no 



" Who loves Balder ?" 

 Then arose a sound like the voice of ten thousand thousand 

 seas — a voice from all things, above and below, that they all loved 

 Balder. Pire, and water, and iron, and wood, and stones, and 

 beasts, and birds, and poisons, and serpents, and all things what- 

 soever, spake for Balder. 



Then Freyga looked out once more all over the heavens 

 and the earth, and said, also with a loud voice — 



" Who loves not Balder ?" 



And there was no answer. But a strange noise came up 

 from the eastward of Valhalla, which Freyga could not clearly 

 make out. 



" I think," said she at last, " it is only Lok the mischief- 

 maker laughing. It is of no consequence — he laughs at every- 

 thing." 



And as she spoke, she saw Lok laughing and mocking to 

 himself, with his hair blown about in^ the wind, and his arms 

 spread over his head, and she despised him in her heart. And 

 she looked angrily and scornfully on him ; and while she looked 

 he seemed to change into a little shrub which the wind was at 

 play with. 



"It is only the mistletoe," thought Freyga; "it is very 

 little, and no consequence." 



Then Freyga looked out yet a third time over heaven and 

 earth, and spake with a voice yet stronger than before — 



" fire and lightning, hurt not Balder !" 



And a loud consenting voice made answer. So that Freyga 

 was content. Then she said — 



"0 water, and wind, and hail, and snow, hurt not Balder!" 



And there came a voice as before, and Freyga was content. 

 And she spake yet again — 



"0 iron, and stone, and earth, and wood, hurt not Balder!" 



And there came a voice as before, and Freyga was content. 

 And she spake yet again — 



"0 poisons, and plagues, and creeping things, hurt not 

 Balder!" 



