern imagi- 
 nation of the creation of the world, of giants, of gods, of dwarfs, and 
 of men ; then there is a description of the Last Battle and of the 
 destruction and renewal of the world ; after that come songs about 
 the adventures and journeys of the individual gods, and lastly 
 others are given in honour of the Heroes, especially the Nifiungs, 
 Sigurd the slayer of the dragon Fafnir, and so on. The Younger 
 Edda, a collection of the same kind, is supposed to have been 
 compiled by Bishop Snorri Sturlason (a.d. 1178-1241), and for 
 that reason generally goes by the name of the Snorra-Edda. It is 
 for the most part written in prose, and serves as a commentary on 
 
 D 
 
34 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the Elder Edda, but was originally meant more particularly for the 
 instruction of the Icelandic skalds. 
 
 The Runic language and characters. — The word rtina really 
 means " secret " ; runes are therefore " mysterious signs requiring 
 an interpretation." The shape of the letters leads to the supposi- 
 tion that they were formed in imitation of the Phoenician alphabet. 
 It is clear that the runes were, from various causes, regarded even 
 in Germany proper as full of mystery and endowed with super- 
 natural power. 
 
 After Ulphilas made a new alphabet for the Goths in the fourth 
 century by ingeniously uniting the form of the Greek letters to 
 that of a runic alphabet consisting of twenty-five letters which 
 was nearly related to that of the Anglo-Saxons ; the runes 
 gradually died out more and more, and as Christianity spread, the 
 Roman alphabet was introduced in place of the old Germanic 
 letters. 
 
 The runes appear to have served less as a mode of writing than 
 as a help to the memory ; they were principally used to note down 
 a train of thought, to preserve wise sayings and prophecies, and 
 the remembrance of particular deeds and memorable occurrences. 
 Tacitus informs us that it was also customary to cut beech twigs 
 into small pieces and then throw them on a cloth which had been 
 previously spread out for the purpose, and afterwards to read future 
 events by means of the signs accidentally formed by the bits of 
 wood as they lay on the cloth. 
 
 The heroic lays of the old time have died out, and the runes 
 have with few exceptions been rooted out of our fatherland by 
 priestly zeal which looked upon them as magical. Our knowledge 
 of the full-toned, powerful language of our ancestors is therefore 
 very imperfect. But we know that it belonged to the great Aryan 
 branch, and was thus related to the noblest of the Aryan lan- 
 guages, the Sanscrit or holy tongue, and was rich in inflexions. 
 
LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 35 
 
 In the Chinese and Indo-Chinese languages the ancient poverty of 
 expression is still to be found, and even at the present day we 
 find in them monosyllabic roots placed next to each other with 
 hardly a connecting link ; in the Turanian language of Central 
 Asia the people have endeavoured to express the association of 
 their ideas by the use of suffixes, but these suffixes are in them- 
 selves complete words, and thus the combination is as distinctly 
 visible as the separate strokes of the brush in a bad painting. The 
 language ot the Teutonic race had already got beyond that point 
 before the different tribes set out on their wanderings in search of 
 a new home. The added words had fused with the others, and 
 were capable of expressing an unbroken current of thought. The 
 language had been developed by means of the Sagas and songs 
 which had been handed down amongst the people from generation 
 to generation. 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS 
 AND DEEDS. 
 
 THE NORNS. 
 
 THE three fatal sisters played 
 a prominent part in many 
 German tales. They used to 
 ^r=z watch over springs of water, and 
 
 to appear by the cradle of many a royal infant to give it presents. 
 On such occasions two of them were generally friendly to the 
 child, while the third prophesied evil concerning it. Sometimes 
 the Norns were supposed to be one, and then they were called 
 
 36 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 37 
 
 CJrd ; but they were oftener looked upon as many, especially as 
 the twelve Urds. In the pretty story of the "Sleeping Beauty" 
 thirteen fairies appear. The king invited twelve of them to the 
 birthday feast given in honour of his little daughter. Eleven had 
 endowed the child with intelligence, beauty, wealth, and other good 
 gifts, when suddenly a thirteenth fairy entered unbidden and or- 
 dained that the princess should die early of the prick of a spindle. 
 The twelfth now came forward and took some of the bitterness 
 out of the terrible prophecy by saying that the girl should not 
 die, but should fall into a sleep of a hundred years' duration, out 
 of which she should at last awake when the right hour for setting 
 her free should strike. This hour came when a young hero forced 
 his way through the thorn hedge that surrounded her, and awoke 
 the sleeper with a kiss of love. 
 
 Urd or Wurd is also connected with Hel, the goddess of death : 
 for the Past, being dead, falls into the nether world. Hel herself 
 appears in the story as the Norn who span the irrefragable thread 
 of fate, and in the German version of the tale in which the fatal 
 sisters appear, she was the bad fairy whose name, Held, betrays 
 her identity with the goddess. 
 
 The origin of the Norns is wrapped in mystery ; while the 
 dwarfs, who are at times somewhat difficult to distinguish from the 
 elves, were, as we have seen, created by the gods. 
 
 
38 
 
 ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 I 
 
 ■■ 
 
 "- ">:■- 
 
 1 
 
 
 •5» 
 
 ;1 
 
 
 I 
 
 ^« 
 
 --" ." 
 
 
 ;V>- 
 
 M 
 
 mji 
 
 
 ^m 
 
 y& 
 
 DWARFS AND ELVES. 
 
 Three kinds of dwarfs existed 
 in northern mythology, Mod- 
 sognir's folk, Durin's band, and 
 Dwalin's confederacy of Lofar's 
 race. Lofar is perhaps the same 
 Hi as Loki, the fire-god, for all the 
 dwarfs needed his help in their 
 LlWlM-jC *, subterranean labours. In the 
 /J **.2t-\. °ld German poems we often 
 
 find descriptions of dwarf-kings, who ruled over underground 
 realms, and the Norse nations regarded Modsognir's and Durin's 
 people as especially great and powerful, more, however, from their 
 
 
 / ^gr-i 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 39 
 
 miraculous strength and knowledge of magic than from their 
 having rule over any definite territory. The ideas respecting these 
 deformed and goblin-like creatures, some writers state, are con- 
 nected with the appearance of the Phoenicians in the North. 
 Wherever these roving merchants went, they always endeavoured 
 to get at the raw products of the countries they visited. They 
 fished for the purple mussel on the shores of Greece and Asia 
 Minor ; they dug for gold in the rich auriferous veins they found 
 in Lemnos, where a volcanic mountain was looked upon as 
 the forge of Hephaestos, and also in the island of Thasos, and in 
 the Pangean mountains. They mined for silver in Spain, in 
 which country old shafts and passages, mining implements and 
 even vaulted underground chapels have been discovered. In 
 Ireland they dug for silver, in England for the much esteemed 
 tin-ore, and in the North also, they undoubtedly worked in the 
 mines, and had furnaces and smithies above ground for smelting 
 and forging the minerals they obtained. It was very natural 
 that a barbarous people should imagine the existence of the 
 Kobolds, when they heard the noise of working and hammering, 
 and saw the sooty figures of what seemed to be a short, weakly 
 race emerging from the earth. They regarded the strangers as 
 mighty and powerful, because their minds were deeply impressed 
 by their magical surroundings, and by the excellent weapons, 
 beautiful ornaments, and delicately fashioned works of art they 
 made in their flaming furnaces. The shrewd craftsmen must often 
 have brought disaster upon the simple-minded barbarians by their 
 deceit and cunning, and the dwarfs were therefore considered false 
 and treacherous, and every one was warned against their malice. 
 
 These features, however, might with equal probability apply to 
 the former inhabitants of the country who had been dispossessed 
 by the Germanic invaders, perhaps even better than to the Phoe- 
 nicians. These people were of a much weaker race than their 
 
4o ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 conquerors ; they took refuge in lake-dwellings or in subterranean 
 caverns, hid in the mines they themselves had made, forged utensils 
 of all sorts, and often over-reached their invaders by the sharpness 
 of their wits. 
 
 Poetry created out of these dwellers in holes and caves of the 
 rock those fantastic beings called Dwarfs and Black-Elves, because 
 they were black and grimy, and because they rummaged in the 
 dark places of the earth, did smith's work, were learned in the 
 black art, and treacherous. The gloomy world in which they lived 
 was called the Home of the Black-Elves. 
 
 In Germany they were known under the same name, but 
 slightly altered in form. Their ruler in the middle ages was 
 King Goldemar, whose brother Alberich or Elberich, and the sly, 
 thievish Elbegast, were even more celebrated in poetry than he. 
 In England, these are represented by the light airy elves, who 
 danced their rounds on the hill-sides and in the valleys, but who 
 love best to haunt lonely green woodlands and groves, and here 
 King Oberon and Queen Titania had their invisible palaces and 
 gardens, to which men sometimes found the way, and of which 
 they related the wonders to believing multitudes after their return. 
 Whoever has a touch of poetry in his soul, and is in the habit of 
 wandering through the woods in the still summer evening, can 
 even now-a-days see the mist-like forms of the little people danc- 
 ing merrily in the openings of the wood or by the banks of the 
 murmuring brook. 
 
 Equally celebrated in tales and legends is Number Nip, the 
 mighty king of the Riesengebirge, of whose power many strange 
 tales were told ; until at last modern enlightenment forced him to 
 retreat into his underground realm. 
 
 The Light-Elves were different from the Black-Elves. They 
 lived in the Home of the Light-Elves, were fair and good, and 
 somewhat resembled the elves, but were not so airy or ethereal 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 41 
 
 as the spirits of the later fairy-world. There are no myths about 
 these kindly beings, which is a clear proof that the difference 
 between the Black and Light-Elves was originally unknown. 
 
 The elves were popularly believed to be spirit-like beings, who 
 were deeply versed in magic lore, and who had charge of the 
 growth of plants. Some of them lived under the earth and others 
 in the water; they often entered into friendly alliance with 
 mortals, and demanded their help in many of their difficulties, 
 handsomely rewarding all who assisted them. They were not 
 always ugly to look upon ; indeed, their beauty was sometimes 
 extraordinary, and whenever they showed themselves amongst 
 men, they used to wear splendid ornaments of gold and precious 
 stones. If ever any one of mortal birth approached them, while 
 they were dancing their rounds at midnight in the light of the full 
 moon, they would draw him within their circle, and he never re- 
 turned again to his people. The dwarfs and elves possessed rings 
 by means of which they discovered and gained for themselves the 
 treasures of the earth ; they gave their friends magic rings which 
 brought good-luck to the owner as long as they were carefully 
 preserved ; but the loss of them was attended with unspeakable 
 misery. 
 
 A Polish count once received a ring of this kind from a tiny 
 mannikin, whom he had allowed to celebrate his marriage festivities 
 in the state rooms of his castle. With this jewel on his finger he 
 was lucky in all his undertakings ; his estates prospered ; his 
 wealth became enormous. His son enjoyed the same good for- 
 tune, and his grandson also, who both inherited the talisman in 
 turn. The last heir gained a prince's coronet and fought with 
 distinction in the Polish army. He accidentally lost the ring while 
 at play, and could never recover it, although he offered thousands 
 of sovereigns for its restoration. From that moment his luck 
 forsook him : locusts devoured his harvest ; earthquakes destroyed 
 
42 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 his castles. It even seemed as if the disasters of his native land 
 were connected with his, for the Russians now made good their 
 entrance into the country, and when Suwarrow stormed Praga, the 
 unhappy prince received a sabre-cut over one of his eyes. When 
 somewhat recovered, but quite disfigured by his wound and almost 
 in as wretched plight as a beggar, he reached his ancestral castle, 
 and there he was crushed to death under the falling building on 
 the very first night. Exactly a hundred years had elapsed since 
 that fateful hour in which his ancestor had placed his halls at the 
 disposal of the underground spirit ! 
 
 Besides these rings, the dwarfs and wights, like the elves, had 
 other valuable possessions, such as hoods of darkness, by means of 
 which the mannikins became invisible, and girdles that made the 
 wearer supremely beautiful. 
 
 This was the reason why so many noble knights were over- 
 mastered by love for beautiful elf-women ; but the marriages 
 which were thus contracted had always a sad ending, because the 
 natures of husband and wife were too dissimilar, and because there 
 can be no real bond between men and spirits. For the elves were 
 also regarded as the souls of the dead, and it was therefore 
 impossible that any alliance formed by them with the living could 
 be happy. 
 
 GIANTS. 
 
 To the traveller passing through some desolate valley in the 
 dusk or in a fog, the rocks jutting out from amongst the woods or 
 ravines at his side seem to take strange, fantastic shapes. Not 
 less spectral than these is the uncertain outline of the mountain 
 tops, and especially of the bare granite or basaltic horns of rock 
 which are scattered in great number over the face of the earth. In 
 the old time, when man was more susceptible to impressions made 
 by the life and working of nature, when he peopled the wilderness 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 43 
 
 with the creatures of his own fancy, those dead stones appeared 
 to him as living beings, moving about busily in the grey mist, 
 endowed in the dusk or moonlight with magic powers and 
 approaching him as giants and monsters, but which were once 
 more turned into stone as soon as they were touched by the first 
 rays of the morning light. 
 
 These figures grew far more monstrous, far more weird in the 
 great Alpine ranges and in Scandinavia. There the peaks, the 
 ridges, and the ravines are covered with eternal ice and snow ; 
 there the swollen, destructive mountain-torrents, growing glaciers, 
 falling rocks and thundering avalanches, were regarded as the 
 work of the infernal powers, the rime and frost-giants of 
 northern legends. These evil beings are also to be found in the 
 lower ranges of mountains. The Riesengebirge owe their name to 
 them, while the Harz mountains were haunted by the Harz spirit 
 and other demons. 
 
 Nearly related to these were the spirits of the storms and 
 tempests, who came out of their dwellings in the clefts of the hills, 
 massed up the storm-clouds, and spread destruction over the fields. 
 The raging sea also was sometimes regarded as a giant, sometimes 
 as a huge snake which encircled Midgard. As a snake they 
 likewise personified those waters, which, breaking down the 
 artificial breast-work man had built for their restraint, dashed and 
 roared over the fruitful plains, engulfing towns, villages and their 
 inhabitants in their course. The giant Logi (Flame), with his 
 children and kindred, finally made themselves known as the 
 authors of every great conflagration, when they might be seen in 
 the midst of the flames, their heads crowned with chaplets of 
 fire. These demons were all enemies of man, they strove to 
 hinder his work and to destroy what he had made. 
 
 For the elements are hostile 
 
 To the work of human hand — Schiller 
 
44 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Men therefore sought to propitiate them in ancient times by 
 offering them sacrifices, and consecrating altars and holy places to 
 them, until the moral powers, the gods, rose and fought against 
 them and their worship, but did not succeed in rooting them out 
 of the minds of the people. In the Greek myth, the rude destruc- 
 tive powers of nature, which were personified in the Titans and 
 Giants, were completely overcome and abandoned ; but in the 
 
 k ! '. , ii i .i 
 
 ROCKS IN THE RIESENGEBIRGE. 
 
 North, where these forces are more wild and terrible, the struggle 
 lasted until the Fire-giant Surtur, together with the sons of 
 Muspel, set out for the Last Battle to destroy gods, men and 
 worlds, and make place for a better order of things. 
 
 The legends of the giants and dragons were developed gradually, 
 like all myths. At first natural objects were looked upon as 
 identical with these strange beings, then the rocks and chasms 
 
THE GODS, THEIR IVORLDS AND DITZVS. 
 
 45 
 
 became their dwelling-places, and finally they were regarded as 
 distinct personalities, and had their own kingdom of Jotunheim. 
 They showed themselves now in this place, now in that, and met 
 gods and heroes in peace and in war. Perhaps they were not 
 originally held to be wicked and altogether hostile, for springs and 
 brooks flowed out of the earth for the refreshment of man and 
 beast. They watered the fields so that they bore rich harvests ; 
 storms purified the air ; the sea was an open roadway for ships, 
 and the household fire, or the spirit which dwelt in it, was the 
 
 
 xm^^&r&s 
 
 P - : % 
 
 It, :^^^^^^^. . 
 
 THE SLEEPING GIANT. 
 
 most cheering companion of the Northman during his long winter 
 evenings. But the thinking, ordering gods took their place, and 
 then they only appeared as the wild unbridled forces of nature, 
 against which man had to strive with the help of the heavenly 
 powers. 
 
 In the North the giants were called Jotuns, signifying the 
 voracious ones, and perhaps connected with the name of a 
 German tribe, the Jiiten, that chased the aborigines out of Jut- 
 land. They were also called Thurses, i.e. the thirsty, the great 
 
46 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 drinkers. In Germany the giants were named Hiinen, after their 
 old enemies, the Huns. In Westphalia the gigantic grave-mounds 
 and sacrificial places belonging to heathen times, that are to be 
 found by the Weser and Elbe, are designated Huns' beds ; 
 and in the same way we recognise the Huns' rings. These are 
 circular stone-walls, intended to enclose holy objects and con- 
 secrated spots of ground, in like manner as the dwellings of the 
 gods are described in the Edda as surrounded by a fence or 
 hedge. 
 
 Here in conclusion let us relate a myth made up of two kindred 
 stories put together. We can still recognise the natural phe- 
 nomena in the names. 
 
 From the first giant, Ymir, were descended three mighty sons : 
 Kari (air, storm), Hler (sea), and Logi (fire). Kari was the father 
 of a numerous race, and his most powerful descendant, Frosti, 
 ruled over a great empire in the far north. Now Frosti often made 
 raids and incursions into neighbouring states, and on one occasion 
 he went to Finland, where King Snar (snow) reigned. There he 
 saw the king's daughter, fair Mioll (shining snow), and at once fell 
 in love with her. But the haughty monarch refused him the hand 
 of the maiden. He therefore sent a message to her secretly to 
 tell her : " Frosti loves thee, and will share his throne with thee." 
 To which she replied : " I love him also, and will await his coming 
 by the sea-shore." Frosti appeared at the appointed time and took 
 his bride in his strong arms. Meanwhile the plot had been dis- 
 covered ; Snar's fighting men lay in ambush to attack the lovers, 
 and shot innumerable arrows at the bold warrior. But Frosti 
 laughed at them all ; the arrows fell from his silver armour like 
 blunted needles, his storm horse broke through the ranks of the 
 enemy and bore the lovers safely over the sea and over mountains 
 and valleys to their Northern realm. 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 47 
 
 WORLDS AND HEAVENLY PALACES. 
 
 " Nine homes I know, and branches nine, 
 Growing from out the stalwart tree 
 Down in the deep abyss." 
 
 This is the saying of Wala the prophetess, who sang of the 
 creation, of the gods, and of the destruction of the world. She 
 describes the Ash Yggdrasil as if the homes or worlds grew out 
 of it like branches. Still the nine worlds are never enumerated 
 in succession or in their full number, but are only to be dis- 
 tinguished by their characteristics. 
 
 In the centre of the universe the gods placed Midgard, the 
 dwelling-place of man, and poured the sea all round it like a 
 snake. They fortified it against the assaults of the sea and the 
 inroads of the giants, by building a wall for its defence. The 
 giants lived far away by the sea-shore in Jotunheim or Utgard, 
 the giants' world. Above the earth was Wanaheim, the home of 
 the wise shining Wanes, whom we shall describe further on. 
 The Home of the Black-Elves was to be found under the earth, 
 perhaps in those gloomy vales that led to the river which 
 separated the realm of the dead from that of the living. This 
 kingdom of the dead, Helheim, surrounded the Northern Mist- 
 world, Nifelheim. 
 
 To the south was Muspelheim, where Surtur ruled with his 
 flaming sword, and where the sons of Muspel lived. Over Mid- 
 gard in the sunny aether was the Home of the Light-Elves, the 
 friends of gods and men. Over the earth also, but higher than 
 the Home of the Light-Elves, the gods founded their strong king- 
 dom of Asgard, which shone with gold and precious stones, and 
 where eternal spring reigned. The broad river Ifing divided the 
 home of the gods from that of the Jotuns, but was not sufficient 
 protection against the incursions of the giants, who were learned 
 in magic. 
 
48 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The gods built themselves castles in Asgard, and halls that 
 shone with gold. It is recorded that there were twelve such 
 heavenly palaces, but the poems differ from each other in de- 
 scribing them. 
 
 High above Asgard was Hlidskialf (swaying gate), the throne of 
 Odin, whence the all-ruling Father looked down upon the worlds 
 and watched the doings of men, elves and giants. The palaces 
 of the Ases were : Bilskirnir, the dwelling of Thor, 540 stories 
 high and situated in his province of Thrudheim ; Ydalir (yew- 
 vale), where Uller, the brave bowman, lived ; Walaskialf, the 
 silver halls of Wali ; Sokwabek, the dwelling of Saga (goddess 
 of history), of which the Edda tells us : " Cool waters always flow 
 over it, and in it Odin and Saga drink day after day out of golden 
 beakers." In this palace the holy goddess Saga lived, and sang 
 of the deeds of gods and heroes. She sang to the sound of the 
 murmuring waters, until the flames of Surtur destroyed the nine 
 homes and all the holy places. Then she rose and joined the 
 faithful, who had escaped fire and sword, and fled with them to 
 the North, to the inhabitants of Scandinavia. To these she sang 
 in another tongue of the deeds of the Germanic heroes. But her 
 songs did not pass away without leaving a trace behind ; some of 
 them are probably preserved in the Edda, and remain a treasure 
 of poetry which can never be lost. 
 
 The fifth palace was called Gladsheim (shining-home) ; it be- 
 longed to the Father of the gods, and contained Walhalla, the hall 
 of the blessed heroes, with its 500 doors. The whole shining 
 building was enclosed within the grove Glasir of golden foliage. 
 Thrymheim (thunder-home), where Skadi, daughter of the mur- 
 dured giant Thiassi, lived, was originally supposed to be in 
 Jotunheim, but the poems place it in Asgard. 
 
 Breidablick (wide out-look) was the dwelling of glorious Baldur, 
 and in it no evil could be done. Heimdal, the watchman of the 
 
THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 49 
 
 gods, lived in Himinbiorg (Heaven-hall), and there the blessed 
 god drank sweet mead. Folkwang, the ninth castle, belonged to 
 the mighty Freya. It was there that she brought her share of the 
 fallen heroes from the field of battle. In Glitnir dwelt Forseti, 
 the righteous, whose part it was to act as umpire, and smooth away 
 all quarrels. Noatun was the castle of Niorder, the prince of men 
 and protector of wealth and ships. Saga recognised as the twelfth 
 heavenly palace Landwidi (broad-land), the dwelling of the silent 
 Widar, son of Odin, who avenged his father's death in the Last 
 Battle. 
 
 It is enough to say here regarding the mythological signification 
 of these heavenly castles, that it is very probable that they were 
 meant for the twelve constellations of the zodiac. For amongst 
 these palaces none were allotted to the warrior god Tyr, nor do 
 they count amongst their number Wingolf, the hall of the god- 
 desses, or Fensal, the palace of Queen Frigga. According to this 
 hypothesis the deities who possessed these twelve palaces were 
 gods of the months. For instance, Uller, who lived at Ydalir, 
 was the god of archery, and used to glide over the silvery ice-ways 
 on skates. He ruled, in his quality of protector of the chase, 
 when the sun passed over the constellation of Saggitarius in winter. 
 Frey or Freya was called after him in the myth, and to him the 
 gods gave, as a gift on his cutting his first tooth, the Home of the 
 Light-Elves, which lies in the sun and is not to be found amongst 
 the dwellings of Asgard. 
 
 The sun-god was also reborn at the time of the winter solstice, 
 as Day was in the North. The Yule-feast was therefore celebrated 
 in honour of the growing light with banquets and wine ; Frey's 
 boar was then sacrificed, and the drinking-horn was passed down 
 the rows of guests. Wall's palace was, the story tells, covered 
 with silver. By this the constellation of Aquarius was meant ; 
 when the sun passes over that part of the heavens where this 
 
 E 
 
5o 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 constellation rules, it is a splendid sight in the far North to see 
 the silvery sheen of the snow that covers the mountains and 
 valleys. We refrain from further discussion of this theme, for 
 these are only hypotheses, and myths of deeper meaning are 
 awaiting us. 
 
^xv 
 
 IKS w l 
 
 _ •> 
 
 
 SURTUR WITH HIS FLAMING SWORD. 
 
 PART THIRD. 
 
 OPPONENTS OF THE 
 GODS. 
 
 * I ""HE holy gods dwelt peace- 
 ■*• fully in their golden palaces 
 and rejoiced in their power. 
 The Walkyries, choosers of the 
 dead, messengers of Odin, rode 
 about in splendid armour on 
 their white horses. They bore the hero-spirits they had taken from 
 bloody battle-fields back with them to Asgard. On reaching the 
 grove Glasir, they dismounted from their horses, and led the 
 heroes under the shade of its golden foliage to Walhalla. There 
 
ASGARD AND THI? GODS. 
 
 the mists of death passed from the eyes of the warriors ; they 
 recognised the hall intended for them on seeing Odin's coat of 
 arms, the wolf and the eagle. They saw the roof made of the 
 shaf.s of spears covered with shields, and the seats spread with 
 soft chain-mail. Weapons flashed as they entered, and foaming 
 goblets were emptied in their honour by the great band of heroes, 
 who had reached the halls of blessedness before them. And they 
 drank of the sweet mead provided for them by the goat Heidrun, 
 and feasted on the roasted flesh of the boar Sahrimnir, which was 
 restored to life every evening, that it might again furnish a repast 
 for the heroes on the following day. 
 
 The ruling gods sat on twelve thrones, and highest amongst 
 them was Odin in all his glory, his spear Gungnir in his right 
 hand, and his golden helmet on his head. He was not now 
 terrible to look upon, as when he led armies on to battle or when 
 he hurled the death-spear over their ranks ; a gentle smile lighted 
 up his face, for he rejoiced in the arrival of the noble warriors. 
 Two pet wolves played at his feet and fawned upon him, when 
 he threw them the food provided for himself at the board. For 
 he needed no food to eat ; for him it was sufficient to drink of 
 the blood-red wine, which refreshed and strengthened his mind. 
 Then great Odin rose from the board, walked through the hall, 
 and went to his throne Hlidskialf, all Asgard trembling beneath 
 his tread. He seated himself, and gazed thoughtfully over the 
 worlds. Far away in the distance gleamed Muspelheim, where 
 dark Surtur, flame-girdled, and holding his fiery sword in his 
 hand, watched his opportunity as yet in vain ; in Midgard were 
 the mortal men ; in the depths below, the Dwarfs toiled and 
 laboured. The mighty god's two ravens, Hugin (thought) and 
 Munin (memory), flew quickly up to him ; they perched one on 
 his right shoulder and the other on his left, and whispered in his 
 | ears the secrets they had heard during their flight through the 
 
OPPONENTS OF THE GODS. 53 
 
 worlds. Anxiously the monarch turned his gaze towards Jotun- 
 heim, for things were going on there which threatened the general 
 peace. 
 
 LOKI AND HIS KINDRED. 
 
 In the grey twilight enveloping the giants' world, the king 
 recognised his old comrade Loki, with whom he had sworn 
 brotherhood at the beginning of time. Loki had set up house 
 in Jotunheim and had married the dreadful giantess Angurboda 
 (bringer of anguish). They had three children, all horrible 
 monsters : the Wolf Fenris, the Snake Jormungander, and terrible 
 Hel, at the sight of whom all living creatures stiffened in death. 
 One side of her face was of corpse-like pallor, and the other was 
 dark as the grave. The young wolf was not less appalling to 
 look upon, when he opened wide his blood-red jaws to devour the 
 food his father offered him ; nor the snake which wound itself 
 round Angurboda as though desirous of crushing her to death in 
 its coils. 
 
 Allfather turned away from the horrible sight with a shudder 
 of disgust, and saw his bright son Hermodur standing before him. 
 Pointing down at Jotunheim, he desired him to bear his com- 
 mands to the gods, that they should at once go and bring him the 
 brood of giants. In obedience to the king's orders, the powerful 
 gods at once arose, and with brave Tyr at their head, crossed the 
 bridge Bifrost and the river Ifing, and so reached the inhospitable 
 land of the Hrimthurses. 
 
 Loki was beautiful like all the gods, but his heart was full of 
 guile. They found him in the court-yard of his castle. He went 
 on playing with his monstrous progeny, and took no notice of the 
 messengers, until they approached quite close to him, and made 
 known the commands of Odin. He would have refused to obey, 
 but strong Tyr shook his fist threateningly, upon which he gave 
 
54 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 way, and followed them to Asgard, accompanied by his children. 
 He was immediately brought before the king's throne. Terrible 
 Hel grew visibly more gigantic, lightnings flashed from her deep- 
 set eyes, and she stretched out her arms as though she wished 
 to destroy the great Father. At the same moment Jormungander 
 reared her head in the air, till she resembled a twisted column, 
 gnashed her jaws and emitted a venomous foam, before which the 
 very gods shrank back. But the king seized both monsters in his 
 powerful arms, and flung them far out of Asgard into immeasur- 
 able space. 
 
 Hel sank nine days' journey past the bogs, morasses, and rocks 
 of ice in Nifelheim, past the river Gioll and down into the king- 
 dom of Helheim, which was allotted to her, and where she hence- 
 forth ruled over the dead. But the Snake fell into the ocean that 
 flows round Midgard. Hidden in its depths, and unseen by gods 
 and men, she was to grow, until, after having twisted herself into 
 innumerable coils, her ugly head should touch the tip of her tail. 
 Then, at last, when the twilight of the gods (the judgment of the 
 gods) should come to pass, she was again to rise, and help to 
 bring about the destruction of the worlds. When the Wolf saw 
 his playfellows flung out of Asgard, he began to howl so loud, that 
 his voice was heard over in Jotunheim. Yet he did not venture 
 to resist, and great Tyr bore him away from before the face of the 
 angry Father, away from the heavenly towers, to where the hills 
 of Asgard slope towards Midgard ; there he brought him food 
 every day, 
 
 Odin still remained on Hlidskialf, thinking of all, caring for all. 
 The gods stood silently around him ; but Loki slipped out of the 
 circle unnoticed, and went out to plan more mischief. Then the 
 king pointed towards the south, where the sons of Muspel were 
 moving about in the fiery heat like flashes of lightning, and where 
 the dark giant Surtur was pointing his flaming sword up at the 
 
OPPONENTS OF THE GODS. 55 
 
 heavenly palaces. " Gird on your armour," said Allfather, " keep 
 your swords drawn, ye faithful ones, for the day approaches when 
 the heavens shall fall and the Destroyer shall come up from the 
 South across Bifrost with his fiery hosts. The spirit of prophecy 
 has come upon me, and I foresee that the monsters, whose power 
 we have broken for the present, will one day join the Destroyer 
 and fight against us. Up, brave ones ! Watch lest any sin defile 
 the purity of the holy towers, for thus only can we ward off the 
 hour of our destruction." 
 
 Having said this, great Odin went on before his loyal subjects 
 to Walhalla. 
 
 Meanwhile the wicked race of giants remained hostile to the 
 gods. They brooded over schemes for avenging the murder of 
 their ancestor, Ymir. The warlike Hrungnir awaited his oppor- 
 tunity in Jotunheim ; Thrym, who was hard as his native rocks, 
 Thiassi and Geirod, who dwelt in proud castles, and other giants 
 besides, were all armed for the fight, and often made onslaughts 
 upon the hated gods. But Heimdal watched over the safety of 
 Asgard, and strong Thor was always ready to go out and fight 
 the monsters. 
 
 This myth reveals to us in its deeper meaning, the ideas of these 
 northern races respecting the struggle between good and evil 
 in the world, the eternal warfare waged by the kingdom of light 
 against the kingdom of darkness, by the mild beneficent powers 
 of nature against those that are hurtful and destructive. The 
 terrors of the long dark winter, or the dreadful snow-storms, of 
 the wild mountain ranges with their glaciers, and of the tempes- 
 tuous ocean, appeared in the imagination of the people to take the 
 form of pernicious monsters intended to bring about the destruc- 
 tion of the world. Thus Hel, the secret, healing goddess, who was 
 originally the all-nourishing Mother Earth, became the goddess 
 of death, a hideous monster the very sight of whom caused death ; 
 
r56 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the stormy sea, which according to the northern idea encircled 
 the round earth, was transformed to the Midgard-Snake ; the uni- 
 versal destruction which was to come at the end of days was 
 typified in the all-devourer, the Fenris-Wolf, who was to devour 
 the Father of the world himself. It is striking, that Loki, who in 
 earlier times was looked upon as a beneficent being, as the god of 
 fire, of the warming domestic hearth, is accounted one of the 
 powers of evil in the foregoing legend, and that he grows even 
 more diabolical in the later poems, in spite of the fact that fire is 
 absolutely indispensable to the North-man. 
 
 a The first divine trilogy given us was that of the sons of Bor, i.e. 
 ( Odin, Wili and We ; and these correspond to the elements, air, 
 
 ^water and fire. The last of the three gave the newly created 
 human beings blood and blooming complexion ; he was therefore 
 a beneficent god. Nevertheless he was also represented as a giant 
 in the trilogy Kari, Ogir, and Logi, another form of air, sea and 
 fire. That he belonged to the race of giants is proved from further 
 evidence, by which it appears that his father was the giant Far- 
 bauti (oarsman), and his mother the giantess Laufey (leafy isle), 
 the former of whom was perhaps the giant who saved himself 
 from the flood in a boat, and the latter, the island to which he 
 rowed. 
 
 At the beginning Loki was a helpful and a great god, as the 
 pretty Faroe-island song of the Peasant and the Giant shows. He 
 was not regarded as the principle of evil, until he had been com- 
 pletely separated from the element to which he belonged, and had 
 been developed into an independent personality. The idea of the 
 destructive power of fire was equally connected with the giant 
 Muspel, but he never showed himself as an active agent of harm. 
 His sons, the flames, alone threatened evil in Glow-heim or Muspel- 
 heim, and finally mustered in great force for the Last Battle on 
 the field of Wigrid. Their leader, however, was not Muspel, but 
 
OPPONENTS OF THE GODS. 57 
 
 dark Surtur (black smoke), out of which flashed a tongue of flame, 
 like a shining sword. 
 
 That these ideas were common to all the Germanic races is 
 shown by some Bavarian and Saxon manuscripts of the 8th and 
 9th centuries, which contain the mysterious word Muspel, as will 
 be seen from the following translations : " Muspel's (world-fire's) 
 power passes over man." " Muspel creeps in stealthily and sud- 
 denly, like a thief in the darkness of night." " Then will a friend 
 be of no profit to his friend because of Muspel, for even the broad 
 ocean will be burnt up," viz. at the Last Day. 
 
 This struggle was an eternal one ; it went on and on without 
 being decided. But if the Aryans believed Ormuzd to be pure 
 and spotless, the gods certainly were not so ; they were neither 
 sinless nor immortal. Like the Grecian Herakles, they fought 
 against harmful monsters ; they were victorious over them to a 
 certain extent, but not entirely ; they sinned, and at last, like 
 the Greek hero who burnt himself to death, they passed away 
 in the universal fire that burnt up the world. These conceptions 
 are peculiar to the Germanic races ; it is possible, however, that 
 they brought the seeds of their grand poems from the common 
 home of the Aryans, then developed and polished them in their 
 own peculiar way, when settled in the land they had colonized, 
 and when surrounded by the influences of a climate and country 
 favourable in some points and disadvantageous in others. 
 
PART FOURTH. 
 
 KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 
 
 I. GEFION. 
 /^~\NCE upon a time when, as tradition informs us, Swithiod 
 ^-^ (Sweden) still lay hidden under the sea, yawning chasms 
 suddenly opened in the depths below, and swallowed up the waters 
 until the land appeared. As soon as it was dry, the fowls of 
 heaven brought there the seeds of all kinds of trees, grass and 
 herbs. Then the face of the country grew green, and flowers 
 sprang up and adorned it, so that it was brilliant to look upon, as 
 the carpet in a king's banqueting hall. Animals of all sorts were 
 there also, some of which were useful and serviceable to man, 
 while others dwelt shyly hidden away in remote places ; and 
 besides these there were wild beasts, such as bears, lynxes, and 
 grim voracious wolves. 
 
 Men afterwards settled down in Sweden, tilled the land and 
 began to trade ; they spread themselves out over the country as 
 they grew more numerous, and built villages, towns, and proud 
 castles for the nobles. They were a warlike race. They fought 
 against the wild beasts that lived in the forests, and against the 
 marauding Jotuns and Trolls of the mountains. They were a free 
 people and chose out the bravest of their heroes to be their leaders, 
 Jarls and Princes, who protected the country from the inroads of 
 
 58 
 
KING GYLPH1 AND THE ASES. 59 
 
 any enemies who might venture to disturb the diligent husband- 
 men in their toil. The mightiest of the Jarls was called King, and 
 lived in the town of Sigthuna. 
 
 Now King Gylphi once ruled over this people, who were greater 
 in power, righteousness and wisdom than any of the other nations 
 that dwelt in Midgard. Neither hostile armies nor robbers dared 
 to cross the borders of the kingdom, and it was said that even the 
 wild beasts refrained from harming any of the people;, so much 
 did they hold their chief in awe. Thus Gylphi ruled in undis- 
 turbed peace, and had abundant leisure to indulge his thirst after 
 the highest knowledge and wisdom. He knew about the stars 
 in the heavens ; he visited the dwarfs in the interior of the earth s 
 from whom he learned how to discover veins of gold and how to 
 work metals into household utensils, weapons and shining orna- 
 ments. Moreover, he understood the art of using magic runes, 
 by means of which he was able to get rid of snakes, to conjure up 
 the spirits of the dead from their graves, and to change his form 
 so as to escape recognition. He often feasted with his warriors, 
 and together they drank mead and foaming ale. During these 
 entertainments, skalds were always present to delight him and his 
 heroes by the melody of their harps, and by their songs ; for he 
 loved music above all things, and would rather have gone without 
 food than it. 
 
 The king once thrust his frothing cup from him impatiently, for 
 the skalds who used to make his feasts pleasant to him had not 
 come. Suddenly the sound of harp-playing was heard without ; 
 so sweet that all hearts were filled with longing, and the chords 
 vibrated as powerfully as if twelve skalds had assembled to tune 
 their strings. The door opened, and a tall female figure entered 
 the hall ; she was gentle and beautiful to look upon, and like a 
 goddess in her bearing. Approaching the king she touched the 
 harp-strings, and sang : 
 
60 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 In gruesome grave no knowledge grows ; 
 Yet the king shall ken what things must come. 
 High up to Heaven I raise my hymn, 
 And louder and louder I let it sound. 
 
 My wistful eyes watch Walkyries 
 Wafting the warriors by weirdly kiss, 
 From blood-stained field to blessed rest, 
 Where night and death are never known. 
 
 And I see here in the lofty hall 
 The hosts of heroes who with their lord 
 Shall wander to Walhall, the battle won, 
 And meet the maidens' melodious hail. 
 
 They soar in silence on winged steeds, 
 Alighting on grave-grounds, green with pines, 
 And singing lays of the light and love 
 That e'er abide in Odin's Home. 
 
 Gloomy and sad the song began, like a voice from the grave ; 
 but the music grew deeper and fuller as it went on to praise the 
 fate of glorious warriors, and then again it sank soft and low as the 
 whisper of the wind on a warm spring day, which tells of nature's 
 resurrection. 
 
 Once more the figure repeated : " That e'er abide in Odin's 
 Home," and as she did so, the notes of her harp were so sweet and 
 thrilling, that the hearts of all the heroes present were filled with 
 rapture, and they thought they saw the warrior-maidens who were 
 to bear them to Walhalla. 
 
 Deep silence reigned in the hall ; but as soon as the intoxication 
 of the sounds, which had held their senses in thraldom, gradually 
 passed off, the king rose from his seat, and said : " Speak, fair 
 maiden, tell me thy name, and what guerdon thou askest for the 
 song with which thou hast delighted us. Be it even to the half 
 of Swithiod, it shall be thine, and this I swear by my kingly word." 
 
 " Gefion, the Giver," she replied, " is what I was called by Ases 
 
KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 61 
 
 and Jotuns, when I was young. If thou, indeed, desirest to reward 
 me, I shall only ask thee to give me as much land as I can plough 
 round with my four bulls in a day and a night." 
 
 Gylphi was surprised that the maiden did not ask for a larger 
 gift, and at once granted her request. She took her departure, and 
 soon afterwards returned, bringing with her four bulls, the like of 
 which had never been seen in Swithiod before, so huge and well- 
 formed were they. They were, in sooth, like moving mountains, 
 and their white foreheads shone with the lustre of the full moon. 
 They were harnessed to a plough with a hundred shares, which 
 cut down into the lowest depths of the earth, and tore the soil 
 away from its foundations. The bulls walked on dragging the 
 ploughed land with them ; they waded into the sea with it, and 
 Gefion, who drove them, grew before the eyes of the astonished 
 king and people until she was so tall that the great waves, high as 
 they were, reached only to her waist, and seemed to be but sport- 
 ing with her knees. She went on without stopping day and night, 
 and then at length the land she had taken away with her rested 
 in a shallow place. She fastened it down firmly there, and called 
 it Zealand (sea-land). Having done this, she stepped upon it 
 followed by the four bulls, which at once raised themselves up, 
 and touched by her magic spells were changed into four strong 
 youths, for they were her sons by a giant. The beautiful island 
 soon flourished under her care. Wooded hills, green pastures and 
 rich corn-fields provided the numerous population of Zealand not 
 only with food, but also with all the pleasures and comforts of life. 
 Hledra, a splendid royal residence, was next built, and there 
 Gefion lived, and exercised undisputed sway over her subjects. 
 She married a man named Skiold, and became the mother of a 
 long line of renowned kings. 
 
62 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 2. GYLPHI IN ASGARD. 
 
 Now Gylphi heard of all these 
 events in his town of Sigthuna, 
 and he was filled with wonder 
 how such things could be. He 
 saw Lake Loger (now Maelar), 
 which had taken the place of the 
 land the bulls had dragged away with their plough. He heard from 
 travellers that the promontories of Zealand running out into the 
 sea had the same form as the bays of Lake Maelar in his own 
 country. He knew that Gefion was of the race of the Ases, and 
 he puzzled day and night over how they had come to be so power- 
 ful. He enquired of the skalds and wise men of his kingdom, 
 
KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 63 
 
 he consulted his runic signs ; but he gained no information from 
 any of these regarding that which he wished to find out. As his 
 longing after wisdom gave him no rest, he determined to set off 
 on a journey in search of the land where the mighty Ases lived, 
 even though the attempt to find it might cost him his life. His 
 heart was set on making his way into Asgard that he might learn 
 from its inhabitants of the creation and the end of the world, of 
 the Ases' power and their mode of government, and of the fate 
 of mankind, that he might afterwards make all these things known 
 to mortal men. 
 
 King Gylphi was learned in magic. He took the unpretentious 
 form of a common traveller, and called himself Gangleri (weary 
 wanderer). He walked on a long way through Midgard, until 
 he at length reached a palace, the height and circumference of 
 which he could not measure. When he entered the doorway, he 
 saw a vast hall before him, whose length his eye could not pierce. 
 He perceived other mansions to the right hand and to the left, 
 each of which was crowned with turrets that shone like gold in 
 the sunlight. There was a tree there also, whose top rose to the 
 immeasurable skies, and whose branches seemed to spread out 
 over the whole world. 
 
 A man, playing with seven knives, was standing at the entrance 
 of the palace. He threw them up into the air and caught them 
 again so that they seemed to form a shining circle. He asked 
 the traveller what he wanted ; Gylphi answered that his name 
 was Gangleri, that he wished to have a night's lodging and to be 
 admitted to the presence of the lord of the palace. 
 
 "He is our king," replied the door-keeper; "follow me, and 
 thou shalt see his face." 
 
 Having said this, he preceded the traveller up the hall. 
 
 There they saw many noble warriors assembled, who were 
 amusing themselves, wassailing, playing and wrestling. Three 
 
64 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 men of venerable aspect were seated on thrones, one of which was 
 higher than the other two, watching the games. 
 
 "The first of these chieftains is Har (High)," said the guide, 
 " the other is Jafenhar (Equally high), and the last is Thridi (the 
 Third)." 
 
 While he was still speaking, Har turned to the new-comer, 
 and said : " Dost thou need food, stranger ; if so, thou wilt find 
 abundant store in Har's hospitable hall. Sit down, and share oui 
 meal." 
 
 Gangleri replied : " Higher than food and foaming beakers do I 
 prize wisdom, which lifts the mind above earthly things. So I 
 would fain find a wise man, who can answer my questions." 
 
 "Ask," said the chieftain, "and thou shalt be answered. But 
 beware thy head, for it is forfeited if thou provest thyself unwise." 
 
 Gangleri drew nearer to the thrones, and began : " Who is the 
 highest and the oldest of the gods, and what are his works and 
 deeds that are most worthy of man's admiration ? " 
 
 Har answered: "Allfather is his name in our tongue, but all 
 the nations of the earth give him a different name, each in their 
 own way. He is the highest and mightiest at all times, and rules 
 over all things, the smallest as well as the greatest." 
 
 Jafenhar went on : " He created heaven and earth, the sea and 
 the air, and everything that lives and moves therein. He alone is 
 the greatest Ruler." 
 
 "The greatest and most glorious of his works," said Thridi, 
 " was the creation of man, whose spirit, given by him, will live on, 
 and will not die even when the body containing it is turned to 
 dust. The good will live with him for ever in the place that is 
 called Gimil, or Wingolf. The wicked shall also live, but they 
 will descend to Hel, or even to Nifelhel deep down below in the 
 ninth world." 
 
 After that, Gangleri asked many more questions regarding the 
 
KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 65 
 
 creation and the end of the world, about the gods and their works, 
 and about all the riddles of life, and he received answers and ex- 
 planations. 
 
 But when he still went on enquiring further, the great hall 
 suddenly burst with a terrible, loud crash, and in another moment 
 everything had vanished. Gylphi found himself alone on a wide, 
 desolate plain, where neither palace, tree nor shrub were to be 
 seen. He set out at once on his homeward journey, and at last 
 reached his own realm. There he related what he had seen and 
 heard, and wise skalds sang of the marvellous things he had told 
 them, and so knowledge grew and spread from land to land and 
 from generation to generation, and did not die out of the memory 
 of the people. 
 
 We see from this, what idea the Northern people had formed 
 of the way in which the divine revelation was made. The con- 
 ception of Allfather and his works appears to us to be the most 
 remarkable part of this story, and fully confirms what we have 
 before said on this subject. 
 
PART FIFTH. 
 
 ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 
 
 r I A HE prophetess Wola sat before the entrance of her cave, and 
 -*- thought over the fate of the world. Her prophetic power 
 enabled her to pierce bounds that are impenetrable to the human 
 eye. She saw what was going on near her, what was taking place 
 at a distance. She watched the labours and battles, the patient 
 endurance and the victories of nations and heroes. She saw how 
 Allfather ruled the world, how he kept the giants in submission, 
 how he flung the spear of death over the armies, and afterwards 
 sent his Walkyries to bring to his hall those heroes who had 
 fallen victoriously. Let us now turn our attention to what was 
 revealed to her penetrating sight. 
 
 Mother Night was driving in her dark chariot on her accustomed 
 course above Midgard, bringing peaceful slumber to all creatures. 
 The bright boy, Mani (Moon), followed quickly in her steps, and 
 the gloomy mountains were bathed in the light he shed around. 
 Down below in the valley, the maiden, Selke, was wandering 
 beside a stream, which playfully rippled and murmured at the feet 
 of its mistress, and then flowed on quickly, and dashing over the 
 stones that barred its course, flung itself into the depth below. 
 But Selke saw nothing of all this ; her eyes were fixed on the 
 fountain from out of which the brook flowed, for there sat a 
 woman wondrously beauteous of countenance, with long shining 
 golden hair, looking down into the clear water in which her form 
 was mirrored. After awhile she rose, and went higher un the 
 
 66 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 67 
 
 steep side of the mountain to the place where grew the healing 
 herbs that the goddess needed for the cure of wounds and sores. 
 
 While employed in this peaceful task, the rocky door leading 
 into the interior of the mountain suddenly opened, and a mon- 
 strous giant came out from it. No sooner did the fiend sight the 
 lovely maiden than he rushed towards her with a wild yell. She 
 fled, while he pursued her, as higher and higher she climbed, until 
 at length she reached the summit of a lofty rock, which hung over 
 the edge of a great abyss. The hunt-cry from the distance now 
 fell upon her ear, and the baying of hounds, and she knew who 
 was coming to her assistance ; but her pursuer drew nearer and 
 nearer, and his icy talons almost grasped her neck ; boldly she 
 ventured the tremendous leap — the ground was reached in safety. 
 
 The mark of her foot is still to be seen on the rock, and the 
 truth of this assertion can be verified by any one who chooses to go 
 and look at the Maiden's Leap in the Selkethal (Harz Mountains). 
 
 The giant saw her take the fearful spring, and, surprised, he 
 hesitated for a moment ; but soon regaining courage, he rushed 
 on and took the mighty leap after her. But, like a flash of light- 
 ning, and accompanied by loud peals of thunder, a shining spear 
 came flying through the air, and the monster fell with a crash 
 dead into the deep abyss. 
 
 The storm rose ; it howled through the wood, and Wodan's 
 raging host, the Wild Hunt, rushed past. The great god's 
 nightly following was composed of armed men, armed women and 
 children, hounds and ravens and eagles ; and he, the King, 
 preceded them all on horseback ; together they stormed over the 
 trembling fields and through the dark quaking forests. Ancient 
 pines were broken down, rocks fell, and the mountains shook to 
 their foundations, for the Father of Victory was on his way to a 
 great battle. 
 
 The King had far to go, and his horse had lost a shoe, which 
 
68 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 forced him to halt for a time. Master Olaf, the smith of Heligo- 
 land, was still in his smithy at work in the midnight hour. A 
 storm was howling round the house, and the sea was beating on 
 the shore, when suddenly he heard a loud knocking at his gate. 
 
 " Open quick and shoe my horse ; I have a long journey to 
 make, and daybreak approaches." 
 
 Master Olaf opened the door cautiously, and saw a stately rider 
 standing beside a giant horse. His armour, shield, and helmet 
 were black, a broad sword was hanging at his side, his horse shook 
 its mane, champing the bit and pawing the ground impatiently. 
 
 " Whither art thou going at this time of night, and in such 
 haste ? " asked the smith. 
 
 " I left Norderney yesterday. It is a clear night, and I have no 
 time to lose, as I must be in Norway before daybreak." 
 
 " If thou hadst wings, I could believe thee," laughed the smith. 
 
 " My horse is swift as the wind. But see, a star pales here and 
 there ; so make thee haste, good smith." 
 
 Master Olaf tried on the shoe. It was too small, but, lo ! it 
 gradually grew and grew, until it had fastened itself round the 
 hoof. The smith was awe-struck, but the rider mounted, and as 
 he did so his sword rattled in its sheath. 
 
 " Good-night, Master Olaf," he cried. " Thou hast shod Odin's 
 horse right well, and now I hasten to the battle." 
 
 The horse gallopped on over sea and land. A light shone round 
 Odin's head and twelve eagles flew after him swiftly, but could 
 not overtake him. He now began to sing in magic words of the 
 stream of time, and the spirit that works in it, of birth, and of the 
 passage to eternity. And all the time the storm-wind roared, and 
 the waves dashed upon the shore, a harp-like accompaniment to 
 the song. He who has ever heard that music straightway forgets 
 his home and his cravings for the hearth. The sailor on the 
 foaming water, the traveller in the valley and the shady grove, 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 69 
 
 each feels it strangely stirring his soul, each longs to go out at once 
 to Odin. 
 
 The warriors were gathered together in the green-wood, armed 
 for the combat ; the brave sons of King Eric of the bloody axe, 
 who had lately fallen in battle, were there, and Hakon, too, his 
 brother, the powerful king of Norway. All at once they heard 
 sweet soft sounds in the air, like the sighing of the wind and the 
 whisper of green leaves. Quickly the sounds grew louder, and the 
 storm wind roared through the trees and over the assembled host. 
 " Odin is coming," cried the warriors, " he is choosing his Einheriar." 
 And then the Father of Battles came with his following ; he came 
 in the storm that he might rule the combat. He halted high up 
 above the armies in a grey sea of clouds. He called the Walkyries, 
 Gondul and Skogul, before him, and bade them so to lead the 
 chances of the fight, that the bravest should be victorious, and 
 should then be received into the ranks of the Einheriar. 
 
 He flung his spear over the contending heroes, and immediately 
 the blast of horns and loud war-cries were heard. A cloud of 
 arrows hissed through the air ; javelins and heavy battle-axes 
 broke through helmet and shield ; swords were crossed in single 
 combat ; blood streamed from innumerable wounds, reddened 
 the armour of the men-at-arms and trickled down upon the flowers 
 that carpeted the crimson ground. 
 
 Foremost in the battle was King Hakon fighting with sword 
 and spear. As he cut his way through the enemy's ranks over 
 the fallen men, he heard the Walkyries talking beside him. They 
 were in the midst of the strife, mounted on their white horses, 
 holding their bright shields in front of them, and leaning upon 
 their spears. 
 
 " The army of the gods is waxing great," said Gondul, " for the 
 Ases are preparing to welcome Hakon with a goodly train of 
 followers to the glorious home." 
 
jo ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The King heard it, and asked: "Is it just that ye should 
 reward me with death, instead of the victory for which I am 
 striving with my might ? " 
 
 Skogul answered : " We have decreed that thine enemies should 
 give way before thee. Thou shalt win the battle, and then take 
 thy part in the feast of the Einheriar. We will now ride on before 
 thee, and announce that thou art coming to look upon the face of 
 the Father of Victory himself." 
 
 When King Hakon ascended to Asgard from the field of glory, 
 Hermodur, the swift, and Bragi, the divine singer, went out to 
 meet him, and said : " Thou shalt have the peace of the Einheriar ; 
 receive therefore the draught prepared for the heroes of the Ases." 
 Hereupon the king's helmet and coat of mail were taken off, but 
 he retained his sword and spear, that he might enter the presence 
 of the Father of Victory with his arms in his hands. 
 
 This was how the Northern skalds sang of the God of Battles, 
 of the choosers of the dead, and of the fate of heroes. Is it then 
 to be wondered at, that the princes and nobles of those races 
 should have gone forth joyously on their bold Wiking raids, 
 and that they should have esteemed a glorious death on the field 
 of battle far better than to sink to inglorious rest at home ? The 
 German bards also sang after this fashion of their heroes ; hence 
 the struggle against Rome which lasted four hundred years, and 
 the Germanic raids upon Britain, Gaul, Italy, Spain, and even 
 upon far Africa. The War-god sang his storm-song in their ears ; 
 they heard the voices of the Walkyries through the din of the 
 battle ; they saw the gates of Walhalla open before them, and 
 the Einheriar signing to them to approach. Therefore the day 
 of battle was in their eyes either a feast of victory, or of entrance 
 into the verdant home of the heroes. 
 
 In the foregoing tale, the events of which have been derived 
 from German and Norse sagas and lays, we have seen the chief 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. -j\ 
 
 god of the North as leader of the Wild Hunt, conqueror of the 
 earth-born giant, god of the storm and ruler of the battle ; but wp 
 must try to get a still deeper insight into his nature. 
 
 Wodan, Odin in the North, according to the oldest concep- 
 :ions. — Wodan was the highest and holiest god of Jhe^ Germanic 
 races. His name is connected with the German word Wuth, and 
 used to be both spelt and pronounced Wuotan, which word did not 
 then mean rage or wrath, as Wuth does now, but came from the 
 Old-German watan, impf. wuot, i.e., to penetrate, to. force one's way 
 through anything, to conquer all opposition. The modern German 
 zvaten, and the English wade, are derived from the old word, 
 though considerably restricted in meaning. Wuotan was there- 
 fore the all-penetrating, all-conquering Spirit of JNature. The 
 Longobards, by a letter-change, called him Gwodan ; the Franks, 
 Godan or Gudan ; the Saxons, Wode ; and the Frisians, 
 Woda. The Scandinavians called him Odin, from which the 
 mythological name Odo was derived. He was known under 
 the names of Muot (courage) and Wold by the South Germans. 
 But everywhere he was regarded as the same great god, and was 
 worshipped as such by the whole Germanic race. 
 
 When man had freed himself from the power of the impressions 
 made upon him by nature as a whole, he began to have a more 
 distinct consciousness of certain manifestations of the forces of 
 nature, and after that to pay them divine honours. He then 
 regarded the storm which tore through the forests with irresistible 
 violence, which blew down the cottages of the peasants, and 
 wrecked vessels out at sea, as the ruler of all things, as the god 
 whose anger must be appeased by prayers and sacrifices. At first 
 he was worshipped under the form of a horse or of an eagle, as 
 these were types of strength and swiftness. But when the mastery 
 of the human race over the animal world was better understood, 
 the ^od was endowed with a human form. He was described 
 
 trv\li r 
 
 rj v I l trv\cL r 
 
72 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 in the legends and stories, now as a mighty traveller who studied 
 and tried the dispositions of men, and now as an old man with 
 bald head, or with thick hair and a beard which gained him in the 
 North the name of Hrossharsgrani (horse-hair bearded). He had 
 j usually only one eye, for the heavens have but one sun, Wodan's 
 eye. He wore a broad-brimmed hat pulled down low over his 
 forehead, which represented the clouds that encircle the sun, and 
 a blue mantle with golden spangles, i.e., the starry heavens. 
 These attributes again prove him to have been the Spirit of 
 Nature. In the completely developed myth regarding him in the 
 Edda, he was described as being of grand heroic form, with a 
 golden helmet on his head, and wearing a shining breast-plate of 
 chain-mail. His golden ring Draupnir was on his arm, and his 
 spear Gungnir in his right hand. Thus attired, he advanced to 
 attack the Fenris-Wolf, when the Twilight of the Gods was 
 beginning to fall : thus attired, he sat on his throne Hlidskialf, 
 wrapped in the folds of his mantle, and governed gods and men. 
 
 There are many tales and traditions about Wodan in his original 
 form of storm-god. They are to be found in Germany, England, 
 France, and Scandinavia, which shows how wide-spread the 
 worship of him was. Chief amongst the stories referring to 
 the old Teutonic god are those of the Wild Hunt, and of the 
 Raging Host. 
 
 The Myths of the Wild Hunt and of the Raging Host. — 
 These myths have their origin in the belief that the supreme One 
 takes the souls of the dead to himself, carries them through the air 
 with him, and makes them his followers on his journeys by night. 
 As the Romans regarded Mercury as the leader of the dead, they 
 thought that the Teutons also honoured him as the highest god. 
 The soul was looked upon as aerial, because it was invisible like 
 air. It was held that when a dying man had drawn his last 
 breath, his soul passed out of him into the invisible element. Thus 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 73 
 
 the Hebrews had the same word to express spirit and breath, and 
 the old Caledonians, as Ossian's poems prove, heard the moans 
 and loving words of their dead friends in the whisper of the breeze, 
 in the soft murmur of the waves ; they felt that the invisible 
 was near them, when a solitary star sent down its rays to them 
 through the dusk of the evening. The idea of a god has no place 
 in these poems. The Teutons, on the contrary, believed that it 
 was the god himself who bore the spirits of the dead up into his 
 kingdom. 
 
 The traditions of the Wcensjager, the Wild Huntsman, Wuotan's 
 or the Raging Host, have their origin in heathen times, as their 
 names show, although they have undergone considerable modifica- 
 tions in many respects since then. They arose from the impres- 
 sion made upon the people by phenomena that they could not 
 understand, and which they consequently supposed were caused 
 by some divinity. Every noise sounds strange and mysterious on 
 a quiet night. The solitary traveller passing through forests or 
 over heaths or mountains, when the light of the moon and stars 
 was obscured by drifting clouds, heard the voices of spirits in the 
 hooting of owls, in the creaking of branches, and in the roaring, 
 whistling, and howling of the tempest, and his excited imagination 
 made him think that he saw forms, which became the more 
 distinct the more his superstitious fancy was drawn upon. Forest 
 rangers, solitary dwellers in remote places, especially charcoal- 
 burners, who often spend long stretches of time without seeing 
 a human being, tell strange stories even now-a-days. These tales 
 are founded on the ancient beliefs of the race, are repeated by one 
 man to another, and detached fragments of the old faith are still 
 preserved by tradition. 
 
 In Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Holstein, Wode is said to be 
 out hunting whenever the stormy winds blow through the woods. 
 In Western Hanover it is said to be the Woejager, in Saterland 
 
7 4 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 ; 
 
 the Woinjager, and in other places, the Wild Huntsman that haunts 
 the woods. He is supposed to ride on a white horse, to wear a 
 broad-brimmed hat slouched over his forehead, and a wide cloak 
 ' (the starry heavens) wrapped round his shoulders. This cloak has 
 gained him the name of Hakel-barend (Mantel-wearing) in West- 
 '■> phalia. Indeed, the story has even been transferred from the 
 divine to the human. 
 
 It was said that Hans von Hakelberg, chief huntsman of the 
 Duke of Brunswick, and an enthusiastic sportsman, liked hunting 
 better than going to church, and used to devote his Sundays as 
 well as week-days to this amusement, for which reason he was 
 condemned to hunt for ever and ever with the storm. His grave 
 is shown near the Klopperkrug, an inn not far from Goslar, and 
 a picture of both him and his hounds is carved on the headstone 
 of the grave. His burial place is also pointed out in the Sollinger 
 wood, near Uslar. 
 
 Wode seldom hunted alone. He was generally surrounded by 
 a large pack of hounds, and accompanied by a number of hunts- 
 men, who all rushed on driven by the storm, shouting and holloa- 
 ing, in pursuit of a spectral boar or wild horse. He was also said 
 to chase a spectral woman with snow-white breast, whom he could 
 only catch once in seven years, and whom he bound across his 
 saddle when he had at length succeeded in overtaking her. In 
 Southern Germany it was a moss-woman or wood-maiden, a kind 
 of dryad or wood-nymph, whom the Wild Huntsman pursued, 
 and whom he bound to his horse in the same way as the other, 
 when once he had caught her. Perhaps this story represents the 
 autumnal wind blowing the leaves off the trees. 
 
 When the people heard the Wild Huntsman approaching them 
 they threw themselves upon their face on the ground, as otherwise 
 they would have been in danger of being carried off by the hunts- 
 men. The story tells us that this was the fate of a ploughman 
 
 9 - 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 75 
 
 who was caught up by them and taken away to a hot country 
 where black men lived. He did not come home again until 
 many years afterwards. Whoever joined in the holloa of the 
 wild huntsmen was given a stag's leg which became a lump of 
 gold ; but whoever imitated the shout jeeringly had a horse's leg 
 thrown to him, which gave out a pestiferous smell and stuck to the 
 scoffer. A little dog was sometimes left on the hearth of a house 
 through which the Wild Huntsman had gone. It immediately 
 began to whine and howl miserably, so as to disturb the whole 
 household. The people had then to get up and brew some beer in 
 egg-shells, whereupon the creature would exclaim : " Although I 
 am as old as the Bohemian Forest, I never saw such a thing in my 
 life before." Then it would jump up, rush off and vanish. But if 
 this charm was not applied, the people of the house were obliged 
 to feed the creature well, and let it lie upon the hearth for a whole 
 year, until Wode returned and took it away with him. 
 
 The Wild Hunt generally went on in the sacred season, between 
 Christmas and Twelfth Night. When its shouts were particularly 
 loud and distinct, it was said that it was to be a fruitful year. At 
 the time of the summer solstice, and when day and night become 
 of equal length, the Wild Hunt again passed in the wind and rain, 
 1 for Wodan was also lord of the rain, and used to ride on his cloud- 
 v horse, so that plentiful rains might refresh the earth. 
 
 The traditions of the Raging Host much resemble those of the 
 Wild Hunt. They are stories about the army of the dead under 
 the leadership of Wodan. People thought they could distinguish 
 men, women and children as the host passed them at night 
 Those who had lately died were often seen in it, and sometimes 
 the death of others was foretold by it. 
 
 " Walther von Milene ! " cried out voices in that terrible army, 
 and Walther, a celebrated warrior, was soon afterwards killed in 
 battle. In this instance the story reminds us of Wish-father, the 
 
76 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 chooser of the dead, who called the Einheriar to his Walhalla ; and 
 still more is this the case, when the Raging Host is described as 
 rushing past like a troop of armed men, when knights and men-at- 
 arms were seen in shining or even fiery armour, and mounted upon 
 black horses, from whose nostrils shot forth sparks of flame. 
 Then it was said that the war-cries of the combatants, the clash of 
 arms and trampling of horses' feet, could be heard above the din 
 of the storm. 
 
 Wodan has long since died out of the minds of the people, yet 
 his character and actions are clearly shown in tradition, and his 
 name also appears in proverbial sayings, charms, and invocations. 
 Seventy years ago the Mecklenburg farmers, after the harvest 
 was brought home, used to give their labourers Wodel-beer, a 
 feast at which there was plenty to eat and drink. The people 
 poured out some of the beer upon the harvest field, drank some 
 themselves, and then danced round the last remaining sheaf of 
 corn, swinging their hats and singing : 
 
 " Wold ! Wold ! Wold ! 
 havenhiine weit wat schiit, 
 jiimm hei dal van haven siit. 
 Vulle kruken un sangen hat hei, 
 upen holte wasst manigerlei : 
 hei is nig barn un wert nig old. 
 Wold ! Wold ! Wold ! " * 
 
 " Wold ! Wold ! Wold ! 
 The Heaven-Giant knows what happens here ; 
 From Heaven downwards he does peer. 
 He has full pitchers and cans. 
 In the wood grows many a thing. 
 He ne'er was child, and ne'er grows old, 
 
 Wold ! Wold ! Wold !" 
 
 In Hesse and in Lippe-Schaumburg the harvesters stick a 
 
 * Grimm's "Teutonic Mythology," translated by J. S. Stallybrass, vol. i. 
 p. 156. (London : Sonnenschein & Allen.) 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS. AND OF THE ASES. 77 
 
 bunch of flowers into the last sheaf, and beat their scythes to- 
 gether, exclaiming, Waul ; in Steinhude they dance round a bon- 
 fire they have lighted on a hill-top, and shout, Waude. In many 
 parts of Bavaria they dance round a straw figure called Oanswald or 
 Oswald (Ase Wodan). But the people have now quite forgotten 
 the Ase and think only of St. Oswald. In these instances the 
 god appears in his highest form as the god of heaven, the giver of 
 good harvests. The Aargau riddle shows him as lord of the starry 
 heavens, who raises the dead up to his bright mansions above : — 
 
 " Der Muot mit dem Breithuot 
 Hat mehr Gaste, als der Wald Tannenaste." 
 
 ' ; Muot with the broad hat 
 Has more guests than the wood has fir-twigs." 
 
 In England the Wild Hunt is called Herlething, from a mythi- 
 cal king Herla, who was once invited by a dwarf to attend his 
 marriage. He followed his entertainer into a mountain, and three 
 hundred years elapsed before he and his attendants returned to 
 the world. Amongst other parting gifts the dwarf gave him a 
 beautiful dog, which the head huntsman was desired to take before 
 him on his horse. At the same time every one was warned not to 
 dismount until the dog jumped down. Several of the king's fol- 
 lowers disregarded this, and got down from their horses ; but no 
 sooner did they touch the ground than they crumbled away to 
 dust. The dog is still sitting on the saddle bow, and the Wild 
 Hunt is still going on. 
 
 In the time of Henry II. it was said to have shown itself in a 
 meadow in full daylight. The blowing of the horns and shouts of 
 the hunters drew the people of the neighbourhood to the place. 
 They recognised some of their dead friends among the huntsmen, 
 but when they spoke to them, the whole train rose in the air, and 
 vanished in the river Wye. 
 
73 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 In France, in Wales, and in Scotland, King Arthur is the leader 
 of the Wild Hunt. In France, the Wild Hunt, or Raging Host, is 
 called Mesnie Hellequin, the last word of which is evidently de- 
 rived from Hel (kingdom of the dead), for the leader of the hunt 
 is called the Hel-huntsman. According to other traditions, Charles 
 the Great, Charlemagne, rides in front of the band, while strong 
 Roland carries the banner. We recognise, moreover, the Raging 
 Host (/ 'armee furieuse) under the name of Chasse de Cain (Cain's 
 Hunt), or Chasse cTHirode (Hunt of Herodias, who caused the 
 murder of John the Baptist). Perhaps, however, Herode really 
 means Hrodso (glory-bearer), one of the names by which Odin 
 was known. Equally famous is le grand veneur de Fontainebleau, 
 (the great Huntsman of Fontainebleau), whose shouts were heard 
 beside the royal palace the day before Henry IV. was murdered 
 by Ravaillac. The Raging Host also passed over the heavens 
 twice, darkening the sun, before the Revolution broke out. The 
 populace everywhere believes that its appearance is the fore- 
 shadowing of pestilence, or war, or of some other great misfortune. 
 
 THE SLEEPING HEROES. 
 
 The legend of the Wild Huntsman has, as we have seen from 
 the foregoing, been applied to human beings, and circumstance 
 and place have been added to the tale. There was not always an 
 infernal element clinging to the appearance of the Hunt, for 
 emperors, kings, and celebrated heroes were amongst the repre- 
 sentatives of the Father of the Gods. In Lausitz, Dieterbernet — 
 in Altenburg, Berndietrich, the great Ostrogothic king Theoderick 
 of Bern (Verona) was supposed to rush through the air, and vanish 
 in the mountains. In the same way, according to the Northern 
 myth, the Summer Odin, who brought green leaves and flowers, 
 and ripened the golden ears of corn, used to wander away through 
 
■ ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 79 
 
 dark roads in Autumn, and then a false Odin came, and seating 
 himself on the other's throne, sent snowstorms over the wintry 
 earth. Or, as another tale has it, the good god passed the period 
 during which the impostor reigned, sunk in a deep enchanted sleep 
 within a mountain. But no sooner did Spring return, than he rose 
 again in his power, drove the intruder from his throne, and once 
 more scattered his blessings over gods and men. 
 
 These conceptions of Allfather, derived Irom natural phenomena, 
 were so deeply impressed in the mind and very being of the 
 Teutonic race, that they personified them by applying to their 
 early kings and heroes the attributes of Odin. King Henry the 
 Fowler, whose victories over the Slavs, Danes and Hungarians 
 restored the power of the German empire, is supposed to be lying 
 sunk in magic sleep in the Sudemer hill near Goslar. Amongst 
 other sleeping heroes is Frederick Barbarossa, the story of whose 
 death in the East is believed by no one, and who was and is still 
 said to lie slumbering in Kyfthauser. 
 
 There are a number of traditions about the ruins of Kyffhauser 
 and the great Hohenstaufe, who still lives in the memory of his 
 people. The high castle-hill rises sheer above the green fields 
 away over in Thuringia. On its western side, a tower is still in 
 existence. It stands eighty feet high, although with broken walls, 
 and overlooks the wood and piles of stone below. On solemn oc- 
 casions the emperor is supposed to lead his processions thence, and 
 afterwards to dine there with his followers. According to the 
 legend, the weary old emperor sleeps his " long sleep " in an under- 
 ground chamber of the castle, with the companions of his travels, 
 Christian of Mayence, Rainald of Cologne, Otto of Wittelsbach, 
 the ancestor of the royal house of Bavaria, and many others besides. 
 Barbarossa's beard has grown round and through the stone table, 
 casks of good old wine, treasures of gold, silver and precious 
 stones are lying about in heaps, and a magic radiance lights up the 
 
 -■: 
 
So ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 high vaulted hall ; that this is the case is proved by many for- 
 tunate eye-witnesses, who at different times have been permitted to 
 enter the room. One of these was a herdsman, who left his cattle 
 browsing amongst the ruins, and went to gather flowers for his 
 sweetheart. He found a strange blue blossom, and no sooner had 
 he put it in his nosegay than his eyes were opened, and he per- 
 ceived an iron door that he had never seen before. It opened at 
 his touch ; he went down a flight of stairs and entered the lighted 
 banqueting hall. There he saw the heroes and their imperial 
 leader sitting round the table, all sound asleep in their chairs. 
 
 Barbarossa was awakened by the noise. "Are the ravens still 
 flying round the battlements ? " he asked, looking up. 
 
 The herdsman said that they were, and the emperor went on : 
 " Then I must sleep for another hundred years." 
 
 After that he invited the youth to help himself to as much as 
 he liked of the treasures he saw before him, and not to forget 
 the best. 
 
 The herdsman filled his pockets as he was told. When he got 
 out into the open air once more, the door shut behind him with a 
 crash, and he could never find it again, for he had forgotten the 
 best thing, the little blue flower. So the emperor is still sleeping 
 with his heroes in his favourite palace. But the time will come 
 when the empire is in greatest need of him, when the ravens will 
 no longer fly round the battlements ; then he will arise in all his 
 might, will break the magic bonds that hold him, and sword in 
 hand fight a great and bloody battle against the enemies of his 
 country upon the Walser Field or on the Rhine. Then he will hang 
 his shield on a withered pear-tree, which will immediately begin to 
 sprout again, and blossom and bear fruit : the glorious old times 
 of the German Empire will return, bringing with them unity and 
 peace in their train. 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 81 
 
 THE HIGHER CONCEPTION OF WODAN (ODIN). 
 
 Wodan, the giver of victory. Ambri and Assi the Winilers, 
 stood fully armed before the warlike Vandals. Their victory or 
 servitude would be decided by the coming battle. 
 
 " Give us the victory, Father of Battles," prayed the princes of 
 the Vandals, as they offered up sacrifices to Wodan. And the god 
 answered : " To them will be given the victory who come first 
 before me on the morning of the day of battle." 
 
 On the other hand Ibor and Ajo, dukes of the Winilers, went 
 by the counsel of their wise woman, Mother Gambara, into the holy 
 place of Freya, Wodan's wife, and entreated her to aid them. 
 
 " Well," said the Queen of Heaven, " let your women go out ere 
 daybreak dressed in armour like the men, their hair combed down 
 over their cheeks and chins, let them take up a position towards 
 the east, and I will give ye a glorious victory." 
 
 The dukes did as she commanded. 
 
 As soon as the first rosy tints of dawn appeared in the sky, 
 Freya wakened the great Ruler, and pointed eastwards towards 
 the armed host. 
 
 "Ha!" said the god in astonishment, "what long-bearded 
 warriors are these ? " 
 
 "Thou hast named them," answered the queen, "so now do 
 thou give them the victory ." And thus the Winilers gained great 
 glory, and were henceforth known by the name of Long Beards 
 (Longobards). 
 
 As in the Northern myths, the Longobards also held great 
 Wodan to be the giver of victory. But above all other qualities, 
 he was the god who blessed mankind, and brought joy and pros- 
 perity to his people. 
 
 In the heathen times many games and processions were held in 
 
 G 
 
Si ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 his honour, of which traces still remain in the customs and beliefs 
 of the people. In many districts, for instance, the battle of the 
 false Odin, who usurped the throne for the seven winter months, 
 with the true Odin, who brought blessings and summer into the 
 world, was celebrated by a mimic fight, succeeded by sacrifices and 
 feasting. This lasted for centuries, and was continued until quite 
 recent times in the festivals of the first of May. 
 
 A May Count or May King was chosen, and he was generally 
 the best runner or rider, or the bravest in the parish. He was 
 dressed in green and adorned with garlands of may and other 
 flowers. He then hid himself in the wood ; the village lads 
 went out to seek him there, and when they had found him, they 
 put him o«i horseback, and led him with shouts and songs of joy 
 through the village. The May King was allowed to choose a 
 queen to share his honours at the dance and at the feast. 
 
 In other places the most modest and diligent of the girls was 
 chosen as Queen of May, and led into the village with the King, 
 which was intended to commemorate the marriage of the 
 Summer Odin with the Earth, whose youth was renewed by the 
 genial Spring. It was at one time a regular practice to have a 
 May-ride in Sweden, at which the May Count, decked in flowers 
 and blossoms, had to fight against Winter, who was wrapped up 
 in furs. May won the victory after a burlesque hand-to-hand 
 engagement. 
 
 Odin, the good and beneficent god, was also called Oski, i.e., 
 "wish" in Norse, a word that is related to the German Wonne 
 (rapture) ; he was the source of all joy and rapture. 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 83 
 
 ODIN AT GEIROD'S PALACE. 
 
 King Hraudung had two handsome sons, Geirod and Agnar, 
 the one ten and the other eight years old. The boys one day 
 went out in a boat to fish. But the wind rose to a storm, and 
 carried them far away from the mainland to a lonely islet, where 
 the boat struck and broke in pieces. The boys managed to reach 
 the shore in safety, and found there a cottager and his wife, who 
 took compassion on them and gave them shelter. The woman 
 took great care of the younger brother Agnar throughout the 
 winter, while her husband taught Geirod the use of arms and gave 
 him much wise counsel. That winter the children both grew 
 wonderfully tall and strong, and this was not surprising, for their 
 guardians had been Odin and his wife Frigg. When spring re- 
 turned, the boys received a good boat and a favourable wind from 
 their protectors, so that they soon reached their native land. But 
 Geirod sprang on shore first, shoved the boat out to sea again, and 
 cried, " Sail thou away, Agnar, into the evil spirits' power ! " The 
 great waves, as though in obedience to the cruel boy's behest, 
 carried the boat and Agnar far away to other shores. Geirod 
 hastened joyfully up to the palace, where he found his father on 
 his death-bed. He succeeded to the kingdom, and ruled over all 
 his father's subjects and those he had gained for himself by force 
 of arms and gold. 
 
 Odin and Frigg were once sitting on their thrones at Hlidskialf 
 gazing down at the world of mortal men and at their works. 
 " Seest thou," said the Ruler, " how Geirod, my pupil, has gained 
 royal honours for himself? Agnar has married a giantess in a 
 foreign land, and now that he has returned home, is living in his 
 brother's palace poor and despised." " Still Geirod is only a base 
 creature, who hoards gold and treats his guests cruelly instead of 
 
84 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 showing them hospitality," replied the thoughtful goddess. Then 
 Allfather determined to prove his favourite, and to reward him 
 if all were well, but to punish him should he find that the accusa- 
 tion was just. He, therefore, in the guise of a traveller from a 
 far country, started for Geirod's palace. A broad-brimmed hat, 
 drawn well down over his brows, shaded his face, and a blue cloak 
 was wrapped around his shoulders. But the King had been 
 warned by Frigg of a wicked enchanter, so he had the stranger 
 seized and brought before his judgment-seat. 
 
 To all the questions asked him, the prisoner would only reply 
 that his name was Grimnir, and disdained to give further informa- 
 tion about himself. Whereupon the king got into a passion, and 
 commanded that the obstinate fellow should be chained to a chair 
 between two fires upon which fresh fuel was to be continually 
 thrown, so that the pain he suffered might induce him to speak 
 out. 
 
 The stranger remained there for eight nights, suffering bitter 
 agony, without having had a bite or a sup the whole time, and 
 now the flames were beginning to lick the seam of his mantle. 
 Secretly Agnar, the disinherited, gave him a full horn of beer, 
 which he emptied eagerly to the last drop. Then he began to 
 sing, at first low and softly, but afterwards louder and louder, so 
 that the halls of the castle echoed again, and crowds assembled 
 without to listen to the strain. He sang of the mansions of the 
 blessed gods, of the joys of Walhalla, of the Ash Yggdrasil, of those 
 that dwelt within it, and of its roots in the depths of the worlds. 
 
 The halls trembled, the strong walls shook as he sang of Odin's 
 deeds, and of him whom Odin's favour had raised on high, but 
 who was now delivered over to the sword because he had drunk 
 of the cup of madness. " Already," he said, " I see my favourite's 
 sword stained with his blood. Now thou seest Odin himself, 
 Arise if thou canst ! " And Grimnir arose, the chains fell from his 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 85 
 
 hands, the flames played harmlessly about his garments ; he stood 
 there in all his Ase's strength, his head surrounded by rays of 
 heavenly light. Geirod had at first half drawn his sword in anger ; 
 but now, when he tried to descend from his throne in haste to 
 
 ODIN BETWEEN TWO FIRES IN GEIROD's PALACE. 
 
 attempt to propitiate the god, it slipped quite out of its sheath, 
 he tripped over it and fell upon it, so that its blade drank in his 
 heart's blood. After his death, Agnar ruled over the kingdom, and 
 by the favour of Odin his reign was long and glorious. 
 
S6 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 ODIN, THE DISCOVERER OF THE RUNES, AND GOD 
 OF POETRY AND WISDOM. 
 
 Odin's power and wisdom and knowledge are described in the 
 Edda and in many of the lays of the skalds. He went to Mimir, 
 the wise Jotun, who sat by the fountain of primeval wisdom, 
 drank daily of the water and increased his knowledge thereby. 
 The Jotun refused to allow the god to drink of his fountain, unless 
 he first pledged him one of his eyes. Allfather did as he requested 
 him, in order that he might create all things out of the depth of 
 knowledge, and from that day forward Mimir drank daily of the 
 crystal stream out of Allfather's pledge. Other accounts make 
 out that the water was drawn out of Heimdal's Giallarhorn. Both 
 accounts are given in the Northern poems. The myth from which 
 they came shows us the meaning that lay at their foundation. 
 
 Mimir, a word related to the Latin mentor, memini, signifies 
 memory ; that it was known to the Germans is indicated by the 
 similar sounds of the names of the Miimling, a stream in the 
 Odenwald, and of Lake Mumel in the Black Forest, where the 
 fairies lived. Mimir drew the highest knowledge from the foun- 
 tain, because the world was born of water ; hence, primeval wisdom 
 was to be found in that mysterious element. The eye of the god 
 of heaven is the sun, which enlightens and penetrates all things ; 
 his other eye is the moon, whose reflection gazes out of the deep, 
 and which at last, when setting, sinks into the ocean. It also 
 appears like the crescent-shaped horn with which the Jotun drew 
 the draught of wisdom. 
 
 According to other poems, Mimir was killed, but his head, 
 which still remained near the fountain, prophesied future events. 
 Before the Twilight of the Gods came to pass, Odin used tc 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 87 
 
 whisper mysterious things with him about the Destruction and 
 Renewal of the world. 
 
 At one time when the god was standing with his golden helmet 
 on, by the side of the holy fountain on the high hill, and learning 
 the runic signs from Mimir's head, he discovered the Hugrunes 
 (spirit-runes). As we have already shown, these runes were not 
 exactly used as formulae for writing connected sentences. They 
 were only the accented letters used in Northern and Old-German 
 poems ; that is to say, they were letters of similar sound used for 
 alliterative purposes. The following examples are some of those 
 that remain to us from olden time : hearth and home ; wind and 
 weather ; hand and heart. They were intended as a help to the 
 memory when learning and singing the lays. 
 
 Odin gained power over all things by means of the runes, 
 through which he was able to make all bend to his will, and to 
 obtain authority over the forces of nature. He knew runic 
 songs that were effectual in battle, in discord, and in time of 
 anxiety. They blunted the weapons of an opponent, broke the 
 chains of noble prisoners, stopped the deadly arrow in its flight, 
 turned the arms of the enemy against themselves, and calmed the 
 fury of angry heroes. When a bark was in danger on the stormy 
 sea, the great god stilled the tempest and the angry waves by his 
 song, and brought the ship safe to port. When he sang his magic 
 strain, warriors hastened to his assistance and he returned unhurt 
 out of the battle. At his command a man would arise from the 
 dead even after he had been strangled. He knew a song that gave 
 strength to the Ases, success to the elves, and even more wisdom 
 to himself; another that gave him the love of woman so that her 
 heart was his for ever more. But his highest, holiest song was 
 never sung to woman of mortal birth, but was kept for the Queen 
 of Heaven alone, when he was sitting peacefully by her side. 
 
83 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 THE DRAUGHT OF INSPIRATION. ODIN'S VISIT TO 
 GUNLOD. JOURNEY TO WAFTHRUDNIR. 
 
 Kwasir, a man whom the Ases and Wanes had created amongst 
 them, and whom they had inspired with their own spirit, was loved 
 by gods and men for his wisdom and goodness. He travelled 
 *hrough all lands, teaching and benefiting the people. Wherever 
 he went he tamed down the wild passions of all men, and taught 
 them better and purer manners and customs. 
 
 The evil race of Dwarfs alone, they that burrowed in the earth 
 in search of treasures, cared nought for the love, although they 
 envied the wisdom of Kwasir. Fjalar and Galar, brothers of this 
 people, invited him one day to a feast, and then murdered him 
 treacherously with many wounds. They caught his blood in three 
 vessels, the kettle Odrorir (inspiration), and the bowls Son (expia- 
 tion) and Boden (offering). They mixed rum-honey with it, and 
 made it into mead, which gave all who drank of it the gift of song 
 and of eloquence that won every heart. 
 
 As the wicked deed of the Dwarfs had brought them such good 
 luck, they invited the rich giant Gilling and his wife to visit them, 
 and took the former out fishing with them. Then they upset the 
 boat in the surf under great over-hanging rocks, so that Gilling 
 was drowned, while they, being good swimmers, righted the boat 
 again, and rowed to land. 
 
 When the giantess heard the sad fate of her husband, she wept 
 and moaned, and refused to be comforted. The Dwarfs offered 
 to take her to the rock on which the body had been washed. But 
 as she was leaving the house, Galar threw a mill-stone from above 
 down upon her head, so that she also was killed. Now Suttung, 
 son of the murdered giant's brother, heard of the evil deed, and 
 set out to avenge it. He seized the Dwarfs and made ready to 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE CODS AND OF THE ASES. 89 
 
 bind them to a solitary rock out in the sea, that they might die 
 there of hunger. They begged for mercy, promising to give him 
 the wonderful mead concocted out of Kwasir's blood, in atonement 
 for what they had done. The giant accepted the expiation offered 
 him ; he took the three vessels containing the liquor to a hollow 
 mountain that belonged to him, and set his daughter Gunlod to 
 keep guard over the magic drink. 
 
 Odin, the God of Spirit, was told of all these things by his 
 ravins Hugin and Munin. He determined to get possession of 
 the Draught of Inspiration at any cost to himself, that it might no 
 longer be kept uselessly hidden away by the giant in the interior 
 of the earth, but might refresh gods and heroes, so that wisdom 
 and poetry might delight the world. He therefore, in the guise 
 of a simple traveller, started for Jotunheim. He came to a field 
 where nine uncouth fellows were mowing hay. He offered to 
 sharpen their scythes for them, and make them cut as well as the 
 best swords. The men were pleased with his offer, so he pulled 
 a whet-stone out of his pocket, and whetted and sharpened the 
 scythes. When he at last returned them to the mowers, they 
 found that they could work much quicker and better than before, 
 and each wanted to have the whet-stone for himself. So the 
 traveller threw it amongst them, and they struggled and fought 
 for it with their scythes, until at length they all lay dead on the 
 ground. 
 
 The traveller went on his way till he came to the master of the 
 estate, the Jotun Baugi, a brother of Suttung, who received him 
 hospitably. In the evening the giant complained that his farm- 
 servants were all killed, and that his splendid crop of hay could 
 not be harvested. Then Bolwerker (Evil-doer), as the traveller 
 called himself, offered to do nine men's work if his host would get 
 him a draught of Suttung's mead. 
 
 " If thou wilt serve me faithfully," answered the Jotun, " I will 
 
qo ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 try to fulfil thy desire ; but I will not hide from thee that my 
 brother is very chary of giving a drop of it away." 
 
 Bolwerker was satisfied with this promise, and worked as hard 
 as the nine farm-servants for the whole summer. 
 
 When winter came, Bangi, true to his promise, drove to his 
 brother's dwelling with the traveller, and asked for a draught of 
 the mead. But Suttung declared that the vagabond should not 
 have a single drop. 
 
 "We must now try what cunning will do," said Bolwerker; "for 
 I must and shall taste that mead, and I know many enchantments 
 that will help me to what I want. Here is the mountain in which 
 the mead is hidden, and here is my good auger, Rati, which can 
 easily make its way through the hardest wall of rock. Take it 
 and bore a hole with it, no matter how small." 
 
 The Jotun bored as hard as he could. He soon thought that he 
 had made a hole right through the rock, but Bolwerker blew into 
 it and the dust came out into the open air. The second time they 
 tried, it blew into the mountain, and Bolwerker, changing himself 
 into a worm, wriggled through the hole so quickly that treacherous 
 Bangi, who stabbed at him with the auger, could not reach him. 
 
 When he had got into the cave, the Ase stood before the bloom- 
 ing maiden Gunlod, in all his divine beauty and wrapped in his 
 starry mantle. She nodded her acquiescence when he asked her 
 for shelter and for three draughts of the inspiring mead. 
 
 Three days he spent in the crystal mansion, and drank three 
 draughts of the mead, in which he emptied Odrorir, Son and Boden 
 He was intoxicated with love, with mead, and with poetry. Then 
 he took the form of an eagle, and flew with rhythmical motion to 
 the divine heights, even as the skald raises himself to the dwellings 
 of the immortals on the wings of the song that is born of love, of 
 wine, and inspiration. But Suttung heard the flap of the wings 
 and knew who had robbed him of his mead. His eagle-dress was 
 
/"-? f I 
 
 ODIN S VISIT TO GUNLOD. 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE CODS AND OF THE ASES. 93 
 
 at hand, he therefore threw it round his great shoulders, and flew 
 so quickly after the Ase that he almost came up with him. The 
 gods watched the wild chase with anxiety. They got cups ready 
 to receive the delicious beverage. When Odin with difficulty 
 reached the safe precincts of holy Asgard, he poured the mead 
 into the goblets prepared for it. Since that time Allfather has 
 given the gods the Draught of Inspiration, nor has he denied drops 
 of Odrorir to mortal men when they felt themselves impelled to 
 sing to the harp of the deeds of the gods and of earthly heroes. 
 
 Odin possessed knowledge of all past, present, and future events, 
 since he had drunk of the fountain of Mimir and of Odrorir. He 
 therefore determined to attempt a contest with Wafthrudnir, the 
 wisest of the Jotuns, in which the conquered was to lose his head. 
 
 In vain Frigg strove, in her fear, to dissuade him from the 
 perilous undertaking ; he set out boldly on his way and entered 
 the giant's hall as a poor traveller called Gangr?.der. 
 
 Stopping on the threshold of the banqueting hall, he said, " My 
 name is Gangrader, I have come a long way ; and now I ask thee 
 to grant me hospitality and to let me strive with thee in wise 
 talk." 
 
 Wafthrudnir answered him : " Why dost thou stand upon the 
 threshold, instead of seating thyself in the room ? Thou shalt 
 never leave my hall unless thou hast the victory over me in 
 wisdom. We must lay head against head on the chance ; come 
 forward then and try thy luck." 
 
 He now proceeded to question his guest about the horses that 
 carried Day and Night across the sky, the river that divided 
 Asgard from Jotunheim, and the field where the Last Battle was 
 to be fought. When Gangrader had shown his knowledge of all 
 these things, the giant offered him a seat by his side, and in his 
 turn answered his guest's questions as to the origin of earth and 
 heaven, the creation of the gods, how Niorder had come to them 
 
94 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 from the wise Wanes, what the Einheriar did in Odin's halls, what 
 was the origin of the Norns, who was to rule over the heritage of 
 the Ases after the world had been burnt up, and what was to be 
 the end of the Father of the gods. 
 
 After Wafthrudnir had answered all of these questions, Gang- 
 rader asked : " I discovered much. I sought to find out the 
 meaning of many things, and questioned many creatures. What 
 did Odin whisper in the ear of his son before he ascended the 
 funeral pile ? " 
 
 Recognising the Father of the gods by this question, the 
 conquered Jotun exclaimed: "Who can tell what thou didst 
 whisper of old in the ear of thy son ? I have called down my fate 
 upon my own head, when I dared to enter on a strife of knowledge 
 with Odin. Allfather, thou wilt ever be the wisest." 
 
 The poet does not tell us whether the visitor demanded the head 
 of the conquered Jotun. Nor does he mention the word that 
 Odin whispered to his son before he went down to the realms of 
 Hel ; but the context leads us to suppose that it was the word 
 Resurrection, the word which pointed to the higher, holier life, to 
 which Baldur, the god of goodness, should be born again, when a 
 new and purer world should have arisen from the ashes of the old, 
 sin-laden world. 
 
 ODIN, FATHER OF THE ASES. 
 ODIN'S DECENDANTS. 
 
 From later poems Odin appears not only as Ruler of the world, 
 and Father of all Divine beings, who gradually as time went on 
 became more and more subordinate to him, but also as progenitor 
 of kings and heroic races, such as the kings of the Anglo-Saxons 
 and Franks, as well as of the rulers of Denmark, Norway, and 
 Sweden. 
 
ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 95 
 
 According to the Edda, Odin had three sons, Wegdegg, the East 
 Saxon; Beldegg (Baldur or Phol), the West Saxon (Westphalian) ; 
 and Sigi, to whom Franconia was given ; and three others, Skiold, 
 Saming, and Yngwi, who were made kings of Denmark, Norway, 
 and Sweden. Other sagas show that Wals, Sigmund, and Sigurd, 
 the hero of the Niflung Lay, were descended from Sigi, while 
 Brand and Heingest or Hengist, Horsa and Swipdager were de- 
 scended from Beldegg. The Anglo-Saxon genealogical tables 
 make out that Voden (Wodan) and Frealaf (Freya) had seven 
 sons, who were the founders of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, 
 Others, on the contrary, only show three sons here also, which 
 makes them more in agreement with the northern genealogies. 
 
 According to the higher ideas regarding him, Odin was the 
 father of gods and men ; the latter were created by him, while the 
 former were his direct or indirect descendants. His son by Jord 
 (the Earth) was strong Thor, father of Magni and Modi (Strength 
 and Courage) ; by Frigg he had Baldur and Hodur ; by Rinda, 
 Wali, who afterwards became the avenger of Baldur ; and by the 
 nine mothers, the mysterious watchman Heimdal. Besides these, 
 there were the poet-god Bragi ; the divine messenger, Hermodur ; 
 the brave archer, Uller ; and even the god of heaven, Tyr, who 
 otherwise received the highest honours. Related to him were 
 Forseti, son of Baldur, and Widar, who were to rule over the new 
 world of holiness and innocence. Thus he was the Father of the 
 Ases. On the other hand, Honir, who gave to newly created man 
 senses and life., and Loki, who gave him blood and blooming 
 complexions, were Odin's brothers or comrades in primeval times. 
 Great Niorder, his bright son Freyer and his daughter Freya 
 belonged to another divine race, that of the Wanes ; they were 
 first brought into Asgard as hostages, but were received into the 
 ranks of the Ases. 
 
96 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 FRIGG AND HER MAIDENS. 
 
 After the birth of Thor, whose mother was Jord (the Earth), 
 daughter of the giantess Fiorgyn, Odin left the dark Earth-goddess 
 and married bright Frigg, a younger daughter of Fiorgyn ; hence- 
 forth she shared his throne Hlidskialf, his divine wisdom and 
 his power, becoming the joy and delight of his heart, and the 
 mother of the Ases. She ruled with him over the fate of mortals 
 and granted her votaries good fortune and victory, often bringing 
 about her ends by woman's cunning. Just as in Hellas a feast 
 was held each year in commemoration of the marriage of Zeus 
 and Hera, so did the old Teutons in like manner hold festivity 
 to celebrate the union of Odin and Freya. 
 
 Freya's palace was called Fensaler, that is, the hall of the sea. 
 It probably got this name from the dwellers on the coast, who 
 looked upon Frigg as the ruler of the sea and protector of ships. 
 A soothing twilight always reigned, and it was adorned with pearls 
 and gold and silver. And the goddess would bring all lovers, 
 and husbands and wives who had been separated by an early 
 death, to this peaceful palace, where they were reunited for ever. 
 This belief of the old Teutons shows us that they regarded love 
 in its truest and highest aspect, and built their hopes on being 
 reunited after death to the objects of their affections. What we 
 learn from the Latin annals of Armin and Thusnelda, of the high 
 position of women as seers of future events, proves to us that noble 
 women were always treated even by rude, fighting men, with 
 respect and reverence ; while the romance of love is clearly shown 
 in the Northern myth of Brynhild, who threw herself upon the 
 burning pyre in order that she might be reunited to her beloved 
 Sigurd. 
 
 In her gorgeous palace Frigg sits spinning, on her golden distaff, 
 
FRIGG AND HER MAIDENS. 
 
 H 
 
FRIGG. 99 
 
 the silken threads, which she afterwards bestows on the most 
 worthy housewives. The goddess' spinning-wheel was visible to 
 man every night, for it was that shining, starry zone which we in 
 our ignorance now point out as the Belt of Orion, but which to our 
 ancestors was the Heaven-queen's spinning-wheel. The goddess 
 had three friends and attendants always beside her, and with these 
 she used to hold council on human affairs, in the hall of the moon. 
 
 Fulla or Volla was the first of Frigg's attendant-goddesses, and 
 chief of the maidens ; according to Teutonic belief she was also 
 the sister of the Queen of Heaven. She wore a golden circlet 
 round her head, and beneath it her long hair floated over her 
 shoulders. Her office was to take charge of the Queen's jewels, 
 and to clothe her royal mistress. She listened to the prayers 
 of sorrowful mortals, repeated them to Frigg, and advised her how 
 best to give help. 
 
 Hlin, the second of Frigg's maidens, was the protector of all 
 who were in danger and of those who called upon her for help 
 in hour of need. 
 
 The messenger of the Queen of Heaven was Gna, who rode, 
 swift as the wind, on a horse with golden trappings, over land and 
 sea, and through the clouds that floated in the air, to bring her 
 mistress news of the fate of mortal men. 
 
 Once as Gna was hovering over Hunaland, she saw King Rerir, 
 a descendant of Sigi and of the race of Odin, sitting on the side 
 of a hill. She heard him praying for a child, that his family might 
 not be blotted out of memory ; for both he and his wife were 
 advanced in years, and they had got no child to carry on their 
 noble race. She told the goddess of the prayer of the king, who 
 had often presented fine fruit as a sacrifice to the heavenly powers. 
 Frigg smilingly gave her an apple which would ensure the fulfil- 
 ment of the king's desire. Gna quickly remounted her horse 
 Hoof-flinger, and hastened over land and sea, and over the country 
 
joo ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 of the wise Wanes, who gazed up at the bold rider in astonish- 
 ment, and asked : 
 
 " What flies up there, so quickly driving past ? " 
 
 Her answer from the clouds, as rushing by : 
 " I fly not, nor do drive, but hurry fast 
 
 Hoof-flinger swift through cloud and mist and sky." 
 
 King Rerir was still seated on the hillside under the shade of 
 a fir-tree, when the divine messenger came down to earth at the 
 skirt of the wood close to where he sat. She took the form of a 
 hooded-crow, and flew up into the fir-tree. She heard the prince 
 mourning over the sad fate that had befallen him, that his family 
 would die out with him, and then she let the apple fall into his 
 lap. At first he gazed at the fruit in amazement, but soon he 
 understood the meaning of the divine gift, took it home with him 
 and gave it to his spouse to eat. 
 
 Meanwhile Gna guided her noble horse rapidly along the star-lit 
 road to Asgard, and told her mistress joyously of the success of 
 her mission. In due time the Queen of Hunaland had a son, the 
 great Wolsing, from whom the whole family took its name. He 
 was the father of brave Sigmund, the favourite of Odin, and he 
 in his turn of Sigurd, the fame of whose glory was spread over 
 every Northern and Teutonic land. 
 
 When the Queen of Heaven heard of the success that had accom- 
 panied her divine gift, she herself decided to be the bearer of the 
 news to the assembled gods and heroes, and determined to appear 
 in her most glorious array. Fulla spread out all the Queen's 
 jewels until they shone like stars, yet Frigg was not satisfied. 
 Then Fulla pointed to Odin's statue of pure gold, that stood in the 
 hall of the temple. She thought a worthy ornament might be 
 made for the goddess out of that gold, if the skilful artificers who 
 had made such a marvellous likeness of the Father of the gods could 
 
FRIGG. 101 
 
 only be won over. The artists were bribed with rich presents 
 and they at last cut away some of the gold from a place that 
 was covered by the folds of the floating mantle, so that the theft 
 could not easily be discovered. They then made the Queen a 
 necklace of incomparable beauty. When Frigg entered the as- 
 sembly and seated herself on the throne beside Odin, she at once 
 made known to all present how she had saved a noble family 
 from extinction. Every one gazed at her beauty in amazement, 
 and the Father of the gods felt his heart filled anew with love 
 for his queen. 
 
 A short time afterwards Odin went to the hall of the temple 
 in which his statue was placed. His penetrating eye at once 
 discovered the theft that no one else had noticed, and his wrath 
 was immediately kindled. He sent for the goldsmiths, and as 
 they confessed nothing, he ordered them to be executed. Then he 
 commanded that the statue should be placed above the high gate 
 of the temple, and prepared magic runes that should give it sense 
 and speech, and thus enable it to accuse the perpetrator of the 
 deed. The Goddess-queen was greatly alarmed at all these pre- 
 parations. She feared the anger of her lord, and still more the 
 shame of her deed being proclaimed in the presence of the ruling 
 Ases. 
 
 Now there happened to be in the Queen's household a serving 
 demon of low rank, but bold and daring, who had already ventured 
 to show his admiration for his mistress. Fulla went to him and 
 assured him that the Queen was touched by his devotion, upon 
 which the demon declared himself willing to run any risks for her 
 sake. He made the temple watchmen fall into a deep sleep, tore 
 down the statue from above the door, and dashed it in pieces, so 
 that it could no longer speak or complain. 
 
 Odin saw what he was doing and guessed the reason. He 
 raised Gungnir, the spear of death, ready to fling at all who had 
 
io2 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 been concerned in the evil deed. But his love for Frigg triumphed 
 over all else ; he determined on another punishment. 
 
 He withdrew from gods and men ; he disappeared into distant 
 regions, and with him went every blessing from heaven and earth. 
 A false Odin took his place, who let loose the storms of winter 
 and the Ice-giants over field and meadow. Every green leaf 
 withered, thick clouds hid the golden sun and the light of the 
 moon and stars ; the earth, lakes and rivers were frozen by the 
 raging cold which threatened to destroy all forms of life. Every 
 creature longed for the return of the god of blessing, and at length 
 he came back. Thunder and lightning made known his approach. 
 The usurper fled before the true Odin ; and shrubs and herbs 
 of all kinds sprouted anew over the face of the earth, which was 
 now made young again by the warmth of spring. 
 
 In the foregoing tale, we have endeavoured as much as possible 
 to make a connected narrative out of the confused, and now and 
 then contradictory, myths regarding Frigg and her handmaids. 
 We will only add that the myth which completes it, dates from 
 a time when the gods had paled in the eyes of the people, and 
 had become less exalted in character than of old. There are 
 many versions of it differing from one another, and it serves 
 here to show the difference between Summer-Odin and Winter- 
 Odin. 
 
 OTHER GODDESSES RELATED TO FRIGG. 
 
 Let us now again turn our attention to the great goddess Frigg. 
 The Northern skalds first raised her to the throne and distin- 
 guished her from Freya or Frea, the goddess of the Wanes. She 
 was originally identical with her, as her name and character show. 
 For Frigg comes from frigen, a Low-German word connected 
 with freien in High-German, and meaning to woo, to marry, thus 
 
GODDESSES RELATED TO FRIGG. 
 
 pointing to the character of the goddess. The old Germanic races, 
 therefore, knew Frea alone as Queen of Heaven, and she and her 
 husband Wodan together ruled over the world. The name Frigg3 
 or Frick was also used for her, for in Hesse, and especially in 
 Darmstadt, people used to say fifty years ago of any fat old 
 woman : " Sie ist so dick wie die alte Frick." (She is as thick [fatj 
 as Old Frick.) The word frigen is also related to sick freuer 
 (rejoice) ; thus Frigg was the goddess of joy (Freude). She took 
 the place of the Earth-goddess Nerthus (mistakenly Hertha), who, 
 Tacitus informs us, was worshipped in a sacred grove on an 
 island in the sea. Nerthus was probably the wife of the god of 
 heaven, in whom we recognise Zio or Tyr. He was the hidden 
 god who according to the detailed account of Tacitus, was so 
 reverently worshipped in a sacred grove by the Semnones, the 
 noblest of the Swabian tribes, that the people never set foot on 
 the ground that was consecrated to him without having their 
 hands first bound. The Earth-goddess may also have been the 
 wife and sister of Niorder, and separated from him when he was 
 received amongst the Ases. In this case she belonged to the 
 earlier race of gods, the Wanes, and her husband must have then 
 been called Nerthus, a name afterwards changed into Niorder. 
 
 In Mecklenburg the same goddess appears under the name of 
 Mistress Gaude or Gode, which is the feminine form of Wodan or 
 Godan. The country people believed that she brought good luck 
 with her wherever she went. 
 
 One story informs us that she once got a carpenter to mend a 
 wheel of her carriage, which had broken when she was on a jour- 
 ney. She gave him all the chips of wood as a reward for his 
 trouble. The man was angry at getting so paltry a remuneration, 
 and only pocketed a few of the chips ; but next morning he saw 
 with astonishment that they had turned to pure gold, 
 
 According to another tale, Dame Gode was a great huntress, 
 
J04 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 who together with her twenty-four daughters devoted herself to the 
 noble pursuit of the chase day and night, on week-days and on 
 Sundays. She was therefore made to hunt to all eternity, and her 
 pack of hounds consisted of maidens who were turned into dogs 
 by enchantment ; she was thus forced to take part in the Wild 
 Hunt. 
 
 In France the goddess was called Bensocia (good neighbour, 
 bona soda), and in the Netherlands, Pharaildis, i.e., Frau Hilde 
 or Vrouelden, whence the Milky Way was named Vrouelden- 
 s^raat. 
 
 Hilde [Held, hero) signifies war, and she was a Walkyrie, who 
 with her sisters exercised her office in the midst of the battle. 
 Later poems make her out to be daughter of King Hogni, who 
 was carried off, while gathering magic herbs on the seashore, by 
 bold Hedin when he was on a Wiking-raid. Her father pursued 
 the Wiking with his war-ships, and came up with him on an island. 
 In vain Hilde strove to prevent bloodshed. Hogni had already 
 drawn his terrible sword, Dainsleif, the wounds made by which 
 never healed. Once more Hedin offered the king expiation and 
 much red gold in atonement for what he had done. 
 
 His father-in-law shouted in scorn : " My sword Dainsleif, which 
 was forged by the Dwarfs, never returns to its sheath until it has 
 drunk a share of human blood ! " 
 
 The battle began and raged all day without being decided one 
 way or the other. 
 
 In the evening both parties returned to their ships to strengthen 
 themselves for the combat on the morrow. 
 
 But Hilde went to the field of battle, and by means of runes and 
 magic signs awakened all the dead warriors and made whole their 
 broken swords and shields. 
 
 As soon as day broke, the fight was renewed, and lasted until 
 the darkness of night obliged the combatants to stop. 
 
HILDE, ONE OF THE WALKYRIES. 
 
HOLD A, THE KIND PROTECTRESS. 107 
 
 The dead were stretched out on the battle-field as stiff as figures 
 of stone ; but before morning dawned the witch-maiden had 
 awakened them to new battle, and so it went on unceasingly until 
 the gods passed away. 
 
 Hilde was also known and worshipped in Germany, as is shown 
 by the legend about the foundation of the town of Hildesheim. 
 
 One year, as soon as snow had fallen on the spot dedicated to her, 
 King Ludwig ordered the cathedral to be built there. The Virgin 
 Mary afterwards took her place, and several churches were built 
 in honour of Maria am Schnee (Marie au neige) both in Germany 
 and in France. 
 
 Nehalennia, the protectress of ships and trade, was worshipped 
 by the Keltic and Teutonic races in a sacred grove on the island 
 of Walcheren ; she had also altars and holy places dedicated to 
 her at Nivelles. The worship of Isa or Eisen, who was identical 
 with Nehalennia, was even older and more wide-spread throughout 
 Germany. St. Gertrude took her place in Christian times, and her 
 name (Geer, i.e., spear, and Trude, daughter of Thor) betrays its 
 heathen origin. 
 
 HOLDA. OSTARA. 
 
 Once upon a time, in a lonely valley of the Tyrol, where snow- 
 capped glaciers ever shone, there lived a cow-herd with his wife 
 and children. He used to drive his small herd of cattle out to 
 graze in the pastures, and now and again would shoot a chamois, 
 for he was a skilled bowman. His cross-bow also served to protect 
 his cattle from the beasts of prey, and the numerous bear-skins and 
 wolf-skins that covered the floor of his cottage bore witness to his 
 success as a hunter. 
 
 One day, when he was watching his cattle and goats on a fra- 
 grant upland pasture, he suddenly perceived a splendid chamois, 
 
 J^ 
 
io8 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 whose horns shone like the sun. He immediately seized his bow 
 and crept forward on hands and knees until he was within shot. 
 But the deer sprang from rock to rock higher up the mountain, 
 seeming every now and then to wait for him, as though it mocked 
 his pursuit. He continued the chase eagerly until he reached the 
 glacier which had sunk below the snow-fields. 
 
 The chamois now vanished behind some huge boulders, but at 
 the same time he discovered a high arched doorway in the glacier, 
 and in the background beyond he saw a light shining. 
 
 He went through the dark entrance boldly, and found himself in 
 a large hall, the walls and ceiling of which were composed of dazz- 
 ling crystal, ornamented with fiery garnets. He could see flowery 
 meadows and shady groves through the crystal walls ; but a tall 
 woman was standing in the centre of the hall, her graceful limbs 
 draped in glancing, silvery garments, caught in at the waist by a 
 golden girdle, and resting on her blond curls was a coronet of car- 
 buncles. The flowers in her hand were blue as the eyes with which 
 she gently regarded the cow-herd. Beautiful maidens, their heads 
 crowned with Alpine roses, surrounded their mistress, and seemed 
 about to begin a dance. But the herdsman had no eye for any 
 except the goddess, and sank humbly on his knees. 
 
 Then she said in a voice that went straight to the heart of the 
 hearer : — 
 
 " Choose what thou thinkest the most costly of all my treasures, 
 silver, gold, or precious stones, or one of my maidens." 
 
 " Give me, kind goddess," he answered ; " give me only the 
 bunch of flowers in thy hand ; I desire no other good thing upon 
 the earth." 
 
 She bent her head graciously as she gave him the flowers, and 
 said : — 
 
 " Thou hast chosen wisely. Take them and live as long as 
 these flowers bloom. And here," pointing to a corn measure, " is 
 
HOLD A, THE KIND PROTECTRESS. 109 
 
 seed with which to sow thy land that it may bear thee many blue 
 flowers such as these." 
 
 He would have embraced her knees, but a peal of thunder shook 
 the hall and the mountain, and the vision was gone. 
 
 When the cow-herd awoke from his vision, he saw nothing but 
 the rocks and the glacier, and the wild torrent that flowed out of 
 it ; the entrance to the palace of the goddess had vanished. The 
 nosegay was still in his hand and beside him was the wooden 
 measure full of seed. These tokens convinced him that what had 
 happened was not a mere dream. 
 
 He took up his presents and his cross-bow, and descended the 
 mountain thoughtfully to see what had become of his cattle. They 
 were nowhere to be seen, look for them where he might, and when 
 he went home he found nothing but want and misery. Bears and 
 wolves had devoured his herd, and only the swift-footed goats had 
 escaped from the beasts of prey. 
 
 A whole year had elapsed since he had left home, and yet he 
 had thought that he had only spent a few hours chamois-hunting 
 in the mountains. When he showed his wife the bunch of flowers, 
 and told her that he intended to sow the seed that had been given 
 him, she scolded him, and mocked him for his folly ; but he would 
 not be turned aside from his determination, and bore all his wife's 
 hard words most patiently. 
 
 He ploughed up a field and sowed the seed, but there was still 
 a great deal over ; he sowed a second and a third field, and yet 
 much seed remained. The little green sprouts soon showed in 
 the fields, grew longer and longer, till at length the blue flowers 
 unfolded themselves in great numbers, and even the cow-herd's 
 wife rejoiced at the sight, so lovely were they to look upon. 
 
 The man watched over his crop day and night, and he often 
 saw the goddess of the mountain wandering through his fields 
 in the moonlight with her maidens, blessing them with uplifted 
 hands. 
 
no ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 When the flowers were all withered and the seed was ripe, she 
 came again, and showed how the flax was to be prepared, after 
 which she went into the cottage and taught the cow-herd's wife 
 how to spin and weave the flax and bleach the linen, so that it 
 became as white as newly fallen snow. 
 
 The cow-herd rapidly grew rich, and became a benefactor to his 
 country, for he introduced the cultivation of flax throughout the 
 land, which gave employment and wages to thousands of country- 
 people. He saw children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren 
 around him, but the bunch of flowers the goddess had given him 
 was still as fresh as ever, even when he was more than a hundred 
 years old and very tired of life. 
 
 One morning while he was looking at his beloved flowers, they 
 all bent down their heads, withered and dying. Then he knew 
 that it was time to say farewell to earthly life. Leaning on his 
 staff, he toiled painfully up the mountains. It was already evening 
 when he reached the glacier. 
 
 The snow-fields above were shining gloriously as though in 
 honour of the last walk of the good old man. He once more saw 
 the vaulted doorway and the glimmering light beyond. And then 
 he passed with good courage through the dark entrance into the 
 bright morning which greets the weary pilgrim, when, after his 
 earthly journey is over, he reaches Hulda's halls. The door now 
 closed behind him, and he was seen no more on earth. 
 
 This and other traditions of the same kind are told in the Tyrol 
 of the old Germanic goddess Hulda or Holda. Her name shows 
 that she was a goddess of grace and mercy, and she must have 
 been worshipped both in Germany and in Sweden, but still no 
 traces are to be found of her at the present day in the Teutoburg 
 Forest, where so many of the places and names point back to the 
 old Germanic religion, nor yet do the Northern skalds give an 
 account of her. However, German fairy legends and tales call to 
 
&$£. r --, 
 
 HOLDA, THE KIND PROTECTRESS. 
 
HOLD A. 113 
 
 us the great goddess whose character and deeds live on in the 
 memory of the people, and the Northern Huldra, who drew men 
 to her by means of her wondrous song, is exactly identical with 
 her. Her name has been derived from the old Northern Hulda, 
 i.e., Darkness ; and it has been thought that she was the imper- 
 sonation of the dark side of the goddess of Earth and Death ; but 
 the derivation which we gave before, from Huld, grace, mercy, 
 seems more suitable. 
 
 A Northern fairy-tale makes Hulla or Hulda, queen of the 
 Kobolds. She was a daughter of the queen of the Hulde-men, 
 who killed first her faithless husband and then herself. She enticed 
 wise King Odin by means of a stag, to her mansion, which was 
 hidden in the depths of a wood. She gave him of her best, and 
 then begged him to act as umpire in a legal dispute that had 
 arisen between her and the other Kobolds and Thurses, about the 
 murder of her husband. He consented to do so, and his decision 
 made her queen of all the Kobolds and Thurses in Norseland. 
 This tale is quite modern in its form, but it certainly is based on 
 ancient beliefs. 
 
 A poem dating from the middle ages places Holda in the 
 Mountain of Venus, a place that is generally supposed to be the 
 Horselberg in Thuringia. She was then called Mistress Venus, 
 and held a splendid court with her women. Noble knights, 
 amongst whom was Ritter Tannhauser, were drawn by her into 
 the mountain, where they lived such a gay, merry life of pleasure 
 that they could hardly ever again free themselves from her spell 
 and make their escape, even though thoughts of honour and duty 
 might now and then return to them. 
 
 It was finally said of Holda, that those who were crippled in any 
 way were restored to full strength and power by bathing in her 
 Quickborn (fountain of life), and that old men found their vanished 
 youth there once more. This tradition connects her with the 
 
 I 
 
U4 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Northern Iduna, who had charge of the apple that preserved the 
 immortality and vigour of the Ases. But she also resembled 
 Ostara, who was worshipped by the Saxons, Franks and other 
 tribes. 
 
 Ostara, the goddess of Spring, of the resurrection of nature after 
 the long death of winter, was highly honoured by all the old 
 Teutons, nor could Christian zeal prevent her name being im- 
 mortalised in the word Easter, the period of spring, at which time 
 the Saxons in England worshipped her. The memory of these 
 old times has long since passed away, although the " hare " still 
 lays its "Easter-eggs." The custom is very old of giving each 
 other coloured eggs as a present at the time when day and night 
 became equal in length and when the frozen earth awakens to 
 new life after the cold of winter is gone, for an egg was typical 
 of the beginning of life. Christianity put another meaning on the 
 old custom, by connecting it with the feast of the Resurrection of 
 the Saviour, who, like the hidden life in the egg, slept in the grave 
 for three days before he wakened to new life. 
 
 There are no legends about the goddess of spring. One monu- 
 ment alone, and that a newly discovered one, remains of the old 
 worship, the Extern-stones, which are to be found in the Teuto- 
 burg Forest at the northern end of the wooded hills. It is stated 
 in the chronicle of a neighbouring village, dating from last century, 
 that the ignorant peasantry were guilty of many misdemeanours 
 there when doing honour to the heathen goddess Ostara. Had the 
 clergyman only told us whether there were processions, dances, 
 feasts, scattering of flowers, or any other kind of sacrifice, a clear 
 light might have been shed over the manner in which the goddess 
 was worshipped. Still, this fact proves that not only the name, but 
 also the worship of Ostara was kept in the memories of the people 
 for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, and shows how deeply 
 rooted it was. The rocks may perhaps have been called Eastern' 
 
 
BERCHTA, THE WHITE LADY. 115 
 
 or Eostern-stones, and may have been dedicated to Ostara. There, 
 as elsewhere, the priests and priestesses of the goddess probably 
 assembled in heathen times, scattered Mayflowers, lighted bon- 
 fires, slaughtered the creatures sacrificed to her, and went in pro- 
 cession on the first night of May, which was dedicated to her. 
 Very much the same as this used to be done at Gambach, in Upper 
 Hesse, where, as late as thirty years ago even, the young people 
 went to the Easter-stones on the top of a hill, every Easter, and 
 danced and held sports. Edicts were published in the eighth cen- 
 tury forbidding these practices ; but in vain, the people would not 
 give up their old faith and customs. Afterwards the priestesses 
 were declared to be witches, the bonfires, which cast their light to 
 great distances, were said to be of infernal origin, and the festival 
 of May was looked upon as the witches' sabbath. Nevertheless, 
 young men and maidens still continue, near the Meissner-Gebirg 
 in Hesse, to carry bunches of Mayflowers and throw them into 
 one of the caves that are to be found there. For Ostara, who 
 gives new life to nature, is the divine protectress of youth and 
 the giver of married happiness. 
 
 BERCHTA OR BERTA. 
 
 The dusk of evening has fallen over Berlin. A great yet silent 
 crowd is rapidly moving through the chief street towards the royal 
 palace, and every now and then a low whisper is heard, in which 
 can be distinguished the words : " The King is very ill." In the 
 palace itself yet greater silence reigns. The King's guardsmen 
 stand motionless, the servants' steps are inaudible on the carpets of 
 the corridors and the rooms. Now the tower clock strikes mid- 
 night ; all at once a door opens, and through it glides a ghostly 
 woman, tall of stature, queenly of bearing. 
 
 She is dressed in a trailing white garment, a white veil covers her 
 
 '. 
 
 
u6 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 head, below which her long flaxen hair hangs, twisted with strings 
 of pearls ; her face is deathly pale as that of a corpse. In her 
 right hand she carries a bunch of keys, in her left a nosegay of 
 Mayflowers. She walks solemnly down the long corridor. The 
 tall guardsmen present arms, pages and lackeys give way before 
 her, the guards who have just relieved their comrades open their 
 ranks ; the figure passes through them, and goes through a folding 
 door into the royal ante-room. 
 
 " It is the White Lady ; the King is about to die," whispers the 
 officer of the watch, brushing a tear from his eye. 
 
 "The White Lady has appeared," is whispered through the 
 crowd, and all know what that portends. 
 
 At noon the King's death was known to all. " Yes," said Master 
 Schneckenburger, " he has been gathered to his fathers. Mistress 
 Berchta has once more announced what was going to happen, for 
 she can foretell everything, both bad and good. She was seen 
 before the misfortunes of 1806, and again before the battle of Belle- 
 Alliance. She has a key with which to open the door of life and 
 happiness. He to whom she gives a cowslip will succeed in what- 
 ever he undertakes." 
 
 Schneckenburger was right. It was Bertha, or Berchta, who 
 made known the King's approaching death, but she was also the 
 prophetess of other important events. Berchta (from perdit, 
 shining) is almost identical with Holda, except that the latter 
 never appears as the White Lady. Many Germanic tribes wor- 
 shipped the Earth-goddess under the name of Berchta, and there 
 are numbers of legends about her both in North and South 
 Germany. 
 
 One evening in the year was dedicated to her, and was called 
 Perchten-evening(30th December or 6th January), when she was sup- 
 posed, as a diligent spinner, to oversee the labours of the spinning- 
 room, or, magic staff in hand, to ride at the head of the Raging 
 
SERCHTA, THE WHITE LADY. 117 
 
 Host, in the midst of a terrific storm. She generally lived in hollow- 
 mountains, where she, as in Thuringia, watched over and tended 
 the " Heimchen," or souls of babes as yet unborn, and of those who 
 died an early death. She busied herself there by ploughing up 
 the ground under the earth, whilst the babes watered the fields. 
 Whenever men, careless of the good she did them, disturbed her 
 in her mountain dwelling, she left the country with her train, and 
 after her departure the fields lost all their former fruitfulness. 
 
 Once when Berchta and her babes were passing over a meadow 
 across the middle of which ran a fence that divided it in two, the 
 last little child could not climb over it ; its water-jar was too 
 heavy. 
 
 A woman, who a short time before had lost her little baby, was 
 close by, and recognised her dead darling, for whom she had wept 
 night and day. She hastened to the child, clasped it in her arms, 
 and would not let it go. 
 
 Then the little one said : " How warm and comfortable I feel in 
 my mother's arms ; but weep no more for me, mother, my jar is full 
 and is growing too heavy for me. Look, mother, dost thou not 
 see how all thy tears run into it, and how I've spilt some on my 
 little shirt ? Mistress Berchta, who loves me and kisses me, has 
 told me that thou shouldst also come to her in time, and then we 
 shall be together again in the beautiful garden under the hill." 
 
 Then the mother wept once more a flood of tears, and let the 
 child go. 
 
 After that she never shed another tear, but found comfort in the 
 thought that she would one day be with her child again. 
 
 Berchta appears in many legends as an enchantress, or as an 
 enchanted maiden, who provided a rich treasure for him who was 
 lucky enough to set her free from the magic spell that bound her. 
 Still more frequently, however, she took up her abode in princely 
 castles as the " Ahnfrau," or Ancestress of the family to whom the 
 
n8 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 castle belonged. In these stories the Goddess of Nature is hardly 
 recognisable. 
 
 It is told that the widowed Countess Kunigunde of Orlamiind 
 fell in love with Count Albrecht the beautiful, of Hohenzollern. 
 He told her that four eyes stood in the way of a marriage between 
 them, and she, thinking that he referred to her children, had them 
 secretly murdered. But, as the tale informs us, he had meant his 
 parents, who disapproved of the marriage. He felt nothing but 
 abhorrence of the murderess when he found out what she had 
 done, and she, repenting of her sin, made a pilgrimage to Rome, 
 did severe penance, and afterwards founded the nunnery of the 
 Heavenly Crown, where she died an abbess. Her grave, as well 
 as those of her children and of the Burggraf Albrecht, are still 
 shown there. From that time she appeared at the Plassenburg, 
 near Baireuth, as the " Ahnfrau," who made known any evil that 
 was going to happen ; later on she went to Berlin with the Count's 
 family, and is still to be seen there as the tale at the beginning of 
 this chapter shows. 
 
 Another account makes the apparition out to be the Countess 
 Beatrix of Cleve, who was married to the Swan-Knight so often 
 mentioned among the old heroes of the middle ages. The House 
 of Cleve was nearly related to that of Hohenzollern, and in the 
 mysterious Swan-Knight we recognise the god of Light, who 
 comes out of the darkness of night and returns to it again. 
 
 A more simple version refers to a Bohemian Countess, Bertha 
 of Rosenberg. She was unhappily married to Johann of Lichten- 
 berg, after whose death she became the benefactress of her sub- 
 jects, built the Castle Neuhaus, and never laid aside the white 
 garments of widowhood as long as she lived. In this dress she 
 appeared, and even now appears, to the kindred families of Rosen- 
 berg, Neuhaus and Berlin, on which occasion she prophesies either 
 good or evil fortune. 
 
BERCHTA. 119 
 
 The Germanic races carried the worship of this Earth-goddess 
 with them to Gaul and Italy, in the former of which countries 
 a proverbial expression refers to the underground kingdom of the 
 goddess, by reminding people " du temps que BertJie filait" It was 
 that time of innocence and peace, of which almost every nation 
 has its tradition, for which it longs, and to which it can only 
 return after death. 
 
 Historical personages have also been supposed to enact the part 
 formerly given to the Earth-mother. 
 
 A tradition of the 12th century informs us that Pepin, father of 
 Charlemagne, wished to marry Bertrada, a Hungarian princess, 
 who was a very good and diligent spinner. His wooing was suc- 
 cessful, and the princess and her ladies set out on their journey 
 to Pepin's court. The bride's marvellous beauty was only marred 
 by her having a very large foot. 
 
 Now the chief lady-in-waiting was a wicked woman, and jealous 
 of Bertrada ; so she gave the princess to some villains she had 
 bribed, in order that she might be murdered in the forest, and then 
 she put her own ugly daughter in her mistress's place. Although 
 Pepin was disgusted with his deformed bride, he was obliged to 
 marry her according to compact ; but soon afterwards, on finding 
 out the deception that had been practised upon him, he put her 
 from him. 
 
 Late one evening when out hunting, he came to a mill on the 
 river Maine. There he saw a girl spinning busily. He recognised 
 her as the true Bertrada by her large foot, found out how her 
 intended murderers had taken compassion on her, and how she 
 had finally reached the mill. He then discovered his rank to her, 
 and entreated her to fulfil her engagement to him. The fruit of 
 this marriage was Charlemagne. 
 
 In this tale we recognise the old myth under a modern form. 
 
 We see how Mother Earth, the protectress of souls and ances- 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 tress of man, especially of those of royal or heroic race, is thrust 
 aside by the cunning, wintry Berchta, but is joined again by her 
 heavenly husband, and becomes the mother of the god of Spring. 
 Even the large foot reminds us of the goddess, who was originally 
 supposed to show herself in the form of a swan. This is the 
 reason why in French churches there are representations of 
 queens with a swan's or goose's foot (reme pedauque). 
 
 Other French stories show Berchta in the form of Holda : how 
 she sheds tears for her lost spouse, so bitter that the very stones 
 are penetrated by them. Both goddesses are identical with the 
 Northern Freya, who wept golden tears for her husband. 
 
 There is an old ballad that is still sung in the neighbourhood 
 of Mayence, which tells of the bright, blessed kingdom of the 
 goddess. We can give only the matter of it here, as the verses 
 themselves have not remained in our memory. 
 
 A huntsman once stood sadly at the water's edge, and thought 
 on his lost love. He had had a young and lovely wife, who, when 
 he came wearied home from the chase, would welcome him with 
 the warm kiss of love. She bare him a sweet babe, and made him 
 perfectly happy. But ere long both were taken from his side by 
 grim, envious death, and now he was alone. Gladly would he 
 have died with them, but that was not to be. Three months had 
 flown by, but his wife and child were still always in his thoughts. 
 
 One night his way led him beside a flowing stream ; he stopped 
 still on the bank, gazed long into the water's depths, and asked : 
 
 " Is the broken heart to be made whole in a watery grave 
 alone ? " 
 
 Thereupon sweet silvery notes fell upon his ear ; and as he 
 glanced upwards, he saw before him a beauteous, queenly woman, 
 sitting opposite him on the other side of the stream ; she was spin- 
 ning golden flax, and singing a wondrous song : 
 
THOU, THE THUNDERER. 
 
 " Youth, enter thou my shining hall, 
 Where joy and peace e'er rest ; 
 When the weary heart at length finds all 
 Its loved ones, 'gain 'tis blest ! 
 
 The coward calls my hall the grave, 
 
 My kiss he fears 'twere death ; 
 But the leap is boldly made by the brave— 
 
 His the gain by the loss of life's breath ! 
 
 Youth, leave thou, then, the lonesome, des'late shore, 
 And boldly gain the joy enduring evermore." 
 
 The huntsman listens ; do the thrilling tones come from the 
 beauteous woman on the opposite bank, or is it from the watery- 
 deep that they proceed ? 
 
 Wildly he leaps into the flood, and a fair, white arm is extended, 
 encircling him and drawing him down beneath the water's surface, 
 away from all earthly cares, away from all earthly distress and 
 pain. And his loved ones greet him, his youthful wife and his 
 babe. " See, father ! how green the trees grow here, and how the 
 coloured flowers sparkle with silver ! And no one cries here, no 
 one has any troubles ! " 
 
 This tale is based upon the old heathen belief as to the life in 
 a future state ; it shows us that the conviction of our forefathers 
 has always been, that for the virtuous death was merely a transi- 
 tion to a new life, to a life purer, more complete, than that on 
 earth. 
 
 THOR, THUNAR (THUNDER). 
 
 Arwaker (Early-waker) and Alswider (All-swift), the horses of 
 the sun, were wearily drawing the fiery chariot to its rest. The 
 sea and the ice-clad mountains were glowing in the last rays of the 
 setting sun. The clouds that were rising in the west received 
 them in their lap. Then flashes of lightning darted forth from the 
 
122 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 clouds, thunder began to roll in the distance, and the waves dashed 
 in wild fury upon the rock-bound coast of the fiord. 
 
 " Hang up the snow-shoes, lad, and take off thy fur cap ; Oku- 
 thor (Thor of the chariot) is driving over to waken old Mother 
 Jord. Put the jar of mead on the stone table, wife, that he may 
 find something to drink ; and you, you lazy fellows, why are you 
 sitting idly over the fire, instead of rubbing up the ploughshares 
 until they shine again ? This is going to be a fruitful year, for 
 Hlorridi (heat-bringer) has come early. Come, Thialf, pull off my 
 fur boots." 
 
 Thus spoke the yeoman to whom Balshoff belonged, as he sat 
 on the stone bench by the fire. But then he stopped short, and 
 stared open-mouthed ; Thialf let the fur boots fall from his hand ; 
 the mistress of the house dropped the jug of mead, and the farm- 
 servants the plough. Wingthor drove over from the west in all his 
 fury ; he struck the house with his hammer Miolnir, and the flash 
 broke through the ridge of the roof beside the pillar that supported 
 it, and penetrated a hundred miles below the clay floor. A sul- 
 phureous vapour filled the room ; but the yeoman, shaking off his 
 stupefaction, rose from his stone bench, and when he saw that no 
 more damage was done, he said : 
 
 " Wingthor has been gracious to us, and now he has gone on to 
 fight against the Frost and Mountain Giants. Do ye not hear the 
 blows of his hammer, the howls of the monsters in their caverns, 
 and the crashing of their stone heads as though they were nothing 
 but oatmeal dumplings ? But to us he has given rain, which even 
 now is falling heavily, rain that will soon melt away the snow 
 and prepare the soil to receive the seed we shall sow later on. 
 The tiny sprouts will grow rapidly, and grass and herbs and the 
 green leek will reward us for our industry. Preserve the golden 
 ears of corn for us, O Thor, until the harvest time." 
 
 In such manner people used, in the olden time, to call on the 
 
THOR, THE THUNDERER. 123 
 
 strong god of thunder, Thunar, — in the North, Thor. He was held 
 in great reverence, and was perhaps even regarded as an equal 
 of the God of Heaven. Traces of this are still recognisable, for 
 wherever he was spoken of in connection with the other gods, he 
 was given the place of honour in the middle. The Saxons had to 
 renounce Wodan, Donar, and Saxnot. In the temple of Upsala, 
 Thor is placed between Odin and Freyer. In " Skirnir's Journey," 
 a poem of the Edda, it is said : " Odin is adverse to thee, the 
 Prince of the Ases (Thor) is adverse to thee, Freyer curses thee." 
 He retained this high position in Norway, where he fought against 
 the Frost and Mountain Giants, who sent the destructive east wind 
 over the country. And not less honour was paid him in Saxony 
 and Franconia. The oak was sacred to him, and his festivals were 
 solemnized under the shade of oak trees. When thunder-clouds 
 passed over the earth, Thor was said to be driving his chariot 
 drawn by two fierce male goats, called Tooth-cracker and Tooth- 
 gnasher. 
 
 Odin — not he who sat on Hlidskialf overlooking the nine worlds, 
 but the omnipotent God of Heaven — married Jord, Mother Earth 
 and the offspring of this marriage was strong Thor, who began 
 even in the cradle to show his Ase-like strength by lifting ten 
 loads of bear-skins. 
 
 Gentle old Mother Jord, who was known by several other names 
 in different parts of Germany, could not manage her strong son, so 
 two other beings, Wingnir (the winged), and Hlora (heat) became 
 his foster-parents. These were personifications of the winged 
 lightning. From them were derived the god's names of Wingthor 
 and Hlorridi. 
 
 Thor married Sif (kin), for he, the protector of households, was 
 himself obliged to have a well-ordered household. The beautiful 
 goddess had golden hair, probably because of the golden corn of 
 which her husband was guardian, and her son was the swift archer, 
 
124 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Uller, who hunted in snow-shoes every winter, and ruled over As- 
 gard and Midgard in the cold season, while the summer Odin 
 was away. By the giantess, Jarnsaxa (Ironstone) Thor had two 
 sons, Magni (Strength) and Modi (Courage), and by his real wife 
 a daughter, Thrud (Strong), the names of whom all remind us of 
 his own characteristics. 
 
 Thor was handsome, large and well-proportioned, and strong. 
 A red beard covered the lower part of his face, his hair was long 
 and curly, his clothes were well-fitting and his arms were bare, 
 showing his strongly-developed muscles. In his right hand he 
 carried the crashing-hammer, Miolnir, whose blows caused the 
 destructive lightning flash and the growling thunder. 
 
 %-+~&L. 
 
THOR'S DEEDS AND JOURNEYS. 
 
 1 = 5 
 
 THOR'S DEEDS AND 
 JOURNEYS. 
 
 THE MAKING OF MIOLNIR. 
 
 A gentle breeze was blowing 
 over the rich land of Thrudheim, 
 and the doors of Bilskirnir were standing open that the castle 
 might be filled with the aromatic perfume of the summer flowers. 
 Thor slept quietly in the great hall, until morning dawned and 
 chased away the shades of night. The god then rose from his 
 couch, but his first glance fell on his wife Sif, who looked very 
 sad. All her golden hair had vanished in the night, and she was 
 standing before him with a bald head, like the earth when the 
 golden corn has been harvested. He guessed who the author of 
 
126 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the mischief was, and rushed angrily over the hills and through the 
 groves of Asgard until he came to spiteful Loki, whom he seized 
 by the throat and held till his eyes almost started from his head. 
 He would not let him go until he promised to obtain another head 
 of hair, the same as the old one, from the dwarfs. As soon as the 
 mischief-maker was free he hastened to Elfheim, and after paying 
 a heavy price, brought away with him not only the hair but also 
 Gungnir, the spear that never failed in its blow; and the ship Skid- 
 bladnir, which could sail whatever wind was blowing, and which 
 was so cunningly made, that it could be folded up and put in the 
 pocket when it was no longer wanted. He gave Thor the hair for 
 his wife, and it was no sooner put upon her head than it took root 
 and began to grow apace. To Odin he gave the spear, and to 
 Freyer the ship, that he might go to sea with the merchants' gal- 
 leys and save shipwrecked persons. 
 
 Delighted with the praise his gifts received on all sides, Loki 
 asserted that his smiths, the sons of Iwaldur, were the best workers 
 in metal that had ever lived. Now it happened that the Dwarf 
 Brock was present when he said this, and Brock's brother, Sindri, 
 was generally regarded as the best smith. So he scornfully re- 
 plied that no one could beat his brother, and that he would wager 
 his head for Sindri's fame. Brock informed his brother of the 
 dreadful bet, but was told to be of good courage ; he was given 
 the bellows and desired to keep on blowing the fire without stop- 
 ping, so that there might be no interruption in the magic work, a 
 circumstance which would at once bring all their efforts to naught. 
 Sindri then put a pig-skin in the fire, and went away to draw the 
 magic circle, and command the assistance of the hidden powers in 
 his labours. Brock, meanwhile, worked hard at the bellows, in 
 spite of the attacks of a fly which continually stung him on the 
 hand till the blood flowed. When Sindri returned there was life 
 in the fire, and he drew out of it the enormous wild boar Gullin- 
 
THOR'S DEEDS AND JOURNEYS. 127 
 
 bursti, with golden bristles, the radiance of which made the dark 
 smithy as light as day. 
 
 The second work of art had now to be made. Sindri laid some 
 red gold in the furnace, and Brock blew the bellows in spite of the 
 cruel stings of the fly, until at last the ring Draupnir was formed, 
 from which eight other rings exactly similar dropped every ninth 
 night. 
 
 Lastly, the smith threw a bar of iron into the furnace, and 
 desired his brother to blow steadily. Brock did as he was told, 
 and bore the agony caused by the fly, which he knew cunning Loki 
 had sent. But when all at once it stung him on t'he eyelid, and 
 the blood ran down into his eye, he dashed his hand at it to crush 
 it. Then the flames rose in the air and suddenly sunk again and 
 were extinguished. Sindri rushed into the hall in terror, but his 
 face brightened when he had looked into the furnace. 
 
 " All is well," he said ; " it is finished — only the handle is some- 
 what short." 
 
 Then he drew a great battle-hammer out of the furnace, and gave 
 it to his brother, as well as the two other works of art, adding : 
 
 " Go now ; thou hast won the bet, and thine enemy's head 
 also." 
 
 Brock entered the assembly of the Ases, who were sitting in 
 council. He gave Odin the ring Draupnir, and to bright Freyer 
 he gave the boar Gullinbursti, which he said would carry him swift 
 as the wind through mists and clouds, and over mountains and 
 valleys. When Thor received the hammer, and swung it in his 
 right hand, then he, the prince of the Ases, grew tall as a giant ; 
 dark clouds piled themselves around his waist ; lightning flashed 
 from the clouds, and rolling peals of thunder shook the heights of 
 Asgard and Midgard, terrifying both Ases and mortal men. Odin 
 alone, to whom fear was impossible, sat unmoved upon his throne, 
 and said : 
 
T2S ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 " Miolnir is the greatest of treasures, for in the hand of my son 
 it will protect Asgard from every assault of trie giants." 
 
 So Brock won the wager and Loki's head as well, and he refused 
 to accept anything else in exchange. But the son of Laufey had 
 already taken refuge in flight, so Thor hastened after him, and 
 soon brought him back. 
 
 "The head is thine, but not the neck," cried the mischief-maker, 
 as the dwarf raised his sword. 
 
 " Then I will sew up thy great mouth," answered Brock, trying to 
 make holes through his opponent's lips ; but all in vain, the knife 
 made no impression. So he got his brother's awl, and that did 
 not fail. He sewed up the mouth, and Loki stood in the midst of 
 the laughing Ases unable to speak ; yet he soon found means to 
 unfasten the string. 
 
 The hair of the earth-goddess, Sif, is the flowers and corn that 
 grow upon the earth. These are cut down in the harvest, and the 
 winter-demon robs the goddess of her hair, and leaves her head 
 quite bald. But the Dwarfs who live under the earth provide her 
 with a fresh supply of hair, and with the help of the Thunder-god 
 punish the evil-doer. 
 
 Alwismal, the Song of Alwis.— Alwis, the King of the Dwarfs, 
 who had travelled throughout the nine worlds and had learnt all 
 the languages and wisdom of the dwellers therein, once went to 
 Asgard. He met with a friendly reception there, for all the Ases 
 knew about his palace which shone with gold and precious 
 stones, and of his widely extended power over the underground 
 people. He saw beautiful Thrud, Asathor's strong daughter, fell 
 in love with her, and asked for her hand in marriage. The Ases 
 approved of the proposal of the King of the underground treasures, 
 and were of opinion that Thor would be pleased with the arrange- 
 ment. So the marriage day was fixed. But Thor came home 
 before the wedding-day, and was very wroth when he was told the 
 news. 
 
THOR'S JOURNEY TO UTGARD. 129 
 
 " Who art thou, thou pasty-faced fellow ? " he asked of the would- 
 be bridegroom ; " Hast thou been with the dead ? Hast thou 
 arisen from the grave to snatch the living back with thee to thy 
 dismal kingdom ? " 
 
 Alwis now asked him who he was that pretended to have power 
 over his bride and to be able to prevent the marriage which was 
 already arranged ; but when he found that it was Wingthor, 
 Thrud's father, he told him of his possessions and of his wisdom, 
 and entreated him to consent. 
 
 Thor, in order to prove him, asked what certain words were in 
 the different languages of men, Ases, Wanes, Jotuns, Elves, and in 
 Helheim. 
 
 The Dwarf answered everything right; but lo ! day began at that 
 moment to break, and Alwis was touched by a ray of sunlight, 
 whereupon he stiffened into stone, and remained on the heights of 
 Asgard, a monument of Thor's victory. 
 
 THOR'S JOURNEY TO UTGARD. 
 
 The Hrimthurses sent out cold winds from the interior of Jotun- 
 heim over the fields of Midgard, so that the tender green shoots 
 were blighted and the harvest spoilt. Thor, therefore, ordered his 
 chariot to be got ready, and hastened away to force the giants to 
 keep within bounds. Loki joined him with flattering speeches, and 
 the Thunderer thought that it might be as well to take him with 
 him, as he knew his way about the wilderness so well. 
 
 Thor's goats went so quickly that the travellers reached the bare 
 rocks of the giants' country by the evening. 
 
 They saw a lonely farmhouse, and the owner offered them hos- 
 pitality, but could only give them a poor supper. Thor, therefore, 
 slew his goats and boiled them in a pot. He then invited his host 
 and all his people to join him at supper, but commanded them to 
 
 K 
 
130 ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 throw all the bones on the skins which he had spread out on the 
 floor, and to beware how they broke any. 
 
 Cunning Loki whispered to the farmer's son, Thialfi, that he 
 ought to break one of the thigh bones, as the marrow in it was good 
 to eat. Thialfi followed the evil counsel, and found that the mar- 
 row was indeed most excellent. 
 
 Next morning Thor waved his hammer over the skins and bones, 
 and immediately the goats jumped up, but one of them was lame 
 in the hind leg. The god was very angry, his eyes flashed, his 
 right hand closed round the handle of his hammer, and a thunder- 
 clap shook the house to its foundations. The farmer, who had been 
 flung upon his face, begged for mercy, and his wife and children 
 joined him in his entreaties ; he offered his son Thialfi and his 
 daughter Roskwa in atonement for the broken thigh-bone. 
 
 Then the angry god grew calm, and accepted the expiation 
 offered him ; he left his goats and chariot behind and walked on 
 with his companion and the sturdy children of the farmer towards 
 Jotunheim. 
 
 They crossed high mountains, and went through deep valleys 
 until they came to a broad sound. When they had crossed the 
 sound, their way led them over a stony country and through a 
 dark wood that seemed as if it would never end. The ground was 
 covered with a grey mist, out of which an iceberg, resembling a 
 corpse-like ghost, here and there reared its head. All was dim 
 and uncertain, as though surrounded by enchantment. 
 
 The travellers pursued their journey all day long, Thialfi, the 
 quickest runner in the country, always keeping in front with 
 Thor's travelling bag. 
 
 In the evening they reached a strange, roomy inn, in which 
 there was neither inhabitant nor food to be found ; yet they lay 
 down to rest, as they felt very hungry. 
 
 At midnight a violent earthquake shook the house, but they 
 
THOR'S JOURNEY TO UTGARD. 131 
 
 succeeded in finding a place within the building that seemed to be 
 more secure than the rest ; there Thor's companions took refuge, 
 whilst he, hammer in hand, kept watch by the entrance. Loud 
 sounds of roaring and snorting disturbed the sleep of the travellers. 
 The Prince of the Ases awaited the morning. 
 
 When it grew light, he perceived a man of mighty stature, 
 whose snoring had been the cause of all the noise they had heard. 
 He felt very much inclined to bless the snorer's sleep with a 
 goodly blow of his hammer, but at that very moment the giant 
 awoke. 
 
 In reply to his question, " Who art thou ? " the giant answered 
 that his name was Skrymir, and added that he knew perfectly 
 well that his questioner was Asathor. As he said this, he began 
 to look about for his glove. And how great was the astonishment 
 of the Ase, when he discovered that he and his companions had 
 spent the night in the giant's glove, and that when they had been 
 startled out of their first resting-place, they had taken refuge in 
 the thumb. 
 
 Skrymir gave himself no further trouble about the surprise of 
 the strangers, but laid out his breakfast and devoured it, whilst 
 the travellers took some provisions for themselves out of Thor's 
 bag. The giant then tied up all his belongings in a bundle, threw 
 it over his broad back, and walked on before the others through 
 the wood at such a pace that they could hardly follow him. In 
 the evening they took up their quarters for the night under an 
 oak tree, the top of which reached the clouds. 
 
 The Jotun gave the travellers the remains of the food in his 
 bundle, because, he said, sleep was more necessary for him than 
 food. The strong Thunderer vainly strove to unfasten the cord tied 
 round the bundle. Enraged by this failure, he pulled his girdle of 
 strength tighter round his waist, and seizing Miolnir with both 
 hands, dealt a terrible blow on the head of the snoring giant, who 
 
132 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 merely rubbed the place with his hand, and asked whether a leaf 
 had fallen on his head. 
 
 At midnight the wood again re-echoed with his snores. Thor 
 now hit the monster again as hard as he could on the crown. The 
 hammer made a deep hole, but Skrymir thought that it was only 
 an acorn that had fallen upon him, and soon began to snore again. 
 
 Towards morning the angry Ase dealt a third dreadful blow at 
 the giant ; the earth trembled, rocks fell with a horrible crash ; 
 the hammer penetrated the giant's skull, so that the end was 
 hidden. Nevertheless, Skrymir rose quietly and said : — 
 
 " So, thou art awake already, Asathor. Look, some birds, when 
 building their nests, have let a little bit of stick fall on my temple ; 
 it is bruised. We must part here ; my way lies to the north, and 
 yours to Utgard in the east. You will soon see Utgard-Loki's 
 castle before you. There you will find bigger men than I. 
 Beware lest any of you open your mouths too wide in boastful 
 talk ; for if you do, you will get into difficulties." 
 
 Skrymir went straight on through the wood, while the others 
 turned in the direction he had pointed out to them. 
 
 About noon they came in sight of the giant's castle, which was 
 large and shining as an iceberg. They slipped in between the 
 bars of the postern gate, and entered the royal hall. 
 
 There sat Utgard-Loki, Prince of the Thurses, on his throne, 
 and ranged around him on benches were his warriors and courtiers. 
 He stared at the travellers in surprise. 
 
 " I know ye well, little people," he cried, in a voice that re- 
 sembled the rumbling of a falling rock. " I know thee, Asathor, 
 and guess that thou canst do more than thy appearance would 
 justify one in supposing. Now tell me what each of you can do, 
 for no one is allowed to sit down here without showing himself 
 to be good for something." 
 
 First of all Loki vaunted his powers in eating. 
 
Ik 
 
 
 SKRYMIR ATTACKED BY THOR WHEN ASLEEP. 
 
THOR AT UTGARD. 135 
 
 "A good thing to be able to do on a journey," said the King; 
 "for then one can eat enough at one meal to last for eight days. 
 Logi, my cook, shall try with thee which is the better trencher- 
 man. We shall see which of you can eat the most." 
 
 A large trough was filled with meat, and the two heroes stood 
 one at each end of it, and tried which could devour the fastest. 
 They met in the middle ; Loki had eaten one half of the meat, 
 and Logi the other ; but as the latter had at the same time 
 disposed of the bones and the trough as well, he walked away 
 from the table proud of his victory. 
 
 Thialfi announced that he was swift of foot, and challenged the 
 courtiers to race with him in the lists. A young fellow named 
 Hugin accepted the challenge. He turned back at the goal just 
 as the farmer's son reached it. 
 
 " Well run for a stranger, by my beard," growled the Prince of 
 the Thurses ; "but now make better speed." However, Thialfi was 
 farther behind at the second turn, and at the third he had full 
 half the course to run when Hugin turned at the goal. 
 
 It was now time for Thor to show what he could do. He first 
 said that he could drink a long draught. The Thurse commanded 
 that the horn should be brought that some could empty at one 
 draught, many at two, and the weakest at three. The Ase looked 
 at the horn. It was long, but it was narrow, and he thought 
 he could easily dispose of the contents. Nevertheless, the first 
 draught hardly uncovered the rim, the second very little more, 
 and the third a few inches at most. Much ashamed, he gave 
 back the horn ; he could drink no more. 
 
 He then spoke of his strength. Utgard-Loki told him to pick 
 up the grey cat which was lying purring at his feet. The hammer- 
 thrower imagined that he could fling the cat up to the ceiling ; 
 but his first attempt to lift it only made it arch its back, at the 
 second it arched its back a little more, at the third he raised one 
 
136 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 paw from the ground ; farther than that he could not move it. 
 He heard with rage the scornful laughter with which his fruitless 
 efforts were greeted from the benches. Lightning flashed from his 
 eyes ; he challenged the courtiers to wrestle with him in the lists. 
 
 " That will go ill with thee," said the King, stroking his beard i 
 " try first what thou canst do here against Elli, my old nurse ; she 
 has conquered stronger men than a shrimp like thee before now." 
 
 The old woman was ready by this time, and seized strong Thor, 
 who exerted all his strength to try and overthrow her. But she 
 stood as immovable as a rock, and used her own strength so well, 
 that he sank upon one knee. 
 
 " Enough," cried the Jotun. " Sit down, strangers, and enjoy 
 my hospitality." 
 
 On the following morning the king accompanied them as far 
 as the wood. 
 
 " Here," he said, " are the borders of my domain, which you 
 should never have crossed had I known more about you. Let me 
 now tell you how I have tricked you. Three times, Asathor, didst 
 thou strike at my head ; but I always shoved a mountain between 
 me and thee. Look, dost thou see the marks made by thy 
 hammer, three deep abysses, the last of which reaches down to the 
 Home of the Black-Elves ? The cook Logi, who measured his 
 strength against Loki, and who devoured even the bones and the 
 trough, was wild-fire. Hugin, was Thought, whom neither Thialh* 
 nor any other runner could expect to overtake. The drinking 
 horn was connected with the ocean. Thou didst drink so much 
 that every shore was left uncovered, and the people said : ' It is 
 ebb tide.' Thine eyes were blinded when thou didst lift the grey 
 cat, for then thou didst swing the Midgard-snake as high as 
 heaven, and she had nearly wriggled herself free and done irre- 
 parable injury. Elli, the nurse, who looked so weak, was old age, 
 which none can withstand when his time has come. Go now, for 
 
THOR'S DUEL WITH HRUNGNIR. 137 
 
 this is my realm, where I have dominion over the Hrimthurses 
 and their rocky fastnesses. Where I rule, there is no space for 
 men to cultivate the land, yet Asathor might split the mountains 
 and the eternal ice with his thunder." 
 
 Thor had already raised his hammer to punish the Jotun for his 
 magic spells, but he had vanished. A bare, stone-strewed wilder- 
 ness surrounded him and his companions. Columns of mist 
 hovered here and there, out of which Jotuns were peering, now with 
 a smile of scorn and again looking down grimly, now sinking and 
 again rising in the air, so that the travellers did not know what 
 was real and what enchanted. They then set out on their return 
 to Thrudheim. 
 
 The natural myth which gave rise to this poem of the Younger 
 Edda is very suitable for our collection. Not even the mighty Ase 
 could make it possible for man to cultivate the soil amongst the 
 great mountains, where rock is piled upon rock, and all are covered 
 with ice and snow. Thialfi is the diligence which must animate 
 the farmer, and his sister Roskwa is the quickness and activity 
 which must attend him. 
 
 Duel with Hrungnir. — Thor passed some happy days in his halls 
 of Bilskirnir. His fair wife Sif, who kept the house in good order, 
 was beautiful as the May moon ; her artistically-made golden hair 
 grew daily longer, and fell over her neck and shoulders in ringlets. 
 The god had great pleasure in his son Magni, who, although only 
 three years old, was as tall and strong as a man. The Jotuns in 
 the neighbourhood were all quiet, for they did not care to harm 
 the husbandmen's crops. Still, the farmers who lived far away in 
 valleys amid the inhospitable mountains, often called upon the 
 helpful Ase to defend them against the monsters, who sent storms, 
 floods, avalanches, and falling rocks, to disturb them in their peace- 
 ful labours. Thor then hastened with Miolnir to punish the peace- 
 breakers in the east. 
 
138 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Allfather Odin was away on his travels, now ruling the battles 
 of mortal men, now searching after wisdom, and now wooing the 
 favour of women with loving words. Upon one of these journeys 
 he arrived at the castle of the Mountain-giant, Hrungnir, where 
 he was hospitably received. Whilst they were talking together, 
 the Jotun remarked that Sleipnir was a good horse, but that his 
 own horse, Gullfaxi (golden mane), was better, and that it could 
 leap farther with its four feet than the former with its eight. 
 
 " Well," cried Odin, " I will wager my head upon my horse. 
 Catch me if thou canst." 
 
 He jumped upon Sleipnir and galloped away, the giant pursuing 
 him with a giant's rage. 
 
 Swift as the storm-wind, the Father of the gods galloped on far 
 ahead. Hrungnir was not aware, in his haste, that his golden- 
 maned horse was thundering over the bridge Bifrost until he 
 stopped at the gates of Walhalla. Then the King of the Ases 
 came out to meet him, and in return for his hospitality led him 
 into the hall. To Hrungnir was given the enormous goblet, full 
 of foaming beer, from which Thor was accustomed to drink. In 
 his ill-humour, he emptied it in a few draughts, and asked in his 
 intoxication for more and more. 
 
 " Ha ! " he exclaimed, " none of you know me yet. I will take 
 Walhalla upon my back and carry it off to Jotunheim. I will 
 throw Asgard into the abyss of Nifelhel, and strangle you all, 
 except Freya and Sif, whom I will take home with me. I will 
 empty all your beer barrels to the sediment. Bring me what you 
 have. Freya shall be my cup-bearer." 
 
 The trembling goddess poured him out a bumper, but the other 
 Ases called aloud for Thor. 
 
 The god appeared in the hall with the speed of the lightning 
 that flashes down from the sky. 
 
 " Who has permitted the Thurse to sit down in holy Asgard ? " 
 
THOR'S DUEL WITH HRUNGNIR. 139 
 
 he demanded in a voice of thunder. " Why does Freya give him 
 the drinking-horn ? His head shall be broken in punishment for 
 this." 
 
 And as he said these words, his eyes sparkled and his hand 
 closed round the shaft of his hammer. 
 
 Then Hrungnir immediately at once became sober. He stam- 
 mered out that Odin had invited him to the feast, and that it 
 would be dishonourable of Thor to attack an unarmed man. Yet 
 he would be ready to fight with him at Griottunagard (rolling- 
 stone, or also rock-wall) in the borders of Jotunheim. 
 
 The Ase could not withdraw from this challenge, and the Jotun 
 made all the haste he could to reach home with a whole skin. 
 
 Everywhere and in all countries the coming duel was talked 
 about. The Jotuns knew that their best fighting man was going 
 to venture on a dangerous undertaking. They consulted together 
 how they might ensure him the victory. 
 
 They made a clay man nine miles high and three miles across 
 the chest, Mockerkalfi (Mist-wader) by name, who was to help their 
 hero in the fight, but who had only a trembling mare's heart in 
 his breast. The Jotun himself had a triangular heart of stone, and 
 his skull was also of stone, and his shield and his club too. 
 
 Hrungnir and his clay squire awaited Thor at Griottunagard on 
 the appointed day. The Ase did not waste time. He drove up 
 in the midst of rolling thunder and flashing lightning, surrounded 
 by clouds. His quick-footed servant, Thialfi, ran on before him, 
 and called out to the Jotun that he was mistaken in holding his 
 shield before him, for the god would come up out of the ground 
 to attack him. 
 
 Then Hrungnir flung his shield under his feet and seized his club 
 in both hand, to be in readiness to throw it, or to hit out with it. 
 He now perceived the Ase swinging Miolnir, so he threw his club 
 at him with fearful strength. The weapons crashed together in 
 
Ho ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the middle of the lists ; but the force of the hammer was so great 
 that it splintered the club and broke the stone-head of the giant 
 in pieces, felling him almost dead to the ground. Meanwhile a 
 splinter from the club had penetrated Thor's forehead, so that he 
 also fell, and as it happened, right under the leg of the falling 
 giant. Sturdy Thialfi had in the meantime despatched the clay 
 giant with a spade, and had broken him up into the clay from 
 which he had been made. He now tried to help his master, but 
 could not lift the giant's leg. Other Ases tried also, until at length 
 the strong boy Magni came up. And he pushed aside the heavy 
 weight as though it were a mere trifle, saying : 
 
 " What a pity it is, Father, that I did not come sooner ; I could 
 have broken that fellow's stone head with my fist." 
 
 " Thou wilt be a strong man," said Thor ; " and thou shalt have 
 the good horse Gullfaxi as a reward for helping me." 
 
 He then strove to pull the stone splinter out of his brow, but 
 could neither move it nor could he even loosen it, so he was forced 
 to drive home to Thrudheim with an aching head. 
 
 Loving Sif and anxious Thrud vainly endeavoured to alleviate 
 the pain Thor was enduring. The prophetess Groa (green-making) 
 now came to the house. She could move rocks with her magic 
 spells, and also stop the course of wild floods. She offered to cure 
 Thor. Then she drew her circles and sang her wondrous songs. 
 The stone began already to shake and grow looser, and the 
 wounded Ase hoped for a speedy cure. In order to give Groa 
 pleasure, he told her, while she murmured her spells, that he had 
 waded across the ice-stream Eliwagar, carrying her husband, 
 Orwandil, on his back, and had broken off one of Orwandil's 
 frost-bitten toes, which he had flung up into the sky, where it way 
 now shining like a star. 
 
 " And now," he said, " he is on his way home to thee." 
 
 Scarcely were the words out of his mouth, when Groa sprang up 
 
THOR'S JOURNEY TO HYMIR. 141 
 
 joyfully, forgetting all about her magic spells. And so the splinter 
 remained in Thor's forehead. 
 
 According to the poet Uhland, this is a poetical description 
 of the splitting of the rocks by the crashing hammer of the god. 
 Thialfi, the diligent husbandman, conquered the clay giant, the 
 uncultivated ground, while Thor made agriculture possible among 
 the rocks. He was hurt by the falling stones when doing this. 
 Groa (the green-making), the sprouting power in plants, was married 
 to Orwandil (living seed), whom Thor carried on his shoulders 
 through the wintry ice-streams Eliwagar. Mannhardt looks upon 
 Orwandil as lightning sparks. We refrain from noticing further 
 the different interpretations put upon the story. The skald found 
 the natural myth, touched the strings of his harp and sang his song 
 with all his heart, careless whether he gave the old myth in all its 
 particulars or not. 
 
 Journey to Hymir. — In this myth the terrors of the polar regions 
 are described. It was in that northern realm that the Frost-giant 
 Hymir (the dusk-maker) ruled, and in his house lived the golden, 
 white-browed goddess of light, who had been stolen from her 
 home, and also the nine-hundred headed grandmother, the moun- 
 tains of ice and snow. 
 
 Hymir was guardian of the great brewing vat, whose depth 
 might be counted by miles ; by this was probably meant the 
 Arctic Ocean, through which the summer god, Thor, opened a 
 passage for seafaring men. Thor conquered the terrors of the 
 Arctic climate before which even the bold Wikings drew back 
 appalled, while in our days, brave North Pole voyagers face them 
 undauntedly. 
 
 Thus Uhland explains the myth, and we feel inclined to agree 
 with him ; nevertheless, this journey to Hymir is said by other 
 commentators to mean a descent into the Under-world. Perhaps 
 both explanations are admissible, for all nature is dead in winter, 
 
142 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 buried under a pall of snow, and the ideas of winter and death 
 are frequently interchangeable. Strong Thor, therefore, descended 
 into the Under-world, conquered its terrors, as he did those of the 
 Hrimthurses, and returned home victorious, in like manner as 
 Herakles did in the Greek myth, which ascribes to him a heroic 
 deed of the same kind as this. 
 
 THOR'S JOURNEY TO THRYMHEIM TO GET BACK 
 
 HIS HAMMER. 
 
 Night with her starry diadem had spread her mantle over 
 Asgard. Every creature was asleep ; the Ases in their golden 
 chambers, and the Einheriar stretched out on the benches of Wal- 
 halla after a goodly feast on the flesh of Sahrimnir, and many a 
 draught of delicious mead. They dreamt happy dreams of brave 
 deeds and of the joys of victory. 
 
 Wingthor alone tossed restlessly about on his cushions of down. 
 He heard in his dreams the murmur of wicked runes, and saw a 
 gigantic hand seize hold of Miolnir. At length he was awakened 
 by hollow peals of thunder. He snatched at the hammer which 
 always lay by his bedside, but could not find it. Angrily he 
 sprang to his feet and felt about for it ; but it was gone ; the faint 
 light of morning showed that the place where he had laid it was 
 empty. He shook his head wrathfully and his eyes flashed fire. 
 His beard grew redder than ever, and the house trembled at his 
 shout : 
 
 " Miolnir is gone ; it has been stolen by enchantment." 
 
 Loki heard his cry, and said to him : 
 
 " I will get thee back thy hammer, whoever has stolen it, if 
 Freya will lend me her Falcon-dress." 
 
THOR'S JOURNEY TO GET BACK HIS HAMMER. 143 
 
 So they went to Folkwang and entered the presence of Freya. 
 They addressed her in courteous words, and asked her to lend 
 them her feather-garment, that they might spy out who had stolen 
 Miolnir. 
 
 And the gentle goddess answered : " You may have it. I would 
 lend it to you willingly, even if it were made of silver or gold." 
 
 She then took the dress out of a chest and gave it to the Ases. 
 And now Loki flew with rhythmic strokes of his wings, high above 
 the precincts of Asgard and the swift river Ifing, until he reached 
 the barren mountains of Jotunheim. 
 
 Thrym, a prince of the Thurses, was sitting there on a hill. He 
 was decorating his dogs, that ran quickly as the wind, with golden 
 ribbons, and making the manes of his fiery horses shine. 
 
 "What news dost thou bring from Asgard, that thou comest 
 alone to Thiymheim ? " he called out to the new-comer : " how 
 goes it with the Ases and how with the Elves ? " 
 
 " Badly with both Ases and Elves," answered Loki, " for Miol- 
 nir is lost. Speak, hast thou hidden it anywhere ? " 
 
 Then the Thurse laughed, and said : " I have hidden it eight 
 miles deep in a cleft of the earth ; and no one shall have it unless 
 he brings me Freya as a bride to my halls." 
 
 Enraged at his message, Loki flew back over the Ifing river to 
 Asgard, where Thor awaited him. He gave the message of the 
 wicked Thurse. 
 
 Again Thor and Loki went to visit the goddess in her shining 
 hall at Folkwang. 
 
 " Up and dress thyself, Freya," said Thor ; " put on thy snowy 
 bridal garments, and I will take thee to Thrym, prince of the 
 Thurses." 
 
 Then the goddess' anger was kindled at this address, and she 
 started from her throne, making the palace shake to its founda- 
 tions. 
 
144 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 "You may call me mad," she cried, "if ever I follow thee in 
 bridal array to Thrymheim, to the Prince of the Thurses, monster 
 that he is." 
 
 Having thus spoken, she dismissed the Ases from her presence 
 without a word of farewell. 
 
 The Ases now all assembled on their seats of justice near the 
 fountain of Urd, that they might consult together as to the best 
 means of rescuing the hammer from the power of the Giants. 
 
 The first to speak was Heimdal, the god who resembled a Want 
 in wisdom ; he said : — 
 
 " Let Thor himself put on the bridal garments, let a bunch of 
 keys jingle at his waist, let precious stones sparkle upon his neck, 
 let his knees be covered by the petticoats of a woman, and a veil 
 be put before his face. 
 
 The Prince of the Ases did not approve of the advice of wise 
 Heimdal. He would, he said, be always called a woman in future, 
 if he ever put on female apparel. But when Loki replied that if 
 he did not get back the hammer the giants would soon come to 
 live in Asgard, he consented to do as the Ases entreated. 
 
 Soon afterwards he sat in his chariot dressed as a bride, and 
 Loki, son of Laufey, in the guise of a serving maid, seated him- 
 self by his side. 
 
 The goats set off; they rushed in wild leaps through Asgard 
 and Midgard ; the earth smoked, and rocks and mountains split 
 with loud reports wherever they went. 
 
 Thrym was sitting comfortably at the threshold of his hall. He 
 watched his golden-horned cows coming home, he saw his large 
 herds of black bullocks, his stores of gold and precious stones in 
 their iron caskets. 
 
 " I have a great store of riches," he said ; " the only thing 
 wanting now is that Freya should be my wife. And to-morrow 
 she will enter my halls j so strew the benches my men, and have 
 
THORS JOURNEY TO THRYMHEIM. 145 
 
 plenty of food and mead in readiness, for it beseems a spacious 
 hall like mine that the wedding should be a merry one." 
 
 Early next morning the visitors arrived, and soon afterwards 
 his bride was sitting beside Thrym, well-veiled, as modesty and 
 custom demanded. 
 
 The tables were laden with costly food and wine, which were a 
 pleasure to look at as well as to eat and drink. No one could 
 rival the bride, however. She ate a fat ox in no time, then eight 
 huge salmon, and all the sweet cakes that were made for the 
 women, and in addition she drank two barrels of mead. The 
 Thurse was astonished at her hunger. 
 
 " Well," he exclaimed, " I never before saw a bride with such an 
 appetite, nor did I ever see a girl drink mead in such a degree !" 
 
 But the serving maid assured him that her mistress had tasted 
 neither bite nor sup for a week, so excited had she been at the 
 thought of her wedding. 
 
 The Jotun wished to kiss his bride on hearing this, and raised 
 her veil for the purpose ; but at the sight of Freya's flaming eyes, 
 which seemed as though they flashed fire at him, he shrank back 
 to the end of the room. 
 
 But the wise maid calmed down his apprehensions. " My lady," 
 she said, " has not slept for a week, and that is the reason her 
 eyes are so fiery." 
 
 The gaunt sister of the Thurse now approached the bride to 
 ask for a wedding present. 
 
 "Give me," she entreated, "golden rings and a pair of buckles, 
 and thou shalt enjoy my love." 
 
 Unmoved by this appeal, the bride sat silent in her wedding 
 array. Then the Prince, intoxicated with love and mead, com- 
 manded that the hammer should be brought from its hiding-place, 
 that the marriage might be solemnized in the usual way. 
 
 "And then," he added, "place it in the lap of the bride." 
 
 L 
 
146 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 It seemed at that moment as though the bride were stifling 
 a laugh beneath her veil, and indeed a ferocious laugh was heard 
 when the Prince's command had been obeyed. 
 
 Now the bride rose, and threw off her veil ; it was Asathor, 
 terrible to look upon ; he raised his bare arm and held Miolnir 
 aloft in his mighty right hand. The walls of the room tottered 
 and cracked, a peal of thunder shook the house and a flash of 
 lightning darted through the hall. Thrym lay stretched on the 
 floor with a broken head ; his guests and his servants fell under 
 the blows of the hammer ; not even his gaunt sister escaped. The 
 flames made their way out through the roof; and house and hall 
 fell with a loud crash. A smoking heap of ruins alone remained 
 to show the place where the powerful Thrym had ruled. 
 
 The spring sun rose ; it shone down upon the devastated dwelling, 
 the broken rocks, fallen stones, torn and uprooted soil, and upon 
 the victorious god who had conquered the power of the enemy. 
 
 The storm-clouds of anger were gone from Trior's brow. He 
 stood upon the height and gazed at his work of destruction with 
 a gentle and kindly look upon his face. Then he called his 
 children of men to come and instil new life into the destruction, 
 so that farms and dwelling houses, agriculture and commerce, 
 civic order, law and morality should arise and flourish there. And 
 so into this conquered land came farmers and builders, with 
 hatchet, spade, and plough ; herdsmen with their cattle and sheep, 
 and mighty hunters to keep down the numbers of bears and 
 wolves. And Thor was in the midst of them, setting up stones 
 to mark the boundaries, consecrating the tilled land with his 
 hammer ; then the grateful people erected an altar to him, made 
 a great feast in his honour, and promised him the first-fruits of 
 their labour. After that Thor got into his chariot, followed by 
 Loki, and together they returned to Asgard rejoicing in what they 
 had done. 
 
THORS JOURNEY TO GEIROD. H7 
 
 We have pointed here to the natural myth which lies at the 
 foundation of this poem. The myth is one of the most beautiful 
 in the Elder Edda. The poet has made free use of the materials 
 that were at his disposal, so that the most minute details of the 
 primitive myth can never be discovered; yet the following can 
 be made out with certainty. 
 
 The beneficent Thunder god, who ruled over summer, was 
 deprived of his hammer in the winter ; Thrym (Thunder) hid 
 it eight miles deep in the ground, i.e., for eight months. He 
 desired to have possession of Freya, the fair goddess of spring, 
 in order that he might deprive man of the bright weather she 
 brought with her. But Thor regained his hammer, and slew the 
 Frost-giant and his followers, and his gaunt sister too, who accord- 
 ing to Uhland was the famine that haunts rude mountain districts. 
 Thus the god opened a new field to human industry. 
 
 JOURNEY TO GEIROD'S-GARD. 
 
 Loki once took Frigg's falcon-dress ; he wrapped himself in 
 it and hovered over many an abyss and broad stream until he had 
 flown right above the barren rocks and ice of Jotunheim. He 
 saw a chimney in the distance, out of which fire and smoke were 
 issuing. Quickly he flew there, and perceived that the chimney 
 belonged to a rambling grange. 
 
 This was Geirod's-Gard, where Prince Geirod, the Hrimthurse, 
 dwelt with his people. The Ase was curious to know what was 
 going on in the large hall, and fluttered down close to the window. 
 But the Thurse caught sight of the falcon, and sent a servant 
 out to catch it. Loki amused himself by making the man climb 
 the high railing above which he fluttered, taking care to keep, as 
 he thought, just out of reach ; but suddenly he was caught by the 
 leg and given to the giant. 
 
148 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 "This is a strange-looking bird," said Geirod, staring into the 
 falcon's eyes as though he thought he could thus discover its 
 character. "Tell me," he asked, addressing it, "whence thou 
 comest, and what thou really art ? " 
 
 But the bird remained silent and motionless. 
 
 So the Prince determined to tame him through hunger, and 
 locking him up in a chest left him there for three months without 
 food. 
 
 When he was taken out at the end of that time, Loki told 
 who he was and begged to be set free. 
 
 At this the Thurse laughed so loud that he shook the hall and 
 the whole grange. 
 
 "At length," he exclaimed, "I have got what I have long 
 desired, a hostage of the Ases. I will not let thee go until thou 
 hast sworn a holy oath to bring me Thor, the Giant-killer, without 
 his hammer and girdle of strength, that I may fight him hand 
 to hand. I expect that I shall conquer him as easily as I would 
 a boy, and then I shall send him down to Hel's dark realm." 
 
 Loki promised with a holy oath to do as the giant bade, and 
 flew quickly away. 
 
 When the cunning Ase had recovered from his fatigue, he 
 remembered his oath. He told strong Thor that Geirod had 
 received him most hospitably, and that he had expressed a great 
 wish to see the unconquerable protector of Asgard face to face, 
 but without the terrible signs of his power, of which he was much 
 afraid. Loki went on to say that there were strange things to be 
 seen at the giant's house which were not to be seen elsewhere. 
 Thor listened to the tempter, and at once set out on his journey, 
 accompanied by Loki. 
 
 On his way to Geirods-gard he met the giantess Grid, by whom 
 Odin had once had a son named Widar, the silent. She told him 
 what the true character of Geirod was, and lent him her girdle 
 
THOR'S JOURNEY TO GEIROD. 149 
 
 of strength, and her staff and iron glove as a defence against the 
 giant. 
 
 The day after this, he and Loki reached the broad river Wimur, 
 which stretched out before them like a sea, and was so wide that 
 the other shore was invisible. When Thor began to wade across, 
 steadying himself by means of his staff, the water rose, and the 
 waves beat wildly against his shoulders. 
 
 " Do not rise, Wimur," he cried, " for I must wade over to the 
 giant's house." 
 
 Then he saw Geirod's daughter, Gialp, standing in the cleft 
 of a rock and making the water rise. He forced her to flee by 
 throwing a great stone at her, and afterwards got safely over 
 to the other bank, which he managed to climb, swinging himself 
 up by means of a service tree. Loki also got safely over, for 
 he clung to Thor's girdle the whole way. 
 
 When the travellers saw the chimney with the fire issuing 
 from it, and the castle high as a mountain just in front of 
 them, they knew that they had got to the end of their journey. 
 
 They went into the entrance hall. Thor seated himself wearily 
 upon the only chair that was to be seen. But he soon discovered 
 that it was rising higher and higher, so that he was in danger 
 of being crushed against the ceiling. He pressed the end of 
 his staff against the beams that ran across the top of the hall, 
 and with all his Ase-strength tried to force the chair down again. 
 A terrible crack and a cry of pain told him that he had hurt 
 some living creature in his struggles. Gialp and Greip, Geirod's 
 daughters, had raised the chair on which he was sitting, and 
 they now lay under it with broken backs, victims of their own 
 cunning. 
 
 A monster serving-man now challenged Thor to a fencing < 
 bout in the great hall. On entering it the Ase saw with 
 amazement that fires were burning all round the walls, the 
 
ISO ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 flames and smoke of which rose through the chimney he had 
 seen before. 
 
 Instead of giving him courteous greeting, the Jotun king flung 
 an iron wedge at him, which he had taken red hot out of the 
 furnace with a pair of tongs. But Thor caught it in his iron glove 
 and threw it back with such impetus that it broke through the 
 brazen breastplate and body of the Jotun, and then crashed 
 through the wall, burying itself deep in the earth on the other 
 side of it. Thor looked down on the cowering giant who had 
 at once turned into stone. He set him up as a monument 
 of his victory, and there the petrified monster remained for 
 centuries, reminding succeeding generations of men of the great 
 deeds done by Asathor. 
 
 This is said to be another of the natural myths which tell 
 how the beneficent god of summer conquered the destructive 
 tempest with his own weapons ; the two daughters are supposed 
 to be personifications of the mountain torrents which caused rivers 
 to overflow. 
 
 According to some, however, this legend, like the last one, 
 describes a descent of the god into the Underworld, and there 
 is also a similar one related by Saxo Grammaticus, of which 
 Thorkill is the hero. 
 
 But we are of opinion that it is far more likely to have been 
 in the volcanic island of Iceland that Thor was victorious over 
 the demon. The island was known to the skalds, from the 
 descriptions of bold sailors, long before its colonization by the 
 Northmen. Tales of volcanic eruptions and hot springs must 
 have excited the imagination of the poets extremely. Thus 
 perhaps arose the myth of Thor's journey to Geirods-gard, in 
 which the god conquers the demon of subterranean fire. This 
 view is supported by the shape of a rock near Haukadal, where, 
 within a circle of 900 feet, are geysers and strocks. The rock 
 
THE HARBARD LAY. 151 
 
 is said to resemble a gigantic man cowering down, his body broken 
 in the middle. 
 
 THE HARBARD LAY. 
 
 In this poem Odin acts the part of a ferryman, under the name 
 of Harbard, refuses to row Thor, the god of agriculture, over 
 the river, and sends him on his way with opprobrious words. 
 
 The reason was, that Odin was the god of the spirit and the 
 warlike courage which animated the nobles and their retainers. 
 The proud warriors and skalds despised the peaceful peasantry 
 who remained quietly at home, lived upon herrings and oatmeal 
 porridge, and hated the devastation caused by war ; while they, 
 on the contrary, were continually fighting for wealth and glory, 
 and hoped to rise to Odin's halls after death upon the field of 
 battle. 
 
 This contempt for the tiller of the soil is clearly shown in the 
 Lay, which makes the protector of agriculture play a very pitiful 
 part. The myth had its rise in later times, when the old faith 
 in the gods and deep reverence for them had already begun to 
 decay. 
 
 The bold Wikings did not hesitate to say that they trusted 
 more in their own good swords than in the help of Odin and 
 Asathor. The Lay was perhaps composed at that time, but 
 still, it rested on an older one, in which the myth of agriculture, 
 of the apparent death of Fiorgyn or Jord, mother of Thor, through 
 the devastation caused by war, and of the renewed life of the 
 Earth-goddess, were more clearly described. 
 
 IRMIN. 
 
 As we have before remarked, the Prince of the Ases was 
 worshipped as one of the holy ones by the Teutonic race ; it is 
 probable that he was also adored under the name of Irmin, and 
 
152 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 that the different Irmin-columns were dedicated to him. But 
 Irmin means universal, and it was to the universal, omnipotent 
 
 j> god that the Irmin-columns were erected. It was he who helped 
 the Teutons to victory in their battles against the Romans ; for 
 this reason the celebrated Irmin-column, which was destroyed 
 nearly 800 years later by Charlemagne, was set up in his honour 
 at Osning (in the Teutoburg Forest). It also reminds us of 
 
 \ the hero Armin, who was held in great reverence, and whose 
 name and character were in process of time confounded with those 
 of the god. 
 
 Irmin was also supposed to be identical with the mythical 
 hero Iring, who, when the Franks and the Saxons were fighting 
 against the Thuringians, traitorously slew his lord, Irminfried, 
 and then killed the false-hearted ruler of the Franks. After this 
 he cut his way through the ranks of the enemy, sword in hand, 
 and did many other heroic deeds. If this hero was the same as 
 Irmin, he was very different from Thor, whose nature in all the 
 myths regarding him was always true-hearted, and never cunning. 
 But the legend also makes out the traitor to have been different 
 from the god, for, after their victory, the Saxons erected a pillar 
 to Irmin, and not to the Thuringian Iring. 
 
 Irmin was the common god of many tribes, and some philolo- 
 gists derive the name " German " from him. He was the guardian 
 deity of the Thuringians, Katti, and Cherusci, and showered 
 down his blessings upon them as he drove over the firmament of 
 heaven in the Irmin-wain (Great Bear or Charles' Wain). The 
 Milky-way, Iring or Irmin-road, the way of souls, was also sacred 
 to him, and thus he was the ruler of souls, and identical with 
 Aryama, the national god of all the Aryan races in the oldest 
 times. The Kelts worshipped the same god under the names of 
 
 \ Erimon and Erin, whence Ireland and the Irish are called after 
 him. The chariot in which he drove through the heavens showed 
 
"rvu 
 
 CHAINING OF THE FENRIS WOLF. 
 
CHAINING OF THE FENRIS WOLF. 155 
 
 his relationship to Thor according to the oldest ideas ; but still 
 Odin, the Leader of souls, had much in common with him. Tyr, 
 the ancient god of heaven, the sword-god, was, however, yet more 
 nearly kin to him, because he was depicted in warlike array, and 
 because the monuments of victory, the Irmin-columns, were called j 
 after him. Several places have also derived their names from 
 him. 
 
 TYR OR ZIO. 
 
 Who is there, who, after a hard day's work, has not rejoiced to 
 see the approach of quiet Mother Night, when, wrapped in her 
 starry mantle, she brings back peace to the world which has been 
 robbed of it by restless Day ? 
 
 This feeling of peace has often been destroyed by a sound that 
 has something mysterious and strange about it. It is only the 
 long-drawn howl of a dog, a sound that is heard most frequently 
 when the moon is shining brightly ; but it has something grue- 
 some in it, and this accounts for the popular belief that it betokens ^ 
 the death of the person who hears it. 
 
 A circumstance of this kind happened once upon a time within 
 the holy precincts of Asgard. 
 
 Mani (the moon) was following Mother Night merrily in his 
 chariot, when suddenly he started and his happy face became 
 clouded, for out of a great abyss there arose a howling noise which 
 quickly swelled to a dreadful roar, so that the whole earth 
 trembled as after a peal of thunder. 
 
 The Ases were awakened by it, and the Einheriar snatched at 
 their weapons, for they thought that Ragnarok had come. 
 Amongst them stood Tyr, tall and slender as a pine, and unmoved 
 by the terrors that they had expected. 
 
 " Fenris," he said, " has been wakened by the moon, and wants 
 something to eat ; I will go and feed him." 
 
156 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Then he set out in the night, laden with living and dead animals 
 with which to appease the monster's rapacity. Once more the 
 terrible roar was heard, then it seemed that the monster was 
 quieted ; only the cracking and crunching of the bones of the 
 animals he devoured could now be heard. 
 
 In the morning the Ases held council as to what was to be 
 done ; for the Wolf was slinking about, casting greedy looks at 
 Asgard, as though he were devising how to break into the castles 
 of the gods and carry off the spoil. They saw how gigantic he 
 had grown, and knew that he daily increased in size and strength. 
 
 Heimdal pointed at Thor's hammer, and at Gungnir, the death- 
 spear, in Odin's hand ; but Allfather said gravely : 
 
 " The black blood of the monster may not soil the sacred courts 
 of the gods. A chain must be made, so strong that it cannot be 
 broken ; then let him be bound with it, that his rage may be held 
 in check." 
 
 The word was spoken, the work must be done. The Ases 
 forged the chain Leuthing as quickly as they could, and took it to 
 the Lyngwi island, where the Wolf, enticed by Tyr, followed them 
 willingly. 
 
 The Wolf peacefully allowed himself to be bound, for he knew 
 his own strength. When he was fully chained, he twisted and 
 stretched himself, and the iron-ropes broke in pieces like weak 
 thread. 
 
 A second chain, called Droma, much stronger than the first, 
 was made, and he bore it for a moment ; then he shook himself 
 violently, and it fell clattering to the ground, broken to pieces. 
 
 The Ases stood round him silent and not knowing what to do, 
 while Fenris increased his strength by devouring the food that 
 had been thrown to him. 
 
 Wishfather now sent Skirnir, a young but wise and able servant 
 of Freyer, to the Home of the Black-Elves, to get the Elves, who 
 
CHAINING OF THE FENRIS WOLF. 157 
 
 were versed in magic lore, and who lived in the bowels of the 
 earth, to make fetters that should bind the Destroyer. 
 
 The underground people made a chain, small and slight as a 
 silken thread, which they called Gleipnir. They said that it 
 would grow stronger and stronger the more the prisoner strove to 
 free himself from it. 
 
 Skirnir took the chain to the Ases. The All-Devourer resisted, 
 and opened his mighty jaws threatening to swallow up all who 
 tried to bind him ; for he guessed that there was magic power 
 concealed in the slight fetters. 
 
 Then brave Tyr came forward, petted and stroked the monster, 
 and put his right hand into his jaws. Fenris thought this a sign 
 that no evil was meant, so he allowed the slender chain to be 
 bound around his neck and feet. 
 
 When this was done, he stretched himself violently, en- 
 deavouring to break his bonds, but they only became the stronger 
 and cut into his skin and flesh. He had already bitten off Tyr's 
 hand, and now he opened his blood-red jaws to seize the god 
 himself and the other Ases too. But they feared the wild beast 
 no longer ; they thrust a sharp sword into his gaping mouth till 
 the point penetrated the palate above and prevented him 
 biting. 
 
 Then they fastened Gleipnir to two great rocks, that the Wolf 
 might not get away. In vain the monster howled day and night 
 while the blood ran down between his jaws and collected in the 
 river Wan ; he could not break his bonds. 
 
 Thus is crime, which threatens to corrupt the human race, bound 
 by the apparently slight fetters of law, and as the power of the 
 Wolf was broken by the sword, that of crime is kept under by the 
 awards of justice. When a people no longer heeds the law, and 
 throws aside all civic order, crime frees itself from its fetters, and 
 the nation rushes to its ruin as surely as Gleipnir would be broken 
 
153 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 ^ 
 
 in the Twilight of the Gods, as surely as the All-Devourer would 
 become freed from his chains and from the sword. 
 
 Tyr was called Tius by the Goths, Tio or Zio by the Anglo- 
 Saxons, and the same by the Suevi, a tribe of whom, the Jut- 
 hungen, lived beside the Lake of Constance. They were called 
 Ziowari (servants of Zio), because they regarded this god as 
 their guardian deity ; the name of their chief town was Ziesburg 
 (now Augsburg). The rune that stands for it, and is called 
 after the god, is the sign of the sword. It bears the names of 
 Tius, Tio, in Old High-German Zio, and besides these, is known 
 as Eor, Erch, Erich, and in old Saxon Er, Eru, Heru or Cheru. 
 These different appellations were all borne by the god, whose 
 worship was so wide-spread. 
 
 Moreover the religion of the Suevi acknowledged a goddess Zisu, 
 as is proved from the fragment of a Latin chronicle. She had a 
 temple in Augsburg, and was of a warlike nature ; she must there- 
 fore have been the female representative of the god Zio or Tyr. 
 This god was the expression in ancient times of the impression 
 that nature as a whole made upon the minds of those who were 
 influenced by her. He was without form, and originally without a 
 a name. When the Romans first knew the Germanic race he had 
 already become a personality and was endowed with attributes, 
 for they compared him with their own Mars, and therefore recog- 
 nised him to be the god of war. Thus he had lost his original 
 signification. 
 
 Tyr or Tius, meant brightness, glory, then the shining firmament, 
 and was derived from the same root as the Hindu Djaus, the 
 Greek Zeus, and the Roman Jupiter (Diu-piter, Dies-pater). Rays 
 of sunlight and forked lightning both come from the sky, and 
 were typified in arrows and deadly missiles. In the middle ages 
 arrows were still called rays in German. Hence an arrow became 
 the attribute and also the symbol of the omnipotent god of 
 

 TYR, THE SWORD-GOD. 
 
HERU, CHERUj SAX NOT. 161 
 
 heaven ; in later times a sword took the place of the arrow as it 
 was a stronger weapon in battle. This symbol remained to him 
 in the rune and also in the groves which were dedicated to him. 
 When his place was afterwards given to Wodan and Thor as the 
 ruling gods of heaven, Tyr was looked upon as the god of battles, 
 whose help must be entreated during the fight and whose rune 
 of victory was scratched on the handles and blades of swords while 
 ejaculating the name of the god. 
 
 Tyr was held in much less honour in the time of the skalds ; 
 he was then regarded as the son of Odin and the god of unnatural 
 warfare that could never be appeased. Odin, the god of the mind, 
 of martial courage and of poetic enthusiasm, had taken his place 
 as the ideal of Kings and brave Jarls. Thor also, the god of the 
 peasant, the benefactor of mankind, helped to force him into the 
 background and gained some of the devotion Tyr had lost. 
 
 HERITOR CHERU, SAXNOT. 
 
 Nearly related to the warlike Tyr, perhaps identical with him, 
 were Heru or Cheru and Saxnot. They were essentially German 
 sword-gods, and were not known to the northern skalds. Their 
 worship was wide-spread ; for the Alanes, Ouades, Getes and 
 Markomanns paid divine honours to the sword, and even the 
 Scythians, as Herodotus tells us, planted it in a high pyramidal 
 heap of brush-wood, and called upon it as the symbol of the 
 divinity. Many legends are still in existence about it, one of 
 which we give as an example. 
 
 Cheru's sword was made in the mysterious smithy of the Dwarfs, 
 whose artistic workmanship was celebrated among Ases and men. 
 The sons of Iwaldi, who had made Odin's spear, and Sindri, who 
 had forged Miolnir, had united their efforts in making the mar- 
 vellous weapon on which the fate of kings and nations was to hang. 
 
1 62 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The zealous master-smiths worked busily within the earth, when 
 Sokwabek was built under the flowing river, until at length the 
 shining sword was completed, which Cheru the mighty god re- 
 ceived. 
 
 This sword shone every morning on the high-place of the 
 sanctuary, sending forth its light afar when dawn arose, like a 
 flame of fire ; but one day its place was empty and the rosy light 
 of morning only shone upon the altar from which the god had 
 disappeared. 
 
 The priests and nobles sought the advice of the wise woman. 
 This was the inscrutable answer they received. 
 
 " The Norns wandered on the ways of night ; the moon had 
 hidden his face ; they laced the threads, strong and powerful, of 
 gods and men, that none might break. One towards the east, 
 the other towards the west, and one towards the south ; the black 
 thread towards the north. They spake to Cheru : ' Go, choose out 
 the ruler, the lord of the earth ; give him the two-edged sword to 
 his own hurt.' He has it, he holds it in his hands ; but yet Cheru 
 the lord will bring it back after a time." 
 
 Startled at this dark oracle, the men begged for an explanation ; 
 but the maiden of the tower gave no reply. Meanwhile the story 
 relates the course of events, and throws the only light that is given 
 upon the riddle. 
 
 Vitellius, the Roman prefect of the Lower Rhine, was supping 
 past midnight in his house at Cologne, for he liked the pleasures 
 of the table better than all the glory and all the diadems in the 
 world. 
 
 When he was told that a stranger, bearing important news from 
 Germany, wanted to speak to him, he rose impatiently. He 
 desired to get rid of him as soon as possible ; but when he entered 
 the anteroom, he found himself in the presence of a man of such 
 distinguished appearance, that he could not treat him dis- 
 
THE MAGIC SWORD OF CHERU. 163 
 
 courteously. He would have at once taken him for one of the 
 Immortals, if his self-indulgent life had not long ago destroyed 
 his faith in the religion of his ancestors. 
 
 The stranger gave him a sword of beautiful workmanship, and 
 said : 
 
 " Take this weapon ; keep it carefully and use it well, and it 
 will bring thee glory and empire. All hail, Csesar Augustus ! " 
 
 The prefect examined the sword ; when he looked up, the 
 stranger was gone, and the guard had neither seen him come nor 
 go. He returned to the supper-room and told what had happened. 
 He drew the sword out of its sheath, and it was as though a flash 
 of lightning passed through the room. 
 
 Immediately a voice exclaimed, but whether in the room or not, 
 no one could say : " That is the sword of the divine Caesar ! All 
 hail, Vitellius ! All hail, Emperor ! " 
 
 The guests at the supper-table joined in the cry and spread 
 abroad the news ; next morning the legions greeted Vitellius as 
 Emperor. Messengers were despatched on horseback to the other 
 provinces, and Fortune seemed to have chosen him as her favourite. 
 His general conquered the army of his opponent, Rome opened 
 her doors to him and the whole East acknowledged his sway. 
 
 " It was the sword of the divine Caesar that made me master of 
 the world," said the Emperor, as he seated himself at table to 
 enjoy the delicacies which had been imported by land and water 
 from distant countries. He ceased to care for the sword ; he left- 
 it standing in a corner of the peristylium, where a Teutonic soldier 
 of the body-guard found it and took it in exchange for his own 
 clumsy old weapon. 
 
 The new possessor of the sword watched the conduct of the 
 Emperor with displeasure, for Vitellius cared for nothing but the 
 pleasures of eating and drinking ; he paid no attention to the 
 affairs of the Empire, or to the wants of the soldiers ; he took no 
 
164 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 notice when far away in Asia brave Vespasian had been proclaimed 
 Caesar by his legions. 
 
 The German soldier left the Emperor's service and mixed 
 himself with the idle populace. Meanwhile one misfortune after 
 another befel the gluttonous Emperor. Provinces, generals, armies 
 forsook him ; the enemy's troops approached the capital ; then 
 Vitellius had recourse to the sword which had before brought him 
 victory ; but instead of it he found only an old and useless 
 weapon. 
 
 Now all his courage forsook him ; he wished to escape, and 
 crept away to bury himself in a corner of the palace. The populace 
 tore him from his hiding-place, dragged him through the streets, 
 and when he reached the foot of the Capitol, the German soldier 
 stabbed him to death with the sword of Cheru or of the divine 
 Caesar. In this manner was the prophecy of» the wise woman 
 fulfilled : "to his own hurt." 
 
 Afterwards the German soldier left Rome and went to Pannonia, 
 where he re-entered the Roman service. He fought in many 
 battles and was victorious in all, and soon became so famous that 
 he was made centurion, and then tribune. When he grew old 
 and was incapable of further service, he made a hole on the bank 
 of the Danube, hid the good sword in it, and covered it up again 
 with earth. Then he built himself a hut and lived there until his 
 end. On his death-bed, he told the neighbours who had assembled 
 round him, of his battles, and how he had got possession of the 
 sword of Cheru ; but he did not betray the place where he had 
 hidden it, yet the saying that whoever should find the sword 
 would become ruler of the world, remained current among the 
 people from generation to generation. 
 
 Centuries came and went. The storm of the migration of races 
 swept over the Roman empire ; the Germanic races shared the 
 spoil amongst them ; the nomads of Asia, the wild Huns, made 
 
THE MAGIC SWORD OF CHERU. 165 
 
 their way over from the East, like the waves of a sea, in order to 
 have a share in the booty. Attila, or Etzel, raised his blood- 
 besprinkled banner in the desire for land and military fame, but 
 his efforts were fruitless for a long time. 
 
 As Attila was once riding with his troopers along the banks of 
 the Danube, he busied himself with framing in his own mind 
 gigantic plans of gaining for himself the empire of the world. He 
 happened to look up and saw a peasant driving a lame cow and 
 carrying a beautifully made sword under his arm. On being 
 questioned, the man replied that his cow had hurt her foot against 
 something sharp that was hidden in the grass, and that when he 
 sought for the cause of the injury he found and dug up the sword. 
 
 The king desired that the sword should be brought to him, and 
 drew it out of its sheath with joyful emotion ; its bright blade 
 shone fiery red in the evening light and all present stared at it in 
 amazement. 
 
 But Attila, holding up the shining weapon in his strong hand, 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " It is the sword of the war-god with which I shall conquer the 
 world." 
 
 Having said this, he galloped away to the camp, and soon after- 
 wards marched on to battles and victory. Whenever he drew the 
 sword of the war-god the earth trembled from the east to the very 
 west. 
 
 After his last campaign in Italy he married the beautiful Ildiko, 
 daughter of the King of Burgundy whom he had slain. The 
 youthful bride adorned herself unwillingly for the wedding she 
 hated. 
 
 An old woman came to her secretly, and gave her the sword 
 with which to revenge her father's death. 
 
 At length the king entered the bridal chamber in a state of in- 
 toxication and threw himself upon his couch. Ildiko now drew 
 
166 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the weapon from under her dress and stabbed him to the heart 
 with its sharp blade. 
 
 The rule of the Huns came to an end with the death of Attila, 
 and the Germanic races chased these hordes back to the steppes 
 whence they came ; but tradition does not inform us whether these 
 later deeds of war were done with the help of the miraculous 
 sword. Yet it tells us of many strange things performed by 
 means of it in the middle ages, and of how Duke Alba buried it 
 in the earth after the battle of Miihlberg. 
 
 HEIMDAL (RIGER). 
 
 Once upon a time, when there was peace in the worlds, Riger 
 arose and set out to visit his children of men, to see how they 
 lived and what they did. 
 
 He walked along the green road, and arrived at last at a badly 
 built house with a low roof. On the wooden bench beside the 
 hearth were seated a man and his wife. 
 
 Ai and Edda (great-grandfather and great-grandmother) were 
 their names, and they were very poorly clad. Riger addressed 
 them kindly, seated himself between them, and ate with them of 
 their coarse bran cakes, and their porridge in earthenware dishes. 
 
 The Ase remained in the cottage for three days and three nights, 
 giving good counsel to them, and then went on from the sea-sand 
 to the better ground for cultivation. 
 
 Nine moons after his departure a little boy was born to Ai and 
 Edda, whose skin was of a dark colour and whose forehead was 
 low. His parents called the lad Thrall. He grew and flou- 
 rished, and soon learnt to use his strength. He tied up bundles 
 with his muscular arms, and carried heavy weights upon his back 
 all day long. 
 
 When he had grown to man's estate, he married a girl with black 
 
ORIGIN OF CLASS-DISTINCTIONS. 167 
 
 feet and sunburnt hands, called Thyr, who worked with the great- 
 est diligence. From them are descended the race of Thralls. 
 
 Meanwhile Riger pursued his journey. He came to a roomy, 
 well-built house in the middle of a cultivated field. There he 
 found Afi and Amma (grandfather and grandmother) neatly 
 dressed and working busily. The husband was making a loom, 
 and the wife was spinning snowy linen thread on her wheel. A 
 pot of good food was bubbling on the fire. Amma soon filled the 
 plates, and at the same time gave her guest a cup of foaming beer 
 as was the custom of the free-born farmer. Riger gave them much 
 good advice regarding the management of house and land ; and 
 after remaining with them for three days and three nights, he set 
 out again along the road which ran through shady groves and 
 across green meadows. 
 
 Nine moons passed, and then came a happy time, for a little 
 boy was born to the great delight of his parents. He was called 
 Karl (lad), and grew and flourished ; rosy were his cheeks, and 
 bright and clear his eyes. 
 
 The boy soon learnt to drive the plough, to yoke the oxen and 
 make carts in the same way as his father. In course of time he 
 married Snor (cord), who was rich in keys and wore finely-woven 
 dresses ; and he brought her home to his new house. Sons and 
 daughters were born of this marriage ; all grew up active, merry, 
 and free, and dwelt upon their own land. 
 
 Meanwhile Riger walked on through beautiful fields and bloom- 
 ing gardens up to the manor house on the top of a sloping hill. 
 The door with its shining handle was not locked, so he entered the 
 richly furnished hall. The floors were carpeted, and the father and 
 mother were sitting on cushions, dressed in silken garments and 
 playing with delicate toys. 
 
 Then the master of the house tried his bow, made arrows and 
 whetted his sword, while his wife came out to watch him in a blue 
 
1 63 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 dress with a long train, and with a kerchief crossed over her white 
 neck and shoulders. 
 
 Riger seated himself between them. He knew how to advise 
 them for the glory and weal of their house. 
 
 Afterwards the lady spread the table with a beflowered linen 
 cloth ; she brought in well-cooked dishes of game and poultry, 
 and filled the golden beakers and jugs with sparkling wine. They 
 drank and talked till night-fall, and then Riger was shown his 
 comfortable bed. 
 
 He remained with his hosts for three days and three nights, and 
 then went away to continue his journey. 
 
 Nine moons passed, and a son was born in the manor house, 
 fair-haired, with beautiful rosy cheeks and eyes like shining stars. 
 
 He was called Jarl ; he grew and flourished, learnt to draw the 
 sword, to throw the spear, to bend the bow, to carry the shield, to 
 ride the horse, and to swim across the Sound. The boy learnt 
 even more than this as he grew older, for Riger came to him out of 
 the dark grove, and taught him to understand the runes, inspiring 
 him at the same time to do deeds which should bring him and his 
 house honour and glory. 
 
 Then Jarl went out to battle, conquered the enemy, and won for 
 himself renown and booty, castles and land, rewarding his com- 
 panions in arms generously with golden clasps and rings. 
 
 He became a great ruler, but still he felt sad and lonely in his 
 luxurious hall. So he sent messengers to ask for the hand of Lady 
 Erna, the slender-waisted. His offer was accepted, and the noble 
 maiden entered his shining halls where the Earl received her with 
 joy. They grew to love each other and lived together to a good 
 old age. 
 
 Sons and daughters came of this marriage, and increased the 
 number of the Jarls. The youngest son, Konur, understood the 
 runes, both of the present and the future, and also the language 
 
L0K1 STEALS FREYA'S NECKLACE. 169 
 
 of birds. Besides this, he was a mighty warrior, and afterwards 
 became the first King of Denmark. This is what the " Rigsmal," 
 a poem of the Edda, teaches us of the beginning of class dis- 
 tinctions. 
 
 When Riger (or Heimdal) had finished his labours he mounted 
 his horse, Gulltop (golden-mane), and rode home to Himinbiorg 
 to fulfil his duty as watchman. 
 
 He drank sweet mead late each night, for all things in Asgard 
 and without it were sunk in sleep. At midnight he once heard a 
 noise of footsteps, but so faint was the sound that no ear but his 
 could have heard it. It came from Folkwang, where Freya, the 
 goddess of love and beauty, dwelt. 
 
 Heimdal cast a penetrating glance in the direction whence the 
 sound came, and saw the sleeping goddess resting upon her couch. 
 She was lying on her side, one arm resting upon her shining neck- 
 lace, Brisingamen. Loki was standing beside her bed gazing 
 covetously at the ornament. He seemed in doubt as to how he 
 could get possession of it. He murmured magic spells, and lo ! 
 he grew visibly smaller and smaller. At last he became a tiny 
 little creature, with bristles and a sharp set of teeth, a creature that 
 thirsts for blood and attacks both gods and men ; in the form of 
 a flea he jumped upon the bed, and slipped beneath the sheets ; he 
 stung the sleeping goddess in the side so that she turned. The 
 necklace was now free, and the cunning Ase, regaining his natural 
 form, untied the ribbon that fastened it round her neck, and made 
 off with it. 
 
 The faithful watchman on the heavenly tower was very wroth 
 with the night-thief. He drew his sharp sword, and, as he had his 
 seven-league boots on, came up with him in a few strides. He 
 struck out at the robber, but his sword only went through a pillar 
 of fire that towered up into the sky in which Loki's form tad dis- 
 appeared. 
 
i7o ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 In a moment Heimdal rose in the shape of a cloud, from which 
 such a torrent of rain descended that it threatened to extinguish 
 the fire. 
 
 Loki immediately changed himself into a polar bear, that 
 opened its mouth and drank up the rain. Before he could escape 
 he was attacked by Heimdal as a still larger bear. 
 
 Loki fled from the deadly embrace in the form of a seal, but 
 his flight was useless, for he was caught by another larger seal. 
 
 The two creatures fought furiously ; they bit and scratched each 
 other till the waters were stained with their blood. After a long 
 and fierce struggle, Heimdal was victorious, and Loki slipped out 
 of his torn and mangled seal's skin ; but when Heimdal whirled 
 his sword round his head, he begged for mercy and gave up the 
 necklace to his opponent. 
 
 Heimdal stood leaning on his sword and holding Brisingamen in 
 his left hand, rejoicing in his victory in spite of the pain his 
 wounds caused him. But Iduna, Bragi's lovely wife, came to him 
 and gave him an apple of eternal youth. As soon as he had 
 tasted it, his wounds were healed and he ceased to suffer pain. 
 He bade the goddess take the necklace back to Freya. 
 
 Then he returned to Himinbiorg, mounted his good horse 
 Gulltop and rode down Iring's road, which men now call the 
 Milky Way ; immediately the black storm-clouds vanished and 
 the shining stars lighted up the expanse of heaven in the same 
 way that Brisingamen did Asgard's halls, until day came and 
 called up gods and men to their work. For Heimdal is the same 
 as Heimdellinger for Heimdaglinger, he who brought day to the 
 home of the world. His name Riger shows that he was also 
 related to the German Erich, Erk, Heru or Cheru, the sword-god, 
 and consequently to Tyr or Zio. The Edda calls him the Sword- 
 Ase, and makes him wander on the green ways of earth, as Iring 
 did on the Milky Way, which was called after him. Certain roads 
 
HEIMDAL. 171 
 
 bore the same name, such as those which ran through England 
 from south to north, and the Irmin-streets in Germany that led 
 to and from the Irmin-columns ; thus Riger resembled the 
 universal god, the giver of victory. 
 
 Riger's wanderings reminds us of Orwandil, whom Thor carried 
 through the ice-streams Eliwagar. He was identical with the 
 mythical hero Orendel, a son of King Eigel of Treves, whose 
 travels and adventures on every sea have much resemblance to 
 those of Odysseus. It is very doubtful whether these stories were 
 known to the Teutons at the time of Tacitus, as this author 
 mentions that the Hellenic hero had been in Germany, and had 
 founded the town of Asciburgum (Ase-burg). It was rather to 
 the poets of the middle ages that dark rumours of the Odyssee 
 came. 
 
 Heimdal was born of nine mothers (the wave-maidens), whose 
 names are taken from waves and cliffs ; he was nursed and 
 strengthened by Mother Earth, the cold sea and the rays of the 
 sun ; hence he appears as a god of heaven, raised aloft by the 
 waves of the sea, which afterwards fall to the earth as fruitful rain 
 or dew. This was his position in the natural myth. The skalds 
 made him out to be the watchman of Asgard, to whom was 
 entrusted the care of Bifrost, the rainbow-bridge, that all attacks 
 of the giants might be prevented. 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 BRAGI AND HEIMDAL RECEIVING THE WARRIORS IN WALHALLA 
 
 BRAGI AND IDUNA. 
 
 In the beginning the silence of death rested upon the immeasur- 
 able ocean, not a breath of wind stirred the air, not a wave rose on 
 the surface of the deep ; everything was motionless, dumb, with- 
 out breath or life. 
 
 A vessel, the ship of the Dwarfs, crossed the silent waste of 
 water. Bragi, the divine singer, was lying on the deck asleep, 
 sunk in the dream of life ; he was without spot or blemish, and 
 his golden-stringed harp lay at his side. When the vessel glided 
 over the threshold of Nain, the Dwarf of Death, the god awoke, 
 touched the strings of his harp and sang a song that echoed 
 throughout the nine worlds, describing the rapture of existence, 
 
BRAGI AND ID UNA. 17 3 
 
 the rage of battle and the charm of victory, and the joy and 
 happiness of love. This song wakened dumb nature out of her 
 trance. 
 
 Whether the god of poetry were the son of Odin or not, we 
 cannot tell ; the skalds do not inform us. But poetry cannot die, 
 it always rises out of death to a new life and rejoices the hearts of 
 both gods and men. 
 
 Bragi landed on the shore, singing his noble song about the 
 awakening of nature and the blossoming of new life ; and he 
 wandered through the growing, budding woods as he sang. Then 
 Iduna rose before him from, amongst the grasses, flowers and 
 foliage, the goddess of immortal youth, the youngest daughter of 
 Iwaldi, the Dwarf, who hid life in the deep and afterwards sent it 
 again to the upper world when the right time had come. 
 
 Iduna was beautiful in her crown of flowers and leaves ; she was 
 beautiful as the dawn. When the god saw her, his song of love 
 became more glowing and intense. He stretched out his arms 
 and she sank upon his breast, for the poet must needs marry youth 
 and beauty. 
 
 After they were united, they went to the blessed ever-green 
 heights of Asgard, where the Ases received them with joy. Then 
 Iduna gave them to eat of the apple of ever-renewed youth. 
 
 When the gods and Einheriar had eaten their fill of the flesh of 
 Sahrimnir, Bragi touched the strings of his harp and sang the 
 praises of the heroes. But this pleasant life in Asgard, and the 
 married happiness of the divine poet, were once broken by a severe 
 trial, as -we shall presently see. 
 
 Odin, Honir and Loki were travelling about the world together 
 to see what were the joys and sorrows, works and labours of 
 the dwellers upon earth. They went a long way, and at length 
 came to a densely wooded mountain where there was nothing 
 to eat. They could find no hospitable house in which to take 
 
174 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 shelter; could hear no friendly voice calling to them. The 
 autumn wind was blowing the tops of the oaks and firs. 
 
 When they reached the valley, they saw a herd of cattle grazing 
 in the meadow. They caught one of the animals and slaughtered 
 it ; they cut it up and prepared to cook it for their supper. The 
 fire, kindled by Loki, blazed up, and they thought the beef would 
 soon be cooked. But when they looked to see, it was still quite 
 raw. This happened a second and a third time ; the Ases were 
 astonished and wondered what to do. 
 
 Suddenly they heard a voice above them saying that he who 
 prevented the beef from cooking was sitting above them in a 
 branch of the tree. On looking up they saw a gigantic eagle 
 through the leaves of the oak, busily engaged in trying to put out 
 the fire by flapping his wings. He promised to allow them to 
 cook their supper if they would give him some of it. When they 
 had agreed to do so, he flew down, fanned the fire, and very soon 
 supper was ready. 
 
 They all sat down together, but the eagle ate so quickly that it 
 seemed as though he would devour the whole bullock. Loki was 
 dreadfully hungry, and getting into a rage, snatched up a stake 
 and stabbed at the gigantic bird with it. The eagle flew up into 
 the air when he felt the blow. The stake had fastened itself to 
 the feathers of the bird and Loki's hands were glued to the other 
 end. 
 
 The eagle flew so low that Loki's feet dragged along the ground 
 and hit against any stones and stumps that might be in the way, 
 while his arms felt as if they were dislocated. He shrieked and 
 groaned and begged for mercy of the Storm-giant, who, as he 
 well knew, was hidden under the eagle's dress. 
 
 " Very well," said the giant, " I will set thee free if thou wilt 
 promise to bring me Iduna and her golden apples." 
 
 Loki swore to do so, and, as soon as he was set free, limped 
 
THE GIANT THIASSI STEALS IDUNA. 175 
 
 back to his companions. Under the circumstances the travellers 
 determined to go home, and they must have been provided with 
 seven-league boots, for they arrived at Asgard on the following 
 day. 
 
 Beautiful Iduna was going about her household duties, dressed 
 in green and wearing a garland of leaves, the crown of unfading 
 youth. Bragi was away from home journeying as a minstrel. 
 She collected her apples, which she usually gave the Ases at 
 breakfast time. 
 
 At this moment Loki came up to her quickly, and looking 
 round to see that no one was near, whispered : 
 
 " Gentle and lovely goddess, follow me quickly out of the castle 
 gate, for I have discovered a strange tree covered with golden 
 fruit like thine." 
 
 This was a request the goddess could not decline. She put 
 some of her apples in a crystal dish and followed the traitor 
 through Asgard, and on into the dark wood. 
 
 All at once the Storm-wind roared through the trees ; and 
 Thiassi, the giant in the eagle's dress, rushed up, caught the 
 terrified goddess in his talons, and flew with her to dreary wintry 
 Thrymheim, where spring flowers cannot bloom, not yet can youth 
 survive. 
 
 Loki slunk back to Asgard, and quietly kept his secret about 
 Iduna to himself. " The longer hence they notice it, the better," 
 he cunningly thought to himself. 
 
 The Ases for a long time did not know that Iduna had been 
 stolen ; they thought she had gone away on a journey. But when 
 days and weeks had passed their hair began to turn grey, the 
 colour left their cheeks and their faces showed the folds and 
 wrinkles of age. The goddesses, even Freya herself, discovered 
 signs of approaching old age, when they looked at their faces in 
 the mirror of a clear stream. 
 
176 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 They all asked for Iduna and sought her high and low. The 
 last time she was seen, she was walking with Loki. The cunning 
 Ase was questioned ; his lies did not help him ; Thor threatened to 
 break all his limbs, and raised his hammer for the purpose : then 
 Loki confessed, and promised to bring back the giver of youth, 
 if Freya would lend him her falcon-dress. 
 
 The request was granted, and he flew away at once to Thrym- 
 heim, the dwelling of the Storm-giant Thiassi. 
 
 The giant was at sea, and Iduna was sitting lonely and sad in 
 an uncomfortable room, made of roughly hewn logs. Loki told 
 her to be of good courage and changed her into a nut. 
 
 Then he flew over rocks and chasms with his light burden 
 towards Asenheim. 
 
 Meanwhile the giant came home from his sea voyage. He had 
 always hitherto begged his prisoner in vain to give him a slice of 
 the apple of youth, that his horrible deformity might be trans- 
 formed into the beauty of youth. As soon as he discovered 
 Iduna's flight, he put on his eagle's dress and rushed after the 
 fugitives with the speed of the storm. 
 
 The Ases watched the wild chase anxiously. They collected 
 shavings and bits of wood before the fortress, and when the falcon 
 had reached the shelter of the wall with his charge, they set fire 
 to the wood, and the flames towered up into the air, singeing the 
 wings of the pursuing eagle and bringing him to the ground. 
 
 Thiassi was then slain, but Thor threw his eyes up into the 
 heavens where they shone henceforth as stars every night. 
 
 On his return, Bragi found his wife at home and heard from 
 her all that had happened. He saw how Skadi, daughter of the 
 Storm-giant, appeared in helmet and chain armour to avenge her 
 father's death. And he afterwards told the whole story, ending 
 with how Ogir, the god of the sea, had made expiation to the war- 
 like maiden. 
 
THE GIANT THIASS1 STEALS IDUNA. 177 
 
 It is interesting to see how the genius of Odin's skalds united 
 the god of poetry in marriage with the goddess of spring, the 
 giver of renewed youth, and interwove the changes of the seasons 
 into the myth. Bragi, who came out of the unknown distance, 
 awoke mental life and also nature out of their trances ; Iduna, 
 who brought spring and youth into the world, became his wife. 
 She gave the Ases the golden fruit of renewed youth, a fruit which 
 was perhaps identical with the golden fruit that the Grecian hero 
 Herakles carried away from the Hesperides. 
 
 In the same way as the autumn winds tear the leaves from the 
 trees, the Storm-giant stole Iduna, and as the green meadows are 
 covered with ice and snow in winter, so Iduna had to spend some 
 time in the giant's uncomfortable house, while the gods themselves 
 grew old and their hair turned grey. 
 
 Then Loki, probably the south wind, had to go and set Iduna 
 free. The Storm-giant had gone on a voyage to the north, where 
 his power lasted until the coming of spring. So the imprisoned 
 spring was delivered from its bonds, and when the giant made his 
 way into Asgard he was slain ; i.e., the storms of winter were con- 
 fined within certain bounds. 
 
 ULLER. 
 
 Uller appears in the Edda as the cheery and sturdy god of 
 winter, who, caring nothing for wind or snowstorm, used to go out 
 on long journeys on his skates or snow-shoes. 
 
 Whenever he reached a lake or fiord which was not frozen, he 
 transformed his shoes into a boat, and, making the winds and waves 
 obey him, passed over to the other side. 
 
 Snow-shoes, as they are still worn in Norway and Iceland, are 
 light shoes, very large and shaped like a boat turning up at the 
 ends. With their help it is easy to slide quickly down hill, and 
 
 N 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 they may have been the shoes alluded to in the stories of Uller ; 
 still, skates were also used at that time to glide over the frozen 
 lakes. These shoes were also compared with a shield ; thus the 
 shield is called Uller's ship in several places. 
 
 When the god skated over the ice, he always carried with him 
 his shield, deadly arrows, and bow made of the yew-tree. The 
 pliable wood of the yew was the most suitable for making bows 
 for use either in hunting or in war. Uller, therefore, lived in the 
 palace Ydalir, the yew-vale. 
 
 As he protected plants and seeds from the severe attacks of the 
 frosts of the north by covering the ground with a coating of snow, 
 he was regarded as the benefactor of mortal men, and was called 
 the friend of Baldur, the giver of every blessing and joy. 
 
 Once when out hunting, Uller saw beautiful Skadi, the bold 
 huntress, of whom we shall have more to tell further on. He fell 
 in love with her, and as she was by this time separated from her 
 first husband, Niorder, she willingly consented to marry him. At 
 the wedding the storms all played dance music in every tune, for 
 the time when the day and night were of equal length in autumn 
 was past, and winter, the happiest time for marriage, had begun. 
 
 Vulder with the Anglo-Saxons meant divine glory, or even God 
 himself, and it seems that the Northern god Uller was thus cha- 
 racterised in heathen times. This was perhaps a consequence of 
 the glory of the Northern winter night, which is often brilliantly 
 lighted by the snow, the dazzling ice, and the Aurora borealis, the 
 great Northern Light. 
 
ULLER, THE BOWMAN. 
 
PART SIXTH. 
 
 THE WANES. 
 
 r^vISUNION had shown itself amongst the gods, as on earth 
 *~-^ amongst men, for the sake of power and gold. The Wanes 
 came up against Asgard in numbers like the stars of heaven, and 
 crowded over the broken wall into the holy precincts. 
 
 The Ases had no Einheriar to help them as yet, for this was the 
 first war which was to decide the government of the world. Spears 
 hurtled through the air, swords rattled against helmets and coats- 
 of-mail. The fallen warriors felt the pang of their wounds, but not 
 the agony of death, for the wounds soon closed again, and they 
 stood up anew to do battle with the foe. 
 
 Weapons did not suffice ; the warriors broke off pieces of rock 
 and the tops of mountains, tore pines and oaks up by their roots 
 and flung them at each other. Thunder rolled ; the sun hid its 
 face ; universal destruction threatened to overwhelm the world, and 
 the Jotuns looked on at the battle with delight, holding themselves 
 ready to fall upon both victor and vanquished, and complete the 
 work of destruction. 
 
 Then Allfather appeared, mighty and glorious, wearing his 
 golden helmet, and swinging the spear of death, and commanded 
 that there should be a truce. 
 
182 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The fiery warriors obeyed his behest ; they bowed their stubborn 
 heads, and lowered their uplifted weapons, as they listened to the 
 words of the King : " Let there be peace henceforth in heaven and 
 upon earth, and let a treaty be made between the divine Powers, 
 that neither may in future interfere with the province of the other, 
 but that each race of gods may do its utmost for the weal and 
 happiness of mortal men, who offer sacrifices and gifts as be 
 seems them." 
 
 In this way a Milton would probably have described the con- 
 clusion of the battle of the gods ; but the Edda, in addition to 
 this, relates how the Ases and Wanes each gave hostages to the 
 other in token of good faith. 
 
 Honir, Odin's brother, who had in the olden time given man 
 mind and senses, was sent to the Wanes, who in their turn made 
 over to the Ases Niorder, the unspotted Prince of men, with his 
 children Freyer and Freya, who were held in equal reverence with 
 himself. 
 
 The wise Mimir accompanied Honir to Wanaheim. But the 
 Wanes slew him and sent his head to the Ases. Odin, however, 
 restored it to life with his magic runes, that it might always confer 
 with him about the Past and the riddles of the Future, as in the 
 old time when after pledging his eye to Mimir he was permitted to 
 drink of the fountain of wisdom. He did not return evil with evil, 
 but included Niorder and his children amongst the ranks of the 
 Ases, so that they lived in honour whilst the rest of their race were 
 almost entirely forgotten. 
 
 The Wanes, of whose worship but few and uncertain traces 
 remain in German traditions, are supposed to have been the gods 
 of feeling and of the senses. Professor Simrock has shown that 
 very probably that they were not essentially different from the 
 Ases, but that they were worshipped by other tribes than the Ases, 
 presumably by those of the Suevi, who were dwellers by the sea, 
 
 '■ ( 
 
THE WANES. 183 
 
 for the Aestyer and especially the Suiones, Suevian tribes, prin- 
 cipally adored Freyer, Freya, and Niorder. It is also supposed 
 that they may have been the gods of tribes which had been forced 
 back and partially subjected to the conqueror, who at length threw 
 off the yoke of the victor and in renewed battle broke down part 
 of the fortifications of Asgard, but afterwards came to reasonable 
 terms with the enemy. This uncertain hypothesis would quite, 
 explain the war with the Wanes, and show it to have been a war of 
 races. 
 
 Some writers explain the Wanes to have been the priestly class 
 and the war to have been a struggle between ecclesiastical and 
 temporal power, such as raged between Pope and Kaiser all through 
 the middle ages, and which is perhaps not even yet at an end. 
 This cannot be called an altogether unjustifiable hypothesis, for 
 in the Edda we find many references to the wise Wanes, and wis- 
 dom could not well be an attribute of the gods of sensuous impulse, 
 whilst it might quite easily be found amongst the priests. So much 
 only is certain, however, that with the exception of the three 
 Wanes received into Asenheim, no other gods of that race take 
 part in any of the mythical occurrences. It was not supposed that 
 Wanaheim would disappear in the universal destruction of nature; 
 for when the world was to be renewed, Honir would be allowed 
 to choose whether he would enter the blessed Gimil, or remain 
 in Wanaheim. 
 
 NIORDER AND SKADI. 
 
 The Prince of men, as Niorder was called, was, according to tradi- 
 tion, tall and stately and of matchless beauty. He was as famous 
 for his wisdom and goodness as for his wealth. Therefore he 
 listened to those who prayed him to bless their labours, especially 
 attending to those who were engaged in seafaring and mercantile 
 pursuits. 
 
184 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 He lived at Noatun (seaport), where he delighted to hear the 
 dash of the waves and the song of swans. The swan, which only- 
 sings when it is dying, was looked upon as the bird of the Under- 
 world divinities. Hence Niorder seems to have had some connec- 
 tion with them. Moreover, he was regarded as the ruler of the 
 calm, peaceful ocean. When wild Ogir excited the sea to rise 
 foaming and dashing against the ships, threatening to engulf them, 
 Niorder calmed its fury with magic spells, and sent a favourable 
 wind to the assistance of the mariners. He did not wear Ogir's 
 helmet, of which all living creatures were afraid, but a hat trimmed 
 with shells, above which waved a heron's plume. A sea-green tunic 
 clothed his slender figure, leaving the lower part of his well-formed 
 legs uncovered. To this circumstance he owed his marriage to 
 his second wife, beautiful Skadi. His residence in Asenheim had 
 separated him from his first wife Nerthus, Mother Earth, who was 
 also his sister, and he therefore lived unmarried in remote Noatun, 
 until he was wed to Skadi. 
 
 Then, as we have already told, gentle Iduna was stolen away, 
 was set free by Loki, and the storm-giant Thiassi was slain by the 
 Ases. 
 
 After this, Skadi, the giant's warlike daughter, armed herself in 
 her native Thrymheim with helmet and chain-mail, with spear and 
 deadly arrows, and appeared before Asgard demanding vengeance. 
 She looked gloriously beautiful in her shining armour, and the 
 Ases did not wish to fight with the noble maiden, whose wrath 
 seemed just in their eyes. They offered her expiation for her 
 father's death, but she would not listen to their friendly words ; 
 she raised her spear to hurl it at one of those who had been accom- 
 plice in his death. 
 
 Then cunning Loki came forward, bowed low before her, and 
 sprang now to the right hand, now to the left, and then danced 
 backwards and forwards, while a long-horned, long-bearded goat 
 
SKADI, BLINDFOLD, CHOOSES A HUSBAND. 185 
 
 made the same movements behind him, for he had fastened the 
 creature to himself with an invisible cord. When at length he 
 threw himself on his knees before her like a lover, and the goat, 
 bleating mournfully, followed his example, Skadi burst into a fit 
 of laughter. Her anger passed away, and she allowed herself to 
 listen to terms. 
 
 Meanwhile it had grown dark, and Odin said, as he pointed to 
 the sky, — 
 
 " Look, there are thy father's eyes which I have placed in the 
 firmament of heaven that they may henceforth look down upon 
 thee as stars. As for thee, thou shalt become one of us, and shalt 
 choose thyself a husband from amongst us, but thine eyes must be 
 so covered with a veil that thou mayest only see the feet of the 
 assembled gods." 
 
 She gazed about her in astonishment, and as she did so, her eyes 
 fell upon Baldur, who stood before her in his divine beauty, for he 
 shone amongst the Ases like the morning star amongst the paling 
 stars of night. She hoped to recognise him even if she only saw 
 the hem of his garment. Her eyes were then partially bandaged, 
 and the gods formed a circle round her. She looked around her 
 on the ground, and perceived amongst them a foot of remarkable 
 beauty. 
 
 "I choose thee," she said, "thou art Baldur." 
 
 She tore the bandage from her eyes, and — it was not Baldur, 
 it was Niorder whom she had chosen ; and he was slender, stately, 
 gentle and pleasant to look upon. 
 
 lii" word was spoken ; the choice was made ; the marriage was 
 solemnized with much pomp. The great huntress found her life 
 with her husband in heavenly Asgard a very happy one. The 
 golden wood Glasir was full of melody as she walked through it ; 
 the Einheriar rose from their seats when she entered Walhalla ; 
 the goddesses gave her ornaments to wear, and the Ases delighted 
 
186 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 in doing her honour. Thus the honeymoon passed, and then she 
 followed her husband to Noatun, his castle by the sea. 
 
 She liked the life she led there at first, but soon she began to 
 long for her native Thrymheim, for the sounds of the forests, in 
 which she had been accustomed to hunt, and the frozen meres on 
 which she used to skate. 
 
 She hated to hear the beat of the waves upon the shore, the 
 groans and barking of the seals, and to see the fish leap ; while 
 the hoarse cries of the gulls often wakened her out of her sleep. 
 She could bear it no longer, and told her husband she must either 
 go back to Thrymheim or she must die. 
 
 Niorder listened to her kindly, and proposed that he should 
 spend nine nights with her at Thrymheim, and that she should 
 then live three nights with him at Noatun, and so on until Rag- 
 narok should come. She gladly consented, and this plan of life was 
 kept up for some time to the satisfaction of both. 
 
 But in course of time Niorder himself grew weary of Thrym- 
 heim. The howling of the wolves, the bellowing of the buffaloes, 
 and the growling of the bears were as hateful to him as the noises 
 of the sea-side were to his wife. They therefore had themselves 
 set free from the marriage tie, and each dwelt in his and her own 
 land. 
 
 Niorder was patron of the fisheries, and also of ships and trade. 
 Skadi continued to hunt as before, and ruled with her bow and 
 arrows over the beasts and birds that lived in the forest. Some 
 time after her separation from Niorder, she married wintry Uller, 
 who was much better suited to her in character. 
 
 Simrock rightly maintains with regard to the origin and inter- 
 pretation of this myth, that Niorder was a beneficent summer god, 
 who helped the harvest to ripen, and was the giver of material 
 well-being, who taught men how to cultivate the vine and other 
 kinds of husbandry. He was perhaps the masculine counterpart 
 
NIORDER AND SKADI ON THEIR WAY TO NOATUN. 
 
BRIGHT FREYER. 189 
 
 of the Earth-goddess Nerthus, who, probably, was both his wife and 
 his sister in Wanaland. As he was also interested in commercial 
 undertakings and voyages, the Edda shows him to have been 
 essentially the ruler of the sea and peace-maker with the storms. 
 Skadi, too, was connected with the Earth-goddess, but only in her 
 wintry dress. 
 
 Winter, regarded in its pleasantest aspect, gained a form and 
 personality in the consciousness of the people ; and so beautiful 
 Skadi appeared in the songs of the skalds. This myth is a crea- 
 tion of Norse genius, not of that of any particular poets. It 
 proves that in these poems, the Giants, Ases and Wanes were not 
 inimical Powers diametrically opposed to one another, but that 
 they could at one time live on friendly and intimate terms to- 
 gether. 
 
 FREYER OR FRO. 
 
 The Edda informs us that Freyer was the son of Niorder. He 
 and his sister Freya left Wanaland with their father, and were 
 received amongst the number of the Ases. 
 
 It appears, however, that he was known in still older times than 
 that, having been held in great reverence as the sun-god by the 
 Scandinavians, and probably by the Southern Germans also ; as 
 such he made the fields fruitful, blessed households and marriage 
 and family life. 
 
 We learn in the Edda, as has been already related, that imme- 
 diately before the wager between Loki and the dwarf Brock, Freyer 
 received the ship Skidbladnir, which could sail in any wished-for 
 direction, and which, when no longer wanted, could be folded up 
 and put in the pocket. And then he was given the boar Gullin- 
 bursti, one of the three works of art made by Sindri, brother of 
 Brock ; this boar drew the god's chariot, and was at times ridden 
 
190 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 by him ; it would bear him through woods and over meadows, its 
 golden bristles rendering the darkest night as light as day. 
 
 In the ship we recognise the clouds, which always have a favour- 
 able wind when they scurry across the sky, and in the boar we see 
 the sun's golden light. Blodhughofi, a horse swift as the wind, was 
 at his command whenever he rode to join the council of the Ases. 
 
 Yule-tide, which was sacred to this god, takes its name from the 
 wheel of the sun, for jul or giidi, means wheel (hveohl). This fes- 
 tival, for which the sun-god awakes and lights up his wheel once 
 more, was kept by all the Teutonic races. The special dish that 
 appeared at these feasts was a boar's head, such as is still seen on 
 the dinner tables at Christmas time in the University of Oxford. 
 
 To Freyer was awarded the Home of the Light- Elves by the 
 gods as a fit gift on his cutting his first tooth, for the god of sun- 
 shine and fruitful harvests must necessarily rule over the kingdom 
 of the Light-Elves. 
 
 According to one legend, Freyer once took a human form, and 
 ruled over Sweden under the name of Fiolnir. At the invitation 
 of King Frodi, he went to Hledra (Zealand), to take part in a great 
 feast prepared in his honour. When there, he fell into an enormous 
 butt of mead, and was drowned, in like manner as the sun-god 
 sinks every evening into the rosy waves of the sea. 
 
 He appeared amongst the Danes as Fridleif (peace-giver), the son 
 or grandson of Hadding, and governed the people with a strong 
 hand. In vain he sent messengers to ask for the hand of fair 
 Freygerda, King Amund's daughter. As Amund received his 
 offer with scorn, Fridleif organized an expedition to force him 
 to consent to the marriage. 
 
 One evening as the lover sat thinking beside a pond in a wood, 
 he heard the swans singing to the murmuring waters : 
 
 " Heartless the robber has stolen thy lover ; 
 Tarry not, hasten the giant to slay, 
 
THE WONDERFUL QUERN STONES. 191 
 
 Lurking in caverns his treasure to cover ; 
 Gerda is mourning thy weary delay." 
 
 Scarcely was the song ended, when Fridleif perceived a giant 
 taller than the highest tree preparing to throw his stone club at him. 
 
 The battle immediately began ; and Fridleif first hewed off 
 one of the monster's legs, and then, when he had fallen to the 
 ground, his three heads. 
 
 The victor found Freygerda and a great treasure of gold hidden 
 away in the cave the Jotun had inhabited. 
 
 Soon afterwards Fridleif married the princess, and on his way 
 home the hero succeeded in killing a terrible dragon, in whose 
 cavern he discovered a still greater hoard of gold. 
 
 A son was born of this marriage named Frodi. He succeeded 
 his father on the Danish throne, and bestowed blessings upon his 
 people, such as only a god can give to mortal man. 
 
 So great was the public safety in his reign that the king had 
 golden chains and jewels kept day and night in the open air, 
 and no one dared to touch them. The traveller then always 
 found a hearty welcome throughout the kingdom, for there was 
 no lack of food in the country : the fields bore double harvests, 
 and the king was ever willing to relieve want wherever his help 
 was needed. This peaceful state was accounted by all as the 
 greatest of blessings, and in honour of Frodi was ever afterwards 
 called the Peace of Frodi. The king felt very happy, whether 
 drinking sweet mead upon his high throne in the hall of his fathers, 
 or making inroads upon the neighbouring tribes, followed by his 
 retainers. 
 
 * Among his treasures were two quern stones ; nothing much 
 to look at, simply two common mill stones in appearance, and no 
 
 * The following legend is quoted from the charming book, entitled, " Won- 
 derful Stories from Northern Lands," by Julia Goddard (London : Longmans, 
 1871). 
 
192 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 one who did not know what they could do would think of taking 
 any notice of them. Nevertheless, these quern stones were of 
 more worth than anything that King Frodi had, for they could 
 produce anything that the grinder of the quern or hand mill wished 
 for. They would bring gold, silver, precious stones, anything and 
 everything ; and besides this they could grind love, joy, peace ; 
 therefore it is not too much to say that these stones were worth 
 more than all the treasures of the king put together. 
 
 At least they would have been if he could have made use of 
 them, but they were so heavy that few could be found to turn the 
 quern, and just at the time of which I am speaking there was no one 
 at all in the land of Gotland able to work away at the quern handle. 
 
 Now the more King Frodi pondered over his wonderful quern 
 stones, the greater became his desire to use them, and he sought 
 throughout the land from north to south, from east to west, if 
 perchance he might find some one strong enough to help him in 
 his need. But all to no purpose, and he was utterly in despair 
 when, by good luck, he happened to go on a visit to the King 
 of Sweden, and to hear of two slave-women of great size and 
 strength. " Surely," thought Frodi, " these are just the women 
 to grind at my quern Grotti " (for so it was called), and he asked 
 the king to be allowed to see them. 
 
 So the king ordered the slaves to be brought before Frodi, and 
 when Frodi saw them his spirits rose, for certainly Menia and 
 Fenia were strong-looking women. They were eight feet in 
 height, and broader across the shoulders than any of Frodi's 
 warriors, and the muscles of their arms stood out like cords. And 
 they lifted heavy weights, threw heavy javelins, and did so many 
 feats of strength that Frodi felt quite sure that they would be able 
 to turn the quern handle. 
 
 " I will buy these slaves," said he, " and take them with me to 
 Gotland." 
 
THE WONDERFUL QUERN STONES. 193 
 
 Menia and Fenia stood with their arms folded and their 
 proud heads bowed down, whilst Frodi counted out the gold 
 to the seller. They were slaves ; with money had they been 
 bought, with money were they sold again. What cared Frodi 
 who was their father, or how they had come into the land of 
 Sweden ? 
 
 And he took them home with him and bade them grind at the 
 quern. Now he should be able to test the power of the wonderful 
 stones. 
 
 " Grind, grind, Menia and Fenia, let me see whether ye have 
 strength for the work." 
 
 So spake King Frodi, and the huge women lifted the heavy 
 stones as though they had been pebbles. 
 
 " What shall we grind ? " asked the slaves. 
 
 " Gold, gold, peace and wealth for Frodi." 
 
 Gold ! gold ! the land was filled with riches. Treasure in the 
 king's palace, treasure in the coffers of his subjects — gold ! gold ! 
 There were no poor in the land, no beggars in the streets, no 
 children crying for bread. All honour to the quern stones ! 
 
 Peace ! peace ! no more war in the land, Frodi is at peace with 
 every one. And more than that, there was peace in all countries 
 where Frodi's name was known, even to the far south ; and every- 
 one talked of Frodi's Peace. Praise be to the quern stones ! 
 
 Wealth ! yes, everything went well. Not one of the counsels 
 of King Frodi failed. There was not a green field that did not 
 yield a rich crop ; not a tree but bent beneath its weight of fruit ; 
 not a stream that ran dry ; not a vessel that sailed from the 
 harbours of Gotland that came not back, after a fair voyage, 
 in safety to its haven. There was good luck everywhere. 
 
 " Grind on, grind on, Menia and Fenia ! good fortune is mine," 
 said King Frodi. 
 
 And the slaves ground en. 
 
 O 
 
194 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 " When shall we rest, when may we rest, King Frodi ? It is 
 weary work toiling day and night." 
 
 " No longer than whilst the cuckoo is silent in the spring." 
 
 " Never ceasing is the cry of the cuckoo in the groves ; may we 
 not rest longer ? " 
 
 " Not longer," answered King Frodi, " than whilst the verse of 
 a song is sung." 
 
 "That is but little!" sighed Menia and Fenia, and they toiled 
 on. Their arms were weary, and their eyes heavy, they would 
 fain have slept ; but Frodi would not let them have any sleep. 
 They were but slaves who must obey their master, so they toiled 
 on, still grinding peace and wealth to Frodi — 
 
 " To Frodi and his queen 
 
 Joy and peace — 
 May plenty in the land 
 
 Still increase, 
 Frodi and his queen 
 
 From dangers keep ; 
 May they on beds of down 
 
 Sweetly sleep. 
 No sword be drawn 
 
 In Gotland old, 
 By murderer bold. 
 
 No harm befall 
 The high or low — 
 
 To none be woe, 
 Good luck to all. 
 
 Good luck to all, 
 We grind, we grind. 
 
 No rest we find, 
 For rest we call." 
 
 Thus sang the two giant women ; then they begged again, 
 " Give us rest, O Frodi ! " 
 
 But still Frodi answered, " Rest whilst the verse of a song is 
 sung, or as long as the cuckoo is silent in the spring." 
 
THE WONDERFUL QUERN STONES. 195 
 
 No longer would the king give them. 
 
 Yet Frodi was deemed a good king, but gold and good luck 
 were hardening his heart. 
 
 Menia and Fenia went on grinding and their wrath grew 
 deeper and deeper, and thus at last they spoke. 
 
 First said Fenia, " Thou wert not wise, O Frodi. Thou didst 
 buy us because like giants we towered above the other slaves, 
 because we were strong and hardy and could lift heavy burdens." 
 
 And Menia took up the wail : " Are we not of the race of the 
 mountain giants ? Are not our kindred greater than thine, O 
 Frodi ? The quern had never left the grey fell but for the giants' 
 daughters. Never, never should we have ground as we have done, 
 had it not been that we remembered from what race we sprang." 
 
 Then answered Menia : " Nine long winters saw us training to 
 feats of strength, nine long winters of wearisome labour. Deep 
 down in the earth we toiled and toiled until we could move the 
 high mountain from its foundations. We are weird women, O 
 Frodi. We can see far into the future. Our eyes have looked 
 upon the quern before. In the giants' house we whirled it until 
 the earth shook, and hoarse thunder resounded through the 
 caverns. Thou art not wise, O Frodi. O Frodi thou art not 
 wise ! " 
 
 But Frodi heard them not ; he was sleeping the sweet sleep 
 that the quern stones had ground for him. 
 
 " Strong are we indeed," laughed Fenia, sorrowfully, "strong to 
 contend with the puny men. We, whose pastime in Sweden was 
 to tame the fiercest bears, so that they ate from our hands. We 
 who fought with mighty warriors and came off conquerors. We 
 who helped one prince and put down another. Well we fought, 
 and many were the wounds we received from sharp spears and 
 flashing swords. Frodi knows not our power, or he would scarce 
 have brought us to his palace to treat us thus Here no one has 
 
196 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 compassion upon us. Cold are the skies above us, and the pitiless 
 wind beats upon our breast. Cold is the ground on which we 
 stand, and the keen frost bites our feet. Ah, there are none to 
 pity us. No one cares for the slaves. We grind for ever an 
 enemy's quern, and he gives us no rest. Grind, grind ; I am 
 weary of grinding ; I must have rest." 
 
 " Nay," returned Menia, " talk not of rest until Frodi is content 
 with what we bring him." 
 
 Then Fenia started : " If he gives us no rest, let us take it 
 ourselves. Why should we any longer grind good for him who 
 only gives us evil ? We can grind what we please, let us revenge 
 ourselves." 
 
 Then Menia turned the handle quicker than ever, and in a 
 wild voice she sang : 
 
 " I see a ship come sailing 
 With warriors bold aboard, 
 There's many a one that in Danish blood 
 Would be glad to dip his sword. 
 Say shall we grind them hither? 
 Say shall they land to-night ? 
 Say shall they set the palace a-fire ? 
 Say shall they win the fight ? " 
 
 Then called Fenia in a voice of thunder through the midnight 
 air : " Frodi, Frodi, awake, awake ! Wilt thou not listen to us ? 
 Have mercy and let us rest our weary limbs." 
 
 But all was still, and Frodi gave no answer to the cry. 
 
 " Nay," answered Menia. " He will not hearken. Little he 
 cares for the worn-out slaves. Revenge, revenge ! " 
 
 And Frodi slept, not dreaming of the evil that was coming upon 
 him. 
 
 And again Fenia shouted : " Frodi, Frodi, awake ! The beacon 
 is blazing. Danger is nigh. Wilt thou not spare ? " 
 
 But Frodi gave no answer, and the giant women toiled on. 
 
THE WONDERFUL QUERN STONES. 197 
 
 " O Frodi, Frodi, we cannot bear our weariness." 
 
 And still no answer came. 
 
 " Frodi, Frodi, danger is nigh thee. Well-manned ships are 
 gliding over the sea. It is Mysinger who comes, his white sail 
 flutters in the wind. His flag is unfurled. Frodi, Frodi, awake, 
 awake ! thou shalt be king no longer." 
 
 And as the giant women ground, the words they spake came to 
 pass ; they were grinding revenge for themselves, and brought the 
 enemy nearer and nearer. 
 
 " Ho ! hearken to the herald ! Frodi, Frodi, the town is on fire. 
 The palaces will soon be ruined heaps. Grind, Menia, ever more 
 swiftly, until we grind death to Frodi." 
 
 And Menia and Fenia ground and ground till Mysinger and his 
 followers landed from the ships. They ground until they had 
 reached the palace. 
 
 " To arms, to arms," shouted the warders, but it was too 
 late. The Gotlanders armed themselves ; but who could stand 
 against the army that the slave women were grinding against 
 them ? 
 
 Not long did the struggle last. Frodi and his Gotlanders fought 
 bravely, but the sea-king and his allies were mightier, for the 
 giantesses were in giant mood, and turned the handle faster and 
 faster, until down fell the quern stones. Then sank Frodi pierced 
 with wounds, and the fight was over. The army that Menia and 
 Fenia had ground to help Mysinger vanished , and Mysinger and 
 his men alone were left conquerors on the bloody field. 
 
 They loaded their ships with treasure, and Mysinger took with 
 him, Menia, Fenia, and the quern stones. 
 
 But, alas ! Mysinger was no wiser than King Frodi had been. 
 
 Gold, however, was not his first thought ; he had enough of 
 that, but he wanted something else that just then was more to him 
 than gold. 
 
198 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 There was no salt on board the sea-king's vessels ; so he said, 
 " Grind salt." 
 
 And Menia and Fenia ground salt for Mysinger. 
 
 At midnight they asked if they had ground enough. 
 
 And Mysinger bade them grind on. 
 
 And so they ground and ground until the ship was so heavy 
 with salt that it sank, and the sea-king and all his men were 
 drowned. 
 
 Where the quern stones went down there is to this day a great 
 whirlpool, and the waters of the sea have been salt ever since. 
 
S KIR KIR'S JOURNEY. 
 
 ir 9 
 
 SKIRNIR CONJURES GERDA TO 
 FOLLOW HIM. 
 
 FREYER AND GERDA. 
 
 Once when Freyer, the sum- 
 mer god, had tried in vain to 
 melt the snow and ice of winter, 
 he ascended Hlidskialf to see 
 whether he could find out the 
 reason why his efforts were useless. 
 lie looked towards the east, the west and the south ; at last he 
 turned to the north, and there he saw a maiden, taller and more 
 beautiful than any he had ever before beheld. Her arms shone 
 like the radiant beams of the sun, and heaven and earth were 
 resplendent with her beauty. But the vision did not last long, for 
 she opened the door of her dwelling, and soon had disappeared. 
 
 <S ^v.vjftsk.'v^ 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 In vain he hoped for her return, but she came not ; her image 
 only remained fixed in his soul, filling it with the pangs of hope- 
 less love. 
 
 He no more joined the merry feasts in Odin's joyous hall, nor 
 did he mingle with the other gods in their familiar talk ; he sought 
 solitude, and was ever gloomy and morose. 
 
 His father Niorder grieved to see his son's sad listless manner, 
 and wondered what was the cause of it. He entreated Skirnir, 
 Freyer's faithful servant, wisely to search out the source of his 
 master's gnawing grief. 
 
 So Skirnir went to his lord : " Tell me, O mighty ruler of 
 nations, what I fain would know, why thou thus lonesome and full 
 of sadness dost ever linger in the spacious hall ? " 
 
 Freyer answered : " Thou art young in years and in experience ; 
 how then couldst thou fathom my grief? The sun shines every 
 day on happy people, but his light can bring no joy to the sad at 
 heart." 
 
 Yet Skirnir did not cease in his efforts. He reminded Freyer of 
 their happy boyhood, of their merry games, and of the time when 
 they had never had a secret from each other. 
 
 Freyer was touched by his devotion and told him of his 
 undying love and of its hopelessness. 
 
 " Give me," said Skirnir, " thy good horse to bear me through 
 my journey ; give me thy trusty sword that fights of its own 
 accord against the Frost-giant's power, and I will woo the maiden 
 for thee. I foresee that my mission will be successful." 
 
 Soon afterwards Skirnir leaped into the saddle, the good sw T ord 
 at his side. 
 
 " Up," he cried, " haste thee, Red horse, on thy way over the 
 steep mountain, for darkness approaches, that time which brings 
 help and comfort to the Jotuns. But we shall make our journey 
 safely if only we can escape the clutches of the giant." 
 
SKIRNIR'S JOURNEY. 
 
 The good horse galloped swiftly over hill and dale, as the 
 eagle flies over the tops of the tall pines ; and Skirnir soon per- 
 ceived the wide demesne of the Frost-giant. 
 
 A high hedge, guarded by fierce dogs, surrounded the bower of 
 the beautiful maiden, and within was a circle of flames that shot 
 all round the building. At one side was leaning the herdsman 
 who watched over the stately herd of cattle. 
 
 Skirnir turned to him and asked him how he was to pass the 
 dogs and the fire, and so reach the hall of the noble maiden. 
 
 "Art thou already dead ? " asked the herdsman ; " or dost thou 
 feel death in thy heart ? No living man is permitted to enter the 
 dwelling." 
 
 " Boldness befits a traveller better than fear. The days of my 
 life are all numbered, and no one can shorten them against the 
 will of the Norns." 
 
 With these words Skirnir drove his spurs into his horse, which 
 thundered over the fierce dogs, the high hedge and the flames, 
 making the whole grange tremble to its foundations. 
 
 Gerda was sitting in her hall, and asked her women in startled 
 tones why Gymirsgard was quaking so strangely. 
 
 One of her maidens informed her that a man, who had just 
 ridden up to the door, demanded admittance. 
 
 Gerda bade her bring the man into her presence, and ordered 
 that sweet mead should be given her guest, although she had a 
 foreboding that he brought unwelcome tidings, or was perhaps the 
 murderer of her brother Beli. 
 
 When the stranger had drunk of the mead offered him, she 
 asked, — 
 
 " Art thou an Elf, or an Ase, or one of the wise Wanes, that 
 thou, mad rider that thou art, hast dared to force thy way through 
 Wafurlogi and thus enter our halls ?" 
 
 " I am no Elf, nor yet am I an Ase, nor do I belong to the race 
 
202 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 of wise Wanes," replied the stranger. " I bring thee eleven apples 
 of pure gold as a bridal gift, in order that thou mayst own that 
 there is none so dear to thee as Freyer, who yearns for thy love 
 in return." 
 
 But she answered : " I will not take thy golden apples, nor shall 
 bonds of union ever link my fate to that of thy master, Freyer. 
 
 " Then I will add the golden ring that the Dwarfs made," he 
 continued ; " that ring from which eight new ones drop each ninth 
 night." 
 
 " Gymir's daughter needs no golden rings," she replied; "her 
 father's treasures are enough for her." 
 
 " Look, proud maiden," he cried in anger, " look at the shining 
 sword in my right hand ; with it will I strike if thou dost still 
 refuse him." 
 
 " Neither will I submit to force," she answered unabashed, 
 " nor will I accept the love of any man ; and I know that Gymir 
 is armed and ready to punish thy daring." 
 
 Then Skirnir rose from his seat in wrath, and replied to her in 
 these words : 
 
 "Maiden, seest thou this sword in my hand? With it I shall 
 
 slay the old Jotun, thy father, if he dares offer me battle. But 
 
 thee I shall conquer by means of my magic wand. Hearken to 
 
 the words which I trace in runic staves : — 
 
 On an eagle's mount thou shalt early sit, 
 
 Looking and turned towards Hel. 
 
 Food shall to thee more loathsome be than is to any one 
 
 The glistening serpent among men. 
 
 Solitude, horror, bonds and impatience, 
 
 Shall thy tears with grief augment. 
 
 Sit thee down, and I will tell thee 
 
 Of a whelming flood of care, and of a double grief. 
 
 Terrors shall bow thee down the live-long day 
 In the Jotun's courts, in thy chamber lone; 
 To the Hrimthurses' halls thou shalt each day. 
 
 - 
 
SKIRNIR'S JOURNEY. 203 
 
 Crawl exhausted, joyless crawl ; 
 Wail for pastime shalt thou have, 
 And tears and misery. 
 
 With three-headed Thurse thou shalt be ever bound, 
 
 Or be without a mate. 
 
 To the wold I have been, to the humid grove, 
 
 A magic wand to get ; a magic wand I got. 
 
 Wroth with thee shall Odin be, and wroth the Ase's Prince ; 
 
 And Freyer too shall loathe thee. 
 
 Flee, wicked maid, e'en ere thou shalt have felt 
 
 The gods' dire vengeance. 
 
 List, ye Jotuns, list, ye Thurses, 
 
 Sons of Suttung ! also ye, ye Ases' selves ! 
 
 How I forbid, how I prohibit 
 
 Man's joy unto the damsel, 
 
 Man's converse to the damsel. 
 
 Abridged from the " Edda." 
 
 Skirnir ceased and took his knife to cut the runes from the 
 magic wand on which they were carved. 
 
 Gerda cried shudderingly : 
 
 " Turn away the fulfilment of thy curse, O hero ! Take from 
 my hand this icy cup filled with old mead ! I never thought that 
 it had been my lot to love one of the Ases' race. Listen to the 
 words I speak most grudgingly, — 
 
 ' Barri the grove is named, which we both know, 
 The grove of tranquil paths : 
 Nine nights from now to Niord's son 
 Gerd there will grant delight.'" 
 
 Overjoyed at his success, Skirnir mounted his horse, and hast- 
 ened to tell his master the good news. 
 
 Freyer rejoiced, yet cried, impatiently, 
 Long is one night, yet longer two will be ; 
 How shall I nine endure ? 
 Often has a month to me seemed less 
 Than half a night of longing. 
 
204 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Freyer met Gerda at the appointed time in the grove Barri, and 
 their wedding was solemnized, wakening the earth out of winter's 
 sleep, and dressing her in bridal raiment of spring blossoms. 
 
 This, as the poem teaches us, happens every year ; the bright 
 god of summer slays Beli, the snow-covered giant of wintry storms, 
 and woos fair Gerda, the Earth, who, herself of the race of giants, 
 is held in bonds of ice by her father Gymir. 
 
 Gymir was the same as Hymir, the Frost-giant conquered by 
 Thor ; he was also related to Ogir, god of the blustering, wintry 
 sea. Freyer gives his good sword, the ray of sunshine, to his 
 servant Skirnir, that he may force the unwilling Gerda to become 
 his bride. The messenger, in the oldest tradition the god himself, 
 offers the unwilling maiden the golden ring from which eight other 
 rings drop each ninth night, even as the corn that is sown late in 
 autumn grows and ripens in nine months. He threatens the hard- 
 hearted girl with runes which he carves on a magic wand, and 
 which his curse makes powerful for evil. His curse dooms her to 
 marry Hrimgrimnir, or be buried alone under the ice of winter. 
 Just as he is about to cut off the runes, that his curse may be ful- 
 filled, fair Gerda yields to necessity and marries Freyer. 
 
 Skirnir's Journey is one of the most beautiful poems of the 
 Edda, and certainly the ideas to which it gave rise in the mind of 
 the poet are no less interesting. They are to be met with in other 
 myths, and they also occur in fairy-tales and the heroic epics ; as, 
 for instance, in the story of the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, who 
 is kept in the bondage of slumber by the chill embrace of winter, 
 and wakened to new life by the warm kiss of the sun-prince. 
 
 A similar tale is current in Denmark. 
 
 Young Swendal was playing with a ball, and the ball flew out 
 of his hands far away into the ladies' chamber. He went after it ; 
 he came back again with love in his heart, for he had seen there 
 a lovely damsel, whose picture had fixed itself upon his soul. 
 
 - 
 
YOUNG SWENDAL. 205 
 
 Hark ! he heard voices calling to him ; he thought it was his 
 sister and his step-mother. 
 
 " Hark ye, young Swendal," they said ; " fling not thy ball at 
 me ; fling it rather at the fair maiden whom thou dost love. Nor 
 shalt thou longer have peace or sleep, until thou hast released the 
 blooming girl, lying oppressed by heavy grief." 
 
 No sooner had he heard the words than he donned his fur-cloak, 
 and entered the chamber where the court was assembled. 
 
 He told them he would go into the mountains to ask his mother 
 what he was to do, that he might free the grieving maiden 
 
 They praised his errand, and he set out, and reached the moun- 
 tain where his mother had been slumbering peacefully for many a 
 year. 
 
 As he entered, the walls and marble boulders burst asunder, the 
 earth opened, and a voice cried out : 
 
 " Who is it that wakens the weary sleeper ? Can I not rest in 
 peace beneath the dark ground ?" 
 
 " Mother," he answered, " it is thy son that comes to seek thy 
 counsel, as they told me that no longer should I have peace or 
 sleep until I should release the blooming maiden who has suffered 
 thraldom this many a long day." 
 
 Thereupon the voice spake, — 
 
 " Take, then, thy mother's last gifts, young Swendal, and set out 
 that thou mayst find that which thy heart is yearning for." 
 
 And suddenly there lay before him a sword, and without there 
 neighed a noble steed. 
 
 It was the sword that ever carries victory with it, and the 
 stallion that gallops over land and sea, and never wearies ! 
 
 Young Swendal girt the sword around his waist, mounted the 
 steed, and rode away over the vast ocean, through green wood- 
 lands beyond, until he reached the castle where the maiden was 
 imprisoned and endured her bitter fate. 
 
206 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 He begged admittance of the surly keeper that sat outside the 
 gate, promising him courtly honours when he should be king. 
 
 The keeper replied morosely that the gate was of steel and the 
 walls of solid marble, and inside a fierce lion and a grim bear 
 kept watch, to tear to pieces any intruding stranger, unless it were 
 young Swendal. 
 
 When the rider heard these words, his heart gladdened, and, set- 
 ting deep the spurs into his noble steed, he leaped right into the 
 court-yard. The ferocious beasts crouched humbly at his feet, and 
 the lime-tree with its golden leaves bent to the ground before him 
 for he was the long-awaited master. 
 
 The longing maiden heard the tinkling of the rider's spurs, and 
 awoke from her death-like slumber. Her heart was filled with the 
 thought of her bold redeemer ; she ran to the gate and sank into 
 the arms of young Swendal. 
 
 FREYA, FREA, OR FROUWA. 
 
 Through the shady forest once strode a powerful young hunts- 
 man. His eyes beamed with the fire of his soul, and his strong 
 manly frame was clad in a light hunting dress, decked with eagle's 
 feathers ; his broad, trusty sword clanked in its sheath as he went, 
 and in his right hand he bore a spear. 
 
 Several attendants followed him, and two large greyhounds 
 sprang round him with mighty bounds. Suddenly they stopped, 
 threw back their heads and began barking loudly, then disappeared 
 in the dense bushes hard by. 
 
 A loud, fearful roar came out from where the hounds had 
 entered the underwood, and the bushes creaked and groaned, as 
 though trampled under the foot of some enormous giant, and a 
 
FREYA AND THE YOUNG HUNTSMAN. 207 
 
 monstrous wild ox of untold proportions rushed out, chasing the 
 hounds. 
 
 As soon as it reached the open space where the huntsman and 
 his followers stood, it lowered its monstrous head, and, catching 
 one of the dogs round the neck in its rounded horns, hurled it high 
 into the sky. But at the same moment the huntsman's spear 
 hissed through the air, and entered deep into the ox's fleshy neck. 
 
 The monster turned fiercely towards its new opponent, but the 
 huntsman did not budge from his place. All would have thought 
 him lost, so unequal did the chances seem, so terrible did the 
 giant ox appear. 
 
 Calm and collected, the bold youth awaited the onslaught of the 
 monster, then seized it by the horns, and, straining his whole 
 strength into his shoulders, with superhuman power, overthrew it 
 on its back. Before it could rise again the huntsman's foot pressed 
 heavily upon its throat, and soon his trusty sword put an end to 
 the battle, a stifled roar telling that the life flame of the monstrous 
 ox had at length gone out. 
 
 The huntsman's followers had not shared in the fight, for they 
 knew their master and his mighty strength, and had no fear for 
 the result. They now went silently to their work, took off the wild 
 ox's skin from his steaming carcase, and bore it to their master's 
 castle. He, however, laid himself down under the shade of an oak- 
 tree close by, and sank into a deep reverie. 
 
 A rustling sound in the neighbouring ferns woke him from his 
 dreams, and, when he looked up, the tall figure of a woman stood 
 before him, encircled by an unearthly shimmering light. 
 
 A snowy, trailing garment, bound by a golden girdle, draped 
 her wondrous limbs ; her flaxen locks shone through the transpa- 
 rent web that covered her head, and rich golden ornaments decked 
 her neck and shoulders. 
 
 The young noble gazed in wonderment at his unknown visitor; 
 
2o8 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 he knew not whether he was awake or whether he still slept, or 
 whether the figure was but a creation of his own unconscious mind. 
 But the more he looked at it the clearer did it become. It did not 
 vanish ; it was full of life. 
 
 " Hero of the Wolsings," Freya began, and her voice sounded 
 not of the earth, but rang clear as a silver bell : " offspring of the 
 Wolsing race, why dost thou discolour thy blade with mere ox 
 blood ? Rather should it be tinged with the dragon's blood, he 
 that lurks in Asgard's holy groves, and drains the mind and mar- 
 row of mankind with eager jaws. Dost thou not hear his coils 
 rattle ? dost thou not see the ramparts he has erected ? Go thou, 
 brave youth, and slay with thy strong arm the bane of Asgard that 
 defies the holy gods. Wodan ensures thee victory. A life ended 
 in glory is a life lived long enough." 
 
 The noble youth hearkened to her words in silent rapture, for 
 she gave utterance to what he had long craved to accomplish. He 
 looked up to the eagle as it hovered above his head on out-spread 
 wings ; but turning his eyes again to the vision of the fair woman, 
 lo ! she had vanished out of sight ! 
 
 No longer did he doubt, Freya herself or one of her maidens 
 had brought to him great Wodan's behest. 
 
 He forthwith sped through the wood to the Meeting of the Wise 
 Men, and related all that he had heard and seen, and the task 
 that had been set him. The men struck their shields in token of 
 approval, and the quiet wood resounded again with the clash. 
 
 The crowd dispersed ; each man returned to his native hamlet, 
 and gathered together all the youths fit for war. In the third night 
 they assembled, and, led by the youthful hero, fell upon the host 
 of the Roman intruders, who were defeated in a bloody struggle 
 that lasted three days. 
 
 Thus was the Roman dragon, the bane of Asgard, slain, and the 
 people delivered by the hero, Arminius. 
 
FREYA. 209 
 
 Such was the conception of Freya among the Teutonic tribes. 
 She was the mighty goddess who sat by the side of Wodan on the 
 high thrOne above the worlds, ruling over heaven and earth, guid- 
 ing the fate of nations, allotting the issue of battles. Together 
 with the Walkyries, or at their head, she hovered over the battle- 
 field, and bestowed victory or a glorious death on the heroes. She 
 shared the fallen warriors with her spouse, great Wodan, and led 
 those of her portion to Folkwang (folk-meadow) and to her radiant 
 hall, Sessrumnir (room of seats), where she dealt out to them the 
 inspiring mead. 
 
 It seems also that she was more especially worshipped as 
 Mother-Earth, being identical with Nerthus, the Jord (Earth) of 
 Scandinavia, who drove among the people in her sacred chariot 
 adorning the earth with fresh green, with blossoms and blades, 
 making the seeds to thrive, and blessing the fruits of the field. 
 
 The Scandinavian myths made a decided distinction between 
 Freya and Frigg. They held Frigg to be the highest amongst the 
 goddesses, whilst to Freya the second place was given ; nor was 
 she looked upon as the wife of Odin. She was the daughter of the 
 Wane-god, Niorder, and sister of loving Frey-er, who each year 
 marries fair Gerda. As goddess of beauty and love, she blesses 
 all lovers who turn to her with prayers and sacrifices ; but when 
 marriage was solemnized it was great Frigg whom the husband 
 and wife were bound to invoke. 
 
 The South German races knew of no such distinction between 
 the goddesses ; so they regarded Friday, the day dedicated to 
 Freya, as the fittest for a wedding, and this custom was not given 
 up until the Christian priests convinced the people that the day on 
 which the Saviour was crucified must necessarily be an unlucky 
 one. Yet they could not change the name of Friday, which still 
 remains to this day. 
 
 At the time of King Harald lived Rerir, son of Thorkill the 
 
 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Redbeard. In all his warlike strength he strove against the king ; 
 but the battle went against him, and he sought shelter on a lonely- 
 isle. 
 
 Helga was his love ; but her father, the king's chief warrior and 
 his faithful vassal, despised the poor houseless outcast. 
 
 Rerir, full of longing to behold once more his loved Helga, built 
 a small, strong boat, and boldly landed near the castle where she 
 dwelt with her father. 
 
 She stood upon the beach, wistfully looking over the bounding 
 billows, which suddenly tossed at her feet a tiny craft ; Rerir 
 leapt upon the shore, and stood by her side. 
 
 Tearfully she told him how her cruel father was about to force 
 her into a marriage with a noble of the court, yet vowed to him 
 that none but he should ever have her love. 
 
 " Helga ! " he cried, "a lonely isle 
 
 There lies beyond the foaming sea — 
 Bold rovers know the safe retreat — 
 
 O be thou mine, and fly with me ! " 
 
 Trembling, yet half-willing, she refused to go with him. Rerir, 
 full of grief and deadly pale, sank broken-hearted to her feet, 
 entreating her again in passionate words. 
 
 No longer could she bear to look upon the anguish that she gave 
 her loved one, no longer could she withstand his glowing words 
 that spake of rapture shared by each : 
 
 Down she steppeth with the hero 
 
 To the foaming wave-washed strand ; 
 " Where thou wendest, my beloved, 
 
 Is alone my home, my land ! " 
 
 And the gaily-coloured vessel 
 
 Screens the youthful, loving pair ; 
 Swelling sails and guiding rudder 
 
 Save the hero and his fair. 
 
RERIR AND HIS LOVE, HELGA. 2ti 
 
 Hastening after them the vessels 
 
 Of her father quick pursue ; 
 Far beyond them speed the lovers, 
 
 And the land is lost to view. 
 
 On the ocean's stormy bosom 
 
 Cast about, they fain would die ; 
 And they wither like the blossom 
 
 That has met the Evil Eye. 
 
 Suddenly the piercing sunbeams 
 
 Burst the clouds, illuming all ; 
 Lo ! from out the heaving billows 
 
 Rises Freya's blessed hall. 
 
 Peacefully, without a struggle, 
 
 Enter the twain lovers in, 
 Quitting earth and life's hard battle ; 
 
 Blessed they who Frey's hall win ! 
 
 Freya always bears the radiant necklace Brisingamen, the 
 sparkling jewels of the heavens, the gaily-coloured flowers of 
 spring, when regarded as the goddess of nature and ruler of the 
 world, or as Mother Earth. When the skalds dethroned her from 
 her lofty height, humanizing her nature and her attributes, the 
 myth arose which told how the necklace was gained. 
 
 Four skilful dwarfs made it, according to the legend, in their 
 underground smithy, and worked into it the most costly jewels that 
 the earth produced, so that it glanced and glittered like the sun 
 herself. * But Freya chanced to see it, and her eyes were almost 
 blinded at its wondrous splendour. In exchange for it the dwarfs 
 asked nothing but her grace, which she extended to them, and 
 thus gained the necklace. 
 
 The goddess of beauty and love was described as a maiden in 
 
 * See note on page 24. 
 
212 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the Northern poems ; yet there is a myth according to which she 
 was married to Odur, v a scion of divine ancestry. She lived happily 
 with him, and several lovely daughters blessed their union. 
 
 But Freya was to learn that happiness is not eternal ; for Odur 
 left her, and with him all joy and gladness passed out of her 
 life. 
 
 All Nature sorrowed with her ; the flowers withered and faded, 
 the leaves fell from the trees, the earth looked waste and gloomy. 
 Freya moaned and wept day and night ; her tears shone like 
 golden drops of dew in the Autumn sunshine. And so she spent 
 the long winter miserable and alone in her deserted hall. 
 
 Then she could bear it no longer ; she set out in search of her 
 lost spouse, and wandered far and wide through distant lands and 
 amongst strange nations. She sought her lover diligently, and 
 found him at last in the evergreen fields where the golden fruit 
 ripens and the myrtle blooms. She clasped him lovingly in her 
 arms, and tears of joy, golden as the blaze of the new spring sun, 
 fell from her eyes when he returned her love with love. 
 
 On their arrival home again on their native earth, they were 
 received with the thousand-voiced song of birds ; and the many- 
 coloured flowers and leafy trees whispered of love and of summer 
 time. 
 
 The beautiful goddess strove with all the force of love to keep 
 her husband by her side, that he should never leave her again ; 
 but all in vain, for when Virgo sank after the autumnal equinox, he 
 once more left her and again wandered to the far country in the 
 unknown distance. 
 
 In the Fiolswinn Lay the same idea underlies the whole poem. 
 
 Menglada (jewel-gladness) awaits her bridegroom in her castle, 
 which is guarded by grim wolf-hounds and encircled by a wall 
 of fire. 
 
 A watchman, Fiolswider (much-knower), stands at the entrance, 
 
SWIPDAGER RETURNS TO MENGLADA'S CASTLE. 213 
 
 and sees a stranger coming in the distance. He approaches, and 
 seeks admittance. The watchman cries — 
 
 " This is no place for beggars ; seek thou the damp and foggy 
 highway, and begone." 
 
 To which the wanderer makes answer — 
 
 " What monster art thou, that guards the entrance ; of what 
 race canst thou be, who refusest hospitality to the weary 
 traveller ? " 
 
 " Fiolswider is my name, in that I am wise in cautious counsel. 
 Therefore canst thou not enter this castle." 
 
 The wanderer cast a longing look towards the castle-window, 
 and replied — 
 
 " Unwillingly do I turn my eyes away, having once seen what I 
 seek. Here, where a glowing belt girds golden halls, could I find 
 peace." 
 
 Then the watchman demands of him his name and race, and 
 hears that he is Windkald (wind-cold), son of Warkald (spring- 
 cold). The stranger asks who is the owner of the castle, and is 
 informed that it belongs to Menglada ; he asks what is the girdle 
 that surrounds the castle like a wall of flame, and whether there 
 is no way to tame the grim wolf-dogs that sit on guard ; he asks, 
 too, of the mountain on which the castle stands, of the nine 
 maidens who sit before Menglada's knee, and whether no man can 
 enter the golden hall and go to her. 
 
 To all his questions he receives enigmatical replies, but to the 
 last the watchman says that none can ever cross the threshold but 
 young Swipdager, the expected bridegroom. 
 
 Thereupon he cries out — 
 
 " Throw open the gates, make way for the expected one ! Swip- 
 dager has arrived, and seeks admittance ! " 
 
 The watchman hastens to the hall of Menglada, and tells her 
 that a man has come who calls himself Swipdager, whom the wolf- 
 
214 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 dogs have joyfully greeted, before whom the castle gates have 
 flung themselves wide open. 
 
 " May shining ravens tear out thine eyes if thou hast lied to 
 me that my long awaited lover has at last returned ! " cries the 
 maiden joyously, and hurries towards the entrance. As soon as 
 her eyes alight upon the stranger, she knows him as her lover, and 
 flings her arms around him. 
 
 " Whither hast thou been ? whence hast thou come ? what art 
 thou called out there ? " 
 
 He tells her that he has come upon the wind-cold (Windkald) 
 way, that the unalterable word of the Norns had taken him thither 
 and borne him thence. 
 
 And she responded— 
 
 " Welcome art thou back again ! my wish is fulfilled. Long have 
 I sat on the high hill, looking for thee by day, looking for thee by 
 night. All that I longed for has at length come to pass, for thou 
 art here again at my side." 
 
.-." 
 
 
 /■■:.. ■ .'■ . , ■ 
 
 1 :*F> 
 
 
 ttma 
 
 
 wm:m 
 
 
 
 WALKYRIES CONDUCTING THE FALLEN HEROES TO WALHALLA. 
 
THE FATES. 
 
 217 
 
 WALKYRIES LEADING THE 
 WARRIORS ON TO BATTLE. 
 
 PART SEVENTH. 
 
 r ~pHE old Greeks called the 
 ■*- power which ruled over the 
 deeds, the suffering, the life and 
 struggles of man, Moira (Latin, 
 Fatuin), and were of opinion 
 that the gods, if not actually dependent on it, were at least 
 subordinate to it. Later, they held that there were three Fates 
 — Future, Present and Past, and connected them with the birth, 
 life and death of man. Their names and occupation are given in 
 the well-known verse : 
 
 " Klotho begins, Lachesis spins, 
 
 Atropos cuts the thread in two." 
 
2i8 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Tc these was added Nemesis, the avenger of human insolence 
 and of every evil deed. At length, when the old religion faded 
 away, they began to worship Tyche, blind chance or fortune, 
 erected altars to her, and offered sacrifices to her. 
 
 The Teutonic ideas were curiously similar to those of the people 
 of the south. Orlog or Urlak, Fate, the eternal law of the universe, 
 ruled over gods and men. The latter were powerless in its hands, 
 therefore the hero bore his fate with resignation after he had 
 striven his best to turn it aside ; the gods foresaw what was 
 to befal them, but even their divinity could not avert their 
 doom. 
 
 Orlog was neither created nor begotten, and was impersonal ; 
 he was of special significance in war, and even to this day a 
 German war-ship of the first magnitude is called an Orlog-ship. 
 This being, which ruled in secret, gained recognition and personal- 
 ity in Allfather, the Creator, Sustainer, Upholder and Ruler of 
 the world, who existed undefined in the consciousness of the 
 people. He was the unknown god who was to call the new world 
 into being after the Last Battle and the destruction of the 
 universe. He was the highest conception of Odin. Lastly, Orlog 
 reappears in the Regin, the Powers who ruled the world, and who, 
 seated on their judgment thrones by the Fountain of Urd, deter- 
 mined the fate of men, and judged their actions. Whenever they 
 showed themselves individually, they were Ases, but not such Ases 
 as those who ate, drank, slept, and had adventures like mortal 
 men ; they were mightier and nobler than those, although they 
 were likewise possessed of passions and affections similar to the 
 others. 
 
 The Regin come most prominently into view in the Starkad 
 legend where they determine the fate of the mythical hero 
 Starkad. This Wiking may with considerable resemblance be 
 compared with the Grecian Herakles ; just as Zeus and Hera 
 
THE LEGEND OF ST ARK AD. 219 
 
 decide the destiny of the latter, so do Odin and Freya of the 
 other. 
 
 Starkad was of half-giant descent, and already when a child, 
 like the Jotuns, of super-human stature, and furnished with eight 
 arms. Under the training and by the magic of his master, Horse- 
 hair Beard (Hroszharsgrani), he not only gained great learning 
 and heroic valour, but was also endowed with human form and 
 manly beauty. 
 
 When he grew up to be a youth, his master took a boat and 
 sailed away with him to an unknown island. A great crowd was 
 on the beach, and round the council-tree sat eleven grave men 
 of noble appearance upon thrones ; a twelfth and higher throne 
 remained unoccupied. Horse-hair Beard mounted it, and was 
 greeted by all as Great Odin. 
 
 Then the speaker arose — it was Asathor — and said, " Alfhild, 
 Starkad's mother, chose not Asathor as father for her child, but 
 a giant ; therefore I decree that he be childless, the last of his 
 race." 
 
 "Yet I," said Odin, "grant him a life three times the length of 
 mortal man."* 
 
 " Then," answered Asathor, " I destine him to do in each age 
 a grievous outrage that shall be a work of shame and dishonour 
 in the eyes of man." 
 
 Odin replied again, " And I bestow on him the stoutest armour 
 and most precious garments." 
 
 " I forbid him," said Asathor, " both house and home, nor shall 
 a piece of land be ever his." 
 
 " And I allot him gold and flocks in fullest plenty," answered 
 Odin. 
 
 " Then I doom him to ever-growing thirst for gold and wealth, 
 that he may never enjoy peace of mind." 
 
ASCARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 Odin returned, "I confer on him valour and prowess, and 
 victory in battle." 
 
 " Yet shall he from each combat bear a wound that reaches to 
 the very bone," was Thor's reply. 
 
 " The noble lore of the skalds shall be his," continued his 
 protector, " that he may sing ; and each of his words shall be 
 a song." 
 
 " His memory shall be cursed with forgetfulness of all that he 
 has sung." 
 
 " The noblest and the best among men shall love and honour 
 him," spake Odin. 
 
 " But all his tribe shall shun and hate him," was Thor's last 
 curse. 
 
 The assembled Regin entered into council, and decreed that all 
 should come to pass as Odin and Asathor had willed. 
 
 Thus ended the judgment, and Horse-hair Beard descended 
 from his high throne, and went to the boat with his foster-son. 
 
 Starkad grew to be one of the most famous of the mythical 
 heroes, and his name was handed down and celebrated even in 
 historical times throughout the northern countries. 
 
 Once when on a Wiking raid with King Wikar of Norway, the 
 fleet was overtaken by a tempest, and he had to seek shelter in a 
 protected creek. He had hoped for a rich booty, but the hurri- 
 cane continuing for many days prevented his starting. Vain were 
 all prayers and sacrifices. Odin demanded a human life. 
 
 Then it was resolved to cast the fatal runes, and the lot fell to 
 the king himself. Nobody dared to pronounce the dire decree, 
 still less to put it into execution ; when, all on a sudden, a man in 
 a broad-brimmed hat appeared in the night before Starkad. He 
 saw at once that if was Horse-hair Beard ; he gave Starkad a 
 thin willow branch and a reed. 
 
 Starkad at once understood the will of the god, and the next 
 
THE LEGEND OF STARK AD. 221 
 
 day presented himself before the king to show him these harmless 
 objects, telling him that the gods would be satisfied with the mere 
 show of a sacrifice : the king was to suffer the slender branch to 
 be laid around his neck ; they were then to tie him to the thin 
 bough of a tree, and touch him with the reed. Thus the sacrifice 
 would be accomplished, and Odin would again send them a pro- 
 pitious wind. 
 
 Wikar accepted this proposal ; but the thin bough of the tree 
 sprang upwards, the willow branch was changed into a rope, and 
 the reed which Starkad flung at the king was turned into a spear, 
 which pierttd the victim to the heart. 
 
 Such was one of the shameful outrages that Starkad the Wiking 
 perpetrated, as Asathor had doomed he should, although the 
 myth does not point out that it was done with the aid of Odin. 
 
 The hero, reckless of his evil deed, went on his further adven- 
 tures, and performed marvellous and valorous feats in Sweden, 
 Denmark, Ireland and Esthonia among the various nations. 
 
 During the winter months, when at the courts of other kings, he 
 sang of his far-famed Wiking raids and combats, and princes and 
 Jarls listened to his lays in siient admiration of the mighty 
 champion, while the people dreaded and hated him for his devas- 
 tations. 
 
 Yet he received also many wounds, and once even fought with a 
 split head, his helmet alone keeping his head together. Moreover, 
 when an old man of a hundred years, he slew nine warriors, 
 although his bowels hung from his wounded side. In the memor- 
 able Battle of Brawalla he had his body cut open from the 
 shoulder to the chest, so that his very liver was laid bare. All 
 these wounds miraculously healed, for according to Odin's sentence 
 he had to live three ages. 
 
 Thus the Ases appear as Regin, forecasting the fate of man, 
 which cannot fail to come to pass. 
 
222 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 King Fridleif of Denmark was rich in treasures, which he had 
 gathered together by bold deeds from the giants and the dragons 
 that he had slain. Once when on his adventures he entered the 
 cottage of a peasant, who received him hospitably. There he won 
 the love of fair Juritha, the daughter of the honest cottager, and 
 took her home with him. She bore him a son^ who was called 
 Olaf. 
 
 The ninth night after the birth of the child, Fridleif took him to 
 the temple of the three sisters of Fate, to ask them about the future 
 destiny of the boy. Before he entered the sacred grove, he read 
 prayers to the godhead that the decree should be propitious, and 
 made solemn pledges. Then he stepped into the temple, and saw 
 three maidens upon thrones in the holy place, and they looked 
 down upon him in silence as he approached. 
 
 The first goddess was grey with age, yet looked friendly and 
 happy, even as the joyous days of past youth ; the second raised 
 her hand aloft, like a Walkyrie, who, looking towards the enemy 
 on the field of battle, points out the way the heroes should 
 advance ; the third glanced darkly from under the veil which 
 covered her temples. 
 
 " The noble youth shall be beautiful," said Urd of kindly heart, 
 " and shall gain the love and service of men." 
 
 " I grant him untold valour in combat and generosity towards 
 friends," continued Werdandi. 
 
 Thereto dark-frowning Skuld added, " Yet insatiable covetous- 
 ness shall stain his soul." 
 
 We have frequently spoken of the Norns in preceding portions 
 of the book. They are the Fatal Sisters who sit at the foot of the 
 World-Ash Yggdrasil by the fountain of Urd. They can foresee 
 the destiny of man, and make it known through the mouth of 
 prophetesses and priests, or utter it themselves. At the same 
 time they also make the fate of mortals to a certain extent, as is 
 
THE NORNS, THE GODDESSES OF FATE. 223 
 
 seen from the above story. They hover over armies as they are 
 starting for the battle-field, and cast the deadly lots among the 
 warriors. They follow the blood-stained track of the murderer, 
 just as the Erinnyae of the Greeks did, and fall upon him with 
 their dire vengeance, no matter where or how he be hidden. 
 They finally show upon the nails of man their runes, that is the 
 white spots underneath the nail, which partly indicate good luck, 
 partly misfortune ; formerly people understood their meaning and 
 could read them, but in our days this art has been lost, because 
 with man's averted faith in the Fates, all fear and respect for 
 them also disappeared, so that they now manifest themselves in 
 all sorts of more horrible ways. 
 
 The name Norn has quite disappeared from Germany, if indeed 
 it was ever known there. The Anglo-Saxons called the Fatal 
 Sisters Mettena, i.e., the measurers, those who weighed in the 
 balance. In the oldest conception of them, the sisters were held 
 to be one, and were known as Wurd or Urd, in Anglo-Saxon 
 Wyrd. But at the same time they were also known as a trinity. 
 
 In heathen times the three sisters were worshipped in a sacred 
 grove. They were regarded as protectresses of the place, and in 
 Christian tniies as saints who had erected chapels and shrines, 
 but who nevertheless perished in the ruins of their castle. 
 Another idea was that the three prophetesses lived on a hill 
 surrounded by water. They span and wove linen, which they 
 afterwards gave away to the people. They sang at christenings 
 and marriages, which betokened good luck, and for this reason 
 three ears of corn were offered up to them at the harvest. Thus 
 the fear of the terrible Norns, who pursued the vile-doer and spun 
 the irremediable thread of man's destiny, awarding life and death 
 according to their pleasure, became softened in course of time ; 
 while, on the contrary, the idea of Hel, the goddess of the under- 
 world, grew ever more and more appalling. 
 
224 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 We have already made the acquaintance of the goddess Hel 
 as a monster horrible to look upon, and the daughter of Loki ; 
 but the original conception of her was far different from this. 
 Death was not terrible in the oldest time. Mother Earth, who 
 bore the living, and took the dead back to her bosom, appeared 
 in no gruesome form to the ancients. 
 
 The patriarchs of Israel, after a long life of struggle, blessed 
 their sons and made their will known to them, and then laid their 
 heads down peacefully and quietly to take their eternal rest. 
 Similar ideas may have prevailed amongst the Aryan races in 
 their native land. The shepherd princes who watched their flocks 
 and herds looked upon life and death calmly, and worshipped 
 Mother Earth as the author of birth and dissolution, without 
 fearing her. 
 
 But when the people began to distinguish spiritual life from the 
 merely corporeal, Hel became the Ruler and Judge of souls. 
 Meanwhile these conceptions of life after death were rather un- 
 satisfactory in some respects. Homer made the spirits of the 
 dead glide about like unconscious shadows moved by every breath 
 of wind ; in the poems of Ossian they whispered to the living in 
 the waving of the reeds, the murmuring of the billows, and in the 
 coming and going of the clouds, in which they appear to have had 
 their dwelling. 
 
 Homer tells us of the punishment borne by those spirits who 
 were condemned to Tartaros, and in the time of Tacitus the 
 Teutons appear to have already had ideas respecting reward and 
 punishment after death. They knew of Walhalla, where the 
 storm and war-god, Wodan, received the souls of fallen heroes, 
 But Hel was still the Earth-mother who dwelt in the depths, who 
 made the plants grow and rise in the light of day ; or she was 
 Nerthus, who, under the guidance of the priests, went out to greet 
 the people and wander through their land. The Edda only 
 
THE GODDESS OF THE UNDER-WORLD. 225 
 
 contains scattered allusions to the great goddess of former days, 
 who decked the earth with flowers and fruits, who gave life and 
 energy to man and beast, and who called her children back to her 
 bosom. Odin is there said to have given her power over the nine 
 worlds, or, according to another version, over the ninth world ; but 
 certainly the great goddess of life and death may be described 
 as having dominion over the nine worlds. She was represented 
 as half corpse-like, half of an ordinary colour, which showed her 
 power over life and death. The Brahmins described their goddess 
 of nature after much the same fashion. 
 
 Holda was the bright side of the goddess of nature. In contra- 
 distinction to her, the dark, black side of Hel came ever more 
 strongly prominent, the greater the horrors of death and the grave 
 appeared. The Edda teaches us that it took nine nights' ride 
 through dark valleys to reach the river Giol, which was spanned 
 by a gold-covered bridge, on the other side of which was the 
 high iron fence surrounding the dwelling of the goddess of the 
 Under-world. No living creature, were he even a god, could bear 
 to look upon that terrible face. 
 
 Her hall was called Misery, her dish Hunger, her knife Greed ; 
 Idleness was the name of her man, Sloth of her maid, Ruin of her 
 threshold, Sorrow of her bed, and Conflagration of her curtains. 
 Within her realm, Corpse-strand, a hall was set apart for assassins 
 and perjurers ; it was far from the sun and turned towards the 
 north, and was roofed with serpents, whose heads hung down and 
 spat their venom upon the floor, causing unspeakable torment tc 
 the wicked who were confined there. Still more horrible than this 
 was Hwergelmir, the roaring cauldron, where the dragon Nidhogg 
 devoured the corpses of the evil-doers. In front of Hel's dwelling 
 was the Gnypa cavern. The monstrous dog Garm lived there, 
 from whose jaws the blood constantly dripped as he gnashed his 
 teeth and growled at the new arrivals of the pilgrims of earth. 
 
 Q 
 
226 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 These and other terrible pictures show the Northern Hel as 
 described in the later poems, but they were scarcely founded on 
 the conceptions of the old Teutons regarding her. Still there arc 
 other places which prove that Hel also had a more kindly aspect, 
 and that she received with a joyous welcome the good and worthy 
 who might come to her. 
 
 When glorious Baldur was sent to her by insidious Loki's 
 perfidy, he found the halls gorgeously decorated, the thrones all 
 covered with spangles of gold, and goblets filled to the brim with 
 sweet mead. For the goddess had also halls of joy for the good 
 and brave who were not received in Walhalla. 
 
 In the Whispering Valley (Wisperthal), where lisping elf-maid- 
 ens invite the wanderer to deceptive joys, there lies on a low cone- 
 shaped hill the ruins of an ancient castle. In the underground 
 caverns beneath, a black-and-white spirit-maiden is said to guard 
 her hidden treasures. They say that many years ago she betrayed 
 the treasures of the abbey to the enemy for gold, for which crime 
 she was excommunicated by the Church at Rome ; her spirit will 
 not find rest, it is said, until the enemy has been conquered and 
 the stolen treasures restored. Formerly she was often seen by the 
 light of the full moon, weeping and bewailing as she wandered 
 among the ruins ; but of late years the spectre has not appeared. 
 Perhaps the unknown enemy has been conquered, thus obtaining 
 for her respite from her troubles. 
 
 The appearance of this black-and-white maiden reminds us of 
 the wicked goddess Hel, and she may also be compared with 
 Hilde, the Walkyrie who ever awakened up again the slain war- 
 riors in the strife between Hogni and Hedin, that the fight might 
 be continued. 
 
STORY OF KING KRAKI. 227 
 
 THE WALKYRIES. 
 
 At Hledra, the proudest town in all the northern lands, sat 
 King Hrolf Kraki one yule-tide with his twelve warriors, and 
 together they emptied the goblets of sparkling wine. They vowed 
 eternal companionship, that they would ever stand side by side in 
 the fight, and if need be die together. 
 
 When summer came, they went out to battles and to wars, and 
 many a Jarl and many a king was made tributary to them. 
 
 " Odin is with us," said Bodwar Biarki, one of the twelve. 
 
 " The Walkyries have protected us," said Hialti, another 
 warrior. 
 
 " May they always grant us victory," added a third, " and guide 
 us all in safety to Walhalla." 
 
 As they were thus speaking, Wogg, a young lad, came up to 
 them, and asked to be allowed to take service under the king. 
 Kraki gave him a golden ring. 
 
 As the boy fastened it on his left arm he said, " Now must my 
 right arm be ashamed, lacking ornament." 
 
 Therefore the king, smiling, gave him a second ring. 
 
 Whereupon Wogg, laying his hand on Freyer's wild boar, vowed 
 that he would be the King's avenger, if he were ever slain by the 
 enemy. 
 
 King Hrolf Kraki once took his warriors to Upsala, where his 
 father Helgi had been slain, to demand of the avaricious Adil, the 
 spouse of Yrsa, his father's ring. 
 
 After a day's journey, he came to the peasant Hrany, who 
 greeted him kindly, and advised him to send some of his people 
 back as they would only be in the way during the fight. 
 
 The peasant wore a large hat, which completely shaded his face ; 
 he had only one eye, but he spoke so wisely, that his advice was 
 followed. The next evening they came to the same house, in 
 front of which stood the same peasant. 
 
228 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Again they received the same advice, and King Hrolf now saw 
 clearly that this was a man versed in magic lore, and he dismissed 
 all the servants of his warriors. 
 
 The peasant looked pensively after the departing king ; then he 
 beckoned with his right hand, as though he were calling a servant, 
 and through the clouds and evening mists appeared seven maidens, 
 mounted on white steeds, armed with shields and clad in chain- 
 mail. They stopped before him. 
 
 " Hrist (storm) and Mist (cloud-grey), Thrud (power) and Goll 
 (herald), Gondul (she-wolf) and Skogul (carrier through), and thou, 
 bold Hilde (war), use your art with King Hrolf, that he may be 
 victorious." 
 
 Thus spoke the peasant, and the Walkyries hastened away to 
 carry out his behest. 
 
 Then followed, through the treachery of the false Adil, fierce 
 frays, in all of which the heroes conquered, and they returned in 
 triumph to their home. They again sought lodging with Hrany, 
 and they found him more hospitable than before. He showed 
 Hrolf a shield, a sword, and a shirt of mail, saying, — 
 
 " Take the weapons, thou wilt have need of them." 
 
 But Hrolf refused to take such costly gifts from a peasant, 
 whereupon Hrany waxed wroth, his face grew dark as night, and 
 his eyes flashed fire. 
 
 " Then quit my house, rash sons of the Jotuns," he cried ; " the 
 Norn has beclouded your minds, she throws the thread north- 
 wards." 
 
 The ground shook ; the very house groaned and cracked, 
 as though the building would fall. The heroes, terrified, mount- 
 ed their .stallions, and rode away. At last Biarki broke the 
 silence. 
 
 " I think," he said, " that we have been foolish. The peasant is 
 more than he seems." 
 
STORY OF KING KRAKI. 229 
 
 " It is Odin himself, the one-eyed god," answered Hrolf; "let 
 us return and seek him." 
 
 But it was in vain, for both Hrany and his house had disap- 
 peared. 
 
 For some time the king remained quietly at Hledra with his 
 warriors ; for he was afraid that the Father of Victory was dis- 
 pleased with him The tributary princes and Jarls paid their taxes, 
 without daring to raise the banner against their victorious lord. 
 
 At last, however, Skuld, Hrolf's sister, begged her husband, 
 Hiorward, to take up arms against the king. She used cunning 
 magic and baneful witchery in order to attain her end. Under the 
 pretext of paying the tribute, they both arrived in the castle with 
 many followers, leaving many mounted men concealed outside, 
 
 The king received them with great honour, and gave a festive 
 drinking-bout. But when he and his followers, overcome by sleep 
 and wine, lay resting in the halls, the troop of traitors silently crept 
 in and slaughtered many a sleeping hero Hialti, who was out- 
 side, came back just as the fighting had begun. He wakened 
 Badwar Biarki. Both took their arms, and killing everybody who 
 came in their way, they reached the king's sleeping hall, where 
 the king armed himself amid his warriors. 
 
 Then Hrolf said, " Well, valiant comrades, drink with me the 
 last cup to Odin, as wc are going the way of Death." 
 
 They all drank with great zeal, and Biarki said : " Do you see 
 the Walkyries above us, how they smile under their helmets and 
 beckon to us ? We come to you, powerful maidens ; soon you 
 will bear us to Walhalla, where Freya herself brings to the heroes 
 foaming mead. But as long as life is granted to us, let us do 
 our duty faithfully, that we may die an honourable death and 
 show ourselves worthy of renown and skaldic song." 
 
 Thus spoke the undaunted hero, and the warriors following 
 closely on the king, pressed forward against the foe, and their 
 
230 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 swords clashed as if a whole army was fighting. The conspira- 
 tors fell under their blows and retreated from the halls and 
 castle, and the men of Hledra followed their brave lord as though 
 to victory. 
 
 In the meanwhile Hiorward brought fresh troops, and the per- 
 nicious Skuld stood in the midst of the battle, and by her magic 
 songs she revived the fallen warriors. 
 
 The heroes fell one after the other around their warlike king, 
 who towered in their midst. Shots whizzed round him, sword- 
 blows clashed on helmet and shield ; but the traitors fell before 
 his mighty strokes. Only when his armour was utterly destroyed 
 did he fall pierced with lances on the bloody ground, profusely 
 strewed with armour and with broken weapons. Hialti lay dying 
 at his feet. Biarki stood still, but his colour was pale, his 
 helmet and shield broken, his breast-plate and heart pierced by a 
 lance. 
 
 The colour from his cheek is fled, 
 
 He speaks with quaking breath ; 
 All power has left my weary limb, 
 
 That burns the wound of death. 
 
 Hialti lies upon the ground 
 
 Beside the dying king ; 
 The Hero-King grants me to kiss 
 
 His lips ere life takes wing. 
 
 At his head will I gladly sink, 
 
 Without fear, without dismay ; 
 Walkyries above me beckoning 
 
 Bless'd shield-maidens gray. 
 
 They call, inviting us above, 
 
 The heroes they bid speed 
 To Odin's glorious halls, 
 
 Where they deal out ale and mead. 
 
 Hiorward, the victor, and Skuld sat together in the festive hall 
 at the drinking bout, laughing over their wicked cunning. 
 
STORY OF KING KRAKI. 231 
 
 Then the enchantress said, " My brother has died with all his 
 heroes as a Skioldurig, a descendant of the noblest race of kings on 
 the whole earth." 
 
 " Then is none of his brave men left ? " asked the king. " I 
 would honour him highly, and seat him as the first under my 
 warriors." 
 
 Just as he had thus spoken a man covered with blood came up 
 to him without weapons, but on each arm a golden ring. All 
 knew him well, for he was Wogg, the same whom Hrolf had once 
 received into his company. He said he would like to serve his new 
 master faithfully ; but he had no sword, as he had broken his in 
 the fight. Then Hiorward handed him his own great sword ; but 
 Wogg said that Hrolf always held the sword at the point when he 
 gave it to a man. This the king did also ; but as soon as Wogg 
 had the handle in his hand he dug the point deep into the king's 
 breast with the words : 
 
 " Go thou to the kingdom of Hel, false traitor, where thou shalt 
 walk through valleys of misery." 
 
 Then he received innumerable mortal wounds by Hionvard's 
 warriors. With a dying struggle he dragged himself towards the 
 yet living Hrolf, and said : 
 
 " Now have I fulfilled my promise, and have avenged my mas- 
 ter. But I see them — the Walkyries. They have lifted the heroes 
 on their horses ; they wait for me. I follow ye ; I come from 
 blood and the pains of earth to share the joys of Asgard's glorious 
 hall ! " 
 
 The prophetesses who foretold victory to the people, or who 
 even took part in the battle, holding up the banner in their strong 
 hands, were either distinguished by their great and healthy old 
 age or by their youth and beauty. When the warriors saw them 
 standing amongst the chiefs and nobles filled with the enthusiastic 
 certainty of victory, issuing their commands and uttering words of 
 
232 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 counsel which tended to ensure the victory they had prophesied, 
 they may well have regarded them as supernatural beings worthy 
 of all honour. It was the same with the Scandinavians. Many 
 a warrior-maiden fought in the famous Brawalla battle ; but yet 
 these Amazons were, on that occasion, unable to change the fate 
 of the day. 
 
 The existence of these Walas, or Amazons, formed the founda- 
 tion of the belief in Walkyries, and poetic fancy imagined them to 
 be heavenly beings, who gave victory to him that deserved it, and 
 who took those mortals who had fallen bravely in the fight to 
 Walhalla, that they might be with the Father of Battles and the 
 blessed Einheriar. We have already met with them several times 
 in the course of our history, riding on white horses and dressed in 
 splendid armour, watching the fate of battles and of the heroes 
 who took part in them. There were generally seven, nine, or even 
 twelve choosers of the dead on such occasions, and Hilde (War) 
 and the youngest Norn Skuld, were often comprised in their ranks. 
 They rode on air and water, for their horses were the clouds that 
 floated over the world of mortal men. They were possessed of 
 swan garments, wrapped in which they could fly in the guise of 
 swans to the place where heroes were contending for death or 
 victory. 
 
 The celebrated Brynhilde was a Walkyrie. She said on her 
 Hel ride that Agnar had stolen the swan garments belonging to 
 her and her sisters, and had thus forced her to give him the vic- 
 tory over Hialmgunnar against the will of Odin, for which reason 
 the god had cast her into a magic sleep. Swawa and Sigrun, like 
 Brynhilde, were of human extraction, and they used to hover pro- 
 tectingly round their favourite heroes during the fight ; but they 
 lost their Walkyrie power as soon as they married them. Maidens 
 alone could receive the divine nature, which they lost again if ever 
 they married a mortal hero. 
 
WISE-WOMEN. 233 
 
 The Walkyries, Norns, and divine women reappear under the 
 name of Dises. This appellation connects them with the war and 
 sword-god Tius (Tyr, Zio). They were not his servants, however, 
 but were quite independent of him. Idises, or Dises, were known 
 and reverenced by the Teutons before the time of Tacitus. It 
 seems that inspired prophetesses and seers like Weleda were looked 
 upon as Idises. We have already shown what influence they pos- 
 sessed in time of war ; but they used also to go about the land, 
 enter houses, and bring help in sickness, for they knew of remedies 
 which were of much avail to whomsover believed in their efficacy. 
 
 It is said in Latin accounts that one of these women went to 
 meet Drusus when he had advanced as far as the Elbe. She wore 
 the Teutonic costume, was of superhuman height, and commanded 
 the conqueror to withdraw from the sacred soil of the fatherland, 
 for death was approaching him. He was so terrified that he was 
 induced to retreat, and it is well known that he soon afterwards 
 died of a fall from his horse. This tale probably had its rise in 
 Teutonic tradition, but it shows what faith the ancients placed 
 in the greatness and power of these prophetesses, who were also 
 called Wise-Women. It was beautiful to see how these seers kept 
 the desire for the weal of their people in their hearts, incited them 
 to warlike deeds, carried their banner into the fray, bore the 
 wounded out of the fight, bound up their hurts, and nursed them 
 or brought help and healing to the sick. Very different was the 
 reverse side of this picture, when they accompanied wandering 
 hordes in their raids. Wild-looking figures with loosened hair, 
 they there mixed with the fighting men, joined in the fierce battle- 
 cry, and after victory had been attained they stood by the sacrifi- 
 cial altar, slew the prisoners, and foretold future events by their 
 witch-like incantations over the bodies of their victims. 
 
 Old authors tell us of other women whom the people held to be 
 Idises. One of these appeared to Attila by the Lech, and made 
 
234 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 him afraid to cross the river. Some writers are of opinion that 
 they were called Alioruna, and prove their assertion by comparison 
 with Jornandes, who maintained that the mis-shapen Huns were 
 descended from the Aliorumnes. These beings were afterwards 
 called Alrunes or Alrauns. 
 
 It was said that the Alraun was cut out of a root with a distant 
 resemblance to the human form. For a long time the well-known 
 climbing plant, bryony, was regarded in Germany as an Alraun. 
 But when the Germans invaded Italy in the tenth and eleventh 
 centuries, they found the mandrake which resembled what they 
 imagined much more nearly than the bryony. 
 
 According to tradition this plant only grew under the gallows 
 upon which some one had been hung. A wise woman dug there 
 at midnight while using horrible incantations. The moment to 
 enter on the search was at the time of the solstice, when the moon 
 in its last quarter was throwing its pale light around. The root 
 was disinterred with a low cry of pain. The woman, a look of 
 madness on her face, hastened away with her prize, which writhed 
 like a living thing in her arms. She took it home and laid it on 
 her soft bed. There the misshapen creature lay before her, pale as 
 death, without eyes, and on its thick skull a few bristly hairs were 
 visible. She felt bound to it with an overflowing love like a 
 mother to her child. She pressed two juniper berries into the 
 holes where its eyes should have been, and a third one into the 
 back of its head. These berries became real eyes, but were round, 
 not oval, like human eyes. 
 
 The earth-born creature grew rapidly under her care, but only 
 reached the height of a three-years child. He climbed roofs and 
 trees like a monkey, and laughed at his foster-mother's anxiety for 
 him. He found and\lug for her treasures of silver and gold that 
 had lain hidden under the earth. 
 
 Thus the family grew rich and respected, but the woman was not 
 
THE MANDRAKE BOY. 
 
 235 
 
 happy. Her father, trusting in his riches, strove to gain princely- 
 power and was executed for high treason ; her lover and her 
 brother killed each other for the sake of her wealth. The Alraun 
 laughed at her tears ; he had a diabolical delight in plaguing her 
 until at last she died insane under the same gallows from beneath 
 which she had dug him up. 
 
 This story reminds us of Wodan, the hanging god, and of the 
 degrading influence of wealth on the human mind. It also leads 
 our thoughts on to the witches, who originally had no resemblance 
 to the barbarous women we mentioned before. 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 OGIR AND HIS FOLLOWERS. 
 
 N the Black Forest, a few miles 
 from Lake Mummel, whither 
 we have once already led our 
 reader, lay a village ; the inha- 
 bitants were wont to delight themselves on the merry May- 
 days with joyous game and dance. 
 
 To these festivities there often came a strange maiden, who 
 joined in the gay country dance. A string of pearls bound up 
 her hair, and another hung round her neck ; a green silken 
 
MICHAEL AND THE WATER-NIXIE. 237 
 
 robe draped her graceful figure. Her features were so exquisitely 
 lovely, that the hearts of the young fellows beat higher in their 
 breasts as they led the maiden to the dance. 
 
 She seemed to favour one Michael Stauf more than all the 
 rest. He was the strongest lad in wrestling and in boxing, and 
 the most expert dancer. The old folk, who watched the games 
 of the young people, said they had never seen a more comely 
 pair upon the dancing green ; however, when the clock struck 
 eleven, the young girl always left the dancers, and although 
 many a lad followed her eagerly, she had disappeared into the 
 darkness of the forest before he could come up with her. 
 
 Yet once, as Michael followed her, he discovered traces of 
 her footsteps ; he hastened after her, and overtook her. They 
 walked on together side by side, until she led him by a path 
 which he had never seen before, although the wood was fully 
 known to him, since he had been born in it. 
 
 After a while, they reached the lake. He asked her, if she 
 would return with him to his farm, and be his wife. She 
 answered, she would ask her father, who was a strict and severe 
 man, but she feared he would not allow such a union. 
 
 With these words she sprang into the water and disappeared 
 from his sight. 
 
 Michael now saw that she was a water-nixie ; but his heart 
 'still clung to her, and all his thoughts were how he should 
 make her his own. 
 
 The merry day of festivity was over ; work in the fields 
 began, and left Michael little time for pondering on marriage. 
 But when winter came, and his leisure hours were many, his 
 imagination was constantly engaged in picturing to himself 
 how happy he would be if he could only make the lovely maid 
 in the green robe the mistress of his farm. Day and night he 
 dreamed of her, and all the pleasure that he once had taken in 
 
238 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 games of cards and dice forsook him, and he never now visited 
 the noisy company in the village inn, where formerly he had 
 rarely failed. And in the spinning room he was never seen, 
 and the spinsters were greatly troubled in their minds why the 
 rich Michael no more visited them. 
 
 Anxiously, full of longing, he awaited the month of May, and 
 when at last it came round he was the first upon the dancing-green. 
 His hopes were not deceived, the maiden of the lake appeared 
 as before, and danced and chatted with him ; when the hour of 
 eleven sounded from the bell, she accepted his company on the 
 homeward road. Yet when he spoke of his marriage plans she 
 became sad. 
 
 " My father," she said, " will allow of no union with mortals, 
 and he is very strict ; he allows no disobedience." 
 
 " A woman shall leave father or mother, and cleave unto her 
 husband," he cried ; " if thou wilt, we will at once return, get 
 married, and when thou art in my home, we will see who can 
 take thee away against both our wills." 
 
 " Hush," she said, frightened, " lest my father hear thy words. 
 Dost thou not see the springs and brooks around us ? They are 
 all in his service ; they would swell up to furious torrents, and 
 overwhelm us, if he bade them. Do not arouse his anger. He 
 will have no connection with mortal men, for they have nicknamed 
 him Duck-bill, because he has a nose of horn, like all men with us. 
 Yet he is friendlily disposed towards thee, and sends thee this ring, 
 with a great carbuncle in it, which will indicate to thee where all 
 the treasures of the earth lie hid." 
 
 With these words she put the jewel on his finger. The stone 
 flashed like the rays of the sun, and when he turned it towards the 
 ground, he saw in the depths below his feet veins of gold and 
 silver, which ran through the earth like frozen brooks. 
 
 " A wonderful sight," he said, " but I desire no other treasure 
 
MICHAEL AND THE WATER-NIXIE, 239 
 
 than thee ; I am rich enough already for us two to live in peace 
 and plenty." 
 
 They had come to the shore of the lake, and after a hurried fare- 
 well, she disappeared into the flood. 
 
 Michael was a bold and fearless lad. If he got an idea into his 
 head, nothing could get it out again. He would have liked to have 
 had the water-king before him, that he might fell him to the 
 ground. As this was not possible, however, he had to content 
 himself with brooding on his way home over a plan by which he 
 might bring the beautiful girl to fall in with his ideas. 
 
 On the following day she came at the usual time, and was more 
 beautiful and more friendly to him than ever. Towards evening 
 he slunk away from the dancing-green and climbed up the church 
 spire, and there put the hands of the clock a whole hour back. 
 When he returned he hurled a young fellow away who was leading 
 the lake-damsel to the dance, and carried her off himself, as though 
 he would dance his life away. He did not become tired, and she 
 too seemed of like mood ; the pipers grew blue in the face, the 
 fiddlers' arms grew weary, but they dared not cease : he threat- 
 ened as he rushed past them, he promised a threefold reward. 
 
 At last the clock struck eleven. Then the maiden escaped from 
 his arms, and started off for the wood. He followed her, and they 
 had hardly gone a few paces when they heard the clock in a 
 neighbouring village strike twelve. 
 
 The maiden was horrified, and trembled in all her limbs. He 
 told her what he had done, and vowed that she should be his that 
 very night. Yet all his pressure, all his arguing, was in vain ; she 
 only hurried her steps, weeping and lamenting. 
 
 At length they stood on the bank of the watery mirror, over 
 which the full moon played. It was in vain that he sought to 
 hold her back ; she whispered only softly,— 
 
 " Take heed what happeneth ; if a milk-white flood ariseth from 
 
"24b ASCARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the lake, I am saved, and will be thine ; but if a blood-stained 
 one, then I am lost." 
 
 Scarcely had she said these words than she sprang forward, 
 and sank beneath the waters. Where she had disappeared a 
 funnel-shaped cavity remained, from the edge of which wave- rings 
 extended over the whole lake. 
 
 Michael looked upon the surface of the water in breathless 
 expectation, and now, now there rises up from the cavity not milk- 
 white but a blood-red stream, and a cry strikes his ear, entering 
 his heart like the thrust of a dagger. 
 
 " Fiendish Neck ! " he cried. " Murderer of thy child ! take 
 back thy magic ring, thou wicked Duck-bill ! " 
 
 And he threw the jewel against a rock in the lake, so that it 
 flew into a thousand pieces. 
 
 As soon as the fragments touched the water it began to foam 
 and bubble, as if a subterranean fire were causing it to seethe. It 
 swelled and swelled, higher and higher, and in the middle a mon- 
 strous crested wave rose frothing up. The lake heaved, and its 
 depths raged fiercely. It overflowed its banks ; the monster wave 
 bore the struggling youth along with it, in spite of his frantic 
 efforts. Far and wide did the growing waters work devastation, 
 and never were either the rich Michael or the Maiden of the Lake 
 seen again. 
 
 Like this story, there are very numerous others, whose scenes 
 are laid by springs, brooks, rivers, and lakes. They are told in 
 England, Germany, in the Sclavonic, and in the Romance lands. 
 Also from classic antiquity we have received the Naiads, River- 
 gods, Sirens, etc. 
 
 Another legend, very popular in Germany, we give, translated 
 into verse. Every one who has travelled up the Rhine has been 
 shown the Loreley Rock, and been told the superstitions con- 
 nected with it. 
 
THE LORELEY. 241 
 
 LEGEND OF THE LORELEY. 
 
 Unearthly music floats upon the air, 
 
 The setting sun illumes th' impending crag, 
 
 The silent fishers watch their lurking nets, 
 Or from the deep their finny booty drag. 
 
 That is the siren-song of Loreley ; 
 
 In jewelled sheen she sits upon the height ; 
 Swift o'er the lyre her magic fingers flit, 
 
 Her golden hair gleams in a flood of light. 
 
 See yonder bark by nervous arm impelled, 
 So swiftly shooting down the glassy stream ! 
 
 Anon it creeps, borne onwards by the tide, 
 The youthful boatman rapt as in a dream. 
 
 That strange, weird melody enchains his soul, 
 
 Upon the oars his listless arms repose, 
 Spell-bound he gazes on the dizzy height, 
 
 With longings new and wild his bosom glows. 
 
 More swiftly glides the bark, the rock is near, 
 He sees the siren beckon from the height, 
 
 Her song more thrilling, and more sweet her lyre, 
 Her locks more golden in the golden light. 
 
 The reef-rocks rise, alas ! he sees them not, 
 
 Heeds not the warning shout from yonder shore, 
 
 The startled echoes sound from crag to crag, 
 But by that boatman they are ne'er heard more. 
 
 The story of the " Old Man of the Sea " is perhaps a recollec- 
 tion of the Northern Ogir, who, if not the king was at least 
 the highest and greatest of the water spirits. 
 
 Ogir, i.e. the Terrible, like his brothers Kari, ruler of the air, and 
 Logi, ruler of fire, was a son of the old giant Forniot. Judging 
 from the etymology of the word, he seems to be identical with the 
 Grecian Okeanos, but possessing a more distinct personality, for 
 the Greeks probably only knew the ocean from the stories of 
 Phoenician sailors, while the Northern skippers boldly faced the 
 
 R 
 
242 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 mighty sea and its terrors in their weak vessels, which they called 
 dragons or snakes. Dreadful Ogir was married to Bar, who, like 
 her husband, used to drag men down into the deep and bury them 
 in the sand, or who, according to other accounts, received the souls 
 of those who died at sea, as Hel did of those who died a "straw 
 death " on land. They had nine daughters who afterwards became 
 the mothers of Heimdal. The name of the Ogishelm, i.e. Helmet 
 of Terror, comes from the King of the ocean. It was believed that 
 the very sight of it filled the beholder with such terror that he 
 would let his weapons fall as though he were paralyzed by magic 
 art. The front of this helmet was adorned with a boar's head 
 which yawned open-mouthed at the enemy. The Anglo-Saxons 
 and Esthonians of the Baltic wore helmets of this sort, and the 
 latter people believed that these head-pieces made the wearer either 
 invisible or impervious to wounds. This reminds us of the dusk- 
 cap in the Nibelungen Lay, whilst the boar's head puts us in mind 
 of Freyer's Gullinbursti. The Ogishelm, judging from the forma- 
 tion of the word and from its meaning, seems to have been iden- 
 tical with the Ogis shield of Zeus, for this was by no means a goat's 
 skin as people said later on, but was a weapon arousing feelings 
 of terror. Zeus sometimes lent it to his son Apollo, who showed 
 it to the enemy and made them fly in fear. The shield of Pallas 
 Athene with the Medusa's head had much the same effect. 
 
 Ogir, the terrible king of the ocean, did not appear armed 
 with the boar's helmet in the northern poems, but he must have 
 worn it in the old days, the records of which are lost. He was 
 milder of aspect than of yore, and although of giant race, he 
 lived in friendship with the Ases. He was also represented as 
 sitting on a rock, playing on a harp or a shell. No sooner was 
 Ogir's music heard than the waves piled themselves mountain 
 high, and flung themselves against each other with a wild roar, 
 so that the earth trembled and the heavens threatened to split 
 
OGIR AND RAIN. 
 
THE WATER-SPIRIT AND THE BOYS. 245 
 
 in twain. The vassals of Ogir were numerous, mermaids and 
 sprits of all kinds were subject to him, and there are a great many 
 interesting tales regarding them in every land. The stories of 
 the magical music of the Necks are probably founded on the 
 melodious sounds made by the water when falling over rocks 
 or by the waves of the sea when confined within some cavern, 
 such as Fingal's cave, etc. Nixies also sought the love of man, 
 for thus and thus alone could they obtain the object of their 
 desire, a loving immortal soul. The tragic turn which these 
 stories generally take, almost seems to show that the possession 
 of a soul was not happiness. Fouque's " Undine " is one of 
 the most beautiful of these tales. 
 
 Although the water spirits had no souls, they yet were filled 
 with a longing for redemption and resurrection. There is a 
 Christian tale which is a good illustration of this idea. Two 
 children were once playing upon the sea-shore. A merry Neck 
 was seated on a rock in front of them surrounded by water, and 
 as he sat, he played on his harp so cheerily that it seemed to 
 the children as if the very waves were dancing to his tune. 
 
 Then the elder boy called out to him jestingly : " Play on, 
 merry sprite, play on ; thou hast no hope of redemption or of 
 resurrection." 
 
 " No hope ! " wailed the Neck, beginning to play such sad 
 music out of his sorrowful heart that the waves ceased to dance 
 and the children felt quite miserable. 
 
 They went home and told their father, who was a Christian 
 priest, what had happened. He chid them for their forwardness, 
 bade them at once return to the Neck and tell him that there 
 was hope of redemption and resurrection for him, for the Saviour 
 had said : " I am not come into the world to judge the world, 
 but that the world through me might be saved." 
 
 The boys did as their father told them. They found the Neck 
 
246 
 
 SGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 still weeping bitterly. But when he heard the message of glad 
 tidings, he smiled through his tears and touched the strings of 
 his harp making them play mighty chords, and it seemed as 
 though the heavenly hosts were singing to the music. 
 
 " The Saviour did not come to judge the world, but that the 
 world through Him might be saved." 
 
 In this simple legend we see the triumph of Christianity over 
 heathenism. It is sad that this aspect of Christianity is not 
 always recognised by those who are called upon to teach its 
 principles. But Charlemagne's Saxon war, the Inquisition, and 
 other more recent events show how much the fundamental idea 
 of its teaching has been misunderstood. 
 
PART NINTH. 
 
 LOKI AND HIS RACE. 
 
 T T E stood with his peasant wife and his two sons en the 
 ■*■ •*■ household hearth, and prayed to Odin that he would take 
 under his protection their eldest boy, whom the monster had 
 demanded. 
 
 Hardly had the prayer been offered up, when the king of 
 the Ases stood in the hall, and promised to hide the boy 
 securely, and to bring him back to them unharmed. 
 
 At his command the corn grew up in the night over many a 
 wide acre, so quickly that it was ready for harvesting. In the 
 middle of the field, he hid the boy, in a grain of an ear of corn. 
 But in the morning the giant stood in the field, and with his 
 sharp sword mowed down the corn. He shook with all his force 
 the ears, and lo ! there fell at last into his hand the very grain 
 which hid the boy. In his need, he called to Odin, and the 
 mighty god removed him from all danger, and took him back 
 to his parents, who were in great care about him. 
 
 " I have fulfilled my promise," he said, " more ye must not 
 demand of me." 
 
 With these words he disappeared ; but the peasant and his 
 
248 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 wife were not yet free from care, for the giant stood threaten- 
 ing in a neighbouring field, and was now coming towards the 
 house, where he scented his victim. 
 
 They prayed Honir that he might guard their darling from 
 the monster ; the beneficent god did not tarry ; he took the 
 boy with him into the greenwood, where immediately two 
 silvery swans settled down before him, and he hid his little 
 charge in the form of a feather of down in the neck of one of 
 them. 
 
 However, the giant, who was called Skrymsli, strode onwards 
 to the greenwood ; he was powerful in magic, and enchanted 
 the right swan to him, and bit his neck off. Yet the feather 
 of down was wafted from his mouth, and Honir caught it up, 
 and carried the terrified boy back to his anxious parents. 
 
 The peasant and his wife now called to Loki for his help 
 in their need ; for they saw the giant coming with angry strides 
 out of the wood. The god appeared at once, took the boy 
 to the strand, and rowed with him far out to sea. And he angled 
 and caught three large flounders. 
 
 After he had hidden the boy as the tinest egg in the roe 
 of one of them, he threw the fishes overboard, and turned aeain 
 towards land. Here he saw with astonishment, that Skrymsli 
 had prepared his boat to go out fishing ; he got into it with 
 the giant, and sought, but all in vain, to put a stop to the 
 voyage ; the vessel flew on, driven by the powerful strokes of 
 the giant, hurrying over the sound into the open sea, where 
 the boatman sank his angle and stone into the water. He 
 caught at once three flounders, and amongst them the desired 
 Rogner. 
 
 " Give me that poor little fish," asked Loki insinuatingly. 
 
 " Hast thou an appetite then, Gaffer, hey ? " snarled the 
 giant ; " thou wilt have to wait a long time I fancy ! " 
 
LOKI OUTWITS THE GIANT SKRYMSLI. 219 
 
 Thereupon he took the flounder between his knees, and 
 counted every egg in the roe, until he found the one he 
 wanted. But with a dexterous finger Loki snatched it up, and 
 told the boy, when they reached the land, to spring with a light 
 foot over the sand towards home. 
 
 Skrymsli saw the boy running, and hastened after him, but 
 with every step he sank knee-deep into the sand. He found 
 the door of the house shut ; when he threw himself against it 
 with great force, it broke in two ; but, springing forwards, he 
 ran his head into an iron pole. Loki was at once at hand, and 
 cut off one of his legs, and then the other ; and so the monster 
 died ; and his body covered the field. 
 
 The peasant and his wife brought thank-offerings to the god 
 Loki, for their darling, whom the other gods had only hidden a 
 short time, and who now rested safely in their arms. 
 
 The above story is still told on the Faroe Islands, and in 
 fuller detail than we have been enabled to give it. It shows 
 us an important fact, that Loki was not always looked upon 
 as the principle of evil, as the enemy of gods and men. 
 
 Originally he was the god of the indispensable household 
 fire, the god of the beneficent, kindly hearth ; therefore he 
 regularly appears in the trinity : thus the sons of the primeval 
 giant Ymir were called Kari (air), Ogir or Hler (water), and 
 Logi (fire) ; and similarly on the creation of mankind the trinity 
 appears, Odin, Honir and Lodur. Loki also accompanied Odin 
 and Honir on their travels to the giant Thiassi. 
 
 The father of Loki was Farbauti and his mother was Laufey 
 (leafy isle). The former was probably the same as Bergel- 
 mir, the giant who escaped drowning in the Deluge by taking 
 refuge in a boat, as another name for his mother was Nal, 
 ship. Logi, the element of fire, was distinctly separated from 
 Loki, for we saw that when in the halls of Skyrnir or Utgard- 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Loki, the two were rivals in a wager as to which could consume 
 the greater quantity of food in a given time. At first Loki was 
 held in high honour as the giver of warmth and god of the 
 domestic hearth, and was looked upon as the brother of Odin 
 and Honir, for the elements air, water and fire are intimately- 
 connected. He therefore belonged to the Ases, sat in their 
 council, and often helped them out of difficulties by means of 
 his cunning. As fire is not always the friend of man, but is 
 also the element of destruction, the Loki of the myth developed 
 ever more and more the dark side of his character. He showed 
 himself as a cunning adviser, a false, traitorous comrade, and 
 lastly as the murderer of all that was pure and holy. He de- 
 stroyed innocence and righteousness, became the blasphemer of 
 the Ases or their evil conscience ; and although he received 
 immediate punishment for his wickedness, he yet succeeded in 
 bringing about the universal destruction. 
 
 The name Loki has been derived from the old word "liuhan," 
 to enlighten. It therefore has the same origin as the Latin lux, 
 light. Thus he was also related to Lucifer (light-bringer), a 
 title of honour which was given to the Prince of Darkness. In 
 like manner as the northern tempter was chained to a sharp 
 rock, Lucifer was believed in the middle ages to be chained 
 down in hell. Saxo Grammaticus describes his Utgarthlocus 
 (Utgard-Loki) as laden with chains in Helheim, which proves 
 that the myth of Loki and his punishment was believed long 
 after the Christian era. 
 
 As has been said before, Loki had three wicked children by 
 the giantess Angurboda (bringer of anguish), Fenris, Hel and 
 Jormungander. But he also had a lawful wife, the faithful 
 Sigyn, who brought him two sons, Wali and Narwi, and who 
 remained with him during all the misery his punishment brought 
 upon him. He had no servants or subjects, for the Salamanders 
 
LOKI AND HIS RACE. 
 
 251 
 
 or Fire-spirits which played a part in Roman and Oriental 
 mythology were unknown in the north. But he had other mighty 
 relations, namely Surtur of the Flaming Sword and the sons of 
 Muspel, who helped him in the Last Battle when he had got rid 
 of his bonds. The Dwarfs and Black-Elves that needed fire for 
 their labours were in alliance with him, but were not subserv- 
 ient to him ; indeed, as we have already seen, they were often 
 his enemies. 
 
 %^° 
 
PART TENTH. 
 
 THE OTHER ASES. 
 
 WIDAR. 
 
 ' I A HE duel was over, Ases and Einheriar were seated in Wal- 
 -*- halla emptying horns of foaming mead. Steps were heard 
 approaching, and Widar came in, receiving a joyful greeting from 
 all. 
 
 " Hail, Widar," said Bragi, the divine singer, and Hermodur, 
 the bright herald of the gods, " hail, Widar, thou strong protection, 
 thou help in every time of danger ! Receive with this greeting the 
 golden drink which beseems thee." 
 
 He thanked them and drank. He looked very grave, and spoke 
 but little. Then Odin made him a sign to approach, and as he 
 walked up the hall, he looked great and noble in their eyes ; his 
 broad sword clanked at his side, and the sound made by the iron 
 shoe on his right foot rang musically through the immeasurable 
 hall. 
 
 " Widar, my silent son," said the Father of the gods, " in the 
 time to come thou shalt be Avenger, Victor and Restorer. Come, 
 follow me to the well of Mimir, that we may look into its depths 
 and see what is hidden from gods and men." 
 
 And now the god of armies rose and went away followed by 
 
ODIN CONSULTS THE NORNS. 253 
 
 Widar the Silent. They crossed the Homes to Mimir's Well. 
 There sat the three Fatal Sisters, and there the swans floated 
 noiselessly on their circling course. 
 
 Odin demanded a word of wisdom from the Norns. 
 
 Then they answered one after the other : 
 
 "Early begun !" 
 
 " Further spun." 
 
 "One day done!" 
 
 And Wurd said in conclusion : 
 
 " With joy once more won ! " 
 
 After that the sisters rose and spoke together : " The circling 
 ages roll on and change. Past and Future, passing and beginning 
 again, thus the ends of existence meet. If the Father falls on 
 the field of Wigrid, he reappears in Widar, the Avenger, the 
 Victor, new-born in the halls of blessedness." 
 
 When the Norns had finished, the leaves of the World-Tree 
 rustled melodiously, the eagle on its topmost bough sang aloud 
 some song of storm or of victory, flapping its wings the while, and 
 the dragon Nidhogg looked up, and forgot to gnaw the roots of the 
 tree. 
 
 Meantime another witness had approached : it was Grid, the 
 Giantess, the mother of Widar, who had lent Thor her girdle, 
 gloves and staff of strength when he was about to find the river 
 Wimur on his way to Geirod's-Gard. 
 
 "Happy mother!" said Odin solemnly, "who was once wedded 
 to me, thou also shalt rise again in thy son when the battle has 
 been fought out on the field of Wigrid and Surtur's flames have 
 been extinguished." 
 
 All three, their hearts filled with gladness, looked up at Yggdrasil, 
 the holy ash-tree, the leaves of which rustled melodiously, while all 
 creatures around were silent, as though they were listening to some 
 wondrous music which told, not of death, but of eternal change. 
 
254 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Widar went home through the long green grass and bushes that 
 never faded. He soon reached Landwidi, the house hidden in the 
 wood. He ascended his throne, twined with green garlands, and 
 sat there, silent as ever, thinking over the riddle of life. When and 
 how did the immeasurable come into being ? Why does it go on ? 
 How and when will it end ? These are questions which the wise 
 of all ages have puzzled over, and which they have tried to solve 
 in divers ways, but without satisfying themselves, because there 
 are limits set here to the inquiring mind. They only find words 
 which they cannot explain, cannot understand : Eternal, Everlast- 
 ing, Immeasurable. How grand and glorious it sounds, and yet 
 the finite mind can have no conception of that yawning gulf with- 
 out beginning and without end ! The childlike faith alone, that 
 had its rise with the star of Bethlehem, like the beautiful dawn of 
 a new day, gives peace to the soul that thirsts after truth. For 
 "although everything circles in eternal change, yet even in that 
 change is preserved a quiet mind." 
 
 The myth does not inform us whether the silent Ase found a 
 solution to the riddle, for, as we have seen, he was silent as the 
 the grave ; but he went forth boldly to the battle on the field of 
 Wigrid, trusting to what the Norns and his father had told him. 
 In this god we see an emblem of the inexhaustible power of Nature 
 in making ever new shoots and flowers spring from what had 
 errown old and faded. 
 
 HERMODUR THE SWIFT. 
 
 Odin, king of the Ases, was sitting on Hlidskialf weighing all 
 past and future events. He saw blood flowing, noble blood ; but 
 all that was to come to pass looked indistinct and misty, like the 
 sea in a fog, and the Norns had been silent when he questioned 
 them. 
 
HERMODUR VISITS THE FINNISH ROBBER. 255 
 
 His son, Hermodur, the bright herald of the gods, was standing 
 before him, ready to be sent to make known his decrees to the 
 people. The king signed to the Walkyries, who at once brought 
 helmet and coat of mail, spear and shield, and armed the brave 
 warrior for the battle. 
 
 " Up, my son," said the king, " saddle the good horse Sleipnir, 
 and ride along the wind-cold roads, over frozen lakes and rivers 
 and mountains, till thou comest to the land of the wild Finns. 
 There in a gloomy dwelling amongst the fens shalt thou find the 
 robber Rosstioph (horse thief), who entices travellers to come to 
 him by magic art, binds them with enchanted bonds, murders 
 them, and, after having robbed them, casts them] into the sea. He 
 knows what will happen in luture times ; force him with the Runic 
 staff to tell thee what will come to pass." 
 
 Then Hermodur laid aside his spear and seized Gambantrin, the 
 magic staff, instead. He saddled good Sleipnir, and hastened 
 away to the land of the Finns, where Rosstioph lived in a gloomy 
 dwelling amongst the fens. 
 
 The robber saw the storm-compelling rider at a distance. He 
 used his magic arts to induce him to approach, and laid invisible 
 snares for him. Hermodur saw ghost-like airy monsters trying to 
 clutch at him with teeth and claws, but he beat them back with 
 his staff, and Sleipnir leapt over all the magic traps. When the 
 robber attacked him in giant form, Hermodur felled him with his 
 club, and bound him hand and foot with his own cords, tying his 
 throat so tight that he groaned out his readiness to tell what 
 Hermodur wished to know. 
 
 So the Ase let him go, and he immediately began his terrible 
 incantations. The sun lost its brightness and hid her face behind 
 dark clouds ; the earth shook to her foundations ; the storm-wind 
 shrieked, calling to mind now the howling of wolves, and now of 
 the moans and groans of dying men. 
 
256 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 "See there," cried the Finn, pointing over at the fen, "the 
 answer to thy question is rising even at this very moment." 
 
 The Ase saw a stream of blood flowing that reddened the whole 
 ground. Then a beautiful woman appeared, and afterwards a little 
 boy rose close beside her ; he grew in one night, and was armed 
 with a bow and arrows. 
 
 " The king of the Ases shall offer his love to Rinda in the land 
 of the Ruthenes, and she shall bear him a son who will avenge 
 his brother's death." 
 
 Rosstioph ceased, and Hermodur returned to Allfather and told 
 him all that he had heard and seen. 
 
 Hermodur went on many other errands for Odin, and as these 
 errands were often of a warlike nature, he was perhaps regarded as 
 a sword-god ; indeed, he was supposed to be connected with the 
 universal god Irmin, or Hermon. Amongst the Anglo-Saxons, on 
 the other hand, he was looked upon as identical with dark Hodur, 
 the Ase who brought the greatest misery upon Asgard. 
 
 WALI OR ALI, SKEAF. 
 
 Wali or Ali was the son of Odin and Rinda, who, as Rosstioph 
 prophesied, should one day avenge the death of Baldur. We shall 
 meet with this god again when we treat of the beautiful poem of 
 Baldur's death, and will therefore merely remark in this place that 
 Rinda means the rind, the hard-frozen crust of the earth, whose 
 favour the god of heaven long woos in vain, in like manner as the 
 cold of winter takes a long time ere it gives way before the warmth 
 of spring, and it is only when summer's magic wand is brought 
 in requisition that the victory is complete. Thus the god tries in 
 vain to teach her that mild weather is the time for warlike deeds. 
 He offers her shining garlands of flowers and golden ears of corn, 
 
LEGEND OF KING SKEAF. 257 
 
 but all to no purpose. He is at length obliged to use his divine 
 power before he can force her to marry him. Her son is called 
 Wali or Ali in the Edda ; according to Saxo, the Danish historian, 
 he is Bous, or Bui, also Beav, i.e. the peasant, who, after the victory 
 of the god of heaven, comes out of his dark hut and resumes his 
 labour of tilling the earth. 
 
 The myth of Wali has, to a considerable extent, passed into the 
 Hero-lays. We will now give one of the tales which owed their 
 origin to this source. 
 
 Once upon a time many people were assembled on the sea- 
 shore in the land of the Angles and not far from Schleswig. 
 They were watching a small vessel sailing over the crested waves 
 towards them. A gentle breeze filled out the white sails, but 
 neither helm nor helmsman, nor yet sailors were to be seen. 
 Bound to the mast-head was a shield, bright as the sun, though 
 not blood-red, which would have betokened the arrival of an 
 enemy. 
 
 The little vessel rounded the promontory at the mouth of 
 the harbour as cleverly as though a good pilot had been on board, 
 and made straight for the land. The people now saw a little 
 new-born child lying on a sheaf of corn (Schof, Skeaf) on the 
 deck, with ornaments of gold, silver and precious stones scattered 
 about it. The boy sat up and looked at the surrounding people 
 so lovingly that all with one voice exclaimed : 
 
 " He is the child of some god ; we will take him and bring him 
 up, and he shall be our king." 
 
 They did so, and the boy grew strong and active, soon got the 
 better of his comrades in the lists, learnt to honour the laws and 
 ordinances of the free people who had adopted him, and gained 
 the hearts of all by his wisdom. 
 
 When he had grown to be a man, the free people of the land 
 raised him on a war-shield, and said : 
 
 S 
 
ASGARD AND THE GODS, 
 
 " Thou shalt be our king, for we shall be better off under thy 
 rule than were we to remain a republic, and thou shalt be called 
 Skeaf, because thou didst come to us lying upon a sheaf." 
 
 The new king governed the land wisely and justly, and the 
 favour of the gods was with him, so that the harvests were plen- 
 teous and the country visibly prospered. His judgments filled the 
 people with admiration, whether given in the law-courts or in the 
 assembly ; therefore he was loved and honoured as a father. His 
 fame spread over every land, and kings of foreign nations made 
 him umpire in their disputes. No neighbouring people ventured 
 to declare war upon him, nor was any Wiking-raid made upon 
 his coasts. His subjects enjoyed peace and security of life and 
 property. 
 
 At length the time came for him to leave the world, and he 
 desired his faithful friends to lay him once more on the sheaf of 
 corn in the little vessel and scatter about him the jewels he had 
 brought with him, that he might return to the place whence he 
 came. 
 
 The corpse of the king, its head crowned with flowers, was 
 placed on a sheaf in the little vessel, and all the ornaments he had 
 brought with him were placed about him as before. Then a gentle 
 breeze arose and wafted the ship far away to the Home of the 
 Light-Elves, the land of spirits, from which Skeaf had been sent 
 when a child. Meanwhile his faithful friends stood on the shore 
 for a long time weeping for the loss of their good king, as men 
 always weep when a dear friend leaves them. 
 
 Before his departure Skeaf had promised his sorrowing people 
 that he would send his son from the happy home to rule oyer this 
 kingdom, and, as we learn from Danish and Anglo-Saxon tradi- 
 tions, he kept his word. His son, however, did not come to the 
 Angles, but to the warlike Danes. 
 
BALDUR AND HODUR STRIVE FOR NANNA. 259 
 
 BALDUR AND HODUR. 
 
 Baldur was bright and beautiful, and a radiance like that of the 
 sun proceeded from him. The camomile flower was called Bal- 
 dur's eye-brow, because of its bright purity. Kindness, innocence 
 and righteousness were the qualities by which he was known, and 
 he could win every heart by the eloquence of his words. In his 
 palace, Breidablick, nothing impure, nothing evil could ever take 
 place, nor could any injustice be done. It was a holy house. 
 
 The wife of Baldur the Beloved was Nanna, daughter of Nep, 
 according to Uhland, Blossom, daughter of the Bud. She also 
 was the joy of gods and men, and loved her husband ever after 
 his death. 
 
 In one tale Nanna was the daughter of King Gewar of Nor- 
 way, and Hbdur was her foster-brother. They were brought up 
 together by Gewar. Once, when returning home from the marriage 
 of his friend King Helgi of Heligoland to Princess Thora of Finn- 
 land, Hodur lost his way in a fog, and while trying to find it again, 
 came to the dwelling of three wood-spirits, who greeted him by his 
 name, and gave him a suit of armour, adding that he must beware 
 of Baldur, son of Odin, and that he should first have victory, but 
 should afterwards be defeated. 
 
 When he got home he found that Baldur had seen Nanna, had 
 fallen in love with her, and had asked her hand in marriage. The 
 king had then replied that there could be no real bond between 
 Ases and mortals, and Baldur had gone away threatening ven- 
 geance. 
 
 On hearing this, Hodur said that he was not afraid of the Ase, 
 and entreated Gewar to give him Nanna to wife. The king 
 answered that he loved his foster-son, but that Baldur was in- 
 vincible ; if, however, Hodur could manage to gain possession of 
 
260 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the magic sword of Mimring, the wood-demon, he might marry 
 Nanna, as the odds would not be then so great in the Ase's favour. 
 
 After infinite trouble and danger, Hodur succeeded in conquer- 
 ing the Hrimthurse and in carrying off his sword and a wonderful 
 bracelet, the thickness of whose gold increased every night. 
 
 The fame of this deed, and of the magic sword and bracelet, 
 spread through every land. Geldar, Duke of Saxony, heard of 
 it, and trusting in his men and ships, set out to try and gain posses- 
 sion of the treasures. Hodur sailed out to sea to meet him in battle 
 array. Before any mischief was done, Geldar hoisted the white shield 
 of peace, as a sign that he wished to treat with the Norwegians. 
 After a short parley, Geldar and Hodur concluded terms of peace, 
 and entered into alliance with each other. While they were feast- 
 ing together, news came that Baldur was sailing up to give them 
 battle and carry away beautiful Nanna. They hastened to her 
 defence, and on the way were joined by Helgi. 
 
 There was a terrible battle, and Mimring's sword flashed like 
 lightning in Hodur's hand. Hodur threw himself into the thick of 
 the fight, and his coat of mail, which had been given him by 
 the wood-spirits, kept him safe and sound. Man after man fell 
 dead under his blows. But the Ases, with strong Thor, were 
 amongst his opponents, and Geldar and many more were slain 
 by them. After a desperate struggle, Hodur succeeded in disarm- 
 ing Thor. No sooner was this the case than terror seized the 
 enemy, and Ases and warriors fled pell-mell. Even Baldur for- 
 sook the field in "cowardly fashion. Hodur then commanded that 
 a great funeral pile should be erected for friend and foe, but chief 
 of all, he placed the corpse of his faithful brother-in-arms, Geldar, 
 the Duke of Saxony, to whom a grave mound was built. Hodur 
 now pursued his victory and conquered Denmark and Sweden. 
 
 According to other versions, Hodur was already King of Denmark, 
 and the battle took place near Roesfild in Zealand, where 
 
BALDUR AND HUDUR STRIVE FOR NANNA. 261 
 
 Baldur's well, Baldur's haven, and Baldur's sound (the Baltic Sea), 
 still remind us of the circumstance. The Danish rhymed chronicle 
 indeed informs us that Baldur was killed here and was buried in the 
 Sound. 
 
 We see from this how the myths of Baldur and Hodur have been 
 formed by story-tellers and poets, and if these now given are much 
 more modern in their origin, they still give the battle between 
 summer and winter, in which the god of winter has the victory at 
 the end of autumn. 
 
 After this battle Hodur married Nanna, and they spent a happy 
 winter together. 
 
 When spring returned, Baldur once more raised his head, and 
 was filled with new courage. He again prepared to fight for the 
 lovely Nanna. 
 
 The battle raged night and day, and Hodur got the worst of 
 it, in spite of Mimring's magic sword. He had at length to fly 
 to Jutland and wait there till he had collected a new army. 
 
 One day, as he was wandering in a wood, he saw the three wood- 
 spirits who had given him the coat of mail. He now recognised 
 them to be Walkyries by their white horses and armour. He re- 
 proached them for having prophesied good fortune when he had had 
 evil fortune. But they replied : " First victory, then defeat, was what 
 we promised. But now the time of good fortune is returning to thee. 
 If thou canst only get hold of some of the food which increases thine 
 enemy's Ase strength, thou mayest yet wound his sacred body with. 
 Mimring's sword. Three women wrapped in the garments of 
 night, their heads hidden under dark veils, prepare and bring him 
 this strengthening food." 
 
 No sooner had they spoken these words than they and their 
 dwelling vanished from before his eyes. 
 
 The hero stood alone in the dark pine-wood ; his heart filled 
 with new hope. He went down into the valley and called upon 
 
262 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 his faithful followers to rally around him, and they came in 
 crowds. He soon found himself at the head of a large army, 
 and when he went to seek out his foe, he found him ready to 
 receive him. Baldur was still dissatisfied in spite of his victory, 
 for he had not gained the lovely Nanna, he had not been abl^ 
 to carry her away, to her natural home the sunny south. 
 
 The battle lasted, as before, all day, and only ceased when it 
 was too dark to see to fight Hodur could not sleep, so he got 
 up in the third night-watch and set out to see what was going 
 on in the enemy's camp. All at once he saw three women 
 dressed in garments of night, and with their faces hidden under 
 dark veils, walking rapidly through the wood. He followed 
 them and entered their house after them. He pretended to be 
 a great skald. A harp was given him and he played marvel- 
 lous airs. While doing this he watched the women preparing 
 some gruel, and saw how they held snakes over it, making 
 them breathe into it after it was finished. 
 
 " That must be the food that increases Baldur's Ase strength," 
 he thought, so he asked for some as payment for his music. 
 The women consulted together ; one refused, but the others 
 were of opinion that it could do no harm to give the stranger 
 what he asked, maintaining that it would only make him a 
 better skald than before. They therefore granted his request. 
 
 He swallowed the plateful given him as rapidly as possible, 
 and immediately he felt an unusual strength in all his limbs ; 
 he felt as if he could have challenged all the Ases to battle, he 
 was so strong. 
 
 The women sought vainly to prevent the skald leaving them. 
 He rushed out into the open air and found that a bitterly cold 
 north-wind was blowing. As he was hastening along in the dim 
 grey morning light, he unexpectedly met his deadly enemy. 
 They at once prepared to fight. Each thought only of attack, 
 
BALDUR AND HODUR MEET IN BATTLE. 263 
 
 neither of defence ; the one was protected by his coat of mail 
 the other by his divinity ; but at length Baldur received a 
 terrible blow on his hip, and Mimring's sword passed through 
 his body. Hodur hastened to the camp, told his people what 
 had happened, and led them on to battle. 
 
 Meanwhile, Baldur was only wounded, and not dead as Hodur 
 had supposed. He had himself laid upon a stretcher and carried 
 into the dreadful battle, which raged undecided until night-fall. 
 In the night dark Hel approached his couch. She told him 
 that he should enter her realm on the following day, and that 
 she had a feast ready to greet his arrival. Her prophecy was 
 fulfilled. 
 
 Baldur's sorrowing followers buried him with royal honours 
 under a mighty mound, which the gods consecrated and pro- 
 tected by miraculous signs. 
 
 Hodur regained possession of his kingdom, but he never re- 
 turned to his beloved Nanna, for Bous (Bui = peasant), son of Odin 
 and Rinda, took the field against him in the following spring 
 and slew him in the fight, for he had lost the coat of mail 
 given him by the wood-spirits and had vainly sought for the 
 women in the garments of night, to beg them to give him some 
 of their magic food. 
 
 We recognise the natural myth of the struggle between light 
 and darkness, summer and winter, in this story. Moreover, 
 Gewar means spring (from war, Latin, ver), and he was the father 
 of Nanna, blossom. In this tale the original signification of the 
 myth had been forgotten. The songs of the Edda regarding 
 Baldur were almost entirely concerned about the death of the 
 god of light and the love his wife bore him, about the changes 
 of the seasons and the coming of Ragnarok. 
 
26.; ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 FORSETI. 
 
 In the land of the Friesians twelve men, well known for their 
 wisdom and righteousness, were chosen as judges in the olden 
 time. These men, who were called Asegen, i.e. Elders, went 
 about from one district to another throughout the country decid- 
 ing difficult questions and settling disputes according to the 
 ancient laws and privileges. It was always said that it was 
 from Fosite, Baldur's son, that the Friesians and their first Elders 
 had learnt the laws by which the country was governed. The 
 place where he had taught them these righteous ordinances was 
 an island, which is now known as Heligoland or holy land, 
 whose skippers even yet show their Friesian descent in their 
 muscular and active forms. 
 
 According to the northern myth, Forseti was the son of Baldur 
 and Nanna ; for righteousness, whose representative Forseti was, 
 proceeds from clearness of judgment and immaculate purity. He 
 used to sit all day long in his hall Glitnir, whose silver roof rests 
 upon golden pillars, and settle all disputes and differences of 
 opinion. As he was only, as it were, an attribute of his father 
 personified, he seems to have vanished with him from the worlds of 
 Ases and men, after which the Wolf's time of power began, and 
 immoral, evil forces gained ever more and more the upper hand, 
 until at length Ragnarok, the Judgment of the gods, began and 
 the drama of the northern faith came to a close. 
 
THE GOLDEN AGE. 
 
 265 
 
 PART ELEVENTH. 
 
 SIGNS OF THE APPROACH- 
 ING DESTRUCTION OF 
 THE WORLD. 
 
 THE GOLDEN AGE. 
 
 "" I V HE poems of the skalds 
 eif^' -*- tell us of the Golden Age, 
 \.-f- : that happy time of child-like 
 
 innocence. No human being lived then on the green earth, which 
 was inhabited by the Ases, who dwelt there without restrictions 
 of any kind, or any longing after the unattainable. They had no 
 past dimmed with tears, no difficulties in the present, nor did 
 
266 ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 the future threaten them with a grievous doom. They lived 
 for days and years in untroubled joy. They laid up stores of 
 'food, made hammers, tongs, anvils and tools of all kinds for 
 themselves. They forged metals and carved wood, and what- 
 ever they did was beautiful to look upon. They had so much 
 gold that they used it for making their household utensils. Still 
 they did not know the value of the metal, and only liked it 
 because it was bright and pleasant to look upon. They called 
 this happy time the Golden Age, because life was then without 
 care or sorrow, and not because of their wealth. They built 
 houses and holy-places for themselves ; they played merry 
 games with golden disks in the court-yard and on the Field of 
 Ida. They felt neither love of money nor desire of gain, nor yet 
 did they ever wish to do themselves good to the injury of others. 
 
 Then they jestingly created the numerous race of Dwarfs, who 
 burrowed in the earth and brought its hidden treasures forth to the 
 light of day. The Ases looked covetously at the glittering hoard, 
 and then the Golden Age, the time of innocence, passed away. 
 
 After that Gullweig (golden step), the wicked enchantress, was 
 born. Three times the Ases thrust her into the smelting-pot, and 
 each time she rose again more wondrously entrancing than 
 before, so that their whole souls were filled with covetousness 
 and other evil desires. 
 
 SIN. 
 
 Gullweig was probably the cause of the first war, the war be- 
 tween the Ases and Wanes. She glided about from one camp to 
 the other stirring up dissension. But fortunately peace was soon 
 concluded. The eyes of the gods were now opened, so that they 
 perceived the danger that threatened them. They saw the Moun- 
 
 - ■ 
 
THE GIANT SMITH BUILDS A WALL ROUND ASGARD. 267 
 
 tain-Giants and Hrimthurses far away over in Jotunheim, saw how 
 they had increased in numbers, how they had already made good 
 their entrance into Midgard, and were looking threateningly up at 
 beautiful Asgard, with its palaces, perfumed groves and flowery 
 meads. 
 
 Heimdal was a faithful watchman, but still the Ases feared lest 
 he should be taken unawares. So they assembled in their hall of 
 judgment, and took counsel together how best they might ensure 
 their safety. It seemed to them that their surest plan would be 
 to build a wall round Asgard, reaching to the skies, in which strong 
 doors should be placed. 
 
 While they were consulting as to the best way of carrying out 
 their plan, a tall, stately man, with a disagreeable expression of 
 countenance, came up and offered to complete the wall, without 
 help from any one, in three winters. He said that he was a smith, 
 a very skilful man, and that he thoroughly understood the art of 
 building. In payment for his work he demanded that divine 
 Freya should be given him to wife, and that he should also have 
 the sun and moon awarded him, as they would make such good 
 lights for him to work by. The Ases were undetermined ; but 
 Loki, the arch-scoundrel, whispered in their ears that they should 
 promise to grant the builder's request on condition that he finished 
 the work in the course of one winter. The man consented to these 
 terms, saying that he would wager his head he could finish the 
 work within the appointed time, if he were allowed to have the 
 help of his horse Swadilfari. Again the Ases hesitated, but Loki 
 strongly urged that they should consent, as an unreasoning animal 
 could not be of much use. 
 
 So the bargain was concluded, and each party swore holy oaths 
 by dark Hel, by the Leipter Flood and the primaeval icebergs, that 
 the conditions made on either side should be fulfilled faithfully and 
 truly. 
 
:63 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The work was begun on the first day of winter. The Ases saw 
 what monstrous loads of rocks and stones the builder's horse carried, 
 swift as the wind, wherever his master desired. The wall grew 
 apace, and was strong and solid as an iceberg. It was as smooth 
 and shining as polished steel, and at the end of winter it was nearly- 
 finished. 
 
 The great gate of the fortress was now alone to be made, and 
 that could be easily done in the three days that were still to elapse 
 before the beginning of summer. 
 
 The Ases consulted together in their distress, for if the smith 
 were to carry Freya and the sun and moon away with him in 
 payment for his work, beauty and sweetness would vanish from 
 Asgard, and eternal night would overwhelm the world. 
 
 Many of the gods longed for the presence of strong Thor, who 
 had been far away waging war on monsters of all kinds when the 
 contract was made with the smith, and who had not yet returned. 
 They seated themselves on their thrones of judgment, and tried to 
 find a way out of their difficulty. They asked each other who it 
 was that had advised them to conclude the bargain with the smith. 
 Every one knew that it was the author of all evil — false, treacherous 
 Loki. Then they all crowded round him accusing and threatening 
 him. 
 
 " Let him die a shameful death," they cried, " if he does not 
 help us out of our difficulty." 
 
 Loki tremblingly promised, with a holy oath, that he would 
 prevent the builder finishing the wall, and would thus deprive him 
 of his reward. 
 
 The next day, when the smith went to the mountains with 
 Swadilfari, to fetch stones and wood for his work, a mare galloped 
 towards them whinnying. Immediately the horse rushed to meet 
 her, kicking the cart and harness in pieces. He followed the flying 
 mare through wood and meadow, pursued by the breathless smith. 
 
LOKI TRICKS THE GIANT SMITH. 269 
 
 The pursuit lasted the whole day and night, and when the builder 
 at length succeeded in catching his horse they were both so ex- 
 hausted that they could do nothing next day. 
 
 That evening, as the man stood looking at the wall which he 
 knew he could not now finish in time, a giant's rage came over him. 
 He accused the Ases of being false perjured gods, who had deprived 
 him of his just reward by cunning and by treachery. He threatened 
 to make himself master of Asgard by force, and lifted huge rocks 
 and trunks of trees with which to destroy the place and its inhabi- 
 tants. And now the Ases perceived that he was a giant, and that 
 they had allowed one of their deadly enemies to enter their holy 
 city. They cried aloud for strong Thor to come and defend them 
 against the giant. 
 
 A thunder clap was heard, a flash of lightning lit up the dark- 
 ness, the earth trembled, and Thor was standing between the Ases 
 and the enraged giant. He at once recognised the Hrimthurse, 
 flung Miolnir and broke the giant's skull, which was as hard as a 
 stone, and bits of it went flying in all directions. The black soul 
 of the monster sank into Nifelhel, which was its proper habita- 
 tion. 
 
 In course of time the mare that had enticed Swadilfari from his 
 work had an eight-legged foal, and this foal was Sleipnir, which 
 when it was grown became Odin's horse, and used to bear the 
 Father of the gods swift as the wind through the air and over the 
 waves of the sea. But the Ases had sinned, they had broken their 
 oath ; for they had sworn to fulfil the contract they had made 
 with the smith without trickery of any kind, and the Jotun had 
 justly charged them with perjury. Their tempter was Loki, and 
 he it was who in the form of the mare had enticed Swadilfari 
 away from his work, and had thus prevented the completion of the 
 wall. 
 
270 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 IDUNA'S DEPARTURE. 
 
 Fair Iduna had made herself an airy dwelling amongst the 
 green branches of the world-tree Yggdrasil. There she received 
 her beloved husband, Bragi, every evening, and he rejoiced her 
 heart with his songs. The woodland birds joined their singing 
 to his, and the music they made was so sweet that even the 
 grave Norns were touched by it. 
 
 When all living things were sunk in sleep, the goddess sprinkled 
 the ash from the well into which the divine mead had flowed 
 that had been brought there by Odin, and so the World-tree 
 remained fresh and green. The well, like the mead, was called 
 Odrorir, and was that draught of inspiration which Gunlod had 
 once kept hidden in a mountain, but which Odin had rescued 
 for the needs of gods and men. Like Iduna's apples, it had the 
 power of making all who tasted it younger and more beautiful, and 
 was identical with the fountain of Urd, with the water of which 
 the Norns sprinkled Yggdrasil. Unnumbered years passed away ; 
 the World-tree flourished and remained young and strong as ever, 
 thanks to the care of the Norns and Iduna ; Bragi sang to his 
 wife and to the world ; but sin had defiled Ases and men, holy 
 oaths were broken, truth, faith and the fear of God had disap- 
 peared, murder and war were everywhere to be seen ; then it 
 was that the Destruction of the Universe came nearer, and the 
 Wolf rattled his chains preparatory to breaking them. 
 
 Now it happened about this time that one evening neither the 
 songs of Bragi nor of the birds were to be heard, that the branches 
 of Yggdrasil hung down sapless and withered, and that Odrorir 
 seemed to have dried up. Next morning, when the Ases, terrified 
 by these signs, asked for Iduna, they found that she had fallen 
 from the tree down into the deep valleys below to the daughter of 
 
ID UNA'S DEPARTURE. 27 J 
 
 Norwi (night). The well was really dried up, and every green 
 thing threatened to fade and wither. 
 
 So Odin sent his raven, Hugin, away to find out the meaning of 
 these portents of evil. Quick as thought the messenger flew 
 through the wide heavens, and then sank down into the realm of 
 the Dwarfs, Dain (dead) and Thrain (stiff), both of whom knew 
 what should come to pass. But they were lying sunk in a heavy 
 trance-like sleep, and in their sleep they moaned indistinctly some 
 few words about coming horrors and flames. The Ases, therefore, 
 knew not what to do, and watched all nature and Yggdrasil slowly 
 fading and dying. They stretched a wolf-skin, white and soft as 
 the winters snow, over the abyss where Iduna lay sorrowing, that 
 she might no more see her happy home amongst the ash-boughs. 
 The Father of the Gods sent Heimdal, the faithful watchman, 
 cunning Loki, and sorrowful Bragi to question the fair goddess as 
 to the future. The messengers, after passing innumerable were- 
 wolves on their way, at last came to the place where Iduna was 
 lying, pale and sad. They asked her eagerly what she could tell 
 them of future events, but she only answered them with tears. 
 
 Heimdal and Loki returned full of sorrow, but Bragi stayed 
 with his wife, that she might not die of grief. After the return of 
 the messenger, the Ases consulted together as to what was to be 
 done next. But they were all weary and much in need of rest, so 
 the Father of the Ases dismissed the assembly until the morrow. 
 
 Next morning, when Odin awoke, he found Frigga standing 
 weeping by his bed. Her lips trembled as she told him that her 
 son Baldur, the well-beloved, had dreamt that pale Hel had come 
 to him and had signed to him to follow her. Then the mighty 
 god arose in his strength. He had made up his mind what to do : 
 he would seek intelligence of the realm of the dead ; he must 
 know what was coming upon the world and the Ases. 
 
 This is what we learn from the lay called "Odin's Magic Raven" 
 
272 
 
 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 (Hrafnagalder), which is a description of the beginning of autumn 
 or early winter. Would the goddess Iduna rise again in spring 
 and bring new life to the dead leaves and flowers, or was her 
 departure a sign that the Last Battle was about to be fought, and 
 that the flames of Surtur would soon begin their devastating work? 
 These questions filled the minds of the Ases. 
 
 One writer states that in his opinion the events mentioned in 
 this poem refer to an unusual drought in Osning, and to the long 
 cessation of the flow of the intermittent spring which, with other 
 brooks, forms the Bullerborn, and which has never once dried up 
 since 1630. Still, it must be remembered, while considering this 
 interesting hypothesis, that a northern skald translated the origi- 
 nal Saxon poem, or rather worked the idea of it out anew, and 
 that as he did so he was filled with the thought that Iduna's 
 departure, and the fading and dying of all nature, portended the 
 approach of the Last Battle. 
 
 
PART TWELFTH, 
 
 BALDUR'S DEATH. 
 
 HOW WALA WAS CONJURED UP. 
 
 r I "HE myth tells us that when Mother Night sank as usual 
 - 1 - into Nifelhel, Day followed her looking bright and glorious. 
 His golden-maned horse bore his glittering chariot across the 
 heavens. But soon a grey mist rose and hid the shining equip- 
 age. The sun looked down sadly upon Midgard and upon 
 Asgard, as though through a thick veil, and seemed as if mourn- 
 ing some dreadful catastrophe. A dense fog rested upon Breida- 
 blick, so that its golden roofs and battlements were invisible. 
 The gods and goddesses hastened to the assembly full of dismay 
 about the departure of Iduna and Baldur's dreams. They shook 
 and cast the runes, and those of death lay uppermost. Terror 
 seized the Ases, but Odin rose in all his majesty and said : 
 
 " I foresee only too clearly what is about to happen ; yet will 
 I call up Wala from the realm of the dead, and she shall give 
 me a sure answer to my questions as to what will come to 
 pass." 
 
 Then he saddled Sleipnir and rode off swift as an eagle, to 
 the north towards Nifelheim. 
 
 Meanwhile, the gods consulted together and proposed various 
 
274 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 plans. At last it seemed to them that the best thing they could 
 do would be to make all living creatures, and even by means 
 of magic power force every inanimate object, to swear to do 
 no hurt to Baldur's holy body. 
 
 Frigg, the anxious mother of the god of light, herself under- 
 took the task. She went through every country as quickly as 
 the sun passes over the sky. And all mortal men, the Hrim- 
 thurses, the Light- Elves, the Water-sprites, and even the Black- 
 Elves, that race which shuns the light, swore a solemn oath 
 not to harm the Well-beloved. Trees and plants, stones and 
 metals were also bound over to spare Baldur. 
 
 Meanwhile, Odin rode through dark glens down to Nifelheim. 
 A dog with gaping jaws came out to meet him from the king- 
 dom of Hel, and as he came drops of blood fell from his jaws 
 upon his neck and chest. He stood still and howled as the 
 god rode past. Odin hastened to the eastern gate of the dark 
 abode. There he found the mound of Wala who had long 
 been dead. The Father of the Gods dismounted. He stood on 
 the grave mound that was surmounted by a memorial stone, 
 and began his incantation, the song that awakened the dead. 
 
 " Awake, Wala, awake from thy death-sleep ! Arise from 
 out the grave wherein thou hast rested so long ! Three times 
 do I strike thy dwelling-place with my runic staff that thou 
 mayst know no more peace on thy bed of mould, until thou 
 hast given me a true answer to my questions." 
 
 He then struck the grave thrice with his mighty staff, and 
 the ground shook, the stone sank down, the earth opened, and 
 pale Wala arose wrapped in her shroud. 
 
 "Who is it?" she asked in a hollow voice, "that troubles my 
 repose ? Snow has covered my bed, and the rains and dews 
 have watered it for many years. I have long been dead." 
 
 Odin replied : " Wegtam (knower of the road) is my name, and 
 
ODIN CONJURES UP WALA. 275 
 
 I am the son of Waltam (knower of battles). Speak, for whom 
 has Hel prepared the benches with rings and the golden 
 beds?" 
 
 She answered : "A shining goblet is standing ready for 
 Baldur the good, which he must drink with Hel to the woe 
 of the Ases. If I am forced to speak I must make known the 
 coming evil ; grant me therefore silence." 
 
 "Thou shalt not be silent!" cried the god, "until I know all 
 that I dimly foresee. Who is it that is to send the glorious 
 son of the Father of Battles down to Hel's dismal abode?" 
 
 Then the prophetess said dejectedly : " The brother will send 
 his brother there, the god of darkness will send the god of 
 light, Hodur will send the son of the Father of Battles down 
 to the realm of Hel. Forced to speak, I have to make known 
 the misfortune that was coming ; grant me now silence." 
 
 The King of the Gods, who was accustomed to look future 
 events in the face without fear, stood there drawn to his full 
 height, and went on questioning Wala. He asked who was to 
 avenge Baldur, and bring death upon the murderer. She told 
 him that Odin would have a son by Rinda who would grow 
 up in one night, who would not wash his hands nor comb his 
 hair until he had brought the murderer to the funeral pyre. 
 Then he asked the name of the woman who alone of all crea- 
 tures would not weep for Baldur the well-beloved. 
 
 " Thou art not Wegtam," she cried, " thou art Odin and 
 knowest all things. Go home now to Asgard. Thou hast 
 awakened the dead with thy mighty runes, and made her 
 speak with thee. None other will disturb my slumber until 
 Loki is free again and the gods are about to pass away." 
 
 We have given this ghastly but beautiful poem almost in its 
 entirety, and have only endeavoured to make some vague expres- 
 sions somewhat clearer, and to smooth away a few discrepancies. 
 
276 ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 The poet probably saw that the days were growing shorter, and 
 that the sun scarcely showed above the horizon in the far North, 
 while a cold frosty mist covered land and sea ; these were to him 
 the signs of the approach of winter, of the death of the god of 
 light. Odin had a foreboding of what was about to happen, but 
 could only gain certain intelligence in the realm of the dead. So 
 the poet let him descend there and question Wala who had long 
 been dead. 
 
 Joy had returned to the green home of the gods. Baldur's life 
 seemed to be secure now that all animate and inanimate things 
 had been bound by an oath to do him no harm. Who would hurt 
 the darling, the light of the world ? The Ases laughed and 
 jested, played with golden balls, shot arrows, flung spears and 
 aimed blunt weapons at Baldur for fun, and not one of these 
 missiles struck his holy body. It was as though an invisible power 
 turned them aside as they approached him, for all, wood, metal 
 and stones were sworn over to spare him. 
 
 The Ases then tried sharp weapons, and to their delight found 
 the result the same. Loud was the laughter when it was dis- 
 covered that the best aimed blow of a sword did not touch him, 
 that spears, stones and arrows missed him. 
 
 Frigg heard the shouts and cheers, as she sat in her golden halls 
 of Fensaler, and longed to know what was the matter. At this 
 moment an old woman limped past leaning on her crutch. The 
 queen signed to her to enter, and asked her what was going on. The 
 old woman immediately gave her a long description of what she 
 had seen, ending by saying that Baldur was standing smiling in the 
 midst of the hail of weapons looking as if they were only flowers 
 with which he was being pelted. And Frigg's heart rejoiced within 
 her as she thought of the strength of the Ases, and of how she 
 had conquered the evil fate that was to have come upon her son. 
 
 " Yes," she said, " everything that is in heaven and earth and 
 
DEATH OF BALDUR THE BRIGHT. 277 
 
 under the earth swore willingly to do no hurt to the giver of light 
 and joy, of growth and bloom." 
 
 "Thou must have had hard work," said the old woman, " but of 
 course thou didst not think it necessary to bind the grass and 
 flowers and other harmless things with an oath ?" 
 
 " No trouble was too great to take for our darling," answered the 
 goddess, " and the only thing I passed over was the little plant of 
 mistletoe growing on the great oak at the gate of Walhalla, and 
 that really does not matter, it is so soft and so weak a thing that it 
 could do no harm." 
 
 " Thou art a careful mother," said the old woman ; " it would 
 have been very unwise to have passed over the flowers, for in their 
 perfume a deadly poison is often hid. But as for the mistletoe, 
 that only grows and bears seed in the cold winter time, it could 
 not hurt the god of light." 
 
 With these words the old woman took leave of the queen, and 
 continued her walk down the lonely road that led to Walhalla. 
 When she reached the great oak at the gate on which the tiny 
 plant of mistletoe grew, she threw off the woman's dress, and 
 behold it was Loki, looking more diabolical than ever! Until now 
 he had only rejoiced in the misfortunes of the Ases, and had done 
 them injury now and then by his cunning, but had always been 
 forced by their threats to help them out of the scrapes he had got 
 them into ; now, however, envy and jealousy were driving him to 
 commit a horrible crime. 
 
 He drew circles, muttered many a magic spell, and touched the 
 tiny mistletoe twig with the end of his crooked stick, and im- 
 mediately it grew as long as the shaft of a spear. Then he tore it 
 down from the tree, cut away the side branches and knots, and 
 made it resemble a spear in every respect. 
 
 "Thou seemest so young and weak," he said, with a scornful 
 laugh, " let us see whether thou art not stronger than all the 
 
!73 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 weapons of these foolish jesting Ases, stronger than that much be- 
 praised and famous Baldur." 
 
 He Avent to join the Ases, and found them still amusing them- 
 selves as before. Strong Hodur was standing outside the circle, 
 taking no part in the games. 
 
 " Why art thou so lazy ? " asked Loki, " thou art the strong- 
 est of all the Ases, so why dost thou not fling a spear in Baldur's 
 honour ? " 
 
 " I have no weapon, and I am blind," answered Hodur ; " night 
 is all around me, before me and behind me." 
 
 " Here is a spear for thee," said the tempter, putting the mistle- 
 toe bough in his hand; "I will direct it for thee; now fling it 
 with all thy might." 
 
 Hodur did so, and — the sun lost its light, the earth quaked 
 — the murder, the patricide was committed — Baldur lay stabbed 
 to death on the ground, the blood flowing from his side on to 
 the darkening earth. Breathless and silent the gods stood 
 around ; they could not take in the monstrous, the terrible fact ; 
 it almost seemed as if they themselves had received a death- 
 wound. When they were able to move, some of them crowded 
 round the corpse and watered it with their tears, while others 
 asked eagerly who it was that had done the evil deed. 
 
 " Dark Hodur threw the spear," was shouted on every side. 
 Friendless Hodur stood alone as ever in the midst of the excited 
 Ases ; Loki had deserted him at once, as the tempter always 
 does, leaving his victim to bear his misery alone. 
 
 Darkness surrounded the luckless Ase, and darkness reigned 
 in his soul. He heard the curses and threats that echoed on 
 every side, and the clash of the swords and spears that were 
 turned against him. Suddenly Allfather appeared in the midst 
 of the Ases, grave and calm, and in all his divine majesty. 
 His own forebodings, and Wala's prophecy, had prepared him 
 
DEATH OF BALDUR THE BRIGHT. 279 
 
 for what had happened. It was Orlog's will and neither gods 
 nor men could do aught to hinder it. So he, the Father ot 
 Heroes, bore his sorrow without cowardly complaint ; in spirit he 
 saw the approach of Ragnarok and was determined to fight the 
 hopeless battle to the end, for even mortal heroes do not let the 
 sword fall from their dying hands until their last strength is 
 exhausted. He commanded his people to cease their clamorous 
 woe, to raise the corpse of the Well-beloved, to dress it in clean 
 garments, and prepare the funeral pyre. 
 
 Then came Frigg, Odin's faithful wife, her eyes red with weep- 
 ing. But now she checked her tears, for she thought she had 
 found a way to regain her darling. 
 
 "Which," she asked, "which of you brave sons of the Ases 
 will ride down to Helheim and will dare to entreat the goddess 
 of the Under-world to restore Baldur, the light of the world, to 
 As:-heim? He who does this shall be held highest in my 
 esteem and in that of Allfather." 
 
 Hermodur, the swift, immediately offered to be her messenger 
 to the realm of shades. He at once saddled Sleipnir and set 
 out on his journey. 
 
 The myth of the sun-god Baldur and of his death and resurrec- 
 tion is very old. The Teutonic races brought it from their original 
 home, and formulated it in the northern lands to which they emi- 
 grated in accordance with the rude climate and the mode of life to 
 which they had there grown accustomed. The sun-god was wor- 
 shipped by all the Aryan nations, had costly sacrifices offered to him, 
 and prayers and songs made for him. The Semitic peoples also, the 
 Babylonians, Phoenicians, etc., regarded him as the god who blessed 
 arts and manufactures, trade and ships. The festival of Adonis 
 and the mysteries of Mithras, which the Romans brought into 
 Europe from the East, clearly have reference to the death of the sun- 
 god after the summer solstice, and to his resurrection after the winter 
 
28o ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 solstice, and traces are still to be found of the Mysteries of Mithras 
 in such parts of Germany as the Romans settled in. 
 
 The Ases were still standing about the corpse of Baldur. The 
 body was dressed in its grave-clothes and laid upon Baldur's own 
 ship Hringhorn. By Odin's command the wood for the funeral 
 pyre was heaped high on the deck of the vessel, so that the flames 
 might be seen in every land. 
 
 Nanna was standing beside her dead husband. She had no 
 tears with which to weep for him, her low shuddering sobs alone 
 showed the intensity of her grief. When the torch was lighted 
 with which the wood was to be set on fire, her heart burst with 
 sorrow and she sank down beside the corpse pale and lifeless, like 
 a broken flower. 
 
 So the sorrowing Ases laid her on the pyre by her husband, and 
 beside them they placed the horse of the god, which had to die 
 ! with its master. Then Odin added the golden ring Draupnir, from 
 which eight other rings dropped every ninth night. He also whis- 
 pered a word in the ear of his son, so low that none of the by- 
 standers could hear. Perhaps it was the comforting assurance of 
 resurrection to a new and better life. 
 
 Crowds had assembled to gaze upon the sad spectacle and join 
 the Ases in showing their respect for the darling and benefactor 
 of the world. The Walkyries were there leaning on their spears, 
 and the Dises wrapped in their dark veils ; the Light-Elves and 
 the Wood and Water-sprites were also there. Besides these came 
 the Mountain and Frost-giants, and even the Black-Elves. 
 
 Odin's ravens fluttered sadly round the ship; they knew well 
 what the gods and heaven and earth had lost. The ship had 
 been drawn up on the shore and placed upon rollers, that it 
 might be pushed down into the water before being set on fire. 
 But it was so heavy, because of the quantity of wood and costly 
 gifts piled upon it, that it was impossible to move it. Then the 
 
DEATH OF BALDUR THE BRIGHT. 281 
 
 Mountain-giants said that a woman named Hyrrockin, who lived 
 in Jotunheim and who could move mountains unaided, would soon 
 shove the ship into the water if some one would go and fetch 
 her. So a Storm-giant started at once in search of her. She 
 soon came, but not borne on the wings of the messenger as they 
 had expected ; she was riding a monstrous wolf, whose bridle 
 was a horrible snake. 
 
 She dismounted and looked round her scornfully, as though 
 she regarded all present as a set of weaklings, after which she gave 
 her strange steed into the charge of four Berserkers whom Odin 
 sent to hold it. Whilst these managed to hold the wolf with in- 
 finite difficulty, the woman went up to the ship and pushed it into 
 the water with the first shove ; but the friction was so great that 
 the rollers caught fire. This enraged Thor so much that he swung 
 Miolnir preparatory to throwing it at the woman's head ; but all 
 the Ases entreated him to be calm, and to remember that Hyr- 
 rockin had come under their safe conduct, and that she had been 
 of service to them. He allowed himself to be appeased, and got 
 into the ship to bless it with his hammer. While doing this the 
 little dwarf Lit got into his way, and he kicked him into the fire, 
 so that he was burnt with the corpse. The flames mounted high 
 into the air and sky ; earth and sea were reddened with them. 
 They made known to the whole world that the god of innocence, 
 love and righteousness was dead, and that his blessings were lost 
 to them henceforth. 
 
 It was not at all uncommon for the dwellers on the sea-coast to 
 bury their dead on board their ships. It was a very ancient custom, 
 and still existed after grave-mounds and the burning of the dead 
 had been introduced. Even amongst the Allemannes by the Rhine 
 and Danube we find coffins carved like boats. There are many 
 stories about this mode of burial, amongst others that regarding 
 St. Emmeran. 
 
2S2 ASGA'RD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Frigg alone of all the Ases still nourished hope of her son's 
 restoration. She believed that Hel would allow herself to be 
 moved by Hermodur's intercession, and would permit Baldur to 
 return to the Upper-world. The divine messenger set out on his 
 journey to the Under-world. Sleipnir bore him for nine nights 
 through dark valleys and glens into which no ray of light pene- 
 trated. The silence of death was all around, and the only sound to 
 be heard was that made by the horse's feet. At length Hermodur 
 reached the banks of the river Gioll, which divides the kingdom of 
 the dead from that of the living. 
 
 He was about to ride over the gold-covered bridge that spans 
 the Gioll, but the gigantic porteress Modgud (spiritual conflict) 
 came forward and asked him what he was doing there. 
 
 " Yesterday," she said, " crowds of dead rode over the bridge, 
 and yet they did not make as much noise as thou alone ; and be- 
 sides that, thou hast not the colour of death. Speak, what dost 
 thou, a living man, want with the dead ? " 
 
 " I seek for Baldur, my dear brother, who was slain. For his 
 sake I have ridden down the Hel road that I may entreat the god- 
 dess to let him go free. If thou hast seen him, show me where I 
 may find him." 
 
 Hermodur ceased, and the porteress pointed to the north, as she 
 said that she had seen Baldur ride over the bridge, and he was 
 even now with Hel. 
 
 Then Hermodur continued his journey fearlessly, until at length 
 he reached the fence round Hel's abode, and there he could find no 
 mode of entrance. 
 
 It was a question of his brother's restoration, so he did not hesi- 
 tate. He dismounted, drew the girths tighter, and then remount- 
 ing set spurs to Sleipnir, and Odin's horse leapt high over the 
 fence and landed safely on the other side. 
 
 Hermodur was now in the realm of shades, and surrounded on 
 
HERMODUR VISITS THE UNDER-WORLD. 283 
 
 every side by grey rocks which seemed to stare at him with hollow 
 eyes. 
 
 He felt as though in a dream, as he made his way to a house he 
 saw before him. He entered, and there he saw the queen of the 
 land, stern of aspect and adorned with gold and diamonds. She 
 was pale as death, and her eyes were fixed upon the ground. She 
 knew no mercy, for the golden light of the sun had never shone on 
 her. Near her was Baldur, seated on a throne, and looking wan as 
 the withered wreath of flowers on his head ; by his side was Nanna, 
 who had died for love of him. A golden goblet filled with sweet 
 mead stood before him untouched. 
 
 Hermodur approached him, and spoke to him of his return to 
 Ase-heim, which Hel would certainly permit, as every creature 
 longed for it. But Baldur shook his head and pointed at Nanna, 
 as if he wished to say, " Take her with thee, she is too young for 
 the world of shades." And she crept closer to him, whispering, so 
 low as to be almost inaudible, " Death and the grave cannot 
 destroy true love ; Nanna (blossom) remains with him who gave 
 her life and being. I will stay with thee for ever." So the three 
 talked together for a whole night. Next morning Hermodur asked 
 Hel to restore Baldur to the Ases, for not only the gods, but a!so 
 every one in heaven and on earth, mourned for him. 
 
 The goddess rose from her dark throne, the gold and diamonds 
 on her breast shone with an unearthly lustre, and the abyss 
 trembled. 
 
 She answered in a monotonous voice : " If all creatures mourn 
 for him, if everything that has life weeps for him, then, in accord- 
 ance with the eternal decree, Baldur may once more return to the 
 light of day ; but if one eye refuses to weep for him, he must 
 remain in Helheim. There is no other choice." 
 
 Hermodur knew that what the goddess had said was unalterable. 
 He took leave of his brother and Nanna. Both went with him to 
 
284 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 the door, Baldur gave him the ring Draupnir to return to Odin, as 
 that symbol of plenty was worthless in the kingdom of the dead. 
 Nanna sent Frigg a veil and other gifts, while to Fulla she sent a 
 golden ring with which one day to adorn the blooming bride. 
 
 The divine messenger now set out on his return to the Upper- 
 world and Asgard, and when he got there he told all that he had 
 seen and heard. The Ases looked upon his news as good news, 
 and at once sent servants into all parts of the universe to call upon 
 every creature and every inanimate object that had life to weep for 
 Baldur. 
 
 Tears hung like pearls from every flower and plant, they dropped 
 like dew from the leaves and branches of the trees, and the very 
 metals and stones exuded moisture. On their road home the mes- 
 sengers passed by a dark cave, in which they found the giantess 
 Thock (darkness), who was as terrible to look upon as Hel herself. 
 They asked the woman to shed a tear, so that Baldur, the god of 
 light, might return ; but the giantess answered : 
 
 " Thock can only weep with dry eyes for Baldur's death. He 
 was of no use to her living or dead, so Hel may keep what she has 
 got." 
 
 The messengers vainly strove to soften the hard heart of the 
 giantess ; but she vanished from their eyes into the black depths 
 of the cavern, and they could see her no more. 
 
 So they continued their journey sadly ; but one of them said 
 that he had recognised Loki in the woman's dress. And then 
 at once their eyes were opened and they said that he was 
 right. When they brought the sorrowful tidings to Asgard, 
 loud was the lamentation of the gods, for they knew that Baldur's 
 return was hopeless. 
 
 Days passed, and every day made their loss appear greater. 
 Whenever the Ases assembled under the holy oak, the word 
 vengeance was on their lips. It was the first law, the highest 
 
IVALI AVENGES BALDUR THE BRIGHT. 2S5 
 
 duty, the oldest justice, and had been exercised from the earliest 
 times. But it was difficult to carry out, for Hodur avoided the 
 light of day; he only went out at night, and his Ase strength 
 grew in the darkness. He was blind and could use neither 
 spear nor bow. It was known, however, that the Wood-demons 
 had given him a magic shield to protect him and also a terrible 
 magic sword, and every one feared to meet him in the dark night. 
 So Hodur used to glide about through the lonely forest like a 
 ghost at midnight without fearing the avenger of blood, whose duty 
 it was to punish him for the crime of patricide. 
 
 One day, a lad with a child-like face and a strong, well-knit 
 figure walked in at the gate of Asgard. He pursued his way 
 as if he knew where he was going, and when he reached Walhalla, 
 he tried to enter, but the door-keeper stopped him, saying : 
 
 " No youth with uncombed hair and unwashed hands is allowed 
 to enter here." 
 
 The lad pushed him aside and went into the hall unannounced. 
 The Ases and Einheriar gazed with pleased surprise at the youthful 
 stranger, and Odin called to him to approach, adding in a loud 
 voice : 
 
 " This is Wali, my son by the lady Rinda, — this is he who is 
 called to the holy work of the avenger." 
 
 Then the Ases said amongst themselves : " How is it possible 
 for a youth like this to conquer strong Hodur? " 
 
 " It is true that I am young, that I am only one night old," 
 cried the lad, " but still I shall conquer Hodur, in like manner as 
 young May conquers strong Winter." 
 
 Night came ; Hodur walked as usual along the dark paths he 
 knew so well. Suddenly he heard a voice exclaim : 
 
 " Murderer of Baldur, beware, the avenger is nigh." 
 
 The god of darkness girded his magic shirt closer round him, 
 and advanced with his drawn sword towards the place from which 
 
286 
 
 ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 the voice had come. Then an arrow hissed through the air, 
 a second and a third followed, and the last struck the blind god 
 to the heart. The bowman's shout of triumph was so loud that 
 it echoed throughout Asgard, and all the gods and goddesses 
 hastened to the spot. 
 
 There is no doubt that this is the description of the victory of 
 Spring over Winter. As we learn from Saxo, it was originally 
 Baldur himself who conquered Hodur, the god of the long night of 
 winter ; but when the myth of Baldur became part of the great 
 universal year, the story of Wali, the god of spring, was added, and 
 he it was who avenged his brother's murder. 
 
 «S*6 
 
PART THIRTEENTH. 
 
 LOKI'S CONDEMNATION. 
 
 'HT^HE time of the flax harvest had come. The Ases were 
 -*■ about to celebrate the festival in Ogir's crystal halls. They 
 were still sorrowing for the loss of Baldur, and hoped to forget 
 their grief for a time in the flowing bowls of mead offered them by 
 the god of the ocean. 
 
 Odin was there with his golden helmet on his head, and Frigg, 
 the Queen of Heaven, with her circlet of stars, Freya wearing 
 the beautiful necklace Brisingamen, golden-haired Sif, Bragi, 
 Niorder and Skadi, Freyer, Heimdal, Widar and other Ases. 
 Strong Thor alone was absent ; he had gone to help his peasants 
 
 287 
 
ASGARD AND THE CODS. 
 
 till the ground and slay any giants or other monsters who made 
 themselves obnoxious. 
 
 Sly Loki glided into the hall with his soft, cat-like step, hoping to 
 enjoy the golden mead that Ogir had provided for his guests. As he 
 was advancing, however, he was stopped by Funafeng, who had 
 been stationed at the door to guard the entrance. 
 
 " No seat is prepared for thee in Ogir's halls," he said ; 
 " go, seek a place for thyself in the house of Angurboda, Fenris's 
 mother." 
 
 Loki was very angry when he heard these words, more especi- 
 ally as the Ases all joined in praising Funafeng for what he had 
 said. He struck the man so that he fell down dead on the spot. 
 A great uproar ensued, for murder had been committed in a sacred 
 place. The Ases seized their weapons and would have rushed 
 upon Loki, but he had hidden himself in a wood that was close to 
 the palace. 
 
 Quiet was at last re-established. Beyggwir, and Beyla, the house- 
 keeper, served the guests. This task was made much easier for 
 them because the cans from which they poured the mead were so 
 cunningly devised that they refilled themselves as fast as they were 
 emptied. 
 
 Meanwhile Loki returned. He found Eldir guarding the door, 
 and spoke to him as if nothing had happened. He asked what the 
 gods of victory were talking about. 
 
 " Of arms and brave deeds," replied Eldir, " but they have not a 
 single good word for thee." 
 
 "Very well then, I will go and join them," said the villain ; "I 
 will so cover them with shame and guilt that none of them will 
 have a word to say in answer." 
 
 With these words he thrust Eldir aside and entered the hall. 
 Suddenly all conversation ceased and was succeeded by a death- 
 like silence. Every eye was fixed on him who had sullied the 
 
LOKI REVILES THE ASES. 
 
 sanctuary with murder. But Loki asked boldly if they were going 
 to refuse him, an Ase and their equal, a seat at the banquet and 
 a cup of mead. And Bragi answered that they would never again 
 consent to receive such a villain as one of themselves. 
 
 Then Loki turned to Odin, and thus addressed him : 
 
 " Hast thou forgotten how we in the olden time mixed our 
 blood, swore brotherhood, and promised never to drink a refresh- 
 ing draught that was not offered to the other ? " 
 
 He did not speak in vain ; Allfather remembered how he had 
 long ago entered into the bond of brotherhood with Loki. So 
 although his former friend was perjured and forsworn, he desired 
 Widar to make room for him and give him a bowl of mead. 
 This was done, and Loki emptied the goblet, saying : 
 
 " All hail, holy gods and noble goddesses, but confusion to 
 Bragi, who denied me drink when I was thirsty." 
 
 The Prince of Song was silent for a few minutes, and then he 
 said that he would give his sword, horse and ring to ensure that 
 Loki did no more harm. And Loki answered that Bragi was 
 not rich in treasures, and that his sword was of little use to him, 
 and that he only required his horse to escape from danger. Bragi 
 challenged the blasphemer to instant combat ; but Loki went on 
 quietly with his accusations, overwhelming all, gods and goddesses 
 alike, with his aspersions. Even Odin and Frigg did not escape, 
 and the latter exclaimed : 
 
 " Oh that my son Baldur were here, he would soon have silenced 
 thy slanderous tongue." 
 
 "Ah well, great goddess," Loki went on, with a malicious sneer, 
 " shall I tell thee yet more of my misdeeds ? Dost thou know- 
 that it was I who gave the mistletoe bough to blind Hodur, that 
 he might send thy darling Baldur down to Hel's domain ? " 
 
 The Queen of the Ases shrieked, and the gods caught up their 
 weapons. But before they had time to do more, a terrible clap 
 
 U 
 
2}o ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 of thunder shook the house, and Thor stood before them swinging 
 Miolnir. The blasphemer turned upon him and sneered at him 
 for having hidden away in the thumb of Skrymir's glove. And 
 when Hlorridi (heat bringer) threatened him with his hammer, 
 he cried : 
 
 * I sang to the glory of the Ases in Ogir's halls, and that glory 
 will soon pass away when once the flames of destruction are seen. 
 They have drunk of cool mead here for the last time, for Ragnarok 
 is coming. I shall now hide myself from the fury of strong Thor, 
 who would willingly strike me down." 
 
 And immediately he took the form of a salmon and swam 
 away into the rushing waters that surrounded the crystal palace 
 of Ogir. 
 
 The Ases sought everywhere for Loki. They went through 
 Asgard and Midgard, they searched in Jotunheim and in the 
 Home of the Black-Elves, but he was nowhere to be found. They 
 were miserable at the thought that the author of evil might escape 
 their vengeance. 
 
 Odin seated himself on his throne Hlidskialf and looked down 
 upon the nine worlds ; he saw a lonely house situated on the other 
 side of a high mountain, and in this house was he whom they 
 sought. So Allfather descended from his throne, and calling the 
 Ases about him, told them where they would find Loki. 
 
 The fugitive had made himself a peculiar dwelling in a cliff 
 overhanging a wild mountain torrent. This dwelling consisted of 
 one large room with four doors, all of which were kept open. 
 There he sat day and night gazing out at the four quarters of the 
 heavens to see whether his pursuers were on his track. He felt no 
 remorse, no pricks of conscience — he had long conquered all such 
 weaknesses — he only feared the vengeance that he had called down 
 upon himself. He often swam about in the stream in the form of 
 a salmon, comforting himself with the thought that none could re- 
 
LOKI IN CHAINS. 
 
CAPTURE OF LOKL 293 
 
 cognise him. And yet his fears gave him no rest ; he trusted no 
 one, not even his wife Sigyn, who loved him in spite of all his sins. 
 
 For whole days he sat in his airy dwelling, keeping a sharp look- 
 out in every direction, while he busied himself in making all sorts 
 of useful things, and amongst others, a fishing-net, which until then 
 was absolutely unknown. He grew so interested in making this 
 net that he quite forgot the danger that threatened him. Sud- 
 denly the flames of the fire on his hearth rose in a column, as 
 though to call his attention to something that was going on. He 
 looked up and saw the Ases marching towards him. He threw the 
 net into the fire, and hastened to the water-fall, where he hid himself. 
 
 Cunning and treachery are often caught in their own net. The 
 Ases did not find the slanderer in his airy dwelling. The fire had 
 burnt out. But the place where it had been was still warm, and 
 showed that some one had been there lately. One of the gods, who 
 was learned in wisdom and in the runes, examined the ashes, and 
 discovered what no human eye could have seen, the form and use 
 of the net. 
 
 " Found ! " he exclaimed ; " the wily enchanter's thoughts have 
 been full of the idea of fish and fishing. He has been making a 
 net, then he burnt it, and is now hiding in the stream in the form 
 of a fish." 
 
 Gefion looked at the net, and soon found out how it was made, 
 and, with the help of the others, got a second net ready in a very 
 short time. This they dipped into the water just under the fall. 
 Thor held one side and the rest of the Ases held the other, so that 
 the net stretched across the stream. After dragging the water for 
 some distance, a gigantic salmon was discovered and caught with 
 infinite difficulty. Thor held on by the fish's tail in spite of its 
 struggles. A blow, a knock with a stone, would have killed it ; 
 but it suddenly changed its form, and the blasphemer, the insti- 
 gator of murder, false Loki, was in the hands of Hlorridi. 
 
294 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The Ases rejoiced to have their enemy in their power. They 
 bound the arch-fiend's legs and arms together and dragged him 
 away to a cave in the mountain. There they prepared for him the 
 bed of misery that had been foretold for him. Three sharp-pointed 
 masses of rock were placed, one between his shoulders, the second 
 under his loins, and the third under his knees. Then his two sons, 
 Wali and Narwi, were brought to him, followed by their weeping 
 mother, Sigyn. Wali was changed into a fierce wolf, and he im- 
 mediately tore his brother in pieces. The Ases now bound the 
 guilty father to the rock with the sinews of his murdered son, and 
 when this was done the bonds were converted into heavy iron 
 chains. 
 
 Skadi carried out the last part of the judgment that had been 
 pronounced upon Loki by fastening a poisonous adder over the 
 head of the evil-doer in such a way that the poison exuding from 
 its jaws should drop upon his face, and this caused him unspeak- 
 able torment. After this was done, the Ases returned to Asgard, 
 which was no longer the green home it used to be, for eternal 
 spring reigned there no more, and the mark of change was upon 
 everything. 
 
 One creature alone had compassion on the sinner, and that was 
 Sigyn, the wife he had so often treated with cruelty and contempt. 
 She would not desert him, but remained by his side, and, holding 
 a dish above his head, caught the poison as it dropped from the 
 adder. When the dish was full, and she had to remove it to empty 
 it, the horrible slime fell upon Loki's face, and made him howl with 
 agony, and turn and twist himself, till Mother Earth shook to her 
 foundations. That is what ignorant men call an earthquake. 
 
 The crime was now punished, and the gods, who here showed 
 themselves as moral powers, carried out the sentence pronounced 
 upon the criminal. But they themselves were not unsullied by sin. 
 Many of the accusations, with which the blasphemer had over- 
 
LOKI, THE AUTHOR OF ALL EVIL, 295 
 
 whelmed them, were well-founded, and every sin brings down its 
 own punishment in heaven and on earth. And so the day of 
 destruction drew near, when the tempter, who was at the same 
 time the author of evil, should be freed from his bonds and the 
 world should come to an end. 
 
 In this myth Loki appears as the cause of all evil. He is the 
 tempter who makes the innocent fall into sin, although he knows 
 that he thereby destroys them. If in primaeval times he had 
 been the sworn brother of Odin and the god of the domestic fire, he 
 was now a consummate villain and threw the brand into the house 
 in which he was to be burnt together with the guilty and the 
 innocent. The principle of vengeance for bloodshed was deeply 
 rooted in ancient Scandinavia. " He who has injured me must pay 
 for it, even though I know that I shall perish with him," was 
 the idea on which both noble and serf acted. 
 
 In this tale we have smoothed over a good many discrepancies 
 that appear in the myth, but not all. We let Bragi and Iduna 
 appear, although they dwelt in the depth of the earth. Perhaps 
 they were allowed to rise once more that they might take part in 
 the festival. But we have left out about Kwasir, who, according to 
 the myth, discovered the net in the ashes, because his appearance 
 was unnecessary. It is very curious that Loki, the fire-god, 
 should have hidden in the water; but the belief that fire takes 
 refuge in water is to be found amongst other nations, and is 
 perhaps founded on the reflection of the sun, moon and stars, 
 sunrise and sunset, that are to be seen in the water. 
 
PART FOURTEENTH. 
 
 RAGNAROK, THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS. 
 
 r I A HE tempter, the author of evil, was firmly bound to the cold 
 - 1 - rock, but the evil seed he had sown grew and flourished, 
 and even the gods, the moral powers, whose duty it was to uphold 
 universal law, were no longer pure and free from guilt ; the 
 wholesome bonds of law were broken, and the destruction of the 
 world approached. Neither truth nor faith was to be found in 
 heaven or on earth, and love, which had formerly bound friends, 
 parents, children, brothers and sisters to each other, had lost its 
 power. Self-seeking, self-interest and grasping covetousness 
 became the guiding principles of life ; murder, incendiarism and 
 bloodshed were everywhere to be found. 
 
 The sun still continued its course through the heavens, but it 
 shone mistily as through a veil, and gave no warmth in summer. 
 Winter set in early, and it was a Fimbul-Winter, a winter of horrors. 
 The snow-storms were such as had never been known before, and 
 the frost was terribly hard. Many houses and villages were buried 
 in the snow, and their inhabitants perished. The Fimbul-Winter 
 seemed as if it would never end ; it lasted for three years, without 
 any summer to break its fury. Trees and bushes, grass and 
 plants perished, men died of cold and hunger, and yet they did 
 
 296 
 
DESTRUCTION OF THE UNIVERSE. 297 
 
 not cease from their lies and murders and other deeds of 
 violence. 
 
 Meanwhile Fenris's children, the wolves, grew into horrible 
 monsters, for the old giantess in the forest fed them with marrow 
 taken from the bones of murdered perjurers and breakers of the 
 marriage bond, and gave them to drink of the blood of dead 
 poisoners, parricides and fratricides, and there was abundance of 
 such food. 
 
 Wala, the prophetess, was asked what all this meant, and she 
 said, that the sun, moon and Mother Earth were sorrowing over 
 the fall of man, that the wolves and other hostile powers would 
 soon be free, and then the destruction of the universe would 
 begin. 
 
 Many signs and wonders were to be seen during that time, as 
 we read in the Lay of Wala. 
 
 The glory of the sun was darkened, wicked Idises were seen 
 flying through the air, Fjalar, the bright-red cock of Asgard, crowed 
 loudly, the dark-red cock in Helheim answered him, and all in the 
 Upper-world heard their crowing. The great wolves Skioll and 
 Hati rushed up to attack the sun and moon ; they seized and 
 swallowed them, and now darkness reigned in heaven and earth. 
 Then the earth itself shook to its very foundations, and all chains 
 were broken. Thus it happened that Loki was set free, that his 
 horrible son Fenris was able to shake off his bonds and hasten 
 with his children to join his father, and that Garm, Hel's dog, could 
 rise out of the Gnypa cave with the other dark followers of the 
 goddess, to take their share in the work of destruction. The sea 
 was stirred to its depths and overflowed the land. Out of its 
 abyss the Midgard-snake reared her frightful head, and flung her- 
 self about with a giant's rage, so much did she long for the struggle 
 to begin. 
 
 Heimdal then blew a loud blast on the Giallarhorn that sounded 
 
293 ASGARD AND THE GOVS. 
 
 through all the homes, wakening Ases and Einheriar, and warning 
 them to prepare for the Last Battle. Odin mounted Sleipnir as 
 soon as he was armed, and rode away to Mimir's Well. The 
 World-Ash was rustling and trembling in the storm, its leaves were 
 falling rapidly, and its roots threatened to snap. The Norns were 
 seated beside it, their heads hidden in their veils. Odin whispered 
 to Mimir's head ; no one heard what he said or how he was 
 answered. 
 
 Meanwhile Thrym, the king of the Jotuns, was steering his ship 
 from the east over the everlasting sea. The Hrimthurses, armed 
 with clubs and javelins, were on board. At the same time, Nagel- 
 fari, the ship of death, was set afloat, and was borne along on the 
 waves. It was built of the nails of the dead which love had not 
 caused to be cut. Love had died in the parricidal wars that pre- 
 vailed, and the last offices Avere therefore denied to the dead. 
 Loki steered the vessel. With him were Surtur, swinging his 
 flaming sword, whose blade shone brighter than the sun, and all 
 the sons of Muspel dressed in fiery armour, which blinded all who 
 looked at it. They landed, mounted the horses they had brought 
 with them, and galloped over the bridge Bifrost, which broke 
 under their weight. Loki led his hosts to the plain of Wigrid, that 
 measured a hundred miles on every side. Odin also went there, 
 accompanied by his brave Ases and heroes. 
 
 Once more the Giallarhorn was sounded, and then the Last 
 Battle began. The Wolf howled, the Snake hissed and spat out 
 poison, which filled and infected the air. The sons of Muspel, 
 under Surtur's guidance, rushed on their enemies like flames of fire. 
 The Einheriar, headed by Freyer, withstood them bravely, and 
 they fell back. Thor fought gallantly, and slew numbers of the 
 Hrimthurses and other monsters. Odin sought out the Fenris- 
 wolf, and the battle between them began. 
 
 No seer or bard has made known to us how that terrible struggle 
 
THE LAST BATTLE. 301 
 
 between the Father of Victory and the Wolf was fought. Even 
 Wala covers the whole affair with the veil of silence ; she only 
 says that he, the omnipotent Father, was slain by the Wolf. 
 Freyer's fate was the same when he fought against the sons of 
 Muspel. He met black Surtur in their ranks and fell dead at a 
 blow from his flaming sword. Thor slew Jormungander, but died 
 himself from the pestiferous breath she had breathed upon him 
 when dying. Heimdal and Loki fought hand to hand, and each 
 slew the other. Fenris fell under the sword of Widar. Tyr and 
 Garm wrestled and struggled together, and at last Tyr was victo- 
 rious. The leaders of the Ases and their enemies were all dead, 
 but still the battle raged. 
 
 The earth quaked, mountains fell, abysses yawned, and reached 
 down even to the kingdom of Hel. The heavens split open and 
 threatened to fall. The ash Yggdrasil groaned and moaned like a 
 living creature. And now Surtur, the dark, the terrible, began to 
 draw himself up. He grew taller and taller, till he reached the 
 heavens 
 
 Before him and behind him was fire, and his flaming sword shone 
 in the darkness in which he was wrapped. He flung his fire-brand 
 over heaven, earth, and all the worlds, and at once everything that 
 existed, animate or inanimate, was plunged into a lake of fire. 
 The fire raged, Yggdrasil was surrounded by flames, the storm- 
 wind howled, heaven and earth and the nine homes were no more ; 
 Surtur's flames had destroyed them all. 
 
 When the fire went out, the unquiet sea overflowed the scene of 
 desolation. No creature, no life, moved in its depths ; no mer- 
 maid floated on the dark waves ; no star was reflected on its 
 surface. 
 
 Years passed, perhaps centuries — there was none to count them — 
 and again the morning star bathed its head in the calm waters. 
 Dawn once more flushed the sky. A new sun arose, the blooming, 
 
302 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 glowing child of the old. At length a new earth appeared above the 
 waters. At first it was bare and desolate, but the rays of the sun 
 touched it, and soon it was covered with grass and herbs and the 
 well-flavoured leek. Trees and shrubs grew up, and flowers of 
 various colours filled the air with their perfume. In the quiet 
 valley where the Fountain of Urd had flowed of old, and where 
 Odin used to talk with Mimir about the past and the riddles of the 
 future, a youth and a maiden, Lif and Lifthrasir, came out of 
 Hoddmimir's wood. 
 
 They were beautiful and loving, pure and innocent as the sweet 
 flowerets around them, and, like them, they had been awaked out 
 of a long dream by the rays of the sun. They had hidden them- 
 selves in the wood in the olden days and had lived on dew. Then 
 they had fallen asleep, and were sunk in childhood's dreams while 
 the Last Battle raged. Allfather had preserved them from Sur- 
 tur's flames by a last miracle. 
 
 Ignorant of the terrors that threatened them, as a sleeping child 
 borne in its mother's arms out of a burning house, they had rested 
 safely in the arms of Allfather, and now they looked in astonish- 
 ment at the new fair world in which they found themselves. They 
 were very happy. There was abundance of fruit ; the fields were 
 full of yellow corn ripe for the harvest, which no human hand had 
 sown, and the vines were laden with grapes. Animals of all kinds 
 were grazing in the fat pastures, and many-hued snakes glided 
 harmlessly in the grass, but none of Fenrir's race were to be seen. 
 
 Lif and Lifthrasir built themselves a roomy dwelling, and saw 
 children and grandchildren grow up about them, and then make 
 new homes for themselves. From these are descended the nume- 
 rous races of men that inhabit the earth. 
 
 Over the place where Asgard's glorious palaces had stood was a 
 wide plain. This was the Field of Ida, and it was far more beau- 
 tiful than the green home of the gods. There the holy Ases were 
 
FREYA IN HER CHARIOT. 
 (See page 209.) 
 
THE RENEWAL OF THE WORLD. 3° 5 
 
 assembled ; for they, like the world, had been purified by fire, and 
 were now fitted to dwell in Ida in eternal peace. The bonds of 
 Hel could bind them no more, for the kingdom of evil had passed 
 away, and night had been changed into day. Baldur and Hodur 
 walked there arm in arm, reconciled to each other through love. 
 They were joined by Widar and Wali, the avenging Ases, who no 
 longer thought of vengeance. Surtur's flames had not destroyed 
 them, nor yet had the raging waters. There were also Magni and 
 Modi, the sons of Thor. They brought Miolnir with them, not as 
 a weapon of war, but as the instrument with which to consecrate 
 the new heavens and the new earth. 
 
 On the Field of Ida, the field of resurrection, the sons of the 
 highest gods assembled, and in them their fathers rose again. 
 They talked together of the Past and the Present, and remembered 
 the wisdom and prophecies of their ancestors which had all been 
 fulfilled. Near them, but unseen by them, was the strong, the mighty 
 One who rules all things, makes peace between those who are 
 angry with each other, and ordains the eternal laws that govern 
 the world. They all knew he was there, they felt his presence 
 and his power, but were ignorant of his name. ' At his command 
 the new earth rose out of the waters. To the south, above the 
 Field of Ida, he made another heaven called Audlang, and further 
 off, a third, known as Widblain. Over Gimil's cave a wondrous palace 
 was erected, which was covered with gold and shone brighter than 
 the sun. There the gods were enthroned as they used to be, and 
 they rejoiced in their restoration and in the better time. 
 
 From Gimil's heights they looked down upon the happy descend- 
 ants of Lif and signed to them to climb up higher, to rise in know- 
 ledge and wisdom, in piety and in deeds of love, step by step, from 
 3ne heaven to another, until they were at last fit to be united to the 
 divinities in the house of Allfather. 
 
 This was what our forefathers believed about Ragnarok, the 
 
 X 
 
306 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Twilight of the gods or the Divine Judgment ; it was no con- 
 temptible faith, and in our opinion it deserves more reverence 
 than the teaching of the Greeks and Romans, whose gods eternally 
 drank nectar and ambrosia on the heights of Olympos, while 
 mortal men descended into dark Hades, or perhaps to the Elysian 
 Fields. 
 
 Ragnarok means the Darkening of the Regin, i.e., of the gods, 
 hence the Twilight of the Gods ; some, however, explain the word 
 Rok to mean Judgment, i.e., of the gods. The gods sinned, evil 
 gained the upper-hand amongst gods and men, and when the 
 god of holiness and righteousness was taken away, they all sank 
 into a deep abyss of guilt ; murder, fratricide and convulsions of 
 nature portended the destruction of the universe. Ragnarok fol- 
 lowed. Then a new and more beautiful world appeared, in which 
 Ases and men, purified by fire, could now live in peace and good- 
 will. 
 
 It is true that in the Younger Edda and in the Lay of Wala we 
 find allusions to places of punishment in the realms of Hel ; but, 
 in our opinion, these descriptions have been introduced from other 
 poems and are at variance with the leading idea which we have 
 just given. 
 
 The Aryans, like all other people living in a state of nature, 
 had at first a vague indefinite consciousness of God ; they felt 
 that there was a Being who had created everything and who 
 guided and governed the universe. In the ancient records, in 
 which this idea had already grown dim, this Being was called 
 Zerwana-Akarana, i.e, everlasting time and immeasurable space, 
 and was perhaps essentially Eternity. According to later concepts 
 this Being took no part in the direction of the world or in the 
 doings of man. 
 
 Two other beings, Ormuzd (Ahura-Mazda) and Ahriman 
 (Agramainyus) fought for the supreme power ; but neither they 
 
TEUTONIC AND OTHER MYTHOLOGIES. 3°7 
 
 nor their spiritual hosts entered into personal collision with each 
 other ; instead of this, they sought to bring the human spirit and 
 earthly things under their dominion : the latter by cunningly 
 planned temptations, icy cold snow-storms and darkness ; and 
 the former by good deeds, fine weather, and especially by the 
 light that conquers darkness and evil. At the end of days 
 Ormuzd and all the righteous were to enjoy blessedness and 
 peace, while Ahriman had to undergo a painful purification by 
 fire before he could attain a similar condition. 
 
 The modern theory is that the belief in Zerwana-Akarana, 
 and the dogmas respecting the end of the world and the 
 purification of Agramainyus are of later origin, and that they 
 first arose through the influence of the Western Iranian and 
 Semitic races ; but traces of these beliefs are to be found in the 
 Zend-Avesta of Zoroaster and in the Indie Vedas, and the 
 relationship with the Norse belief in Allfather, the Last Battle, 
 and the Renewal of the World, seems to be founded on this 
 Aryan belief. 
 
 We must allow something for the influence of Christianity on 
 the Germanic races especially with regard to Ragnardk, and the 
 Resurrection of the world, the Ases and men, and also in reference 
 to Allfather, to the description of the realm of Hel, and of the 
 places of reward and punishment. It is a mistake to deny this 
 influence, to make so much of the fact that the heathen had a 
 foreboding of the existence of the one God, that the Edda possessed 
 a water-hell and the Christian myth a hell of fire, and lastly to 
 maintain that a knowledge of the Christian faith was impossible 
 to the Scandinavians. Why may not the indefinite foreboding, the 
 misty conception of something divine, have first received a distinct 
 form in the consciousness of the heathen through Christian 
 influence ? And if the Teutons had ever heard of the Christian 
 idea of punishment in hell, would they not have conceived this 
 
308 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 hell after their own fashion and according to the conditions, 
 climatic and other, that surrounded thern ? We have already 
 shown how not only the Germans, but also the Scandinavians, early 
 came in contact with Christianity, and this was the case even 
 before the Wiking raids of the ninth and tenth centuries. The 
 Jutes, and perhaps the Danes and Norwegians as well, went to 
 Christian Britain in the fifth century and conquered it after a 
 struggle that lasted for a hundred years. There these wild people 
 were brought into contact with the Britons and even with their 
 Christian priests, who gladly told the warlike and musical skalds 
 about their own faith. These seeds of a purer religion took form 
 and life in the poems of the skalds; which however retained their 
 old Northern colouring and were not changed into hymns of victory 
 in a foreign faith. 
 
 The myths exist in the present like the stately ruins of a past 
 time, which are no longer suitable for the use of man. Generations 
 come and go, their views, actions and modes of thought change ; 
 and yet as the poet says : 
 
 " All things change ; they come and go ; 
 The pure unsullied soul alone remains in peace." 
 
 Thousands of years ago our ancestors prayed to Waruna, i.e. 
 the Father in heaven ; thousands of years later the Romans entered 
 their sanctuary and worshipped Jupiter, the Father of heaven, 
 while the Germanic races worshipped Allfather. We, after the 
 lapse of centuries, now turn in all our sorrows and necessities to 
 Our Father which is in heaven. Other thousands of years may pass, 
 and we shall not have grown beyond this central point of religion. 
 But as everything that our forefathers added to this has passed 
 away, so the systems that we have built up round it may also pass 
 away. No man ever yet has seen the full truth, or can see it. 
 " For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face." 
 
THE LAY OF WALA. 309 
 
 This " then " can never be on earth. 
 
 Our little systems have their day ; 
 
 They have their day, and cease to be : 
 They are but broken lights of Thee, 
 
 And Thou, O Lord, art more than they. 
 
 We have but faith : we cannot know ; 
 
 For knowledge is of things we see ; 
 
 And yet we trust it comes from Thee, 
 A beam in darkness : let it grow ! 
 
 LAY OF WALA. 
 
 We here annex one of the most interesting poems of the Elder 
 Edda, the Woluspa or Lay of Wala, the prophetess. It is the 
 translation given in Pfeiffer's " Visit to Iceland," and we think it 
 will be of value to our readers. 
 
 C 
 
 LAY OF WALA. 
 
 ' 
 
 To attention I invite all the holy generations, 
 
 The sons of Heimdal, great and small ; 
 
 Of the Father of the Elect I would proclaim the mysteries, 
 
 The antique traditions of heroes which I have formerly learned. 
 
 I remember the Jotuns born at the commencement ; 
 
 They formerly taught me. 
 
 I remember the new worlds, the new forests, 
 
 The great tree in the midst, upon the earth here below. 
 
 It was the commencement of the ages when Ymir established himself : 
 
 There was neither shore, nor sea, nor cool waves ; 
 
 Neither earth nor heaven above was found ; 
 
 There was the yawning gulf, but vegetation nowhere. 
 
 Then the sons of Buri raised the firmament ; 
 
 They formed the great enclosure of the middle ; 
 
 Sol will enlighten, from the south, the rocks of the Abode ; 
 
 The earth immediately became green with tufted verdure. 
 
 0\ 1 
 
 '■ 
 
 ■ 
 
3io ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 Sol scatters from the south her favours upon Mani, 
 
 On the right of the gate of the Celestial courser. 
 
 Sol knew not where she had her abodes, f 
 
 The stars knew not where are their places, 
 
 Mani knew not what was his power. 
 
 Then the Great Powers all went to the elevated seats ; 
 The most holy Gods deliberated upon that ; 
 To the night, to the new moon they gave names ; 
 They designated the dawn and the middle of the day, 
 The twilight and the evening, to indicate the time. 
 
 The Ases met together in the Plain of Ida, 
 They built very high a sanctuary and a court ; 
 They placed furnaces, fashioned jewels, 
 Forged nails, and fabricated utensils. 
 
 They played at the tables in the enclosure ; they were joyous, 
 
 They were in want of nothing, and everything was in gold. 
 
 Then the three Ases of this band, 
 
 Full of power and of goodness, descended towards the sea 
 
 They found in the country some wretched beings, 
 
 Ask and Embla, needing destiny. 
 
 They had no soul, they had no understanding, 
 Neither blood, nor language, nor good exterior ; 
 Odin gave the soul, Honir gave understanding, 
 Lodur gave the blood and the good exterior. 
 
 Then arrived three Virgin Thurses 
 
 Very powerful from the land of the Jotun. 
 
 I knew an ash, it is called Yggdrasill, 
 
 A hairy tree, moistened by a brilliant cloud, 
 
 Whence proceeds the dew which falls in the valleys ; 
 
 It raises itself, always green, above the Fountain of Urd 
 
 Thence arose the three Virgins with much knowledge, 
 
 From this lake which is below the tree : 
 
 Urd one is called, the other Verdandi ; 
 
 They engraved upon tablets ; Skuld was the third ; 
 
 They consulted the laws, they interrogated fate, 
 
 And proclaimed destiny to the children of men. 
 
THE LAY OF WALA. 31 1 
 
 Then the Great Powers all went to the lofty seats, 
 
 The most holy Gods deliberated upon that ; 
 
 * Who would form the chief of the Dvergues, 
 
 From the blood of Brimir, from the thighs of the livid giant?" 
 
 ■A r -J (n 
 
 Then Modsognir became the first 
 
 Of all the Dvergues, but Durin the second ; 
 
 They formed of earth the multitude of the Dvergues 
 
 In the human figure, as Durin proposed ; 
 
 Nyi and Nidi, Nordri and Sudri, 
 ?M- Austri and Vestri, Althiofr, Dwalin, 
 
 Nar and Nain, Nipingr, Dain, 
 Bifurr and Bafurr, Bumburr, Nori. 
 
 Anarr and Onarr, AT, Miodvitnir, 
 Veigr, Gandalfr, Vindalfr, Thorinn, 
 Fili and Kili, Fundinn, Nali, 
 Hepti, Vili, Hanarr, Sviorr. 
 
 Frar, Fornbogi, Frcegr, Loni, 
 
 Thrar, and Thrainn, Thror, Vitr, Litr, 
 
 Nyr, and Nyradr. — Behold, I have enumerated exactly 
 
 The Dvergues powerful and intelligent. 
 
 It is time to enumerate the human race, 
 The Dvergues of the band of Dwalin, as far as Lofar ; 
 These latter have sought, far from the Abode, 
 Habitations at Aurvangar, as far as Joruvellir. 
 
 There was Draupnir and Dolgthrasir, 
 Har, Haugspori, Hlasvangr, Gloinm 
 Skirvir and Virvir, Skafidr, AT, 
 Alfr, and Yngvi, Eikinskialdi. 
 
 Fialarr and Frosti, Finnr and Ginnarr, 
 
 Heri, Haugstari, Hliodolfr, Noinn : — 
 
 As long as there shall be men, they will always exalt 
 
 The great number of the descendants of Lofar. 
 
 She knows that the horn of Heimdal is concealed 
 
 Under the sacred and majestic tree : 
 
 She sees that they drink with hasty draughts 
 
 In the pledge of the Father of the Elect— Know you it ? But what? 
 
312 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 She was seated without, solitary, when he came, the oldest, 
 
 The most circumspect of the Ases, and looked in her eyes : — 
 
 "Why sound me? why put me to the proof? 
 
 I know all, Odin ; I know where thou hast concealed thine eye, — 
 
 In that great fountain of Mimir ; 
 
 Every morning Mimir drinks the sweet beverage 
 
 In the pledge of the Father of the Elect." — Know you it ? But what ? 
 
 The Father of the Combatants chose for her rings and jewels, 
 The rich gift of wisdom, and the charms of vision : — 
 Then she saw far, very far into all the worlds. 
 
 She saw the Walkyries hastening from afar, 
 Eager to repair near the race of the Gods ; 
 Skuld held the buckler, Skogul followed her, 
 As well as Gunrr, Hildur, Gondul, Giruskogul : 
 There are enumerated the servants of the Combatant, 
 The Walkyries in haste to plunder the country. 
 
 She recollects this first war in the world, 
 
 When they had placed Gullweig upon the pikes, 
 
 And had burned her in the dwelling of the Most High ; 
 
 Three times had they burned her ; three times was she born again ; 
 
 Burned often, frequently, she lives, however, still. 
 
 Heidur is called to her in the houses she has entered ; 
 She despised the charm of the visions of Wala ; 
 She knew magic, she magic abused ; 
 She was always the delight of the wicked race. 
 
 Then the Great Powers all went to their elevated seats, 
 The very holy Gods upon this deliberated : 
 " The Ases should they expiate their imprudence, 
 Or else shall all the Gods have authority?" 
 
 The exterior wall of the Ases was overthrown ; 
 
 The Wanes knew how, by stratagem, to break down the ramparts ; 
 
 But Odin darted his arrow, and drew upon the enemy — 
 
 Such was the first war in the world. 
 
 Then the Great Powers all went to their elevated seats ; 
 
 The very holy Gods deliberated upon this : 
 
 " Who had filled with disaster the plains of space, 
 
 And given up the affianced of Odur to the race of the Jotuns?" 
 
THE LAY OF WALA. 313 
 
 Thor alone rose, inflamed with anger; 
 
 Rarely does he remain seated when he learns such a thing : — 
 
 Oaths were violated, promises and assurances, 
 
 Every valid treaty that had passed on one side or the other. 
 
 I foresaw for Baldur, for that bloody victim, 
 
 For that son of Odin, the destiny reserved for him : 
 
 He was raising in a charming valley 
 
 A tender and beautiful mistleoe. 
 
 From that stalk, which appeared so tender, grew 
 
 The fatal arrow of bitterness which Hodur took upon himself to dart. 
 
 The brother of Baldur had only just been born ; 
 
 One night old, he was taken to fight against the son of Odin. 
 
 He neither washed his hands nor combed his hair, 
 
 Before that he carried to the funeral pile the murderer of Baldur ; 
 
 But Frigg wept in Fensal 
 
 For the misfortunes of Walhall. — Know you it ? But what ? 
 
 She sees lying down near Hveralund 
 
 A wicked creature, the ungrateful Loki ; 
 
 It is in vain he shakes the fatal bonds of Wali ; 
 
 They are too stiff, those cords of catgut. 
 
 There is seated Sigyn, who at the fate of her husband 
 
 Does not much rejoice. — Know you it ? But what? 
 
 Towards the north, at Nidafoll, was raised 
 
 The hall of gold of the race of Sindri ; 
 
 But another was built at Okolnir. 
 
 The drinking-hall of the Jotun who is named Brimir. 
 
 She saw a hall situated far from the sun, 
 At Nastrendr ; its gates are turned to the north ; 
 Drops of venom fall into it through the windows, 
 The hall is a tissue of serpents' backs. 
 
 A river rashes on the east into the venomous valleys, 
 A river of slime and mud ; it is called Slidur ; 
 Wala saw dragged in it in the muddy waters, 
 Perjured men, the exiledfor murder, 
 And him who seduced the partner of others : 
 There, Nidhogg sucked the bodies of the departed, 
 The wolf tore men. — Know you it ? But what ? 
 
314 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 In the east she was seated, that aged woman, in Jarnvid. 
 
 And there she nourished the posterity of Fenrir ; 
 
 He will be the most formidable of all, he, 
 
 Who, under the form of a monster, will swallow up the moon. 
 
 He gorges himself with the life-blood of cowardly men, 
 
 He stains with red drops the abode of the Great Powers ; 
 
 The rays of the sun are eclipsed in the summer following, 
 
 All the winds will become hurricanes. — Know you it? But what? 
 
 Seated quite near upon a height he tuned his harp, 
 
 The guardian of Gygur, the joyous Egdir : 
 
 Not far from him, in Gagalyid, crowed 
 
 The beautiful purple cock which is called Fialar. 
 
 Near the Ases crowed Gullinkambi ; 
 
 He awoke the heroes in the house of the Father of the Combatants ; 
 
 But another cock crowed below the earth, 
 
 A black-red cock, in the dwelling of Hel. 
 
 Garm howls frightfully before Gnypahall. 
 
 The chains are going to break ; Freki will escape : 
 
 She pauses much, the prophetess : I see from afar 
 
 The twilight of the Great Powers, the Fighting Gods. 
 
 Brothers are going to fight against each other, and become fratricides ; 
 
 Relations will break their alliances ; 
 
 Cruelty reigns in the world, and a great luxury ; 
 
 The age of axes, the age of lances, in which bucklers are cleft, 
 
 The age of north- winds, the age of fierce beasts succeed before the world 
 
 falls to pieces ; 
 Not one dreams of sparing his neighbour. 
 
 The sons of Mimir tremble, the tree in the middle takes fire 
 At the startling sounds of the noisy horn ; 
 Heimdal, horn in air, loudly sounds the alarm ; 
 Odin consults the head of Mimir. 
 
 Then the ash raised from Yggdrasil, 
 That old tree, shivers : the Jotun breaks his chains : 
 The shades shudder upon the roads to the lower region, 
 Until the ardour of Surtur has consumed the tree. 
 
THE LAY OF WALA. 315 
 
 Hrym advances from the east, a buckler covers him : 
 
 Jormungander unfolds himself in his giant rage : 
 
 The serpent raises the waves, the eagle beats his wings, 
 
 The yellow beak tears the bodies of the dead : Nalhfar is pierced : 
 
 The ship sails from the east, the army of Muspel 
 Approaches over the sea, Loki holds the rudder : 
 The sons of Jotun sail all with Freki, 
 The brother of Bileist is on board with them. 
 
 Surtur starts from the south with disastrous swords ; 
 The sun glitters upon the blades of the hero-gods : 
 The mountains of the rock are shaken, the giants tremble, 
 The shades press the road to hell. Heaven opens ! 
 
 What are the Ases doing ? What do the Elves ? 
 
 All Jotunheim bellows ; the Ases are met together ; 
 
 At the gate of the caverns groan the Dvergues, 
 
 The sages of the sacred mountains. — Know you it? But what? 
 
 Then the affliction of Hline is renewed, 
 
 When Odin set out to combat the Wolf; 
 
 Whilst the glorious murderer of Beli is going to oppose himself to 
 
 Surtur ; 
 Very soon the cherished hero of Frigg will fall 
 
 But he comes, the valiant son of the Father of Combats, 
 
 Widar, to struggle against the terrible monster : 
 
 He leaves in the mouth of the scion of Hvedrung 
 
 The steel plunged even to the heart. Thus the father is avenged. 
 
 Here comes the illustrious son of Hlodune, 
 
 He goes, the descendant of Odin, to fight the Serpent ; 
 
 The defender of Midgard strikes him in his anger. 
 
 The heroes go all to stain with blood the column of the world. 
 
 He draws back with a new step, the son of Fiorgune, 
 
 Bitten by the adder, intrepid with rage. . . . 
 
 Behold coming the black flying Dragon, 
 
 The adder, soaring above Nidafioll : 
 
 Nidhogg extends his wings, he flies over the plain, 
 
 Above the bodies of the dead. Now she will be swallowed up. 
 
316 ASGARD AND THE GODS. 
 
 The sun begins to be dark ; the continent falls fainting into the Ocean ; 
 
 They disappear from the sky, the brilliant stars ; 
 
 The smoke eddies around the destroying fire of the world ; 
 
 The gigantic flames play against heaven itself. 
 
 She sees rising anew, 
 
 In the Ocean, an earth with a thick verdure. 
 
 Cascades fall there ; the eagle soars above it, 
 
 And from the summit of the rock he espies the fish. 
 
 The Ases are found again in the plain of Ida, 
 Under the tree of the world they sit as powerful judges : 
 They recal to mind the judgments of the gods, 
 And the antique mysteries of Fimbultyr. 
 
 Then the Ases found again upon the grass 
 
 The marvellous tables of gold, 
 
 Which the generations had, in the beginning of days, 
 
 The chief of the gods and the posterity Fiolnir. 
 
 The fields will produce without being sown : 
 
 Every evil will disappear : Baldur will return 
 
 To inhabit with Hodur the enclosure of Hropt, 
 
 The sacred abodes of the hero-gods. — Know you it ? But what ? 
 
 Then Hdnir will be able to choose his part, 
 
 And the sons of the two brothers shall dwell in 
 
 The vast abode of the wind. — Know you it ? But what ? 
 
 She sees a hall more brilliant than the sun 
 Arise, covered with gold, in the magnificent Gimlir : 
 It is there that shall dwell the faithful people, 
 And that they will enjoy an everlasting felicity. 
 
 Then there came from on high to preside at the judgments of the Great 
 
 Powers, 
 The powerful sovereign who governs the universe : 
 He tempers the decrees, he calms dissensions, 
 And gives sacred laws inviolable for ever. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Adil, 227. 
 
 Adonis, 279. 
 
 Aesir, 4. 
 
 Aestyer, 183. 
 
 Afi, 167. 
 
 Agnar, 83-85 ; 232. 
 
 Ahnfiau, 117. 
 
 Ahriman, 4, 306-7. 
 
 Ai, 166. 
 
 Air, v. Kari. 
 
 Ajo, 81. 
 
 Alanes, 161. 
 
 Alba, Duke, 166. 
 
 Alberich, 40. 
 
 Albrecht, Count, 118. 
 
 Alfhild, 219. 
 
 Ali, v. Wali. 
 
 Alioruna, 234. 
 
 Allfather (Odin), 6, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 
 30, 53, 64, 65, 66, 79, 84, 86, 93, 94, 
 181, 218, 256, 278, 289, 290, 302, 305, 
 
 307, 3°8- 
 Alraun, 234-5. 
 Alswider, 24, 121. 
 Alwis, 9, 128. 
 Alwismal, 128. 
 
 Ambri, 8r. 
 
 Amma, 167. 
 
 Amund, 19©. 
 
 Anglo-Saxons, 94, 95, 178, 223, 242, 
 
 256. 
 Angurboda, 53, 250. 
 Animal Worship, 30. 
 Apples of Youth, 10, 13, 172, 174, 175, 
 
 177. 
 Arme'e furieuse, 78. 
 Arminius, 96, 208. 
 Arthur, King, 78. 
 Arwaker, 24, 121. 
 Asathor, v. Thor. 
 Asciburgum, 171. 
 Ases, 4, 23, 58, 62, 87, 88, 94, 129, 142, 
 
 143, 172, 176, 181, 182, 189, 242 
 
 247, 250, 252, 264, 265-8, 273, 2 o, 
 
 285, 287-90, 293, 298, 302-3. 
 Asgard, 3, 13, 18, 47, 48, 62, 93, 95, 
 
 124, 138, 143, 172, 175, 176, 184, 
 
 267, 273, 284, 290. 
 Ash, the World, v. YggdrasiL 
 Ask, 4, 25. 
 Assi, 81. 
 Attila, 165, 233. 
 
3i8 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Audlang, 305. 
 Audumla, 4, 23. 
 
 Baldur, 12, 14, 17, 48, 94, 95, *7S, 185, 
 226, 259-63, 264, 271, 273-86, 305. 
 
 Balshoff, 122. 
 
 Bar, 242. 
 
 Barbarossa, 79. 
 
 Baugi, 89, 90. 
 
 Beatrix of Cleve, 118. 
 
 Beav, 257. 
 
 Beldegg, 95. 
 
 Bensocia, 104. 
 
 Berchta, 6, 1 15-21. 
 
 Bergelmir, 4, 23, 249. 
 
 Berlin, 115, 118. 
 
 Berta, v. Berchta. 
 
 Bertha of Rosenberg, 118. 
 
 Bertrada, 119. 
 
 Bestla, 23. 
 
 Beyggwir, 288. 
 
 Beyla, 288. 
 
 Biarki, 227-31. 
 
 Bifrost, 10, 21, 53, 55, 138, 171, 298. 
 
 Bilskirnir, 48, 125. 
 
 Black-Dwarfs, 4. 
 
 Black-Elves, 40, 47, 251, 280, 290. 
 
 Blodhughofi, 190. 
 
 Boar's head, 190. 
 
 Boden, 88, 90. 
 
 Bodvvar, v. Biarki. 
 
 Bolwerker, 89, 90. 
 
 Bor, 23, 56. 
 
 Bous, 257. 
 
 Bragi, 10, 13, 18, 31, 70, 95, 172, 176, 
 177,252, 270,271, 289. 
 
 Brand, 95. 
 
 Brawalla, Battle of, 221, 232. 
 
 Breidablick, 48, 273. 
 
 Brisingamen, 169-70, 211, 287. 
 
 Brock, 126-8, 189. 
 Brynhilde, 96, 232. 
 Bui, 257. 
 Bullerborn, 272. 
 Buri, 4, 23. 
 
 Caesar Augustus, 163. 
 
 Castle Neuhaus, 118. 
 
 Cauldron, Hymir's, 9, 141. 
 
 Charlemagne, 21, 78, 119, 246. 
 
 Chasse de Cain, 78. 
 
 Chasse d'Hdrode, 78. 
 
 Cheru (Heru), 9, 161-66, 170. 
 
 Cherusci, 9, 18. 
 
 Christianity, 29, 32, 33, 114, 209, 245, 
 
 307- 
 Christmas, 75, 190. 
 Class-distinctions, origin of, 166-8. 
 Cologne, 162. 
 Constellations, 49, 50, 212. 
 Creation of World, 22-4, 33. 
 
 Dain, 271. 
 Dainsleif, 104. 
 Day, 4, 24, 93, 273. 
 Death, goddess of, v. HeL 
 Deluge, 4, 23, 56, 249. 
 Dises, 233, 280, 297. 
 Donar, 123. 
 Dragons, 33, 44, 208. 
 Draupnir, 72, 127, 202, 280, 284. 
 Drusus, 233. 
 Durin, 38. 
 Duckbill, 238, 240. 
 Dwalin, 38. 
 Dwarf of Death, 172. 
 Dwarfs, 4, 14, 25, 38, 40, 52, 88, 104. 
 126, 128, 161, 172, 251, 266. 
 
 Earl, 168. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 3*9 
 
 Earth personified, 6, 31, 55, 116, 119, 
 
 171, 189, 204, 209, 211, 224, 297, v. 
 also Jord, Nerthus. 
 
 Earthquake, origin of, 294. 
 
 Easter-eggs, 114. 
 
 Ebb-tide, cause of, 136. 
 
 Edda, 18, 26, 33, 48, 72, 86, 95, 123, 
 
 137, 166, 169, 177, 182, 189, 202-3, 
 
 224, 225, 263, 306, 307. 
 Eigel, King, 171. 
 Eikthyrnir, 26. 
 Einheriar, II, 16, 69, 70, 76,94, 142, 
 
 172, 181, 185, 232, 252, 285, 298. 
 Elbegast, 40. 
 
 Elberich, 40. 
 
 Eldir, 288. 
 
 Elfheim, 126. 
 
 Eliwagar, 4, 22, 140, 141, 171. 
 
 Elli, 136. 
 
 Elves of Darkness, 4. 
 
 Elves of Light, 4. 
 
 Elves, 14, 38, 41, 42, 129, 143. 
 
 Embla, 4, 25. 
 
 Eric, 69. 
 
 Erich, 170. 
 
 Erinnyae, 223. 
 
 Erk, 170. 
 
 Erna, 168. 
 
 Eros, 29. 
 
 Etzel, v. Attila. 
 
 Extern stones, 1 14, 
 
 Fafnir, 33. 
 Falcon-dress, 142. 
 Farbauti, 56, 249. 
 Fate (Orlog), 10. 
 Fates, v. Norns. 
 Fenia, 192-8. 
 
 Fenris-Wolf, 5, 9, 11, 12, 53, 54, 56, 72, 
 250, 264, 270, 297, 298, 301. 
 
 Fensal, or Fensaler, 6, 49, 96, 276. 
 
 Fimbul- Winter, 16, 296. 
 
 Fingal, 236, 245. 
 
 Fiolnir, 190. 
 
 Fiolswider, 212-3. 
 
 Fiorgyn, 96. 
 
 Fire, v. Logi, Muspel, Surtur. 
 
 Fjalar, 88. 
 
 ,, the cock, 297. 
 Folkwang, 49, 143, 169, 209. 
 Fontainebleau, grand veneur de, 78. 
 Forniot, 241. 
 Forseti, 12, 49, 95, 264. 
 Franks, 71, 94, 95. 
 Frea (Freya), 6. 
 Frealaf, 95. 
 Frey or Freya, 6, 9, 10, 31, 49, 81, 95, 
 
 120, 138, 143, 169, 182, 206, 211, 212, 
 
 267, 303, v. also Frigg. 
 Freyer, 10, 95, 102, 126, 182, 189-91, 
 
 199-204, 209, 298. 
 Freygerda, 190-1. 
 Friday, 209. 
 Fridleif, 190-1, 222. 
 Frigg, or Frigga (Freya), 6, 7, 14,31, 
 
 49, 83, 93, 95, 96-103, 271, 274, 276, 
 
 282, 287, v. also Freya. 
 Frisians, 12, 71, 264. 
 Fro, v. Freya. 
 Frodi, 190-8. 
 Frouwa, v. Freya. 
 Frost-giants, v. Hrimthurses. 
 Frosti, 46. 
 Fulla, 6 99, 100. 
 Funafeng, 288. 
 
 Gaia, 29. 
 Galar, 88. 
 Gambach, 115, 
 Gambantrin, 255, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Gambara, 8 1. 
 
 Gullfaxi, 138, 140. 
 
 
 Garm, 225, 297, 301. 
 
 Gullinbursti, 126, 189, 242. 
 
 
 Gangleri, 63-65. 
 
 Gulltop, 169, 170. 
 
 
 Gangrader, 93-4. 
 
 Gullweig, 13, 266. 
 
 
 Gaude, 103. 
 
 Gungnir, 5, 52, 72, 101. 
 
 
 Gefion, 58-61, 293. 
 
 Gunlod, 5, 89-91, 270. 
 
 
 Geirod, 9, 55, 83-5. 
 
 Gwodan, 71. 
 
 
 Geirodsgard, 9, 253. 
 
 Gylphi, King, 58-65. 
 
 
 Geldar, 260. 
 
 Gymir, 204. 
 
 
 Gerda, 199-204, 209. 
 
 Gymirsgard, 201. 
 
 
 Getes, 161. 
 
 
 
 Gewar, 259, 263. 
 
 Hadding, 190. 
 
 
 Giallarhorn, 86, 297, 298. 
 
 Hahnir (Honir), 25. 
 
 
 Giants, 4, 5, 14, 16, 42, 44, 55, 5 6 , 67, 
 
 Hakelbarend, 74. 
 
 
 v. also Hrimthurses, Jotuns. 
 
 Hakelberg, 74. 
 
 
 Giantesses, 15, 88, 253. 
 
 Hakon, 69-70. 
 
 
 Gilling, 88. 
 
 Har, 64. 
 
 
 Gimil, 64, 183, 305. 
 
 Harald Harfager, 32, 209. 
 
 
 Ginnungagap, 22, 23. 
 
 Harbard Lay, 9. 
 
 
 Gioll, 54, 225, 282. 
 
 Harz Mountains, 43, 67. 
 
 
 Girdles, magic, 42. 
 
 Hat, Odin's broad-brimmed, 72, 
 
 74, 
 
 Giuli, 190. 
 
 77, 84, 227. 
 
 
 Gladsheim, 48. 
 
 Hati, 297. 
 
 
 Glasir, 48, 51, 185. 
 
 Hedin, 104, 226. 
 
 
 Glitnir, 49, 264. 
 
 Heidrun, 26, 52. 
 
 
 Glovvheim, 56. 
 
 Heimchen, 117. 
 
 
 Gna, 6, 99, 100. 
 
 Heimdaglinger, 170. 
 
 
 Gnypa cave, 225, 297. 
 
 Heimdal, 10, 48, 55, 95, 144, 166, 
 
 169- 
 
 Godan, 71, 103. 
 
 70, 171,242, 267,271, 297, 301. 
 
 
 Gode, 6, 103. 
 
 Heimdellinger, 170. 
 
 
 Goldemar, 40. 
 
 Hel, 5, 10, 11, 14, 26,37, 53, 54, 
 
 55, 
 
 Golden Age, 12, 265-6. 
 
 64, 78, 94, 202, 224-6, 250, 271, 
 
 2/5. 
 
 G611, 228. 
 
 282-4, 306. 
 
 
 Gondul, 69, 228. 
 
 Helga, 210. 
 
 
 Good and Evil, 55. 
 
 Helgi, 259, 260. 
 
 
 Gospel, v. Christianity. 
 
 Helheim, 11, 47, 54, 129, 250, 297. 
 
 
 Grimnir, 84, 139. 
 
 H el-huntsman, 78. 
 
 
 Groa, 140. 
 
 Hengist, 95. 
 
 
 Grotti, 192. 
 
 Hephaestos, 39. 
 
 
 Gudan, 71. 
 
 Her, 46. 
 
 
INDEX. 
 
 321 
 
 Herakles, 57, 142, 177, 218. 
 
 Herlething, 77. 
 
 Hermon, 256. 
 
 Heraiodur, 12, 14, 53, 70, 95, 254-6, 
 
 279, 282-4. 
 Herodotus, 161. 
 Hertha, 103. 
 Heru, 9, 161, 170. 
 Hialti, 227-31. 
 Hilde, 104, 226, 228, 232. 
 Hildesheim, 107. 
 Himinbiorg, 49, 169, 170. 
 Hindu idea of the world, 17. 
 Hiorward, 229. 
 
 Hledra, 61, 190, 226, 229, 230. 
 Hler (Ogir), 11,46,249. 
 Hlidskialf, 6, 48, 52, 54, 72, 83, 123, 
 
 199, 254, 290. 
 Hlin, 6, 99. 
 Hlora, 123. 
 
 Hlorridi, 122, 123, 290, 293. 
 Hoddmimir's Wood, 17, 302. 
 Hodur, 12, 14, 15, 17, 95, 249, 259-63, 
 
 278,285,305. 
 Hogni, 104, 226. 
 Holda, 6, 107-115, 120, 225. 
 Honir, 4, 10, 25, 30, 95, 173-4, 182, 
 
 183, 248. 
 Hood of darkness, 42, 242. 
 Hoof-flinger, 99. 
 Horleif, 33. 
 Horsa, 95. 
 
 Horse-hair Beard, 219-20. 
 Horselberg. 113. 
 Hrafnagalder, 272. 
 Hrany, 227. 
 rlraudung, 83. 
 Hrimfaxi, 24. 
 Hrimgrimnir, 204. 
 Hrimthurses, 13, 23, 26, 43, 45, 53, 
 
 101, 113, 122, 129, 137, 142, 174-6, 
 
 189. 200-4, 267, 280, 298. 
 Hringhorn, 280. 
 Hrist, 228. 
 Hrodso, 78. 
 
 Hrossharsgrani, 72, 219. 
 Hrungnir, 9, 55, 137-40. 
 Hugin, 52, 89, 271. 
 
 the Jotun, 135, 136. 
 
 Hugrunes, 87. 
 Huld, 113. 
 Hulda, no, 113. 
 Huldra, 113. 
 Hulla, 113. 
 Huns, 46, 164-6, 234. 
 Hwergelmir, 22, 225. 
 Hymir, 9, 145. 
 Hyrrockin, 281. 
 
 Ibor, 81. 
 
 Ida, Plains of, 17, 266, 302, 305. 
 
 Idises, v. Dises. 
 
 Iduna, 10, 13, 114, 170, 172, 174-6, 177, 
 
 184, 270-2. 
 Ifing, 47, 53, 143- 
 Ildiko, 165. 
 Indian Myths, 29. 
 Ingulf, 33. 
 I ring's Road, 170. 
 Irmin, 171, 256. 
 Isa, 107. 
 Iwaldi, 161, 173. 
 Iwaldur, 126. 
 
 Jafenhar, 64. 
 Jarl, 168. 
 Jarnsaxa, 124. 
 
 Johann of Lichtenberg, 118. 
 Jord, 31, 95, 96, 122, 123, 209, v. also 
 Earth, Nerthus. 
 
 V 
 
522 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Jormungander, 53, 54, 250, 301. 
 Jotunheim, 26, 45, 47, 53, 89, 93, 143, 
 
 281, 290. 
 Jotuns, 5, 13,45, 58, 86, 89,90, 93, 129, 
 
 I 3^, 137, I39> 200, 247-9,298,^. also 
 
 Giants, Hrimthurses. 
 Judges, Forseti's twelve, 12. 
 Judgment oi the gods (Ragnarok), 54, 
 
 264, 305. 
 Jul, 190. 
 Juritha, 222. 
 
 Kari, 46, 56, 241, 249. 
 Karl, 167. 
 Kobolds, 39, 113. 
 Konur, 168. 
 Kraki, King, 226-31. 
 Kunigunde, 118. 
 Kwasir, 88-9, 295. 
 Kyffhauser, 79. 
 
 Lake-maiden, 236-40. 
 
 Landwidi, 49, 254. 
 
 Larad, 26. 
 
 Last Battle, 5, 16, 26, 33, 44, 49, 56, 93, 
 
 272, 298, 307. 
 Laufey, 56, 128, 144, 249. 
 Lif, 17,302,305. 
 Lif thrash", 17, 302. 
 
 Light-Elves, 40, 47, 49, 190, 258, 280. 
 Lit, 281. 
 
 Lodur, 4, 25, 30, 249. 
 Lofar, 38. 
 Lofna, 6. 
 
 Logi, 43> 46, S 6 , 135) 136, 241, 249. 
 
 Loki, ii, 13, 14, 15, 16, 38, 53, 54, 56, 
 95, 126, 129-37, 142, 143, 169-70, 
 173-6, 184, 247-51,267-9,271,277- 
 8, 287-95, 297, 29S. 
 
 Longobards, 71, 81. 
 
 Loreley, 240-1. 
 Lucifer, 250. 
 
 Maelar Lake, 62. 
 
 Magni, 17, 95, 124, 137, 140, 305. 
 
 Maiden's Leap, 67. 
 
 Maine, 119. 
 
 Mandrake root, 234. 
 
 Mani, 24, 66, v. also Moon. 
 
 Maria am Schnee, 107. 
 
 Markomanns, 161. 
 
 May, 82, 236, 285. 
 
 Mayence, 120. 
 
 Meeting of the Wise Men, 208. 
 
 Meissner Gebirge, 115. 
 
 Menglada, 212-4. 
 
 Menia, 192-8. 
 
 Mercury, 72. 
 
 Mesnie, Hellequin, 78. 
 
 Mettena, 223. 
 
 Michael, Archangel, 21. 
 
 Midgard, 24, 26, 43, 47, 52, 124, 273, 
 
 290. 
 Midgard Snake, 5, 11, 53, 54, 56, 136, 
 
 297, v. also Jormungander. 
 Milky Way, 104, 170. 
 Mimir, 1, 10, 86, 87, 182, 302. 
 Mil-air's Well, 1, 93, 251, 298. 
 Mimring, 260, 261, 263. 
 Mioll, 46. 
 Miolnir, 9, 17, 122, 124, 125-28, 131. 
 
 137, 139, 142, 143, 161, 269, 281, 305. 
 Mist, 238. 
 Mistletoe, 14, 277. 
 Mithras, 279. 
 Mockerkalfi, 139. 
 Modgud, 282. 
 Modi, 17 95, 124, 305. 
 Modsognir, 38. 
 Moira, 217. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 323 
 
 Moon, 4, 13, 16, 24, 30, 86, 102, 267, 
 
 295, 297. 
 Mountain of Venus, 113. 
 Mumel-King, 11. 
 Mumel, Lake, 86, 236. 
 Munin, 52, 89. 
 Muot, 71, 77. 
 Muspel, 56, 57. 
 Muspel, sons of, 5, 16, 44, 54, 56, 57, 
 
 251, 298. 
 Muspelheim, 22, 24, 47, 52, 56. 
 Mysinger, 197-8. 
 Myths, formation of, 3, 29. 
 
 Nain, 172. 
 
 Nanna, 12, 14, 259-63, 264, 280, 283. 
 
 Narwi, 250, 294. 
 
 Necks, 11, 245, v. also Nixies, Water- 
 sprites. 
 
 Nehalennia, 107. 
 
 Nemesis, 218. 
 
 Nerthus, 31, 103, 1S4, 189, 209, v. 
 also Earth, Jord. 
 
 Nidhogg, 26, 225, 253. 
 
 Nifelheim, 11, 22, 47. 54. 
 
 Nifelhel, 64, 138, 269, 273. 
 
 Niflung Lay, 95. 
 
 Niflungs, 33. 
 
 Night, 4, 24, 25, 66, 93, 271, 273. 
 
 Niorder, 10, 49, 93, 95, 103, 178, 182, 
 183, 185-7, 200, 209. 
 
 Nixies, 11,245, v - ^ s0 Necks, Water- 
 sprites. 
 
 Norns, 10, 11, 12, 13, 26,36-7, 94, 162, 
 201, 214, 217-23, 233, 253, 298. 
 
 Noah, 23. 
 
 Noatun, 49, 184, 186. 
 
 Number Nip, 40. 
 
 Oanswald, 77. 
 
 Oberon, 40. 
 
 Odin, 1, 4, 5, 9, 12, 14, (2j^2p(3^ 52, 
 53, 54, 55, 56, 66-95,71, 79, 96, 101- 
 2, 113, 126, 127, 138, 161, 173-4, 185, 
 219-21, 228-30, 247, 249,252-3,254, 
 271, 273, 274-6, 287, 289, 298, 301, 
 302. 
 
 Odin, the False, 79, 102. 
 
 Odo, 71. 
 
 Odrorir, 5, 88, 90, 93, 270. 
 
 Odur, 212. 
 
 Odysseus, 171. 
 
 Ogir, 11, 15, 56, 176, 184, 204, 236-46 
 249, 287, 290. 
 
 Ogishelm, 242. 
 
 Okeanos, 241. 
 
 Okuthor, 122. 
 
 Olaf, 68. 
 
 Orendel, 171. 
 
 Orgelmir (Ymir), 27. 
 
 Orion, belt of, 99. 
 
 Ormuzd, 57, 306-7. 
 
 Orlog, 10, 11, 218, 279. 
 
 Orwandil, 140-1, 171. 
 
 Oski, 82. 
 
 Ossian, 73. 
 
 Ostara, 107, 114. 
 
 Oswald, 21, 77. 
 
 Palaces of the Gods, 47. 
 Pepin, 119. 
 Pharaildis, 105. 
 Phoenicians, 34, 39, 279. 
 Plassenburg, 118. 
 Poetry, god of, v. Bragi. 
 Polytheism, 30-1. 
 
 Quades, 161. 
 Ouern-stones, 191-S. 
 Quick-born, 113. 
 
324 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Raging Host, 67, 72, 73, 75, 76, 78. 
 Ragnarok, 16, 264, 290, 296-301, 306, 
 
 3°7- 
 Ran, 11, 243. 
 
 Ravens, Odin's two, 1, 52, 280. 
 Regin, 11, 80, 218-21, 306. 
 Reine pddauque, 120. 
 Renewal of the world, 16, 87, 301-2, 
 
 307. 
 Rerir, 99, 209. 
 Riesengebirge, 40, 43, 44. 
 Riger, v. Heimdal. 
 Rigsmal, 169. 
 
 Rinda, 12, 31, 95, 256, 263, 275, 285. 
 Rings, Magic, 41, 42. 
 Roesfield, 260. 
 Rollo, 32. 
 Roskwa, 130, 137. 
 Rosstioph, 255-6. 
 Runes, 6, 33, 34, 59, 63, 86, 87, 104, 
 
 168, 202, 203, 255, 273, 274. 
 
 Saemund the Wise, 33. 
 
 Saga, 1, 2, 10, 18, 19, 48, 49. 
 
 Sahrimnir, 52, 142, 173. 
 
 St. Emmeran, 281. 
 
 St. Gertrude, 107. 
 
 St. Martin, 21. 
 
 St. Oswald, 21, 77. 
 
 St. Peter, 21. 
 
 Saming, 95. 
 
 Saxnot (Heru), 9, 123, 161. 
 
 Saxons, 71. 
 
 Scythians, 161. 
 
 Sea, God of the, v. Ogir. 
 
 Selke, 66. 
 
 Sessrumnir, 209. 
 
 Sif, 123, 125, 128, 137. 
 
 Sigi, 95, 99- 
 Sigmund, 95, 100. 
 
 Sigrun, 232. 
 
 Sigurd, 33, 95, 96, 100. 
 
 Sigyn, 16, 250, 293, 294. 
 
 Sin, 13, 15, 266-9. 
 
 Sindri, 126, 161, 189. 
 
 Siofna, 6. 
 
 Skadi, 48, 176, 178, 183, 184-7. 
 
 Skeaf, 256-8. 
 
 Skidbladnir, 189. 
 
 Skinfaxi, 24. 
 
 Skiold, 61, 95. 
 
 Skioll,297. 
 
 Skimir, 123, 200-4, 249. 
 
 Skogul, 69, 70, 228. 
 
 Skrymir, 131— 7, 290. 
 
 Skrymsli, 248-9. 
 
 Skuld, 229. 
 
 , v. Norns. 
 
 Sleeping Beauty, 27, 204. 
 
 Sleeping Heroes, 78-80. 
 
 Sleipnir, 138, 255, 269, 273, 279, 282, 
 
 298. 
 Snar, 46. 
 Snor, 167. 
 
 Snorri Sturlason, 33. 
 Sokvvabek, 48, 162. 
 Sol, 24. 
 Son, 88, 90. 
 Starkad, 218-21. 
 Stars, 74, 102, 176, 295. 
 Suiones, 183. 
 Sun, 4, 13, 16, 24, 30, 86, 102, 267, 272, 
 
 295, 297. 
 Sun-god, 279. 
 Surtur, 1, 5, 16, 44, 47, 48, 51, 52, 54, 
 
 57, 251, 253,272, 298-301, 305. 
 Suttung, 88, 89, 90. 
 Swadilfari, 267, 269. 
 Swan-knight, 118. 
 Swawa, 232. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 3-5 
 
 Swendal, 204. 
 
 Ulphilas, 34. 
 
 Swipdager, 95, 213-4. 
 
 Upsala temple, 123. 
 
 Sword-Gods, v. Tyr, Cheru, Heimdal. 
 
 Urd, Fountain of, u, 26, 144, 222, 
 
 Tannhauser, 113. 
 
 302. 
 Urd, v. Norns. 
 
 Theodorick of Bern, 78. 
 
 Utgard, 47, 129. 
 
 Thialfi, 122, 130, 137, 139, 140. 
 
 Utgard-Loki, 9, 132-7, 249. 
 
 Thiassi, 48, 55, 174-6, 184, 249. 
 
 Utgarthlocus, 250. 
 
 Thock, 284. 
 
 Urlak, v. Orlog. 
 
 Thor, 6, 9, 13, 15, 21, 55, 95, 121-61, 
 
 
 219-21, 260, 268-9, 281, 290, 298. 
 
 Venus, 113. 
 
 Thorkill, 210. 
 
 Vespasian, 164. 
 
 Thrain, 271. 
 
 Vitellius, 1 C2-4 
 
 Thrall, 166. 
 
 Voden, 94. 
 
 Thridi, 64. 
 
 Volla, 99, v. also Fulla. 
 
 Thrones, twelve, of the gods, 52. 
 
 Vrouelden, 104. 
 
 Thrud, 124, 128, 140. 
 
 Vulder, 178. 
 
 a Walkyrie, 228. 
 
 
 Thrudheim, 48, 125, 137, 140. 
 
 Wafthrudnir, 5, 93-4. 
 
 Thrym, 9, 55, 143-46, 298. 
 
 Wala, 14, 47, 66, 232, 273, 297, 301, 
 
 Thrymheim, 9, 48, 142, 143, 144, 176, 
 
 306, 309-16. 
 
 184, 186. 
 
 Walaskialf, 48. 
 
 Thunar (Thor), 6, 21, 121, 123. 
 
 Walcheren, 107. 
 
 Thurses, v. Hrimthurses. 
 
 Walhalla, n, 26, 48, 51, 55, 60, 70, 76. 
 
 Thusnelda, 96. 
 
 84, 138, 142, 185, 227, 232, 252, 277, 
 
 Thyr, 167. 
 
 285. 
 
 Titania, 40. 
 
 Wali, 12, 15, 17,48,49, 95, 250, 256-8, 
 
 Titans, 44. 
 
 285, 294. 305. 
 
 Tins (Tyr), 9. 
 
 Walkyries, 5, 10, 11, 51, 60, 66, 69, 70, 
 
 Tooth-cracker, 123. 
 
 104, 209, 217, 226-33, 261, 280. 
 
 Tooth-gnasher, 123. 
 
 Wals, 95. 
 
 Trolls, 25, 58. 
 
 Walser Field, 80. 
 
 Twelfth Night, 75. 
 
 Waltam, 275. 
 
 Twilight of the gods, 54, 72, 86, 296- 
 
 Wanaheim, 47, 182. 
 
 301, 305, v. also Ragnarok. 
 
 Wanes, 10, 47, 88, 94, 95, 100, 102, 103, 
 
 Tyche, 218. 
 
 129, 181-3, 189, 266. 
 
 Tyr, 9, 10, 31, 49, 53, 54, 95, 103, 170, 
 
 Wara, 6. 
 
 233, 3°i- 
 
 Warkald, 213. 
 
 
 Water-sprites, 11, 24 r, 280, v. also 
 
 Uller, 48, 49, 95, 124, 177-9, 186. 
 
 Lake-maiden and Ogir. 
 
326 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Waude, 77. 
 
 Waul, 77. 
 
 Wave-maidens, 10, 171. 
 
 We, 4, 23, 30, 56. 
 
 Wegdegg, 95, 
 
 Wegtam, 274. 
 
 Werdandi, v. Norns. 
 
 White Lady, 1 16-18. 
 
 VVidar, 12, 17, 49, 95, 252-4, 289, 301, 
 
 3°5- 
 Widblain, 305. 
 Wights, 42. 
 
 Wigrid, Field of, 16, 56, 253, 298. 
 Wikar, King, 220. 
 Wiking raids, 21, 32, 70, 104, 220, 258, 
 
 308. 
 Wikings, 26, 141, 218. 
 Wild Hunt, 5, 67, 72, 75, 77, 78, 104. 
 Wild Huntsman, 73-78. 
 Wili, 4, 23, 30, 56. 
 Windkald, 213, 214. 
 Wingnir, 123. 
 Wingolf, 49, 64. 
 Wingthor, 122, 123, 129, 142, v. also 
 
 Thor. 
 Wise Women, 233. 
 Wish-father (Odin), 75. 
 Wish-maidens (Walkyries), it. 
 Woda, 71. 
 
 Wodan (Odin), 5, 31, 71-2, 76, 81 
 103, 123, 161, 208, 209, 235. 
 
 Wode, 71, 73, 74. 
 
 Wodel-beer, 76. 
 
 Wogg, 227-31. 
 
 Wold, 71, 76. 
 
 Wolf, v. Fern is- Wolf. 
 
 Wolves, Odin's two, 52. 
 
 Wolsing, 100, 208. 
 
 Wood-demons, 260, 280, 285, v. also 
 Mimring. 
 
 Wood-maidens, 74. 
 
 Worlds of the gods, 4, 47. 
 
 Woensjager, 7^. 
 
 Woluspa, 33, 309-16. 
 
 Wuotan (Odin), 5, 71. 
 
 Wurd v. Urd. 
 
 Ydalir, 48, 49, 1 78. 
 
 Yggdrasil, 11, 13, 16, 26, 27, 47,84, 
 
 222, 253, 270, 298, 301. 
 Ymir, 4, 22, 23, 24, 46, 55, 249. 
 Yngwi, 95. 
 Yrsa, 227. 
 Yule-feast, 49. 
 
 Zealand, 61, 62. 
 Zend-Avesta, 307. 
 Zenvana-Arkana, 306-7. 
 Zio (Tyr), 9, 103, 1 70, 233. 
 
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