performer of the Twelve Labours; but he was
revered by the old Scandinavians as a divine
embodiment of strength and courage working
towards noble ends. Worshipped, ages ago,
as a heavenly being veritably existing in some
far-off Paradise, he has now passed into the
region of phantoms and dead faiths; but he
has left his mark on Europe. We call a
day of the week after him to this moment,
and scholars write books to explain his
worship and his attributes.

One of the most striking stories related of
him in the Edda, is that which refers to his
adventures in the Land of the Giants. It
appears to have been the origin of all the
northern fairy-tales in which portentously
big men are introduced; and one of its
incidents manifestly suggested a trick played
by our old friend Jack the Giant-Killer on
his treacherous host, the Welsh monster—a
trick which, in the days of long ago, used to
excite in us a mingled feeling of apprehension
and merriment. Giants are very common
in Scandinavian fable and mythology.
The first inhabitants of the world, according
to the Edda, were giants, the chief of whom
—Ymir—was slain by Odin and the other
sons of Bör, who converted his body into the
earth, his blood into the sea, his bones into
mountains, his teeth into rocks, his hair into
trees, his skull into the heavens, and his
brains into clouds. At the same time, all
the other giants were destroyed, excepting
one, from whom we may imagine proceeded
those Titanic anomalies which, in subsequent
ages, lurked in caverns and lonely places
until exterminated by the knights-errant and
other heroes of mediæval romance.

Our present purpose, however, is not to
discourse about these matters, but to recite
the story of Thor and the giants.

It happened, in the early ages of the world,
that the God Thor and his two male
companions, Thialfi and Loki, and his female
companion, Raska, were wandering about
from place to place in search of adventures.
One day, after they had been
walking many miles, they found themselves,
about night-fall, in a great open country
which seemed all waste, and silent, and
solitary. However, after much wandering, they
lit upon a vast empty house, and entering the
gate (which was of so prodigious a size that it
occupied one whole side of the building),
slept there soundly for a time. But, in the
middle of the night, there came upon them a
sound of roaring, as when the sea-waves
wrestle with the winds on the wild northern
shores. And the walls of the house were
violently shaken therewith, and the earth
quaked beneath them, and the caverns in
some mountain nigh at hand gave back the
sound in a very strange and ghostly fashion.
So Thor's three companions crept into a side
chamber for safety; but Thor caught up his
heavy mallet (wherewith he had slain many
great giants and wild beasts, and other
strange creatures), and stood at the entry
until the noise ceased, and the echoes sickened
and died among the mountains. After
this the four companions slept quietly until
morning.

Now, when the light began to dawn, Thor
walked out, and lo! he saw, coming towards
him, a giant very grim and terrible, whose
height and breadth were marvellous to
behold. And Thor said to this giant (whose
snoring during the night was what they had
heard), " What is thy name?" The giant told
him his name was Skrymir. " But," he added,
"I need not ask they name, for I know thou
art the God Thor." He then asked Thor if
he had seen his glove lying about. Thor said
he had not; but, anon, the giant stretched
forth his hand, and took up the house wherein
they had been sleeping, as any ordinary
man might a bird-cage; and then Thor
perceived that that was the giant's glove, and
not a mansion, as he had supposed; and that
the side chamber in which his companion
had taken refuge was the thumb. But,
presently, agreeing that they would all join
company, Thor threw his wallet over his
shoulder, and they set out. They passed
through many strange countries, and over
great rugged mountains, and across valleys,
and through black forests of oak and pine
trees, where the wild creatures leapt up from
their lairs and secret dwellings, and fled
before them like gusts of wind. But every place
was solitary and deserted, as far as human
creatures were concerned; and the land
appeared as if it slept under enchantment, and
the silence that drooped heavily over all things
seemed to sing and whisper in their ears.

And so they marched all day till night
came round again, and they found themselves
in a deep forest: wherefore, and because of
the darkness, they laid them down beneath
the trees, and rested. Presently, Thor
essayed to undo his wallet, but could not; and,
being enraged at the giant (whom he accused
in his mind of having tampered with the
knots), he seized his mallet, and launched it
at Skrymir's head. But Skrymir only turned
in his sleep, and asked, " What leaf has fallen
on me?" Then Thor, answering nothing,
went beneath an oak tree, and tried to sleep;
and his tree companions also retired under
the shelter of overhanging branches, and fell
straightway into deep repose. But sleep
came not to the weary eyelids of Thor; for
the snoring of the giant, as on the previous
night, made such gusty clamours up and
down the dark avenues of the wood, that it
was as if a tempest had hurtled round the
place. And Thor lay listening to the horrible
riot, and the no less horrible echoes, that
leapt up barking from the black distances,
as if the hell-wolf Fenrir were there with a
thousand throats; and anon his heart swelled
within him with the greatness of his wrath,
and he wished that Skrymir were in the