Surt and his warriors then made for the wide field of Vigrid, the greatest field in the world. One hundred miles long and one hundred miles wide, it was a proper battlefield for gods and giants. There the fire demons were joined by the hordes of trolls and jotuns, ghosts and monsters. In row upon row, they waited for the Aesir to come and give battle.

  Led by Odin, the huge army of gods and heroes thundered up the field. Odin made straight for the gaping jaws of Fenris. But before he could throw his spear down the wolfs horrible gullet, the monster lurched forward and swallowed him.

  Thor could not come to his father’s aid; he had his hands full fighting the Midgard’s Serpent. Time and again he threw his hammer at the hissing head, until at last the serpent gave up its breath and died. Thor lived only long enough to stagger nine steps backward. Then he fell to the ground, killed by the serpent’s poisonous breath.

  Odin’s son Vidar avenged his father. He had an enormous boot made from the remnants of shoe leather that good men on earth had saved. When he leapt forward and thrust his foot into the mouth of the wolf, he tore the powerful jaws apart and split the monster’s head.

  The archenemies, Loki and Heimdall, fell, pierced by each other’s weapons. Tyr and Garm, the hound of Hel, also killed each other.

  Frey fell an easy prey when the demon Surt thrust his flaming sword through him. Frey’s only weapon was a pair of antlers, for he had given away his golden sword to win the love of Gerd.

  Odin’s vast army of heroes fought as long as there was a man standing, though jotuns and trolls pelted them with blocks of ice, with boulders, yes, even with mountains.

  At last the battle ended. Most of the Aesir and all of Odin’s warriors lay dead, and the sound of the goddesses weeping filled the world.

  Then the two jotuns in wolfs clothing caught up with sun and moon and swallowed them.

  The Aesir world was plunged into darkness, and Yggdrasil, the world tree, broke and fell. Surt lifted his flaming sword and flung fire over everything. The sea rose above the mountains and fell crashing over the land. The air trembled, the stars were ripped from the sky as burning earth disappeared under the waves, and the sacred halls of Asgard toppled and fell.

  Out of the depths rose Nidhogg, the dragon of destruction. For a while it hovered over the fallen world, then sank back into the void.

  All that was left of the world of the Aesir was the field of Ida, where their glittering halls had stood. There the Aesir who had not been destroyed gathered again.

  When the earth split open, Balder, the gentle, came up from Hel, leading his blind brother, Hod. They were joined by Magni and Modi, Thor’s young sons, and by Odin’s sons Vidar and Vali, youngest of the Aesir. And Hoenir, Odin’s brother, came back from the faraway world of the Vanir to stand by his kinsmen.

  Quietly, the last of the Aesir walked over the field of Ida, looking at the ruins of their once glittering halls and talking about the great deeds of their fathers. There, on the greensward, they found the golden chessmen with which they had played in the old days of power and glory. Now they had no one to lead, no one to guard; they had nothing to do but play chess and think back. So they sat down in the gray twilight and played peaceful games with their golden chessmen.

  A New World

  AND IT happened that a new day dawned.

  Before she was swallowed by the jotun in wolf’s clothing, sun had rapidly given birth to a daughter. The little daughter grew as big and bright as her mother had been, and she rose shining in the sky. A new moon and new stars appeared, and a new rainbow bridged the desolate sea and the high heavens far above the field of Ida.

  And slowly a new earth rose from the sea.

  It was a green and lovely new earth, where seeds sprouted in unsown fields and eagles soared high over crystal-clear brooks. Again animals roamed through the forests and fields, and fish gamboled in the sea.

  Then out of the secret grove of Hodmimir stepped a maiden and a youth. They were Lif and Lifthrasir—“Life” and the “Stubborn Will to Live.” They alone among mankind had escaped the destruction of Ragnarokk. They had hidden under the bark of trees and had found their food in the morning dew. Their descendants would people the new earth.

  Lif and Lifthrasir did not lift their heads and hands in prayer to the Aesir gods. They prayed to God Almighty, who had stepped out from above to rule all the worlds in eternity. He would gather around him all good souls to live in glory forever at Gimle, the paradise that gleamed like a jewel in the sky, far above anything else.

  The harsh and warlike days of the Aesir world were gone. But for hundreds of years, memories of the Aesir gods and of their foes lived on in the north. People were certain that behind the closed doors of the mountains, jotuns and trolls were hiding. And men, lifting their heads on a stormy night to look at the raging clouds, might glimpse instead a phantom band of wild horsemen, led by “one” on an eight-legged steed.

  Reader’s Companion

  After most entries, the phonetic pronunciation of the Norse word is given in parenthesis, followed in italics by the literal, ancient meaning of the word.

  Aegir (ai-geer) sea An ancient jotun, he was lord of the stormy seas. His wife was Ran, and his nine daughters, who had poetic names such as “the one who glitters” and “the one whose hair is red in the evening sun,” personified the waves.

  Aesir (ai-seer) spirits The Norse gods whose cult was brought to the north by an lndo-European tribe from the east. The emphasis of the cult was definitely masculine, and the virtues it exalted had to do with preserving the honor of one’s name, avenging the death of any kinsman, and waging war with ferocious courage. The long hair of the Aesir gods was considered a sign of manly power.

  Alfheim (ahlf-hame) home of elves The home of Frey, god of fertility, and of the light-elves, who were also friendly spirits of fertility.

  Angerboda (ahug-er-boh-dah) bringer of anguish An ogress, she was Loki’s wife in Jotunheim, and mother of the three monsters, Fenris, Hel and the Midgard’s Serpent.

  Asgard (ahs-gahr) Farm of the Aesir gods The home of the Aesir gods. In its center was the open field of Ida, around which stood the thirteen halls of the gods. It was protected by a wall, and reached by a rainbow bridge.

  Ask (ahsk) ash tree The first man, who was created from an ash tree by the first three Aesir gods. All human beings in the world of the Aesir were descended from him and Embla, the first woman.

  Asynjer (oh-sin-yer) feminine form of Aesir The wives and daughters of the Aesir gods. Their long hair was considered precious, and cutting any woman’s hair was thought to be one of the worst crimes that could be committed against her.

  Balder (bahl-der) lord The, son of Odin and Frigg, he was the god of Light and of peace. His wife was Nanna, their son Forsete. His home in Asgard was called “the far-gleaming.”

  Balderblom (bahl-der-blom) flower of Balder A very beautiful little white flower that grows in the mountains of Scandinavia.

  Barre (bahr-reh) barley, grain The sacred barley patch where Frey and Gerd met in a Norse explanation of the mystery of spring’s flowering out of winter’s frozen earth.

  Berserk (ber-serk) bearskin cloak A man in a raging fury who wore a bearskin cloak, thereby acquiring the strength of a bear.

  Bragi (brah-gee) song The son of Odin and the jotun maiden Gunnlod, he was the god of poetry. His wife was ldunn.

  Brokk (brock) hunchback A gnome who made a wager with Loki, betting his brother Sindri’s skill as a smith against his own head.

  Draupnir (drawp-neer) dripping Odin’s magic armring that was made by the gnome Sindri. Every ninth night eight new bracelets dropped from the armring.

  Edda (ed-dah) great grandmother There are two Eddas, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, which contain the Norse myths. The myths were an oral tradition between the time the lndo-European tribe that brought the cult settled in the north and the eleventh century A.D., when they were first written down in the Poetic Edda. Thus they were recorded ac a very late stage, and many of them already reflect a gradual transition from myth to fairy tale. The original meanings were often already blurred or forgotten, and many of the stories had been lost as the once important gods they celebrated had long ago sunk into obscurity. (see Ull) Moreover, there is a possibility that some elements did not come from the ancient tradition at all, but were instead contemporary insertions reflecting the Christian church’s efforts to stamp out old pagan beliefs, (See also Ragnarokk, Gimlé)

  Eir (air) mercy, forebearing The goddess of healing.

  Elle (ell-lee) old age Old Age in the form of an old woman with whom Thor wrestled at Utgardsloki’s hall.

  Elves Also referred to as light-elves, these were friendly spirits of fertility. Ghostlike and full of magic, they had cloaks of invisibility and belts that made them irresistibly attractive.

  Embla (em-blah) older The first woman, who was created from an older tree by the first three Aesir gods. All human beings in the world of the Aesir were descended from her and Ask, the first man.

  Fenris (fen-riss) from the swamp A monstrous wolf, offspring of Loki and Angerboda, who was confined to an isolated island by the Aesir.

  Forsete (for-seh-teh) he who sits in, the front seat The son of Balder and Nanna, he was the chief judge of the Aesir.

  Frey (fry) the foremost The son of the Vanir god Njord, he was the god of fertility. His golden boar plowed the earth and made it green, while Frey sent sunshine and rain to earth. His wife was the jotun maiden Gerd, and his home was Alfheim.

  Freya (fry-ah) lady, mistress The daughter of the Vanir god Njord, she was the goddess of beauty and love. Her husband, who had vanished, was Od, and her daughter was Noss Her home in Asgard was called “field or men.’’ The Norse said that the Milky Way was freya’s necklace.

  Frigg (frig) lady, mistress Odin’s wife and Balder’s mother, she was the highest in rank of the goddesses. She was the goddess of matrimony and looked after homes, and was thought of as always spinning yarn. The stars known as the Belt of Orion were said by the Norse to be Frigg’s distaff.

  Fulla (full-lah) carrying a goblet A lady-in-waiting to Frigg, she cared for Frigg’s jewels and shoes, and shared Frigg’s secrets.

  Fyn (fune) A Danish island west of Sjaelland, it was Odjn’s favorite island. There was a sanctuary to Odin there, at Odense, and Hans Christian Andersen was born there.

  Garm (gahrm) barking The howling hound that guarded the gate to Hel.

  GefJon (geff-yone) giving A goddess identified with Frigg, who, with the help of her four sons, plowed the Danish island, Sjaelland, out of the mainland of Sweden and transported it to its present position.

  Geirrod (gay-rod) spear-thrower A jotun who tried to outwit and overcome Thor by getting him to come to Jotunheim without any weapons.

  Gerd (gaird) fence enclosing tilled land The daughter of the jotun Gymir, she became the wife of Frey in a Norse explanation of the mystery of spring’s flowering out of winter’s icy earth. Gerd represents the frozen seed, brought to life by Frey’s gentle rains and warm sunshine.

  Gimlé (gim-le) roof set with jewels, stars The uppermost heaven from which one god ruled the new world that appeared after the destruction of Ragnarokk. The concept sits uncomfortably with the major part of Nordic mythology, and there is at the least a possibility that Ragnarokk, the new world, and Gimlé were added to the body of pagan tradition as pan of the Christian church’s effort to establish itself in Scandinavia. See also Ragnarokk, Edda.

  Ginungagap (gin-noon-gah-gahp) gaping chaos The primeval pit of chaos between Niflheim, the world of ice, and Muspelheim, the world of fire. Out of Ginungagap came the first two living creatures, Ymir and the ice-cow.

  Gjallarborn (yal-lar-horn) the shrilling horn Heimdall’s horn for sounding the alarm) which could be heard all over the world.

  Gna (gnaw) bounteous A lady-in-waiting to Frigg. she had a horse that could run through air and over water faster than the wind.

  Gnomes Grumpy little men who Lived in their own underground world and were marvelous miners and smiths.

  Grid (greed) peace A jotun woman who was the mother of Vidar, she loaned Thor weapons to protect himself with on his visit to the jotun Geirrod.

  Gullveig (gule-vay) power of gold A witch from Vanaheim who came to Asgard looking for gold, a visit that led to the war between the Aesir and the Vanir.

  Gungnir (goong-neer) sounding Odin’s magic spear that never missed its mark. It was made by the sons of the gnome lvaldi.

  Gunnlod (gune-lawd) inviter to battle The daughter of the jotun Suttung, she was the mother of Bragi.

  Gymir (gee-meer) noisy A jotun, he was Gerd’s father.

  Heimdall (hame-dahl) rainbow The son of Odin and nine jotun maidens who were, perhaps, Aegir’s nine daughters, he was the watchman of the Aesir, and stood guard at the top of the rainbow bridge to Asgard.

  Hel (hel) concealer Offspring of Loki and Angerboda, she was the hag who ruled over the dead who had not fallen in battle. Her realm of the dead, also called Hel, was an underground replica of Odin’s Valhalla, except for gruesome variations of decor.

  Hermod (hehr-mood) courage in battle A son of Odin, he was one of the war gods.

  Hod (hawd) war A son of Odin, and one of the war gods. He was blind, and personified force unguided by reason. Through Loki’s treachery Hod inadvertently killed his half-brother Balder.

  Hodmimir (hawd-mee-meer) bounteous man The secret grove where Lif and Lifthrasir found refuge during the battle of Ragnarokk.

  Hoenir (heh-neer) hen-like One of the three original Aesir gods who, with his brothers Odin and Lodur, created the world. Hoenir is called Vili (will) in the Poetic Edda.

  Hugi (hue-gee) mind A thought, in the form of the giant that Tjalfi raced at Utgardsloki’s hall.

  Hymir (hee-meer) the dark one A jotun, he was lord of the wintry sea and Tyr’s grandfather. Thor went to Hymir to get a cauldron for Aegir’s feast.

  Hyrrokkin (heer-rawk-keen) Shriveled by fire The ogress who launched Balder’s funeral ship.

  Ice cow The second living creature, she provided food for Ymir and, by licking the brim of Ginungagap, uncovered the grandfather of Odin, Hoenir and Lodur.

  Ida (ee-dah) place of activity The open green field in Asgard, around which stood the thirteen halls or the Aesir gods. It was here that the remaining Aesir gods gathered again after the destruction of Ragnarokk, nothing else of Asgard having survived.

  ldunn (ee-doon) rejuvenation The wife of Bragi, she was the keeper of the apples of youth. She was kidnapped by the storm giant Tjasse.

  lvaldi (ee-vahl-dee) the mightiest one The father of the gnomes who, at Loki’s request, made Sif’s new hair, Odin’s spear, the Gungnir, and the ship, the Skidbladnir.

  Jotunheim (yoh-tun-hame) home of the jotuns The mountainous, glacial home of the giants–the jotuns and trolls.

  Jotuuns (yoh-tuns) devourers The giants that preceded the Aesir gods and had to be defeated before the world of the Aesir could be created. Personifications of the wild and destructive forces of nature and of winter in particular, they were usually enemies of both men and Aesir gods. They were thought of as having heads of stone and feet of ice, and some of them could change their shapes into those of eagles and wolves. They were also referred to as frost giants.

  Kvasir (kva-seer) spittle The spirit of intoxication and knowledge, his story was probably an agrarian myth in which his-death provided life-giving nourishment as the cutting of grain provides bread.

  Langobards (lahn-goh-bard) long beards A Germanic tribe that settled in Lombardy, in northern Italy. According to Norse mythology they received their name, long beards, because of a ruse suggested to them by Frigg.

  Lidskjalf (leed-shahlf) gate tower Odin’s throne on the tallest tower in Asgard, from which he could see the whole world.

  Lif (leef) life The maiden who survived the destruction of Ragnarokk, along with the young man Lifthrasir. All the people of the new world were their descendants.

  Lifthrasir (leef-thrah-seer) stubborn will to survive The young man who survived the destruction of Ragnarokk, along with the maiden Lif.

  Lin (leen) head-dress A lady-in-waiting to Frigg.

  Lodur (loh-dure) flame, One of the three original Aesir gods who, with his brothers Odin and Hoenir, created the world of the Aesir. In the Poetic Edda he is called Ve (sanctuary).

  Logi (loh-gee) flame Wild fire, in the form of 3 giant with whom Loki had an eating contest at Utgardsloki’s hall.

  Loki (loh-kee) fire Odin’s jotun blood-brother, he had two wives, Sigunn in Asgard, and in Jotunheim, Angerboda, the mother of his three monstrous offspring, Hel, Fenris and the Midgard’s Serpent. He was also the mother of Sleipnir. A personification of two aspects of fire, he suggested both the destructive conflagration and the helpful, warming flame.

  Magni (mahg-nee) strength Precociously strong son of Thor, he alone was able to rescue his father from the jotun Rungnir. He was one of the seven Aesir who survived Ragnarokk.

  Mead An intoxicating drink made of water, honey and malt.

  Midgard (mid-gahr) middle dwelling place The earth, which the first three Aesir gods made from Ymir’s body and gave to human beings for their home. Yggdrasil, the world tree, grew from the middle of Midgard, and the rainbow bridge connected it to Asgard.

  Midgard’s Serpent (mid-gahr-serpent) A tremendous serpent, offspring of Loki and Angerboda, that lay at the bottom of the ocean, encircling the earth.

  Mimir (mee-meer} pondering An ancient and wise jotun who shared his wisdom with Odin in return for one. of Odin’s eyes. He was beheaded by the Vanir, but Odin revived his head and Mimir continued to advise the Aesir.

  Mjolnir (miohl-neer) the flashing crusher Thor’s magic hammer, known as the thunderbolt, that was made by the gnome Sindri. It crushed whatever it hit, and always flew back to Thor’s hand.

  Modi (moh-dee) courageous A son of Thor, and one of the seven Aesir who survived Ragnarokk.