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[Illustration: ODIN, THE ALLFATHER.]
ASGARD STORIES
Tales From Norse Mythology
by
MARY H. FOSTER and MABEL H. CUMMINGS, A.B.
Illustrated
[Illustration]
Silver, Burdett and Company
New York Boston Chicago
Copyright, 1901,
By Silver, Burdett and Company.
=To all our Children
who have loved the hearing of these
Asgard Stories=
PREFACE.
This little volume is the outcome of several years' experience in
telling to classes of children the classic myths, both southern and
northern. The insight and interest displayed by the children encourage
the authors to hope that other teachers and pupils may enjoy the myths
here reproduced.
The interest shown at present in the teaching of myths to children seems
to call for some such simple volume, giving the Norse myths in suitable
form for use with pupils as well as for the children's home reading.
There are various collections of the Greek tales, but the books dealing
with the Norse myths seem to be more or less cumbered with detail, and,
therefore, not adapted to very young readers.
The experience of the authors satisfies them that the teaching of myths
should begin with those of the North, and that the Greek tales should
be given later, with comparisons and references to the Norse myths.
The stories which were dear to our own northern forefathers stir our
children more deeply and are more congenial to them than those which
come down to us from the Greeks. This is perfectly reasonable. The
graphic descriptions in the Norse tales of the hard struggle with rugged
nature and the severe climate of the North naturally come home more
closely to us than the less rigorous and sturdy conditions of the
southern nations. Then, too, the moral tone of the Norse myths is
higher, purer, and more steadfast than that of the Greek tales, and is
more congenial to our Teutonic point of view.
Much depends, of course, upon the teacher's careful study of the myths
and insight into their significance. They should be presented in such
manner as to awaken the interest of the children and lead them to make
use of their own imagination.
The value of the Norse myths has been urged by Carlyle, Dasent,
Anderson, and others. "To me there is in the Norse system something very
genuine, very great, and manlike," wrote Carlyle. "A broad simplicity,
so very different from the light gracefulness of the old Greek paganism,
distinguishes this Norse system. It is thought, the genuine thought of
deep, rude, earnest minds, fairly opened to the things about them,--a
face-to-face and heart-to-heart inspection of things,--the first
characteristic of all good thought in all times."
Anderson, the author of "Norse Mythology," wrote: "In the Norse
mythology the centralizing idea is its peculiar feature; in it
lies its strength and beauty. The one myth and the one divinity is
inextricably in communion with the other; and thus also the idea of
unity, centralization, is a prominent feature and one of the chief
characteristics of the Teutonic nations.
"While the Greek mythology foreshadowed the petty states of Greece and
southern Europe, the Norse mythology foreshadowed the political and
social destinies of _United_ Scandinavia, _United_ Great Britain, and
the _United_ States of North America....
"The poetic period of the child's own race should be melted and moulded
into poetry, touched by a spark of Christian refinement and love, and
then poured, so to speak, into his soul. The child's mind should feed
upon the mythological stories and the primitive folklore of his race."
While many works have been consulted in the preparation of this volume,
the authors are especially indebted to the following: Thorpe's
translation of Sæmund's "Edda"; "The Younger Edda," in translations;
Anderson's "Norse Mythology"; Guerber's "Myths of Northern Lands";
William and Mary Howitt's "Literature and Romance of Northern Europe";
and Mallet's "Northern Antiquities."
BROOKLINE, MASS.,
September, 1901.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
THE STORY OF THE BEGINNING 1
ODIN'S REWARD 9
TYR AND THE WOLF 15
FREYJA'S NECKLACE 25
THE HAMMER OF THOR 33
THOR'S WONDERFUL JOURNEY 38
HOW THOR LOST HIS HAMMER 50
A GIFT FROM FRIGGA 58
THE STEALING OF IDUNA 62
SKADI 76
BALDUR 82
ÆGIR'S FEAST 89
THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 97
THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS 103
FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
ODIN, THE ALLFATHER _Frontispiece_
THE NORNS 5
THOR CHAINING FENRIR 19
FREYJA IN THE CAVE OF THE DWARFS 27
THOR AND LOKI IN THE CHARIOT 41
THOR'S BATTLE WITH THE FROST GIANTS 53
IDUNA GIVING LOKI THE APPLE 69
SKADI HUNTING IN THE MOUNTAINS 79
THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI 99
THOR FIGHTING THE SERPENT 105
[Illustration]
THE STORY OF THE BEGINNING.
The people who lived long ago, in the far-off lands of the north,
watched the wonderful things that happened out of doors every day, just
as we do; but they did not know about the one loving God, who is the
Father of all, who made them and the world, and rules it by his wise
laws; so they thought there must be a great many unseen powers, living
in the clouds, in the wind, in the storms, and the sunshine, and doing
all those wonders that no man could do.
And so those northern people, who were our own forefathers, came to
believe in many gods--one for the sun, another for the thunder, another
for the flowers, and so on.
In the long, dark winters, when the bright sun had gone away from them,
these northmen had time to think many thoughts about the powers of
frost, and wind, and storms, which they called giants, and they used to
tell stories and sing songs about the short, bright summer, the thawing
out of the streams and lakes, the coming of the birds and flowers.
With great joy the people saw the bright sun-god, Baldur, come back to
them in the spring, after the long darkness, and knew that they owed
their lives to his friendly warmth and light.
As we read the stories, or myths, told by those people long ago, we can
see that they were meant to tell about the world around us. At first the
stories were told and sung from father to son--that is, from one
generation to another; but later, when people learned how to write,
these myths were written down, and kept with great love and care.
This is the story they told of the Beginning. At first, before living
creatures were in the world, it was all rough and without order. Far to
the north it was very cold, for ice and snow were everywhere. Toward the
south there was fire, and from the meeting of the fire and the cold a
thick vapor was formed, from which sprang a huge giant. On looking about
for some food, he saw a cow, who was also searching for something to
eat. The ice tasted salt, and when the cow began to lick it, a head
appeared, and at last the whole figure of a god stood before her.
From these two, the giant and the god, came the two great races of
giants and gods, who were always enemies to each other. The giants were
constantly trying to break into Asgard, the home of the gods, in the
sky; the gods, on the other hand, watched and planned to keep out the
giants, and to drive them back to their own stronghold, Utgard. Our
world, where men and women lived, was between Utgard and Asgard; it was
called Midgard, and around this Midgard world, under the ocean, was
coiled a monstrous serpent, who grew so long that his tail grew down his
throat. He was called the Midgard serpent.
A wonderful tree, named "Yggdrasil," connected all the worlds. This
great ash tree had its roots in Utgard, and the tops of its branches
reached up so high as to overshadow Asgard. Its three main roots were
watered by three fountains, and near one of them sat the wise giant
Mimir, of whom we shall hear later. The Norns, three sisters, also lived
at the roots of Yggdrasil, and were careful to see that it was watered
every day.
A little gray squirrel was always running up and down the tree, jerking
his tail and hurrying to tell the news to every one along the way. He
was so anxious to be the first one to carry the news, that many times he
brought trouble to himself and to others, because he was not always
careful to tell a story just as he had heard it, and often every one
would have been happier if the squirrel had kept the story quite to
himself.
The gods and goddesses, all together, were called the Æsir, and the
chief and father of them all was Odin. His lofty throne rose high in the
midst of Asgard, the sacred city, which the gods had built for their
beautiful home.
From Asgard, arching over and down to the lower world, was a rainbow
bridge, called Bifröst--"the trembling bridge"; upon this the dwellers
in Asgard could travel every day, all except the mighty Thor. His
thunder chariot was too heavy for "the trembling bridge," so he had to
go around a longer way.
After the gods had made men and women, and had taught them to dwell on
the earth, in the world of Midgard, Odin looked forth one morning from
his heavenly seat, to see what further work was waiting for his helping
hand.
He noticed, far away below him, a race of small beings, some of them
busy, doing mischievous deeds, while others sat idle, doing nothing.
Odin sent for all these little people to come to him, and when they had
reached Asgard, and were admitted to his palace of Gladsheim, they
entered the great judgment hall, where they found all the Æsir sitting,
with Father Odin at their head.
[Illustration: After the painting by Ehrenberg,
THE NORNS.]
The little people waited in a crowd near the door, wondering what was
going to happen to them, while Hermod, the messenger of the gods, ran to
his master to say that they had come.
Then the Allfather spoke to the little dwarfs about their evil deeds
among men, and he told the naughtiest ones that they must go and live
down underground, and look after the great furnace fire in the middle of
the earth, to keep it always burning. Some must get coal to feed the
fire, and others still were to have charge of the gold, and silver, and
precious stones, under the rocks. Not one of these busy dwarfs must ever
appear during the day; only by night might they venture to leave their
tasks.
"And now," said Odin, turning to the idle ones, "what have you been
doing?"
"We were doing nothing at all, so we could not have harmed any one, and
we pray you to spare us!" cried they.
"Do you not know that those who sit idle when they should be doing good
deserve punishment, too?" said Odin. "I shall put you in charge of all
the trees and flowers, and shall send one of the Æsir to teach you, so
that you may be doing some good in the world."
Then the little elves went to work among the flowers, and Frey, the
bright god of summer and sunshine, was a kind master to them. He taught
them how to open the folded buds in the sunshine, to fill the honey
cups, and lead the bees along the flower passages to find their food, to
hatch the birds' eggs, and teach the little ones their songs, and then
each night to fetch the water for dewdrops, to be hung on every leaf and
blade of grass.
When their work was finished, and the moon had risen, these busy elves
and fairies enjoyed many a happy evening, dancing and frisking on the
green by moonlight. And so our world of Midgard was filled with busy
work and play.
Even now, in our time, the people in the lands of the north, and in
Germany, have many old sayings and stories that have come down to them
from the days long ago. There is a beautiful white flower in the north,
which is called Baldur's Brow, because it is so pure and bright, like
the face of the dear sun-god, Baldur; and in some places, when the
farmers gather in their harvest of grain, they leave a little bunch of
it standing in the field, for Father Odin's horse.
We have some English names to remind us of those old tales of our
forefathers, for we have Tuesday named for Tyr, or Tiu, the brave god
who gave his right hand to save his friends; Wednesday, or Wodensday,
named for Odin; Thursday, for Thor, the thunder-god; and Friday, for
either the goddess Frigga, or Freyja, or for Frey, the god of summer,
who ruled the fairies.
[Illustration]
ODIN'S REWARD
One night when all was quiet in Asgard and the Æsir had gone to rest,
Odin, the Allfather, sat awake on his high throne, troubled with many
thoughts. At his feet crouched his two faithful wolves, and upon his
shoulders perched the two ravens of thought and memory, who flew far
abroad every day, through the nine worlds, as Odin's messengers.
The Allfather had need of great wisdom in ruling the worlds; after
thinking a long time on the matters which needed his care, he suddenly
started up, and went forth with long strides from his palace of
Gladsheim into the night. He soon returned, leading his beautiful,
eight-footed steed, Sleipnir, and it was plain that Odin was going on
a journey. He quickly mounted Sleipnir, and rode swiftly away toward
Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, which reached from Asgard, the city of the
gods, down through the air to the lower worlds.
When Sleipnir stepped upon the bridge it trembled, and seemed hardly
strong enough to bear the horse and his rider; but they had no fear of
its giving way, and Sleipnir galloped swiftly onward.
Soon Odin saw Heimdall, the watchman of the bridge, riding toward him on
a fine horse, with a golden mane that reflected light upon the noble
face of his rider.
"You must be bound on some important errand, Father Odin, to be riding
forth from Asgard so late at night," said Heimdall.
"It is indeed a most important errand, and I must hasten on," replied
Odin. "It is well for us that we have such a faithful guardian of the
'trembling bridge'; if it were not for you, Heimdall, our enemies might
long ago have taken Asgard by storm. You are so watchful, you can hear
the grass grow in the fields, and the wool gather on the backs of the
sheep, and you need less sleep than a bird. I myself stand in great need
of wisdom, in order to take care of such faithful servants, and to drive
back such wicked enemies!"
They hurried over the bridge until they came to Heimdall's far-shining
castle, at the farther end of it. This was a lofty tower which was
placed so as to guard the bridge, and it sent forth into the land of
the giant enemies such a wonderful, clear light, that Heimdall could
see, even in the darkest night, any one who came toward the bridge. Here
Odin stopped a few moments to drink the mead which the good Heimdall
offered him.
Then said Odin, "As I am journeying into the land of our enemies, I
shall leave my good horse with you; there are not many with whom I would
trust him, but I know that you, my faithful Heimdall, will take good
care of him. I can best hide myself from the giants by going on as a
wanderer."
With these words the Allfather quitted Heimdall's castle, and started
off toward the north, through the land of the fierce giants.
During all the first day there was nothing to be seen but ice and snow;
several times Odin was nearly crushed as the frost giants hurled huge
blocks of ice after him.
The second day he came to mountains and broad rivers. Often when he had
just crossed over a stream, the mountain giants would come after him to
the other bank, and when they found that Odin had escaped them, they
would send forth such a fierce yell, that the echoes sounded from hill
to hill.
At the end of the third day, Odin came to a land where trees were green
and flowers blooming. Here was one of the three fountains which watered
the world tree, Yggdrasil, and near by sat the wise giant, Mimir,
guarding the waters of this wonderful fountain, for whoever drank of it
would have the gift of great wisdom.
Mimir was a giant in size, but he was not one of the fierce giant
enemies of the gods, for he was kind, and wiser than the wisest.
Mimir's well of wisdom was in the midst of a wonderful valley, filled
with rare plants and bright flowers, and among the groves of beautiful
trees were strange creatures, sleeping dragons, harmless serpents, and
lizards, while birds with gay plumage flew and sang among the branches.
Over all this quiet valley shone a lovely soft light, different from
sunlight, and in the center grew one of the roots of the great world
tree. Here the wise giant Mimir sat gazing down into his well.
Odin greeted the kind old giant, and said, "Oh, Mimir, I have come from
far-away Asgard to ask a great boon!"
"Gladly will I help you if it is in my power," said Mimir.
"You know," replied Odin, "that as father of gods and men I need great
wisdom, and I have come to beg for one drink of your precious water of
knowledge. Trouble threatens us, even from one of the Æsir, for Loki,
the fire-god, has lately been visiting the giants, and I fear he has
been learning evil ways from them. The frost giants and the storm giants
are always at work, trying to overthrow both gods and men; great is my
need of wisdom, and even though no one ever before has dared ask so
great a gift, I hope that since you know how deep is my trouble, you
will grant my request."
Mimir sat silently, thinking for several moments, and then said, "You
ask a great thing, indeed, Father Odin; are you ready to pay the price
which I must demand?"
"Yes," said Odin, cheerfully, "I will give you all the gold and silver
of Asgard, and all the jeweled shields and swords of the Æsir. More than
all, I will give up my eight-footed horse Sleipnir, if that is needed to
win the reward."
"And do you suppose that these things will buy wisdom?" said Mimir.
"That can be gained only by bearing bravely, and giving up to others.
Are you willing to give me a part of yourself? Will you give up one of
your own eyes?"
At this Odin looked very sad; but after a few moments of deep thought,
he looked up with a bright smile, and answered, "Yes, I will even give
you one of my eyes, and I will suffer whatever else is asked, in order
to gain the wisdom that I need!"
We cannot know all that Odin bravely suffered in that strange, bright
valley, before he was rewarded with a drink from that wonderful
fountain; but we may be quite sure that never once was the good
Allfather sorry for anything he had given up, or any suffering he had
borne, for the sake of others.
[Illustration]
TYR AND THE WOLF.
I.
Odin, the Allfather, sat one day on his high air-throne, and looking
around him, far and wide, saw three fierce monsters. They were the
children of the mischievous fire-god Loki, and Odin began to feel
anxious, for they had grown so fast and were getting so strong that he
feared they might do harm to the sacred city of Asgard. The wise father
knew Loki had given strength to these dreadful creatures, and he saw
that all this danger had come upon the Æsir from Loki's wickedness.
One of these monsters was a huge serpent, that Odin sent down into the
ocean, where he grew so fast that his body was coiled around the whole
world, and his tail grew into his own mouth. He was called the Midgard
serpent.
The second monster was sent to Niflheim, the home of darkness, and shut
up there.
The third, a fierce wolf, named Fenrir, was brought to Asgard, where
Odin hoped he might be tamed by living among the Æsir, and seeing their
good deeds, and hearing their kind words; but he grew more and more
fierce, until only one of all the gods dared to feed him. This was the
brave god, Tyr. He was a war-god, like Thor, and is sometimes called the
Sword-god. Tyr was loved by all because he was so true and faithful.
Each day the dreadful wolf grew larger and stronger, till all at once,
before the Æsir thought about it, he had become a very dangerous beast.
Father Odin always looked troubled when he saw Fenrir, the wolf, come to
get his evening meal of meat from Tyr's hand, and at last one night,
after the wolf had gone growling away to his lair, Odin called a meeting
of the Æsir. He told them of his fears, saying they must find some plan
for guarding themselves and their home against this monster. They could
not slay him, for no one must ever be killed, and no blood must be shed,
within the walls of the sacred city.
Thor was the first to speak: "Do not fear, Father Odin, for by to-morrow
night we shall have Fenrir so safely bound that he cannot do us any
harm. I will make a mighty chain, with the help of my hammer, Miölnir,
and with it we will bind him fast!"
When the Æsir heard these words of Thor, they were glad, and all went
home rejoicing--all save the Allfather, who was still troubled, for he
well knew the danger, and feared that even the mighty Thor would find
this task too much for him. But Thor seized his hammer, and strode off
to his forge. There he worked the whole night long, and all through
Asgard were heard the blows of Miölnir and the roaring of the bellows.
The next night, when the Æsir were gathered together, Thor brought forth
his new-made chain, to test it. In came Fenrir, the wolf, and every one
was surprised to see how willingly he let himself be bound with the
chain. When Thor had riveted the last links together, the gods smiled,
and began to praise him for his wonderful work; but all at once the wolf
gave one bound forward, broke the great chain, and walked off to his
lair as if nothing had happened.
Thor was much disappointed, still he did not lose courage. He said to
the Æsir that he would make another chain, yet stronger. Again he set to
work, and for three nights and three days the great Thor worked at his
forge without resting.
While he worked his friends did not forget him. They came and looked on
while he was busy, and, as they watched the mighty hammer falling with
quick blows upon the metal, they talked to Thor or sang noble songs to
cheer him; sometimes they brought him food and drink. One visitor, who
was no friend, fierce Fenrir, the wolf, sometimes put his nose in at the
door for a moment, and watched Thor at work; then, as he went away, Thor
heard a strange sound like a wicked laugh.
At last the chain was finished, and Thor dragged it to the place of
meeting. It was so heavy that even the mighty Thor could hardly lift it,
or drag it as far as Odin's palace of Gladsheim. This time Fenrir was
not so willing to be bound; but the gods coaxed him, and talked of his
great strength, and told him they were sure he would easily break this
chain also. After a while he agreed to let them put it around his neck.
This time Thor was sure the chain would hold firm, for never before had
such a strong one been made. But soon, with a great shake and a fierce
bound, the wolf broke away, and went off to his lair, snarling and
showing his wicked teeth, while the broken chain lay on the ground.
Sadly the Æsir came together that night in Odin's palace, and this time
Thor was not the first to speak; he sat apart and was silent.
[Illustration: THOR CHAINING FENRIR.]
First spoke Frey, the god of summer and king of the fairies. "Hearken
to me, O lords of Asgard!" he said. "I have not won a brave name in
battle, like the noble Tyr, neither have I done such mighty deeds as
the great Thor and others of our heroes. Instead of fighting giants
and monsters, I have spent most of my life in the woods, among the
flowers, listening for hours to the birds. Many things have I watched,
some perhaps that my brothers thought too small to be worthy of
notice. I have learned many lessons, and the greatest of them all is
to know how much power there is in little things, and to see how often
the work, done quietly, and hidden from the eyes of men, is the finest
and the most wonderful. Since we cannot make a chain strong enough to
bind Fenrir, let us go to the little dwarfs, who work in silence and
in darkness, and ask them to make us a chain!"
The Allfather's troubled face grew brighter as he heard Frey speak, and
he bade him send a messenger quickly to the dwarfs, to order a chain
made as soon as possible.
II.
So Frey went out, leaving the Æsir in their trouble, and came to his own
lovely home, Alfheim. There everything was bright and peaceful, and the
little elves were busy and happy. Frey found a trusty messenger, and
sent him with all speed to the dwarfs underground, to order the new
chain, and to return as soon as he could bring it. The faithful servant
found the funny little dwarf workmen all busy in their dark rock
chambers, far down inside the earth, while at one side, in a lighter
place, sat their king. The messenger bowed before him, and told him his
errand.
The dwarfs were a wicked race, but they were afraid of Odin, for they
had not forgotten the talk he once had with them, when he sent them down
to work in darkness underground, and since that time they never had
dared disobey him. The dwarf king said it would take two days and two
nights to make the chain, but it would be so strong that no one could
break it.
While the busy dwarfs were at work, the messenger looked about at the
many wonderful things: the great central fire which burns always in the
middle of the earth, watched and fed with coal by the dwarfs; above
this, the beds of coal, and bright precious diamonds, which the dwarfs
took from the ashes of the fire. In another place he watched them
putting gold and silver, tin and copper, into the cracks in the rocks,
and he drank of the pure, underground water, which gives the Midgard
people fresh springs.
After two days this messenger returned to the dwarf king. The king,
holding out in his hand a fine, small chain, said to the messenger:
"This may seem to you to be small and weak; but it is a most wonderful
piece of work, for we have used in it all the strongest stuff we could
find. It is made of six kinds of things: the noise made by the footfall
of cats, the roots of stones, the beards of women, the voice of fishes,
the spittle of birds, the sinews of bears. This chain can never be
broken; and if you can once put it on Fenrir, he will never be able to
throw it off."
Odin's messenger was glad to hear this, so he thanked the dwarf king,
and promising him a large reward, he went on his way back to Asgard,
where the Æsir were longing for his return, and were all rejoiced to see
him with the magic chain.
Now Father Odin feared that Fenrir would not let them bind him a third
time, so he proposed they should all take a holiday, and go out to a
beautiful lake to the north of Asgard, where they would have games and
trials of strength. The other gods were pleased with this plan, and all
set out in Frey's wonderful ship, which was large enough to hold all the
Æsir with their horses, and yet could be folded up small enough to go in
one's pocket.
They landed on a lovely island in the lake, and after the races and
games were over, Frey brought out the little chain, and asked them all
to try to break it. Thor and Tyr tried in vain; then Thor said, "I do
not believe any one but Fenrir can break it."
Now the wolf did not want to be bound again; but he was very proud of
his strength, and, for fear of being called a coward, said at last he
would let them do it, if he might hold the right hand of one of the Æsir
in his mouth while they bound him, as a sign that the gods did not mean
to play any tricks.
When the gods heard this, they looked at each other, and all but one of
them drew back. Only the brave, good Tyr stepping forward, quietly put
his hand into Fenrir's mouth. The other gods then put the chain around
the beast, and fastened it to a great rock. The fierce creature gave a
leap to free himself, but the more he struggled the tighter grew the
chain. The Æsir gathered about him in joy to see this, but their hearts
were filled with sorrow when they saw that their noble Tyr had lost his
right hand; the dreadful wolf had shut his teeth together in his rage,
when he found he could not get free.
Thus the brave Tyr dared to risk danger for the sake of saving others,
and gave up even his right hand to gain peace and happiness for Asgard.
[Illustration]
FREYJA'S NECKLACE.
"Yes, I really must have some flowers to wear to the feast to-night,"
said Freyja to her husband, Odur.
Freyja was the goddess of love and beauty; she was the most beautiful of
all the Æsir, and every one loved to look at her charming face, and to
hear her sweet voice.
"I think you look quite beautiful enough as you are, without flowers,"
Odur replied, but Freyja was not satisfied; she thought she would go and
find her brother Frey, the god of summer, for he would give her a
garland of flowers. So she wandered forth from Asgard on her way to
Frey's bright home in Alfheim, where he lived among his happy, busy
little elves. As Freyja walked along she was thinking of the feast to
be given that night in Asgard, and knowing that all the gods and
goddesses would be there, she wished to look her very best.
On and on she wandered, not thinking how far she was getting away from
home. Finally the light began to grow fainter and fainter, and Freyja
found herself in a strange place. The sunlight had faded away, but there
was still a little light that came from lanterns carried by funny little
dwarfs, who were busily working. Some were digging gold and gems, others
were cleaning off the dirt from the precious stones, and polishing them
to make them bright, while four little fellows were seated in one
corner, putting the sparkling stones together into a wonderful necklace.
"What can that beautiful thing be?" thought Freyja. "If only I had that,
it would surely make me look more beautiful than any one else at the
feast to-night!" And the more she thought about it, the more she longed
to get it. "Oh, I really must have it!" she said to herself, and with
these words she stepped nearer to the four little men. "For what price
will you sell me your necklace?" she asked.
The dwarfs looked up from their work, and when they saw Freyja's lovely
face and heard her sweet voice, said, "Oh, if you will only look kindly
upon us, and be our friend, you may have the necklace!"
[Illustration: FREYJA IN THE CAVE OF THE DWARFS.]
Then a mocking laugh echoed again and again through the dark cavern,
seeming to say, "How foolish you are to wish for these bright diamonds;
they will not make you happy!" But Freyja snatched the necklace and ran
out of the cavern. It did not please her to hear the teasing laugh of
the dwarfs, and she wanted to get away from them as soon as possible.
At last she was once more out in the open air; she tried to be free
and happy again, but a strange feeling of dread came over her, as if
something were going to happen. Soon she came to a still pool of water,
and, putting on the necklace, she bent over to look at her picture in
the clear water. How beautiful the diamonds were! and how they sparkled
in the sunshine! She must hasten home to show them to Odur.
The fair goddess soon reached Asgard, and hurried to the palace to find
her husband. But Odur was not there. Over and over again she searched
through all the rooms in vain; he had gone, and although Freyja had her
beautiful necklace, she cared little for it without her dear husband.
Soon it was time to go to the feast, but Freyja would not go without
Odur. She sat down and wept bitter tears; she felt no joy now for having
the necklace, and no sorrow because she could not feast with the Æsir.
If only Odur would come back, all would be well again. "I will go to the
end of the world to find him!" said Freyja, and she began to make ready
for her journey. Her chariot, drawn by two cats, was soon ready; but
before she could start, she must first ask Father Odin to allow her to
go.
"Allfather, I beg you give me leave to go to look for my Odur in every
corner of the world!"
The wise father replied, "Go, fair Freyja, and may you find whom you
seek."
Then she started forth. First to the Midgard world the goddess of beauty
went, but no one in all the world had seen or heard of Odur. Down under
the earth, to Niflheim, and even to Utgard, the land of giants, she
wandered, but still no one had seen or even heard of her husband. Poor
Freyja wept many tears, and wherever the teardrops fell, and sank into
the ground, they turned into glistening gold.
At last the sad goddess returned to her own palace alone. She still wore
the wonderful necklace, which was called Brisingamen.
One night, when the hour was late, all the Æsir were asleep, except the
ever watchful Heimdall, who heard soft footsteps, like those of a cat,
near Freyja's palace. He listened, and thought, "That is surely some one
bent on mischief; I must follow him."
When Heimdall reached the palace, he found it was Loki, changed into
another form, creeping softly about. Heimdall quietly watched him, and
saw him glide in to Freyja's bedside, where the fair goddess lay asleep,
wearing her beautiful necklace. Loki had come to steal the necklace, but
when he saw that she was lying on the clasp of the chain, so that he
could not undo it without waking her, he changed himself into a gnat,
and, crawling along on the pillow, stung her just enough to make her
turn over, but not enough to wake her. Then he unclasped the chain and
ran off with it as fast as he could.
But Heimdall was not going to let the thief get away. As soon as Loki
found that he was followed, he took his other form, a little flame of
fire; Heimdall then took _his_ other shape, and became a shower of rain,
to put out the fire; but Loki, quick and watchful, changed himself into
a bear, to catch the rain. Then Heimdall too became a bear, and a fierce
fight began. At last the rain-god conquered, and forced wicked Loki to
give back the necklace to Freyja.
The whole land seemed to feel sorry for poor, lonely Freyja; the leaves
fell from the trees, the bright flowers faded, and the singing birds
flew away.
Once more the fair goddess went forth from Asgard to seek Odur. Away,
away to the far-off sunny south she wandered, and there, where the
myrtle trees and the oranges grow, at last she found her long-lost
husband.
Then hand in hand the two turned northward again, to their home, and so
happy were they together, that they spread joy and happiness around them
as they passed along. Everywhere the ice and snow thawed before them,
green grass and sweet flowers sprang up behind their footsteps, the
birds sang their sweetest songs, the warm summer came back to the north
lands, and every one was glad and joyful, for lovely, smiling Freyja was
at home again.
"White were the moorlands
And frozen, before her;
Green were the moorlands
And blooming, behind her.
Out of her gold locks
Shaking the spring flowers,
Out of her garments
Shaking the south wind,
Around in the birches
Awaking the throstles,
Beautiful Freyja came."
--KINGSLEY.
[Illustration]
THE HAMMER OF THOR.
Sif was the wife of mighty Thor, the thunder-god, and she was very proud
of her beautiful golden hair, which she combed and braided with great
care. One morning when she awoke she was filled with grief and dismay
to find that her lovely hair had been cut off in the night, while she
slept. Her husband happened to be away that day, but when he came home
late at night, Sif was careful to keep out of his sight, she felt so
ashamed of her shorn head.
Thor, however, soon called for Sif, and when he saw what had been done
to her, he was very angry. Now Thor had a quick temper; every one feared
his fierce anger. "Who could have done this wicked deed?" thought he.
"There is only one among all the Æsir who would think of doing such a
thing!"
Thor lost no time in finding Loki, and that mischief-god had to admit
that he was the guilty one, but he begged Thor to give him just a few
days, and he promised to get something for Sif that would make her look
more beautiful than ever. So Thor decided to give him a chance to try,
and commanded him to give back to Sif her golden hair.
Now Loki knew a place where some wonderful workmen lived, so he went
off, as fast as he could go, to Niflheim, the home of the dwarfs, under
the earth, and asked one of them to make quickly some golden hair for
Sif. Besides this, he asked for two gifts to carry to the gods Odin and
Frey, so that they might be on his side if Thor should bring his
complaint before the Æsir.
Loki did not have to wait long before the dwarf brought him a quantity
of beautiful hair, spun from the finest golden thread. It had the
wonderful power of growing just like real hair, as soon as it touched
any one's head. Besides this, there was a spear for Odin, which never
missed its aim, no matter how far it was thrown, and for Frey, a ship
that could sail through the air as well as the sea. Although it was
large enough to hold all the gods and their horses, yet it could be
folded so that it was small enough to put in one's pocket.
Loki was greatly pleased with these wonderful presents, and declared
that this dwarf must be the most skillful workman of them all. Now it
happened that another dwarf, named Brock, heard him say this, and he
told Loki that he was sure he and his brother could make more wonderful
things than these.
Loki did not believe that could be done, but he told Brock to try his
skill; the Æsir should judge between them and the one who should fail in
the trial must lose his head.
Then Brock called his brother, Sindri, and they set to work at once.
They first built a great fire, and Sindri threw into it a lump of gold;
then he told Brock to blow the bellows while he went out, and be sure
not to stop blowing until he should come back.
Brock thought this an easy task, but his brother had not long been gone
when a huge fly came in and buzzed about his face, and bothered him so
that he could hardly keep on blowing; still he was able to finish his
work, so that when Sindri came back, they took out of the fire an
enormous wild boar, which gave out light, and could travel through the
air with wonderful speed.
On the second day Sindri threw another lump of gold into the fire, and
left his brother to blow the bellows. Again the buzzing, stinging fly
came, and was even more troublesome than before; but Brock tried very
hard to be patient, and was able to bear it without stopping his work
until Sindri returned. Then they took from the fire a magic ring of
gold, from which eight new rings fell off every week.
The third day a lump of iron was put into the fire, and Brock was again
left alone. In came the cruel fly,--have you guessed that it was really
that mischief-maker Loki? He bit the poor little dwarf so hard on the
forehead that the blood ran down into his eyes, and blinded him so that
he could no longer see to do his work.
Poor Brock had to stop just before Sindri came home, but not before the
hammer which they were making in the fire was nearly finished, only the
handle came out rather too short. This magic hammer was named Miölnir.
It had the power of never missing its mark, and would always return to
the hand which threw it.
When Loki appeared at last before the Æsir, with the two dwarf brothers
and their gifts, it was declared that they had made the finest things,
for the hammer, which was given to Thor, would surely be most useful in
keeping the giants out of Asgard.
When Loki found that the judgment was against him, he started to run
away; but Thor soon made him turn back by threatening to throw his
hammer after him.
Then Loki had to collect his wits, and think of some way to escape
losing his head, instead of making the dwarfs pay the forfeit, as he had
expected. At last he told Brock and Sindri that they could have his
head, according to the agreement, but as nothing had been said about his
neck, they could not, of course, touch that.
Thus the wily Loki, by his wit, saved his life.
[Illustration]
THOR'S WONDERFUL JOURNEY.
I.
One morning Thor asked Loki, the fire-god, if he would like to go forth
with him to Utgard, the stronghold of the giants, where he was going to
try, with his mighty hammer, to conquer those fierce enemies of Asgard.
Loki was glad to go with him, and the two gods started forth in Thor's
chariot, drawn by two goats.
Thor often went on a journey, so the dwellers in Asgard did not wonder
to see him getting ready for a long drive. As Thor and Loki drove along,
the heavy chariot rattled, and made the thunder echo among the hills.
People in our world, down below in Midgard, heard the rumbling, and
said: "What a heavy thunderstorm! How the thunder crashes and rumbles!"
Toward evening the travelers stopped at a peasant's hut, and Thor,
alighting from his chariot, went to the door of the house, to ask
shelter for the night.
"I will gladly give you a room, but I have no food in the house," said
the man who opened the door.
"Oh, never mind that," said Thor; "I will provide the food." So Thor and
Loki stopped for the night at the peasant's hut. They found the family
within, the man, his wife, and two children, a boy and a girl. All
looked on in great surprise to see Thor kill his two goats and cook them
for the evening meal. "Eat all you wish of the meat," said Thor, "but be
careful not to break any of the bones; throw them all into the two skins
which I have spread upon the floor."
Now the boy, whose name was Thialfe, wondered why Thor should say this,
and as he happened to have a piece of the leg-bone, he thought there
could be no harm in breaking it open, to get out the soft marrow to eat.
Thor was just then talking to Loki, and did not notice what had been
done; but next morning the boy learned a lesson that he never forgot.
When Thor was ready to start off again, next day, he held his magic
hammer over the skins in which lay the bones. All at once the goats
became whole again, and stood there just the same as before, except that
one of them limped with his hind leg.
Then the young Thialfe knew why Thor had told them not to break the
bones. At first, when he saw Thor's angry face, and how he grasped his
hammer, the boy was frightened, and wanted to run away; but soon he
remembered it would be cowardly to do that, so he went to Thor, and
asked his forgiveness. Now the mighty thunder-god, though often angry,
was always just and kind. After scolding the boy as he deserved, he
freely forgave him, and said that he and his sister might go along with
Loki and himself on their journey.
II.
The four started off, after saying good-by to the peasant and his wife,
leaving in their charge the chariot and goats, for it seemed best to
finish the journey on foot.
At nightfall they entered a thick forest, through which they wandered
on for miles, when all at once they came upon a house, and a
strange-looking house it was. The wide front door opened into a big
room; at the left was a small room, and just opposite the front door
were four long, narrow rooms.
[Illustration: THOR AND LOKI IN THE CHARIOT.]
The travelers wondered to find a house in the depths of a forest, but
they were glad to have shelter for the night, and all lay down for a
good rest. Soon after midnight they were awakened by groans and strange
sounds, and the earth began to tremble. Thor sent his companions into
the farthest room, grasped his hammer, and stood on guard by the door.
At daybreak he started forth to find out what had caused the noise. He
had not gone far when he came upon a huge giant, lying on the ground
asleep, and Thor found that he was making the earth tremble with his
snoring, which must have been the sound they had heard in the night.
While Thor was looking at the giant, he awoke, and spoke to the god.
"Ho, ho! I think you little fellow must be Thor, of whom I have often
heard, but really, I did not think you were quite so small! Now the sun
is up, and I must be off; but where is my other glove? Oh, here it is,
on the ground!" And the giant stooped and picked up his glove, which was
the very house in which our four travelers had spent the night, with the
big front door where the hand went in, the thumb for the one side-room,
and the four narrow finger-rooms opposite the door.
"If you are going my way, you may come along with me," said the giant.
So they journeyed together for one day, but even mighty Thor could
hardly keep up with the giant's long strides.
When night came, the giant stopped under a large oak tree, and said, "I
am going to sleep; you may eat your supper, if you wish; here is a bag
full of things." Saying this, he fell asleep, and was soon snoring. But
when Thor tried to open the bag of food, he could not untie the cord.
This made him angry, for the giant had tied up their food with his own.
He looked at the huge figure lying before him asleep, and when he
thought what a mean trick the giant had played upon them, Thor seized
the magic hammer, and threw it at him.
"Did a leaf fall on me?" said the giant, sleepily. "Haven't you eaten
your supper yet? Well, I am going to sleep again." And soon he was
snoring louder than before. Thor grasped his hammer tighter than ever,
and threw it with such strength that it seemed as though it must surely
have killed the giant; but again he rubbed his eyes, and said, "I
thought an acorn fell on my head!" He had hardly spoken when he was
asleep again.
Then a third time Thor hurled his hammer with all his strength, and it
seemed to hit his enemy in the forehead, and was buried out of sight,
but the giant only said: "I think there must be birds overhead in this
tree; I thought a feather dropped down on me. Are you awake, Thor? I
think we'd better be going on with our journey, and if you are bound to
go to Utgard, I will show you the way, but I advise you to go home
instead; you will find bigger fellows than I in Utgard!"
But Thor had made up his mind to go on, and nothing could make him
change. At noontime the four friends left their giant guide, whose path
led another way. They had not traveled far when Thor spied a large city
looming up before them, and soon they came to Utgard, the home of the
fierce giants.
Although it was surrounded by high walls, Thor and his friends were able
to creep through the bars of the great gate. When they came to the
palace and found its door open, they went in, and there sat all the
giants with their king, Utgard-Loki, at their head. A quite different
Loki was this giant king from the mischievous fire-god, the Loki from
Asgard, who now stood before him.
III.
Upon seeing the four strangers, the king of the giants said: "Why, this
must be the god Thor. I really did not suppose that you were such a
little fellow, Thor! but probably you are stronger than you look. Now,
before you sit down at our table, you must each show some proof of your
strength!"
Then Loki, who was very hungry, said he was sure he could eat more than
any one else; so the king called one of the giants to come forth, saying
to Loki, "If you can indeed eat more than one of my men, you will
perform a great feat."
A huge trough, full of meat, was brought in, and Loki began eating at
one end, while the giant began at the other. They reached the center
together; but Loki had eaten only the meat, while the giant had devoured
meat, bones, trough, and all.
Thialfe, the peasant boy, took his turn next, and boasted that he was
the fastest runner of them all. "Oh," said the king, "it will be a most
wonderful feat if you can win a race against one of my men!" The first
time Thialfe ran the course he kept ahead until near the end, and was
beaten by only a few yards. The second time he came off worse, and the
third time he was only halfway around when the giant had reached the
goal.
Thor, however, was not at all cast down by the failure of the others,
and he proposed to try a drinking match. So the king brought forth a
long drinking horn, saying, "My men usually empty this in one draught,
if they are very thirsty, though sometimes they have to take it in two
swallows, or even three."
Then Thor put his lips to the drinking horn, and took one long, deep
pull, thinking he had surely emptied it, but to his surprise, the water
had lowered only a few inches. Again he lifted the horn, feeling sure he
should empty it this time, yet he did no better than before. The king
said, "You have left a great deal for your last drink!"
This made Thor try his very best; but it was of no use, he could not
empty the horn.
"So you are not as strong as you seemed, after all! Do you care to try
anything else?" said the king of the giants, in a mocking tone.
"Oh, certainly, anything you like!" replied Thor.
"Well," said the king, "I will give you something easy this time, since
I see you are not as strong as I expected. You may try to lift this cat
from the floor; it would be mere child's play for one of my men."
Thor put out his hand to lift the cat, but he could raise only one paw,
though he used all his strength.
"Well, it is no more than I expected!" said the king; "you boast of your
strength, but you do not show it to us."
By this time Thor was getting very angry, and he spoke fiercely, "I will
challenge any one of you to fight with me!"