steps, strode to the smithy. All night long the mighty blows of
Miölnir rang on the anvil, and the roaring bellows breathed a hot
blast over all the hill of Asgard. None of the Æsir slept that night;
but every now and then one or other of them came to cheer Thor at his
work. Sometimes Frey brought his bright face into the dusky smithy;
sometimes Tyr entreated permission to strike a stout blow; sometimes
Bragi seated himself among the workers, and, with his eyes fixed on
the glowing iron, poured forth a hero song, to which the ringing
blows kept time.
There was also another guest, who, at intervals, made his presence
known. By the light of the fire the evil form of Fenrir was seen
prowling round in the darkness, and every now and then a fiendish,
mocking laugh filled the pauses of the song, and the wind, and the
ringing hammer.
All that night and the next day Thor laboured and Fenrir watched,
and, at the time of the evening meal, Thor strode triumphantly into
Father Odin's presence, and laid before him Læding, the strongest
chain that had ever yet been forged on earth. The Æsir passed it from
one to another, and wondered at its immense length, and at the
ponderous moulding of its twisted links.
"It is impossible for Fenrir to break through this," they said; and
they were loud in their thanks to Thor and praises of his prowess;
only Father Odin kept a grave, sad silence.
When Fenrir came into the court to receive his food from Tyr, it was
agreed that Thor and Tyr were to seize and bind him. They held their
weapons in readiness, for they expected a fierce struggle; but, to
their surprise, Fenrir quietly allowed the chain to be wound round
him, and lay down at his ease, while Thor, with two strokes of
Miölnir, rivetted the last link into one of the strongest stones on
which the court rested. Then, when the Æsir were about to
congratulate each other on their victory, he slowly raised his
ponderous form, which seemed to dilate in the rising, with one bound
forward snapped the chain like a silken thread, and walked leisurely
to his lair, as if no unusual thing had befallen him.
The Æsir, with downcast faces, stood looking at each other. Once more
Thor was the first to speak. "He who breaks through Læding," he said,
"only brings upon himself the still harder bondage of Dromi." And
having uttered these words, he again lifted Miölnir from the ground,
and, weary as he was, returned to the smithy and resumed his place at
the anvil.
For three days and nights Thor worked, and, when he once more
appeared before Father Odin, he carried in his hand Dromi--the
"Strong Binding." This chain exceeded Læding in strength by one half,
and was so heavy that Asa Thor himself staggered under its weight;
and yet Fenrir showed no fear of allowing himself to be bound by it,
and it cost him very little more effort than on the first evening to
free himself from its fetters.
After this second failure Odin again called a council of Æsir in
Gladsheim, and Thor stood among the others, silent and shamefaced.
It was now Frey who ventured first to offer an opinion. "Thor, Tyr,
and other brave sons of the Æsir," he said, "have passed their lives
valiantly in fighting against giants and monsters, and, doubtless,
much wise lore has come to them through these adventures. I, for the
most part, have spent my time peacefully in woods and fields,
watching how the seasons follow each other, and how the silent, dewy
night ever leads up the brightly-smiling day; and, in this watching,
many things have been made plain to me which have not, perhaps, been
thought worthy of regard by my brother Lords. One thing that I have
learned is, the wondrous strength that lies in little things, and
that the labour carried on in darkness and silence ever brings forth
the grandest birth. Thor and Miölnir have failed to forge a chain
strong enough to bind Fenrir; but, since we cannot be helped by the
mighty and renowned, let us turn to the unknown and weak.
"In the caverns and dim places of the earth live a tiny race of
people, who are always working with unwearied, noiseless fingers.
With Asa Odin's permission, I will send my messenger, Skirnir, and
entreat aid of them; and we shall, perhaps, find that what passes
the might of Asgard may be accomplished in the secret places of
Svartheim."
The face of Asa Odin brightened as Frey spoke, and, rising
immediately from his seat, he broke up the council, and entreated
Frey to lose no time in returning to Alfheim and despatching Skirnir
on his mission.
PART II. THE SECRET OF SVARTHEIM.
In spite of the cloud that hung over Asgard all was fair and peaceful
in Alfheim. Gerda, the radiant Alf Queen, made there perpetual
sunshine with her bright face. The little elves loved her, and
fluttered round her, keeping up a continual merry chatter, which
sounded through the land like the sharp ripple of a brook over stony
places; and Gerda answered them in low, sweet tones, as the answering
wind sounds among the trees.
These must have been pleasant sounds to hear after the ringing of
Miölnir and the howling of Fenrir; but Frey hardly gave himself time
to greet Gerd and his elves before he summoned Skirnir into his
presence, and acquainted him with the danger that hung over Asgard,
and the important mission which the Æsir had determined to trust to
his sagacity. Skirnir listened, playing with the knot of his wondrous
sword, as he was wont to do, in order to make known to every one that
he possessed it; for, to confess the truth, it was somewhat too heavy
for him to wield.
"This is a far different mission," he said, "from that on which you
once sent me--to woo fairest Gerd; but, as the welfare of Asgard
requires it, I will depart at once, though I have little liking for
the dark caves and cunning people."
Frey thanked him, and, putting a small key into his hand, which was,
indeed, the key to the gate of Svartheim, he bade him farewell, and
Skirnir set out on his journey.
The road from Alfheim to Svartheim is not as long as you would be apt
to imagine. Indeed, it is possible for a careless person to wander
from one region to another without being at once aware of it.
Skirnir, having the key in his hand, took the direct way. The
entrance-gate stands at the opening of a dim mountain-cave. Skirnir
left his horse without, and entered; the air was heavy, moist, and
warm, and it required the keenest glances of Skirnir's keen eyes to
see his way. Innumerable narrow, winding paths, all leading
downwards, opened themselves before him. As he followed the widest, a
faint clinking sound of hammers met his ear, and, looking round, he
saw groups of little men at work on every side. Some were wheeling
small wheelbarrows full of lumps of shining metal along the ledges of
the rock; some, with elfin pickaxes and spades, were digging ore from
the mountain-side; some, herded together in little caves, were busy
kindling fires, or working with tiny hammers on small anvils. As he
continued his downward path the last remnant of daylight faded away;
but he was not in total darkness, for now he perceived that each
worker carried on his head a lantern, in which burned a pale, dancing
light. Skirnir knew that each light was a Will-o'-the-wisp, which the
dwarf who carried it had caught and imprisoned to light him in his
work during the day, and which he must restore to the earth at night.
For many miles Skirnir wandered on lower and lower. On every side of
him lay countless heaps of treasure--gold, silver, diamonds, rubies,
emeralds--which the cunning workers stowed away silently in their
dark hiding-places. At length he came to the very middle of the
mountain, where the rocky roof rose to an immense height, and where
he found himself in a brilliantly-lighted palace. Here, in truth,
were hung all the lights in the world, which, on dark, moonless
nights, are carried out by dwarfs to deceive the eyes of men.
Corpse-lights, Will-o'-the-wisps, the sparks from glow-worms' tails,
the light in fire-flies' wings--these, carefully hung up in tiers
round and round the hall, illuminated the palace with a cold blue
light, and revealed to Skirnir's eyes the grotesque and hideous
shapes of the tiny beings around him. Hump-backed, cunning-eyed,
open-mouthed, they stood round, laughing, and whispering, and
pointing with shrivelled fingers. One among them, a little taller
than the rest, who sat on a golden seat thickly set with diamonds,
appeared to be a kind of chief among them, and to him Skirnir
addressed his message.
Cunning and wicked as these dwarfs were, they entertained a wholesome
fear of Odin, having never forgotten their one interview with him in
Gladsheim; and, therefore, when they heard from whom Skirnir came,
with many uncouth gesticulations they bowed low before him, and
declared themselves willing to obey All-Father's commands. They asked
for two days and two nights in which to complete their task, and
during that time Skirnir remained their guest in Svartheim.
He wandered about, and saw strange sights. He saw the great earth
central fire, and the swarthy, withered race, whose task it is
ceaselessly to feed it with fuel; he saw the diamond-makers, who
change the ashes of the great fire into brilliants; and the dwarfs,
whose business it is to fill the cracks in the mountain-sides with
pure veins of silver and gold, and lead them up to places where they
will one day meet the eyes of men. Nearer the surface he visited the
workers in iron and the makers of salt-mines; he drank of their
strange-tasting mineral waters, and admired the splendour of their
silver-roofed temples and dwellings of solid gold.
At the end of two days Skirnir re-entered the audience-hall, and then
the chief of the dwarfs put into his hand a slender chain. You can
imagine what size it was when I tell you that the dwarf chief held it
lightly balanced on his forefinger; and when it rested on Skirnir's
hand it felt to him no heavier than a piece of thistle-down.
The Svart King laughed loud when he saw the disappointment on
Skirnir's face. "It seems to you a little thing," he said; "and yet I
assure you that in making it we have used up all the materials in the
whole world fit for the purpose. No such chain can ever be made
again, neither will the least atom of the substances of which it is
made be found more. It is fashioned out of six things. The noise made
by the footfall of cats; the beards of women; the roots of stones;
the sinews of bears; the breath of fish; and the spittle of birds.
Fear not with this to bind Fenrir; for no stronger chain will ever be
made till the end of the world."
Skirnir now looked with wonder at his chain, and, after having
thanked the dwarfs, and promised to bring them a reward from Odin, he
set forth on his road home, and, by the time of the evening meal,
reached Valhalla, and gladdened the hearts of the Æsir by the tidings
of his success.
PART III. HONOUR.
Far away to the north of Asgard, surrounded by frowning mountains,
the dark lake, Amsvartnir, lies, and, above the level of its troubled
waters, burns Lyngvi, the island of sweet broom, flaming like a jewel
on the dark brow of Hela. In this lonely isle, to which no ship but
Skidbladnir could sail, the Æsir, with Fenrir in the midst, assembled
to try the strength of the dwarfs' chain.
Fenrir prowled round his old master, Tyr, with a look of savage
triumph in his cruel eyes, now licking the hand that had so long fed
him, and now shaking his great head, and howling defiantly. The Æsir
stood at the foot of Giöll, the sounding rock, and passed Gleipnir,
the chain, from one to another, talking about it, while Fenrir
listened. "It was much stronger than it looked," they said; and Thor
and Tyr vied with each other in their efforts to break it; while
Bragi declared his belief that there was no one among Æsir or giants
capable of performing so great a feat, "unless," he added, "it should
be you, Fenrir."
This speech roused the pride of Fenrir; and, after looking long at
the slender chain and the faces of the Æsir, he answered, "Loath am I
to be bound by this chain; but, lest you should doubt my courage, I
will consent that you should bind me, provided one of you put his
hand into my mouth as a pledge that no deceit is intended."
There was a moment's silence among the Æsir when they heard this, and
they looked at one another. Odin looked at Thor, and Thor looked at
Bragi, and Frey fell behind, and put his hand to his side, where the
all-conquering sword, which he alone could wield, no longer rested.
At length Tyr stepped forward valiantly, and put his strong right
hand, with which he had so often fed him, into the wolf's cruel jaws.
At this signal the other Æsir threw the chain round the monster's
neck, bound him securely with one end, and fastened the other to the
great rock Giöll. When he was bound Fenrir rose, and shook himself,
as he had done before; but in vain he raised himself up, and bounded
forward--the more he struggled the more firmly the slender chain
bound him.
At this sight the Æsir set up a loud shout of joy; for they saw their
enemy conquered, and the danger that threatened Asgard averted. Only
Tyr was silent, for in the struggle he had lost his hand.
Then Thor thrust his sword into the mouth of Fenrir, and a foaming
dark flood burst forth, roared down the rock and under the lake, and
began its course through the country a turbid river. So it will roll
on till Ragnarök be come.
The sails of Skidbladnir now spread themselves out to the wind; and
the Æsir, seated in the magic ship, floated over the lake silently in
the silent moonlight; while, from the top of Bifröst, over the Urda
fount and the dwelling of the Norns, a song floated down. "Who,"
asked one voice, "of all the Æsir has won the highest honour?" and,
singing, another voice made answer, "Tyr has won the highest honour;
for, of all the Æsir, he has the most worthily employed his gift."
"Frey gave his sword for fairest Gerd."
"Odin bought for himself wisdom at the price of his right eye."
"Tyr, not for himself, but for others, has sacrificed his strong
right hand."
* * * * *
The wolf Fenrir is annihilation; he was destined to swallow the chief
of the gods at Ragnarök. We see him here as destruction chained until
his time for mischief should come again--the destructive side of
nature morally and physically is personified in him. Why the dwarfs
should be able to make a chain strong enough to bind him, which the
gods had failed to do, is a puzzle. May it mean that subtlety can
compass ends which force has to relinquish, or possibly a better
thing than subtlety, gentleness?
Tyr, who plays an important part in this myth, was the son of Odin
and a giantess. His name means "Shining;" at one time he was probably
a chief of gods. He is also a sort of war god, something like Thor, a
finer hero, though, by a long way. Har says of him, "he is the most
daring and intrepid of the gods, hence a man who surpasses all others
in valour is called Tyr-strong." His having only one hand refers
partly to his character of war god, and means that the victory can
only be awarded to one side. "Thou never couldst settle a strife
betwixt two," was said to his shame, and, we may add, to that of all
war gods for ever.
Tyr gives his name to Tuesday, as Odin to Wednesday, Thor to
Thursday, and Freyja or Frigga to Friday. Some suggest that Loki is
the patron of Saturday. He--Loki--forms the subject of the next
chapter.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI.
After the death of Baldur, Loki never again ventured to intrude
himself into the presence of the Æsir. He knew well enough that he
had now done what could never be forgiven him, and that, for the
future, he must bend all his cunning and vigilance to the task of
hiding himself for ever from the eyes of those whom he had so
injured, and escaping the just punishment he had brought upon
himself.
The world is large, and I am very cunning, said Loki to himself, as
he turned his back upon Asgard, and wandered out into Manheim; there
is no end to the thick woods, and no measure for the deep waters;
neither is there any possibility of counting the various forms under
which I shall disguise myself. All-Father will never be able to find
me; I have no cause to fear. But, though Loki repeated this over and
over again to himself, he _was_ afraid.
He wandered far into the thick woods, and covered himself with the
deep waters; he climbed to the tops of misty hills, and crouched in
the dark of hollow caves; but above the wood, and through the water,
and down into the darkness, a single ray of calm, clear light seemed
always to follow him, and he knew that it came from the eye of
All-Father, who was watching him from Air Throne.
Then he tried to escape the judging eye by disguising himself under
various shapes. Sometimes he was an eagle on a lonely mountain-crag;
sometimes he hid himself as one among a troop of timid reindeer;
sometimes he lay in the nest of a wood-pigeon; sometimes he swam, a
bright-spotted fish, in the sea; but, wherever he was, among living
creatures, or alone with dead nature, everything seemed to know him,
and to find some voice in which to say to him, You are Loki, and you
have killed Baldur. Air, earth, or water, there was no rest for him
anywhere.
Tired at last of seeking what he could nowhere find, Loki built
himself a house by the side of a narrow, glittering river which, at a
lower point, flashed down from a high rock into the sea below. He
took care that his house should have four doors in it, that he might
look out on every side, and catch the first glimpse of the Æsir when
they came, as he knew they would come, to take him away. Here his
wife, Siguna, and his two sons, Ali and Nari, came to live with him.
Siguna was a kind woman, far too good and kind for Loki. She felt
sorry for him now that she saw he was in great fear, and that every
living thing had turned against him, and she would have hidden him
from the just anger of the Æsir if she could; but the two sons cared
little about their father's dread and danger; they spent all their
time in quarrelling with each other; and their loud, angry voices,
sounding above the waterfall, would speedily have betrayed the
hiding-place, even if All-Father's piercing eye had not already
discovered it. If only the children would be quiet, Siguna used to
say anxiously every day; but Loki said nothing; he was beginning to
know by experience that there was that about his children that could
never be kept quiet or hidden away.
At last, one day when he was sitting in the middle of his house
looking alternately out of all the four doors, and amusing himself as
well as he could by making a fishing net, he spied in the distance
the whole company of the Æsir approaching his house. The sight of
them coming all together--beautiful, and noble, and free--pierced
Loki with a pang that was worse than death. He rose without daring to
look again, threw his net on a fire that burned on the floor, and,
rushing to the side of the little river, he turned himself into a
salmon, swam down to the deepest, stillest pool at the bottom, and
hid himself between two stones. The Æsir entered the house, and
looked all round in vain for Loki, till Kvasir, one of Odin's sons,
famous for his keen sight, spied out the remains of the fishing-net
in the fire; then Odin knew at once that there was a river near, and
that it was there where Loki had hidden himself. He ordered his sons
to make a fresh net, and to cast it into the water, and drag out
whatever living thing they could find there. It was done as he
desired. Thor held one end of the net, and all the rest of the Æsir
drew the other through the water. When they pulled it up the first
time, however, it was empty, and they would have gone away
disappointed, had not Kvasir, looking earnestly at the meshes of the
net, discovered that something living had certainly touched them.
They then added a weight to the net, and threw it with such force
that it reached the bottom of the river, and dragged up the stones in
the pool.
Loki now saw the danger he was in of being caught in the net, and, as
there was no other way of escape, he rose to the surface, swam down
the river as quickly as he could, and leaped over the net into the
waterfall. He swam and leaped quickly as a flash of lightning, but
not so quickly but that the Æsir saw him, knew him through his
disguise, and resolved that he should no longer escape them. They
divided into two bands. Thor waded down the river to the waterfall;
the other Æsir stood in a group below. Loki swam backwards and
forwards between them. Now he thought he would dart out into the sea,
and now that he would spring over the net back again into the river.
This last seemed the readiest way of escape, and, with the greatest
speed, he attempted it. Thor, however, was watching for him, and, as
soon as Loki leaped out of the water, he stretched out his hand, and
caught him while he was yet turning in the air. Loki wriggled his
slippery, slimy length through Thor's fingers; but the Thunderer
grasped him tightly by the tail, and, holding him in this manner in
his hand, waded to the shore. There Father Odin and the other Æsir
met him; and, at Odin's first searching look, Loki was obliged to
drop his disguise, and, cowering and frightened, to stand in his
proper shape before the assembled Lords. One by one they turned their
faces from him; for, in looking at him, they seemed to see over again
the death of Baldur the Beloved.
I told you that there were high rocks looking over the sea not far
from Loki's house. One of these, higher than the rest, had midway
four projecting stones, and to these the Æsir resolved to bind Loki
in such a manner that he should never again be able to torment the
inhabitants of Manheim or Asgard by his evil-doings. Thor proposed to
return to Asgard, to bring a chain with which to bind the prisoner;
but Odin assured him that he had no need to take such a journey,
"Loki," he said, "has already forged for himself a chain stronger
than any you can make. While we have been occupied in catching him,
his two sons, Ali and Nari, transformed into wolves by their evil
passions, have fought with, and destroyed, each other. With their
sinews we must make a chain to bind their father, and from that he
can never escape."
It was done as Asa Odin said. A rope was made of the dead wolves'
sinews, and, as soon as it touched Loki's body, it turned into bands
of iron, and bound him immoveably to the rock. Secured in this manner
the Æsir left him.
But his punishment did not end here. A snake, whose fangs dropped
venom, glided to the top of the rock, and leaned his head over to
peer at Loki. The eyes of the two met and fixed each other. The
serpent could never move away afterwards; but every moment a burning
drop from his tongue fell down on Loki's shuddering face.
[Illustration: THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI.]
In all the world there was only one who pitied him. His kind wife
ever afterwards stood beside him, and held a cup over his head to
catch the poison. When the cup was full, she was obliged to turn away
to empty it, and drops of poison fell again on Loki's face. He
shuddered and shrank from it, and the whole earth trembled. So will
he lie bound till Ragnarök be come.
* * * * *
Loki, as we have seen all along, whatever his origin may have been,
had come to mean evil by the time these myths were formed,--the
destructive principle, the originator of all corruption--as, father
of devouring Hel, of Fenrir, the wolf annihilator, and of Jörmungand,
the universal wolf. There is a curious story in one of the _Eddas_
about a feast which the King of the Sea gave to the gods. By the way,
one song says of Ægir, "Sat the Rock-dweller, glad as a child:" which
is the introduction to another feast he gave the gods. If he began
by being glad on this latter occasion, expecting a happy
entertainment, he must have had a grievous disappointment, for Loki,
bent on mischief, would insist upon feasting with the Æsir. Things
rarely went well where Loki was, which the gods knew and begged him
not to come. But Loki would come, and directly he was seated at the
table he began his mischief-making, doing his best to make the gods
quarrel with one another, insulting them by turns, reminding each of
some fault or misfortune least pleasant to remember. Altogether it
must have been a most uncomfortable dinner-party. At last Thor, who
had been on a journey, came back; and, after a good deal of abuse had
passed between him and Loki, the latter appeared to take alarm and
slank away from his enraged companions. One account says that it was
immediately after this the gods caught Loki and bound him, but
another does not mention his capture in connection with Ægir's feast.
Simrock says that Loki, in his character of accuser at this banquet,
represents the guilty conscience of the gods. From this he becomes
the guilty conscience itself, a personification of the consciousness
of sin. His attempts at concealment, the four doors of his house
placed every way that he might be alert in descrying danger, his
making the net by which he was caught (for the Æsir were said to copy
the net which they found in Loki's house), his being bound with the
entrails of his own children--results of evil deeds--all carry out
this idea. He is, says Simrock, the Bad itself as well as the
consciousness of it. He is sin chained as Fenrir is destruction
chained. The gods are moral power, they are his chains, for it is
said that when he shudders they tremble. And yet, how real he has
become in this myth, so much a _person_ that we can scarcely help
wishing him to escape by means of his ingenious disguises, and are
certainly glad that at last some one is left to pity him--the
faithful wife, standing by, who wards off from him so much of his
punishment.
* * * * *
We now come to Ragnarök; and "first," as Har said, "there will come a
winter." But that is not exactly how we tell the story.
CHAPTER IX.
RAGNARÖK, OR THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS.
Since the day that Baldur died no one had walked in the bright halls
of Broadblink--no one had even stepped through the expanded gates.
Instead of undimmed brightness, a soft, luminous mist now hung over
the palace of the dead Asa, and the Asyniur whispered to one another
that it was haunted by wild dreams.
"I have seen them," Freyja used to say; "I have seen them float in at
sunset through the palace windows and the open doors; every evening
I can trace their slight forms through the rosy mist; and I know
that those dreams are wild and strange from the shuddering that I
feel when I look at them, or if ever they glance at me."
So the Asyniur never went into Broadblink, and though the Æsir did
not think much about the dreams, they never went there either.
But one day it happened that Odin stood in the opening of the palace
gates at sunset. The evening was clear and calm, and he stood
watching the western sky until its crimson faded into soft blue grey;
then the colours of the flowers began to mix one with another--only
the tall white and yellow blossoms stood out alone--the distance
became more dim. It was twilight, and there was silence over the
earth whilst the night and the evening drew near to one another. Then
a young dream came floating through the gates into Broadblink. Her
sisters were already there; but she had only just been born, and, as
she passed Odin, she touched him with a light hand, and drew him
along with her into the palace. She led him into the same hall in
which Baldur had dreamed, and there Odin saw the night sky above
him, and the broad branches of Yggdrasil swaying in the breeze. The
Norns stood under the great ash; the golden threads had dropped from
their fingers; and Urd and Verdandi stood one on each side of Skuld,
who was still veiled. For a long time the three stood motionless, but
at length Urd and Verdandi raised each a cold hand, and lifted the
veil slowly from Skuld's face. Odin looked breathlessly within the
veil, and the eyes of Skuld dilated as he looked, grew larger and
larger, melted into one another, and, at last, expanded into
boundless space.
In the midst of space lay the world, with its long shores, and vast
oceans, ice mountains, and green plains; Æsirland in the midst, with
Manheim all round it; then the wide sea, and, far off, the
frost-bound shores of Jötunheim. Sometimes there was night and
sometimes day; summer and winter gave place to one another; and Odin
watched the seasons as they changed, rejoiced in the sunshine, and
looked calmly over the night.
But at last, during one sunrise, a wolf came out of Jarnvid, and
began to howl at the sun. The sun did not seem to heed him, but
walked majestically up the sky to her mid-day point; then the wolf
began to run after her, and chased her down the sky again to the low
west. There the sun opened her bright eye wide, and turned round at
bay; but the wolf came close up to her, and opened his mouth, and
swallowed her up. The earth shuddered, and the moon rose. Another
wolf was waiting for the moon with wide jaws open, and, while yet
pale and young, he, too, was devoured. The earth shuddered again; it
was covered with cold and darkness, while frost and snow came driving
from the four corners of heaven. Winter and night, winter and night,
there was now nothing but winter.
A dauntless eagle sat upon the height of the Giantess' Rock, and
began to strike his harp. Then a light red cock crowed over the Bird
Wood. A gold-combed cock crowed over Asgard, and over Helheim a cock
of sooty red. From a long way underground Garm began to howl, and at
last Fenrir broke loose from his rock-prison, and ran forth over the
whole earth. Then brother contended with brother, and war had no
bounds. A hard age was that.
"An axe age,
A sword age,
Shields oft cleft in twain;
A storm age,
A wolf age,
Ere the earth met its doom."
Confusion rioted in the darkness. At length Heimdall ran up Bifröst,
and blew his Giallar horn, whose sound went out into all worlds, and
Yggdrasil, the mighty ash, was shaken from its root to its summit.
After this Odin saw himself ride forth from Asgard to consult Mimer
at the Well of Wisdom. Whilst he was there Jörmungand turned mightily
in his place, and began to plough the ocean, which caused it to swell
over every shore, so that the world was covered with water to the
base of its high hills. Then the ship Naglfar was seen coming over
the sea with its prow from the east, and the giant Hrym was the
steersman.
All Jötunheim resounded, and the dwarfs stood moaning before their
stony doors. Then heaven was cleft in twain, and a flood of light
streamed down upon the dark earth. The sons of Muspell, the sons of
fire, rode through the breach, and at the head of them rode the
swarth Surt, their leader, before and behind whom fire raged, and
whose sword outshone the sun. He led his flaming bands from heaven to
earth over Bifröst, and the tremulous bridge broke in pieces beneath
their tread. Then the earth shuddered again; even giantesses
stumbled; and men trod the way to Helheim in such crowds that Garm
was sated with their blood, broke loose, and came up to earth to look
upon the living. Confusion rioted, and Odin saw himself, at the head
of all the Æsir, ride over the tops of the mountains to Vigrid, the
high, wide battle-field, where the giants were already assembled,
headed by Fenrir, Garm, Jörmungand, and Loki. Surtur was there, too,
commanding the sons of fire, whom he had drawn up in several shining
bands on a distant part of the plain.
Then the great battle began in earnest. First, Odin went forth
against Fenrir, who came on, opening his enormous mouth; the lower
jaw reached to the earth, the upper one to heaven, and would have
reached further had there been space to admit of it. Odin and Fenrir
fought for a little while only, and then Fenrir swallowed the Æsir's
Father; but Vidar stepped forward, and, putting his foot on Fenrir's
lower jaw, with his hand he seized the other, and rent the wolf in
twain. In the meantime Tyr and Garm had been fighting until they had
killed each other. Heimdall slew Loki, and Loki slew Heimdall. Frey,
Beli's radiant slayer, met Surtur in battle, and was killed by him.
Many terrible blows were exchanged ere Frey fell; but the Fire King's
sword outshone the sun, and where was the sword of Frey? Thor went
forth against Jörmungand; the strong Thunderer raised his arm--he
feared no evil--he flung Miölnir at the monster serpent's head.
Jörmungand leaped up a great height in the air, and fell down to the
earth again without life; but a stream of venom poured forth from his
nostrils as he died. Thor fell back nine paces from the strength of
his own blow; he bowed his head to the earth, and was choked in the
poisonous flood; so the monster serpent was killed by the strong
Thunderer's hand; but in death Jörmungand slew his slayer.
Then all mankind forsook the earth, and the earth itself sank down
slowly into the ocean. Water swelled over the mountains, rivers
gurgled through thick trees, deep currents swept down the
valleys--nothing was to be seen on the earth but a wide flood. The
stars fell from the sky, and flew about hither and thither. At last,
smoky clouds drifted upward from the infinite deep, encircling the
earth and the water; fire burst forth from the midst of them, red
flames wrapped the world, roared through the branches of Yggdrasil,
and played against heaven itself. The flood swelled, the fire raged;
there was now nothing but flood and fire.
"Then," said Odin, in his dream, "I see the end of all things. The
end is like the beginning, and it will now be for ever as if nothing
had ever been."
But, as he spoke, the fire ceased suddenly; the clouds rolled away; a
new and brighter sun looked out of heaven; and he saw arise a second
time the earth from ocean. It rose slowly as it had sunk. First, the
waters fell back from the tops of new hills that rose up fresh and
verdant; raindrops like pearls dripped from the freshly budding
trees, and fell into the sea with a sweet sound; waterfalls splashed
glittering from the high rocks; eagles flew over the mountain
streams; earth arose spring-like; unsown fields bore fruit; there was
no evil, and all nature smiled. Then from Memory's Forest came forth
a new race of men, who spread over the whole earth, and who fed on
the dew of the dawn. There was also a new city on Asgard's Hill--a
city of gems; and Odin saw a new hall standing in it, fairer than the
sun, and roofed with gold. Above all, the wide blue expanded, and
into that fair city came Modi and Magni, Thor's two sons, holding
Miölnir between them. Vali and Vidar came, and the deathless Hœnir;
Baldur came up from the deep, leading his blind brother Hödur
peacefully by the hand; there was no longer any strife between them.
Two brothers' sons inhabited the spacious Wind-Home.
Then Odin watched how the Æsir sat on the green plain, and talked of
many things. "Garm is dead," said Höd to Baldur, "and so are Loki,
and Jörmungand, and Fenrir, and the world rejoices; but did our dead
brothers rejoice who fell in slaying them?"
"They did, Höd," answered Baldur; "they gave their lives willingly
for the life of the world;" and, as he listened, Odin felt that this
was true; for, when he looked upon that beautiful and happy age, it
gave him no pain to think that he must die before it came--that,
though for many, it was not for him.
By-and-bye Hœnir came up to Höd and Baldur with something glittering
in his hand--something that he had found in the grass; and as he
approached he said, "Behold the golden tablets, my brothers, which in
the beginning of time were given to the Æsir's Father, and were lost
in the Old World."
Then they all looked eagerly at the tablets, and, as they bent over
them, their faces became even brighter than before.
"There is no longer any evil thing," said Odin; "not an evil sight,
nor an evil sound."
But as he spoke dusky wings rose out of Niflheim, and the
dark-spotted serpent, Nidhögg, came flying from the abyss, bearing
dead carcases on his wings--cold death, undying.
Then the joy of Odin was drowned in the tears that brimmed his heart,
and it was as if the eternal gnawer had entered into his soul. "Is
there, then, no victory over sin?" he cried. "Is there no death to
Death?" and with the cry he woke. His dream had faded from him. He
stood in the palace gates alone with night, and the night was dying.
Long since the rosy clasp of evening had dropped from her; she had
turned through darkness eastward, and looked earnestly towards dawn.
It was twilight again, for the night and the morning drew near to one
another. A star stood in the east--the morning star--and a coming
brightness smote the heavens. Out of the light a still voice came
advancing, swelling, widening, until it filled all space. "Look
forth," it said, "upon the groaning earth, with all its cold, and
pain, and cruelty, and death. Heroes and giants fight and kill each
other; now giants fall, and heroes triumph; now heroes fall, and
giants rise; they can but combat, and the earth is full of pain. Look
forth, and fear not; but when the worn-out faiths of nations shall
totter like old men, turn eastward, and behold the light that
lighteth every man; for there is nothing dark it doth not lighten;
there is nothing hard it cannot melt; there is nothing lost it will
not save."
* * * * *
Of course the _Eddas_ do not say anything about Odin seeing Ragnarök
in a dream, or about his having any idea of a light that was to come;
but, divested of this slender veil, the story as it here stands is
almost an exact likeness of the northern myth. In one _Edda_ it is
given as the prophecy of a Vala or seeress, and the last line is "Now
she will descend," meaning that the Vala had finished her
prophesying, and would come down from her high seat.
We have now heard a little about the Æsir, those gods in whom Har
said we were to believe; and, are they like each other or unlike? we
ask ourselves. At first we say unlike, but after thinking about them
a little while, very much alike indeed. It is certain that the
_Eddas_ speak of them as distinct, but then, as we saw before, the
_Eddas_ are not really very old; compared with the religion they
explain, they are almost young.
Simrock points out clearly the likenesses between the gods--a very
few of them we touch upon. Let us begin, by putting in a line for
ourselves to look at, Odin, Tyr, Heimdall, Thor, Frey, and Baldur.
Odin--air, stormy and serene, the heavens with sun, moon and stars;
Odin the wanderer; Odin on Air-throne, seeing over the whole world;
Odin, the Summer, as Odur; the patron of battles, the chooser of the
slain, the pledger of one eye, drinking from Mimer's horn. Tyr, the
shining, the warrior god, the pledger of one hand. Heimdall, as
Irmin, the shining, a dweller upon heavenly mountains, who sees and
hears far off, who wanders over the earth, blows his golden horn.
Thor, whose dwelling is the heavens; god of the storm, of
cultivation; the warrior, the chooser of the slain; for it is said
that whilst Odin had all the Jarls that fell in battle, Thor claimed
the Thralls for his share. Frey, the Summer, god of the fruitful
year, the pledger of his sword. It is supposed that Frey was once the
husband of Freyja, and that it was their separation which founded the
myth of Freyja's wanderings and tears; this would connect him with
Odur or Odin. Baldur, Summer, or Sun god, pledges his life to the
under-world. In leaving the earth to weep for him, he recalls the
desertion of Freyja and her tears. Turning to the goddesses, we see
Jörd or the earth spoken of as a wife of Odin; Rind, the winterly
earth; Freyja, so nearly joined to Frigg, the summerly earth; Idūna,
the spring of the earth; Gerda, also the winterly earth; Hela, the
under-world. What strikes us through all this is that it would be
natural for the early earth dwellers first to worship the heavens
with all that they contain and suggest, whilst the action of heavenly
influences upon the earth would reveal her to them as the great
mother, stern, cold, tender, fruitful, consuming, embosoming,
reproducing all in one. There are many ways in which gods and
goddesses multiply. In the first place Gylfis will begin to ask
questions and pry into first causes and ways and means of existence,
whence would easily arise a division of nature into elementary
powers, air, water, fire, to say nothing of the giants and chaotic
regions which would suggest themselves. One side or another of life
must always be uppermost, and nature in its differences grows into
new personalities; from nature myths again moral ones easily develop,
and new variations meet the new requirements. Again, tribe joins
tribe and pantheons mingle, the chief god of one race becoming the
son, say, or the brother, of another tribe's chief god, and so on.
The fact of Thor receiving Thralls in battle whilst Odin claimed the
Jarls, looks as if Thor had fallen at one time from the first to a
second place. Simrock says that Tyr answers to Zeus, and that perhaps
he was the oldest of the Asgard gods; but he says also that Odin has
gathered up into himself all the highest attributes of the gods. The
only allusions that can be relied on as genuine which the _Eddas_
contain to a higher god than Odin is one very obscure strophe in the
Voluspa which says speaking of Ragnarök,--
"Then comes the Mighty One,
To the great judgment,
The powerful from above
Who rules over all.
He shall doom pronounce
And strifes allay,
Holy peace establish
Which shall ever be."
Another still more difficult to understand in Hyndla's lay,
"Then shall another come,
Yet mightier,
Although I dare not
His name declare.
Few may see
Further forth
Than when Odin
Meets the Wolf."
Simrock, however, thinks that he sees some gleams of a higher unseen
Hidden Power very faintly here and there, and between this Being and
Odin he also fancies that he can trace some connection. But he is
very uncertain on the point.
Simrock says of the goddesses in the Scandinavian mythology that they
most of them represent only one side of the original Earth Mother,
dividing the double nature between them; so we see some personating
the fruitful, beneficent, life-giving renovating earth, whilst Hela
has only the dark side left in her nature. It is, however, to be
observed that whilst half a corpse she is half a woman. Gerda and
Idūna are mixed in nature, also Rinda and others of Odin's giantess
wives. He says, also, that Hela is the eldest of the goddesses, and
that the root idea remains with her,--a receiver of the dead, as
earth is,--though she became so degraded. Odin gave her power over
nine worlds, and here we see a trace of the old idea of her being the
great Earth Mother. "From a goddess of the underworld to a goddess of
death is one step. A goddess of the underworld should be life-giving
as well as destroying; but soon the heathen horror of death appears,
and the destroyer is looked upon as the ender only, not the fresh
begetter;" she becomes a hunger that will not be satisfied, and hence
Hela is a daughter of Loki.
Out of the flood, into the flood again,--Niflheim and Muspelheim join
hands in the twilight. As in the first beginning of things we saw
the strange waves alternately frozen and melted by these
antagonistic powers, and out of this antagonism a form--so in
Ragnarök we see the flood once more supreme, the rival forces, cold
and heat, both fighting against the formed, ordered world--both,
because both alike represent elemental forces which must precede
formation. So, also, a second time the world emerges out of the
struggle, Simrock thinks, a renewed world morally and physically; and
certainly it does seem to have made some advance upon the old order
of things,--it stands forth beautiful at once. But does this mean any
more, we wonder, than the golden age come back, with fate in the
back-ground. So many of the same powers seem to be at work in the two
worlds, that we can only think of a succession of events in looking
at the picture. We see again the golden tables, we see Hödur as well
as Baldur. There is one very obscure verse which seems to imply that
the giant fate-maidens are in the renewed world. Sons succeed their
fathers. Odin's sons inherit Odin's hall; the two mentioned are Vali
and Vidar, who were both descended from giantesses, and giants always
typify the baser part of nature. Thor's sons retain the badge of
warfare. On the other hand, it is said that Höd and Baldur come up
_peacefully_ together from the deep; it has been remarked, also, that
no Vanir gods (inferior to those of Asgard) are mentioned. There is
also a strophe in the Völuspa which talks of peace established, and
of heavenly Gimill, gold bedecked, where the righteous people are to
dwell for evermore, and enjoy happiness--
"She a Hall sees standing than the sun brighter,
With gold bedecked in Gimill.
There shall the righteous people dwell,
And for evermore happiness enjoy."
But again, immediately following these hopeful strains, we are shown
the dark-spotted snake--the Eternal Gnawer, with a corpse upon his
wings.
"The dark dragon flying from beneath, the glistening serpent,
On his wings bears Nidhögg, flying o'er the plain a corpse."
Our ears are puzzled by the strain, and we cannot catch the melody's
last tone. Is it a joy note or a wail? from Gimill's gold roofs, from
the shore of corpses? "Who can search into the beginning; who can
search into the end?"
INDEX OF NAMES, WITH MEANINGS.
SELECTED FROM MALLET'S "NORTHERN ANTIQUITIES," AND FROM THORPE'S
"NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY."
_Ægir_--The King of the Sea. The name means, "to flow."
_Æsir_--Gods or Lords. Singular, As or Asa.
_Alf_, _Elf_--Alfheim, Elfhome.
_Ali_ or _Vali_--The name of one of Loki's children. It signifies,
"strong."
_Amsvartnir_--Name of a lake. It means, "grief, black, gloomy."
_Angurbodi_--The mother of Jörmungand, Hela, and Fenrir. The name
signifies, "anguish boding."
_Asgard_--Literally, "God's-ward," or "the abode of the gods."
_Asyniur_--Goddesses.
_Audhumla_--The first cow. Signifies, "void, darkness."
_Baldur_--Bright, white, bold.
_Barri_--The Warm Wood.
_Beli_--The stag killed by Frey. _Beli_ signifies, "to bellow."
_Bifröst_--Name given to the rainbow. It means, "the Tremulous or
Aërial Bridge."
_Bilskirnir_--Name of Thor's mansion. It signifies either "bright
space" or "storm-serene."
_Bör_ or _Bur_--The first hero.
_Bragi_--The god of eloquence. From _braga_, "to shine;" or _bragga_,
"to adorn." _Bragr_, which in Norse signifies "poetry," has become in
English "to brag," and a poet "a braggart." From Bragi's bumper, the
Bragafull, comes our word "bragget," and probably, also, the verb "to
brew;" Norse, _brugga_.
_Breidablik_--Name of Baldur's abode. It means, "broad-blink,
wide-glancing, expanded splendour."
_Brisingamen_--Name of Freyja's necklace. From _brising_ "flaming."
_Dain_--Signifies, "swoon," or "complete repose." It is the name of
one of the four harts which ran about among the branches of
Yggdrasil; also the name of a dwarf.
_Draupnir_--A ring of Odin, which, after being placed on Baldur's
pile, acquired the power of dropping every ninth night eight rings of
equal weight with itself.
_Dromi_--Name of a chain by which Fenrir was bound, and from which he
freed himself. It has since become a proverb in Sweden, "To get loose
from Læding, and to dash out of Dromi," when anything is to be done
with great exertion.
_Duneyr_--Name of one of the harts which lived in Yggdrasil.
_Durathror_--Light sleep. Another of the harts.
_Durin_--Name of a dwarf. Signifies, "light sleep."
_Dvalin_--Torpor. Name of one of the harts; also of a dwarf.
_Einherjar_--Chosen heroes.
_Elivágar_--Stormy waves. The name of the rivers which flowed forth
from Hvergelmir, and hardened into ice in Ginnungagap, the abyss of
abysses, situated between Niflheim and Muspellheim.
_Elli_--Old Age. She wrestled with Thor in Jötunheim.
_Elvidnir_--The entrance-hall of Hela's palace. It means, "wide
storm."
_Ermt_--Name of a river through which Thor had to wade.
_Fenrir_ or _Fenris Ulfr_--Monster wolf, or dweller in an abyss, or
howling wolf of the deep.
_Fensalir_--Frigga's abode. _Fensaloon_, or watery deep.
_Folkvang_--Freyja's abode. Literally, "the folk's field or
habitation."
_Frey_ and _Freyja_--Master and mistress, from whence the German word
"frau." The names also signify, "mild, joyous, fructifying,
beauteous."
_Frigga_ or _Frigg_--Free, beauteous, winsome.
_Garm_--The dog with bloody breast and jaws who guarded the way to
Helheim. From gerr, "voracious," a word probably cognate with English
"gorge."
_Gerd_, _Gerda_, or _Gerdur_--From _gera_, "to do--make," as in
_akrgerd_, "agriculture."
_Gimli_--Name of the heavenly city which existed after the
destruction and renewal of the world. Signifies, "fire," or "gem."
_Ginnungagap_--The space between Niflheim and Muspellheim. Literally,
"the gap of gaps, the abyss of abysses, the yawning, gaping abyss."
_Gjallar-bru_--The sounding river leading from the abodes of the
living to those of the dead.
_Gjallar-horn_--From _gjalla_, "to resound, to clang." Cognate with
the English, "to yell."
_Gjöll_--Name of river, meaning "the horizon." It signifies,
"sonorous, fulgid," and has reference to the popular belief of the
sun's sound when it goes down and when it rises, or when day breaks
forth; the _skriek of day_, our "break of day."
_Gladsheim_--Odin's abode. Literally, "glad's home," or "the abode of
gladness;" from whence the English word "gladsome."
_Gleipnir_--The chain made by dwarfs for the binding of Fenrir. It
signifies, "the devouring."
_Gnipa_--Cave leading to Helheim.
_Gullinbursti_--Golden Bristles. Name of Frey's hog.
_Gulltoppr_--Golden Mane. The name of Heimdall's steed.
_Heimdall_--Guardian of the rainbow. His name signifies, "the pole or
post of the world." The rainbow, when incomplete, is still called by
the northern nations Veirstolpe, literally, "a weather-post."
_Hela_--The Queen of the Dead. Some say that her name means "intense
cold;" others, "a large hole or cavity."
_Helheim_--The home of Hela.
_Hermod_--The name of Odin's messenger. It signifies, "a host," or
"army of courage."
_Himinbiörg_--Heimdall's abode. The name signifies, "heavenly
mountains."
_Hlidskjalf_--The name of Odin's throne, from whence he looked over
the earth. It means literally, "a trembling or wavering slope."
_Hödur_ or _Höd_--The blind god. His name means, "war, combat."
_Hœnir_--The god of mind or perception. He is sometimes called the
rapid _As_, or _Long-foot_.
_Hringhorn_--Literally, "ringed horn." The name of Baldur's ship.
_Hrym_ or _Ryme_--Name of a giant, from whence "rime frost."
_Hugi_ or _Hugin_--Spirit, breath, thought. The name of one of Odin's
ravens.
_Hvergelmir_--The roaring cauldron, or spring of hot water, which
bubbled up out of Niflheim.
_Hymir_--Name of a giant. From _hum_, "the sea."
_Hyrrokin_--Literally, "smoky fire." The name of a giantess.
_Idūna_ or _Idūn_--Guardian of the apples of immortality.
_Jarnvid_--Iron Wood.
_Jörmungand_--Universal serpent.
_Jötunheim_--Giants' home. Grimm thinks that the old Norse for giant,
_iötun_, is cognate with the old Saxon _eten_, and may be derived
from _eta_, "to eat."
_Kerlaug_--One of the rivers through which Thor had to wade on his
way to the Doomstead.
_Körmt_--Another of the rivers through which Thor waded.
_Kvasir_--Name of a man killed by dwarfs; also of one of Odin's sons.
_Læding_--Name of one of the chains used to bind Fenrir.
_Landvidi_--Vidar's abode. Literally, "wide land."
_Logi_--Flame.
_Loki_--Either flame, or derived from _luka_, "to shut;" whence the
English "lock."
_Lyngvi_--The island of sweet broom.
_Magni_--The powerful. One of Thor's sons.
_Manheim_--The abode of men.
_Mani_--The moon.
_Mardöll_--Sea-nymph; from whence, perhaps, the English word, "doll."
_Megingjardir_--Thor's girdle of might, the belt of prowess.
_Midgard_--Name applied to the earth; "middle-ward," or "inclosure."
_Mimer_--Guardian of Wisdom's Well. The name signifies, "to keep in
memory," or "to be mindful." Mimer's Well was supposed to be situated
at that end of the rainbow opposite to Himinbiörg. Mimer drank water
from his well out of a horn, whence the popular superstition that a
cup is to be found at the end of the rainbow.
_Miölnir_--Name of Thor's hammer. It signifies, "to pound or grind;"
whence the English word "mill."
_Mödgudur_--Name of the woman who stood at the end of the bridge
leading to Helheim. It signifies, "courageous," from whence the
English word "mood."
_Modi_--The name of one of Thor's sons. It signifies, "courage."
_Munin_--Name of one of Odin's ravens. It signifies, "memory."
_Muspellheim_--The Muspellhome. _Muspell_ means "elemental fire."
_Naglfar_--Name of the ship that appears at Ragnarök, made of nails.
_Nagl_ means "nail."
_Nanna_--Baldur's wife. The name signifies, "daring."
_Nari_--One of Loki's sons. The name signifies, "binding."
_Naströnd_--Literally, "the shore of corpses."
_Nidhögg_--Serpent at the root of Yggdrasil. The name may be rendered
"dark gnawer."
_Niflheim_--Literally, "nebulous home."
_Njörd_--A Van, the universal nourishing power in air and water.
There is in the North an aquatic plant still called "Njörd's glove."
_Nöatun_--The name of Njörd's home. It means, "the place of ships."
_Nornir_--singular _Norn_--Name given to the Fates.
_Odin_--Called by the Saxons _Wodan_ or _Woden_. Several places still
retain the name of Odin in Germany and Sweden, as, also, Wednesbury,
in Staffordshire.
_Odur_--The name of Freyja's husband.
_Ragnarök_--The twilight of the gods.
_Ran_--Wife of Ægir. Her name signifies, "plunder, robbery."
_Ratatosk_--The name of the squirrel which ran up and down Yggdrasil.
_Roska_--The sister of Thialfi, Thor's attendant. The name signifies,
"quick, lively, active;" from whence comes the English word "rash."
_Sæhrimnir_--Name of the boar every evening eaten in Valhalla.
_Sessrymnir_--The name of Freyja's hall. It signifies, "seat roomy;"
from whence the English word "room."
_Sif_--Name of Thor's wife.
_Siguna_--Name of Loki's wife.
_Siofna_--Daughter of Freyja and goddess of sleep.
_Skadi_--The wife of Niörd. _Skadi_ signifies, "the hurtful." Her
habitation was Thrymheim, "noise-home."
_Skidbladnir_--Name of Frey's ship. The English word "blade," or
"leaf," comes from Bladnir.
_Skirnir_--Frey's messenger. The name signifies, "serene, pure,
clear." The English word "sheer" comes from it.
_Skrymir_--Name of a giant. From _skrum_, "show, brag, feint."
_Skuld_--One of the Nornir. _Skuld_ signifies, "what is to come."
_Sleipnir_--Name of Odin's horse. He had eight legs. _Sleipnir_
signifies, "smooth, gliding;" from whence the English word
"slippery."
_Sol_--The sun.
_Surt_ or _Surtur_--The fire-god, who lived in Muspellheim. His name
signifies, "swart, browned by fire."
_Suttung_--A giant, whose name means, "to drink."
_Svartalfheim_ or _Svartheim_--Literally, "swart or dark home." It
was the region of the dwarfs, or dark elves.
_Thaukt_--Name of a witch.
_Thialfi_--One of Thor's attendants. Supposed to mean, "the
thunder-shower."
_Thiassi_--Name of Skadi's father. It signifies, "violent,
tempestuous."
_Thor_--God of thunder. Also called _Ving-Thor_, or _Winged-Thor_;
_Auku_, or _Oku-Thor_; _Chariot-Thor_.
_Thrudvang_ or _Thrudheim_--Thor's abode. The name signifies, "the
region of fortitude," or "dense, closely packed together."
_Thrymheim_--Noise-home.
_Tyr_--The god after whom Tuesday was named.
_Urd_--One of the Nornir. Her name signifies, "past."
_Urda_--The name of the sacred fount, which was situated over
Bifröst.
_Utgard_--The name of the chief city of Jötunheim. Literally,
"outer-ward."
_Valhalla_--Name of a hall in Gladsheim. It means literally, "hall of
the chosen."
_Valkyrior_--singular, _Valkyria_--Odin's maidens. The name means
literally, "choosers of the slain."
_Vanaheim_--The home of the Vanir.
_Vanir_--singular masculine, _Van_; singular feminine, _Vana_--The
name of the gods of the air and water. _Vanr_ signifies, "empty."
_Vegtam_--A wanderer.
_Verdandi_--One of the Nornir. Her name signifies, "present."
_Vidar_--The silent god. _Vidar_ signifies, "a wood or forest."
_Vidblain_--The wide blue.
_Vigrid_--Name of the battle-field on which the gods and the evil
powers contended during Ragnarök. _Vigrid_ signifies, "battle, ride."
_Vingolf_--Abode of the goddesses. Means literally, "the floor of
friends."
_Voluspá_--The name of an old poem.
_Yggdrasil_--The name of the earth tree.
_Ymir_--The first giant. _Ymir_ means, "a confused noise."
THE STANDARD SCHOOL LIBRARY.
(Each Volume, cloth, 50 cents. Sold singly or in sets.)
BAILEY. LESSONS WITH PLANTS. Suggestions for Seeing and
Interpreting Some of the Common Forms of Vegetation. By L. H. Bailey.
12mo. Illustrated. xxxi + 491 pages.
This volume is the outgrowth of "observation lessons." The book is
based upon the idea that the proper way to begin the study of plants
is by means of plants instead of formal ideals or definitions.
Instead of a definition as a model telling what is to be seen, the
plant shows what there is to be seen, and the definition follows.
BARNES. YANKEE SHIPS AND YANKEE SAILORS. Tales of 1812. By James
Barnes. 12mo. Illustrated. xiii + 281 pages.
Fourteen spirited tales of the gallant defenders of the _Chesapeake_,
the _Wasp_, the _Vixen_, _Old Ironsides_, and other heroes of the
Naval War of 1812.
BELLAMY. THE WONDER CHILDREN. By Charles J. Bellamy. 12mo.
Illustrated.
Nine old-fashioned fairy stories in a modern setting.
BLACK. THE PRACTICE OF SELF-CULTURE. By Hugh Black. 12mo. vii +
262 pages.
Nine essays on culture considered in its broadest sense. The title is
justified not so much from the point of view of giving many details
for self-culture, as of giving an impulse to practice.
BONSAL. THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE. Extracts from the letters of
Captain H. L. Herndon of the 21st U. S. Infantry, on duty in the
Philippine Islands, and Lieutenant Lawrence Gill, A.D.C. to the
Military Governor of Puerto Rico. With a postscript by J. Sherman,
Private, Co. D, 21st Infantry. Edited by Stephen Bonsal. 12mo. xi +
316 pages.
These letters throw much light on our recent history. The story of
our "Expansion" is well told, and the problems which are its
outgrowth are treated with clearness and insight.
BUCK. BOYS' SELF-GOVERNING CLUBS. By Winifred Buck. 16mo. x + 218
pages.
The history of self-governing clubs, with directions for their
organization and management. The author has had many years'
experience as organizer and adviser of self-governing clubs in New
York City and the vicinity.
CARROLL. ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. By Lewis Carroll.
12mo. Illustrated. xiv + 192 pages.
CARROLL. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AND WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE. By
Lewis Carroll. 12mo. Illustrated. xv + 224 pages.
The authorized edition of these children's classics. They have
recently been reprinted from new type and new cuts made from the
original wood blocks.
CHURCH. THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. By Rev. A. J. Church. vii + 314
pages.
CHURCH. THE STORY OF THE ODYSSEY. By Rev. A. J. Church. vii + 306
pages.
The two great epics are retold in prose by one of the best of
story-tellers. The Greek atmosphere is remarkably well preserved.
CRADDOCK. THE STORY OF OLD FORT LOUDON. By Charles Egbert
Craddock. 12mo. Illustrated. v + 409 pages.
A story of pioneer life in Tennessee at the time of the Cherokee
uprising in 1760. The frontier fort serves as a background to this
picture of Indian craft and guile and pioneer pleasures and
hardships.
CROCKETT. RED CAP TALES. By S. R. Crockett. 8vo. Illustrated. xii
+ 413 pages.
The volume consists of a number of tales told in succession from four
of Scott's novels--"Waverley," "Guy Mannering," "Rob Roy," and "The
Antiquary"; with a break here and there while the children to whom
they are told discuss the story just told from their own point of
view. No better introduction to Scott's novels could be imagined or
contrived. Half a dozen or more tales are given from each book.
DIX. A LITTLE CAPTIVE LAD. By Beulah Marie Dix. 12mo.
Illustrated. vii + 286 pages.
The story is laid in the time of Cromwell, and the captive lad is a
cavalier, full of the pride of his caste. The plot develops around
the child's relations to his Puritan relatives. It is a well-told
story, with plenty of action, and is a faithful picture of the times.
EGGLESTON. SOUTHERN SOLDIER STORIES. By George Cary Eggleston.
12mo. Illustrated. xi + 251 pages.
Forty-seven stories illustrating the heroism of those brave Americans
who fought on the losing side in the Civil War. Humor and pathos are
found side by side in these pages which bear evidence of absolute
truth.
ELSON. SIDE LIGHTS ON AMERICAN HISTORY.
This volume takes a contemporary view of the leading events in the
history of the country from the period of the Declaration of
Independence to the close of the Spanish-American War. The result is
a very valuable series of studies in many respects more interesting
and informing than consecutive history.
GAYE. THE GREAT WORLD'S FARM. Some Account of Nature's Crops and
How they are Sown. By Selina Gaye. 12mo. Illustrated. xii + 365
pages.
A readable account of plants and how they live and grow. It is as
free as possible from technicalities and well adapted to young
people.
GREENE. PICKETT'S GAP. By Homer Greene. 12mo. Illustrated. vii +
288 pages.
A story of American life and character illustrated in the personal
heroism and manliness of an American boy. It is well told, and the
lessons in morals and character are such as will appeal to every
honest instinct.
HAPGOOD. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. By Norman Hapgood. 12mo. Illustrated.
xiii + 433 pages.
This is one of the best one-volume biographies of Lincoln, and a
faithful picture of the strong character of the great President, not
only when he was at the head of the nation, but also as a boy and a
young man, making his way in the world.
HAPGOOD. GEORGE WASHINGTON. By Norman Hapgood. 12mo. Illustrated.
xi + 419 pages.
Not the semi-mythical Washington of some biographers, but a clear,
comprehensive account of the man as he really appeared in camp, in
the field, in the councils of his country, at home, and in society.
Whenever possible the narrative is given in the words of
contemporaries, in extracts from letters, journals, and the
publications of the time. There are reproductions of the four most
famous portraits of Washington, and several facsimiles of pages from
his journal and other writings.
HUFFORD. SHAKESPEARE IN TALE AND VERSE. By Lois Grosvenor
Hufford. 12mo. ix + 445 pages.
The purpose of the author is to introduce Shakespeare to such of his
readers as find the intricacies of the plots of the dramas somewhat
difficult to manage. The stories which constitute the main plots are
given, and are interspersed with the dramatic dialogue in such a
manner as to make tale and verse interpret each other.
HUGHES. TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS. By Thomas Hughes. 12mo.
Illustrated. xxi + 376 pages.
An attractive and convenient edition of this great story of life at
Rugby. It is a book that appeals to boys everywhere and which makes
for manliness and high ideals. The lively and spirited account of the
English school-boy's daily life, with its vivid descriptions of
sports, games, and occasional "scrapes," is as delightful to read as
on its first publication. The sympathetic and imaginative
illustrations of Arthur Hughes are retained.
HUTCHINSON. THE STORY OF THE HILLS. A Book about Mountains for
General Readers. By Rev. H. W. Hutchinson. 12mo. Illustrated. xv +
357 pages.
Besides the purely geological matter, there are entertaining chapters
on "Mountains and Men," "Mountain Plants and Animals," and "Sunshine
and Storm on the Mountain." The entire subject-matter of the book is
diversified by anecdote and quotation.
"A clear account of the geological formation of mountains and their
various methods of origin in language so clear and untechnical that
it will not confuse even the most unscientific."--Boston _Evening
Transcript_.
ILLINOIS GIRL. A PRAIRIE WINTER. By an Illinois Girl. 16mo. 164
pages.
A record of the procession of the months from midway in September to
midway in May. The observations on Nature are accurate and
sympathetic, and they are interspersed with glimpses of a charming
home life and bits of cheerful philosophy.
INGERSOLL. WILD NEIGHBORS. OUTDOOR STUDIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
By Ernest Ingersoll. 12mo. Illustrated. xii + 301 pages.
Studies and stories of the gray squirrel, the puma, the coyote, the
badger, and other burrowers, the porcupine, the skunk, the woodchuck,
and the raccoon.
INMAN. THE RANCH ON THE OXHIDE. By Henry Inman. 12mo.
Illustrated. xi + 297 pages.
A story of pioneer life in Kansas in the late sixties. Adventures
with wild animals and skirmishes with Indians add interest to the
narrative.
JOHNSON. CERVANTES' DON QUIXOTE. Edited by Clifton Johnson. 12mo.
Illustrated. xxiii + 398 pages.
A well-edited edition of this classic. The one effort has been to
bring the book to readable proportions without excluding any really
essential incident or detail, and at the same time to make the text
unobjectionable and wholesome.
JUDSON. THE GROWTH OF THE AMERICAN NATION. By Harry Pratt Judson.
12mo. Illustrations and maps. xi + 359 pages.
The cardinal facts of American History are grasped in such a way as
to show clearly the orderly development of national life.
KEARY. THE HEROES OF ASGARD: TALES FROM SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY.
By A. and E. Keary. 12mo. Illustrated. 323 pages.
The book is divided into nine chapters, called "The Æsir," "How Thor
went to Jötunheim," "Frey," "The Wanderings of Freyja," "Iduna's
Apples," "Baldur," "The Binding of Fenrir," "The Punishment of Loki,"
"Ragnarök."
KING. DE SOTO AND HIS MEN IN THE LAND OF FLORIDA. By Grace King.
12mo. Illustrated. xiv + 326 pages.
A story based upon the Spanish and Portuguese accounts of the
attempted conquest by the armada which sailed under De Soto in 1538
to subdue this country. Miss King gives a most entertaining history
of the invaders' struggles and of their final demoralized rout; while
her account of the native tribes is a most attractive feature of the
narrative.
KINGSLEY. MADAM HOW AND LADY WHY: FIRST LESSONS IN EARTH LORE FOR
CHILDREN. By Charles Kingsley. 12mo. Illustrated. xviii + 321 pages.
Madam How and Lady Why are two fairies who teach the how and why of
things in nature. There are chapters on Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Coral
Reefs, Glaciers, etc., told in an interesting manner. The book is
intended to lead children to use their eyes and ears.
KINGSLEY. THE WATER BABIES: A FAIRY TALE FOR A LAND BABY. By
Charles Kingsley. 12mo. Illustrated. 330 pages.
One of the best children's stories ever written; it has deservedly
become a classic.
LANGE. OUR NATIVE BIRDS: HOW TO PROTECT THEM AND ATTRACT THEM TO
OUR HOMES. By D. Lange. 12mo. Illustrated. x + 162 pages.
A strong plea for the protection of birds. Methods and devices for
their encouragement are given, also a bibliography of helpful
literature, and material for Bird Day.
LOVELL. STORIES IN STONE FROM THE ROMAN FORUM. By Isabel Lovell.
12mo. Illustrated. viii + 258 pages.
The eight stories in this volume give many facts that travelers wish
to know, that historical readers seek, and that young students enjoy.
The book puts the reader in close touch with Roman life.
McFARLAND. GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE TREES. By J. Horace
McFarland. 8vo. Illustrated. xi + 241 pages.
A charmingly written series of tree essays. They are not scientific
but popular, and are the outcome of the author's desire that others
should share the rest and comfort that have come to him through
acquaintance with trees.
MAJOR. THE BEARS OF BLUE RIVER. By Charles Major. 12mo.
Illustrated. 277 pages.
A collection of good bear stories with a live boy for the hero. The
scene is laid in the early days of Indiana.
MARSHALL. WINIFRED'S JOURNAL. By Emma Marshall. 12mo.
Illustrated. 353 pages.
A story of the time of Charles the First. Some of the characters are
historical personages.
MEANS. PALMETTO STORIES. By Celina E. Means. 12mo. Illustrated. x
+ 244 pages.
True accounts of some of the men and women who made the history of
South Carolina, and correct pictures of the conditions under which
these men and women labored.
MORRIS. MAN AND HIS ANCESTOR: A STUDY IN EVOLUTION. By Charles
Morris. 16mo. Illustrated. vii + 238 pages.
A popular presentation of the subject of man's origin. The various
significant facts that have been discovered since Darwin's time are
given, as well as certain lines of evidence never before presented in
this connection.
NEWBOLT. STORIES FROM FROISSART. By Henry Newbolt. 12mo.
Illustrated. xxxi + 368 pages.
Here are given entire thirteen episodes from the "Chronicles" of Sir
John Froissart. The text is modernized sufficiently to make it
intelligible to young readers. Separated narratives are dovetailed,
and new translations have been made where necessary to make the
narrative complete and easily readable.
OVERTON. THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER. By Gwendolen Overton. 12mo.
Illustrated. vii + 270 pages.
A story of girl life at an army post on the frontier. The plot is an
absorbing one, and the interest of the reader is held to the end.
PALGRAVE. THE CHILDREN'S TREASURY OF ENGLISH SONG. Selected and
arranged by Francis Turner Palgrave. 16mo. viii + 302 pages.
This collection contains 168 selections--songs, narratives,
descriptive or reflective pieces of a lyrical quality, all suited to
the taste and understanding of children.
PALMER. STORIES FROM THE CLASSICAL LITERATURE OF MANY NATIONS.
Edited by Bertha Palmer. 12mo. xv + 297 pages.
A collection of sixty characteristic stories from Chinese, Japanese,
Hebrew, Babylonian, Arabian, Hindu, Greek, Roman, German,
Scandinavian, Celtic, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
Anglo-Saxon, English, Finnish, and American Indian sources.
RIIS. CHILDREN OF THE TENEMENTS. By Jacob A. Riis. 12mo.
Illustrated. ix + 387 pages.
Forty sketches and short stories dealing with the lights and shadows
of life in the slums of New York City, told just as they came to the
writer, fresh from the life of the people.
SANDYS. TRAPPER JIM. By Edwyn Sandys. 12mo. Illustrated. ix + 441
pages.
A book which will delight every normal boy. Jim is a city lad who
learns from an older cousin all the lore of outdoor life--trapping,
shooting, fishing, camping, swimming, and canoeing. The author is a
well-known writer on outdoor subjects.
SEXTON. STORIES OF CALIFORNIA. By Ella M. Sexton. 12mo.
Illustrated. x + 211 pages.
Twenty-two stories illustrating the early conditions and the romantic
history of California and the subsequent development of the state.
SHARP. THE YOUNGEST GIRL IN THE SCHOOL. By Evelyn Sharp. 12mo.
Illustrated. ix + 326 pages.
Bab, the "youngest girl," was only eleven and the pet of five
brothers. Her ups and downs in a strange boarding school make an
interesting story.
SPARKS. THE MEN WHO MADE THE NATION: AN OUTLINE OF UNITED STATES
HISTORY FROM 1776 TO 1861. By Edwin E. Sparks. 12mo. Illustrated.
viii + 415 pages.
The author has chosen to tell our history by selecting the one man at
various periods of our affairs who was master of the situation and
about whom events naturally grouped themselves. The characters thus
selected number twelve, as "Samuel Adams, the man of the town
meeting"; "Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution";
"Hamilton, the advocate of stronger government," etc., etc.
THACHER. THE LISTENING CHILD. A selection from the stories of
English verse, made for the youngest readers and hearers. By Lucy W.
Thacher. 12mo. xxx + 408 pages.
Under this title are gathered two hundred and fifty selections. The
arrangement is most intelligent, as shown in the proportions assigned
to different authors and periods. Much prominence is given to purely
imaginative writers. The preliminary essay, "A Short Talk to Children
about Poetry," is full of suggestion.
WALLACE. UNCLE HENRY'S LETTERS TO THE FARM BOY. By Henry Wallace.
16mo. ix + 180 pages.
Eighteen letters on habits, education, business, recreation, and
kindred subjects.
WEED. LIFE HISTORIES OF AMERICAN INSECTS. By Clarence Moores
Weed. 12mo. Illustrated. xii + 272 pages.
In these pages are described by an enthusiastic student of entomology
such changes as may often be seen in an insect's form, and which mark
the progress of its life. He shows how very wide a field of
interesting facts is within reach of any one who has the patience to
collect these little creatures.
WELLS. THE JINGLE BOOK. By Carolyn Wells. 12mo. Illustrated. viii
+ 124 pages.
A collection of fifty delightful jingles and nonsense verses. The
illustrations by Oliver Herford do justice to the text.
WILSON. DOMESTIC SCIENCE IN GRAMMAR GRADES. A Reader. By Lucy L.
W. Wilson. 12mo. ix + 193 pages.
Descriptions of homes and household customs of all ages and
countries, studies of materials and industries, glimpses of the homes
of literature, and articles on various household subjects.
WILSON. HISTORY READER FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. By Lucy L. W.
Wilson. 16mo. Illustrated. xvii + 403 pages.
Stories grouped about the greatest men and the most striking events
in our country's history. The readings run by months, beginning with
September.
WILSON. PICTURE STUDY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. By Lucy L. W.
Wilson. 12mo. Illustrated.
Ninety half-tone reproductions from celebrated paintings both old and
modern, accompanied by appropriate readings from the poets. All
schools of art are represented.
WRIGHT. HEART OF NATURE. By Mabel Osgood Wright. 12mo.
Illustrated.
This volume comprises "Stories of Plants and Animals," "Stories of
Earth and Sky," and "Stories of Birds and Beasts," usually published
in three volumes and known as "The Heart of Nature Series." It is a
delightful combination of story and nature study, the author's name
being a sufficient warrant for its interest and fidelity to nature.
WRIGHT. FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS AND THEIR KIN. By Mabel Osgood
Wright, edited by Frank Chapman. 12mo. Illustrated. xv + 432 pages.
An animal book in story form. The scene shifts from farm to woods,
and back to an old room, fitted as a sort of winter camp, where vivid
stories of the birds and beasts which cannot be seen at home are told
by the campfire,--the sailor who has hunted the sea, the woodman, the
mining engineer, and wandering scientist, each taking his turn. A
useful family tree of North American Mammals is added.
WRIGHT. DOGTOWN. By Mabel Osgood Wright. 12mo. Illustrated. xiii
+ 405 pages.
"Dogtown" was a neighborhood so named because so many people loved
and kept dogs. For it is a story of people as well as of dogs, and
several of the people as well as the dogs are old friends, having
been met in Mrs. Wright's other books.
YONGE. LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE. By Charlotte M. Yonge.
12mo. Illustrated. xi + 140 pages.
An interesting and ingenious introduction to geography. In her dreams
Lucy visits the children of various lands and thus learns much of the
habits and customs of these countries.
YONGE. UNKNOWN TO HISTORY. By Charlotte M. Yonge. 12mo.
Illustrated. xi + 589 pages.
A story of the captivity of Mary Queen of Scots, told in the author's
best vein.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Heroes of Asgard, by Annie Keary and E. Keary