THE EIGHT-FOOTED SLIPPER 5 1 



thing save the wicked hag had refused to weep 

 for Balder, she was moved to be better than her 

 word. For she consented that Balder, for six 

 months in every twelve, might gladden the earth 

 with his presence. But during the other six 

 she would keep him in her own halls. And this 

 is why the sun shines, and the trees are green, 

 and the birds sing, and men rejoice from April 

 to October, for that is the season of Balder's stay 

 with them ; but during the other months the sun 

 seldom shows his face, and all things are silent 

 and sad, because Balder has gone back to the 

 under-world. 



But we must not forget the good steed Sleipnir. 

 Although he never made another journey to the 

 under-world, there was scarcely any part of the 

 earth to which his long legs did not sometimes 

 carry him ; and especially in the far North he was 

 a familiar figure long after Odin had gone from 

 the earth. 



In some parts of Sweden the old horse had, 

 until quite recently, a troublesome habit of run- 

 ning through the harvest fields and making sad 

 tangles of the standing grain. But by and by 

 the cunning farmers learned a trick that saved 



