no LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [VIII. 



there ran a vein of tender humour, such as still characterises 

 the warm-hearted, laughter-loving northern races. Of this 

 mixture of philosophy and fun, the following story is no bad 

 specimen. 1 



Once on a time the two CEsir, Thor, the Thunder god, 

 and his brother Lopt, attended by a servant, determined to 

 •go eastward to Jotunheim, the land of the giants, in search 

 of adventures. Crossing over a great water, they came to 

 a desolate plain, at whose further end, tossing and waving 

 in the wind, rose the tree tops of a great forest. After jour- 

 neying for many hours along its dusty labyrinths, they began 

 to be anxious about a resting-place for the night. " At last, 

 Lopt perceived a very spacious house, on one side of which 

 was an entrance as wide as the house itself; and there they 

 took up their night-quarters. At midnight they perceived a 

 great earthquake ; the ground reeled under them and the 

 house shook. 



" Then up rose Thor and called to his companions. 

 They sought about, and found a side building to the right, 

 into which they went. Thor placed himself at the door ; 

 the rest went and sat down further in, and were very much 

 afraid. 



" Thor kept his hammer in his hand, ready to defend 

 them. Then they heard a terrible noise and roaring. 

 As it began to dawn, Thor went out, and saw a man lying 

 in the wood not far from them ; he was by no means small, 

 and he slept and snored loudly. Then Thor understood 

 what the noise was which they heard in the night. He 

 buckled on his belt of power, by which he increased his 

 divine strength. At the same instant the man awoke, and 

 rose up. It is said that Thor was so much astonished that 

 he did not dare to slay him with his hammer, but inquired 

 his name. He called himself Skrymer. f Thy name/ said 

 he, ' I need not ask, for I know that thou art Asar-Thor. 

 But what hast thou done with my glove ? ' 



1 The story of Thor's journey has been translated from the Edda both 

 by the Howitts and Mr. Thorpe. 



