Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/139

 play for these to wrestle with thee. But summon hither Elli, my nurse, and let Thor wrestle with her if he will. She has overthrown men who seemed not weaker than he.” An aged woman came at his call, and she and Thor wrestled long, but he could not move her, and at last she forced him on one knee,  and the King said it was enough, and that it was time for rest. So they laid them down in the hall, and when day came Thor and his  companions arose and prepared to depart hastily, but the King bade  them stay and break their fast. When they had eaten well, he went with them to the gates and asked of Thor if his journey had contented  him, but Thor said: “I cannot say my sojourn here redounds greatly  to my honour. Ill-pleased am I that you should think me such a weakling.” “Now will I reveal the truth to you,” said Utgardloki, “for you are departing, and never while I live shall you enter these walls again. And, verily, had I known how great was your strength you had never set foot within them, for a little more, and you had brought terrible  misfortunes upon us. Listen! All you have seen was illusion! I was Skrymir, and I fastened the bundle with iron bands, hence you  could not open it. Had your blows fallen on me when I lay stretched beneath the oak, I had been slain, but, unseen by you, I held a mountain betwixt myself and your hammer, and on it you cleft three deep  valleys, one at each blow. Loki ate well, but Logi was the wild-fire, and burnt up the meat and the trough. Swift is the running of Thialfi, but Hugi was my thought, and who can outspeed a thought? Now, as for your drinking! Never, in good sooth, did I think it was in anyone’s power to drink as you drank. The end of the horn was in the ocean, and when you go thither you will see how great a difference you  have made. Men call it the ebb. The cat was the Midgard snake, and we trembled when you lifted its foot, for you lifted it almost to  the sky. Elli was Old Age, and many a mighty man has she overthrown. And now farewell. It will be better if you come this way no more.” Then Thor raised his weapon in his anger, but ere the blow fell Utgardloki had vanished. The great castle disappeared, and far and wide was nothing to be seen but beautiful green fields. And Thor and his companions went their way, pondering silently over all that they  had seen.