50 MYTHOLOGY. 



torture. He got afraid and said he would fetch Idun from 

 Jotunheim, if Freyja would lend him the hawk-skin which 

 she owned. When he got it he flew north to Jotunheim, 

 and one day came to Thjassi Jotun, who was sea-fishing. 

 Idun was alone at home. Loki changed her into a nut, held 

 her in his claws and flew as fast as he could. When the 

 Asar saw the hawk flying with the nut and the eagle pur- 

 suing they went to the Asgard-wall and carried thither 

 bundles of plane-shavings. When the hawk flew into the 

 burgh it came down at the wall. The Asar set fire to the 

 plane-shavings, but the eagle could not stop when it lost 

 the hawk, and the fire caught its feathers and stopped it. The 

 Asar were near, and slew Thjassi inside the Asgard-wall, 

 which is a very famous deed. Skadi, his daughter, took 

 helmet and brynja and a complete wardress, and went to 

 Asgard to avenge her father. The Asar offered her recon- 

 ciliation and wergild, 1 and first that she might choose a hus- 

 band from among them, not seeing more than their feet. She 

 saw a pair of very beautiful feet, and said : ' This one I choose ; 

 few things can be ugly in Baldr.' But it was Njord of Noatiin." 

 (Later Edda, Bragaroedur, c. 56.) 



1 Wergild, indemnity. 



