i N 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY" 



Concerning the different gods, and particularly 

 about Tlmr, ( ><lin, Balder, and Frey, there are a 

 number of myth* giving accounts of their exploits. 



The most poetical aiul significant invtli is that 

 of the great world-tree, the anil VfUML It is the 

 tree of existence, the tree of life and knowledge, 

 the tree of grief and fate, the tree of time and 

 pace ; it U the tree of the universe. This tree has 

 three rooto extending into the throe principal 

 w..rl.|-. The lowest strikes down into Nilllieiin into 

 the well Hvergelmer, where it is gnawed by the 

 orient dragon Nidhug and all his reptile brood. 

 The second root stretches into Jotunheini to the 

 fountain of Mimer, where wisdom and wit lie 

 hidden, and of whom waters Odin once purchased 

 a draught, leaving one of hU eyes as a pledge with 

 Mimer. The third root is found in Asgard among 

 the god*, near the sacred fountain of l.rd the nprn 

 of the past, where the gods sit in judgment, riding 

 thithiT daily over tin- Bilro-t bridge i.e. the 

 rainbow. At this fountain dwell the three norns 

 I'rd i the Past), Verdande ( the Present), and Skuld 

 (the Future), and dispense the destinies of men. 

 They weave the web of men's lives. It is a web of 

 golden thread from east to west, from the radiant 

 dawn to the glowing sunset of man's horizon. The 

 woof of this well is lixcd in the fur north, but the 

 web woven by Urd and Verdande is torn into pieces 

 erery evening by Sknld. The branches of Ygdrosil 

 spread over the whole world and aspire above 

 heaven itself. An eagle is perched on the topmost 

 hough, and between fiis eyes a hawk. A squirrel 

 called Ratatosk runs up and down the tree seeking 

 to cause strife between the eagle and N idling. 

 Four stags leap beneath its branches, and feed on 

 it- buds. Two swans swim in the Urd fountain, 

 and everything placed therein becomes as white as 

 the film of an egg-shell. The norns draw water 

 from the spring, and with it they sprinkle Ygdrasil 

 in order that the boughs may continue green in 

 spite of the destructive agencies that constantly j 

 sail it. Honey-dew falls from Ygdrasil, and is 

 food for the bees. Odin hung nine nights on this 

 tree and offered himself to himself. 



In Scandinavian mythology there is a very 

 elaborate development of the evil principle. The 

 dragon Sidling ami his brood originated in Hvergel- 

 mer in Nillln-iui. The giant descendants of Ymer 

 were evil, and they did not all perish in his blood- 

 deluge, for Bergefmer and his household escaped 

 and produced a numerous ofl'-pring, with whom 

 Tli. ir and the other gods carried on a constant war. 

 Hut tin-great type or representation of evil is Loke. 

 He is the in-tigatorof all the misfortunes that have 

 h.ip|-iied Uii li to gods and to men. He is of giant 

 ra.-.-, but was adopted by the gods, and was already 

 in t lie dawn of limn a foster-brother of I >din. The 

 countenance of Loke is fair, but his disgiosition is 

 thoroughly bad. I/nkc frequently accompanies the 

 gods, and they make use of his strength and 

 mining, and when out of night he usually plots 

 with the giant- for the purpow; of bringing ruin 

 upon the gil-. HI- liecanie the father of three 

 terrible children in .lotnnlieim i.e. in the home of 

 the giants. These are (I) the Fenriswolf, (2) the 

 Midganl -serpent, and (3) Hel, the. goddess of death. 

 The god* knew that these children of Loke were 

 growing up, and would mine day cause them great 

 {chief. Therefore they hound the Fenriswolf on 

 barren inland, and put asword in hisopen -stretched 

 mouth: but for tin- the god Tyr had to sacrifice 

 bil right hand. T.IP.V cn*t the Midgnrd-scrpciit 

 into the deep sea, where he encircles the whole 

 earth and bite* his own tail. Thor was at one 

 time out fishing with the giant llynier. He caught 

 the Midgard ser|ient on In- hook, anil would have 

 ' i him with .his hammer Mjolner had it not 

 i for the giant Hymer, who got frightened and 



rut the fishing-line jnst at the moment when Thor 

 had his hammer raised to strike. The third child 

 "t l.oke, Hoi, goddess of death, was thrown into 

 Niflheini. and odin commanded that all who died 

 of sickness or old age should go to her, while 

 warriors slain in battle wen- Uirne on Valkyrian 

 arms to Valhal. 11 el'- dwelling is called Helheim, 

 and is large and terrible. Her realm in the lower 

 world U divided into nine abodes, one below the 

 other, and it is in the lowest of these that her 

 p.il.iee is, called Anguish, her table Famine, her 

 waiters Slowness and Delay, the threshold Preci- 

 pice, and the bed Care, The Kiigli-h word hell is 

 of course intimately connected with her name. 



l.oke caused the greatest sonou to gods and men 

 when liy his cunning he brought about the death of 

 the good Balder. Balder was the favourite of all 

 nature, of the gods and of men. He was the son 

 of Odin and Frigg, and the Edda says that he is 

 the best god and that all mankind are loud in his 

 praises. So fair and dazzling is he in form and 

 feature that rays of light seem to issue from him, 

 and we may form some idea of the beauty of his 

 hair when we know that the whitest of all (lowers 

 is called Balder's brow. Balder is the mildest, the 

 wisest, and the most eloquent of the gods ; yet such 

 is his nature that the judgment he has pronounced 

 can never be altered. He dwells in the heavenly 

 mansion called Breidablik (' broad -shining splen- 

 dour'), into which nothing unclean can enter. 

 Balder was tormented by terrible dreams indicating 

 that his life was in danger. He told his dreams to 

 his fellow-gods, who resolved to conjure all things 

 animate and inanimate not to harm him, and 

 accordingly Odin's wife Frigg took an oath from 

 all things that they would do Balder no harm. 

 But still Odin felt anxious, and having saddled 

 his eight-footed horse Sleipner, he rode down to 

 Nitlheiin, where he waked the vala or seeress, and 

 compelled her to give him information anent the 

 fate of Balder. \Vhen it had l>een made known 

 that all things had taken a solemn oath not to 

 hurt Balder it became a favourite pastime of the 

 gods at their meetings to put him up as a mark 

 and shoot at him. But it sorely vexed Loke to 

 see that Balder was not hurt. So he took on the 

 guise of an old woman, went to Frigg, and asked 

 her if all things had promised to spare Balder. 

 From Frigg he learned that on account of its 

 insignificance she had neglected to exact an oath 

 from the mistletoe. So he straightway went and 

 pulled this up, repaired to the place where the gods 

 were assembled, and induced the blind god Hoder 

 to throw the mistletoe at his brother, and do him 

 honour as did the other gods. Loke himself guided 

 Hoder's hand. The twig did not miss its shining 

 mark, and Balder fell dead. The gods were struck 

 speechless with terror. When they had had time 

 to recover their senses Frigg sent Hermod to the 

 goddess Hel to ask her to permit Balder to return 

 to Asgard. Hel said she would release Balder if it 

 was true that he was so universally beloved, and 

 this she would test by observing if all things would 

 weep for him. Messengers were despatched through- 

 out all the world to beseech all things to weep 

 Balder out from 1 1 el's domain. And all things did 

 so with alacrity, men, animals, the earth, stones, 

 trees, and metals, just as we see things weep when 

 they come from the frost into the warm air (a 

 beautiful evidence that Balder is the sun or 

 Hummer). The messengers were returning con- 

 fident that their mission had been successful ; 

 but on their way home they found a hag crouch- 

 ing on the ground. She called herself Thokk, 

 but she was none other than Loke in disguise. 

 Thokk said she could not weep other than dry 

 tears ; and so Hel kept her prey. Now as Loke is 

 physical heat and fire, Thokk's dry tears are the 



