The Story of Siegfried Read online

  Hymer cast a wrathful glance towards the place. The post at the end ofthe hall was shivered in pieces by his very look; the beam that upheldthe floor of the loft was broken, and all the kettles tumbled down witha fearful crash. Thor and Tyr crept out from among the rubbish, andstood before old Hymer. The giant was not well pleased at the sight ofsuch guests come thus unbidden to his hall. But he knew that his rudestrength would count as nothing if matched with their skill and weapons:hence he deemed it wise to treat the two Asas as his friends, and tomeet them with cunning and strategy.

  "Welcome to my hall!" he cried. "Fear no hurt from Hymer, for he wasnever known to harm a guest."

  And Thor and Tyr were given the warmest seats at the fireside. And thegiant ordered his thralls to kill the fatted oxen, and to make ready agreat feast in honor of his guests. And, while the meal was being gotready, he sat by Thor's side, and asked him many questions about whatwas going on in the great South-land. And Thor answered him pleasantly,meeting guile with guile. When the feast was in readiness, all sat downat the table, which groaned beneath its weight of meat and drink; forHymer's thralls had killed three fat oxen, and baked them whole forthis meal, and they had filled three huge bowls with ale from his greatbrewing-kettle. Hymer ate and drank very fast, and wished to make hisguests fear him, because he could eat so much. But Thor was not to betaken aback in this way; for he at once ate two of the oxen, and quaffeda huge bowl of ale which the giant had set aside for himself. The giantsaw that he was outdone, and he arose from the table, saying,--

  "Not all my cows would serve to feed two guests so hungry as these. Weshall be obliged to live on fish now."

  He strode out of the hall without another word, and began getting hisboat ready for a sail. But Thor followed him.

  "It is a fine day for fishing," said Thor gayly. "How I should like togo out with you!"

  "Such little fellows as you would better stay at home," growled Hymer.

  "But let me go with you," persisted Thor. "I can certainly row the boatwhile you fish."

  "I have no need of help from such a stunted pygmy," muttered the giant."You could not be of the least use to me: you would only be in my way.Still, if you are bent on doing so, you may go, and you shall take allthe risks. If I go as far as I do sometimes, and stay as long as I oftendo, you may make up your mind never to see the dry land again; for youwill certainly catch your death of cold, and be food for the fishes--if,indeed, they would deign to eat such a scrawny scrap!"

  These taunting words made Thor so angry, that he grasped his hammer, andwas sorely tempted to crush the giant's skull. But he checked himself,and coolly said,--

  "I pray you not to trouble yourself on my account I have set my head ongoing with you, and go I will. Tell me where I can find something that Ican use for bait, and I will be ready in a trice."

  "I have no bait for you," roughly answered Hymer "You must look for ityourself."

  Half a dozen oxen, the very finest and fattest of Hymer's herd, weregrazing on the short grass which grew on the sunnier slopes of thehillside; for not all of the giant's cattle had yet taken to the water.When Thor saw these great beasts, he ran quickly towards them, andseizing the largest one, which Hymer called the Heaven-breaker, hetwisted off his head as easily as he would that of a small fowl, and ranback with it to the boat. Hymer looked at him in anger and amazement,but said nothing; and the two pushed the boat off from the shore. Thelittle vessel sped through the water more swiftly than it had ever donebefore, for Thor plied the oars.

  In a moment the long, low beach was out of sight; and Hymer, who hadnever travelled so fast, began to feel frightened.

  "Stop!" he cried. "Here is the place to fish: I have often caught greatstore of flat-fish here. Let us out with our lines!"

  "No, no!" answered Thor; and he kept on plying the oars. "We are not yetfar enough from shore. The best fish are still many leagues out."

  And the boat skimmed onwards through the waters, and the white spraydashed over the prow; and Hymer, now very much frightened, sat still,and looked at his strange fellow-fisherman, but said not a word. On andon they went; and the shore behind them first grew dim, and then sankout of sight; and the high mountain-tops began to fade away in the sky,and then were seen no more. And when at last the fishermen were so farout at sea that nothing was in sight but the rolling waters on everyside, Thor stopped his rowing.

  "We have come too far!" cried the giant, trembling in every limb. "Thegreat Midgard snake lies hereabouts. Let us turn back!"

  "Not yet," answered Thor quietly. "We will fish here a little while."

  Without loss of time he took from his pocket a strong hook, wonderfullymade, to which he fastened a long line as strong as ten ships' cablestwisted together; then he carefully baited the hook with the gory headof the Heaven-breaker ox, and threw it into the water. As the giant hadfeared, they were now right over the head of the great Midgard snake.The huge beast looked upward with his sleepy eyes, and saw the temptingbait falling slowly through the water; but he did not see the boat, itwas so far above him. Thinking of no harm, he opened his leathern jaws,and greedily gulped the morsel down; but the strong iron hook stuck fastin his throat. Maddened by the pain, he began to lash his tail againstthe floor of the sea; and he twisted and writhed until the ocean wascovered with foam, and the waves ran mountain-high. But Thor pulled hardupon the line above, and strove to lift the reptile's head out of thewater; then the snake darted with lightning speed away, pulling the boatafter him so swiftly, that, had not Thor held on to the oar-locks, hewould have been thrown into the sea. Quickly he tightened his magicgirdle of strength around him, and, standing up in the boat, he pulledwith all his might. The snake would not be lifted. But the boat split intwo; and Thor slid into the water, and stood upon the bottom of the sea.He seized the great snake in his hands, and raised his head clean abovethe water. What a scene of frightful turmoil was there then! The earthshook; the mountains belched forth fire; the lightnings flashed; thecaves howled; and the sky grew black and red. Nobody knows what the endwould have been, had not Hymer reached over, and cut the strong cord.The slippery snake glided out of Thor's hands, and hid himself in thedeep sea; and every thing became quiet again.

  Silently Thor and Hymer sat in the broken boat, and rowed swiftly backtowards land. Thor felt really ashamed of himself, because he had gainednothing by his venture. And the giant was not at all happy.

  When they reached the frozen shore and Hymer's cheerless castle again,they found Tyr there, anxiously waiting for them. He felt that they weretarrying too long in this dreary place; and he wished to be back amonghis fellows in old AEgir's hall. Hymer felt very cross and ugly becausehis boat had been broken; and, when they came into the hall, he said toThor,--

  "You may think that you are very stout,--you who dared attack theMidgard snake, and lifted him out of the sea. Yet there are many littlethings that you cannot do. For instance, here is the earthen goblet fromwhich I drink my ale. Great men, like myself, can crush such gobletsbetween their thumbs and fingers; but such puny fellows as you will findthat they cannot break it by any means."

  "Let me try!" cried Thor.

  He took the great goblet in his hands, and threw it with all hisstrength against a stone post in the middle of the hall. The post wasshattered into a thousand pieces, but the goblet was unharmed.

  "Ha, ha!" laughed the giant. "Try again!"

  Thor did so. This time he threw it against a huge granite rock thatstood like a mountain near the seashore. The rock crumbled in pieces andfell, but the goblet was whole as ever.

  "What a very stout fellow you are!" cried Hymer in glee. "Go home now,and tell the good Asa-folk that you cannot even break a goblet!"

  "Let me try once more," said Thor, amazed, but not disheartened.

  "Throw it against Hymer's forehead," whispered some one over hisshoulder. "It is harder than any rock."

  Thor looked, and saw that it was the giant's handsome wife who hadgiven him this kind advice. He took the goblet, a
nd hurled it quickly,straight at old Hymer's head. The giant had no time to dodge. Thevessel struck him squarely between the eyes, and was shattered into tenthousand little pieces. But the giant's forehead was unhurt.

  "That drink was rather hot!" cried Hymer, trying to joke at his illluck. "But it doesn't take a very great man to break a goblet. Thereis one thing, however, that you cannot do. Yonder is my greatbrewing-kettle, a mile deep. No man has ever lifted it. Now, if you willcarry it out of the hall, where it sits, you may have it for your own."

  "Agreed!" cried Thor. "It is a fair bargain; and, if I fail, I will gohome and never trouble you again."

  Then he took hold of the edge of the great kettle, and lifted it withall his might. The floor of Hymer's hall broke under him, and the wallsand roof came tumbling down; but he turned the kettle over his head,and walked away with it, the great rings of the vessel clattering at hisheels. Tyr went before him, and cleared the way; and Hymer gazedafter him in utter amazement. The two Asa-folk had fairly won thebrewing-kettle.

  In due time they reached old AEgir's hall, where the guests were stillwaiting for them. Some said that they had been gone three days, but mostagreed that it was only three hours. Be that as it may, AEgir's thralls,Funfeng and Elder, brewed great store of ale in the kettle which Thorhad brought; and, when the guests were seated at the table, the foamingliquor passed itself around to each, and there was much merriment andglad good cheer. And old AEgir was so happy in the pleasant company ofthe Asa-folk, that men say that he forgot to blow and bluster for a fullsix months thereafter.[EN#14]

  Such was the story which the wise harper told to Siegfried as theysailed gayly along the Norwegian shore. And with many other pleasanttales did they beguile the hours away. And no one ever thought ofdanger, for the sky was blue and cloudless. And, besides this, Bragihimself was on board; and he could charm and control the rudestelements.

  One day, however, the sea became unaccountably ruffled. There was nowind; but yet the waves rose suddenly, and threatened to overwhelm thelittle ship. Quickly the sailors sprang to their oars, and tried byrowing to drive the vessel away from the shore and into the quieterwaters of the open sea. But all their strength was of no avail: theswift stream carried the little bark onward in its course, as an autumnleaf is borne on the bosom of a mighty river. Then the whole surfaceof the water seemed lashed into fury. The waves formed hundreds ofcurrents, each stronger than a mountain torrent, and each seeming tofollow a course of its own. They clashed wildly against each other; theyheaved, and boiled, and hissed, and threw great clouds of spray highinto the air; they formed deep whirlpools, which twisted and twirled,and broke into a thousand eddies, and then plunged deep down into rockycaverns beneath, or laid bare the bottom of the sea. The helpless shipwas carried round and round, swiftly and more swiftly still; and vainwere the efforts of the crew to steer her out of the seething caldronof waters. Then the cheeks of the sailors grew white with fear; and theydropped their oars, and clung to the masts and ropes, and cried out,--

  "Alas, we are lost! This is old AEgir's brewing-kettle!"

  But Siegfried stood by the helm, and said,--

  "If that be true, then we may sup with him in his gold-lit hall."

  And all this time Bragi slept in the hold, and no one dared awaken him.Faster and faster the ship was carried round the seething pool. Theflying spray was frozen in the air; and it filled the masts with snow,and pattered like heavy hail upon the deck. The light of the sun seemedshut out, and darkness closed around. A dismal chasm yawned deep beforethem, and in the gray gloom the ship's crew saw many wondrous things.Great sea-monsters swam among the rocks, and seemed not to heed theuproar above them. Lovely mermaids sat in their green-and-purple caves,and combed their tresses of golden hair; and thoughtful mermen gropedamong the seaweeds, searching hopefully for lost or hidden treasures.Then Siegfried caught a glimpse of the mighty AEgir, sitting in hisbanquet-room; and, as he quaffed his foaming ale, he called aloud to hisdaughters to leave their play, and come to their father in his gold-lithall. And the white-veiled Waves answered to their names, and cameat his call. First, Raging Sea entered the wide hall, and sat by theOcean-king's side; then Billow, then Surge, then Surf, and Breakers;then came the Purple-haired, and the Diver; but AEgir's two youngestdaughters, Laughing Ripple and Smiling Sky-clear, came not at theirfather's beck, but lingered to play among the rocks and in the open sea.

  So deeply engaged was Siegfried in watching this scene, that he did notnotice Bragi, who now came upon the deck with his harp in his hand. Andsweet music arose from among the dashing waves, and was heard far downin the deep sea-caverns, and even in AEgir's hall. And, when Siegfriedlooked up again, the eddying whirlpools, and the threatening waves, andthe flying spray, were no more; but the ship was gliding over the quietwaters of a deep blue sea, and the sun was shining brightly in the clearsky above. Then an east wind filled the sails; and, as Bragi's musicrose sweeter and higher, they glided swiftly away from the coast, andsoon the snow-capped mountain-peaks grew dim in the distance, and thensank from sight.

  Many days they sailed over an unknown sea, and towards an unknown land;and none but Bragi knew what the end of their voyage would be. And yetno one doubted or was afraid, for the secrets of the earth and the seawere known to the sweet singer. After a time, the water became as smoothas glass: not a ripple moved upon its surface, and not the slightestbreath of air stirred among the idly-hanging sails. Then the sailorswent to their oars; but they seemed overcome with languor andsleepiness, and only when Bragi played upon his harp did they move theiroars with their wonted strength and quickness. And at last they came insight of a long, low coast, and a shelving beach up which the tide wasslowly creeping in drowsy silence. And not half a league from the shorewas a grand old castle, with a tall tower and many turrets, and broadhalls and high battlements; and in the light of the setting sun everything was as green as emerald or as the fresh grass of early spring. Anda pale flickering light gleamed on the castle-walls, and the moat seemedfilled with a glowing fire.

  The ship glided silently up to the sandy beach, and the sailors mooredit to the shore. But Siegfried heard no sound upon the land, nor couldhe see any moving, living thing. Silence brooded everywhere, and thecastle and its inmates seemed to be wrapped in slumber. The sentinelscould be seen upon the ramparts, standing like statues of stone, andshowing no signs of life; while above the barbacan gate the watchman wasat his post, motionless and asleep.

  Adventure VI. Brunhild.

  Siegfried and the harper sat together in the little ship as it laymoored to the sandy shore; and their eyes were turned towards thesea-green castle and its glowing walls, and they looked in vain forany movement, or any sign of wakeful life. Every thing was still. Not abreath of air was stirring. The leaves of the trees hung motionless,as if they, too, were asleep. The great green banner on the tower's topclung around the flagstaff as if it had never fluttered to the breeze.No song of birds, nor hum of insects, came to their ears. There wasneither sound nor motion anywhere.

  "Play your harp, good Bragi, and awaken all these sleepers," saidSiegfried.

  Then the harper touched the magic strings, and strains of music, loudand clear, but sweet as a baby's breath, rose up in the still air,and floated over the quiet bay, and across the green meadows which layaround the castle-walls; and it was borne upward over the battlements,and among the shining turrets and towers, and was carried far out overthe hills, and among the silent trees of the plain. And Bragi sung ofthe beginning of all things, and of whatsoever is beautiful on the land,or in the sea, or in the sky. And Siegfried looked to see every thingawakened, and quickened into life, as had oft been done before byBragi's music; but nothing stirred. The sun went down, and the graytwilight hung over sea and land, and the red glow in the castle-moatgrew redder still; and yet every thing slept. Then Bragi ended his song,and the strings of his harp were mute.

  "Music has no charms to waken from sleep like that," he said.

  And then he told Siegfried what it
all meant; and, to make the storyplain, he began by telling of Odin's bright home at Gladsheim and of themany great halls that were there.

  One of the halls in Gladsheim is called Valhal. This hall is so largeand wide, that all the armies of the earth might move within it.Outside, it is covered with gold and with sun-bright shields. A fiercewolf stands guard before it, and a mountain-eagle hovers over it. It hasfive hundred and forty doors, each large enough for eight hundred heroesto march through abreast. Inside, every thing is glittering bright. Therafters are made of spears, and the ceiling is covered with shields,and the walls are decked with war-coats. In this hall Odin sets dailya feast for all the heroes that have been slain in battle. These sitat the great table, and eat of the food which Odin's servants haveprepared, and drink of the heavenly mead which the Valkyries, Odin'shandmaids, bring them.

  But the Valkyries have a greater duty. When the battle rages, and swordsclash, and shields ring, and the air is filled with shouts and groansand all the din of war, then these maidens hover over the field of bloodand death, and carry the slain heroes home to Valhal.[EN#15]

  One of Odin's Valkyries was named Brunhild, and she was the mostbeautiful of all the maidens that chose heroes for his war-host. But shewas wilful too, and did not always obey the All-Father's behests. Andwhen Odin knew that she had sometimes snatched the doomed from death,and sometimes helped her chosen friends to victory, he was very angry.And he drove her away from Gladsheim, and sent her, friendless and poor,to live among the children of men, and to be in all ways like them. But,as she wandered weary and alone over the earth, the good old King ofIsenland saw her beauty and her distress, and pity and love movedhis heart; and, as he had no children of his own, he took her for hisdaughter, and made her his heir. And not long afterward he died, and thematchless Brunhild became queen of all the fair lands of Isenland andthe hall of Isenstein. When Odin heard of this, he was more angry still;and he sent to Isenstein, and caused Brunhild to be stung with the thornof Sleep. And he said,--