Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/141

 With pale face and sinking heart the giant watched the deadly struggle; he saw how the boat filled with water, and his courage failed him, so that he grew faint with terror.

Thor heeded him not, but, raising his hammer, prepared to slay the enemy of the gods, but Hymir rushed forward and cut through the line. The earth groaned and shuddered, the rocks burst asunder, the abyss howled, as swiftly the great snake sank through the waters to its lair at the bottom of the sea, and there it lay till its hour had come, and with it the hour of Thor, the strong god.

Terrible was the wrath of Thor; few there were who cared to face him when his anger came upon him. The giant sat and said no word. Then Thor struck him a blow, so that he fell into the water, while he himself waded to the shore. Hymir managed to save himself, but ere long he and all his kin perished at the hands of the slayer of giants.

filled the minds of the gods, and their hearts were heavy within them, for evil signs were abroad, and they knew not what they portended. Iduna, the guardian of the apples of youth, sank down from the great ash Yggdrasil to the gloomy dwelling of Hel, the goddess of the underworld. Loki, Heimdall, and Bragi went forth to question her, but she only wept and made no answer, so Loki and Heimdall left Bragi, her husband, by her side, and returned to Asgard, and the gods pondered deeply.

Evil dreams disturbed the slumbers of Balder the Beloved. The gods feared that danger threatened him, and they resolved to do all that they could to avert it betimes. Frigg, his mother, took an oath from all things living or dead, from bird and beast, from stock and stone, from plant and tree, from fire and water, that no harm should come to Balder. And when she had done this, the gods felt safe, and it became a sport among them that Balder stood in their midst, and they hurled their weapons at him, for they deemed that nought could hurt him.

Loki, ever envious and eager for mischief, was displeased that Balder, whom he especially disliked because others loved him, should be safe from injury. He took on himself the guise of an old woman, and sought out Frigg.