y their desire for an abode where they might rest and enjoy
themselves in their hours of ease.

They chose a suitable place far above the earth, on the other side of
the great river which flowed from the Home of Mist where the giants
dwelt, and here they made for their abode Asgard, wherein they dwelt
in peace and happiness, and from whence they could look down upon the
sons of men.

From Asgard to Midgard they built a beautiful bridge of many colours,
to which men gave the name of Rainbow Bridge, and up and down which
the gods could pass on their journeys to and from the earth.

Here in Asgard stood the mighty forge where the gods fashioned their
weapons wherewith they fought the giants, and the tools wherewith they
built their palaces of gold and silver.

Meantime, no human creature lived upon the earth, and the giants dared
not cross its borders for fear of the gods. But one of them, clad in
eagles' plumes, always sat at the north side of Midgard, and, whenever
he raised his arms and let them fall again, an icy blast rushed forth
from the Mist Home and nipped all the pleasant things of earth with
its cruel breath. In due time the earth was no longer without life,
for the ground brought forth thousands of tiny creatures, which
crawled about and showed signs of great intelligence. And when the
gods examined these little people closely, they found that they were
of two kinds.

Some were ugly, misshapen, and cunning-faced, with great heads, small
bodies, long arms and feet. These they called Trolls or Dwarfs or
Gnomes, and sent them to live underground, threatening to turn them
into stone should they appear in the daytime. And this is why the
trolls spend all their time in the hidden parts of the earth, digging
for gold and silver and precious stones, and hiding their spoil away
in secret holes and corners. Sometimes they blow their tiny fires and
set to work to make all kinds of wonderful things from this buried
treasure; and that is what they are doing when, if one listens very
hard on the mountains and hills of the Northland, a sound of
tap-tap-tapping is heard far underneath the ground.

The other small earth creatures were very fair and light and slender,
kindly of heart, and full of goodwill. These the gods called Fairies
or Elves, and gave to them a charming place called Elfland in which to
dwell. Elfland lies between Asgard and Midgard, and since all fairies
have wings they can easily flit down to the eart