THE HORSE SLEIPNIR. 59 



smith that he should get what he wanted if he could make 

 the burgh in one winter, but if any part of it was unfinished 

 on the first day of summer he was to lose his pay ; he would 

 not be allowed to use the help of any man in the work. 

 When they told him these conditions he asked leave to make 

 use of his horse Svadilfori ; on the advice of Loki this was 

 conceded to him. The first day of winter he began to build 

 the burgh, and during night he carried stones on his horse to 

 it; the Asar wondered much how the horse could drag such 

 large rocks, and it did much more work than the smith. 

 Strong witnesses were brought and many oaths were taken 

 at their agreement, because the jotun thought it unsafe to 

 stay with the Asar if Thor, who had gone to Austrveg (eastern 

 countries) to kill Jotnar, should come home. As the winter 

 passed the building of the burgh proceeded, and it was so 

 high and strong that it could not be taken. When three days 

 of the winter were left it was almost all finished except the 

 gate. Then the gods sat down on their judgment-seats and 

 tried to find an expedient ; one asked the other on whose 

 advice Freyja was to be married in Jotunheimar and air and 

 heaven defiled by taking sun and moon away and giving 

 them to the Jotnar ; they all agreed that the causer of most 

 evils, Loki Lanfeyjarson, had caused this, and that he deserved 

 an evil death if he did not find a way to cause the smith to 

 lose his pay. They rushed at Loki, who got afraid, and took 

 oaths that he would manage, whatever it might cost him, that 

 the smith should lose his pav. The same evening when the 



X *t fj 



smith drove out with his horse Svadilfori, to fetch stones, a 

 mare ran out of the wood towards it and neighed to it. When 

 the stallion saw what kind of horse this was he got wild, 

 tore his ropes and ran towards it ; the mare ran into the 

 wood, and the smith followed and wanted to get hold of it, 

 but the horses continued running all night, and no work was 

 done that night ; next day, as before, the work did not pro- 

 ceed. When the smith saw that the work could not be 

 finished he got into Jotun-fury. When the Asar knew for 

 certain that he was a Bergrisar (mountain jotun), they could 

 not keep their oaths and called Thor ; he came at once, and 

 then the hammer Mjollnir went aloft ; he paid him for the 

 work, not by giving him the sun and moon, but by preventing 

 him from living in Jotunheimar ; at his first blow the jotun's 

 skull was broken into small bits, and he was sent down to 

 Nifl-hel. But Loki had had such dealings with Svadilfori 

 that he gave birth to a foal ; it was grey, and with eight feet, 

 and it is the best horse among gods and men " (Gylfa- 

 ginning, 41-42). 



