The Story of Siegfried Page 11

  Idun was amazed. Her apples were supposed to be always fresh,--fresherby far than any that grow nowadays. None of the gods had ever beforecomplained about them; and she told Loki so.

  "Very well," said he. "I see you do not believe me, and that you mean tofeed us on your sour, withered apples, when we might as well have goldenfruit. If you were not so bent on having your own way, I could tell youwhere you might fill your box with the choicest of apples, such as Odinloves. I saw them in the forest over yonder, hanging ripe on the trees.But women will always have their own way; and you must have yours, eventhough you do feed the gods on withered apples."

  So saying, and without waiting to hear an answer, he limped out at thedoor, and was soon gone from sight.

  Idun thought long and anxiously upon the words which Loki had spoken;and, the more she thought, the more she felt troubled. If her husband,the wise Bragi, had been at home, what would she not have given? Hewould have understood the mischief-maker's cunning. But he had gone ona long journey to the South, singing in Nature's choir, and paintingNature's landscapes, and she would not see him again until the returnof spring. At length she opened the box, and looked at the fruit. Theapples were certainly fair and round: she could not see a wrinkle or ablemish on any of them; their color was the same golden-red,--like thesky at dawn of a summer's day; yet she thought there must be somethingwrong about them. She took up one of the apples, and tasted it. Shefancied that it really was sour, and she hastily put it back, and lockedthe box again.

  "He said that he had seen better apples than these growing in thewoods," said she to herself. "I half believe that he told the truth,although everybody knows that he is not always trustworthy. I think Ishall go to the forest and see for myself, at any rate."

  So she donned her cloak and hood, and, with a basket on her arm, leftthe house, and walked rapidly away, along the road which led to theforest. It was much farther than she had thought, and the sun was almostdown when she reached the edge of the wood. But no apple-trees werethere. Tall oaks stretched their bare arms up towards the sky, as ifpraying for help. There were thorn-trees and brambles everywhere; butthere was no fruit, neither were there any flowers, nor even greenleaves. The Frost-giants had been there.

  Idun was about to turn her footsteps homewards, when she heard a wildshriek in the tree-tops over her head; and, before she could look up,she felt herself seized in the eagle-talons of Old Winter. Struggle asshe would, she could not free herself. High up, over wood and stream,the giant carried her; and then he flew swiftly away with her, towardshis home in the chill North-land; and, when morning came, poor Idunfound herself in an ice-walled castle in the cheerless country of thegiants. But she was glad to know that the precious box was safely lockedat home, and that the golden key was still at her girdle.

  Time passed; and I fear that Idun would have been forgotten by all,save her husband Bragi, had not the gods begun to feel the need of herapples. Day after day they came to Idun's house, hoping to find the gooddame and her golden key at home; and each day they went away some hoursolder than when they had come. Bragi was beside himself with grief, andhis golden harp was unstrung and forgotten. No one had seen the missingIdun since the day when Loki had visited her, and none could guess whathad become of her. The heads of all the folk grew white with age; deepfurrows were ploughed in their faces; their eyes grew dim, and theirhearing failed; their hands trembled; their limbs became palsied; theirfeet tottered; and all feared that Old Age would bring Death in histrain.

  Then Bragi and Thor questioned Loki very sharply; and when he felt thathe, too, was growing odd and feeble, he regretted the mischief he haddone, and told them how he had decoyed Idun into Old Winter's clutches.The gods were very angry; and Thor threatened to crush Loki with hishammer, if he did not at once bring Idun safe home again.

  So Loki borrowed the falcon-plumage of Freyja, the goddess of love, andwith it flew to the country of the giants. When he reached Old Winter'scastle, he found the good dame Idun shut up in the prison-tower, andbound with fetters of ice; but the giant himself was on the frozen sea,herding old Hymer's cows. And Loki quickly broke the bonds that heldIdun, and led her out of her prison-house; and then he shut her up in amagic nut-shell which he held between his claws, and flew with the speedof the wind back towards the South-land and the home of the gods. ButOld Winter coming home, and learning what had been done, donned hiseagle-plumage and followed swiftly in pursuit.

  Bragi and Thor, anxiously gazing into the sky, saw Loki, in Freyja'sfalcon-plumage, speeding homewards, with the nut-shell in his talons,and Old Winter, in his eagle-plumage, dashing after in sharp pursuit.Quickly they gathered chips and slender twigs, and placed them high uponthe castle-wall; and, when Loki with his precious burden had flown past,they touched fire to the dry heap, and the flames blazed up to the sky,and caught Old Winter's plumage, as, close behind the falcon, he blindlypressed. And his wings were scorched in the flames; and he fell helplessto the ground, and was slain within the castle-gates. Loki slackenedhis speed; and, when he reached Bragi's house, he dropped the nut-shellsoftly before the door. As it touched the ground, it gently opened, andIdun, radiant with smiles, and clothed in gay attire, stepped forth,and greeted her husband and the waiting gods. And the heavenly music ofBragi's long-silent harp welcomed her home; and she took the golden keyfrom her girdle, and unlocked the box, and gave of her apples to theaged company; and, when they had tasted, their youth was renewed.[EN#22]

  It is thus with the seasons and their varied changes. The gifts ofSpring are youth and jollity, and renewed strength; and the music of airand water and all things, living and lifeless, follow in her train. Thedesolating Winter plots to steal her from the earth, and the Summer-heatdeserts and betrays her. Then the music of Nature is hushed, and allcreatures pine in sorrow for her absence, and the world seems dying ofwhite Old Age. But at length the Summer-heat repents, and frees her fromher prison-house; and the icy fetters with which Old Winter bound herare melted in the beams of the returning sun, and the earth is youngagain.

  Adventure XII. The War with the North-kings.

  So swiftly and so pleasantly the days went by, that weeks lengthenedinto months, and the spring-time passed, and the summer came, and stillSiegfried lingered in Burgundy with his kind friends. The time was spentin all manner of joyance,--in hunting the deer in the deep oak-woods,in riding over the daisied meadows or among the fields of corn, in manlygames and sports, in music and dancing, in feasting and in pleasanttalk. And of all the noble folk who had ever sat at Gunther's table, orhunted in the Burgundian woods, none were so worthy or so fair as theproud young lord of the Nibelungens.

  One day in early autumn a party of strange knights rode up to thecastle, and asked to speak with the Burgundian kings. They were ledstraightway into the great hall; and Gunther and his brothers welcomedthem, as was their wont, right heartily, and asked them from whatcountry they had come, and what was their errand.

  "We come," they answered, "from the North country; and we bring wordfrom our lords and kings, Leudiger and Leudigast."

  "And what would our kingly neighbors say to us?" asked Gunther.

  Then the strangers said that their lords had become very angry with theBurgundian kings, and that they meant, within twelve weeks from thatday, to come with a great army, and lay the country waste, and besiegetheir city and castle. All this they had sworn to do unless theBurgundians would make peace with them upon such terms as Leudiger andLeudigast should please to grant.

  When Gunther and his brothers heard this, they were struck with dismay.But they ordered the messengers to be well cared for and handsomelyentertained within the palace until the morrow, at which time theyshould have the Burgundians' answer. All the noblest knights andearl-folk were called together, and the matter was laid before them.

  "What answer shall we send to our rude neighbors of the North?" askedGunther.

  Gernot and the young Giselher declared at once for war. Old Hagen andother knights, whose prudence was at least equa
l to their bravery, saidbut little. It was known, that, in the armies of the North-kings, therewere at least forty thousand soldiers; but in Burgundy there were notmore than thirty thousand fighting-men, all told. The North-kings'forces were already equipped, and ready to march; but the Burgundianscould by no means raise and arm any considerable body of men in theshort space of twelve weeks. It would be the part of wisdom to delay,and to see what terms could best be made with their enemies. Such werethe prudent counsels of the older knights, but Gernot and the youngchief Volker would not listen to such words.

  "The Burgundians are not cowards," said they. "We have never been foiledin battle; never have we been the vassals of a stranger. Why, then,shall we cringe and cower before such men as Leudiger and Leudigast?"

  Then Hagen answered, "Let us ask our friend and guest Siegfried. Let uslearn what he thinks about this business. Everybody knows that he is aswise in council as he is brave in the field. We will abide by what hesays."

  But Gunther and Gernot and the young Giselher were unwilling to do this;for it was not their custom to annoy their guests with questions whichshould be allowed to trouble themselves alone. And the kings and theircounsellors went out of the council-chamber, each to ponder in silenceupon the troublesome question.

  As Gunther, with downcast head and troubled brow, walked thoughtfullythrough the great hall, he unexpectedly met Siegfried.

  "What evil tidings have you heard?" asked the prince, surprised at thestrange mien of the king. "What has gone amiss, that should cause suchlooks of dark perplexity?"

  "That is a matter which I can tell only to friends long tried and true,"answered Gunther.

  Siegfried was surprised and hurt by these words; and he cried out,--

  "What more would Gunther ask of me that I might prove my friendship?Surely I have tried to merit his esteem and trust. Tell me what troublesyou, and I will further show myself to be your friend both tried andtrue."

  Then Gunther was ashamed of the words he had spoken to his guest; and hetook Siegfried into his own chamber, and told him all; and he askedhim what answer they should send on the morrow to the overbearingNorth-kings.

  "Tell them we will fight," answered Siegfried. "I myself will leadyour warriors to the fray. Never shall it be said that my friends havesuffered wrong, and I not tried to help them."

  Then he and Gunther talked over the plans which they would follow. Andthe clouds fled at once from the brow of the king, and he was no longertroubled or doubtful; for he believed in Siegfried.

  The next morning the heralds of the North-kings were brought againbefore Gunther and his brothers; and they were told to carry this wordto their masters,--

  "The Burgundians will fight. They will make no terms with their enemies,save such as they make of their own free-will."

  Then the heralds were loaded with costly presents, and a company ofknights and warriors went with them to the border-line of Burgundy; and,filled with wonder at what they had seen, they hastened back to theirliege lords, and told all that had happened to them. And Leudigerand Leudigast were very wroth when they heard the answer which theBurgundians had sent to them; but, when they learned that the nobleSiegfried was at Gunther's castle, they shook their heads, and seemed tofeel more doubtful of success.

  Many and busy were the preparations for war, and in a very few days allthings were in readiness for the march northwards. It was settled thatSiegfried with his twelve Nibelungen chiefs, and a thousand pickedmen, should go forth to battle against their boastful enemies. Thedark-browed Hagen, as he had always done, rode at the head of thecompany, and by his side was Siegfried on the noble horse Greyfell. Nextcame Gernot and the bold chief Volker, bearing the standard, upon whicha golden dragon was engraved; then followed Dankwart and Ortwin, and thetwelve worthy comrades of Siegfried; and then the thousand warriors,the bravest in all Rhineland, mounted on impatient steeds, and cladin bright steel armor, with broad shields, and plumed helmets, andburnished swords, and sharp-pointed spears. And all rode proudly outthrough the great castle-gate. And Gunther and the young Giselher andall the fair ladies of the court bade them God-speed.

  The little army passed through the forest, and went northwards, until,on the fifth day, they reached the boundaries of Saxon Land. AndSiegfried gave spur to his horse Greyfell, and, leaving the little armybehind him, hastened forwards to see where the enemy was encamped. Ashe reached the top of a high hill, he saw the armies of the North-kingsresting carelessly in the valley beyond. Knights, mounted on theirhorses, rode hither and thither: the soldiers sauntered lazily amongthe trees, or slept upon the grass; arms were thrown about in greatdisorder, or stacked in piles near the smoking camp-fires. No onedreamed of danger; but all supposed that the Burgundians were still athome, and would never dare to attack a foe so numerous and so strong.

  For it was, indeed, a mighty army which Siegfried saw before him. Fullforty thousand men were there; and they not only filled the valley, butspread over the hills beyond, and far to the right and left.

  While he stood at the top of the hill, and gazed upon this sight, awarrior, who had spied him from below, rode up, and paused before him.Like two black thunder-clouds, with lightning flashing between, thetwo knights stood facing each other, and casting wrathful glances frombeneath their visors. Then each spurred his horse, and charged with furyupon the other; and the heavy lances of both were broken in shivers uponthe opposing shields. Then, quick as thought, they turned and drewtheir swords, and hand to hand they fought. But soon Siegfried, by anunlooked-for stroke, sent his enemy's sword flying from him, broken in adozen pieces, and by a sudden movement he threw him from his horse. Theheavy shield of the fallen knight was no hinderance to the quick strokesof Siegfried's sword; and his glittering armor, soiled by the mud intowhich he had been thrown, held him down. He threw up his hands, andbegged for mercy.

  "I am Leudigast the king!" he cried. "Spare my life. I am yourprisoner."

  Siegfried heard the prayer of the discomfited king; and, lifting himfrom the ground, he helped him to remount his charger. But, while he wasdoing this, thirty warriors, who had seen the combat from below, camedashing up the hill to the rescue of their liege-lord. Siegfried facedabout with his horse Greyfell, and quietly waited for their onset. But,as they drew near, they were so awed by the noble bearing and grandproportions of the hero, and so astonished at sight of the sunbeam maneof Greyfell, and the cold glitter of the blade Balmung, that in suddenfright they stopped, then turned, and fled in dismay down the slopinghillside, nor paused until they were safe among their friends.

  In the mean while Leudiger, the other king, seeing what was going onat the top of the hill, had caused an alarm to be sounded; and all hishosts had hastily arranged themselves in battle-array. At the same timeHagen and Gernot, and their little army of heroes, hove in sight, andcame quickly to Siegfried's help, and the dragon-banner was planted uponthe crest of the hill. The captive king, Leudigast, was taken to therear, and a guard was placed over him. The champions of the Rhine formedin line, and faced their foes. The great army of the North-kings movedboldly up the hill: and, when they saw how few were the Burgundians,they laughed and cheered most lustily; for they felt that the odds wasin their favor--and forty to one is no small odds.

  Then Siegfried and his twelve comrades, and Hagen and the thousandBurgundian knights, dashed upon them with the fury of the whirlwind.The lances flew so thick in the air, that they hid the sun from sight;swords flashed on every side; the sound of clashing steel, and horses'hoofs, and soldiers' shouts, filled earth and sky with a horrid din. Andsoon the boastful foes of the Burgundians were everywhere worsted, andthrown into disorder. Siegfried dashed hither and thither, from one partof the field to another, in search of King Leudiger. Thrice he cut hisway through the ranks, and at last he met face to face the one for whomhe sought.

  King Leudiger saw the flashing sunbeams that glanced from Greyfell'smane, he saw the painted crown upon the hero's broad shield, and then hefelt the fearful stroke of the sword Balmung, as i
t clashed againsthis own, and cut it clean in halves. He dropped his weapons, raised hisvisor, and gave himself up as a prisoner.

  "Give up the fight, my brave fellows," he cried. "This is Siegfried thebrave, the Prince of the Lowlands, and the Lord of Nibelungen Land. Itwere foolishness to fight against him. Save yourselves as best you can."

  This was the signal for a frightful panic. All turned and fled. Eachthought of nothing but his own safety; and knights and warriors,horsemen and foot-soldiers, in one confused mass, throwing shields andweapons here and there, rushed wildly down the hill, and through thevalley and ravines, and sought, as best they could, their way homeward.The Burgundian heroes were the masters of the field, and on the morrowthey turned their faces joyfully towards Rhineland. And all joined insaying that to Siegfried was due the praise for this wonderful victorywhich they had gained.

  Heralds had been sent on the fleetest horses to carry the glad news toBurgundy; and when, one morning, they dashed into the court-yard of thecastle, great was the anxiety to know what tidings they brought. AndKing Gunther, and the young Giselher, and the peerless Kriemhild,came out to welcome them, and eagerly to inquire what had befallen theheroes. With breathless haste the heralds told the story of all that hadhappened.

  "And how fares our brother Gernot?" asked Kriemhild.

  "There is no happier man on earth," answered the herald. "In truth,there was not a coward among them all; but the bravest of the brave wasSiegfried. He it was who took the two kings prisoners; and everywhere inthe thickest of the fight there was Siegfried. And now our little armyis on its homeward march, with a thousand prisoners, and large numbersof the enemy's wounded. Had it not been for the brave Siegfried, no suchvictory could have been won."