THE WITCH'S HEART
[Illustration]
FOREBODING IN ASGARD
What happened afterwards is to the shame of the Gods, and mortals may
hardly speak of it. Gulveig the Witch came into Asgard, for Heimdall
might not forbid her entrance. She came within and she had her seat
amongst the AEsir and the Vanir. She walked through Asgard with a smile
upon her face, and where she walked and where she smiled Care and dire
Foreboding came.
Those who felt the care and the foreboding most deeply were Bragi the
Poet and his wife, the fair and simple Iduna, she who gathered the
apples that kept age from the Dwellers in Asgard. Bragi ceased to tell
his never-ending tale. Then one day, overcome by the fear and the
foreboding that was creeping through Asgard, Iduna slipped down
Ygdrassil, the World Tree, and no one was left to pluck the apples with
which the AEsir and the Vanir stayed their youth.
Then were all the Dwellers in Asgard in sore dismay. Strength and beauty
began to fade from all. Thor found it hard to lift Mioelnir, his great
hammer, and the flesh under Freya's necklace lost its white radiance.
And still Gulveig the Witch walked smiling through Asgard, although now
she was hated by all.
It was Odin and Frey who went in search of Iduna. She would have been
found and brought back without delay if Frey had had with him the magic
sword that he had bartered for Gerda. In his search he had to strive
with one who guarded the lake wherein Iduna had hidden herself. Beli was
the one he strove against. He overcame him in the end with a weapon made
of stags' antlers. Ah, it was not then but later that Frey lamented the
loss of his sword: it was when the Riders of Muspell came against
Asgard, and the Vanir, who might have prevailed, prevailed not because
of the loss of Frey's sword.
They found Iduna and they brought her back. But still Care and
Foreboding crept through Asgard. And it was known, too, that the witch
Gulveig was changing the thoughts of the Gods.
At last Odin had to judge Gulveig. He judged her and decreed her death.
And only Gungnir, the spear of Odin, might slay Gulveig, who was not of
mortal race.
Odin hurled Gungnir. The spear went through Gulveig. But still she stood
smiling at the Gods. A second time Odin hurled his spear. A second time
Gungnir pierced the witch. She stood livid as one dead but fell not
down. A third time Odin hurled his spear. And now, pierced for the third
time, the witch gave a scream that made all Asgard shudder and she fell
in death on the ground.
"I have slain in these halls where slaying is forbidden," Odin said.
"Take now the corpse of Gulveig and burn it on the ramparts, so that no
trace of the witch who has troubled us will remain in Asgard."
They brought the corpse of Gulveig the witch out on the ramparts and
they lighted fires under the pile on which they laid her and they called
upon Hraesvelgur to fan up the flame:
Hraesvelgur is the Giant,
Who on heaven's edge sits
In the guise of an eagle;
And the winds, it is said,
Rush down on the earth
From his outspreading pinions.
Far away was Loki when all this was being done. Often now he went from
Asgard, and his journeys were to look upon that wondrous treasure that
had passed from the keeping of the Dwarf Andvari. It was Gulveig who had
kept the imagination of that treasure within his mind. Now, when he came
back and heard the whispers of what had been done, a rage flamed up
within him. For Loki was one of those whose minds were being changed by
the presence and the whispers of the witch Gulveig. His mind was being
changed to hatred of the Gods. Now he went to the place of Gulveig's
burning. All her body was in ashes, but her heart had not been devoured
by the flames. And Loki in his rage took the heart of the witch and ate
it. Oh, black and direful was it in Asgard, the day that Loki ate the
heart that the flames would not devour!
[Illustration]
LOKI THE BETRAYER
He stole Frigga's dress of falcon feathers. Then as a falcon he flew out
of Asgard. Joetunheim was the place that he flew toward.
The anger and the fierceness of the hawk was within Loki as he flew
through the Giants' Realm. The heights and the chasms of that dread land
made his spirits mount up like fire. He saw the whirlpools and the
smoking mountains and had joy of these sights. Higher and higher he
soared until, looking toward the South, he saw the flaming land of
Muspelheim. Higher and higher still he soared. With his falcon's eyes he
saw the gleam of Surtur's flaming sword. All the fire of Muspelheim and
all the gloom of Joetunheim would one day be brought against Asgard and
against Midgard. But Loki was no longer dismayed to think of the ruin of
Asgard's beauty and the ruin of Midgard's promise.
He hovered around one of the dwellings in Joetunheim. Why had he come to
it? Because he had seen two of the women of that dwelling, and his rage
against the Asyniur and the Vanir was such that the ugliness and the
evil of these women was pleasing to him.
He hovered before the open door of the Giant's house and he looked upon
those who were within. Gerrioed, the most savage of all the Giants, was
there. And beside him, squatting on the ground, were his two evil and
ugly daughters, Gialp and Greip.
They were big and bulky, black and rugged, with horses' teeth and hair
that was like horses' manes. Gialp was the uglier of the two, if one
could be said to be uglier than the other, for her nose was a yard long
and her eyes were crooked.
What were they talking about as they sat there, one scratching the
other? Of Asgard and the Dwellers in Asgard whom they hated. Thor was
the one whom they hated most of all, and they were speaking of all they
would like to do to him.
"I would keep Thor bound in chains," said Gerrioed the Giant, "and I
would beat him to death with my iron club."
"I would grind his bones to powder," said Greip.
"I would tear the flesh off his bones," said Gialp. "Father, can you not
catch this Thor and bring him to us alive?"
"Not so long as he has his hammer Mioelnir, and the gloves with which he
grasps his hammer, and the belt that doubles his strength."
"Oh, if we could catch him without his hammer and his belt and his
gloves," cried Gialp and Greip together.
At that moment they saw the falcon hovering before the door. They were
eager now for something to hold and torment and so the hearts of the
three became set upon catching the falcon. They did not stir from the
place where they were sitting, but they called the child Glapp, who was
swinging from the roof-tree, and they bade him go out and try to catch
the falcon.
All concealed by the great leaves the child Glapp climbed up the ivy
that was around the door. The falcon came hovering near. Then Glapp
caught it by the wings and fell down through the ivy, screaming and
struggling as he was being beaten, and clawed, and torn by the wings and
the talons and the beak of the falcon.
Gerrioed and Greip and Gialp rushed out and kept hold of the falcon. As
the Giant held him in his hands and looked him over he knew that this
was no bird-creature. The eyes showed him to be of Alfheim or Asgard.
The Giant took him and shut him in a box till he would speak.
Soon he tapped at the closed box and when Gerrioed opened it Loki spoke
to him. So glad was the savage Giant to have one of the Dwellers in
Asgard in his power that he and his daughters did nothing but laugh and
chuckle to each other for days. And all this time they left Loki in the
closed box to waste with hunger.
When they opened the box again Loki spoke to them. He told them he
would do any injury to the Dwellers in Asgard that would please them if
they would let him go.
"Will you bring Thor to us?" said Greip.
"Will you bring Thor to us without his hammer, and without the gloves
with which he grasps his hammer, and without his belt?" said Gialp.
"I will bring him to you if you will let me go," Loki said. "Thor is
easily deceived and I can bring him to you without his hammer and his
belt and his gloves."
"We will let you go, Loki," said the Giant, "if you will swear by the
gloom of Joetunheim that you will bring Thor to us as you say."
Loki swore that he would do so by the gloom of Joetunheim--"Yea, and by
the fires of Muspelheim," he added. The Giant and his daughters let him
go, and he flew back to Asgard.
He restored to Frigga her falcon dress. All blamed him for having stolen
it, but when he told how he had been shut up without food in Gerrioed's
dwelling those who judged him thought he had been punished enough for
the theft. He spoke as before to the Dwellers in Asgard, and the rage
and hatred he had against them since he had eaten Gulveig's heart he
kept from bursting forth.
He talked to Thor of the adventures they had together in Joetunheim. Thor
would now roar with laughter when he talked of the time when he went as
a bride to Thrym the Giant.
Loki was able to persuade him to make another journey to Joetunheim. "And
I want to speak to you of what I saw in Gerrioed's dwelling," he said.
"I saw there the hair of Sif, your wife."
"The hair of Sif, my wife," said Thor in surprise.
"Yes, the hair I once cut off from Sif's head," said Loki. "Gerrioed was
the one who found it when I cast it away. They light their hall with
Sif's hair. Oh, yes, they don't need torches where Sif's hair is."
"I should like to see it," said Thor.
"Then pay Gerrioed a visit," Loki replied. "But if you go to his house
you will have to go without your hammer Mioelnir, and without your gloves
and your belt."
"Where will I leave Mioelnir, and my gloves and my belt?" Thor asked.
"Leave them in Valaskjalf, Odin's own dwelling," said cunning Loki.
"Leave them there and come to Gerrioed's dwelling. Surely you will be
well treated there."
"Yes, I will leave them in Valaskjalf and go with you to Gerrioed's
dwelling," Thor said.
Thor left his hammer, his gloves, and his belt in Valaskjalf. Then he
and Loki went toward Joetunheim. When they were near the end of their
journey, they came to a wide river, and with a young Giant whom they met
on the bank they began to ford it.
Suddenly the river began to rise. Loki and the young Giant would have
been swept away only Thor gripped both of them. Higher and higher the
river rose, and rougher and rougher it became. Thor had to plant his
feet firmly on the bottom or he and the two he held would have been
swept down by the flood. He struggled across, holding Loki and the
young Giant. A mountain ash grew out of the bank, and, while the two
held to him, he grasped it with his hands. The river rose still higher,
but Thor was able to draw Loki and the young Giant to the bank, and then
he himself scrambled up on it.
Now looking up the river he saw a sight that filled him with rage. A
Giantess was pouring a flood into it. This it was that was making the
river rise and seethe. Thor pulled a rock out of the bank and hurled it
at her. It struck her and flung her into the flood. Then she struggled
out of the water and went yelping away. This Giantess was Gialp,
Gerrioed's ugly and evil daughter.
Nothing would do the young Giant whom Thor had helped across but that
the pair would go and visit Grid, his mother, who lived in a cave in the
hillside. Loki would not go and was angered to hear that Thor thought of
going. But Thor, seeing that the Giant youth was friendly, was willing
enough to go to Grid's dwelling.
"Go then, but get soon to Gerrioed's dwelling yonder. I will wait for you
there," said Loki. He watched Thor go up the hillside to Grid's cave. He
waited until he saw Thor come back down the hillside and go toward
Gerrioed's dwelling. He watched Thor go into the house where, as he
thought, death awaited him. Then in a madness for what he had done,
Loki, with his head drawn down on his shoulders, started running like a
bird along the ground.
Grid, the old Giantess, was seated on the floor of the cave grinding
corn between two stones. "Who is it?" she said, as her son led Thor
within. "One of the AEsir! What Giant do you go to injure now, Asa Thor?"
"I go to injure no Giant, old Grid," Thor replied. "Look upon me! Cannot
you see that I have not Mioelnir, my mighty hammer, with me, nor my belt,
nor my gloves of iron?"
"But where in Joetunheim do you go?"
"To the house of a friendly Giant, old Grid--to the house of Gerrioed."
"Gerrioed a friendly Giant! You are out of your wits, Asa Thor. Is he not
out of his wits, my son--this one who saved you from the flood, as you
say?"
"Tell him of Gerrioed, old mother," said the Giant youth.
"Do not go to his house, Asa Thor. Do not go to his house."
"My word has been given, and I should be a craven if I stayed away now,
just because an old crone sitting at a quernstone tells me I am going
into a trap."
"I will give you something that will help you, Asa Thor. Lucky for you I
am mistress of magical things. Take this staff in your hands. It is a
staff of power and will stand you instead of Mioelnir."
"I will take it since you offer it in kindness, old dame, this
worm-eaten staff."
"And take these mittens, too. They will serve you for your gauntlets of
iron."
"I will take them since you offer them in kindness, old dame, these worn
old mittens."
"And take this length of string. It will serve you for your belt of
prowess."
"I will take it since you offer it in kindness, old dame, this ragged
length of string."
"'Tis well indeed for you, Asa Thor, that I am mistress of magical
things."
Thor put the worn length of string around his waist, and as he did he
knew that Grid, the old Giantess, was indeed the mistress of magical
things. For immediately he felt his strength augmented as when he put on
his own belt of strength. He then drew on the mittens and took the staff
that she gave him in his hands.
He left the cave of Grid, the old Giantess, and went to Gerrioed's
dwelling. Loki was not there. It was then that Thor began to think that
perhaps old Grid was right and that a trap was being laid for him.
No one was in the hall. He came out of the hall and into a great stone
chamber and he saw no one there either. But in the center of the stone
chamber there was a stone seat, and Thor went to it and seated himself
upon it.
No sooner was he seated than the chair flew upwards. Thor would have
been crushed against the stone roof only that he held his staff up. So
great was the power in the staff, so great was the strength that the
string around him gave, that the chair was thrust downward. The stone
chair crashed down upon the stone floor.
There were horrible screams from under it. Thor lifted up the seat and
saw two ugly, broken bodies there. The Giant's daughters, Gialp and
Greip, had hidden themselves under the chair to watch his death. But
the stone that was to have crushed him against the ceiling had crushed
them against the floor.
Thor strode out of that chamber with his teeth set hard. A great fire
was blazing in the hall, and standing beside that fire he saw Gerrioed,
the long-armed Giant.
He held a tongs into the fire. As Thor came toward him he lifted up the
tongs and flung from it a blazing wedge of iron. It whizzed straight
toward Thor's forehead. Thor put up his hands and caught the blazing
wedge of iron between the mittens that old Grid had given him. Quickly
he hurled it back at Gerrioed. It struck the Giant on the forehead and
went blazing through him.
Gerrioed crashed down into the fire, and the burning iron made a blaze
all around him. And when Thor reached Grid's cave (he went there to
restore to the old Giantess the string, the mittens, and the staff of
power she had given him) he saw the Giant's dwelling in such a blaze
that one would think the fires of Muspelheim were all around it.
[Illustration]
LOKI AGAINST THE AESIR
The AEsir were the guests of the Vanir: in Frey's palace the Dwellers in
Asgard met and feasted in friendship. Odin and Tyr were there, Vidar and
Vali, Nioerd, Frey, Heimdall, and Bragi. The Asyniur and the Vana were
also--Frigga, Freya, Iduna, Gerda, Skadi, Sif, and Nanna. Thor and Loki
were not at the feast, for they had left Asgard together.
In Frey's palace the vessels were of shining gold; they made light for
the table and they moved of their own accord to serve those who were
feasting. All was peace and friendship there until Loki entered the
feast hall.
Frey, smiling a welcome, showed a bench to Loki. It was beside Bragi's
and next to Freya's. Loki did not take the place; instead he shouted
out, "Not beside Bragi will I sit; not beside Bragi, the most craven of
all the Dwellers in Asgard."
Bragi sprang up at that affront, but his wife, the mild Iduna, quieted
his anger. Freya turned to Loki and reproved him for speaking injurious
words at a feast.
"Freya," said Loki, "why were you not so mild when Odur was with you?
Would it not have been well to have been wifely with your husband
instead of breaking faith with him for the sake of a necklace that you
craved of the Giant women?"
Amazement fell on all at the bitterness that was in Loki's words and
looks. Tyr and Nioerd stood up from their seats. But then the voice of
Odin was heard and all was still for the words of the All-Father.
"Take the place beside Vidar, my silent son, O Loki," said Odin, "and
let thy tongue which drips bitterness be silent."
"All the AEsir and the Vanir listen to thy words, O Odin, as if thou wert
always wise and just," Loki said. "But must we forget that thou didst
bring war into the world when thou didst fling thy spear at the envoys
of the Vanir? And didst thou not permit me to work craftily on the one
who built the wall around Asgard for a price? Thou dost speak, O Odin,
and all the AEsir and the Vanir listen to thee! But was it not thou who,
thinking not of wisdom but of gold when a ransom had to be made, brought
the witch Gulveig out of the cave where she stayed with the Dwarf's
treasure? Thou wert not always wise nor always just, O Odin, and we at
the table here need not listen to thee as if always thou wert."
Then Skadi, the wife of Nioerd, flung words at Loki. She spoke with all
the fierceness of her Giant blood. "Why should we not rise up and chase
from the hall this chattering crow?" she said.
"Skadi," said Loki, "remember that the ransom for thy father's death has
not yet been paid. Thou wert glad to snatch a husband instead of it.
Remember who it was that killed thy Giant father. It was I, Loki. And no
ransom have I paid thee for it, although thou hast come amongst us in
Asgard."
Then Loki fixed his eyes on Frey, the giver of the feast, and all knew
that with bitter words he was about to assail him. But Tyr, the brave
swordsman, rose up and said, "Not against Frey mayst thou speak, O Loki.
Frey is generous; he is the one amongst us who spares the vanquished and
frees the captive."
"Cease speaking, Tyr," said Loki. "Thou mayst not always have a hand to
hold that sword of thine. Remember this saying of mine in days to come.
"Frey," said he, "because thou art the giver of the feast they think I
will not speak the truth about thee. But I am not to be bribed by a
feast. Didst thou not send Skirnir to Gymer's dwelling to befool Gymer's
flighty daughter? Didst thou not bribe him into frightening her into a
marriage with thee, who, men say, wert the slayer of her brother? Yea,
Frey. Thou didst part with a charge, with the magic sword that thou
shouldst have kept for the battle. Thou hadst cause to grieve when thou
didst meet Beli by the lake."
When he said this all who were there of the Vanir rose up, their faces
threatening Loki.
"Sit still, ye Vanir," Loki railed. "If the AEsir are to bear the brunt
of Joetunheim's and Muspelheim's war upon Asgard it was your part to be
the first or the last on Vigard's plain. But already ye have lost the
battle for Asgard, for the weapon that was put into Frey's hands he
bartered for Gerda the Giantess. Ha! Surtur shall triumph over you
because of Frey's bewitchment."
In horror they looked at the one who could let his hatred speak of
Surtur's triumph. All would have laid hands on Loki only Odin's voice
rang out. Then another appeared at the entrance of the feasting hall. It
was Thor. With his hammer upon his shoulder, his gloves of iron on his
hands, and his belt of prowess around him, he stood marking Loki with
wrathful eyes.
"Ha, Loki, betrayer," he shouted. "Thou didst plan to leave me dead in
Gerrioed's house, but now thou wilt meet death by the stroke of this
hammer."
His hands were raised to hurl Mioelnir. But the words that Odin spoke
were heard. "Not in this hall may slaying be done, son Thor. Keep thy
hands upon thy hammer."
Then shrinking from the wrath in the eyes of Thor, Loki passed out of
the feast hall. He went beyond the walls of Asgard and crossed Bifroest,
the Rainbow Bridge. And he cursed Bifroest, and longed to see the day
when the armies of Muspelheim would break it down in their rush against
Asgard.
East of Midgard there was a place more evil than any region in
Joetunheim. It was Jarnvid, the Iron Wood. There dwelt witches who were
the most foul of all witches. And they had a queen over them, a hag,
mother of many sons who took upon themselves the shapes of wolves. Two
of her sons were Skoll and Hati, who pursued Sol, the Sun, and Mani, the
Moon. She had a third son, who was Managarm, the wolf who was to be
filled with the life-blood of men, who was to swallow up the Moon, and
stain the heavens and earth with blood. To Jarnvid, the Iron Wood, Loki
made his way. And he wed one of the witches there, Angerboda, and they
had children that took on dread shapes. Loki's offspring were the most
terrible of the foes that were to come against the AEsir and the Vanir in
the time that was called the Twilight of the Gods.
[Illustration]
THE VALKYRIE
Against the time when the riders of Muspelheim, with the Giants and the
evil powers of the Underworld, would bring on battle, Odin All-Father
was preparing a host of defenders for Asgard. They were not of the AEsir
nor of the Vanir; they were of the race of mortal men, heroes chosen
from amongst the slain on fields of battle in Midgard.
To choose the heroes, and to give victory to those whom he willed to
have victory, Odin had battle-maidens that went to the fields of war.
Beautiful were those battle-maidens and fearless; wise were they also,
for to them Odin showed the Runes of Wisdom. Valkyries, Choosers of the
Slain, they were named.
Those who were chosen on the fields of the slain were called in Asgard
the Einherjar. For them Odin made ready a great Hall. Valhalla, the Hall
of the Slain, it was called. Five hundred and forty doors had Valhalla,
and out of each door eight hundred Champions might pass. Every day the
Champions put on their armor and took their weapons down from the walls,
and went forth and battled with each other. All who were wounded were
made whole again, and in peace and goodly fellowship they sat down to
the feast that Odin prepared for them. Odin himself sat with his
Champions, drinking wine but eating no meat.
For meat the Champions ate the flesh of the boar Saehrimnir; every day
the boar was killed and cooked, and every morning it was whole again.
For drink they had the mead that was made from the milk of the goat
Heidrun, the goat that browsed on the leaves of the tree Laeradir. And
the Valkyries, the wise and fearless battle-maidens, went amongst them,
filling up the drinking-horns with the heady mead.
Youngest of all the battle-maidens was Brynhild. Nevertheless, to her
Odin All-Father had shown more of the Runes of Wisdom than he had shown
to any of her sisters. And when the time came for Brynhild to journey
down into Midgard he gave her a swan-feather dress such as he had given
before to the three Valkyrie sisters--Alvit, Olrun, and Hladgrun.
In the dazzling plumage of a swan the young battle-maiden flew down from
Asgard. Not yet had she to go to the battlefields. Waters drew her, and
as she waited on the will of the All-Father she sought out a lake that
had golden sands for its shore, and as a maiden bathed in it.
Now there dwelt near this lake a young hero whose name was Agnar. And
one day as Agnar lay by the lake he saw a swan with dazzling plumage fly
down to it. And while she was in the reeds the swan-feather dress
slipped off her, and Agnar beheld the swan change to a maiden.
So bright was her hair, so strong and swift were all her movements, that
he knew her for one of Odin's battle-maidens; for one of those who give
victory and choose the slain. Very daring was Agnar, and he set his mind
upon capturing this battle-maiden even though he should bring on himself
the wrath of Odin by doing it.
He hid the swan-feather dress that she had left in the reeds. When she
came out of the water she might not fly away. Agnar gave back to her the
swan-feather dress, but she had to promise that she would be his
battle-maiden.
And as they talked together the young Valkyrie saw in him a hero that
one from Asgard might help. Very brave and very noble was Agnar.
Brynhild went with him as his battle-maiden, and she told him much from
the Runes of Wisdom that she knew, and she showed him that the
All-Father's last hope was in the bravery of the heroes of the earth;
with the Chosen from the Slain for his Champions he would make battle in
defence of Asgard.
Always Brynhild was with Agnar's battalions; above the battles she
hovered, her bright hair and flashing battle-dress outshining the spears
and swords and shields of the warriors.
But the gray-beard King Helmgunnar made war on the young Agnar. Odin
favored the gray-beard King, and to him he promised the victory.
Brynhild knew the will of the All-Father. But to Agnar, not to
Helmgunnar, she gave the victory.
Doomed was Brynhild on the instant she went against Odin's will. Never
again might she come into Asgard. A mortal woman she was now, and the
Norns began to spin the thread of her mortal destiny.
Sorrowful was Odin All-Father that the wisest of his battle-maidens
might never appear in Asgard nor walk by the benches at the feasts of
his Champions in Valhalla. He rode down on Sleipner to where Brynhild
was. And when he came before her it was his, and not her head that was
bowed down.
For she knew now that the World of Men was paying a bitter price for the
strength that Asgard would have in the last battle. The bravest and
noblest were being taken from Midgard to fill up the ranks of Odin's
Champions. And Brynhild's heart was full of anger against the rulers of
Asgard, and she cared no more to be of them.
Odin looked on his unflinching battle-maiden, and he said, "Is there
aught thou wouldst have me bestow on thee in thy mortal life, Brynhild?"
"Naught save this," Brynhild answered, "that in my mortal life no one
but a man without fear, the bravest hero in the world, may claim me for
wife."
All-Father bowed his head in thought. "It shall be as thou hast asked,"
he said. "Only he who is without fear shall come near thee."
Then on the top of the mountain that is called Hindfell he had a Hall
built that faced the south. Ten Dwarfs built it of black stone. And when
the Hall was built he put round it a wall of mounting and circling fire.
More did Odin All-Father: he took a thorn of the Tree of Sleep and he
put it into the flesh of the battle-maiden. Then, with her helmet on her
head and the breast-mail of the Valkyrie upon her, he lifted Brynhild in
his arms and carried her through the wall of mounting and circling fire.
He laid her upon the couch that was within the Hall. There she would lie
in slumber until the hero who was without fear should ride through the
flame and waken her to the life of a mortal woman.
He took farewell of her and he rode back to Asgard on Sleipner. He might
not foresee what fate would be hers as a mortal woman. But the fire he
had left went mounting and circling around the Hall that the Dwarfs had
built. For ages that fire would be a fence around where Brynhild, once a
Valkyrie, lay in sleep.
[Illustration]
THE CHILDREN OF LOKI
The children of Loki and the witch Angerboda were not as the children of
men: they were formless as water, or air, or fire is formless, but it
was given to each of them to take on the form that was most like to
their own greed.
Now the Dwellers in Asgard knew that these powers of evil had been born
into the world and they thought it well that they should take on forms
and appear before them in Asgard. So they sent one to Jarnvid, the Iron
Wood, bidding Loki bring before the Gods the powers born of him and the
witch Angerboda. So Loki came into Asgard once more. And his offspring
took on forms and showed themselves to the Gods. The first, whose greed
was destruction, showed himself as a fearful Wolf. Fenrir he was named.
And the second, whose greed was slow destruction, showed itself as a
Serpent. Joermungand it was called. The third, whose greed was for
withering of all life, took on a form also. When the Gods saw it they
were affrighted. For this had the form of a woman, and one side of her
was that of a living woman and the other side of her was that of a
corpse. Fear ran through Asgard as this form was revealed and as the
name that went with it, Hela, was uttered.
Far out of sight of the Gods Hela was thrust. Odin took her and hurled
her down to the deeps that are below the world. He cast her down to
Niflheim, where she took to herself power over the nine regions. There,
in the place that is lowest of all, Hela reigns. Her hall is Elvidnir;
it is set round with high walls and it has barred gates; Precipice is
the threshold of that hall; Hunger is the table within it; Care is the
bed, and Burning Anguish is the hanging of the chamber.
Thor laid hold upon Joermungand. He flung the serpent into the ocean that
engirdles the world. But in the depths of the ocean Joermungand
flourished. It grew and grew until it encircled the whole world. And men
knew it as the Midgard Serpent.
Fenrir the Wolf might not be seized upon by any of the AEsir. Fearfully
he ranged through Asgard and they were only able to bring him to the
outer courts by promising to give him all the food he was able to eat.
The AEsir shrank from feeding Fenrir. But Tyr, the brave swordsman, was
willing to bring food to the Wolf's lair. Every day he brought him huge
provision and fed him with the point of his sword. The Wolf grew and
grew until he became monstrous and a terror in the minds of the Dwellers
in Asgard.
At last the Gods in council considered it and decided that Fenrir must
be bound. The chain that they would bind him with was called Laeding. In
their own smithy the Gods made it and its weight was greater than Thor's
hammer.
Not by force could the Gods get the fetter upon Fenrir, so they sent
Skirnir, the servant of Frey, to beguile the Wolf into letting it go
upon him. Skirnir came to his lair and stood near him, and he was
dwarfed by the Wolf's monstrous size.
"How great may thy strength be, Mighty One?" Skirnir asked. "Couldst
thou break this chain easily? The Gods would try thee."
In scorn Fenrir looked down on the fetter Skirnir dragged. In scorn he
stood still allowing Laeding to be placed upon him. Then, with an effort
that was the least part of his strength, he stretched himself and broke
the chain in two.
The Gods were dismayed. But they took more iron, and with greater fires
and mightier hammer blows they forged another fetter. Dromi, this one
was called, and it was half again as strong as Laeding was. Skirnir the
Venturesome brought it to the Wolf's lair, and in scorn Fenrir let the
mightier chain be placed upon him.
He shook himself and the chain held. Then his eyes became fiery and he
stretched himself with a growl and a snarl. Dromi broke across, and
Fenrir stood looking balefully at Skirnir.
The Gods saw that no chain they could forge would bind Fenrir and they
fell more and more into fear of him. They took council again and they
bethought them of the wonder-work the Dwarfs had made for them, the
spear Gungnir, the ship Skidbladnir, the hammer Mioelnir. Could the
Dwarfs be got to make the fetter to bind Fenrir? If they would do it the
Gods would add to their domain.
Skirnir went down to Svartheim with the message from Asgard. The Dwarf
Chief swelled with pride to think that it was left to them to make the
fetter that would bind Fenrir.
"We Dwarfs can make a fetter that will bind the Wolf," he said. "Out of
six things we will make it."
"What are these six things?" Skirnir asked.
"The roots of stones, the breath of a fish, the beards of women, the
noise made by the footfalls of cats, the sinews of bears, the spittle of
a bird."
"I have never heard the noise made by a cat's footfall, nor have I seen
the roots of stones nor the beards of women. But use what things you
will, O Helper of the Gods."
The Chief brought his six things together and the Dwarfs in their smithy
worked for days and nights. They forged a fetter that was named
Gleipnir. Smooth and soft as a silken string it was. Skirnir brought it
to Asgard and put it into the hands of the Gods.
Then a day came when the Gods said that once again they should try to
put a fetter upon Fenrir. But if he was to be bound they would bind him
far from Asgard. Lyngvi was an island that they often went to to make
sport, and they spoke of going there. Fenrir growled that he would go
with them. He came and he sported in his own terrible way. And then as
if it were to make more sport, one of the AEsir shook out the smooth cord
and showed it to Fenrir.
"It is stronger than you might think, Mighty One," they said. "Will you
not let it go upon you that we may see you break it?"
Fenrir out of his fiery eyes looked scorn upon them. "What fame would
there be for me," he said, "in breaking such a binding?"
They showed him that none in their company could break it, slender as it
was. "Thou only art able to break it, Mighty One," they said.
"The cord is slender, but there may be an enchantment in it," Fenrir
said.
"Thou canst not break it, Fenrir, and we need not dread thee any more,"
the Gods said.
Then was the Wolf ravenous wroth, for he lived on the fear that he made
in the minds of the Gods. "I am loth to have this binding upon me," he
said, "but if one of the AEsir will put his hand in my mouth as a pledge
that I shall be freed of it, I will let ye put it on me."
The Gods looked wistfully on one another. It would be health to them all
to have Fenrir bound, but who would lose his hand to have it done? One
and then another of the AEsir stepped backward. But not Tyr, the brave
swordsman. He stepped to Fenrir and laid his left hand before those
tremendous jaws.
"Not thy left hand--thy swordhand, O Tyr," growled Fenrir, and Tyr put
his swordhand into that terrible mouth.
Then the cord Gleipnir was put upon Fenrir. With fiery eyes he watched
the Gods bind him. When the binding was on him he stretched himself as
before. He stretched himself to a monstrous size but the binding did not
break off him. Then with fury he snapped his jaws upon the hand, and
Tyr's hand, the swordsman's hand, was torn off.
But Fenrir was bound. They fixed a mighty chain to the fetter, and they
passed the chain through a hole they bored through a great rock. The
monstrous Wolf made terrible efforts to break loose, but the rock and
the chain and the fetter held. Then seeing him secured, and to avenge
the loss of Tyr's hand, the Gods took Tyr's sword and drove it to the
hilt through his underjaw. Horribly the Wolf howled. Mightily the foam
flowed down from his jaws. That foam flowing made a river that is called
Von--a river of fury that flowed on until Ragnaroek came, the Twilight of
the Gods.
[Illustration]
BALDUR'S DOOM
In Asgard there were two places that meant strength and joy to the AEsir
and the Vanir: one was the garden where grew the apples that Iduna
gathered, and the other was the Peace Stead, where, in a palace called
Breidablik, Baldur the Well-Beloved dwelt.
In the Peace Stead no crime had ever been committed, no blood had ever
been shed, no falseness had ever been spoken. Contentment came into the
minds of all in Asgard when they thought upon this place. Ah! Were it
not that the Peace Stead was there, happy with Baldur's presence, the
minds of the AEsir and the Vanir might have become gloomy and stern from
thinking on the direful things that were arrayed against them.
Baldur was beautiful. So beautiful was he that all the white blossoms on
the earth were called by his name. Baldur was happy. So happy was he
that all the birds on the earth sang his name. So just and so wise was
Baldur that the judgment he pronounced might never be altered. Nothing
foul or unclean had ever come near where he had his dwelling:
'Tis Breidablik called,
Where Baldur the Fair
Hath built him a bower,
In the land where I know
Least loathliness lies.
Healing things were done in Baldur's Stead. Tyr's wrist was healed of
the wounds that Fenrir's fangs had made. And there Frey's mind became
less troubled with the foreboding that Loki had filled it with when he
railed at him about the bartering of his sword.
Now after Fenrir had been bound to the rock in the faraway island the
AEsir and the Vanir knew a while of contentment. They passed bright days
in Baldur's Stead, listening to the birds that made music there. And it
was there that Bragi the Poet wove into his never-ending story the tale
of Thor's adventures amongst the Giants.
But even into Baldur's Stead foreboding came. One day little Hnossa, the
child of Freya and the lost Odur, was brought there in such sorrow that
no one outside could comfort her. Nanna, Baldur's gentle wife, took the
child upon her lap and found ways of soothing her. Then Hnossa told of
a dream that had filled her with fright.
She had dreamt of Hela, the Queen that is half living woman and half
corpse. In her dream Hela had come into Asgard saying, "A lord of the
AEsir I must have to dwell with me in my realm beneath the earth." Hnossa
had such fear from this dream that she had fallen into a deep sorrow.
A silence fell upon all when the dream of Hnossa was told. Nanna looked
wistfully at Odin All-Father. And Odin, looking at Frigga, saw that a
fear had entered her breast.
He left the Peace Stead and went to his watchtower Hlidskjalf. He waited
there till Hugin and Munin should come to him. Every day his two ravens
flew through the world, and coming back to him told him of all that was
happening. And now they might tell him of happenings that would let him
guess if Hela had indeed turned her thoughts toward Asgard, or if she
had the power to draw one down to her dismal abode.
The ravens flew to him, and lighting one on each of his shoulders, told
him of things that were being said up and down Ygdrassil, the World
Tree. Ratatoesk the Squirrel was saying them. And Ratatoesk had heard them
from the brood of serpents that with Nidhoegg, the great dragon, gnawed
ever at the root of Ygdrassil. He told it to the Eagle that sat ever on
the topmost bough, that in Hela's habitation a bed was spread and a
chair was left empty for some lordly comer.
And hearing this, Odin thought that it were better that Fenrir the Wolf
should range ravenously through Asgard than that Hela should win one
from amongst them to fill that chair and lie in that bed.
He mounted Sleipner, his eight-legged steed, and rode down toward the
abodes of the Dead. For three days and three nights of silence and
darkness he journeyed on. Once one of the hounds of Helheim broke loose
and bayed upon Sleipner's tracks. For a day and a night Garm, the hound,
pursued them, and Odin smelled the blood that dripped from his monstrous
jaws.
At last he came to where, wrapped in their shrouds, a field of the Dead
lay. He dismounted from Sleipner and called upon one to rise and speak
with him. It was on Volva, a dead prophetess, he called. And when he
pronounced her name he uttered a rune that had the power to break the
sleep of the Dead.
There was a groaning in the middle of where the shrouded ones lay. Then
Odin cried, out, "Arise, Volva, prophetess." There was a stir in the
middle of where the shrouded ones lay, and a head and shoulders were
thrust up from amongst the Dead.
"Who calls on Volva the Prophetess? The rains have drenched my flesh and
the storms have shaken my bones for more seasons than the living know.
No living voice has a right to call me from my sleep with the Dead."
"It is Vegtam the Wanderer who calls. For whom is the bed prepared and
the seat left empty in Hela's habitation?"
"For Baldur, Odin's son, is the bed prepared and the seat left empty.
Now let me go back to my sleep with the Dead."
But now Odin saw beyond Volva's prophecy. "Who is it," he cried out,
"that stands with unbowed head and that will not lament for Baldur?
Answer, Volva, prophetess!"
"Thou seest far, but thou canst not see clearly. Thou art Odin. I can
see clearly but I cannot see far. Now let me go back to my sleep with
the Dead."
"Volva, prophetess!" Odin cried out again.
But the voice from amongst the shrouded ones said, "Thou canst not wake
me any more until the fires of Muspelheim blaze above my head."
Then there was silence in the field of the Dead, and Odin turned
Sleipner, his steed, and for four days, through the gloom and silence,
he journeyed back to Asgard.
Frigga had felt the fear that Odin had felt. She looked toward Baldur,
and the shade of Hela came between her and her son. But then she heard
the birds sing in the Peace Stead and she knew that none of all the
things in the world would injure Baldur.
And to make it sure she went to all the things that could hurt him and
from each of them she took an oath that it would not injure Baldur, the
Well-Beloved. She took an oath from fire and from water, from iron and
from all metals, from earths and stones and great trees, from birds and
beasts and creeping things, from poisons and diseases. Very readily they
all gave the oath that they would work no injury on Baldur.
Then when Frigga went back and told what she had accomplished the gloom
that had lain on Asgard lifted. Baldur would be spared to them. Hela
might have a place prepared in her dark habitation, but neither fire
nor water, nor iron nor any metals, nor earths nor stones nor great
woods, nor birds nor beasts nor creeping things, nor poisons nor
diseases, would help her to bring him down. "Hela has no arms to draw
you to her," the AEsir and the Vanir cried to Baldur.
Hope was renewed for them and they made games to honor Baldur. They had
him stand in the Peace Stead and they brought against him all the things
that had sworn to leave him hurtless. And neither the battle-axe flung
full at him, nor the stone out of the sling, nor the burning brand, nor
the deluge of water would injure the beloved of Asgard. The AEsir and the
Vanir laughed joyously to see these things fall harmlessly from him
while a throng came to join them in the games; Dwarfs and friendly
Giants.
But Loki the Hater came in with that throng. He watched the games from
afar. He saw the missiles and the weapons being flung and he saw Baldur
stand smiling and happy under the strokes of metal and stones and great
woods. He wondered at the sight, but he knew that he might not ask the
meaning of it from the ones who knew him.
He changed his shape into that of an old woman and he went amongst those
who were making sport for Baldur. He spoke to Dwarfs and friendly
Giants. "Go to Frigga and ask. Go to Frigga and ask," was all the answer
Loki got from any of them.
Then to Fensalir, Frigga's mansion, Loki went. He told those in the
mansion that he was Groa, the old Enchantress who was drawing out of
Thor's head the fragments of a grindstone that a Giant's throw had
embedded in it. Frigga knew about Groa and she praised the Enchantress
for what she had done.
"Many fragments of the great grindstone have I taken out of Thor's head
by the charms I know," said the pretended Groa. "Thor was so grateful
that he brought back to me the husband that he once had carried off to
the end of the earth. So overjoyed was I to find my husband restored
that I forgot the rest of the charms. And I left some fragments of the
stone in Thor's head."
So Loki said, repeating a story that was true. "Now I remember the rest
of the charm," he said, "and I can draw out the fragments of the stone
that are left. But will you not tell me, O Queen, what is the meaning of
the extraordinary things I saw the AEsir and the Vanir doing?"
"I will tell you," said Frigga, looking kindly and happily at the
pretended old woman. "They are hurling all manner of heavy and dangerous
things at Baldur, my beloved son. And all Asgard cheers to see that
neither metal nor stone nor great wood will hurt him."
"But why will they not hurt him?" said the pretended Enchantress.
"Because I have drawn an oath from all dangerous and threatening things
to leave Baldur hurtless," said Frigga.
"From all things, lady? Is there no thing in all the world that has not
taken an oath to leave Baldur hurtless?"
"Well, indeed, there is one thing that has not taken the oath. But that
thing is so small and weak that I passed it by without taking thought of
it."
"What can it be, lady?"
"The Mistletoe that is without root or strength. It grows on the eastern
side of Valhalla. I passed it by without drawing an oath from it."
"Surely you were not wrong to pass it by. What could the Mistletoe--the
rootless Mistletoe--do against Baldur?"
Saying this the pretended Enchantress hobbled off.
But not far did the pretender go hobbling. He changed his gait and
hurried to the eastern side of Valhalla. There a great oak tree
flourished and out of a branch of it a little bush of Mistletoe grew.
Loki broke off a spray and with it in his hand he went to where the AEsir
and the Vanir were still playing games to honor Baldur.
All were laughing as Loki drew near, for the Giants and the Dwarfs, the
Asyniur and the Vana, were all casting missiles. The Giants threw too
far and the Dwarfs could not throw far enough, while the Asyniur and the
Vana threw far and wide of the mark. In the midst of all that glee and
gamesomeness it was strange to see one standing joyless. But one stood
so, and he was of the AEsir--Hoedur, Baldur's blind brother.
"Why do you not enter the game?" said Loki to him in his changed voice.
"I have no missile to throw at Baldur," Hoedur said.
"Take this and throw it," said Loki. "It is a twig of the Mistletoe."
"I cannot see to throw it," said Hoedur.
"I will guide your hand," said Loki. He put the twig of Mistletoe in
Hoedur's hand and he guided the hand for the throw. The twig flew toward
Baldur. It struck him on the breast and it pierced him. Then Baldur fell
down with a deep groan.
The AEsir and the Vanir, the Dwarfs and the friendly Giants, stood still
in doubt and fear and amazement. Loki slipped away. And blind Hoedur,
from whose hand the twig of Mistletoe had gone, stood quiet, not knowing
that his throw had bereft Baldur of life.
Then a wailing rose around the Peace Stead. It was from the Asyniur and
the Vana. Baldur was dead, and they began to lament him. And while they
were lamenting him, the beloved of Asgard, Odin came amongst them.
"Hela has won our Baldur from us," Odin said to Frigga as they both bent
over the body of their beloved son.
"Nay, I will not say it," Frigga said.
When the AEsir and the Vanir had won their senses back the mother of
Baldur went amongst them. "Who amongst you would win my love and
goodwill?" she said. "Whoever would let him ride down to Hela's dark
realm and ask the Queen to take ransom for Baldur. It may be she will
take it and let Baldur come back to us. Who amongst you will go? Odin's
steed is ready for the journey."
Then forth stepped Hermod the Nimble, the brother of Baldur. He mounted
Sleipner and turned the eight-legged steed down toward Hela's dark
realm.
For nine days and nine nights Hermod rode on. His way was through rugged
glens, one deeper and darker than the other. He came to the river that
is called Gioell and to the bridge across it that is all glittering with
gold. The pale maid who guards the bridge spoke to him.
"The hue of life is still on thee," said Modgudur, the pale maid. "Why
dost thou journey down to Hela's deathly realm?"
"I am Hermod," he said, "and I go to see if Hela will take ransom for
Baldur."
"Fearful is Hela's habitation for one to come to," said Modgudur, the
pale maid. "All round it is a steep wall that even thy steed might
hardly leap. Its threshold is Precipice. The bed therein is Care, the
table is Hunger, the hanging of the chamber is Burning Anguish."
"It may be that Hela will take ransom for Baldur."
"If all things in the world still lament for Baldur, Hela will have to
take ransom and let him go from her," said Modgudur, the pale maid that
guards the glittering bridge.
"It is well, then, for all things lament Baldur. I will go to her and
make her take ransom."
"Thou mayst not pass until it is of a surety that all things still
lament him. Go back to the world and make sure. If thou dost come to
this glittering bridge and tell me that all things still lament Baldur,
I will let thee pass and Hela will have to hearken to thee."
"I will come back to thee, and thou, Modgudur, pale maid, wilt have to
let me pass."
"Then I will let thee pass," said Modgudur.
Joyously Hermod turned Sleipner and rode back through the rugged glens,
each one less gloomy than the other. He reached the upper world, and
saw that all things were still lamenting for Baldur. Joyously Hermod
rode onward. He met the Vanir in the middle of the world and he told
them the happy tidings.
Then Hermod and the Vanir went through the world seeking out each thing
and finding that each thing still wept for Baldur. But one day Hermod
came upon a crow that was sitting on the dead branch of a tree. The crow
made no lament as he came near. She rose up and flew away and Hermod
followed her to make sure that she lamented for Baldur.
He lost sight of her near a cave. And then before the cave he saw a hag
with blackened teeth who raised no voice of lament. "If thou art the
crow that came flying here, make lament for Baldur," Hermod said.
"I, Thaukt, will make no lament for Baldur," the hag said, "let Hela
keep what she holds."
"All things weep tears for Baldur," Hermod said.
"I will weep dry tears for him," said the hag.
She hobbled into her cave, and as Hermod followed a crow fluttered out.
He knew that this was Thaukt, the evil hag, transformed. He followed
her, and she went through the world croaking, "Let Hela keep what she
holds. Let Hela keep what she holds."
Then Hermod knew that he might not ride to Hela's habitation. All things
knew that there was one thing in the world that would not lament for
Baldur. The Vanir came back to him, and with head bowed over Sleipner's
mane, Hermod rode into Asgard.
Now the AEsir and the Vanir, knowing that no ransom would be taken for
Baldur and that the joy and content of Asgard were gone indeed, made
ready his body for the burning. First they covered Baldur's body with a
rich robe, and each left beside it his most precious possession. Then
they all took leave of him, kissing him upon the brow. But Nanna, his
gentle wife, flung herself on his dead breast and her heart broke and
she died of her grief. Then did the AEsir and the Vanir weep afresh. And
they took the body of Nanna and they placed it side by side with
Baldur's.
On his own great ship, Ringhorn, would Baldur be placed with Nanna
beside him. Then the ship would be launched on the water and all would
be burned with fire.
But it was found that none of the AEsir or the Vanir were able to launch
Baldur's great ship. Hyrroken, a Giantess, was sent for. She came
mounted on a great wolf with twisted serpents for a bridle. Four Giants
held fast the wolf when she alighted. She came to the ship and with a
single push she sent it into the sea. The rollers struck out fire as the
ship dashed across them.
Then when it rode the water fires mounted on the ship. And in the blaze
of the fires one was seen bending over the body of Baldur and whispering
into his ear. It was Odin All-Father. Then he went down off the ship and
all the fires rose into a mighty burning. Speechlessly the AEsir and the
Vanir watched with tears streaming down their faces while all things
lamented, crying, "Baldur the Beautiful is dead, is dead."
And what was it that Odin All-Father whispered to Baldur as he bent
above him with the flames of the burning ship around? He whispered of a
heaven above Asgard that Surtur's flames might not reach, and of a life
that would come to beauty again after the World of Men and the World of
the Gods had been searched through and through with fire.
[Illustration]
LOKI'S PUNISHMENT
The crow went flying toward the North, croaking as she flew, "Let Hela
keep what she holds. Let Hela keep what she holds." That crow was the
hag Thaukt transformed, and the hag Thaukt was Loki.
He flew to the North and came into the wastes of Joetunheim. As a crow he
lived there, hiding himself from the wrath of the Gods. He told the
Giants that the time had come for them to build the ship Naglfar, the
ship that was to be built out of the nails of dead men, and that was to
sail to Asgard on the day of Ragnaroek with the Giant Hrymer steering it.
And harkening to what he said the Giants then and there began to build
Naglfar, the ship that Gods and men wished to remain unbuilt for long.
Then Loki, tiring of the wastes of Joetunheim, flew to the burning South.
As a lizard he lived amongst the rocks of Muspelheim, and he made the
Fire Giants rejoice when he told them of the loss of Frey's sword and of
Tyr's right hand.
But still in Asgard there was one who wept for Loki--Siguna, his wife.
Although he had left her and had shown his hatred for her, Siguna wept
for her evil husband.
He left Muspelheim as he had left Joetunheim and he came to live in the
World of Men. He knew that he had now come into a place where the wrath
of the Gods might find him, and so he made plans to be ever ready for
escape. He had come to the River where, ages before, he had slain the
otter that was the son of the Enchanter, and on the very rock where the
otter had eaten the salmon on the day of his killing, Loki built his
house. He made four doors to it so that he might see in every direction.
And the power that he kept for himself was the power of transforming
himself into a salmon.
Often as a salmon he swam in the River. But even for the fishes that
swam beside him Loki had hatred. Out of flax and yarn he wove a net that
men might have the means of taking them out of the water.
The wrath that the Gods had against Loki did not pass away. It was he
who, as Thaukt, the Hag, had given Hela the power to keep Baldur
unransomed. It was he who had put into Hoedur's hand the sprig of
Mistletoe that had bereft Baldur of life. Empty was Asgard now that
Baldur lived no more in the Peace Stead, and stern and gloomy grew the
minds of the AEsir and the Vanir with thinking on the direful things that
were arrayed against them. Odin in his hall of Valhalla thought only of
the ways by which he could bring heroes to him to be his help in
defending Asgard.
The Gods searched through the world and they found at last the place
where Loki had made his dwelling. He was weaving the net to take fishes
when he saw them coming from four directions. He threw the net into the
fire so that it was burnt, and he sprang into the River and transformed
himself into a salmon. When the Gods entered his dwelling they found
only the burnt-out fire.
But there was one amongst them who could understand all that he saw. In
the ashes were the marks of the burnt net and he knew that these were
the tracing of something to catch fishes. And from the marks left in the
ashes he made a net that was the same as the one Loki had burnt.
With it in their hands the Gods went down the River, dragging the net
through the water. Loki was affrighted to find the thing of his own
weaving brought against him. He lay between two stones at the bottom of
the River, and the net passed over him.
But the Gods knew that the net had touched something at the bottom. They
fastened weights to it and they dragged the net through the River again.
Loki knew that he might not escape it this time and he rose in the water
and swam toward the sea. The Gods caught sight of him as he leaped over
a waterfall. They followed him, dragging the net. Thor waded behind,
ready to seize him should he turn back.
Loki came out at the mouth of the River and behold! There was a great
eagle hovering over the waves of the sea and ready to swoop down on
fishes. He turned back in the River. He made a leap that took him over
the net that the Gods were dragging. But Thor was behind the net and he
caught the salmon in his powerful hands and he held him for all the
struggle that Loki made. No fish had ever struggled so before. Loki got
himself free all but his tail, but Thor held to the tail and brought him
amongst the rocks and forced him to take on his proper form.
He was in the hands of those whose wrath was strong against him. They
brought him to a cavern and they bound him to three sharp-pointed rocks.
With cords that were made of the sinews of wolves they bound him, and
they transformed the cords into iron bands. There they would have left
Loki bound and helpless. But Skadi, with her fierce Giant blood, was not
content that he should be left untormented. She found a serpent that had
deadly venom and she hung this serpent above Loki's head. The drops of
venom fell upon him, bringing him anguish drop by drop, minute by
minute. So Loki's torture went on.
But Siguna with the pitying heart came to his relief. She exiled herself
from Asgard, and endured the darkness and the cold of the cavern, that
she might take some of the torment away from him who was her husband.
Over Loki Siguna stood, holding in her hands a cup into which fell the
serpent's venom, thus sparing him from the full measure of anguish. Now
and then Siguna had to turn aside to spill out the flowing cup, and then
the drops of venom fell upon Loki and he screamed in agony, twisting in
his bonds. It was then that men felt the earth quake. There in his bonds
Loki stayed until the coming of Ragnaroek, the Twilight of the Gods.