Thor was, as you know, the strongest and noblest of the great giants
of the north. He was tall in stature and had fiery brown eyes, from
which the light flashed like lightning, while his long red beard waved
through the sky as he drove in his goat-drawn chariot. Brilliant sparks
flew from the hoofs and teeth of the two goats, while a crown of bright
stars shone above Thor’s head. When he was angered the wheels of his
chariot rumbled and crashed their passage through the air, until men
trembled and hid, telling each other that Thor had gone to battle with
the Rime-giants or other of his enemies. Now Thor’s wife was named Sib,
and she was most beautiful to look upon. Her soft, browny-gold hair was
so long and thick that it would cover her from the crown of her head to
her little feet, and her deep brown eyes looked into the faces of her
friends as those of a mother look into the face of her child. Loki,
the mischief-maker among the giants, often looked at Sib and longed to
do her some evil, for he was jealous, thinking that it was not right
that she should be praised and loved by everyone; go where he would he
could find no one who did not speak well of her.
It happened one day when the summer was nearly gone that Loki found
Sib alone and sleeping on a bank near the river, so he drew his knife,
and creeping softly nearer and nearer, cut off her beautiful flowing
hair quite close to her head. Then he joyfully rushed away and strewed
it far and wide over the whole earth, so that it became no longer
living and golden but faded and turned a dull colour as the winds blew
it about and the rains beat upon it, and crushed it in between the
rocks and stones. When Sib awoke and was about to push the hair from
her face, she felt that something was wrong. Wonderingly she ran to
the water and looking at her reflection in the clear depths, saw that
nothing but a short stubble stood up all over her head. All her lovely
hair was gone! Only one would have dared to treat her so badly, and in
her grief and anger she called upon Thor to come to her aid.
Loki had of course fled and was hiding far away in another country
among the rocks when he heard the distant rumblings of thunder, and
tried to shrink deeper into the crevices between the great stones, but
the awful sound grew louder, and at last the angry flash from Thor’s
eyes darted to the very spot where the mischievous one lay. Then Thor
pulled him out and shook him from side to side in his enormous hands,
and would have crushed his bones upon the hard rocks had not Loki in
great terror asked what good his death would do, for it certainly
would not bring Sib’s hair back. Then Thor set the mischief-maker on
his feet, though still keeping a tight hold on him, and asked what he
would do to repair the evil which he had done. Loki promptly answered
that he would go down into the mountains to the dwarfs, and get Iwald’s
sons to make some golden hair for Sib, as good as that which he had
destroyed. Now Iwald had had seven sons, and these all lived deep below
the earth in the great caverns which lie below the mountains, and these
sons were small and dark; they did not like the daylight for they were
little dwarfs who could see best without the sun to dazzle their eyes;
they knew where gold and silver grew, and they could tell where to find
beautiful shining stones, which were red, and white, and yellow, and
green; they knew the way all over the world by running through caverns
and passages under the mountains, and wherever they could find precious
stones or metals they built a furnace, and made an anvil, and hammer
and bellows, and everything that was wanted in a smithy; for they knew
how to fashion the most wonderful things from gold and iron and stone,
and they had knowledge which made them more powerful than the people
who lived above the ground.
Thor let the mischief-maker go to get the help of the dwarfs to repair
the wrong which he had done, and Loki sought about the mountain-side
until he found a hole which would lead him into Iwald’s cave, and then
he promptly dropped into it. There in a dark cave gleaming with many
sparkling lights he went to the two cleverest dwarfs who were named
Sindri and Brok, and told them what it was he wanted, adding that he
would be in sore trouble with Thor if they could not help him. Now
Sindri and Brok knew all about Loki perfectly well; they knew all about
his mischievous ways and the evil he so often wrought, but as they
liked Thor and Sib they were willing to give the help which was asked
of them. Thus without more ado, for these dwarfs never wasted their
words, Sindri and Brok began their work.
Huge blocks of earth-brown stone were cast into the furnace until they
were in a white heat, when drop by drop red gold trickled from them
into the ashes. This was all gathered together, and the glistening
heap taken to the dwarf women, who, crushing it in their hands before
it had hardened, drew it out upon their wheels, and spun it into fine
soft hair. While they were doing this Brok sought amongst his treasures
until he found the blue of the ocean and the tough inner pith of an
underground tree; these, with other things, were cast into the furnace,
and afterwards beaten with his hammer. As the rhythmic strokes fell,
the women sang a song which was like the voice of a strong, steady
wind. Then when this work was finished, the smith drew forth a little
ship, which was carefully placed on one side. The third time the dwarf
went to a dark corner, and brought out an ugly bent bar of iron, and
this, with two feathers from the wings of the wind, was heated to
melting whiteness, and wrought with great cunning and extreme care, for
it was to be a spear for Odin himself, the greatest of all the Heroes.
Then Brok and Sindri called Loki to them and giving him these three
things bade him hasten back to the Heroes at Asgard and appease their
wrath. Loki, however, was already beginning to feel sorry that he had
been so successful; he liked teasing folk but he did not like having to
atone for his mischief afterwards. He turned the marvellous gifts over
scornfully in his hands, and said that he did not see anything very
wonderful in _them_; then, looking at Sindri he added, “However, Brok
has hammered them very skilfully, and I will wager my head that you
could not make anything better.”
Now the brother dwarfs had not by any means expected gratitude,
but neither had they expected any such rudeness as this, so Sindri
determined to give Loki a lesson. Going to one corner of the smithy
he picked up a pig-skin and taking the hammer in his hands, told his
brother to blow steadily, neither to falter nor to fail until he passed
the word that the work was done. Then with strength and gentleness
he wrought with his tools, having cast nothing into the heat but the
pig-skin; with mighty blows and delicate touches he brought thickness
and substance into it, until a boar looked at him from the flames.
Loki, fearing for his head, changed himself into an enormous forest
fly, and settling upon Brok’s hand, stung with vicious fury; but the
dwarf would not trouble to brush the fly away, and steadily moved the
bellows until his brother called to him to stop, when they drew forth a
strong flexible boar whose bristles were of the finest gold.
Then without saying anything or paying any attention to the spiteful
words which Loki kept uttering, Sindri chose from a heap of gold the
most solid lump he could find and flung it into the white flames.
Thrice it was heated and cooled, and the dark elf turned it and worked
it with wonderful skill, and in the glow Loki saw a broad red ring,
which seemed to live and move. Again he tried to spoil the work as a
fly, and bit deeply into Brok’s neck, but Brok would not so much as
raise his hand to rid him of the pain. When the ring was finally laid
to cool, so marvellously had it been wrought that from it each ninth
night would fall eight rings as beautiful as itself.
Now came the last test of Sindri’s cunning. He cast into the furnace
a piece of fine iron, and told Brok his hand must neither tremble nor
stay, or the whole of their work would be useless. Then with wild songs
of strength upon his lips he hammered and tapped, until those who were
in the cave felt that they were out among the roaring waves; they could
hear the ice mountains grind and crash to pieces, and the thunder of
Thor’s chariot wheels rushing through the heavens. A frenzied horror
seized upon Loki’s mind. If these wretched dwarfs were going to make
anything to add to Thor’s strength he knew that it would be his own
ruin. So, changing himself to a hornet, he sprang upon the forehead of
Brok, and dug so fiercely into his eyelids that the blood trickled down
and blinded him. Then the dwarf let go of the bellows for one moment to
clear his eyes, and Sindri cried out that what lay in the furnace came
near to being spoiled, and with that he took a red-hot hammer up with
his tongs. It was neither pretty, nor particularly large, while the
handle was an inch too short because of Loki’s spite.
Then Brok and Loki set out for Asgard, Loki carrying the three
wonderful things which had been given to him, while Brok carried the
three marvels which Sindri had so cunningly wrought and accompanied
the mischief-maker, that the Heroes might judge who had won the wager
so rashly offered by Loki. When they reached Asgard the Heroes seated
themselves on their high seats agreeing among themselves that Odin,
Thor and Frey should be judges in this case.
[Illustration: Loki descending into the cave of the dwarfs]
First, Loki offered to Odin the spear Gungner which was so wonderfully
made that it never failed to hit the thing at which it was thrown, and
it always sped back to the hand which had thrown it. Later, when Odin
carried this spear in battle, if he shook it over his enemies they
became so frightened that they all wanted to run away, but if he shook
it over his friends they were so filled with courage that they could
not be conquered. Then Thor received the hair, and when it was placed
upon Sib’s head it grew to her like living tresses, curling and waving
in the wind. To Frey the ship was given, and though it was so small
that it could be folded and carried in his pocket, when it was placed
upon the waves it would grow large enough to hold an army of warriors
with all their war gear; besides, as soon as the sails were hoisted,
the wind would blow it whithersoever it was desired that the ship
should go.
Brok then made his offerings, and to Odin he gave the ring Draupnir
which had been made with such magic skill that every ninth night eight
other rings dropped off it, though no one could see how they came; this
the greatest of the Heroes ever wore upon his arm, until the death of
his beautiful son Balder, when, as token of his great love he placed
it upon the dead youth’s breast as he lay on his funeral pyre. To Frey
was given the golden boar, which would run faster than any horse, over
the sea or through the air, and wherever it went, there it would be
light, because the bristles shone so brightly. To Thor Brok gave the
dull-looking hammer, saying, that whatever he struck with it would be
destroyed; that no blow could be hard enough to hurt it; that if he
threw it, it would return to him so that he could never lose it; and
that as he wished so would its size be--yet there was one fault about
it, and that was that the handle was an inch too short.
It was with great joy that Thor took this treasure, knowing that in it
he had something to help him in fighting the evil Rime-giants who were
always trying to get the whole world for themselves until driven back
by him.
Then the Heroes decided that of all the gifts the hammer was the best,
and that, therefore, Loki had lost his wager and must lose his head.
Loki offered to give all sorts of things to save himself, but the
dwarf would not listen to any of them. “Catch me, then!” cried the
mischievous one; but when Brok stretched his hand upon him Loki had
gone, for he wore shoes which would carry him over the sea or through
the air.
“Catch him!” cried the ugly little dwarf piteously to Thor, and in an
instant Loki stood before them, trembling in Thor’s strong grasp. Then
the clever one argued that it was his head only which had been wagered,
and that not one little tiny bit of his neck might be taken, or the
dwarf would have more than his bargain. At this Brok cried impatiently
that the head of a wicked person was of no use to him, all that he
wanted was to stop Loki’s tongue so that he could work less evil, and
he took a knife and thread and tried to pierce holes in Loki’s lips,
but Loki bewitched the knife so that it would not cut.
[Illustration: Loki’s punishment]
“If only I had Sindri’s awl,” sighed the dwarf, and instantly his
brother’s awl was in his hand. Swiftly it pierced the lips of the
mischief-maker, and swiftly Brok sewed them together and broke off the
thread at the end of the sewing.
Then the Heroes gave presents for the dwarfs in return for their
wonderful things, and Brok returned to his cave. As for Loki, I think
that it was not long before he loosed his lips and returned to his
mischief-making.
* * * * *
When the Scandinavian dwarf ceased speaking there was murmuring all
over the circle at the meannesses of Loki, and everyone felt glad
that Thor had been so well served by the dwarfs and hoped that the
mischief-maker, though he escaped that time after all, later met with
the reward which he deserved. I think that if the Scandinavian dwarf
had chosen to do so he might have told a very grim story of how it was
that the wicked Loki came to his fate at last, but there were so many
fairies, dwarfs, fays, gnomes, trolls, pucks, and other little people
who were ready to tell stories that I don’t think that they would have
let the Scandinavian dwarf tell another story if he had wanted to. When
he went back to his place in the great circle, the little fairy prince
of a bright warm country sprang on to the stool in front of Oberon’s
throne and said that he would be glad to tell the story of his wife’s
life, and how it was that she came to marry him.
“And what is your wife’s name?” said Oberon.
“Her name,” answered the little prince, “is
[Illustration: The fairy prince]
[Illustration: Right in the middle of the flower sat a little tiny girl]