ant who has ever been your enemy and your imitator, and whose
fingers have long itched to grasp the short handle of mighty Mioelnir,
that the world may name him Thunder Lord instead of you. But look! What
a tempest! The world will be shattered into fragments unless we soon get
the hammer back."

Then Thor roared with rage. "I will seek this impudent Thrym!" he cried.
"I will crush him into bits, and teach him to meddle with the weapon of
the AEsir!"

"Softly, softly," said Loki, smiling maliciously. "He is a shrewd giant,
and a mighty. Even you, great Thor, cannot go to him and pluck the
hammer from his hand as one would slip the rattle from a baby's pink
fist. Nay, you must use craft, Thor; and it is I who will teach you, if
you will be patient."

Thor was a brave, blunt fellow, and he hated the ways of Loki, his lies
and his deceit. He liked best the way of warriors--the thundering
charge, the flash of weapons, and the heavy blow; but without the hammer
he could not fight the giants hand to hand. Loki's advice seemed wise,
and he decided to leave the matter to the Red One.

Loki was now all eagerness, for he loved difficulties which would set
his wit in play and bring other folk into danger. "Look, now," he said.
"We must go to Freia and borrow her falcon dress. But you must ask; for
she loves me so little that she would scarce listen to me."

So first they made their way to Folkvang, the house of maidens, where
Freia dwelt, the loveliest of all in Asgard. She was fairer than fair,
and sweeter than sweet, and the tears from her flower eyes made the dew
which blessed the earth flowers night and morning. Of her Thor borrowed
the magic dress of feathers in which Freia was wont to clothe herself
and flit like a great beautiful bird all about the world. She was
willing enough to lend it to Thor when he told her that by its aid he
hoped to win back the hammer which he had lost; for she well knew the
danger threatening herself and all the AEsir until Mioelnir should be
found.

"Now will I fetch the hammer for you," said Loki. So he put on the
falcon plumage, and, spreading his brown wings, flapped away up, up,
over the world, down, down, across the great ocean which lies beyond all
things that men know. And he came to the dark country where there was no
sunshine nor spring, but it was always dreary winter; where mountains
were piled up like blocks of ice, and where great caverns yawned
hungrily in blackness. And this