ODIN'S MANY POWERS. 



61 



pull out the sword, and could not. Sigmund, the son of King 

 Volsung, pulled it out as easily as if it had been quite loose. 

 No man had seen so good a sword, and Siggeir offered three 

 times its weight in gold for it. Sigmund answered that he 

 should have pulled it out ; now he should never get it, though 

 he offered all the gold he owned " (Volsunga, c. 3X 1 



Of Odin it is said 



" Odin changed shapes ; then his body lay as if sleeping or 

 dead, and he was in the shape of a bird or a beast, a fish or a 

 serpent, and in the twinkling of an eye went into far-off lands 

 on his own errands or on those of other men. Besides, he could, 

 with words only, extinguish fire, calm the sea, and turn the 

 winds into whatever direction he wished. He had a ship 

 called Skidbladnir, on which he crossed large seas; it could 

 be folded together like cloth. 2 He had with him Mimir's 

 head, which told him many tidings (news) from other worlds. 

 Sometimes he raised (awaked) dead men out of the earth 

 (ground ). or sat down beneath hanged men (hanging in 

 gallows) ; 3 therefore he was called the lord (drottin) of the 

 ghosts or of the hanged 3 He had two ravens, which he 

 taught to speak, and they flew far and wide over lands 

 (countries) and told him many tidings. Therefore be became 

 very wise. So much lewdness followed this witchcraft when 

 it was practised that it was thought a disgrace for men to 

 practise it; and the priestesses (gydjur) were taught the idrott. 

 Odin knew where property was hidden in the ground, and he 

 knew songs by which he unlocked (opened) the earth, the 

 rocks, and the stones, and the mounds, and bound (held fast) 

 with mere words those who dwelt in them, and went in and 

 took what he wished. On account of these powers he became 

 very famous ; his foes feared him, but his friends trusted in 

 him and believed in him and his power. He taught most of 

 his idrottir to the sacrificing-priests ; they were next to him 

 in all wisdom and witchcraft. Many others, however, learned 

 a great deal of them, and from them witchcraft has spread 

 widely and been kept up long. But men worshipped Odin 

 and the twelve chiefs (hofdingi) and called them their gods, 

 and believed in them long afterwards " (Ynglinga Saga, 

 ch. 7.) 



: Cfr. also Volsunga Saga, c. 11. 



2 The story of Odin's ship reminds one 

 of the tent mentioned iu the ' Arabian 

 Nights,' which could cover an army, and 

 yet could be folded and carried in a 

 small pocket. 



3 Odin himself hung in Yggdrasil to 

 learn wisdom, and this is a like custom 

 (Havamal, 139) ; it seems that Odin 

 learned wisdom from the one hanging in 

 the gallows by sitting under it. 



