hor began to think that
perhaps old Grid was right and that a trap was being laid for him.

No one was in the hall. He came out of the hall and into a great stone
chamber and he saw no one there either. But in the center of the stone
chamber there was a stone seat, and Thor went to it and seated himself
upon it.

No sooner was he seated than the chair flew upwards. Thor would have
been crushed against the stone roof only that he held his staff up. So
great was the power in the staff, so great was the strength that the
string around him gave, that the chair was thrust downward. The stone
chair crashed down upon the stone floor.

There were horrible screams from under it. Thor lifted up the seat and
saw two ugly, broken bodies there. The Giant's daughters, Gialp and
Greip, had hidden themselves under the chair to watch his death. But
the stone that was to have crushed him against the ceiling had crushed
them against the floor.

Thor strode out of that chamber with his teeth set hard. A great fire
was blazing in the hall, and standing beside that fire he saw Gerrioed,
the long-armed Giant.

He held a tongs into the fire. As Thor came toward him he lifted up the
tongs and flung from it a blazing wedge of iron. It whizzed straight
toward Thor's forehead. Thor put up his hands and caught the blazing
wedge of iron between the mittens that old Grid had given him. Quickly
he hurled it back at Gerrioed. It struck the Giant on the forehead and
went blazing through him.

Gerrioed crashed down into the fire, and the burning iron made a blaze
all around him. And when Thor reached Grid's cave (he went there to
restore to the old Giantess the string, the mittens, and the staff of
power she had given him) he saw the Giant's dwelling in such a blaze
that one would think the fires of Muspelheim were all around it.

[Illustration]

LOKI AGAINST THE AESIR

The AEsir were the guests of the Vanir: in Frey's palace the Dwellers in
Asgard met and feasted in friendship. Odin and Tyr were there, Vidar and
Vali, Nioerd, Frey, Heimdall, and Bragi. The Asyniur and the Vana were
also--Frigga, Freya, Iduna, Gerda, Skadi, Sif, and Nanna. Thor and Loki
were not at the feast, for they had left Asgard together.

In Frey's palace the vessels were of shining gold; they made light for
the table and they moved of their own accord to serve those who were
feasting. All was peace and friendship there until Loki entered the
feast hall.

Fre