_A Norse legend to show that sorrow follows in the footsteps of
pride and vanity._
You will remember that Freyja was the sister of Frey, and that her
other name was Beauty. Everybody loved Freyja and liked to look
at her beautiful face and listen to her sweet voice. She had a
wonderful husband named Odur whom she loved very dearly and of whom
she was very proud.
Now, it happened that all the gods and their wives were to dine at
Valhalla one day, and Freyja was greatly distressed because she had
no jewels to wear.
“You are more beautiful without jewels,” said her husband; but
Freyja thought of the other women and shook her head.
She went out to ask Frey to get her some flowers at least, but her
steps took her down into the heart of the earth where the dwarfs
were digging gold and diamonds. Four little dwarfs were tugging at
something heavy and very beautiful. Freyja saw it was a diamond
necklace of wonderful charm.
“Oh, give it to me!” she cried, shielding her eyes from its
dazzling light.
“All right,” said the dwarfs, “but you had better let it alone.”
Freyja did not heed them but seized the necklace and hastened back
home. She put the brilliant ornament around her neck, looked at
her lovely face in a pool of water and went to find her husband.
But Odur was not in his room. Odur had gone to the home of the
immortals for he and the dwarf’s necklace could not live in the
same house. But Freyja did not know this.
Nobody spoke to her nor admired the necklace. They all went to the
feast while Freyja sat at the door of the palace and mourned. The
necklace sparkled in the sun and her tears dropped down and looked
like jewels themselves. She arose and went to Odin and said:
“Let me go find my husband.” And Odin answered:
“Go, Freyja, and good fortune attend you.”
Freyja sprang into her chariot and began her search for her
husband. She went to the houses in the big cities, and to the
homes of the poor and destitute. “Is my husband here?” she asked
everywhere. But all looked at the necklace and shook their heads.
“The necklace is very fair, but it is so heavy, and it makes my
heart like lead,” she said.
She went to the Iron Wood and asked the old witch, but the old
witch was cross and drove her away. She drove up to the Vedar on
the mountain side, but he was like a tree and merely shook his
branches. And so she went on and on always with her necklace, but
she never found her husband. And sometimes she stops to weep, and
then people say: “The summer rain is falling on the flowers.”