LOKE.

One day Loke was wandering about idly as he often did. He came near Thor’s liouse, 'svhicli lìad five hundred and forty rooms.
By tlie window sat Sif, Tlior’s wife, asleep. Loke thouglit it Avould be a good joke to cut oữ her beautiíul hair and make Tbor angry. So he crept in softly and cut off her hair close to her liead without Avakening her.
When Tkor came bome and found out what liad been done, he knew at once who had done it.
Rushing out, he overtook Loke, and threat- cned to crush him to atoms. To save liis ]ife Loke swore to get tlie elves to make hair of gold for Sif, that would grow like real hair.
Loke knew he had better do as he had prom- ised, so he went deep down into the earth to Alf- heim. When he came near he looked through a crevice in the ground, and there were the elves afc work. He conld see them hy the light o£ the forge íìres.
Some were running ahont with aprons on and with sooty faces. Some Avere hammering iron, and others were smelting- O’old. Some were cutting out rock crystals and staining* them red for garnets and rubies. The elf women brought violets and the greenest grass to be found on the earth above. With these tliey stained crystals blue and green for sapphừes and emeralds.
Some of the elE women brought children’s tears from the upper eartli, and the gentlest elves ehanged them into pearls.
As fast as they were íìnished the jewels were carried away by the little elf boys and hidden in the ground, where they are £ound to this day. If you wish to see Avhat cunning Avorkmen thè elves were; look at the shining íaces and straight edges of quartz crystals, or at the beautiíul col- oring of emeralds and rnbies. The little elf girls crept ^ through the eartli under the ocean and gave the pearls to the oysters to keep. <Even 110W the oysters shut their shells tiglit

and AYĨll not give up the pearls.
Loke Avatched the little Avorkmen a long’ time. Then he went in and told his errand. Nothing delighted the elves so much as to have work to do. They promised
Loke the golden hair, and at once began to make it.
A little elf ran in with a handful of gold and an old grandmother spun it into hair. As she spun, she sang a magic song to give life to the gold. At the same time the elf blacksmiths and goldsmiths set about making a present for Loke.
The blacksmiths made a spear that would never miss its mark. The goldsmiths made a ship that would sail without wind. Besides, it could be folded up and put into the owner’s pocket.
Loke appeared before the gods with these wonderful things. To Odin he gave the spear, and to Frey the ship. Thor took the golden hair and put it upon Sif’s head. Immediately it began to grow. At this the gods pardoned Loke.
When Loke went out he began to boast that the sons of Ivald, who had made the gifts, were the best workmen in the world.
Brok, an elf of another family, heard him, and exclaimed angrily, “ Sindre, my brother, is the best blacksmith in the whole world!”
Loke dared Brok to show him three gifts of Sindre’s making equal to the spear, the ship, and the hair.
Brok hastened to Sindre and told him. The two brothers began the work at once. Sindre
put a pig-skin into the furnace and told Brok to blow the fire with the bellows while he went out.
Brok worked with a will. Loke had followed him, and now changed himself into a fly and
stung Brok’s ear. But Brok worked steadily, never stopping to brush it off.
Sindre came back and took out the pig-skin, and it had become a golden pig. So bright was it, that it made the cave as light as day.
Then Sindre put a little piece of gold into the furnace and went out again. Again, as Brok
worked at the bellows, the fly came, and stung him on the nose. But the elf did not stop for
an instant.
When Sindre took out the gold it had become a magic golden ring. From it every ninth night dropped eight golden rings.
This time Sindre brought a piece of iron and put it into the furnace. Brok began his work.
But Loke changed himself into a hornet and stung the elf on the forehead until the blood ran
into his eyes.
Brok bore it a long time. Then he paused a moment to drive away the hornet. Just then his brother came in andsaid it was of no use to go on after he had once stopped.
Sindre took out the iron and it had become the mighty hammer Myjolner. But the handle
was a little too short. This was because theelf had stopped when the hornet stung him. Brok took the golden pig, the ring, and the hammer to Asgard and presented them to the gods. Thor had just lost his hammer in a great fight with the Midgard Serpent, so Mjolner was
_ given to him
This hammer could never be lost, because it would always return to the owner.
The pig, Golden Bristle, was given to the sun-god, Frey, because he had to take long journeys in dark places.
Odin kept the golden ring himself.
The gods voted Sindre a better blacksmith than the sons of Ivald. Brok demanded Loke’s head, which had been wagered. The cunning
Loke said he might have the head, but he must not yonEn the neck. So the elf did not get the head.
THoR was the strong god. So strong was he that he could crush mountains with one blow of his hammer.
His eyes shone like fire. When he drove in his chariot, the sound could be heard all over the
earth. Whenhe struck with his terrible hammer fire streamed through the sky.
On one hand he wore an iron glove to grasp the hammer. Around his waist was a belt.
Kvery time he tightened the belt his strength was redoubled.
If he had crossed the rambowbridge it would have fallen down. So every day he waded
through four rivers to go to the council of the gods.
Thor was usually as good-natured as he was strong. But sometimes he had sudden attacks of
anger. ‘Then he drove furiously in his chariot, striking in every direction with his hammer.
Sometimes he did damage which, with all his strength, he could never repair.
Very often Thor did kind things. Once the dwarf, Orvandal, did not go into his home in
the ground whenthe frost giants were in the land.
They caught him and took him to Jotunheim.
Thor waded across the ice-coldriver, Elivagar, to the land of the giants, and brought Orvandal back in a basket.. When they were nearly across, Orvandal put one toe outside and it was bitten off by the frost giants.
Thor liked nothing better than to go on long journeys, seeking adventures.
Once he set out in his chariot drawn by goats.
Loke, the cunning, went with him.
Night came. Thor made himself no larger than a man, andaskedto stay all night in a poor
man’s hut by the seashore. The man welcomed them. Thor killed his goats, and the poor man’s wife cooked them.
When nothing was left but the bones, Thor told the children to put them all into the skins
on the floor. But one of the boys broke a bone to get the marrow.
At dawn the next day, Thor touched the bones with his hammer, and the goats sprang up alive.
But one of them was lame. When the family saw the bones changed into living goats, they
were very much frightened. Thor was angry because the goat was lame and grasped his hammer so tightly that his knuckles grew white. At first he meant to kill the whole family, but after he thought, he only took away two of the children for servants. They crossed the ocean that day and found a forest on the otherside. When it grew dark they went into a cave to sleep. In the cave there were five small rooms and one large one. All night they heard a
great rumbling noise. Karly in the morning when they went out, they found an immense giant sleeping on the ground. The noise they had heard was the giant’s breathing, and the cave washis glove. When Thor saw hin,he tightened his belt of strength and grasped his hammer, But just then the giant awoke and stood up. His great height so amazed Thor that he forgot to strike and only asked the giant’s name. The giant replied that he was Skrymer. Then
he asked to go along with Thor. Thorsaid he might, and they all sat upon the ground to eat
brealxfast. After breakfast, the giant put Thor’s provision sack into his own and carried both. All that day he strode in front and Thor followed. At night they stopped. The giant drank a
small brook dry; and at once lay down on the ground andfell asleep. Thor found that he could not untie the sack. At this he was very angry. He tightened his belt and went out where the
giant lay. He swung his hammer above his head and struck the giant’s forehead with all
his strength. The giant awoke and rubbed his eyes. Then he said sleepily, “I think a leaf must have fallen upon me.” With that he fell asleep again. Thor and the others lay down without any food, and the giant snored so that they could notsleep. Again Thor arose. He tightened his belt twice and struck the giant a harder blow than the first. The giant only stirred and muttered, “This must be an oak-tree, for an acorn has fallen upon my forehead.”
Thor hurried away and waited until the giant once more slept soundly. Then he went softly, and struck him so hard that the hammer sank into his head. This time the giant sat up and looked around him. Seemg Thor, he said, “I think there are squirrels in this tree. See, a nutshell has fallen and scratched my forehead.”
“But make ready to go now. We are near the palace of Utgard.”
“You see how large Lam. In Utgard’s palace Tam thought small. If you go there do not
boast of your strength.”
With that, he directed Thor to the palace, and went away northward. At noon they saw a palace so high that they had to bend back their heads to see the top
of it. The gate was locked. So they crept in through the bars, and went from room to room until they came to the hall where sat Utgard with his men around him.
For some time he pretended not to see Thor.
Then with a loud laugh he said, “Ho! ho! Who is this little creature?” Without waiting for a
reply, he eried, “ Why, I believe it is Thor of whom we have heard.” Then speaking to Thor for the first time, he Thor hurried away and waited until the giant once more slept soundly. Then he went softly, and struck him so hard that the hammer sank
into his head. This time the giant sat up and looked around  him. Seemg Thor, he said, “I think there are squirrels in this tree. See, a nutshell has fallen  and scratched my forehead.”
“But make ready to go now. Weare near the palace of Utgard.”
“You see how large Lam. In Utgard’s palace Tam thought small. If you go there do not
boast of your strength.”
With that, he directed Thor to the palace, and went away northward.
At noon they saw a palace so high that they had to bend back their heads to see the top
of it.
The gate was locked. So they crept in through the bars, and went from room to room
until they came to the hall where sat Utgard with his men around him. For some time he pretended not to see Thor. Then with a loud laugh he said, “Ho! ho! Who is this little creature?” Without waiting for a reply, he eried, “ Why, I believe it is Thor of
whom we have heard.”
Then speaking to Thor for the first time, he draught. Some empty it at two draughts. But no one ever takes three.”
Thor put the horn to his lips and drank deep and long. When he was out of breath, he
lowered the horn. To his surprise very little of the water was gone.
Utgard said: “1 should have thought Thor could drink more at a draught.” ~
Thor did not reply, but drank again as long as he had any breath. This time enough was gone
so that the horn could be carried easily without spillmg any of the water.
Utgard said: “ Have you not left too much for the third draught?”
Thor became angry. He put the horn to his lips and drank until his head swam, and his ears rang, and fire floated before his eyes. But the horn was not nearly empty, and he
would not try again.
Then Utgard said: “ Will you try something else?” Thor replied that he would. Utgard said: “ We have a little game here that the younger children play. The young men think nothing of lifting my cat. I would not propose it to you if you had notfailed in drinking.”
The cat ran in, and Thor did his best. But he could only lift one paw from the ground.
Then he called for some one to wrestle with him, but Utgard said the men would think it
beneath them to wrestle with Thor. Then he called his old nurse, Elle, to wrestle with him.
The tighter Thor gripped the old woman, the firmer she stood. Soon he was thrown on one knee, and Utgard sent the old woman away.
The next morning at dawn, Thor and Loke and the two children prepared to go away.
Utgard gave them breakfast and went a little way with them. When he was ready to go back, he asked Thor how he liked his visit. Thor replied that he had done himself dishonor.
At this Utgard said: “I will tell you the truth now that we are out of my palace. You shall never come into it again. If I had known your strength you should not have comethis time.
“Tn the forest it was I you met. If I had not held a mountain between your hammer and my head, you would have killed me. There is the mountain. The three caves you see were made by the three blows of your hammer.
“ One end of the drinking-horn stood in the sea. When you come tothe shore you will see
how much water is gone.
“What you took for a cat was the great Midgard Serpent which encircles the earth and holds
its tail mm its mouth. The nurse was old age.
No onecanresist her.”
Hearing this, Thor raised his hammer to strike. But Utgard and the palace vanished and
left only a grassy plain.
THOR.
Here amid icebergs
Rule I the nations;
This is my hammer,
Miolner the mighty;
Giants and sorcerers
Cannot withstand it!
These are the gauntlets
Wherewith I wield it,
And hurl it afaroff ;
This is my girdle;
WheneverI braceit,
Strength is redoubled!
Thelight thou beholdest
Stream through the heavens
In flashes of crimson,
Is but my red beard
Blown by the night-wind,
Affrighting the nations!
Jove is my brother;
Mineeyes are the lightning;
The wheels of my chariot
Roll in the thunder,
The blows of my hammer
Ring in the earthquake!
—LONGFELLOW,
Used by permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.