ved that
he every day increased prodigiously in size, and that the oracles
warned them that he would one day become fatal to them, they
determined to make a very strong iron fetter for him, which they
called Laeding. Taking this fetter to the wolf, they bade him try his
strength on it. Fenrir, perceiving that the enterprise would not be
very difficult for him, let them do what they pleased, and then, by
great muscular exertion, burst the chain and set himself at liberty.
The gods, having seen this, made another fetter, half as strong again
as the former, which they called Dromi, and prevailed on the wolf to
put it on, assuring him that, by breaking this, he would give an
undeniable proof of his vigour.

"The wolf saw well enough that it would not be so easy to break this
fetter, but finding at the same time that his strength had increased
since he broke Laeding, and thinking that he could never become famous
without running some risk, voluntarily submitted to be chained. When
the gods told him that they had finished their task, Fenrir shook
himself violently, stretched his limbs, rolled on the ground, and at
last burst his chains, which flew in pieces all around him. He then
freed himself from Dromi, which gave rise to the proverb, 'to get
loose out of Laeding, or to dash out of Dromi,' when anything is to be
accomplished by strong efforts.

BINDING THE WOLF FENIR

"After this, the gods despaired of ever being able to bind the wolf;
wherefore All-father sent Skirnir, the messenger of Frey, into the
country of the Dark Elves (Svartalfaheim) to engage certain dwarfs to
make the fetter called Gleipnir. It was fashioned out of six things;
to wit, the noise made by the footfall of a cat; the beards of women;
the roots of stones; the sinews of bears; the breath of fish; and the
spittle of birds. Though thou mayest not have heard of these things
before, thou mayest easily convince thyself that we have not been
telling thee lies. Thou must have seen that women have no beards, that
cats make no noise when they run, and that there are no roots under
stones. Now I know what has been told thee to be equally true,
although there may be some things thou art not able to furnish a proof
of."

"I believe what thou hast told me to be true," replied Gangler, "for
what thou hast adduced in corroboration of thy statement is
conceivable. But how was the fetter smithied?"

"This can I tell thee," replied Har, "that the fetter was as