Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-07-31
THE WARDEN or THE RAINBOW
BRIDGE
A Legend From the Myths of the Great
NOfth-Land.

NOfth-La1ld.
Heimdall, the guardian of Bi.fost.
the rainbow bridge of Asgard, is no
stranger to you, but perhaps you have
wondered how he came to be put in
charge of the wonderful arch, and per-
haps, too, you would like to know even
more about him, as you do of the
other deities Of Northern Mythology.
To begin, then, at the beginning Of
his life, we must go back to a lovely
day in early spring, when Odin was
walking by the seashore. There he
beheld the nine sea-maidenB, the
Waves, and SO beautiful were they
that he welded them, and Heimdall
was their child. AS the old Edda says
of him:
Born was of mothers nine;
Son am of sisters nine.
Immediately Heimdall attained his
full growth and stature, and clad in
snow-white armor he repaired to As
gard to join his father Odin. He
reached the abode of the gods just as
they had finished making the bridge
of which you know, out of fire, and
air, and sea, and were contemplating
the result of their labors. They look
ed at it's beautiful colors, the red show
ing the fire, the blue the air, the green
the depths of the sea. And the gods
marveled at their handiwork, at it's
great beauty, and wondered who
should care for it, Of them all.
1t was then that Heimdall appeared
on the scene. His shining armor made
the bridge glow more brightly, and
seeing this he smiled, when so mar
velous a glory overspread Bi-frost, that
all the gods turned away to shade
their eyes, And then they beheld
Heimdall, and saw that it was the
radiance from his golden teeth that
shed the glow over the bridge.
Do you wonder that they made him
warden of the Rainbow Arch? He was
so beautiful himself, so light, and
bright, and graceful, that they almost
mistook him for Baldur, the god of
Day.
Being the son Of the Waves, he was
connected with the Vanas, and so he
was gifted with all knowledge; and
now the gods gave him keenness of
hearing, SO that he could hear the
grass grow, or the wool on the
Sleeps backs; and they gave him
wonderful vision, so that he could see
a hundred miles by night, as well as
by day. Then he was presented with
a swift steed, golden-maned, called
Gull-top, and on it thereafter, he rode
to and fro, every day, over the CULVER
ing, iridescent bridge of colors.
He was further provided with a
shining, flashing sword, and last of
his gifts was the wonderful Gialfar
horn, which he was to blow at the
first approach of their enemies, the
Frost and Mountain Giants.
Blew he ever so softly upon this
golden horn, all the universe, the
heavens, the seas, and the earth,
would hear; and they would all be
reused to action; for the sound would
proclaim that the last great fight had
come; that the giants were approach
ing; that Loki and his vast progeny
had broken loose from their bonds,
and that Evil, unclaimed, was about
to combat with Good. But Heimdall
did not blow his horn yet. The shad-
ow of twilight had not yet approached,
to dim his bright abiding place. SO
he would hang the wonderful horn on
a branch of the great tree Yggdrasil,
under the shade of which the bridge
ended; and then the horn glowed from
the heavens like the crescent moon.
Or he would si:a,.. it deep in Mimir's
well, beside the all-seeing eye of Odin,
at the root of the tree; and then it
was reflected into the sky, where it
shone like the moon at its full. SO
Heimdall had the horn ever at his
hand, by day and by night, for ne
slept little requiring less rest and less
sleep than a bird.
His palace was built on the highest
point of the Rainbow Arch. under the
Urdar fount, and from it he could look
over the universe. Here the gods Wis
tied him daily, to quaff the delicious
mead that he set before them, to hear
him talk, or to see him smile; or per-
haps they would only see him dash
over the trembling Bi-frost, on his
mettlesome steed, whose golden hoofs
rung and rung again, as they touched
and rebounded from the bridge.
So Heimdalrs life passed pleasantly
enough for long time; but one night
he had an adventure. AS he sat ST.
lently watching and listening, with
only the stars and the night for COM
DdulOuS, ut q SbOoiehy
football, the sound coming from the
direction of Freda's palace Helm
dall's keen vision enabled him to see,
in spite of the darkness. that it was
Loki, who was creeping to Freda's
room, intending to steal her beautiful
necklace, which she wore always
about her throat. When the Mischief
maker reached Freya's bedside, he hes
itatedii fur At happened that the god
dess was lying so that he could not
reach the clasp without waking her.
Then Heimdall saw Loki's lips
move, and he knew that he was re-
peating the runs by which the gods
had power to change their form at
will. A moment later he began to
shrivel up, till he had the size and
form of flea, and then he bit Freya,
and made her turn in her sleep with
out arousing.
Immediately resuming his own form
Loki opened the clasp and held the
shining ornament in his hand. But
Heimdall had seen it all, and as Loki
was trying to make off with the
treasure, he drew his flashing sword
and would have slain the thief, but
that the willy Loki suddenly trans
formed himself into a Pickering blue
flame.
Helmdall as quickly changed him
Golf into a dark thunder clOud threat