d it fallen on me, but I brought a rocky mountain before me which
thou didst not perceive, and in this mountain thou wilt find three
glens, one of them remarkably deep. These are the dints made by thy
mallet. I have made use of similar illusions in the contests ye have
had with my followers. In the first, Loki, like hunger itself,
devoured all that was set before him, but Logi was, in reality,
nothing else than ardent fire, and therefore consumed not only the
meat but the trough which held it. Hugi, with whom Thjalfi contended
in running, was Thought, and it was impossible for Thjalfi to keep
pace with that. When thou, in thy turn, didst try to empty the horn,
thou didst perform, by my troth, a deed so marvellous, that had I not
seen it myself I should never have believed it. For one end of that
horn reached the sea, which thou wast not aware of, but when thou
comest to the shore thou wilt perceive how much the sea has sunk by
thy draughts, which have caused what is now called the ebb. Thou didst
perform a feat no less wonderful by lifting up the cat, and to tell
thee the truth, when we saw that one of his paws was off the floor, we
were all of us terror-stricken, for what thou tookest for a cat was
in reality the great Midgard serpent that encompassed the whole earth,
and he was then barely long enough to inclose it between his head and
tail, so high had thy hand raised him up towards heaven. Thy wrestling
with Elli was also a most astonishing feat, for there was never yet a
man, nor ever shall be, whom Old Age, for such in fact was Elli, will
not sooner or later lay low if he abide her coming. But now as we are
going to part, let me tell thee that it will be better for both of us
if thou never come near me again, for shouldst thou do so, I shall
again defend myself by other illusions, so that thou wilt never
prevail against me.'

"On hearing these words, Thor, in a rage, laid hold of his mallet and
would have launched it at him, but Utgard-Loki had disappeared, and
when Thor would have returned to the city to-destroy it, he found
nothing around him but a verdant plain. Proceeding, therefore, on his
way, he returned without stopping to Thrudvang. But he had already
resolved to make that attack on the Midgard serpent which afterwards
took place. I trust," concluded Thridi, "that thou wilt now
acknowledge that no one can tell thee truer tidings than those thou
hast heard respecting this journey of Thor to Jotunheim."