tion
mangled. It would cross the sea as well as a ship could, by virtue of
certain spells marked on it.

Of "Frey", who appears as "satrapa" of the gods at Upsala, and as the
originator of human sacrifice, and as appeased by black victims, at a
sacrifice called Froblod (Freys-blot) instituted by Hadding, who began
it as an atonement for having slain a sea-monster, a deed for which he
had incurred a curse. The priapic and generative influences of Frey are
only indicated by a curious tradition mentioned. It almost looks as
if there had once been such an institution at Upsala as adorned the
Phoenician temples, under Frey's patronage and for a symbolic means of
worship.

"Thunder", or "Thor", is Woden's son, strongest of gods or men, patron
of Starcad, whom he turned, by pulling off four arms, from a monster to
a man.

He fights by Woden's side and Balder's against Hother, by whose magic
wand his club (hammer) was lopped off part of its shaft, a wholly
different and, a much later version than the one Snorre gives in the
prose Edda. Saxo knows of Thor's journey to the haunt of giant Garfred
(Geirrod) and his three daughters, and of the hurling of the iron
"bloom", and of the crushing of the giantesses, though he does not seem
to have known of the river-feats of either the ladies or Thor, if we may
judge (never a safe thing wholly) by his silence.

Whether "Tew" is meant by the Mars of the Song of the Voice is not
evident. Saxo may only be imitating the repeated catch-word "war" of the
original.

"Loke" appears as Utgard-Loke, Loke of the skirts of the World, as
it were; is treated as a venomous giant bound in agony under a
serpent-haunted cavern (no mention is made of "Sigyn" or her pious
ministry).

"Hela" seems to be meant by Saxo's Proserpina.

"Nanna" is the daughter of Gewar, and Balder sees her bathing and falls
in love with her, as madly as Frey with Gertha in Skirnismal.

"Freya", the mistress of Od, the patroness of Othere the homely, the
sister of Frey-Frode, and daughter of Niord-Fridlaf, appears as Gunwara
Eric's love and Syritha Ottar's love and the hair-clogged maiden, as Dr.
Rydberg has shown.

The gods can disguise their form, change their shape, are often met in
a mist, which shrouds them save from the right person; they appear
and disappear at will. For the rest they have the mental and physical
characteristics of the kings and queens they protect or persecute
so capriciously. They can be seen