Angry was Freya, And she trembled (with rage), The whole palace of the gods Was shaken. The gods and goddesses were now assembled to deliberate on other means of recovering the hammer. Heimdall proposed that Thor himself should assume the bridal dress, with the habit and ornaments of Freya, and proceed to Jotunheim:— Let us make on him The keys to jingle[83]; And a woman’s dress To flow below his knees; And on his breast The jewell’d ornaments; And let us put on him The handsome head-gear. Thor did not much relish the proposal, from a fear that the gods would hereafter hold him to be degraded,—would regard him as really a woman. Loke told him, however, that he had only to choose between the mode of recovering his mallet, and of seeing Asgard in possession of the giants. He then suffered himself to be conveyed in the manner proposed. Then spake Loke, the son of Laufeya:— “I as thy servant With thee will go: We together will ride To the land of the giants.” The chariot was brought out, the goats were yoked, and the two Aser rapidly proceeded to their destination,—so rapidly, that the rocks split, and the earth blazed under the shining wheels:— Then spake Thrym, Lord of the Thurser[84]; “Arise, ye giants, And strew the benches. Then bring unto me Freya my bride, The daughter of Niord From Nocturn: “Bring into the bower The cows with golden horns, And the coal-black oxen, The giant’s delight. Many jewels have I And many treasures: Of Freya alone Have I need.” The giants arrived, and the bridal feast was prepared. Great was the surprise of Thrym to see his bride eat a whole ox, and eight salmon into the bargain; and to send after all three barrels of mead:— “Who ever saw a bride Eat so greedily? Never did I see one Devour so much; Nor any virgin Swill so much mead!” The reply of Loke, disguised as a handmaid, was ready:— “Nothing has Freya tasted These eight nights (days),[85] So great was her desire To be in Jotunheim.”