The giant Thiasse, whom Thor slew for the theft of Idun and the magic
apples, had a daughter, Skadi, who was a very good sort of girl, as
giantesses go. Most of them were evil-tempered, spiteful, and cruel
creatures, who desired only to do harm to the gods and to all who
were good. But Skadi was different. Stronger than the hatred of her
race for the Æsir, stronger even than her wish to be revenged for her
father's death, was her love for Balder the beautiful, the pride of all
the gods. If she had not been a giantess, she might have hoped that
he would love her also; but she knew that no one who lived in Asgard
would ever think kindly of her race, which had caused so much trouble
to Balder and his brothers. After her father was killed by the Æsir,
however, Skadi had a wise idea.
Skadi put on her helm and corselet and set out for Asgard, meaning
to ask a noble price to pay for the sorrow of Thiasse's death. The
gods, who had all grown young and boyish once again, were sitting in
Valhalla merrily enjoying a banquet in honor of Idun's safe return,
when Skadi, clattering with steel, strode into their midst. Heimdal the
watchman, astonished at the sight, had let this maiden warrior pass him
upon the rainbow bridge. The Æsir set down their cups hastily, and the
laughter died upon their lips; for though she looked handsome, Skadi
was a terrible figure in her silver armor and with her spear as long as
a ship's mast brandished in her giant hand.
The nine Valkyries, Odin's maiden warriors, hurried away to put on
their own helmets and shields; for they would not have this other
maiden, ten times as huge, see them meekly waiting at table, while they
had battle-dresses as fine as hers to show the stranger.
"Who are you, maiden, and what seek you here?" asked Father Odin.
"I am Skadi, the daughter of Thiasse, whom your folk have slain,"
answered she, "and I come here for redress."
At these words the coward Loki, who had been at the killing of Thiasse,
skulked low behind the table; but Thor, who had done the killing,
straightened himself and clenched his fists tightly. He was not afraid
of any giant, however fierce, and this maiden with her shield and spear
only angered him.
"Well, Skadi," quoth Odin gravely, "your father was a thief, and died
for his sins. He stole fair Idun and her magic apples, and for that
crime he died, which was only just. Yet because our righteous deed has
left you an orphan, Skadi, we will grant you a recompense, so you shall
be at peace with us; for it is not fitting that the Æsir should quarrel
with women. What is it you ask, O Skadi, as solace for the death of
Thiasse?"
Skadi looked like an orphan who was well able to take care of herself;
and this indeed her next words showed her to be. "I ask two things,"
she said, without a moment's hesitation: "I ask the husband whom I
shall select from among you; and I ask that you shall make me laugh,
for it is many days since grief has let me enjoy a smile."
At this strange request the Æsir looked astonished, and some of them
seemed rather startled; for you can fancy that none of them wanted a
giantess, however handsome, for his wife. They put their heads together
and consulted long whether or not they should allow Skadi her two
wishes.
"I will agree to make her laugh," grinned Loki; "but suppose she should
choose me for her husband! I am married to one giantess already."
"No fear of that, Loki," said Thor; "you were too near being the cause
of her father's death for her to love you overmuch. Nor do I think that
she will choose me; so I am safe."
Loki chuckled and stole away to think up a means of making Skadi laugh.
Finally, the gods agreed that Skadi should choose one of them for her
husband; but in order that all might have a fair chance of missing this
honor which no one coveted, she was to choose in a curious way. All the
Æsir were to stand in a row behind the curtain which was drawn across
the end of the hall, so that only their feet were seen by Skadi; and by
their feet alone Skadi was to select him who was to be her husband.
Now Skadi was very ready to agree to this, for she said to herself,
"Surely, I shall know the feet of Balder, for they will be the most
beautiful of any."
Amid nervous laughter at this new game, the Æsir ranged themselves in
a row behind the purple curtain, with only their line of feet showing
below the golden border. There were Father Odin, Thor the Thunderer,
and Balder his brother; there was old Niörd the rich, with his fair son
Frey; there were Tŷr the bold, Bragi the poet, blind Höd, and Vidar the
silent; Vali and Ull the archers, Forseti the wise judge, and Heimdal
the gold-toothed watchman. Loki alone, of all the Æsir, was not there;
and Loki was the only one who did not shiver as Skadi walked up and
down the hall looking at the row of feet.
Up and down, back and forth, went Skadi, looking carefully; and among
all those sandaled feet there was one pair more white and fair and
beautiful than the rest.
"Surely, these are Balder's feet!" she thought, while her heart thumped
with eagerness under her silver corselet. "Oh, if I guess aright, dear
Balder will be my husband!"
She paused confidently before the handsomest pair of feet, and,
pointing to them with her spear, she cried, "I choose here! Few
blemishes are to be found in Balder the beautiful."
A shout of laughter arose behind the curtain, and forth slunk--not
young Balder, but old Niörd the rich, king of the ocean wind, the
father of those fair twins, Frey and Freia. Skadi had chosen the
handsome feet of old Niörd, and thenceforth he must be her husband.
Niörd was little pleased; but Skadi was heart-broken. Her face grew
longer and sadder than before when he stepped up and took her hand
sulkily, saying, "Well, I am to be your husband, then, and all my
riches stored in Noatûn, the home of ships, are to be yours. You would
have chosen Balder, and I wish that this luck had been his! However, it
cannot be helped now."
"Nay," answered Skadi, frowning, "the bargain is not yet complete. No
one of you has made me laugh. I am so sad now, that it will be a merry
jest indeed which can wring laughter from my heavy heart." She sighed,
looking at Balder. But Balder loved only Nanna in all the world.
Just then, out came Loki, riding on one of Thor's goat steeds; and the
red-bearded fellow cut up such ridiculous capers with the gray-bearded
goat that soon not only Skadi, but all the Æsir and Niörd himself were
holding their sides with laughter.
"Fairly won, fairly won!" cried Skadi, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I am beaten. I shall not forget that it is Loki to whom I owe this
last joke. Some day I shall be quits with you, red joker!" And this
threat she carried out in the end, on the day of Loki's punishment.
Skadi was married to old Niörd, both unwilling; and they went to live
among the mountains in Skadi's home, which had once been Thiasse's
palace, where he had shut Idun in a prison cell. As you can imagine,
Niörd and Skadi did not live happily ever after, like the good prince
and princess in the story-book. For, in the first place, Skadi was a
giantess; and there are few folk, I fancy, who could live happily with
a giantess. In the second place, she did not love Niörd, nor did he
love Skadi, and neither forgot that Skadi's choosing had been sorrow
to them both. But the third reason was the most important of all; and
this was because Skadi and Niörd could not agree upon the place which
should be their home. For Niörd did not like the mountain palace of
Skadi's people,--the place where roaring winds rushed down upon the sea
and its ships. The sea with its ships was his friend, and he wanted to
dwell in Noatûn, where he had greater wealth than any one else in the
world,--where he could rule the fresh sea-wind and tame the wild ocean,
granting the prayers of fisher-folk and the seafarers, who loved his
name.
Finally, they agreed to dwell first in one place, then in the other,
so that each might be happy in turn. For nine days they tarried
in Thrymheim, and then they spent three in Noatûn. But even this
arrangement could not bring peace. One day they had a terrible quarrel.
It was just after they had come down from Skadi's mountain home for
their three days in Niörd's sea palace, and he was so glad to be back
that he cried,--
"Ah, how I hate your hills! How long the nine nights seemed, with the
wolves howling until dawn among the dark mountains of Giant Land! What
a discord compared to the songs of the swans who sail upon my dear,
dear ocean!" Thus rudely he taunted his wife; but Skadi answered him
with spirit.
"And I--I cannot sleep by your rolling sea-waves, where the birds are
ever calling, calling, as they come from the woods on the shore. Each
morning the sea-gull's scream wakes me at some unseemly hour. I will
not stay here even for three nights! I will not stay!"
"And I will have no more of your windy mountain-tops," roared Niörd,
beside himself with rage. "Go, if you wish! Go back to Thrymheim! I
shall not follow you, be sure!"
So Skadi went back to her mountains alone, and dwelt in the empty
house of Thiasse, her father. She became a mighty huntress, swift on
the skees and ice-runners which she strapped to her feet. Day after
day she skimmed over the snow-crusted mountains, bow in hand, to hunt
the wild beasts which roamed there. "Skee-goddess," she was called;
and never again did she come to Asgard halls. Quite alone in the cold
country, she hunted hardily, keeping ever in her heart the image of
Balder the beautiful, whom she loved, but whom she had lost forever by
her unlucky choice.