his iron gauntlets, which he is obliged to put on whenever he would lay
hold of the handle of his mallet. There is no one so wise as to be able
to relate all Thor's marvellous exploits, yet I could tell thee so many
myself that hours would be whiled away ere all that I know had been
recounted.'

"OF BALDUR.

"'I would rather,' said Gangler, 'hear something about the other
AEsir.'

"'The second son of Odin,' replied Har, 'is Baldur, and it may be truly
said of him that he is the best, and that all mankind are loud in his
praise. So fair and dazzling is he in form and features, that rays of
light seem to issue from him; and thou mayst have some idea of the
beauty of his hair when I tell thee that the whitest of all plants is
called Baldur's brow. Baldur is the mildest, the wisest, and the most
eloquent of all the AEsir, yet such is his nature that the judgment he
has pronounced can never be altered. He dwells in the heavenly mansion
called Breidablik, in which nothing unclean can enter. As it is said,--

"'T is Breidablik called,
"Where Baldur the Fair
Hath built him a bower,
In that land where I know
The least loathliness lieth."'

"OF NJOeRD.

"'The third god,' continued Har, 'is Njoerd, who dwells in the heavenly
region called Noatun. He rules over the winds, and checks the fury of
the sea and of fire, and is therefore invoked by seafarers and
fishermen. He is so wealthy that he can give possessions and treasures
to those who call on him for them. Yet Njoerd is not of the lineage of
the AEsir, for he was born and bred in Vanaheim. But the Vanir gave him
as hostage to the AEsir, receiving from them in his stead Hoenir. By
this means was peace re-established between the AEsir and Vanir. Njoerd
took to wife Skadi, the daughter of the giant Thjassi. She preferred
dwelling in the abode formerly belonging to her father, which is
situated among rocky mountains, in the region called Thrymheim, but
Njoerd loved to reside near the sea. They at last agreed that they
should pass together nine nights in Thrymheim, and then three in
Noatun. One day, when Njoerd came back from the mountains to Noatun, he
thus sang:--

"Of mountains I'm weary,
Not long was I there,
Not more than nine nights;
But the howl of the wolf
Methought sounded ill