warrior, for, thought he, a young soldier
might perchance touch the maiden's heart; but when he again attempted
to kiss her, she pushed him back so suddenly that he stumbled and
fell upon one knee.

"Many a fair maiden
When rightly known,
Towards men is fickle;
That I experienced,
When that discreet maiden I
Strove to win;
Contumely of every kind
That wily girl
Heaped upon me;
Nor of that damsel gained I aught."

Soemund's Edda (Thorpe's tr.).

This third insult so enraged Odin that he drew his magic rune stick
out of his breast, pointed it at Rinda, and uttered such a terrible
spell that she fell back into the arms of her attendants rigid and
apparently lifeless.

When the princess came to life again, her suitor had disappeared,
but the king discovered with great dismay that she had entirely lost
her senses and was melancholy mad. In vain all the physicians were
summoned and all their simples tried; the maiden remained passive
and sad, and her distracted father had well-nigh abandoned hope when
an old woman, who announced herself as Vecha, or Vak, appeared and
offered to undertake the cure of the princess. The seeming old woman,
who was Odin in disguise, first prescribed a foot-bath for the patient;
but as this did not appear to have any very marked effect, she proposed
to try a more drastic treatment. For this, Vecha declared, the patient
must be entrusted to her exclusive care, securely bound so that she
could not offer the least resistance. Billing, anxious to save his
child, was ready to assent to anything; and having thus gained full
power over Rinda, Odin compelled her to wed him, releasing her from
bonds and spell only when she had faithfully promised to be his wife.

The Birth of Vali

The prophecy of Rossthiof was now fulfilled, for Rinda duly bore a son
named Vali (Ali, Bous, or Beav), a personification of the lengthening
days, who grew with such marvellous rapidity that in the course of
a single day he attained his full stature. Without waiting even to
wash his face or comb his hair, this young god hastened to Asgard,
bow and arrow in hand, to avenge the death of Balder upon his murderer,
Hodur, the blind god of darkness.

"But, see! th' avenger, Vali, come,
Sprung from the west, in Rinda's womb,
True son of Odin! one day's birth!
He shall not stop nor stay on earth
His locks to comb, his hands to lave,
Hi