they left all on a great painted ship. They could not but
leave Brynhild beside him, Brynhild with her wondrous hair and her stern
and beautiful face. They left the two together and launched the ship on
the sea. And when the ship was on the water they fired it, and Brynhild
once again lay in the flames.

And so Sigurd and Brynhild went together to join Baldur and Nanna in
Hela's habitation.

Gunnar and Hoegni came to dread the evil that was in the hoard. They took
the gleaming and glittering mass and they brought it to the river along
which, ages before, Hreidmar had his smithy and the Dwarf Andvari his
cave. From a rock in the river they cast the gold and jewels into the
water and the hoard of Andvari sank for ever beneath the waves. Then the
River Maidens had possession again of their treasure. But not for long
were they to guard it and to sing over it, for now the season that was
called the Fimbul Winter was coming over the earth, and Ragnaroek, the
Twilight of the Gods, was coming to the Dwellers in Asgard.

[Illustration]

THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

Snow fell on the four quarters of the world; icy winds blew from every
side; the sun and the moon were hidden by storms. It was the Fimbul
Winter: no spring came and no summer; no autumn brought harvest or
fruit, and winter grew into winter again.

There was three years' winter. The first was called the Winter of Winds:
storms blew and snows drove down and frosts were mighty. The children of
men might hardly keep alive in that dread winter.

The second winter was called the Winter of the Sword: those who were
left alive amongst men robbed and slew for what was left to feed on;
brother fell on brother and slew him, and over all the world there were
mighty battles.

And the third winter was called the Winter of the Wolf. Then the
ancient witch who lived in Jarnvid, the Iron Wood, fed the Wolf Managarm
on unburied men and on the corpses of those who fell in battle. Mightily
grew and flourished the Wolf that was to be the devourer of Mani, the
Moon. The Champions in Valhalla would find their seats splashed with the
blood that Managarm dashed from his jaws; this was a sign to the Gods
that the time of the last battle was approaching.

A cock crew; far down in the bowels of the earth he was and beside
Hela's habitation: the rusty-red cock of Hel crew, and his crowing made
a stir in the lower worlds. In Joetunheim a cock crew, Fialar, the
crimson cock, and a