The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern MythsColum, Padraic
General
The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths
Colum, Padraic
Mythology, Norse -- Juvenile literature
Thor said nothing, but he struck the bull full in the middle of the
forehead with his fist. The great creature fell down dead. Thor then
twisted the bull's head off. "I have my bait and I'm ready to go with
you, Hrymer," he said.
Hrymer had turned away to hide the rage he was in at seeing Thor do such
a feat. He walked down to the boat without speaking. "You may row for
the first few strokes," said Hrymer, when they were in the boat, "but
when we come to where the ocean is rough, why I'll take the oars from
you."
Without saying a word Thor made a few strokes that took the boat out
into the middle of the ocean. Hrymer was in a rage to think that he
could not show himself greater than Thor. He let out his line and began
to fish. Soon he felt something huge on his hook. The boat rocked and
rocked till Thor steadied it. Then Hrymer drew into the boat the largest
whale that was in these seas.
"Good fishing," said Thor, as he put his own bait on the line.
"It's something for you to tell the Æsir," said Hrymer.
"I thought as you were here I'd show you something bigger than
salmon-fishing."
"I'll try my luck now," said Thor.
He threw out a line that had at the end of it the mighty-horned head of
the great bull. Down, down the head went. It passed where the whales
swim, and the whales were afraid to gulp at the mighty horns. Down, down
it went till it came near where the monster serpent that coils itself
round the world abides. It reared its head up from its serpent coils as
Thor's bait came down through the depths of the ocean. It gulped at the
head and drew it into its gullet. There the great hook stuck. Terribly
surprised was the serpent monster. It lashed the ocean into a fury. But
still the hook stayed. Then it strove to draw down to the depths of the
ocean the boat of those who had hooked it. Thor put his legs across the
boat and stretched them till they touched the bottom bed of the ocean.
On the bottom bed of the ocean Thor stood and he pulled and he pulled on
his line. The serpent monster lashed the ocean into fiercer and fiercer
storms and all the world's ships were hurled against each other and
wrecked and tossed. But it had to loosen coil after coil of the coils it
makes around the world. Thor pulled and pulled. Then the terrible head
of the serpent monster appeared above the waters. It reared over the
boat that Hrymer sat in and that Thor straddled across. Thor dropped the
line and took up Miölnir, his mighty hammer. He raised it to strike the
head of the serpent monster whose coils go round the world. But Hrymer
would not have that happen. Rather than have Thor pass him by such a
feat he cut the line, and the head of the serpent monster sank back into
the sea. Thor's hammer was raised. He hurled it, hurled that hammer that
always came back to his hand. It followed the sinking head through
fathom after fathom of the ocean depth. It struck the serpent monster a
blow, but not such a deadly blow as would have been struck if the water
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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