h to play with the
butterflies, teach the young birds to sing, water the flowers, or
dance in the moonlight round a fairy ring.

Last of all, the gods made a man and woman to dwell in fair Midgard;
and this is the manner of their creation.

All-Father Odin was walking with his brothers in Midgard where, by the
seashore, they found growing two trees, an ash and an elm. Odin took
these trees and breathed on them, whereupon a wonderful transformation
took place. Where the trees had stood, there were a living man and
woman, but they were stupid, pale, and speechless, until Hoenir, the
god of Light, touched their fore-heads and gave them sense and wisdom;
and Loki, the Fire-god, smoothed their faces, giving them bright
colour and warm blood, and the power to speak and see and hear. It
only remained that they should be named, and they were called Ask and
Embla, the names of the trees from which they had been formed. From
these two people sprang all the race of men which lives upon this
earth.

And now All-Father Odin completed his work by planting the Tree of
Life.

This immense tree had its roots in Asgard and Midgard and the Mist
Land; and it grew to such a marvellous height that the highest bough,
the Bough of Peace, hung over the Hall of Odin on the heights of
Asgard; and the other branches overshadowed both Midgard and the Mist
Land. On the top of the Peace Bough was perched a mighty eagle, and
ever a falcon sat between his eyes, and kept watch on all that
happened in the world below, that he might tell to Odin what he saw.

Heidrun, the goat of Odin, who supplied the heavenly mead, browsed on
the leaves of this wonderful tree, and from them fed also the four
mighty stags from whose horns honey-dew dropped on to the earth
beneath and supplied water for all the rivers of Midgard.

The leaves of the Tree of Life were ever green and fair, despite the
dragon which, aided by countless serpents, gnawed perpetually at its
roots, in order that they might kill the Tree of Life and thus bring
about the destruction of the gods.

Up and down the branches of the tree scampered the squirrel, Ratatosk,
a malicious little creature, whose one amusement it was to make
mischief by repeating to the eagle the rude remarks of the dragon, and
to the dragon those of the eagle, in the hope that one day he might
see them in actual conflict.

Near the roots of the Tree of life is a sacred well of sweet water
from which the three Weird S