when it was found out that Iduna had last been seen walking with him,
Bragi went after him, and brought him in before all the Æsir.
Then Father Odin, who sat on his high throne, looking very tired and
sad, said: "Oh, Loki, what is this that you have done? You have broken
your promise of brotherhood, and brought sorrow upon Asgard! Fail not to
bring home again our sister, or else come not yourself within our
gates!"
Loki knew well that this command must be obeyed, and besides, even he
was beginning to wish for Iduna again; so, borrowing the cloak of falcon
feathers which belonged to the goddess Freyja, he put it on and set out
for Utgard and the castle of the giant Thiassi, which was a gloomy cave
in a high rock by the sea, and there he found poor Iduna shut up in
prison.
By good luck, the giant was away fishing when Loki arrived, so he was
able to fly in, without being seen, through the narrow opening in
Iduna's rock cell. You would have taken him to be just a falcon bird,
but Iduna knew it was really Loki, and was filled with joy to see him.
Without stopping to talk, Loki quickly changed her into a nut, which he
held fast in his falcon claws, and flew swiftly northward, over the sea,
toward Asgard. He had not gone far when he heard a rushing noise behind
them, and he knew it must be the eagle. Faster and faster flew the
falcon with his precious nut; but the fierce eagle flew still faster
after them.
Meanwhile, for five days, the dwellers in Asgard gathered together on
the city walls, gazing southward, to watch for the coming of the birds,
while Loki and Iduna, chased by Thiassi, the eagle, flew over the wide
sea separating Utgard, the land of the giants, from Asgard. Each night
the eagle was nearer his prey, and the watchers in the city were filled
with fear lest he should overtake their friends.
At last they thought of a plan to help Iduna: gathering a great pile of
wood by the city walls, they set fire to it. When Loki reached the place
he flew safely through the thick smoke and flame, for you know he was
the god of fire, and dropped down into the city with his little nut held
fast in his falcon claws. But when the heavy eagle came rushing on after
them, he could not rise above the heat of the fire, and, smothered by
the smoke, fell down and was burned to death.
There was great joy in Asgard at having the dear Iduna back again; her
friends gathered around her, and she invited them all into her garden,
where the withered trees and flowers began to sprout and blossom; the
gay birds came back, singing and building their nests, and the happy
little brooks went dancing under the trees.
Iduna sat with Bragi among her friends, and they all feasted upon her
golden apples; she was so thankful to be free, and at home in her garden
again. Once more the Æsir became young and strong, and the two dark
strangers went away, for happiness and peace had come back to Asgard.
[Illustration]
SKADI.
While Iduna's friends were still crowding about her, all joyful and glad
at getting her home again, they spied some one afar off, coming toward
Asgard.
As the figure drew nearer, they saw it was Skadi, the tall daughter of
the frost giant Thiassi, who had chased Iduna; she was dressed all in
white fur, and carried a shining hunting-spear and arrows. Slung over
her shoulder were snowshoes and skates, for Skadi had come from her
mountain home in the icy north. Very angry about the loss of her father,
she had come to ask the Æsir why they had been so cruel to him.
Father Odin spoke kindly to her, saying, "We will do honor to your
father by putting his eyes in the sky, where they will always shine as
two bright stars, and the people in Midgard will remember Thiassi
whenever they look up at night and see the two twinkling lights. Besides
this, we will also give you gold and silver." But Skadi, thinking money
could never repay her for the loss of her father, was still angry.
Loki looked at her stern face, and he said to himself, "If we can only
make Skadi laugh, she will be more ready to agree to the plan," and he
began to think of some way to amuse her. Taking a long cord he tied it
to a goat; it was an invisible cord, which no one could see, and Loki
himself held the other end of it. Then he began to dance and caper
about, and the goat had to do just what Loki did. It really was such a
funny sight, that all the gods shouted with laughter, and even poor,
sorrowful Skadi had to smile.
When the Æsir saw this, they proposed another plan: Skadi might choose
one of the gods for her husband, but she must choose, from seeing only
his bare feet. The giantess looked at them all, as they stood before
her, and when she saw the bright face of Baldur, more beautiful than all
the rest, she agreed to their plan, saying to herself, "It might be that
I should choose him, and then I should surely be happy."
The gods then stood in a row behind a curtain, so that Skadi could see
nothing but their bare feet. She looked carefully at them all, and at
last chose the pair of feet which seemed to her the whitest, and of the
finest shape, thinking those must be Baldur's; but when the curtain was
taken away, she was surprised and sorry to find she had chosen Niörd,
the god of the seashore.
The wedding took place at Asgard, and when the feasting was over, Skadi
and Niörd went to dwell in his home by the sea. At first they were very
happy, for Niörd was kind to his giant bride; but how could you expect
one of the Æsir to live happily very long with a frost giantess for his
wife?
Skadi did not like the roar of the waves, and hated the cries of the
sea-gulls and the murmur of gentle summer winds. She longed for her
frozen home, far away in the north, amid ice and snow.
And so they finally agreed that, for nine months of the year, Niörd
should live with Skadi among her snowy mountains, where she found
happiness in hunting over the white hills and valleys on her snowshoes,
with her hunting dogs at her side, or skating on the ice-bound rivers
and lakes. Then for the three short months of summer Skadi must live
with Niörd in his palace by the sea, while he calmed the stormy ocean
waves, and helped the busy fishermen to have good sailing for their
boats.
[Illustration: SKADI HUNTING IN THE MOUNTAINS.]
Niörd loved to wander along the shore, his jacket trimmed with a
fringe of lovely seaweeds and his belt made of the prettiest shells on
the beach, with the friendly little sandpipers running before him, and
beautiful gulls and other sea birds sailing in the air above his head.
Sometimes he loved to sit on the rocks by the shore, watching the seals
play in the sunshine, or feeding the beautiful swans, his favorite
birds.
There is a kind of sponge, which the people in the north still call
Niörd's glove, in memory of this old Norse god.
[Illustration]
BALDUR.
I.
Baldur was the best beloved of all the gods. Odin was their father and
king; to him they turned for help and wise advice, but it was to Baldur
they went for loving words and bright smiles. The sight of his kind face
was a joy to the Æsir, and to all the people of Midgard. They sometimes
called him the god of light, a good name for him, because he truly gave
to the world light and strength.
Baldur was the son of Odin and Frigga; he was the most gentle and lovely
of all the gods. His beautiful palace in Asgard was bright and spotless;
no evil creature could enter there; no one who had wrong thoughts could
stay in that palace of love and truth.
At last, after the bright summer was over, for many days Baldur had
looked sad and troubled. Some of the Æsir saw it, but most of all, his
loving, watchful mother, Frigga. Baldur could not bear to worry his
mother, so he kept his sorrow to himself, saying nothing about it; but
at last Frigga drew his secret from him, and then his friends knew that
Baldur had had dreams which told of coming trouble, dreams of his
leaving all his friends and going away from Asgard, to dwell in another
land.
Odin and Frigga, fearing the dreams might come true and they must lose
their beloved son, began to think what they could do to prevent it.
Then the loving mother said, "I will make all things in the world
promise not to hurt our son." And so Queen Frigga sent out for
everything in the whole world, and everything came trooping to Asgard,
to her palace. All living creatures came from the land, from the water,
and from the air. All plants and trees came; all rocks, stones, and even
the metals under the earth, where the busy dwarfs worked. Fire came, and
water, as well as all poisons, and sickness. Everything promised not to
harm the good Baldur, except one little plant called mistletoe, which
was so small that Frigga did not send for it, feeling sure it could not
do any harm.
"Now I am happy once more," said the queen, "for our Baldur is safe!"
And she sat at peace in her beautiful palace, rejoicing that her dear
son was free from all danger.
But Odin, the wise Allfather, still felt uneasy, even after all these
promises, fearing what might happen. So he took his eight-footed steed,
Sleipnir, and rode forth from Asgard to the underworld to find Hela, the
wise woman who ruled over that far-off land. She could tell everything
that was going to happen, and she knew the names of all those who were
coming to dwell with her. Odin was the only one wise enough to speak
with Hela, for no one else knew the words that would call her forth from
her dwelling; but when Odin called, she came to answer.
"Tell me," said he, "for whom are you making ready this costly room?"
"We make ready for Baldur, the god of light," replied Hela.
"Who, then, will slay Baldur, and bring such darkness and sorrow to
Asgard?"
Again said the wise woman, "It is Hodur, Baldur's twin brother, who will
slay the sun-god." And with these words she vanished.
Sadly Father Odin returned to Asgard, and told his wife the words of
Hela; but Frigga was not troubled in her heart, for she felt sure that
nothing would hurt her dear son.
II.
One beautiful sunny day at the end of summer the gods had all gone out
to an open field beyond Asgard to have some sports. As they all knew
that nothing could hurt Baldur, they placed him at the end of the field
for a target, and then took turns throwing their darts at him, just for
the fun of seeing them fall off without hurting him. They thought this
was showing great honor to Baldur, and he was pleased to join in the
sport.
Loki happened to be away when they began to play, and when he came was
angry in his heart that nothing could hurt Baldur.
"Why should he be so favored? I hate him!" said Loki to himself, and
began at once to plan some evil.
All this while Queen Frigga sat in her palace, thinking of all her dear
sons, and of how much good they did to men. As she sat thus, thinking,
and spinning with her hands, there came a knock at the door. The queen
called, "Come in!" and an old woman stood before her.
Frigga spoke kindly to her, and soon the old woman said she had passed
by the field where the gods were playing, and throwing sharp weapons at
Baldur.
"Oh, yes," said Frigga; "neither metal nor wood can hurt him, for all
things in the world have given me their promise."
"What!" said the old woman; "do you mean that all things have really
vowed to spare Baldur?"
"All," replied the queen, "except one little plant that grows on the
eastern side of Asgard; it is called mistletoe, and I thought it too
small and soft to do any harm."
Before long the old woman went away, and when she was quite out of sight
of Frigga's palace, threw off her woman's clothes, and who do you
suppose it was? Why, no woman at all, but that wicked Loki, of course,
who hurried away out of Asgard, to find the poor little plant that did
not know about Baldur's danger. When he came to the place where the
plant grew, Loki cutting off a branch, quickly made a sharp arrow, which
he carried back to the playground, where the Æsir were still at their
game, all but one, Hodur, the god of darkness, Baldur's blind twin
brother.
Then Loki went up to Hodur, and said to him in a low voice, "Why do you
not join with the others in doing honor to Baldur?"
"I cannot see to take aim, you know, and besides, I have no weapon,"
said Hodur.
"Come, then, here is a fine new dart for you, and I will guide your
hand," whispered wicked Loki; then he slipped the arrow of mistletoe
wood into Hodur's hand and aimed it himself at Baldur, who stood there
so bright and smiling.
Then poor blind Hodur heard a dreadful cry from all the gods: Baldur
the Beautiful had fallen, struck by the arrow; he would now be taken
away from them, to live with Hela in the underworld.
Every heart was filled with sorrow for this dreadful loss; but no one
tried to punish him who had done the wicked deed, for they stood upon
sacred ground, and the field was named the Peace-stead, or Place of
Peace, where no one might hurt another. Besides, the gods did not know
it was the false Loki who hated Baldur, that had struck him down.
When Frigga heard the sad news, she asked who would win her love by
going to the underworld and begging Hela to let Baldur come back to
them.
Hermod, the swift messenger-god, ready to do his mother's bidding, set
forth at once on the long journey. Nine days and nights he traveled
without resting, until he came to Hela's underworld. There he found
Baldur, who was glad to see him, and sent messages to his friends in
Asgard. Hela said Baldur might return to them on one condition: that
every living creature, and everything in the world must weep for him.
So Hermod hastened back to Asgard, and when the Æsir heard Hela's
answer, they sent out messengers over the world to bid all things weep
for Baldur, their bright sun-god. Then did the beasts, the birds, the
fishes, the flowers and trees, even stones and metals weep; as indeed we
can see the teardrops come to all things when they are changed from heat
to cold.
As the messengers were coming back to Asgard they met an old woman, whom
they bade weep, but she replied, "Let Hela keep Baldur down below; why
should I care?" When the Æsir heard of this, they thought it must have
been the same old woman who went before to Frigga's palace, and we know
who that was.
And so Baldur the beautiful, Baldur the bright, did not come back, and
all the dwellers in Asgard were sad and sorrowful without him.
[Illustration]
ÆGIR'S FEAST
I.
Ægir was the ruler of the ocean, and his home was deep down below the
tossing waves, where the water is calm and still. There was his
beautiful palace, in the wonderful coral caves; its walls all hung with
bright-colored seaweeds, and the floor of white, sparkling coral sand.
Such wonderful sea-plants grew all about, and still more wonderful
creatures, some, which you could not tell from flowers, waving their
pretty fringes in the water; some sitting fastened to the rocks and
catching their food without moving, like the sponges; others darting
about and chasing each other.
"Deep in the wave is a coral grove,
Where the purple mullet and goldfish rove;
Where the sea-flower spreads its leaves of blue,
That never are wet with falling dew,
But in bright and changeful beauty shine
Far down in the green and glassy brine.
The floor is of sand, like the mountain drift,
And the pearl-shells spangle the flinty snow;
From coral rocks the sea-plants lift
Their boughs where the tides and billows flow.
The water is calm and still below,
For the winds and waves are absent there,
And the sands are bright as the stars that glow
In the motionless fields of upper air."
--PERCIVAL.
In that ocean home lived the lovely mermaids, who sometimes came up
above the waves to sit on the rocks and comb their long golden hair in
the sunshine. They had heads and bodies like beautiful maidens, with
fish-tails instead of feet.
One day the gods in Asgard gave a feast, and Ægir was invited. He could
not often leave home to visit Asgard, for he was always very busy with
the ocean winds and tides and storms; but calling his daughters, the
waves, he bade them keep the ocean quiet while he was away, and look
after the ships at sea.
Then Ægir went over Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, to Asgard, where they
had such a gay party and such feasting that he was sorry when the time
came to go home; but at last he said good-by to Father Odin and the rest
of the Æsir. He thanked them all for the pleasure they had given him,
saying, "If only I had a kettle that held enough mead for us all to
drink, I would invite you to visit me."
Thor, who was always glad to hear about eating and drinking, said, "I
know of a kettle a mile wide and a mile deep; I will fetch it for you!"
Then Ægir was pleased, and set a day for them all to come to his great
feast.
So Thor took with him his brother, the brave Tyr, who knew best how to
find the kettle; and together they started off in Thor's thunder
chariot, drawn by goats, on their way to Utgard, the home of the giants.
When they reached that land of ice and snow, they soon found the house
of Hymir, the giant who owned "Mile-deep," as the big kettle was called.
The gods were glad to find that the giant was not at home, and his wife,
who was more gentle than most of her people, asked them to come in and
rest, advising them to be ready to run when they should hear the giant
coming, and to hide behind a row of kettles which hung from a beam at
the back end of the hall. "For," said she, "my husband may be very angry
when he finds strangers here, and often the glance of his eye is so
fierce that it kills!"
At first the mighty Thor and brave Tyr were not willing to hide like
cowards; but at last they agreed to the plan, upon the good wife
promising to call them out as soon as she had told her husband about
them.
It was not long before they heard the heavy steps of Hymir, as he came
striding into his icy home; and very lucky it was for Thor and Tyr that
the giantess had told them to hide, for when the giant heard that two of
the Æsir from Asgard were in his home, so fierce a flash shot from his
eyes that it broke the beam from which the kettles hung, and they all
fell broken on the floor except Mile-deep.
After a while the giant grew quiet, and at last even began to be polite
to his guests. He had been unlucky at his fishing that day, so he had
to kill three of his oxen for supper. Thor being hungry, as usual, made
Hymir quite angry by eating two whole oxen, so that, when they rose from
the table the giant said, "If you keep on eating as much at every meal,
as you have to-night, Thor, you will have to find your own food."
"Very well," said Thor; "I will go fishing with you in the morning!"
II.
Next morning Thor set forth with the giant, and as they walked over the
fields toward the sea, Thor cut off the head of one of the finest oxen,
for bait. Of course you may know that Hymir was not pleased at this, but
Thor said he should need the very best kind of bait, for he was hoping
to catch the Midgard serpent, that dangerous monster who lived at the
bottom of the ocean, coiled around the world, with his tail in his
mouth.
When they came to the shore where the boat was ready, each one took an
oar, and they rowed out to deep water. Hymir was tired first, and called
to Thor to stop. "We are far enough out!" he cried "This is my usual
fishing-place, where I find the best whales. If we go farther the sea
will be rougher, and we may run into the Midgard serpent."
As this was just what Thor wanted, he rowed all the harder, and did not
stop until they were far out on the ocean; then he baited his hook with
the ox's head, and threw it overboard. Soon there came a fierce jerk on
the line; it grew heavier and heavier, but Thor pulled with all his
might. He tugged so hard that he broke through the bottom of the boat,
and had to stand on the slippery rocks beneath.
All this time the giant was looking on, wondering what was the matter,
but when he saw the horrid head of the Midgard serpent rising above the
waves, he was so frightened that he cut the line; and Thor, after trying
so hard to rid the world of that dangerous monster, saw him fall back
again under the water; even Miölnir, the magic hammer, which Thor hurled
at the creature, was too late to hit him. And so the two fishermen had
to turn back, and wade to the shore, carrying the broken boat and oars
with them.
The giant was proud to think he had been too quick for Thor, and after
they reached the house he said to the thunder-god, "Since you think you
are so strong, let us see you break this goblet; if you succeed, I will
give you the big kettle."
This was just what Thor wanted; so he tightened his belt of strength,
and threw the goblet with all his might against the wall; but instead of
breaking the goblet he broke the wall.
A second time he tried, but did no better. Then the giant's wife
whispered to Thor, "Throw it at his head!" And she sang in a low voice,
as she turned her spinning-wheel,--
"Hard the pillar, hard the stone,
Harder yet the giant's bone!
Stones shall break and pillars fall,
Hymir's forehead breaks them all!"
Yet again Thor threw the goblet, this time against the giant's head, and
it fell, broken in pieces.
Then Tyr tried to lift the Mile-deep kettle, for he was in a hurry to
leave this land of ice and snow; but he could not stir it from its
place, and Thor had to help him, before they could get it out of the
giant's house.
When Hymir saw the gods, whom he hated, carrying off his kettle, he
called all his giant friends, and they started out in chase of the Æsir;
but when Thor heard them coming he turned and saw their fierce, grinning
faces glaring down at him from every rocky peak and iceberg.
Then the mighty Thunderer raised Miölnir, the hammer, above his head,
and hurled it among the giants, who became stiff and cold, all turned
into giant rocks, that still stand by the shore.
III.
Ægir was very glad to get Mile-deep; so he set to work to make the mead
in it, to get ready for the great feast, at the time of the flax
harvest, when all the Æsir were coming from Asgard to visit him.
Before the day came, all light and joy had gone from the sacred city,
because the bright Baldur had been slain, and the homes of the gods were
dark and lonely without him. So they were all glad to visit Ægir, to
find cheer for their sadness.
There was Father Odin, with his golden helmet, and Queen Frigga,
wearing her crown of stars, golden-haired Sif, Freyja, with Brisingamen,
the wonderful necklace, and all the noble company of the Æsir, all
except mighty Thor, who had gone far away to the giant-land.
As they all sat in Ægir's beautiful ocean hall, drinking the sweet mead,
and talking together, Loki came in and stood before them; but, finding
he was not welcome, and no seat saved for him, he began saying ugly
things to make them all angry, and at last he grew angry himself, and
slew Ægir's servant because they praised him. The Æsir drove him out
from the hall, but once more he came in, and said such dreadful things
that at last Frigga said, "Oh, if my son Baldur were only here, he would
silence thy wicked tongue!"
Then Loki turned to Frigga, and told her that he himself was the very
one who had slain Baldur. He had no sooner spoken than a heavy peal of
thunder shook the hall, and angry Thor strode in, waving his magic
hammer. Seeing this, the coward Loki turned and fled, and Asgard was rid
of him forever.
[Illustration]
THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI.
When Loki was driven out by the mighty Thor from Ægir's palace-hall he
knew that he could never again be allowed to come among the gods in
Asgard. Many times had this mischievous fire-god brought trouble and
sorrow to the Æsir, but now he had done the most cruel deed of all, he
had slain Baldur the Good, and had driven all light and joy from Asgard.
Far away he fled, among the mountains, hoping that no one would find him
there; and near a lovely mountain stream he built for himself a hut with
four doors looking north, east, south, and west, so that if the wise
Allfather, on his high air throne in Asgard, should see him, and send
messengers to punish him, the watchful Loki could see them coming and
escape by the opposite door.
He spent most of the days and nights thinking how he could get away
from the Æsir. "If I ran to the stream and turned myself into a fish,"
he thought, "I wonder if they could catch me. I could keep out of the
way of a hook; but then there are nets; Ægir's wife has a wonderful
thing like a net, for catching fish, and that would be far worse than a
hook!"