The Story of Siegfried Page 15

  "Spare me, I pray you," he cried. "I know that you are no mean knight;and, if I had not promised to serve my master Siegfried until death, Ifain would acknowledge you as my lord."

  But Siegfried bound the writhing dwarf, and placed him, struggling andhelpless, by the side of the giant.

  "Tell me, now, your name, I pray," said the dwarf; "for I must give anaccount of this adventure to my master when he comes."

  "Who is your master?"

  "His name is Siegfried; and he is king of the Nibelungens, and lord, byright, of the great Nibelungen Hoard. To me and to my fellows he longago intrusted the keeping of this castle and of the Hoard that lies deephidden in the hollow hill; and I have sworn to keep it safe until hisreturn."

  Then Siegfried threw off his Tarnkappe, and stood in his own properperson before the wonder-stricken dwarf.

  "Noble Siegfried," cried the delighted Alberich, "right glad I am thatyou have come again to claim your own. Spare my life, and pardon me, Ipray, and let me know what is your will. Your bidding shall be done atonce."

  "Hasten, then," said Siegfried, loosing him from his bonds,--"hasten,and arouse my Nibelungen hosts. Tell them that their chief has comeagain to Mist Land, and that he has work for them to do."

  Then Alberich, when he had set the giant gatekeeper free, sent heraldsto every town and castle in the land to make known the words and wishesof Siegfried. And the gallant Nibelungen warriors, when they heard thattheir liege lord had come again, sprang up joyously, and girded ontheir armor, and hastened to obey his summons. And soon the strong-builtcastle was full of noble men,--of earls, and the faithful liegemenwho had known Siegfried of old. And joyful and happy were the words ofgreeting.

  In the mean while, Alberich had busied himself in preparing a greatfeast for his master and his master's chieftains. In the long low hallthat the dwarfs had hollowed out within the mountain's heart, the tablewas spread, and on it was placed every delicacy that could be wished.There were fruits and wines from the sunny South-land, and snow-whiteloaves made from the wheat of Gothland, and fish from Old AEgir'skingdom, and venison from the king's wild-wood, and the flesh of many afowl most delicately baked, and, near the head of the board, a huge wildboar roasted whole. And the hall was lighted by a thousand tapers, eachheld in the hands of a swarthy elf; and the guests were served by theelf-women, who ran hither and thither, obedient to every call. ButAlberich, at Siegfried's desire, sat upon the dais at his lord's righthand. Merriment ruled the hour, and happy greetings were heard on everyside. And, when the feast was at its height, a troop of hill-folk camedancing into the hall; and a hundred little fiddlers, perched in theniches of the wall, made merry music, and kept time for the busy,clattering little feet. And when the guests had tired of music andlaughter, and the dancers had gone away, and the tables no longergroaned under the weight of good cheer Siegfried and his earls stillsat at their places, and beguiled the hours with pleasant talk and withstories of the earlier days. And Alberich, as the master of the feast,told a tale of the dwarf-folk, and how once they were visited in theirhill-home by Loki the Mischief-maker.

  Alberich's Story.

  My story begins with the Asa-folk, and has as much to do with the godsas with my kinsmen the dwarfs. It happened long ago, when the world wasyoung, and the elf-folk had not yet lost all their ancient glory.

  Sif, as you all know, is Thor's young wife, and she is very fair. It issaid, too, that she is as gentle and lovable as her husband is rudeand strong; and that while he rides noisily through storm and wind,furiously fighting the foes of the mid-world, she goes quietly about,lifting up the down-trodden, and healing the broken-hearted. In thesummer season, when the Thunderer has driven the Storm-giants back totheir mist-hidden mountain homes, and the black clouds have been rolledaway, and piled upon each other in the far east, Sif comes gleefullytripping through the meadows, raising up the bruised flowers, and withsmiles calling the frightened birds from their hiding-places to frolicand sing in the fresh sunshine again. The growing fields and thegrassy mountain slopes are hers; and the rustling green leaves, and thesparkling dewdrops, and the sweet odors of spring blossoms, and the gladsongs of the summer-time, follow in her footsteps.

  Sif, as I have said, is very fair; and, at the time of my story, therewas one thing of which she was a trifle vain. That was her long silkenhair, which fell in glossy waves almost to her feet. On calm, warm days,she liked to sit by the side of some still pool, and gaze at her ownbeauty pictured in the water below, while, like the sea-maidens of oldAEgir's kingdom, she combed and braided her rich, flowing tresses.And in all the mid-world nothing has ever been seen so like the goldensunbeams as was Sif's silken hair.

  At that time the cunning Mischief-maker, Loki, was still living with theAsa-folk. And, as you well know, this evil worker was never pleased savewhen he was plotting trouble for those who were better than himself.He liked to meddle with business which was not his own, and was alwaystrying to mar the pleasures of others. His tricks and jokes were seldomof the harmless kind, and yet great good sometimes grew out of them.

  When Loki saw how proud Sif was of her long hair, and how much timeshe spent in combing and arranging it, he planned a very cruel piece ofmischief. He hid himself in a little rocky cavern, near the pool whereSif was wont to sit, and slily watched her all the morning as shebraided and unbraided her flowing silken locks. At last, overcome by theheat of the mid-day sun, she fell asleep upon the grassy bank. Then theMischief-maker quietly crept near, and with his sharp shears cut off allthat wealth of hair, and shaved her head until it was as smooth asher snow-white hand. Then he hid himself again in the little cave, andchuckled with great glee at the wicked thing he had done.

  By and by Sif awoke, and looked into the stream; but she started quicklyback with horror and affright at the image which she saw. She felt ofher shorn head; and, when she learned that those rich waving tresseswhich had been her joy and pride were no longer there, she knew not whatto do. Hot, burning tears ran down her cheeks, and with sobs and shrieksshe began to call aloud for Thor. Forthwith there was a terrible uproar.The lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled, and an earthquake shookthe rocks and trees. Loki, looking out from his hiding-place, saw thatThor was coming, and he trembled with fear; for he knew, that, shouldthe Thunderer catch him, he would have to pay dearly for his wickedsport. He ran quickly out of the cavern, and leaped into the river, andchanged himself into a salmon, and swam as swiftly as he could away fromthe shore.

  But Thor was not so easily fooled; for he had long known Loki, and wasacquainted with all his cunning ways. So when he saw Sif bewailing herstolen hair, and beheld the frightened salmon hurrying alone towardsthe deep water, he was at no loss to know whose work this mischief was.Straightway he took upon himself the form of a sea-gull, and soared highup over the water. Then, poising a moment in the air, he darted, swiftas an arrow, down into the river. When he arose from the water, he heldthe struggling salmon tightly grasped in his strong talons.

  "Vile Mischief-maker!" cried Thor, as he alighted upon the top ofa neighboring crag: "I know thee who thou art; and I will make theebitterly rue the work of this day. Limb from limb will I tear thee, andthy bones will I grind into powder."

  Loki, when he saw that he could not by any means get away from the angryThunderer, changed himself back to his own form, and humbly said toThor,--

  "What if you do your worst with me? Will that give back a single hair toSif's shorn head? What I did was only a thoughtless joke, and I reallymeant no harm. Do but spare my life, and I will more than make good themischief I have done."

  "How can that be?" asked Thor.

  "I will hie me straight to the secret smithies of dwarfs," answeredLoki; "and those cunning little kinsmen of mine shall make goldentresses for fair Sif, which will grow upon her head like other hair, andcause her to be an hundred-fold more beautiful than before."

  Thor knew that Loki was a slippery fellow, and that he did not always dowhat he promised, and hence he would not let him go. He ca
lled to Frey,who had just come up, and said,--

  "Come, cousin Frey, help me to rid the world of this sly thief. While Ihold fast to his raven hair, and his long slim arms, do you seize him bythe heels, and we will give his limbs to the fishes, and his body to thebirds, for food."

  Loki, now thoroughly frightened, wept, and kissed Frey's feet, andhumbly begged for mercy. And he promised that he would bring from thedwarf's smithy, not only the golden hair for Sif, but also a mightyhammer for Thor, and a swift steed for Frey. So earnest were hiswords, and so pitiful was his plea, that Thor at last set the tremblingMischief-maker free, and bade him hasten away on his errand. Quickly,then, he went in search of the smithy of the dwarfs.

  He crossed the desert moorlands, and came, after three days, to thebleak hill-country, and the rugged mountain-land of the South. There theearthquake had split the mountains apart, and dug dark and bottomlessgorges, and hollowed out many a low-walled cavern, where the lightof day was never seen. Through deep, winding ways, and along narrowcrevices, Loki crept; and he glided under huge rocks, and downwardthrough slanting, crooked clefts, until at last he came to a greatunderground hall, where his eyes were dazzled by a light which wasstronger and brighter than day; for on every side were glowing fires,roaring in wonderful little forges, and blown by wonderful littlebellows And the vaulted roof above was thickly set with diamonds andprecious stones, that sparkled and shone like thousands of bright starsin the blue sky. And the little dwarfs, with comical brown faces,and wearing strange leathern aprons, and carrying heavy hammers, werehurrying here and there, each busy at his task. Some were smelting puregold from the coarse rough rocks; others were making precious gems, andrich rare jewels, such as the proudest king would be glad to wear. Here,one was shaping pure, round pearls from dewdrops and maidens' tears;there, another wrought green emeralds from the first leaves of spring.So busy were they all, that they neither stopped nor looked up when Lokicame into their hall, but all kept hammering and blowing and working, asif their lives depended upon their being always busy.

  After Loki had curiously watched their movements for some time, he spoketo the dwarf whose forge was nearest to him, and made known his errand.But the little fellow was fashioning a flashing diamond, which he calledthe Mountain of Light; and he scarcely looked up as he answered,--

  "I do not work in gold. Go to Ivald's sons: they will make whatever youwish."

  To Ivald's sons, then, in the farthest and brightest corner of the hall,Loki went. They very readily agreed to make the golden hair for Sif,and they began the work at once. A lump of purest gold was brought, andthrown into the glowing furnace; and it was melted and drawn, and meltedand drawn, seven times. Then it was given to a little brown elf withmerry, twinkling eyes, who carried it with all speed to another part ofthe great hall, where the dwarfs' pretty wives were spinning. One ofthe little women took the yellow lump from the elf's hands, and laid it,like flax, upon her spinning-wheel. Then she sat down and began to spin;and, as she span, the dwarf-wives sang a strange, sweet song of the old,old days when the dwarf-folk ruled the world. And the tiny brown elvesdanced gleefully around the spinner, and the thousand little anvils rangout a merry chorus to the music of the singers. And the yellow gold wastwisted into threads, and the threads ran into hair softer than silk,and finer than gossamer. And at last the dwarf-woman held in her handlong golden tresses ten times more beautiful than the amber locks thatLoki had cut from Sif's fair head. When Ivald's sons, proud of theirskill, gave the rare treasure to the Mischief-maker, Loki smiled as ifhe were well pleased; but in his heart he was angry because the dwarfshad made so fair a piece of workmanship. Then he said,--

  "This is, indeed, very handsome, and will be very becoming to Sif. Oh,what an uproar was made about those flaxen tresses that she loved sowell! And that reminds me that her husband, the gruff old Giant-killer,wants a hammer. I promised to get him one; and, if I fail, he willdoubtless be rude with me. I pray you make such a hammer as will be ofmost use to him in fighting the Jotuns, and you may win favor both foryourselves and me."

  "Not now," said the elder of Ivald's sons. "We cannot make it now; forwho would dare to send a present to Thor before he has offered one toOdin, the great All-Father?"

  "Make me, then, a gift for Odin," cried Loki; "and he will shelter mefrom the Thunderer's wrath."

  So the dwarfs put iron into their furnace, and heated it to a glowingwhite-heat; and then they drew it out, and rolled it upon their anvils,and pounded it with heavy hammers, until they had wrought a wondrousspear, such as no man had ever seen. Then they inlaid it with pricelessjewels, and plated the point with gold seven times tried.

  "This is the spear Gungner," said they. "Take it to the great All-Fatheras the best gift of his humble earth-workers."

  "Make me now a present for Frey the gentle," said Loki. "I owe my lifeto him; and I have promised to take him a swift steed that will bear himeverywhere."

  Then Ivald's sons threw gold into the furnace, and blew with theirbellows until the very roof of the great cave-hall seemed to tremble,and the smoke rolled up the wide chimney, and escaped in dense fumesfrom the mountain-top. When they left off working, and the fire diedaway, a fairy ship, with masts and sails, and two banks of long oars,and a golden dragon stem, rose out of the glowing coals; and it grew insize until it filled a great part of the hall, and might have furnishedroom for a thousand warriors with their arms and steeds. Then, at a wordfrom the dwarfs, it began to shrink, and it became smaller and smalleruntil it was no broader than an oak-leaf. And the younger of Ivald'ssons folded it up like a napkin, and gave it to Loki, saying,--

  "Take this to Frey the gentle. It is the ship Skidbladner. When it iswanted for a voyage, it will carry all the Asa-folk and their weaponsand stores; and, no matter where they wish to go, the wind will alwaysdrive it straight to the desired port. But, when it is not needed, thegood Frey may fold it up, as I have done, and carry it safely in hispocket."

  Loki was much pleased; and, although he felt disappointed because he hadno present for Thor, he heartily thanked the dwarfs for their kindness;and taking the golden hair, and the spear Gungner, and the shipSkidbladner, he bade Ivald's sons good-by, and started for home. But,before he reached the narrow doorway which led out of the cave, he mettwo crooked-backed dwarfs, much smaller and much uglier than any he hadseen before.

  "What have you there?" asked one of them, whose name was Brok.

  "Hair for Sif, a spear for Odin, and a ship for Frey," answered Loki.

  "Let us see them," said Brok.

  Loki kindly showed them the strange gifts, and told them, that, inhis belief, no dwarfs in all the world had ever before wrought suchwonderful things.

  "Who made them?" inquired Brok.

  "Ivald's sons."

  "Ah! Ivald's sons sometimes do good work, but there are many otherdwarfs who can do better. For instance, my brother Sindre, who standshere, can make three other treasures altogether as good as those youhave."

  "It cannot be!" cried Loki.

  "I tell you the truth," said the dwarf. "And, to show you that I meanjust what I say, I will wager against your head all the diamonds inthe ceiling above us, that he will make not only as good treasures, butthose which the Asas will esteem much higher."

  "Agreed!" cried Loki,--"agreed! I take the wager. Let your brother tryhis skill at once."

  The three went straightway to Sindre's forge, and the brothers begantheir task. When the fire was roaring hot, and the sparks flew from thechimney like showers of shooting-stars, Sindre put a pig-skin into thefurnace, and bade Brok blow the bellows with all his might, and neverstop until he should speak the word. The flames leaped up white andhot, and the furnace glowed with a dazzling light, while Brok plied thebellows, and Sindre, with unblinking eyes, watched the slowly changingcolors that played around the melted and shapeless mass within. Whilethe brothers were thus intent upon their work, Loki changed himself toa great horse-fly, and settled upon Brok's hand, and bit him withoutmercy. But the dwarf kept on b
lowing the bellows, and stopped not untilhis brother cried out,--

  "Enough!"

  Then Sindre drew out of the flickering blue flames a huge wild boar withlong tusks of ivory, and golden bristles that glittered and shone likethe beams of the sun.

  "This is Golden Bristle," said the dwarf. "It is the gift of Brok andhis brother to the gentle Frey. His ship Skidbladner can carry him onlyover the sea; but Golden Bristle shall be a trusty steed that will bearhim with the speed of the wind over the land or through the air."

  Next the dwarfs threw gold into the furnace, and Brok plied the bellows,and Sindre gazed into the flames, as before. And the great horse-flybuzzed in Brok's face, and darted at his eyes, and at last settled uponhis neck, and stung him until the pain caused big drops of sweat to rolloff of his forehead. But the dwarf stopped not nor faltered, until hisbrother again cried out,--