Page:Norse mythology or, the religion of our forefathers, containing all the myths of the Eddas, systematized and interpreted with an introduction, vocabulary and index.djvu/224

 Now there is dark of darks; We will both to Valhal ride And to the holy fane.

Let us Odin pray Into our minds to enter; He gives and grants Gold to the deserving. He gave Hermod A helm and corselet, And from him Sigmund A sword received.

Victory to his sons he gives, But to some riches; Eloquence to the great And to men wit; Fair wind he gives to traders, But visions to skalds; Valor he gives To many a warrior.

Especially are the heroes constantly the object of his care. He guides and protects the brave hero through his whole life; he watches over his birth and over his whole development; gives him wonderful weapons, teaches him new arts of war; assists him in critical emergencies, accompanies him in war, and takes the impetus out of the enemy's javelins; and when the warrior has at last grown old, he provides that he may not die upon his bed, but fall in honorable combat. Finally, he protects the social organization and influences the human mind. He revenges murder, protects the sanctity of the oath, subdues hatred, and dispels anxieties and sorrows.

SECTION II. ODIN'S NAMES.

Odin is called Allfather, because he is the father of all the gods, and Valfather (father of the slain), because