him, and the everlasting snows lay at his feet, and the
world in all its beauty was stretched out like a map below him; and he
longed to go forth to partake of its abundance, and to make for himself
a name among men. Then came the Norns, who spin the thread, and weave
the woof, of every man's life; and they held in their hands the web
of his own destiny. And Urd, the Past, sat on the tops of the eastern
mountains, where the sun begins to rise at dawn; while Verdanda, the
Present, stood in the western sea, where sky and water meet. And they
stretched the web between them, and its ends were hidden in the far-away
mists. Then with all their might the two Norns span the purple and
golden threads, and wove the fatal woof. But as it began to grow in
beauty and in strength, and to shadow the earth with its gladness and
its glory, Skuld, the pitiless Norn of the Future, seized it with rude
fingers, and tore it into shreds, and cast it down at the feet of Hela,
the white queen of the dead.[EN#6] And the eagles shrieked, and the
mountain shook, and the crag toppled, and Siegfried awoke.

The next morning, at earliest break of day, the youth sought Regin, and
made known his errand.

"I have come for charcoal for my master Mimer's forges. My cart stands
ready outside; and I pray you to have it filled at once, for the way is
long, and I must be back betimes."

Then a strange smile stole over Regin's wrinkled face, and he said,--

"Does Siegfried the prince come on such a lowly errand? Does he come
to me through the forest, driving a donkey, and riding in a sooty
coal-cart? I have known the day when his kin were the mightiest kings of
earth, and they fared through every land the noblest men of men-folk."

The taunting word, the jeering tones, made Siegfried's anger rise.
The blood boiled in his veins; but he checked his tongue, and mildly
answered,--

"It is true that I am a prince, and my father is the wisest of kings;
and it is for this reason that I come thus to you. Mimer is my master,
and my father early taught me that even princes must obey their masters'
behests."

Then Regin laughed, and asked, "How long art thou to be Mimer's thrall?
Does no work wait for thee but at his smoky forge?"

"When Mimer gives me leave, and Odin calls me," answered the lad, "then
I, too, will go faring over the world, like my kin of the earlier
days, to carve me a name and great glory, and a place with the noble of
earth."

Regin said no