l I send another.
Arrow forth a-flying from the front against them;
Out little spear if herein thou be!
Sat the smith thereat, smoke a little seax out.
Out little spear if herein thou be!
Six the smiths that sat there-- making slaughter-spears:
Out little spear, in be not spear!
If herein there hide flake of iron hard,
Of a witch the work, it shall melt away.
Wert thou shot into the skin, or shot into the flesh,
Wert thou shot into the blood, or shot into the bone,
Wert thou shot into the limb-- never more thy life be teased!
If it were the shot of Esa, or it were of elves the shot
Or it were of hags the shot; help I bring to thee.
This to boot for Esa-shot, this to boot for elfin-shot.
This to boot for shot of hags! Help I bring to thee.
Flee witch to the wild hill top ... ...
But thou--be thou hale, and help thee the Lord."

Who were these six smiths and who were the witches? One thinks of that
mighty Smith Weyland in the palace of Nidad king of the Niars, of the
queen's fear of his flashing eyes and the maiming of him by her cruel
orders, and of the cups he made from the skulls of her sons and gems
from their eyes. We think of these as old tales, but instinct tells us
that they are horribly real. We may not know how that semi-divine
smith made himself wings, but that he flew over the palace and never
returned we do not doubt for an instant. To the fairy stories which
embody such myths children of unnumbered generations have listened,
and they demand them over and over again because they, too, are sure
that they are real.

Nor is the mystery of numbers lacking in these herbal prescriptions,
particularly the numbers three and nine. In the alliterative lay of
the nine healing herbs this is very conspicuous. Woden, we are told,
smote the serpent with nine magic twigs, the serpent was broken into
nine parts, from which the wind blew the nine flying venoms. There are
numerous instances of the patient being directed to take nine of each
of the ingredients or to take the herb potion itself for three or nine
days. Or it is directed that an incantation is to be said or sung
three or nine times, or that three or nine masses are to be sung over
the herbs. This mystic use of three and nine is conspicuous in the
following prescription:--

"Against dysentery, a bramble of