Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-22
MYTHS OF THE NORTH.
CHARMING AND eRoTEsoUE ICE
lANDlc TRADITIONS.

Pork, InStelu OF NectAf ana Am DTOSlA
An old Icelandic romance tells us that
there Is a rock in Iceland where people who
were sick otherwise wretched used to be-
take themselves. and thence leap down to GER
tain death, and as certain n reception into
the halls of Joy prepared FOR the brave, add
ing: st Is useless, therefore, to give our
selves up to groans and complaints, or put
our relatives to needless expense, since we
can easily follow the example of our fathers
who have gone by the way of this rock" In
Sweden there are several of these rocks, three
of which bear the name of Valhalla, the war
rior's heaven, because they were used as a
sort of vestibule tn that glorious hall of
Odin.
One Of these rocks, called Stafva Hall, used
TO be the scene of remarkable annual festi-
walls A number of people, after singing and
feasting, and entering fully into the dancing
and general merriInent, ~ould throw them
selves from the cliff into the lake below, in
the same manner as the classic writers tell us
that the Scythians and Hypoboreans used to
do. But if none of these reliefs were at hand,
and a natural death was unavoidable. as.was
frequently the case after Christianity had
put an end to these practices, heroes generally
consoled themselves by putting on their COM
plete armor, thus meeting their end fully
equipped for battle, as sort of protest against
the ignominious death forced upon them
against their will.
THE HOUSE OF GLADNESS
The reward of all this valor awaits the
warrior in the dwelling of Odin and Glad
shem (house of gladnes), where in the gilt
tering hall, Valhalla, Allfather gathers the
souls of all who died the death of heroes.
Over the field of battle hover the Valkyries,
maids of Odin, who choose the champions TO
DO honored by death, and conduct them to
this abode of perpetual joy. Here the ceiling,
splendid with shields, rests on columns of
spears, while over the benches hang glisten-
ing coats of mail This dwelling stands in
the shining grove of CHASER, where every leaf
is of pure red gold. That is why gold is
sometimes called Glaser's leaves
On the roof of Valhalla feeding on the
leaves of the tree Lerad tho protector),
stands goat which yields an abundance of
mead for gods and heroes; and feeding from
the same tree is the stag Eikthyrner Qknotty
horned, from whose antlers drips so much
water that it fills thirty-six rivers, twelve of
which water the celestial plains; twelve the
abodes of men and twelve the chill regions of
Nifheim, where reigns Hela or Hell, who takes
charge of all souls not having made their
exit from the body by the prescribed route
In Valhalla swords serve to warn the inhabi-
tants, and the whole palace is Respondent
with gold
The amusements of the bleSt are quite in
accord with the views they entertained in
life, TO, we are told that every day, as soon
rs they are dressed, they ride out to the field
Of battle and there cut each other to pieces
until near meal time, when, prestol they put
their various fragments together again in
proper order, like so many animated puzzle
cards, don their armor, mount their steeds
and prance amicably back to Nalhalla in
time for dinner. There they are served at
table by the Valkyries, the same fair ones
who, lowering over the earthly field of fray,
first choose them to enter this Paradise of the
brave. As fast as the dishes are emptied
these maidens fill them again with meat or
with mead, for neither the food nor the drink
ever gives out
But to say, as some writers do, that they
drink from the skulls Of their enemies is
neither truth nor reason; for their enemies,
If they died honorably, are in Valhalla, and
OF course using their skulls for normal pur-
poses. If they died ingloriously, they are
wearing all their bones in Nifiheim The lit
eral translation Of King Ragnar Lodbrok's
dying utterance, which has caused the curl
Gus mistake, is ''Soon shall we drink ale out
Of the curved branches of the SKULL" refer
ring, no doubt, to the horns of animals,
which were the common drinking cups of the
Odinic worshipers.
Now, am afraid that literal translation
has let out n fact dangerous to the projects
Of any poet lying in wait for an illustration.
have not only robbed him Of pet horror
In depriving him of the use of the traditional
t,,t
the drink of gods and heroesl Nevertheless,
like little George, j cannot tell lie and ale
Is the word-the veritable ''wine of barley'
described of old by Aristotle, Theophrastus,
Herodotus ct al, and perpetuated to this day
under the musical names of London porter,
German lager, and various other names
which will be readily recalled by those &C
quainted with the mundane article Let the
fact be what comfort it may to those who
love it not wisely but too well that it is the
delight of such a numerous and brilliant ce
lestial company.
BOILED PORK AND BEER
Another shock which truth compels me t.
infict tender literary nerves, turning tn,
ruminator into the ruminant so to speak, il
the statement that the meat of the Valhalliani
Is pork Think of it-boiled pork washed
down with beeri Facts are stubborn thing,
what shall the poet do with this one? Nee
tar and ambrosia are so much better because
perhaps, you do not know what they are
One writer of repute makes the pork and
beer much easier to swallow by explaining
that the words from which they are derived
signify ''air, fire and water" (which may be
freely translated air and firewater if you de
sire), with nothing earthly in them" and
transformed by Asgardian alchemy into
''the purest and most delicate breath of the
air"-less nutritious, no doubt, than the porE
and beer, but then more poetic, too, and W,
are grateful.
The boar, Sehrimner, whose flesh is fooC
for the heroes, has, like each of his devourees
the happy propensity to put himself together
again as fast as he is cut to pieces, so that a
the close of the battle every day they fine
him on the table ready for business
Valhalla, delightful though you perceive il
to be, is not, however, the ultimate paradis,
of the brave; for we are told that the abod,
Of the Asas shall not endure forever, but thai
at the south there is a dwelling place nameC
Gimle, which at the twilight of the gods 9TH,
final upheaval of all things shall escape til,
fire, though almost all of even the Asas shall
perish.
Ii you ever meet tall, one eyed old man
with flowing beard, wearing broae
brimmed hat, striped coat of many colors
and an arm ring, bearing spear and havine
two ravens en- his shoulders, two wolves al
his feet and huge chariot rolling above him
you may know he is Odin. He sometime.
appears among men unexpectedly and per
forms great wonders, as King Volsung anc
others. could tell you.-Minnie Ward Patper
son in Detroit Free Press.
The man who dares to say always just what
he means is very rare In this world, but he /.
more numerous than he is popular. -Somer
vile Journal
Forced to Leave Home.
Over 80 people were forced to leave
their homes Yesterday tn call for n free