Nordic Tales

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The Binding of Fenrir-2

Fenrir was very big as wolves went, despite still being very young, and he was fierce and snapped at all of the gods who came near. That being so the only god who could get close enough to feed Fenrir was Tyr, the war god. Fenrir roamed Asgard, and every day he got bigger and stronger and fiercer.

Odin, again seeing that Fenrir was becoming powerful called all the gods to the great hall, and Fenrir was sat by the door, and there was a great debate as to what they should do with him. Some said that they should kill him, but Odin would not have the sacred seats of the gods spoiled by blood. Thor said that they should bind him, and they all agreed that it was the best idea.

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The Binding of Fenrir-1

Loki, being both friend and enemy to the gods as the mood took him, having been in Asgard for quite a while decided to go to Jortunheim, the home of the frost giants. There he married a giantess by the name of Angrbotha. He had three children by her. The first was a great serpent, Jormangandr, the second was a hideous daughter, named Hel, and the third was the greatest of wolves, Fenrir. Over time these children grew great and strong. This was seen by Odin on his throne Hlidskjalf, from which he can see across all the nine realms. He decided that they had become too strong and sent for Loki. He took Jormangandr, and to prevent him from covering the whole world, wrapped him around Midgard and placed his tale in his mouth. Hel was sent to the underworld. But Fenrir, who the gods feared most and wished to keep an eye on, was reared in Asgard by the gods.

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The Forging of Mjolnir-7

They took the objects to Asgard, and before the gods they approached Loki, who was angry, having tried and failed to stop them, by taking the form of the fly that had been so inconvenient. The dwarfs made a gift of Gullinbursti to Freyr. They gave Draupnir to Odin, and the hammer Mjolnir was given to Thor. All of the gods decided that the gifts that Sindri and Brokkr had made were indeed better than those that Loki had given them, but that meant that Loki’s head now belonged to the dwarfs. As they approached him smiling, brandishing their knives, Loki, who was quick of wit said to them, “I said that you could have my head, but i never said you could touch my neck, you’ll have to leave my neck alone.” Seeing that they couldn’t remove his head without touching his neck they they had to appease themselves by sewing his mouth shut.

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“ The Third Gift – an Enormous Hammer” - Elmer Boyd Smith 1902

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The Forging of Mjolnir-6

On the last day, Sindri told Brokkr that today it was vital that the bellows were working non-stop, as the work was extra delicate. Sindri took an iron brick and place it into the fire, and this day Brokkr worked the bellows, and Sindri lit up the night with sparks as his hammer struck the iron. The fly came in once more and this time stung Brokkr on the eye. Brokkr was blinded by blood and tears, and his eye was in agony. At the last minute Brokkr stopped the bellows to rub he eye. When Sindri pulled the brick from the flames it was a great hammer named Mjolnir (that which smashes). It could level mountains, when thrown it never missed and always returns to your hand. It had one flaw due to the stopping of the bellows. Its handle was short. Sindri lamented this but there was no time to fix it.

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The Forging of Mjolnir-5

The next day Sindri put another gold block on into the forge fire and Brokkr worked the bellows. Again the fly came in and this time it landed on Brokkr’s neck. Brokkr was stinging and in pain but he ignored it as best he could and kept working the bellows until the end of the day when Sindri pulled the the brick from the forge and it was a golden ring named Draupnir (dripper). Every ninth night it dropped eight rings of equal weight and purity.

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The Forging of Mjolnir-4

Now Sindri and Brokkr went back to Svartalfeim to their forge, and on the first day they took a gold brick and placed it into the flames. Sindri told Brokkr to work the bellows, and not to stop until they finished that night, and then he took up his hammer and beat on the brick. Whilst they were working, a fly buzzed into their room, and landed on Sindri’s hand and bit him. Sindri’s hand itched and burned but he kept working the bellows and at the end of the day, they pulled the brick from the fire and it was a great living golden boar, which they named Gullinbursti (Golden-bristled), who could run faster than any horse, even through water.

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The Forging of Mjolnir-3

Loki went back to Asgard and gave Thor his wife’s new hair, and then he gave Skidbladnir to Freyr, and Gungnir to Odin.  And he boasted about how he went to the best dwarfs and no others could out do them in making such brilliant objects. Loki’s boasting was overheard by the two dwarfs, Sindri, Spark-Sprayer, and Brokkr, Metal-worker, who happened to be there. They challenged Loki and said they were every bit as good as the sons of Ivaldi, but Loki, not liking to be corrected, foolishly bet his head that they could not make three objects equal in splendor to those he had brought, and to his surprise they took up his challenge. Not wanting to take back his word Loki gave them three days to accomplish this task.

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The Forging of Mjolnir-2

Loki went to the sons of the dwarf Ivaldi, and they agreed to make Sif a new head of hair. While they were busy forging a wig from gold, Loki looked around their shop at some of the other things these dwarfs had made. There were two objects he praised very highly, these being a ship named Skidbladnir, which means made from small bits of wood, which was the greatest ship as it always has a favourable wind, and can be folded up to fit into your pocket. And the spear Gungnir, which means to sway, and is the deadliest of all spears. The dwarfs seeing how impressed Loki was and hoping to win his favour made him a gift of these objects, as well as Sifs new hair.

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The Forging of Mjolnir-1

One day as Loki was walking through the realm of Midgard he walked past Thrudheim (Thunderhome) the great hall of Thor. He looked through the window to find Sif, Thor’s wife, and noted the perfect set of golden hair that sat on her head. And being mischievous as he was, climbed in through the window and cut off all of her hair. When Sif woke to find herself bald, she was embarrassed and hid. When Thor came back he noted his wife’s absence, and called out her name, but there was no reply. He proceeded to search through all of the rooms one by one, which took a long time being that his house is so big, and in the highest room he came across his wife who was crying. Thor’s quick temper beyond used, he chased down Loki and raged at him and threatened to break every bone in his body. Loki told Thor he would go to Svartalfheim and commission the dwarfs to make a new head f hair for Sif, even more beautiful than the original. Thor agreed to this.

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The Beginning-9

A man named  Mundilfari had a pair of twins. At their birth he declared them so beautiful that they were equal in brilliance to the sun and moon, and so he called his daughter Sol, the sun, and his son Mani, the moon. Odin, outraged by the mans arrogance, stole away his children and made them drive the chariots that carried the sun and moon.

Now, in west-Midgard there lived a witch, who gave birth to two giant wolves, one named Skoll, which means treachery, and one named Hati, meaning he who hates. Skoll chased the Sun, and Hati chased the moon. This led to the cycles of day and night. Once a month Hati catches up to the moon and takes a great bite, but the moon always gets away again and has time to grow back.

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The Beginning-8

As Odin, Vili and Ve were walking along the coast of Midgard, they saw that two logs had washed up onto the shore. One of these came from an Ash tree, and one from an Elm tree. Odin touched the logs and gave them spirits and life, Vili then gave them will and intelligence and movement, and Ve gave them speech, feelings, and the five senses. The  Ash became a man named Ask, and the Elm became a woman named Embla. They took up their home in Midgard. To protect the race of men from the giants they took Ymir’s eyebrows and wrapped them around Midgard to create the crags and cliffs.

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The Beginning-7

The brightest of the sparks from Muspellheim, were saved to create the sun and the moon. These were set in golden chariots. Two great steeds named Arvakr, or early waker, and Alsvin, or rapid goer, were attached to the sun’s chariot. The gods, seeing that if they did not offer some protection to the steeds, they would burn and bake, like earth on a hot summers day, fashioned the shield Svalin, the cooler, and placed it in the front of the chariot to protect them.

To the moons chariot they attached Alsvider, the all-swift. Due to the mildness of the moon no shield was needed. As only one horse was pulling the moons chariot it had to work twice as hard, and as it passed over head in  the night it sweated, and this sweat dropped onto the earth and wetted it, and this is wha we call dew.

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The Beginning-6

As Ymir fell, blood gushed from his wounds into a great flood, such that all of his descendants but  Bergelmir and his wife, drowned, who survived by climbing into a boat named Lur, which was a hollowed out tree trunk. This torrent of blood became the oceans and seas that surround Midgard. From Ymir’s flesh came maggots, and the gods gave them the understanding and forms of men, though they still lived beneath the surface. They were called dwarfs.

The son’s of Bor took Ymir right out into the center of Ginnungagap, and from his corpse they fashioned the world. From his skin and muscles they made the dirt. From his hairs they made the trees, from his bones they made the mountains and from his teeth and jaws the pebbles and rocks. They made the sky from his skull dome, which was held up by four dwarfs named North, East, South and West. The gods still then threw his brains into the sky and clouds were made. They then took the sparks and embers that drifted into Ginnungagap and gave each a place in the sky and a path to follow.

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The Beginning-5

After a time Buri and Thrudgelmir had sons, Buri’s son was called Bor, the born, and Thrudgelmir’s son was called Bergelmir, from whom the frost giants descend. When the children of Ymir and, Buri and Bor, realized each other there was war, for they embodied the natures of good and evil and there could never be peace between these opposing forces. After a time of conflict Bor married the giantess Bestla, who was the daughter of Bolthorn, who’s ancestry is uncertain.

Bestla bore Bor three great sons who we now call, Vili, meaning will, Ve, meaning holy, and Odin, meaning spirit. These three sons joined up in arms against the giants with their father, and their grandfather and after a great struggle slew their most fearsome foe, the giant Ymir.

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The Beginning-4

Audhumla licked the ice for a full day, and at the end of that day from the ice emerged the crown of a head. She licked for another day and there unveiled a torso, and arms. Another Day revealed Buri, the producer, father of the Aesir.

As these events passed Ymir drifted into a sleep, and in his sleep he sweated, and from his left armpit he birthed both a son and a daughter together. His feet then mated and from this coupling came Thrugelmir, the six headed giant. These children of Ymir became the ancestors of all frost and mountain giants.

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The Beginning-3

As the ice of Niflheim met with the heat from Muspellheim it melted and steamed, and the clouds then met again the cold winds from Niflheim and turned into a rain that fell throughout Ginnungagap. This poisonous icy rain turned into a rime, or hoarfrost, which over eons, filled up the great chasm and built up layer by layer into the shape of Ymir, the first frost giant. After all this time had elapsed, Ymir was thawed by the warmth coming from Muspellheim and was awakened.

By the same process, the great cow Audhumla, or the nourisher, was made. Audhumla was nourished by licking the ice from Niflheim, which was salty like the sea. As she fed four streams of milk flowed from her udders, and this milk is what sustained Ymir.