The Junior Classics, Volume 2: Folk Tales and Myths
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 2: Folk Tales and Myths
Children's literature; Mythology -- Juvenile literature; Tales -- Juvenile literature
Odin was very much pleased with the appearance of Frey; but, before
constituting him king and schoolmaster of the light elves, he desired
to know what his accomplishments were, and what he considered himself
competent to teach.
“I am the genius of clouds and sunshine,” answered Frey; and as he spoke,
the essences of a hundred perfumes were exhaled from his breath. “I am
the genius of clouds and sunshine, and if the light elves will have me
for their king I can teach them how to burst the folded buds, to set the
blossoms, to pour sweetness into the swelling fruit, to lead the bees
through the honey-passages of the flowers, to make the single ear a stalk
of wheat, to hatch birds’ eggs, and teach the little ones to sing—all
this, and much more,” said Frey, “I know, and will teach them.”
Then answered Odin, “It is well;” and Frey took his scholars away with
him to Alfheim, which is in every beautiful place under the sun.
HOW THOR WENT TO JÖTUNHEIM
By A. and E. Keary
Once on a time, Asa Thor and Loki set out on a journey from Asgard to
Jötunheim. They travelled in Thor’s chariot, drawn by two milk-white
goats. It was a somewhat cumbrous iron chariot, and the wheels made
a rumbling noise as it moved, which sometimes startled the ladies of
Asgard, and made them tremble; but Thor liked it, thought the noise
sweeter than any music, and was never so happy as when he was journeying
in it from one place to another.
They travelled all day, and in the evening they came to a countryman’s
house. It was a poor, lonely place; but Thor descended from his chariot,
and determined to pass the night there. The countryman, however, had no
food in his house to give these travellers; and Thor, who liked to feast
himself and make every one feast with him, was obliged to kill his own
two goats and serve them up for supper. He invited the countryman and his
wife and children to sup with him; but before they began to eat he made
one request of them.
“Do not, on any account,” he said, “break or throw away any of the bones
of the goats you are going to eat for supper.”
“I wonder why,” said the peasant’s son, Thialfi, to his sister Roska.
Roska could not think of any reason, and by-and-bye Thialfi happened to
have a very nice little bone given him with some marrow in it. “Certainly
there can be no harm in my breaking just this one,” he said to himself;
“it would be such a pity to lose the marrow;” and as Asa Thor’s head was
turned another way, he slyly broke the bone in two, sucked the marrow,
and then threw the pieces into the goat’s skins, where Thor had desired
that all the bones might be placed. I do not know whether Thialfi was
uneasy during the night about what he had done; but in the morning he
found out the reason of Asa Thor’s command, and received a lesson on
“wondering why,” which he never forgot all his life after.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account