ant, had it not been for the evil ways of his wife, the
crafty Queen Ran. For, however kind at heart the king might be, his good
intentions were almost always thwarted by the queen. Ran could never be
trusted; and no one, unless it were Loki, the Mischief-maker, could ever
say any thing in her praise. She was always lurking among hidden rocks,
or in the deep sea, or along the shores of silent fjords, and reaching
out with her long lean fingers, seeking to clutch in her greedy grasp
whatever prey might unwarily come near her. And many richly-laden
vessels, and many brave seamen and daring warriors, had she dragged down
to her blue-hung chamber in old AEgir's hall.

And this is the story that Bragi told of

The Feast in AEgir's Hall.

It happened long ago, when the good folk at Gladsheim were wont to visit
the mid-world oftener than now. On a day in early autumn Queen Ran,
with her older daughters,--Raging Sea, Breaker, Billow, Surge, and
Surf,--went out to search for plunder. But old AEgir staid at home, and
with him his younger daughters,--fair Purple-hair, gentle Diver, dancing
Ripple, and smiling Sky-clear. And as they played around him, and kissed
his old storm-beaten cheeks, the heart of the king was softened into
gentleness, and he began to think kindly of the green earth which
bordered his kingdom, and of the brave men who lived there; but most of
all did he think of the great and good Asa-folk, who dwell in Asgard,
and overlook the affairs of the world. Then he called his servants,
Funfeng and Elder, and bade them prepare a feast in his gold-lit hall.
And he sent fleet messengers to invite the Asa-folk to come and partake
of the good cheer. And his four young daughters played upon the beach,
and smiled and danced in the beaming sunlight. And the hearts of many
seafaring men were gladdened that day, as they spread their sails to the
wind; for they saw before them a pleasant voyage, and the happy issue of
many an undertaking.

Long before the day had begun to wane, the Asa-folk arrived in a body
at AEgir's hall; for they were glad to answer the bidding of the
Ocean-king. Odin came, riding Sleipner, his eight-footed steed; Thor
rode in his iron chariot drawn by goats; Frey came with Gullinburste,
his golden-bristled boar. There, too, was the war-like Tyr, and blind
Hoder, and the silent Vidar, and the sage Forsete, and the hearkening
Heimdal, and Niord, the Ruler of the Winds, and Bragi, with his harp;
a