Myths of the Norsemen Part 30

"In the caverns of the west, By Odin's fierce embrace comprest, A wondrous boy shall Rinda bear, Who ne'er shall comb his raven hair, Nor wash his visage in the stream, Nor see the sun's departing beam, Till he on Hoder's corse shall smile Flaming on the fun'ral pile."

Descent of Odin (Gray).

When the reluctant Vala had thus spoken, Odin next asked: "Who would refuse to weep at Balder's death?" This incautious question showed a knowledge of the future which no mortal could possess, and immediately revealed to the Vala the ident.i.ty of her visitor. Therefore, refusing to speak another word, she sank back into the silence of the tomb, declaring that none would be able to lure her out again until the end of the world was come.

"Hie thee hence, and boast at home, That never shall inquirer come To break my iron sleep again, Till Lok has burst his tenfold chain; Never, till substantial Night Has rea.s.sum'd her ancient right: Till wrapt in flames, in ruin hurl'd, Sinks the fabric of the world."

Descent of Odin (Gray).

Odin having learned the decrees of Orlog (fate), which he knew could not be set aside, now remounted his steed, and sadly wended his way back to Asgard, thinking of the time, not far distant, when his beloved son would no more be seen in the heavenly abodes, and when the light of his presence would have vanished for ever.

On entering Glads-heim, however, Odin was somewhat rea.s.sured by the intelligence, promptly conveyed to him by Frigga, that all things under the sun had promised that they would not harm Balder, and feeling convinced that if nothing would slay their beloved son he must surely continue to gladden G.o.ds and men with his presence, he cast care aside and resigned himself to the pleasures of the festive board.

The G.o.ds at Play

The playground of the G.o.ds was situated on the green plain of Ida, and was called Idavold. Here the G.o.ds would resort when in sportive mood, and their favourite game was to throw their golden disks, which they could cast with great skill. They had returned to this wonted pastime with redoubled zest since the cloud which had oppressed their spirits had been dispersed by the precautions of Frigga. Wearied at last, however, of the accustomed sport, they bethought them of a new game. They had learned that Balder could not be harmed by any missile, and so they amused themselves by casting all manner of weapons, stones, etc., at him, certain that no matter how cleverly they tried, and how accurately they aimed, the objects, having sworn not to injure him, would either glance aside or fall short. This new amus.e.m.e.nt proved to be so fascinating that soon all the G.o.ds gathered around Balder, greeting each new failure to hurt him with prolonged shouts of laughter.

The Death of Balder

These bursts of merriment excited the curiosity of Frigga, who sat spinning in Fensalir; and seeing an old woman pa.s.s by her dwelling, she bade her pause and tell what the G.o.ds were doing to provoke such great hilarity. The old woman was none other than Loki in disguise, and he answered Frigga that the G.o.ds were throwing stones and other missiles, blunt and sharp, at Balder, who stood smiling and unharmed in their midst, challenging them to touch him.

The G.o.ddess smiled, and resumed her work, saying that it was quite natural that nothing should harm Balder, as all things loved the light, of which he was the emblem, and had solemnly sworn not to injure him. Loki, the personification of fire, was greatly chagrined upon hearing this, for he was jealous of Balder, the sun, who so entirely eclipsed him and who was generally beloved, while he was feared and avoided as much as possible; but he cleverly concealed his vexation, and inquired of Frigga whether she were quite sure that all objects had joined the league.

Frigga proudly answered that she had received the solemn oath of all things, a harmless little parasite, the mistletoe, which grew on the oak near Valhalla's gate, only excepted, and this was too small and weak to be feared. This information was all that Loki wanted, and bidding adieu to Frigga he hobbled off. As soon as he was safely out of sight, however, he resumed his wonted form and hastened to Valhalla, where, at the gate, he found the oak and mistletoe as indicated by Frigga. Then by the exercise of magic arts he imparted to the parasite a size and hardness quite unnatural to it.

From the wooden stem thus produced he deftly fas.h.i.+oned a shaft with which he hastened back to Idavold, where the G.o.ds were still hurling missiles at Balder, Hodur alone leaning mournfully against a tree the while, and taking no part in the game. Carelessly Loki approached the blind G.o.d, and a.s.suming an appearance of interest, he inquired the cause of his melancholy, at the same time artfully insinuating that pride and indifference prevented him from partic.i.p.ating in the sport. In answer to these remarks, Hodur pleaded that only his blindness deterred him from taking part in the new game, and when Loki put the mistletoe-shaft in his hand, and led him into the midst of the circle, indicating the direction of the novel target, Hodur threw his shaft boldly. But to his dismay, instead of the loud laughter which he expected, a shuddering cry of horror fell upon his ear, for Balder the beautiful had fallen to the ground, pierced by the fatal mistletoe.

"So on the floor lay Balder dead; and round Lay thickly strewn swords, axes, darts, and spears, Which all the G.o.ds in sport had idly thrown At Balder, whom no weapon pierced or clove; But in his breast stood fixed the fatal bough Of mistletoe, which Lok, the Accuser, gave To Hoder, and unwitting Hoder threw-- 'Gainst that alone had Balder's life no charm."

Balder Dead (Matthew Arnold).

In dire anxiety the G.o.ds crowded around their beloved companion, but alas! life was quite extinct, and all their efforts to revive the fallen sun-G.o.d were unavailing. Inconsolable at their loss, they now turned angrily upon Hodur, whom they would there and then have slain had they not been restrained by the law of the G.o.ds that no wilful deed of violence should desecrate their peace-steads. The sound of their loud lamentation brought the G.o.ddesses in hot haste to the dreadful scene, and when Frigga saw that her darling was dead, she pa.s.sionately implored the G.o.ds to go to Nifl-heim and entreat Hel to release her victim, for the earth could not exist happily without him.

Hermod's Errand

As the road was rough and painful in the extreme, none of the G.o.ds would volunteer at first to go; but when Frigga promised that she and Odin would reward the messenger by loving him above all the aesir, Hermod signified his readiness to execute the commission. To enable him to do so, Odin lent him Sleipnir, and the n.o.ble steed, who was not wont to allow any but Odin upon his back, set off without demur upon the dark road which his hoofs had beaten twice before.

Meantime, Odin caused the body of Balder to be removed to Breidablik, and he directed the G.o.ds to go to the forest and cut down huge pines wherewith to build a worthy pyre.

"But when the G.o.ds were to the forest gone, Hermod led Sleipnir from Valhalla forth And saddled him; before that, Sleipnir brook'd No meaner hand than Odin's on his mane, On his broad back no lesser rider bore; Yet docile now he stood at Hermod's side, Arching his neck, and glad to be bestrode, Knowing the G.o.d they went to seek, how dear.

But Hermod mounted him, and sadly fared In silence up the dark untravell'd road Which branches from the north of Heaven, and went All day; and daylight waned, and night came on.

And all that night he rode, and journey'd so, Nine days, nine nights, toward the northern ice, Through valleys deep-engulph'd by roaring streams.

And on the tenth morn he beheld the bridge Which spans with golden arches Giall's stream, And on the bridge a damsel watching, arm'd, In the straight pa.s.sage, at the further end, Where the road issues between walling rocks."

Balder Dead (Matthew Arnold).

The Funeral Pyre

While Hermod was speeding along the cheerless road which led to Nifl-heim, the G.o.ds hewed and carried down to the sh.o.r.e a vast amount of fuel, which they piled upon the deck of Balder's dragon-s.h.i.+p, Ringhorn, constructing an elaborate funeral pyre. According to custom, this was decorated with tapestry hangings, garlands of flowers, vessels and weapons of all kinds, golden rings, and countless objects of value, ere the immaculate corpse, richly attired, was brought and laid upon it.

One by one, the G.o.ds now drew near to take a last farewell of their beloved companion, and as Nanna bent over him, her loving heart broke, and she fell lifeless by his side. Seeing this, the G.o.ds reverently laid her beside her husband, that she might accompany him even in death; and after they had slain his horse and hounds and twined the pyre with thorns, the emblems of sleep, Odin, last of the G.o.ds, drew near.

In token of affection for the dead and of sorrow for his loss, all had lain their most precious possessions upon his pyre, and Odin, bending down, now added to the offerings his magic ring Draupnir. It was noted by the a.s.sembled G.o.ds that he was whispering in his dead son's ear, but none were near enough to hear what word he said.

These sad preliminaries ended, the G.o.ds now prepared to launch the s.h.i.+p, but found that the heavy load of fuel and treasures resisted their combined efforts and they could not make the vessel stir an inch. The mountain giants, witnessing the scene from afar, and noticing their quandary, now drew near and said that they knew of a giantess called Hyrrokin, who dwelt in Jotun-heim, and was strong enough to launch the vessel without any other aid. The G.o.ds therefore bade one of the storm giants hasten off to summon Hyrrokin, and she soon appeared, mounted upon a gigantic wolf, which she guided by a bridle made of writhing snakes. Riding down to the sh.o.r.e, the giantess dismounted and haughtily signified her readiness to give the required aid, if in the meantime the G.o.ds would take charge of her steed. Odin immediately despatched four of his maddest Berserkers to hold the wolf; but, in spite of their phenomenal strength, they could not restrain the monstrous creature until the giantess had thrown it down and bound it fast.

Hyrrokin, seeing that now they would be able to manage her refractory steed, strode along the strand to where, high up from the water's edge, lay Balder's mighty s.h.i.+p Ringhorn.

"Seventy ells and four extended On the gra.s.s the vessel's keel; High above it, gilt and splendid, Rose the figure-head ferocious With its crest of steel."

The Saga of King Olaf (Longfellow).

Setting her shoulder against its stern, with a supreme effort she sent it with a rush into the water. Such was the weight of the ma.s.s, however, and the rapidity with which it shot down into the sea, that the earth shook as if from an earthquake, and the rollers on which the s.h.i.+p glided caught fire from the friction. The unexpected shock almost caused the G.o.ds to lose their balance, and this so angered Thor that he raised his hammer and would have slain the giantess had he not been restrained by his companions. Easily appeased, as usual--for Thor's temper, although quickly roused, was evanescent--he now boarded the vessel once more to consecrate the funeral pyre with his sacred hammer. As he was performing this ceremony, the dwarf Lit provokingly stumbled into his way, whereupon Thor, who had not entirely recovered his equanimity, kicked him into the fire, which he had just kindled with a thorn, and the dwarf was burned to ashes with the bodies of the divine pair.

The great s.h.i.+p now drifted out to sea, and the flames from the pyre presented a magnificent spectacle, which a.s.sumed a greater glory with every pa.s.sing moment, until, when the vessel neared the western horizon, it seemed as if sea and sky were on fire. Sadly the G.o.ds watched the glowing s.h.i.+p and its precious freight, until suddenly it plunged into the waves and disappeared; nor did they turn aside and return to Asgard until the last spark of light had vanished, and the world, in token of mourning for Balder the good, was enveloped in a mantle of darkness.

"Soon with a roaring rose the mighty fire, And the pile crackled; and between the logs Sharp quivering tongues of flame shot out, and leapt Curling and darting, higher, until they lick'd The summit of the pile, the dead, the mast, And ate the shrivelling sails; but still the s.h.i.+p Drove on, ablaze above her hull with fire.

And the G.o.ds stood upon the beach, and gazed; And while they gazed, the sun went lurid down Into the smoke-wrapt sea, and night came on.

Then the wind fell with night, and there was calm; But through the dark they watch'd the burning s.h.i.+p Still carried o'er the distant waters, on Farther and farther, like an eye of fire.

So show'd in the far darkness, Balder's pile; But fainter, as the stars rose high, it flared; The bodies were consumed, ash choked the pile.

And as, in a decaying winter fire, A charr'd log, falling, makes a shower of sparks-- So, with a shower of sparks, the pile fell in, Reddening the sea around; and all was dark."

Balder Dead (Matthew Arnold).

Hermod's Quest

Sadly the G.o.ds entered Asgard, where no sounds of merriment or feasting greeted the ear, for all hearts were filled with anxious concern for the end of all things which was felt to be imminent. And truly the thought of the terrible Fimbul-winter, which was to herald their death, was one well calculated to disquiet the G.o.ds.