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Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12)

Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12)

Various
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Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12) by Various

Chapter 1 THE DREAM

Upon a summer's afternoon it happened that Baldur the Bright and Bold, beloved of men and the gods, found himself alone in his palace of Broadblink. Thor was walking among the valleys, his brow heavy with summer heat; Frey and Gerda sported on still waters in their cloud-leaf ship; Odin, for once, slept on the top of Air Throne; a noon-day stillness pervaded the whole earth; and Baldur in Broadblink, most sunlit of palaces, dreamed a dream.

The dream of Baldur was troubled. He knew not whence nor why; but when he awoke he found that a new and weighty care was within him. It was so heavy that Baldur could scarcely carry it, and yet he pressed it closely to his heart and said, "Lie there, and do not fall on any one but me." Then he rose up and walked out from the splendor of his hall, that he might seek his own mother, Frigga, and tell her what had happened. He found her in her crystal saloon, calm and kind, and ready to sympathize; so he walked up to her, his hands pressed closely on his heart, and lay down at her feet sighing.

"What is the matter, dear Baldur?" asked Frigga, gently.

"I do not know, mother," answered he. "I do not know what the matter is; but I have a shadow in my heart."

"Take it out, then, my son, and let me look at it," replied Frigga.

"But I fear, mother, that if I do it will cover the whole earth."

Then Frigga laid her hand upon the heart of her son that she might feel the shadow's shape. Her brow became clouded as she felt it; her parted lips grew pale, and she cried out, "Oh! Baldur, my beloved son! the shadow is the shadow of death!"

Then said Baldur, "I will die bravely, my mother."

But Frigga answered, "You shall not die at all; for I will not sleep to-night until everything on earth has sworn to me that it will neither kill nor harm you."

So Frigga stood up, and called to her everything on earth that had power to hurt or slay. First she called all metals to her; and heavy iron-ore came lumbering up the hill into the crystal hall, brass and gold, copper, silver, lead, and steel, and stood before the Queen, who lifted her right hand high in the air, saying, "Swear to me that you will not injure Baldur"; and they all swore, and went. Then she called to her all stones; and huge granite came with crumbling sandstone, and white lime, and the round, smooth stones of the seashore, and Frigga raised her arm, saying, "Swear that you will not injure Baldur"; and they swore, and went. Then Frigga called to her the trees; and wide-spreading oak trees, with tall ash and sombre firs, came rushing up the hill, and Frigga raised her hand, and said, "Swear that you will not hurt Baldur"; and they said, "We swear," and went. After this Frigga called to her the diseases, who came blown by poisonous winds on wings of pain to the sound of moaning. Frigga said to them, "Swear"; and they sighed, "We swear," then flew away. Then Frigga called to her all beasts, birds, and venomous snakes, who came to her and swore, and disappeared. Then she stretched out her hand to Baldur, while a smile spread over her face, saying, "Now, my son, you cannot die."

Just then Odin came in, and when he had heard from Frigga the whole story, he looked even more mournful than she had done; neither did the cloud pass from his face when he was told of the oaths that had been taken.

"Why do you look so grave, my lord?" demanded Frigga at last. "Baldur cannot die now."

But Odin asked very gravely, "Is the shadow gone out of our son's heart, or is it still there?"

"It cannot be there," said Frigga, turning away her head resolutely, and folding her hands before her.

But Odin looked at Baldur, and saw how it was. The hands pressed to the heavy heart, the beautiful brow grown dim. Then immediately he arose, saddled Sleipnir, his eight-footed steed, mounted him, and, turning to Frigga, said, "I know of a dead prophetess, Frigga, who, when she was alive, could tell what was going to happen; her grave lies on the east side of Helheim, and I am going there to awake her, and ask whether any terrible grief is really coming upon us."

So saying Odin shook the bridle in his hand, and the eight-footed, with a bound, leaped forth, rushed like a whirlwind down the mountain of Asgard, and then dashed into a narrow defile between rocks.

Sleipnir went on through the defile a long way, until he came to a place where the earth opened her mouth. There Odin rode in and down a broad, steep, slanting road which led him to the cavern Gnipa, and the mouth of the cavern Gnipa yawned upon Niflheim. Then thought Odin to himself, "My journey is already done." But just as Sleipnir was about to leap through the jaws of the pit, Garm, the voracious dog who was chained to the rock, sprang forward, and tried to fasten himself upon Odin. Three times Odin shook him off, and still Garm, as fierce as ever, went on with the fight. At last Sleipnir leaped, and Odin thrust just at the same moment; then horse and rider cleared the entrance, and turned eastward towards the dead prophetess's grave, dripping blood along the road as they went; while the beaten Garm stood baying in the cavern's mouth.

When Odin came to the grave he got off his horse, and stood with his face northward, looking through barred enclosures into the city of Helheim itself. The servants of Hela were very busy there making preparations for some new guest-hanging gilded couches with curtains of anguish and splendid misery upon the walls. Then Odin's heart died within him, and he began to repeat mournful runes in a low tone.

The dead prophetess turned heavily in her grave at the sound of his voice, and sat bolt upright. "What man is this," she asked, "who dares disturb my sleep?"

Then Odin, for the first time in his life, said what was not true; the shadow of Baldur dead fell upon his lips, and he made answer, "My name is Vegtam, the son of Valtam."

"And what do you want of me?" asked the prophetess.

"I want to know," replied Odin, "for whom Hela is making ready that gilded couch in Helheim?"

"That is for Baldur the Beloved," answered the prophetess. "Now go away and let me sleep again, for my eyes are heavy."

But Odin said, "Only one word more. Is Baldur going to Helheim?"

"Yes, I've told you that he is," was the answer.

"Will he never come back to Asgard again?"

"If everything on earth should weep for him," said she, "he will go back; if not, he will remain in Helheim."

Then Odin covered his face with his hands and looked into darkness.

"Do go away," said the prophetess, "I'm so sleepy; I cannot keep my eyes open any longer."

But Odin raised his head and said again, "Only tell me one thing. Just now, as I looked into darkness, it seemed to me that I saw one on earth who would not weep for Baldur. Who was it?"

At this she grew very angry and said, "How couldst thou see in darkness? I know of only one who, by giving away his eye, gained light. No Vegtam art thou but Odin, chief of men."

At her angry words Odin became angry, too, and called out as loudly as he could, "No prophetess nor wise woman, but rather the mother of three giants."

"Go, go!" answered the prophetess, falling back in her grave; "no man shall waken me again until Loki have burst his chains and the Twilight of the Gods be come." After this Odin mounted the eight-footed once more and rode thoughtfully home.

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Latest Release: Chapter 54 THE SEVEN ADVENTURES OF RUSTEM   08-13 19:02
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1 Chapter 1 THE DREAM
06/12/2017
2 Chapter 2 THE PEACESTEAD
06/12/2017
3 Chapter 3 BALDUR DEAD
06/12/2017
4 Chapter 4 HELHEIM
06/12/2017
5 Chapter 5 PERSEUS AND HIS MOTHER
06/12/2017
6 Chapter 6 HOW PERSEUS VOWED A RASH VOW
06/12/2017
7 Chapter 7 HOW PERSEUS SLEW THE GORGON
06/12/2017
8 Chapter 8 HOW PERSEUS MET ANDROMEDA
06/12/2017
9 Chapter 9 HOW ODYSSEUS LEFT TROYLAND AND SAILED FOR HIS KINGDOM PAST THE LAND OF THE LOTUS EATERS
06/12/2017
10 Chapter 10 HOW ODYSSEUS CAME TO THE LAND OF THE CYCL PES, AND HIS ADVENTURES THERE
06/12/2017
11 Chapter 11 HOW ODYSSEUS MET WITH CIRCE, THE SIRENS, AND CALYPSO
06/12/2017
12 Chapter 12 HOW THE CENTAUR TRAINED THE HEROES
06/12/2017
13 Chapter 13 HOW JASON LOST HIS SANDAL
06/12/2017
14 Chapter 14 HOW THEY BUILT THE SHIP ARGO
06/12/2017
15 Chapter 15 HOW THE ARGONAUTS WON THE GOLDEN FLEECE
06/12/2017
16 Chapter 16 HOW THESEUS LIFTED THE STONE
06/12/2017
17 Chapter 17 HOW THESEUS SLEW THE CLUB-BEARER AND THE PINE-BENDER
06/12/2017
18 Chapter 18 THE TWELVE LABORS OF HERCULES
06/12/2017
19 Chapter 19 HERCULES IN THE NETHER WORLD
06/12/2017
20 Chapter 20 BLACK TARTARUS AND THE ELYSIAN FIELDS
06/12/2017
21 Chapter 21 HOW BEOWULF OVERCAME THE OGRE AND THE WATER-WITCH
06/12/2017
22 Chapter 22 HOW THE FIRE DRAGON WARRED WITH THE GOTH FOLK
06/12/2017
23 Chapter 23 HOW ROBIN HOOD CAME TO LIVE IN THE GREEN WOOD
06/12/2017
24 Chapter 24 THE MEETING OF ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN
06/12/2017
25 Chapter 25 GUY'S EARLY ADVENTURES AND HIS FIGHT WITH THE DUN COW
06/12/2017
26 Chapter 26 TRAVELS AND DEEDS IN MANY LANDS
06/12/2017
27 Chapter 27 HOW GUY FOUGHT WITH THE GIANT COLBRAND
06/12/2017
28 Chapter 28 No.28
06/12/2017
29 Chapter 29 No.29
06/12/2017
30 Chapter 30 No.30
06/12/2017
31 Chapter 31 No.31
06/12/2017
32 Chapter 32 No.32
06/12/2017
33 Chapter 33 No.33
06/12/2017
34 Chapter 34 No.34
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35 Chapter 35 CHARACTERS OF THE VIKINGS
06/12/2017
36 Chapter 36 HARALD FAIRHAIR
06/12/2017
37 Chapter 37 MIMER THE BLACKSMITH
06/12/2017
38 Chapter 38 SIEGFRIED WINS THE TREASURE
06/12/2017
39 Chapter 39 SIEGFRIED COMES HOME
06/12/2017
40 Chapter 40 SIEGFRIED AT THE COURT OF WORMS
06/12/2017
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