The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06
ODIN's STRANGE JOURNEY.
A Wonder story From the FoIk-LOre
of the North.

A Wonder story From the Folklore
of the North.
Edward Courtney, in Philadelphia Times
When Asgard was building, and each
one was doins his utmost TO bring it to
completion, LoNi, the mschief-maker, was
negligent, and, instead of doing his share
of the work. was continually making trips
to the land of the giants.
During one of these visits. Loki met an
old witch, so cruel and wicked that one
would have thought that even Lok could
not endure her. But he was delighted
with her dire cruelty, and, without the
| knowledge of the gods, he married her.
And for a long time they lived together,
making each other more and more wicked.
and bringing up their children to be the
horror and the dread of mankind.
These children were only what one might
FhaVe expected them 10 be, considering
their parentage. The eldest, Jormungand,
was a monstrous serpent; the second, Fen
ris, was the most ferocious of wolves, and
the third, Hela, was half queen, half
corpse They grew so quickly that it was
not long before all Jotunheim feared them.
Then Loki and his witch-wife would look
al them and say:
what would the gods think if they only
saw them?"
But they cannot see them" Loki NUT
tered And one day he said to the old
witch:
THAT the gods may suspect nothing,
will go TO Asgard. I'll greet Odin boldly,
and no one will know that l have secret
here to conceal!'
Then he departed on his mission. But the
children grew very fast, and Jormungand's
tail soon became so long that the witch
had to open the door of the house.
1t must have been the fresh air, then,
that made them get more strength; for,
instead of as at first; Jormungand got
longer and longer TILL by the close of one
day, he reached from one end of Jotun-
helm to the other; and then he began to
grow in the direction of Asgard.
Meantime, Loki had entered the assem-
blv of the gods. and to all appearances
was tranquil and Innocent; but in reality
his heart was full of malice and hate and
| of a desire to bring ruin to the gods. He
might soon have had the fulhllment OF
his desire. if. in the early morning after
his arrival Odin had not mounted Air
throne to look over the universe
There he saw Jormungand, grown TO
such vast and terrible proportions ana ne
| descended Immediately from his high seat,
and said to Frigga:
''My time OF rest is over. Terrible mon
sters are growing up in Jotunheim.
must go forth to tight them for even now
they come this way, and will in time
force the gates of Asgard.
| So. Odin set out, and turned his face
towards the dark abode of men ana
| giants, there to walk the ways with the
poor, and the lowly, and the sufferingi 10
raise them up, and to teach them TO over
| Al. about them.
Freely he mixed with the people of all
the lands he visited going always among
the lowly. He taught them many things
out of his experience; he inspired them
with noble thoughts and by his own eX-
ample.
Then. one evening, calling them all
| about him ne told Them the story of his
great battle with the first monstrous
giant. They listened in wonder ana
amazement, and then he told them that
the battle was not yet over. He looked
from Mannheim over to Jotunheim. and
pointing there he told them of the terrible
brood that was growing up
When he had finished his story Odin
went 10 the smithy of the village, where
he forged strong weapons, and taught
them the use of these weapons.
'.And now' he said 81 must leave ye
But YOU must fight against these giants
| and monsters without CSdSiuS' by anu
bv. they viii come to live with you, and
if YOU let one of them live without strik-
ing at it. you are lost. Farewell, then,
nv children, and remember me!'
So Odin departed; and all the earth sor-
roNed for him, till one day the people
awoke 10 find the land fun of the evils
that he had warned them against.
Hinge giants laughed mockingly at them
when they strove to fight them, for in
rGc fbaV had
nor noticed the swarm of small beings
that invaded their land, and now these
small beings had grown 10 immense pro-
horizons. and were all the harder to sub
due. Misunderstanding reptiles crawled
obout their houses, troubles filled their
neai.ts. and forebodngs and apprehensions
came and darkened the windows with thelr
black wings and plumage.
prt the people were staunch and, re-
r,embering Odin, they fought with all
mar might. and strove to overcome the
still growing creatures.
| Odin meanwhile, continued his journey
over xvavs where the mortals which ne
ma inst left were not yet ready to follow
bi,, Through great forests filled with
every kind of horror and gloom, ana OBJ
stacles that the strongest Would shuuder
to encounter; over rugged noun tal1ls's gap
insr with abysses and roaring with the
LA bowls of the spirits of the cataracts,
eager to suck down all who came in their
80. across boys, heavy with mists and
,ifb loathsome reptiles, and out over seas
r.e;ng and roaring in fury; till he reached
th9t wonderful place where sea and sky
tonch where Mimir brooded over the
fountain of wisdom and wit.
..fef me drink the waters OF wisdom,
,,,,,,ir" Odin spoke boldly TO the guar
Alan Han Of the well, but received for answer.
1T Is a great treasure that you ask odin.
- 49, s7,,r'4t Il before you. but when
thew learn the price they must pay for