278 forerunner of their own downfal, the first victory of the Giants. Odin cut Runes, but could not succeed in his endeavours to obtain an insight into the future. Odreyr, the vessel of wisdom which might have served the Aser in their need, was in the keeping of the norny Urda, and the Aser were obliged to apply to two dwarfs, Thrain and Dain, who exceeded all others in Runic wisdom. Thrain said: “That the dream was heavy/’ Dain “that it was dark,” and both agreed that it foreboded the destruction of the universe, but could give no information respecting the quarter from whence the evil was to proceed. The goddess Iduna, by some misfortune, had fallen into the power of the giants, and, accustomed to the joys of Asgard, she pined away in the realms of night. The gods unable to rescue her had sent her in pity the skin of a wolf, by clothing herself in which her form and nature were entirely changed, and the past was thus forgotten. Odin, in the present emergency, instructed Heimdall, Loke, and Bragi to seek her out in her captivity, and to endeavour to learn from her the designs of the giants. The three Aser rode on monsters to the gloomy pit, singing magic songs as they went, and Odin, in the mean time, ascended to Hlidskialf, to observe their progress.

279 HeimdaU endeavoured in vain to obtain from Iduna any information respecting the events which were about to happen. The goddess remained in mournful silence, answering only with tears. Heimdall and Loke returned on the wings of the winds to Vingolf, where the gods and goddesses were assembled together in anxious expectation. Bragi remained in Jotunheim to watch over his unfortunate spouse. Many questions were put to Heimdall and Loke respecting their journey, and the Aser remained conversing upon its result until night was far advanced. Odin then spake, And all listened: “Night should be chosen For deep thought. Till morning cometh Let each one reflect What best can be done To aid the Aser.” On this the assembly broke up, and the Aser separated. In the ancient poem from which the foregoing extract is taken, there follows a description of daybreak, of which we give a literal translation, as a characteristic specimen of the metaphorical poetry of the Scalds.

280 ODIN’S RAVEN SONG. The son of Delling1 Drove out his horse, Gloriously deck’d With glittering stones: Wide o’er Mann-heim2 shone The mane of the steed: The Bewitcher3 of the Dwarfs Ascended his car. Towards the earth’s Northern-most gate, Under Ygg-drasill’s Outermost root, Witches and giants Went to rest, Spectres, dwarfs, And the black-Elves.4 Warriors roused themselves As the sun stood up: Northwards, towards Niffl-heim, Night fled away; The bridge, which shines early, Ulvrune’s son ascended; 1 The sou of Delling is the dawn. 2 Mann-heim, the earth. 3 The Bewitcher of the Dwarfs, the sun; a single which transformed the dwarfs to stone. 4 All the evil-spirits are represented as retiring to rest on the appearance of the sun. Ygg-drasill’s outermost says the Edda, was amongst the giants.

281 Whose horn’s loud sound Echoes from Himmelbierg.5 Hie Aser were now again assembled, the oracles being consulted, left no doubt that Baldur’s life was in peril, and it was determined, therefore, at Frigga’s prayer, that all the elements and every thing in nature should be bound by an oath not to harm the gentle God. Nothing was omitted, except one insignificant plant which grew westwards of Asgard, and which, on account of its youth, Frigga thought was innocuous. Odin’s mind misgave him that still all was not right, and, to use the words of the original, that the nornies of good-fortune had flown away. To clear up his doubts, he resolved to visit the tomb of a celebrated Vala, or prophetess, and to learn from her the secrets of the dead. Grey’s beautiful version of his journey is well known, but as it was taken from Bartholin’s Latin translation, and as no literal one has ever been published in English, the following may not be deemed superfluous. Up rose Odin, The watcher of time, And upon Sleipner6 5 Ulvrune’s son, Heimdall, who lived on the celestial mount (Himmelbjerg), and every morning early ascended the bridge Bifrost (the rainbow). 6 Odin’s celebrated horse.

282 Laid the saddle: Downwards he rode To death’s spectre-realm; He met a hound Coming from Hela. Clotted blood Was on its breast, Round its savage fangs, And its jowl beneath. Against the rather of song It bayed fearfully, Opened wide its jaws, And howled aloud. On rode Odin, The earth shook, He came to Hela’s Drear abode: Then he rode Eastwards before the gate, Where a Vala Lay interred. He sang for the wise-one Dead-men’s songs; Then, towards north Laid the magic letters,7 Muttered incantations, Summoned wizard words, Till he forced the dead To rise and speak. 7 Runes.

283             VALA. Who is the man Unknown to me, Who disturbs My spirit’s rest? Enwrapp’d in snow, Drench’d with rain, Moisten’d by dew, Long have I lain in death.             WANDERER. Wanderer is my name, Valtam’s son ami; Tell me of Ilela’s realm, I will tell thee of earth: For whom are prepared The decorated seats, The lordly couch Radiant with gold?8             VALA. Here standeth mead, For Baldur brewed; A shield covers The clear liquor; The race of Aser Yield to despair— Force hath made me speak, Now will I be silent. 8 These unusual preparations in the regions of death denoted the expectation of some distinguished guest.

284             WANDERER. Be not silent, Vala! I will question thee Until I have leara’d all. More I must know— Who shall compass Baldur’s death? Who Odin’s son Deprive of life?             VALA. Hodur beareth The feted plant,9 He shall be cause Of Baldur’s death, And Odin’s son Deprive of life— Force hath made me speak, Now will I be silent. 9 The plant here alluded to, is declared in the Voluspa to be the Misletoe. The reverence in which it was held by the Druids is well known, but it does not appear that the Scandinavians attributed to it any particular virtue, nor is it mentioned in any of their remains but as an instrument in the hands of the evil principle to destroy their favourite god.    It is not easy to understand, therefore, how the ingenious author of the Northern Antiquities should consider the mention of this plant in this place as nearly decisive of the identity of the Celts and Scandinavians, an opinion most satisfactorily refuted by his English translator, Dr. Percy.

285             WANDERER. Be not silent, Vala! I will question thee Until I learn all. More I must know— Who shall on Hodur Pour out vengeance? And Baldur’s bane Lay on the bier?             VALA. Kinda bears a son In the western halls. On the day of his birth He shall lay low the son of Odin: His hand he shall not lave Nor comb his hair, Ere that he placeth on the bier The adversary of Baldur— Force hath made me speak, Now will I be silent.             WANDERER. Be not silent, Vala, I will question thee. Who are the maids10 Who will not weep? But suffer their veils To float towards heaven? Tell me this only, Thou sleepest not before. 10 This stanza will be explained by the sequel.

286             VALA. Thou art no wanderer As I believed; Surely art thou Odin,11 The watcher of time.             ODIN. Thou art not a Vala, Nor a wise woman; But rather the mother Of three giants.             VALA. Ride home, Odin, And boast of thy journey: For never again Shall another disturb me, Until Loke shall break Loose from his chains, And the last twilight Fall on the gods. Having said this the prophetess sank again into her tomb, and Odin was obliged to return to Asgard with his doubts confirmed as to the inefficiency of the precautions taken by the Aser, to 11 It was an ancient and general superstition that when a dying person cursed one in life under his real name, the curse would be terribly fulfilled. As the prophetess might be said to die now a second death, it was fatal to Odin to have his name discovered.— Magnussen.

287 avert the misfortune they apprehended; and with the consciousness of having lost, through his imprudent questions, the only opportunity of ascertaining by what means if by any the impending evil might yet be averted. Oehlenschläger, in his drama entitled Baldur’s Death, has spiritedly filled up the outline furnished by the Eddas. Asa-Loke having retired from the society of the Aser to indulge the malignant humour which often came on him, whilst venting his malice against the gods and the demons, and at the same time deploring his fate in being distrusted and despised by both parties, on a sudden, a dense fog began to rise from the ocean, and after a time the dark figure of the demon-king, Utgardelok, issued from it, Loke, in some terror, demanded what brought him thither, on which the monarch began to reproach him with the contemptible part, he a demon by birth, was acting in consenting to be the buffoon of the Aser, and their auxiliary against the giants, to whom he owed his origin. It was out of no affection to himself that he was admitted to the society of the gods, but because Odin knew well the ruin which he and his offspring were destined to bring upon them, and sough, by thus cajoling him, to defer the evil day. He who from his power and cunning might have been a leader with either party, was now rejected

288 by all. The giant-king further reproached him with having already frequently saved the Aser from ruin, and with furnishing them even with weapons against the giants, and ended by appealing to the hatred which rankled in his bosom against Odin and his whole race, as a proof that his natural place was with the giants. Asa-Loke acknowledged the truth of all this, and professed his readiness to aid his brethren by any means in his power. Utgardelok told him that the moment was now at hand when he might seal the fate of the Aser. That if Baldur was slain their destruction must sooner or later follow, and that the gentle god’s life was at that time threatened by some as yet undiscovered danger. Loke replied, that the anxiety of the gods was already at an end, for that Frigga had bound every thing in nature by an oath not to injure her son. The dark monarch said that one thing only had been omitted, but what that was lay concealed in the breast of the goddess, and was known to no other. The day now being about to dawn, Utgardelok sank down again to his dark rocks, and left Loke to his darker thoughts. To return to the Edda, Loke having assumed the figure of an old woman, repaired to Frigga, and by his artifice drew from her the fatal secret, that presuming on the insignificance of the Misletoe,

289 she had omitted to include it in the conjuration by which she had bound everything else. Loke lost no time to repair to the place where the Misletoe grew, and tearing it up by the roots, gave it to the Dwarfs to form into a spear. Oehlenschläger describes their incantations; when the spear is completed, one calls for water to temper it, and a child free from all taint is brought in. The dwarf plunges the spear into its breast and sings, The death-gasp hear! Ho! ho!—now its o’er— Soon hardens the spear In the babe’s pure gore— Now the barbed head feel, Whilst the veins yet bleed— Such a deed—such a deed— Might harden e’en steel. In the mean time the gods, as usual, and the Einheriar had assembled together to tilt, and as Baldur’s life was now deemed to be charmed, in order to convince him how groundless were his apprehensions, they made him the butt of all their weapons. Loke repaired thither also with the fatal spear, and seeing the blind and strong god Hödur, standing apart from the rest, asked him why he did not honour his brother Baldur by tilting with him also. Hödur excused himself on account of his blindness and because he had no weapon. Loke put the enchanted

290 spear into his hand, and Hödur, unsuspicious of his malice, pierced Baldur with it through the breast, so that he fell lifeless to the ground. The Aser were in unspeakable grief, and would have instantly avenged his death on Hödur but for the holiness of the place; Odin’s grief, however, was the greatest, for he best knew the extent of the loss they had incurred. This in feet is the greatest misfortune that ever happened to gods or men. Since this event, the Aser never willingly hear mention of the name of Hödur. The gods now bare the body of Baldur to the sea-shore, and endeavoured to launch his ship Hringhaune, that it might serve as a funeral pile, but so great was its size that they could not move it. They sent messengers therefore to Jotunheim, to a giant-woman, Hirrokin, who came riding on a wolf with adders for a bridle. When she dismounted, Odin gave the wolf in charge to four Berserkir,12 who had enough to do to keep it quiet. 12 The Berserkir were men of extraordinary strength, who, previous to a battle or any arduous undertaking, worked themselves into a kind of delirium (aided perhaps by spirituous drink), biting their shields and abandoning themselves entirely to the impulse of their frenzied imagination. In this state of temporary madness they committed every kind of excess. It seems to have been the fashion with great men to have a certain number of these Berserkirin their train. In Viga Styr’s Saga it is related that an Icelandic nobleman having rendered Hacon Jarl some services, the latter bade him name his reward, whereupon he begged two Berserkir who were in the Jarl’s service. Hacon represented to him that he would have much trouble with such ungovernable spirits, but at length granted his request. He soon found, however, that although ever ready to fight, they could not be brought to work, and prevailed on his warlike brother, Viga Styr, to take them off his hands, but he also soon repented, and could only get rid of them by treacherously slaying them.

291 Hirrokin launched the ship with such force that flames burned up from beneath it, and there was an earthquake. Thor, who was standing by, would have slain her with his hammer had not the rest prevented him. When Baldur’s body was placed on the ship, his wife Nanna wept so bitterly that her heart brake, and the gods laid her beside him and set the pile on fire. His horse and harness were also burned with him; and Odin placed the ring Draupner on his breast, and whispered some words in his ear. There were a great many present at Baldur’s funeral. Odin and Frigga, with the Valkyrs; Freyr with his car, drawn by the boar Gullinborste; Heimdall, on his horse Gull-topp; Freya drove her cats. There were also a great many giants, and Thor, standing over the blazing pyre,

292 consecrated it with his hammer. The dwarf Litur happening, at that moment, to run before his feet, he kicked him into the flames, so that he was burnt also. Frigga could not reconcile herself to the loss of her favourite son, and to pacify her Hermodur consented to ride to Helheim, to oner Hela a ransom for Baldur. Odin lent him his horse, Sleipner, for the journey, and the gods again breathed for awhile. But the sons of Askur,13 better acquainted with death, were not so easily elated. Oehlenschläger puts the following words in the mouth of his chorus: But cold is my hope! Light my consolation. Whosoe’er pale Hela, queen of death, Once circleth with her arms, Returneth no more from Niffl-heim. As famished wolf in winter’s night Drinketh the warm heart’s blood— So doth she gloat—so her cold, clammy lips Press upon gentle Baldur’s. Sooner shall the lynx Resign the prostrate roe, Than Baldur ’scape from Niffl-heim.     Yet shall not the worm of despair Gnaw on my heart, so long As hope but glimmereth— Time enow to yield to pale despair 13 The human race.

293 When inexorable destiny Shall extinguish its last expiring spark.                                         Oehlenschläger. Hermodur rode nine days and nine nights, deeper and deeper amid impenetrable darkness, until he reached the river Giallar, over which is the bridge of death. Here he was stopped by Modgudur, the maiden who kept the gate, and questioned as to his name and descent. She added that he had not the appearance of a deceased person, that the noise of his horse’s feet exceeded that which had been caused the day before by the arrival of three legions of dead, and that the bridge shook under him. Hermodur declared his mission and who he was, and Modgudur then directed him on his way to Hela. On reaching the iron grating which surrounds the spectre queen’s palace, he descended from Sleipner to girth up his saddle, and then remounting, spurred him over the fence and alighted in the hall, where he found his brother Baldur sitting in the high seat. He now laid his errand before Hela, and in order to move her pity, told her how the loss of Baldur had afflicted everything on earth and in heaven. The goddess after a time consented that he should quit her realm, provided that everything on earth would weep for him.

294 The Aser sent this intelligence over all the world, and there was an universal mourning. Men, beasts, trees, metals, and the stones themselves wept, like as when the sun causes a thaw in spring. The messengers, on their return, found an old, withered giant-woman, whose name was Thök, sitting in a cavern. They entreated her to weep also, but she answered: “That her tears were dry, and that Hela might keep her prey.” It is generally believed that it was Loke who had taken the form of this old woman. Hermodur brought back from Helbeim Odin’s ring, which he had placed on Baldur’s bosom, and Nanna sent back to Frigga a rich garment, and to Fulla a gold ring. But now the cup of Loke’s crimes was full to the brim, and the fearful vengeance of the gods at length overtook him. It first fell upon his sons, Nari and Vali, the latter of whom they changed into a wolf, in which shape he devoured his brother. After many attempts to escape Loke himself was taken by Thor, who bound him down on three sharp stones with the intestines of his son. Skada, Njord’s wife, in revenge for his revilings at Ægir’s feast, hung a serpent over his head, whose burning venom fell drop by drop upon his face. In this terrible situation there was one who did not abandon him. His wife Signi sate near

295 his head with a bowl in which she caught the poison as it fell, nor did she ever quit him unless from time to time to empty the bowl, and then the drops which fell upon him caused such torture, that with his writhing and howling earthquakes were produced. Here he must lie bound down until Ragnarokkur comes, the twilight of the gods. Baldur was to remain with Hela until the destruction of the world, and afterwards to dwell in the new Asgard where no evil will be known. His memory is still preserved in Denmark in the names of springs and particular places. A plant Baldur’s braa (Anthemis cotula, Lin.) says the Edda, resembles his eye-brows, and is the fairest of plants. In Icelandic an excellent man is still called Mann-Balldur (a Baldur amongst men). Baldur and Nanna had one son, Forsete, who was one of the twelve principal Aser, and was considered the justest of judges. All who appealed to his decision in quarrels, whether gods or men, always departed from his tribunal reconciled. Forsete is supposed to have been worshiped by the ancient Saxons, and in Heligoland formerly called Forsete’s land, there was a temple to his honour. Vale, who avenged Baldur’s death by killing Hodur, was a son of Odin and Rinda, and lord of the celestial palace, Valaskialf. He was a bold

296 warrior, with golden arrows, and a lover of the chase. A feast was celebrated in his honour towards the end of January or the beginning of February, in which torches were lighted and bonfires made. On the introduction of Christianity, this feast was replaced by Candlemas. Having thus completed this imperfect sketch of the principal divinities and leading features of the Scandinavian Mythology, and endeavoured to convey to the reader a general and connected picture of the superstitions of our heathen ancestors, it remains only to give some account of the great catastrophe which was at length to sweep away these transitory deities and the whole fabric of the universe, in order to make way for a more perfect system. The Prose Edda gives us the following account of Ragnarok, or the twilight of the gods. “There will first come a winter which shall be called Fim-bulveter; snow will fall from every quarter, and hard frost and cutting winds have sway, so that the heat of the sun will have no influence. Three such winters unalleviated by any summer, will follow each other. Previously to this the whole world will be scourged, during three winters also, by wars and blood-shed. Brothers will kill each other through avarice, and there will be no mercy, even from parents to their children.

297 “And now, to the great affliction of mankind, one wolf will devour the sun, another the moon, the stars will disappear from the firmament, the earth quake violently, trees be torn up by their roots, mountains fall together, all chains and bonds be burst asunder, and the wolf Fenris will break loose. Then will the ocean rise above its shores, for the great Midgard’s-serpent will recover its giant strength, and struggle to gain the land. “At length he will succeed, the ship Nagelfare will be set afloat, and the giant Hymir take the helm. Nagelfare is built of the nails14 of dead men, and it should be remarked that when a person dies and his nails are not cut, materials are furnished towards the building of a vessel, whose completion both gods and men should seek to delay as long as possible. “Fenris now rushes onwards open mouthed; fire streams from his eyes and nostrils; his under jaw touches the earth, the upper heaven, and he would open them still wider if there were space. Jormungandur vomits out poison, which renders 14 This superstition respecting nails was not confined to the Scandinavians, some of the ancients feared to cut their nails on certain days of the week. According to Ausonius,      “Ungues Mercurio, barbam Jovi, Cypridi crines.”                                                                    Magnussen.

298 the air and the waters deadly. He is the most terrible of all, and fights by the side of the wolf. “In the midst of the confusion the heavens are rent asunder, and the sons of Muspell (the genii of fire) ride forth, led on by Surtur, who is clothed in flame, and whose unrivalled sword surpasses in brightness the sun itself. The bridge Bifrost gives way beneath their weight. The sons of Muspell press onwards to the plain Vigrid, which extends five hundred miles every way, and where they meet Fenris and Jormungandur. Asa-Loke also has repaired thither, and at the same time appears Hymir with the Giants of the Frost. All the sons of Hela follow Loke. “But now, on the other side, Heimdall rouses himself, and blowing with all his might on his Gjallar-horn, wakes up the Aser who hold council as to what is to be done. Odin rides to Mimer’s well to ascertain what is best; the Ash Yggdrasill is shaken, and all earth and heaven are in dismay. “The Aser and Einheirar march to the plain Vigrid, with Odin at their head. Armed with his golden helm, his glittering mail and his spear, Gungnir, he encounters Fenris who swallows him up. Then is accomplished The goddess’ second-heart’s grief15 15 The first was the death of Baldur.

299 Then falls the god Best beloved of Frigga.                          Voluspa. “At the same moment his son Vidar advances to avenge his father; he presses down with his foot the wolf’s lower jaw, and raising the other with his hand, rends him till he dies. Thor fights with the serpent, and acquires great fame by slaying him, but overpowered by the poison which he spews forth, recoils back nine paces and falls dead to earth. “Freyr is opposed to Surtur, but now misses his good sword which he had given to Skirner and is slain. The dog, Garmer, who had hitherto been bound in a cavern, escapes and rushes upon Asa-Tyr, and both fall. In like manner Loke and Heimdall slay each other. After all this Surtur pours out fire upon the earth, and the whole world is consumed. The great Ash, however, outlives this general ruin. “Ygg-drasill’s Ash Totters, but stands.”                          Voluspa. “Good and just men will now be transported to Gimle, which is built of red gold, and where there are various splendid and delightful habitations. Bad men, perjurers, murderers, and the seducers

300 of other men’s wives, will go to Nastrond, a vast, hideous dwelling, whose gates face northwards. It is built of adders, whose heads are turned inwards, and are continually spewing out poisons which form a large lake or river, where its inmates are to swim eternally, suffering horrible tortures.16 “A new earth, fairer and more verdant than the other, will arise out of the sea; from which the grain will shoot forth of itself. Vidar and Vale will survive the general destruction and dwell upon the plain Ida, where Asgard lay before. Thither also will repair Magne and Mode, the sons of Thor, taking Miolner with them. Baldur and Hodur will return from Hela, and these gods will sit together, and talk over the events of past times. The Aser will meet On Ida’s plain, And talk of the mighty Earth-surrounder:17 There they will call to mind Great deeds of olden-time, And the lofty gods’ Ancient learning.18                          Voluspa. “During the conflagration caused by Surtur, a 16 In another place, a ravenous wolf tormented the souls of the damned. 17 The great serpent. 18 Runes.

301 man and a woman, Lif and Livthraser, will lie concealed in a place called Homimer’s Holt, and there nourish themselves with the morning-dew. From them is to spring the second race of men.” The Voluspa,19 or song of the prophetess in the Elder Edda, a production which, as Grundtvig has remarked, bears incontrovertible marks of having originated in the remotest ages of heathenism, gives nearly the same account of this famous catastrophe. It terminates with the following stanzas: A hall I see More brilliant than the sun, Roofed with gold, On the summit of Gimle; There shall dwell A virtuous race, And enjoy blessedness To time eternal. Thither cometh the mighty one To the council of the gods, In his strength from above; He who thinketh for all.20 He issueth judgments, 19 The Voluspa has been three times translated into English, by the Rev. J. Prowett, 1816; by Mr. Herbert freely, in his poem of Helge; and by Dr. Henderson in the appendix to his Journey through Iceland. 20 The mighty one can allude to none other than the supreme being, the true Al-fadur.

303 He causeth strife to cease, And establisheth peace To endure for ever. “But lo! the dark dragon Cometh, flying, Spotted like a snake, From the caverns of darkness; Nyd-hoggur, on his wings Bearing corpses, Soars over the plain: —Now must I sink.21                                 Voluspa. 21 The prophetess here seems to close her song, on the approach of night, which she likens to Nyd-hoggur, the great dragon or serpent king.