54 MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS RITES. 
and they became stars. Odin then regulated the periods of day and night 
and the seasons, by placing in the heavens the two great luminaries, and 
appointing to them their respective courses. As soon as the sun began to 
shed its rays upon the cool earth, it caused the vegetable world to bud and 
sprout. Shortly after the gods had created the world, they walked by the 
side of the sea, pleased with their new work, but found that it was still 
incomplete, for it was without human beings. 
They therefore took an ash-tree and Aas a man out of it; and they on 
a woman out of an alder, and called the man Aske, and the woman Lmla. 
Odin then gave them life and soul, Vile reason and motion, and Ve 
bestowed upon them the senses, beautiful features, and speech. They were 
then perfect (pl. 13, fig. 8). Midgard was then given to them by the gods 
as their residence, and they became the progenitors of the whole human race. 
The mighty ash-tree Yggdrasill (pl. 12, fig. 6), was supposed to support 
the whole universe. It had sprung from the body of Hymir, and had three 
immense roots extending, one into Asgard (the dwelling of the gods), the 
other into Jotunheim (the abode of the giants), and the third to Wiffleheim (the 
regions of darkness and cold). By the side of each of these roots is a spring 
from which it is watered; the root that extends into Asgard is carefully 
tended by the three WVorns, Urdur (the past), Verdandz (the present), Skuld 
{the future). The spring at the Jotunheim side is Hymir’s well, in which 
wisdom and wit lie hidden, but that of Niffleheim, which is called vergel- 
mir (the old goblet) feeds the adder Vzdhégge (darkness), which perpetually 
gnaws at the root. The branches of this tree spread over the whole world, 
and reach even above heaven. An eagle is perched upon them, which 
knows many things (between his eyes sits sometimes the hawk called 
Vederfolnir) ; the squirrel Ratatésk runs up and down the ash, fanning 
strife between the eagle and the Nidhégge, by whispering to the one what 
the other says. Four harts run across the branches of the tree and bite 
the buds; they are called Dainn, Dvalinn, Duneyr, and Durathror, and 
represents the four winds. Under the tree lies Hymir; when he tries to 
shake off its weight the earth quakes. 
Asgard is the name of the abode of the gods, access to which is only 
gained by crossing the bridge Bifrést (the rainbow). On one end of 
this bridge is a citadel in which dwells the warden appointed by the 
gods to watch without ceasing that no enemy cross or even approach 
it. Asgard itself consists of golden and silver palaces, the dwellings 
of the gods; but the most beautiful of these is Valhalla, the residence 
of Odim and some other deities. It is an immense building of solid 
gold, with 540 gates. It fronts the rising sun, and is surrounded by 
the magnificent grove Gladsheim (home of joy), all the trees of which 
bear golden leaves. Its splendid halls are the reception rooms where 
Odin welcomes the spirits of heroes slain in battle, and hails them 
Einhervar (chosen heroes). Here they are then made to enjoy unalloyed 
and uninterrupted pleasures. Every morning they are roused from sleep by 
the crowing of the cock with a golden crest, when they arm themselves and 
go to Odin’s Tuum (the court of wine where they fight until the hour of 
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