and carried it thither with them.

"Vithar's then and Vali's force
Heirs the empty realm of gods;
Mothi's thew and Magni's might
Sways the massy mallet's weight,
Won from Thor, when Thor must fall."

Vafthrudni's-mal (W. Taylor's tr.).

Here they were joined by Hoenir, no longer an exile among the Vanas,
who, as developing forces, had also vanished for ever; and out of
the dark underworld where he had languished so long rose the radiant
Balder, together with his brother Hodur, with whom he was reconciled,
and with whom he was to live in perfect amity and peace. The past
had gone for ever, and the surviving deities could recall it without
bitterness. The memory of their former companions was, however, dear
to them, and full often did they return to their old haunts to linger
over the happy associations. It was thus that walking one day in the
long grass on Idavold, they found again the golden disks with which
the AEsir had been wont to sport.

"We shall tread once more that well-known plain
Of Ida, and among the grass shall find
The golden dice with which we play'd of yore;
And that will bring to mind the former life
And pastime of the Gods, the wise discourse
Of Odin, the delights of other days."

Balder Dead (Matthew Arnold).

When the small band of gods turned mournfully towards the place
where their lordly dwellings once stood, they became aware, to their
joyful surprise, that Gimli, the highest heavenly abode, had not
been consumed, for it rose glittering before them, its golden roof
outshining the sun. Hastening thither they discovered, to the great
increase of their joy, that it had become the place of refuge for
all the virtuous.

"In Gimli the lofty
There shall the hosts
Of the virtuous dwell,
And through all ages
Taste of deep gladness."

Literature and Romance of Northern Europe (Howitt).

One too Mighty to Name

As the Norsemen who settled in Iceland, and through whom the
most complete exposition of the Odinic faith has come down to us
in the Eddas and Sagas, were not definitely converted until the
eleventh century,--although they had come in contact with Christians
during their viking raids nearly six centuries before,--it is very
probable that the Northern scalds gleaned some idea of the Christian
doctrines, and that this knowledge influenced them to a certain
extent, and colou