The Hammer Of Thor

: Asgard Stories Tales From Norse Mythology

Sif was the wife of mighty Thor, the thunder-god, and she was very proud

of her beautiful golden hair, which she combed and braided with great

care. One morning when she awoke she was filled with grief and dismay

to find that her lovely hair had been cut off in the night, while she

slept. Her husband happened to be away that day, but when he came home

late at night, Sif was careful to keep out of his sight, she felt so

ashamed of her shorn head.



Thor, however, soon called for Sif, and when he saw what had been done

to her, he was very angry. Now Thor had a quick temper; every one feared

his fierce anger. "Who could have done this wicked deed?" thought he.

"There is only one among all the Aesir who would think of doing such a

thing!"



Thor lost no time in finding Loki, and that mischief-god had to admit

that he was the guilty one, but he begged Thor to give him just a few

days, and he promised to get something for Sif that would make her look

more beautiful than ever. So Thor decided to give him a chance to try,

and commanded him to give back to Sif her golden hair.



Now Loki knew a place where some wonderful workmen lived, so he went

off, as fast as he could go, to Niflheim, the home of the dwarfs, under

the earth, and asked one of them to make quickly some golden hair for

Sif. Besides this, he asked for two gifts to carry to the gods Odin and

Frey, so that they might be on his side if Thor should bring his

complaint before the Aesir.



Loki did not have to wait long before the dwarf brought him a quantity

of beautiful hair, spun from the finest golden thread. It had the

wonderful power of growing just like real hair, as soon as it touched

any one's head. Besides this, there was a spear for Odin, which never

missed its aim, no matter how far it was thrown, and for Frey, a ship

that could sail through the air as well as the sea. Although it was

large enough to hold all the gods and their horses, yet it could be

folded so that it was small enough to put in one's pocket.



Loki was greatly pleased with these wonderful presents, and declared

that this dwarf must be the most skillful workman of them all. Now it

happened that another dwarf, named Brock, heard him say this, and he

told Loki that he was sure he and his brother could make more wonderful

things than these.



Loki did not believe that could be done, but he told Brock to try his

skill; the Aesir should judge between them and the one who should fail

in the trial must lose his head.



Then Brock called his brother, Sindri, and they set to work at once.

They first built a great fire, and Sindri threw into it a lump of gold;

then he told Brock to blow the bellows while he went out, and be sure

not to stop blowing until he should come back.



Brock thought this an easy task, but his brother had not long been gone

when a huge fly came in and buzzed about his face, and bothered him so

that he could hardly keep on blowing; still he was able to finish his

work, so that when Sindri came back, they took out of the fire an

enormous wild boar, which gave out light, and could travel through the

air with wonderful speed.



On the second day Sindri threw another lump of gold into the fire, and

left his brother to blow the bellows. Again the buzzing, stinging fly

came, and was even more troublesome than before; but Brock tried very

hard to be patient, and was able to bear it without stopping his work

until Sindri returned. Then they took from the fire a magic ring of

gold, from which eight new rings fell off every week.



The third day a lump of iron was put into the fire, and Brock was again

left alone. In came the cruel fly,--have you guessed that it was really

that mischief-maker Loki? He bit the poor little dwarf so hard on the

forehead that the blood ran down into his eyes, and blinded him so that

he could no longer see to do his work.



Poor Brock had to stop just before Sindri came home, but not before the

hammer which they were making in the fire was nearly finished, only the

handle came out rather too short. This magic hammer was named Miolnir.

It had the power of never missing its mark, and would always return to

the hand which threw it.



When Loki appeared at last before the Aesir, with the two dwarf brothers

and their gifts, it was declared that they had made the finest things,

for the hammer, which was given to Thor, would surely be most useful in

keeping the giants out of Asgard.



When Loki found that the judgment was against him, he started to run

away; but Thor soon made him turn back by threatening to throw his

hammer after him.



Then Loki had to collect his wits, and think of some way to escape

losing his head, instead of making the dwarfs pay the forfeit, as he had

expected. At last he told Brock and Sindri that they could have his

head, according to the agreement, but as nothing had been said about his

neck, they could not, of course, touch that.



Thus the wily Loki, by his wit, saved his life.



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