The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson
"Hermod then pursued his journey until he came to the barred gates of
Hel. Here he alighted, girthed his saddle tighter, and remounting,
clapped both spurs to his horse, who cleared the gate by a tremendous
leap without touching it. Hermod then rode on to the palace, where he
found his brother Baldur occupying the most distinguished seat in the
hall, and passed the night in his company. The next morning he
besought Hela (Death) to let Baldur ride home with him, assuring her
that nothing but lamentations were to be heard among the gods. Hela
answered that it should now be tried whether Baldur was so beloved as
he was said to be.
"'If therefore,' she added, 'all things in the world, both living and
lifeless, weep for him, then shall he return to the Æsir, but if any
one thing speak against him or refuse to weep, he shall be kept in
Hel.'
"Hermod then rose, and Baldur led him out of the hall and gave him the
ring Draupnir, to present as a keepsake to Odin. Nanna also sent
Frigga a linen cassock and other gifts, and to Fulla a gold
finger-ring. Hermod then rode back to Asgard, and gave an account of
all he had heard and witnessed.
"The gods upon this dispatched messengers throughout the world, to beg
everything to weep, in order that Baldur might be delivered from Hel.
All things very willingly complied with this request, both men and
every other living being, as well as earths and stones, and trees and
metals, just as thou must have seen these things weep when they are
brought from a cold place into a hot one. As the messengers were
returning with the conviction that their mission had been quite
successful, they found an old hag named Thaukt sitting in a cavern,
and begged her to weep Baldur out of Hel.
"It was strongly suspected that this hag was no other than Loki
himself who never ceased to work evil among the Æsir."
THE FLIGHT AND PUNISHMENT OF LOKI.
61. "Evil are the deeds of Loki truly," said Gangler; "first of all
in his having caused Baldur to be slain, and then preventing him from
being delivered out of Hel. But was he not punished for these crimes?"
"Ay," replied Har, "and in such a manner that he will long repent
having committed them. When he perceived how exasperated the gods
were, he fled and hid himself in the mountains. There he built him a
dwelling with four doors, so that he could see everything that passed
around him. Often in the daytime he assumed the likeness of a salmon,
and concealed himself under the waters of a cascade called
Franangursfors, where he employed himself in divining and
circumventing whatever stratagems the Æsir might have recourse to in
order to catch him. One day, as he sat in his dwelling, he took flax
and yarn, and worked them into meshes in the manner that nets have
since been made by fishermen. Odin, however, had descried his retreat
out of Hlidskjalf, and Loki becoming aware that the gods were
approaching, threw his net into the fire, and ran to conceal himself
in the river. When the gods entered the house, Kvasir, who was the
most distinguished among them all for his quickness and penetration,
traced out in the hot embers the vestiges of the net which had been
burnt, and told Odin that it must be an invention to catch fish.
Whereupon they set to work and wove a net after the model they saw
imprinted in the ashes. This net, when finished, they threw into the
river in which Loki had hidden himself. Thor held one end of the net,
and all the other gods laid hold of the other end, thus jointly
drawing it along the stream. Notwithstanding all their precautions the
net passed over Loki, who had crept between two stones, and the gods
only perceived that some living thing had touched the meshes. They
therefore cast their net a second time, hanging so great a weight to
it that it everywhere raked the bed of the river. But Loki, perceiving
that he had but a short distance from the sea, swam onwards and leapt
over the net into the waterfall. The Æsir instantly followed him, and
divided themselves into two bands. Thor, wading along in mid-stream,
followed the net, whilst the others dragged it along towards the sea.
Loki then perceived that he had only two chances of escape, either to
swim out to sea, or to leap again over the net. He chose the latter,
but as he took a tremendous leap Thor caught him in his hand. Being,
however, extremely slippery, he would have escaped had not Thor held
him fast by the tail, and this is the reason why salmons have had
their tails ever since so fine and thin.
"The gods having thus captured Loki, dragged him without commiseration
into a cavern, wherein they placed three sharp-pointed rocks, boring a
hole through each of them. Having also seized Loki's children, Vali
and Nari, they changed the former into a wolf, and in this likeness he
tore his brother to pieces and devoured him. The gods then made cords
of his intestines, with which they bound Loki on the points of the
rocks, one cord passing under his shoulders, another under his loins,
and a third under his hams, and afterwards transformed these cords
into thongs of iron. Skadi then suspended a serpent over him in such a
manner that the venom should fall on his face, drop by drop. But
Siguna, his wife, stands by him and receives the drops as they fall in
a cup, which she empties as often as it is filled. But while she is
doing this, venom falls upon Loki, which makes him howl with horror,
and twist his body about so violently that the whole earth shakes, and
this produces what men call earthquakes. There will Loki lie until
Ragnarok."
OF RAGNAROK, OR THE TWILIGHT OE THE GODS, AND THE CONFLAGRATION OF THE
UNIVERSE.
63. "I have not heard before of Ragnarok," said Gangler; "what hast
thou to tell me about it?"
"There are many very notable circumstances concerning it," replied
Har, "which I can inform thee of. In the first place will come the
winter, called Fimbul-winter, during which snow will fall from the
four corners of the world; the frosts will be very severe, the wind
piercing, the weather tempestuous, and the sun impart no gladness.
Three such winters shall pass away without being tempered by a single
summer. Three other similar winters follow, during which war and
discord will spread over the whole globe. Brethren for the sake of
mere gain shall kill each other, and no one shall spare either his
parents or his children.
64. "Then shall happen such things as may truly be accounted great
prodigies. The wolf shall devour the sun, and a severe loss will that
be for mankind. The other wolf will take the moon, and this too will
cause great mischief. Then the stars shall be hurled from the heavens,
and the earth so violently shaken that trees will be torn up by the
roots, the tottering mountains tumble headlong from their foundations,
and all bonds and fetters be shivered in pieces. Fenrir then breaks
loose, and the sea rushes over the earth, on account of the Midgard
serpent turning with giant force, and gaining the land. On the waters
floats the ship Naglfar, which is constructed of the nails of dead
men. For which reason great care should be taken to die with pared
nails, for he who dies with his nails unpared, supplies materials for
the building of this vessel, which both gods and men wish may be
finished as late as possible. But in this flood shall Naglfar float,
and the giant Hrym be its steersman.
"The wolf Fenrir advancing, opens his enormous mouth; the lower jaw
reaches to the earth, and the upper one to heaven, and would in fact
reach still farther were there space to admit of it. Fire flashes from
his eyes and nostrils. The Midgard serpent, placing himself by the
side of the wolf, vomits forth floods of poison which overwhelm the
air and the waters. Amidst this devastation heaven is cleft in twain,
and the sons of Muspell ride through the breach. Surtur rides first,
and both before and behind him flames burning fire. His sword
outshines the sun itself. Bifrost, as they ride over it, breaks to
pieces. Then they direct their course to the battlefield called
Vigrid. Thither also repair the wolf Fenrir and the Midgard serpent,
and also Loki, with all the followers of Hel, and Hrym with all the
Hrimthursar. But the sons of Muspell keep their effulgent bands apart
on the field of battle, which is one hundred miles long on every side.
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