, wading along in mid-stream,
followed the net, whilst the others dragged it along towards the sea.
Loki then perceived that he had only two chances of escape, either to
swim out to sea, or to leap again over the net. He chose the latter,
but as he took a tremendous leap Thor caught him in his hand. Being,
however, extremely slippery, he would have escaped had not Thor held
him fast by the tail, and this is the reason why salmons have had
their tails ever since so fine and thin.

"The gods having thus captured Loki, dragged him without commiseration
into a cavern, wherein they placed three sharp-pointed rocks, boring a
hole through each of them. Having also seized Loki's children, Vali
and Nari, they changed the former into a wolf, and in this likeness he
tore his brother to pieces and devoured him. The gods then made cords
of his intestines, with which they bound Loki on the points of the
rocks, one cord passing under his shoulders, another under his loins,
and a third under his hams, and afterwards transformed these cords
into thongs of iron. Skadi then suspended a serpent over him in such a
manner that the venom should fall on his face, drop by drop. But
Siguna, his wife, stands by him and receives the drops as they fall in
a cup, which she empties as often as it is filled. But while she is
doing this, venom falls upon Loki, which makes him howl with horror,
and twist his body about so violently that the whole earth shakes, and
this produces what men call earthquakes. There will Loki lie until
Ragnarok."

OF RAGNAROK, OR THE TWILIGHT OE THE GODS, AND THE CONFLAGRATION OF THE
UNIVERSE.

63. "I have not heard before of Ragnarok," said Gangler; "what hast
thou to tell me about it?"

"There are many very notable circumstances concerning it," replied
Har, "which I can inform thee of. In the first place will come the
winter, called Fimbul-winter, during which snow will fall from the
four corners of the world; the frosts will be very severe, the wind
piercing, the weather tempestuous, and the sun impart no gladness.
Three such winters shall pass away without being tempered by a single
summer. Three other similar winters follow, during which war and
discord will spread over the whole globe. Brethren for the sake of
mere gain shall kill each other, and no one shall spare either his
parents or his children.

64. "Then shall happen such things as may truly be accounted great
prodigies. The wolf shall devour the sun, an