MYTHS OF THE NORSE GODS[364]
=268. The Creation.= According to the Eddas there was once no heaven
above nor earth beneath, but only a bottomless deep, Ginungagap, and
a world of mist, Niflheim, in which sprang a fountain. Twelve rivers
issued from this fountain, Vergelmir, and when they had flowed far from
their source, they froze into ice, and one layer accumulating over
another, the great deep was filled up.
Southward from the world of mist was the world of light, Muspelheim.
From this proceeded a warm wind upon the ice and melted it. The
vapors rose in the air and formed clouds, from which sprang Ymir, the
rime-cold giant and his progeny, and the cow Audhumbla, whose milk
afforded nourishment and food to the giant. The cow got nourishment
by licking the hoar frost and salt from the ice. While she was one
day licking the salt stones there appeared at first the hair of some
being, on the second day his whole head, and on the third the entire
form endowed with beauty, agility, and power. This new being was a god,
Bori, from whom and his wife, a daughter of the giant race, sprang Bor,
the father of Odin, Vili, and Ve. These three slew the giant Ymir, and
out of his body formed the earth, of his blood the seas, of his bones
the mountains, of his hair the trees, of his skull the heavens, and of
his brain clouds, charged with hail and snow. Of Ymir's eyebrows the
gods built a fence around the Midgard or mid-earth between Niflheim and
Muspelheim, destined to become the abode of man.
Odin then regulated the periods of day and night and the seasons by
placing in the heavens the sun and moon, and appointing to them their
respective courses. As soon as the sun began to shed its rays upon
the earth, it caused the vegetable world to bud and sprout. Shortly
after the gods (the Anse-race, Anses, Æsir, or Asa-folk) had created
the world, they walked by the side of the sea, pleased with their new
work, but found that it was still incomplete, for it was without human
beings. They therefore took an ashen spar and made a man out of it;
woman they made out of a piece of elm; and they called the man Ask and
the woman Embla. Odin then gave them life and soul, Vili reason and
motion, and Ve bestowed upon them the senses, expressive features, and
speech. Midgard was given them as their residence, and they became the
progenitors of the human race.
=269. Yggdrasil.= The mighty ash tree, Yggdrasil, was supposed to
support the whole universe. It sprang from the body of Ymir, and had
three immense roots, extending one into Midgard (the dwelling of
mortals), another into Jötunheim (the abode of the giants), and the
third below Niflheim, into the region of Death. By the side of each
of these roots is a spring, from which it is watered. The root that
extends into Midgard is carefully tended by the three Norns,--goddesses
who are regarded as the dispensers of fate. They are Urd (the past),
Verdandi (the present), Skuld (the future). The spring at the Jötunheim
side is Mimir's well, in which wisdom and wit lie hidden, but that
below Niflheim refreshes also the dark dragon of despair, Nidhogg (the
back-biter), which perpetually gnaws at the root. Four harts run across
the branches of the tree and nip the buds; they represent the four
winds. Under the tree lies Ymir, and when he tries to shake off its
weight the earth quakes. The boughs overshadow the earth, and the top
rises into Asgard in the zenith.
=270. Odin and his Valhalla.= To Asgard, the abode of the gods,
access is gained only by crossing the bridge, Bifrost (the rainbow).
Asgard--Gladsheim for the gods, Vingolf for the goddesses--consists of
golden and silver palaces; but the most beautiful of these is Valhalla,
the great hall of Odin. When seated on his throne he overlooks
heaven and earth. Beside him sits _Frigga_ (or _Fricka_), his wife,
who knows all things. Upon his shoulders are the ravens, Hugin and
Munin,--Thought and Memory,--who fly every day over the whole world,
and on their return report to him what they have seen and heard. At his
feet lie his two wolves, Geri and Freki, to whom Odin gives the meat
that is set before him, for he himself stands in no need of food. Mead
is for him both food and drink. He invented the Runic characters; the
decrees of fate, inscribed therein, it is the business of the Norns
to engrave upon a metal shield. From Odin's name, spelt Woden, as it
sometimes is, comes our English word, Wednesday.
[Illustration: FIG. 186. VALKYRIE BEARING A HERO TO VALHALLA
From the painting by Dielitz]
Odin is frequently called Alfadur (Allfather), but this name is
sometimes used in a way that shows that the Scandinavians had an idea
of a deity superior to Odin, uncreated and eternal. In Valhalla Odin
feasts with his chosen heroes, all those who have fallen bravely in
battle, for all who die a peaceful death are excluded. The flesh of
the boar Serimnir is served up to them and is abundant for all. For
although this boar is cooked every morning, he becomes whole again
every night. For drink the heroes are supplied abundantly with mead
from the she-goat Heidrun. When the heroes are not feasting, they amuse
themselves with fighting. Every day they ride out into the court or
field and fight until they cut each other in pieces. This is their
pastime; but when mealtime comes, they recover from their wounds and
return to feast in Valhalla.
=271. The Valkyries.= The Valkyries are warlike virgins, mounted upon
horses and armed with helmets, shields, and spears. Odin is desirous
of gathering many heroes in Valhalla that he may gloriously meet
the giants in the day of the final contest; he therefore sends to
every battle field for the bravest of those who shall be slain. The
Valkyries, Choosers of the Slain, are his messengers. Later they are
called his daughters. When they ride forth on their errand, their armor
sheds a weird flickering light over the northern skies, making what men
call the Aurora Borealis.[365]
=272. Thor and the Other Gods.= Of the following, _Thor_, _Vidar_,
_Bragi_, _Balder_, and _Höder_ are sons of Odin. _Thor_, the thunderer,
Odin's eldest son, is the strongest of gods and men, and possesses
three precious things. The first is a hammer, which both the Frost and
the Mountain giants (Hrim-thursar and Berg-risar) know to their cost,
when they see it hurled against them in the air, for it has split many
a skull of their fathers and kindred. When thrown, it returns to his
hand of its own accord. The second rare thing he possesses is the belt
of strength. When he girds it about him his divine might is doubled.
The third is his iron gloves, which he puts on whenever he would use
his mallet efficiently. From Thor's name is derived our word Thursday.
_Vidar_ comes next in strength to Thor.
_Bragi_ is the god of poetry, and his song records the deeds of
warriors. His wife, _Iduna_, keeps in a box the apples which the gods,
when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to become
young again.
_Balder_, dearest of the Anses, is the god of sunlight, spring, and
gladness. _Höder_, his opposite, is the blind god of winter.
Of other gods, _Freyr_ presides over rain and sunshine and all the
fruits of the earth. His sister _Freya_ (Freia) is the most propitious
of the goddesses. She loves music, spring, and flowers, and the fairies
of Elfheim. She is the goddess of love. Her day is Friday.
_Tyr_ (_Ziu_ or _Tiw_), from whose name is derived our Tuesday, is the
wrestler among the gods; and preëminently the "god of battles."
_Heimdall_ is the watchman of the gods, and is therefore placed on the
borders of heaven to prevent the giants from forcing their way over the
bridge Bifrost. He requires less sleep than a bird, and sees by night
as well as by day a hundred miles around him. So acute is his ear that
no sound escapes him, for he can even hear the grass grow,--and the
wool on a sheep's back.
=273. Loki and his Progeny.= Loki (or Loge) is described as the
calumniator of the gods and the contriver of all fraud and mischief. He
is the son of Farbauti, the Charon of Norse mythology. He is handsome
and well made, but of fickle mood and evil disposition. Although of
the demon race, he forced himself into the company of the gods, and
seemed to take pleasure in bringing them into difficulties, and in
extricating them out of the danger by his cunning, wit, and skill. Loki
has three children. The first is the wolf _Fenris_, the second the
_Midgard Serpent_, the third _Hela_ (Death). The gods were not ignorant
that these monsters were maturing and that they would one day bring
much evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to send one
to bring them to him. When they came he threw the serpent in that deep
ocean by which the earth is surrounded. But the monster has grown to
such an enormous size that, holding his tail in his mouth, he encircles
the whole earth. Hela he hurled below Niflheim and gave her power over
nine worlds or regions, in which she distributes those who are sent to
her,--that is, all who die of sickness or old age. Her hall is called
Eliudnir, or Sleet-den. Hunger is her table, Starvation her knife,
Delay her man, Slowness her maid, Pale Woe her door, Stumbling-stone
her threshold, Care her bed; and Falling-peril forms the hangings of
her apartments. She may easily be recognized, for her body is half
flesh color and half blue, and she presents a stern and forbidding
countenance.
The wolf Fenris gave the gods a great deal of trouble before they
succeeded in chaining him. He broke the strongest fetters as if
they were made of cobwebs. Finally the gods sent a messenger to the
mountain spirits, who made for them the chain called Gleipnir. It is
fashioned of six things,--the noise made by the footfall of a cat, the
beards of women, the roots of stones, the breath of fishes, the nerves
(sensibilities) of bears, and the spittle of birds. When finished it
was as smooth and soft as a silken string. But when the gods asked the
wolf to suffer himself to be bound with this apparently slight ribbon,
he suspected their design, fearing that it was made by enchantment. He
therefore consented to be bound with it only upon condition that one of
the gods put his hand in his (Fenris') mouth as a pledge that the band
was to be removed again. Tyr alone had courage enough to do this. But
when the wolf found that he could not break his fetters and that the
gods would not release him, he bit off Tyr's hand. Tyr, consequently,
has ever since remained one-handed.
=274. The Conflict with the Mountain Giants.= When the gods were
constructing their abodes and had already finished Midgard and
Valhalla, a certain artificer came and offered to build them a
residence so well fortified that they should be perfectly safe from the
incursions of the Frost giants and the giants of the mountains. But he
demanded for his reward the goddess Freya, together with the sun and
moon. The gods yielded to the terms, provided that the artificer would
finish the whole work without any one's assistance, and all within the
space of one winter. But if anything remained unfinished on the first
day of summer, he should forfeit the recompense agreed on. On being
told these terms, the artificer stipulated that he be allowed the use
of his horse Svadilfari, and this request, by the advice of Loki,
was conceded. He accordingly set to work on the first day of winter,
and during the night let his horse draw stone for the building. The
enormous size of the stones struck the gods with astonishment, and they
saw clearly that the horse did one half more of the toilsome work than
his master. Their bargain, however, had been concluded and confirmed
by solemn oaths, for without these precautions a giant would not have
thought himself safe among the gods,--still less, indeed, if Thor
should return from the expedition he had then undertaken against the
evil demons.
As the winter drew to a close the building was far advanced, and
the bulwarks were sufficiently high and massive to render the place
impregnable. In short, when it wanted but three days to summer, the
only part that remained to be finished was the gateway. Then sat the
gods on their seats of justice and entered into consultation, inquiring
of one another who among them could have advised the rest to surrender
Freya, or to plunge the heavens in darkness by permitting the giant to
carry away the sun and the moon.
They all agreed that no one but Loki, the author of so many evil
deeds, could have given such counsel, and that he should be put to
a cruel death unless he contrived some way to prevent the artificer
from completing his task and obtaining the stipulated recompense. They
proceeded to lay hands on Loki, who in his fright promised upon oath
that, let it cost him what it might, he would so manage matters that
the man should lose his reward. That night when the man went with
Svadilfari for building-stone, a mare suddenly ran out of a forest and
began to neigh. The horse thereat broke loose and ran after the mare
into the forest, obliging the man also to run after his horse; thus,
therefore, between one and another the whole night was lost, so that at
dawn the work had not made the usual progress. The man, seeing that he
must fail of completing his task, resumed his own gigantic stature, and
the gods now clearly perceived that it was in reality a mountain giant
who had come amongst them. Feeling no longer bound by their oaths, they
called on Thor, who immediately ran to their assistance and, lifting
up his mallet, paid the workman his wages, not with the sun and moon,
and not even by sending him back to Jötunheim, for with the first blow
he shattered the giant's skull to pieces and hurled him headlong into
Niflheim.
=275. The Recovery of Thor's Hammer.= Soon afterward it happened that
Thor's hammer fell into the possession of the giant Thrym, who buried
it eight fathoms deep under the rocks of Jötunheim. Thor sent Loki to
negotiate with Thrym, but he could only prevail so far as to get the
giant's promise to restore the weapon if Freya would consent to be his
bride. Loki returned and reported the result of his mission, but the
goddess of love was horrified at the idea of bestowing her charms on
the king of the Frost giants. In this emergency Loki persuaded Thor to
dress himself in Freya's clothes and accompany him to Jötunheim. Thrym
received his veiled bride with due courtesy, but was greatly surprised
at seeing her eat for her supper eight salmon and a full-grown ox
besides other delicacies, washing the whole down with three tuns of
mead. Loki, however, assured him that she had not tasted anything
for eight long nights, so great was her desire to see her lover, the
renowned ruler of Jötunheim. Thrym had at last the curiosity to peep
under his bride's veil, but started back in affright, and demanded why
Freya's eyeballs glistened with fire. Loki repeated the same excuse,
and the giant was satisfied. He ordered the hammer to be brought in
and laid on the maiden's lap. Thereupon Thor threw off his disguise,
grasped his redoubted weapon, and slaughtered Thrym and all his
followers.
=276. Thor's Visit to Jötunheim.= One day Thor, with his servant
Thialfi and accompanied by Loki, set out for the giants' country.
Thialfi was of all men the swiftest of foot. He bore Thor's wallet
containing their provisions. When night came on they found themselves
in an immense forest, and searched on all sides for a place where
they might pass the night. At last they came to a large hall, with
an entrance that took the whole breadth of one end of the building.
Here they lay down to sleep, but towards midnight were alarmed by an
earthquake which shook the whole edifice. Thor, rising up, called on
his companions to seek with him a place of safety. On the right they
found an adjoining chamber into which the others entered, but Thor
remained at the doorway with his mallet in his hand, prepared to defend
himself whatever might happen. A terrible groaning was heard during
the night, and at dawn of day Thor went out and found lying near him a
huge giant, still snoring in the way that had alarmed them. For once
Thor was afraid to use his mallet, and as the giant soon waked up, Thor
contented himself with simply asking his name.
"My name is Skrymir," said the giant, "but I need not ask thy name, for
I know that thou art the god Thor. But what has become of my glove?"
Thor then perceived that what they had taken overnight for a hall was
the giant's glove, and the chamber where his two companions had sought
refuge was the thumb. Skrymir then proposed that they should travel in
company, and Thor consenting, they sat down to eat their breakfast.
When they had done, Skrymir packed all the provisions into one wallet,
threw it over his shoulder, and strode on before them, taking such
tremendous strides that they were hard put to it to keep up with him.
So they traveled the whole day, and at dusk Skrymir chose a place for
them to pass the night in under a large oak tree. Skrymir then told
them he would lie down to sleep. "But take ye the wallet," he added,
"and prepare your supper."
Skrymir soon fell asleep and began to snore strongly, but when Thor
tried to open the wallet, he found the giant had tied it up so tight he
could not untie a single knot. At last Thor became wroth, and grasping
his mallet with both hands, he struck a furious blow on the giant's
head. Skrymir, awakening, merely asked whether a leaf had not fallen on
his head, and whether they had supped and were ready to go to sleep.
Thor answered that they were just going to sleep, and so saying went
and laid himself down under another tree. But sleep came not that
night to Thor, and when Skrymir snored again so loud that the forest
reëchoed with the noise, he arose, and, grasping his mallet, launched
it with such force at the giant's skull that it made a deep dint in
it. Skrymir, awakening, cried out: "What's the matter? Are there any
birds perched on this tree? I felt some moss from the branches fall on
my head. How fares it with thee, Thor?" But Thor went away hastily,
saying that he had just then awoke, and, that as it was only midnight,
there was still time for sleep. He, however, resolved that if he had
an opportunity of striking a third blow, it should settle all matters
between them. A little before daybreak he perceived that Skrymir was
again fast asleep, and again grasping his mallet, he dashed it with
such violence that it forced its way into the giant's skull up to the
handle. But Skrymir sat up, and, stroking his cheek, said: "An acorn
fell on my head. What! Art thou awake, Thor? Methinks it is time for
us to get up and dress ourselves; but you have not now a long way
before you to the city called Utgard. I have heard you whispering to
one another that I am not a man of small dimensions, but if you come
to Utgard, you will see there many men much taller than I. Wherefore I
advise you, when you come there, not to make too much of yourselves;
for the followers of Utgard-Loki will not brook the boasting of such
little fellows as you are. You must take the road that leads eastward;
mine lies northward, so we must part here."
Hereupon he threw his wallet over his shoulders and turned away from
them into the forest, and Thor had no wish to stop him or to ask for
any more of his company.
Thor and his companions proceeded on their way, and towards noon
descried a city standing in the middle of a plain. It was so lofty that
they were obliged to bend their necks quite back on their shoulders in
order to see to the top of it. On arriving they entered the city, and
seeing a large palace before them with the door wide open, they went
in and found a number of men of prodigious stature, sitting on benches
in the hall. Going further, they came before the king Utgard-Loki,
whom they saluted with great respect. The king, regarding them with a
scornful smile, said, "If I do not mistake me, that stripling yonder
must be the god Thor." Then addressing himself to Thor, he said:
"Perhaps thou mayst be more than thou appearest to be. What are the
feats that thou and thy fellows deem yourselves skilled in?--for no one
is permitted to remain here who does not, in some feat or other, excel
all other men."
"The feat that I know," said Loki, "is to eat quicker than any one
else, and in this I am ready to give a proof against any one here who
may choose to compete with me."
"That will indeed be a feat, if thou performest what thou promisest,"
said Utgard-Loki, "and it shall be tried forthwith."
He then ordered one of his men, who was sitting at the farther end of
the bench and whose name was Logi, to come forward and try his skill
with Loki. A trough filled with meat having been set on the hall floor,
Loki placed himself at one end and Logi at the other, and each of them
began to eat as fast as he could, until they met in the middle of the
trough. But it was found that Loki had only eaten the flesh, while his
adversary had devoured both flesh and bone, and the trough to boot.
All the company therefore adjudged that Loki was vanquished.
Utgard-Loki then asked what feat the young man who accompanied Thor
could perform. Thialfi answered that he would run a race with any
one who might be matched against him. The king observed that skill
in running was something to boast of, but if the youth would win the
match, he must display great agility. He then arose and went, with all
who were present, to a plain where there was good ground for running
on, and calling a young man named Hugi, bade him run a match with
Thialfi. In the first course Hugi so much outstripped his competitor
that he turned back and met him not far from the starting-place. Then
they ran a second and a third time, but Thialfi met with no better
success.
Utgard-Loki then asked Thor in what feats he would choose to give
proofs of that prowess for which he was so famous. Thor answered that
he would try a drinking-match with any one. Utgard-Loki bade his
cupbearer bring the large horn which his followers were obliged to
empty when they had trespassed in any way against the law of the feast.
The cupbearer having presented it to Thor, Utgard-Loki said, "Whoever
is a good drinker will empty that horn at a single draft, though most
men make two of it; but the most puny drinker can do it in three."
Thor looked at the horn, which seemed of no extraordinary size, though
somewhat long; however, as he was very thirsty, he set it to his lips
and, without drawing breath, pulled as long and as deeply as he could,
that he might not be obliged to make a second draft of it; but when he
set the horn down and looked in, he could scarcely perceive that the
liquor was diminished.
After taking breath, Thor went to it again with all his might, but when
he took the horn from his mouth, it seemed to him that he had drank
rather less than before, although the horn could now be carried without
spilling.
"How now, Thor," said Utgard-Loki, "thou must not spare thyself; if
thou meanest to drain the horn at the third draft, thou must pull
deeply; and I must needs say that thou wilt not be called so mighty
a man here as thou art at home if thou showest no greater prowess in
other feats than methinks will be shown in this."
Thor, full of wrath, again set the horn to his lips and did his best to
empty it; but on looking in found the liquor was only a little lower,
so he resolved to make no further attempt, but gave back the horn to
the cupbearer.
"I now see plainly," said Utgard-Loki, "that thou art not quite so
stout as we thought thee; but wilt thou try any other feat?--though
methinks thou art not likely to bear any prize away with thee hence."
"What new trial hast thou to propose?" said Thor.
"We have a very trifling game here," answered Utgard-Loki, "in which we
exercise none but children. It consists in merely lifting my cat from
the ground; nor should I have dared to mention such a feat to the great
Thor if I had not already observed that thou art by no means what we
took thee for."
As he finished speaking a large gray cat sprang on the hall floor. Thor
put his hand under the cat's belly and did his utmost to raise him from
the floor, but the cat, bending his back, had, notwithstanding all
Thor's efforts, only one of his feet lifted up, seeing which Thor made
no further attempt.
"This trial has turned out," said Utgard-Loki, "just as I imagined it
would. The cat is large, but Thor is little in comparison to our men."
"Little as ye call me," answered Thor, "let me see who among you will
come hither now that I am in wrath and wrestle with me."
"I see no one here," said Utgard-Loki, looking at the men sitting on
the benches, "who would not think it beneath him to wrestle with thee;
let somebody, however, call hither that old crone, my nurse Elli, and
let Thor wrestle with her if he will. She has thrown to the ground many
a man not less strong than this Thor is."
A toothless old woman then entered the hall, and was told by
Utgard-Loki to take hold of Thor. The tale is shortly told. The more
Thor tightened his hold on the crone the firmer she stood. At length,
after a very violent struggle, Thor began to lose his footing, and
was finally brought down upon one knee. Utgard-Loki then told them to
desist, adding that Thor had now no occasion to ask any one else in the
hall to wrestle with him, and it was also getting late; so he showed
Thor and his companions to their seats, and they passed the night there
in good cheer.
The next morning, at break of day, Thor and his companions dressed
themselves and prepared for their departure. Utgard-Loki ordered a
table to be set for them, on which there was no lack of victuals or
drink. After the repast Utgard-Loki led them to the gate of the city,
and on parting asked Thor how he thought his journey had turned out and
whether he had met with any men stronger than himself. Thor told him
that he could not deny but that he had brought great shame on himself.
"And what grieves me most," he added, "is that ye will call me a person
of little worth."
"Nay," said Utgard-Loki, "it behooves me to tell thee the truth, now
thou art out of the city, which so long as I live and have my way thou
shalt never enter again. And, by my troth, had I known beforehand that
thou hadst so much strength in thee, and wouldst have brought me so
near to a great mishap I would not have suffered thee to enter this
time. Know then that I have all along deceived thee by my illusions;
first in the forest, where I tied up the wallet with iron wire so that
thou couldst not untie it. After this thou gavest me three blows with
thy mallet; the first, though the least, would have ended my days
had it fallen on me, but I slipped aside and thy blows fell on the
mountain, where thou wilt find three glens, one of them remarkably
deep. These are the dints made by thy mallet. I have made use of
similar illusions in the contests ye have had with my followers. In the
first, Loki, like hunger itself, devoured all that was set before him,
but Logi was in reality nothing else than Fire, and therefore consumed
not only the meat but the trough which held it. Hugi, with whom Thialfi
contended in running, was Thought, and it was impossible for Thialfi
to keep pace with that. When thou, in thy turn, didst attempt to empty
the horn, thou didst perform, by my troth, a deed so marvelous that had
I not seen it myself I should never have believed it. For one end of
that horn reached the sea, which thou wast not aware of, but when thou
comest to the shore thou wilt perceive how much the sea has sunk by
thy drafts. Thou didst perform a feat no less wonderful by lifting up
the cat, and to tell thee the truth, when we saw that one of his paws
was off the floor, we were all of us terror-stricken, for what thou
tookest for a cat was in reality the Midgard serpent that encompasseth
the earth, and he was so stretched by thee that he was barely long
enough to inclose it between his head and tail. Thy wrestling with
Elli was also a most astonishing feat, for there was never yet a man,
nor ever will be, whom Old Age, for such in fact was Elli, will not
sooner or later lay low. But now, as we are going to part, let me tell
thee that it will be better for both of us if thou never come near me
again, for shouldst thou do so, I shall again defend myself by other
illusions, so that thou wilt only lose thy labor and get no fame from
the contest with me."
On hearing these words Thor, in a rage, laid hold of his mallet and
would have launched it at him, but Utgard-Loki had disappeared, and
when Thor would have returned to the city to destroy it, he found
nothing around him but a verdant plain.
=277. The Sword of Freyr.= Freyr also possessed a wonderful weapon, a
sword which would of itself spread a field with carnage whenever the
owner desired it. Freyr parted with this sword, but was less fortunate
than Thor and never recovered it. It happened in this way: Freyr once
mounted Odin's throne, from whence one can see over the whole universe,
and looking round, saw far off in the giant's kingdom a beautiful maid,
at the sight of whom he was struck with sudden sadness, insomuch that
from that moment he could neither sleep nor drink nor speak. At last
Skirnir, his messenger, drew his secret from him, and undertook to
get him the maiden for his bride, if he would give him his sword as a
reward. Freyr consented and gave him the sword, and Skirnir set off on
his journey and obtained the maiden's promise that within nine nights
she would come to a certain place and there wed Freyr. Skirnir having
reported the success of his errand, Freyr exclaimed:
"Long is one night,
Long are two nights,
But how shall I hold out three?
Shorter hath seemed
A month to me oft
Than of this longing time the half."
So Freyr obtained Gerda, the most beautiful of all women, for his wife,
but he lost his sword.
=278. The Death of Balder.= Balder the Good, having been tormented with
terrible dreams indicating that his life was in peril, told them to
the assembled gods, who resolved to conjure all things to avert from
him the threatened danger. Then Frigga, the wife of Odin, exacted an
oath from fire and water, from iron and all other metals, from stones,
trees, diseases, beasts, birds, poisons, and creeping things, that
none of them would do any harm to Balder. Odin, not satisfied with
all this, and feeling alarmed for the fate of his son, determined to
consult the prophetess Angerbode, a giantess, mother of Fenris, Hela,
and the Midgard serpent. She was dead, and Odin was forced to seek her
in Hela's dominions.
But the other gods, feeling that what Frigga had done was quite
sufficient, amused themselves with using Balder as a mark, some hurling
darts at him, some stones, while others hewed at him with their swords
and battle-axes, for do what they would, none of them could harm him.
And this became a favorite pastime with them, and was regarded as an
honor shown to Balder. But when Loki beheld the scene, he was sorely
vexed that Balder was not hurt. Assuming, therefore, the shape of a
woman, he went to Fensalir, the mansion of Frigga. That goddess, when
she saw the pretended woman, inquired of her if she knew what the gods
were doing at their meetings. She replied that they were throwing
darts and stones at Balder, without being able to hurt him. "Ay," said
Frigga, "neither stones, nor sticks, nor anything else can hurt Balder,
for I have exacted an oath from all of them." "What," exclaimed the
woman, "have all things sworn to spare Balder?" "All things," replied
Frigga, "except one little shrub that grows on the eastern side of
Valhalla and is called Mistletoe, which I thought too young and feeble
to crave an oath from."
As soon as Loki heard this he went away and, resuming his natural
shape, cut off the mistletoe and repaired to the place where the gods
were assembled. There he found Höder standing apart, without partaking
of the sports on account of his blindness, and going up to him said,
"Why dost thou not also throw something at Balder?"
"Because I am blind," answered Höder, "and see not where Balder is, and
have, moreover, nothing to throw."
"Come, then," said Loki, "do like the rest and show honor to Balder by
throwing this twig at him, and I will direct thy arm toward the place
where he stands."
Höder then took the mistletoe and, under the guidance of Loki, darted
it at Balder, who, pierced through and through, fell down lifeless.
Never was there witnessed, either among gods or men, a more atrocious
deed.
So on the floor lay Balder dead; and round[366]
Lay thickly strewn swords, axes, darts, and spears,
Which all the gods in sport had idly thrown
At Balder, whom no weapon pierced or clove;
But in his breast stood fixt the fatal bough
Of mistletoe, which Lok the accuser gave
To Höder, and unwitting Höder threw--
'Gainst that alone had Balder's life no charm.
And all the gods and all the heroes came,
And stood round Balder on the bloody floor,
Weeping and wailing; and Valhalla rang
Up to its golden roof with sobs and cries;
And on the tables stood the untasted meats,
And in the horns and gold-rimmed skulls the wine.
And now would night have fall'n and found them yet
Wailing; but otherwise was Odin's will.
He bade them not to spend themselves in unavailing grief, for Balder,
though the brightest god of heaven and best beloved, had but met the
doom ordained at his birth by the Norns. Rather let the funeral pile
be prepared, and let vengeance on Loki be left to Odin himself. So
speaking, Odin mounted his horse Sleipnir and rode away to Lidskialf,
and the gods in Valhalla returned to the feast:
And before each the cooks, who served them, placed
New messes of the boar Serimnir's flesh,
And the Valkyries crowned their horns with mead.
So they, with pent-up hearts and tearless eyes,
Wailing no more, in silence ate and drank,
While twilight fell, and sacred night came on.
But the blind Höder, leaving the gods, went by the sea to Fensalir, the
house of Frigga, mother of the gods, to ask her what way there might be
of restoring Balder to life and heaven. Might Hela perchance surrender
Balder if Höder himself should take his place among the shades?
"Nay," replied Frigga, "no way is there but one, that the first god
thou meetest on the return to Asgard take Sleipnir, Odin's horse, and
ride o'er the bridge Bifrost where is Heimdall's watch, past Midgard
fortress, down the dark, unknown road to Hel, and there entreat the
goddess Hela that she yield Balder back to heaven." Höder, returning
cityward, met Hermod, swiftest of the gods,--
Nor yet could Hermod see his brother's face,
For it grew dark; but Höder touched his arm.
And as a spray of honeysuckle flowers
Brushes across a tired traveler's face
Who shuffles through the deep dew-moisten'd dust
On a May evening, in the darken'd lanes,
And starts him, that he thinks a ghost went by,
So Höder brush'd by Hermod's side, and said:
"Take Sleipnir, Hermod, and set forth with dawn
To Hela's kingdom, to ask Balder back;
And they shall be thy guides who have the power."
He spake, and brush'd soft by and disappear'd.
And Hermod gazed into the night, and said:
"Who is it utters through the dark his hest
So quickly, and will wait for no reply?
The voice was like the unhappy Höder's voice.
Howbeit I will see, and do his hest;
For there rang note divine in that command."
So speaking, the fleet-footed Hermod came
Home, and lay down to sleep in his own house;
And all the gods lay down in their own homes.
And Höder, too, came home distraught with grief,
Loathing to meet, at dawn, the other gods;
And he went in, and shut the door, and fixt
His sword upright, and fell on it, and died.
But from the hill of Lidskialf Odin rose,
The throne, from which his eye surveys the world;
And mounted Sleipnir, and in darkness rode
To Asgard. And the stars came out in heaven,
High over Asgard, to light home the king.
But fiercely Odin gallop'd, moved in heart:
And swift to Asgard, to the gate he came,
And terribly the hoofs of Sleipnir rang
Along the flinty floor of Asgard streets,
And the gods trembled on their golden beds
Hearing the wrathful father coming home--
For dread, for like a whirlwind Odin came.
And to Valhalla's gate he rode, and left
Sleipnir; and Sleipnir went to his own stall,
And in Valhalla Odin laid him down.
That night in a vision appeared Balder to Nanna his wife, comforting
her:
"Yes, and I fain would altogether ward
Death from thy head, and with the gods in heaven
Prolong thy life, though not by thee desired--
But right bars this, not only thy desire.
Yet dreary, Nanna, is the life they lead
In that dim world, in Hela's moldering realm;
And doleful are the ghosts, the troops of dead,
Whom Hela with austere control presides.
For of the race of gods is no one there
Save me alone, and Hela, solemn queen;
For all the nobler souls of mortal men
On battle field have met their death, and now
Feast in Valhalla, in my father's hall;
Only the inglorious sort are there below--
The old, the cowards, and the weak are there,
Men spent by sickness, or obscure decay.
But even there, O Nanna, we might find
Some solace in each other's look and speech,
Wandering together through that gloomy world,
And talking of the life we led in heaven,
While we yet lived, among the other gods."
He spake, and straight his lineaments began
To fade; and Nanna in her sleep stretch'd out
Her arms towards him with a cry, but he
Mournfully shook his head and disappear'd.
And as the woodman sees a little smoke
Hang in the air, afield, and disappear,
So Balder faded in the night away.
And Nanna on her bed sank back; but then
Frea, the mother of the gods, with stroke
Painless and swift, set free her airy soul,
Which took, on Balder's track, the way below;
And instantly the sacred morn appear'd.
With the morn Hermod, mounting Sleipnir, set out on his mission. For
the space of nine days and as many nights he rode through deep glens so
dark that he could not discern anything, until he arrived at the river
Gyoll, which he passed over on a bridge covered with glittering gold.
The maiden who kept the bridge asked him his name and lineage, telling
him that the day before five bands of dead persons had ridden over the
bridge, and did not shake it as much as he alone. "But," she added,
"thou hast not death's hue on thee; why then ridest thou here on the
way to Hel?"
"I ride to Hel," answered Hermod, "to seek Balder. Hast thou perchance
seen him pass this way?"
She replied, "Balder hath ridden over Gyoll's bridge, and yonder lieth
the way he took to the abodes of death."
Hermod pursued his journey until he came to the barred gates of Hel.
Here he alighted, girthed his saddle tighter, and remounting clapped
both spurs to his horse, which cleared the gate by a tremendous leap
without touching it. Hermod then rode on to the palace, where he found
his brother Balder occupying the most distinguished seat in the hall,
and passed the night in his company. The next morning he besought
Hela to let Balder ride home with him, assuring her that nothing but
lamentations were to be heard among the gods. Hela answered that it
should now be tried whether Balder was so beloved as he was said to be.
"If, therefore," she added, "all things in the world, both living and
lifeless, weep for him, then shall he return to life; but if any one
thing speak against him or refuse to weep, he shall be kept in Hel."
Hermod then rode back to Asgard and gave an account of all he had heard
and witnessed.
The gods upon this dispatched messengers throughout the world to beg
everything to weep in order that Balder might be delivered from Hel.
All things very willingly complied with this request, both men and
every other living being, as well as earths, and stones, and trees,
and metals, just as we have all seen these things weep when they are
brought from a cold place into a hot one.
Then the messengers returned,--
... And they rode home together, through the wood
Of Jarnvid, which to east of Midgard lies
Bordering the giants, where the trees are iron;
There in the wood before a cave they came,
Where sate in the cave's mouth a skinny hag,
Toothless and old; she gibes the passers-by.
Thok is she called, but now Lok wore her shape;
She greeted them the first, and laughed and said:
"Ye gods, good lack, is it so dull in heaven
That ye come pleasuring to Thok's iron wood?
Lovers of change, ye are, fastidious sprites.
Look, as in some boor's yard, a sweet-breath'd cow,
Whose manger is stuffed full of good fresh hay,
Snuffs at it daintily, and stoops her head
To chew the straw, her litter at her feet--
So ye grow squeamish, gods, and sniff at heaven!"
She spake, but Hermod answered her and said,
"Thok, not for gibes we come; we come for tears.
Balder is dead, and Hela holds her prey,
But will restore, if all things give him tears.
Begrudge not thine! to all was Balder dear."
Then, with a louder laugh, the hag replied:
"Is Balder dead? and do ye come for tears?
Thok with dry eyes will weep o'er Balder's pyre.
Weep him all other things, if weep they will--
I weep him not! let Hela keep her prey."
She spake, and to the cavern's depth she fled,
Mocking; and Hermod knew their toil was vain.[367]
So was Balder prevented from returning to Asgard.
=279. The Funeral of Balder.= The gods took up the dead body and bore
it to the seashore, where stood Balder's ship Hringham, which passed
for the largest in the world. Balder's dead body was put on the funeral
pile, on board the ship; and the body of Nanna was burned on the
same pile with her husband's. There was a vast concourse of various
kinds of people at Balder's obsequies. First came Odin accompanied by
Frigga, the Valkyries, and his ravens; then Freyr in his car drawn by
Gullinbursti, the boar; Heimdall rode his horse Gulltopp, and Freya
drove in her chariot drawn by cats. There were also a great many Frost
giants and giants of the mountain present. Balder's horse was led to
the pile fully caparisoned, and was consumed in the same flames with
his master.
[Illustration: FIG. 187. LOKI AND SIGUNA
From the painting by Gebhardt]
But Loki did not escape his merited punishment. When he saw how wroth
the gods were, he fled to the mountain and there built himself a hut
with four doors, so that he could see every approaching danger. He
invented a net to catch the fishes, such as fishermen have used since
his time. But Odin found out his hiding place and the gods assembled to
take him. He, seeing this, changed himself into a salmon and lay hid
among the stones of the brook. But the gods took his net and dragged
the brook, and Loki, finding he must be caught, tried to leap over the
net; but Thor caught him by the tail, and compressed it so that salmon
ever since have had that part remarkably fine and thin. They bound him
with chains and suspended a serpent over his head, whose venom falls
upon his face drop by drop. His wife, Siguna, sits by his side and
catches the drops as they fall, in a cup; but when she carries it away
to empty it, the venom falls upon Loki, which makes him howl with
horror and writhe so that the whole earth shakes.
=280. The Elves.= The Edda mentions another class of beings, inferior
to the gods, but still possessed of great power; these were the
Elves. The white spirits, or Elves of Light, were exceedingly fair,
more brilliant than the sun, and clad in garments of a delicate and
transparent texture. They loved the light, were kindly disposed to
mankind, and generally appeared as fair and lovely children. Their
country was called Elfheim, and was the domain of Freyr, in whose
sunlight they always sported.
The black elves, ugly, long-nosed dwarfs, of a dirty brown color,
appeared only at night. They avoided the sun as their most deadly
enemy, because his beams changed them immediately into stones.
Their language was the echo of solitudes, and their dwelling places
subterranean caves and clefts. They were supposed to have come into
existence as maggots produced by the decaying flesh of Ymir's body.
They were afterwards endowed by the gods with a human form and great
understanding. They were particularly distinguished for a knowledge of
the mysterious powers of nature, and for the runes which they carved
and explained. They were the most skillful artificers of all created
beings, and worked in metals and in wood. Among their most noted works
were Thor's hammer, and the ship _Skidbladnir_, which they gave to
Freyr. This vessel was so large that it could contain all the deities
with their war and household implements, but so skillfully was it
wrought that when folded together it could be put into a side pocket.
=281. Ragnarok.= It was a firm belief of the Northern nations that a
time would come when all the visible creation, the gods of Valhalla
and Niflheim, the inhabitants of Jötunheim, Elfheim, and Midgard,
together with their habitations, would be destroyed. The fearful day
of destruction will not however be without warning. First will come
a triple winter, during which snow will fall from the four corners
of the heavens, the frost be severe, the wind piercing, the weather
tempestuous, and the sun impart no gladness. Three such winters will
pass without being tempered by a single summer. Three other like
winters will follow, during which war and discord will spread over the
universe. The earth itself will be afraid and begin to tremble, the
sea leave its basin, the heavens tear asunder; men will perish in great
numbers, and the eagles of the air feast upon their still quivering
bodies. The wolf Fenris will now break his bands, the Midgard serpent
rise out of his bed in the sea, and Loki, released from his bonds, will
join the enemies of the gods. Amidst the general devastation the sons
of Muspelheim will rush forth under their leader Surter, before and
behind whom are flames and burning fire. Onward they ride over Bifrost,
the rainbow bridge, which breaks under the horses' hoofs. But they,
disregarding its fall, direct their course to the battle field called
Vigrid. Thither also repair the wolf Fenris, the Midgard serpent, Loki,
with all the followers of Hela, and the Frost giants.
Heimdall now stands up and sounds the Giallar horn to assemble the gods
and heroes for the contest. The gods advance, led on by Odin, who,
engaging the wolf Fenris, falls a victim to the monster. Fenris is, in
turn, slain by Vidar, Odin's son. Thor wins great renown by killing
the Midgard serpent, but, recoiling, falls dead, suffocated with the
venom which the dying monster vomits over him. Loki and Heimdall meet
and fight till they both are slain. The gods and their enemies having
fallen in battle, Surter, who has killed Freyr, darts fire and flames
over the world, and the universe is consumed. The sun grows dim, the
earth sinks into the ocean, the stars fall from heaven, and time is no
more.
After this Alfadur (not Odin but the Almighty) will cause a new heaven
and a new earth to arise out of the sea. The new earth, filled with
abundant supplies, will produce its fruits without labor or care.
Wickedness and misery will no more be known, but the gods and men will
live happily together.
This twilight of the gods is aptly described in a conversation held
between Balder and Hermod, after Hermod has a second time ridden to Hel:
And the fleet-footed Hermod made reply:[368]--
"Thou hast then all the solace death allows,
Esteem and function; and so far is well.
Yet here thou liest, Balder, underground,
Rusting for ever; and the years roll on,
The generations pass, the ages grow,
And bring us nearer to the final day
When from the south shall march the fiery band
And cross the bridge of heaven, with Lok for guide,
And Fenris at his heel with broken chain;
While from the east the giant Rymer steers
His ship, and the great serpent makes to land;
And all are marshal'd in one flaming square
Against the gods, upon the plains of heaven.
I mourn thee, that thou canst not help us then."
He spake; but Balder answered him, and said:--
"Mourn not for me! Mourn, Hermod, for the gods;
Mourn for the men on earth, the gods in heaven,
Who live, and with their eyes shall see that day!
The day will come, when fall shall Asgard's towers,
And Odin, and his sons, the seed of Heaven;
But what were I, to save them in that hour?
If strength might save them, could not Odin save,
My father, and his pride, the warrior Thor,
Vidar the silent, the impetuous Tyr?
I, what were I, when these can nought avail?
Yet, doubtless, when the day of battle comes,
And the two hosts are marshal'd, and in heaven
The golden-crested cock shall sound alarm,
And his black brother-bird from hence reply,
And bucklers clash, and spears begin to pour--
Longing will stir within my breast, though vain.
But not to me so grievous as, I know,
To other gods it were, is my enforced
Absence from fields where I could nothing aid;
For I am long since weary of your storm
Of carnage, and find, Hermod, in your life
Something too much of war and broils, which make
Life one perpetual fight, a bath of blood.
Mine eyes are dizzy with the arrowy hail;
Mine ears are stunn'd with blows, and sick for calm.
Inactive, therefore, let me lie in gloom,
Unarm'd, inglorious; I attend the course
Of ages, and my late return to light,
In times less alien to a spirit mild,
In new-recover'd seats, the happier day."
He spake; and the fleet Hermod thus replied:--
"Brother, what seats are these, what happier day?
Tell me, that I may ponder it when gone."
And the ray-crownèd Balder answered him:--
"Far to the south, beyond the blue, there spreads
Another heaven, the boundless--no one yet
Hath reach'd it; there hereafter shall arise
The second Asgard, with another name.
Thither, when o'er this present earth and heavens
The tempest of the latter days hath swept,
And they from sight have disappear'd and sunk,
Shall a small remnant of the gods repair;
Höder and I shall join them from the grave.
There reassembling we shall see emerge
From the bright ocean at our feet an earth
More fresh, more verdant than the last, with fruits
Self-springing, and a seed of man preserved,
Who then shall live in peace, as now in war.
But we in heaven shall find again with joy
The ruin'd palaces of Odin, seats
Familiar, halls where we have supp'd of old,
Reënter them with wonder, never fill
Our eyes with gazing, and rebuild with tears.
And we shall tread once more the well-known plain
Of Ida, and among the grass shall find
The golden dice wherewith we played of yore;
And that shall bring to mind the former life
And pastime of the gods--the wise discourse
Of Odin, the delights of other days.
O Hermod, pray that thou may'st join us then!
Such for the future is my hope; meanwhile,
I rest the thrall of Hela, and endure
Death, and the gloom which round me even now
Thickens, and to inner gulf recalls.
Farewell, for longer speech is not allow'd."
FOOTNOTES:
[364] For Records of Norse Mythology, see § 300, and Commentary, §§
268, 282, and 300.
[365] Gray's ode, The Fatal Sisters, is founded on this superstition.
[366] From Matthew Arnold's Balder Dead.
[367] From Matthew Arnold's Balder Dead.
[368] From Matthew Arnold's Balder Dead.