_WAYLAND THE SMITH_
Far up to the north of Norway and Sweden, looking straight at the
Pole, lies the country of Finmark. It is very cold and very bare, and
for half the year very dark; but inside its stony mountains are rich
stores of metals, and the strong, ugly men of the country spent their
lives in digging out the ore and in working it. Like many people who
dwell in mountains, they saw and heard strange things, which were
unknown to the inhabitants of the lands to the south.
Now in Finmark there were three brothers whose names were Slagfid,
Eigil, and Wayland, all much handsomer and cleverer than their
neighbours. They had some money of their own, but this did not prevent
them working as hard as anyone else; and as they were either very
clever or very lucky, they were soon in a fair way to grow rich.
One day they went to a new part of the mountains which was yet
untouched, and began to throw up the earth with their pick-axes; but
instead of the iron they expected to see they found they had lighted
upon a mine of gold. This discovery pleased them greatly and their
blows became stronger and harder, for the gold was deep in the rock
and it was not easy to get it out. At last a huge lump rolled out at
their feet, and when they picked it up they saw three stones shining
in it, one red and one blue and one green. They took it home to their
mother, who began to weep bitterly at the sight of it. 'What is the
matter?' asked her sons anxiously, for they knew things lay open to
her which were hidden from others.
'Ah, my sons,' she said as soon as she could speak, 'you will have
much happiness, but I shall be forced to part with you. Therefore I
shed tears, for I hoped that only death would divide us! Green is the
grass, blue is the sky, red are the roses, golden is the maiden. The
Norns' (for so in that country they called the Fates) 'beckon you to a
land where green fields lie under a blue sky, fields where
golden-haired maidens lie among the flowers.'
Great was the joy of the three brothers when they heard the words of
their mother; for they hated the looks of the women who dwelt about
them, and longed for the tall stature and white skins of the maidens
of the south.
Next morning they rose early and buckled on their swords and coats of
mail, and fastened on their heads helmets that they had made the day
before from the lump of gold. In the centre of Slagfid's helmet was
the green stone, and in the centre of Eigil's was the blue stone, and
in the centre of Wayland's was the red stone; and when they were ready
they put their reindeer into their sledges, and set out over the snow.
When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been
digging they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running
to meet them. They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps,
which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never
ceased chattering. These were the mountain elves, and when they came
near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they
danced round it:
Will you leave us? Will you leave us?
Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland, sons of a King.
Is not the emerald better than grass?
Is not the ruby better than roses?
Is not the sapphire better than the sky?
Why do you leave the mountains of Finmark?
[Illustration: The Three Women By The Stream]
But Eigil was impatient and struck his reindeer, that willing beast
which flies like the wind and needs not the touch of a whip. It
bounded forward in surprise, and knocked down one of the elves that
stood in its path. But the hands of his brothers laid hold of the
reins, and stopped the reindeer, and sang again,
The Finlander's world, the Finlander's joy,
Lies under the earth;
Seek not without what we offer within,
Despise not the elves, small and dark though they be.
The best is within, do not seek it without:
The Finlander's world, the Finlander's joy,
Lies under the earth.
Slagfid struck his reindeer. It bounded forward and struck down an elf
who stood in its road. Then his brothers stood in its path, and
stopped the reindeer, and sang:
Because Slagfid struck his reindeer,
Because Eigil struck his reindeer,
Our hatred shall follow you.
A time of weal, a time of woe, a time of grief, a time of joy.
Because Wayland also forsook us,
Though he struck not the reindeer,
A time of weal, a time of woe, a time of grief, a time of joy.
Farewell, O Finlanders, sons of a King.
Their voices died away as they crossed a bright strip of moonlight
which lay between them and the mountains and were seen no more.
The brothers thought no more about them or their words, but went
swiftly on their way south, sleeping at night in their reindeer skins.
After many days they came to a lake full of fish, in a place which was
called the Valley of Wolves, because of the number of wolves which hid
there. But the Finlanders did not mind the wolves, and built a house
close to the lake, and hunted bears, and caught fish through holes in
the ice, till winter had passed away and spring had come. Then one
day they noticed that the sky was blue and the earth covered with
flowers.
By-and-by they noticed something more, and that was that three maidens
were sitting on the grass, spinning flax on the bank of a stream.
Their eyes were blue, and their skins were white as the snow on the
mountains, while instead of the mantles of swansdown they generally
wore, golden hair covered their shoulders.
The hearts of the brothers beat as they looked on the maidens, who
were such as they had often dreamed of, but had never seen; and as
they drew near they found to their surprise that the maidens were
dressed each in red, green, and blue garments, and the meadow was so
thickly dotted with yellow flowers that it seemed as if it were a mass
of solid gold.
'Hail, noble princes! Hail, Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland,' sang the
maidens.
Swanvite, Alvilda, and Alruna are sent by the Norns,
To bring joy to the princes of Finland.
Then the tongues of the young men were unloosed, and Slagfid married
Swanvite, Eigil Alruna, and Wayland Alvilda.
For nine years they all lived on the shores of the lake, and no people
in the world were as happy as these six: till one morning the three
wives stood before their husbands and said with weeping eyes:
'Dear lords, the time has now come when we must bid you farewell, for
we are not allowed to stay with you any longer. We are Norns--or, as
some call us, Valkyrie. Nine years of joy are granted to us, but these
are paid for by nine years during which we hover round the combatants
on every field of battle. But bear your souls in patience, for on
earth all things have an end, and in nine years we will return to be
your wives as before.'
'But we shall be getting old then,' answered the brothers, 'and you
will have forgotten us. Stay now, we pray you, for we love you well.'
'_We_ are not mortals to grow old,' said the Norns, 'and true love
does not grow old either. Still, we do not wish you to fall sick with
grieving, so we leave you these three keys, with which you may open
the mountain, and busy yourselves by digging out the treasures it
contains. By the time the nine years are over you will have become
rich men, and men of renown.' So they laid down the keys and vanished.
For a long while the young men only left their houses to seek for
food, so dreary had the Valley of Wolves become. At last Slagfid and
Eigil could bear it no longer, and declared they would travel through
the whole world till they found their wives; but Wayland, the
youngest, determined to stay at home.
'You would do much better to remain where you are,' said he. 'You do
not know in which direction to look for them, and it is useless to
seek on earth for those who fly through the air. You will only lose
yourselves, and starve, and when the nine years are ended who can tell
where you may be?'
But his words fell on deaf ears; for Slagfid and Eigil merely filled
their wallets with food and their horns with drink, and prepared to
take leave of their brother. Wayland embraced them weeping, for he
feared that he would never more see them, and once again he implored
them to give up their quest. Slagfid and Eigil only shook their heads.
'We have no rest, night or day, without them,' they said, and they
begged him to look after their property till they came back again.
Wayland saw that more words would be wasted, so he walked with them to
the edge of the forest, where their ways would part. Then Slagfid
said, 'Our fathers, when they went a journey, left behind them a token
by which it might be known whether they were dead or alive, and I will
do so also.' So he stamped heavily on the soft ground, and added, 'As
long as this footmark remains sharp and clear, I shall be safe. If it
is filled with water I shall be drowned; if with blood, I shall have
fallen in battle. But if it is filled with earth an illness will have
killed me, and I shall lie under the ground.' Thus he did, and Eigil
did likewise. Then they cut stout sticks to aid their journeys, and
went their ways.
Wayland stood gazing after them as long as they were in sight, then he
went sadly home.
Slagfid and Eigil walked steadily on through the day, and when evening
came they reached a stream bordered with trees, where they took off
their golden helmets and sat down to rest and eat. They had gone far
that day and were tired, and drank somewhat heavily, so that they knew
not what they did. 'If I lose my Swanvite,' said Slagfid, 'I am
undone. She is the fairest woman that sun ever looked on, or that man
ever loved.'
'It is a lie,' answered Eigil. 'I know one lovelier still, and her
name is Alruna. Odin does not love Freya so fondly as Eigil adores
her.'
'It is no lie,' cried Slagfid, 'and may shame fall on him who slanders
me.'
'And I,' answered Eigil, 'stand to what I have said, and declare that
you are the liar.' At this they both drew their swords and fell
fighting, till Slagfid struck Eigil's helmet so hard that the jewel
flew into a thousand pieces, while Eigil himself fell backwards into
the river.
Slagfid stood still, leaning on his sword and looking at the river
into which his brother had fallen. Suddenly the trees behind him
rustled, and a voice came out of them, saying, 'A time of weal, a time
of woe, a time of tears, a time of death'; and though he could see
nothing he remembered the mountain elves, and thought how true their
prophecy had been. 'I have slain my brother,' he said to himself, 'my
wife has forsaken me; I am miserable and alone. What shall I do? Go
back to Wayland, or follow Eigil into the river? No. After all I
may find my wife. The Norns do not always bring misfortune.'
[Illustration: Slagfid pursues the Wraith over the Mountains]
As he spoke a light gleamed in the darkness of the night, and, looking
up, Slagfid saw it was shed by a bright star which seemed to be
drawing nearer to the earth, and the nearer it drew the more its shape
seemed to change into a human figure. Then Slagfid knew that it was
his wife Swanvite floating just over his head and encircled by a rim
of clear green light. He could not speak for joy, but held out his
arms to her. She beckoned to him to follow her, and, drawing out a
lute, played on it, and Slagfid, flinging away his sword and coat of
mail, began to climb the mountain. Half way up it seemed to him as if
a hand from behind was pulling him back, and turning he fancied he
beheld his mother and heard her say, 'My son, seek not after vain
shadows, which yet may be your ruin. Strive not against the will of
Odin, nor against the Norns.' The words caused Slagfid to pause for a
moment, then the figure of Swanvite danced before him and beckoned to
him again, and his mother was forgotten. There were rivers to swim,
precipices to climb, chasms to leap, but he passed them all gladly
till at last he noticed that the higher he got the less the figure
seemed like Swanvite. He felt frightened and tried to turn back, but
he could not. On he had to go, till just as he reached the top of the
mountain the first rays of the sun appeared above the horizon, and he
saw that, instead of Swanvite, he had followed a black elf.
He paused and looked over the green plain that lay thousands of feet
below him, cool and inviting after the stony mountain up which he had
come. 'A time of death,' whispered the black elf in his ear, and
Slagfid flung himself over the precipice.
* * * * *
After his brothers had forsaken him Wayland went to bed lonely and
sad; but the next morning he got up and looked at the three keys that
the Norns had left behind them. One was of copper, one was of iron,
and one was of gold. Taking up the copper one, he walked to the
mountain till he reached a flat wall of rock. He laid his key against
it, and immediately the mountain flew open and showed a cave where
everything was green. Green emeralds studded the rocks, green crystals
hung from the ceiling or formed rows of pillars, even the copper which
made the walls of the cave had a coating of green. Wayland broke off a
huge projecting lump and left the cave, which instantly closed up so
that not a crack remained to tell where the opening had been.
He carried the lump home, and put it into the fire till all the earth
and stones which clung to it were burned away; and then he fashioned
the pure copper into a helmet, and in the front of the helmet he set
three of his largest emeralds.
This occupied some days, and when it was done he took the iron key,
and went to another mountain, and laid the key against the rock, which
flew open like the other one. But now the walls were of iron, which
shone like blue steel, while sapphires glittered in the midst. From an
opening above, the blue of the sky was reflected in the river beneath,
and gentians and other blue flowers grew along the edge. Wayland gazed
with wonder at all these things; then he broke off a piece of the
iron, and carried it home with him. For many days after he busied
himself in forging a sword that was so supple he could wind it round
his body, and so sharp it could cut through a rock as if it had been a
stick. In the handle and in the sheath he set some of the finest
sapphires that he had brought away with him.
When all was finished he laid the sword aside, and returned to the
mountain, with the golden key. This time the mountain parted, and he
saw before him an archway, with a glimpse of the sea in the distance.
Before the entrance roses were lying, and inside the golden walls
sparkled with rubies, while branches of red coral filled every
crevice. Vines clambered about the pillars, and bore large bunches of
red grapes.
Wayland stood long, looking at these marvels; then he plucked some of
the grapes, broke off a lump of gold, and set out home again.
Next day he began to make himself a golden breastplate, and in it he
placed the jewels, and it was so bright that you could have seen the
glitter a mile off.
After he had tried all the three keys, and found out the secrets of
the mountain, Wayland felt dull, and as if he had nothing to do or to
think about. So his mind went back to his brothers, and he wondered
how they had fared all this time. The first thing he did was to go to
the edge of the forest, and see if he could find the two footprints
they had left. He soon arrived at the spot where they had taken
farewell of each other, but a blue pool of water covered the trace of
Eigil's foot. He turned to look at the impression made by Slagfid, but
fresh green grass had sprung up over it, and on a birch-tree near it a
bird had perched, which sang a mournful song.
Then Wayland knew that his brothers were dead, and he returned to his
hut, grieving sore.
* * * * *
It was a long time before Wayland could bring himself to go out, so
great was his sorrow; but at last he roused himself from his misery,
and went to the mountain for more gold, meaning to work hard till the
nine years should be over and he should get his wife back again. All
day long he stood in his forge, smelting and hammering, till he had
made hundreds of suits of armour and thousands of swords, and his fame
travelled far, so that all men spoke of his industry. At last he grew
tired of making armour, and hammered a number of gold rings, which he
strung on strips of bark, and as he hammered he thought of Alvilda
his wife, and how the rings would gleam on her arms when once she came
back again.
Now at this time Nidud the Little reigned over Sweden, and was hated
by his people, for he was vain and cowardly and had many other bad
qualities. It came to his ears that away in the forests lived a man
who was very rich, and worked all day long in pure gold. The King was
one of those people who could not bear to see anyone with things which
he did not himself possess, and he began to make plans how to get hold
of Wayland's wealth. At length he called together his chief
counsellors, and said to them: 'I hear a man has come to my kingdom
who is called Wayland, famous in many lands for his skill in
sword-making. I have set men to inquire after him, and I have found
that when first he came here he was poor and of no account, so he must
have grown rich either by magic or else by violence. I command,
therefore, that my stoutest men-at-arms should buckle on their iron
breastplates and ride in the dead of night to Wayland's house, and
seize his goods and his person.'
'King Nidud,' answered one of the courtiers, 'that you should take
himself and his goods is well, but why send a troop of soldiers
against one man? If he is no sorcerer, then a single one of your
soldiers could take him captive; but if, on the other hand, he is a
magician, then a whole army could do nothing with him against his
will.' At this reply the King flew in a rage, and, snatching up a
sword, ran it through his counsellor's body; then, turning to the
rest, told them that they would suffer the same fate if they refused
to submit to his will.
So the men-at-arms put on all their armour, and, mounting their
horses, set forth at sunset to Wayland's house, King Nidud riding at
their head. The door stood wide open, and they entered quietly, in
deadly fear lest Wayland should attack them. But no one was inside,
and they looked about, their eyes dazzled by the gold on the walls.
The King gazed with wonder and delight at the long string of golden
rings, and, slipping the finest off a strip of bark, placed it on his
finger. At that moment steps were heard in the outer court, and the
King hastily desired his followers to hide themselves and not to stir
till he signed to them to do so. In another moment Wayland stood in
the doorway, carrying on his shoulders a bear which he had killed with
his spear and was bringing home for supper. He was both tired and
hungry, for he had been hunting all day; but he had first to skin the
animal, and make a bright fire, before he could cut off some steaks
and cook them at the end of the spear. Then he poured some mead into a
cup and drank, as he always did, to the memory of his brothers. After
that he spread out his bear's skin to dry in the wind, and this done
he stretched himself out on his bed and went to sleep.
King Nidud waited till he thought all was safe, then crept forth with
his men, who held heavy chains in their hands wherewith to chain the
sleeping Wayland. But the task was harder than they expected, and he
started up in wrath, asking why he should be treated so. 'If you want
my gold, take it and release me. It is useless fighting against such
odds.'
'I am no robber,' said the King, 'but Nidud your sovereign.'
'You do me much honour,' replied Wayland, 'but what have I done to be
loaded with chains like this?'
'Wayland, I know you well,' said Nidud. 'Poor enough you were when you
came from Finland, and now your jewels are finer and your drinking
cups heavier than mine.'
'If I am indeed a thief,' answered Wayland, 'then you do well to load
me with chains and lead me bound into your dungeons; but if not, I ask
again, Why do you misuse me?'
'Riches do not come of themselves,' said Nidud, 'and if you are not a
thief, then you must be a magician and must be watched.'
'If I were a magician,' answered Wayland, 'it would be easy for me to
burst these bonds. I know not that ever I have wronged any man, but if
he can prove it I will restore it to him tenfold. As to the gifts that
may come from the gods, no man should grudge them to his fellow.
Therefore release me, O King, and I will pay whatever ransom you may
fix.'
But Nidud only bade his guards take him away, and Wayland, seeing that
resistance availed nothing, went with them quietly. By the King's
orders he was thrown into a dark hole fifteen fathoms under ground,
and the soldiers then came and robbed the house of all its treasures,
which they took to the Palace. The ring which Wayland had made for his
wife, Nidud gave to his daughter Banvilda.
One day the Queen was playing the harp in her own room when the King
came in to ask her counsel how best to deal with Wayland, as he did
not think it wise to put him to death, for he hoped to make some
profit out of his skill. 'His heart will beat high,' said the Queen,
'when he sees his good sword, and beholds his ring on Banvilda's
finger. But cut asunder the sinews of his strength, so that he can
never more escape from us, and keep him a prisoner on the island of
Savarsted.'
The King was pleased with the Queen's words, and sent soldiers to
carry Wayland to the tower on the island. The sinews of his leg were
cut so that he could not swim away; but they gave him his boots, and
the chests of gold they had found in his house. Here he was left, with
nothing to do from morning till night but to make helmets and drinking
cups and splendid armour for the King.
On this island Wayland remained for a whole year, chained to a stone
and visited by no one but the King, who came from time to time to see
how his prisoner was getting on with a suit of golden armour he had
been ordered to make. The shield was also of gold, and on it Wayland
had beaten out a history of the gods and their great deeds. He was
very miserable, for the hope of revenge which had kept him alive
seemed as far off as ever in its fulfilment, and finding a sword he
had lately forged lying close to his hand, he seized it, with the
intent of putting an end to his wretched life. He had hardly stretched
out his hand when a bird began to sing at the iron bars of his window,
while the evening sun shone into his prison. 'I should like to see the
world once more,' thought he, and, raising himself on the stone to
which his chain was fastened, he was able to look at what lay beneath
him. The sea washed the base of the rock on which the tower was built,
and on a neck of land a little way off some children were playing
before the door of a hut. Everything was bathed in red light from the
glow of the setting sun.
Wayland stood quite still on the top of the stone, gazing at the scene
with all his eyes, yet thinking of the land of his birth, which was so
different. Then he looked again at the sea, which was already turning
to steel, and in the distance he saw something moving on the waves. As
it came nearer he discovered it was a young Nixie, or water sprite,
and she held a lyre in her hand, and sang a song which blended with
the murmur of the waves and the notes of the bird. And the song put
new life and courage into his heart, for it told him that if he would
endure and wait the pleasure of the gods, joy would be his one day.
The Nixie finished her song, and smiled up at Wayland at the window
before turning and swimming over the waves till she dived beneath
them. That same instant the bird flew away, and the moon was covered
by a cloud. But Wayland's heart was cheered, and when he lay down to
rest he slept quietly.
Some days later the King paid another visit, and suddenly espied the
three keys which had been hidden in a corner with some of Wayland's
tools. He at once asked Wayland what they were, and when he would not
tell him the King grew so angry that, seizing an axe, he declared that
he would put his prisoner to death unless he confessed all he knew.
There was no help for it, and Wayland had to say how he came by them
and what wonders they wrought. The King heard him with delight and
went away, taking the keys with him.
No time was lost in preparing for a journey to the mountains, and when
he reached the spot described by Wayland he divided his followers into
three parties, sending two to await him some distance off, and keeping
the third to enter the mountain with himself, if the copper key did
the wonders it had done before. So he gave it to one of the bravest of
his men, and told him to lay it against the side of the mountain. The
man obeyed, and instantly the mountain split from top to bottom. The
King bade them enter, never doubting that rich spoils awaited him; but
instead the men sank into a green marsh, which swallowed up many of
them, while the rest were stung to death by the green serpents hanging
from the roof. Those who, like the King, were near the entrance alone
escaped.
As soon as he had recovered from the terror into which this adventure
had thrown him he commanded that it should be kept very secret from
the other two parties, and desired Storbiorn, his Chamberlain, to take
the key of iron and the key of gold and deliver them to the leaders of
the divisions he had left behind, with orders to try their fortune in
different parts of the mountain. 'Give the keys to me, my lord King,'
answered Storbiorn, 'and I shall know what to do with them. These
magicians may do their worst, my heart will not beat one whit the
faster; and I will see all that happens.' So he went and gave his
message to the two divisions, and one stayed behind while Storbiorn
went to the mountain with the other.
When they arrived the man who held the key laid it against the rock,
which burst asunder, and half the men entered at Storbiorn's command.
Suddenly an icy blue stream poured upon them from the depths of the
cavern and drowned most of them before they had time to fly. Only
those behind escaped, and Storbiorn bade them go instantly to the King
and tell him what had befallen them. Then he went to the third troop
and marched with them to the rock, where he gave the golden key to one
of the men, and ordered him to try it. The rock flew open at once, and
Storbiorn told the men to enter, taking care, however, to keep behind
himself. They obeyed and found themselves in a lovely golden cave,
whose walls were lit up by thousands of precious stones of every hue.
There was neither sight nor sound to frighten them, and even
Storbiorn, when he saw the gold, forgot his prudence and his fears,
and followed them in. In a moment a red fire burst out with a terrific
noise, and clouds of smoke poured over them, so that they fell down
choked into the flames. Only one man escaped, and he ran back as fast
as he could to the King to tell him of the fate of his army.
All this time Wayland was working quietly in his island prison waiting
for the day of his revenge. The suit of golden armour which the King
had commanded kept him busy day and night, and, besides the wonderful
shield with figures of the gods, he had wrought a coat of mail, a
helmet, and armour for the thighs, such as never had been seen before.
The King had invited all his great nobles to meet him at the Palace
when he returned from the mountain, that they might both see his
armour and behold all the precious things he should bring with him
from the caverns.
When Nidud reached his Palace the Queen and Banvilda, their daughter,
came forth to meet him, and told him that the great hall was already
full of guests, expecting the wonders he had brought. The King said
little about his adventures, but went into the armoury to put on his
armour in order to appear before his nobles. Piece by piece he
fastened it, but he found the helmet so heavy that he could hardly
bear it on his head. However, he did not look properly dressed without
it, so he had to wear it, though it felt as if a whole mountain was
pressing on his forehead. Then, buckling on the sword which Wayland
had forged, he entered the hall, and seated himself on the throne. The
Earls were struck dumb by his splendour, and thought at first that it
was the god Thor himself, till they looked under the helmet and saw
the ugly little man with the pale cowardly face. So they turned their
eyes gladly on the Queen and Princess, both tall and beautiful and
glittering with jewels, though inwardly they were not much better than
the King.
A magnificent dinner made the nobles feel more at ease, and they
begged the King to tell them what man there was in Sweden so skilled
in smith's work. Now Nidud had drunk deeply of mead, and longed to
revenge himself on Wayland, whom he held to have caused the loss of
his army; so he gave the key of the tower to one of his Earls, and
bade him take two men and bring forth Wayland, adding that if the next
time he visited the tower he should find a grain of gold missing, they
should pay for it with their lives.
The three men got a boat, and rowed towards the tower, but on the way
one who, like the King, had drunk too much mead, fell into the sea and
was drowned. The other two reached the tower in safety, and finding
Wayland, blackened with dust, busy at his forge, bade him come just as
he was to the boat. With his hands bound they led him before the King,
and Eyvind the Earl bowed low and said, 'We have done your desire, Sir
King, and must now hasten back to look for Gullorm, who fell into the
sea.'
'Leave him where he is,' replied Nidud; 'if he is not drowned by now
he will never drown at all, but in token of your obedience to my
orders I will give you each these golden chains.'
[Illustration: Wayland mocked by the Queen and Banvilda]
The guests had not thought to see the man who had made such wonderful
armour helpless and a cripple, and said so to the King. 'He was once
handsome and stately enough,' answered Nidud, 'but I have bowed his
stubborn head.' And the Queen and her daughter joined in saying, 'The
maidens of Finland will hardly fancy a lover who cannot stand
upright.' But Wayland stood as if he heard nothing till the King's son
snatched a bone from the table and threw it at his head. Then his
patience gave way, and, seizing the bone, he beat Nidud about the head
with it till the straps of the helmet gave way and the helmet itself
fell off. The guests all took his side, and said that, though a
cripple, he was braver than many men whose legs were straight, and
begged the King to allow him to go back to his prison without being
teased further. But the King cried that Wayland had done mischief
enough, and must now be punished, and told them the story of his visit
to the mountain and the loss of his followers. 'It would be a small
punishment to put him to death,' he said, 'for to so wretched a
cripple death would be welcome. He may use the gold that is left, but
henceforth he shall only have one eye to work with,' and the Princess
came forward and carried out the cruel sentence herself. And Wayland
bore it all, saying nothing, but praying the gods to grant him
vengeance.
One night Wayland sat filled with grief and despair at his window,
looking out over the sea, when he caught sight of two red lights,
bobbing in his direction. He watched them curiously till they vanished
beneath the tower; and soon the key of the outer door turned, and two
men, whom he knew to be the King's sons, Gram and Skule, talked softly
together. He kept very still, so that they might think he was asleep,
and he heard Skule say: 'Let us first get the golden key from him, and
when we have taken from the chest as much as we can carry we will put
him to death, lest he should betray us to our father.' Then Wayland
took a large sword which lay by his side and hid it behind his seat,
and he had scarcely done so when the princes entered the prison. 'Good
greeting to you,' said Gram. 'Nidud our father has gone a journey into
the country, and as he is so greedy of wealth that he will give us
none, we have come here to get it for ourselves. Hand us the key and
swear not to tell our father, or you shall die.'
'My good lords,' answered Wayland, 'your request is reasonable, and I
am not so foolish as to refuse it. Here is the key, and in the name of
the gods I will swear not to betray you.'
The brothers took the key, and opened the chest that stood by Wayland,
which was still half full of gold. It dazzled their eyes, and they
both stooped down so as to see it better. This was what Wayland had
waited for, and, seizing his sword, he cut off their heads, which fell
into the chest. He then shut down the lid, and dug a grave for the
bodies in the floor of his dungeon. Afterwards he dried the skulls in
the sun, and made them into two drinking cups wrought with gold. The
eyes he set with precious stones and fashioned into armlets, while the
teeth he filed till they were shaped like pearls, and strung like a
necklace.
As soon as the King came back from his journey he paid a visit to
Wayland, who produced the drinking cups, which he said were made of
some curious shells washed up in a gale close to his window. The
armlet he sent as a present to the Queen, and the bracelet to the
Princess.
[Illustration: The Merman warns Banvilda in vain.]
After some days had passed, and Gram and Skule had not returned, the
King ordered a search to be made for them, and that very evening some
sailors brought back their boat, which had drifted into the open sea.
Their bodies, of course, were not to be found, and the King ordered a
splendid funeral feast to be prepared to do them honour. On this
occasion the new drinking cups were filled with mead, and, besides her
necklace, Banvilda wore the ring which her father had taken long
ago from Wayland's house. As was the custom, the feast lasted long,
and the dead Princes were forgotten by the guests, who drank deeply
and grew merry. But at midnight their gaiety suddenly came to an end.
The King was in the act of drinking from the cup of mead when he felt
a violent pain in his head and let the vessel fall. The hues of the
armlet became so strange and dreadful that the Queen's eyes suffered
agony from looking at them, and she tore the armlets off her; while
Banvilda was seized with such severe toothache that she could sit at
table no longer. The guests at once took leave, but it was not till
the sun rose that the pains of their hosts went away.
In the torture of toothache which she had endured during the night
Banvilda had dashed her arm against the wall, and had broken some of
the ornaments off the ring. She feared to tell her father, who would
be sure to punish her, and was in despair how to get the ring mended
when she caught sight of the island on which Wayland's tower stood.
'If I had not mocked at him he might have helped me now,' thought she.
But no other way seemed to offer itself, and in the evening she
loosened a boat and began to row to the tower. On the way she met an
old merman with a long beard, floating on the waves, who warned her
not to go on; but she paid no heed, and only rowed the faster.
She entered the tower by a false key, and, holding the ring out to
Wayland, begged him to mend it as fast as possible, so that she might
return before she was missed. Wayland answered her with courtesy, and
promised to do his best, but said that she would have to blow the
bellows to keep the forge fire alight. 'How comes it that these
bellows are sprinkled with blood?' asked Banvilda.
'It is the blood of two young sea dogs,' answered Wayland; 'they
troubled me for long, but I caught them when they least expected it.
But blow, I pray you, the bellows harder, or I shall never be
finished.'
Banvilda did as she was told, but soon grew tired and thirsty, and
begged Wayland to give her something to drink. He mixed something
sweet in a cup, which she swallowed hastily, and soon fell fast asleep
on a bench. Then Wayland bound her hands, and placed her in the boat,
after which he cut the rope that held it and let it drift out to sea.
This done, he shut the door of the tower, and, taking a piece of gold,
he engraved on it the history of all that had happened and put it
where it must meet the King's eye when next he came. 'Now is my hour
come,' he cried with joy, snatching his spear from the wall, but
before he could throw himself on it he heard a distant song and the
notes of a lute.
By this time the sun was high in the heavens, yet its brightness did
not hinder Wayland from seeing a large star, which was floating
towards him, and a brilliant rainbow spanned the sky. The flowers on
the island unfolded themselves as the star drew near, and he could
smell the smell of the roses on the shore. And now Wayland saw it was
no star, but the golden chariot of Freya the goddess, whose blue
mantle floated behind her till it was lost in the blue of the sky. On
her left was a maiden dressed in garlands of fresh green leaves, and
on her right was one clad in a garment of red. At the sight Wayland's
heart beat high, for he thought of the lump of gold set with jewels
which he and his brothers had found in the mountain so long ago.
Fairies fluttered round them, mermaids rose from the depths of the sea
to welcome them, and as Freya and her maidens entered the prison
Wayland saw that she who wore the red garment was really Alvilda.
'Wayland,' said the goddess, 'your time of woe is past. You have
suffered much and have avenged your wrongs, and now Odin has granted
my prayer that Alvilda shall stay by you for the rest of your life,
and when you die she shall carry you in her arms to the country of
Walhalla, where you shall forge golden armour and fashion drinking
horns for the gods.'
[Illustration: THE CHARIOT OF FREYA]
When Freya had spoken, she beckoned to the green maiden, who held in
her hand a root and a knife. She cut pieces off the root and laid them
on Wayland's feet, and on his eye, then, placing some leaves from her
garland over the whole, she breathed gently on it. 'Eyr the physician
has healed me,' cried Wayland, and the fairies took him in their arms
and bore him across the waves to a bower in the forest, where he
dreamed that Alvilda and Slagfid and Eigil were all bending over him.
When he woke Alvilda was indeed there, and he seemed to catch glimpses
of his brothers amid the leaves of the trees. 'Arise, my husband,'
said Alvilda, 'and go straight to the Court of Nidud. He still sleeps,
and knows nothing. Throw this mantle on your shoulders, and they will
take you for his servant.'
So Wayland went, and reached the royal chamber, and in his sleep the
King trembled, though he knew not that Wayland was near. 'Awake,'
cried Wayland, and the King woke, and asked who had dared to disturb
him thus.
'Be not angry,' answered Wayland; 'had you slain Wayland long ago, the
misfortune that I have to tell you of would never have happened.'
'Do not name his name,' said the King, 'since he sent me those
drinking cups a burning fever has laid hold upon me.'
'They were not shells, as he told you,' answered Wayland, 'but the
skulls of your two sons, Sir King. Their bodies you will find in
Wayland's tower. As for your daughter she is tossing, bound, on the
wild waves of the sea. But now I, Wayland, have come to give you your
deathblow----' But before he could draw his sword fear had slain the
King yet more quickly.
So Wayland went back to Alvilda, and they went into another country,
where he became a famous smith, and he lived to a good old age; and
when he died he was carried in Alvilda's arms to Walhalla, as Freya
had promised.