the sanctity of the rites of
hospitality, and the dread of turning a wanderer from the door,
originated lest the stranger should be a disguised being of exalted
character. Goddesses as well as gods were supposed to wander up and
down among men, telling them what was to happen. Freyja, the goddess
of love and plenty, who presided over marriages, was one of these, and
the three moons, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, who determined the fate of
gods and men, were also among the number.

We are informed that in Frodi's house were two maidens of the old
giant race, whom he had bought as slaves, and he made them grind his
quern Grotti, out of which peace and gold were produced. He kept them
at the mill, not giving them any longer rest than the time the
cuckoo's note lasted. That quern turned out anything that the grinder
chose, though formerly it had ground nothing but peace and gold. The
maidens ground and ground without ceasing. As Frodi was deaf to their
cries for rest, they caused the quern to grind fire and war. While the
quern went on making these evils, Mysing, the sea rover, came at night
and slew Frodi and all his men, and carried away the hand-mill,
maidens and all. When at sea, the rover caused the maidens to grind
salt; and they performed their task until they ground as much as has
kept the sea salt ever since that time.

Thor was the chief god of the Laplanders. They had also subordinate
deities, one of which was Storjunkarr, their household god. Wirchu
Archa was a female deity worshipped by them. She was the goddess of
old women. These deities were represented under the figure of
unsculptured stones. Spirits, angels, and devils were worshipped by
those people. Souls of departed relations were also prayed to by the
more superstitious of the people. Magic was a famous art among them.
When sacrificing to Thor, they smeared the head of his image with the
victim's blood; and when they made an offering to Storjunkarr, a
thread was run through the right ear of the victim. When it was a
reindeer that was sacrificed, the horns, head, and other parts were
carried to a mountain devoted to Storjunkarr, and deposited there, the
animal's tail being tied to one of the horns, and a red thread to the
other.

The Laplanders used to sacrifice reindeers to the sun. In this
ceremony a white thread was put through the victim's right ear. In
sacrificing to the sun, willows were used, but in their other
sacrifices birch trees were employe