“Siegfried, you know that we have but little charcoal left for our
forges, and our master will soon return from his journey. It will never
do for him to find us idle, and the fires cold. Some one must go to-day
to the forest-pits, and bring home a fresh supply of charcoal. How would
you like the errand? It is but a pleasant day’s journey to the pits; and
a ride into the greenwood this fine summer day would certainly be more
agreeable than staying in the smoky shop.”
“I should like the drive very much,” answered Siegfried; “but I have
never been to the coal-pits, and I might lose my way in the forest.”
“No danger of that,” said Veliant. “Follow the road that goes straight
into the heart of the forest, and you cannot miss your way. It will lead
you to the house of Regin, the master, the greatest charcoal-man in all
Rhineland. He will be right glad to see you for Mimer’s sake, and you
may lodge with him for the night. In the morning he will fill your cart
with the choicest charcoal, and you can drive home at your leisure; and,
when our master comes again, he will find our forges flaming, and our
bellows roaring, and our anvils ringing, as of yore.”
Siegfried, after some further parley, agreed to undertake the errand,
although he felt that Veliant, in urging him to do so, wished to work
him some harm. He harnessed the donkey to the smith’s best cart, and
drove merrily away along the road which led towards the forest.[EN#5]
The day was bright and clear; and as Siegfried rode through the flowery
meadows, or betwixt the fields of corn, a thousand sights and sounds met
him, and made him glad. Now and then he would stop to watch the reapers
in the fields, or to listen to the song of some heaven-soaring lark
lost to sight in the blue sea overhead. Once he met a company of gayly
dressed youths and maidens, carrying sheaves of golden grain,--for it
was now the harvest-time,--and singing in praise of Frey, the giver of
peace and plenty.
“Whither away, young prince?” they merrily asked.
“To Regin, the coal-burner, in the deep greenwood,” he answered.
“Then may the good Frey have thee in keeping!” they cried. “It is a long
and lonesome journey.” And each one blessed him as they passed.
It was nearly noon when he drove into the forest, and left the blooming
meadows and the warm sunshine behind him. And now he urged the donkey
forwards with speed; for he knew that he had lost much precious time,
and that many miles still lay between him and Regin’s charcoal-pits. And
there was nothing here amid the thick shadows of the wood to make him
wish to linger; for the ground was damp, and the air was chilly, and
every thing was silent as the grave. And not a living creature did
Siegfried see, save now and then a gray wolf slinking across the road,
or a doleful owl sitting low down in some tree-top, and blinking at him
in the dull but garish light. Evening at last drew on, and the shadows
in the wood grew deeper; and still no sign of charcoal-burner, nor of
other human being, was seen. Night came, and thick darkness settled
around; and all the demons of the forest came forth, and clamored and
chattered, and shrieked and howled. But Siegfried was not afraid. The
bats and vampires came out of their hiding-places, and flapped their
clammy wings in his face; and he thought that he saw ogres and many
fearful creatures peeping out from behind every tree and shrub. But,
when he looked upwards through the overhanging tree-tops, he saw the
star-decked roof of heaven, the blue mantle which the All-Father has
hung as a shelter over the world; and he went bravely onwards, never
doubting but that Odin has many good things in store for those who are
willing to trust him.
And by and by the great round moon arose in the east, and the fearful
sounds that had made the forest hideous began to die away; and Siegfried
saw, far down the path, a red light feebly gleaming. And he was glad,
for he knew that it must come from the charcoal-burners’ pits. Soon he
came out upon a broad, cleared space; and the charcoal-burners’ fires
blazed bright before him; and some workmen, swarthy and soot-begrimed,
came forwards to meet him.
“Who are you?” they asked; “and why do you come through the forest at
this late hour?”
“I am Siegfried,” answered the boy; “and I come from Mimer’s smithy. I
seek Regin, the king of charcoal-burners; for I must have coal for my
master’s smithy.”
“Come with me,” said one of the men: “I will lead you to Regin.”
Siegfried alighted from his cart, and followed the man to a low-roofed
hut not far from the burning pits. As they drew near, they heard the
sound of a harp, and strange, wild music within; and Siegfried’s heart
was stirred with wonder as he listened. The man knocked softly at the
door, and the music ceased.
“Who comes to break into Regin’s rest at such a time as this?” said a
rough voice within.
“A youth who calls himself Siegfried,” answered the man. “He says that
he comes from Mimer’s smithy, and he would see you, my master.”
“Let him come in,” said the voice.
Siegfried passed through the low door, and into the room beyond; and so
strange was the sight that met him that he stood for a while in awe,
for never in so lowly a dwelling had treasures so rich been seen. Jewels
sparkled from the ceiling; rare tapestry covered the walls; and on the
floor were heaps of ruddy gold and silver, still unfashioned. And in
the midst of all this wealth stood Regin, the king of the forest, the
greatest of charcoal-men. And a strange old man he was, wrinkled and
gray and beardless; but out of his eyes sharp glances gleamed of a light
that was not human, and his heavy brow and broad forehead betokened
wisdom and shrewd cunning. And he welcomed Siegfried kindly for Mimer’s
sake, and set before him a rich repast of venison, and wild honey, and
fresh white bread, and luscious grapes. And, when the meal was finished,
the boy would have told his errand, but Regin stopped him.
“Say nothing of your business to-night,” said he; “for the hour is
already late, and you are weary. Better lie down, and rest until the
morrow; and then we will talk of the matter which has brought you
hither.”
And Siegfried was shown to a couch of the fragrant leaves of the myrtle
and hemlock, overspread with soft white linen, such as is made in the
far-off Emerald Isle; and he was lulled to sleep by sweet strains of
music from Regin’s harp,--music which told of the days when the gods
were young on the earth. And as he slept he dreamed. He dreamed that
he stood upon the crag of a high mountain, and that the eagles flew
screaming around him, and the everlasting snows lay at his feet, and the
world in all its beauty was stretched out like a map below him; and he
longed to go forth to partake of its abundance, and to make for himself
a name among men. Then came the Norns, who spin the thread, and weave
the woof, of every man’s life; and they held in their hands the web
of his own destiny. And Urd, the Past, sat on the tops of the eastern
mountains, where the sun begins to rise at dawn; while Verdanda, the
Present, stood in the western sea, where sky and water meet. And they
stretched the web between them, and its ends were hidden in the far-away
mists. Then with all their might the two Norns span the purple and
golden threads, and wove the fatal woof. But as it began to grow in
beauty and in strength, and to shadow the earth with its gladness and
its glory, Skuld, the pitiless Norn of the Future, seized it with rude
fingers, and tore it into shreds, and cast it down at the feet of Hela,
the white queen of the dead.[EN#6] And the eagles shrieked, and the
mountain shook, and the crag toppled, and Siegfried awoke.
The next morning, at earliest break of day, the youth sought Regin, and
made known his errand.
“I have come for charcoal for my master Mimer’s forges. My cart stands
ready outside; and I pray you to have it filled at once, for the way is
long, and I must be back betimes.”