THE CREATION--(CONTINUED.)
9. Then said Ganglere: Much had been done, it seemed to me, when heaven
and earth were made, when sun and moon were set in their places, and
when days were marked out; but whence came the people who inhabit the
world? Har answered as follows: As Bor’s sons went along the sea-strand,
they found two trees. These trees they took up and made men of them. The
first gave them spirit and life; the second endowed them with reason and
power of motion; and the third gave them form, speech, hearing and
eyesight. They gave them clothes and names; the man they called Ask, and
the woman Embla. From them all mankind is descended, and a
dwelling-place was given them under Midgard. In the next place, the sons
of Bor made for themselves in the middle of the world a burg, which is
called Asgard, and which we call Troy. There dwelt the gods and their
race, and thence were wrought many tidings and adventures, both on earth
and in the sky. In Asgard is a place called Hlidskjalf, and when Odin
seated himself there in the high-seat, he saw over the whole world, and
what every man was doing, and he knew all things that he saw. His wife
hight Frigg, and she was the daughter of Fjorgvin, and from their
offspring are descended the race that we call asas, who inhabited Asgard
the old and the realms that lie about it, and all that race are known to
be gods. And for this reason Odin is called Alfather, that he is the
father of all gods and men, and of all things that were made by him and
by his might. Jord (earth) was his daughter and his wife; with her he
begat his first son, and that is Asa-Thor. To him was given force and
strength, whereby he conquers all things quick.
10. Norfe, or Narfe, hight a giant, who dwelt in Jotunheim. He had a
daughter by name Night. She was swarthy and dark like the race she
belonged to. She was first married to a man who hight Naglfare. Their
son was Aud. Afterward she was married to Annar. Jord hight their
daughter. Her last husband was Delling (Daybreak), who was of asa-race.
Their son was Day, who was light and fair after his father. Then took
Alfather Night and her son Day, gave them two horses and two cars, and
set them up in heaven to drive around the earth, each in twelve hours by
turns. Night rides first on the horse which is called Hrimfaxe, and
every morning he bedews the earth with the foam from his bit. The horse
on which Day rides is called Skinfaxe, and with his mane he lights up
all the sky and the earth.
11. Then said Ganglere: How does he steer the course of the sun and the
moon? Answered Har: Mundilfare hight the man who had two children. They
were so fair and beautiful that he called his son Moon, and his
daughter, whom he gave in marriage to a man by name Glener, he called
Sun. But the gods became wroth at this arrogance, took both the brother
and the sister, set them up in heaven, and made Sun drive the horses
that draw the car of the sun, which the gods had made to light up the
world from sparks that flew out of Muspelheim. These horses hight Arvak
and Alsvid. Under their withers the gods placed two wind-bags to cool
them, but in some songs it is called ironcold (ísarnkol). Moon guides
the course of the moon, and rules its waxing and waning. He took from
the earth two children, who hight Bil and Hjuke, as they were going from
the well called Byrger, and were carrying on their shoulders the bucket
called Sager and the pole Simul. Their father’s name is Vidfin. These
children always accompany Moon, as can be seen from the earth.
12. Then said Ganglere: Swift fares Sun, almost as if she were afraid,
and she could make no more haste in her course if she feared her
destroyer. Then answered Har: Nor is it wonderful that she speeds with
all her might. Near is he who pursues her, and there is no escape for
her but to run before him. Then asked Ganglere: Who causes her this
toil? Answered Har: It is two wolves. The one hight Skol, he runs after
her; she fears him and he will one day overtake her. The other hight
Hate, Hrodvitner’s son; he bounds before her and wants to catch the
moon, and so he will at last.[20] Then asked Ganglere: Whose offspring
are these wolves? Said Har; A hag dwells east of Midgard, in the forest
called Jarnved (Ironwood), where reside the witches called Jarnvidjes.
The old hag gives birth to many giant sons, and all in wolf’s likeness.
Thence come these two wolves. It is said that of this wolf-race one is
the mightiest, and is called Moongarm. He is filled with the life-blood
of all dead men. He will devour the moon, and stain the heavens and all
the sky with blood. Thereby the sun will be darkened, the winds will
grow wild, and roar hither and thither, as it is said in the Prophecy of
the Vala:
In the east dwells the old hag,
In the Jarnved forest;
And brings forth there
Fenrer’s offspring.
There comes of them all
One the worst,
The moon’s devourer
In a troll’s disguise.
He is filled with the life-blood
Of men doomed to die;
The seats of the gods
He stains with red gore;
Sunshine grows black
The summer thereafter,
All weather gets fickle.
Know you yet or not?[21]
[Footnote 20: That wolves follow the sun and moon, is a
wide-spread popular superstition. In Sweden, a parhelion is
called Solvarg (sun-wolf).]
[Footnote 21: Elder Edda: The Vala’s Prophecy, 43, 44.]
13. Then asked Ganglere: What is the path from earth to heaven? Har
answered, laughing: Foolishly do you now ask. Have you not been told
that the gods made a bridge from earth to heaven, which is called
Bifrost? You must have seen it. It may be that you call it the rainbow.
It has three colors, is very strong, and is made with more craft and
skill than other structures. Still, however strong it is, it will break
when the sons of Muspel come to ride over it, and then they will have to
swim their horses over great rivers in order to get on. Then said
Ganglere: The gods did not, it seems to me, build that bridge honestly,
if it shall be able to break to pieces, since they could have done so,
had they desired. Then made answer Har: The gods are worthy of no blame
for this structure. Bifrost is indeed a good bridge, but there is no
thing in the world that is able to stand when the sons of Muspel come to
the fight.