Annie Klingensmith

“ Tyr said, "Just within the borders of Jotunheim lives Hymer. He has a kettle a mile deep. But he who goes for it must be wary, for Hymer is a dog-wise and dangerous giant."
Thor cried, "I fear no giant! Show me the way and I will bring the kettle!"
So the two gods passed out of Æger's sea-green hall and away through groves of coral. Dolphins and sword-fish played beside their pathway without fear.
Soon the gods reached the upper world. There they made themselves look like two young men. Then they traveled away to the land of snow. ”

“ All the gods worked day and night until they had forged a chain they thought strong enough to hind the wolf.
Knowing they could not bind Fenrer against his will, all the gods came together for games. Thor crushed mountains with his hammer. The other gods showed their strength by lifting, and leaping, and wrestling. ”

“ While Ingeborg embroidered with gold and silver thread, Frithiof read noble sagas of the gods and their chosen heroes.
But King Bele and Thorsten Vikingsson grew old and feared to die of old age and not enter Valhalla. So Frithiof and the king's two sons, Helge and Halfden, were called to the house of the king.
There stood the two silver-haired heroes, King Bele and Thorsten Vikingsson, leaning upon their swords. Many words of wisdom they spoke to the young men who were to take their places. ”

“ If I had not held a mountain between your hammer and my head, you would have killed me. There is the mountain. The three caves you see were made by the three blows of your hammer.
"One end of the drinking-horn stood in the sea. When you come to the shore you will see how much water is gone.
"What you took for a cat was the great Midgard Serpent which encircles the earth and holds its tail in its mouth. The nurse was old age. No one can resist her."
Hearing this, Thor raised his hammer to strike. But Utgard and the palace vanished and left only a grassy plain. ”

“ As she walked down the pathway, the air became clearer and warmer. The earth brightened and grew green. When she went inside and shut the door, the light faded, and the earth grew black again.
Around the low, dark house was a wavering wall of fire, and within the wall fierce dogs kept watch, night and day.
When the door was shut and Frey could no longer see the maiden, he went away sadly. He could neither eat nor sleep for longing to see her.
So sad was he that no one dared ask him his trouble. Skade, his mother, sent Skirner, his faithful friend, to find out what ailed him. ”

“ Next morning he begged the goddess of death to release Balder, and told her of the sorrow of the gods and the despair of the earth.
The goddess replied: "If all created things, the lifeless as well as the living, will weep for Balder, I will release him. But if anything refuse to weep, he shall not return to Asgard."
Hermod rode back to the gods, who sent messengers throughout all the world to beg everything to weep for Balder. All things, men, animals, plants and even stones wept willingly, and the messengers returned gladly because they thought Balder would be released. ”

“ When King Sigebancl grew old and died, Hagen was king.
Hagen had one daughter called Hilde. She was the most beautiful girl in the world. Every knight who saw her wished her for his wife.
But Hagen did not think any one good enough. Every one who came had to fight with Hagen. He was the strongest man in the land and he overcame them all.
Hetel, who was king of the Hegelings, heard of Hilde's beauty and wished her for his queen. ”

“ As Sigurd rode through the flame wall he saw a castle. He went into the castle and there lay an armed knight asleep. When he took off the helmet he saw that the knight was a woman. Then, with his wonderful sword, he cut off the maiden's armor.
She awoke and said, "Who is this who dares to wake me from the magic sleep?"
Sigurd told his name, and the maiden said she was Brynhilda. Sigurd stayed three days. When he left he gave Brynhilda Andvare's golden ring, not knowing there was a curse upon it. ”

“ Some one had cut the sides of the ship from end to end.
The king's face grew red with anger and he vowed to kill the man who did the deed.
Thorberg Skafting smiled and said, "I am the man." Then he smoothed the sides of the ship until Olaf said she was more beautiful than before.
The ship was bright with gilding, and the figurehead was a golden dragon.
Olaf named her the Long Serpent. He sailed the sea in the Long Serpent many years. No king was strong enough to overcome him in battle. ”

“ As Thor approached, so frightened was the clay giant that his horse's heart fluttered within him, and perspiration flowed off him in streams.
Hrungner hurled his flint stone and Thor his hammer at the same moment. They met in the air and the flint stone was broken into two pieces.
One piece fell to the earth and became a mountain. The other piece struck Thor's head and he fell upon the ground.
The hammer struck Hrungner and he fell dead with his foot on Thor's neck. Thor could not remove the giant's foot. All the gods tried, but none of them could lift it. ”

“ Ingeborg was sent to live in Balder's temple, so that she might be safe. There Frithiof found her and begged her to go away with him, saying that he would defend her with his sword until he fell dead in battle. But Ingeborg would not go. Then Frithiof went to King Helge and offered to be his friend, if he would allow Ingeborg to be his wife. A thousand warriors who heard him beat applause upon their shields with their swords. ”

“ Then the maiden said: "Why do you who are living try to cross this bridge? You shake it more than a whole army of dead men."
Hermod replied: "I come to seek Balder, the Beautiful, and I pray you let me pass quickly, for the gods wait wearily in Asgard." When the maiden saw that he was a god she hindered him no longer. ”

“ A long time ago, in a land near the ocean, there lived a king called Sigeband. He was a very rich and powerful king and had many knights in his army.
Often he held tournaments, so that his knights might show their skill in the use of sword and spear and battle-ax.
Once he held a tournament that lasted a week. Hagen, the king's little son, who was some day to be king of the land, ran about among the horses and knights.
He looked at the sharp swords and shining armor. He heard the jingling of the golden spurs. He saw the gay plumes on the helmets and wished that he too were a man. ”

“ Utgard sent the cup-bearer to bring his great drinking-horn.
When Thor took the horn in his hand, Utgard said: "Most of the men here empty it at one draught. Some empty it at two draughts. But no one ever takes three." ”

“ With him lived a boy called Siegfried.
No one knew who Siegfried's father and mother were. One day when the smith was returning from a journey, he found a baby lying on a bed of leaves under a tree.
The baby smiled and reached out his little hands, and the smith carried him home. And very pleasant and bright the little boy made the lonely hut for many years, and the smith loved him as his own son.
One day when Siegfried was grown to be a man he went into the forest to hunt. There he found a dragon's trail and followed it until he lost himself in the wood. ”

“ His golden armor hung on the wall behind him.
On the table before him stood a deer roasted whole. The deer's hoofs were gilded and raised as if to leap. Before the Jarl stood scalds and harpers, who sang of the deeds of heroes. ”

“ All the maidens who were taken with her were set to spinning flax and weaving cloth.
Gudrun swept the floors and made the fires. For thirteen years she did this work, but she would not be Hartmut's wife.
By that time the boys in Hetel's kingdom had grown to be men. Wat of Sturmland led another army against King Hartmut.
Gudrun was down at the sea-shore washing clothes. As she worked, a beautiful bird swam to her. The bird sang of the great army that was coming to take her home.
When Gudrun went to the castle that night, the queen scolded her because the work was not all done. ”

“ When Sigurd remembered Brynhilda he wished to take her and go away to her castle. But Gunnar had him killed while he slept. When Brynhilda saw that Sigurd was dead, she killed herself with the same sword. ”

“ The farmer demanded enough gold to fill the otter skin and cover it.
So Odin sent Loke to the dwarf, Andvare, who was the richest of all dwarfs. He was also the wariest of all dwarfs. He changed himself into a fish and hid in the water. ”

“ The gods feared that the frost giants would invade Asgard while Thor was away fighting monsters.
Often they spoke together of the danger. One day Loke advised them to hire a workman whom he knew, to build a fort strong enough to keep out the frost giants. ”

“ Loke watched the little workmen a long time. Then he went in and told his errand. Nothing delighted the elves so much as to have work to do. They promised Loke the golden hair, and at once began to make it.
A little elf ran in with a handful of gold and an old grandmother spun it into hair. As she spun, she sang a magic song to give life to the gold. At the same time the elf blacksmiths and goldsmiths set about making a present for Loke. ”

“ Thor became angry. He put the horn to his lips and drank until his head swam, and his ears rang, and fire floated before his eyes.
But the horn was not nearly empty, and he would not try again.
Then Utgard said: "Will you try something else?" Thor replied that he would. Utgard said: "We have a little game here that the younger children play. The young men think nothing of lifting my cat. ”

“ One day the trolls enticed a giant into a boat with them, and drowned him. When his wife came to inquire about him they sent her down to the sea-shore. Then they threw a rock from the cliff and killed her. ”

“ Thor looked up and saw that Geirrod's daughter was making the waves with her hand. He threw a stone and drove her away.
Then he reached the bank and caught a branch and drew himself out of the water.
When Thor reached Geirrod's house he was given a room by himself. There was only one chair in the room.
Thor sat in the chair. Suddenly it was lifted to the roof. He raised his staff and pressed against the roof with all his strength. ”

“ Once Odin and Loke were traveling together. They came to a field where a herd of black-horned oxen were grazing. They were very hungry, so they killed one of the oxen.
But they tried in vain to cook the meat. It stayed raw in spite of the hottest fire they could make. ”

“ But Frigg heard it said that Geirrod only appeared to be good, and that he tortured strangers to make them give up their gold.
When Odin heard this, he determined to go to see Geirrod and prove that it was not true. So he made himself look like a very old man, and went to Geirrod's house. ”

“ He was always getting the other gods into trouble. Sometimes they shut him up. But they always let him out, because he was so cunning that he could help them to do things they could not do for themselves. ”

“ Then Odin went to the master of the thralls and asked for work. The giant hired Odin because he was so much in need of workmen.
This giant, whose name was Bauge, was Suttung's brother. Odin said he would work all summer for one draught of the song mead.
Bauge told Odin to begin the work and he would see about the mead. When he found that Bolverk, as Odin called himself, could do the work of the nine thralls, he wished to keep him. But Suttung would not give one drop of the mead. ”

“ King Hetel went with his army and left only a few knights to guard the castle.
Hartmut of Normandy heard of this and came to Hetel's kingdom with a great army.
They captured Gudrun and carried her to Normandy, with sixty of her maidens.
Hilde sent word to Hetel. Very soon he set sail to Normandy with all his warriors.
Hartmut's army came down to meet them. A battle was fought on the sea-shore. So many men were slain that the waves were red with blood. ”

“ Loke, who was a meddlesome god, always doing something wrong, found out that the mistletoe had not given the promise, and told Hoder.
Hoder thought that because it was so little and weak it could not really kill the god. ”

“ With that he made ready to strike. But Hrungner cried, "You are a coward if you kill me unarmed. Come to the borders of my own country. There I will meet you with my shield and flint stone."
So a day was appointed, and Hrungner went back to Jotunheim. ”

“ But soon the soldiers came to find and kill the little prince. Again the queen fled, but her enemies always found her.
At last she was afraid to stay in any part of her own country. So she sailed away to another land. ”

“ But Thor grasped his tail tightly and he could not escape.
Then Loke was bound so that he could never loose himself, but his wife was allowed to bring him food and water. So he was punished for his many evil deeds. ”

“ They crossed the ocean that day and found a forest on the other side.
When it grew dark they went into a cave to sleep. In the cave there were five small rooms and one large one. All night they heard a great rumbling noise. ”

“ The gods voted Sindre a better blacksmith than the sons of Ivald. Brok demanded Loke's head, which had been wagered. The cunning Loke said he might have the head, but he must not touch the neck. So the elf did not get the head. ”