The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17
The Starving Voices Of Giord
By c. F. MARKELL

I"HE great Napoleon is averred to have declared that romance conl- 1 4 posed nine-tenths of life and l am | sure that he was correct but an individ-
 ual possessing but one-tenth of romance l in his disposition would surely find that tenth dominating him upon a vist to l Scandinavia the land of the scaid and
 the troll. In truth that soul must De dead that would fail to respond to the l inspiration of the dreamy glamour of the 1 midnight sun, the dazzling dance of the
 aurora borealis, the continued moan of 1 tire ocean flashing itself into frenzy 1 against cliff and iceberg. the soughing l of the wind in the nodding pines, the | thunder of the avalance, the cracking of 1 the glacier the roar of the mighty cas- l cade and the bowling of the wolf in his wandering quest with famished mate
 OCT traek1ess snows to appease the bangs of hunger. But this is not all: here are inspired memories of the icy bridge of Bifrost or Asabru, fashioned of fire and frozen water and afr whose uuivering frame and ever changing hue bespoke the passa>,e of a god and whose arches trembled un- dor the blast of the Gialler horn of
 Heimdall who could hear the wool grow ing upon the sheeps back and whose
 fnafsfanfare was to sound the advent of the twilight of the gods; here are mem ories of Balder's Meads so sacred that net een a virgin might breathe her lore therein; memories of 1davold tfTH play ground of the gods whose green plain was dotted with the golden disks of the deities and where the mistletoe. from the hand of the blind Hodur slew Odins favorite son; memories of the land of Forseti, the island the very fountains of which were so holy that cattle who vol I.- memories of Jarnsaxa who fed the wolves upon the marrow of adulterers'
 bones; memories of Norns and Moss maidens, of vikings and Valkyrs; six ings who ploughed the main with fearless keel, who were welded to their boats and perished with them in a funeral pyre: Valkyrs who pressed the lips of the dead warrior with the kiss of immor-- tality, those battle maidens whose trans- ported mortals to taste of the joys of Nalhalla, who with white arms, golden hair. silver helmet and blood red corslet bestrode wild steeds of dew glitttering mains or standing upon the strand beck oned a warning to the viking or snatched the dying hero from his sinking ship.
 But strangestsand widest of all Scan- dinavia is the home of the werewolf, CT loup-garou and the heresark, those odd characters of folk lore who have puzzled sayant and scholar. scientist and physi- elan.
 Devoted as I am to the mythology of Egypt and Greece, the pristine religion of the Norsemen takes precedence of these and ever holds me in a thraldom of delight.
 It's mightiness is incomparable, it's lone-
 iness almost appalling and its chilling purity is free from every scintilla of dross that stains the cult of the gods of other nations. In 1t see the throwing of the human mind for the implanting of the seed of thought that was to blos- som into Christianity.
 Can human imagination portray more noble conception than the picture of Odln whispering into the ear of the dead Bal der a final message? Balder was dead and his beautiful wife, Nanna, as sine bent over his corpse. fell lifeless at his side. Ringhorn, his favorite vessel was decorated with tapestry hangings, gar lands of flowers. golden rings, priceless weapons and costly plate, for it was to be his funeral pyre. His favorite horse and hounds were slain and placed by the bodies of the two and the pyre was twined with thorns, the emblem of sleep. Odins tribute was his magic ring Draupnir, but before the flaming vessel drifted out to sea with it's precious bur l den he in the presence of the assembled | and sorrowng gods stepped up to his son and bending over his body breathed l something softly into his ear What he | said was not heard and it is a question | that has puzzled the world ever since, but in it I see symbolism of our own religion, the first hamburger of Christian 1 ty.