Part 20

65. "Meanwhile Heimdall stands up, and with all his force sounds the Gjallar-horn to arouse the gods, who assemble without delay. Odin then rides to Mimir's well and consults Mimir how he and his warriors ought to enter into action. The ash Yggdrasill begins to shake, nor is there anything in heaven or earth exempt from fear at that terrible hour. The Æsir and all the heroes of Valhalla arm themselves and speed forth to the field, led on by Odin, with his golden helm and resplendent cuirass, and his spear called Gungnir. Odin places himself against the wolf Fenrir; Thor stands by his side, but can render him no assistance, having himself to combat with the Midgard serpent. Frey encounters Surtur, and terrible blows are exchanged ere Frey falls; and he owes his defeat to his not having that trusty sword he gave to Skirnir. That day the dog Garm, who had been chained in the Gnipa cave, breaks loose. He is the most fearful monster of all, and attacks Tyr, and they kill each other. Thor gains great renown for killing the Midgard serpent, but at the same time, recoiling nine paces, falls dead upon the spot suffocated by the floods of venom which the dying serpent vomits forth upon him. The wolf swallows Odin, but at that instant Vidar advances, and setting his foot on the monster's lower jaw, seizes the other with his hand, and thus tears and rends him till he dies. Vidar is able to do this because he wears those shoes for which stuff has been gathering in all ages, namely, the shreds of leather which are cut off to form the toes and heels of shoes, and it is on this account that those who would render a service to the Æsir should take care to throw such shreds away. Loki and Heimdall fight, and mutually kill each other.

"After this, Surtur darts fire and flame over the earth, and the whole universe is consumed."

OF THE ABODES OF FUTURE BLISS AND MISERY.

66. "What will remain," said Gangler, "after heaven and earth and the whole universe shall be consumed, and after all the gods, and the heroes of Valhalla, and all mankind shall have perished? For ye have already told me that every one shall continue to exist in some world or other, throughout eternity."

"There will be many abodes," replied Thridi, "some good, others bad. The best place of all to be in will be Gimli, in heaven, and all who delight in quaffing good drink will find a great store in the hall called Brimir, which is also in heaven in the region Okolni. There is also a fair hall of ruddy gold called Sindri, which stands on the mountains of Nida, (Nidafjoll). In those halls righteous and well-minded men shall abide. In Nastrond there is a vast and direful structure with doors that face the north. It is formed entirely of the backs of serpents, wattled together like wicker work. But the serpents' heads are turned towards the inside of the hall, and continually vomit forth floods of venom, in which wade all those who-commit murder, or who forswear themselves."

THE RENOVATION OF THE UNIVERSE.

67. "Will any of the gods survive, and will there be any longer a heaven and an earth?" demanded Gangler.

"There will arise out of the sea," replied Har, "another earth most lovely and verdant, with pleasant fields where the grain shall grow unsown. Vidar and Vali shall survive; neither the flood nor Surtur's fire shall harm them. They shall dwell on the plain of Ida, where Asgard formerly stood. Thither shall come the sons of Thor, Modi and Magni, bringing with them their father's mallet Mjolnir. Baldur and Hodur shall also repair thither from the abode of death (Hel). There shall they sit and converse together, and call to mind their former knowledge and the perils they underwent, and the fight of the wolf Fenrir and the Midgard serpent. There too shall they find in the grass those golden tablets (orbs) which the Æsir once possessed. As it is said,--

"'There dwell Vidar and Vali In the gods' holy seats, When slaked Surtur's fire is But Modi and Magni Will Mjolnir possess, And strife put an end to.'

"Thou must know, moreover, that during the conflagration caused by Surtur's fire, a woman named Lif (Life), and a man named Lifthrasir, lie concealed in Hodmimir's forest. They shall feed on morning dew, and their descendants shall soon spread over the whole earth.

"But what thou wilt deem more wonderful is, that the sun shall have brought forth a daughter more lovely than herself, who shall go in the same track formerly trodden by her mother.

"And now," continued Thridi, "if thou hast any further questions to ask, I know not who can answer thee, for I never heard tell of any one who could relate what will happen in the other ages of the world. Make, therefore, the best use thou canst of what has been imparted to thee."

Upon this Gangler heard a terrible noise all around him: he looked everywhere, but could see neither palace nor city, nor anything save a vast plain. He therefore set out on his return to his own kingdom, where he related all that he had seen and heard, and ever since that time these tidings have been handed down by oral tradition.

ÆGIR'S JOURNEY TO ASGARD.

68. Ægir, who was well skilled in magic, once went to Asgard, where he met with a very good reception. Supper time being come, the twelve mighty Æsir,--Odin, Thor, Njord, Frey, Tyr, Heimdall, Bragi, Vidar, Vali, Ullur, Hoenir and Forseti, together with the Asynjor,--Frigga, Freyja, Gefjon, Iduna, Gerda, Siguna, Fulla and Nanna, seated themselves on their lofty doom seats, in a hall around which were ranged swords of such surpassing brilliancy that no other light was requisite. They continued long at table, drinking mead of a very superior quality. While they were emptying their capacious drinking horns, Ægir, who sat next to Bragi, requested him to relate something concerning the Æsir. Bragi instantly complied with his request, by informing him of what had happened to Iduna.

IDUNA AND HER APPLES.

69. "Once," he said, "when Odin, Loki, and Hoenir went on a journey, they came to a valley where a herd of oxen were grazing, and being sadly in want of provisions did not scruple to kill one for their supper. Vain, however, were their efforts to boil the flesh; they found it, every time they took off the lid of the kettle, as raw as when first put in. While they were endeavouring to account for this singular circumstance a noise was heard above them, and on looking up they beheld an enormous eagle perched on the branch of an oak tree. 'If ye are willing to let me have my share of the flesh,' said the eagle, 'it shall soon be boiled;' and on their assenting to this proposal, it flew down and snatched up a leg and two shoulders of the ox--a proceeding which so incensed Loki, that he laid hold of a large stock, and made it fall pretty heavily on the eagle's back. It was, however, not an eagle that Loki struck, but the renowned giant Thjassi, clad in his eagle plumage. Loki soon found this out to his cost, for while one end of the stock stuck fast to the eagle's back, he was unable to let go his hold of the other end, and was consequently trailed by the eagle-clad giant over rocks and forests, until he was almost torn to pieces. Loki in this predicament began to sue for peace, but Thjassi told him that he should never be released from his hold until he bound himself by a solemn oath to bring Iduna and her apples out of Asgard. Loki very willingly gave his oath to effect this object, and went back in a piteous plight to his companions.

70. "On his return to Asgard, Loki told Iduna that, in a forest at a short distance from the celestial residence, he had found apples growing which he thought were of a much better quality than her own, and that at all events it was worth while making a comparison between them. Iduna, deceived by his words, took her apples, and went with him into the forest, but they had no sooner entered it than Thjassi, clad in his eagle-plumage, flew rapidly towards them, and catching up Iduna, carried her treasure off with him to Jotunheim. The gods being thus deprived of their renovating apples, soon became wrinkled and grey; old age was creeping fast upon them, when they discovered that Loki had been, as usual, the contriver of all the mischief that had befallen them. They therefore threatened him with condign punishment if he did not instantly hit upon some expedient for bringing back Iduna and her apples to Asgard. Loki having borrowed from Freyja her falcon-plumage, flew to Jotunheim, and finding that Thjassi was out at sea fishing, lost no time in changing Iduna into a sparrow and flying off with her; but when Thjassi returned and became aware of what had happened, he donned his eagle-plumage, and flew after them. When the Æsir saw Loki approaching, holding Iduna transformed into a sparrow between his claws, and Thjassi with his outspread eagle wings ready to overtake him, they placed on the walls of Asgard bundles of chips, which they set fire to the instant that Loki had flown over them; and as Thjassi could not stop his flight, the fire caught his plumage, and he thus fell into the power of the Æsir, who slew him within the portals of the celestial residence. When these tidings came to Thjassi's daughter, Skadi, she put on her armour and went to Asgard, fully determined to avenge her father's death; but the Æsir having declared their willingness to atone for the deed, an amicable arrangement was entered into. Skadi was to choose a husband in Asgard, and the Æsir were to make her laugh, a feat which she flattered herself it would be impossible for any one to accomplish. Her choice of a husband was to be determined by a mere inspection of the feet of the gods, it being stipulated that the feet should be the only part of their persons visible until she had made known her determination. In inspecting the row of feet placed before her, Skadi took a fancy to a pair which she flattered herself, from their fine proportions, must be those of Baldur. They were however Njord's, and Njord was accordingly given her for a husband, and as Loki managed to make her laugh, by playing some diverting antics with a goat, the atonement was fully effected. It is even said that Odin did more than had been stipulated, by taking out Thjassi's eyes, and placing them to shine as stars in the firmament.[137]

THE ORIGIN OF POETRY.

71. Ægir having expressed a wish to know how poetry originated, Bragi informed him that the Æsir and Vanir having met to put an end to the war which had long been carried on between them, a treaty of peace was agreed to and ratified by each party spitting into a jar. As a lasting sign of the amity which was thenceforward to subsist between the contending parties, the gods formed out of this spittle a being to whom they gave the name of Kvasir, and whom they endowed with such a high degree of intelligence that no one could ask him a question that he was unable to answer. Kvasir then traversed the whole world to teach men wisdom, but was at length treacherously murdered by the dwarfs, Fjalar and Galar, who, by mixing up his blood with honey, composed a liquor of such surpassing excellence that whoever drinks of it acquires the gift of song. When the Æsir inquired what had become of Kvasir, the dwarfs told them that he had been suffocated with his own wisdom, not being able to find any one who by proposing to him a sufficient number of learned questions might relieve him of its superabundance. Not long after this event, Fjalar and Galar managed to drown the giant Gilling and murder his wife, deeds which were avenged by their son Suttung taking the dwarfs out to sea, and placing them on a shoal which was flooded at high water. In this critical position they implored Suttung to spare their lives, and accept the verse-inspiring beverage which they possessed as an atonement for their having killed his parents. Suttung having agreed to these conditions, released the dwarfs, and carrying the mead home with him, committed it to the care of his daughter Gunnlauth. Hence poetry is indifferently called Kvasir's blood, Suttung's mead, the dwarf's ransom, etc.

ODIN BEGUILES THE DAUGHTER OF BAUGI

72. Æsir then asked how the gods obtained possession of so valuable a beverage, on which Bragi informed him that Odin being fully determined to acquire it, set out for Jotunheim, and after journeying for some time, came to a meadow in which nine thralls were mowing. Entering into conversation with them, Odin, offered to whet their scythes, an offer which they gladly accepted, and finding that the whetstone he made use of had given the scythes an extraordinary sharpness, asked him whether he was willing to dispose of it. Odin, however, threw the whetstone in the air, and in attempting to catch it as it fell, each thrall brought his scythe to bear on the neck of one of his comrades, so that they were all killed in the scramble. Odin took up his night's lodging at the house of Suttung's brother, Baugi, who told him that he was sadly at a loss for labourers, his nine thralls having slain each other. Odin, who went under the name of Baulverk, said that for a draught of Suttung's mead he would do the work of nine men for him. The terms agreed on, Odin worked for Baugi the whole summer, but Suttung was deaf to his brother's entreaties, and would not part with a drop of the precious liquor, which was carefully preserved in a cavern under his daughter's custody. Into this cavern Odin was resolved to penetrate. He therefore persuaded Baugi to bore a hole through the rock, which he had no sooner done than Odin, transforming himself into a worm, crept through the crevice, and resuming his natural shape, won the heart of Gunnlauth. After passing three nights with the fair maiden, he had no great difficulty in inducing her to let him take a draught out of each of the three jars, called Odhroerir, Bodn, and Son, in which the mead was kept. But wishing to make the most of his advantage, he pulled so deep that not a drop was left in the vessels. Transforming himself into an eagle, he then flew off as fast as his wings could carry him, but Suttung becoming aware of the stratagem, also took upon himself an eagle's guise, and flew after him. The Æsir, on seeing him approach Asgard, set out in the yard all the jars they could lay their hands on, which Odin filled by discharging through his beak the wonder-working liquor he had drunken. He was however, so near being caught by Suttung, that some of the liquor escaped him by an impurer vent, and as no care was taken of this it fell to the share of the poetasters. But the liquor discharged in the jars was kept for the gods, and for those men who have sufficient wit to make a right use of it. Hence poetry is also called Odin's booty, Odin's gift, the beverage of the gods, &c, &c.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 125: This chapter is probably the interpolation of an early copyist, for it has evidently no connection with the following one, and is not found in the Upsal MS. of the Prose Edda, which is supposed to be the oldest extant. Gefjon's ploughing is obviously a mythic way of accounting for some convulsions of nature, perhaps the convulsion that produced the Sound, and thus effected a junction between the Baltic and the Northern Ocean.]

[Footnote 126: Rime Giants, or Giants of the Frost.]

[Footnote 127: Literally, "It is light and hot, insomuch so that it is flaming and burning, and it is impervious to those who are outlandish (foreign), and not indigenous there" (or who have no home or heritage therein).]

[Footnote 128: More properly speaking, to the earth which it encircled.]

[Footnote 129: A ferreous or glacial refrigeration.]

[Footnote 130: _i.e._ If Thor drove over Bifrost with his thunder chariot.]

[Footnote 131: _i.e._ Present, Past, and Future.]

[Footnote 132: Namely, his having killed Baldur.]

[Footnote 133: Mind or Thought, and Memory.]

[Footnote 134: _i.e._ Devouring flame.]

[Footnote 135: _i.e._ Spirit or thought.]

[Footnote 136: _i.e._ Eld or Old Age.]

[Footnote 137: Finn Magnusen's explanation of this myth is, that Iduna--the ever-renovating Spring--being in the possession of Thjassi--the desolating winter--all nature languishes until she is delivered from her captivity. On this being effected, her presence again diffuses joy and gladness, and all things revive; while her pursuer, Winter, with his icy breath, dissolves in the solar rays indicated by the fires lighted on the walls of Asgard.]

GLOSSARY.

ÆGIR or OEGIR, horror, terror.

ÆSIR, sing. AS; God, Gods. ASYNJA, ASYNJOR; Goddess, Goddesses.

AI, from a, a river.

ALFADIR, or ALFODUR, All-Father, or the Father of All.

ALFR, Elf.

ALSVIDR, All-scorching.

ALTHJOFR, lit. All-thief, an accomplished rascal.

ALVISS, All-wise.

AMSVARTNIR, grief, black, gloomy, swart.

ANDHRIMNIR, soul, spirit, breath: from hrim, congealed vapour, _rime_.

ANDLANGR, from aund, spirit, breath; and langr, long.

ANDVARI, prob. from aund, spirit; cautious, timid.

ANGURBODI, Anguish-boding, announcing or presaging calamity.

ARVAKR, awakening early; ar, the dawn, Aurora.

ASGARD, prop. ASGARDR, lit. God's-ward, or the abode of the gods.

ASKR, an ash-tree.

AUDHUMLA, void, vacuity, darkness, tenebrosity.

AUDR, rich, wealthy.

AURBODA, prop. AURBODA, snow, rain, storm; to announce whence; a messenger; hence an ambassador.

AUSTRI, East, Oriental.

BALDUR, prop. BALDR or BALLDR, fire, flame, bold.

BALEYGR, Bale-eyed, _i.e._ endowed with a clear, piercing vision.

BAREY, the Frondiferous-isle; an island.

BAULVERKR, Evil-worker; producing evil, calamity.

BAUMBURR, prob. cog. with bumbr, belly, cavity.

BELI, prob. from belja, to bellow.

BERGELMIR, Mountain-old, _i.e._ the old man of the mountain.

BIFLINDI, the Inconstant: from bif, motion; and lyndi, disposition, mind.

BIFROST, BIF-RAUST, the Tremulous-bridge of the Aerial-bridge, signifying also aerial: a certain space, a mile, a rest.

BIL, a moment, an interval, an interstice.

BILEYGR, endowed with fulminating eyes, a tempest, especially a fulminating tempest or thunder-storm.

BILSKIRNIR, sometimes stormy, and sometimes serene; which, as Thor's mansion prob. denotes the atmosphere, would be a very appropriate term; or storm-stilling, _i.e._ imparting serenity to the tempest.

BIVAURR, BIVORR, or BIFUR, the Tremulous.

BODN, originally signified an offer-table or altar; an oblation; also one of the jars in which the dwarfs' poetical beverage was kept.

BOLTHORN, lit. Calamitous or Evil-thorn.

BOR, prop. BORR, and BUR, prop. BURR or BURI, means _born_, to bear; whence also the _Old G._ barn, and the _Scotch, bairn_, a child.

BRAGI, the name of the God of Poetry; from braga, to glisten, to shine, or from bragga, to adorn; ph. cog. with _G_. pracht, splendour.

BREIDABLIK: lit. Broad-blink--wide-glancing, Expanded splendour, to blink.

BRIMIR, prob. from brimi, flame.

BRISINGR, may prob. mean flaming.

BYLEISTR, a dwelling, a town; to destroy, to break to pieces.

BYRGIR, prob. from v. byrgja, to conceal; _E._ to bury, whence barrow, a tumulus.

DAINN, prob. the Soporiferous; from da, a swoon, or complete repose.

DELLINGR--a _day-ling_. with the dawn, daybreak.

DIS, pi. DISIR, it originally sig. a female, but was afterwards used in the sense of Nymph and Goddess. It enters into the composition of several female names, as Thordis, Freydis, Vegdis, &c.

DOLGTHRASIR: a dolgr, a warrior; contentious, obstinate, persisting, from the v. thrasa, to litigate, to quarrel.

DRAUPNIR, from the v. drupa, to droop, or the v. drjupa, to drip.

DROMI, strongly binding.

DUNEYRR, a hollow sound, from the v. dynja, to sound, to resound.

DURATHROR. The first sylb. may be derived either from dur, a light sleep, or from dyr, a door; and the last, either from the v. threyja, to expect, to wait for; or from throa, to increase, to enlarge.

DURINN, prob. from dur, a light sleep, to fall asleep; whence prob. the _E._ to doze, and ph. also dusk.

DVALJNN, from dvali, sleep.

EIKINSKJALDI, furnished with an oaken shield, scarlet oak.

EIKTHYRNIR. Eik is the ilex or scarlet oak; thyrnir, a thorn; metaphorically for a stag's antlers.

EINHERJAR, a hero; select, chosen heroes.

EIR, to befriend, to tranquilize.

ELDHRIMNIR: eldr, elementary flre: brim, congealed vapour, rime, also soot; hence (a kettle) sooty from flre.

ELIVAGAR, stormy waves; a storm; the sea; an estuary; water; wave.

ELLI, old age.

ELVIDNIR, ph. from el, a storm; and vidr, wide.

EMBLA. The etymologies of the name of the first woman given by the _E.E._ are merely _conjectural_. Grimm says the word embla, emla, signifies a busy woman, from amr, ambr, amil ambl, assiduous labour; the same relation as Meshia and Meshiane, the ancient Persian names of the first man and woman, who were also formed from trees.

FALHOFNIR, a nail, a lamina, hoof.

FARMAGUD, the God of Carriers and Sea-farers.

FENRIR, FENRIS-ULFR, may mean dweller in an abyss, or the monster wolf.

FENSALIR, lit. Fen-saloon, from fen, a fen, but which it would appear may also be made to sig. the watery deep, or the sea; and salr, a hall, mansion, saloon. _See_ Valhalla.

FIMBUL. From fimbulfambi comes the _E._ provincialism, to fimble-famble; and the _D._ famle, to stammer, to hesitate in speaking.

FIMBULTHUL. Thulr means an orator or reciter, to speechify.

FIMBULVETR: vetr, winter; according to Grimm's explanation of fimbul, _the Great Winter_.

FJALARR and FJOLNIR. Multiform: in composition fjol, many.

FJOLSVIDR or FJOLSVITHR, to scorch: or ph. from svithr, wise, powerful, potent, strong.

FJORGYN. Grimm, we think, has satisfactorily shown that fjorg is the _G._ berg, a mountain.

FOLKVANGR, lit. the folk's field, or habitation.

FORSETI, lit. the Fore-seated, _i.e._ the Judge.

FRANANGURS-FORS, prob. from frann, glittering, and ongr, narrow.

FREKI, _G._ frech, froward: the word has also the sig. of voracious.

FREYR and FREYJA. The name of the deity who was the symbol of the sun--to mean Seminator, the Fructifler, Freyja--the symbolical representation of the moon--means the Seminated, the Fructified; the original sig, is that of glad, joyful, imparting gladness, beautous, lovely.

FRIGGA, prop. FRIGG. Grimm has shown that the root of this word is, if not strictly syn., at least very nearly allied with that of the word Freyja, and explains it to mean the Free, the Beauteous, the Winsome.

FROSTI, the _E._ frosty.

FULLA, abundance; from fullr, full.

FUNDINN, found; from v. finna, to find.

GANDALFR. Alfr, an elf, prob. sig. a wolf, a serpent.

GANGLER, the tired wanderer; to debilitate, to tire.

GANGRAD, prop. GANGRADR, indicates a person directing his steps.

GARDROFA, Fence-breaker; to break, to break through.

GARMR, voracious; to gorge; gourmand.

GAUTR, ph. may sig. a keeper, to keep.

GEFJON, the earth; also separation, disruption.

GEFN, from the v. gefa, to give.

GEIROLUL, lit. Spear-alimentrix: from the v. ala, to aliment, to nourish.

GEIRRAUDR, lit. spear-red; hence King Spear-rubifler.

GEIRVIMUL, a river rushing or vibrating like a spear or javelin.

GELGJA, from galgi, a gallows.

GERDA, prop. GERDUR, to gird. Both gerd and gard are common terminations of female names, as Hildigard, Irminigard, Thorgerda, &c.

GERI. Geri may be derived from gerr, covetous, greedy.

GIMLI, had the same sig. as himill, heaven, the original sig. of which may have been fire, but afterwards a gem, as in the _N._ word gimsteinn; whence also our colloquial words, gim, gimmy (neat), and gimcrack.

GINNARR, Seducer; from v. ginna, to seduce.

GINNUNGA-GAP may be rendered the gap of gaps; a gaping abyss.

GJALLAR (horn); from the v. gjalla, to resound, to clang; to yell.

GJOIX, prob. from gjallr, sonorous, fulgid.

GLADR, glad; from v. gledja, to gladden.

GLADSHEIMR: lit. Glad's-home; the abode of gladness or bliss.

GLÆR, from glær, clear, pellucid; cog. with _E._ glare.

GLEIPNIR, the Devouring; from the v. gleipa, to devour.