A. The Story in a Nutshell.
B. From Kirby's New Gods Origin.¹
C. The Aesir-Vanir War - that destroyed Asgard's original defensive fortification.
D. This is most perfect Loki I've ever seen!
E. The unnamed smith who asked such an astronomical price...
F. Builder's amazing horse - did most of the heavy work!
G. More Nordic version of Thor's ending the problem Giant.
I. Asgard's now impregnable walls.
J. An unexpected result - Sleipnir!
Title: "Rebuilding Asgard's Walls."
During the worse part of the Aesir- Vanir War, Asgard's protective walls were completely razed!!
And, afterwards, they remained in ruins - with the Gods wondering who could erect them again...
A smith appeared in Asgard - to do just that - but, at a very costly price...
Or had given Othr's⁵ bride
When he such things hears,
And the Oaths were broken,⁶
1. I always felt Jack understood Norse mythology best. In this panel, he shows both, war's cruelty & its waste of life...
2. Norse myths have a mostly linear time line from Creation up to this tale.
After this, the stories break up a bit - following various themes, like Odin's Search for Wisdom, Thor's/Loki's tales, Heroes' sagas, the Birth of Nordic nations, etc...
Then, they all reunite in a mass ending with the Death of Balder, Ragnarok & Rebirth!
3. Commentators think some stanzas are missing just B4 this 'beginning' - as a resolution to the 1st War had been reached.
It wasn't customary for poets to give the full details of their myths, as the audience knew them & wouldn't need transitions from one story to another.
The missing part has a Giant builder - who'll erect new fortifications - if, he can get Freya, the sun & moon as his price!!
Terrified as to his progress, the Gods force Loki to delay the builder...
4. The "Venom" here is a poetic wording meaning Loki's "bad advice."
5. Othr is a bit of a mystery Aesir - as so little is known about him.
Snorri says he's a God who "went away on long journeys."
Sounds a lot like Odin, who likes to travel around Earth in disguise...
Or, it describes the long voyages of the Vikings raiding more southern lands.
6. Strangely enough, the violating of Aesir oaths is what made the Giants unrelenting enemies of the Gods!
I would've thought, the earlier murder of Ymir would have done that...
It was early in the 1st days of the Gods, when there came a wright,⁷ offering to rebuild the fortifications in 3 seasons - so strong it would resist the Hill Giants & the Rime Giants too!⁸
But, his price was possession of the Goddess Freya;⁹ plus, the sun & moon as well!!
Well, the Aesir took counsel & a bargain was made - the wright would be payed his price - should he complete his work in 1 winter...
And he was to receive no human help!
But, the wright asked if his own horse could help him - & Loki advised for it.
The wright set to work on the 1st day of winter.
By night, he hauled great stones with the stallion's help & that horse did more work by half than the wright himself!
When winter drew towards its end, the walls were nearly done...
When it lacked 3 days before summer, the new walls had almost reached the main gate of the stronghold!
So, the Gods took new counsel seeking to avoid payment - asking who had given them such bad advice?…
Loki Laufeyson,¹⁰ of course!
So, they threatened his life - should he not figure out how to cheat the wright of his wages - no matter what Loki should have to do...
That evening, a mare appeared from the dark woods & enticed the wright's horse away!
Frantically, the wright tried to capture his stallion - but, to no avail...
After that, all of his work was undone.
Growing angry, the wright fell into a Giant's fury!!
Seeing that they had almost been tricked by an Enemy, the Gods called upon Thor - who'd been out in the East, hunting Trolls.
The Lord of Thunder came instantly, paying the Hill Giant - with a hammer blow!
So mighty a strike, the Giant's skull burst into crumbs - sending the Enemy down below Niflheim!!¹¹
But, Loki had the most unexpected result of all.
His dealings with the wright's stallion were such that he gave birth to a grey colt - with 8 legs!
Sleipnir, the best horse among both, Gods & men.¹²
A gift for Odin - to forgive Loki's bad advice?
7. Wrights were "makers (carpenters)" or "shapers (craftsmen)" in 700 AD.
Most were woodworkers who could assemble furniture & erect buildings.
Some were smiths & 'worked' metals.
8. Hill Giants are usually Trolls and the Rime Giants are Ice Giants (=s Polar Bears?).
9. Freya was a Goddess of love, beauty & fertility but, also Mistress of war, death & Seidr magic!!
So, she's a Nordic version of the Middle East's Ishtar, Egypt's Sekhmet, etc...
Seidr is a feminine magical power for divination & the altering of fate!
No wonder Odin learned it!!
10. Laufey ("Tree Leaf Isle") is actually a Giantess, AKA Nal ("Needle"), who with Farbauti ("Dangerous Striker", which =s "Lightning!") were Loki's parents!
Sadly, little else is known about her...
11. Niflheim is 1 of the primordial worlds & below it is Niflhel ("Mist Hell") - a darker "prison" for the wicked dead!
There's a lot of interesting beings & places here, like: Hvergelmir, the 3rd Root of Ygdrasil, Nastrond, Nidhogg, etc...
So, sort of like Tartarus...
12. Sleipnir ("Sliding/Slippery One") is a magical horse able to "glide" thru the air, sea & even down into the Realm of the Dead!
The 8 legs are thought to be an artistic representation of Sleipnir's speed - so that it seemed like gliding rather than running...
In time, Sleipnir would become the ancestor of Grani ("Bearded One" or, "Grey One") horse of the hero Sigurd!