the abode of giants, and by its side is 

 Mirmir's spring, within whose spark- 

 ling depths wit and knowledge lie 

 hidden. 



"The third root strikes deep into Nifl- 

 heim, the region of darkness and cold; 

 the spring here feeds the serpent Nith- 

 hoggs — Darkness — which perpetually 

 gnaws at the root. 



''The leaves of the tree drop honey; 

 upon the uppermost branches sits an 

 eagle who observes all that goes on in 

 the world, while a squirrel, Ratatoskr, 

 runs "Up and down along the trunk and 

 branches, bearing messages between the 

 eagle and the serpent, stirring up strife 

 between them — a busybody you will say, 

 there are many such in the world. Four 

 stags, which are the four winds, run 

 back and forth among the branches and 

 bite the buds. 



"Such, fair maid, is the fantastic 

 legend of the 'Tree of the Universe,' 

 for which there is neither explanation 

 nor interpretation. Some other nations 

 carry this legend on, telling us that after 

 the creation of the universe, the gods 

 created the first man, Aske, out of an 

 Ash tree." 



"That is indeed odd; it is just like a 

 fairy tale." 



"Our history is nothing if not fanci- 

 ful ; the ancients delighted to honor us." 



"Oh, do tell me some more. Ash 

 Tree." 



"I would wish first to tell you a few 

 facts about our family. I will not de- 

 tain you long." 



"I will listen. Ash Tree, for surely 

 you deserve my attention in return for 

 the beautiful legend which you have told 

 me." 



"I only wish to tell you that we are 

 members of the Olive family, which con- 

 sists of forty branches ; twelve of which 

 are American, but only six are widely 

 known. These are the red, white, black, 

 blue and green Ash, and the fringe tree. 

 Our leaves, as you notice, are compound 

 like those of the walnut, but of a deeper 

 green. Notice that young ash yonder ; 

 is it not beautiful with its slender, gray- 

 ish trunk and the easy, graceful sweep 

 of its branches?" 



"It is indeed, but it docs not give the 

 same shade which ^()u do." 



"It is young yet." 



"What about the other legends? 

 Have you forgotten?" 



"Not I ; they are a part of my exist- 

 ence. I was thinking of two very old 

 traditions, whose origin is lost in the 

 mists of antiquity; one of them was old 

 in the time of Pliny and is to the effect 

 that no serpent willingly rests under the 

 shade of an Ash Tree nor glides beneath 

 its branches. Pliny states it as a fact 

 that if a serpent were placed near a fire 

 and both surrounded by ashen twigs, the 

 serpent would sooner run into the fire 

 than pass over the pieces of ash." 



"Owing to that fact, I should think 

 your shade would be much sought after 

 by timid persons." 



"If not afraid of lightning, for the 

 other legend refers to the susceptibility 

 of the ash to lightning." 



"Just the reverse of the Beach." 



"Exactly; our wood is singularly 

 light, strong and elastic. Achilles 

 fought with an ashen spear ; Cupid made 

 his arrows of the ash. Prehistoric man, 

 when he wished a desirable weapon, 

 found it in an ashen club; our North 

 American Indian who knew so well the 

 value of all the trees of the forest, used 

 the wood of the ash for his bow and 

 ofttimes for his paddle. The pioneers 

 of this country found it especially use- 

 ful for the making of farm implements 

 and machinery, while one variety, the 

 Black Ash — because of its readiness to 

 separate into its annual layers — is much 

 used for splint basket work. Then, too. 

 Ash wood takes a high polish, and for 

 that reason is much in demand in the 

 manufacture of furniture." 



"While walking in the city the other 

 day, I saw a very strangely shaped tree, 

 which I was told was an Ash. It did 

 not grow upright, but its branches were 

 twisted and turned downwards. Is it a 

 member of your family?" 



"It is ; nearly two hundred years ago, 

 an old Ash Tree was found in a field in f 

 Cambridgeshire, England, which, in- ( 

 stead of turning up its tips, let them 

 sweep the ground, thus forming under 

 its luxuriant branches a beautiful sum- j 

 nicr tent. Grafts were taken from this ♦ 

 tree and planted and all the weeping 

 ashes that now crow on the lawns are 



150 



