67. "Will any of the gods survive, and will there be any longer a
heaven and an earth?" demanded Gangler.
"There will arise out of the sea," replied Har, "another earth most
lovely and verdant, with pleasant fields where the grain shall grow
unsown. Vidar and Vali shall survive; neither the flood nor Surtur's
fire shall harm them. They shall dwell on the plain of Ida, where
Asgard formerly stood. Thither shall come the sons of Thor, Modi and
Magni, bringing with them their father's mallet Mjolnir. Baldur and
Hodur shall also repair thither from the abode of death (Hel). There
shall they sit and converse together, and call to mind their former
knowledge and the perils they underwent, and the fight of the wolf
Fenrir and the Midgard serpent. There too shall they find in the grass
those golden tablets (orbs) which the Æsir once possessed. As it is
said,--
"'There dwell Vidar and Vali
In the gods' holy seats,
When slaked Surtur's fire is
But Modi and Magni
Will Mjolnir possess,
And strife put an end to.'
"Thou must know, moreover, that during the conflagration caused by
Surtur's fire, a woman named Lif (Life), and a man named Lifthrasir,
lie concealed in Hodmimir's forest. They shall feed on morning dew,
and their descendants shall soon spread over the whole earth.
"But what thou wilt deem more wonderful is, that the sun shall have
brought forth a daughter more lovely than herself, who shall go in the
same track formerly trodden by her mother.
"And now," continued Thridi, "if thou hast any further questions to
ask, I know not who can answer thee, for I never heard tell of any
one who could relate what will happen in the other ages of the world.
Make, therefore, the best use thou canst of what has been imparted to
thee."
Upon this Gangler heard a terrible noise all around him: he looked
everywhere, but could see neither palace nor city, nor anything save a
vast plain. He therefore set out on his return to his own kingdom,
where he related all that he had seen and heard, and ever since that
time these tidings have been handed down by oral tradition.