The Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian MythologyKeary, Annie
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The Heroes of Asgard: Tales from Scandinavian Mythology
Keary, Annie
Mythology, Norse -- Juvenile literature
Giant Vafthrûdnir, that "Ancient Talker," he who sits ever in his
Hall weaving new and intricate questions for the gods, saw them; and
looking up towards the brooding heavens, he exchanged glances with
the Father of Hosts. But the dwarfs did not come near Vafthrüdnir's
Halls; they never looked aside at him, nor up to the Air Throne of
the Asa; only rushed heedlessly on till they stumbled over the Giant
Gilling, who was taking a nap upon the green bank of Ifing. Ifing
looks a lazy stream; one can hardly see at first sight that it flows
at all; but it flows, and flows quietly, unceasingly, and is so deep
that neither god nor giant has ever yet been able to fathom it. It
is, in fact, that stream which divides for ever the Jötuns from the
Gods, and of it Odin himself once said:--
"Open shall it run
Throughout all time,
On that stream no ice shall be."
So the dwarfs found Gilling asleep; they knew how deep Ifing was,
they knew that if they could once roll the giant Gilling in there he
would never get out again, and then they should have done something
worth speaking about.
"I have killed a giant," each dwarf might say, and, who knows, even
the Æsir might begin to feel a little afraid of them.
"It all comes from drinking Kvasir's blood," they said, and then with
their thousand little swords and spears, and sticks and stones, they
worked away until they had plunged the sleeping giant into the
stream. Allfather's piercing eye saw it all, and how the silly dwarfs
jumped and danced about afterwards, and praised themselves, and
defied the whole world, gods, giants and men.
"It is not for us," they said, "any more to run away before Skinfaxi
the shining horse that draws day over humankind, whose mane sheds
light instead of dew; we will dance before him and crown ourselves
with gold, as the gods and as men do every morning."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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