Asgard and the gods; tales and traditions of our northern ancestors

Front matter

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Preface

A COMPLETE and popular English account of the ■*■ ^ religious beliefs and superstitious customs of the old Norsemen, suited to our younger readers, has hitherto been left unwritten. The editor feels sure that our elder children can easily be brought to take a beneficial interest in a subject of such great intrinsic worth to all of us, and has therefore brought out the accompanying book.

Our old ancestors were a hardy, conservative race, and tenaciously held by the treasured relics of their former beliefs and customs long after they had been shattered by the onset of Christianity. They retained their primitive Odinic belief as late as a.d. 800, and we therefore possess it in a very complete state, far more so than any other European system of mythology. We English have to this day inherited this conservative trait of their character, and are still continually in every-day life coming across new and viii PREFACE.

unexpected remnants of our earliest beliefs. Paragraphs in the newspapers, containing reports of police trials, etc., very frequently bring forward new and as yet undiscovered superstitions, which clearly hark back to the once popular and all-extensive faith of the North.

Who would think, for instance, that in the time-old Mayday festivals, we should discover traces of the oldest celebrations of the triumph of the Summer Odin over the Winter Odin, or that through the baby rhymes and nursery sayings of to-day, we should be able to trace the common creed of a nation of thousands of years ago ? To him unused to this kind of research, such things will appear impossible ; but we think our book will considerably extend the sceptic's line of vision, if indeed it does not convert him to an ardent student in the field he has before made light of.

With regard to the translation of the passages quoted from the Old Norse, Icelandic, etc., the original metres, alliterative poems, etc., have been imitated as accurately as possible, though it must be confessed that in one or two places the effect appears somewhat weak and laboured, a result that might have been anticipated, and one which it is hoped the reader will overlook.

With reference to the orthography adopted : in most cases the proper names have been anglicized in form.

PREFACE.

according to established rules, as far as has been possible. Let us take a few instances : —

The Icelandic nominatival rhas always been dropped, as in the words Ragnarokr, Thrymr, etc.

In the case of reduplicated letters, the last has been eliminated, unless an alteration in sound would have been thereby occasioned, e.g., Jotun has been adopted instead of Jotun», Gunlod instead of Gun«ldd, etc.

W has been throughout used in place of V, since scholars have pretty generally decided that it more nearly represents the original pronunciation than the English V ; thus we spell Walhalla, Wiking, Walkyries, etc.

Many words have -heim affixed to them : -heim means abode, dwelling, and is the same word as the English home ; as instances, Nifelheim, the dark home ; Jotunheim, the home of the Jotuns, giants, etc.

The suffix -gard appended to a word means />iace (English yard, ward, gard-en), and is found in such words as Asgard, the place of the Ases, the gods ; Midgard, the middle place, the earth ; Utgard, the out or lower place.

October \st, i8So.

Preface To The Second Edition

THE rapid exhaustion of the first edition of this work has called for its immediate reprint ; and the book is therefore issued in its second edition with but very slight alterations.

We have to thank our kind reviewers for their favourable critiques of our work, and to hope that they will extend it to Dr. Wagner's new volume, which we are about to bring out, forming a continuation of the present work, and dealing with the Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages, of the Teutonic and Carlovingian cycles. The two books together will, we believe, constitute a fairly complete treatise of the mythical and traditional lore of the Germanic race.

CONTENTS,

Introduction

PAGE

Myths and stories of the gods, 3 — The gods, their worlds and deeds, 4 — Odin, Wodan, Wuotan, 5 — Frigg, or Freya, and her handmaids, 6 — Thor or Thunar, 6 — Tyr, Tius or Zio, 9 — Heru, Cheru or Saxnot, 9 — Heimdal or Riger, 10 — Bragi and Iduna, 10 — The Wanes, Niorder, Freyer, Freya, 10 — Fate, Noms, Hel, Walkyries, 10— Ogir and his companions, II — Loki, II — The other gods, 12 — The Golden Age, 12 — Sin, 13 — Iduna's departure, 13 — Baldur's death, 14 — Ogir's banquet, 15 — Loki inchains, 15— Ragnarok, 16 — Lay of the Norse gods and heroes, 18 i

PART FIRST. Legends and Myths

Creation of the world, 22 — Day and Night, 24 — Two first human beings, 25 — ^AUfather, 25— Yggdrasil, the World- Ash, 26 — The divine kingdom, 31— Influence of Christianity, 32 — The Runic language, 33 . . .22

Part Fifth

Odin, Father of the Gods and of the Ases.

i. VVodan, according to the oldest conceptions, 71 — The myths of the Wild Hunt and of the Raging Host, 72 — The sleeping heroes, 78 — The higher conception of Wodan, 81 — Odin at Geirod's Palace, 83 — Odin, the discoverer of the Runes, and god of poetry and of wisdom, 86 — The draught of inspiration ; Odin's visit to Gunlod ; Journey to Wafthrudnir, 88 — Odin's descendants, 94.

ii. Frigg and her maidens, 96 — Other goddesses related to Frigg, 102.

iii. Holda, Ostara, 107 — Berchta, 115 — The White Lady, 116.

iv. Thor,Thunar (Thunder), 121 — Thor's deeds and journeys ; Making ofMiolnir, 125 — Journey to Utgard, 129 — Duel with Hrungnir, 137 — Journey to Hymir, 141 — Journey to Thrymheim to get back Miolnir, 142 — Journey to Geirod's-gard, 147 — The Harbard Lay, iji.

V. Irmin, 151.

vi. Tyr or Zio, 155. vii. Heru or Cheru, Saxnot, i5i. viii. Heimdal, Riger, 166.

ix. Bragi and Iduna, 172 — Giant Thiassi steals Iduna, 174.

PART SIXTH. The Wanes

xi. Niorder and Skadi, 183.

xii. Freyer or Fro, 189 — The wonderful Quern Stones, 191 — Skirnir's Journey to Gerda, 199 — Young Swendal, 204.

CONTENTS. xiii

PAGE

xiii. Freya, Frea or Frouwa, 206 — Freya and the young huntsman, 206 — Rerir and his love Helga, 209 — Swipdager returns to Menglada's Castle, 212 181

PART TWELFTH. Baldur's Death

How Wala was conjured up, 273 — Loki visits Frigg in the dress of an old woman, 276— Death of Baldur, 278 — Hermodur sent to the realm of the shades, 282 — Wali appears at Walhalla, and avenges Baldur, 285 . 273

CONTENTS.

PART THIRTEENTH.

LoKi's Condemnation.

PAGE

Ogir's banquet, 287 — Loki reviles the gods, 289— Loki flees, is captured and

put in chains, 290 — The faithful Sigyn, 294 ...... 287

PART FOURTEENTH.

Ragnarok, thf Twclight of the Gods.

The Fimbul-Winter, 296— The Last Battle, 298— Surtur flings his fire-brands over the nine worlds, 301 — Renewal of the World, 301 — Lif and Lifthrasir, 302— The Field of Ida, 305— The Lay of Wala, 309 ... 296

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS,

PAGE

Frontispiece . ' , . , facing title.

Frigga engaged in hunting 7

Ancient Hindu idea of the world 17

Statue after Prof. Engelhard 19

Day 24

Night 25

The Ash Yggdrasil 27

A Northern landscape 36

Elves 38

Rocks in the Riesengebirge 44

The sleeping giant 45

Surtur with his flaming sword 51

Gylphi beholding Asgard 62

Odin between two fires in Geirod's palace 85

Odin's visit to Gunlod 91

Frigg and her maidens 97

Hilde, one of the Walkyries 105

Holda, the kind protectress 1 1 1

Thor and Loki's journey in women's clothes 125

Skrymir attacked by Thor, when asleep 133

Chaining of the Fenris Wolf 153

Tyr, the Sword-God 159

Bragi and Heimdal receiving the warriors in Walhalla . .172

UUer the Bowman 179

Niorder and Skadi on their way to Noatun 187

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Skimir conjures Gerda to follow him 199

Walkyries conducting the fallen heroes to Walhalla . . .216 Walkyries leading the warriors on to battle . . .' . .217

Fingal's Cave 236

Ogir and Ran 243

Freya among the Dwarfs 265

Ogir's banquet 287

Loki in chains 292

Ragnarok, the Last Battle 299

Freya in her chariot 303

INTRODUCTION.

JUST as in the olden time, Odin, the thoughtful god, gave his eye in pledge to the wise giant, Mimir, at Mimir's Well, for a draught of primeval wisdom, so men, longing for knowledge and loving the history of old Germany, sought for the great goddess Saga with untiring diligence, until at length they found her. She dwelt in a house of crystal beneath the cool flowing river. The eager enquirers went to her, and asked her to tell them about the olden times, and about the vanished races which had once ruled, suffered, fought and conquered, in the north of Europe. They found the goddess sunk in dreamy thought, while Odin's ravens fluttered around her, and whispered to her of the past and of the future. She rose from her throne, startled by the numerous questions addressed to her. She pointed to the scrolls which were lying scattered around her, as she said : "Are ye come at last to seek intelligence of the wisdom and deeds of your ancestors .' I have written on these scrolls all that the people of that distant land thought and believed, and that which they held to be eternal truth. I went with these mighty races to their new homes, and have faithfully chronicled their struggles and attainments, their deeds, sufferings and victories, their gods and their heroes. No one has inquired for these documents in the long years that are past ; so the storms of time and the glowing flames of Surtur have caused

ASGARD AND THE GODS.

the loss and destruction of many of them. Seek out and gather together such as remain. Ye will find much wisdom hidden therein, when ye can read the writing and understand the meaning of the pictures."

The men sought out and collected as many of the scrolls as they were able. They arranged them in order, but found, as Saga had told them, that very many were lost, and others only existed as fragments. In addition to that, the runic writing on the documents was hard to read, and the true meaning of the faded pictures uncertain. Nevertheless, they allowed no difficulties to terrify them, but courageously pursued their work of investigation. Soon they discovered other records, or fragments of records, which they had supposed to have been lost. What the storms of time had scattered in different directions, what ignorance had cast aside as worthless, they brought to the light of day, often from hidden dusty corners and from the cottages of the poor. They arranged their discoveries in proper order, learnt to read the mystic signs on the documents, and the veil fell away before their increased knowledge. The old Germanic world, with its secrets and wonders, and the views of its ancient people regarding their gods and heroes, which were formerly lost in the darkness of the past, were now visible in the light of the present. We intend to give, in the following pages, the treasures that were thus rescued from oblivion, and to interweave with them many scraps of information which are rapidly dying out and being forgotten. We have endeavoured to make the book as interesting as possible, to induce both the young and the old to examine of what Teutonic genius was capable in the early dawn of its history, a history which in modern times has shown its descendants crowned with immortal laurels on many a blood-red field of battle. The religious conceptions of the most famous nations of antiquity are connected with the beginnings of civilization amongst the Germanic races. If we unflinchingly follow out the traces of a

INTRODUCTION.

common origin, in spite of the difficulties in our way, we shall often find that the gods of the heathen Asgard, and the tales about them, though apparently dissimilar, really have their basis in the customs and opinions held in the country in which they all had their birth, and that in their early stages they were more or less connected. Although in Central Asia, on the banks of the Indus, in the Land of the Pyramids, in the Greek and Italian peninsulas, and even in the North, whither Kelts, Teutons and Slavs wandered, the religious conceptions of the people have taken different forms, yet their common origin is still perceptible. We point out this connection between the stories of the gods, and the deep thought contained in them, and their importance, in order that the reader may see that it is not a magic world of erratic fancy which is opened out before him, but that, according to Germanic intuition. Life and Nature formed the basis of the existence and action of these divinities. Before we proceed to study each individual deity in his fulness and imposing grandeur, let us, for the better understanding of the subject, rapidly pass their distinguishing characteristics in review.

The Myths and Stories of the Gods of Norse antiquity come first in order. We shall see, as our work goes on, that their origin is to be found in the early home of the Aryan races in the far East, when the spirit of man in the childhood of the world bowed down before those phenomena of surrounding nature which exercised a decisive influence on the struggles and life of humanity. Our ancestors, like all other primitive folk, believed firmly in the personality of these phenomena. All occurrences in the external world, the causes of which were unknown, and all facts of mental perception gradually assumed a human form in the mind of the people. During their wanderings these were as yet vague ; but after their settlement in their new home they got further developed by wise seers and bards into typical forms ; and then, as

ASGARD AND THE GODS.

time went on, increased in number, until at length they faded away as the old faith died out, or was thrust aside by a new religion. Besides this, we find that many mythical figures arose from the Teutons being brought in contact with other nations ; others again, and these the greater number, were due to the idiosyncrasies and characteristics of the Germanic race, and to the climate and mode of life pursued in their new home. Next come the myths about the creation of the world, the gods and their deeds.

The Gods, their Worlds and Deeds In the abyss of immeasurable^ space the ice streams, Eliwagar, roll their blocks of ice ; the heat from the South creates life in the frozen waters, and the I giant Ymir, the blustering, boisterous, erratic, untamed power of I Nature, comes into being. At the same time as the clay-giant, arises the cow, Audumla. She licks the salt-rock, and then the divine Buri is born. His grandsons, Odin, Wili, and We, conquer and kill the raging Ymir, and create the world out of his body. The giant's children are all d rowned in his blood, except Bergelmirj who_ I saves hi mself in a boat, and b ecomej the father of the giants. The flood is here described, and the giants are to the northern mind what Ahriman, the Principle of Evil, was to the Iranian. The gods point out to the sun and moon, .day and night, the courses they must follow in chariots drawn by swift horses, after having completed which they are allowed to sink into the sea to rest. The deities created the first men out of trees — Ask (the ash), and Embia (the alder). Odin gave them life and soul, Honir endowed them with intellect, and Lodur with blood and colour.

In the dark caverns of the earth the Black-Dwarfs, or Elves of Darkness, creep about and m a ke artistic utens ils for the divine . ^sir. the Ases, by whom they were crea ted. The Elves of Light on the contrary, have their dwelling-place in the heavenly realms. The latter are pure and good, while the former are often wily and treacherous, but still are not bad enough to be the companions of

INTRODUCTION.

the wicked giants (known as the Jotuns), who continually fight against both g ods and man. As we learn from the myths which follow, two horrible monsters are allied with these giants, and they are to help to decide the Last Battle. They are the Fenris-Wolf and the Midgard-Snake, which latter, lying at the bottom of the sea, encircles the earth (the dwelling-place of the living) ; and they are abetted by direful Hel, the goddess-queen of the country of the dead._

Hidden or chained in the depths out of sight, these monsters await their time. In like manner dark Surtur, with his flaming sword, and the fiery sons of Muspel, lie in ambush in the hot south country. They are preparing themselves for the decisive battle, when heaven and earth, gods and man, are all to pass away.

Odin; Wodan, Wuotan. — The scene changes; the separate figures of the gods stand out in their characteristic forms as northern imagination and Germanic poets have created them in the likeness of their heroes. First of these is Wodan, the Odin of Southern Germany, th e god of battles, armed with his war-spear Gungnir, the death-giving lightning-flash, and followed by the Walkyries, the choosers of the dead, who consecrate the fallen heroes with a kiss, and bear them away to the halls of the gods, where they enjoy the feasts of the blessed. In the very earliest times all Germanic races prayed^to Wodan for victory, as we shall see further on. He it is who rushes through the air in the midst of the howling storm, with his tumultuous host, the Wild Hunt, following after him. In the arms of Gunlod he quafis Odrorir, the draught of inspiration, and shares it with the seers and bards, and with those warriors who, for the sake of freedom and fatherland, have thrown themselves into the fiery death of battle. Trusting in his wisdom, he goes to Wafthrudnir, to take part in that contest in which the fighting consists of the clash of intellect against intellect in enigmatical speech, and he is victorious in this dangerous combat.

ASGARD AND THE GODS.

Later, he invents the Runes, through which he gains the power of understanding, penetrating and ruling all things. Thus he becomes the Spirit of Nature, — he becomes Allfather.

Frigga, or Freya, and her Handmaids Next to Odin appears

Frigga, the^mother of the gods, seated on her throne Hlidskialf Amongst the Germans she was looked upon as the same as Frea, the northern Freya, and was worshipped as the all-nourishing mother Earth. Three divine maidens form the household of the goddess ; her favourite attendant Fulla or Plenty, helps her to dress, and carries her jewel-case after her ; the undaunted horsewoman Gna, bears her orders to all parts of the nine worlds ; and the faithful Hlyn protects her votaries. Frigga holds council with her husband regarding the fate of the world, or sits in her hall Fensal, with her handmaids, and spins golden thread with which to reward the diligence of men. In later traditions she is sometimes represented as a cunning housewife gaining all her ends by craft ; but in the old legends she is uniformly represented under the names of Holda and Berchta, as the benefactress of mankind. She furthers agriculture, law and order, apportions the fields, consecrates the land-marks, keeps and takes care of the souls of unborn children in her lovely gardens under the streams andjakes, and takes back there the souls of those who die young, that their mothers may cease to weep. As Holda or Dame Gode, she appears as a mighty huntress, devoted to the noble pursuit of the chase. The maidens of the northern Freya are called Siofna, the lady of sighs ; Lofna, whose work it is to bring lovers together in spite of every obstacle ; and the wise Wara, who listens to the desire of each human heart, and avenges every breach of faith.

Thor or Thunar, whose turn it now is to be described, is the ideal of the German peasant, as untiring at work as in eating and drinking ; open-hearted, therefore^ often deceived, but when made

FRIGGAj^ENGAGED IN HUNTING.

INTRODUCTION.

aware of the deception that has been practised on him, terrible in his wrath, and overthrowing his opponent with fierce and mightyblows. He receives Miolnir, the storm-hammer, from the dwarfs who made it for him : he c onquers Alwis, the all-wise, in a battle of w ords. The giant Hrungnir pays for his temerity in challenging him to fight, with a broken head. When deceived by Utgard-Loki's magic, it is only want of opportunity, not of power, that prevents him taking vengeance. When he goes to the ice-giant Hymir to get the cauldron for brewing the beer for the feasts of the gods, he appears in all the fulness of his god-like power. Enveloped in Freya's bridal raiment, he gets back the stolen hammer from the mountain-giant Thrym, destroys the whole race of giants in Thrymheim, and makes the place over to his hard-working peasantry to till. He does the same at Geirodsgard after having overthrown the wily Geirod. Although not to be withstood in his anger, he is yet mild and gracious when with his hammer he is fixing the land-marks, sanctifying the marriage bond, or consecrating the funeralpile. Then he is the god who blesses law and order and every pious custom. For this reason he was deeply reverenced in all German and Scandinavian lands, and it is only the later skalds, as is seen in the Harbard lay, that make his glory less than that of the hero-god Odin.

Tyr, Tius, or Zio. — And now, tall and slender as a pine, brave Tyr comes forward. He has only one hand ; for when the terrible Fenris-Wolf grew so powerful that he even threatened the gods themselves in Asgard, Tyr ventured to chain him up with bonds that could not be unloosed, and in so doing lost his hand. He bears a swo rd as his proper bad ge, f or he is the god of war. The German people held him in high honour under the name of Tius or Zio.

Heru, Cheru or Saxnot. — Another naked sword flashes on the wooded heights in the land of the Cherusci ; it is the weapon of the sword-god Heru, Cheru or Saxnot, who some think is no other than Tyr. Of this weapon Saga tells us that it causes the destruction of its possessor, should he be unworthy of owning it ; but that in the hand of a hero it brings victory and sovereignty.

Heimdal or Riger. — The third sword-god is known as Heimdal or Riger ; he always appears with his sword girded to his side, and is the watchman stationed at the Bridge Bifrost to protect Asgard. He lives on his heavenly hill near the bridge, and drinks sweet mead all day. The faintest sounds are heard by him, and his piercing gaze penetrates even rocks and forests to the farthest distance. Then aga in he goes out into the world of men, and makes laws and ordinances. He blesses the human race, and keeps clear and visible the line of demarcation between the different classes.

Brag! and Iduna.'— Heimdal is born of nine mothers, the wave-maidens, and Bragi also, the god of poetry, rises upon the waves from the depths of the sea. Nature receives him with rejoicing, and the blooming Iduna marries the divine bard. She accompanies him to Asgard, where she gives the gods every morning the apples_ of e ternal youth.

The Wanes, Niorder, Freyer, Freya — The Wanes are probably a race of gods who were worshipped by the earlier inhabitants of Germany and Scandinavia. Their war with the gods points back to the battles fought between these people and the invading Germanic races. At the conclusion of peace, the Prince of men, Niorder, his son bright Freyer, and his daughter Freya, are given as hostages to the gods, who on their side give up Mimir and Honir to the Wanes. These Wanes rise to high_ honour and receive wide-spread adoration.

Fate, Norns, Hel, Walkyries — Orlog, Fate, a Po wer im possible to avoid or gainsay, rules oyer gods andjnen ; it is impersonal, and bestows its gifts blindly. Out of the dense darkness surrounding

INTRODUCTION.

it on every side, it also comes forth in visible shape as Regin, and guides and rules all things, and sometimes in the form of the gods, determines the life and actions of mortals. The Norns come out of the unkno wn di stance enveloped in a dark veil, to the Ash. Yggdras il. They sprinkle it daily with water from the Fountain of Urd, that it may not wither, but remain green and fresh and strong. Urd, the eldest of the three sisters, gazes thoughtfully into the Past, Werdandi into the Present, and Skuld into the Future, which is either rich in h ope o r dark with tears. Thus they make known the decrees of Orlog, or Fate; for out of the past and present the events and actions of the future are born. Da rk inscrutable Hel holds s way dee p down in Helheim and Nif elheim. According to most ancient tradition she was once the earth-mother who watches over life and growth, and who finally calls the weary pilgrim home to her through the land of death.

In the poems of the skalds she becomes the dark, terrible Queen of the Realm of Shades, who brought death into the world. She has, however, no power over the course of battles where brave men struggle for the honour of victory. There O din's W is h-maidens, the Walkyries, rule and determine the fate of the combatants. Armed with helmet and shield, they ride on white cloud horses to choose their warriors as the Father of the gods has commanded them. They consecrate the fallen heroes with the kiss of death, and bear them away to Walhalla to the feast of the Einheriar.

Ogir and his companions. ^^Ogir or Hler moves about on the stormy seas accompanied by his wife Ran. Ogir is of the race of giants, but lives in friendly alliance with the gods. His comrades are the Mumel-king, the wonderful player, and the nixies, necks, and water-sprites. ^ _ -^

Loki, the father of terrible Hel, the Fenris-Wolf and Midgard- Snake ; Loki, the crafty god who is ever devising evil, now steals forward that we may observe his corrupt practices and his real character. In primeval times he was Odin's brother by blood, the god_oflife-givirig^warmthLand_ in particular of the indispensable household fire. As a destructive conflagration arises from a hidden spark which gradually increases in strength and volume, until at last it bursts out furiously and consumes the house and all that it contains, thus, as we shall show later on, the conception of Loki was developed in the minds of these old races, until he was at last held to be the corrupt er of the gods, the principle of evil.

The other Gods. — As regards the other gods, the silent Widar, son of Odin, first appears, armed with a sword and wearing iron shoes. Joyfully he hears the prophecy of the Norns, that he should on a future day avenge his father by killing the destroying wolf, and that he would afterwards live for ever in blissful peace in the renewed world. Then comes Hermodur, the swift messenger of the gods, who fulfils his office at a sign from Odin. Another avenger, the blooming Wali, is received with acclamation when he enters the halls of Odin, for he is the son of Odin and the northern Rinda, is chosen to avenge bright Baldur the well-beloved, and to give the deadly blow which shall send dark Hodur down to the realms of Hel. So th e story brings us to Baldur, the giver o f all g ood, and to Hodur, who rules over the darkness. The myth tells us how both fought for the sake of the lovely Nanna, and how the former received his death wound by magic art. His son Forseti, who resembles his father in holiness and righteousness, is the upholder of eternal law. The myth shows him to us seated on a throne teaching the Northern Frisians the benefits of law, and surrounded by his twelve judges, all of whom are somewhat like him both in face and form.

The Golden Age.— From this brief glance at the individual gods we pass on to the description of the events which concern these divinities as a whole, and which lead up to the epic poems in which they figure. The golden age, the time of innocence, is next

INTRODUCTION. 13 to be described, when the lust for gold was as yet unknown, when the gods played with golden disks, and no passion disturbed the rapture of mere existence. All this lasts till Gullweig (Goldore), the bewitching enchantress, comes, who, thrice cast into the fire, arises each time more beautiful than before, and fills the souls of gods and men with unappeasable longing. Then the Norns, the Past, Present and Future, enter into being, and the blessed peace of childhood's dreams passes away, and sin comes into existence with all its evil consequences.

Sin. — The poems of the skalds give another account of the way in which sin makes its first appearance. The gods wish to have a strong wall of fortification round their Asgard, to protect it against the assaults of the Jotuns, the giants. Acting on Loki's advice, they swear by a holy oath to give the sun and moon, and even Freya herself, the goddess of grace and beauty, to an unknown builder, on condition that he finishes the wall in the course of one winter. The master-builder turns out to be a Hrimthurse (Frost-giant), who, with the help of his horse, seems about to finish the high wall of ice, the sides of which are as smooth as polished steel, within the allotted time. If the bargain were to hold good, darkness would envelop the world, and sweetness and love would disappear from life ; so the gods command Loki, as he values his head, to tell them what to do. He outwits the giant by means of treachery and magic, and Thor pays the master-builder in blows of his hammer. Thus the gods break their oath, and inexpiable guilt re sts upori them.