The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson
ask from each, in order to succeed. But are there any more of them
besides those you have already mentioned?"
"Ay," answered Har, "there is Tyr, who is the most daring and intrepid
of all the gods. 'Tis he who dispenses valour in war, hence warriors
do well to invoke him. It has become proverbial to say of a man who
surpasses all others in valour that he is _Tyr-strong_, or valiant as
Tyr. A man noted for his wisdom is also said to be 'wise as Tyr.' Let
me give thee a proof of his intrepidity. When the Æsir were trying to
persuade the wolf, Fenrir, to let himself be bound up with the chain,
Gleipnir, he, fearing that they would never afterwards unloose him,
only consented on the condition that while they were chaining him he
should keep Tyr's right hand between his jaws. Tyr did not hesitate to
put his hand in the monster's mouth, but when Fenrir perceived that
the Æsir had no intention to unchain him, he bit the hand off at that
point, which has ever since been called the wolf's joint. From that
time Tyr has had but one hand. He is not regarded as a peacemaker
among men."
OF THE OTHER GODS.
27. "There is another god," continued Har, "named Bragi, who is
celebrated for his wisdom, and more especially for his eloquence and
correct forms of speech. He is not only eminently skilled in poetry,
but the art itself is called from his name _Bragr_, which epithet is
also applied to denote a distinguished poet or poetess. His wife is
named Iduna. She keeps in a box the apples which the gods, when they
feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to become young again.
It is in this manner that they will be kept in renovated youth until
Ragnarok."
"Methinks," interrupted Gangler, "the gods have committed a great
treasure to the guardianship and good faith of Iduna."
"And hence it happened," replied Har, smiling, "that they once ran the
greatest risk imaginable, as I shall have occasion to tell thee when
thou hast heard the names of the other deities.
28. "One of them is Heimdall, called also the White God. He is the
son of nine virgins, who were sisters, and is a very sacred and
powerful deity. He also bears the appellation of the Gold-toothed, on
account of his teeth being of pure gold, and also that of
Hallinskithi. His horse is called Gulltopp, and he dwells in
Himinbjorg at the end of Bifrost. He is the warder of the gods, and is
therefore placed on the borders of heaven, to prevent the giants from
forcing their way over the bridge. He requires less sleep than a bird,
and sees by night, as well as by day, a hundred miles around him. So
acute is his ear that no sound escapes him, for he can even hear the
grass growing on the earth, and the wool on a sheep's back. He has a
horn called the Gjallar-horn, which is heard throughout the universe.
His sword is called Hofud (Head).
HODUR THE BLIND, ASSASSIN OF BALDUR
29. "Among the Æsir," continued Har, "we also reckon Hodur, who is
blind, but extremely strong. Both gods and men would be very glad if
they never had occasion to pronounce his name, for they will long have
cause to remember the deed perpetrated by his hand.[132]
30. "Another god is Vidar, surnamed the Silent, who wears very thick
shoes. He is almost as strong as Thor himself, and the gods place
great reliance on him in all critical conjunctures.
31. "Vali, another god, is the son of Odin and Rinda, he is bold in
war, and an excellent archer.
32. "Another is called Ullur, who is the son of Sif, and stepson of
Thor. He is so well skilled in the use of the bow, and can go so fast
on his snow-skates, that in these arts no one can contend with him. He
is also very handsome in his person, and possesses every quality of a
warrior, wherefore it is befitting to invoke him in single combats.
33. "The name of another god is Forseti, who is the son of Baldur
and Nanna, the daughter of Nef. He possesses the heavenly mansion
called Glitnir, and all disputants at law who bring their cases before
him go away perfectly reconciled.
"His tribunal is the best that is to be found among gods or men.
OF LOKI AND HIS PROGENY.
34. "There is another deity," continued Har, "reckoned in the number
of the Æsir, whom some call the calumniator of the gods, the contriver
of all fraud and mischief, and the disgrace of gods and men. His name
is Loki or Loptur. He is the son of the giant Farbauti. His mother is
Laufey or Nal; his brothers are Byleist and Helblindi. Loki is
handsome and well made, but of a very fickle mood, and most evil
disposition. He surpasses all beings in those arts called Cunning and
Perfidy. Many a time has he exposed the gods to very great perils, and
often extricated them again by his artifices. His wife is called
Siguna, and their son Nari.
35. "Loki," continued Har, "has likewise had three children by
Angurbodi, a giantess of Jotunheim. The first is the wolf Fenrir; the
second Jormungand, the Midgard serpent; the third Hela (Death). The
gods were not long ignorant that these monsters continued to be bred
up in Jotunheim, and, having had recourse to divination, became aware
of all the evils they would have to suffer from them; their being
sprung from such a mother was a bad presage, and from such a sire was
still worse. All-father therefore deemed it advisable to send one of
the gods to bring them to him. When they came he threw the serpent
into that deep ocean by which the earth is engirdled. But the monster
has grown to such an enormous size that, holding his tail in his
mouth, he encircles the whole earth. Hela he cast into Nifelheim, and
gave her power over nine worlds (regions), into which she distributes
those who are sent to her, that is to say, all who die through
sickness or old age. Here she possesses a habitation protected by
exceedingly high walls and strongly barred gates. Her hall is called
Elvidnir; Hunger is her table; Starvation, her knife; Delay, her man;
Slowness, her maid; Precipice, her threshold; Care, her bed; and
Burning Anguish forms the hangings of her apartments. The one half of
her body is livid, the other half the colour of human flesh. She may
therefore easily be recognized; the more so, as she has a dreadfully
stern and grim countenance.
"The wolf Fenrir was bred up among the gods; but Tyr alone had the
daring to go and feed him. Nevertheless, when the gods perceived that
he every day increased prodigiously in size, and that the oracles
warned them that he would one day become fatal to them, they
determined to make a very strong iron fetter for him, which they
called Læding. Taking this fetter to the wolf, they bade him try his
strength on it. Fenrir, perceiving that the enterprise would not be
very difficult for him, let them do what they pleased, and then, by
great muscular exertion, burst the chain and set himself at liberty.
The gods, having seen this, made another fetter, half as strong again
as the former, which they called Dromi, and prevailed on the wolf to
put it on, assuring him that, by breaking this, he would give an
undeniable proof of his vigour.
"The wolf saw well enough that it would not be so easy to break this
fetter, but finding at the same time that his strength had increased
since he broke Læding, and thinking that he could never become famous
without running some risk, voluntarily submitted to be chained. When
the gods told him that they had finished their task, Fenrir shook
himself violently, stretched his limbs, rolled on the ground, and at
last burst his chains, which flew in pieces all around him. He then
freed himself from Dromi, which gave rise to the proverb, 'to get
loose out of Læding, or to dash out of Dromi,' when anything is to be
accomplished by strong efforts.
BINDING THE WOLF FENIR
"After this, the gods despaired of ever being able to bind the wolf;
wherefore All-father sent Skirnir, the messenger of Frey, into the
country of the Dark Elves (Svartalfaheim) to engage certain dwarfs to
make the fetter called Gleipnir. It was fashioned out of six things;
to wit, the noise made by the footfall of a cat; the beards of women;
the roots of stones; the sinews of bears; the breath of fish; and the
spittle of birds. Though thou mayest not have heard of these things
before, thou mayest easily convince thyself that we have not been
telling thee lies. Thou must have seen that women have no beards, that
cats make no noise when they run, and that there are no roots under
stones. Now I know what has been told thee to be equally true,
although there may be some things thou art not able to furnish a proof
of."
"I believe what thou hast told me to be true," replied Gangler, "for
what thou hast adduced in corroboration of thy statement is
conceivable. But how was the fetter smithied?"
"This can I tell thee," replied Har, "that the fetter was as smooth
and soft as a silken string, and yet, as thou wilt presently hear, of
very great strength. When it was brought to the gods, they were
profuse in their thanks to the messenger for the trouble he had given
himself; and taking the wolf with them to the island called Lyngvi, in
the Lake Amsvartnir, they showed him the cord, and expressed their
wish that he would try to break it, assuring him at the same time that
it was somewhat stronger than its thinness would warrant a person in
supposing it to be. They took it themselves, one after another, in
their hands, and after attempting in vain to break it, said, 'Thou
alone, Fenrir, art able to accomplish such a feat.'
"'Methinks,' replied the wolf, 'that I shall acquire no fame in
breaking such a slender cord; but if any artifice has been employed in
making it, slender though it seems, it shall never come on my feet.'
"The gods assured him that he would easily break a limber silken cord,
since he had already burst asunder iron fetters of the most solid
construction. 'But if thou shouldst not succeed in breaking it,' they
added, 'thou wilt show that thou art too weak to cause the gods any
fear, and we will not hesitate to set thee at liberty without delay.'
"'I fear me much,' replied he wolf, 'that if ye once bind me so fast
that I shall be unable to free myself by my own efforts, ye will be in
no haste to unloose me. Loath am I, therefore, to have this cord wound
round me; but in order that ye may not doubt my courage, I will
consent, provided one of you put his hand into my mouth as a pledge
that ye intend me no deceit.'
"The gods wistfully looked at each other, and found that they had
only the choice of two evils, until Tyr stepped forward and intrepidly
put his right hand between the monster's jaws. Hereupon the gods,
having tied up the wolf, he forcibly stretched himself as he had
formerly done, and used all his might to disengage himself, but the
more efforts he made the tighter became the cord, until all the gods,
except Tyr, who lost his hand, burst into laughter at the sight.
"When the gods saw that the wolf was effectually bound, they took the
chain called Gelgja, which was fixed to the fetter, and drew it
through the middle of a large rock named Gjoll, which they sank very
deep into the earth; afterwards, to make it still more secure, they
fastened the end of the cord to a massive stone called Thviti, which
they sank still deeper. The wolf made in vain the most violent efforts
to break loose, and opening his tremendous jaws endeavoured to bite
them. The gods seeing this, thrust a sword into his mouth, which
pierced his under-jaw to the hilt, so that the point touched the
palate. He then began to howl horribly, and since that time the foam
flows continually from his mouth in such abundance that it forms the
river called Von. There will he remain until Ragnarok."
"Verily," said Gangler, "an evil progeny is that of Loki, yet most