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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/15616-0.txt b/15616-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..931f5c6 --- /dev/null +++ b/15616-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4594 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero Tales, by James Baldwin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Hero Tales + +Author: James Baldwin + +Release Date: April 14, 2005 [EBook #15616] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: Unicode UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO TALES *** + + + + +Produced by Al Haines + + + + +HERO TALES + + +BY + +JAMES BALDWIN + + + + + +Author of "The Story of Siegfried," "The Story of Roland," "A Story of +the Golden Age," "Baldwin's Readers," etc. + + + + + + + +NEW YORK + +CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS + +1914 + + + + +COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY + +CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS + + + + +TO + +CARRIE EDITH AND NELLIE MAY + + + + +INTRODUCTION + +In the world's literature there are certain stories which, told ages +ago, can never be forgotten. They have within them that which gives +pleasure to all intelligent men, women and children. They appeal to +the sympathies, the desires, and the admiration of all sorts and +conditions of mankind. These are the stories that are said to be +immortal. They have been repeated and re-repeated in many forms and to +all kinds of audiences. They have been recited and sung in royal +palaces, in the halls of mediaeval castles, and by the camp fires of +warring heroes. Parents have taught them to their children, and +generation after generation has preserved their memory. They have been +written on parchment and printed in books, translated into many +languages, abridged, extended, edited, and "adapted." But through all +these changes and the vicissitudes of time, they still preserve the +qualities that have made them so universally popular. + +Chief among these masterpieces of imagination are the tales of gods and +heroes that have come down to us from the golden age of Greece, and +particularly the tales of Troy that cluster around the narratives of +old Homer in his "Iliad" and "Odyssey." Three thousand years or more +have passed since they were first recited, and yet they have lost none +of their original charm. Few persons of intelligence are unacquainted +with these tales, for our literature abounds in allusions to them; and +no one who pretends to the possession of culture or learning can afford +to be ignorant of them. + +Second only in interest, especially to us of Anglo-Saxon descent, are +the hero tales of the ancient North and the stirring legends connected +with the "Nibelungen Lied." Of much later origin than the Greek +stories, and somewhat inferior to them in refinement of thought and +delicacy of imagery, these tales partake of the rugged, forceful +character of the people among whom they were composed. Yet, with all +their austerity and sternness, they are replete with vivid action, and +they charm us by their very strength and the lessons which they teach +of heroic endurance and the triumph of eternal justice. + +Scarcely inferior to these latter, but not so well known to +English-speaking people, are the tales of knighthood and chivalry that +commemorate the romantic deeds of Charlemagne and his paladins. +Written in various languages, and at periods widely separated, these +tales present a curious mixture of fact and fiction, of the real and +the marvellous, of the beautiful and the grotesque, of pagan +superstition and Christian devotion. Although there were, in truth, no +knights in the time of Charlemagne, and the institution of chivalry did +not exist until many years later, yet these legends are of value as +portraying life and manners in that period of history which we call the +Dark Ages; and their pictures of knightly courage and generosity, +faithfulness, and loyalty, appeal to our nobler feelings and stir our +hearts with admiration. + +To know something of these three great cycles, or groups, of classic +and romantic stories--the hero tales of Troy, those of the ancient +North, and those of Charlemagne--is essential to the acquirement of +refined literary tastes. For this knowledge will go far toward helping +its possessor to enjoy many things in our modern literature that would +otherwise be puzzling or obscure. The importance, therefore, of +placing some of the best of such tales early within the reach of school +children and all young readers cannot be disputed. + +In three volumes somewhat larger than the present one--"A Story of the +Golden Age," "The Story of Siegfried," and "The Story of Roland"--I +have already endeavored to introduce young readers to the most +interesting portions of these great cycles of romance, narrating in +each the adventures of the hero who is the central figure in the group +of legends or tales under consideration. The present volume, made up +of selections from these earlier books, has been prepared in response +to repeated suggestions that certain portions of them, and especially +some of the independent shorter stories, are well adapted to use in +reading-classes at school. Of the seventeen stories herein presented, +nine are from the "Golden Age," four from "Siegfried," and four from +"Roland." They are, for the most part, episodes, complete in +themselves, and connected only by a slender thread with the main +narrative. Their intrinsic value is in no way diminished by being thus +separated from their former setting, and each tale being independent of +the others, they lend themselves more readily to the demands of the +schoolroom. + +It is well to observe that in no case have I endeavored to repeat the +story in its exact original form. To have done so would have defeated +the purpose in view; for without proper adaptation such stories are +usually neither interesting nor intelligible to children. I have +therefore recast and rearranged, using my own words, and adding here a +touch of color and here a fanciful idea, as the narrative has seemed to +permit or as my audience of school children may demand. Nevertheless, +in the end, the essential features of each tale--those which give it +value in its original form--remain unchanged. + +CONTENTS + + + How Apollo Came to Parnassus + The Hunt in the Wood of Calydon + The Choice of Hercules + Alpheus and Arethusa + The Golden Apple + Paris and Oenone + Hesione + Paris and Helen + Iphigenia + The Hoard of the Elves + The Forging of Balmung + Idun and Her Apples + The Doom of the Mischief-maker + The Hunt in the Wood of Puelle + Ogier the Dane and the Fairies + How Charlemagne Crossed the Alps + What Happened at Roncevaux + + + + +HOW APOLLO CAME TO PARNASSUS + +A very long time ago, Apollo was born in the island of Delos. When the +glad news of his birth was told, Earth smiled, and decked herself with +flowers; the nymphs of Delos sang songs of joy that were heard to the +utmost bounds of Greece; and choirs of white swans flew seven times +around the island, piping notes of praise to the pure being who had +come to dwell among men. Then Zeus looked down from high Olympus, and +crowned the babe with a golden head-band, and put into his hands a +silver bow and a sweet-toned lyre such as no man had ever seen; and he +gave him a team of white swans to drive, and bade him go forth to teach +men the things which are right and good, and to make light that which +is hidden in darkness. + +So Apollo arose, beautiful as the morning sun, and journeyed through +many lands, seeking a dwelling place. He stopped for a time at the +foot of Mount Olympus, and played so sweetly upon his lyre that Zeus +and all his court were entranced. Then he wandered up and down through +the whole length of the Thessalian land; but nowhere could he find a +spot in which he was willing to dwell. At length he climbed into his +car, and bade his swan team fly with him to the country of the +Hyperboreans beyond the far-off northern mountains. Forthwith they +obeyed; and through the pure regions of the upper air they bore him, +winging their way ever northward. They carried him over many an +unknown land, and on the seventh day they came to the Snowy Mountains +where the griffins, with lion bodies and eagle wings, guard the golden +treasures of the North. + +In these mountains, the North Wind has his home; and from his deep +caves he now and then comes forth, chilling with his cold and angry +breath the orchards and the fair fields of Greece, and bringing death +and dire disasters In his train. But northward this blustering Boreas +cannot blow, for the heaven-towering mountains stand like a wall +against him, and drive him back. Hence it is that beyond these +mountains the storms of winter never come, but one happy springtime +runs through all the year. There the flowers bloom, and the grain +ripens, and the fruits drop mellowing to the earth, and the red wine is +pressed from the luscious grape, every day the same. + +The Hyperboreans who dwell in that favored land know neither pain nor +sickness, nor wearying labor nor eating care; but their youth is as +unfading as the springtime, and old age with its wrinkles and its +sorrows is evermore a stranger to them. The spirit of evil, which +would lead all men to err, has never found entrance among them, and +they are free from vile passions and unworthy thoughts; and among them +there is neither war, nor wicked deeds, nor fear of the avenging +Furies, for their hearts are pure and clean, and never burdened with +the love of self. + +When the swan team of silver-bowed Apollo had carried him over the +Snowy Mountains, they alighted in the Hyperborean land. And the people +welcomed Apollo with shouts of joy and songs of triumph, as one for +whom they had long been waiting. He took up his abode there, and dwelt +with them one whole year, delighting them with his presence, and ruling +over them as their king. But when twelve moons had passed, he +bethought him that the toiling, suffering men of Greece needed most his +aid and care. Therefore he bade the Hyperboreans farewell, and again +went up into his sun-bright car; and his winged team carried him back +to the land of his birth. + +Long time Apollo sought a place where he might build a temple to which +men might come to learn of him and to seek his help in time of need. +At length he came to a broad plain, by the shore of a beautiful lake; +and there he began to build a house, for the land was a pleasant one, +well-watered, and rich in grain and fruit. But the nymph that lived in +the lake liked not to have Apollo so near her, lest men seeing and +loving him should forget to honor her; and one day, garmented with +mosses and crowned with lilies, she came and stood before him in the +sunlight. + +"Apollo of the silver bow," said she, "have you not made a mistake in +choosing this place for a dwelling? These rich plains around us will +not always be as peaceful as now; for their very richness will tempt +the spoiler, and the song of the cicada will then give place to the din +of battle. Even in times of peace you would hardly have a quiet hour +here: for great herds of cattle come crowding down every day to my lake +for water; the noisy ploughman, driving his team afield, disturbs the +morning hour with his boorish shouts; and boys and dogs keep up a +constant din, and make life in this place a burden." + +"Fair nymph," said Apollo, "I had hoped to dwell here in thy happy +vale, a neighbor and friend to thee. Yet, since this place is not what +it seems to be, whither shall I go, and where shall I build my house?" + +"Go to the cleft in Mount Parnassus," answered the nymph. "There thou +canst dwell in peace, and men will come from all parts of the world to +do thee honor." + +And so Apollo went down to Parnassus, and there in the cleft of the +mountain he laid the foundations of his shrine. Then he called the +master architects of the world, Trophonius and Agamedes, and gave to +them the building of the high walls and the massive roof. When they +had finished their work, he said, "Say now what reward you most desire +for your labor, and I will give it you." + +"Give us," said the brothers, "that which is the best for men." + +"It is well," answered Apollo. "When the full moon is seen above the +mountain-tops, you shall have your wish." + +But when the moon rose full and clear above the heights, the two +brothers were dead. + + +Apollo was pleased with the place which he had chosen for a home; for +there he found rest and quiet, and neither the hum of labor nor the din +of battle was likely ever to enter. One thing, however, must needs be +done before he could have perfect peace. There lived near the foot of +the mountain a huge serpent called Python, which was the terror of all +the land. Oftentimes, coming out of its den, this monster attacked the +flocks and herds, and sometimes even their keepers; and it had been +known to carry little children and helpless women to its den, and there +devour them. + +The men of the place came to Apollo, and prayed him to drive out or +destroy their terrible enemy. So, taking in hand his silver bow, he +sallied out at break of day to meet the monster when it should issue +from its slimy cave. The vile creature shrank back when it saw its +radiant enemy, and would fain have hidden itself in the deep gorges of +the mountain. But Apollo quickly launched a swift arrow at it, crying, +"Thou bane of man, lie thou upon the earth, and enrich it with thy dead +body!" The never-erring arrow sped to the mark; and the great beast +died, wallowing in its gore. And the people in their joy came out to +meet the archer, singing paeans in his praise. They crowned him with +wild flowers and wreaths of olives, and hailed him as the Pythian king; +and the nightingales sang to him in the groves, and the swallows and +cicadas twittered and tuned their melodies in harmony with his lyre. + +But as yet there were no priests in Apollo's temple; and he pondered, +long doubting, as to whom he should choose. One day he stood upon the +mountain's topmost peak, whence he could view all Greece and the seas +around it. Far away in the south, he spied a little ship sailing from +Crete to sandy Pylos; and the men who were on board were Cretan +merchants. + +"These men shall serve in my temple!" he cried. + +Upward he sprang, and high he soared above the sea; then swiftly +descending like a fiery star, he plunged into the waves. There he +changed himself into the form of a dolphin, and swam with speed to +overtake the vessel. + +Long before the ship had reached Pylos, the mighty fish came up with +it, and struck its stern. The crew were dumb with terror, and sat +still in their places; their oars were motionless; the sail hung limp +and useless from the mast. Yet the vessel sped through the waves with +the speed of the wind, for the dolphin was driving it forward by the +force of his fins. Past many a headland, past Pylos and other pleasant +harbors, they hastened. Vainly did the pilot try to land at each +favorable place: the ship would not obey her helm. They rounded the +headland of Araxus, and came into the long bay of Crissa; and there the +dolphin left off guiding the vessel, and swam playfully around it, +while a brisk west wind filled the sail, and bore the voyagers safely +into port. + +Then the dolphin changed into the form of a glowing star, which, +shooting high into the heavens, lit up the whole world with its glory; +and as the awe-stricken crew stood gazing at the wonder, it fell with +the quickness of light upon Mount Parnassus. Into his temple Apollo +hastened, and there he kindled an undying fire. Then, in the form of a +handsome youth, with golden hair falling in waves upon his shoulders, +he hastened to the beach to welcome the Cretan strangers. + +"Hall, seamen!" he cried. "Who are you, and whence do you come? Shall +I greet you as friends and guests, or shall I know you as robbers +bringing death and distress to many a fair home?" + +Then answered the Cretan captain, "Fair stranger, the gods have brought +us hither; for by no wish of our own have we come. We are Cretan +merchants, and we were on our way to Pylos with stores of merchandise, +to barter with the tradesmen of that city. But some unknown being, +whose might is greater than the might of men, has carried us far beyond +our wished-for port, even to this unknown shore. Tell us now, we pray +thee, what land is this? And who art thou who lookest so like a god?" + +"Friends and guests, for such indeed you must be," answered the radiant +youth, "think never again of sailing upon the wine-faced sea, but draw +now your vessel high up on the beach. And when you have brought out +all your goods and built an altar upon the shore, take of your white +barley which you have with you, and offer it reverently to Phoebus +Apollo. For I am he; and it was I who brought you hither, so that you +might keep my temple, and make known my wishes unto men. And since it +was in the form of a dolphin that you first saw me, let the town which +stands around my temple be known as Delphi [Dolphin], and let men +worship me there as Apollo Delphinius." + +Then the Cretans did as he had bidden them: they drew their vessel high +up on the white beach, and when they had unladen it of their goods, +they built an altar on the shore, and offered white barley to Phoebus +Apollo, and gave thanks to the ever-living powers who had saved them +from the terrors of the deep. After they had feasted and rested from +their long voyage, they turned their faces toward Parnassus; and +Apollo, playing sweeter music than men had ever heard, led the way; and +the folk of Delphi, with choirs of boys and maidens, came to meet them, +singing songs of victory as they helped the Cretans up the steep +pathway to the temple in the cleft of the mountain. + +"I leave you now to have sole care of my temple," said Apollo. "I +charge you to keep it well. Deal righteously with all men; let no +unclean thing pass your lips; forget self; guard well your thoughts, +and keep your hearts free from guile. If you do these things, you +shall be blessed with length of days and all that makes life glad. But +if you forget my words, and deal treacherously with men, and cause any +to wander from the path of right, then shall you be driven forth +homeless and accursed, and others shall take your places in the service +of my house." + +Then the bright youth left them and hastened away to Mount Olympus. +But every year he came again, and looked into his house, and spoke +words of warning and of hope to his servants; and men say that he has +often been seen on Parnassus, playing his lyre to the listening Muses, +or with his sister, Artemis, chasing the mountain deer. + + + + +THE HUNT IN THE WOOD OF CALYDON + +RELATED BY AUTOLYCUS[1] + +"When I was younger than I am to-day," said the old chief, as they sat +one evening in the light of the blazing brands--"when I was much +younger than now, it was my fortune to take part in the most famous +boar hunt the world has ever known. + +"There lived at that time, in Calydon, a mighty chief named +Oineus--and, indeed, I know not but that he still lives. Oineus was +rich in vineyards and in orchards, and no other man in all Greece was +happier or more blessed than he. He had married, early in life, the +Princess Althea, fairest of the maidens of Acarnania; and to them a son +had been born, golden-haired and beautiful, whom they called Meleager. + +"When Meleager was yet but one day old, his father held him in his +arms, and prayed to Zeus and the mighty powers above: 'Grant, Father +Zeus, and all ye deathless ones, that this my son may be the foremost +among the men of Greece. And let it come to pass, that when they see +his valiant deeds, his countrymen shall say, "Behold, this youth is +greater than his father," and all of one accord shall hail him as their +guardian king.' + +"Then his mother, Althea, weeping tears of joy, prayed that the boy +might grow up to be pure-minded and gentle, the hope and pride of his +parents, and the delight and staff of their declining years. + +"Scarcely had the words of prayer died from her lips, when there came +into her chamber the three unerring Fates who spin the destinies of +men. White-robed and garlanded, they stood beside the babe, and with +unwearied fingers drew out the lines of his untried life. Clotho held +the golden distaff in her hand, and twirled and twisted the delicate +thread. Lachesis, now sad, now hopeful, with her long white fingers +held the hour-glass, and framed her lips to say, 'It is enough.' And +Atropos, blind and unpitying as the future always is, stood ready, with +cruel shears, to clip the twist in twain. Busily and silently Clotho +spun; and the golden thread, thin as a spider's web, yet beautiful as a +sunbeam, grew longer and more golden between her skilful fingers. Then +Lachesis cried out, 'It is finished!' But Atropos hid her shears +beneath her mantle, and said, 'Not so. Behold, there is a brand +burning upon the hearth. Wait until it is all burned into ashes and +smoke, and then I will cut the thread of the child's life. Spin on, +sweet Clotho!' + +"Quick as thought, Althea sprang forward, snatched the blazing brand +from the hearth, and quenched its flame in a jar of water; and when she +knew that not a single spark was left glowing upon it, she locked it +safely in a chest where none but she could find it. As she did this, +the pitiless sisters vanished from her sight, saying as they flitted +through the air, 'We bide our time.' + +"Meleager grew up to be a tall and fair and gentle youth; and when at +last he became a man, he sailed on the ship Argo, with Jason and the +great heroes of that day, in search of the Golden Fleece. Many brave +deeds were his in foreign lands; and when he came home again to +Calydon, he brought with him a fair young wife, gentle Cleopatra, +daughter of Idas the boaster. + +"Oineus had gathered in his harvest; and he was glad and thankful in +his heart, because his fields had yielded plenteously; his vines had +been loaded with purple grapes, and his orchards filled with abundance +of pleasant fruit. Grateful, as men should always be, to the givers of +peace and plenty, he held within his halls a harvest festival, to which +he invited the brave and beautiful of all the country round. Happy was +this feast, and the hours were bright with smiles and sunshine; and men +forgot sorrow and labor, and thought only of the gladness of life. + +"Then Oineus took of the first-fruits of his fields and his vineyards +and his orchards, and offered them with much thankfulness to the givers +of good. But he forgot to deck the shrine of Artemis with gifts, +little thinking that the huntress queen cared for anything which mortal +men might offer her. Ah, woful mistake was that! For, in her anger at +the slight, Artemis sent a savage boar, with ivory tusks and foaming +mouth, to overrun the lands of Calydon. Many a field did the monster +ravage, many a tree uproot; and all the growing vines, which late had +borne so rich a vintage, were trampled to the ground. + +"Sadly troubled was Oineus, and he knew not what to do. For the fierce +beast could not be slain, but with his terrible tusks he had sent many +a rash hunter to an untimely death. Then the young man Meleager said, +'I will call together the heroes of Greece, and we will hunt the boar +in the wood of Calydon.' + +"So at the call of Meleager, the warriors flocked from every land, to +join in the hunt of the fierce wild boar. Among them came Castor and +Pollux, the twin brothers; and Idas, the boaster, the father-in-law of +Meleager; and mighty Jason, captain of the Argo; and Atalanta, the +swift-footed daughter of Iasus, of Arcadia; and many Acarnanian +huntsmen led by the brothers of Queen Althea. Thither also did I +hasten, although men spitefully said that I was far more skilful in +taking tame beasts than in slaying wild ones. + +"Nine days we feasted in the halls of Oineus; and every day we tried +our skill with bows and arrows, and tested the strength of our +well-seasoned spears. On the tenth, the bugles sounded, and hounds and +huntsmen gathered in the courtyard of the chief, chafing for the hunt. + +"Soon we sallied forth from the town, a hundred huntsmen, with dogs +innumerable. Through the fields and orchards, laid waste by the savage +beast, we passed; and Atalanta, keen of sight and swift of foot, her +long hair floating in the wind behind her, led all the rest. It was +not long until, in a narrow dell once green with vines and trees, but +now strewn thick with withered branches, we roused the fierce creature +from his lair. + +"At first he fled, followed closely by the baying hounds. Then +suddenly he faced his foes; with gnashing teeth and bloodshot eyes, he +charged furiously upon them. A score of hounds were slain outright; +and Cepheus, of Arcadia, rushing blindly onward, was caught by the +beast, and torn in pieces by his sharp tusks. Then swift-footed +Atalanta, bounding forward, struck the beast a deadly blow with her +spear. He stopped short, and ceased his furious onslaught. + +"Terrible were the cries of the wounded creature, as he made a last +charge upon the huntsmen. But Meleager with a skilful sword-thrust +pierced his heart and the beast fell weltering in his gore. Great joy +filled the hearts of the Calydonians when they saw the scourge of their +land laid low and helpless. They quickly flayed the beast, and the +heroes who had shared in the hunt divided the flesh among them; but the +head and the bristly hide they offered to Meleager. + +"'Not to me does the prize belong,' he cried, 'but to Atalanta, the +swift-footed huntress. For the first wound--the true death stroke, +indeed--was given by her; and to her, woman though she be, all honor +and the prize must be awarded.' + +"With these words, he bore the grinning head and the bristly hide to +the young huntress, and laid them at her feet. Then his uncles, the +brothers of Queen Althea, rushed angrily forward, saying that no woman +should ever bear a prize away from them; and they seized the hide, and +would have taken it away, had not Meleager forbidden them. Yet they +would not loose their hold upon the prize, but drew their swords, and +wrathfully threatened Meleager's life. + +"The hero's heart grew hot within him, and he shrank not from the +affray. Long and fearful was the struggle--uncles against nephew; but +in the end the brothers of Althea lay bleeding upon the ground, while +the victor brought again the boar's hide, and laid it the second time +at Atalanta's feet. The fair huntress took the prize, and carried it +away with her to deck her father's hall in the pleasant Arcadian land. +And the heroes, when they had feasted nine other days with King Oineus, +betook themselves to their own homes. + +"But the hearts of the Acarnanian hunters were bitter toward Meleager, +because no part of the wild boar was awarded to them. They called +their chiefs around them, and all their brave men, and made war upon +King Oineus and Meleager. Many battles did they fight round Calydon; +yet so long as Meleager led his warriors to the fray, the Acarnanians +fared but ill. + +"Then Queen Althea, filled with grief for her brothers' untimely fate, +forgot her love for her son, and prayed that her Acarnanian kinsmen +might prevail against him. Upon the hard earth she knelt: she beat the +ground with her hands, and heaped the dust about her; and, weeping +bitter tears, she called upon Hades to avenge her of Meleager. And +even as she prayed, the pitiless Furies, wandering amid the darkness, +heard her cries, and came, obedient to her wishes. + +"When Meleager heard that his mother had turned against him, he +withdrew in sorrow to his own house, and sought comfort and peace with +his wife, fair Cleopatra; and he would not lead his warriors any more +to battle against the Acarnanians. Then the enemy besieged the city: a +fearful tumult rose about the gates; the high towers were assaulted, +and everywhere the Calydonians were driven back dismayed and beaten. + +"With uplifted hands and tearful eyes, King Oineus and the elders of +the city came to Meleager, and besought him to take the field again. +Rich gifts they offered him. They bade him choose for his own the most +fertile farm in Calydon--at the least fifty acres, half for tillage and +half for vines; but he would not listen to them. + +"The din of battle thickened outside the gates; the towers shook with +the thundering blows of the besiegers. Old Oineus with trembling limbs +climbed up the stairway to his son's secluded chamber, and, weeping, +prayed him to come down and save the city from fire and pillage. Still +he kept silent, and went not. His sisters came, and his most trusted +friends. 'Come, Meleager,' they prayed, 'forget thy grief, and think +only of our great need. Aid thy people, or we shall all perish!' + +"None of these prayers moved him. The gates were beaten down; the +enemy was within the walls; the tide of battle shook the very tower +where Meleager sat; the doom of Calydon seemed to be sealed. Then came +the fair Cleopatra, and knelt before her husband, and besought him to +withhold no longer the aid which he alone could give. 'O Meleager,' +she sobbed, 'none but thou can save us. Wilt thou sit still, and see +the city laid in ashes, thy dearest friends slaughtered, and thy wife +and sweet babes dragged from their homes and sold into cruel slavery?' + +"Then Meleager rose and girded on his armor. To the streets he +hastened, shouting his well-known battle cry. Eagerly and hopefully +did the Calydonian warriors rally around him. Fiercely did they meet +the foe. Terrible was the bloodshed. Back from the battered gates and +the crumbling wall the Acarnanian hosts were driven. A panic seized +upon them. They turned and fled, and not many of them escaped the +swords of Meleager's men. + +"Again there was peace in Calydon, and the orchards of King Oineus +blossomed and bore fruit as of old; but the gifts and large rewards +which the elders had promised to Meleager were forgotten. He had saved +his country, but his countrymen were ungrateful. + +"Meleager again laid aside his war gear, and sought the quiet of his +own home and the cheering presence of fair Cleopatra. For the +remembrance of his mother's curse and his country's ingratitude weighed +heavily on his mind, and he cared no longer to mingle with his fellow +men. + +"Then it was that Althea's hatred of her son waxed stronger, and she +thought of the half-burned brand which she had hidden, and of the words +which the Fatal Sisters had spoken so many years before. + +"'He is no longer my son,' said she, 'and why should I withhold the +burning of the brand? He can never again bring comfort to my heart; +for the blood of my brothers, whom I loved, is upon his head.' + +"And she took the charred billet from the place where she had hidden +it, and cast it again into the flames. And as it slowly burned away, +so did the life of Meleager wane. Lovingly he bade his wife farewell; +softly he whispered a prayer to the unseen powers above; and as the +flickering flames of the fatal brand died into darkness, he gently +breathed his last. + +"Then sharp-toothed remorse seized upon Althea, and the mother love +which had slept in her bosom was reawakened. Too late, also, the folk +of Calydon remembered who it was that had saved them from slavery and +death. Down into the comfortless halls of Hades, Althea hastened to +seek her son's forgiveness. The loving heart of Cleopatra, surcharged +with grief, was broken; and her gentle spirit fled to the world of +shades to meet that of her hero-husband. Meleager's sisters would not +be consoled, so great was the sorrow which had come upon them; and they +wept and lamented day and night, until kind Artemis in pity for their +youth changed them into the birds which we call Meleagrides." + + +[1]Autolycus was a famous mountain chief who lived in rude state on the +slopes of Parnassus and was noted for his courage and cunning. He was +the grandfather of Odysseus (Ulysses), to whom the story is supposed to +have been related. + + + + +THE CHOICE OF HERCULES + +When Hercules was a fair-faced youth, and life was all before him, he +went out one morning to do an errand for his stepfather. But as he +walked his heart was full of bitter thoughts; and he murmured because +others no better than himself were living in ease and pleasure, while +for him there was naught but a life of labor and pain. + +As he thought upon these things, he came to a place where two roads +met; and he stopped, not certain which one to take. + +The road on his right was hilly and rough; there was no beauty in it or +about it: but he saw that it led straight toward the blue mountains in +the far distance. + +The road on his left was broad and smooth, with shade trees on either +side, where sang an innumerable choir of birds; and it went winding +among green meadows, where bloomed countless flowers: but it ended in +fog and mist long before it reached the wonderful blue mountains in the +distance. + +While the lad stood in doubt as to these roads, he saw two fair women +coming toward him, each on a different road. The one who came by the +flowery way reached him first, and Hercules saw that she was as +beautiful as a summer day. + +Her cheeks were red, her eyes sparkled; she, spoke warm, persuasive +words. "O noble youth," she said, "be no longer bowed down with labor +and sore trials, but come and follow me, I will lead you into pleasant +paths, where there are no storms to disturb and no troubles to annoy. +You shall live in ease, with one unending round of music and mirth; and +you shall not want for anything that makes life joyous--sparkling wine, +or soft couches, or rich robes, or the loving eyes of beautiful +maidens. Come with me, and life shall be to you a day-dream of +gladness." + +By this time the other fair woman had drawn near, and she now spoke to +the lad. "I have nothing to promise you," said she, "save that which +you shall win with your own strength. The road upon which I would lead +you is uneven and hard, and climbs many a hill, and descends into many +a valley and quagmire. The views which you will sometimes get from the +hilltops are grand and glorious, but the deep valleys are dark, and the +ascent from them is toilsome. Nevertheless, the road leads to the blue +mountains of endless fame, which you see far away on the horizon. They +cannot be reached without labor; in fact, there is nothing worth having +that must not be won by toil. If you would have fruits and flowers, +you must plant them and care for them; if you would gain the love of +your fellow men, you must love them and suffer for them; if you would +enjoy the favor of Heaven, you must make yourself worthy of that favor; +if you would have eternal fame, you must not scorn the hard road that +leads to it." + +Then Hercules saw that this lady, although she was as beautiful as the +other, had a countenance pure and gentle, like the sky on a balmy +morning in May. + +"What is your name?" he asked. + +"Some call me Labor," she answered, "but others know me as Virtue." + +Then he turned to the first lady. "And what is your name?" he asked. + +"Some call me Pleasure," she said, with a bewitching smile, "but I +choose to be known as the Joyous and Happy One." + +"Virtue," said Hercules, "I will take thee as my guide! The road of +labor and honest effort shall be mine, and my heart shall no longer +cherish bitterness or discontent." + +And he put his hand into that of Virtue, and entered with her upon the +straight and forbidding road which leads to the fair blue mountains on +the pale and distant horizon. + + + + +ALPHEUS AND ARETHUSA + +In Arcadia there is a little mountain stream called Alpheus. It flows +through woods and meadows and among the hills for many miles, and then +it sinks beneath the rocks. Farther down the valley it rises again, +and dancing and sparkling, as if in happy chase of something, it +hurries onward towards the plain; but soon it hides itself a second +time in underground caverns, making its way through rocky tunnels where +the light of day has never been. Then at last it gushes once more from +its prison chambers; and, flowing thence with many windings through the +fields of Elis, it empties its waters into the sea. + +Years ago there was no river Alpheus; the channel through which it +flows had not then been hollowed out, and rank grass and tall bending +reeds grew thick where now its waters sparkle brightest. It was then +that a huntsman, bearing the name of Alpheus, ranged through the woods, +and chased the wild deer among the glades and glens of sweet Arcadia. +Far away by the lonely sea dwelt his fair young wife, and his lovely +babe Orsilochus; but dearer than home or wife or babe to Alpheus, was +the free life of the huntsman among the mountain solitudes. For he +loved the woods and the blue sky and the singing birds, and the frail +flowers upon the hillside; and he longed to live among them always, +where his ears could listen to their music, and his eyes look upon +their beauty. + +"O Artemis, huntress queen!" he cried, "I ask but one boon of thee. +Let me ramble forever among these happy scenes!" + +Artemis heard him, and answered his prayer. For, as he spoke, a bright +vision passed before him. A sweet-faced maiden went tripping down the +valley, culling the choicest flowers, and singing of hope and joy and +the blessedness of a life pure and true. It was Arethusa, the Arcadian +nymph, by some supposed to be a daughter of old Nereus, the elder of +the sea. + +Then Alpheus heard no more the songs of the birds, or the music of the +breeze; he saw no longer the blue sky above him, or the nodding flowers +at his feet: he was blind and deaf to all the world, save only the +beautiful nymph. Arethusa was the world to him. + +He reached out his arms to catch her; but, swifter than a frightened +deer, she fled down the valley, through deep ravines and grassy glades +and rocky caverns underneath the hills, and out into the grassy +meadows, and across the plains of Elis, to the sounding sea. And +Alpheus followed, forgetful of everything but the fleeing vision. +When, at length, he reached the sea, he looked back; and, lo! he was no +longer a huntsman, but a river doomed to meander forever among the +scenes, for love of which he had forgotten his wife and his babe and +the duties of life. It was thus that Artemis answered his prayer. + +And men say that Arethusa, the nymph, was afterwards changed into a +fountain; and that to this day, in the far-off island of Ortygia, that +fountain gushes from the rocks in an unfailing, crystal stream. But +Orsilochus, the babe forgotten by his father, grew to manhood, and in +course of time became the king of the seafaring people of Messene. + + + + +THE GOLDEN APPLE + +RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR[1] + +"There is a cavern somewhere on Mount Pelion larger by far and a +thousand times more beautiful than this; but its doorway is hidden to +mortals, and but few men have ever stood beneath its vaulted roof. In +that cavern the ever-living ones who oversee the affairs of men, once +held high carnival; for they had met there at the marriage feast of +King Peleus, and the woods and rocks of mighty Pelion echoed with the +sound of their merry-making. But wherefore should the marriage feast +of a mortal be held in such a place and with guests so noble and so +great? I will tell you. + +"After Peleus had escaped from a plot which some wicked men had made +for his destruction, he dwelt long time with me, who am his +grandfather. But the days seemed long to him, thus shut out from +fellowship with men, and the sun seemed to move slowly in the heavens; +and often he would walk around to the other side of the mountain, and +sitting upon a great rock, he would gaze for long hours upon the purple +waters of the sea. One morning as thus he sat, he saw the sea nymph +Thetis come up out of the waves and walk upon the shore beneath him. +Fairer than a dream was she--more beautiful than any picture of nymph +or goddess. She was clad in a robe of green silk, woven by the sea +maidens in their watery grottoes; and there was a chaplet of pearls +upon her head, and sandals of sparkling silver were upon her feet. + +"As Peleus gazed upon this lovely creature, he heard a voice whispering +in his ear. It was the voice of wise Athena. + +"'Most luckless of mortal men,' she said, 'there is recompense in store +for those who repent of their wrong-doing, and who, leaving the paths +of error, turn again to the road of virtue. The immortals have seen +thy sorrow for the evil deeds of thy youth, and they have looked with +pity upon thee in thy misfortunes. And now thy days of exile and of +sore punishment are drawing to an end. Behold the silver-footed +Thetis, most beautiful of the nymphs of the sea, whom even the +immortals have wooed in vain! She has been sent to this shore, to be +won and wedded by thee.' + +"Peleus looked up to see the speaker of these words, but he beheld only +a blue cloud resting above the mountain-top; he turned his eyes +downward again, and, to his grief, the silver-footed Thetis had +vanished in the waves. All day he sat and waited for her return, but +she came not. When darkness began to fall he sought me in my cave +hall, and told me what he had seen and heard; and I taught him how to +win the sea nymph for his bride. + +"So when the sun again gilded the crags of Pelion, brave Peleus hid +himself among the rocks close by the sea-washed shore, and waited for +the coming of the silver-footed lady of the sea. In a little time she +rose, beautiful as the star of morning, from the waves. She sat down +upon the beach, and dallied with her golden tresses, and sang sweet +songs of a happy land in the depths of the sounding sea. Peleus, +bearing in mind what I had taught him, arose from his hiding-place, and +caught the beauteous creature in his arms. In vain did she struggle to +leap into the waves. Seven times she changed her form as he held her: +by turns she changed into a fountain of water, into a cloud of mist, +into a burning flame, and into a senseless rock. But Peleus held her +fast; and she changed then into a tawny lion, and then into a tall +tree, and lastly she took her own matchless form again. + +"Then Peleus held the lovely Thetis by the hand, and they walked long +time together upon the beach, while the birds sang among the trees on +Pelion's leafy slopes, and the dolphins sported in the waters at their +feet. Thus Peleus wooed the silver-footed lady, and won her love, and +she promised to be his bride. Then the immortals were glad; and they +fitted up the great cavern on Mount Pelion for a banquet hall, and made +therein a wedding feast, such as was never seen before. The vaulted +roof of the cavern was decked with gems which shone like the stars of +heaven; a thousand torches, held by lovely mountain nymphs, flamed from +the niches in the high walls; and upon the floor of polished marble, +tables for a thousand guests were ranged. + +"When the wedding feast was ready, all those who live on high Olympus, +and all the immortals who dwell upon the earth, came to rejoice with +King Peleus and his matchless bride; and they brought rich presents for +the bridegroom, such as were never given to another man. One gave him +a suit of armor, rich and fair, a wonder to behold, which lame Vulcan +with rare skill had wrought and fashioned. One bestowed on him the +peerless horses, Ballos and Xanthos, and a deftly wrought chariot with +trimmings of gold. And I, one of the least of the guests, gave him an +ashen spear which I had cut on the mountain top and fashioned with my +own hands. + +"At the tables sat Zeus, the father of gods and men; and his wife, the +white-armed Hera; and smile-loving Aphrodite; and gray-eyed Athena; and +all the wisest and the fairest of the immortals. The nymphs of the sea +danced in honor of Thetis their sister; and the Muses sang their +sweetest songs; and Apollo played upon the lyre. The Fates, too, were +there: sad Clotho, twirling her spindle; unloving Lachesis, with +wrinkled lips ready to speak the fatal word; and pitiless Atropos, +holding in her hand the unsparing shears. And around the table passed +the youthful and joy-giving Hebe, pouring out rich draughts of nectar +for the guests. + +"But there was one among all the immortals who had not been invited to +the wedding; it was Eris, the daughter of War and Hate. Her scowling +features, and her hot and hasty manners, were ill suited to grace a +feast where all should be mirth and gladness; yet in her evil heart she +planned to be avenged for the slight which had been put upon her. +While the merry-making was at its height, and the company were +listening to the music from Apollo's lyre, she came unseen into the +hall, and threw a golden apple upon the table. No one knew whence the +apple came; but on it were written these words, 'FOR THE FAIREST.' + +"'To whom does it belong?' asked Zeus, stroking his brows in sad +perplexity. + +"The music ceased, and mirth and jollity fled at once from the banquet. +The torches, which lit up the scene, flickered and smoked; the lustre +of the gems in the vaulted roof was dimmed; dark clouds canopied the +great hall: for Eris had taken her place at the table, uninvited and +unwelcome though she was. + +"'The apple belongs to me,' said Hera, trying to snatch it; 'for I am +the queen, and gods and men honor me as having no peer on earth.' + +"'Not so!' cried red-lipped Aphrodite. 'With me dwell Love and Joy; +and not only do gods and men sing my praises, but all nature rejoices +in my presence. The apple is mine, and I will have it!' + +"Then Athena joined in the quarrel. 'What is it to be a queen,' said +she, 'if at the same time one lacks that good temper which sweetens +life? What is it to have a handsome form and face, while the mind is +uncouth and ill-looking? Beauty of mind is better than beauty of face; +for the former is immortal, while the latter fades and dies. Hence no +one has a better right than I to be called the fairest.' + +"Then the strife spread among the guests in the hall, each taking sides +with the one he loved best; and, where peace and merriment had reigned, +now hot words and bitter wrangling were heard. And had not Zeus bidden +them keep silence, thus putting an end to the quarrel, all Pelion would +have been rent, and the earth shaken to its centre in the mellay that +would have followed. + +"'Let us waste no words over this matter,' he said. 'It is not for the +immortals to say who of their number is most beautiful. But on the +slopes of Mount Ida, far across the sea, the fairest of the sons of +men--Paris, a prince of Troy--keeps his flocks; let him judge who is +fairest, and let the apple be hers to whom he gives it.' + +"Then Hermes, the swift-footed messenger, arose, and led the three +goddesses over sea and land to distant Mount Ida, where Paris, with no +thought of the wonderful life which lay before him, piped on his +shepherd's reeds, and tended his flock of sheep." + + + +[1]Cheiron the Centaur lived in a cavern on Mount Pelion and was +reputed to be the wisest of mortals. All the young heroes of the time, +Jason, Achilles, and others, were his pupils and spent their boyhood +with him. He is sometimes represented as having the head of a man and +the body of a horse; but it is probable that he was only one of a race +of men noted for their skill in horsemanship. This story is supposed +to have been related by him to young Odysseus (Ulysses), who visited +him in his cavern. + + + + +PARIS AND CENONE + +RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR + +"On the other side of the sea there stands a city, rich and mighty, the +like of which there is none in Greece. The name of this city is Troy, +although its inhabitants call it Ilios. There an old man, named Priam, +rules over a happy and peace-loving people. He dwells in a great +palace of polished marble, on a hill overlooking the plain; and his +granaries are stored with corn, and his flocks and herds are pastured +on the hills and mountain slopes behind the city. + +"Many sons has King Priam; and they are brave and noble youths, well +worthy of such a father. The eldest of these sons is Hector, who, the +Trojans hope, will live to bring great honor to his native land. + +"Just before the second son was born, a strange thing troubled the +family of old Priam. The queen dreamed that her babe had turned into a +firebrand, which burned up the walls and the high towers of Troy, and +left but smouldering ashes where once the proud city stood. She told +the king her dream; and when the child was born, they called a +soothsayer, who could foresee the mysteries of the future, and they +asked him what the vision meant. + +"'It means,' said he, 'that this babe, if he lives, shall be a +firebrand in Troy, and shall turn its walls and its high towers into +heaps of smouldering ashes.' + +"'But what shall be done with the child, that he may not do this +terrible thing?' asked Priam, greatly sorrowing, for the babe was very +beautiful. + +"'Do not suffer that he shall live,' answered the soothsayer. + +"Priam, the gentlest and most kind-hearted of men, could not bear to +harm the babe. So he called his master shepherd, and bade him take the +helpless child into the thick woods, which grow high up on the slopes +of Mount Ida, behind the city, and there to leave him alone. The wild +beasts that roam among those woods, he thought, would doubtless find +him, or, in any case, he could not live long without care and +nourishment; and thus the dangerous brand would be quenched while yet +it was scarcely a spark. + +"The shepherd did as he was bidden, although it cost his heart many a +sharp pang thus to deal barbarously with the innocent. He laid the +smiling infant, wrapped in its broidered tunic, close by the foot of an +oak, and then hurried away that he might not hear its cries. + +"But the nymphs who haunt the woods and groves, saw the babe, and +pitied its helplessness, and cared for it so that it did not die. Some +brought it yellow honey from the stores of the wild bees; some fed it +with milk from the white goats that pastured on the mountain side; and +others stood as sentinels around it, guarding it from the wolves and +bears. + +"Thus five days passed, and then the shepherd, who could not forget the +babe, came cautiously to the spot to see if, mayhap, even its broidered +cloak had been spared by the beasts. Sorrowful and shuddering he +glanced toward the foot of the tree. To his surprise, the babe was +still there; it looked up and smiled, and stretched its fat hands +toward him. The shepherd's heart would not let him turn away the +second time. He took the child in his arms, and carried it to his own +humble home in the valley, where he cared for it and brought it up as +his own son. + +"The boy grew to be very tall and very handsome; and he was so brave, +and so helpful to the shepherds around Mount Ida, that they called him +Alexandros, or the helper of men; but his foster-father named him +Paris. As he tended his sheep in the mountain dells, he met Oenone, +the fairest of the river maidens, guileless and pure as the waters of +the stream by whose banks she loved to wander. Day after day he sat +with her in the shadow of her woodland home, and talked of innocence +and beauty, and of a life of sweet contentment, and of love; and the +maiden listened to him with wide-open eyes and a heart full of +trustfulness and faith. + +"By and by, Paris and Oenone were wedded; and their little cottage in +the mountain glen was the fairest and happiest spot in Ilios. The days +sped swiftly by, and neither of them dreamed that any sorrow was in +store for them; and to Oenone her shepherd husband was all the world, +because he was so noble and brave and handsome and gentle. + +"One warm summer afternoon, Paris sat in the shade of a tree at the +foot of Mount Ida, while his flocks were pasturing upon the hillside +before him. The bees were humming lazily among the flowers; the +cicadas were chirping among the leaves above his head; and now and then +a bird twittered softly among the bushes behind him. All else was +still, as if enjoying to the full the delicious calm of that pleasant +day. + +"Paris was fashioning a slender reed into a shepherd's flute; while +Oenone, sitting in the deeper shadows of some clustering vines, was +busy with some simple piece of needlework. + +"A sound as of sweet music caused the young shepherd to raise his eyes. +Before him stood the four immortals, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, and +Hermes the messenger; their faces shone with a dazzling radiance, and +they were fairer than any tongue can describe. At their feet rare +flowers sprang up, crocuses and asphodels and white lilies; and the air +was filled with the odor of orange blossoms. Paris, scarce knowing +what he did, arose to greet them. No handsomer youth ever stood in the +presence of beauty. Straight as a mountain pine was he; a leopard-skin +hung carelessly upon his shoulders; his head was bare, but his locks +clustered round his temples in sunny curls, and formed fit framework +for his fair brows. + +"Hermes spoke first: 'Paris, we have come to seek thy help; there is +strife among the folk who dwell on Mount Olympus. Here are Hera, +Athena, and Aphrodite, each claiming to be the fairest, and each +clamoring for this prize, this golden apple. Now we pray that you will +judge this matter, and give the apple to the one whom you may deem most +beautiful.' + +"Then Hera began her plea at once: 'I know that I am fairest,' she +said, 'for I am queen, and mine it is to rule among gods and men. Give +me the prize, and you shall have wealth, and a kingdom, and great +glory; and men in aftertimes shall sing your praises.' + +"And Paris was half tempted to give the apple, without further ado, to +Hera, the proud queen. But gray-eyed Athena spoke: 'There is that, +fair youth, which is better than riches or honor or great glory. +Listen to me, and I will give thee wisdom and a pure heart; and thy +life shall be crowned with peace, and sweetened with love, and made +strong by knowledge. And though men may not sing of thee in +after-times, thou shall find lasting happiness in the answer of a good +conscience towards all things." + +"Then Oenone whispered from her place among the leaves, 'Give the prize +to Athena; she is the fairest.' And Paris would have placed the golden +apple in her hand, had not Aphrodite stepped quickly forward, and in +the sweetest, merriest tones, addressed him. + +"'You may look at my face, and judge for yourself as to whether I am +fair,' said she laughing, and tossing her curls. 'All I shall say is +this: Give me the prize, and you shall have for your wife the most +beautiful woman in the world.' + +"The heart of Oenone stood still as Paris placed the apple in +Aphrodite's hand; and a nameless dread came over her, as if the earth +were sinking beneath her feet. But the next moment the blood came back +to her cheeks, and she breathed free and strong again; for she heard +Paris say, 'I have a wife, Oenone, who to me is the loveliest of +mortals, and I care not for your offer; yet I give to you the apple, +for I know that you are the fairest among the deathless ones who live +on high Olympus.'" + + +"On the very next day it happened that King Priam sat thoughtfully in +his palace, and all his boys and girls--nearly fifty in number--were +about him. His mind turned sadly to the little babe whom he had sent +away, many years ago, to die alone on wooded Ida. And he said to +himself, 'The child has been long dead, and yet no feast has been given +to the gods that they may make his little spirit glad in the shadowy +land of Hades. This must not be neglected longer. Within three days a +feast must be made, and we will hold games in his honor.' + +"Then he called his servants, and bade them go to the pastures on Mount +Ida, and choose from the herds that were there the fattest and +handsomest bull, to be given as a prize to the winner in the games. +And he proclaimed through all Ilios, that on the third day there would +be a great feast in his palace, and games would be held in honor of the +little babe who had died twenty years before. + +"Now, when the servants came to Mount Ida, they chose a bull for which +Paris had long cared, and which he loved more than any other. He +protested and would not let the beast be driven from the pasture until +it was agreed that he might go to the city with it and contend in the +games for the prize. But Oenone, the river nymph, wept and prayed him +not to go. + +"'Leave not the pleasant pasture lands of Ida, even for a day,' said +she; 'for my heart tells me that you will not return.' + +"'Think not so, my fair one,' said Paris. 'Did not Aphrodite promise +that the most beautiful woman in the world shall be my wife? And who +is more beautiful than my own Oenone? Dry now your tears; for when I +have won the prizes in the games I will come back to you, and never +leave you again.' + +"Then the grief of Oenone waxed still greater. 'If you will go,' she +cried, 'then hear my warning! Long years shall pass ere you shall come +again to wooded Ida, and the hearts which now are young shall grow old +and feeble by reason of much sorrow. Cruel war and many dire disasters +shall overtake you, and death shall be nigh unto you; and then Oenone, +although long forgotten by you, will hasten to your side, to help and +to heal and to forgive, that so the old love may live again. Farewell!' + +"Then Paris kissed his wife, and hastened, light of heart, to Troy. +How could it be otherwise but that, in the games which followed, the +handsome young shepherd should carry off all the prizes? + +"'Who are you?' asked the king. + +"'My name is Paris,' answered the shepherd, 'and I feed the flocks and +herds on wooded Ida.' + +"Then Hector, full of wrath because of his own failure to win a prize, +came forward to dispute with Paris. + +"'Stand there, Hector,' cried old Priam; 'stand close to the young +shepherd, and let us look at you!' Then turning to the queen, he +asked, 'Did you ever see two so nearly alike? The shepherd is fairer +and of slighter build, it is true; but they have the same eye, the same +frown, the same smile, the same motion of the shoulders, the same walk. +Ah, what if the young babe did not die after all?' + +"Then Priam's daughter, Cassandra, who had the gift of prophecy, cried +out, 'Oh, blind of eye and heart, that you cannot see in this young +shepherd the child whom you sent to sleep the sleep of death on Ida's +wooded slopes!' + +"And so it came about, that Paris was taken into his father's house, +and given the place of honor which was his by right. And he forgot +Oenone, his fair young wife, and left her to pine in loneliness among +the woods and in the narrow dells of sunny Ida." + + + + +HESIONE + +RELATED BY MENELAUS[1] + +With troubled brow and anxious heart, Menelaus sat in Nestor's halls, +and told the story of his wrongs. Behind him stood his brother, +Agamemnon, tall and strong, and with eye and forehead like mighty Zeus. +Before him, seated on a fair embroidered couch, was the aged Nestor, +listening with eager ears. Close by his feet two heroes sat: on this +side, Antilochus, the valiant son of Nestor; and on that, sage +Palamedes, prince of Euboea's distant shores. The last had just +arrived, and had not learned the errand that had brought Menelaus +hither. + +"Tell again the story of your visit to Troy," said Nestor. "Our guest, +good Palamedes, would fain hear it; and I doubt not that he may be of +service in your cause. Tell us the whole story, for we would all know +more about the famous city and its kingly rulers." + +Then Menelaus began once more at the beginning. + + +THE STORY + +There is no need that I should speak of my long voyage to Troy, or of +the causes which persuaded me to undertake it. When I drew near the +lofty walls of the city, and through the gate, which is called Scaean, +could see the rows of stately dwellings and the busy market-place and +the crowds of people, I stopped there in wonder, hesitating to venture +farther. + +Then I sent a herald to the gate, who should make known my name and +lineage and the errand upon which I had come; but I waited without in +the shade of a spreading beech, not far from the towering wall. Before +me stood the mighty city; behind me the fertile plain sloped gently to +the sea; on my right hand flowed the sparkling waters of the river +Scamander; while much farther, and on the other side, the wooded peak +of Ida lifted itself toward the clouds. + +But I had not long to view this scene; for a noble company of men led +by Paris himself, handsome as Apollo, came out of the gate to welcome +me. With words of greeting from the king, they bade me enter within +the walls. They led me through the Scaean gate and along the +well-paved streets, until we came, at last, to King Priam's hall. + +It was a splendid house with broad doorways and polished porticos, and +marble columns richly carved. Within were fifty chambers, joining one +another, all walled with polished stone; in these abode the fifty sons +of Priam with their wedded wives. On the other side, and opening into +the court, were twelve chambers built for his daughters; while over all +were the sleeping-rooms for that noble household, and around were +galleries and stairways leading to the king's great hall below. + +King Priam received me kindly, and, when he understood my errand, left +naught undone to help me forward with my wishes. Ten days I abode as a +guest in his halls, and when I would return to Greece he pressed me to +tarry yet a month in Troy. But the winds were fair, and the oracles +promised a pleasant voyage, and I begged that on the twelfth day he +would let me depart. So he and his sons brought many gifts, rich and +beautiful, and laid them at my feet--a fair mantle, and a doublet, and +a talent of fine gold, and a sword with a silver-studded hilt, and a +drinking-cup richly engraved that I might remember them when I pour +libations to the gods. + +"Take these gifts," said Priam, "as tokens of our friendship for you, +and not only for you, but for all who dwell in distant Greece. For we +too are the children of the immortals. Our mighty ancestor, Dardanus, +was the son of Zeus. He it was who built Dardania on the slopes of +Ida, where the waters gush in many silvery streams from underneath the +rocky earth. + +"A grandson of Dardanus was Ilus, famous in song and story, and to him +was born Laomedon, who in his old age became my father. He, though my +sire, did many unwise things, and brought sore distress upon the people +of this land. + +"One day Apollo and Poseidon came to Troy, disguised as humble +wayfarers seeking some employment. This they did because so ordered by +mighty Zeus. + +"'What can you do?' asked my father, when the two had told their wishes. + +"Poseidon answered, 'I am a builder of walls.' + +"And Apollo answered, 'I am a shepherd, and a tender of herds.' + +"'It is well,' answered Laomedon. 'The wall-builder shall build a wall +around this Troy so high and strong that no enemy can pass it. The +shepherd shall tend my herds of crook-horned kine on the wooded slopes +of Ida. If at the end of a twelvemonth, the wall be built, and if the +cattle thrive without loss of one, then I will pay you your hire: a +talent of gold, two tripods of silver, rich robes, and armor such as +heroes wear.' + +"So the two served my father through the year for the hire which he had +promised. Poseidon built a wall, high and fair, around the city; and +Apollo tended the shambling kine, and lost not one. But when they +claimed their hire, Laomedon drove them away with threats, telling them +that he would bind their feet and hands together, and sell them as +slaves into some distant land, having first sheared off their ears with +his sharp sword. And they went away with angry hearts, planning in +their minds how they might avenge themselves. + +"Back to his watery kingdom, and his golden palace beneath the sea, +went great Poseidon. He harnessed his steeds to his chariot, and rode +forth upon the waves. He loosed the winds from their prison house, and +sent them raging over the sea. The angry waters rushed in upon the +land; they covered the pastures and the rich plain of Troy, and +threatened even to beat down the walls which their king had built. + +"Then little by little, the flood shrank back again; and the people +went out of the city to see the waste of slime and black mud which +covered their meadows. While they were gazing upon the scene, a +fearful monster, sent by angry Poseidon, came up out of the sea, and +fell upon them, and drove them with hideous slaughter back to the city +gates; neither would he allow any one to come outside of the walls. + +"Then my father, in his great distress, clad himself in mourning, and +went in deep humility to the temple of Athena. In much distress, he +called unto the goddess, and besought to know the means whereby the +anger of Poseidon might be assuaged. And in solemn tones a voice +replied, saying: + +"'Every day one of the maidens of Troy must be fed to the monster +outside of the walls. The shaker of the earth has spoken. Disobey him +not, lest more cruel punishments befall thee.' + +"Then in every house of Troy there was sore dismay and lamentation, for +no one knew upon whom the doom would soonest fall. And every day a +hapless maiden, young and fair, was chained to the great rock by the +shore, and left there to be the food of the pitiless monster. And the +people cried aloud in their distress, and cursed the mighty walls and +the high towers which had been reared by the unpaid labors of Poseidon; +and my father sat upon his high seat, and trembled because of the +calamities which his own deeds had brought upon his people. + +"At last, after many humbler victims had perished, the lot fell upon +the fairest of my sisters, Hesione, my father's best-loved daughter. +In sorrow we arrayed her in garments befitting one doomed to an +untimely death; and when we had bidden her a last farewell, we gave her +to the heralds and the priests to lead forth to the place of sacrifice. + +"Just then, however, a noble stranger, taller and more stately than any +man in Troy, came down the street. Fair-haired and blue-eyed, handsome +and strong, he seemed a very god to all who looked upon him. Over his +shoulder he wore the tawny skin of a lion, while in his hand he carried +a club most wonderful to behold. And the people, as he passed, prayed +him that he would free our city from the monster that was robbing us of +our loved ones. + +"'I know that thou art a god!' cried my father, when he saw the +stranger. 'I pray thee, save my daughter, who even now is being led +forth to a cruel death!' + +"'You make mistake,' answered the fair stranger. 'I am not one of the +gods. My name is Hercules, and like you I am mortal. Yet I may help +you in this your time of need.' + +"Now, in my father's stables there were twelve fair steeds, the best +that the earth ever knew. So light of foot were they, that when they +bounded over the land, they might run upon the topmost ears of ripened +corn, and break them not; and when they bounded over the sea, not even +Poseidon's steeds could glide so lightly upon the crests of the waves. +Some say they were the steeds of North Wind given to my grandfather by +the powers above. These steeds, my father promised to give to Hercules +if he would save Hesione. + +"Then the heralds led my fair sister to the shore, and chained her to +the rock, there to wait for the coming of the monster. But Hercules +stood near her, fearless in his strength. Soon the waves began to +rise; the waters were disturbed, and the beast, with hoarse bellowings, +lifted his head above the breakers, and rushed forward to seize his +prey. Then the hero sprang to meet him. With blow upon blow from his +mighty club, he felled the monster; the waters of the sea were reddened +with blood; Hesione was saved, and Troy was freed from the dreadful +curse. + +"'Behold thy daughter!' said Hercules, leading her gently back to the +city, and giving her to her father. 'I have saved her from the jaws of +death, and delivered your country from the dread scourge. Give me now +my hire.' + +"Shame fills my heart as I tell this story, for thanklessness was the +bane of my father's life. Ungrateful to the hero who had risked so +much and done so much that our homes and our country might be saved +from ruin, he turned coldly away from Hercules; then he shut the great +gates in his face, and barred him out of the city, and taunted him from +the walls, saying, 'I owe thee no hire! Begone from our coasts, ere I +scourge thee hence!' + +"Full of wrath, the hero turned away. 'I go, but I will come again,' +he said. + +"Then peace and plenty blessed once more the city of Troy, and men +forgot the perils from which they had been delivered. But ere long, +great Hercules returned, as he had promised; and with him came a fleet +of white-sailed ships and many warriors. Neither gates nor strong +walls could stand against him. Into the city he marched, and straight +to my father's palace. All fled before him, and the strongest warriors +quailed beneath his glance. Here, in this very court, he slew my +father and my brothers with his terrible arrows. I myself would have +fallen before his wrath, had not my sister, fair Hesione, pleaded for +my life. + +"'I spare his life,' said Hercules, in answer to her prayers, 'for he +is but a lad. Yet he must be my slave until you have paid a price for +him, and thus redeemed him.' + +"Then Hesione took the golden veil from her head, and gave it to the +hero as my purchase price. And thenceforward I was called Priam, or +the purchased; for the name which my mother gave me was Podarkes, or +the fleet-footed. + +"After this Hercules and his heroes went on board their ships and +sailed back across the sea, leaving me alone in my father's halls. For +they took fair Hesione with them, and carried her to Salamis, to be the +wife of Telamon, the father of mighty Ajax. There, through these long +years she has lived in sorrow, far removed from home and friends and +the scenes of her happy childhood. And now that the hero Telamon, to +whom she was wedded, lives no longer, I ween that her life is indeed a +cheerless one." + +"When Priam had finished his tale, he drew his seat still nearer mine, +and looked into my face with anxious, beseeching eyes. Then he said, +'I have long wished to send a ship across the sea to bring my sister +back to Troy. A dark-prowed vessel, built for speed and safety, lies +now at anchor in the harbor, and a picked crew is ready to embark at +any moment. And here is my son Paris, handsome and brave, who is +anxious to make voyage to Salamis, to seek unhappy Hesione. Yet our +seamen have never ventured far from home, and they know nothing of the +dangers of the deep, nor do they feel sure they can find their way to +Greece. And so we have a favor to ask of you; and that is, that when +your ship sails to-morrow, ours may follow in its wake across the sea." + + +Here Menelaus paused as if in deep thought, and not until his listeners +begged him to go on, did he resume his story. + + +[1]Menelaus, king of Lacedaemon, was the husband of Helen, the most +beautiful woman in the world. At the time of his marriage to Helen all +the princes of Greece had vowed to support him against any enemy who +should attempt to defraud him of his rights. This and the following +story tell of his visit to Troy and its results. + + + + +PARIS AND HELEN + +MENELAUS CONTINUES HIS STORY + +"I was glad when King Priam made this request," continued Menelaus, +"for, in truth, I was loath to part with Paris; and I arranged at once +that he should bear me company in my own ship while his vessel with its +crew followed not far behind. + +"And so, being blessed with favoring winds, we made a quick voyage back +to my own country. What followed is too sad for lengthy mention, and +is in part already known to you. Need I tell you how I opened my halls +to Paris, and left no act of courtesy undone that I might make him +happy? Need I tell you how he was welcomed by fair Helen, and how the +summer days fled by on golden wings; and how in the delights of +Lacedaemon he forgot his errand to Salamis, and cared only to remain +with me, my honored guest and trusted friend? + +"One day a message came to me from my old friend Idomeneus. He had +planned a hunt among the mountains and woods of Crete, and he invited +me to join him in the sport. I had not seen Idomeneus since the time +that we together, in friendly contention, sought the hand of Helen. I +could not do otherwise than accept his invitation, for he had sent his +own ship to carry me over to Crete. + +"So I bade farewell to Helen, saying, 'Let not our noble guest lack +entertainment while I am gone; and may the golden hours glide happily +until I come again.' And to Paris I said, 'Tarry another moon in +Lacedasmon; and when I return from Crete, I will go with you to +Salamis, and aid you in your search for Hesione.' + +"Then I went on board the waiting ship, and prospering breezes carried +us without delays to Crete. + +"Idomeneus received me joyfully, and entertained me most royally in his +palace; and for nine days we feasted and made all things ready for the +hunt. But, lo! on the evening of the last day, a vision came to me. +Gold-winged Iris, the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, stood before +me. 'Hasten back to Lacedaemon,' she cried, for thou art robbed of thy +dearest treasure!' And even while she spoke, one of my own ships, came +sailing into the harbor, bringing trusted heralds whom the elders of +Lacedaemon had sent to me. + +"They told me the fatal news. 'No sooner were you well on your way,' +they said, 'than Paris began to put his ship in readiness to depart. +Helen prayed him to tarry until your return, but he would not hearken, +"I will stay no longer," he said. "My seamen rest upon their oars; the +sails of my ship are spread; the breeze will soon spring up that will +carry me across the sea. But you, beauteous Helen, shall go with me; +for the deathless gods have spoken it. Aphrodite, long ago, promised +that the most beautiful woman in the world should be my wife. And who +is that most beautiful woman if it be not yourself? Come! fly over the +sea, and be my queen. It is the will of the gods."' + +"It was thus that the perfidious Trojan wrought the ruin of all that +was dear to me. + +"At first, Helen refused. But Paris is a handsome prince, and day +after day he renewed his suit. Then on the sixth day she yielded. In +the darkness of the night they went on board his waiting vessel, +carrying with them the gold and jewels of my treasure house; and in the +morning, when the sun arose on Lacedaemon, they were far out at sea. + +"You know the rest: how in wrath and great sorrow I hurried home; how I +first counselled with my own elders, and then with my brother +Agamemnon. And now, O noble Nestor, we have come to Pylos, seeking thy +advice. On these two things my mind is set: Helen must be mine again, +and Paris must suffer the punishment due to traitors." + +When Menelaus had ended, sage Nestor answered with many words of +counsel. "Keep the thought of vengeance ever before you," he said. +"Yet act not rashly. The power of Troy is very great; and, in case of +war, all the tribes of Asia will make common cause with her. But an +insult to Lacedaemon is an insult to all Greece, and every loyal Greek +will hasten to avenge it. More than this, the chiefs of almost every +state have already sworn to aid you. We have but to call upon them, +and remind them of their oaths, and the mightiest warriors of our land +will take up arms against the power of Troy." + + + + +IPHIGENIA + +After nearly ten years of preparation, the princes and warriors of +Greece gathered their ships and men together at Aulis, ready to make +war upon Troy. A thousand dark-hulled vessels were moored in the +harbor; and a hundred thousand brave men were on board, ready to follow +their leaders whithersoever they should order. + +Chief of all that host was mighty Agamemnon, king of men. He was clad +in flashing armor, and his mind was filled with overweening pride when +he thought how high he stood among the warriors, and that his men were +the goodliest and bravest of all that host. + +Next to him was Menelaus, silent and discreet, by no means skilled +above his fellows, and yet, by reason of his noble heart, beloved and +honored by all the Greeks; and it was to avenge his wrongs that this +mighty array of men and ships had been gathered together. + +Odysseus came next, shrewd in counsels, earnest and active. He moved +among the men and ships, inspiring all with zeal and courage. + +There, also, was young Achilles, tall and handsome, and swift of foot. +His long hair fell about his shoulders like a shower of gold, and his +gray eyes gleamed like those of the mountain eagle. By the shore lay +his trim ships--fifty in all--with thousands of gallant warriors on +board. + +One day it chanced that Agamemnon, while hunting, started a fine stag, +and gave it a long chase among the hills and through the wooded dells, +until it sought safety in a grove sacred to Artemis, the huntress +queen. The proud king knew that this was a holy place, where beasts +and birds might rest secure from harm; yet he cared naught for what +Artemis had ordained, and with his swift arrows he slew the panting +deer. + +Then was the huntress queen moved with anger, and she declared that the +ships of the Greeks should not sail from Aulis until the king had +atoned for his crime. A great calm rested upon the sea, and not a +breath of air stirred the sails at the mast-heads of the ships. + +Day after day and week after week went by, and not a speck of cloud was +seen in the sky above, and not a ripple on the glassy face of the deep. +All the ships had been put in order, new vessels had been built, the +warriors had burnished their armor and overhauled their arms a thousand +times; and yet no breeze arose to waft them across the sea. And they +began to murmur, and to talk bitterly against Agamemnon and the chiefs. + +At last Agamemnon sent for Calchas, the soothsayer, and asked him in +secret how the anger of the huntress queen might be appeased. And the +soothsayer with tears and lamentations answered that in no wise could +it be done save by the sacrifice to Artemis of the king's daughter, +Iphigenia. + +Then the king cried aloud in his grief, and declared that though Troy +might stand forever, he would not do that thing; and he bade a herald +go through the camp, and among the ships by the shore, and bid every +man depart as he chose to his own country. But before the herald had +gone from his tent, behold, his brother, Menelaus, stood before him +with downcast eyes and saddest of hearts. + +"After ten years of labor and hope," said he to Agamemnon, "wouldst +thou give up this enterprise, and lose all?" + +Then Odysseus came also into the tent, and added his persuasions to +those of Menelaus. The king hearkened to him, for no man was more +crafty in counsel; and the three recalled the herald, and formed a plan +whereby they might please Artemis by doing as she desired. Agamemnon, +in his weakness, wrote a letter to Clytemnestra his queen, telling her +to bring the maiden, Iphigenia, to Aulis, there to be wedded to the +bravest of all the Greeks. + +"_Fail not in this_," added he, "_for the godlike hero will not sail +with us unless my daughter be given to him in marriage_." + +And when he had written the letter, he sealed it, and sent it by a +swift messenger to Clytemnestra at Mycenas. + +Nevertheless the king's heart was full of sorrow, and when he was alone +he planned how he might yet save his daughter. Night came, but he +could not sleep; he walked the floor of his tent; he wept and lamented +like one bereft of reason. At length he sat down, and wrote another +letter: + +"_Daughter of Leda, send not thy child to Aulis, for I will give her in +marriage at another time_." + +Then he called another messenger, an old and trusted servant of the +household, and put this letter into his hands. + +"Take this with all haste to my queen, who, perchance, is even now on +her way to Aulis. Stop not by any cool spring in the groves, and let +not thine eyes close for sleep. And see that the chariot bearing the +queen and Iphigenia pass thee not unnoticed." + +The messenger took the letter and hastened away. But hardly had he +passed the line of the tents when Menelaus saw him, and took the letter +away from him. And when he had read it, he went before his brother, +and reproached him| with bitter words. + +"Before you were chosen captain of the host," said he, "you were kind +and gentle, and the friend of every man. There was nothing that you +would not do to aid your fellows. Now you are puffed up with pride and +vain conceit, and care nothing even for those who are your equals in +power. Yet, for all, you are not rid of your well-known cowardice; and +when you saw that your leadership was likely to be taken away from you +unless you obeyed the commands of Artemis, you agreed to do this thing. +Now you are trying to break your word, sending secretly to your wife, +and bidding her not to bring her daughter to Aulis." + +Then Agamemnon answered, "Why should I destroy my daughter in order to +win back thy wife? Let those who wish go with thee to Troy. In no way +am I bound to serve thee." + +"Do as you will," said Menelaus, going away in wrath. + +Soon after this, there came a herald to the king, saying, "Behold, your +daughter Iphigenia has come as you directed, and with her mother and +her little brother Orestes she rests by the spring close to the outer +line of tents. The warriors have gathered around them, and are +praising her loveliness, and asking many questions; and some say, 'The +king is sick to see his daughter, whom he loves so deeply, and he has +made up some excuse to bring her to the camp.' But I know why you have +brought her here; for I have been told about the wedding, and the noble +groom who is to lead her in marriage; and we will rejoice and be glad, +because this is a happy day for the maiden." + +Then the king was sorely distressed, and knew not what to do. "Sad, +sad, indeed," said he, "is the wedding to which the maiden cometh. For +the name of the bridegroom is Death." + +At the same time Menelaus came back, sorrowful and repentant. "You +were right, my brother," said he. "What, indeed, has Iphigenia to do +with this enterprise, and why should the maiden die for me? Send the +Greeks to their homes, and let not this great wrong be done." + +"But how can I do that now?" asked Agamemnon. "The warriors, urged on +by Odysseus and Calchas, will force me to do the deed. Or, if I flee +to Mycenae, they will follow me, and slay me, and destroy my city. Oh, +woe am I, that such a day should ever dawn upon my sight!" + +Even while they spoke together, the queen's chariot drove up to the +tent door, and the queen and Iphigenia and the little Orestes alighted +quickly, and merrily greeted the king. + +"It is well that you have sent for me, my father," said Iphigenia, +caressing him. + +"It may be well, and yet it may not," said Agamemnon. "I am exceeding +glad to see thee alive and happy." + +"If you are glad, why then do you weep?" + +"I am sad because thou wilt be so long time away from me." + +"Are you going on a very long voyage, father?" + +"A long voyage and a sad one, my child. And thou, also, hast a journey +to make." + +"Must I make it alone, or will my mother go with me?" + +"Thou must make it alone. Neither father nor mother nor any friend can +go with thee, my child." + +"But when shall it be? I pray that you will hasten this matter with +Troy, and return home ere then." + +"It may be so. But I must offer a sacrifice to the gods before we sail +from Aulis." + +"That is well. And may I be present?" + +"Yes, and thou shalt be very close to the altar." + +"Shall I lead in the dances, father?" + +Then the king could say no more, for reason of the great sorrow within +him; and he kissed the maiden, and sent her into the tent. A little +while afterward, the queen came and spoke to him and asked him about +the man to whom their daughter was to be wedded; and Agamemnon, still +dissembling, told her that the hero's name was Achilles, and that he +was the son of old Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. + +"And when and where is the marriage to be?" asked the queen. + +"On the first lucky day in the present moon, and here in our camp at +Aulis," answered Agamemnon. + +"Shall I stay here with thee until then?" + +"Nay, thou must go back to Mycenae without delay." + +"But may I not come again? If I am not here, who will hold up the +torch for the bride?" + +"I will attend to all such matters," answered Agamemnon. + +But Clytemnestra was not well pleased, neither could the king persuade +her at all that she should return to Mycenae. While yet they were +talking, Achilles himself came to the tent door, and said aloud to the +servant who kept it, "Tell thy master that Achilles, the son of Peleus, +would be pleased to see him." + +When Clytemnestra overheard these words, she hastened to the door, and +offered the hero her hand. But he was abashed and drew back, for it +was deemed an unseemly thing for men to speak thus with women. Then +Clytemnestra said, "Why, indeed, should you, who are about to marry my +daughter, be ashamed to give me your hand?" + +Achilles was struck with wonder, and asked her what she meant; and when +she had explained the matter, he said: + +"Truly I have never been a suitor for thy daughter, neither has +Agamemnon or Menelaus spoken a word to me regarding her." + +And now the queen was astonished in her turn, and cried out with shame +that she had been so cruelly deceived. Then the keeper of the door, +who was the same that had been sent with the letter, came forward and +told the truth regarding the whole matter. And Clytemnestra cried to +Achilles, "O son of silver-footed Thetis! Help me and help my daughter +Iphigenia, in this time of sorest need! For we have no friend in all +this host, and none in whom we can confide but thee." + +Achilles answered, "Long time ago I was a pupil of old Cheiron, the +most righteous of men, and from him I learned to be honest and true. +If Agamemnon rule according to right, then I will obey him; but not +otherwise. And now, since thy daughter was brought to this place under +pretence of giving her to me as my bride, I will see that she shall not +be slain, neither shall any one dare take her from me." + +On the following day, while Agamemnon sat grief-stricken in his tent, +the maiden came before him carrying the child Orestes in her arms; and +she cast herself upon her knees at his feet, and caressing his hands, +she thus besought him: + +"Would, dear father, that I had the voice of Orpheus, to whom even the +rocks did listen! then I would persuade thee. O father! I am thy +child. I was the first to call thee 'Father,' and the first to whom +thou saidst 'My child.'" + +The father turned his face away, and wept; he could not speak for +sadness. Then the maiden went on: "O father, hear me! thou to whom my +voice was once so sweet that thou wouldst waken me to hear my prattle. +And when I was older grown, then thou wouldst say to me, 'Some day, my +birdling, thou shalt have a nest of thy own, a home of which thou shalt +be the mistress.' And I did answer, 'Yes, dear father, and when thou +art old I will care for thee, and pay thee with all my heart for the +kindness thou dost show me.' But now thou hast forgotten it all, and +art ready to slay my young life." + +A deep groan burst from the lips of the mighty king, but he spoke not a +word. Then, after a deathlike silence broken only by the deep +breathings of father and child, Iphigenia spoke again: "My father, can +there be any prayer more pure and more persuasive than that of a maiden +for her father's welfare? And when, the cruel knife shall strike me +down, thou wilt have one daughter less to pray for thee." A shudder +shook the frame of Agamemnon, but he answered not a word. + +At that moment Achilles entered. He had come in haste from the tents +beside the shore, and he spoke in hurried, anxious accents. + +"Behold," said he, "a great tumult has arisen in the camp; for Calchas +has given out among the men that you refuse to do what Artemis has +bidden, and that hence these delays and troubles have arisen. And the +rude soldiers are crying out against you, and declaring that the maiden +must die. When I would have stayed their anger, they took up stones to +stone me--my own warriors among the rest. And now they are making +ready to move upon your tent, threatening to sacrifice you also with +your daughter. But I will fight for you to the utmost, and the maiden +shall not die." + +As he was speaking, Calchas entered, and, grasping the wrist of the +pleading maiden, lifted her to her feet. She looked up, and saw his +stony face and hard cold eyes; and turning again to Agamemnon, she +said, "O father, the ships shall sail, for I will die for thee." + +Then Achilles said to her, "Fair maiden, thou art by far the noblest +and most lovely of thy sex. Fain would I save thee from this fate, +even though every man in Greece be against me. Fly with me quickly to +my long-oared ship, and I will carry thee safely away from this +accursed place." + +"Not so," answered Iphigenia: "I will give up my life for my father and +this land of the Greeks, and no man shall suffer for me." + +Then the pitiless priest led her through the throng of rude soldiers to +the grove of Artemis, wherein an altar had been built. But Achilles +and Agamemnon covered their faces with their mantles, and stayed inside +the tent. + +As the maiden took her place upon the altar, the king's herald stood +up, and bade the warriors keep silence; and Calchas put a garland of +sweet-smelling flowers about the victim's head. + +"Let no man touch me," said the maiden, "for I offer my neck to the +sword with right good will, that so my father may live and prosper." + +In silence and great awe, the warriors stood around, while Calchas drew +a sharp knife from its scabbard. But, lo! as he struck, the maiden was +not there; and in her stead, a noble deer lay dying on the altar. Then +the old soothsayer cried out in triumphant tones, "See, now, ye men of +Greece, how the gods have provided for you a sacrifice, and saved the +innocent daughter of the king!" And all the people shouted with joy; +and in that self-same hour, a strong breeze came down the bay, and +filled the idle sails of the waiting ships. + +"To Troy! to Troy!" cried the Greeks; and every man hastened aboard his +vessel. + +How it was that fair Iphigenia escaped the knife; by whom she was +saved, or whither she went--no one knew. Some say that Artemis carried +her away to the land of the Taurians, where she had a temple and an +altar; and there is a story that, long years afterward, her brother +Orestes found her there, and led her back to her girlhood's home, even +to Mycenae. But whether this be true or not, I know that there have +been maidens as noble, as loving, as innocent as she, who have given up +their lives in order to make this world a purer and happier place in +which to live; and these are not dead, but live in the grateful +memories of those whom they loved and saved. + + + + +THE HOARD OF THE ELVES + +REGIN'S STORY[1] + +When the earth was still very young, and men were feeble and few, and +the Dwarfs were many and strong, the Asa-folk were wont oft-times to +leave their halls in heaven-towering Asgard in order to visit the +new-formed mid-world, and to see what the short-lived sons of men were +doing. Sometimes they came in their own god-like splendor and might; +sometimes they came disguised as feeble men folk, with all man's +weaknesses and all his passions. Sometimes Odin, as a beggar, wandered +from one country to another, craving charity; sometimes, as a warrior +clad in coat of mail, he rode forth to battle for the cause of right; +or as a minstrel he sang from door to door, and played sweet music in +the halls of the great; or as a huntsman he dashed through brakes and +fens, and into dark forests, and climbed steep mountains in search of +game; or as a sailor he embarked upon the sea, and sought new scenes in +unknown lands. And many times did men folk entertain him unawares. + +Once on a time he came to the mid-world in company with Hoenir and +Loki; and the three wandered through many lands and in many climes, +each giving gifts wherever they went. Odin gave knowledge and +strength, and taught men how to read the mystic runes; Hoenir gave +gladness and good cheer, and lightened many hearts with the glow of his +comforting presence; but Loki had naught to give but cunning deceit and +base thoughts, and he left behind him bitter strife and many aching +breasts. + +At last, growing tired of the fellowship of men, the three Asas sought +the solitude of the forest, and as huntsmen wandered long among the +hills and over the wooded heights of Hunaland. Late one afternoon they +came to a mountain stream at a place where it poured over a ledge of +rocks and fell in clouds of spray into a rocky gorge below. As they +stood, and with pleased eyes gazed upon the waterfall, they saw near +the bank an otter lazily making ready to eat a salmon which he had +caught. Then Loki, ever bent on doing mischief, hurled a stone at the +harmless beast, and killed it. And he boasted loudly that he had done +a worthy deed. He took both the otter and the fish which it had +caught, and carried them with him as trophies of the day's success. + +Just at nightfall the three huntsmen came to a lone farmhouse in the +valley, and asked for food, and for shelter during the night. + +"Shelter you shall have," said the farmer, whose name was Hreidmar, +"for the rising clouds foretell a storm. But food I have none to give +you. Surely huntsmen of skill should not want for food, since the +forest teems with game, and the streams are full of fish." + +Then Loki threw upon the ground the otter and the fish, and said, "We +have sought in both forest and stream, and we have taken from them at +one blow both flesh and fish. Give us but the shelter you promise, and +we will not trouble you for food." + +The farmer gazed with horror upon the lifeless body of the otter and +cried out, "This creature which you mistook for an otter, and which you +have robbed and killed, is my son, Oddar, who for mere pastime had +taken the form of the furry beast. You are but thieves and murderers!" + +Then he called loudly for help: and his two sons, Fafnir and Regin, +sturdy and valiant kin of the dwarf-folk, rushed in, and seized upon +the huntsmen, and bound them hand and foot; for the three Asas, having +taken upon themselves the forms of men, had no more than human +strength, and were unable to withstand them. + +Then Odin and his fellows bemoaned their ill fate. And Loki said, +"Wherefore did we foolishly take upon ourselves the likenesses of puny +men? Had I my own power once more, I would never part with it in +exchange for man's weaknesses." + +And Hoenir sighed, and said, "Now, indeed, will darkness win: and the +frosty breath of the Northern giants will blast the fair handiwork of +the sunlight and the heat; for the givers of life and light and warmth +are helpless prisoners in the hands of these cunning and unforgiving +jailers." + +"Surely," said Odin, "not even the highest are free from obedience to +heaven's behests and the laws of right. I, whom men call the Preserver +of Life, have debased myself by being found in evil company; and, +although I have done no other wrong, I suffer rightly for the doings of +this mischief-maker with whom I have stooped to have fellowship. For +all are known, not so much by what they are as by what they seem to be, +and they bear the bad name which their comrades bear. Now I am fallen +from my high estate. Eternal right is higher than I." + +Then the Asas asked Hreidmar, their jailer, what ransom they should pay +for their freedom; and he, not knowing who they were, said, "I must +first know what ransom you are able to give." + +"We will give you anything you may ask," hastily answered Loki. + +Hreidmar then called his sons, and bade them strip the skin from the +otter's body. When this was done, they brought the furry hide and +spread it upon the ground; and Hreidmar said, "Bring shining gold and +precious stones enough to cover every part of this otter skin. When +you have paid so much ransom, you shall have your freedom." + +"That we will do," answered Odin. "But one of us must have leave to go +and fetch it: the other two will stay fast bound until the morning +dawns. If, by that time, the gold is not here, you may do with us as +you please." + +Hreidmar and the two young men agreed to Odin's offer; and, lots being +cast, it fell to Loki to go and fetch the treasure. When he had been +loosed from the cords which bound him, Loki donned his magic shoes, +which had carried him over land and sea from the farthest bounds of the +mid-world, and hastened away upon his errand. And he sped with the +swiftness of light, over the hills and the wooded slopes, and the deep +dark valleys, and the fields and forests and sleeping hamlets, until he +came to the place where dwelt the swarthy elves and the cunning dwarf +Andvari. There the River Rhine, no larger than a meadow brook, breaks +forth from beneath a mountain of ice, which the Frost giants and the +Winter-king had built long years before; for they had vainly hoped that +they might imprison the river at its fountain head. But the baby brook +had eaten its way beneath the frozen mass, and had sprung out from its +prison, and gone on, leaping and smiling, and kissing the sunlight, in +its ever-widening course toward the distant sea. + +Loki came to this place, because he knew that here was the home of the +elves who had laid up the greatest hoard of treasures ever known in the +mid-world. He scanned with careful eyes the mountain side, and the +deep, rocky caverns, and the dark gorge through which the little river +rushed; but in the dim moonlight not a living being could he see, save +a lazy salmon swimming in the quieter eddies of the stream. Anyone but +Loki would have lost all hope of finding treasure there, at least +before the dawn of day; but his wits were quick and his eyes were very +sharp. + +"One salmon has brought us into this trouble, and another shall help us +out of it!" he cried. + +Then, swift as thought, he sprang again into the air; and the magic +shoes carried him with greater speed than before down the Rhine valley, +and through Burgundyland and the low meadows, until he came to the +shores of the great North Sea. He sought the halls of old Aegir, the +Ocean-king; but he wist not which way to go--whether across the North +Sea towards Isenland, or whether along the narrow channel between +Britain land and the main. While he paused, uncertain where to turn, +he saw the pale-haired daughters of old Aegir, the white-veiled Waves, +playing in the moonlight near the shore. Of them he asked the way to +Aegir's hall. + +"Seven days' journey westward," said they, "beyond the green Isle of +Erin, is our father's hall. Seven days' journey northward, on the +bleak Norwegian shore, is our father's hall. Seek it not." + +And they stopped not once in their play, but rippled and danced on the +shelving beach, or dashed with force against the shore. + +"Where is your mother, Ran, the Queen of the Ocean?" asked Loki. + +And they answered: + + "In the deep sea-caves + By the sounding shore, + In the dashing waves + When the wild storms roar, + In her cold green bowers + In the northern fiords, + She lurks and she glowers, + She grasps and she hoards, + And she spreads her strong net for her prey." + +Loki waited to hear no more; but he sprang into the air, and the magic +shoes carried him onwards over the water In search of the Ocean-queen. +He had not gone far when his sharp eyes espied her, lurking near a +rocky shore against which the breakers dashed with frightful fury. +Half hidden in the deep dark water, she lay waiting and watching; and +she spread her cunning net upon the waves, and reached out with her +long greedy fingers to seize whatever booty might come near her. + +When the wary queen saw Loki, she hastily drew in her net, and tried to +hide herself in the shadows of an overhanging rock. But Loki called +her by name, and said: + +"Sister Ran, fear not! I am your friend Loki, whom once you served as +a guest in Aegir's gold-lit halls." + +Then the Ocean-queen came out into the bright moonlight, and welcomed +Loki to her domain, and asked, "Why does Loki thus wander so far over +the trackless waters?" + +And Loki answered, "I have heard of the net which you spread upon the +waves, and from which no creature once caught in its meshes can ever +escape. I have found a salmon where the Rhine spring gushes from +beneath the mountains, and a very cunning salmon he is, for no common +skill can catch him. Come, I pray, with your wondrous net, and cast it +into the stream where he lies. Do but take the wary fish for me, and +you shall have more gold than you have taken in a year from the wrecks +of stranded vessels." + +"I dare not go," cried Ran. "A bound is set, beyond which I may not +venture. If all the gold of earth were offered me, I could not go." + +"Then lend me your net," entreated Loki. "Lend me your net, and I will +bring it back tomorrow filled with gold." + +"Much I would like your gold," answered Ran; "but I cannot lend my net. +Should I do so, I might lose the richest prize that has ever come into +my husband's kingdom. For three days, now, a gold-rigged ship, bearing +a princely crew with rich armor and abundant wealth, has been sailing +carelessly over these seas. Tomorrow I shall send my daughters and the +bewitching mermaids to decoy the vessel among the rocks. And into my +net the ship, and the brave warriors, and all their armor and gold, +shall fall. A rich prize it will be. No: I cannot part with my net, +even for a single hour." + +But Loki knew the power of flattering words. + +"Beautiful queen," said he, "there is no one on earth, nor even in +Asgard, who can equal you in wisdom and foresight. Yet I promise you +that, if you will but lend me your net until the morning dawns, the +ship and the crew of which you speak shall be yours, and all their +golden treasures shall deck your azure halls in the deep sea." + +Then Ran carefully folded the net, and gave it to Loki. + +"Remember your promise," was all that she said. + +"An Asa never forgets," he answered. + +And he turned his face again towards Rhineland; and the magic shoes +bore him aloft and carried him in a moment back to the ice mountain and +the gorge and the infant river, which he had so lately left. The +salmon still rested in his place, and had not moved during Loki's short +absence. + +Loki unfolded the net, and cast it into the stream. The cunning fish +tried hard to avoid being caught in its meshes; but, dart which way he +would, he met the skilfully woven cords, and these drew themselves +around him, and held him fast. Then Loki pulled the net up out of the +water, and grasped the helpless fish in his right hand. But, lo! as he +held the struggling creature high in the air, it was no longer a fish, +but the cunning dwarf Andvari. + +"Thou King of the Elves," cried Loki, "thy cunning has not saved thee. +Tell me, on thy life, where thy hidden treasures lie!" + +The wise dwarf knew who it was that thus held him as in a vise; and he +answered frankly, for it was his only hope of escape, "Turn over the +stone upon which you stand. Beneath it you will find the treasure you +seek." + +Then Loki put his shoulder to the rock, and pushed with all his might. +But it seemed as firm as the mountain, and would not be moved. + +"Help us, thou cunning dwarf," he cried--"help us, and thou shalt have +thy life!" + +The dwarf put his shoulder to the rock, and it turned over as if by +magic, and underneath was disclosed a wondrous chamber, whose walls +shone brighter than the sun, and on whose floor lay treasures of gold +and glittering gem stones such as no man had ever seen. And Loki, in +great haste, seized upon the hoard, and placed it in the magic net +which he had borrowed from the Ocean-queen. Then he came out of the +chamber; and Andvari again put his shoulder to the rock which lay at +the entrance, and it swung back noiselessly to its place. + +"What is that upon thy finger?" suddenly cried Loki. "Wouldst keep +back a part of the treasure? Give me the ring thou hast!" + +But the dwarf shook his head, and made answer, "I have given thee all +the riches that the elves of the mountain have gathered since the world +began. This ring I cannot give thee, for without its help we shall +never be able to gather more treasures together." + +Loki grew very angry at these words of the dwarf; and he seized the +ring, and tore it by force from Andvari's finger. It was a wondrous +little piece of mechanism shaped like a serpent, coiled, with its tail +in its mouth; and its scaly sides glittered with many a tiny diamond, +and its ruby eyes shone with an evil light. When the dwarf knew that +Loki really meant to rob him of the ring, he cursed it and all who +should ever possess it, saying: + +"May the ill-gotten treasure that you have seized to-night be your +bane, and the bane of all to whom it may come, whether by fair means or +by foul! And the ring which you have torn from my hand, may it entail +upon the one who wears it sorrow and untold ills, the loss of friends, +and a violent death!" + +Loki was pleased with these words, and with the dark curses which the +dwarf pronounced upon the gold; for he loved wrong-doing for +wrong-doing's sake, and he knew that no curses could ever make his own +life more cheerless than it always had been. So he thanked Andvari for +his curses and his treasures; then, throwing the magic net upon his +shoulder, he sprang again into the air, and was carried swiftly back to +Hunaland; and, just before the dawn appeared in the east, he alighted +at the door of the farmhouse where Odin and Hoenir still lay bound with +thongs, and guarded by the watchful Fafnir and Regin. + +Then the farmer, Hreidmar, brought the otter's skin, and spread it upon +the ground; and, lo! it grew, and spread out on all sides, until it +covered an acre of ground. And he cried out, "Fulfil now your promise! +Cover every hair of this hide with gold or with precious stones. If +you fail to do this, then your lives, by your own agreement, are +forfeited, and we shall do with you as we list." + +Odin took the magic net from Loki's shoulder; and, opening it, he +poured the treasures of the mountain elves upon the otter skin. And +Loki and Hoenir spread the yellow pieces carefully and evenly over +every part of the furry hide. But, after every piece had been laid in +its place, Hreidmar saw near the otter's mouth a single hair uncovered; +and he declared, that unless this hair, too, were covered, the bargain +would be unfulfilled, and the treasures and lives of his prisoners +would be forfeited. + +The Asas were filled with dismay; for not another piece of gold, and +not another precious stone, could they find in the net, although they +searched with the greatest care. At last Odin took from his bosom the +ring which Loki had stolen from the dwarf; for he had been so highly +pleased with its form and workmanship, that he had hidden it, hoping +that it would not be needed to complete the payment of the ransom. And +they laid the ring upon the uncovered hair; and now no portion of the +otter's skin could be seen. And Fafnir and Regin, the ransom being +paid, loosed the shackles of Odin and Hoenir, and bade the three +huntsmen go on their way. + +Odin and Hoenir at once shook off their human disguises, and, taking +their own forms again, hastened with all speed home to Asgard. But +Loki tarried a little while, and said to Hreidmar and his sons: + +"By your greediness and falsehood you have won for yourselves the Curse +of the Earth, which lies before you. It shall be your bane. It shall +be the bane of everyone who holds it. It shall kindle strife between +father and son, between brother and brother. It shall make you mean, +selfish, beastly. It shall transform you into monsters. The noblest +king among men folk shall feel its curse. Such is gold, and such it +shall ever be to its worshippers. And the ring which you have gotten +shall impart to its possessor its own nature. Grasping, snaky, cold, +unfeeling, shall he live; and death through treachery shall be his +doom." + +Then he turned away, delighted that he had thus left the curse of +Andvari with Hreidmar and his sons, and hastened northward toward the +sea; for he wished to redeem the promise that he had made to the +Ocean-queen, to bring back her magic net, and to decoy the richly laden +ship into her clutches. + +No sooner were the strange huntsmen well out of sight than Fafnir and +Regin began to ask their father to divide the glittering hoard with +them. + +"By our strength and through our advice," said they, "this great store +has come into your hands. Let us place it in three equal heaps, and +then let each take his share and go his way." + +At this the farmer waxed very angry; and he loudly declared that he +would keep all the treasure for himself, and that his sons should not +have any portion of it whatever. So Fafnir and Regin, nursing their +disappointment, went to the fields to watch their sheep; but their +father sat down to guard his new-gotten treasure. He took in his hand +the glittering serpent ring, and gazed into its cold ruby eyes; and, as +he gazed, all his thoughts were fixed upon his gold; and there was no +room in his heart for love toward his fellows, nor for deeds of +kindness, nor for the worship of the All-Father. And behold, as he +continued to look at the snaky ring, a dreadful change came over him. +The warm red blood, which until that time had leaped through his veins, +and given him life and strength and human feelings, became purple and +cold and sluggish; and selfishness, like serpent's poison, took hold of +his heart. Then, as he kept on gazing at the hoard which lay before +him, he began to lose his human shape; his body lengthened into many +scaly folds, and he coiled himself around his loved treasures,--the +very likeness of the ring upon which he had looked so long. + +When the day drew near its close, Fafnir came back from the fields with +his herd of sheep, and thought to find his father guarding the +treasure, as he had left him in the morning; but instead he saw a +glittering snake, fast asleep, encircling the hoard like a huge scaly +ring of gold. His first thought was that the monster had devoured his +father; and, hastily drawing his sword, with one blow he severed the +serpent's head from its body. And, while yet the creature writhed in +the death agony, he gathered up the hoard, and fled with it beyond the +hills of Hunaland, until on the seventh day he came to a barren heath +far from the homes or men. There he placed the treasures in one +glittering heap; and he clothed himself in a wondrous mail-coat of gold +that was found among them, and he put on the Helmet of Dread, which had +once been the terror of the mid-world, and the like of which no man had +ever seen; and then he gazed with greedy eyes upon the fateful ring, +until he, too, was changed into a cold and slimy reptile,--a monster +dragon. He coiled himself about the hoard; and, with his restless eyes +forever open, he gloated day after day upon his loved gold, and watched +with ceaseless care that no one should come near to despoil him of it. +This was ages and ages ago; and still he wallows among his treasures on +the Glittering Heath, and guards as of yore the garnered wealth of +Andvari. + + +[1]Regin, one of the last of the race of Dwarfs, was a master smith and +by some said to be the teacher of Siegfried. The story is supposed to +have been related to Siegfried in the dusky smithy of the dwarf. + + + + +THE FORGING OF BALMUNG + +While Siegfried was still a young lad, his father sent him to live with +a smith called Mimer, whose smithy was among the hills not far from the +great forest. For in those early times the work of the smith was +looked upon as the most worthy of all trades,--a trade which the gods +themselves were not ashamed to follow. And this smith Mimer was a +wonderful master,--the wisest and most cunning that the world had ever +seen. Men said that he was akin to the dwarf-folk who had ruled the +earth in the early days, and who were learned in every lore, and +skilled in every craft; and they said that he was so exceeding old that +no one could remember the day when he came to dwell in the land of +Siegfried's people. Some said, too, that he was the keeper of a +wonderful well, or flowing spring, the waters of which imparted wisdom +and far-seeing knowledge to all who drank of them. + +To Mimer's school, then, where he would be taught to work skilfully and +to think wisely, Siegfried was sent, to be in all respects like the +other pupils there. A coarse blue blouse and heavy leggings and a +leathern apron took the place of the costly clothing which he had worn +in his father's dwelling. On his feet were awkward wooden sandals, and +his head was covered with a wolfskin cap. The dainty bed, with its +downy pillows, wherein every night his mother had been wont, with +gentle care, to see him safely covered, was given up for a rude heap of +straw in a corner of the smithy. And the rich food to which he had +been used gave place to the coarsest and humblest fare. But the lad +did not complain. The days which he passed in the smithy were mirthful +and happy; and the sound of his hammer rang cheerfully, and the sparks +from his forge flew briskly, from morning till night. + +And a wonderful smith he became. No one could do more work than he, +and none wrought with greater skill. The heaviest chains and the +strongest bolts, for prison or for treasure house, were but as toys in +his stout hands, so easily and quickly did he beat them into shape. +Cunning also was he in work of the most delicate and brittle kind. +Ornaments of gold and silver studded with the rarest jewels, were +fashioned into beautiful forms by his deft fingers. And among all of +Mimer's apprentices none learned the master's lore so readily, or +gained the master's favor more. + +One morning the master, Mimer, came to the smithy with a troubled look +upon his face. It was clear that something had gone amiss; and what it +was the apprentices soon learned from the smith himself. Never, until +lately, had any one questioned Mimer's right to be called the foremost +smith in all the world; but now a rival had come forward. An unknown +upstart---one Amilias, a giant of Burgundy--had made a suit of armor, +which, he boasted, no stroke of sword could dint, and no blow of spear +could scratch; and he had sent a challenge to all other smiths, both in +the Rhine country and elsewhere, to equal that piece of workmanship, or +else acknowledge themselves his underlings and vassals. For many days +had Mimer himself toiled, alone and vainly, trying to forge a sword +whose edge the boasted armor of Amilias could not foil; and now, in +despair, he came to ask the help of his pupils and apprentices. + +"Who among you is skilful enough to forge such a sword?" he asked, + +One after another, the pupils shook their heads. And the foreman of +the apprentices said, "I have heard much about that wonderful armor, +and its extreme hardness, and I doubt if any skill can make a sword +with edge so sharp and true as to cut into it. The best that can be +done is to try to make another war coat whose temper shall equal that +of Amilias's armor." + +Then the lad Siegfried quickly said, "I will make such a sword as you +want,--a blade that no war coat can foil. Give me but leave to try!" + +The other pupils laughed in scorn, but Mimer checked them. "You hear +how this boy can talk: we will see what he can do. He is the king's +son, and we know that he has uncommon talent. He shall make the sword; +but if, upon trial, it fail, I will make him rue the day." + +Then Siegfried went to his task. And for seven days and seven nights +the sparks never stopped flying from his forge; and the ringing of his +anvil, and the hissing of the hot metal as he tempered it, were heard +continuously. On the eighth day the sword was fashioned, and Siegfried +brought it to Mimer. + +The smith felt the razor edge of the bright weapon, and said, "This +seems, indeed, a fair fire edge. Let us make a trial of its keenness." + +Then a thread of wool as light as thistle-down was thrown upon water, +and, as it floated there, Mimer struck it with the sword. The +glittering blade cleft the thread in twain, and the pieces floated +undisturbed upon the surface of the liquid. + +"Well done!" cried the delighted smith. "Never have I seen a keener +edge. If its temper is as true as its sharpness would lead us to +believe, it will indeed serve me well." + +But Siegfried took the sword again, and broke it into many pieces; and +for three days he welded it in a white-hot fire, and tempered it with +milk and oatmeal. Then, in sight of the sneering apprentices, a light +ball of fine-spun wool was cast upon the flowing water of the brook; +and it was caught in the swift eddies of the stream, and whirled about +until it met the bared blade of the sword, which was held in +Siegfried's hands. And the ball was parted as easily and clean as the +rippling water, and not the smallest thread was moved out of its place. + +Then back to the smithy Siegfried went again; and his forge glowed with +a brighter fire, and his hammer rang upon the anvil with a cheerier +sound, than ever before. He suffered none to come near, and no one +ever knew what witchery he used. But some of his fellow pupils +afterwards told how, in the dusky twilight, they had seen a one-eyed +man, long-bearded, and clad in a cloud-gray kirtle, and wearing a +sky-blue hood, talking with Siegfried at the smithy door. And they +said that the stranger's face was at once pleasant and fearful to look +upon, and that his one eye shone in the gloaming like the evening star, +and that, when he had placed in Siegfried's hands bright shards, like +pieces of a broken sword, he faded suddenly from their sight, and was +seen no more. + +For seven weeks the lad wrought day and night at his forge; and then, +pale and haggard, but with a pleased smile upon his face, he stood +before Mimer, with the sword in his hands. "It is finished," he said. +"Behold the glittering terror!--the blade Balmung. Let us try its edge +and prove its temper once again, that so we may know whether you can +place your trust in it." + +Mimer looked long at the ruddy hilt of the weapon, and at the mystic +runes that were scored upon its sides, and at the keen edge, which +looked like a ray of sunlight in the gathering gloom of the evening. +But no word came from his lips, and his eyes were dim and dazed; and he +seemed as one lost in thoughts of days long past and gone. + +Siegfried raised the blade high over his head; and the gleaming edge +flashed hither and thither, like the lightning's play when Thor rides +over the storm clouds. Then suddenly it fell upon the master's anvil, +and the solid block of iron was cleft in two; but the blade was no whit +dulled by the stroke, and the line of light which marked the edge was +brighter than before. + +Then to the brook they went; and a great pack of wool, the fleeces of +ten sheep, was brought, and thrown upon the swirling water. As the +stream bore the bundle downwards, Mimer held the sword in its way. And +the whole was divided as easily and as clean as the woollen ball or the +slender woollen thread had been cleft before. + +"Now, indeed," cried Mimer, "I no longer fear to meet that upstart, +Amilias. If his war coat can withstand the stroke of such a sword as +Balmung, then I shall not be ashamed to be his underling. But, if this +good blade is what it seems to be, it will not fail me; and I, Mimer +the Old, shall still be called the wisest and greatest of smiths." + +He sent word at once to Amilias, in Burgundyland, to meet him on a day, +and settle forever the question as to which of the two should be the +master, and which the underling. And heralds proclaimed it in every +town and dwelling. When the time which had been set drew near, Mimer, +bearing the sword Balmung, and followed by all his pupils and +apprentices, wended his way toward the place of meeting. Through the +forest they went, and then along the banks of the sluggish river, for +many a league, to the height of land which marked the line between +Siegfried's country and the country of the Burgundians. It was in this +place, midway between the shops of Mimer and Amilias, that the great +trial of metal and of skill was to be made. And here were already +gathered great numbers of people from the Lowlands and from Burgundy, +anxiously waiting for the coming of the champions. + +When everything was in readiness for the contest, Amilias, clad in his +boasted war coat, went up to the top of the hill, and sat upon a rock, +and waited for Mimer's coming. As he sat there, he looked, to the +people below, like some great castle tower; for he was a giant in size, +and his coat of mail was so huge that twenty men of common mould might +have found shelter, or hidden themselves, within it. As the smith +Mimer, so dwarfish in stature, tolled up the steep hillside, Amilias +smiled to see him; for he felt no fear of the slender, gleaming blade +that was to try the metal of his war coat. And already a shout or +expectant triumph went up from the throats of the Burgundian hosts, so +sure were they of their champion's success. + +But Mimer's friends waited in breathless silence, hoping, and yet +fearing. Only Siegfried's father, the king, whispered to his queen, +and said, "Knowledge is stronger than brute force. The smallest dwarf +who has drunk from the well of the Knowing One may safely meet the +stoutest giant in battle." + +When Mimer reached the top of the hill, Amilias folded his huge arms, +and smiled again; for he felt that this contest was mere play for him, +and that Mimer was already as good as beaten, and his thrall. The +smith paused a moment to take breath, and as he stood by the side of +his foe he looked to those below like a mere black speck close beside a +steel-gray castle tower. + +"Are you ready?" asked the smith. + +"Ready," answered Amilias. "Strike!" + +Mimer raised the blade in the air, and for a moment the lightning +seemed to play around his head. The muscles on his short, brawny arms, +stood out like ropes; and then Balmung, descending, cleft the air from +right to left. The waiting lookers-on in the plain below thought to +hear the noise of clashing steel; but they listened in vain, for no +sound came to their ears, save a sharp hiss like that which red hot +iron gives when plunged into a tank of cold water. The huge Amilias +sat unmoved, with his arms still folded upon his breast; but the smile +had faded from his face. + +"How do you feel now?" asked Mimer in a half-mocking tone. + +"Rather strangely, as if cold iron had touched me," faintly answered +the giant. + +"Shake thyself!" cried Mimer. + +Amilias did so, and, lo! he fell in two halves; for the sword had cut +sheer through the vaunted war coat, and cleft in twain the great body +incased within. Down tumbled the giant's head and his still folded +arms; and they rolled with thundering noise to the foot of the hill, +and fell with a fearful splash into the deep waters of the river; and +there, fathoms down, they may even now be seen, when the water is +clear, lying like gray rocks among the sand and gravel below. The rest +of the body, with the armor which incased it, still sat upright in its +place; and to this day travellers sailing down the river are shown on +moonlit evenings the luckless armor of Amilias on the high hilltop. In +the dim, uncertain light, one easily fancies it to be the ivy-covered +ruins of some old castle of feudal times. + +The master, Mimer, sheathed his sword, and walked slowly down the +hillside to the plain, where his friends welcomed him with cheers and +shouts of joy. But the Burgundians, baffled, and feeling vexed, turned +silently homeward, nor cast a single look back to the scene of their +disappointment and their ill-fated champion's defeat. + +Siegfried went again with the master and his fellows to the smoky +smithy, to his roaring bellows and ringing anvil, and to his coarse +fare, and rude, hard bed, and to a life of labor. And while all men +praised Mimer and his knowing skill, and the fiery edge of the sunbeam +blade, no one knew that it was the boy Siegfried who had wrought that +piece of workmanship. + + + + +IDUN AND HER APPLES + +THE STORY TOLD IN AEGIR'S HALL + +Idun is Bragi's wife. Very handsome is she; but the beauty of her face +is by no means greater than the goodness of her heart. Right attentive +is she to every duty, and her words and thoughts are always worthy and +wise. A long time ago the good Asa-folk who dwell in heaven-towering +Asgard, knowing how trustworthy Idun was, gave into her keeping a +treasure which they would not have placed in the hands of any other +person. This treasure was a box of apples, and Idun kept the golden +key safely fastened to her girdle. You ask me why these folk should +prize a box of apples so highly? I will tell you. + +Old age, you know, spares none, not even Odin and his Asa-folk. They +all grow old and gray; and, if there were no cure for age, they would +become feeble, and toothless and blind, deaf, tottering, and +weak-minded. The apples which Idun guarded so carefully were the +priceless boon of youth. Whenever the Asas felt old age coming on, +they went to her, and she gave them of her fruit; and, when they had +tasted, they grew young and strong and handsome again. Once, however, +they came near losing the apples,--or losing rather Idun and her golden +key, without which no one could ever open the box. + +In those early days Odin delighted to come down now and then from his +high home above the clouds, and to wander, disguised, among the woods +and mountains, and by the seashore, and in wild desert places. For +nothing pleases him more than to commune with Nature as she is found in +the loneliness of vast solitudes, or in the boisterous uproar of the +elements. Once on a time he took with him his friends Hoenir and Loki; +and they rambled many days among the icy cliffs and along the barren +shores of the great frozen sea. In that country there was no game, and +no fish were found in the cold waters; and the three wanderers, as they +had brought no food with them, became very hungry. Late in the +afternoon of the seventh day, they reached some pasture lands belonging +to the giant Hymer, and saw a herd of the giants cattle browsing upon +the short grass which grew in the sheltered nooks among the hills. + +"Ah!" cried Loki; "after fasting for a week we shall now have food in +abundance. Let us kill and eat." + +So saying, he hurled a sharp stone at the fattest of Hymer's cows, and +killed her; and the three quickly dressed the choicest pieces of flesh +for their supper. Then Loki gathered twigs and dry grass, and kindled +a blazing fire; Hoenir filled the pot with water from melted ice; and +Odin threw into it the bits of tender meat. But, make the fire as hot +as they would, the water would not boil, and the flesh would not cook. + +All night long the supperless three sat hungry around the fire; and, +every time they peeped into the kettle, the meat was as raw and +gustless as before. Morning came, but no breakfast. And all day long +Loki kept stirring the fire, and Odin and Hoenir waited hopefully but +impatiently. When the sun again went down, the flesh was still +uncooked, and their supper seemed no nearer ready than it was the night +before. As they were about yielding to despair, they heard a noise +overhead; and, looking up, they saw a huge gray eagle sitting on the +dead branch of an oak. + +"Ha, ha!" cried the bird. "You are pretty fellows indeed! To sit +hungry by the fire a night and a day, rather than eat raw flesh, +becomes you well. Do but give me my share of it as it is, and I +warrant you the rest shall boil, and you shall have a fat supper." + +"Agreed," answered Loki eagerly. "Come down and get your share." + +The eagle waited for no second asking. Down he swooped right over the +blazing fire, and snatched not only the eagle's share, but also what +the Lybians call the lion's share; that is, he grasped in his strong +talons the kettle, with all the meat in it, and, flapping his huge +wings, slowly rose into the air, carrying his booty with him. The +three Asas were astonished. Loki was filled with anger. He seized a +long pole, upon the end of which a sharp hook was fixed, and struck at +the treacherous bird. The hook stuck fast in the eagle's back, and +Loki could not loose his hold of the other end of the pole. The great +bird soared high above the tree-tops, and over the hills, and carried +the astonished mischief-maker with him. + +But it was no eagle. It was no bird that had thus outwitted the hungry +Asas: it was the giant Old Winter, clothed in his eagle plumage. Over +the lonely woods, and the snow-crowned mountains, and the frozen sea, +he flew, dragging the helpless Loki through tree-tops, and over jagged +rocks, scratching and bruising his body, and almost tearing his arms +from his shoulders. At last he alighted on the craggy top of an +iceberg, where the storm winds shrieked, and the air was filled with +driving snow. As soon as Loki could speak, he begged the cunning giant +to carry him back to his comrades,---Odin and Hoenir. + +"On one condition only will I carry you back," answered Old Winter. +"Swear to me that you will betray into my hands Dame Idun and her +golden key." + +Loki asked no questions, but gladly gave the oath; and the giant flew +back with him across the sea, and dropped him, torn and bleeding and +lame, by the side of the fire, where Odin and Hoenir still lingered. +And the three made all haste to leave that cheerless place, and +returned to Odin's glad home in Asgard. + +Some weeks after this, Loki, the Prince of Mischief-makers, went to +Bragi's house to see Idun. He found her busied with her household +cares, not thinking of a visit from anyone. + +"I have come, good dame," said he, "to taste your apples again; for I +feel old age coming on apace." + +Idun was astonished. + +"You are not looking old," she answered. "There is not a single gray +hair upon your head, and not a wrinkle on your brow. If it were not +for that scar upon your cheek, and the arm which you carry in a sling, +you would look as stout and as well as I have ever seen you. Besides, +I remember that it was only a year ago when you last tasted of my +fruit. Is it possible that a single winter should make you old?" + +"A single winter has made me very lame and feeble at least," said Loki. +"I have been scarcely able to walk about since my return from the +North. Another winter without a taste of your apples will be the death +of me." + +Then the kind-hearted Idun, when she saw that Loki was really lame, +went to the box, and opened it with her golden key, and gave him one of +the precious apples to taste. He took the fruit in his hand, bit it, +and gave it back to the good dame. She put it in its place again, +closed the lid, and locked it with her usual care. + +"Your apples are not so good as they used to be," said Loki, making a +very wry face. "Why don't you fill your box with fresh fruit?" + +Idun was amazed. Her apples were supposed to be always fresh,--fresher +by far than any that grow nowadays. None of the Asas had ever before +complained about them; and she told Loki so. + +"Very well," said he. "I see you do not believe me, and that you mean +to feed us on your sour, withered apples, when we might as well have +golden fruit. If you were not so bent on having your own way, I could +tell you where you might fill your box with the choicest of apples, +such as Odin loves. I saw them in the forest over yonder, hanging ripe +on the trees. But women will always have their own way; and you must +have yours, even though you do feed us on withered apples." + +So saying, and without waiting to hear an answer, he limped out at the +door, and was soon gone from sight. + +Idun thought long and anxiously upon the words which Loki had spoken; +and, the more she thought, the more she felt troubled. If her husband, +the wise Bragi, had been at home, what would she not have given? He +would have understood the mischief-maker's cunning. But he had gone on +a long journey to the South, singing in Nature's choir and painting +Nature's landscapes, and she would not see him again until the return +of spring. At length she opened the box, and looked at the fruit. The +apples were certainly fair and round: she could not see a wrinkle or a +blemish on any of them; their color was the same golden-red,--like the +sky at dawn of a summer's day; yet she thought there must be something +wrong about them. She took up one of the apples, and tasted it. She +fancied that it really was sour, and she hastily put it back, and +locked the box again. + +"He said that he had seen better apples than these growing in the +woods," said she to herself. "I half believe that he told the truth, +although everybody knows that he is not always trustworthy. I think I +shall go to the forest and see for myself, at any rate." + +So she donned her cloak and hood, and, with a basket on her arm, left +the house, and walked rapidly away, along the road which led to the +forest. It was much farther than she had thought, and the sun was +almost down when she reached the edge of the wood. But no apple trees +were there. Tall oaks stretched their bare arms up toward the sky, as +if praying for help. There were thorn trees and brambles everywhere; +but there was no fruit, neither were there any flowers, nor even green +leaves. The Frost-giants had been there. + +Idun was about to turn her footsteps homeward, when she heard a wild +shriek in the tree-tops over her head; and, before she could look up, +she felt herself seized in the eagle talons of Old Winter. Struggle as +she would, she could not free herself. High up, over wood and stream, +the giant carried her; and then he flew swiftly away with her, toward +his home in the chill Northland; and, when morning came, poor Idun +found herself in an ice-walled castle in the cheerless country of the +giants. But she was glad to know that the precious box was safely +locked at home, and that the golden key was still at her girdle. + +Time passed; and I fear that Idun would have been forgotten by all, +save her husband Bragi, had not the Asas begun to feel the need of her +apples. Day after day they came to Idun's house, hoping to find the +good dame and her golden key at home; and each day they went away some +hours older than when they had come. No one had seen the missing Idun +since the day when Loki had visited her, and none could guess what had +become of her. The heads of all the folk grew white with age; deep +furrows were ploughed in their faces; their eyes grew dim, and their +hearing failed; their hands trembled; their limbs became palsied; their +feet tottered; and all feared that Old Age would bring Death in his +train. + +Then Bragi and Thor questioned Loki very sharply; and when he felt that +he, too, was growing old and feeble, he regretted the mischief he had +done, and told them how he had decoyed Idun into Old Winter's clutches. +The Asas were very angry; and Thor threatened to crush Loki with his +hammer, if he did not at once bring Idun safe home again. + +So Loki borrowed the falcon plumage of Freyja, the queen of love, and +with it flew to the country of the giants. When he reached Old +Winter's castle, he found the good dame Idun shut up in the prison +tower and bound with fetters of ice; but the giant himself was on the +frozen sea, herding Old Hymer's cows, the cold icebergs. Loki quickly +broke the bonds that held Idun, and led her out of her prison house; +and then he shut her up in a magic nut-shell which he held between his +claws, and flew with the speed of the wind back toward the Southland +and the home of the Asas. But Old Winter coming home, and learning +what had been done, donned his eagle plumage and followed swiftly in +pursuit. + +Bragi and Thor, anxiously gazing into the sky, saw Loki, in Freyja's +falcon plumage, speeding homeward, with the nut-shell in his talons, +and Old Winter, in his eagle plumage, dashing after in sharp pursuit. +Quickly they gathered chips and slender twigs, and placed them high +upon the castle wall; and, when Loki with his precious burden had flown +past, they touched fire to the dry heap, and the flames blazed up to +the sky, and caught Old Winter's plumage, as, close behind the falcon, +he blindly pressed. And his wings were scorched in the flames; and he +fell helpless to the ground, and was slain within the castle gates. +Loki slackened his speed; and, when he reached Bragi's house, he +dropped the nut-shell softly before the door. As it touched the +ground, it gently opened, and Idun, radiant with smiles, and clothed in +gay attire, stepped forth, and greeted her husband and his waiting +friends. The heavenly music of Bragi's long-silent harp welcomed her +home; and she took the golden key from her girdle, and unlocked the +box, and gave of her apples to the aged company; and, when they had +tasted, their youth was renewed. + +It is thus with the seasons and their varied changes. The gifts of +Spring are youth and jollity, and renewed strength; and the music or +air and water and all things, living and lifeless, follow in her train. +The desolating Winter plots to steal her from the earth, and the +Summer-heat deserts and betrays her. Then the music of Nature is +hushed, and all creatures pine in sorrow for her absence, and the world +seems dying of white Old Age. But at length the Summer-heat repents, +and frees her from her prison house; the icy fetters with which Old +Winter bound her are melted in the beams of the returning sun, and the +earth is young again. + + + + +THE DOOM OF THE MISCHIEF-MAKER. + +You have heard of the feast that old Aegir once made for the Asa-folk +in his gold-lit dwelling in the deep sea, and how the feast was +hindered, through the loss of his great brewing kettle, until Thor had +obtained a still larger vessel from Hymer the giant. It is very likely +that the thief who stole King Aegir's kettle was none other than Loki +the Mischief-maker; but, if this was so, he was not long unpunished for +his meanness. + +There was great joy in the Ocean-king's hall, when at last the banquet +was ready, and the foaming mead began to pass itself around to the +guests. But Thor, who had done so much to help matters along, could +not stay to the merry-making: for he had heard that the Storm-giants +were marshalling their forces for a raid upon some unguarded corner of +the mid-world; and so, grasping his hammer, he bade his kind host +good-by, and leaped into his iron car. + +"Business always before pleasure!" he cried, as he hastened away at a +wonderful rate through the air. + +In old Aegir's hall glad music resounded on every side; and the gleeful +Waves danced merrily as the Asa-folk sat around the festal board, and +partook of the Ocean-king's good fare. Aegir's two thralls, the +faithful Funfeng and the trusty Elder, waited upon the guests and +carefully supplied their wants. Never in all the world had two more +thoughtful servants been seen; and every one spoke in praise of their +quickness, and their skill, and their ready obedience. + +Then Loki, unable to keep his hands from mischief, waxed very angry, +because every one seemed happy and free from trouble, and no one +noticed or cared for him. So, while good Funfeng was serving him to +meat, he struck the faithful thrall with a carving-knife, and killed +him. Then arose a great uproar in the Ocean-king's feast hall. The +Asa-folk rose up from the table, and drove the Mischief-maker out from +among them; and in their wrath they chased him across the waters, and +forced him to hide in the thick greenwood. After this they went back +to Aegir's hall, and sat down again to the feast. But they had +scarcely begun to eat, when Loki came quietly out of his hiding place, +and stole slyly around to Aegir's kitchen, where he found Elder, the +other thrall, grieving sadly because of his brother's death. + +"I hear a great chattering and clattering over there in the feast +hall," said Loki. "The greedy, silly Asa-folk seem to be very busy +indeed, both with their teeth and their tongues. Tell me, now, good +Elder, what they talk about while they sit over their meat." + +"They talk of noble deeds," answered Elder. "They speak of gallant +heroes, and brave men, and fair women, and strong hearts, and willing +hands, and gentle manners, and kind friends. And for all these they +have words of praise and songs of beauty; but none of them speak well +of Loki, the thief and the vile traitor." + +"Ah!" said Loki wrathfully, twisting himself into a dozen different +shapes, "no one could ask so great a kindness from such folk. I must +go into the feast hall, and take a look at this fine company, and +listen to their noisy merry-making. I have a fine scolding laid up for +those good fellows; and, unless they are careful with their tongues, +they will find many hard words mixed with their mead." + +Then he went boldly into the great hall, and stood up before the +wonder-stricken guests at the table. When the Asa-folk saw who it was +that had darkened the doorway, and was now in their midst, a painful +silence fell upon them, and all their merriment was at an end. And +Loki stretched himself up to his full height, and said to them: + +"Hungry and thirsty came I to Aegir's gold-lit hall. Long and rough +was the road I trod, and wearisome was the way. Will no one bid me +welcome? Will none give me a seat at the feast? Will none offer me a +drink of the precious mead? Why are you all so dumb? Why so sulky and +stiff-necked, when your best friend stands before you? Give me a seat +among you,--yes, one of the high seats,--or else drive me from your +hall! In either case, the world will never forget me. I am Loki." + +Then one among the Asa-folk spoke up, and said, "Let him sit with us. +He is mad; and when he slew Funfeng, he was not in his right mind. He +is not answerable for his rash act." + +But Bragi the Wise, who sat on the innermost seat, arose, and said, +"Nay, we will not give him a seat among us. Nevermore shall he feast +or sup with us, or share our good-fellowship. Thieves and murderers we +know, and we will shun them." + +This speech enraged Loki all the more; and he spared not vile words, +but heaped abuse without stint upon all the folk before him. By main +force he seized hold of the silent Vidar, who had come from the forest +solitudes to be present at the feast, and dragged him away from the +table, and seated himself in his place. Then, as he quaffed the +foaming mead, he flung out taunts and jeers and hard words to all who +sat around, but chiefly to Bragi the Wise and Sif, the beautiful wife +of Thor. + +Suddenly a great tumult was heard outside. The mountains shook and +trembled; the bottom of the sea seemed moved; and the waves, affrighted +and angry, rushed hither and thither in confusion. All the guests +looked up in eager expectation, and some of them fled in alarm from the +hall. Then the mighty Thor strode in at the door, and up to the table, +swinging his hammer, and casting wrathful glances at the +Mischief-maker. Loki trembled; he dropped his goblet, and sank down +upon his knees before the terrible Asa. + +"I yield me!" he cried. "Spare my life, I pray you, and I will be your +thrall forever!" + +"I want no such thrall," answered Thor. "And I spare your life on one +condition only,--that you go at once from hence, and nevermore presume +to come into the company of Asa-folk." + +"I promise all that you ask," said Loki, trembling more than ever. +"Let me go." + +Thor stepped aside; and the frightened culprit fled from the hall, and +was soon out of sight. The feast was broken up. The Asas bade Aegir a +kind farewell, and favoring winds wafted them swiftly home to Asgard. + +Loki fled to the dark mountain gorges of Mist Land, and sought for a +while to hide himself from the sight of both gods and men. In a deep +ravine by the side of a roaring torrent, he built himself a house of +iron and stone, and placed a door on each of its four sides, so that he +could see whatever passed around him. There, for many winters, he +lived in lonely solitude, planning with himself how he might baffle his +enemies and regain his old place in Asgard. Now and then he slipped +slyly away from his hiding-place, and wrought much mischief for a time +among the abodes of men. But when Thor heard of his evil-doings, and +sought to catch him, and punish him for his evil deeds, he was nowhere +to be found. At last the Asa-folk determined, that, if he could ever +be captured, the safety of the world required that he should be bound +hand and foot, and kept forever in prison. + +Loki often amused himself in his mountain home by taking upon him his +favorite form of a salmon and lying listlessly beneath the waters of +the great Fanander Cataract, which fell from the shelving rocks a +thousand feet above him. One day while thus lying, he bethought +himself of former days, when he walked the glad young earth in company +with great Odin. And among other things he remembered how he had once +borrowed the magic net of Ran, the Ocean-queen, and had caught with it +the dwarf Andvari, disguised, as he himself now was, in the form of a +slippery salmon. + +"I will make me such a net!" he cried. "I will make it strong and +good; and I, too, will fish for men." + +So he took again his proper shape, and went back to his cheerless home +in the ravine. There he gathered flax and wool and long hemp, and spun +yarn and strong cords, and wove them into meshes, after the pattern of +Queen Ran's magic net; for men had not, at that time, learned how to +make or use nets for fishing. And the first fisherman who caught fish +in that way is said to have taken-Loki's net as a model. + +Odin sat, on the morrow, in his high hall at Asgard, and looked out +over all the world, even to the uttermost corners. With his sharp eye +he saw what men-folk were everywhere doing. When his gaze rested upon +the dark line which marked the mountain land of the Mist Country, he +started up in quick surprise, and cried out: + +"Who is that who sits by the Fanander Falls, and ties strong cords +together?" + +But none of those who stood around could tell, for their eyes were not +strong enough and clear enough to see so far. + +"Bring Heimdal!" then cried Odin. + +Now, Heimdal the White dwells among the blue mountains where the +rainbow spans the space betwixt heaven and earth. He is the son of +Odin, golden-toothed, pure-faced, and clean-hearted; and he ever keeps +watch and ward over the mid-world and the homes of frail men-folk, lest +the giants shall break in, and destroy and slay. He rides upon a +shining steed named Goldtop; and he holds in his hand a horn with +which, in the last twilight, he shall summon the world to battle with +the sons of Loki. This watchful guardian of the mid-world is as +wakeful as the birds. And his hearing is so keen, that no sound on +earth escapes him,--not even that of the rippling waves upon the +seashore, nor of the quiet sprouting of the grass in the meadows, nor +even of the growth of the soft wool on the backs of the sheep. His +eyesight, too, is wondrous clear and sharp; for he can see by night as +well as by day, and the smallest thing, although a hundred leagues +away, cannot be hidden from him. + +To Heimdal, then, the heralds hastened, bearing the words which Odin +had spoken, and the watchful warder of the mid-world came at once to +the call of the All-Father. + +"Turn your eyes to the sombre mountains that guard the shadowy Mist +Land from the sea," said Odin. "Now look far down into the rocky gorge +in which the Fanander Cataract pours, and tell me what you see." + +Heimdal did as he was bidden. + +"I see a shape," said he, "sitting by the torrent's side. It is Loki's +shape, and he seems strangely busy with strong strings and cords." + +"Call all our folk together!" commanded Odin. "The wily Mischief-maker +plots our hurt. He must be driven from his hiding place, and put where +he can do no further harm." + +Great stir was there then in Asgard. Every one hastened to answer +Odin's call, and to join in the quest for the Mischief-maker. Thor +came on foot, with his hammer tightly grasped in his hands, and +lightning flashing from beneath his red brows. Tyr, the one-handed, +came with his sword. Then followed Bragi the Wise, with his harp and +his sage counsels; then Hermod the Nimble, with his quick wit and ready +hands; and lastly, a great company of elves and wood-sprites and +trolls. Then a whirlwind caught them up in its swirling arms, and +carried them through the air, over the hilltops and the countryside, +and the meadows and the mountains, and set them down in the gorge of +the Fanander Force. + +But Loki was not caught napping. His wakeful ears had heard the tumult +in the air, and he guessed who it was that was coming. He threw the +net, which he had just finished, into the fire, and jumped quickly into +the swift torrent, where, changing himself into a salmon, he lay hidden +beneath the foaming water. + +When the eager Asa-folk reached Loki's dwelling, they found that he +whom they sought had fled; and although they searched high and low, +among the rocks and the caves and the snowy crags, they could see no +signs of the cunning fugitive. Then they went back to his house again +to consult what next to do. And, while standing by the hearth, Kwaser, +a sharp-sighted elf, whose eyes were quicker than the sunbeam, saw the +white ashes of the burned net lying undisturbed in the still hot +embers, the woven meshes unbroken and whole. + +"See what the cunning fellow has been making!" cried the elf. "It must +have been a trap for catching fish." + +"Or rather for catching men," said Bragi; "for it is strangely like the +Sea-queen's net." + +"In that case," said Hermod the Nimble, "he has made a trap for +himself; for, no doubt, he has changed himself, as is his wont, to a +slippery salmon, and lies at this moment hidden beneath the Fanander +torrent. Here are plenty of cords of flax and hemp and wool, with +which he intended to make other nets. Let us take them, and weave one +like the pattern which lies there in the embers; and then, if I mistake +not, we shall catch the too cunning fellow." + +All saw the wisdom of these words, and all set quickly to work. In a +short time they had made a net strong and large, and full of fine +meshes, like the model among the coals. Then they threw it into the +roaring stream, Thor holding to one end, and all the other folk pulling +it the other. With great toil, they dragged it forward, against the +current, even to the foot of the waterfall. But the cunning Loki crept +close down between two sharp stones, and lay there quietly while the +net passed harmlessly over him. + +"Let us try again!" cried Thor. "I am sure that something besides dead +rocks lies at the bottom of the stream." + +So they hung heavy weights to the net, and began to drag it again, this +time going down stream. Loki looked out from his hiding place, and saw +that he would not be able to escape now by lying between the rocks, and +that his only chance for safety was either to leap over the net, and +hide himself behind the rushing cataract itself, or to swim with the +current out to the sea. But the way to the sea was long, and there +were many shallow places; and Loki had doubts as to how old Aegir would +receive him in his kingdom. He feared greatly to undertake so +dangerous and uncertain a course. So, turning upon his foes, and +calling up all his strength, he made a tremendous leap high into the +air and clean over the net. But Thor was too quick for him. As he +fell toward the water, the Thunderer quickly threw out his hand, and +caught the slippery salmon, holding him firmly by the tail. + +When Loki found that he was surely caught, and could not by any means +escape, he took again his proper shape. Fiercely did he struggle with +mighty Thor, and bitter were the curses which he poured down upon his +enemies. But he could not get free. Into the deep, dark cavern, +beneath the smoking mountain, where daylight never comes, nor the +warmth of the sun, nor the sound of Nature's music, the fallen +Mischief-maker was carried. The Asas bound him firmly to the sharp +rocks, with his face turned upwards toward the dripping roof; for they +said that nevermore, until the last dread twilight, should he be free +to vex the world with his wickedness. Skade, the giant daughter of Old +Winter, took a hideous snake, and hung it up above Loki, so that its +venom would drop into his upturned face. But Sigyn, the loving wife of +the suffering wretch, left her home in the pleasant halls of Asgard, +and came to his horrible prison house to soothe and comfort him; and +evermore she holds a basin above his head, and catches in it the +poisonous drops as they fall. When the basin is filled, and she turns +to empty it in the tar-black river that flows through that home of +horrors, the terrible venom falls upon his unprotected face, and Loki +writhes and shrieks in fearful agony, until the earth around him shakes +and trembles, and the mountains spit forth fire, and fumes of sulphur +smoke. + +And there the Mischief-maker, the spirit of evil, shall lie in torment +until the last great day and the dread twilight of all mid-world things. + + + + +THE HUNT IN THE WOOD OF PUELLE + +RELATED BY THE MINSTREL OF LORRAINE[1] + +Charles the Hammer was dead, and his young son Pepin was king of +France. Bego of Belin was his dearest friend, and to him he had given +all Gascony in fief. You would have far to go to find the peer of the +valiant Bego. None of King Pepin's nobles dared gainsay him. Rude in +speech and rough in war, though he was, he was a true knight, gentle +and loving to his friends, very tender to his wife and children, kind +to his vassals, just and upright in all his doings. The very flower of +knighthood was Bego. + +Bitter feuds had there been between the family of Bego and that of +Fromont of Bordeaux. Long time had these quarrels continued, and on +both sides much blood had been spilled. But now there had been peace +between them for ten years and more, and the old hatred was being +forgotten. + +One day Bego sat in his lordly castle at Belin; and beside him was his +wife, the fair Beatrice. In all France there was not a happier man. +From the windows the duke looked out upon his broad lands and the rich +farms of his tenants. As far as a bird could fly in a day, all was +his; and his vassals and serving-men were numbered by the tens of +thousands. "What more," thought Bego, "could the heart of man wish or +pray for?" + +His two young sons came bounding into the hall,--Gerin, the elder born, +fair-haired and tall, brave and gentle as his father; and Hernaudin, +the younger, a child of six summers, his mother's pet, and the joy of +the household. With them were six other lads, sons of noblemen; and +all together laughed and played, and had their boyish pleasure. + +When the duke saw them, he remembered his own boyhood days and the +companions who had shared his sports, and he sighed. The fair Beatrice +heard him, and she said, "My lord, what ails you, that you are so +thoughtful to-day? Why should a rich duke like you sigh and seem sad? +Great plenty of gold and silver have you in your coffers; you have +enough of the vair and the gray,[2] of hawks on their perches, of mules +and palfreys and war steeds; you have overcome all your foes, and none +dare rise up against you. All within six days' journey are your +vassals. What more would you desire to make you happy?" + +"Sweet lady," answered Bego, "you have spoken truly. I am rich, as the +world goes; but my wealth is not happiness. True wealth is not of +money, of the vair and the gray, of mules, or of horses. It is of +kinsfolk and friends. The heart of a man is worth more than all the +gold of a country. Had it not been for my friends, I would have been +put to shame long ago. The king has given me this fief, far from my +boyhood's home, where I see but few of my old comrades and helpers. I +have not seen my brother Garin, the Lorrainer, these seven years, and +my heart yearns to behold him. Now, methinks, I will go to him, and I +will see his son, the child Girbert, whom I have never seen." + +The Lady Beatrice said not a word, but the tears began to well up sadly +in her eyes. + +"In the wood of Puelle," said Bego, after a pause, "there is said to be +a wild boar, the largest and fiercest ever seen. He outruns the +fleetest horses. No man can slay him. Methinks, that if it please +God, and I live, I will hunt in that wood, and I will carry the head of +the great beast to my brother the Lorrainer." + +Then Beatrice, forcing back her tears, spoke: + +"Sir," said she, "what is it thou sayest? The wood of Puelle is in the +march of Fromont the chief, and he owes thee a great grudge. He would +be too glad to do thee harm. I pray thee do not undertake this hunt. +My heart tells me,--I will not hide the truth from thee,--my heart +tells me, that if thou goest thither thou shalt never come back alive." + +But the duke laughed at her fears; and the more she tried to dissuade +him, the more he set his mind on seeing his brother the Lorrainer, and +on carrying to him the head of the great wild boar of Puelle. Neither +prayers nor tears could turn him from his purpose. All the gold in the +world, he said, would not tempt him to give up the adventure. + +So on the morrow morning, before the sun had fairly risen, Bego made +ready to go. As this was no warlike enterprise, he dressed himself in +the richest garb of knightly hero,--with mantle of ermine, and spurs of +gold. With him he took three dozen huntsmen, all skilled in the lore +of the woods, and ten packs of hunting hounds. He had, also, ten +horses loaded with gold and silver and costly presents, and more than a +score of squires and serving-men. Tenderly he bade fair Beatrice and +his two young sons good-by. Ah, what grief! Never was he to see them +more. + +Going by way of Orleans, Bego stopped a day with his sister, the lovely +Helois. Three days he tarried at Paris, the honored guest of the king +and queen. Then pushing on to Valenciennes, which was on the borders +of the great forest, he took up lodging with a rich burgher called +Berenger the Gray. + +"Thou hast many foes in these parts," said the burgher, "and thou +wouldst do well to ware of them." + +Bego only laughed at the warning. "Didst thou ever know a Gascon to +shun danger?" he asked. "I have heard of the famed wild boar of +Puelle, and I mean to hunt him in this wood, and slay him. Neither +friends nor foes shall hinder me." + +On the morrow Berenger led the duke and his party into the wood, and +showed them the lair of the beast. Out rushed the monster upon his +foes; then swiftly he fled, crashing through brush and brake, keeping +well out of the reach of the huntsmen, turning every now and then to +rend some too venturesome hound. For fifteen leagues across the +country he led the chase. One by one the huntsmen lost sight of him. +Toward evening a cold rain came up; and they turned, and rode back +toward Valenciennes. They had not seen the duke since noon. They +supposed that he had gone back with Berenger. But Bego was still +riding through the forest in close pursuit of the wild boar. Only +three hounds kept him company. + +The boar was well-nigh wearied out, and the duke knew that he could not +go much farther. He rode up close behind him; and the fierce animal, +his mouth foaming with rage, turned furiously upon him. But the duke, +with a well-aimed thrust of his sword, pierced the great beast through +his heart. + +By this time, night was falling. The duke knew that he was very far +from any town or castle, but he hoped that some of his men might be +within call. He took his horn, and blew it twice full loudly. But his +huntsmen were now riding into Valenciennes; nor did they think that +they had left their master behind them in the wood. With his flint the +duke kindled a fire; beneath an aspen tree, and made ready to spend the +night near the place where the slain wild boar lay. + +The forester who kept the wood heard the sound of Bego's horn, and saw +the light of the fire gleaming through the trees. Cautiously he drew +nearer. He was surprised to see a knight so richly clad, with his +silken hose and his golden spurs, his ivory horn hanging from his neck +by a blue ribbon. He noticed the great sword that hung at Bego's side. +It was the fairest and fearfulest weapon he had ever seen. He hastened +as fast as he could ride to Lens, where Duke Fromont dwelt; but he +spoke not a word to Fromont. He took the steward of the castle aside, +and told him of what he had seen in the wood. + +"He is no common huntsman," said the forester; "and you should see how +richly clad he is. No king was ever arrayed more gorgeously while +hunting. And his horse--I never saw a better." + +"But what is all this to me?" asked the steward. "If he is trespassing +in the forest, it is your duty to bring him before the duke." + +"Ah! it is hard for you to understand," answered the forester. +"Methinks that if our master had the boar, the sword, and the horn, he +would let me keep the clothing, and you the horse, and would trouble us +with but few questions." + +"Thou art indeed wise," answered the steward. And he at once called +six men, whom he knew he could trust to any evil deed, and told them to +go with the forester. + +"And, if you find any man trespassing in Duke Fromont's wood, spare him +not," he added. + +In the morning the ruffians came to the place where Duke Bego had spent +the night. They found him sitting not far from the great beast which +he had slain, while his horse stood before him and neighed with +impatience and struck his hoofs upon the ground. They asked him who +gave him leave to hunt in the wood of Puelle. + +"I ask no man's leave to hunt where it pleases me," he answered. + +They told him then that the lordship of the wood was with Fromont and +that he must go with them, as their prisoner, to Lens. + +"Very well," said Bego. "I will go with you. If I have done aught of +wrong to Fromont the old, I am willing to make it right with him. My +brother Garin, the Lorrainer, and King Pepin, will go my surety." + +Then, looking around upon the villainous faces of the men who had come +to make prisoner of him, he bethought himself for a moment. + +"No, no!" he cried. "Never will I yield me to six such rascals. +Before I die, I will sell myself full dear. Yesterday six and thirty +knights were with me, and master huntsmen, skilled in all the lore of +the wood. Noble men were they all; for not one of them but held in +fief some town or castle or rich countryside. They will join me ere +long." + +"He speaks thus, either to excuse himself or to frighten us," said one +of the men; and he went boldly forward, and tried to snatch the horn +from Bego's neck. The duke raised his fist, and knocked him senseless +to the ground. + +"Never shall ye take horn from count's neck!" he cried. + +Then all set upon him at once, hoping that by their numbers they might +overpower him. But Bego drew his sword, and struck valiantly to the +right and to the left of him. Three of the villains were slain +outright; and the rest took to their heels and fled, glad to escape +such fury. + +And now all might have been well with Duke Bego. But a churl, armed +with a bow, and arrows of steel, was hidden among the trees. When he +saw his fellows put to flight, he drew a great steel bolt and aimed it +at the duke. Swiftly sped the arrow toward the noble targe: too truly +was it aimed. The duke's sword fell from his hands: the master-vein of +his heart had been cut in twain. He lifted his hands toward heaven, +and prayed:-- + +"Almighty Father, who always wert and art, have pity on my soul.--Ah, +Beatrice! thou sweet, gentle wife, never more shalt thou see me under +heaven.--Fair brother Garin of Lorraine, never shall I be with thee to +serve thee.--My two noble boys, if I had lived, you should have been +the worthiest of knights: now, may Heaven defend you!" + +After a while the churl and the three villains came near him, and found +him dead. It was no common huntsman whom they had killed, but a good +knight,--the loyalest and the best that ever God's sun shone upon. +They took the sword and the horn and the good steed; they loaded the +boar upon a horse; and all returned to Lens. But they left Bego in the +forest, and with him his three dogs, who sat around him, and howled +most mournfully, as if they knew they had lost their best friend. + +The men carried the great boar into the castle of Lens, and threw it +down upon the kitchen hearth. A wonderful beast he was: his sharp, +curved tusks stuck out full a foot from his mouth. The serving-men and +the squires crowded around to see the huge animal; then, as the news +was told through the castle, many fair ladies and knights, and the +priests from the chapel, came in to view the sight. Old Duke Fromont +heard the uproar, and came in slippers and gown to ask what it all +meant. + +"Whence came this boar, this ivory horn, this sword?" he inquired. +"This horn never belonged to a mere huntsman. It looks like the +wondrous horn that King Charles the Hammer had in the days of my +father. There is but one knight now living that can blow it; and he is +far away in Gascony. Tell me where you got these things." + +Then the forester told him all that had happened in the wood, coloring +the story, of course, so as to excuse himself from wrong-doing. + +"And left ye the slain man in the wood?" asked the old duke. "A more +shameful sin I have never known than to leave him there for the wolves +to eat. Go ye back at once, and fetch him hither. To-night he shall +be watched in the chapel, and to-morrow he shall be buried with all due +honor. Men should have pity of one another." + +The body of the noble Duke Bego was brought, and laid upon a table in +the great hall. His dogs were still with him, howling pitifully, and +licking his face. Knights and noblemen came in to see him. + +"A gentle man this was," said they; "for even his dogs loved him." + +"Shame on the rascals who slew him!" said others. "No freeman would +have touched so noble a knight." + +Old Duke Fromont came in. He started back at sight of him who lay +there lifeless. Well he knew Duke Bego, by a scar that he himself had +given him at the battle of St. Quentin ten years before. He fell +fainting into the arms of his knights. Then afterward he upbraided his +men for their dastardly deed, and bewailed their wicked folly. + +"This is no poaching huntsman whom you have slain," said he, "but a +most worthy knight,--the kindest, the best taught, that ever wore +spurs. And ye have dragged me this day into such a war that I shall +not be out of it so long as I live. I shall see my lands overrun and +wasted, my great castles thrown down and destroyed, and my people +distressed and slain; and as for myself I shall have to die--and all +this for a fault which is none of mine, and for a deed which I have +neither wished nor sanctioned." + +And the words of Duke Fromont were true. The death of Bego of Belin +was fearfully avenged by his brother the Lorrainer and by his young +sons Gerin and Hernaud. Never was realm so impoverished as was +Fromont's dukedom. The Lorrainers and the Gascons overran and laid +waste the whole country. A pilgrim might go six days' journey without +finding bread, or meat, or wine. The crucifixes lay prone upon the +ground; the grass grew upon the altars; and no man stopped to plead +with his neighbor. Where had been fields and houses, and fair towns +and lordly castles, now there was naught but woods and underbrush and +thorns. And old Duke Fromont, thus ruined through no fault of his own, +bewailed his misfortunes, and said to his friends, "I have not land +enough to rest upon alive, or to lie upon dead." + + +[1]The original of this tale is found in "The Song of the Lorrainers," +a famous poem written by Jehan de Flagy, a minstrel of the twelfth +century. In the "Story of Roland" it is supposed to have been related +at the court of Charlemagne by a minstrel of Lorraine. + +[2]_The vair and the gray_,--furs used for garments, and in heraldry. +Vair is the skin of the squirrel, and was arranged in shields of blue +and white alternating. + + + + +OGIER THE DANE AND THE FAIRIES + +When Ogier the Dane was but a babe in his mother's arms, there was +heard one day, in his father's castle, the sweetest music that mortals +ever listened to. Nobody knew whence the bewitching sounds came; for +they seemed to be now here, now there: yet every one was charmed with +the delightful melody, and declared that only angels could make music +so heavenly. Then suddenly there came into the chamber where Ogier lay +six fairies, whose beauty was so wonderful and awful, that none but a +babe might gaze upon them without fear. And each of the lovely +creatures bore in her hands a garland of the rarest flowers, and rich +gifts of gold and gems. And the first fairy took the child in her +arms, and kissed him, and said,-- + +"Better than kingly crown, or lands, or rich heritage, fair babe, I +give thee a brave, strong heart. Be fearless as the eagle, and bold as +the lion; be the bravest knight among men." + +Then the second fairy took the child, and dandled him fondly on her +knees, and looked long and lovingly into his clear gray eyes. + +"What is genius without opportunity?" said she. "What is a brave heart +without the ability to do brave deeds? I give to thee many an +opportunity for manly action." + +The third fairy laid the dimpled hands of the babe in her own white +palm, and stroked softly his golden hair. + +"Strong-hearted boy, for whom so many noble deeds are waiting, I, too, +will give thee a boon. My gift is skill and strength such as shall +never fail thee in fight, nor allow thee to be beaten by a foe. +Success to thee, fair Ogier!" + +The fourth fairy touched tenderly the mouth and the eyes and the noble +brow of the babe. + +"Be fair of speech," said she, "be noble in action, be courteous, be +kind: these are the gifts I bring thee. For what will a strong heart, +or a bold undertaking, or success in every enterprise, avail, unless +one has the respect and the love of one's fellow-men?" + +Then the fifth fairy came forward, and clasped Ogier in her arms, and +held him a long time quietly, without speaking a word. At last she +said,-- + +"The gifts which my sisters have given thee will scarcely bring thee +happiness; for, while they add to thy honor, they may make thee +dangerous to others. They may lead thee into the practice of +selfishness and base acts of tyranny. That man is little to be envied +who loves not his fellow-men. The boon, therefore, that I bring thee +is the power and the will to esteem others as frail mortals equally +deserving with thyself." + +And then the sixth fairy, the youngest and the most beautiful of all, +who was none other than Morgan le Fay, the Queen of Avalon, caught up +the child, and danced about the room in rapturous joy. And, in tones +more musical than mortals often hear, she sang a sweet lullaby, a song +of fairyland and of the island vale of Avalon, where the souls of +heroes dwell. + +And, when she had finished singing, Morgan le Fay crowned the babe with +a wreath of laurel and gold, and lighted a fairy torch that she held in +her hand. "This torch," said she, "is the measure of thy earthly days; +and it shall not cease to burn until thou hast visited me in Avalon, +and sat at table with King Arthur and the heroes who dwell there in +that eternal summer-land." + +Then the fairies gave the babe gently back into his mother's arms, and +they strewed the floor of the chamber with many a rich gem and lovely +flower; the odor of roses and the sweetest perfumes filled the air, and +the music of angels' voices was heard above; and the fairies vanished +in a burst of sunbeams, and were seen no more. And when the queen's +maidens came soon afterward into the chamber, they found the child +smiling in his mother's arms. But she was cold and lifeless: her +spirit had flown away to fairyland. + + + + +HOW CHARLEMAGNE CROSSED THE ALPS + +It was near the time of the solemn festival of Easter,--the time when +Nature seems to rise from the grave, and the Earth puts on anew her +garb of youth and beauty. King Charlemagne was at St. Omer; for there +the good Archbishop Turpin was making ready to celebrate the great +feast with more than ordinary grandeur. Thither, too, had come the +members of the king's household, and a great number of lords and +ladies, the noblest in France. + +Scarcely had the good archbishop pronounced a blessing upon the devout +multitude assembled at the Easter service, when two messengers came in +hot haste, and demanded to speak with the king. They had come from +Rome, and they bore letters from Pope Leo. Sad was the news which +these letters brought, but it was news which would fire the heart of +every Christian knight. The Saracens had landed in Italy, and had +taken Rome by assault. "The pope and the cardinals and the legates +have fled," said the letters; "the churches are torn down; the holy +relics are lost; and the Christians are put to the sword. Wherefore +the Holy Father charges you as a Christian king to march at once to the +help of the Church." + +It needed no word of Charlemagne to arouse the ardor of his warriors. +Every other undertaking must be laid aside, so long as Rome and the +Church were in danger. And the heralds proclaimed that on the morrow, +at break of day, the army would move southward toward Italy. + +The morning after Easter dawned, and the great army waited for the +signal to march. The bugles sounded, and the long line of steel-clad +knights and warriors began to move. Charlemagne rode in the front +ranks, ready, like a true knight, to brave every difficulty, and to be +the first in every post of danger. Never did a better king wear spur. + +Great was the haste with which the army moved, and very impatient were +the warriors; for the whole of France lay between them and fair Italy, +and they knew that weeks of weary marching must be endured, ere they +could meet their Pagan foe in battle, and drive him out of the +Christians' land. + +Many days they rode among the rich fields and between the blooming +orchards of the Seine valley; many days they toiled over unbroken +forest roads, and among marshes and bogs, and across untrodden +moorlands. They climbed steep hills, and swam broad rivers, and +endured the rain and the wind and the fierce heat of the noonday sun, +and sometimes even the pangs of hunger and thirst. But they carried +brave hearts within them; and they comforted themselves with the +thought that all their suffering was for the glory of God and the honor +of the king, for their country's safety and the security of their homes. + +Every day, as they advanced, the army increased in numbers and in +strength: for the news had been carried all over the land, that the +Saracens had taken Rome, and that Charlemagne with his host was +hastening to the rescue; and knights and noblemen from every city and +town and countryside came to join his standard, sometimes alone and +singly, and sometimes with a great retinue of fighting men and +servitors. When at last they had passed the boundaries of France, and +only the great mountains lay between them and Italy, Charlemagne could +look behind him, and see an army of a hundred thousand men. And now +messengers came to him again, urging him to hasten with all speed to +the succor of the pope. + +But the Alps Mountains lifted themselves up in his pathway, and their +snowy crags frowned threateningly upon him; their steep, rocky sides +arose like walls before him, and seemed to forbid his going farther; +and there appeared to be no way of reaching Italy, save by a long and +circuitous route through the southern passes. + +In the hope that he might find some shorter and easier passage, +Charlemagne now sent out scouts and mountaineers to explore every +valley and gorge, and every seeming mountain pass. But all came back +with the same story: there was not even so much as a path up which the +mountain goats could clamber, much less a road broad enough for an +army, with horses and baggage, to traverse. The king was in despair, +and he called together his counsellors and wise men to consider what +should be done. Duke Namon urged that they should march around by way +of the southern passes; for, although a full month would thus be lost, +yet there was no other safe and well-known land-route to Italy. +Ganelon advised that they should turn back, and, marching to +Marseilles, embark from thence on ships, and undertake to reach Rome by +way of the sea. + +Then the dwarf Malagis came before Charlemagne, bearing in his hand a +book, from which he read many spells and weird enchantments. Upon the +ground he drew with his wand a magic ring, and he laid therein the +hammer of Thor and the sword of Mahomet. In a loud, commanding voice, +he called upon the sprites, the trolls, and the goblins, with whom he +was familiar, to come at once into his presence. Forthwith the +lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled, and smoke and fire burst +forth from the mountain peaks, and the rocks and great ice-fields were +loosened among the crags, and came tumbling down into the valley. +Dwarfs and elves, and many an uncanny thing, danced and shouted in the +mountain caves; grinning ogres peeped out from the deep clefts and +gorges; and the very air seemed full of ghost-like creatures. Then the +wizard called by name a wise but wicked goblin, known among the +Saracens as Ashtaroth; and the goblin came at once, riding in a +whirlwind, and feeling very angry because he was obliged to obey. + +"Tell me now," said Malagis, "and tell me truly, whether there is here +so much as a pathway by which Charlemagne may lead his army through the +mountains." + +The goblin was silent for a moment; a dark cloud rested upon his face, +and his look was terrible. But the wizard, in no wise daunted, +returned his glance, and in the tones of a master bade him clear up +that clouded look, and answer the question he had asked. Then +Ashtaroth curbed his anger, and spoke: + +"On what errand would the French king cross the Alps?" he asked. +"Seeks he not to harm my friends the Saracens?" + +"That is, indeed, his errand," answered Malagis. + +"Then, why should I do aught to help him?" asked the goblin. "Why do +you call me from my rest, and bid me betray my friends?" + +"That is not for thee to ask," said Malagis. "I have called thee as a +master calls his slave. Tell me now, and tell me truly, is there here +any pass across the mountains into Italy?" + +"There is such a pass," answered the goblin gravely; "but it is hidden +to eyes like mine. I cannot guide you to it, nor can any of my kind +show you how to find it. It is a pathway which only the pure can +tread." + +"Tell me one thing more," said Malagis. "Tell me one thing, and I will +let thee go. How prosper thy friends the Saracens at Rome?" + +"They have taken all but the Capitol," was the answer. "They have +slain many Christians, and burned many buildings. The pope and the +cardinals have fled. If Charlemagne reach not Italy within a month, +ill will it fare with his friends." + +Then Malagis, satisfied with what he had heard, unwound the spell of +his enchantments; and amid a cloud of fire and smoke the goblin flew +back into the mountains. + +Next the good Turpin came forward, with a crosier in his hand, and a +bishop's mitre on his head, and a long white robe thrown over his +shoulders, scarcely hiding the steel armor which he wore beneath. He +lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed. And the sound of his voice +arose among the cliffs, and resounded among the rocks, and was echoed +from valley to valley, and re-echoed among the peaks and crags, and +carried over the mountain tops, even to the blue sky above. The king +and those who stood about him fancied that they heard sweet strains of +music issuing from the mountain caves; the most bewitching sounds arose +among the rocks and gorges; the air was filled with a heavenly perfume +and the songs of birds; and a holy calm settled over mountain and +valley, and fell like a blessing upon the earth. Then the Alps no +longer seemed obstacles in their way. The steep cliffs, which had been +like mighty walls barring their progress, seemed now mere gentle +slopes, rising little by little toward heaven, and affording a pleasant +and easy highway to the fair fields of Italy beyond. + +While Charlemagne and his peers gazed in rapt delight upon this vision, +there came down from the mountain crags a beautiful creature such as +none of them had ever before seen. It was a noble stag, white as the +drifted snow, his head crowned with wide-branching antlers, from every +point of which bright sunbeams seemed to flash. + +"Behold our leader and our hope!" cried Turpin. "Behold the +sure-footed guide which the Wonder-king has sent to lead us through +narrow ways, and over dangerous steeps, to the smiling valleys and +fields of Italy! Be only strong and trustful and believing, and a safe +way shall open for us, even where there seemed to be no way." + +Then the vision faded slowly away from the sight of the peers; and the +mountain walls rose up before them as grim and steep as ever; and the +snow-crowned crags looked down upon them even more angrily than before, +and there seemed no road nor pathway which the foot of man could +follow. But the wondrous white stag, which had filled their minds with +a new-born hope, still stood in plain sight on the lowermost slopes of +the mountain. + +The king, without once taking his eyes from the Heaven-sent creature, +mounted his war-steed, and sounded the bugle which hung at his girdle; +and the great army, confiding in the wisdom of their leader, began to +move. The white stag went first, steadily following a narrow pathway, +which led upward by many steep ascents, seemingly to the very clouds; +and behind him rode Charlemagne, keeping ever in view his radiant, +hopeful guide, and followed by the long line of knights and warriors, +who, cheered by his earnest faith, never once feared the end. + +Higher and higher they climbed, and more and more difficult became the +way. On one side of them arose a steep wall, shutting out from their +sight more than half of the sky; on the other side, dark gorges and +yawning gulfs descended, threatening to bury the whole army in their +bottomless depths. And by and by they came to the region of snow and +ice, where the Storm-king holds his court, and reigns in ever-lasting +solitude. Looking back, they could see sweet France, lying spread out +as a map beneath them, its pleasant fields and its busy towns seeming +only as specks in the dim distance. But when they looked forward, +hoping there to see a like map of fair Italy, only the rocks and the +ice, and the narrow pathway, and the desolate mountain crags, met their +sight. + +They would have become disheartened by the difficulties before them, +and have turned back in utter despair, had not the bright form of their +guide, and the cheerful countenance of Charlemagne, inspired them with +ever-renewed hope. For seven days they toiled among the dangerous +steeps; and on the eighth a glorious vision burst upon their view--the +smiling plains of Italy lay before them. + +At this sight a great shout of joy went up from the throats of the +toil-worn heroes, and the good archbishop returned thanks to Heaven for +their deliverance from peril. And, a few hours later, the whole army +emerged into the pleasant valleys of Piedmont, and encamped not far +from Aosta. + + + + +WHAT HAPPENED AT RONCEVAUX + +In all the world there was not such another king as Charlemagne. +Wherever his arms were carried, there victory followed; and neither +Pagan nor haughty Christian foe dared lift up hands any more against +him. His kingdom stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Italian shores, +and from beyond the Rhine to the great Western Ocean. Princes were his +servants; kings were his vassals; and even the Pope of Rome did him +homage. And now he had crossed the Pyrenees, and was carrying fire and +sword into the fair fields and rich towns of the Spanish Moors; for he +had vowed to punish Marsilius, king of Spain, for the injuries he had +done the French in former years. He had overrun the whole of that +haughty land, and had left neither castle, nor city, nor wall, +unbroken, save only the town of Saragossa. + +One day Charlemagne sat beneath the blossoming trees of an orchard near +Cordova. White was his beard, and flowered was his head; yet still +handsome was his body, and proud his form. Around him were the noblest +of knights, Roland and Oliver and old Duke Namon, and fifteen thousand +of the choicest men of France. It was a gala-day for the French, and +the warriors amused themselves with field sports, and many pleasant +games. Then a party of Moorish messengers were brought before the +king. They came from Marsilius at Saragossa, who had sent to beg peace +of Charlemagne. + +"What will Marsilius give for peace?" asked the king. + +"If you will go back to your own country, and cease this unhappy war," +answered they, "then Marsilius binds himself to do this: he will go to +Aix at Michaelmas, and be baptized; he will do homage then for Spain, +and will faithfully hold it in fief from you; he will give you great +store of treasures,--four hundred mules loaded with gold, and fifty +cart-loads of silver, besides numbers of bears and lions and tame +greyhounds, and seven hundred camels, and a thousand moulted falcons. +Too long has this cruel war been waging. Marsilius would fain have +peace." + +Charlemagne listened to the words of the messengers, but he was not +quick to answer. He called together his peers, and laid the matter +before them. + +"What think you of the Moor's offers of peace?" asked he. + +"Put no trust in Marsilius!" cried Roland. "He is the most faithless +of Pagans, and speaks only lies. Carry on the war as you have begun, +and talk not of peace until Saragossa is ours." + +Charlemagne's face grew dark, yet he said not a word. It was plain +that he coveted the treasures which Marsilius had promised. Then +Ganelon arose, and with curling lip, thus answered,-- + +"If Marsilius offers to do fealty for Spain, and to hold it as a gift +from you, wherefore should we refuse his plea? He who would advise you +otherwise cares not what manner of death we die." + +And Namon of Bavaria added, "If the Moor is beaten, and cries for +mercy, it would be an unknightly act to continue warring against him. +My voice is for peace." + +And all the peers, save Roland and Oliver, cried out, "The duke hath +spoken wisely. Let us have peace!" + +"It is well," answered Charlemagne, "and so it shall be. But whom +shall we send to Saragossa to treat with Marsilius, and to receive the +pledges of good faith which he shall give?" + +Then arose a great dispute among the peers as to which should undertake +this dangerous errand. Duke Namon, who was never known to shirk a +duty, offered to go; but the king would not consent. He liked not to +part with his wise old friend, even for a single day. + +"I will carry the message," said Roland. + +"Not so, my brother," interrupted Oliver. "Thy pride will get the +better of thy judgment, and thou wilt act rashly. Let me undertake the +errand." + +But Charlemagne refused them both. "Neither of you shall go," said he. +"But you may choose one from among these other barons to be the +messenger." + +"Then send Ganelon of Mayence," said Roland. "He is in favor of this +peace, and he is most fit to carry the message." + +"Yes, send Ganelon of Mayence!" cried all the peers. + +Ganelon rose from his seat in rage. Fire flashed from his hazel eyes; +his lips quivered; he tore the sable border from his crimson tunic, and +stood proudly before Roland. "Fool!" cried he. "Who art thou who +wouldst send me to Marsilius? If I but live to come again from +Saragossa, I will deal thee such a blow as thou shalt never forget." + +"Speak softly, Sir Ganelon," said Roland. "Men know that I care not +for threats. If thou art afraid of the danger, mayhap the king will +allow me to go in thy place." + +Hotter than before was Ganelon's wrath; but he held his tongue, and +turned humbly toward the king. + +"My lord," said he, "since you will that I bear this message to +Marsilius, I go. But I know too well the false-hearted Moor to hope +that I shall ever return. I pray you, care for my fair son Baldwin, to +whom I leave my lands and all my fiefs. Keep him well, for these eyes +of mine shall never see him again." + +"Thou art too fearful, and too tender of heart," said the king, as he +offered to Ganelon the staff and the glove which messengers were wont +to carry as signs of their office. "Go now, and doubt not the issue of +thine errand." + +Ganelon took the staff; but his hand trembled, and the glove fell to +the ground. + +"An evil omen is that," whispered the peers who saw it. "It is a sign +of no good fortune, either to him or to us." + +Then Ganelon bade the king good-by, and went on his way. But he said +to himself, "This is Roland's doings, and I shall hate him all my life +long: neither shall I love Oliver his brother, nor any other of the +twelve peers." + +When he reached Saragossa, Ganelon was led into the presence of +Marsilius. The Moorish king sat under a pine tree, and twenty thousand +warriors stood around him. + +"What answer bring you from your liege-lord Charlemagne?" asked he. + +Ganelon had studied well what he should say; and he answered, like one +long used to cunning guile, "If thou wilt be baptized and become a +Christian, Charlemagne will give thee the half of Spain to hold in +fief. If thou wilt not accept this offer, then he will besiege thee in +Saragossa, and take thee prisoner; and he will send thee bound upon the +back of a sumter horse to Aix, and there he will have thee put to +death. This is the message which Charlemagne sends thee." + +Great was the anger of the Moorish king, and he raised his javelin to +strike the messenger dead. But Ganelon, no whit daunted, set his back +against the trunk of a tree, and drew his sword part way from its +scabbard. + +"Good sword," said he, "thou art fair and bright, and thou hast done me +many a service. Never shall it be said that Ganelon died alone in a +strange land." + +But the courtiers of King Marsilius stepped in between them. "It were +better," said they, "to treat with this man than to slay him. If his +face slander him not, he is a man who may be persuaded to help us. Try +him." + +Then Marsilius called Ganelon to his side, and offered him five hundred +pounds of gold for his friendship. And the two sat long together, and +plotted bloodshed and treason. + +"Indeed, what think you of this Charlemagne?" asked the Moor. "Through +how many lands has he carried that old body of his? How many scars are +there on his shield? How many kingdoms has he stolen, and how many +kings impoverished? Methinks that his days are well-nigh spent. He +must be more than two hundred years old." + +But Ganelon, although a traitor, would say naught against the king. + +"None can see him," said he, "but will say that he is a man. None can +so praise or honor him, but that there shall yet be in him more worth +and goodness." + +"Yet, methinks," said the Moor, "that he is very old. His beard is +white; his hair is flowered. It is strange that he grows not tired of +fighting." + +"That he will never do so long as Roland, his nephew, lives," answered +Ganelon. "There, too, is Oliver; and there are the other peers of the +realm, all of whom the king holds most dear. They alone are worth +twenty thousand men." + +"I have heard much of Roland," said the Moor; "and I would fain put him +out of the way. Tell me how it can be done, and thou shalt have three +baggage-horse loads of gold, three of silver, and three of fine silk +and red wine and jewels." + +Now Ganelon desired, above all things, the death of Roland; and he +eagerly made known his plans to Marsilius. + +"Send to Charlemagne," said he, "great store of rich gifts, so that +every Frenchman shall wonder at your wealth. Send also hostages, and +promise him that on next Michaelmas you will be baptized at Aix and do +him homage for Spain. Pleased with your promises, he will return to +France. But his rear-guard, with Roland and Oliver, and twenty +thousand Frenchmen, will be long among the passes of the Pyrenees. A +hundred thousand Moors could well cope with them there." + +Then the two traitors exchanged promises and pledges; and Ganelon, +taking with him the keys of Saragossa, and rich presents for +Charlemagne, went back to Cordova. + +Right glad was Charlemagne to hear the message which the lying traitor +brought. He was tired of warring, and he longed to return in peace to +his own sweet France. The next day the trumpets sounded throughout the +camp. The tents were struck; the baggage was packed on the sumter +horses; the knights mounted their steeds; banners and pennons waved +thick in the air; the great army began its glad march homeward. Joyful +was the beginning of that march; but, ah, how sad the ending! The +French did not see the crafty Moors following them through the upper +valleys, their banners furled, their helmets closed, their lances in +rest. + +That first night the king was troubled with sad dreams. He thought +that Ganelon seized his lance and shook it, and that it fell in pieces. +He thought that he hunted in the forest of Ardennes, and that both a +boar and a leopard attacked him. A thousand fearful fancies vexed him. +Mountains fell upon him and crushed him; the earth yawned and swallowed +him; perils beset him on every side: but amid them all, the face of +Ganelon was ever to be seen. + +By and by the army came to the Pyrenees, and the great land of France +lay just beyond the mountains. + +"To whom now," said the king to his peers, "shall we intrust our +rear-guard while we pass safely through the mountain gates?" + +"Give It to Roland, your nephew," said Ganelon. "There is none more +worthy than he." + +"And who shall lead the vanguard?" + +"Ogier, the Dane. Next to Roland, he is the bravest of your barons." + +Right willingly did Roland accept the dangerous trust. + +"I will see to it," said he, "that no harm come to the French while +passing through the gates. Neither pack-horse, nor mule, nor palfrey, +nor charger, nor man shall we lose, that shall not be paid for by the +blood of our foes." + +Then he mounted his steed, and rode back to the rear. And with him +went Oliver and Turpin the archbishop, and twenty thousand valiant +fighting-men. + +High were the mountains, and gloomy the valleys; dark were the rocks, +and fearful were the glens. But the day was fair, and the sky was +clear; and the bright shields of the warriors glittered in the sunlight +like flashes of fire. All at once a sound, as of a thousand trumpets +blowing, was heard in the valley below them. The French knights +hearkened. + +"Comrades," said Oliver, "methinks that we are followed by the Moors." + +"And may God grant us battle and victory!" said Roland earnestly. +"Well is it that we are here to defend the king. For one should never +murmur that he suffers distress for his friends: for them, he should +lose, if need be, both blood and flesh and even life itself." + +Then Oliver climbed a high pine tree, and looked down into the grassy +valley behind them. There he beheld such troops of Pagan folk as he +had never seen before. + +"Comrades," cried he, "we shall have such a battle as no man has known. +The passes are full of armed Moors: their hauberks and glittering +helmets fill the lower valleys. Great mischief is in store for us, but +may we stand to the field like men!" + +"Shame be to him that flees!" said the warriors who heard him. + +Bewildered and amazed at sight of so terrible an array of Pagans, +Oliver descended from the tree. + +"Brother Roland," said he, "I pray thee blow thy horn. The king will +hear it, and he will turn him about and come to our succor." + +"To do so would be to act as a craven," answered Roland. "Never shall +it be said that I feared a foe. I will strike strong strokes with my +sword, Durandal. Ill shall it fare with the Pagan traitors." + +"Comrade Roland," again said Oliver, "now blow thy horn. Charlemagne +will hear it, and he will make his host return." + +"Never," answered Roland, "shall my kinsmen upbraid me, or be blamed +for me. But I will strike with Durandal. The brand which the king +gave me when he knighted me, that shall be our succor." + +Then Oliver prayed him the third time, "Comrade Roland, sound now thine +ivory horn. Charlemagne, who is passing the gates, will hear us and +come to our aid." + +"No man shall ever say," answered Roland, "that I have blown my horn +for Pagans. My kinsmen shall not bear that reproach. But when the +great battle is joined, then you shall see the lightning flashes of +Durandal in the thickest of the fight. A thousand and seven hundred +times shall the blade be dyed in the blood of the Moors. Better would +it be to perish than suffer shame." + +But Oliver was not yet satisfied. "I have seen the Moorish host," said +he. "The mountains and the plains, the valleys and the groves, are +full of them. Never have we fought against such great odds." + +"Friend and brother," answered Roland, "say not another word. The king +has left us here, with a rear-guard of twenty thousand men, and he +esteems every one of us a hero. Do thou strike with thy lance and thy +good blade Haultclear. As for me, Durandal shall serve me well. And, +if I die, men shall say, 'This sword belonged to a noble knight.'" + +Then the good Archbishop Turpin rode down the ranks, holding a sword in +one hand and a crucifix in the other. "Comrades," cried he, "the king +has left us here. He trusts in us, and for him we shall die. Cry now +your sins to Heaven. Pray God's mercy, and ask His blessing." + +In a moment every knight among those twenty thousand horsemen had +dismounted. Humbly and reverently every knee was bent, and every head +was bowed. And the good archbishop blessed the company in God's name. + +"If ye die," said he, "ye shall have places in paradise." + +Then the warriors arose, light-hearted and hopeful. They rode into the +place which is called Roncevaux, the Vale of Thorns, and there they put +themselves in battle array, and waited the onset of their foes. Roland +sat astride of his good war steed, and proudly faced the Moorish host. +In his hand he held the bared blade Durandal, pointing toward heaven. +Never was seen a more comely knight. Courteously he spoke to the +warriors about him. Then, putting spurs to his steed, he cried,-- + +"Comrades, ride onward! The day shall be ours!" + +"Forget not the war cry of Charlemagne," said Oliver. + +At these words the rocks and valleys rang with the cry, "Monjoie! +Monjoie!" And every warrior dashed forward to meet the foe. + +Long and fierce was the fight, and terrible was the slaughter. With +heart and strength the French knights struck. The Moors were slain by +hundreds and by thousands. For a time victory seemed to be with the +French. Many and valiant were the deeds achieved by Roland and Oliver +and the archbishop and the peers that were with them. But at length +Marsilius came down upon them with a fresh troop of seven thousand +Moors. They hemmed the French heroes in on every side. Roland saw his +knights falling one by one around him. All were slain save sixty men. + +"Oliver, my fair dear comrade," said he, "behold how many brave vassals +have fallen! The battle goes hard with us. If, now, we only knew how +to send news to Charlemagne, he would return and succor us." + +"It is too late," answered Oliver. "Better would we die than suffer +shame." + +Then said Roland, "I will sound my ivory horn. Mayhap Charlemagne, who +is passing the gates of Spain, will hear it and return." + +"Do no such thing," answered Oliver. "Great shame would be upon you +and your kinsmen forever. You would not blow your horn when I advised +it, and now you shall not do so because the day is lost." + +Then the archbishop rode up, and said, "The day is indeed lost, and to +blow the horn would now no more avail us. But, should the king hear +it, he will come back through the passes. He will find us dead: his +men will lift us in biers and carry us home to be buried in minsters, +and we shall not be left as food for wolves and dogs." + +"Thou sayest well," said Roland. And he placed the horn to his lips. +High were the hills, deep and dark were the gorges, narrow were the +ways among the mountains. Yet the sound of that horn was heard for +thirty leagues. Charlemagne and Duke Namon heard it while yet they +were between the gates. + +"Hark!" said the king. "I hear Roland's horn. The felon Moors have +attacked him: he is hard pressed in battle." + +"You are foolishly mistaken," said Ganelon. "There is no battle. You +are old, your beard is white, your head is flowery, you are growing +childish. You love your silly nephew, Roland, too well. He is only +hunting among the mountains. He would blow his horn all day for a +single hare, and then he would boast before you of his valor. Ride on. +Your own France is not far ahead." + +But the king was not to be deceived. He ordered Ganelon to be seized +and bound and given in charge of his cooks, who were to hold him a +close prisoner. They bound him with a great chain, and laid him across +the back of a sumter horse; they pulled his beard; they struck him with +their fists; they beat him with sticks. Sorry indeed was the traitor's +plight, but his punishment was just. As for Charlemagne, he turned and +with all his host hastened back to the succor of Roland and the valiant +rear-guard. High were the mountain walls, and darkly did they overhang +the way; deep were the mountain gorges; swift and strong were the +torrents; narrow and steep was the road. The trumpets sounded: +anxiously and with haste the king and his horsemen retraced their steps. + +Fiercely still the battle raged in the fated Vale of Thorns. One by +one the French knights fell; but for every one that was slain ten +Pagans bit the dust. At length Oliver was wounded unto death; but +still he sat on his horse and struck valiantly about him with his good +Haultclear. His eyes lost their strength: he could not see. He met +Roland, and struck him a blow which split his helmet down to the +nose-piece, but luckily wounded him not. + +"Brother," said Roland softly and gently, "thou hast not done this +willingly. I am Roland, he who has loved thee so long and so well." + +"Ah, comrade!" said Oliver, "I hear thee; but I cannot see thee. Pray +forgive me if I have harmed thee." + +"I am none the worse," answered Roland; "and there is naught to +forgive." + +Then the two brothers bent over from their steeds, and embraced each +other; and amid much love and many hasty words of farewell, they parted. + +And now all the French were slain, save only Roland and the archbishop. +The hero was wounded in a dozen places: he felt his life-blood oozing +away. Again he drew his ivory horn, and feebly sounded it. He would +fain know whether Charlemagne were coming. The king was in the pass, +not far away, and he heard the failing blast. + +"Ah, Roland!" said he, "the battle goes ill with thee." Then he turned +to his host, and said, "Blow loud your trumpets, that the hero may know +that succor comes." + +At once sixty thousand bugles were blown so loudly that the valley and +the caves resounded, and the rocks themselves trembled. Roland heard +it and thanked God. The Pagans heard it and knew that it boded no good +to them. They rushed in a body upon Roland and the archbishop. +Roland's horse was slain beneath him; his shield was split in twain; +his hauberk was broken. The archbishop was mortally wounded, and +stretched upon the ground. Again the trumpets of Charlemagne's host +were heard, and the Pagans fled in great haste toward Spain. + +Then Roland knelt by the side of the dying archbishop. "Kind friend, +so good and true," said he, "now the end has come. Our comrades whom +we held so dear are all dead. Give me leave to bring them and lay them +in order by thee, that we may all have thy blessing." + +"It is well," answered the good Turpin. "Do as thou wilt. The field +is thine and mine." + +So Roland, weak and faint, went all alone through that field of blood, +seeking his friends. He found Berenger and Otho and Anseis and Samson, +and proud Gerard of Roussillon; and one by one he brought them and laid +them on the grass before the archbishop. And lastly he brought back +Oliver, pressed gently against his bosom, and placed him on a shield by +the others. The archbishop wept; and he lifted up his feeble hands and +blessed them: "Sad has it been with you, comrades. May God, the +glorious King, receive your souls in His paradise!" + +Then Roland, faint with loss of blood, and overcome with grief, swooned +and fell to the ground. The good archbishop felt such distress as he +had never known before. He staggered to his feet; he took the ivory +horn in his hands, and went to fetch water from the brook which flows +through the Vale of Thorns. Slowly and feebly he tottered onward, but +not far: his strength failed and he fell to the ground. Soon Roland +recovered from his swoon and looked about him. On the green grass this +side of the rivulet, he saw the archbishop lying. The good Turpin was +dead. + +And now Roland felt that he, too, was nigh death's door. He took the +ivory horn in one hand, and Durandal in the other, and went up a little +hill that lies toward Spain. He sat down beneath a pine tree where +were four great blocks of marble. He looked at the blade Durandal. +"Ha, Durandal," he said, "how bright and white thou art! Thou shinest +and flamest against the sun! Many countries have I conquered with +thee, and now for thee I have great grief. Better would it be to +destroy thee than to have thee fall into the hands of the Pagan folk." + +With great effort he raised himself on his feet again. Ten times he +smote with Durandal the great rock before him. But the sword was +bright and whole as ever, while the rock was split in pieces. Then the +hero lay down upon the grass, with his face toward the foe. He put the +sword and the horn under him. He stretched his right glove toward +heaven, and an unseen hand came and took it away. Dead was the +matchless hero. + +Not long after this King Charlemagne with his host came to the +death-strewn Vale of Thorns. Great was the grief of the king and of +all the French, when they found that they had come too late to save +even a single life. Roland was found lying on the grass, his face +turned toward Spain. Charlemagne took him up tenderly in his arms, and +wept. + +"Friend Roland," said he, "worthiest of men, bravest of warriors, +noblest of all my knights, what shall I, say when they in France shall +ask news of thee? I shall tell them that thou art dead in Spain. With +great sorrow shall I hold my realm from this time on. Every day I +shall weep and bewail thee, and wish that my life, too, were ended." + +Then the French buried their dead on the field where they had fallen. +But the king brought Roland and Oliver and the archbishop to Blaye in +France, and laid them in white marble tombs; and there they lie until +this day in the beautiful little chapel of St. Roman's. And he took +the ivory horn to Bordeaux, and filled it with fine gold, and laid it +on the altar of the church in that city; and there it is still seen by +the pious pilgrims who visit that place. + + + + +VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES + + _Ac ar nā' nĭ a_, the most western province of ancient Greece. + _A chĭl' lēs_ (á kĭl' lēz), the ideal hero of the Greeks. + _Ae' gir_ (a' jĭr), in Norse legends, the ruler of the sea. + _Ag a mē' dēs_ (-dēz), one of the architects of the temple at Delphi. + _Ag a mĕm' non_, king of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks. + _Aix_ (āks), a city of France, favorite residence of Charlemagne. + _A' jăx_, a Greek hero second only to Achilles. + _Al ex ăn' drŏs_, a name applied to Paris, prince of Troy. + _Al phē' ŭs_, a hunter transformed into a river of Greece. + _Al thē' a_, queen of Calydon, mother of Meleager. + _A mĭl' ĭ as_, a mythical smith of Burgundy. + _And' vä rï_, a dwarf, the keeper of the Rhine treasure. + _An tĭl' o chus_ (-kus), a Greek prince and friend of Achilles. + _A ŏs' tä_, a town in northern Italy. + _Aph ro dī' tē_, in Greek mythology, the goddess of love. + _A pŏl' lo_, in Greek mythology, the god of music, poetry, and healing. + _Ar cā' dĭ a_, a mountainous country in Greece. + _Ardennes_ (är dĕn'), a forest in northern France. + _Ar e thū' sa_, a nymph loved by Alpheus. + _Ar' go_, the ship that carried Jason and his companions. + _Ar' tē nĭs_, twin sister of Apollo; goddess of the woods. + _Ar' thur_, a heroic legendary king of Britain. + _As' as_ (äs åz), the gods of the North. + _As' gärd_, in Norse mythology, the home of the gods or Asas. + _Ash' ta rŏth_, an evil spirit. + _At a lăn' ta_, an Arcadian princess and swift-footed huntress. + _A the' na_, the goddess of knowledge, arts, and sciences. + _At' ro pŏs_, one of the three Fates. + _Au' lis_, a town on the east coast of Greece. + _Au tŏl' y cus_, a famous Greek chieftain, grandfather of Odysseus. + _Av' a lon_, fairyland (in mediaeval legends). + + _Băl' ĭ os_, "Swift," one of the horses given to Peleus. + _Bäl' mŭng_, the sword of Siegfried. + _Bē' a trĭce_, the wife of Eego of Belin. + _Be gō'_ (bā gō'), duke of Belin and feudal chief of Gascony. + _Ber en ger'_ (-än zhā'), a friend of Bego. + _Blaye_ (blā), a seaport of France, 21 miles from Bordeaux. + _Bō' re as_, the North Wind. + _Bor deaux'_ (-dō'), a city on west coast of France. + _Bŭr' gun dy_, a duchy including a part of northeastern France. + + _Căl' chas_ (kăl' kăl), a soothsayer of Mycense. + _Căl' y don_, a city in ancient Greece. + _Cas san' dra_, a prophetess, the daughter of Priam. + _Cas tor_, twin brother of Pollux and brother of Helen. + _Cĕn' taur_, one of an ancient race inhabiting the country near + Mount Pelion, said to have the bodies of horses. + _Charlemagne_ (shär' le mān), king of the Franks, 742-814. + _Cheiron_ (kī' ron), a Centaur famed for his wisdom. + _Clē ō pā' tra_, the wife of Meleager. + _Clō' thō_, one of the three Fates. + _Clyt' em nĕs tra_, the wife of Agamemnon. + _Crete (krēt)_, an island southeast of Greece. + _Crĭs' sa_, a gulf in Greece, now called Gulf of Corinth. + + _Där' da nus_, ancestor of the people of Troy. + _Dē' lŏs_, a small island east of Greece. + _Dĕl' phī_, a town at the foot of Mount Parnassus, the seat + of the oracle of Apollo. + _Dū răn' dal_, the sword of Roland. + + _E' lis_, a country in southern Greece. + _E' rin_, the ancient name for Ireland. + _E' ris_, the goddess of discord. + _Euboea_ (u bē' a), a large island east of Greece. + + _Fäf' nïr_, a dragon that guarded the Rhine treasure. + _Fa năn' der_, a cataract referred to in Norse mythology. + _Frō mōnt'_, duke of Bordeaux. + + _Gä' ne lon_, a duke of Mayence noted for his treachery. + _Gä rin'_ (-rănh), one of the sons of Bego of Belia. + _Găs' cō ny_, an ancient duchy of France. + _Gerin_ (zhẽ rănh'), a brother of Bego of Belio. + + _Hā' dēs_, the land of the shades, or of the dead. + _Hault'_ clear, the sword of Oliver. + _He' bē_, the goddess of youth and spring. + _Hĕc' tor_, a prince of Troy, son of Priam. + _Hĕl' en_, the wife of Menelaus, celebrated for her beauty. + _He lō ïse'_ (hā lō ēz'), the sister of Bego of Belin. + _He' ra_, the wife of Zeus; often called Juno. + _Her' cu lēs_ (-lēz), a mighty hero of the Golden Age of Greece. + _Her' mēs_ (-mēz), the messenger of the gods; same as Mercury. + _Her nau din_ (her nō dănh'), a son of Bego. + _He sī' o nē_, a princess of Troy, sister of Priam. + _Haenir_ (he' nïr), a companion of Odio. + _Hreidmar_ (hrīd' mar), the father of Regin. + _Hū' na land_, a country mentioned in Norse mythology. + _Hy per bō' re ans_, the people who lived beyond the North Wind. + + _I ä' sus_, a king of Arcadia, father of Atalanta. + _I' das_, the father of Cleopatra. + _I dŏm' e neūs_, a king of Crete, friend of Menelaus. + _Il' ĭ os_, the same as Troy; Ilium. + _I' lus_, the founder of Ilios or Troy. + _Iph ĭ ge nī' a_, a princess, the daughter of Agamemnon. + _I' ris_, a messenger of the gods, personification of the rainbow. + + _Jā' son_, a Greek hero, the leader of the Argonauts. + + _Kwä' ser_, in Norse mythology, a being noted for his wisdom. + + _Lăc e dae' mon_ (lăs-), an ancient Greek city, same as Sparta. + _Lăch' e sĭs_ (lăk-), one of the three Fates. + _La ŏm' e don_, a king of Troy, father of Priam. + _Lō' kī_, in Norse mythology, the spirit of mischief. + _Lōr rāine'_, a region on the border between France and Germany. + + _Ma hŏm' et_, an Arab, the founder of Mohammedanism. + _Măi' a gis_ (-zhē), a dwarf enchanter and magician. + _Mär seilles'_ (-sālz), a city of France on the Mediterranean. + + _Mär sïl' ĭ us_, a Moorish king of Spain. + _Mayence_ (mä yŏns'), a city on the Rhine River. + _Mĕl e ā' ger_ (-jēr), a Greek hero, prince of Calydon. + _Mï' mer_, in Norse mythology, the possessor of the well of wisdom. + _Môr' gan le Fāy_, the queen of the fairies. + _My cē' nae_, a city of ancient Greece. + + _Nä' mōn_, Charlemagne's most trusted counsellor. + _Nē' rēus_, "the old man of the sea," father of the sea nymphs. + _Nĕs' tor_, king of Pylos, oldest of the Greek heroes at Troy. + + _O' dĭn_, in Norse mythology the chief of the gods. + _O dys' seūs_, the wisest of the Greek heroes; same as Ulysses. + _Oenone_ (ē nō' ne), a river nymph, the wife of Paris. + _Ogier_ (ō zhā), a Danish hero under Charlemagne. + _Oi' neūs_, a king of Calydon, father of Meleager. + _Ol' ĭ ver_, one of Charlemagne's paladins, comrade of Roland, + _O lym' pus_, a mountain in Greece, the home of the gods. + _O rĕs' tēs_, the son of Agamemnon. + _Orleans_ (ŏr lā ŏn'), an important city in France. + _Or sĭl' o chus_, a king of the ancient city of Pherae. + + _Pal a mē' dēs_, a Greek hero in the war with Troy. + _Păr' is_, a prince of Troy, second son of Priam. + _Pär nas' sus_, a mountain in Greece near Delphi. + _Pē' leūs_, the father of Achilles. + _Pē' lĭ on_, a mountain on the east coast of Greece. + _Pĕp' in_, a king of the Franks, father of Charlemagne. + _Phoe' bus_, another name for Apollo. + _Piēd' mŏnt_, a district in northern Italy. + _Pŏl' lux_, the twin brother of Castor, and brother of Helen. + _Po seī' don_, supreme lord of the sea; same as Neptune. + _Prī' am_, the last king of Troy. + _Pū ĕlle'_, an ancient forest in France. + _Py' los_, an ancient town in the south part of Greece. + _Pyr' e nees_, the mountains between France and Spain. + _Py' thon_, the serpent slain by Apollo. + + _Rän_, in Norse mythology, the goddess of the sea. + _Re' gin_ (-jĭn), a dwarf, the instructor of Siegfried. + _Rō' land_, the most famous of Charlemagne's paladins. + _Ronce vaux'_ (-vō), a valley in Navarre, Spain, in the Pyrenees. + _Roussillon_ (roo sē' yôn'), an ancient district of France. + + _St. Omer_ (sĕn tō mâr'), a famous city in northern France. + _St. Quentin_ (sâăn kŏn tăn'), a city in northeastern France. + _Săl a mis_, an island of ancient Greece. + _Sar' a cens_, the Arab followers of Mohammed. + _Scae' an_ (skē' an), the principal gate of Troy. + _Sca măn' der_, a river near Troy. + _Seine_ (sān), one of the principal rivers of France. + _Siēg' friēd_, a mythical hero of the Rhine country. + _Sï' gyn_, the wife of Loki. + _Skä de_, in Norse mythology, the goddess of the snow. + + _Tĕl' a mon_, a Greek hero, the father of Ajax. + _Thes sā' lĭ an_, belonging to Thessaly in northern Greece. + _Thē' tis_, a sea nymph, the mother of Achilles. + _Tro phō' nĭ us_, one of the architects of the temple at Delphi. + _Tûr' pin_, archbishop of Rheims, and paladin of Charlemagne. + + _Valenciennes_ (vä lŏn syĕn'), a city in northeastern France. + _Vŭl' can_, the blacksmith of the gods. + + _Xanthos_ (zăn' thus), "Old Gold," one of the horses of Peleus. + + _Zeūs_, the king of the gods; same as Jupiter. + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero Tales, by James Baldwin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO TALES *** + +***** This file should be named 15616-0.txt or 15616-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/6/1/15616/ + +Produced by Al Haines + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** + diff --git a/15616-0.zip b/15616-0.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..017a100 --- /dev/null +++ b/15616-0.zip diff --git a/15616-8.txt b/15616-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aed7c57 --- /dev/null +++ b/15616-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4590 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero Tales, by James Baldwin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Hero Tales + +Author: James Baldwin + +Release Date: April 14, 2005 [EBook #15616] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO TALES *** + + + + +Produced by Al Haines + + + + +HERO TALES + + +BY + +JAMES BALDWIN + + + + + +Author of "The Story of Siegfried," "The Story of Roland," "A Story of +the Golden Age," "Baldwin's Readers," etc. + + + + + + + +NEW YORK + +CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS + +1914 + + + + +COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY + +CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS + + + + +TO + +CARRIE EDITH AND NELLIE MAY + + + + +INTRODUCTION + +In the world's literature there are certain stories which, told ages +ago, can never be forgotten. They have within them that which gives +pleasure to all intelligent men, women and children. They appeal to +the sympathies, the desires, and the admiration of all sorts and +conditions of mankind. These are the stories that are said to be +immortal. They have been repeated and re-repeated in many forms and to +all kinds of audiences. They have been recited and sung in royal +palaces, in the halls of mediaeval castles, and by the camp fires of +warring heroes. Parents have taught them to their children, and +generation after generation has preserved their memory. They have been +written on parchment and printed in books, translated into many +languages, abridged, extended, edited, and "adapted." But through all +these changes and the vicissitudes of time, they still preserve the +qualities that have made them so universally popular. + +Chief among these masterpieces of imagination are the tales of gods and +heroes that have come down to us from the golden age of Greece, and +particularly the tales of Troy that cluster around the narratives of +old Homer in his "Iliad" and "Odyssey." Three thousand years or more +have passed since they were first recited, and yet they have lost none +of their original charm. Few persons of intelligence are unacquainted +with these tales, for our literature abounds in allusions to them; and +no one who pretends to the possession of culture or learning can afford +to be ignorant of them. + +Second only in interest, especially to us of Anglo-Saxon descent, are +the hero tales of the ancient North and the stirring legends connected +with the "Nibelungen Lied." Of much later origin than the Greek +stories, and somewhat inferior to them in refinement of thought and +delicacy of imagery, these tales partake of the rugged, forceful +character of the people among whom they were composed. Yet, with all +their austerity and sternness, they are replete with vivid action, and +they charm us by their very strength and the lessons which they teach +of heroic endurance and the triumph of eternal justice. + +Scarcely inferior to these latter, but not so well known to +English-speaking people, are the tales of knighthood and chivalry that +commemorate the romantic deeds of Charlemagne and his paladins. +Written in various languages, and at periods widely separated, these +tales present a curious mixture of fact and fiction, of the real and +the marvellous, of the beautiful and the grotesque, of pagan +superstition and Christian devotion. Although there were, in truth, no +knights in the time of Charlemagne, and the institution of chivalry did +not exist until many years later, yet these legends are of value as +portraying life and manners in that period of history which we call the +Dark Ages; and their pictures of knightly courage and generosity, +faithfulness, and loyalty, appeal to our nobler feelings and stir our +hearts with admiration. + +To know something of these three great cycles, or groups, of classic +and romantic stories--the hero tales of Troy, those of the ancient +North, and those of Charlemagne--is essential to the acquirement of +refined literary tastes. For this knowledge will go far toward helping +its possessor to enjoy many things in our modern literature that would +otherwise be puzzling or obscure. The importance, therefore, of +placing some of the best of such tales early within the reach of school +children and all young readers cannot be disputed. + +In three volumes somewhat larger than the present one--"A Story of the +Golden Age," "The Story of Siegfried," and "The Story of Roland"--I +have already endeavored to introduce young readers to the most +interesting portions of these great cycles of romance, narrating in +each the adventures of the hero who is the central figure in the group +of legends or tales under consideration. The present volume, made up +of selections from these earlier books, has been prepared in response +to repeated suggestions that certain portions of them, and especially +some of the independent shorter stories, are well adapted to use in +reading-classes at school. Of the seventeen stories herein presented, +nine are from the "Golden Age," four from "Siegfried," and four from +"Roland." They are, for the most part, episodes, complete in +themselves, and connected only by a slender thread with the main +narrative. Their intrinsic value is in no way diminished by being thus +separated from their former setting, and each tale being independent of +the others, they lend themselves more readily to the demands of the +schoolroom. + +It is well to observe that in no case have I endeavored to repeat the +story in its exact original form. To have done so would have defeated +the purpose in view; for without proper adaptation such stories are +usually neither interesting nor intelligible to children. I have +therefore recast and rearranged, using my own words, and adding here a +touch of color and here a fanciful idea, as the narrative has seemed to +permit or as my audience of school children may demand. Nevertheless, +in the end, the essential features of each tale--those which give it +value in its original form--remain unchanged. + +CONTENTS + + + How Apollo Came to Parnassus + The Hunt in the Wood of Calydon + The Choice of Hercules + Alpheus and Arethusa + The Golden Apple + Paris and Oenone + Hesione + Paris and Helen + Iphigenia + The Hoard of the Elves + The Forging of Balmung + Idun and Her Apples + The Doom of the Mischief-maker + The Hunt in the Wood of Puelle + Ogier the Dane and the Fairies + How Charlemagne Crossed the Alps + What Happened at Roncevaux + + + + +HOW APOLLO CAME TO PARNASSUS + +A very long time ago, Apollo was born in the island of Delos. When the +glad news of his birth was told, Earth smiled, and decked herself with +flowers; the nymphs of Delos sang songs of joy that were heard to the +utmost bounds of Greece; and choirs of white swans flew seven times +around the island, piping notes of praise to the pure being who had +come to dwell among men. Then Zeus looked down from high Olympus, and +crowned the babe with a golden head-band, and put into his hands a +silver bow and a sweet-toned lyre such as no man had ever seen; and he +gave him a team of white swans to drive, and bade him go forth to teach +men the things which are right and good, and to make light that which +is hidden in darkness. + +So Apollo arose, beautiful as the morning sun, and journeyed through +many lands, seeking a dwelling place. He stopped for a time at the +foot of Mount Olympus, and played so sweetly upon his lyre that Zeus +and all his court were entranced. Then he wandered up and down through +the whole length of the Thessalian land; but nowhere could he find a +spot in which he was willing to dwell. At length he climbed into his +car, and bade his swan team fly with him to the country of the +Hyperboreans beyond the far-off northern mountains. Forthwith they +obeyed; and through the pure regions of the upper air they bore him, +winging their way ever northward. They carried him over many an +unknown land, and on the seventh day they came to the Snowy Mountains +where the griffins, with lion bodies and eagle wings, guard the golden +treasures of the North. + +In these mountains, the North Wind has his home; and from his deep +caves he now and then comes forth, chilling with his cold and angry +breath the orchards and the fair fields of Greece, and bringing death +and dire disasters In his train. But northward this blustering Boreas +cannot blow, for the heaven-towering mountains stand like a wall +against him, and drive him back. Hence it is that beyond these +mountains the storms of winter never come, but one happy springtime +runs through all the year. There the flowers bloom, and the grain +ripens, and the fruits drop mellowing to the earth, and the red wine is +pressed from the luscious grape, every day the same. + +The Hyperboreans who dwell in that favored land know neither pain nor +sickness, nor wearying labor nor eating care; but their youth is as +unfading as the springtime, and old age with its wrinkles and its +sorrows is evermore a stranger to them. The spirit of evil, which +would lead all men to err, has never found entrance among them, and +they are free from vile passions and unworthy thoughts; and among them +there is neither war, nor wicked deeds, nor fear of the avenging +Furies, for their hearts are pure and clean, and never burdened with +the love of self. + +When the swan team of silver-bowed Apollo had carried him over the +Snowy Mountains, they alighted in the Hyperborean land. And the people +welcomed Apollo with shouts of joy and songs of triumph, as one for +whom they had long been waiting. He took up his abode there, and dwelt +with them one whole year, delighting them with his presence, and ruling +over them as their king. But when twelve moons had passed, he +bethought him that the toiling, suffering men of Greece needed most his +aid and care. Therefore he bade the Hyperboreans farewell, and again +went up into his sun-bright car; and his winged team carried him back +to the land of his birth. + +Long time Apollo sought a place where he might build a temple to which +men might come to learn of him and to seek his help in time of need. +At length he came to a broad plain, by the shore of a beautiful lake; +and there he began to build a house, for the land was a pleasant one, +well-watered, and rich in grain and fruit. But the nymph that lived in +the lake liked not to have Apollo so near her, lest men seeing and +loving him should forget to honor her; and one day, garmented with +mosses and crowned with lilies, she came and stood before him in the +sunlight. + +"Apollo of the silver bow," said she, "have you not made a mistake in +choosing this place for a dwelling? These rich plains around us will +not always be as peaceful as now; for their very richness will tempt +the spoiler, and the song of the cicada will then give place to the din +of battle. Even in times of peace you would hardly have a quiet hour +here: for great herds of cattle come crowding down every day to my lake +for water; the noisy ploughman, driving his team afield, disturbs the +morning hour with his boorish shouts; and boys and dogs keep up a +constant din, and make life in this place a burden." + +"Fair nymph," said Apollo, "I had hoped to dwell here in thy happy +vale, a neighbor and friend to thee. Yet, since this place is not what +it seems to be, whither shall I go, and where shall I build my house?" + +"Go to the cleft in Mount Parnassus," answered the nymph. "There thou +canst dwell in peace, and men will come from all parts of the world to +do thee honor." + +And so Apollo went down to Parnassus, and there in the cleft of the +mountain he laid the foundations of his shrine. Then he called the +master architects of the world, Trophonius and Agamedes, and gave to +them the building of the high walls and the massive roof. When they +had finished their work, he said, "Say now what reward you most desire +for your labor, and I will give it you." + +"Give us," said the brothers, "that which is the best for men." + +"It is well," answered Apollo. "When the full moon is seen above the +mountain-tops, you shall have your wish." + +But when the moon rose full and clear above the heights, the two +brothers were dead. + + +Apollo was pleased with the place which he had chosen for a home; for +there he found rest and quiet, and neither the hum of labor nor the din +of battle was likely ever to enter. One thing, however, must needs be +done before he could have perfect peace. There lived near the foot of +the mountain a huge serpent called Python, which was the terror of all +the land. Oftentimes, coming out of its den, this monster attacked the +flocks and herds, and sometimes even their keepers; and it had been +known to carry little children and helpless women to its den, and there +devour them. + +The men of the place came to Apollo, and prayed him to drive out or +destroy their terrible enemy. So, taking in hand his silver bow, he +sallied out at break of day to meet the monster when it should issue +from its slimy cave. The vile creature shrank back when it saw its +radiant enemy, and would fain have hidden itself in the deep gorges of +the mountain. But Apollo quickly launched a swift arrow at it, crying, +"Thou bane of man, lie thou upon the earth, and enrich it with thy dead +body!" The never-erring arrow sped to the mark; and the great beast +died, wallowing in its gore. And the people in their joy came out to +meet the archer, singing paeans in his praise. They crowned him with +wild flowers and wreaths of olives, and hailed him as the Pythian king; +and the nightingales sang to him in the groves, and the swallows and +cicadas twittered and tuned their melodies in harmony with his lyre. + +But as yet there were no priests in Apollo's temple; and he pondered, +long doubting, as to whom he should choose. One day he stood upon the +mountain's topmost peak, whence he could view all Greece and the seas +around it. Far away in the south, he spied a little ship sailing from +Crete to sandy Pylos; and the men who were on board were Cretan +merchants. + +"These men shall serve in my temple!" he cried. + +Upward he sprang, and high he soared above the sea; then swiftly +descending like a fiery star, he plunged into the waves. There he +changed himself into the form of a dolphin, and swam with speed to +overtake the vessel. + +Long before the ship had reached Pylos, the mighty fish came up with +it, and struck its stern. The crew were dumb with terror, and sat +still in their places; their oars were motionless; the sail hung limp +and useless from the mast. Yet the vessel sped through the waves with +the speed of the wind, for the dolphin was driving it forward by the +force of his fins. Past many a headland, past Pylos and other pleasant +harbors, they hastened. Vainly did the pilot try to land at each +favorable place: the ship would not obey her helm. They rounded the +headland of Araxus, and came into the long bay of Crissa; and there the +dolphin left off guiding the vessel, and swam playfully around it, +while a brisk west wind filled the sail, and bore the voyagers safely +into port. + +Then the dolphin changed into the form of a glowing star, which, +shooting high into the heavens, lit up the whole world with its glory; +and as the awe-stricken crew stood gazing at the wonder, it fell with +the quickness of light upon Mount Parnassus. Into his temple Apollo +hastened, and there he kindled an undying fire. Then, in the form of a +handsome youth, with golden hair falling in waves upon his shoulders, +he hastened to the beach to welcome the Cretan strangers. + +"Hall, seamen!" he cried. "Who are you, and whence do you come? Shall +I greet you as friends and guests, or shall I know you as robbers +bringing death and distress to many a fair home?" + +Then answered the Cretan captain, "Fair stranger, the gods have brought +us hither; for by no wish of our own have we come. We are Cretan +merchants, and we were on our way to Pylos with stores of merchandise, +to barter with the tradesmen of that city. But some unknown being, +whose might is greater than the might of men, has carried us far beyond +our wished-for port, even to this unknown shore. Tell us now, we pray +thee, what land is this? And who art thou who lookest so like a god?" + +"Friends and guests, for such indeed you must be," answered the radiant +youth, "think never again of sailing upon the wine-faced sea, but draw +now your vessel high up on the beach. And when you have brought out +all your goods and built an altar upon the shore, take of your white +barley which you have with you, and offer it reverently to Phoebus +Apollo. For I am he; and it was I who brought you hither, so that you +might keep my temple, and make known my wishes unto men. And since it +was in the form of a dolphin that you first saw me, let the town which +stands around my temple be known as Delphi [Dolphin], and let men +worship me there as Apollo Delphinius." + +Then the Cretans did as he had bidden them: they drew their vessel high +up on the white beach, and when they had unladen it of their goods, +they built an altar on the shore, and offered white barley to Phoebus +Apollo, and gave thanks to the ever-living powers who had saved them +from the terrors of the deep. After they had feasted and rested from +their long voyage, they turned their faces toward Parnassus; and +Apollo, playing sweeter music than men had ever heard, led the way; and +the folk of Delphi, with choirs of boys and maidens, came to meet them, +singing songs of victory as they helped the Cretans up the steep +pathway to the temple in the cleft of the mountain. + +"I leave you now to have sole care of my temple," said Apollo. "I +charge you to keep it well. Deal righteously with all men; let no +unclean thing pass your lips; forget self; guard well your thoughts, +and keep your hearts free from guile. If you do these things, you +shall be blessed with length of days and all that makes life glad. But +if you forget my words, and deal treacherously with men, and cause any +to wander from the path of right, then shall you be driven forth +homeless and accursed, and others shall take your places in the service +of my house." + +Then the bright youth left them and hastened away to Mount Olympus. +But every year he came again, and looked into his house, and spoke +words of warning and of hope to his servants; and men say that he has +often been seen on Parnassus, playing his lyre to the listening Muses, +or with his sister, Artemis, chasing the mountain deer. + + + + +THE HUNT IN THE WOOD OF CALYDON + +RELATED BY AUTOLYCUS[1] + +"When I was younger than I am to-day," said the old chief, as they sat +one evening in the light of the blazing brands--"when I was much +younger than now, it was my fortune to take part in the most famous +boar hunt the world has ever known. + +"There lived at that time, in Calydon, a mighty chief named +Oineus--and, indeed, I know not but that he still lives. Oineus was +rich in vineyards and in orchards, and no other man in all Greece was +happier or more blessed than he. He had married, early in life, the +Princess Althea, fairest of the maidens of Acarnania; and to them a son +had been born, golden-haired and beautiful, whom they called Meleager. + +"When Meleager was yet but one day old, his father held him in his +arms, and prayed to Zeus and the mighty powers above: 'Grant, Father +Zeus, and all ye deathless ones, that this my son may be the foremost +among the men of Greece. And let it come to pass, that when they see +his valiant deeds, his countrymen shall say, "Behold, this youth is +greater than his father," and all of one accord shall hail him as their +guardian king.' + +"Then his mother, Althea, weeping tears of joy, prayed that the boy +might grow up to be pure-minded and gentle, the hope and pride of his +parents, and the delight and staff of their declining years. + +"Scarcely had the words of prayer died from her lips, when there came +into her chamber the three unerring Fates who spin the destinies of +men. White-robed and garlanded, they stood beside the babe, and with +unwearied fingers drew out the lines of his untried life. Clotho held +the golden distaff in her hand, and twirled and twisted the delicate +thread. Lachesis, now sad, now hopeful, with her long white fingers +held the hour-glass, and framed her lips to say, 'It is enough.' And +Atropos, blind and unpitying as the future always is, stood ready, with +cruel shears, to clip the twist in twain. Busily and silently Clotho +spun; and the golden thread, thin as a spider's web, yet beautiful as a +sunbeam, grew longer and more golden between her skilful fingers. Then +Lachesis cried out, 'It is finished!' But Atropos hid her shears +beneath her mantle, and said, 'Not so. Behold, there is a brand +burning upon the hearth. Wait until it is all burned into ashes and +smoke, and then I will cut the thread of the child's life. Spin on, +sweet Clotho!' + +"Quick as thought, Althea sprang forward, snatched the blazing brand +from the hearth, and quenched its flame in a jar of water; and when she +knew that not a single spark was left glowing upon it, she locked it +safely in a chest where none but she could find it. As she did this, +the pitiless sisters vanished from her sight, saying as they flitted +through the air, 'We bide our time.' + +"Meleager grew up to be a tall and fair and gentle youth; and when at +last he became a man, he sailed on the ship Argo, with Jason and the +great heroes of that day, in search of the Golden Fleece. Many brave +deeds were his in foreign lands; and when he came home again to +Calydon, he brought with him a fair young wife, gentle Cleopatra, +daughter of Idas the boaster. + +"Oineus had gathered in his harvest; and he was glad and thankful in +his heart, because his fields had yielded plenteously; his vines had +been loaded with purple grapes, and his orchards filled with abundance +of pleasant fruit. Grateful, as men should always be, to the givers of +peace and plenty, he held within his halls a harvest festival, to which +he invited the brave and beautiful of all the country round. Happy was +this feast, and the hours were bright with smiles and sunshine; and men +forgot sorrow and labor, and thought only of the gladness of life. + +"Then Oineus took of the first-fruits of his fields and his vineyards +and his orchards, and offered them with much thankfulness to the givers +of good. But he forgot to deck the shrine of Artemis with gifts, +little thinking that the huntress queen cared for anything which mortal +men might offer her. Ah, woful mistake was that! For, in her anger at +the slight, Artemis sent a savage boar, with ivory tusks and foaming +mouth, to overrun the lands of Calydon. Many a field did the monster +ravage, many a tree uproot; and all the growing vines, which late had +borne so rich a vintage, were trampled to the ground. + +"Sadly troubled was Oineus, and he knew not what to do. For the fierce +beast could not be slain, but with his terrible tusks he had sent many +a rash hunter to an untimely death. Then the young man Meleager said, +'I will call together the heroes of Greece, and we will hunt the boar +in the wood of Calydon.' + +"So at the call of Meleager, the warriors flocked from every land, to +join in the hunt of the fierce wild boar. Among them came Castor and +Pollux, the twin brothers; and Idas, the boaster, the father-in-law of +Meleager; and mighty Jason, captain of the Argo; and Atalanta, the +swift-footed daughter of Iasus, of Arcadia; and many Acarnanian +huntsmen led by the brothers of Queen Althea. Thither also did I +hasten, although men spitefully said that I was far more skilful in +taking tame beasts than in slaying wild ones. + +"Nine days we feasted in the halls of Oineus; and every day we tried +our skill with bows and arrows, and tested the strength of our +well-seasoned spears. On the tenth, the bugles sounded, and hounds and +huntsmen gathered in the courtyard of the chief, chafing for the hunt. + +"Soon we sallied forth from the town, a hundred huntsmen, with dogs +innumerable. Through the fields and orchards, laid waste by the savage +beast, we passed; and Atalanta, keen of sight and swift of foot, her +long hair floating in the wind behind her, led all the rest. It was +not long until, in a narrow dell once green with vines and trees, but +now strewn thick with withered branches, we roused the fierce creature +from his lair. + +"At first he fled, followed closely by the baying hounds. Then +suddenly he faced his foes; with gnashing teeth and bloodshot eyes, he +charged furiously upon them. A score of hounds were slain outright; +and Cepheus, of Arcadia, rushing blindly onward, was caught by the +beast, and torn in pieces by his sharp tusks. Then swift-footed +Atalanta, bounding forward, struck the beast a deadly blow with her +spear. He stopped short, and ceased his furious onslaught. + +"Terrible were the cries of the wounded creature, as he made a last +charge upon the huntsmen. But Meleager with a skilful sword-thrust +pierced his heart and the beast fell weltering in his gore. Great joy +filled the hearts of the Calydonians when they saw the scourge of their +land laid low and helpless. They quickly flayed the beast, and the +heroes who had shared in the hunt divided the flesh among them; but the +head and the bristly hide they offered to Meleager. + +"'Not to me does the prize belong,' he cried, 'but to Atalanta, the +swift-footed huntress. For the first wound--the true death stroke, +indeed--was given by her; and to her, woman though she be, all honor +and the prize must be awarded.' + +"With these words, he bore the grinning head and the bristly hide to +the young huntress, and laid them at her feet. Then his uncles, the +brothers of Queen Althea, rushed angrily forward, saying that no woman +should ever bear a prize away from them; and they seized the hide, and +would have taken it away, had not Meleager forbidden them. Yet they +would not loose their hold upon the prize, but drew their swords, and +wrathfully threatened Meleager's life. + +"The hero's heart grew hot within him, and he shrank not from the +affray. Long and fearful was the struggle--uncles against nephew; but +in the end the brothers of Althea lay bleeding upon the ground, while +the victor brought again the boar's hide, and laid it the second time +at Atalanta's feet. The fair huntress took the prize, and carried it +away with her to deck her father's hall in the pleasant Arcadian land. +And the heroes, when they had feasted nine other days with King Oineus, +betook themselves to their own homes. + +"But the hearts of the Acarnanian hunters were bitter toward Meleager, +because no part of the wild boar was awarded to them. They called +their chiefs around them, and all their brave men, and made war upon +King Oineus and Meleager. Many battles did they fight round Calydon; +yet so long as Meleager led his warriors to the fray, the Acarnanians +fared but ill. + +"Then Queen Althea, filled with grief for her brothers' untimely fate, +forgot her love for her son, and prayed that her Acarnanian kinsmen +might prevail against him. Upon the hard earth she knelt: she beat the +ground with her hands, and heaped the dust about her; and, weeping +bitter tears, she called upon Hades to avenge her of Meleager. And +even as she prayed, the pitiless Furies, wandering amid the darkness, +heard her cries, and came, obedient to her wishes. + +"When Meleager heard that his mother had turned against him, he +withdrew in sorrow to his own house, and sought comfort and peace with +his wife, fair Cleopatra; and he would not lead his warriors any more +to battle against the Acarnanians. Then the enemy besieged the city: a +fearful tumult rose about the gates; the high towers were assaulted, +and everywhere the Calydonians were driven back dismayed and beaten. + +"With uplifted hands and tearful eyes, King Oineus and the elders of +the city came to Meleager, and besought him to take the field again. +Rich gifts they offered him. They bade him choose for his own the most +fertile farm in Calydon--at the least fifty acres, half for tillage and +half for vines; but he would not listen to them. + +"The din of battle thickened outside the gates; the towers shook with +the thundering blows of the besiegers. Old Oineus with trembling limbs +climbed up the stairway to his son's secluded chamber, and, weeping, +prayed him to come down and save the city from fire and pillage. Still +he kept silent, and went not. His sisters came, and his most trusted +friends. 'Come, Meleager,' they prayed, 'forget thy grief, and think +only of our great need. Aid thy people, or we shall all perish!' + +"None of these prayers moved him. The gates were beaten down; the +enemy was within the walls; the tide of battle shook the very tower +where Meleager sat; the doom of Calydon seemed to be sealed. Then came +the fair Cleopatra, and knelt before her husband, and besought him to +withhold no longer the aid which he alone could give. 'O Meleager,' +she sobbed, 'none but thou can save us. Wilt thou sit still, and see +the city laid in ashes, thy dearest friends slaughtered, and thy wife +and sweet babes dragged from their homes and sold into cruel slavery?' + +"Then Meleager rose and girded on his armor. To the streets he +hastened, shouting his well-known battle cry. Eagerly and hopefully +did the Calydonian warriors rally around him. Fiercely did they meet +the foe. Terrible was the bloodshed. Back from the battered gates and +the crumbling wall the Acarnanian hosts were driven. A panic seized +upon them. They turned and fled, and not many of them escaped the +swords of Meleager's men. + +"Again there was peace in Calydon, and the orchards of King Oineus +blossomed and bore fruit as of old; but the gifts and large rewards +which the elders had promised to Meleager were forgotten. He had saved +his country, but his countrymen were ungrateful. + +"Meleager again laid aside his war gear, and sought the quiet of his +own home and the cheering presence of fair Cleopatra. For the +remembrance of his mother's curse and his country's ingratitude weighed +heavily on his mind, and he cared no longer to mingle with his fellow +men. + +"Then it was that Althea's hatred of her son waxed stronger, and she +thought of the half-burned brand which she had hidden, and of the words +which the Fatal Sisters had spoken so many years before. + +"'He is no longer my son,' said she, 'and why should I withhold the +burning of the brand? He can never again bring comfort to my heart; +for the blood of my brothers, whom I loved, is upon his head.' + +"And she took the charred billet from the place where she had hidden +it, and cast it again into the flames. And as it slowly burned away, +so did the life of Meleager wane. Lovingly he bade his wife farewell; +softly he whispered a prayer to the unseen powers above; and as the +flickering flames of the fatal brand died into darkness, he gently +breathed his last. + +"Then sharp-toothed remorse seized upon Althea, and the mother love +which had slept in her bosom was reawakened. Too late, also, the folk +of Calydon remembered who it was that had saved them from slavery and +death. Down into the comfortless halls of Hades, Althea hastened to +seek her son's forgiveness. The loving heart of Cleopatra, surcharged +with grief, was broken; and her gentle spirit fled to the world of +shades to meet that of her hero-husband. Meleager's sisters would not +be consoled, so great was the sorrow which had come upon them; and they +wept and lamented day and night, until kind Artemis in pity for their +youth changed them into the birds which we call Meleagrides." + + +[1]Autolycus was a famous mountain chief who lived in rude state on the +slopes of Parnassus and was noted for his courage and cunning. He was +the grandfather of Odysseus (Ulysses), to whom the story is supposed to +have been related. + + + + +THE CHOICE OF HERCULES + +When Hercules was a fair-faced youth, and life was all before him, he +went out one morning to do an errand for his stepfather. But as he +walked his heart was full of bitter thoughts; and he murmured because +others no better than himself were living in ease and pleasure, while +for him there was naught but a life of labor and pain. + +As he thought upon these things, he came to a place where two roads +met; and he stopped, not certain which one to take. + +The road on his right was hilly and rough; there was no beauty in it or +about it: but he saw that it led straight toward the blue mountains in +the far distance. + +The road on his left was broad and smooth, with shade trees on either +side, where sang an innumerable choir of birds; and it went winding +among green meadows, where bloomed countless flowers: but it ended in +fog and mist long before it reached the wonderful blue mountains in the +distance. + +While the lad stood in doubt as to these roads, he saw two fair women +coming toward him, each on a different road. The one who came by the +flowery way reached him first, and Hercules saw that she was as +beautiful as a summer day. + +Her cheeks were red, her eyes sparkled; she, spoke warm, persuasive +words. "O noble youth," she said, "be no longer bowed down with labor +and sore trials, but come and follow me, I will lead you into pleasant +paths, where there are no storms to disturb and no troubles to annoy. +You shall live in ease, with one unending round of music and mirth; and +you shall not want for anything that makes life joyous--sparkling wine, +or soft couches, or rich robes, or the loving eyes of beautiful +maidens. Come with me, and life shall be to you a day-dream of +gladness." + +By this time the other fair woman had drawn near, and she now spoke to +the lad. "I have nothing to promise you," said she, "save that which +you shall win with your own strength. The road upon which I would lead +you is uneven and hard, and climbs many a hill, and descends into many +a valley and quagmire. The views which you will sometimes get from the +hilltops are grand and glorious, but the deep valleys are dark, and the +ascent from them is toilsome. Nevertheless, the road leads to the blue +mountains of endless fame, which you see far away on the horizon. They +cannot be reached without labor; in fact, there is nothing worth having +that must not be won by toil. If you would have fruits and flowers, +you must plant them and care for them; if you would gain the love of +your fellow men, you must love them and suffer for them; if you would +enjoy the favor of Heaven, you must make yourself worthy of that favor; +if you would have eternal fame, you must not scorn the hard road that +leads to it." + +Then Hercules saw that this lady, although she was as beautiful as the +other, had a countenance pure and gentle, like the sky on a balmy +morning in May. + +"What is your name?" he asked. + +"Some call me Labor," she answered, "but others know me as Virtue." + +Then he turned to the first lady. "And what is your name?" he asked. + +"Some call me Pleasure," she said, with a bewitching smile, "but I +choose to be known as the Joyous and Happy One." + +"Virtue," said Hercules, "I will take thee as my guide! The road of +labor and honest effort shall be mine, and my heart shall no longer +cherish bitterness or discontent." + +And he put his hand into that of Virtue, and entered with her upon the +straight and forbidding road which leads to the fair blue mountains on +the pale and distant horizon. + + + + +ALPHEUS AND ARETHUSA + +In Arcadia there is a little mountain stream called Alpheus. It flows +through woods and meadows and among the hills for many miles, and then +it sinks beneath the rocks. Farther down the valley it rises again, +and dancing and sparkling, as if in happy chase of something, it +hurries onward towards the plain; but soon it hides itself a second +time in underground caverns, making its way through rocky tunnels where +the light of day has never been. Then at last it gushes once more from +its prison chambers; and, flowing thence with many windings through the +fields of Elis, it empties its waters into the sea. + +Years ago there was no river Alpheus; the channel through which it +flows had not then been hollowed out, and rank grass and tall bending +reeds grew thick where now its waters sparkle brightest. It was then +that a huntsman, bearing the name of Alpheus, ranged through the woods, +and chased the wild deer among the glades and glens of sweet Arcadia. +Far away by the lonely sea dwelt his fair young wife, and his lovely +babe Orsilochus; but dearer than home or wife or babe to Alpheus, was +the free life of the huntsman among the mountain solitudes. For he +loved the woods and the blue sky and the singing birds, and the frail +flowers upon the hillside; and he longed to live among them always, +where his ears could listen to their music, and his eyes look upon +their beauty. + +"O Artemis, huntress queen!" he cried, "I ask but one boon of thee. +Let me ramble forever among these happy scenes!" + +Artemis heard him, and answered his prayer. For, as he spoke, a bright +vision passed before him. A sweet-faced maiden went tripping down the +valley, culling the choicest flowers, and singing of hope and joy and +the blessedness of a life pure and true. It was Arethusa, the Arcadian +nymph, by some supposed to be a daughter of old Nereus, the elder of +the sea. + +Then Alpheus heard no more the songs of the birds, or the music of the +breeze; he saw no longer the blue sky above him, or the nodding flowers +at his feet: he was blind and deaf to all the world, save only the +beautiful nymph. Arethusa was the world to him. + +He reached out his arms to catch her; but, swifter than a frightened +deer, she fled down the valley, through deep ravines and grassy glades +and rocky caverns underneath the hills, and out into the grassy +meadows, and across the plains of Elis, to the sounding sea. And +Alpheus followed, forgetful of everything but the fleeing vision. +When, at length, he reached the sea, he looked back; and, lo! he was no +longer a huntsman, but a river doomed to meander forever among the +scenes, for love of which he had forgotten his wife and his babe and +the duties of life. It was thus that Artemis answered his prayer. + +And men say that Arethusa, the nymph, was afterwards changed into a +fountain; and that to this day, in the far-off island of Ortygia, that +fountain gushes from the rocks in an unfailing, crystal stream. But +Orsilochus, the babe forgotten by his father, grew to manhood, and in +course of time became the king of the seafaring people of Messene. + + + + +THE GOLDEN APPLE + +RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR[1] + +"There is a cavern somewhere on Mount Pelion larger by far and a +thousand times more beautiful than this; but its doorway is hidden to +mortals, and but few men have ever stood beneath its vaulted roof. In +that cavern the ever-living ones who oversee the affairs of men, once +held high carnival; for they had met there at the marriage feast of +King Peleus, and the woods and rocks of mighty Pelion echoed with the +sound of their merry-making. But wherefore should the marriage feast +of a mortal be held in such a place and with guests so noble and so +great? I will tell you. + +"After Peleus had escaped from a plot which some wicked men had made +for his destruction, he dwelt long time with me, who am his +grandfather. But the days seemed long to him, thus shut out from +fellowship with men, and the sun seemed to move slowly in the heavens; +and often he would walk around to the other side of the mountain, and +sitting upon a great rock, he would gaze for long hours upon the purple +waters of the sea. One morning as thus he sat, he saw the sea nymph +Thetis come up out of the waves and walk upon the shore beneath him. +Fairer than a dream was she--more beautiful than any picture of nymph +or goddess. She was clad in a robe of green silk, woven by the sea +maidens in their watery grottoes; and there was a chaplet of pearls +upon her head, and sandals of sparkling silver were upon her feet. + +"As Peleus gazed upon this lovely creature, he heard a voice whispering +in his ear. It was the voice of wise Athena. + +"'Most luckless of mortal men,' she said, 'there is recompense in store +for those who repent of their wrong-doing, and who, leaving the paths +of error, turn again to the road of virtue. The immortals have seen +thy sorrow for the evil deeds of thy youth, and they have looked with +pity upon thee in thy misfortunes. And now thy days of exile and of +sore punishment are drawing to an end. Behold the silver-footed +Thetis, most beautiful of the nymphs of the sea, whom even the +immortals have wooed in vain! She has been sent to this shore, to be +won and wedded by thee.' + +"Peleus looked up to see the speaker of these words, but he beheld only +a blue cloud resting above the mountain-top; he turned his eyes +downward again, and, to his grief, the silver-footed Thetis had +vanished in the waves. All day he sat and waited for her return, but +she came not. When darkness began to fall he sought me in my cave +hall, and told me what he had seen and heard; and I taught him how to +win the sea nymph for his bride. + +"So when the sun again gilded the crags of Pelion, brave Peleus hid +himself among the rocks close by the sea-washed shore, and waited for +the coming of the silver-footed lady of the sea. In a little time she +rose, beautiful as the star of morning, from the waves. She sat down +upon the beach, and dallied with her golden tresses, and sang sweet +songs of a happy land in the depths of the sounding sea. Peleus, +bearing in mind what I had taught him, arose from his hiding-place, and +caught the beauteous creature in his arms. In vain did she struggle to +leap into the waves. Seven times she changed her form as he held her: +by turns she changed into a fountain of water, into a cloud of mist, +into a burning flame, and into a senseless rock. But Peleus held her +fast; and she changed then into a tawny lion, and then into a tall +tree, and lastly she took her own matchless form again. + +"Then Peleus held the lovely Thetis by the hand, and they walked long +time together upon the beach, while the birds sang among the trees on +Pelion's leafy slopes, and the dolphins sported in the waters at their +feet. Thus Peleus wooed the silver-footed lady, and won her love, and +she promised to be his bride. Then the immortals were glad; and they +fitted up the great cavern on Mount Pelion for a banquet hall, and made +therein a wedding feast, such as was never seen before. The vaulted +roof of the cavern was decked with gems which shone like the stars of +heaven; a thousand torches, held by lovely mountain nymphs, flamed from +the niches in the high walls; and upon the floor of polished marble, +tables for a thousand guests were ranged. + +"When the wedding feast was ready, all those who live on high Olympus, +and all the immortals who dwell upon the earth, came to rejoice with +King Peleus and his matchless bride; and they brought rich presents for +the bridegroom, such as were never given to another man. One gave him +a suit of armor, rich and fair, a wonder to behold, which lame Vulcan +with rare skill had wrought and fashioned. One bestowed on him the +peerless horses, Ballos and Xanthos, and a deftly wrought chariot with +trimmings of gold. And I, one of the least of the guests, gave him an +ashen spear which I had cut on the mountain top and fashioned with my +own hands. + +"At the tables sat Zeus, the father of gods and men; and his wife, the +white-armed Hera; and smile-loving Aphrodite; and gray-eyed Athena; and +all the wisest and the fairest of the immortals. The nymphs of the sea +danced in honor of Thetis their sister; and the Muses sang their +sweetest songs; and Apollo played upon the lyre. The Fates, too, were +there: sad Clotho, twirling her spindle; unloving Lachesis, with +wrinkled lips ready to speak the fatal word; and pitiless Atropos, +holding in her hand the unsparing shears. And around the table passed +the youthful and joy-giving Hebe, pouring out rich draughts of nectar +for the guests. + +"But there was one among all the immortals who had not been invited to +the wedding; it was Eris, the daughter of War and Hate. Her scowling +features, and her hot and hasty manners, were ill suited to grace a +feast where all should be mirth and gladness; yet in her evil heart she +planned to be avenged for the slight which had been put upon her. +While the merry-making was at its height, and the company were +listening to the music from Apollo's lyre, she came unseen into the +hall, and threw a golden apple upon the table. No one knew whence the +apple came; but on it were written these words, 'FOR THE FAIREST.' + +"'To whom does it belong?' asked Zeus, stroking his brows in sad +perplexity. + +"The music ceased, and mirth and jollity fled at once from the banquet. +The torches, which lit up the scene, flickered and smoked; the lustre +of the gems in the vaulted roof was dimmed; dark clouds canopied the +great hall: for Eris had taken her place at the table, uninvited and +unwelcome though she was. + +"'The apple belongs to me,' said Hera, trying to snatch it; 'for I am +the queen, and gods and men honor me as having no peer on earth.' + +"'Not so!' cried red-lipped Aphrodite. 'With me dwell Love and Joy; +and not only do gods and men sing my praises, but all nature rejoices +in my presence. The apple is mine, and I will have it!' + +"Then Athena joined in the quarrel. 'What is it to be a queen,' said +she, 'if at the same time one lacks that good temper which sweetens +life? What is it to have a handsome form and face, while the mind is +uncouth and ill-looking? Beauty of mind is better than beauty of face; +for the former is immortal, while the latter fades and dies. Hence no +one has a better right than I to be called the fairest.' + +"Then the strife spread among the guests in the hall, each taking sides +with the one he loved best; and, where peace and merriment had reigned, +now hot words and bitter wrangling were heard. And had not Zeus bidden +them keep silence, thus putting an end to the quarrel, all Pelion would +have been rent, and the earth shaken to its centre in the mellay that +would have followed. + +"'Let us waste no words over this matter,' he said. 'It is not for the +immortals to say who of their number is most beautiful. But on the +slopes of Mount Ida, far across the sea, the fairest of the sons of +men--Paris, a prince of Troy--keeps his flocks; let him judge who is +fairest, and let the apple be hers to whom he gives it.' + +"Then Hermes, the swift-footed messenger, arose, and led the three +goddesses over sea and land to distant Mount Ida, where Paris, with no +thought of the wonderful life which lay before him, piped on his +shepherd's reeds, and tended his flock of sheep." + + + +[1]Cheiron the Centaur lived in a cavern on Mount Pelion and was +reputed to be the wisest of mortals. All the young heroes of the time, +Jason, Achilles, and others, were his pupils and spent their boyhood +with him. He is sometimes represented as having the head of a man and +the body of a horse; but it is probable that he was only one of a race +of men noted for their skill in horsemanship. This story is supposed +to have been related by him to young Odysseus (Ulysses), who visited +him in his cavern. + + + + +PARIS AND CENONE + +RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR + +"On the other side of the sea there stands a city, rich and mighty, the +like of which there is none in Greece. The name of this city is Troy, +although its inhabitants call it Ilios. There an old man, named Priam, +rules over a happy and peace-loving people. He dwells in a great +palace of polished marble, on a hill overlooking the plain; and his +granaries are stored with corn, and his flocks and herds are pastured +on the hills and mountain slopes behind the city. + +"Many sons has King Priam; and they are brave and noble youths, well +worthy of such a father. The eldest of these sons is Hector, who, the +Trojans hope, will live to bring great honor to his native land. + +"Just before the second son was born, a strange thing troubled the +family of old Priam. The queen dreamed that her babe had turned into a +firebrand, which burned up the walls and the high towers of Troy, and +left but smouldering ashes where once the proud city stood. She told +the king her dream; and when the child was born, they called a +soothsayer, who could foresee the mysteries of the future, and they +asked him what the vision meant. + +"'It means,' said he, 'that this babe, if he lives, shall be a +firebrand in Troy, and shall turn its walls and its high towers into +heaps of smouldering ashes.' + +"'But what shall be done with the child, that he may not do this +terrible thing?' asked Priam, greatly sorrowing, for the babe was very +beautiful. + +"'Do not suffer that he shall live,' answered the soothsayer. + +"Priam, the gentlest and most kind-hearted of men, could not bear to +harm the babe. So he called his master shepherd, and bade him take the +helpless child into the thick woods, which grow high up on the slopes +of Mount Ida, behind the city, and there to leave him alone. The wild +beasts that roam among those woods, he thought, would doubtless find +him, or, in any case, he could not live long without care and +nourishment; and thus the dangerous brand would be quenched while yet +it was scarcely a spark. + +"The shepherd did as he was bidden, although it cost his heart many a +sharp pang thus to deal barbarously with the innocent. He laid the +smiling infant, wrapped in its broidered tunic, close by the foot of an +oak, and then hurried away that he might not hear its cries. + +"But the nymphs who haunt the woods and groves, saw the babe, and +pitied its helplessness, and cared for it so that it did not die. Some +brought it yellow honey from the stores of the wild bees; some fed it +with milk from the white goats that pastured on the mountain side; and +others stood as sentinels around it, guarding it from the wolves and +bears. + +"Thus five days passed, and then the shepherd, who could not forget the +babe, came cautiously to the spot to see if, mayhap, even its broidered +cloak had been spared by the beasts. Sorrowful and shuddering he +glanced toward the foot of the tree. To his surprise, the babe was +still there; it looked up and smiled, and stretched its fat hands +toward him. The shepherd's heart would not let him turn away the +second time. He took the child in his arms, and carried it to his own +humble home in the valley, where he cared for it and brought it up as +his own son. + +"The boy grew to be very tall and very handsome; and he was so brave, +and so helpful to the shepherds around Mount Ida, that they called him +Alexandros, or the helper of men; but his foster-father named him +Paris. As he tended his sheep in the mountain dells, he met Oenone, +the fairest of the river maidens, guileless and pure as the waters of +the stream by whose banks she loved to wander. Day after day he sat +with her in the shadow of her woodland home, and talked of innocence +and beauty, and of a life of sweet contentment, and of love; and the +maiden listened to him with wide-open eyes and a heart full of +trustfulness and faith. + +"By and by, Paris and Oenone were wedded; and their little cottage in +the mountain glen was the fairest and happiest spot in Ilios. The days +sped swiftly by, and neither of them dreamed that any sorrow was in +store for them; and to Oenone her shepherd husband was all the world, +because he was so noble and brave and handsome and gentle. + +"One warm summer afternoon, Paris sat in the shade of a tree at the +foot of Mount Ida, while his flocks were pasturing upon the hillside +before him. The bees were humming lazily among the flowers; the +cicadas were chirping among the leaves above his head; and now and then +a bird twittered softly among the bushes behind him. All else was +still, as if enjoying to the full the delicious calm of that pleasant +day. + +"Paris was fashioning a slender reed into a shepherd's flute; while +Oenone, sitting in the deeper shadows of some clustering vines, was +busy with some simple piece of needlework. + +"A sound as of sweet music caused the young shepherd to raise his eyes. +Before him stood the four immortals, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, and +Hermes the messenger; their faces shone with a dazzling radiance, and +they were fairer than any tongue can describe. At their feet rare +flowers sprang up, crocuses and asphodels and white lilies; and the air +was filled with the odor of orange blossoms. Paris, scarce knowing +what he did, arose to greet them. No handsomer youth ever stood in the +presence of beauty. Straight as a mountain pine was he; a leopard-skin +hung carelessly upon his shoulders; his head was bare, but his locks +clustered round his temples in sunny curls, and formed fit framework +for his fair brows. + +"Hermes spoke first: 'Paris, we have come to seek thy help; there is +strife among the folk who dwell on Mount Olympus. Here are Hera, +Athena, and Aphrodite, each claiming to be the fairest, and each +clamoring for this prize, this golden apple. Now we pray that you will +judge this matter, and give the apple to the one whom you may deem most +beautiful.' + +"Then Hera began her plea at once: 'I know that I am fairest,' she +said, 'for I am queen, and mine it is to rule among gods and men. Give +me the prize, and you shall have wealth, and a kingdom, and great +glory; and men in aftertimes shall sing your praises.' + +"And Paris was half tempted to give the apple, without further ado, to +Hera, the proud queen. But gray-eyed Athena spoke: 'There is that, +fair youth, which is better than riches or honor or great glory. +Listen to me, and I will give thee wisdom and a pure heart; and thy +life shall be crowned with peace, and sweetened with love, and made +strong by knowledge. And though men may not sing of thee in +after-times, thou shall find lasting happiness in the answer of a good +conscience towards all things." + +"Then Oenone whispered from her place among the leaves, 'Give the prize +to Athena; she is the fairest.' And Paris would have placed the golden +apple in her hand, had not Aphrodite stepped quickly forward, and in +the sweetest, merriest tones, addressed him. + +"'You may look at my face, and judge for yourself as to whether I am +fair,' said she laughing, and tossing her curls. 'All I shall say is +this: Give me the prize, and you shall have for your wife the most +beautiful woman in the world.' + +"The heart of Oenone stood still as Paris placed the apple in +Aphrodite's hand; and a nameless dread came over her, as if the earth +were sinking beneath her feet. But the next moment the blood came back +to her cheeks, and she breathed free and strong again; for she heard +Paris say, 'I have a wife, Oenone, who to me is the loveliest of +mortals, and I care not for your offer; yet I give to you the apple, +for I know that you are the fairest among the deathless ones who live +on high Olympus.'" + + +"On the very next day it happened that King Priam sat thoughtfully in +his palace, and all his boys and girls--nearly fifty in number--were +about him. His mind turned sadly to the little babe whom he had sent +away, many years ago, to die alone on wooded Ida. And he said to +himself, 'The child has been long dead, and yet no feast has been given +to the gods that they may make his little spirit glad in the shadowy +land of Hades. This must not be neglected longer. Within three days a +feast must be made, and we will hold games in his honor.' + +"Then he called his servants, and bade them go to the pastures on Mount +Ida, and choose from the herds that were there the fattest and +handsomest bull, to be given as a prize to the winner in the games. +And he proclaimed through all Ilios, that on the third day there would +be a great feast in his palace, and games would be held in honor of the +little babe who had died twenty years before. + +"Now, when the servants came to Mount Ida, they chose a bull for which +Paris had long cared, and which he loved more than any other. He +protested and would not let the beast be driven from the pasture until +it was agreed that he might go to the city with it and contend in the +games for the prize. But Oenone, the river nymph, wept and prayed him +not to go. + +"'Leave not the pleasant pasture lands of Ida, even for a day,' said +she; 'for my heart tells me that you will not return.' + +"'Think not so, my fair one,' said Paris. 'Did not Aphrodite promise +that the most beautiful woman in the world shall be my wife? And who +is more beautiful than my own Oenone? Dry now your tears; for when I +have won the prizes in the games I will come back to you, and never +leave you again.' + +"Then the grief of Oenone waxed still greater. 'If you will go,' she +cried, 'then hear my warning! Long years shall pass ere you shall come +again to wooded Ida, and the hearts which now are young shall grow old +and feeble by reason of much sorrow. Cruel war and many dire disasters +shall overtake you, and death shall be nigh unto you; and then Oenone, +although long forgotten by you, will hasten to your side, to help and +to heal and to forgive, that so the old love may live again. Farewell!' + +"Then Paris kissed his wife, and hastened, light of heart, to Troy. +How could it be otherwise but that, in the games which followed, the +handsome young shepherd should carry off all the prizes? + +"'Who are you?' asked the king. + +"'My name is Paris,' answered the shepherd, 'and I feed the flocks and +herds on wooded Ida.' + +"Then Hector, full of wrath because of his own failure to win a prize, +came forward to dispute with Paris. + +"'Stand there, Hector,' cried old Priam; 'stand close to the young +shepherd, and let us look at you!' Then turning to the queen, he +asked, 'Did you ever see two so nearly alike? The shepherd is fairer +and of slighter build, it is true; but they have the same eye, the same +frown, the same smile, the same motion of the shoulders, the same walk. +Ah, what if the young babe did not die after all?' + +"Then Priam's daughter, Cassandra, who had the gift of prophecy, cried +out, 'Oh, blind of eye and heart, that you cannot see in this young +shepherd the child whom you sent to sleep the sleep of death on Ida's +wooded slopes!' + +"And so it came about, that Paris was taken into his father's house, +and given the place of honor which was his by right. And he forgot +Oenone, his fair young wife, and left her to pine in loneliness among +the woods and in the narrow dells of sunny Ida." + + + + +HESIONE + +RELATED BY MENELAUS[1] + +With troubled brow and anxious heart, Menelaus sat in Nestor's halls, +and told the story of his wrongs. Behind him stood his brother, +Agamemnon, tall and strong, and with eye and forehead like mighty Zeus. +Before him, seated on a fair embroidered couch, was the aged Nestor, +listening with eager ears. Close by his feet two heroes sat: on this +side, Antilochus, the valiant son of Nestor; and on that, sage +Palamedes, prince of Euboea's distant shores. The last had just +arrived, and had not learned the errand that had brought Menelaus +hither. + +"Tell again the story of your visit to Troy," said Nestor. "Our guest, +good Palamedes, would fain hear it; and I doubt not that he may be of +service in your cause. Tell us the whole story, for we would all know +more about the famous city and its kingly rulers." + +Then Menelaus began once more at the beginning. + + +THE STORY + +There is no need that I should speak of my long voyage to Troy, or of +the causes which persuaded me to undertake it. When I drew near the +lofty walls of the city, and through the gate, which is called Scaean, +could see the rows of stately dwellings and the busy market-place and +the crowds of people, I stopped there in wonder, hesitating to venture +farther. + +Then I sent a herald to the gate, who should make known my name and +lineage and the errand upon which I had come; but I waited without in +the shade of a spreading beech, not far from the towering wall. Before +me stood the mighty city; behind me the fertile plain sloped gently to +the sea; on my right hand flowed the sparkling waters of the river +Scamander; while much farther, and on the other side, the wooded peak +of Ida lifted itself toward the clouds. + +But I had not long to view this scene; for a noble company of men led +by Paris himself, handsome as Apollo, came out of the gate to welcome +me. With words of greeting from the king, they bade me enter within +the walls. They led me through the Scaean gate and along the +well-paved streets, until we came, at last, to King Priam's hall. + +It was a splendid house with broad doorways and polished porticos, and +marble columns richly carved. Within were fifty chambers, joining one +another, all walled with polished stone; in these abode the fifty sons +of Priam with their wedded wives. On the other side, and opening into +the court, were twelve chambers built for his daughters; while over all +were the sleeping-rooms for that noble household, and around were +galleries and stairways leading to the king's great hall below. + +King Priam received me kindly, and, when he understood my errand, left +naught undone to help me forward with my wishes. Ten days I abode as a +guest in his halls, and when I would return to Greece he pressed me to +tarry yet a month in Troy. But the winds were fair, and the oracles +promised a pleasant voyage, and I begged that on the twelfth day he +would let me depart. So he and his sons brought many gifts, rich and +beautiful, and laid them at my feet--a fair mantle, and a doublet, and +a talent of fine gold, and a sword with a silver-studded hilt, and a +drinking-cup richly engraved that I might remember them when I pour +libations to the gods. + +"Take these gifts," said Priam, "as tokens of our friendship for you, +and not only for you, but for all who dwell in distant Greece. For we +too are the children of the immortals. Our mighty ancestor, Dardanus, +was the son of Zeus. He it was who built Dardania on the slopes of +Ida, where the waters gush in many silvery streams from underneath the +rocky earth. + +"A grandson of Dardanus was Ilus, famous in song and story, and to him +was born Laomedon, who in his old age became my father. He, though my +sire, did many unwise things, and brought sore distress upon the people +of this land. + +"One day Apollo and Poseidon came to Troy, disguised as humble +wayfarers seeking some employment. This they did because so ordered by +mighty Zeus. + +"'What can you do?' asked my father, when the two had told their wishes. + +"Poseidon answered, 'I am a builder of walls.' + +"And Apollo answered, 'I am a shepherd, and a tender of herds.' + +"'It is well,' answered Laomedon. 'The wall-builder shall build a wall +around this Troy so high and strong that no enemy can pass it. The +shepherd shall tend my herds of crook-horned kine on the wooded slopes +of Ida. If at the end of a twelvemonth, the wall be built, and if the +cattle thrive without loss of one, then I will pay you your hire: a +talent of gold, two tripods of silver, rich robes, and armor such as +heroes wear.' + +"So the two served my father through the year for the hire which he had +promised. Poseidon built a wall, high and fair, around the city; and +Apollo tended the shambling kine, and lost not one. But when they +claimed their hire, Laomedon drove them away with threats, telling them +that he would bind their feet and hands together, and sell them as +slaves into some distant land, having first sheared off their ears with +his sharp sword. And they went away with angry hearts, planning in +their minds how they might avenge themselves. + +"Back to his watery kingdom, and his golden palace beneath the sea, +went great Poseidon. He harnessed his steeds to his chariot, and rode +forth upon the waves. He loosed the winds from their prison house, and +sent them raging over the sea. The angry waters rushed in upon the +land; they covered the pastures and the rich plain of Troy, and +threatened even to beat down the walls which their king had built. + +"Then little by little, the flood shrank back again; and the people +went out of the city to see the waste of slime and black mud which +covered their meadows. While they were gazing upon the scene, a +fearful monster, sent by angry Poseidon, came up out of the sea, and +fell upon them, and drove them with hideous slaughter back to the city +gates; neither would he allow any one to come outside of the walls. + +"Then my father, in his great distress, clad himself in mourning, and +went in deep humility to the temple of Athena. In much distress, he +called unto the goddess, and besought to know the means whereby the +anger of Poseidon might be assuaged. And in solemn tones a voice +replied, saying: + +"'Every day one of the maidens of Troy must be fed to the monster +outside of the walls. The shaker of the earth has spoken. Disobey him +not, lest more cruel punishments befall thee.' + +"Then in every house of Troy there was sore dismay and lamentation, for +no one knew upon whom the doom would soonest fall. And every day a +hapless maiden, young and fair, was chained to the great rock by the +shore, and left there to be the food of the pitiless monster. And the +people cried aloud in their distress, and cursed the mighty walls and +the high towers which had been reared by the unpaid labors of Poseidon; +and my father sat upon his high seat, and trembled because of the +calamities which his own deeds had brought upon his people. + +"At last, after many humbler victims had perished, the lot fell upon +the fairest of my sisters, Hesione, my father's best-loved daughter. +In sorrow we arrayed her in garments befitting one doomed to an +untimely death; and when we had bidden her a last farewell, we gave her +to the heralds and the priests to lead forth to the place of sacrifice. + +"Just then, however, a noble stranger, taller and more stately than any +man in Troy, came down the street. Fair-haired and blue-eyed, handsome +and strong, he seemed a very god to all who looked upon him. Over his +shoulder he wore the tawny skin of a lion, while in his hand he carried +a club most wonderful to behold. And the people, as he passed, prayed +him that he would free our city from the monster that was robbing us of +our loved ones. + +"'I know that thou art a god!' cried my father, when he saw the +stranger. 'I pray thee, save my daughter, who even now is being led +forth to a cruel death!' + +"'You make mistake,' answered the fair stranger. 'I am not one of the +gods. My name is Hercules, and like you I am mortal. Yet I may help +you in this your time of need.' + +"Now, in my father's stables there were twelve fair steeds, the best +that the earth ever knew. So light of foot were they, that when they +bounded over the land, they might run upon the topmost ears of ripened +corn, and break them not; and when they bounded over the sea, not even +Poseidon's steeds could glide so lightly upon the crests of the waves. +Some say they were the steeds of North Wind given to my grandfather by +the powers above. These steeds, my father promised to give to Hercules +if he would save Hesione. + +"Then the heralds led my fair sister to the shore, and chained her to +the rock, there to wait for the coming of the monster. But Hercules +stood near her, fearless in his strength. Soon the waves began to +rise; the waters were disturbed, and the beast, with hoarse bellowings, +lifted his head above the breakers, and rushed forward to seize his +prey. Then the hero sprang to meet him. With blow upon blow from his +mighty club, he felled the monster; the waters of the sea were reddened +with blood; Hesione was saved, and Troy was freed from the dreadful +curse. + +"'Behold thy daughter!' said Hercules, leading her gently back to the +city, and giving her to her father. 'I have saved her from the jaws of +death, and delivered your country from the dread scourge. Give me now +my hire.' + +"Shame fills my heart as I tell this story, for thanklessness was the +bane of my father's life. Ungrateful to the hero who had risked so +much and done so much that our homes and our country might be saved +from ruin, he turned coldly away from Hercules; then he shut the great +gates in his face, and barred him out of the city, and taunted him from +the walls, saying, 'I owe thee no hire! Begone from our coasts, ere I +scourge thee hence!' + +"Full of wrath, the hero turned away. 'I go, but I will come again,' +he said. + +"Then peace and plenty blessed once more the city of Troy, and men +forgot the perils from which they had been delivered. But ere long, +great Hercules returned, as he had promised; and with him came a fleet +of white-sailed ships and many warriors. Neither gates nor strong +walls could stand against him. Into the city he marched, and straight +to my father's palace. All fled before him, and the strongest warriors +quailed beneath his glance. Here, in this very court, he slew my +father and my brothers with his terrible arrows. I myself would have +fallen before his wrath, had not my sister, fair Hesione, pleaded for +my life. + +"'I spare his life,' said Hercules, in answer to her prayers, 'for he +is but a lad. Yet he must be my slave until you have paid a price for +him, and thus redeemed him.' + +"Then Hesione took the golden veil from her head, and gave it to the +hero as my purchase price. And thenceforward I was called Priam, or +the purchased; for the name which my mother gave me was Podarkes, or +the fleet-footed. + +"After this Hercules and his heroes went on board their ships and +sailed back across the sea, leaving me alone in my father's halls. For +they took fair Hesione with them, and carried her to Salamis, to be the +wife of Telamon, the father of mighty Ajax. There, through these long +years she has lived in sorrow, far removed from home and friends and +the scenes of her happy childhood. And now that the hero Telamon, to +whom she was wedded, lives no longer, I ween that her life is indeed a +cheerless one." + +"When Priam had finished his tale, he drew his seat still nearer mine, +and looked into my face with anxious, beseeching eyes. Then he said, +'I have long wished to send a ship across the sea to bring my sister +back to Troy. A dark-prowed vessel, built for speed and safety, lies +now at anchor in the harbor, and a picked crew is ready to embark at +any moment. And here is my son Paris, handsome and brave, who is +anxious to make voyage to Salamis, to seek unhappy Hesione. Yet our +seamen have never ventured far from home, and they know nothing of the +dangers of the deep, nor do they feel sure they can find their way to +Greece. And so we have a favor to ask of you; and that is, that when +your ship sails to-morrow, ours may follow in its wake across the sea." + + +Here Menelaus paused as if in deep thought, and not until his listeners +begged him to go on, did he resume his story. + + +[1]Menelaus, king of Lacedaemon, was the husband of Helen, the most +beautiful woman in the world. At the time of his marriage to Helen all +the princes of Greece had vowed to support him against any enemy who +should attempt to defraud him of his rights. This and the following +story tell of his visit to Troy and its results. + + + + +PARIS AND HELEN + +MENELAUS CONTINUES HIS STORY + +"I was glad when King Priam made this request," continued Menelaus, +"for, in truth, I was loath to part with Paris; and I arranged at once +that he should bear me company in my own ship while his vessel with its +crew followed not far behind. + +"And so, being blessed with favoring winds, we made a quick voyage back +to my own country. What followed is too sad for lengthy mention, and +is in part already known to you. Need I tell you how I opened my halls +to Paris, and left no act of courtesy undone that I might make him +happy? Need I tell you how he was welcomed by fair Helen, and how the +summer days fled by on golden wings; and how in the delights of +Lacedaemon he forgot his errand to Salamis, and cared only to remain +with me, my honored guest and trusted friend? + +"One day a message came to me from my old friend Idomeneus. He had +planned a hunt among the mountains and woods of Crete, and he invited +me to join him in the sport. I had not seen Idomeneus since the time +that we together, in friendly contention, sought the hand of Helen. I +could not do otherwise than accept his invitation, for he had sent his +own ship to carry me over to Crete. + +"So I bade farewell to Helen, saying, 'Let not our noble guest lack +entertainment while I am gone; and may the golden hours glide happily +until I come again.' And to Paris I said, 'Tarry another moon in +Lacedasmon; and when I return from Crete, I will go with you to +Salamis, and aid you in your search for Hesione.' + +"Then I went on board the waiting ship, and prospering breezes carried +us without delays to Crete. + +"Idomeneus received me joyfully, and entertained me most royally in his +palace; and for nine days we feasted and made all things ready for the +hunt. But, lo! on the evening of the last day, a vision came to me. +Gold-winged Iris, the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, stood before +me. 'Hasten back to Lacedaemon,' she cried, for thou art robbed of thy +dearest treasure!' And even while she spoke, one of my own ships, came +sailing into the harbor, bringing trusted heralds whom the elders of +Lacedaemon had sent to me. + +"They told me the fatal news. 'No sooner were you well on your way,' +they said, 'than Paris began to put his ship in readiness to depart. +Helen prayed him to tarry until your return, but he would not hearken, +"I will stay no longer," he said. "My seamen rest upon their oars; the +sails of my ship are spread; the breeze will soon spring up that will +carry me across the sea. But you, beauteous Helen, shall go with me; +for the deathless gods have spoken it. Aphrodite, long ago, promised +that the most beautiful woman in the world should be my wife. And who +is that most beautiful woman if it be not yourself? Come! fly over the +sea, and be my queen. It is the will of the gods."' + +"It was thus that the perfidious Trojan wrought the ruin of all that +was dear to me. + +"At first, Helen refused. But Paris is a handsome prince, and day +after day he renewed his suit. Then on the sixth day she yielded. In +the darkness of the night they went on board his waiting vessel, +carrying with them the gold and jewels of my treasure house; and in the +morning, when the sun arose on Lacedaemon, they were far out at sea. + +"You know the rest: how in wrath and great sorrow I hurried home; how I +first counselled with my own elders, and then with my brother +Agamemnon. And now, O noble Nestor, we have come to Pylos, seeking thy +advice. On these two things my mind is set: Helen must be mine again, +and Paris must suffer the punishment due to traitors." + +When Menelaus had ended, sage Nestor answered with many words of +counsel. "Keep the thought of vengeance ever before you," he said. +"Yet act not rashly. The power of Troy is very great; and, in case of +war, all the tribes of Asia will make common cause with her. But an +insult to Lacedaemon is an insult to all Greece, and every loyal Greek +will hasten to avenge it. More than this, the chiefs of almost every +state have already sworn to aid you. We have but to call upon them, +and remind them of their oaths, and the mightiest warriors of our land +will take up arms against the power of Troy." + + + + +IPHIGENIA + +After nearly ten years of preparation, the princes and warriors of +Greece gathered their ships and men together at Aulis, ready to make +war upon Troy. A thousand dark-hulled vessels were moored in the +harbor; and a hundred thousand brave men were on board, ready to follow +their leaders whithersoever they should order. + +Chief of all that host was mighty Agamemnon, king of men. He was clad +in flashing armor, and his mind was filled with overweening pride when +he thought how high he stood among the warriors, and that his men were +the goodliest and bravest of all that host. + +Next to him was Menelaus, silent and discreet, by no means skilled +above his fellows, and yet, by reason of his noble heart, beloved and +honored by all the Greeks; and it was to avenge his wrongs that this +mighty array of men and ships had been gathered together. + +Odysseus came next, shrewd in counsels, earnest and active. He moved +among the men and ships, inspiring all with zeal and courage. + +There, also, was young Achilles, tall and handsome, and swift of foot. +His long hair fell about his shoulders like a shower of gold, and his +gray eyes gleamed like those of the mountain eagle. By the shore lay +his trim ships--fifty in all--with thousands of gallant warriors on +board. + +One day it chanced that Agamemnon, while hunting, started a fine stag, +and gave it a long chase among the hills and through the wooded dells, +until it sought safety in a grove sacred to Artemis, the huntress +queen. The proud king knew that this was a holy place, where beasts +and birds might rest secure from harm; yet he cared naught for what +Artemis had ordained, and with his swift arrows he slew the panting +deer. + +Then was the huntress queen moved with anger, and she declared that the +ships of the Greeks should not sail from Aulis until the king had +atoned for his crime. A great calm rested upon the sea, and not a +breath of air stirred the sails at the mast-heads of the ships. + +Day after day and week after week went by, and not a speck of cloud was +seen in the sky above, and not a ripple on the glassy face of the deep. +All the ships had been put in order, new vessels had been built, the +warriors had burnished their armor and overhauled their arms a thousand +times; and yet no breeze arose to waft them across the sea. And they +began to murmur, and to talk bitterly against Agamemnon and the chiefs. + +At last Agamemnon sent for Calchas, the soothsayer, and asked him in +secret how the anger of the huntress queen might be appeased. And the +soothsayer with tears and lamentations answered that in no wise could +it be done save by the sacrifice to Artemis of the king's daughter, +Iphigenia. + +Then the king cried aloud in his grief, and declared that though Troy +might stand forever, he would not do that thing; and he bade a herald +go through the camp, and among the ships by the shore, and bid every +man depart as he chose to his own country. But before the herald had +gone from his tent, behold, his brother, Menelaus, stood before him +with downcast eyes and saddest of hearts. + +"After ten years of labor and hope," said he to Agamemnon, "wouldst +thou give up this enterprise, and lose all?" + +Then Odysseus came also into the tent, and added his persuasions to +those of Menelaus. The king hearkened to him, for no man was more +crafty in counsel; and the three recalled the herald, and formed a plan +whereby they might please Artemis by doing as she desired. Agamemnon, +in his weakness, wrote a letter to Clytemnestra his queen, telling her +to bring the maiden, Iphigenia, to Aulis, there to be wedded to the +bravest of all the Greeks. + +"_Fail not in this_," added he, "_for the godlike hero will not sail +with us unless my daughter be given to him in marriage_." + +And when he had written the letter, he sealed it, and sent it by a +swift messenger to Clytemnestra at Mycenas. + +Nevertheless the king's heart was full of sorrow, and when he was alone +he planned how he might yet save his daughter. Night came, but he +could not sleep; he walked the floor of his tent; he wept and lamented +like one bereft of reason. At length he sat down, and wrote another +letter: + +"_Daughter of Leda, send not thy child to Aulis, for I will give her in +marriage at another time_." + +Then he called another messenger, an old and trusted servant of the +household, and put this letter into his hands. + +"Take this with all haste to my queen, who, perchance, is even now on +her way to Aulis. Stop not by any cool spring in the groves, and let +not thine eyes close for sleep. And see that the chariot bearing the +queen and Iphigenia pass thee not unnoticed." + +The messenger took the letter and hastened away. But hardly had he +passed the line of the tents when Menelaus saw him, and took the letter +away from him. And when he had read it, he went before his brother, +and reproached him| with bitter words. + +"Before you were chosen captain of the host," said he, "you were kind +and gentle, and the friend of every man. There was nothing that you +would not do to aid your fellows. Now you are puffed up with pride and +vain conceit, and care nothing even for those who are your equals in +power. Yet, for all, you are not rid of your well-known cowardice; and +when you saw that your leadership was likely to be taken away from you +unless you obeyed the commands of Artemis, you agreed to do this thing. +Now you are trying to break your word, sending secretly to your wife, +and bidding her not to bring her daughter to Aulis." + +Then Agamemnon answered, "Why should I destroy my daughter in order to +win back thy wife? Let those who wish go with thee to Troy. In no way +am I bound to serve thee." + +"Do as you will," said Menelaus, going away in wrath. + +Soon after this, there came a herald to the king, saying, "Behold, your +daughter Iphigenia has come as you directed, and with her mother and +her little brother Orestes she rests by the spring close to the outer +line of tents. The warriors have gathered around them, and are +praising her loveliness, and asking many questions; and some say, 'The +king is sick to see his daughter, whom he loves so deeply, and he has +made up some excuse to bring her to the camp.' But I know why you have +brought her here; for I have been told about the wedding, and the noble +groom who is to lead her in marriage; and we will rejoice and be glad, +because this is a happy day for the maiden." + +Then the king was sorely distressed, and knew not what to do. "Sad, +sad, indeed," said he, "is the wedding to which the maiden cometh. For +the name of the bridegroom is Death." + +At the same time Menelaus came back, sorrowful and repentant. "You +were right, my brother," said he. "What, indeed, has Iphigenia to do +with this enterprise, and why should the maiden die for me? Send the +Greeks to their homes, and let not this great wrong be done." + +"But how can I do that now?" asked Agamemnon. "The warriors, urged on +by Odysseus and Calchas, will force me to do the deed. Or, if I flee +to Mycenae, they will follow me, and slay me, and destroy my city. Oh, +woe am I, that such a day should ever dawn upon my sight!" + +Even while they spoke together, the queen's chariot drove up to the +tent door, and the queen and Iphigenia and the little Orestes alighted +quickly, and merrily greeted the king. + +"It is well that you have sent for me, my father," said Iphigenia, +caressing him. + +"It may be well, and yet it may not," said Agamemnon. "I am exceeding +glad to see thee alive and happy." + +"If you are glad, why then do you weep?" + +"I am sad because thou wilt be so long time away from me." + +"Are you going on a very long voyage, father?" + +"A long voyage and a sad one, my child. And thou, also, hast a journey +to make." + +"Must I make it alone, or will my mother go with me?" + +"Thou must make it alone. Neither father nor mother nor any friend can +go with thee, my child." + +"But when shall it be? I pray that you will hasten this matter with +Troy, and return home ere then." + +"It may be so. But I must offer a sacrifice to the gods before we sail +from Aulis." + +"That is well. And may I be present?" + +"Yes, and thou shalt be very close to the altar." + +"Shall I lead in the dances, father?" + +Then the king could say no more, for reason of the great sorrow within +him; and he kissed the maiden, and sent her into the tent. A little +while afterward, the queen came and spoke to him and asked him about +the man to whom their daughter was to be wedded; and Agamemnon, still +dissembling, told her that the hero's name was Achilles, and that he +was the son of old Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. + +"And when and where is the marriage to be?" asked the queen. + +"On the first lucky day in the present moon, and here in our camp at +Aulis," answered Agamemnon. + +"Shall I stay here with thee until then?" + +"Nay, thou must go back to Mycenae without delay." + +"But may I not come again? If I am not here, who will hold up the +torch for the bride?" + +"I will attend to all such matters," answered Agamemnon. + +But Clytemnestra was not well pleased, neither could the king persuade +her at all that she should return to Mycenae. While yet they were +talking, Achilles himself came to the tent door, and said aloud to the +servant who kept it, "Tell thy master that Achilles, the son of Peleus, +would be pleased to see him." + +When Clytemnestra overheard these words, she hastened to the door, and +offered the hero her hand. But he was abashed and drew back, for it +was deemed an unseemly thing for men to speak thus with women. Then +Clytemnestra said, "Why, indeed, should you, who are about to marry my +daughter, be ashamed to give me your hand?" + +Achilles was struck with wonder, and asked her what she meant; and when +she had explained the matter, he said: + +"Truly I have never been a suitor for thy daughter, neither has +Agamemnon or Menelaus spoken a word to me regarding her." + +And now the queen was astonished in her turn, and cried out with shame +that she had been so cruelly deceived. Then the keeper of the door, +who was the same that had been sent with the letter, came forward and +told the truth regarding the whole matter. And Clytemnestra cried to +Achilles, "O son of silver-footed Thetis! Help me and help my daughter +Iphigenia, in this time of sorest need! For we have no friend in all +this host, and none in whom we can confide but thee." + +Achilles answered, "Long time ago I was a pupil of old Cheiron, the +most righteous of men, and from him I learned to be honest and true. +If Agamemnon rule according to right, then I will obey him; but not +otherwise. And now, since thy daughter was brought to this place under +pretence of giving her to me as my bride, I will see that she shall not +be slain, neither shall any one dare take her from me." + +On the following day, while Agamemnon sat grief-stricken in his tent, +the maiden came before him carrying the child Orestes in her arms; and +she cast herself upon her knees at his feet, and caressing his hands, +she thus besought him: + +"Would, dear father, that I had the voice of Orpheus, to whom even the +rocks did listen! then I would persuade thee. O father! I am thy +child. I was the first to call thee 'Father,' and the first to whom +thou saidst 'My child.'" + +The father turned his face away, and wept; he could not speak for +sadness. Then the maiden went on: "O father, hear me! thou to whom my +voice was once so sweet that thou wouldst waken me to hear my prattle. +And when I was older grown, then thou wouldst say to me, 'Some day, my +birdling, thou shalt have a nest of thy own, a home of which thou shalt +be the mistress.' And I did answer, 'Yes, dear father, and when thou +art old I will care for thee, and pay thee with all my heart for the +kindness thou dost show me.' But now thou hast forgotten it all, and +art ready to slay my young life." + +A deep groan burst from the lips of the mighty king, but he spoke not a +word. Then, after a deathlike silence broken only by the deep +breathings of father and child, Iphigenia spoke again: "My father, can +there be any prayer more pure and more persuasive than that of a maiden +for her father's welfare? And when, the cruel knife shall strike me +down, thou wilt have one daughter less to pray for thee." A shudder +shook the frame of Agamemnon, but he answered not a word. + +At that moment Achilles entered. He had come in haste from the tents +beside the shore, and he spoke in hurried, anxious accents. + +"Behold," said he, "a great tumult has arisen in the camp; for Calchas +has given out among the men that you refuse to do what Artemis has +bidden, and that hence these delays and troubles have arisen. And the +rude soldiers are crying out against you, and declaring that the maiden +must die. When I would have stayed their anger, they took up stones to +stone me--my own warriors among the rest. And now they are making +ready to move upon your tent, threatening to sacrifice you also with +your daughter. But I will fight for you to the utmost, and the maiden +shall not die." + +As he was speaking, Calchas entered, and, grasping the wrist of the +pleading maiden, lifted her to her feet. She looked up, and saw his +stony face and hard cold eyes; and turning again to Agamemnon, she +said, "O father, the ships shall sail, for I will die for thee." + +Then Achilles said to her, "Fair maiden, thou art by far the noblest +and most lovely of thy sex. Fain would I save thee from this fate, +even though every man in Greece be against me. Fly with me quickly to +my long-oared ship, and I will carry thee safely away from this +accursed place." + +"Not so," answered Iphigenia: "I will give up my life for my father and +this land of the Greeks, and no man shall suffer for me." + +Then the pitiless priest led her through the throng of rude soldiers to +the grove of Artemis, wherein an altar had been built. But Achilles +and Agamemnon covered their faces with their mantles, and stayed inside +the tent. + +As the maiden took her place upon the altar, the king's herald stood +up, and bade the warriors keep silence; and Calchas put a garland of +sweet-smelling flowers about the victim's head. + +"Let no man touch me," said the maiden, "for I offer my neck to the +sword with right good will, that so my father may live and prosper." + +In silence and great awe, the warriors stood around, while Calchas drew +a sharp knife from its scabbard. But, lo! as he struck, the maiden was +not there; and in her stead, a noble deer lay dying on the altar. Then +the old soothsayer cried out in triumphant tones, "See, now, ye men of +Greece, how the gods have provided for you a sacrifice, and saved the +innocent daughter of the king!" And all the people shouted with joy; +and in that self-same hour, a strong breeze came down the bay, and +filled the idle sails of the waiting ships. + +"To Troy! to Troy!" cried the Greeks; and every man hastened aboard his +vessel. + +How it was that fair Iphigenia escaped the knife; by whom she was +saved, or whither she went--no one knew. Some say that Artemis carried +her away to the land of the Taurians, where she had a temple and an +altar; and there is a story that, long years afterward, her brother +Orestes found her there, and led her back to her girlhood's home, even +to Mycenae. But whether this be true or not, I know that there have +been maidens as noble, as loving, as innocent as she, who have given up +their lives in order to make this world a purer and happier place in +which to live; and these are not dead, but live in the grateful +memories of those whom they loved and saved. + + + + +THE HOARD OF THE ELVES + +REGIN'S STORY[1] + +When the earth was still very young, and men were feeble and few, and +the Dwarfs were many and strong, the Asa-folk were wont oft-times to +leave their halls in heaven-towering Asgard in order to visit the +new-formed mid-world, and to see what the short-lived sons of men were +doing. Sometimes they came in their own god-like splendor and might; +sometimes they came disguised as feeble men folk, with all man's +weaknesses and all his passions. Sometimes Odin, as a beggar, wandered +from one country to another, craving charity; sometimes, as a warrior +clad in coat of mail, he rode forth to battle for the cause of right; +or as a minstrel he sang from door to door, and played sweet music in +the halls of the great; or as a huntsman he dashed through brakes and +fens, and into dark forests, and climbed steep mountains in search of +game; or as a sailor he embarked upon the sea, and sought new scenes in +unknown lands. And many times did men folk entertain him unawares. + +Once on a time he came to the mid-world in company with Hoenir and +Loki; and the three wandered through many lands and in many climes, +each giving gifts wherever they went. Odin gave knowledge and +strength, and taught men how to read the mystic runes; Hoenir gave +gladness and good cheer, and lightened many hearts with the glow of his +comforting presence; but Loki had naught to give but cunning deceit and +base thoughts, and he left behind him bitter strife and many aching +breasts. + +At last, growing tired of the fellowship of men, the three Asas sought +the solitude of the forest, and as huntsmen wandered long among the +hills and over the wooded heights of Hunaland. Late one afternoon they +came to a mountain stream at a place where it poured over a ledge of +rocks and fell in clouds of spray into a rocky gorge below. As they +stood, and with pleased eyes gazed upon the waterfall, they saw near +the bank an otter lazily making ready to eat a salmon which he had +caught. Then Loki, ever bent on doing mischief, hurled a stone at the +harmless beast, and killed it. And he boasted loudly that he had done +a worthy deed. He took both the otter and the fish which it had +caught, and carried them with him as trophies of the day's success. + +Just at nightfall the three huntsmen came to a lone farmhouse in the +valley, and asked for food, and for shelter during the night. + +"Shelter you shall have," said the farmer, whose name was Hreidmar, +"for the rising clouds foretell a storm. But food I have none to give +you. Surely huntsmen of skill should not want for food, since the +forest teems with game, and the streams are full of fish." + +Then Loki threw upon the ground the otter and the fish, and said, "We +have sought in both forest and stream, and we have taken from them at +one blow both flesh and fish. Give us but the shelter you promise, and +we will not trouble you for food." + +The farmer gazed with horror upon the lifeless body of the otter and +cried out, "This creature which you mistook for an otter, and which you +have robbed and killed, is my son, Oddar, who for mere pastime had +taken the form of the furry beast. You are but thieves and murderers!" + +Then he called loudly for help: and his two sons, Fafnir and Regin, +sturdy and valiant kin of the dwarf-folk, rushed in, and seized upon +the huntsmen, and bound them hand and foot; for the three Asas, having +taken upon themselves the forms of men, had no more than human +strength, and were unable to withstand them. + +Then Odin and his fellows bemoaned their ill fate. And Loki said, +"Wherefore did we foolishly take upon ourselves the likenesses of puny +men? Had I my own power once more, I would never part with it in +exchange for man's weaknesses." + +And Hoenir sighed, and said, "Now, indeed, will darkness win: and the +frosty breath of the Northern giants will blast the fair handiwork of +the sunlight and the heat; for the givers of life and light and warmth +are helpless prisoners in the hands of these cunning and unforgiving +jailers." + +"Surely," said Odin, "not even the highest are free from obedience to +heaven's behests and the laws of right. I, whom men call the Preserver +of Life, have debased myself by being found in evil company; and, +although I have done no other wrong, I suffer rightly for the doings of +this mischief-maker with whom I have stooped to have fellowship. For +all are known, not so much by what they are as by what they seem to be, +and they bear the bad name which their comrades bear. Now I am fallen +from my high estate. Eternal right is higher than I." + +Then the Asas asked Hreidmar, their jailer, what ransom they should pay +for their freedom; and he, not knowing who they were, said, "I must +first know what ransom you are able to give." + +"We will give you anything you may ask," hastily answered Loki. + +Hreidmar then called his sons, and bade them strip the skin from the +otter's body. When this was done, they brought the furry hide and +spread it upon the ground; and Hreidmar said, "Bring shining gold and +precious stones enough to cover every part of this otter skin. When +you have paid so much ransom, you shall have your freedom." + +"That we will do," answered Odin. "But one of us must have leave to go +and fetch it: the other two will stay fast bound until the morning +dawns. If, by that time, the gold is not here, you may do with us as +you please." + +Hreidmar and the two young men agreed to Odin's offer; and, lots being +cast, it fell to Loki to go and fetch the treasure. When he had been +loosed from the cords which bound him, Loki donned his magic shoes, +which had carried him over land and sea from the farthest bounds of the +mid-world, and hastened away upon his errand. And he sped with the +swiftness of light, over the hills and the wooded slopes, and the deep +dark valleys, and the fields and forests and sleeping hamlets, until he +came to the place where dwelt the swarthy elves and the cunning dwarf +Andvari. There the River Rhine, no larger than a meadow brook, breaks +forth from beneath a mountain of ice, which the Frost giants and the +Winter-king had built long years before; for they had vainly hoped that +they might imprison the river at its fountain head. But the baby brook +had eaten its way beneath the frozen mass, and had sprung out from its +prison, and gone on, leaping and smiling, and kissing the sunlight, in +its ever-widening course toward the distant sea. + +Loki came to this place, because he knew that here was the home of the +elves who had laid up the greatest hoard of treasures ever known in the +mid-world. He scanned with careful eyes the mountain side, and the +deep, rocky caverns, and the dark gorge through which the little river +rushed; but in the dim moonlight not a living being could he see, save +a lazy salmon swimming in the quieter eddies of the stream. Anyone but +Loki would have lost all hope of finding treasure there, at least +before the dawn of day; but his wits were quick and his eyes were very +sharp. + +"One salmon has brought us into this trouble, and another shall help us +out of it!" he cried. + +Then, swift as thought, he sprang again into the air; and the magic +shoes carried him with greater speed than before down the Rhine valley, +and through Burgundyland and the low meadows, until he came to the +shores of the great North Sea. He sought the halls of old Aegir, the +Ocean-king; but he wist not which way to go--whether across the North +Sea towards Isenland, or whether along the narrow channel between +Britain land and the main. While he paused, uncertain where to turn, +he saw the pale-haired daughters of old Aegir, the white-veiled Waves, +playing in the moonlight near the shore. Of them he asked the way to +Aegir's hall. + +"Seven days' journey westward," said they, "beyond the green Isle of +Erin, is our father's hall. Seven days' journey northward, on the +bleak Norwegian shore, is our father's hall. Seek it not." + +And they stopped not once in their play, but rippled and danced on the +shelving beach, or dashed with force against the shore. + +"Where is your mother, Ran, the Queen of the Ocean?" asked Loki. + +And they answered: + + "In the deep sea-caves + By the sounding shore, + In the dashing waves + When the wild storms roar, + In her cold green bowers + In the northern fiords, + She lurks and she glowers, + She grasps and she hoards, + And she spreads her strong net for her prey." + +Loki waited to hear no more; but he sprang into the air, and the magic +shoes carried him onwards over the water In search of the Ocean-queen. +He had not gone far when his sharp eyes espied her, lurking near a +rocky shore against which the breakers dashed with frightful fury. +Half hidden in the deep dark water, she lay waiting and watching; and +she spread her cunning net upon the waves, and reached out with her +long greedy fingers to seize whatever booty might come near her. + +When the wary queen saw Loki, she hastily drew in her net, and tried to +hide herself in the shadows of an overhanging rock. But Loki called +her by name, and said: + +"Sister Ran, fear not! I am your friend Loki, whom once you served as +a guest in Aegir's gold-lit halls." + +Then the Ocean-queen came out into the bright moonlight, and welcomed +Loki to her domain, and asked, "Why does Loki thus wander so far over +the trackless waters?" + +And Loki answered, "I have heard of the net which you spread upon the +waves, and from which no creature once caught in its meshes can ever +escape. I have found a salmon where the Rhine spring gushes from +beneath the mountains, and a very cunning salmon he is, for no common +skill can catch him. Come, I pray, with your wondrous net, and cast it +into the stream where he lies. Do but take the wary fish for me, and +you shall have more gold than you have taken in a year from the wrecks +of stranded vessels." + +"I dare not go," cried Ran. "A bound is set, beyond which I may not +venture. If all the gold of earth were offered me, I could not go." + +"Then lend me your net," entreated Loki. "Lend me your net, and I will +bring it back tomorrow filled with gold." + +"Much I would like your gold," answered Ran; "but I cannot lend my net. +Should I do so, I might lose the richest prize that has ever come into +my husband's kingdom. For three days, now, a gold-rigged ship, bearing +a princely crew with rich armor and abundant wealth, has been sailing +carelessly over these seas. Tomorrow I shall send my daughters and the +bewitching mermaids to decoy the vessel among the rocks. And into my +net the ship, and the brave warriors, and all their armor and gold, +shall fall. A rich prize it will be. No: I cannot part with my net, +even for a single hour." + +But Loki knew the power of flattering words. + +"Beautiful queen," said he, "there is no one on earth, nor even in +Asgard, who can equal you in wisdom and foresight. Yet I promise you +that, if you will but lend me your net until the morning dawns, the +ship and the crew of which you speak shall be yours, and all their +golden treasures shall deck your azure halls in the deep sea." + +Then Ran carefully folded the net, and gave it to Loki. + +"Remember your promise," was all that she said. + +"An Asa never forgets," he answered. + +And he turned his face again towards Rhineland; and the magic shoes +bore him aloft and carried him in a moment back to the ice mountain and +the gorge and the infant river, which he had so lately left. The +salmon still rested in his place, and had not moved during Loki's short +absence. + +Loki unfolded the net, and cast it into the stream. The cunning fish +tried hard to avoid being caught in its meshes; but, dart which way he +would, he met the skilfully woven cords, and these drew themselves +around him, and held him fast. Then Loki pulled the net up out of the +water, and grasped the helpless fish in his right hand. But, lo! as he +held the struggling creature high in the air, it was no longer a fish, +but the cunning dwarf Andvari. + +"Thou King of the Elves," cried Loki, "thy cunning has not saved thee. +Tell me, on thy life, where thy hidden treasures lie!" + +The wise dwarf knew who it was that thus held him as in a vise; and he +answered frankly, for it was his only hope of escape, "Turn over the +stone upon which you stand. Beneath it you will find the treasure you +seek." + +Then Loki put his shoulder to the rock, and pushed with all his might. +But it seemed as firm as the mountain, and would not be moved. + +"Help us, thou cunning dwarf," he cried--"help us, and thou shalt have +thy life!" + +The dwarf put his shoulder to the rock, and it turned over as if by +magic, and underneath was disclosed a wondrous chamber, whose walls +shone brighter than the sun, and on whose floor lay treasures of gold +and glittering gem stones such as no man had ever seen. And Loki, in +great haste, seized upon the hoard, and placed it in the magic net +which he had borrowed from the Ocean-queen. Then he came out of the +chamber; and Andvari again put his shoulder to the rock which lay at +the entrance, and it swung back noiselessly to its place. + +"What is that upon thy finger?" suddenly cried Loki. "Wouldst keep +back a part of the treasure? Give me the ring thou hast!" + +But the dwarf shook his head, and made answer, "I have given thee all +the riches that the elves of the mountain have gathered since the world +began. This ring I cannot give thee, for without its help we shall +never be able to gather more treasures together." + +Loki grew very angry at these words of the dwarf; and he seized the +ring, and tore it by force from Andvari's finger. It was a wondrous +little piece of mechanism shaped like a serpent, coiled, with its tail +in its mouth; and its scaly sides glittered with many a tiny diamond, +and its ruby eyes shone with an evil light. When the dwarf knew that +Loki really meant to rob him of the ring, he cursed it and all who +should ever possess it, saying: + +"May the ill-gotten treasure that you have seized to-night be your +bane, and the bane of all to whom it may come, whether by fair means or +by foul! And the ring which you have torn from my hand, may it entail +upon the one who wears it sorrow and untold ills, the loss of friends, +and a violent death!" + +Loki was pleased with these words, and with the dark curses which the +dwarf pronounced upon the gold; for he loved wrong-doing for +wrong-doing's sake, and he knew that no curses could ever make his own +life more cheerless than it always had been. So he thanked Andvari for +his curses and his treasures; then, throwing the magic net upon his +shoulder, he sprang again into the air, and was carried swiftly back to +Hunaland; and, just before the dawn appeared in the east, he alighted +at the door of the farmhouse where Odin and Hoenir still lay bound with +thongs, and guarded by the watchful Fafnir and Regin. + +Then the farmer, Hreidmar, brought the otter's skin, and spread it upon +the ground; and, lo! it grew, and spread out on all sides, until it +covered an acre of ground. And he cried out, "Fulfil now your promise! +Cover every hair of this hide with gold or with precious stones. If +you fail to do this, then your lives, by your own agreement, are +forfeited, and we shall do with you as we list." + +Odin took the magic net from Loki's shoulder; and, opening it, he +poured the treasures of the mountain elves upon the otter skin. And +Loki and Hoenir spread the yellow pieces carefully and evenly over +every part of the furry hide. But, after every piece had been laid in +its place, Hreidmar saw near the otter's mouth a single hair uncovered; +and he declared, that unless this hair, too, were covered, the bargain +would be unfulfilled, and the treasures and lives of his prisoners +would be forfeited. + +The Asas were filled with dismay; for not another piece of gold, and +not another precious stone, could they find in the net, although they +searched with the greatest care. At last Odin took from his bosom the +ring which Loki had stolen from the dwarf; for he had been so highly +pleased with its form and workmanship, that he had hidden it, hoping +that it would not be needed to complete the payment of the ransom. And +they laid the ring upon the uncovered hair; and now no portion of the +otter's skin could be seen. And Fafnir and Regin, the ransom being +paid, loosed the shackles of Odin and Hoenir, and bade the three +huntsmen go on their way. + +Odin and Hoenir at once shook off their human disguises, and, taking +their own forms again, hastened with all speed home to Asgard. But +Loki tarried a little while, and said to Hreidmar and his sons: + +"By your greediness and falsehood you have won for yourselves the Curse +of the Earth, which lies before you. It shall be your bane. It shall +be the bane of everyone who holds it. It shall kindle strife between +father and son, between brother and brother. It shall make you mean, +selfish, beastly. It shall transform you into monsters. The noblest +king among men folk shall feel its curse. Such is gold, and such it +shall ever be to its worshippers. And the ring which you have gotten +shall impart to its possessor its own nature. Grasping, snaky, cold, +unfeeling, shall he live; and death through treachery shall be his +doom." + +Then he turned away, delighted that he had thus left the curse of +Andvari with Hreidmar and his sons, and hastened northward toward the +sea; for he wished to redeem the promise that he had made to the +Ocean-queen, to bring back her magic net, and to decoy the richly laden +ship into her clutches. + +No sooner were the strange huntsmen well out of sight than Fafnir and +Regin began to ask their father to divide the glittering hoard with +them. + +"By our strength and through our advice," said they, "this great store +has come into your hands. Let us place it in three equal heaps, and +then let each take his share and go his way." + +At this the farmer waxed very angry; and he loudly declared that he +would keep all the treasure for himself, and that his sons should not +have any portion of it whatever. So Fafnir and Regin, nursing their +disappointment, went to the fields to watch their sheep; but their +father sat down to guard his new-gotten treasure. He took in his hand +the glittering serpent ring, and gazed into its cold ruby eyes; and, as +he gazed, all his thoughts were fixed upon his gold; and there was no +room in his heart for love toward his fellows, nor for deeds of +kindness, nor for the worship of the All-Father. And behold, as he +continued to look at the snaky ring, a dreadful change came over him. +The warm red blood, which until that time had leaped through his veins, +and given him life and strength and human feelings, became purple and +cold and sluggish; and selfishness, like serpent's poison, took hold of +his heart. Then, as he kept on gazing at the hoard which lay before +him, he began to lose his human shape; his body lengthened into many +scaly folds, and he coiled himself around his loved treasures,--the +very likeness of the ring upon which he had looked so long. + +When the day drew near its close, Fafnir came back from the fields with +his herd of sheep, and thought to find his father guarding the +treasure, as he had left him in the morning; but instead he saw a +glittering snake, fast asleep, encircling the hoard like a huge scaly +ring of gold. His first thought was that the monster had devoured his +father; and, hastily drawing his sword, with one blow he severed the +serpent's head from its body. And, while yet the creature writhed in +the death agony, he gathered up the hoard, and fled with it beyond the +hills of Hunaland, until on the seventh day he came to a barren heath +far from the homes or men. There he placed the treasures in one +glittering heap; and he clothed himself in a wondrous mail-coat of gold +that was found among them, and he put on the Helmet of Dread, which had +once been the terror of the mid-world, and the like of which no man had +ever seen; and then he gazed with greedy eyes upon the fateful ring, +until he, too, was changed into a cold and slimy reptile,--a monster +dragon. He coiled himself about the hoard; and, with his restless eyes +forever open, he gloated day after day upon his loved gold, and watched +with ceaseless care that no one should come near to despoil him of it. +This was ages and ages ago; and still he wallows among his treasures on +the Glittering Heath, and guards as of yore the garnered wealth of +Andvari. + + +[1]Regin, one of the last of the race of Dwarfs, was a master smith and +by some said to be the teacher of Siegfried. The story is supposed to +have been related to Siegfried in the dusky smithy of the dwarf. + + + + +THE FORGING OF BALMUNG + +While Siegfried was still a young lad, his father sent him to live with +a smith called Mimer, whose smithy was among the hills not far from the +great forest. For in those early times the work of the smith was +looked upon as the most worthy of all trades,--a trade which the gods +themselves were not ashamed to follow. And this smith Mimer was a +wonderful master,--the wisest and most cunning that the world had ever +seen. Men said that he was akin to the dwarf-folk who had ruled the +earth in the early days, and who were learned in every lore, and +skilled in every craft; and they said that he was so exceeding old that +no one could remember the day when he came to dwell in the land of +Siegfried's people. Some said, too, that he was the keeper of a +wonderful well, or flowing spring, the waters of which imparted wisdom +and far-seeing knowledge to all who drank of them. + +To Mimer's school, then, where he would be taught to work skilfully and +to think wisely, Siegfried was sent, to be in all respects like the +other pupils there. A coarse blue blouse and heavy leggings and a +leathern apron took the place of the costly clothing which he had worn +in his father's dwelling. On his feet were awkward wooden sandals, and +his head was covered with a wolfskin cap. The dainty bed, with its +downy pillows, wherein every night his mother had been wont, with +gentle care, to see him safely covered, was given up for a rude heap of +straw in a corner of the smithy. And the rich food to which he had +been used gave place to the coarsest and humblest fare. But the lad +did not complain. The days which he passed in the smithy were mirthful +and happy; and the sound of his hammer rang cheerfully, and the sparks +from his forge flew briskly, from morning till night. + +And a wonderful smith he became. No one could do more work than he, +and none wrought with greater skill. The heaviest chains and the +strongest bolts, for prison or for treasure house, were but as toys in +his stout hands, so easily and quickly did he beat them into shape. +Cunning also was he in work of the most delicate and brittle kind. +Ornaments of gold and silver studded with the rarest jewels, were +fashioned into beautiful forms by his deft fingers. And among all of +Mimer's apprentices none learned the master's lore so readily, or +gained the master's favor more. + +One morning the master, Mimer, came to the smithy with a troubled look +upon his face. It was clear that something had gone amiss; and what it +was the apprentices soon learned from the smith himself. Never, until +lately, had any one questioned Mimer's right to be called the foremost +smith in all the world; but now a rival had come forward. An unknown +upstart---one Amilias, a giant of Burgundy--had made a suit of armor, +which, he boasted, no stroke of sword could dint, and no blow of spear +could scratch; and he had sent a challenge to all other smiths, both in +the Rhine country and elsewhere, to equal that piece of workmanship, or +else acknowledge themselves his underlings and vassals. For many days +had Mimer himself toiled, alone and vainly, trying to forge a sword +whose edge the boasted armor of Amilias could not foil; and now, in +despair, he came to ask the help of his pupils and apprentices. + +"Who among you is skilful enough to forge such a sword?" he asked, + +One after another, the pupils shook their heads. And the foreman of +the apprentices said, "I have heard much about that wonderful armor, +and its extreme hardness, and I doubt if any skill can make a sword +with edge so sharp and true as to cut into it. The best that can be +done is to try to make another war coat whose temper shall equal that +of Amilias's armor." + +Then the lad Siegfried quickly said, "I will make such a sword as you +want,--a blade that no war coat can foil. Give me but leave to try!" + +The other pupils laughed in scorn, but Mimer checked them. "You hear +how this boy can talk: we will see what he can do. He is the king's +son, and we know that he has uncommon talent. He shall make the sword; +but if, upon trial, it fail, I will make him rue the day." + +Then Siegfried went to his task. And for seven days and seven nights +the sparks never stopped flying from his forge; and the ringing of his +anvil, and the hissing of the hot metal as he tempered it, were heard +continuously. On the eighth day the sword was fashioned, and Siegfried +brought it to Mimer. + +The smith felt the razor edge of the bright weapon, and said, "This +seems, indeed, a fair fire edge. Let us make a trial of its keenness." + +Then a thread of wool as light as thistle-down was thrown upon water, +and, as it floated there, Mimer struck it with the sword. The +glittering blade cleft the thread in twain, and the pieces floated +undisturbed upon the surface of the liquid. + +"Well done!" cried the delighted smith. "Never have I seen a keener +edge. If its temper is as true as its sharpness would lead us to +believe, it will indeed serve me well." + +But Siegfried took the sword again, and broke it into many pieces; and +for three days he welded it in a white-hot fire, and tempered it with +milk and oatmeal. Then, in sight of the sneering apprentices, a light +ball of fine-spun wool was cast upon the flowing water of the brook; +and it was caught in the swift eddies of the stream, and whirled about +until it met the bared blade of the sword, which was held in +Siegfried's hands. And the ball was parted as easily and clean as the +rippling water, and not the smallest thread was moved out of its place. + +Then back to the smithy Siegfried went again; and his forge glowed with +a brighter fire, and his hammer rang upon the anvil with a cheerier +sound, than ever before. He suffered none to come near, and no one +ever knew what witchery he used. But some of his fellow pupils +afterwards told how, in the dusky twilight, they had seen a one-eyed +man, long-bearded, and clad in a cloud-gray kirtle, and wearing a +sky-blue hood, talking with Siegfried at the smithy door. And they +said that the stranger's face was at once pleasant and fearful to look +upon, and that his one eye shone in the gloaming like the evening star, +and that, when he had placed in Siegfried's hands bright shards, like +pieces of a broken sword, he faded suddenly from their sight, and was +seen no more. + +For seven weeks the lad wrought day and night at his forge; and then, +pale and haggard, but with a pleased smile upon his face, he stood +before Mimer, with the sword in his hands. "It is finished," he said. +"Behold the glittering terror!--the blade Balmung. Let us try its edge +and prove its temper once again, that so we may know whether you can +place your trust in it." + +Mimer looked long at the ruddy hilt of the weapon, and at the mystic +runes that were scored upon its sides, and at the keen edge, which +looked like a ray of sunlight in the gathering gloom of the evening. +But no word came from his lips, and his eyes were dim and dazed; and he +seemed as one lost in thoughts of days long past and gone. + +Siegfried raised the blade high over his head; and the gleaming edge +flashed hither and thither, like the lightning's play when Thor rides +over the storm clouds. Then suddenly it fell upon the master's anvil, +and the solid block of iron was cleft in two; but the blade was no whit +dulled by the stroke, and the line of light which marked the edge was +brighter than before. + +Then to the brook they went; and a great pack of wool, the fleeces of +ten sheep, was brought, and thrown upon the swirling water. As the +stream bore the bundle downwards, Mimer held the sword in its way. And +the whole was divided as easily and as clean as the woollen ball or the +slender woollen thread had been cleft before. + +"Now, indeed," cried Mimer, "I no longer fear to meet that upstart, +Amilias. If his war coat can withstand the stroke of such a sword as +Balmung, then I shall not be ashamed to be his underling. But, if this +good blade is what it seems to be, it will not fail me; and I, Mimer +the Old, shall still be called the wisest and greatest of smiths." + +He sent word at once to Amilias, in Burgundyland, to meet him on a day, +and settle forever the question as to which of the two should be the +master, and which the underling. And heralds proclaimed it in every +town and dwelling. When the time which had been set drew near, Mimer, +bearing the sword Balmung, and followed by all his pupils and +apprentices, wended his way toward the place of meeting. Through the +forest they went, and then along the banks of the sluggish river, for +many a league, to the height of land which marked the line between +Siegfried's country and the country of the Burgundians. It was in this +place, midway between the shops of Mimer and Amilias, that the great +trial of metal and of skill was to be made. And here were already +gathered great numbers of people from the Lowlands and from Burgundy, +anxiously waiting for the coming of the champions. + +When everything was in readiness for the contest, Amilias, clad in his +boasted war coat, went up to the top of the hill, and sat upon a rock, +and waited for Mimer's coming. As he sat there, he looked, to the +people below, like some great castle tower; for he was a giant in size, +and his coat of mail was so huge that twenty men of common mould might +have found shelter, or hidden themselves, within it. As the smith +Mimer, so dwarfish in stature, tolled up the steep hillside, Amilias +smiled to see him; for he felt no fear of the slender, gleaming blade +that was to try the metal of his war coat. And already a shout or +expectant triumph went up from the throats of the Burgundian hosts, so +sure were they of their champion's success. + +But Mimer's friends waited in breathless silence, hoping, and yet +fearing. Only Siegfried's father, the king, whispered to his queen, +and said, "Knowledge is stronger than brute force. The smallest dwarf +who has drunk from the well of the Knowing One may safely meet the +stoutest giant in battle." + +When Mimer reached the top of the hill, Amilias folded his huge arms, +and smiled again; for he felt that this contest was mere play for him, +and that Mimer was already as good as beaten, and his thrall. The +smith paused a moment to take breath, and as he stood by the side of +his foe he looked to those below like a mere black speck close beside a +steel-gray castle tower. + +"Are you ready?" asked the smith. + +"Ready," answered Amilias. "Strike!" + +Mimer raised the blade in the air, and for a moment the lightning +seemed to play around his head. The muscles on his short, brawny arms, +stood out like ropes; and then Balmung, descending, cleft the air from +right to left. The waiting lookers-on in the plain below thought to +hear the noise of clashing steel; but they listened in vain, for no +sound came to their ears, save a sharp hiss like that which red hot +iron gives when plunged into a tank of cold water. The huge Amilias +sat unmoved, with his arms still folded upon his breast; but the smile +had faded from his face. + +"How do you feel now?" asked Mimer in a half-mocking tone. + +"Rather strangely, as if cold iron had touched me," faintly answered +the giant. + +"Shake thyself!" cried Mimer. + +Amilias did so, and, lo! he fell in two halves; for the sword had cut +sheer through the vaunted war coat, and cleft in twain the great body +incased within. Down tumbled the giant's head and his still folded +arms; and they rolled with thundering noise to the foot of the hill, +and fell with a fearful splash into the deep waters of the river; and +there, fathoms down, they may even now be seen, when the water is +clear, lying like gray rocks among the sand and gravel below. The rest +of the body, with the armor which incased it, still sat upright in its +place; and to this day travellers sailing down the river are shown on +moonlit evenings the luckless armor of Amilias on the high hilltop. In +the dim, uncertain light, one easily fancies it to be the ivy-covered +ruins of some old castle of feudal times. + +The master, Mimer, sheathed his sword, and walked slowly down the +hillside to the plain, where his friends welcomed him with cheers and +shouts of joy. But the Burgundians, baffled, and feeling vexed, turned +silently homeward, nor cast a single look back to the scene of their +disappointment and their ill-fated champion's defeat. + +Siegfried went again with the master and his fellows to the smoky +smithy, to his roaring bellows and ringing anvil, and to his coarse +fare, and rude, hard bed, and to a life of labor. And while all men +praised Mimer and his knowing skill, and the fiery edge of the sunbeam +blade, no one knew that it was the boy Siegfried who had wrought that +piece of workmanship. + + + + +IDUN AND HER APPLES + +THE STORY TOLD IN AEGIR'S HALL + +Idun is Bragi's wife. Very handsome is she; but the beauty of her face +is by no means greater than the goodness of her heart. Right attentive +is she to every duty, and her words and thoughts are always worthy and +wise. A long time ago the good Asa-folk who dwell in heaven-towering +Asgard, knowing how trustworthy Idun was, gave into her keeping a +treasure which they would not have placed in the hands of any other +person. This treasure was a box of apples, and Idun kept the golden +key safely fastened to her girdle. You ask me why these folk should +prize a box of apples so highly? I will tell you. + +Old age, you know, spares none, not even Odin and his Asa-folk. They +all grow old and gray; and, if there were no cure for age, they would +become feeble, and toothless and blind, deaf, tottering, and +weak-minded. The apples which Idun guarded so carefully were the +priceless boon of youth. Whenever the Asas felt old age coming on, +they went to her, and she gave them of her fruit; and, when they had +tasted, they grew young and strong and handsome again. Once, however, +they came near losing the apples,--or losing rather Idun and her golden +key, without which no one could ever open the box. + +In those early days Odin delighted to come down now and then from his +high home above the clouds, and to wander, disguised, among the woods +and mountains, and by the seashore, and in wild desert places. For +nothing pleases him more than to commune with Nature as she is found in +the loneliness of vast solitudes, or in the boisterous uproar of the +elements. Once on a time he took with him his friends Hoenir and Loki; +and they rambled many days among the icy cliffs and along the barren +shores of the great frozen sea. In that country there was no game, and +no fish were found in the cold waters; and the three wanderers, as they +had brought no food with them, became very hungry. Late in the +afternoon of the seventh day, they reached some pasture lands belonging +to the giant Hymer, and saw a herd of the giants cattle browsing upon +the short grass which grew in the sheltered nooks among the hills. + +"Ah!" cried Loki; "after fasting for a week we shall now have food in +abundance. Let us kill and eat." + +So saying, he hurled a sharp stone at the fattest of Hymer's cows, and +killed her; and the three quickly dressed the choicest pieces of flesh +for their supper. Then Loki gathered twigs and dry grass, and kindled +a blazing fire; Hoenir filled the pot with water from melted ice; and +Odin threw into it the bits of tender meat. But, make the fire as hot +as they would, the water would not boil, and the flesh would not cook. + +All night long the supperless three sat hungry around the fire; and, +every time they peeped into the kettle, the meat was as raw and +gustless as before. Morning came, but no breakfast. And all day long +Loki kept stirring the fire, and Odin and Hoenir waited hopefully but +impatiently. When the sun again went down, the flesh was still +uncooked, and their supper seemed no nearer ready than it was the night +before. As they were about yielding to despair, they heard a noise +overhead; and, looking up, they saw a huge gray eagle sitting on the +dead branch of an oak. + +"Ha, ha!" cried the bird. "You are pretty fellows indeed! To sit +hungry by the fire a night and a day, rather than eat raw flesh, +becomes you well. Do but give me my share of it as it is, and I +warrant you the rest shall boil, and you shall have a fat supper." + +"Agreed," answered Loki eagerly. "Come down and get your share." + +The eagle waited for no second asking. Down he swooped right over the +blazing fire, and snatched not only the eagle's share, but also what +the Lybians call the lion's share; that is, he grasped in his strong +talons the kettle, with all the meat in it, and, flapping his huge +wings, slowly rose into the air, carrying his booty with him. The +three Asas were astonished. Loki was filled with anger. He seized a +long pole, upon the end of which a sharp hook was fixed, and struck at +the treacherous bird. The hook stuck fast in the eagle's back, and +Loki could not loose his hold of the other end of the pole. The great +bird soared high above the tree-tops, and over the hills, and carried +the astonished mischief-maker with him. + +But it was no eagle. It was no bird that had thus outwitted the hungry +Asas: it was the giant Old Winter, clothed in his eagle plumage. Over +the lonely woods, and the snow-crowned mountains, and the frozen sea, +he flew, dragging the helpless Loki through tree-tops, and over jagged +rocks, scratching and bruising his body, and almost tearing his arms +from his shoulders. At last he alighted on the craggy top of an +iceberg, where the storm winds shrieked, and the air was filled with +driving snow. As soon as Loki could speak, he begged the cunning giant +to carry him back to his comrades,---Odin and Hoenir. + +"On one condition only will I carry you back," answered Old Winter. +"Swear to me that you will betray into my hands Dame Idun and her +golden key." + +Loki asked no questions, but gladly gave the oath; and the giant flew +back with him across the sea, and dropped him, torn and bleeding and +lame, by the side of the fire, where Odin and Hoenir still lingered. +And the three made all haste to leave that cheerless place, and +returned to Odin's glad home in Asgard. + +Some weeks after this, Loki, the Prince of Mischief-makers, went to +Bragi's house to see Idun. He found her busied with her household +cares, not thinking of a visit from anyone. + +"I have come, good dame," said he, "to taste your apples again; for I +feel old age coming on apace." + +Idun was astonished. + +"You are not looking old," she answered. "There is not a single gray +hair upon your head, and not a wrinkle on your brow. If it were not +for that scar upon your cheek, and the arm which you carry in a sling, +you would look as stout and as well as I have ever seen you. Besides, +I remember that it was only a year ago when you last tasted of my +fruit. Is it possible that a single winter should make you old?" + +"A single winter has made me very lame and feeble at least," said Loki. +"I have been scarcely able to walk about since my return from the +North. Another winter without a taste of your apples will be the death +of me." + +Then the kind-hearted Idun, when she saw that Loki was really lame, +went to the box, and opened it with her golden key, and gave him one of +the precious apples to taste. He took the fruit in his hand, bit it, +and gave it back to the good dame. She put it in its place again, +closed the lid, and locked it with her usual care. + +"Your apples are not so good as they used to be," said Loki, making a +very wry face. "Why don't you fill your box with fresh fruit?" + +Idun was amazed. Her apples were supposed to be always fresh,--fresher +by far than any that grow nowadays. None of the Asas had ever before +complained about them; and she told Loki so. + +"Very well," said he. "I see you do not believe me, and that you mean +to feed us on your sour, withered apples, when we might as well have +golden fruit. If you were not so bent on having your own way, I could +tell you where you might fill your box with the choicest of apples, +such as Odin loves. I saw them in the forest over yonder, hanging ripe +on the trees. But women will always have their own way; and you must +have yours, even though you do feed us on withered apples." + +So saying, and without waiting to hear an answer, he limped out at the +door, and was soon gone from sight. + +Idun thought long and anxiously upon the words which Loki had spoken; +and, the more she thought, the more she felt troubled. If her husband, +the wise Bragi, had been at home, what would she not have given? He +would have understood the mischief-maker's cunning. But he had gone on +a long journey to the South, singing in Nature's choir and painting +Nature's landscapes, and she would not see him again until the return +of spring. At length she opened the box, and looked at the fruit. The +apples were certainly fair and round: she could not see a wrinkle or a +blemish on any of them; their color was the same golden-red,--like the +sky at dawn of a summer's day; yet she thought there must be something +wrong about them. She took up one of the apples, and tasted it. She +fancied that it really was sour, and she hastily put it back, and +locked the box again. + +"He said that he had seen better apples than these growing in the +woods," said she to herself. "I half believe that he told the truth, +although everybody knows that he is not always trustworthy. I think I +shall go to the forest and see for myself, at any rate." + +So she donned her cloak and hood, and, with a basket on her arm, left +the house, and walked rapidly away, along the road which led to the +forest. It was much farther than she had thought, and the sun was +almost down when she reached the edge of the wood. But no apple trees +were there. Tall oaks stretched their bare arms up toward the sky, as +if praying for help. There were thorn trees and brambles everywhere; +but there was no fruit, neither were there any flowers, nor even green +leaves. The Frost-giants had been there. + +Idun was about to turn her footsteps homeward, when she heard a wild +shriek in the tree-tops over her head; and, before she could look up, +she felt herself seized in the eagle talons of Old Winter. Struggle as +she would, she could not free herself. High up, over wood and stream, +the giant carried her; and then he flew swiftly away with her, toward +his home in the chill Northland; and, when morning came, poor Idun +found herself in an ice-walled castle in the cheerless country of the +giants. But she was glad to know that the precious box was safely +locked at home, and that the golden key was still at her girdle. + +Time passed; and I fear that Idun would have been forgotten by all, +save her husband Bragi, had not the Asas begun to feel the need of her +apples. Day after day they came to Idun's house, hoping to find the +good dame and her golden key at home; and each day they went away some +hours older than when they had come. No one had seen the missing Idun +since the day when Loki had visited her, and none could guess what had +become of her. The heads of all the folk grew white with age; deep +furrows were ploughed in their faces; their eyes grew dim, and their +hearing failed; their hands trembled; their limbs became palsied; their +feet tottered; and all feared that Old Age would bring Death in his +train. + +Then Bragi and Thor questioned Loki very sharply; and when he felt that +he, too, was growing old and feeble, he regretted the mischief he had +done, and told them how he had decoyed Idun into Old Winter's clutches. +The Asas were very angry; and Thor threatened to crush Loki with his +hammer, if he did not at once bring Idun safe home again. + +So Loki borrowed the falcon plumage of Freyja, the queen of love, and +with it flew to the country of the giants. When he reached Old +Winter's castle, he found the good dame Idun shut up in the prison +tower and bound with fetters of ice; but the giant himself was on the +frozen sea, herding Old Hymer's cows, the cold icebergs. Loki quickly +broke the bonds that held Idun, and led her out of her prison house; +and then he shut her up in a magic nut-shell which he held between his +claws, and flew with the speed of the wind back toward the Southland +and the home of the Asas. But Old Winter coming home, and learning +what had been done, donned his eagle plumage and followed swiftly in +pursuit. + +Bragi and Thor, anxiously gazing into the sky, saw Loki, in Freyja's +falcon plumage, speeding homeward, with the nut-shell in his talons, +and Old Winter, in his eagle plumage, dashing after in sharp pursuit. +Quickly they gathered chips and slender twigs, and placed them high +upon the castle wall; and, when Loki with his precious burden had flown +past, they touched fire to the dry heap, and the flames blazed up to +the sky, and caught Old Winter's plumage, as, close behind the falcon, +he blindly pressed. And his wings were scorched in the flames; and he +fell helpless to the ground, and was slain within the castle gates. +Loki slackened his speed; and, when he reached Bragi's house, he +dropped the nut-shell softly before the door. As it touched the +ground, it gently opened, and Idun, radiant with smiles, and clothed in +gay attire, stepped forth, and greeted her husband and his waiting +friends. The heavenly music of Bragi's long-silent harp welcomed her +home; and she took the golden key from her girdle, and unlocked the +box, and gave of her apples to the aged company; and, when they had +tasted, their youth was renewed. + +It is thus with the seasons and their varied changes. The gifts of +Spring are youth and jollity, and renewed strength; and the music or +air and water and all things, living and lifeless, follow in her train. +The desolating Winter plots to steal her from the earth, and the +Summer-heat deserts and betrays her. Then the music of Nature is +hushed, and all creatures pine in sorrow for her absence, and the world +seems dying of white Old Age. But at length the Summer-heat repents, +and frees her from her prison house; the icy fetters with which Old +Winter bound her are melted in the beams of the returning sun, and the +earth is young again. + + + + +THE DOOM OF THE MISCHIEF-MAKER. + +You have heard of the feast that old Aegir once made for the Asa-folk +in his gold-lit dwelling in the deep sea, and how the feast was +hindered, through the loss of his great brewing kettle, until Thor had +obtained a still larger vessel from Hymer the giant. It is very likely +that the thief who stole King Aegir's kettle was none other than Loki +the Mischief-maker; but, if this was so, he was not long unpunished for +his meanness. + +There was great joy in the Ocean-king's hall, when at last the banquet +was ready, and the foaming mead began to pass itself around to the +guests. But Thor, who had done so much to help matters along, could +not stay to the merry-making: for he had heard that the Storm-giants +were marshalling their forces for a raid upon some unguarded corner of +the mid-world; and so, grasping his hammer, he bade his kind host +good-by, and leaped into his iron car. + +"Business always before pleasure!" he cried, as he hastened away at a +wonderful rate through the air. + +In old Aegir's hall glad music resounded on every side; and the gleeful +Waves danced merrily as the Asa-folk sat around the festal board, and +partook of the Ocean-king's good fare. Aegir's two thralls, the +faithful Funfeng and the trusty Elder, waited upon the guests and +carefully supplied their wants. Never in all the world had two more +thoughtful servants been seen; and every one spoke in praise of their +quickness, and their skill, and their ready obedience. + +Then Loki, unable to keep his hands from mischief, waxed very angry, +because every one seemed happy and free from trouble, and no one +noticed or cared for him. So, while good Funfeng was serving him to +meat, he struck the faithful thrall with a carving-knife, and killed +him. Then arose a great uproar in the Ocean-king's feast hall. The +Asa-folk rose up from the table, and drove the Mischief-maker out from +among them; and in their wrath they chased him across the waters, and +forced him to hide in the thick greenwood. After this they went back +to Aegir's hall, and sat down again to the feast. But they had +scarcely begun to eat, when Loki came quietly out of his hiding place, +and stole slyly around to Aegir's kitchen, where he found Elder, the +other thrall, grieving sadly because of his brother's death. + +"I hear a great chattering and clattering over there in the feast +hall," said Loki. "The greedy, silly Asa-folk seem to be very busy +indeed, both with their teeth and their tongues. Tell me, now, good +Elder, what they talk about while they sit over their meat." + +"They talk of noble deeds," answered Elder. "They speak of gallant +heroes, and brave men, and fair women, and strong hearts, and willing +hands, and gentle manners, and kind friends. And for all these they +have words of praise and songs of beauty; but none of them speak well +of Loki, the thief and the vile traitor." + +"Ah!" said Loki wrathfully, twisting himself into a dozen different +shapes, "no one could ask so great a kindness from such folk. I must +go into the feast hall, and take a look at this fine company, and +listen to their noisy merry-making. I have a fine scolding laid up for +those good fellows; and, unless they are careful with their tongues, +they will find many hard words mixed with their mead." + +Then he went boldly into the great hall, and stood up before the +wonder-stricken guests at the table. When the Asa-folk saw who it was +that had darkened the doorway, and was now in their midst, a painful +silence fell upon them, and all their merriment was at an end. And +Loki stretched himself up to his full height, and said to them: + +"Hungry and thirsty came I to Aegir's gold-lit hall. Long and rough +was the road I trod, and wearisome was the way. Will no one bid me +welcome? Will none give me a seat at the feast? Will none offer me a +drink of the precious mead? Why are you all so dumb? Why so sulky and +stiff-necked, when your best friend stands before you? Give me a seat +among you,--yes, one of the high seats,--or else drive me from your +hall! In either case, the world will never forget me. I am Loki." + +Then one among the Asa-folk spoke up, and said, "Let him sit with us. +He is mad; and when he slew Funfeng, he was not in his right mind. He +is not answerable for his rash act." + +But Bragi the Wise, who sat on the innermost seat, arose, and said, +"Nay, we will not give him a seat among us. Nevermore shall he feast +or sup with us, or share our good-fellowship. Thieves and murderers we +know, and we will shun them." + +This speech enraged Loki all the more; and he spared not vile words, +but heaped abuse without stint upon all the folk before him. By main +force he seized hold of the silent Vidar, who had come from the forest +solitudes to be present at the feast, and dragged him away from the +table, and seated himself in his place. Then, as he quaffed the +foaming mead, he flung out taunts and jeers and hard words to all who +sat around, but chiefly to Bragi the Wise and Sif, the beautiful wife +of Thor. + +Suddenly a great tumult was heard outside. The mountains shook and +trembled; the bottom of the sea seemed moved; and the waves, affrighted +and angry, rushed hither and thither in confusion. All the guests +looked up in eager expectation, and some of them fled in alarm from the +hall. Then the mighty Thor strode in at the door, and up to the table, +swinging his hammer, and casting wrathful glances at the +Mischief-maker. Loki trembled; he dropped his goblet, and sank down +upon his knees before the terrible Asa. + +"I yield me!" he cried. "Spare my life, I pray you, and I will be your +thrall forever!" + +"I want no such thrall," answered Thor. "And I spare your life on one +condition only,--that you go at once from hence, and nevermore presume +to come into the company of Asa-folk." + +"I promise all that you ask," said Loki, trembling more than ever. +"Let me go." + +Thor stepped aside; and the frightened culprit fled from the hall, and +was soon out of sight. The feast was broken up. The Asas bade Aegir a +kind farewell, and favoring winds wafted them swiftly home to Asgard. + +Loki fled to the dark mountain gorges of Mist Land, and sought for a +while to hide himself from the sight of both gods and men. In a deep +ravine by the side of a roaring torrent, he built himself a house of +iron and stone, and placed a door on each of its four sides, so that he +could see whatever passed around him. There, for many winters, he +lived in lonely solitude, planning with himself how he might baffle his +enemies and regain his old place in Asgard. Now and then he slipped +slyly away from his hiding-place, and wrought much mischief for a time +among the abodes of men. But when Thor heard of his evil-doings, and +sought to catch him, and punish him for his evil deeds, he was nowhere +to be found. At last the Asa-folk determined, that, if he could ever +be captured, the safety of the world required that he should be bound +hand and foot, and kept forever in prison. + +Loki often amused himself in his mountain home by taking upon him his +favorite form of a salmon and lying listlessly beneath the waters of +the great Fanander Cataract, which fell from the shelving rocks a +thousand feet above him. One day while thus lying, he bethought +himself of former days, when he walked the glad young earth in company +with great Odin. And among other things he remembered how he had once +borrowed the magic net of Ran, the Ocean-queen, and had caught with it +the dwarf Andvari, disguised, as he himself now was, in the form of a +slippery salmon. + +"I will make me such a net!" he cried. "I will make it strong and +good; and I, too, will fish for men." + +So he took again his proper shape, and went back to his cheerless home +in the ravine. There he gathered flax and wool and long hemp, and spun +yarn and strong cords, and wove them into meshes, after the pattern of +Queen Ran's magic net; for men had not, at that time, learned how to +make or use nets for fishing. And the first fisherman who caught fish +in that way is said to have taken-Loki's net as a model. + +Odin sat, on the morrow, in his high hall at Asgard, and looked out +over all the world, even to the uttermost corners. With his sharp eye +he saw what men-folk were everywhere doing. When his gaze rested upon +the dark line which marked the mountain land of the Mist Country, he +started up in quick surprise, and cried out: + +"Who is that who sits by the Fanander Falls, and ties strong cords +together?" + +But none of those who stood around could tell, for their eyes were not +strong enough and clear enough to see so far. + +"Bring Heimdal!" then cried Odin. + +Now, Heimdal the White dwells among the blue mountains where the +rainbow spans the space betwixt heaven and earth. He is the son of +Odin, golden-toothed, pure-faced, and clean-hearted; and he ever keeps +watch and ward over the mid-world and the homes of frail men-folk, lest +the giants shall break in, and destroy and slay. He rides upon a +shining steed named Goldtop; and he holds in his hand a horn with +which, in the last twilight, he shall summon the world to battle with +the sons of Loki. This watchful guardian of the mid-world is as +wakeful as the birds. And his hearing is so keen, that no sound on +earth escapes him,--not even that of the rippling waves upon the +seashore, nor of the quiet sprouting of the grass in the meadows, nor +even of the growth of the soft wool on the backs of the sheep. His +eyesight, too, is wondrous clear and sharp; for he can see by night as +well as by day, and the smallest thing, although a hundred leagues +away, cannot be hidden from him. + +To Heimdal, then, the heralds hastened, bearing the words which Odin +had spoken, and the watchful warder of the mid-world came at once to +the call of the All-Father. + +"Turn your eyes to the sombre mountains that guard the shadowy Mist +Land from the sea," said Odin. "Now look far down into the rocky gorge +in which the Fanander Cataract pours, and tell me what you see." + +Heimdal did as he was bidden. + +"I see a shape," said he, "sitting by the torrent's side. It is Loki's +shape, and he seems strangely busy with strong strings and cords." + +"Call all our folk together!" commanded Odin. "The wily Mischief-maker +plots our hurt. He must be driven from his hiding place, and put where +he can do no further harm." + +Great stir was there then in Asgard. Every one hastened to answer +Odin's call, and to join in the quest for the Mischief-maker. Thor +came on foot, with his hammer tightly grasped in his hands, and +lightning flashing from beneath his red brows. Tyr, the one-handed, +came with his sword. Then followed Bragi the Wise, with his harp and +his sage counsels; then Hermod the Nimble, with his quick wit and ready +hands; and lastly, a great company of elves and wood-sprites and +trolls. Then a whirlwind caught them up in its swirling arms, and +carried them through the air, over the hilltops and the countryside, +and the meadows and the mountains, and set them down in the gorge of +the Fanander Force. + +But Loki was not caught napping. His wakeful ears had heard the tumult +in the air, and he guessed who it was that was coming. He threw the +net, which he had just finished, into the fire, and jumped quickly into +the swift torrent, where, changing himself into a salmon, he lay hidden +beneath the foaming water. + +When the eager Asa-folk reached Loki's dwelling, they found that he +whom they sought had fled; and although they searched high and low, +among the rocks and the caves and the snowy crags, they could see no +signs of the cunning fugitive. Then they went back to his house again +to consult what next to do. And, while standing by the hearth, Kwaser, +a sharp-sighted elf, whose eyes were quicker than the sunbeam, saw the +white ashes of the burned net lying undisturbed in the still hot +embers, the woven meshes unbroken and whole. + +"See what the cunning fellow has been making!" cried the elf. "It must +have been a trap for catching fish." + +"Or rather for catching men," said Bragi; "for it is strangely like the +Sea-queen's net." + +"In that case," said Hermod the Nimble, "he has made a trap for +himself; for, no doubt, he has changed himself, as is his wont, to a +slippery salmon, and lies at this moment hidden beneath the Fanander +torrent. Here are plenty of cords of flax and hemp and wool, with +which he intended to make other nets. Let us take them, and weave one +like the pattern which lies there in the embers; and then, if I mistake +not, we shall catch the too cunning fellow." + +All saw the wisdom of these words, and all set quickly to work. In a +short time they had made a net strong and large, and full of fine +meshes, like the model among the coals. Then they threw it into the +roaring stream, Thor holding to one end, and all the other folk pulling +it the other. With great toil, they dragged it forward, against the +current, even to the foot of the waterfall. But the cunning Loki crept +close down between two sharp stones, and lay there quietly while the +net passed harmlessly over him. + +"Let us try again!" cried Thor. "I am sure that something besides dead +rocks lies at the bottom of the stream." + +So they hung heavy weights to the net, and began to drag it again, this +time going down stream. Loki looked out from his hiding place, and saw +that he would not be able to escape now by lying between the rocks, and +that his only chance for safety was either to leap over the net, and +hide himself behind the rushing cataract itself, or to swim with the +current out to the sea. But the way to the sea was long, and there +were many shallow places; and Loki had doubts as to how old Aegir would +receive him in his kingdom. He feared greatly to undertake so +dangerous and uncertain a course. So, turning upon his foes, and +calling up all his strength, he made a tremendous leap high into the +air and clean over the net. But Thor was too quick for him. As he +fell toward the water, the Thunderer quickly threw out his hand, and +caught the slippery salmon, holding him firmly by the tail. + +When Loki found that he was surely caught, and could not by any means +escape, he took again his proper shape. Fiercely did he struggle with +mighty Thor, and bitter were the curses which he poured down upon his +enemies. But he could not get free. Into the deep, dark cavern, +beneath the smoking mountain, where daylight never comes, nor the +warmth of the sun, nor the sound of Nature's music, the fallen +Mischief-maker was carried. The Asas bound him firmly to the sharp +rocks, with his face turned upwards toward the dripping roof; for they +said that nevermore, until the last dread twilight, should he be free +to vex the world with his wickedness. Skade, the giant daughter of Old +Winter, took a hideous snake, and hung it up above Loki, so that its +venom would drop into his upturned face. But Sigyn, the loving wife of +the suffering wretch, left her home in the pleasant halls of Asgard, +and came to his horrible prison house to soothe and comfort him; and +evermore she holds a basin above his head, and catches in it the +poisonous drops as they fall. When the basin is filled, and she turns +to empty it in the tar-black river that flows through that home of +horrors, the terrible venom falls upon his unprotected face, and Loki +writhes and shrieks in fearful agony, until the earth around him shakes +and trembles, and the mountains spit forth fire, and fumes of sulphur +smoke. + +And there the Mischief-maker, the spirit of evil, shall lie in torment +until the last great day and the dread twilight of all mid-world things. + + + + +THE HUNT IN THE WOOD OF PUELLE + +RELATED BY THE MINSTREL OF LORRAINE[1] + +Charles the Hammer was dead, and his young son Pepin was king of +France. Bego of Belin was his dearest friend, and to him he had given +all Gascony in fief. You would have far to go to find the peer of the +valiant Bego. None of King Pepin's nobles dared gainsay him. Rude in +speech and rough in war, though he was, he was a true knight, gentle +and loving to his friends, very tender to his wife and children, kind +to his vassals, just and upright in all his doings. The very flower of +knighthood was Bego. + +Bitter feuds had there been between the family of Bego and that of +Fromont of Bordeaux. Long time had these quarrels continued, and on +both sides much blood had been spilled. But now there had been peace +between them for ten years and more, and the old hatred was being +forgotten. + +One day Bego sat in his lordly castle at Belin; and beside him was his +wife, the fair Beatrice. In all France there was not a happier man. +From the windows the duke looked out upon his broad lands and the rich +farms of his tenants. As far as a bird could fly in a day, all was +his; and his vassals and serving-men were numbered by the tens of +thousands. "What more," thought Bego, "could the heart of man wish or +pray for?" + +His two young sons came bounding into the hall,--Gerin, the elder born, +fair-haired and tall, brave and gentle as his father; and Hernaudin, +the younger, a child of six summers, his mother's pet, and the joy of +the household. With them were six other lads, sons of noblemen; and +all together laughed and played, and had their boyish pleasure. + +When the duke saw them, he remembered his own boyhood days and the +companions who had shared his sports, and he sighed. The fair Beatrice +heard him, and she said, "My lord, what ails you, that you are so +thoughtful to-day? Why should a rich duke like you sigh and seem sad? +Great plenty of gold and silver have you in your coffers; you have +enough of the vair and the gray,[2] of hawks on their perches, of mules +and palfreys and war steeds; you have overcome all your foes, and none +dare rise up against you. All within six days' journey are your +vassals. What more would you desire to make you happy?" + +"Sweet lady," answered Bego, "you have spoken truly. I am rich, as the +world goes; but my wealth is not happiness. True wealth is not of +money, of the vair and the gray, of mules, or of horses. It is of +kinsfolk and friends. The heart of a man is worth more than all the +gold of a country. Had it not been for my friends, I would have been +put to shame long ago. The king has given me this fief, far from my +boyhood's home, where I see but few of my old comrades and helpers. I +have not seen my brother Garin, the Lorrainer, these seven years, and +my heart yearns to behold him. Now, methinks, I will go to him, and I +will see his son, the child Girbert, whom I have never seen." + +The Lady Beatrice said not a word, but the tears began to well up sadly +in her eyes. + +"In the wood of Puelle," said Bego, after a pause, "there is said to be +a wild boar, the largest and fiercest ever seen. He outruns the +fleetest horses. No man can slay him. Methinks, that if it please +God, and I live, I will hunt in that wood, and I will carry the head of +the great beast to my brother the Lorrainer." + +Then Beatrice, forcing back her tears, spoke: + +"Sir," said she, "what is it thou sayest? The wood of Puelle is in the +march of Fromont the chief, and he owes thee a great grudge. He would +be too glad to do thee harm. I pray thee do not undertake this hunt. +My heart tells me,--I will not hide the truth from thee,--my heart +tells me, that if thou goest thither thou shalt never come back alive." + +But the duke laughed at her fears; and the more she tried to dissuade +him, the more he set his mind on seeing his brother the Lorrainer, and +on carrying to him the head of the great wild boar of Puelle. Neither +prayers nor tears could turn him from his purpose. All the gold in the +world, he said, would not tempt him to give up the adventure. + +So on the morrow morning, before the sun had fairly risen, Bego made +ready to go. As this was no warlike enterprise, he dressed himself in +the richest garb of knightly hero,--with mantle of ermine, and spurs of +gold. With him he took three dozen huntsmen, all skilled in the lore +of the woods, and ten packs of hunting hounds. He had, also, ten +horses loaded with gold and silver and costly presents, and more than a +score of squires and serving-men. Tenderly he bade fair Beatrice and +his two young sons good-by. Ah, what grief! Never was he to see them +more. + +Going by way of Orleans, Bego stopped a day with his sister, the lovely +Helois. Three days he tarried at Paris, the honored guest of the king +and queen. Then pushing on to Valenciennes, which was on the borders +of the great forest, he took up lodging with a rich burgher called +Berenger the Gray. + +"Thou hast many foes in these parts," said the burgher, "and thou +wouldst do well to ware of them." + +Bego only laughed at the warning. "Didst thou ever know a Gascon to +shun danger?" he asked. "I have heard of the famed wild boar of +Puelle, and I mean to hunt him in this wood, and slay him. Neither +friends nor foes shall hinder me." + +On the morrow Berenger led the duke and his party into the wood, and +showed them the lair of the beast. Out rushed the monster upon his +foes; then swiftly he fled, crashing through brush and brake, keeping +well out of the reach of the huntsmen, turning every now and then to +rend some too venturesome hound. For fifteen leagues across the +country he led the chase. One by one the huntsmen lost sight of him. +Toward evening a cold rain came up; and they turned, and rode back +toward Valenciennes. They had not seen the duke since noon. They +supposed that he had gone back with Berenger. But Bego was still +riding through the forest in close pursuit of the wild boar. Only +three hounds kept him company. + +The boar was well-nigh wearied out, and the duke knew that he could not +go much farther. He rode up close behind him; and the fierce animal, +his mouth foaming with rage, turned furiously upon him. But the duke, +with a well-aimed thrust of his sword, pierced the great beast through +his heart. + +By this time, night was falling. The duke knew that he was very far +from any town or castle, but he hoped that some of his men might be +within call. He took his horn, and blew it twice full loudly. But his +huntsmen were now riding into Valenciennes; nor did they think that +they had left their master behind them in the wood. With his flint the +duke kindled a fire; beneath an aspen tree, and made ready to spend the +night near the place where the slain wild boar lay. + +The forester who kept the wood heard the sound of Bego's horn, and saw +the light of the fire gleaming through the trees. Cautiously he drew +nearer. He was surprised to see a knight so richly clad, with his +silken hose and his golden spurs, his ivory horn hanging from his neck +by a blue ribbon. He noticed the great sword that hung at Bego's side. +It was the fairest and fearfulest weapon he had ever seen. He hastened +as fast as he could ride to Lens, where Duke Fromont dwelt; but he +spoke not a word to Fromont. He took the steward of the castle aside, +and told him of what he had seen in the wood. + +"He is no common huntsman," said the forester; "and you should see how +richly clad he is. No king was ever arrayed more gorgeously while +hunting. And his horse--I never saw a better." + +"But what is all this to me?" asked the steward. "If he is trespassing +in the forest, it is your duty to bring him before the duke." + +"Ah! it is hard for you to understand," answered the forester. +"Methinks that if our master had the boar, the sword, and the horn, he +would let me keep the clothing, and you the horse, and would trouble us +with but few questions." + +"Thou art indeed wise," answered the steward. And he at once called +six men, whom he knew he could trust to any evil deed, and told them to +go with the forester. + +"And, if you find any man trespassing in Duke Fromont's wood, spare him +not," he added. + +In the morning the ruffians came to the place where Duke Bego had spent +the night. They found him sitting not far from the great beast which +he had slain, while his horse stood before him and neighed with +impatience and struck his hoofs upon the ground. They asked him who +gave him leave to hunt in the wood of Puelle. + +"I ask no man's leave to hunt where it pleases me," he answered. + +They told him then that the lordship of the wood was with Fromont and +that he must go with them, as their prisoner, to Lens. + +"Very well," said Bego. "I will go with you. If I have done aught of +wrong to Fromont the old, I am willing to make it right with him. My +brother Garin, the Lorrainer, and King Pepin, will go my surety." + +Then, looking around upon the villainous faces of the men who had come +to make prisoner of him, he bethought himself for a moment. + +"No, no!" he cried. "Never will I yield me to six such rascals. +Before I die, I will sell myself full dear. Yesterday six and thirty +knights were with me, and master huntsmen, skilled in all the lore of +the wood. Noble men were they all; for not one of them but held in +fief some town or castle or rich countryside. They will join me ere +long." + +"He speaks thus, either to excuse himself or to frighten us," said one +of the men; and he went boldly forward, and tried to snatch the horn +from Bego's neck. The duke raised his fist, and knocked him senseless +to the ground. + +"Never shall ye take horn from count's neck!" he cried. + +Then all set upon him at once, hoping that by their numbers they might +overpower him. But Bego drew his sword, and struck valiantly to the +right and to the left of him. Three of the villains were slain +outright; and the rest took to their heels and fled, glad to escape +such fury. + +And now all might have been well with Duke Bego. But a churl, armed +with a bow, and arrows of steel, was hidden among the trees. When he +saw his fellows put to flight, he drew a great steel bolt and aimed it +at the duke. Swiftly sped the arrow toward the noble targe: too truly +was it aimed. The duke's sword fell from his hands: the master-vein of +his heart had been cut in twain. He lifted his hands toward heaven, +and prayed:-- + +"Almighty Father, who always wert and art, have pity on my soul.--Ah, +Beatrice! thou sweet, gentle wife, never more shalt thou see me under +heaven.--Fair brother Garin of Lorraine, never shall I be with thee to +serve thee.--My two noble boys, if I had lived, you should have been +the worthiest of knights: now, may Heaven defend you!" + +After a while the churl and the three villains came near him, and found +him dead. It was no common huntsman whom they had killed, but a good +knight,--the loyalest and the best that ever God's sun shone upon. +They took the sword and the horn and the good steed; they loaded the +boar upon a horse; and all returned to Lens. But they left Bego in the +forest, and with him his three dogs, who sat around him, and howled +most mournfully, as if they knew they had lost their best friend. + +The men carried the great boar into the castle of Lens, and threw it +down upon the kitchen hearth. A wonderful beast he was: his sharp, +curved tusks stuck out full a foot from his mouth. The serving-men and +the squires crowded around to see the huge animal; then, as the news +was told through the castle, many fair ladies and knights, and the +priests from the chapel, came in to view the sight. Old Duke Fromont +heard the uproar, and came in slippers and gown to ask what it all +meant. + +"Whence came this boar, this ivory horn, this sword?" he inquired. +"This horn never belonged to a mere huntsman. It looks like the +wondrous horn that King Charles the Hammer had in the days of my +father. There is but one knight now living that can blow it; and he is +far away in Gascony. Tell me where you got these things." + +Then the forester told him all that had happened in the wood, coloring +the story, of course, so as to excuse himself from wrong-doing. + +"And left ye the slain man in the wood?" asked the old duke. "A more +shameful sin I have never known than to leave him there for the wolves +to eat. Go ye back at once, and fetch him hither. To-night he shall +be watched in the chapel, and to-morrow he shall be buried with all due +honor. Men should have pity of one another." + +The body of the noble Duke Bego was brought, and laid upon a table in +the great hall. His dogs were still with him, howling pitifully, and +licking his face. Knights and noblemen came in to see him. + +"A gentle man this was," said they; "for even his dogs loved him." + +"Shame on the rascals who slew him!" said others. "No freeman would +have touched so noble a knight." + +Old Duke Fromont came in. He started back at sight of him who lay +there lifeless. Well he knew Duke Bego, by a scar that he himself had +given him at the battle of St. Quentin ten years before. He fell +fainting into the arms of his knights. Then afterward he upbraided his +men for their dastardly deed, and bewailed their wicked folly. + +"This is no poaching huntsman whom you have slain," said he, "but a +most worthy knight,--the kindest, the best taught, that ever wore +spurs. And ye have dragged me this day into such a war that I shall +not be out of it so long as I live. I shall see my lands overrun and +wasted, my great castles thrown down and destroyed, and my people +distressed and slain; and as for myself I shall have to die--and all +this for a fault which is none of mine, and for a deed which I have +neither wished nor sanctioned." + +And the words of Duke Fromont were true. The death of Bego of Belin +was fearfully avenged by his brother the Lorrainer and by his young +sons Gerin and Hernaud. Never was realm so impoverished as was +Fromont's dukedom. The Lorrainers and the Gascons overran and laid +waste the whole country. A pilgrim might go six days' journey without +finding bread, or meat, or wine. The crucifixes lay prone upon the +ground; the grass grew upon the altars; and no man stopped to plead +with his neighbor. Where had been fields and houses, and fair towns +and lordly castles, now there was naught but woods and underbrush and +thorns. And old Duke Fromont, thus ruined through no fault of his own, +bewailed his misfortunes, and said to his friends, "I have not land +enough to rest upon alive, or to lie upon dead." + + +[1]The original of this tale is found in "The Song of the Lorrainers," +a famous poem written by Jehan de Flagy, a minstrel of the twelfth +century. In the "Story of Roland" it is supposed to have been related +at the court of Charlemagne by a minstrel of Lorraine. + +[2]_The vair and the gray_,--furs used for garments, and in heraldry. +Vair is the skin of the squirrel, and was arranged in shields of blue +and white alternating. + + + + +OGIER THE DANE AND THE FAIRIES + +When Ogier the Dane was but a babe in his mother's arms, there was +heard one day, in his father's castle, the sweetest music that mortals +ever listened to. Nobody knew whence the bewitching sounds came; for +they seemed to be now here, now there: yet every one was charmed with +the delightful melody, and declared that only angels could make music +so heavenly. Then suddenly there came into the chamber where Ogier lay +six fairies, whose beauty was so wonderful and awful, that none but a +babe might gaze upon them without fear. And each of the lovely +creatures bore in her hands a garland of the rarest flowers, and rich +gifts of gold and gems. And the first fairy took the child in her +arms, and kissed him, and said,-- + +"Better than kingly crown, or lands, or rich heritage, fair babe, I +give thee a brave, strong heart. Be fearless as the eagle, and bold as +the lion; be the bravest knight among men." + +Then the second fairy took the child, and dandled him fondly on her +knees, and looked long and lovingly into his clear gray eyes. + +"What is genius without opportunity?" said she. "What is a brave heart +without the ability to do brave deeds? I give to thee many an +opportunity for manly action." + +The third fairy laid the dimpled hands of the babe in her own white +palm, and stroked softly his golden hair. + +"Strong-hearted boy, for whom so many noble deeds are waiting, I, too, +will give thee a boon. My gift is skill and strength such as shall +never fail thee in fight, nor allow thee to be beaten by a foe. +Success to thee, fair Ogier!" + +The fourth fairy touched tenderly the mouth and the eyes and the noble +brow of the babe. + +"Be fair of speech," said she, "be noble in action, be courteous, be +kind: these are the gifts I bring thee. For what will a strong heart, +or a bold undertaking, or success in every enterprise, avail, unless +one has the respect and the love of one's fellow-men?" + +Then the fifth fairy came forward, and clasped Ogier in her arms, and +held him a long time quietly, without speaking a word. At last she +said,-- + +"The gifts which my sisters have given thee will scarcely bring thee +happiness; for, while they add to thy honor, they may make thee +dangerous to others. They may lead thee into the practice of +selfishness and base acts of tyranny. That man is little to be envied +who loves not his fellow-men. The boon, therefore, that I bring thee +is the power and the will to esteem others as frail mortals equally +deserving with thyself." + +And then the sixth fairy, the youngest and the most beautiful of all, +who was none other than Morgan le Fay, the Queen of Avalon, caught up +the child, and danced about the room in rapturous joy. And, in tones +more musical than mortals often hear, she sang a sweet lullaby, a song +of fairyland and of the island vale of Avalon, where the souls of +heroes dwell. + +And, when she had finished singing, Morgan le Fay crowned the babe with +a wreath of laurel and gold, and lighted a fairy torch that she held in +her hand. "This torch," said she, "is the measure of thy earthly days; +and it shall not cease to burn until thou hast visited me in Avalon, +and sat at table with King Arthur and the heroes who dwell there in +that eternal summer-land." + +Then the fairies gave the babe gently back into his mother's arms, and +they strewed the floor of the chamber with many a rich gem and lovely +flower; the odor of roses and the sweetest perfumes filled the air, and +the music of angels' voices was heard above; and the fairies vanished +in a burst of sunbeams, and were seen no more. And when the queen's +maidens came soon afterward into the chamber, they found the child +smiling in his mother's arms. But she was cold and lifeless: her +spirit had flown away to fairyland. + + + + +HOW CHARLEMAGNE CROSSED THE ALPS + +It was near the time of the solemn festival of Easter,--the time when +Nature seems to rise from the grave, and the Earth puts on anew her +garb of youth and beauty. King Charlemagne was at St. Omer; for there +the good Archbishop Turpin was making ready to celebrate the great +feast with more than ordinary grandeur. Thither, too, had come the +members of the king's household, and a great number of lords and +ladies, the noblest in France. + +Scarcely had the good archbishop pronounced a blessing upon the devout +multitude assembled at the Easter service, when two messengers came in +hot haste, and demanded to speak with the king. They had come from +Rome, and they bore letters from Pope Leo. Sad was the news which +these letters brought, but it was news which would fire the heart of +every Christian knight. The Saracens had landed in Italy, and had +taken Rome by assault. "The pope and the cardinals and the legates +have fled," said the letters; "the churches are torn down; the holy +relics are lost; and the Christians are put to the sword. Wherefore +the Holy Father charges you as a Christian king to march at once to the +help of the Church." + +It needed no word of Charlemagne to arouse the ardor of his warriors. +Every other undertaking must be laid aside, so long as Rome and the +Church were in danger. And the heralds proclaimed that on the morrow, +at break of day, the army would move southward toward Italy. + +The morning after Easter dawned, and the great army waited for the +signal to march. The bugles sounded, and the long line of steel-clad +knights and warriors began to move. Charlemagne rode in the front +ranks, ready, like a true knight, to brave every difficulty, and to be +the first in every post of danger. Never did a better king wear spur. + +Great was the haste with which the army moved, and very impatient were +the warriors; for the whole of France lay between them and fair Italy, +and they knew that weeks of weary marching must be endured, ere they +could meet their Pagan foe in battle, and drive him out of the +Christians' land. + +Many days they rode among the rich fields and between the blooming +orchards of the Seine valley; many days they toiled over unbroken +forest roads, and among marshes and bogs, and across untrodden +moorlands. They climbed steep hills, and swam broad rivers, and +endured the rain and the wind and the fierce heat of the noonday sun, +and sometimes even the pangs of hunger and thirst. But they carried +brave hearts within them; and they comforted themselves with the +thought that all their suffering was for the glory of God and the honor +of the king, for their country's safety and the security of their homes. + +Every day, as they advanced, the army increased in numbers and in +strength: for the news had been carried all over the land, that the +Saracens had taken Rome, and that Charlemagne with his host was +hastening to the rescue; and knights and noblemen from every city and +town and countryside came to join his standard, sometimes alone and +singly, and sometimes with a great retinue of fighting men and +servitors. When at last they had passed the boundaries of France, and +only the great mountains lay between them and Italy, Charlemagne could +look behind him, and see an army of a hundred thousand men. And now +messengers came to him again, urging him to hasten with all speed to +the succor of the pope. + +But the Alps Mountains lifted themselves up in his pathway, and their +snowy crags frowned threateningly upon him; their steep, rocky sides +arose like walls before him, and seemed to forbid his going farther; +and there appeared to be no way of reaching Italy, save by a long and +circuitous route through the southern passes. + +In the hope that he might find some shorter and easier passage, +Charlemagne now sent out scouts and mountaineers to explore every +valley and gorge, and every seeming mountain pass. But all came back +with the same story: there was not even so much as a path up which the +mountain goats could clamber, much less a road broad enough for an +army, with horses and baggage, to traverse. The king was in despair, +and he called together his counsellors and wise men to consider what +should be done. Duke Namon urged that they should march around by way +of the southern passes; for, although a full month would thus be lost, +yet there was no other safe and well-known land-route to Italy. +Ganelon advised that they should turn back, and, marching to +Marseilles, embark from thence on ships, and undertake to reach Rome by +way of the sea. + +Then the dwarf Malagis came before Charlemagne, bearing in his hand a +book, from which he read many spells and weird enchantments. Upon the +ground he drew with his wand a magic ring, and he laid therein the +hammer of Thor and the sword of Mahomet. In a loud, commanding voice, +he called upon the sprites, the trolls, and the goblins, with whom he +was familiar, to come at once into his presence. Forthwith the +lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled, and smoke and fire burst +forth from the mountain peaks, and the rocks and great ice-fields were +loosened among the crags, and came tumbling down into the valley. +Dwarfs and elves, and many an uncanny thing, danced and shouted in the +mountain caves; grinning ogres peeped out from the deep clefts and +gorges; and the very air seemed full of ghost-like creatures. Then the +wizard called by name a wise but wicked goblin, known among the +Saracens as Ashtaroth; and the goblin came at once, riding in a +whirlwind, and feeling very angry because he was obliged to obey. + +"Tell me now," said Malagis, "and tell me truly, whether there is here +so much as a pathway by which Charlemagne may lead his army through the +mountains." + +The goblin was silent for a moment; a dark cloud rested upon his face, +and his look was terrible. But the wizard, in no wise daunted, +returned his glance, and in the tones of a master bade him clear up +that clouded look, and answer the question he had asked. Then +Ashtaroth curbed his anger, and spoke: + +"On what errand would the French king cross the Alps?" he asked. +"Seeks he not to harm my friends the Saracens?" + +"That is, indeed, his errand," answered Malagis. + +"Then, why should I do aught to help him?" asked the goblin. "Why do +you call me from my rest, and bid me betray my friends?" + +"That is not for thee to ask," said Malagis. "I have called thee as a +master calls his slave. Tell me now, and tell me truly, is there here +any pass across the mountains into Italy?" + +"There is such a pass," answered the goblin gravely; "but it is hidden +to eyes like mine. I cannot guide you to it, nor can any of my kind +show you how to find it. It is a pathway which only the pure can +tread." + +"Tell me one thing more," said Malagis. "Tell me one thing, and I will +let thee go. How prosper thy friends the Saracens at Rome?" + +"They have taken all but the Capitol," was the answer. "They have +slain many Christians, and burned many buildings. The pope and the +cardinals have fled. If Charlemagne reach not Italy within a month, +ill will it fare with his friends." + +Then Malagis, satisfied with what he had heard, unwound the spell of +his enchantments; and amid a cloud of fire and smoke the goblin flew +back into the mountains. + +Next the good Turpin came forward, with a crosier in his hand, and a +bishop's mitre on his head, and a long white robe thrown over his +shoulders, scarcely hiding the steel armor which he wore beneath. He +lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed. And the sound of his voice +arose among the cliffs, and resounded among the rocks, and was echoed +from valley to valley, and re-echoed among the peaks and crags, and +carried over the mountain tops, even to the blue sky above. The king +and those who stood about him fancied that they heard sweet strains of +music issuing from the mountain caves; the most bewitching sounds arose +among the rocks and gorges; the air was filled with a heavenly perfume +and the songs of birds; and a holy calm settled over mountain and +valley, and fell like a blessing upon the earth. Then the Alps no +longer seemed obstacles in their way. The steep cliffs, which had been +like mighty walls barring their progress, seemed now mere gentle +slopes, rising little by little toward heaven, and affording a pleasant +and easy highway to the fair fields of Italy beyond. + +While Charlemagne and his peers gazed in rapt delight upon this vision, +there came down from the mountain crags a beautiful creature such as +none of them had ever before seen. It was a noble stag, white as the +drifted snow, his head crowned with wide-branching antlers, from every +point of which bright sunbeams seemed to flash. + +"Behold our leader and our hope!" cried Turpin. "Behold the +sure-footed guide which the Wonder-king has sent to lead us through +narrow ways, and over dangerous steeps, to the smiling valleys and +fields of Italy! Be only strong and trustful and believing, and a safe +way shall open for us, even where there seemed to be no way." + +Then the vision faded slowly away from the sight of the peers; and the +mountain walls rose up before them as grim and steep as ever; and the +snow-crowned crags looked down upon them even more angrily than before, +and there seemed no road nor pathway which the foot of man could +follow. But the wondrous white stag, which had filled their minds with +a new-born hope, still stood in plain sight on the lowermost slopes of +the mountain. + +The king, without once taking his eyes from the Heaven-sent creature, +mounted his war-steed, and sounded the bugle which hung at his girdle; +and the great army, confiding in the wisdom of their leader, began to +move. The white stag went first, steadily following a narrow pathway, +which led upward by many steep ascents, seemingly to the very clouds; +and behind him rode Charlemagne, keeping ever in view his radiant, +hopeful guide, and followed by the long line of knights and warriors, +who, cheered by his earnest faith, never once feared the end. + +Higher and higher they climbed, and more and more difficult became the +way. On one side of them arose a steep wall, shutting out from their +sight more than half of the sky; on the other side, dark gorges and +yawning gulfs descended, threatening to bury the whole army in their +bottomless depths. And by and by they came to the region of snow and +ice, where the Storm-king holds his court, and reigns in ever-lasting +solitude. Looking back, they could see sweet France, lying spread out +as a map beneath them, its pleasant fields and its busy towns seeming +only as specks in the dim distance. But when they looked forward, +hoping there to see a like map of fair Italy, only the rocks and the +ice, and the narrow pathway, and the desolate mountain crags, met their +sight. + +They would have become disheartened by the difficulties before them, +and have turned back in utter despair, had not the bright form of their +guide, and the cheerful countenance of Charlemagne, inspired them with +ever-renewed hope. For seven days they toiled among the dangerous +steeps; and on the eighth a glorious vision burst upon their view--the +smiling plains of Italy lay before them. + +At this sight a great shout of joy went up from the throats of the +toil-worn heroes, and the good archbishop returned thanks to Heaven for +their deliverance from peril. And, a few hours later, the whole army +emerged into the pleasant valleys of Piedmont, and encamped not far +from Aosta. + + + + +WHAT HAPPENED AT RONCEVAUX + +In all the world there was not such another king as Charlemagne. +Wherever his arms were carried, there victory followed; and neither +Pagan nor haughty Christian foe dared lift up hands any more against +him. His kingdom stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Italian shores, +and from beyond the Rhine to the great Western Ocean. Princes were his +servants; kings were his vassals; and even the Pope of Rome did him +homage. And now he had crossed the Pyrenees, and was carrying fire and +sword into the fair fields and rich towns of the Spanish Moors; for he +had vowed to punish Marsilius, king of Spain, for the injuries he had +done the French in former years. He had overrun the whole of that +haughty land, and had left neither castle, nor city, nor wall, +unbroken, save only the town of Saragossa. + +One day Charlemagne sat beneath the blossoming trees of an orchard near +Cordova. White was his beard, and flowered was his head; yet still +handsome was his body, and proud his form. Around him were the noblest +of knights, Roland and Oliver and old Duke Namon, and fifteen thousand +of the choicest men of France. It was a gala-day for the French, and +the warriors amused themselves with field sports, and many pleasant +games. Then a party of Moorish messengers were brought before the +king. They came from Marsilius at Saragossa, who had sent to beg peace +of Charlemagne. + +"What will Marsilius give for peace?" asked the king. + +"If you will go back to your own country, and cease this unhappy war," +answered they, "then Marsilius binds himself to do this: he will go to +Aix at Michaelmas, and be baptized; he will do homage then for Spain, +and will faithfully hold it in fief from you; he will give you great +store of treasures,--four hundred mules loaded with gold, and fifty +cart-loads of silver, besides numbers of bears and lions and tame +greyhounds, and seven hundred camels, and a thousand moulted falcons. +Too long has this cruel war been waging. Marsilius would fain have +peace." + +Charlemagne listened to the words of the messengers, but he was not +quick to answer. He called together his peers, and laid the matter +before them. + +"What think you of the Moor's offers of peace?" asked he. + +"Put no trust in Marsilius!" cried Roland. "He is the most faithless +of Pagans, and speaks only lies. Carry on the war as you have begun, +and talk not of peace until Saragossa is ours." + +Charlemagne's face grew dark, yet he said not a word. It was plain +that he coveted the treasures which Marsilius had promised. Then +Ganelon arose, and with curling lip, thus answered,-- + +"If Marsilius offers to do fealty for Spain, and to hold it as a gift +from you, wherefore should we refuse his plea? He who would advise you +otherwise cares not what manner of death we die." + +And Namon of Bavaria added, "If the Moor is beaten, and cries for +mercy, it would be an unknightly act to continue warring against him. +My voice is for peace." + +And all the peers, save Roland and Oliver, cried out, "The duke hath +spoken wisely. Let us have peace!" + +"It is well," answered Charlemagne, "and so it shall be. But whom +shall we send to Saragossa to treat with Marsilius, and to receive the +pledges of good faith which he shall give?" + +Then arose a great dispute among the peers as to which should undertake +this dangerous errand. Duke Namon, who was never known to shirk a +duty, offered to go; but the king would not consent. He liked not to +part with his wise old friend, even for a single day. + +"I will carry the message," said Roland. + +"Not so, my brother," interrupted Oliver. "Thy pride will get the +better of thy judgment, and thou wilt act rashly. Let me undertake the +errand." + +But Charlemagne refused them both. "Neither of you shall go," said he. +"But you may choose one from among these other barons to be the +messenger." + +"Then send Ganelon of Mayence," said Roland. "He is in favor of this +peace, and he is most fit to carry the message." + +"Yes, send Ganelon of Mayence!" cried all the peers. + +Ganelon rose from his seat in rage. Fire flashed from his hazel eyes; +his lips quivered; he tore the sable border from his crimson tunic, and +stood proudly before Roland. "Fool!" cried he. "Who art thou who +wouldst send me to Marsilius? If I but live to come again from +Saragossa, I will deal thee such a blow as thou shalt never forget." + +"Speak softly, Sir Ganelon," said Roland. "Men know that I care not +for threats. If thou art afraid of the danger, mayhap the king will +allow me to go in thy place." + +Hotter than before was Ganelon's wrath; but he held his tongue, and +turned humbly toward the king. + +"My lord," said he, "since you will that I bear this message to +Marsilius, I go. But I know too well the false-hearted Moor to hope +that I shall ever return. I pray you, care for my fair son Baldwin, to +whom I leave my lands and all my fiefs. Keep him well, for these eyes +of mine shall never see him again." + +"Thou art too fearful, and too tender of heart," said the king, as he +offered to Ganelon the staff and the glove which messengers were wont +to carry as signs of their office. "Go now, and doubt not the issue of +thine errand." + +Ganelon took the staff; but his hand trembled, and the glove fell to +the ground. + +"An evil omen is that," whispered the peers who saw it. "It is a sign +of no good fortune, either to him or to us." + +Then Ganelon bade the king good-by, and went on his way. But he said +to himself, "This is Roland's doings, and I shall hate him all my life +long: neither shall I love Oliver his brother, nor any other of the +twelve peers." + +When he reached Saragossa, Ganelon was led into the presence of +Marsilius. The Moorish king sat under a pine tree, and twenty thousand +warriors stood around him. + +"What answer bring you from your liege-lord Charlemagne?" asked he. + +Ganelon had studied well what he should say; and he answered, like one +long used to cunning guile, "If thou wilt be baptized and become a +Christian, Charlemagne will give thee the half of Spain to hold in +fief. If thou wilt not accept this offer, then he will besiege thee in +Saragossa, and take thee prisoner; and he will send thee bound upon the +back of a sumter horse to Aix, and there he will have thee put to +death. This is the message which Charlemagne sends thee." + +Great was the anger of the Moorish king, and he raised his javelin to +strike the messenger dead. But Ganelon, no whit daunted, set his back +against the trunk of a tree, and drew his sword part way from its +scabbard. + +"Good sword," said he, "thou art fair and bright, and thou hast done me +many a service. Never shall it be said that Ganelon died alone in a +strange land." + +But the courtiers of King Marsilius stepped in between them. "It were +better," said they, "to treat with this man than to slay him. If his +face slander him not, he is a man who may be persuaded to help us. Try +him." + +Then Marsilius called Ganelon to his side, and offered him five hundred +pounds of gold for his friendship. And the two sat long together, and +plotted bloodshed and treason. + +"Indeed, what think you of this Charlemagne?" asked the Moor. "Through +how many lands has he carried that old body of his? How many scars are +there on his shield? How many kingdoms has he stolen, and how many +kings impoverished? Methinks that his days are well-nigh spent. He +must be more than two hundred years old." + +But Ganelon, although a traitor, would say naught against the king. + +"None can see him," said he, "but will say that he is a man. None can +so praise or honor him, but that there shall yet be in him more worth +and goodness." + +"Yet, methinks," said the Moor, "that he is very old. His beard is +white; his hair is flowered. It is strange that he grows not tired of +fighting." + +"That he will never do so long as Roland, his nephew, lives," answered +Ganelon. "There, too, is Oliver; and there are the other peers of the +realm, all of whom the king holds most dear. They alone are worth +twenty thousand men." + +"I have heard much of Roland," said the Moor; "and I would fain put him +out of the way. Tell me how it can be done, and thou shalt have three +baggage-horse loads of gold, three of silver, and three of fine silk +and red wine and jewels." + +Now Ganelon desired, above all things, the death of Roland; and he +eagerly made known his plans to Marsilius. + +"Send to Charlemagne," said he, "great store of rich gifts, so that +every Frenchman shall wonder at your wealth. Send also hostages, and +promise him that on next Michaelmas you will be baptized at Aix and do +him homage for Spain. Pleased with your promises, he will return to +France. But his rear-guard, with Roland and Oliver, and twenty +thousand Frenchmen, will be long among the passes of the Pyrenees. A +hundred thousand Moors could well cope with them there." + +Then the two traitors exchanged promises and pledges; and Ganelon, +taking with him the keys of Saragossa, and rich presents for +Charlemagne, went back to Cordova. + +Right glad was Charlemagne to hear the message which the lying traitor +brought. He was tired of warring, and he longed to return in peace to +his own sweet France. The next day the trumpets sounded throughout the +camp. The tents were struck; the baggage was packed on the sumter +horses; the knights mounted their steeds; banners and pennons waved +thick in the air; the great army began its glad march homeward. Joyful +was the beginning of that march; but, ah, how sad the ending! The +French did not see the crafty Moors following them through the upper +valleys, their banners furled, their helmets closed, their lances in +rest. + +That first night the king was troubled with sad dreams. He thought +that Ganelon seized his lance and shook it, and that it fell in pieces. +He thought that he hunted in the forest of Ardennes, and that both a +boar and a leopard attacked him. A thousand fearful fancies vexed him. +Mountains fell upon him and crushed him; the earth yawned and swallowed +him; perils beset him on every side: but amid them all, the face of +Ganelon was ever to be seen. + +By and by the army came to the Pyrenees, and the great land of France +lay just beyond the mountains. + +"To whom now," said the king to his peers, "shall we intrust our +rear-guard while we pass safely through the mountain gates?" + +"Give It to Roland, your nephew," said Ganelon. "There is none more +worthy than he." + +"And who shall lead the vanguard?" + +"Ogier, the Dane. Next to Roland, he is the bravest of your barons." + +Right willingly did Roland accept the dangerous trust. + +"I will see to it," said he, "that no harm come to the French while +passing through the gates. Neither pack-horse, nor mule, nor palfrey, +nor charger, nor man shall we lose, that shall not be paid for by the +blood of our foes." + +Then he mounted his steed, and rode back to the rear. And with him +went Oliver and Turpin the archbishop, and twenty thousand valiant +fighting-men. + +High were the mountains, and gloomy the valleys; dark were the rocks, +and fearful were the glens. But the day was fair, and the sky was +clear; and the bright shields of the warriors glittered in the sunlight +like flashes of fire. All at once a sound, as of a thousand trumpets +blowing, was heard in the valley below them. The French knights +hearkened. + +"Comrades," said Oliver, "methinks that we are followed by the Moors." + +"And may God grant us battle and victory!" said Roland earnestly. +"Well is it that we are here to defend the king. For one should never +murmur that he suffers distress for his friends: for them, he should +lose, if need be, both blood and flesh and even life itself." + +Then Oliver climbed a high pine tree, and looked down into the grassy +valley behind them. There he beheld such troops of Pagan folk as he +had never seen before. + +"Comrades," cried he, "we shall have such a battle as no man has known. +The passes are full of armed Moors: their hauberks and glittering +helmets fill the lower valleys. Great mischief is in store for us, but +may we stand to the field like men!" + +"Shame be to him that flees!" said the warriors who heard him. + +Bewildered and amazed at sight of so terrible an array of Pagans, +Oliver descended from the tree. + +"Brother Roland," said he, "I pray thee blow thy horn. The king will +hear it, and he will turn him about and come to our succor." + +"To do so would be to act as a craven," answered Roland. "Never shall +it be said that I feared a foe. I will strike strong strokes with my +sword, Durandal. Ill shall it fare with the Pagan traitors." + +"Comrade Roland," again said Oliver, "now blow thy horn. Charlemagne +will hear it, and he will make his host return." + +"Never," answered Roland, "shall my kinsmen upbraid me, or be blamed +for me. But I will strike with Durandal. The brand which the king +gave me when he knighted me, that shall be our succor." + +Then Oliver prayed him the third time, "Comrade Roland, sound now thine +ivory horn. Charlemagne, who is passing the gates, will hear us and +come to our aid." + +"No man shall ever say," answered Roland, "that I have blown my horn +for Pagans. My kinsmen shall not bear that reproach. But when the +great battle is joined, then you shall see the lightning flashes of +Durandal in the thickest of the fight. A thousand and seven hundred +times shall the blade be dyed in the blood of the Moors. Better would +it be to perish than suffer shame." + +But Oliver was not yet satisfied. "I have seen the Moorish host," said +he. "The mountains and the plains, the valleys and the groves, are +full of them. Never have we fought against such great odds." + +"Friend and brother," answered Roland, "say not another word. The king +has left us here, with a rear-guard of twenty thousand men, and he +esteems every one of us a hero. Do thou strike with thy lance and thy +good blade Haultclear. As for me, Durandal shall serve me well. And, +if I die, men shall say, 'This sword belonged to a noble knight.'" + +Then the good Archbishop Turpin rode down the ranks, holding a sword in +one hand and a crucifix in the other. "Comrades," cried he, "the king +has left us here. He trusts in us, and for him we shall die. Cry now +your sins to Heaven. Pray God's mercy, and ask His blessing." + +In a moment every knight among those twenty thousand horsemen had +dismounted. Humbly and reverently every knee was bent, and every head +was bowed. And the good archbishop blessed the company in God's name. + +"If ye die," said he, "ye shall have places in paradise." + +Then the warriors arose, light-hearted and hopeful. They rode into the +place which is called Roncevaux, the Vale of Thorns, and there they put +themselves in battle array, and waited the onset of their foes. Roland +sat astride of his good war steed, and proudly faced the Moorish host. +In his hand he held the bared blade Durandal, pointing toward heaven. +Never was seen a more comely knight. Courteously he spoke to the +warriors about him. Then, putting spurs to his steed, he cried,-- + +"Comrades, ride onward! The day shall be ours!" + +"Forget not the war cry of Charlemagne," said Oliver. + +At these words the rocks and valleys rang with the cry, "Monjoie! +Monjoie!" And every warrior dashed forward to meet the foe. + +Long and fierce was the fight, and terrible was the slaughter. With +heart and strength the French knights struck. The Moors were slain by +hundreds and by thousands. For a time victory seemed to be with the +French. Many and valiant were the deeds achieved by Roland and Oliver +and the archbishop and the peers that were with them. But at length +Marsilius came down upon them with a fresh troop of seven thousand +Moors. They hemmed the French heroes in on every side. Roland saw his +knights falling one by one around him. All were slain save sixty men. + +"Oliver, my fair dear comrade," said he, "behold how many brave vassals +have fallen! The battle goes hard with us. If, now, we only knew how +to send news to Charlemagne, he would return and succor us." + +"It is too late," answered Oliver. "Better would we die than suffer +shame." + +Then said Roland, "I will sound my ivory horn. Mayhap Charlemagne, who +is passing the gates of Spain, will hear it and return." + +"Do no such thing," answered Oliver. "Great shame would be upon you +and your kinsmen forever. You would not blow your horn when I advised +it, and now you shall not do so because the day is lost." + +Then the archbishop rode up, and said, "The day is indeed lost, and to +blow the horn would now no more avail us. But, should the king hear +it, he will come back through the passes. He will find us dead: his +men will lift us in biers and carry us home to be buried in minsters, +and we shall not be left as food for wolves and dogs." + +"Thou sayest well," said Roland. And he placed the horn to his lips. +High were the hills, deep and dark were the gorges, narrow were the +ways among the mountains. Yet the sound of that horn was heard for +thirty leagues. Charlemagne and Duke Namon heard it while yet they +were between the gates. + +"Hark!" said the king. "I hear Roland's horn. The felon Moors have +attacked him: he is hard pressed in battle." + +"You are foolishly mistaken," said Ganelon. "There is no battle. You +are old, your beard is white, your head is flowery, you are growing +childish. You love your silly nephew, Roland, too well. He is only +hunting among the mountains. He would blow his horn all day for a +single hare, and then he would boast before you of his valor. Ride on. +Your own France is not far ahead." + +But the king was not to be deceived. He ordered Ganelon to be seized +and bound and given in charge of his cooks, who were to hold him a +close prisoner. They bound him with a great chain, and laid him across +the back of a sumter horse; they pulled his beard; they struck him with +their fists; they beat him with sticks. Sorry indeed was the traitor's +plight, but his punishment was just. As for Charlemagne, he turned and +with all his host hastened back to the succor of Roland and the valiant +rear-guard. High were the mountain walls, and darkly did they overhang +the way; deep were the mountain gorges; swift and strong were the +torrents; narrow and steep was the road. The trumpets sounded: +anxiously and with haste the king and his horsemen retraced their steps. + +Fiercely still the battle raged in the fated Vale of Thorns. One by +one the French knights fell; but for every one that was slain ten +Pagans bit the dust. At length Oliver was wounded unto death; but +still he sat on his horse and struck valiantly about him with his good +Haultclear. His eyes lost their strength: he could not see. He met +Roland, and struck him a blow which split his helmet down to the +nose-piece, but luckily wounded him not. + +"Brother," said Roland softly and gently, "thou hast not done this +willingly. I am Roland, he who has loved thee so long and so well." + +"Ah, comrade!" said Oliver, "I hear thee; but I cannot see thee. Pray +forgive me if I have harmed thee." + +"I am none the worse," answered Roland; "and there is naught to +forgive." + +Then the two brothers bent over from their steeds, and embraced each +other; and amid much love and many hasty words of farewell, they parted. + +And now all the French were slain, save only Roland and the archbishop. +The hero was wounded in a dozen places: he felt his life-blood oozing +away. Again he drew his ivory horn, and feebly sounded it. He would +fain know whether Charlemagne were coming. The king was in the pass, +not far away, and he heard the failing blast. + +"Ah, Roland!" said he, "the battle goes ill with thee." Then he turned +to his host, and said, "Blow loud your trumpets, that the hero may know +that succor comes." + +At once sixty thousand bugles were blown so loudly that the valley and +the caves resounded, and the rocks themselves trembled. Roland heard +it and thanked God. The Pagans heard it and knew that it boded no good +to them. They rushed in a body upon Roland and the archbishop. +Roland's horse was slain beneath him; his shield was split in twain; +his hauberk was broken. The archbishop was mortally wounded, and +stretched upon the ground. Again the trumpets of Charlemagne's host +were heard, and the Pagans fled in great haste toward Spain. + +Then Roland knelt by the side of the dying archbishop. "Kind friend, +so good and true," said he, "now the end has come. Our comrades whom +we held so dear are all dead. Give me leave to bring them and lay them +in order by thee, that we may all have thy blessing." + +"It is well," answered the good Turpin. "Do as thou wilt. The field +is thine and mine." + +So Roland, weak and faint, went all alone through that field of blood, +seeking his friends. He found Berenger and Otho and Anseis and Samson, +and proud Gerard of Roussillon; and one by one he brought them and laid +them on the grass before the archbishop. And lastly he brought back +Oliver, pressed gently against his bosom, and placed him on a shield by +the others. The archbishop wept; and he lifted up his feeble hands and +blessed them: "Sad has it been with you, comrades. May God, the +glorious King, receive your souls in His paradise!" + +Then Roland, faint with loss of blood, and overcome with grief, swooned +and fell to the ground. The good archbishop felt such distress as he +had never known before. He staggered to his feet; he took the ivory +horn in his hands, and went to fetch water from the brook which flows +through the Vale of Thorns. Slowly and feebly he tottered onward, but +not far: his strength failed and he fell to the ground. Soon Roland +recovered from his swoon and looked about him. On the green grass this +side of the rivulet, he saw the archbishop lying. The good Turpin was +dead. + +And now Roland felt that he, too, was nigh death's door. He took the +ivory horn in one hand, and Durandal in the other, and went up a little +hill that lies toward Spain. He sat down beneath a pine tree where +were four great blocks of marble. He looked at the blade Durandal. +"Ha, Durandal," he said, "how bright and white thou art! Thou shinest +and flamest against the sun! Many countries have I conquered with +thee, and now for thee I have great grief. Better would it be to +destroy thee than to have thee fall into the hands of the Pagan folk." + +With great effort he raised himself on his feet again. Ten times he +smote with Durandal the great rock before him. But the sword was +bright and whole as ever, while the rock was split in pieces. Then the +hero lay down upon the grass, with his face toward the foe. He put the +sword and the horn under him. He stretched his right glove toward +heaven, and an unseen hand came and took it away. Dead was the +matchless hero. + +Not long after this King Charlemagne with his host came to the +death-strewn Vale of Thorns. Great was the grief of the king and of +all the French, when they found that they had come too late to save +even a single life. Roland was found lying on the grass, his face +turned toward Spain. Charlemagne took him up tenderly in his arms, and +wept. + +"Friend Roland," said he, "worthiest of men, bravest of warriors, +noblest of all my knights, what shall I, say when they in France shall +ask news of thee? I shall tell them that thou art dead in Spain. With +great sorrow shall I hold my realm from this time on. Every day I +shall weep and bewail thee, and wish that my life, too, were ended." + +Then the French buried their dead on the field where they had fallen. +But the king brought Roland and Oliver and the archbishop to Blaye in +France, and laid them in white marble tombs; and there they lie until +this day in the beautiful little chapel of St. Roman's. And he took +the ivory horn to Bordeaux, and filled it with fine gold, and laid it +on the altar of the church in that city; and there it is still seen by +the pious pilgrims who visit that place. + + + + +VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES + + _Ac ar na' ni a_, the most western province of ancient Greece. + _A chil' les_ ( kil' lez), the ideal hero of the Greeks. + _Ae' gir_ (a' jir), in Norse legends, the ruler of the sea. + _Ag a me' des_ (-dez), one of the architects of the temple at Delphi. + _Ag a mem' non_, king of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks. + _Aix_ (aks), a city of France, favorite residence of Charlemagne. + _A' jax_, a Greek hero second only to Achilles. + _Al ex an' dros_, a name applied to Paris, prince of Troy. + _Al phe' us_, a hunter transformed into a river of Greece. + _Al the' a_, queen of Calydon, mother of Meleager. + _A mil' i as_, a mythical smith of Burgundy. + _And' v r_, a dwarf, the keeper of the Rhine treasure. + _An til' o chus_ (-kus), a Greek prince and friend of Achilles. + _A os' t_, a town in northern Italy. + _Aph ro di' te_, in Greek mythology, the goddess of love. + _A pol' lo_, in Greek mythology, the god of music, poetry, and healing. + _Ar ca' di a_, a mountainous country in Greece. + _Ardennes_ (r den'), a forest in northern France. + _Ar e thu' sa_, a nymph loved by Alpheus. + _Ar' go_, the ship that carried Jason and his companions. + _Ar' te nis_, twin sister of Apollo; goddess of the woods. + _Ar' thur_, a heroic legendary king of Britain. + _As' as_ (s z), the gods of the North. + _As' grd_, in Norse mythology, the home of the gods or Asas. + _Ash' ta roth_, an evil spirit. + _At a lan' ta_, an Arcadian princess and swift-footed huntress. + _A the' na_, the goddess of knowledge, arts, and sciences. + _At' ro pos_, one of the three Fates. + _Au' lis_, a town on the east coast of Greece. + _Au tol' y cus_, a famous Greek chieftain, grandfather of Odysseus. + _Av' a lon_, fairyland (in mediaeval legends). + + _Bal' i os_, "Swift," one of the horses given to Peleus. + _Bl' mung_, the sword of Siegfried. + _Be' a trice_, the wife of Eego of Belin. + _Be go'_ (ba go'), duke of Belin and feudal chief of Gascony. + _Ber en ger'_ (-n zha'), a friend of Bego. + _Blaye_ (bla), a seaport of France, 21 miles from Bordeaux. + _Bo' re as_, the North Wind. + _Bor deaux'_ (-do'), a city on west coast of France. + _Bur' gun dy_, a duchy including a part of northeastern France. + + _Cal' chas_ (kal' kal), a soothsayer of Mycense. + _Cal' y don_, a city in ancient Greece. + _Cas san' dra_, a prophetess, the daughter of Priam. + _Cas tor_, twin brother of Pollux and brother of Helen. + _Cen' taur_, one of an ancient race inhabiting the country near + Mount Pelion, said to have the bodies of horses. + _Charlemagne_ (shr' le man), king of the Franks, 742-814. + _Cheiron_ (ki' ron), a Centaur famed for his wisdom. + _Cle o pa' tra_, the wife of Meleager. + _Clo' tho_, one of the three Fates. + _Clyt' em nes tra_, the wife of Agamemnon. + _Crete (kret)_, an island southeast of Greece. + _Cris' sa_, a gulf in Greece, now called Gulf of Corinth. + + _Dr' da nus_, ancestor of the people of Troy. + _De' los_, a small island east of Greece. + _Del' phi_, a town at the foot of Mount Parnassus, the seat + of the oracle of Apollo. + _Du ran' dal_, the sword of Roland. + + _E' lis_, a country in southern Greece. + _E' rin_, the ancient name for Ireland. + _E' ris_, the goddess of discord. + _Euboea_ (u be' a), a large island east of Greece. + + _Ff' nr_, a dragon that guarded the Rhine treasure. + _Fa nan' der_, a cataract referred to in Norse mythology. + _Fro mont'_, duke of Bordeaux. + + _G' ne lon_, a duke of Mayence noted for his treachery. + _G rin'_ (-ranh), one of the sons of Bego of Belia. + _Gas' co ny_, an ancient duchy of France. + _Gerin_ (zhe ranh'), a brother of Bego of Belio. + + _Ha' des_, the land of the shades, or of the dead. + _Hault'_ clear, the sword of Oliver. + _He' be_, the goddess of youth and spring. + _Hec' tor_, a prince of Troy, son of Priam. + _Hel' en_, the wife of Menelaus, celebrated for her beauty. + _He lo se'_ (ha lo ez'), the sister of Bego of Belin. + _He' ra_, the wife of Zeus; often called Juno. + _Her' cu les_ (-lez), a mighty hero of the Golden Age of Greece. + _Her' mes_ (-mez), the messenger of the gods; same as Mercury. + _Her nau din_ (her no danh'), a son of Bego. + _He si' o ne_, a princess of Troy, sister of Priam. + _Haenir_ (he' nr), a companion of Odio. + _Hreidmar_ (hrid' mar), the father of Regin. + _Hu' na land_, a country mentioned in Norse mythology. + _Hy per bo' re ans_, the people who lived beyond the North Wind. + + _I ' sus_, a king of Arcadia, father of Atalanta. + _I' das_, the father of Cleopatra. + _I dom' e neus_, a king of Crete, friend of Menelaus. + _Il' i os_, the same as Troy; Ilium. + _I' lus_, the founder of Ilios or Troy. + _Iph i ge ni' a_, a princess, the daughter of Agamemnon. + _I' ris_, a messenger of the gods, personification of the rainbow. + + _Ja' son_, a Greek hero, the leader of the Argonauts. + + _Kw' ser_, in Norse mythology, a being noted for his wisdom. + + _Lac e dae' mon_ (las-), an ancient Greek city, same as Sparta. + _Lach' e sis_ (lak-), one of the three Fates. + _La om' e don_, a king of Troy, father of Priam. + _Lo' ki_, in Norse mythology, the spirit of mischief. + _Lor raine'_, a region on the border between France and Germany. + + _Ma hom' et_, an Arab, the founder of Mohammedanism. + _Mai' a gis_ (-zhe), a dwarf enchanter and magician. + _Mr seilles'_ (-salz), a city of France on the Mediterranean. + + _Mr sl' i us_, a Moorish king of Spain. + _Mayence_ (m yons'), a city on the Rhine River. + _Mel e a' ger_ (-jer), a Greek hero, prince of Calydon. + _M' mer_, in Norse mythology, the possessor of the well of wisdom. + _Mr' gan le Fay_, the queen of the fairies. + _My ce' nae_, a city of ancient Greece. + + _N' mon_, Charlemagne's most trusted counsellor. + _Ne' reus_, "the old man of the sea," father of the sea nymphs. + _Nes' tor_, king of Pylos, oldest of the Greek heroes at Troy. + + _O' din_, in Norse mythology the chief of the gods. + _O dys' seus_, the wisest of the Greek heroes; same as Ulysses. + _Oenone_ (e no' ne), a river nymph, the wife of Paris. + _Ogier_ (o zha), a Danish hero under Charlemagne. + _Oi' neus_, a king of Calydon, father of Meleager. + _Ol' i ver_, one of Charlemagne's paladins, comrade of Roland, + _O lym' pus_, a mountain in Greece, the home of the gods. + _O res' tes_, the son of Agamemnon. + _Orleans_ (or la on'), an important city in France. + _Or sil' o chus_, a king of the ancient city of Pherae. + + _Pal a me' des_, a Greek hero in the war with Troy. + _Par' is_, a prince of Troy, second son of Priam. + _Pr nas' sus_, a mountain in Greece near Delphi. + _Pe' leus_, the father of Achilles. + _Pe' li on_, a mountain on the east coast of Greece. + _Pep' in_, a king of the Franks, father of Charlemagne. + _Phoe' bus_, another name for Apollo. + _Pied' mont_, a district in northern Italy. + _Pol' lux_, the twin brother of Castor, and brother of Helen. + _Po sei' don_, supreme lord of the sea; same as Neptune. + _Pri' am_, the last king of Troy. + _Pu elle'_, an ancient forest in France. + _Py' los_, an ancient town in the south part of Greece. + _Pyr' e nees_, the mountains between France and Spain. + _Py' thon_, the serpent slain by Apollo. + + _Rn_, in Norse mythology, the goddess of the sea. + _Re' gin_ (-jin), a dwarf, the instructor of Siegfried. + _Ro' land_, the most famous of Charlemagne's paladins. + _Ronce vaux'_ (-vo), a valley in Navarre, Spain, in the Pyrenees. + _Roussillon_ (roo se' yn'), an ancient district of France. + + _St. Omer_ (sen to mr'), a famous city in northern France. + _St. Quentin_ (san kon tan'), a city in northeastern France. + _Sal a mis_, an island of ancient Greece. + _Sar' a cens_, the Arab followers of Mohammed. + _Scae' an_ (ske' an), the principal gate of Troy. + _Sca man' der_, a river near Troy. + _Seine_ (san), one of the principal rivers of France. + _Sieg' fried_, a mythical hero of the Rhine country. + _S' gyn_, the wife of Loki. + _Sk de_, in Norse mythology, the goddess of the snow. + + _Tel' a mon_, a Greek hero, the father of Ajax. + _Thes sa' li an_, belonging to Thessaly in northern Greece. + _The' tis_, a sea nymph, the mother of Achilles. + _Tro pho' ni us_, one of the architects of the temple at Delphi. + _Tr' pin_, archbishop of Rheims, and paladin of Charlemagne. + + _Valenciennes_ (v lon syen'), a city in northeastern France. + _Vul' can_, the blacksmith of the gods. + + _Xanthos_ (zan' thus), "Old Gold," one of the horses of Peleus. + + _Zeus_, the king of the gods; same as Jupiter. + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero Tales, by James Baldwin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO TALES *** + +***** This file should be named 15616-8.txt or 15616-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/6/1/15616/ + +Produced by Al Haines + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** + diff --git a/15616-8.zip b/15616-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4a4fb47 --- /dev/null +++ b/15616-8.zip diff --git a/15616.txt b/15616.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ec71246 --- /dev/null +++ b/15616.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4590 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero Tales, by James Baldwin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Hero Tales + +Author: James Baldwin + +Release Date: April 14, 2005 [EBook #15616] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO TALES *** + + + + +Produced by Al Haines + + + + +HERO TALES + + +BY + +JAMES BALDWIN + + + + + +Author of "The Story of Siegfried," "The Story of Roland," "A Story of +the Golden Age," "Baldwin's Readers," etc. + + + + + + + +NEW YORK + +CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS + +1914 + + + + +COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY + +CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS + + + + +TO + +CARRIE EDITH AND NELLIE MAY + + + + +INTRODUCTION + +In the world's literature there are certain stories which, told ages +ago, can never be forgotten. They have within them that which gives +pleasure to all intelligent men, women and children. They appeal to +the sympathies, the desires, and the admiration of all sorts and +conditions of mankind. These are the stories that are said to be +immortal. They have been repeated and re-repeated in many forms and to +all kinds of audiences. They have been recited and sung in royal +palaces, in the halls of mediaeval castles, and by the camp fires of +warring heroes. Parents have taught them to their children, and +generation after generation has preserved their memory. They have been +written on parchment and printed in books, translated into many +languages, abridged, extended, edited, and "adapted." But through all +these changes and the vicissitudes of time, they still preserve the +qualities that have made them so universally popular. + +Chief among these masterpieces of imagination are the tales of gods and +heroes that have come down to us from the golden age of Greece, and +particularly the tales of Troy that cluster around the narratives of +old Homer in his "Iliad" and "Odyssey." Three thousand years or more +have passed since they were first recited, and yet they have lost none +of their original charm. Few persons of intelligence are unacquainted +with these tales, for our literature abounds in allusions to them; and +no one who pretends to the possession of culture or learning can afford +to be ignorant of them. + +Second only in interest, especially to us of Anglo-Saxon descent, are +the hero tales of the ancient North and the stirring legends connected +with the "Nibelungen Lied." Of much later origin than the Greek +stories, and somewhat inferior to them in refinement of thought and +delicacy of imagery, these tales partake of the rugged, forceful +character of the people among whom they were composed. Yet, with all +their austerity and sternness, they are replete with vivid action, and +they charm us by their very strength and the lessons which they teach +of heroic endurance and the triumph of eternal justice. + +Scarcely inferior to these latter, but not so well known to +English-speaking people, are the tales of knighthood and chivalry that +commemorate the romantic deeds of Charlemagne and his paladins. +Written in various languages, and at periods widely separated, these +tales present a curious mixture of fact and fiction, of the real and +the marvellous, of the beautiful and the grotesque, of pagan +superstition and Christian devotion. Although there were, in truth, no +knights in the time of Charlemagne, and the institution of chivalry did +not exist until many years later, yet these legends are of value as +portraying life and manners in that period of history which we call the +Dark Ages; and their pictures of knightly courage and generosity, +faithfulness, and loyalty, appeal to our nobler feelings and stir our +hearts with admiration. + +To know something of these three great cycles, or groups, of classic +and romantic stories--the hero tales of Troy, those of the ancient +North, and those of Charlemagne--is essential to the acquirement of +refined literary tastes. For this knowledge will go far toward helping +its possessor to enjoy many things in our modern literature that would +otherwise be puzzling or obscure. The importance, therefore, of +placing some of the best of such tales early within the reach of school +children and all young readers cannot be disputed. + +In three volumes somewhat larger than the present one--"A Story of the +Golden Age," "The Story of Siegfried," and "The Story of Roland"--I +have already endeavored to introduce young readers to the most +interesting portions of these great cycles of romance, narrating in +each the adventures of the hero who is the central figure in the group +of legends or tales under consideration. The present volume, made up +of selections from these earlier books, has been prepared in response +to repeated suggestions that certain portions of them, and especially +some of the independent shorter stories, are well adapted to use in +reading-classes at school. Of the seventeen stories herein presented, +nine are from the "Golden Age," four from "Siegfried," and four from +"Roland." They are, for the most part, episodes, complete in +themselves, and connected only by a slender thread with the main +narrative. Their intrinsic value is in no way diminished by being thus +separated from their former setting, and each tale being independent of +the others, they lend themselves more readily to the demands of the +schoolroom. + +It is well to observe that in no case have I endeavored to repeat the +story in its exact original form. To have done so would have defeated +the purpose in view; for without proper adaptation such stories are +usually neither interesting nor intelligible to children. I have +therefore recast and rearranged, using my own words, and adding here a +touch of color and here a fanciful idea, as the narrative has seemed to +permit or as my audience of school children may demand. Nevertheless, +in the end, the essential features of each tale--those which give it +value in its original form--remain unchanged. + +CONTENTS + + + How Apollo Came to Parnassus + The Hunt in the Wood of Calydon + The Choice of Hercules + Alpheus and Arethusa + The Golden Apple + Paris and Oenone + Hesione + Paris and Helen + Iphigenia + The Hoard of the Elves + The Forging of Balmung + Idun and Her Apples + The Doom of the Mischief-maker + The Hunt in the Wood of Puelle + Ogier the Dane and the Fairies + How Charlemagne Crossed the Alps + What Happened at Roncevaux + + + + +HOW APOLLO CAME TO PARNASSUS + +A very long time ago, Apollo was born in the island of Delos. When the +glad news of his birth was told, Earth smiled, and decked herself with +flowers; the nymphs of Delos sang songs of joy that were heard to the +utmost bounds of Greece; and choirs of white swans flew seven times +around the island, piping notes of praise to the pure being who had +come to dwell among men. Then Zeus looked down from high Olympus, and +crowned the babe with a golden head-band, and put into his hands a +silver bow and a sweet-toned lyre such as no man had ever seen; and he +gave him a team of white swans to drive, and bade him go forth to teach +men the things which are right and good, and to make light that which +is hidden in darkness. + +So Apollo arose, beautiful as the morning sun, and journeyed through +many lands, seeking a dwelling place. He stopped for a time at the +foot of Mount Olympus, and played so sweetly upon his lyre that Zeus +and all his court were entranced. Then he wandered up and down through +the whole length of the Thessalian land; but nowhere could he find a +spot in which he was willing to dwell. At length he climbed into his +car, and bade his swan team fly with him to the country of the +Hyperboreans beyond the far-off northern mountains. Forthwith they +obeyed; and through the pure regions of the upper air they bore him, +winging their way ever northward. They carried him over many an +unknown land, and on the seventh day they came to the Snowy Mountains +where the griffins, with lion bodies and eagle wings, guard the golden +treasures of the North. + +In these mountains, the North Wind has his home; and from his deep +caves he now and then comes forth, chilling with his cold and angry +breath the orchards and the fair fields of Greece, and bringing death +and dire disasters In his train. But northward this blustering Boreas +cannot blow, for the heaven-towering mountains stand like a wall +against him, and drive him back. Hence it is that beyond these +mountains the storms of winter never come, but one happy springtime +runs through all the year. There the flowers bloom, and the grain +ripens, and the fruits drop mellowing to the earth, and the red wine is +pressed from the luscious grape, every day the same. + +The Hyperboreans who dwell in that favored land know neither pain nor +sickness, nor wearying labor nor eating care; but their youth is as +unfading as the springtime, and old age with its wrinkles and its +sorrows is evermore a stranger to them. The spirit of evil, which +would lead all men to err, has never found entrance among them, and +they are free from vile passions and unworthy thoughts; and among them +there is neither war, nor wicked deeds, nor fear of the avenging +Furies, for their hearts are pure and clean, and never burdened with +the love of self. + +When the swan team of silver-bowed Apollo had carried him over the +Snowy Mountains, they alighted in the Hyperborean land. And the people +welcomed Apollo with shouts of joy and songs of triumph, as one for +whom they had long been waiting. He took up his abode there, and dwelt +with them one whole year, delighting them with his presence, and ruling +over them as their king. But when twelve moons had passed, he +bethought him that the toiling, suffering men of Greece needed most his +aid and care. Therefore he bade the Hyperboreans farewell, and again +went up into his sun-bright car; and his winged team carried him back +to the land of his birth. + +Long time Apollo sought a place where he might build a temple to which +men might come to learn of him and to seek his help in time of need. +At length he came to a broad plain, by the shore of a beautiful lake; +and there he began to build a house, for the land was a pleasant one, +well-watered, and rich in grain and fruit. But the nymph that lived in +the lake liked not to have Apollo so near her, lest men seeing and +loving him should forget to honor her; and one day, garmented with +mosses and crowned with lilies, she came and stood before him in the +sunlight. + +"Apollo of the silver bow," said she, "have you not made a mistake in +choosing this place for a dwelling? These rich plains around us will +not always be as peaceful as now; for their very richness will tempt +the spoiler, and the song of the cicada will then give place to the din +of battle. Even in times of peace you would hardly have a quiet hour +here: for great herds of cattle come crowding down every day to my lake +for water; the noisy ploughman, driving his team afield, disturbs the +morning hour with his boorish shouts; and boys and dogs keep up a +constant din, and make life in this place a burden." + +"Fair nymph," said Apollo, "I had hoped to dwell here in thy happy +vale, a neighbor and friend to thee. Yet, since this place is not what +it seems to be, whither shall I go, and where shall I build my house?" + +"Go to the cleft in Mount Parnassus," answered the nymph. "There thou +canst dwell in peace, and men will come from all parts of the world to +do thee honor." + +And so Apollo went down to Parnassus, and there in the cleft of the +mountain he laid the foundations of his shrine. Then he called the +master architects of the world, Trophonius and Agamedes, and gave to +them the building of the high walls and the massive roof. When they +had finished their work, he said, "Say now what reward you most desire +for your labor, and I will give it you." + +"Give us," said the brothers, "that which is the best for men." + +"It is well," answered Apollo. "When the full moon is seen above the +mountain-tops, you shall have your wish." + +But when the moon rose full and clear above the heights, the two +brothers were dead. + + +Apollo was pleased with the place which he had chosen for a home; for +there he found rest and quiet, and neither the hum of labor nor the din +of battle was likely ever to enter. One thing, however, must needs be +done before he could have perfect peace. There lived near the foot of +the mountain a huge serpent called Python, which was the terror of all +the land. Oftentimes, coming out of its den, this monster attacked the +flocks and herds, and sometimes even their keepers; and it had been +known to carry little children and helpless women to its den, and there +devour them. + +The men of the place came to Apollo, and prayed him to drive out or +destroy their terrible enemy. So, taking in hand his silver bow, he +sallied out at break of day to meet the monster when it should issue +from its slimy cave. The vile creature shrank back when it saw its +radiant enemy, and would fain have hidden itself in the deep gorges of +the mountain. But Apollo quickly launched a swift arrow at it, crying, +"Thou bane of man, lie thou upon the earth, and enrich it with thy dead +body!" The never-erring arrow sped to the mark; and the great beast +died, wallowing in its gore. And the people in their joy came out to +meet the archer, singing paeans in his praise. They crowned him with +wild flowers and wreaths of olives, and hailed him as the Pythian king; +and the nightingales sang to him in the groves, and the swallows and +cicadas twittered and tuned their melodies in harmony with his lyre. + +But as yet there were no priests in Apollo's temple; and he pondered, +long doubting, as to whom he should choose. One day he stood upon the +mountain's topmost peak, whence he could view all Greece and the seas +around it. Far away in the south, he spied a little ship sailing from +Crete to sandy Pylos; and the men who were on board were Cretan +merchants. + +"These men shall serve in my temple!" he cried. + +Upward he sprang, and high he soared above the sea; then swiftly +descending like a fiery star, he plunged into the waves. There he +changed himself into the form of a dolphin, and swam with speed to +overtake the vessel. + +Long before the ship had reached Pylos, the mighty fish came up with +it, and struck its stern. The crew were dumb with terror, and sat +still in their places; their oars were motionless; the sail hung limp +and useless from the mast. Yet the vessel sped through the waves with +the speed of the wind, for the dolphin was driving it forward by the +force of his fins. Past many a headland, past Pylos and other pleasant +harbors, they hastened. Vainly did the pilot try to land at each +favorable place: the ship would not obey her helm. They rounded the +headland of Araxus, and came into the long bay of Crissa; and there the +dolphin left off guiding the vessel, and swam playfully around it, +while a brisk west wind filled the sail, and bore the voyagers safely +into port. + +Then the dolphin changed into the form of a glowing star, which, +shooting high into the heavens, lit up the whole world with its glory; +and as the awe-stricken crew stood gazing at the wonder, it fell with +the quickness of light upon Mount Parnassus. Into his temple Apollo +hastened, and there he kindled an undying fire. Then, in the form of a +handsome youth, with golden hair falling in waves upon his shoulders, +he hastened to the beach to welcome the Cretan strangers. + +"Hall, seamen!" he cried. "Who are you, and whence do you come? Shall +I greet you as friends and guests, or shall I know you as robbers +bringing death and distress to many a fair home?" + +Then answered the Cretan captain, "Fair stranger, the gods have brought +us hither; for by no wish of our own have we come. We are Cretan +merchants, and we were on our way to Pylos with stores of merchandise, +to barter with the tradesmen of that city. But some unknown being, +whose might is greater than the might of men, has carried us far beyond +our wished-for port, even to this unknown shore. Tell us now, we pray +thee, what land is this? And who art thou who lookest so like a god?" + +"Friends and guests, for such indeed you must be," answered the radiant +youth, "think never again of sailing upon the wine-faced sea, but draw +now your vessel high up on the beach. And when you have brought out +all your goods and built an altar upon the shore, take of your white +barley which you have with you, and offer it reverently to Phoebus +Apollo. For I am he; and it was I who brought you hither, so that you +might keep my temple, and make known my wishes unto men. And since it +was in the form of a dolphin that you first saw me, let the town which +stands around my temple be known as Delphi [Dolphin], and let men +worship me there as Apollo Delphinius." + +Then the Cretans did as he had bidden them: they drew their vessel high +up on the white beach, and when they had unladen it of their goods, +they built an altar on the shore, and offered white barley to Phoebus +Apollo, and gave thanks to the ever-living powers who had saved them +from the terrors of the deep. After they had feasted and rested from +their long voyage, they turned their faces toward Parnassus; and +Apollo, playing sweeter music than men had ever heard, led the way; and +the folk of Delphi, with choirs of boys and maidens, came to meet them, +singing songs of victory as they helped the Cretans up the steep +pathway to the temple in the cleft of the mountain. + +"I leave you now to have sole care of my temple," said Apollo. "I +charge you to keep it well. Deal righteously with all men; let no +unclean thing pass your lips; forget self; guard well your thoughts, +and keep your hearts free from guile. If you do these things, you +shall be blessed with length of days and all that makes life glad. But +if you forget my words, and deal treacherously with men, and cause any +to wander from the path of right, then shall you be driven forth +homeless and accursed, and others shall take your places in the service +of my house." + +Then the bright youth left them and hastened away to Mount Olympus. +But every year he came again, and looked into his house, and spoke +words of warning and of hope to his servants; and men say that he has +often been seen on Parnassus, playing his lyre to the listening Muses, +or with his sister, Artemis, chasing the mountain deer. + + + + +THE HUNT IN THE WOOD OF CALYDON + +RELATED BY AUTOLYCUS[1] + +"When I was younger than I am to-day," said the old chief, as they sat +one evening in the light of the blazing brands--"when I was much +younger than now, it was my fortune to take part in the most famous +boar hunt the world has ever known. + +"There lived at that time, in Calydon, a mighty chief named +Oineus--and, indeed, I know not but that he still lives. Oineus was +rich in vineyards and in orchards, and no other man in all Greece was +happier or more blessed than he. He had married, early in life, the +Princess Althea, fairest of the maidens of Acarnania; and to them a son +had been born, golden-haired and beautiful, whom they called Meleager. + +"When Meleager was yet but one day old, his father held him in his +arms, and prayed to Zeus and the mighty powers above: 'Grant, Father +Zeus, and all ye deathless ones, that this my son may be the foremost +among the men of Greece. And let it come to pass, that when they see +his valiant deeds, his countrymen shall say, "Behold, this youth is +greater than his father," and all of one accord shall hail him as their +guardian king.' + +"Then his mother, Althea, weeping tears of joy, prayed that the boy +might grow up to be pure-minded and gentle, the hope and pride of his +parents, and the delight and staff of their declining years. + +"Scarcely had the words of prayer died from her lips, when there came +into her chamber the three unerring Fates who spin the destinies of +men. White-robed and garlanded, they stood beside the babe, and with +unwearied fingers drew out the lines of his untried life. Clotho held +the golden distaff in her hand, and twirled and twisted the delicate +thread. Lachesis, now sad, now hopeful, with her long white fingers +held the hour-glass, and framed her lips to say, 'It is enough.' And +Atropos, blind and unpitying as the future always is, stood ready, with +cruel shears, to clip the twist in twain. Busily and silently Clotho +spun; and the golden thread, thin as a spider's web, yet beautiful as a +sunbeam, grew longer and more golden between her skilful fingers. Then +Lachesis cried out, 'It is finished!' But Atropos hid her shears +beneath her mantle, and said, 'Not so. Behold, there is a brand +burning upon the hearth. Wait until it is all burned into ashes and +smoke, and then I will cut the thread of the child's life. Spin on, +sweet Clotho!' + +"Quick as thought, Althea sprang forward, snatched the blazing brand +from the hearth, and quenched its flame in a jar of water; and when she +knew that not a single spark was left glowing upon it, she locked it +safely in a chest where none but she could find it. As she did this, +the pitiless sisters vanished from her sight, saying as they flitted +through the air, 'We bide our time.' + +"Meleager grew up to be a tall and fair and gentle youth; and when at +last he became a man, he sailed on the ship Argo, with Jason and the +great heroes of that day, in search of the Golden Fleece. Many brave +deeds were his in foreign lands; and when he came home again to +Calydon, he brought with him a fair young wife, gentle Cleopatra, +daughter of Idas the boaster. + +"Oineus had gathered in his harvest; and he was glad and thankful in +his heart, because his fields had yielded plenteously; his vines had +been loaded with purple grapes, and his orchards filled with abundance +of pleasant fruit. Grateful, as men should always be, to the givers of +peace and plenty, he held within his halls a harvest festival, to which +he invited the brave and beautiful of all the country round. Happy was +this feast, and the hours were bright with smiles and sunshine; and men +forgot sorrow and labor, and thought only of the gladness of life. + +"Then Oineus took of the first-fruits of his fields and his vineyards +and his orchards, and offered them with much thankfulness to the givers +of good. But he forgot to deck the shrine of Artemis with gifts, +little thinking that the huntress queen cared for anything which mortal +men might offer her. Ah, woful mistake was that! For, in her anger at +the slight, Artemis sent a savage boar, with ivory tusks and foaming +mouth, to overrun the lands of Calydon. Many a field did the monster +ravage, many a tree uproot; and all the growing vines, which late had +borne so rich a vintage, were trampled to the ground. + +"Sadly troubled was Oineus, and he knew not what to do. For the fierce +beast could not be slain, but with his terrible tusks he had sent many +a rash hunter to an untimely death. Then the young man Meleager said, +'I will call together the heroes of Greece, and we will hunt the boar +in the wood of Calydon.' + +"So at the call of Meleager, the warriors flocked from every land, to +join in the hunt of the fierce wild boar. Among them came Castor and +Pollux, the twin brothers; and Idas, the boaster, the father-in-law of +Meleager; and mighty Jason, captain of the Argo; and Atalanta, the +swift-footed daughter of Iasus, of Arcadia; and many Acarnanian +huntsmen led by the brothers of Queen Althea. Thither also did I +hasten, although men spitefully said that I was far more skilful in +taking tame beasts than in slaying wild ones. + +"Nine days we feasted in the halls of Oineus; and every day we tried +our skill with bows and arrows, and tested the strength of our +well-seasoned spears. On the tenth, the bugles sounded, and hounds and +huntsmen gathered in the courtyard of the chief, chafing for the hunt. + +"Soon we sallied forth from the town, a hundred huntsmen, with dogs +innumerable. Through the fields and orchards, laid waste by the savage +beast, we passed; and Atalanta, keen of sight and swift of foot, her +long hair floating in the wind behind her, led all the rest. It was +not long until, in a narrow dell once green with vines and trees, but +now strewn thick with withered branches, we roused the fierce creature +from his lair. + +"At first he fled, followed closely by the baying hounds. Then +suddenly he faced his foes; with gnashing teeth and bloodshot eyes, he +charged furiously upon them. A score of hounds were slain outright; +and Cepheus, of Arcadia, rushing blindly onward, was caught by the +beast, and torn in pieces by his sharp tusks. Then swift-footed +Atalanta, bounding forward, struck the beast a deadly blow with her +spear. He stopped short, and ceased his furious onslaught. + +"Terrible were the cries of the wounded creature, as he made a last +charge upon the huntsmen. But Meleager with a skilful sword-thrust +pierced his heart and the beast fell weltering in his gore. Great joy +filled the hearts of the Calydonians when they saw the scourge of their +land laid low and helpless. They quickly flayed the beast, and the +heroes who had shared in the hunt divided the flesh among them; but the +head and the bristly hide they offered to Meleager. + +"'Not to me does the prize belong,' he cried, 'but to Atalanta, the +swift-footed huntress. For the first wound--the true death stroke, +indeed--was given by her; and to her, woman though she be, all honor +and the prize must be awarded.' + +"With these words, he bore the grinning head and the bristly hide to +the young huntress, and laid them at her feet. Then his uncles, the +brothers of Queen Althea, rushed angrily forward, saying that no woman +should ever bear a prize away from them; and they seized the hide, and +would have taken it away, had not Meleager forbidden them. Yet they +would not loose their hold upon the prize, but drew their swords, and +wrathfully threatened Meleager's life. + +"The hero's heart grew hot within him, and he shrank not from the +affray. Long and fearful was the struggle--uncles against nephew; but +in the end the brothers of Althea lay bleeding upon the ground, while +the victor brought again the boar's hide, and laid it the second time +at Atalanta's feet. The fair huntress took the prize, and carried it +away with her to deck her father's hall in the pleasant Arcadian land. +And the heroes, when they had feasted nine other days with King Oineus, +betook themselves to their own homes. + +"But the hearts of the Acarnanian hunters were bitter toward Meleager, +because no part of the wild boar was awarded to them. They called +their chiefs around them, and all their brave men, and made war upon +King Oineus and Meleager. Many battles did they fight round Calydon; +yet so long as Meleager led his warriors to the fray, the Acarnanians +fared but ill. + +"Then Queen Althea, filled with grief for her brothers' untimely fate, +forgot her love for her son, and prayed that her Acarnanian kinsmen +might prevail against him. Upon the hard earth she knelt: she beat the +ground with her hands, and heaped the dust about her; and, weeping +bitter tears, she called upon Hades to avenge her of Meleager. And +even as she prayed, the pitiless Furies, wandering amid the darkness, +heard her cries, and came, obedient to her wishes. + +"When Meleager heard that his mother had turned against him, he +withdrew in sorrow to his own house, and sought comfort and peace with +his wife, fair Cleopatra; and he would not lead his warriors any more +to battle against the Acarnanians. Then the enemy besieged the city: a +fearful tumult rose about the gates; the high towers were assaulted, +and everywhere the Calydonians were driven back dismayed and beaten. + +"With uplifted hands and tearful eyes, King Oineus and the elders of +the city came to Meleager, and besought him to take the field again. +Rich gifts they offered him. They bade him choose for his own the most +fertile farm in Calydon--at the least fifty acres, half for tillage and +half for vines; but he would not listen to them. + +"The din of battle thickened outside the gates; the towers shook with +the thundering blows of the besiegers. Old Oineus with trembling limbs +climbed up the stairway to his son's secluded chamber, and, weeping, +prayed him to come down and save the city from fire and pillage. Still +he kept silent, and went not. His sisters came, and his most trusted +friends. 'Come, Meleager,' they prayed, 'forget thy grief, and think +only of our great need. Aid thy people, or we shall all perish!' + +"None of these prayers moved him. The gates were beaten down; the +enemy was within the walls; the tide of battle shook the very tower +where Meleager sat; the doom of Calydon seemed to be sealed. Then came +the fair Cleopatra, and knelt before her husband, and besought him to +withhold no longer the aid which he alone could give. 'O Meleager,' +she sobbed, 'none but thou can save us. Wilt thou sit still, and see +the city laid in ashes, thy dearest friends slaughtered, and thy wife +and sweet babes dragged from their homes and sold into cruel slavery?' + +"Then Meleager rose and girded on his armor. To the streets he +hastened, shouting his well-known battle cry. Eagerly and hopefully +did the Calydonian warriors rally around him. Fiercely did they meet +the foe. Terrible was the bloodshed. Back from the battered gates and +the crumbling wall the Acarnanian hosts were driven. A panic seized +upon them. They turned and fled, and not many of them escaped the +swords of Meleager's men. + +"Again there was peace in Calydon, and the orchards of King Oineus +blossomed and bore fruit as of old; but the gifts and large rewards +which the elders had promised to Meleager were forgotten. He had saved +his country, but his countrymen were ungrateful. + +"Meleager again laid aside his war gear, and sought the quiet of his +own home and the cheering presence of fair Cleopatra. For the +remembrance of his mother's curse and his country's ingratitude weighed +heavily on his mind, and he cared no longer to mingle with his fellow +men. + +"Then it was that Althea's hatred of her son waxed stronger, and she +thought of the half-burned brand which she had hidden, and of the words +which the Fatal Sisters had spoken so many years before. + +"'He is no longer my son,' said she, 'and why should I withhold the +burning of the brand? He can never again bring comfort to my heart; +for the blood of my brothers, whom I loved, is upon his head.' + +"And she took the charred billet from the place where she had hidden +it, and cast it again into the flames. And as it slowly burned away, +so did the life of Meleager wane. Lovingly he bade his wife farewell; +softly he whispered a prayer to the unseen powers above; and as the +flickering flames of the fatal brand died into darkness, he gently +breathed his last. + +"Then sharp-toothed remorse seized upon Althea, and the mother love +which had slept in her bosom was reawakened. Too late, also, the folk +of Calydon remembered who it was that had saved them from slavery and +death. Down into the comfortless halls of Hades, Althea hastened to +seek her son's forgiveness. The loving heart of Cleopatra, surcharged +with grief, was broken; and her gentle spirit fled to the world of +shades to meet that of her hero-husband. Meleager's sisters would not +be consoled, so great was the sorrow which had come upon them; and they +wept and lamented day and night, until kind Artemis in pity for their +youth changed them into the birds which we call Meleagrides." + + +[1]Autolycus was a famous mountain chief who lived in rude state on the +slopes of Parnassus and was noted for his courage and cunning. He was +the grandfather of Odysseus (Ulysses), to whom the story is supposed to +have been related. + + + + +THE CHOICE OF HERCULES + +When Hercules was a fair-faced youth, and life was all before him, he +went out one morning to do an errand for his stepfather. But as he +walked his heart was full of bitter thoughts; and he murmured because +others no better than himself were living in ease and pleasure, while +for him there was naught but a life of labor and pain. + +As he thought upon these things, he came to a place where two roads +met; and he stopped, not certain which one to take. + +The road on his right was hilly and rough; there was no beauty in it or +about it: but he saw that it led straight toward the blue mountains in +the far distance. + +The road on his left was broad and smooth, with shade trees on either +side, where sang an innumerable choir of birds; and it went winding +among green meadows, where bloomed countless flowers: but it ended in +fog and mist long before it reached the wonderful blue mountains in the +distance. + +While the lad stood in doubt as to these roads, he saw two fair women +coming toward him, each on a different road. The one who came by the +flowery way reached him first, and Hercules saw that she was as +beautiful as a summer day. + +Her cheeks were red, her eyes sparkled; she, spoke warm, persuasive +words. "O noble youth," she said, "be no longer bowed down with labor +and sore trials, but come and follow me, I will lead you into pleasant +paths, where there are no storms to disturb and no troubles to annoy. +You shall live in ease, with one unending round of music and mirth; and +you shall not want for anything that makes life joyous--sparkling wine, +or soft couches, or rich robes, or the loving eyes of beautiful +maidens. Come with me, and life shall be to you a day-dream of +gladness." + +By this time the other fair woman had drawn near, and she now spoke to +the lad. "I have nothing to promise you," said she, "save that which +you shall win with your own strength. The road upon which I would lead +you is uneven and hard, and climbs many a hill, and descends into many +a valley and quagmire. The views which you will sometimes get from the +hilltops are grand and glorious, but the deep valleys are dark, and the +ascent from them is toilsome. Nevertheless, the road leads to the blue +mountains of endless fame, which you see far away on the horizon. They +cannot be reached without labor; in fact, there is nothing worth having +that must not be won by toil. If you would have fruits and flowers, +you must plant them and care for them; if you would gain the love of +your fellow men, you must love them and suffer for them; if you would +enjoy the favor of Heaven, you must make yourself worthy of that favor; +if you would have eternal fame, you must not scorn the hard road that +leads to it." + +Then Hercules saw that this lady, although she was as beautiful as the +other, had a countenance pure and gentle, like the sky on a balmy +morning in May. + +"What is your name?" he asked. + +"Some call me Labor," she answered, "but others know me as Virtue." + +Then he turned to the first lady. "And what is your name?" he asked. + +"Some call me Pleasure," she said, with a bewitching smile, "but I +choose to be known as the Joyous and Happy One." + +"Virtue," said Hercules, "I will take thee as my guide! The road of +labor and honest effort shall be mine, and my heart shall no longer +cherish bitterness or discontent." + +And he put his hand into that of Virtue, and entered with her upon the +straight and forbidding road which leads to the fair blue mountains on +the pale and distant horizon. + + + + +ALPHEUS AND ARETHUSA + +In Arcadia there is a little mountain stream called Alpheus. It flows +through woods and meadows and among the hills for many miles, and then +it sinks beneath the rocks. Farther down the valley it rises again, +and dancing and sparkling, as if in happy chase of something, it +hurries onward towards the plain; but soon it hides itself a second +time in underground caverns, making its way through rocky tunnels where +the light of day has never been. Then at last it gushes once more from +its prison chambers; and, flowing thence with many windings through the +fields of Elis, it empties its waters into the sea. + +Years ago there was no river Alpheus; the channel through which it +flows had not then been hollowed out, and rank grass and tall bending +reeds grew thick where now its waters sparkle brightest. It was then +that a huntsman, bearing the name of Alpheus, ranged through the woods, +and chased the wild deer among the glades and glens of sweet Arcadia. +Far away by the lonely sea dwelt his fair young wife, and his lovely +babe Orsilochus; but dearer than home or wife or babe to Alpheus, was +the free life of the huntsman among the mountain solitudes. For he +loved the woods and the blue sky and the singing birds, and the frail +flowers upon the hillside; and he longed to live among them always, +where his ears could listen to their music, and his eyes look upon +their beauty. + +"O Artemis, huntress queen!" he cried, "I ask but one boon of thee. +Let me ramble forever among these happy scenes!" + +Artemis heard him, and answered his prayer. For, as he spoke, a bright +vision passed before him. A sweet-faced maiden went tripping down the +valley, culling the choicest flowers, and singing of hope and joy and +the blessedness of a life pure and true. It was Arethusa, the Arcadian +nymph, by some supposed to be a daughter of old Nereus, the elder of +the sea. + +Then Alpheus heard no more the songs of the birds, or the music of the +breeze; he saw no longer the blue sky above him, or the nodding flowers +at his feet: he was blind and deaf to all the world, save only the +beautiful nymph. Arethusa was the world to him. + +He reached out his arms to catch her; but, swifter than a frightened +deer, she fled down the valley, through deep ravines and grassy glades +and rocky caverns underneath the hills, and out into the grassy +meadows, and across the plains of Elis, to the sounding sea. And +Alpheus followed, forgetful of everything but the fleeing vision. +When, at length, he reached the sea, he looked back; and, lo! he was no +longer a huntsman, but a river doomed to meander forever among the +scenes, for love of which he had forgotten his wife and his babe and +the duties of life. It was thus that Artemis answered his prayer. + +And men say that Arethusa, the nymph, was afterwards changed into a +fountain; and that to this day, in the far-off island of Ortygia, that +fountain gushes from the rocks in an unfailing, crystal stream. But +Orsilochus, the babe forgotten by his father, grew to manhood, and in +course of time became the king of the seafaring people of Messene. + + + + +THE GOLDEN APPLE + +RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR[1] + +"There is a cavern somewhere on Mount Pelion larger by far and a +thousand times more beautiful than this; but its doorway is hidden to +mortals, and but few men have ever stood beneath its vaulted roof. In +that cavern the ever-living ones who oversee the affairs of men, once +held high carnival; for they had met there at the marriage feast of +King Peleus, and the woods and rocks of mighty Pelion echoed with the +sound of their merry-making. But wherefore should the marriage feast +of a mortal be held in such a place and with guests so noble and so +great? I will tell you. + +"After Peleus had escaped from a plot which some wicked men had made +for his destruction, he dwelt long time with me, who am his +grandfather. But the days seemed long to him, thus shut out from +fellowship with men, and the sun seemed to move slowly in the heavens; +and often he would walk around to the other side of the mountain, and +sitting upon a great rock, he would gaze for long hours upon the purple +waters of the sea. One morning as thus he sat, he saw the sea nymph +Thetis come up out of the waves and walk upon the shore beneath him. +Fairer than a dream was she--more beautiful than any picture of nymph +or goddess. She was clad in a robe of green silk, woven by the sea +maidens in their watery grottoes; and there was a chaplet of pearls +upon her head, and sandals of sparkling silver were upon her feet. + +"As Peleus gazed upon this lovely creature, he heard a voice whispering +in his ear. It was the voice of wise Athena. + +"'Most luckless of mortal men,' she said, 'there is recompense in store +for those who repent of their wrong-doing, and who, leaving the paths +of error, turn again to the road of virtue. The immortals have seen +thy sorrow for the evil deeds of thy youth, and they have looked with +pity upon thee in thy misfortunes. And now thy days of exile and of +sore punishment are drawing to an end. Behold the silver-footed +Thetis, most beautiful of the nymphs of the sea, whom even the +immortals have wooed in vain! She has been sent to this shore, to be +won and wedded by thee.' + +"Peleus looked up to see the speaker of these words, but he beheld only +a blue cloud resting above the mountain-top; he turned his eyes +downward again, and, to his grief, the silver-footed Thetis had +vanished in the waves. All day he sat and waited for her return, but +she came not. When darkness began to fall he sought me in my cave +hall, and told me what he had seen and heard; and I taught him how to +win the sea nymph for his bride. + +"So when the sun again gilded the crags of Pelion, brave Peleus hid +himself among the rocks close by the sea-washed shore, and waited for +the coming of the silver-footed lady of the sea. In a little time she +rose, beautiful as the star of morning, from the waves. She sat down +upon the beach, and dallied with her golden tresses, and sang sweet +songs of a happy land in the depths of the sounding sea. Peleus, +bearing in mind what I had taught him, arose from his hiding-place, and +caught the beauteous creature in his arms. In vain did she struggle to +leap into the waves. Seven times she changed her form as he held her: +by turns she changed into a fountain of water, into a cloud of mist, +into a burning flame, and into a senseless rock. But Peleus held her +fast; and she changed then into a tawny lion, and then into a tall +tree, and lastly she took her own matchless form again. + +"Then Peleus held the lovely Thetis by the hand, and they walked long +time together upon the beach, while the birds sang among the trees on +Pelion's leafy slopes, and the dolphins sported in the waters at their +feet. Thus Peleus wooed the silver-footed lady, and won her love, and +she promised to be his bride. Then the immortals were glad; and they +fitted up the great cavern on Mount Pelion for a banquet hall, and made +therein a wedding feast, such as was never seen before. The vaulted +roof of the cavern was decked with gems which shone like the stars of +heaven; a thousand torches, held by lovely mountain nymphs, flamed from +the niches in the high walls; and upon the floor of polished marble, +tables for a thousand guests were ranged. + +"When the wedding feast was ready, all those who live on high Olympus, +and all the immortals who dwell upon the earth, came to rejoice with +King Peleus and his matchless bride; and they brought rich presents for +the bridegroom, such as were never given to another man. One gave him +a suit of armor, rich and fair, a wonder to behold, which lame Vulcan +with rare skill had wrought and fashioned. One bestowed on him the +peerless horses, Ballos and Xanthos, and a deftly wrought chariot with +trimmings of gold. And I, one of the least of the guests, gave him an +ashen spear which I had cut on the mountain top and fashioned with my +own hands. + +"At the tables sat Zeus, the father of gods and men; and his wife, the +white-armed Hera; and smile-loving Aphrodite; and gray-eyed Athena; and +all the wisest and the fairest of the immortals. The nymphs of the sea +danced in honor of Thetis their sister; and the Muses sang their +sweetest songs; and Apollo played upon the lyre. The Fates, too, were +there: sad Clotho, twirling her spindle; unloving Lachesis, with +wrinkled lips ready to speak the fatal word; and pitiless Atropos, +holding in her hand the unsparing shears. And around the table passed +the youthful and joy-giving Hebe, pouring out rich draughts of nectar +for the guests. + +"But there was one among all the immortals who had not been invited to +the wedding; it was Eris, the daughter of War and Hate. Her scowling +features, and her hot and hasty manners, were ill suited to grace a +feast where all should be mirth and gladness; yet in her evil heart she +planned to be avenged for the slight which had been put upon her. +While the merry-making was at its height, and the company were +listening to the music from Apollo's lyre, she came unseen into the +hall, and threw a golden apple upon the table. No one knew whence the +apple came; but on it were written these words, 'FOR THE FAIREST.' + +"'To whom does it belong?' asked Zeus, stroking his brows in sad +perplexity. + +"The music ceased, and mirth and jollity fled at once from the banquet. +The torches, which lit up the scene, flickered and smoked; the lustre +of the gems in the vaulted roof was dimmed; dark clouds canopied the +great hall: for Eris had taken her place at the table, uninvited and +unwelcome though she was. + +"'The apple belongs to me,' said Hera, trying to snatch it; 'for I am +the queen, and gods and men honor me as having no peer on earth.' + +"'Not so!' cried red-lipped Aphrodite. 'With me dwell Love and Joy; +and not only do gods and men sing my praises, but all nature rejoices +in my presence. The apple is mine, and I will have it!' + +"Then Athena joined in the quarrel. 'What is it to be a queen,' said +she, 'if at the same time one lacks that good temper which sweetens +life? What is it to have a handsome form and face, while the mind is +uncouth and ill-looking? Beauty of mind is better than beauty of face; +for the former is immortal, while the latter fades and dies. Hence no +one has a better right than I to be called the fairest.' + +"Then the strife spread among the guests in the hall, each taking sides +with the one he loved best; and, where peace and merriment had reigned, +now hot words and bitter wrangling were heard. And had not Zeus bidden +them keep silence, thus putting an end to the quarrel, all Pelion would +have been rent, and the earth shaken to its centre in the mellay that +would have followed. + +"'Let us waste no words over this matter,' he said. 'It is not for the +immortals to say who of their number is most beautiful. But on the +slopes of Mount Ida, far across the sea, the fairest of the sons of +men--Paris, a prince of Troy--keeps his flocks; let him judge who is +fairest, and let the apple be hers to whom he gives it.' + +"Then Hermes, the swift-footed messenger, arose, and led the three +goddesses over sea and land to distant Mount Ida, where Paris, with no +thought of the wonderful life which lay before him, piped on his +shepherd's reeds, and tended his flock of sheep." + + + +[1]Cheiron the Centaur lived in a cavern on Mount Pelion and was +reputed to be the wisest of mortals. All the young heroes of the time, +Jason, Achilles, and others, were his pupils and spent their boyhood +with him. He is sometimes represented as having the head of a man and +the body of a horse; but it is probable that he was only one of a race +of men noted for their skill in horsemanship. This story is supposed +to have been related by him to young Odysseus (Ulysses), who visited +him in his cavern. + + + + +PARIS AND CENONE + +RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR + +"On the other side of the sea there stands a city, rich and mighty, the +like of which there is none in Greece. The name of this city is Troy, +although its inhabitants call it Ilios. There an old man, named Priam, +rules over a happy and peace-loving people. He dwells in a great +palace of polished marble, on a hill overlooking the plain; and his +granaries are stored with corn, and his flocks and herds are pastured +on the hills and mountain slopes behind the city. + +"Many sons has King Priam; and they are brave and noble youths, well +worthy of such a father. The eldest of these sons is Hector, who, the +Trojans hope, will live to bring great honor to his native land. + +"Just before the second son was born, a strange thing troubled the +family of old Priam. The queen dreamed that her babe had turned into a +firebrand, which burned up the walls and the high towers of Troy, and +left but smouldering ashes where once the proud city stood. She told +the king her dream; and when the child was born, they called a +soothsayer, who could foresee the mysteries of the future, and they +asked him what the vision meant. + +"'It means,' said he, 'that this babe, if he lives, shall be a +firebrand in Troy, and shall turn its walls and its high towers into +heaps of smouldering ashes.' + +"'But what shall be done with the child, that he may not do this +terrible thing?' asked Priam, greatly sorrowing, for the babe was very +beautiful. + +"'Do not suffer that he shall live,' answered the soothsayer. + +"Priam, the gentlest and most kind-hearted of men, could not bear to +harm the babe. So he called his master shepherd, and bade him take the +helpless child into the thick woods, which grow high up on the slopes +of Mount Ida, behind the city, and there to leave him alone. The wild +beasts that roam among those woods, he thought, would doubtless find +him, or, in any case, he could not live long without care and +nourishment; and thus the dangerous brand would be quenched while yet +it was scarcely a spark. + +"The shepherd did as he was bidden, although it cost his heart many a +sharp pang thus to deal barbarously with the innocent. He laid the +smiling infant, wrapped in its broidered tunic, close by the foot of an +oak, and then hurried away that he might not hear its cries. + +"But the nymphs who haunt the woods and groves, saw the babe, and +pitied its helplessness, and cared for it so that it did not die. Some +brought it yellow honey from the stores of the wild bees; some fed it +with milk from the white goats that pastured on the mountain side; and +others stood as sentinels around it, guarding it from the wolves and +bears. + +"Thus five days passed, and then the shepherd, who could not forget the +babe, came cautiously to the spot to see if, mayhap, even its broidered +cloak had been spared by the beasts. Sorrowful and shuddering he +glanced toward the foot of the tree. To his surprise, the babe was +still there; it looked up and smiled, and stretched its fat hands +toward him. The shepherd's heart would not let him turn away the +second time. He took the child in his arms, and carried it to his own +humble home in the valley, where he cared for it and brought it up as +his own son. + +"The boy grew to be very tall and very handsome; and he was so brave, +and so helpful to the shepherds around Mount Ida, that they called him +Alexandros, or the helper of men; but his foster-father named him +Paris. As he tended his sheep in the mountain dells, he met Oenone, +the fairest of the river maidens, guileless and pure as the waters of +the stream by whose banks she loved to wander. Day after day he sat +with her in the shadow of her woodland home, and talked of innocence +and beauty, and of a life of sweet contentment, and of love; and the +maiden listened to him with wide-open eyes and a heart full of +trustfulness and faith. + +"By and by, Paris and Oenone were wedded; and their little cottage in +the mountain glen was the fairest and happiest spot in Ilios. The days +sped swiftly by, and neither of them dreamed that any sorrow was in +store for them; and to Oenone her shepherd husband was all the world, +because he was so noble and brave and handsome and gentle. + +"One warm summer afternoon, Paris sat in the shade of a tree at the +foot of Mount Ida, while his flocks were pasturing upon the hillside +before him. The bees were humming lazily among the flowers; the +cicadas were chirping among the leaves above his head; and now and then +a bird twittered softly among the bushes behind him. All else was +still, as if enjoying to the full the delicious calm of that pleasant +day. + +"Paris was fashioning a slender reed into a shepherd's flute; while +Oenone, sitting in the deeper shadows of some clustering vines, was +busy with some simple piece of needlework. + +"A sound as of sweet music caused the young shepherd to raise his eyes. +Before him stood the four immortals, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, and +Hermes the messenger; their faces shone with a dazzling radiance, and +they were fairer than any tongue can describe. At their feet rare +flowers sprang up, crocuses and asphodels and white lilies; and the air +was filled with the odor of orange blossoms. Paris, scarce knowing +what he did, arose to greet them. No handsomer youth ever stood in the +presence of beauty. Straight as a mountain pine was he; a leopard-skin +hung carelessly upon his shoulders; his head was bare, but his locks +clustered round his temples in sunny curls, and formed fit framework +for his fair brows. + +"Hermes spoke first: 'Paris, we have come to seek thy help; there is +strife among the folk who dwell on Mount Olympus. Here are Hera, +Athena, and Aphrodite, each claiming to be the fairest, and each +clamoring for this prize, this golden apple. Now we pray that you will +judge this matter, and give the apple to the one whom you may deem most +beautiful.' + +"Then Hera began her plea at once: 'I know that I am fairest,' she +said, 'for I am queen, and mine it is to rule among gods and men. Give +me the prize, and you shall have wealth, and a kingdom, and great +glory; and men in aftertimes shall sing your praises.' + +"And Paris was half tempted to give the apple, without further ado, to +Hera, the proud queen. But gray-eyed Athena spoke: 'There is that, +fair youth, which is better than riches or honor or great glory. +Listen to me, and I will give thee wisdom and a pure heart; and thy +life shall be crowned with peace, and sweetened with love, and made +strong by knowledge. And though men may not sing of thee in +after-times, thou shall find lasting happiness in the answer of a good +conscience towards all things." + +"Then Oenone whispered from her place among the leaves, 'Give the prize +to Athena; she is the fairest.' And Paris would have placed the golden +apple in her hand, had not Aphrodite stepped quickly forward, and in +the sweetest, merriest tones, addressed him. + +"'You may look at my face, and judge for yourself as to whether I am +fair,' said she laughing, and tossing her curls. 'All I shall say is +this: Give me the prize, and you shall have for your wife the most +beautiful woman in the world.' + +"The heart of Oenone stood still as Paris placed the apple in +Aphrodite's hand; and a nameless dread came over her, as if the earth +were sinking beneath her feet. But the next moment the blood came back +to her cheeks, and she breathed free and strong again; for she heard +Paris say, 'I have a wife, Oenone, who to me is the loveliest of +mortals, and I care not for your offer; yet I give to you the apple, +for I know that you are the fairest among the deathless ones who live +on high Olympus.'" + + +"On the very next day it happened that King Priam sat thoughtfully in +his palace, and all his boys and girls--nearly fifty in number--were +about him. His mind turned sadly to the little babe whom he had sent +away, many years ago, to die alone on wooded Ida. And he said to +himself, 'The child has been long dead, and yet no feast has been given +to the gods that they may make his little spirit glad in the shadowy +land of Hades. This must not be neglected longer. Within three days a +feast must be made, and we will hold games in his honor.' + +"Then he called his servants, and bade them go to the pastures on Mount +Ida, and choose from the herds that were there the fattest and +handsomest bull, to be given as a prize to the winner in the games. +And he proclaimed through all Ilios, that on the third day there would +be a great feast in his palace, and games would be held in honor of the +little babe who had died twenty years before. + +"Now, when the servants came to Mount Ida, they chose a bull for which +Paris had long cared, and which he loved more than any other. He +protested and would not let the beast be driven from the pasture until +it was agreed that he might go to the city with it and contend in the +games for the prize. But Oenone, the river nymph, wept and prayed him +not to go. + +"'Leave not the pleasant pasture lands of Ida, even for a day,' said +she; 'for my heart tells me that you will not return.' + +"'Think not so, my fair one,' said Paris. 'Did not Aphrodite promise +that the most beautiful woman in the world shall be my wife? And who +is more beautiful than my own Oenone? Dry now your tears; for when I +have won the prizes in the games I will come back to you, and never +leave you again.' + +"Then the grief of Oenone waxed still greater. 'If you will go,' she +cried, 'then hear my warning! Long years shall pass ere you shall come +again to wooded Ida, and the hearts which now are young shall grow old +and feeble by reason of much sorrow. Cruel war and many dire disasters +shall overtake you, and death shall be nigh unto you; and then Oenone, +although long forgotten by you, will hasten to your side, to help and +to heal and to forgive, that so the old love may live again. Farewell!' + +"Then Paris kissed his wife, and hastened, light of heart, to Troy. +How could it be otherwise but that, in the games which followed, the +handsome young shepherd should carry off all the prizes? + +"'Who are you?' asked the king. + +"'My name is Paris,' answered the shepherd, 'and I feed the flocks and +herds on wooded Ida.' + +"Then Hector, full of wrath because of his own failure to win a prize, +came forward to dispute with Paris. + +"'Stand there, Hector,' cried old Priam; 'stand close to the young +shepherd, and let us look at you!' Then turning to the queen, he +asked, 'Did you ever see two so nearly alike? The shepherd is fairer +and of slighter build, it is true; but they have the same eye, the same +frown, the same smile, the same motion of the shoulders, the same walk. +Ah, what if the young babe did not die after all?' + +"Then Priam's daughter, Cassandra, who had the gift of prophecy, cried +out, 'Oh, blind of eye and heart, that you cannot see in this young +shepherd the child whom you sent to sleep the sleep of death on Ida's +wooded slopes!' + +"And so it came about, that Paris was taken into his father's house, +and given the place of honor which was his by right. And he forgot +Oenone, his fair young wife, and left her to pine in loneliness among +the woods and in the narrow dells of sunny Ida." + + + + +HESIONE + +RELATED BY MENELAUS[1] + +With troubled brow and anxious heart, Menelaus sat in Nestor's halls, +and told the story of his wrongs. Behind him stood his brother, +Agamemnon, tall and strong, and with eye and forehead like mighty Zeus. +Before him, seated on a fair embroidered couch, was the aged Nestor, +listening with eager ears. Close by his feet two heroes sat: on this +side, Antilochus, the valiant son of Nestor; and on that, sage +Palamedes, prince of Euboea's distant shores. The last had just +arrived, and had not learned the errand that had brought Menelaus +hither. + +"Tell again the story of your visit to Troy," said Nestor. "Our guest, +good Palamedes, would fain hear it; and I doubt not that he may be of +service in your cause. Tell us the whole story, for we would all know +more about the famous city and its kingly rulers." + +Then Menelaus began once more at the beginning. + + +THE STORY + +There is no need that I should speak of my long voyage to Troy, or of +the causes which persuaded me to undertake it. When I drew near the +lofty walls of the city, and through the gate, which is called Scaean, +could see the rows of stately dwellings and the busy market-place and +the crowds of people, I stopped there in wonder, hesitating to venture +farther. + +Then I sent a herald to the gate, who should make known my name and +lineage and the errand upon which I had come; but I waited without in +the shade of a spreading beech, not far from the towering wall. Before +me stood the mighty city; behind me the fertile plain sloped gently to +the sea; on my right hand flowed the sparkling waters of the river +Scamander; while much farther, and on the other side, the wooded peak +of Ida lifted itself toward the clouds. + +But I had not long to view this scene; for a noble company of men led +by Paris himself, handsome as Apollo, came out of the gate to welcome +me. With words of greeting from the king, they bade me enter within +the walls. They led me through the Scaean gate and along the +well-paved streets, until we came, at last, to King Priam's hall. + +It was a splendid house with broad doorways and polished porticos, and +marble columns richly carved. Within were fifty chambers, joining one +another, all walled with polished stone; in these abode the fifty sons +of Priam with their wedded wives. On the other side, and opening into +the court, were twelve chambers built for his daughters; while over all +were the sleeping-rooms for that noble household, and around were +galleries and stairways leading to the king's great hall below. + +King Priam received me kindly, and, when he understood my errand, left +naught undone to help me forward with my wishes. Ten days I abode as a +guest in his halls, and when I would return to Greece he pressed me to +tarry yet a month in Troy. But the winds were fair, and the oracles +promised a pleasant voyage, and I begged that on the twelfth day he +would let me depart. So he and his sons brought many gifts, rich and +beautiful, and laid them at my feet--a fair mantle, and a doublet, and +a talent of fine gold, and a sword with a silver-studded hilt, and a +drinking-cup richly engraved that I might remember them when I pour +libations to the gods. + +"Take these gifts," said Priam, "as tokens of our friendship for you, +and not only for you, but for all who dwell in distant Greece. For we +too are the children of the immortals. Our mighty ancestor, Dardanus, +was the son of Zeus. He it was who built Dardania on the slopes of +Ida, where the waters gush in many silvery streams from underneath the +rocky earth. + +"A grandson of Dardanus was Ilus, famous in song and story, and to him +was born Laomedon, who in his old age became my father. He, though my +sire, did many unwise things, and brought sore distress upon the people +of this land. + +"One day Apollo and Poseidon came to Troy, disguised as humble +wayfarers seeking some employment. This they did because so ordered by +mighty Zeus. + +"'What can you do?' asked my father, when the two had told their wishes. + +"Poseidon answered, 'I am a builder of walls.' + +"And Apollo answered, 'I am a shepherd, and a tender of herds.' + +"'It is well,' answered Laomedon. 'The wall-builder shall build a wall +around this Troy so high and strong that no enemy can pass it. The +shepherd shall tend my herds of crook-horned kine on the wooded slopes +of Ida. If at the end of a twelvemonth, the wall be built, and if the +cattle thrive without loss of one, then I will pay you your hire: a +talent of gold, two tripods of silver, rich robes, and armor such as +heroes wear.' + +"So the two served my father through the year for the hire which he had +promised. Poseidon built a wall, high and fair, around the city; and +Apollo tended the shambling kine, and lost not one. But when they +claimed their hire, Laomedon drove them away with threats, telling them +that he would bind their feet and hands together, and sell them as +slaves into some distant land, having first sheared off their ears with +his sharp sword. And they went away with angry hearts, planning in +their minds how they might avenge themselves. + +"Back to his watery kingdom, and his golden palace beneath the sea, +went great Poseidon. He harnessed his steeds to his chariot, and rode +forth upon the waves. He loosed the winds from their prison house, and +sent them raging over the sea. The angry waters rushed in upon the +land; they covered the pastures and the rich plain of Troy, and +threatened even to beat down the walls which their king had built. + +"Then little by little, the flood shrank back again; and the people +went out of the city to see the waste of slime and black mud which +covered their meadows. While they were gazing upon the scene, a +fearful monster, sent by angry Poseidon, came up out of the sea, and +fell upon them, and drove them with hideous slaughter back to the city +gates; neither would he allow any one to come outside of the walls. + +"Then my father, in his great distress, clad himself in mourning, and +went in deep humility to the temple of Athena. In much distress, he +called unto the goddess, and besought to know the means whereby the +anger of Poseidon might be assuaged. And in solemn tones a voice +replied, saying: + +"'Every day one of the maidens of Troy must be fed to the monster +outside of the walls. The shaker of the earth has spoken. Disobey him +not, lest more cruel punishments befall thee.' + +"Then in every house of Troy there was sore dismay and lamentation, for +no one knew upon whom the doom would soonest fall. And every day a +hapless maiden, young and fair, was chained to the great rock by the +shore, and left there to be the food of the pitiless monster. And the +people cried aloud in their distress, and cursed the mighty walls and +the high towers which had been reared by the unpaid labors of Poseidon; +and my father sat upon his high seat, and trembled because of the +calamities which his own deeds had brought upon his people. + +"At last, after many humbler victims had perished, the lot fell upon +the fairest of my sisters, Hesione, my father's best-loved daughter. +In sorrow we arrayed her in garments befitting one doomed to an +untimely death; and when we had bidden her a last farewell, we gave her +to the heralds and the priests to lead forth to the place of sacrifice. + +"Just then, however, a noble stranger, taller and more stately than any +man in Troy, came down the street. Fair-haired and blue-eyed, handsome +and strong, he seemed a very god to all who looked upon him. Over his +shoulder he wore the tawny skin of a lion, while in his hand he carried +a club most wonderful to behold. And the people, as he passed, prayed +him that he would free our city from the monster that was robbing us of +our loved ones. + +"'I know that thou art a god!' cried my father, when he saw the +stranger. 'I pray thee, save my daughter, who even now is being led +forth to a cruel death!' + +"'You make mistake,' answered the fair stranger. 'I am not one of the +gods. My name is Hercules, and like you I am mortal. Yet I may help +you in this your time of need.' + +"Now, in my father's stables there were twelve fair steeds, the best +that the earth ever knew. So light of foot were they, that when they +bounded over the land, they might run upon the topmost ears of ripened +corn, and break them not; and when they bounded over the sea, not even +Poseidon's steeds could glide so lightly upon the crests of the waves. +Some say they were the steeds of North Wind given to my grandfather by +the powers above. These steeds, my father promised to give to Hercules +if he would save Hesione. + +"Then the heralds led my fair sister to the shore, and chained her to +the rock, there to wait for the coming of the monster. But Hercules +stood near her, fearless in his strength. Soon the waves began to +rise; the waters were disturbed, and the beast, with hoarse bellowings, +lifted his head above the breakers, and rushed forward to seize his +prey. Then the hero sprang to meet him. With blow upon blow from his +mighty club, he felled the monster; the waters of the sea were reddened +with blood; Hesione was saved, and Troy was freed from the dreadful +curse. + +"'Behold thy daughter!' said Hercules, leading her gently back to the +city, and giving her to her father. 'I have saved her from the jaws of +death, and delivered your country from the dread scourge. Give me now +my hire.' + +"Shame fills my heart as I tell this story, for thanklessness was the +bane of my father's life. Ungrateful to the hero who had risked so +much and done so much that our homes and our country might be saved +from ruin, he turned coldly away from Hercules; then he shut the great +gates in his face, and barred him out of the city, and taunted him from +the walls, saying, 'I owe thee no hire! Begone from our coasts, ere I +scourge thee hence!' + +"Full of wrath, the hero turned away. 'I go, but I will come again,' +he said. + +"Then peace and plenty blessed once more the city of Troy, and men +forgot the perils from which they had been delivered. But ere long, +great Hercules returned, as he had promised; and with him came a fleet +of white-sailed ships and many warriors. Neither gates nor strong +walls could stand against him. Into the city he marched, and straight +to my father's palace. All fled before him, and the strongest warriors +quailed beneath his glance. Here, in this very court, he slew my +father and my brothers with his terrible arrows. I myself would have +fallen before his wrath, had not my sister, fair Hesione, pleaded for +my life. + +"'I spare his life,' said Hercules, in answer to her prayers, 'for he +is but a lad. Yet he must be my slave until you have paid a price for +him, and thus redeemed him.' + +"Then Hesione took the golden veil from her head, and gave it to the +hero as my purchase price. And thenceforward I was called Priam, or +the purchased; for the name which my mother gave me was Podarkes, or +the fleet-footed. + +"After this Hercules and his heroes went on board their ships and +sailed back across the sea, leaving me alone in my father's halls. For +they took fair Hesione with them, and carried her to Salamis, to be the +wife of Telamon, the father of mighty Ajax. There, through these long +years she has lived in sorrow, far removed from home and friends and +the scenes of her happy childhood. And now that the hero Telamon, to +whom she was wedded, lives no longer, I ween that her life is indeed a +cheerless one." + +"When Priam had finished his tale, he drew his seat still nearer mine, +and looked into my face with anxious, beseeching eyes. Then he said, +'I have long wished to send a ship across the sea to bring my sister +back to Troy. A dark-prowed vessel, built for speed and safety, lies +now at anchor in the harbor, and a picked crew is ready to embark at +any moment. And here is my son Paris, handsome and brave, who is +anxious to make voyage to Salamis, to seek unhappy Hesione. Yet our +seamen have never ventured far from home, and they know nothing of the +dangers of the deep, nor do they feel sure they can find their way to +Greece. And so we have a favor to ask of you; and that is, that when +your ship sails to-morrow, ours may follow in its wake across the sea." + + +Here Menelaus paused as if in deep thought, and not until his listeners +begged him to go on, did he resume his story. + + +[1]Menelaus, king of Lacedaemon, was the husband of Helen, the most +beautiful woman in the world. At the time of his marriage to Helen all +the princes of Greece had vowed to support him against any enemy who +should attempt to defraud him of his rights. This and the following +story tell of his visit to Troy and its results. + + + + +PARIS AND HELEN + +MENELAUS CONTINUES HIS STORY + +"I was glad when King Priam made this request," continued Menelaus, +"for, in truth, I was loath to part with Paris; and I arranged at once +that he should bear me company in my own ship while his vessel with its +crew followed not far behind. + +"And so, being blessed with favoring winds, we made a quick voyage back +to my own country. What followed is too sad for lengthy mention, and +is in part already known to you. Need I tell you how I opened my halls +to Paris, and left no act of courtesy undone that I might make him +happy? Need I tell you how he was welcomed by fair Helen, and how the +summer days fled by on golden wings; and how in the delights of +Lacedaemon he forgot his errand to Salamis, and cared only to remain +with me, my honored guest and trusted friend? + +"One day a message came to me from my old friend Idomeneus. He had +planned a hunt among the mountains and woods of Crete, and he invited +me to join him in the sport. I had not seen Idomeneus since the time +that we together, in friendly contention, sought the hand of Helen. I +could not do otherwise than accept his invitation, for he had sent his +own ship to carry me over to Crete. + +"So I bade farewell to Helen, saying, 'Let not our noble guest lack +entertainment while I am gone; and may the golden hours glide happily +until I come again.' And to Paris I said, 'Tarry another moon in +Lacedasmon; and when I return from Crete, I will go with you to +Salamis, and aid you in your search for Hesione.' + +"Then I went on board the waiting ship, and prospering breezes carried +us without delays to Crete. + +"Idomeneus received me joyfully, and entertained me most royally in his +palace; and for nine days we feasted and made all things ready for the +hunt. But, lo! on the evening of the last day, a vision came to me. +Gold-winged Iris, the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, stood before +me. 'Hasten back to Lacedaemon,' she cried, for thou art robbed of thy +dearest treasure!' And even while she spoke, one of my own ships, came +sailing into the harbor, bringing trusted heralds whom the elders of +Lacedaemon had sent to me. + +"They told me the fatal news. 'No sooner were you well on your way,' +they said, 'than Paris began to put his ship in readiness to depart. +Helen prayed him to tarry until your return, but he would not hearken, +"I will stay no longer," he said. "My seamen rest upon their oars; the +sails of my ship are spread; the breeze will soon spring up that will +carry me across the sea. But you, beauteous Helen, shall go with me; +for the deathless gods have spoken it. Aphrodite, long ago, promised +that the most beautiful woman in the world should be my wife. And who +is that most beautiful woman if it be not yourself? Come! fly over the +sea, and be my queen. It is the will of the gods."' + +"It was thus that the perfidious Trojan wrought the ruin of all that +was dear to me. + +"At first, Helen refused. But Paris is a handsome prince, and day +after day he renewed his suit. Then on the sixth day she yielded. In +the darkness of the night they went on board his waiting vessel, +carrying with them the gold and jewels of my treasure house; and in the +morning, when the sun arose on Lacedaemon, they were far out at sea. + +"You know the rest: how in wrath and great sorrow I hurried home; how I +first counselled with my own elders, and then with my brother +Agamemnon. And now, O noble Nestor, we have come to Pylos, seeking thy +advice. On these two things my mind is set: Helen must be mine again, +and Paris must suffer the punishment due to traitors." + +When Menelaus had ended, sage Nestor answered with many words of +counsel. "Keep the thought of vengeance ever before you," he said. +"Yet act not rashly. The power of Troy is very great; and, in case of +war, all the tribes of Asia will make common cause with her. But an +insult to Lacedaemon is an insult to all Greece, and every loyal Greek +will hasten to avenge it. More than this, the chiefs of almost every +state have already sworn to aid you. We have but to call upon them, +and remind them of their oaths, and the mightiest warriors of our land +will take up arms against the power of Troy." + + + + +IPHIGENIA + +After nearly ten years of preparation, the princes and warriors of +Greece gathered their ships and men together at Aulis, ready to make +war upon Troy. A thousand dark-hulled vessels were moored in the +harbor; and a hundred thousand brave men were on board, ready to follow +their leaders whithersoever they should order. + +Chief of all that host was mighty Agamemnon, king of men. He was clad +in flashing armor, and his mind was filled with overweening pride when +he thought how high he stood among the warriors, and that his men were +the goodliest and bravest of all that host. + +Next to him was Menelaus, silent and discreet, by no means skilled +above his fellows, and yet, by reason of his noble heart, beloved and +honored by all the Greeks; and it was to avenge his wrongs that this +mighty array of men and ships had been gathered together. + +Odysseus came next, shrewd in counsels, earnest and active. He moved +among the men and ships, inspiring all with zeal and courage. + +There, also, was young Achilles, tall and handsome, and swift of foot. +His long hair fell about his shoulders like a shower of gold, and his +gray eyes gleamed like those of the mountain eagle. By the shore lay +his trim ships--fifty in all--with thousands of gallant warriors on +board. + +One day it chanced that Agamemnon, while hunting, started a fine stag, +and gave it a long chase among the hills and through the wooded dells, +until it sought safety in a grove sacred to Artemis, the huntress +queen. The proud king knew that this was a holy place, where beasts +and birds might rest secure from harm; yet he cared naught for what +Artemis had ordained, and with his swift arrows he slew the panting +deer. + +Then was the huntress queen moved with anger, and she declared that the +ships of the Greeks should not sail from Aulis until the king had +atoned for his crime. A great calm rested upon the sea, and not a +breath of air stirred the sails at the mast-heads of the ships. + +Day after day and week after week went by, and not a speck of cloud was +seen in the sky above, and not a ripple on the glassy face of the deep. +All the ships had been put in order, new vessels had been built, the +warriors had burnished their armor and overhauled their arms a thousand +times; and yet no breeze arose to waft them across the sea. And they +began to murmur, and to talk bitterly against Agamemnon and the chiefs. + +At last Agamemnon sent for Calchas, the soothsayer, and asked him in +secret how the anger of the huntress queen might be appeased. And the +soothsayer with tears and lamentations answered that in no wise could +it be done save by the sacrifice to Artemis of the king's daughter, +Iphigenia. + +Then the king cried aloud in his grief, and declared that though Troy +might stand forever, he would not do that thing; and he bade a herald +go through the camp, and among the ships by the shore, and bid every +man depart as he chose to his own country. But before the herald had +gone from his tent, behold, his brother, Menelaus, stood before him +with downcast eyes and saddest of hearts. + +"After ten years of labor and hope," said he to Agamemnon, "wouldst +thou give up this enterprise, and lose all?" + +Then Odysseus came also into the tent, and added his persuasions to +those of Menelaus. The king hearkened to him, for no man was more +crafty in counsel; and the three recalled the herald, and formed a plan +whereby they might please Artemis by doing as she desired. Agamemnon, +in his weakness, wrote a letter to Clytemnestra his queen, telling her +to bring the maiden, Iphigenia, to Aulis, there to be wedded to the +bravest of all the Greeks. + +"_Fail not in this_," added he, "_for the godlike hero will not sail +with us unless my daughter be given to him in marriage_." + +And when he had written the letter, he sealed it, and sent it by a +swift messenger to Clytemnestra at Mycenas. + +Nevertheless the king's heart was full of sorrow, and when he was alone +he planned how he might yet save his daughter. Night came, but he +could not sleep; he walked the floor of his tent; he wept and lamented +like one bereft of reason. At length he sat down, and wrote another +letter: + +"_Daughter of Leda, send not thy child to Aulis, for I will give her in +marriage at another time_." + +Then he called another messenger, an old and trusted servant of the +household, and put this letter into his hands. + +"Take this with all haste to my queen, who, perchance, is even now on +her way to Aulis. Stop not by any cool spring in the groves, and let +not thine eyes close for sleep. And see that the chariot bearing the +queen and Iphigenia pass thee not unnoticed." + +The messenger took the letter and hastened away. But hardly had he +passed the line of the tents when Menelaus saw him, and took the letter +away from him. And when he had read it, he went before his brother, +and reproached him| with bitter words. + +"Before you were chosen captain of the host," said he, "you were kind +and gentle, and the friend of every man. There was nothing that you +would not do to aid your fellows. Now you are puffed up with pride and +vain conceit, and care nothing even for those who are your equals in +power. Yet, for all, you are not rid of your well-known cowardice; and +when you saw that your leadership was likely to be taken away from you +unless you obeyed the commands of Artemis, you agreed to do this thing. +Now you are trying to break your word, sending secretly to your wife, +and bidding her not to bring her daughter to Aulis." + +Then Agamemnon answered, "Why should I destroy my daughter in order to +win back thy wife? Let those who wish go with thee to Troy. In no way +am I bound to serve thee." + +"Do as you will," said Menelaus, going away in wrath. + +Soon after this, there came a herald to the king, saying, "Behold, your +daughter Iphigenia has come as you directed, and with her mother and +her little brother Orestes she rests by the spring close to the outer +line of tents. The warriors have gathered around them, and are +praising her loveliness, and asking many questions; and some say, 'The +king is sick to see his daughter, whom he loves so deeply, and he has +made up some excuse to bring her to the camp.' But I know why you have +brought her here; for I have been told about the wedding, and the noble +groom who is to lead her in marriage; and we will rejoice and be glad, +because this is a happy day for the maiden." + +Then the king was sorely distressed, and knew not what to do. "Sad, +sad, indeed," said he, "is the wedding to which the maiden cometh. For +the name of the bridegroom is Death." + +At the same time Menelaus came back, sorrowful and repentant. "You +were right, my brother," said he. "What, indeed, has Iphigenia to do +with this enterprise, and why should the maiden die for me? Send the +Greeks to their homes, and let not this great wrong be done." + +"But how can I do that now?" asked Agamemnon. "The warriors, urged on +by Odysseus and Calchas, will force me to do the deed. Or, if I flee +to Mycenae, they will follow me, and slay me, and destroy my city. Oh, +woe am I, that such a day should ever dawn upon my sight!" + +Even while they spoke together, the queen's chariot drove up to the +tent door, and the queen and Iphigenia and the little Orestes alighted +quickly, and merrily greeted the king. + +"It is well that you have sent for me, my father," said Iphigenia, +caressing him. + +"It may be well, and yet it may not," said Agamemnon. "I am exceeding +glad to see thee alive and happy." + +"If you are glad, why then do you weep?" + +"I am sad because thou wilt be so long time away from me." + +"Are you going on a very long voyage, father?" + +"A long voyage and a sad one, my child. And thou, also, hast a journey +to make." + +"Must I make it alone, or will my mother go with me?" + +"Thou must make it alone. Neither father nor mother nor any friend can +go with thee, my child." + +"But when shall it be? I pray that you will hasten this matter with +Troy, and return home ere then." + +"It may be so. But I must offer a sacrifice to the gods before we sail +from Aulis." + +"That is well. And may I be present?" + +"Yes, and thou shalt be very close to the altar." + +"Shall I lead in the dances, father?" + +Then the king could say no more, for reason of the great sorrow within +him; and he kissed the maiden, and sent her into the tent. A little +while afterward, the queen came and spoke to him and asked him about +the man to whom their daughter was to be wedded; and Agamemnon, still +dissembling, told her that the hero's name was Achilles, and that he +was the son of old Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. + +"And when and where is the marriage to be?" asked the queen. + +"On the first lucky day in the present moon, and here in our camp at +Aulis," answered Agamemnon. + +"Shall I stay here with thee until then?" + +"Nay, thou must go back to Mycenae without delay." + +"But may I not come again? If I am not here, who will hold up the +torch for the bride?" + +"I will attend to all such matters," answered Agamemnon. + +But Clytemnestra was not well pleased, neither could the king persuade +her at all that she should return to Mycenae. While yet they were +talking, Achilles himself came to the tent door, and said aloud to the +servant who kept it, "Tell thy master that Achilles, the son of Peleus, +would be pleased to see him." + +When Clytemnestra overheard these words, she hastened to the door, and +offered the hero her hand. But he was abashed and drew back, for it +was deemed an unseemly thing for men to speak thus with women. Then +Clytemnestra said, "Why, indeed, should you, who are about to marry my +daughter, be ashamed to give me your hand?" + +Achilles was struck with wonder, and asked her what she meant; and when +she had explained the matter, he said: + +"Truly I have never been a suitor for thy daughter, neither has +Agamemnon or Menelaus spoken a word to me regarding her." + +And now the queen was astonished in her turn, and cried out with shame +that she had been so cruelly deceived. Then the keeper of the door, +who was the same that had been sent with the letter, came forward and +told the truth regarding the whole matter. And Clytemnestra cried to +Achilles, "O son of silver-footed Thetis! Help me and help my daughter +Iphigenia, in this time of sorest need! For we have no friend in all +this host, and none in whom we can confide but thee." + +Achilles answered, "Long time ago I was a pupil of old Cheiron, the +most righteous of men, and from him I learned to be honest and true. +If Agamemnon rule according to right, then I will obey him; but not +otherwise. And now, since thy daughter was brought to this place under +pretence of giving her to me as my bride, I will see that she shall not +be slain, neither shall any one dare take her from me." + +On the following day, while Agamemnon sat grief-stricken in his tent, +the maiden came before him carrying the child Orestes in her arms; and +she cast herself upon her knees at his feet, and caressing his hands, +she thus besought him: + +"Would, dear father, that I had the voice of Orpheus, to whom even the +rocks did listen! then I would persuade thee. O father! I am thy +child. I was the first to call thee 'Father,' and the first to whom +thou saidst 'My child.'" + +The father turned his face away, and wept; he could not speak for +sadness. Then the maiden went on: "O father, hear me! thou to whom my +voice was once so sweet that thou wouldst waken me to hear my prattle. +And when I was older grown, then thou wouldst say to me, 'Some day, my +birdling, thou shalt have a nest of thy own, a home of which thou shalt +be the mistress.' And I did answer, 'Yes, dear father, and when thou +art old I will care for thee, and pay thee with all my heart for the +kindness thou dost show me.' But now thou hast forgotten it all, and +art ready to slay my young life." + +A deep groan burst from the lips of the mighty king, but he spoke not a +word. Then, after a deathlike silence broken only by the deep +breathings of father and child, Iphigenia spoke again: "My father, can +there be any prayer more pure and more persuasive than that of a maiden +for her father's welfare? And when, the cruel knife shall strike me +down, thou wilt have one daughter less to pray for thee." A shudder +shook the frame of Agamemnon, but he answered not a word. + +At that moment Achilles entered. He had come in haste from the tents +beside the shore, and he spoke in hurried, anxious accents. + +"Behold," said he, "a great tumult has arisen in the camp; for Calchas +has given out among the men that you refuse to do what Artemis has +bidden, and that hence these delays and troubles have arisen. And the +rude soldiers are crying out against you, and declaring that the maiden +must die. When I would have stayed their anger, they took up stones to +stone me--my own warriors among the rest. And now they are making +ready to move upon your tent, threatening to sacrifice you also with +your daughter. But I will fight for you to the utmost, and the maiden +shall not die." + +As he was speaking, Calchas entered, and, grasping the wrist of the +pleading maiden, lifted her to her feet. She looked up, and saw his +stony face and hard cold eyes; and turning again to Agamemnon, she +said, "O father, the ships shall sail, for I will die for thee." + +Then Achilles said to her, "Fair maiden, thou art by far the noblest +and most lovely of thy sex. Fain would I save thee from this fate, +even though every man in Greece be against me. Fly with me quickly to +my long-oared ship, and I will carry thee safely away from this +accursed place." + +"Not so," answered Iphigenia: "I will give up my life for my father and +this land of the Greeks, and no man shall suffer for me." + +Then the pitiless priest led her through the throng of rude soldiers to +the grove of Artemis, wherein an altar had been built. But Achilles +and Agamemnon covered their faces with their mantles, and stayed inside +the tent. + +As the maiden took her place upon the altar, the king's herald stood +up, and bade the warriors keep silence; and Calchas put a garland of +sweet-smelling flowers about the victim's head. + +"Let no man touch me," said the maiden, "for I offer my neck to the +sword with right good will, that so my father may live and prosper." + +In silence and great awe, the warriors stood around, while Calchas drew +a sharp knife from its scabbard. But, lo! as he struck, the maiden was +not there; and in her stead, a noble deer lay dying on the altar. Then +the old soothsayer cried out in triumphant tones, "See, now, ye men of +Greece, how the gods have provided for you a sacrifice, and saved the +innocent daughter of the king!" And all the people shouted with joy; +and in that self-same hour, a strong breeze came down the bay, and +filled the idle sails of the waiting ships. + +"To Troy! to Troy!" cried the Greeks; and every man hastened aboard his +vessel. + +How it was that fair Iphigenia escaped the knife; by whom she was +saved, or whither she went--no one knew. Some say that Artemis carried +her away to the land of the Taurians, where she had a temple and an +altar; and there is a story that, long years afterward, her brother +Orestes found her there, and led her back to her girlhood's home, even +to Mycenae. But whether this be true or not, I know that there have +been maidens as noble, as loving, as innocent as she, who have given up +their lives in order to make this world a purer and happier place in +which to live; and these are not dead, but live in the grateful +memories of those whom they loved and saved. + + + + +THE HOARD OF THE ELVES + +REGIN'S STORY[1] + +When the earth was still very young, and men were feeble and few, and +the Dwarfs were many and strong, the Asa-folk were wont oft-times to +leave their halls in heaven-towering Asgard in order to visit the +new-formed mid-world, and to see what the short-lived sons of men were +doing. Sometimes they came in their own god-like splendor and might; +sometimes they came disguised as feeble men folk, with all man's +weaknesses and all his passions. Sometimes Odin, as a beggar, wandered +from one country to another, craving charity; sometimes, as a warrior +clad in coat of mail, he rode forth to battle for the cause of right; +or as a minstrel he sang from door to door, and played sweet music in +the halls of the great; or as a huntsman he dashed through brakes and +fens, and into dark forests, and climbed steep mountains in search of +game; or as a sailor he embarked upon the sea, and sought new scenes in +unknown lands. And many times did men folk entertain him unawares. + +Once on a time he came to the mid-world in company with Hoenir and +Loki; and the three wandered through many lands and in many climes, +each giving gifts wherever they went. Odin gave knowledge and +strength, and taught men how to read the mystic runes; Hoenir gave +gladness and good cheer, and lightened many hearts with the glow of his +comforting presence; but Loki had naught to give but cunning deceit and +base thoughts, and he left behind him bitter strife and many aching +breasts. + +At last, growing tired of the fellowship of men, the three Asas sought +the solitude of the forest, and as huntsmen wandered long among the +hills and over the wooded heights of Hunaland. Late one afternoon they +came to a mountain stream at a place where it poured over a ledge of +rocks and fell in clouds of spray into a rocky gorge below. As they +stood, and with pleased eyes gazed upon the waterfall, they saw near +the bank an otter lazily making ready to eat a salmon which he had +caught. Then Loki, ever bent on doing mischief, hurled a stone at the +harmless beast, and killed it. And he boasted loudly that he had done +a worthy deed. He took both the otter and the fish which it had +caught, and carried them with him as trophies of the day's success. + +Just at nightfall the three huntsmen came to a lone farmhouse in the +valley, and asked for food, and for shelter during the night. + +"Shelter you shall have," said the farmer, whose name was Hreidmar, +"for the rising clouds foretell a storm. But food I have none to give +you. Surely huntsmen of skill should not want for food, since the +forest teems with game, and the streams are full of fish." + +Then Loki threw upon the ground the otter and the fish, and said, "We +have sought in both forest and stream, and we have taken from them at +one blow both flesh and fish. Give us but the shelter you promise, and +we will not trouble you for food." + +The farmer gazed with horror upon the lifeless body of the otter and +cried out, "This creature which you mistook for an otter, and which you +have robbed and killed, is my son, Oddar, who for mere pastime had +taken the form of the furry beast. You are but thieves and murderers!" + +Then he called loudly for help: and his two sons, Fafnir and Regin, +sturdy and valiant kin of the dwarf-folk, rushed in, and seized upon +the huntsmen, and bound them hand and foot; for the three Asas, having +taken upon themselves the forms of men, had no more than human +strength, and were unable to withstand them. + +Then Odin and his fellows bemoaned their ill fate. And Loki said, +"Wherefore did we foolishly take upon ourselves the likenesses of puny +men? Had I my own power once more, I would never part with it in +exchange for man's weaknesses." + +And Hoenir sighed, and said, "Now, indeed, will darkness win: and the +frosty breath of the Northern giants will blast the fair handiwork of +the sunlight and the heat; for the givers of life and light and warmth +are helpless prisoners in the hands of these cunning and unforgiving +jailers." + +"Surely," said Odin, "not even the highest are free from obedience to +heaven's behests and the laws of right. I, whom men call the Preserver +of Life, have debased myself by being found in evil company; and, +although I have done no other wrong, I suffer rightly for the doings of +this mischief-maker with whom I have stooped to have fellowship. For +all are known, not so much by what they are as by what they seem to be, +and they bear the bad name which their comrades bear. Now I am fallen +from my high estate. Eternal right is higher than I." + +Then the Asas asked Hreidmar, their jailer, what ransom they should pay +for their freedom; and he, not knowing who they were, said, "I must +first know what ransom you are able to give." + +"We will give you anything you may ask," hastily answered Loki. + +Hreidmar then called his sons, and bade them strip the skin from the +otter's body. When this was done, they brought the furry hide and +spread it upon the ground; and Hreidmar said, "Bring shining gold and +precious stones enough to cover every part of this otter skin. When +you have paid so much ransom, you shall have your freedom." + +"That we will do," answered Odin. "But one of us must have leave to go +and fetch it: the other two will stay fast bound until the morning +dawns. If, by that time, the gold is not here, you may do with us as +you please." + +Hreidmar and the two young men agreed to Odin's offer; and, lots being +cast, it fell to Loki to go and fetch the treasure. When he had been +loosed from the cords which bound him, Loki donned his magic shoes, +which had carried him over land and sea from the farthest bounds of the +mid-world, and hastened away upon his errand. And he sped with the +swiftness of light, over the hills and the wooded slopes, and the deep +dark valleys, and the fields and forests and sleeping hamlets, until he +came to the place where dwelt the swarthy elves and the cunning dwarf +Andvari. There the River Rhine, no larger than a meadow brook, breaks +forth from beneath a mountain of ice, which the Frost giants and the +Winter-king had built long years before; for they had vainly hoped that +they might imprison the river at its fountain head. But the baby brook +had eaten its way beneath the frozen mass, and had sprung out from its +prison, and gone on, leaping and smiling, and kissing the sunlight, in +its ever-widening course toward the distant sea. + +Loki came to this place, because he knew that here was the home of the +elves who had laid up the greatest hoard of treasures ever known in the +mid-world. He scanned with careful eyes the mountain side, and the +deep, rocky caverns, and the dark gorge through which the little river +rushed; but in the dim moonlight not a living being could he see, save +a lazy salmon swimming in the quieter eddies of the stream. Anyone but +Loki would have lost all hope of finding treasure there, at least +before the dawn of day; but his wits were quick and his eyes were very +sharp. + +"One salmon has brought us into this trouble, and another shall help us +out of it!" he cried. + +Then, swift as thought, he sprang again into the air; and the magic +shoes carried him with greater speed than before down the Rhine valley, +and through Burgundyland and the low meadows, until he came to the +shores of the great North Sea. He sought the halls of old Aegir, the +Ocean-king; but he wist not which way to go--whether across the North +Sea towards Isenland, or whether along the narrow channel between +Britain land and the main. While he paused, uncertain where to turn, +he saw the pale-haired daughters of old Aegir, the white-veiled Waves, +playing in the moonlight near the shore. Of them he asked the way to +Aegir's hall. + +"Seven days' journey westward," said they, "beyond the green Isle of +Erin, is our father's hall. Seven days' journey northward, on the +bleak Norwegian shore, is our father's hall. Seek it not." + +And they stopped not once in their play, but rippled and danced on the +shelving beach, or dashed with force against the shore. + +"Where is your mother, Ran, the Queen of the Ocean?" asked Loki. + +And they answered: + + "In the deep sea-caves + By the sounding shore, + In the dashing waves + When the wild storms roar, + In her cold green bowers + In the northern fiords, + She lurks and she glowers, + She grasps and she hoards, + And she spreads her strong net for her prey." + +Loki waited to hear no more; but he sprang into the air, and the magic +shoes carried him onwards over the water In search of the Ocean-queen. +He had not gone far when his sharp eyes espied her, lurking near a +rocky shore against which the breakers dashed with frightful fury. +Half hidden in the deep dark water, she lay waiting and watching; and +she spread her cunning net upon the waves, and reached out with her +long greedy fingers to seize whatever booty might come near her. + +When the wary queen saw Loki, she hastily drew in her net, and tried to +hide herself in the shadows of an overhanging rock. But Loki called +her by name, and said: + +"Sister Ran, fear not! I am your friend Loki, whom once you served as +a guest in Aegir's gold-lit halls." + +Then the Ocean-queen came out into the bright moonlight, and welcomed +Loki to her domain, and asked, "Why does Loki thus wander so far over +the trackless waters?" + +And Loki answered, "I have heard of the net which you spread upon the +waves, and from which no creature once caught in its meshes can ever +escape. I have found a salmon where the Rhine spring gushes from +beneath the mountains, and a very cunning salmon he is, for no common +skill can catch him. Come, I pray, with your wondrous net, and cast it +into the stream where he lies. Do but take the wary fish for me, and +you shall have more gold than you have taken in a year from the wrecks +of stranded vessels." + +"I dare not go," cried Ran. "A bound is set, beyond which I may not +venture. If all the gold of earth were offered me, I could not go." + +"Then lend me your net," entreated Loki. "Lend me your net, and I will +bring it back tomorrow filled with gold." + +"Much I would like your gold," answered Ran; "but I cannot lend my net. +Should I do so, I might lose the richest prize that has ever come into +my husband's kingdom. For three days, now, a gold-rigged ship, bearing +a princely crew with rich armor and abundant wealth, has been sailing +carelessly over these seas. Tomorrow I shall send my daughters and the +bewitching mermaids to decoy the vessel among the rocks. And into my +net the ship, and the brave warriors, and all their armor and gold, +shall fall. A rich prize it will be. No: I cannot part with my net, +even for a single hour." + +But Loki knew the power of flattering words. + +"Beautiful queen," said he, "there is no one on earth, nor even in +Asgard, who can equal you in wisdom and foresight. Yet I promise you +that, if you will but lend me your net until the morning dawns, the +ship and the crew of which you speak shall be yours, and all their +golden treasures shall deck your azure halls in the deep sea." + +Then Ran carefully folded the net, and gave it to Loki. + +"Remember your promise," was all that she said. + +"An Asa never forgets," he answered. + +And he turned his face again towards Rhineland; and the magic shoes +bore him aloft and carried him in a moment back to the ice mountain and +the gorge and the infant river, which he had so lately left. The +salmon still rested in his place, and had not moved during Loki's short +absence. + +Loki unfolded the net, and cast it into the stream. The cunning fish +tried hard to avoid being caught in its meshes; but, dart which way he +would, he met the skilfully woven cords, and these drew themselves +around him, and held him fast. Then Loki pulled the net up out of the +water, and grasped the helpless fish in his right hand. But, lo! as he +held the struggling creature high in the air, it was no longer a fish, +but the cunning dwarf Andvari. + +"Thou King of the Elves," cried Loki, "thy cunning has not saved thee. +Tell me, on thy life, where thy hidden treasures lie!" + +The wise dwarf knew who it was that thus held him as in a vise; and he +answered frankly, for it was his only hope of escape, "Turn over the +stone upon which you stand. Beneath it you will find the treasure you +seek." + +Then Loki put his shoulder to the rock, and pushed with all his might. +But it seemed as firm as the mountain, and would not be moved. + +"Help us, thou cunning dwarf," he cried--"help us, and thou shalt have +thy life!" + +The dwarf put his shoulder to the rock, and it turned over as if by +magic, and underneath was disclosed a wondrous chamber, whose walls +shone brighter than the sun, and on whose floor lay treasures of gold +and glittering gem stones such as no man had ever seen. And Loki, in +great haste, seized upon the hoard, and placed it in the magic net +which he had borrowed from the Ocean-queen. Then he came out of the +chamber; and Andvari again put his shoulder to the rock which lay at +the entrance, and it swung back noiselessly to its place. + +"What is that upon thy finger?" suddenly cried Loki. "Wouldst keep +back a part of the treasure? Give me the ring thou hast!" + +But the dwarf shook his head, and made answer, "I have given thee all +the riches that the elves of the mountain have gathered since the world +began. This ring I cannot give thee, for without its help we shall +never be able to gather more treasures together." + +Loki grew very angry at these words of the dwarf; and he seized the +ring, and tore it by force from Andvari's finger. It was a wondrous +little piece of mechanism shaped like a serpent, coiled, with its tail +in its mouth; and its scaly sides glittered with many a tiny diamond, +and its ruby eyes shone with an evil light. When the dwarf knew that +Loki really meant to rob him of the ring, he cursed it and all who +should ever possess it, saying: + +"May the ill-gotten treasure that you have seized to-night be your +bane, and the bane of all to whom it may come, whether by fair means or +by foul! And the ring which you have torn from my hand, may it entail +upon the one who wears it sorrow and untold ills, the loss of friends, +and a violent death!" + +Loki was pleased with these words, and with the dark curses which the +dwarf pronounced upon the gold; for he loved wrong-doing for +wrong-doing's sake, and he knew that no curses could ever make his own +life more cheerless than it always had been. So he thanked Andvari for +his curses and his treasures; then, throwing the magic net upon his +shoulder, he sprang again into the air, and was carried swiftly back to +Hunaland; and, just before the dawn appeared in the east, he alighted +at the door of the farmhouse where Odin and Hoenir still lay bound with +thongs, and guarded by the watchful Fafnir and Regin. + +Then the farmer, Hreidmar, brought the otter's skin, and spread it upon +the ground; and, lo! it grew, and spread out on all sides, until it +covered an acre of ground. And he cried out, "Fulfil now your promise! +Cover every hair of this hide with gold or with precious stones. If +you fail to do this, then your lives, by your own agreement, are +forfeited, and we shall do with you as we list." + +Odin took the magic net from Loki's shoulder; and, opening it, he +poured the treasures of the mountain elves upon the otter skin. And +Loki and Hoenir spread the yellow pieces carefully and evenly over +every part of the furry hide. But, after every piece had been laid in +its place, Hreidmar saw near the otter's mouth a single hair uncovered; +and he declared, that unless this hair, too, were covered, the bargain +would be unfulfilled, and the treasures and lives of his prisoners +would be forfeited. + +The Asas were filled with dismay; for not another piece of gold, and +not another precious stone, could they find in the net, although they +searched with the greatest care. At last Odin took from his bosom the +ring which Loki had stolen from the dwarf; for he had been so highly +pleased with its form and workmanship, that he had hidden it, hoping +that it would not be needed to complete the payment of the ransom. And +they laid the ring upon the uncovered hair; and now no portion of the +otter's skin could be seen. And Fafnir and Regin, the ransom being +paid, loosed the shackles of Odin and Hoenir, and bade the three +huntsmen go on their way. + +Odin and Hoenir at once shook off their human disguises, and, taking +their own forms again, hastened with all speed home to Asgard. But +Loki tarried a little while, and said to Hreidmar and his sons: + +"By your greediness and falsehood you have won for yourselves the Curse +of the Earth, which lies before you. It shall be your bane. It shall +be the bane of everyone who holds it. It shall kindle strife between +father and son, between brother and brother. It shall make you mean, +selfish, beastly. It shall transform you into monsters. The noblest +king among men folk shall feel its curse. Such is gold, and such it +shall ever be to its worshippers. And the ring which you have gotten +shall impart to its possessor its own nature. Grasping, snaky, cold, +unfeeling, shall he live; and death through treachery shall be his +doom." + +Then he turned away, delighted that he had thus left the curse of +Andvari with Hreidmar and his sons, and hastened northward toward the +sea; for he wished to redeem the promise that he had made to the +Ocean-queen, to bring back her magic net, and to decoy the richly laden +ship into her clutches. + +No sooner were the strange huntsmen well out of sight than Fafnir and +Regin began to ask their father to divide the glittering hoard with +them. + +"By our strength and through our advice," said they, "this great store +has come into your hands. Let us place it in three equal heaps, and +then let each take his share and go his way." + +At this the farmer waxed very angry; and he loudly declared that he +would keep all the treasure for himself, and that his sons should not +have any portion of it whatever. So Fafnir and Regin, nursing their +disappointment, went to the fields to watch their sheep; but their +father sat down to guard his new-gotten treasure. He took in his hand +the glittering serpent ring, and gazed into its cold ruby eyes; and, as +he gazed, all his thoughts were fixed upon his gold; and there was no +room in his heart for love toward his fellows, nor for deeds of +kindness, nor for the worship of the All-Father. And behold, as he +continued to look at the snaky ring, a dreadful change came over him. +The warm red blood, which until that time had leaped through his veins, +and given him life and strength and human feelings, became purple and +cold and sluggish; and selfishness, like serpent's poison, took hold of +his heart. Then, as he kept on gazing at the hoard which lay before +him, he began to lose his human shape; his body lengthened into many +scaly folds, and he coiled himself around his loved treasures,--the +very likeness of the ring upon which he had looked so long. + +When the day drew near its close, Fafnir came back from the fields with +his herd of sheep, and thought to find his father guarding the +treasure, as he had left him in the morning; but instead he saw a +glittering snake, fast asleep, encircling the hoard like a huge scaly +ring of gold. His first thought was that the monster had devoured his +father; and, hastily drawing his sword, with one blow he severed the +serpent's head from its body. And, while yet the creature writhed in +the death agony, he gathered up the hoard, and fled with it beyond the +hills of Hunaland, until on the seventh day he came to a barren heath +far from the homes or men. There he placed the treasures in one +glittering heap; and he clothed himself in a wondrous mail-coat of gold +that was found among them, and he put on the Helmet of Dread, which had +once been the terror of the mid-world, and the like of which no man had +ever seen; and then he gazed with greedy eyes upon the fateful ring, +until he, too, was changed into a cold and slimy reptile,--a monster +dragon. He coiled himself about the hoard; and, with his restless eyes +forever open, he gloated day after day upon his loved gold, and watched +with ceaseless care that no one should come near to despoil him of it. +This was ages and ages ago; and still he wallows among his treasures on +the Glittering Heath, and guards as of yore the garnered wealth of +Andvari. + + +[1]Regin, one of the last of the race of Dwarfs, was a master smith and +by some said to be the teacher of Siegfried. The story is supposed to +have been related to Siegfried in the dusky smithy of the dwarf. + + + + +THE FORGING OF BALMUNG + +While Siegfried was still a young lad, his father sent him to live with +a smith called Mimer, whose smithy was among the hills not far from the +great forest. For in those early times the work of the smith was +looked upon as the most worthy of all trades,--a trade which the gods +themselves were not ashamed to follow. And this smith Mimer was a +wonderful master,--the wisest and most cunning that the world had ever +seen. Men said that he was akin to the dwarf-folk who had ruled the +earth in the early days, and who were learned in every lore, and +skilled in every craft; and they said that he was so exceeding old that +no one could remember the day when he came to dwell in the land of +Siegfried's people. Some said, too, that he was the keeper of a +wonderful well, or flowing spring, the waters of which imparted wisdom +and far-seeing knowledge to all who drank of them. + +To Mimer's school, then, where he would be taught to work skilfully and +to think wisely, Siegfried was sent, to be in all respects like the +other pupils there. A coarse blue blouse and heavy leggings and a +leathern apron took the place of the costly clothing which he had worn +in his father's dwelling. On his feet were awkward wooden sandals, and +his head was covered with a wolfskin cap. The dainty bed, with its +downy pillows, wherein every night his mother had been wont, with +gentle care, to see him safely covered, was given up for a rude heap of +straw in a corner of the smithy. And the rich food to which he had +been used gave place to the coarsest and humblest fare. But the lad +did not complain. The days which he passed in the smithy were mirthful +and happy; and the sound of his hammer rang cheerfully, and the sparks +from his forge flew briskly, from morning till night. + +And a wonderful smith he became. No one could do more work than he, +and none wrought with greater skill. The heaviest chains and the +strongest bolts, for prison or for treasure house, were but as toys in +his stout hands, so easily and quickly did he beat them into shape. +Cunning also was he in work of the most delicate and brittle kind. +Ornaments of gold and silver studded with the rarest jewels, were +fashioned into beautiful forms by his deft fingers. And among all of +Mimer's apprentices none learned the master's lore so readily, or +gained the master's favor more. + +One morning the master, Mimer, came to the smithy with a troubled look +upon his face. It was clear that something had gone amiss; and what it +was the apprentices soon learned from the smith himself. Never, until +lately, had any one questioned Mimer's right to be called the foremost +smith in all the world; but now a rival had come forward. An unknown +upstart---one Amilias, a giant of Burgundy--had made a suit of armor, +which, he boasted, no stroke of sword could dint, and no blow of spear +could scratch; and he had sent a challenge to all other smiths, both in +the Rhine country and elsewhere, to equal that piece of workmanship, or +else acknowledge themselves his underlings and vassals. For many days +had Mimer himself toiled, alone and vainly, trying to forge a sword +whose edge the boasted armor of Amilias could not foil; and now, in +despair, he came to ask the help of his pupils and apprentices. + +"Who among you is skilful enough to forge such a sword?" he asked, + +One after another, the pupils shook their heads. And the foreman of +the apprentices said, "I have heard much about that wonderful armor, +and its extreme hardness, and I doubt if any skill can make a sword +with edge so sharp and true as to cut into it. The best that can be +done is to try to make another war coat whose temper shall equal that +of Amilias's armor." + +Then the lad Siegfried quickly said, "I will make such a sword as you +want,--a blade that no war coat can foil. Give me but leave to try!" + +The other pupils laughed in scorn, but Mimer checked them. "You hear +how this boy can talk: we will see what he can do. He is the king's +son, and we know that he has uncommon talent. He shall make the sword; +but if, upon trial, it fail, I will make him rue the day." + +Then Siegfried went to his task. And for seven days and seven nights +the sparks never stopped flying from his forge; and the ringing of his +anvil, and the hissing of the hot metal as he tempered it, were heard +continuously. On the eighth day the sword was fashioned, and Siegfried +brought it to Mimer. + +The smith felt the razor edge of the bright weapon, and said, "This +seems, indeed, a fair fire edge. Let us make a trial of its keenness." + +Then a thread of wool as light as thistle-down was thrown upon water, +and, as it floated there, Mimer struck it with the sword. The +glittering blade cleft the thread in twain, and the pieces floated +undisturbed upon the surface of the liquid. + +"Well done!" cried the delighted smith. "Never have I seen a keener +edge. If its temper is as true as its sharpness would lead us to +believe, it will indeed serve me well." + +But Siegfried took the sword again, and broke it into many pieces; and +for three days he welded it in a white-hot fire, and tempered it with +milk and oatmeal. Then, in sight of the sneering apprentices, a light +ball of fine-spun wool was cast upon the flowing water of the brook; +and it was caught in the swift eddies of the stream, and whirled about +until it met the bared blade of the sword, which was held in +Siegfried's hands. And the ball was parted as easily and clean as the +rippling water, and not the smallest thread was moved out of its place. + +Then back to the smithy Siegfried went again; and his forge glowed with +a brighter fire, and his hammer rang upon the anvil with a cheerier +sound, than ever before. He suffered none to come near, and no one +ever knew what witchery he used. But some of his fellow pupils +afterwards told how, in the dusky twilight, they had seen a one-eyed +man, long-bearded, and clad in a cloud-gray kirtle, and wearing a +sky-blue hood, talking with Siegfried at the smithy door. And they +said that the stranger's face was at once pleasant and fearful to look +upon, and that his one eye shone in the gloaming like the evening star, +and that, when he had placed in Siegfried's hands bright shards, like +pieces of a broken sword, he faded suddenly from their sight, and was +seen no more. + +For seven weeks the lad wrought day and night at his forge; and then, +pale and haggard, but with a pleased smile upon his face, he stood +before Mimer, with the sword in his hands. "It is finished," he said. +"Behold the glittering terror!--the blade Balmung. Let us try its edge +and prove its temper once again, that so we may know whether you can +place your trust in it." + +Mimer looked long at the ruddy hilt of the weapon, and at the mystic +runes that were scored upon its sides, and at the keen edge, which +looked like a ray of sunlight in the gathering gloom of the evening. +But no word came from his lips, and his eyes were dim and dazed; and he +seemed as one lost in thoughts of days long past and gone. + +Siegfried raised the blade high over his head; and the gleaming edge +flashed hither and thither, like the lightning's play when Thor rides +over the storm clouds. Then suddenly it fell upon the master's anvil, +and the solid block of iron was cleft in two; but the blade was no whit +dulled by the stroke, and the line of light which marked the edge was +brighter than before. + +Then to the brook they went; and a great pack of wool, the fleeces of +ten sheep, was brought, and thrown upon the swirling water. As the +stream bore the bundle downwards, Mimer held the sword in its way. And +the whole was divided as easily and as clean as the woollen ball or the +slender woollen thread had been cleft before. + +"Now, indeed," cried Mimer, "I no longer fear to meet that upstart, +Amilias. If his war coat can withstand the stroke of such a sword as +Balmung, then I shall not be ashamed to be his underling. But, if this +good blade is what it seems to be, it will not fail me; and I, Mimer +the Old, shall still be called the wisest and greatest of smiths." + +He sent word at once to Amilias, in Burgundyland, to meet him on a day, +and settle forever the question as to which of the two should be the +master, and which the underling. And heralds proclaimed it in every +town and dwelling. When the time which had been set drew near, Mimer, +bearing the sword Balmung, and followed by all his pupils and +apprentices, wended his way toward the place of meeting. Through the +forest they went, and then along the banks of the sluggish river, for +many a league, to the height of land which marked the line between +Siegfried's country and the country of the Burgundians. It was in this +place, midway between the shops of Mimer and Amilias, that the great +trial of metal and of skill was to be made. And here were already +gathered great numbers of people from the Lowlands and from Burgundy, +anxiously waiting for the coming of the champions. + +When everything was in readiness for the contest, Amilias, clad in his +boasted war coat, went up to the top of the hill, and sat upon a rock, +and waited for Mimer's coming. As he sat there, he looked, to the +people below, like some great castle tower; for he was a giant in size, +and his coat of mail was so huge that twenty men of common mould might +have found shelter, or hidden themselves, within it. As the smith +Mimer, so dwarfish in stature, tolled up the steep hillside, Amilias +smiled to see him; for he felt no fear of the slender, gleaming blade +that was to try the metal of his war coat. And already a shout or +expectant triumph went up from the throats of the Burgundian hosts, so +sure were they of their champion's success. + +But Mimer's friends waited in breathless silence, hoping, and yet +fearing. Only Siegfried's father, the king, whispered to his queen, +and said, "Knowledge is stronger than brute force. The smallest dwarf +who has drunk from the well of the Knowing One may safely meet the +stoutest giant in battle." + +When Mimer reached the top of the hill, Amilias folded his huge arms, +and smiled again; for he felt that this contest was mere play for him, +and that Mimer was already as good as beaten, and his thrall. The +smith paused a moment to take breath, and as he stood by the side of +his foe he looked to those below like a mere black speck close beside a +steel-gray castle tower. + +"Are you ready?" asked the smith. + +"Ready," answered Amilias. "Strike!" + +Mimer raised the blade in the air, and for a moment the lightning +seemed to play around his head. The muscles on his short, brawny arms, +stood out like ropes; and then Balmung, descending, cleft the air from +right to left. The waiting lookers-on in the plain below thought to +hear the noise of clashing steel; but they listened in vain, for no +sound came to their ears, save a sharp hiss like that which red hot +iron gives when plunged into a tank of cold water. The huge Amilias +sat unmoved, with his arms still folded upon his breast; but the smile +had faded from his face. + +"How do you feel now?" asked Mimer in a half-mocking tone. + +"Rather strangely, as if cold iron had touched me," faintly answered +the giant. + +"Shake thyself!" cried Mimer. + +Amilias did so, and, lo! he fell in two halves; for the sword had cut +sheer through the vaunted war coat, and cleft in twain the great body +incased within. Down tumbled the giant's head and his still folded +arms; and they rolled with thundering noise to the foot of the hill, +and fell with a fearful splash into the deep waters of the river; and +there, fathoms down, they may even now be seen, when the water is +clear, lying like gray rocks among the sand and gravel below. The rest +of the body, with the armor which incased it, still sat upright in its +place; and to this day travellers sailing down the river are shown on +moonlit evenings the luckless armor of Amilias on the high hilltop. In +the dim, uncertain light, one easily fancies it to be the ivy-covered +ruins of some old castle of feudal times. + +The master, Mimer, sheathed his sword, and walked slowly down the +hillside to the plain, where his friends welcomed him with cheers and +shouts of joy. But the Burgundians, baffled, and feeling vexed, turned +silently homeward, nor cast a single look back to the scene of their +disappointment and their ill-fated champion's defeat. + +Siegfried went again with the master and his fellows to the smoky +smithy, to his roaring bellows and ringing anvil, and to his coarse +fare, and rude, hard bed, and to a life of labor. And while all men +praised Mimer and his knowing skill, and the fiery edge of the sunbeam +blade, no one knew that it was the boy Siegfried who had wrought that +piece of workmanship. + + + + +IDUN AND HER APPLES + +THE STORY TOLD IN AEGIR'S HALL + +Idun is Bragi's wife. Very handsome is she; but the beauty of her face +is by no means greater than the goodness of her heart. Right attentive +is she to every duty, and her words and thoughts are always worthy and +wise. A long time ago the good Asa-folk who dwell in heaven-towering +Asgard, knowing how trustworthy Idun was, gave into her keeping a +treasure which they would not have placed in the hands of any other +person. This treasure was a box of apples, and Idun kept the golden +key safely fastened to her girdle. You ask me why these folk should +prize a box of apples so highly? I will tell you. + +Old age, you know, spares none, not even Odin and his Asa-folk. They +all grow old and gray; and, if there were no cure for age, they would +become feeble, and toothless and blind, deaf, tottering, and +weak-minded. The apples which Idun guarded so carefully were the +priceless boon of youth. Whenever the Asas felt old age coming on, +they went to her, and she gave them of her fruit; and, when they had +tasted, they grew young and strong and handsome again. Once, however, +they came near losing the apples,--or losing rather Idun and her golden +key, without which no one could ever open the box. + +In those early days Odin delighted to come down now and then from his +high home above the clouds, and to wander, disguised, among the woods +and mountains, and by the seashore, and in wild desert places. For +nothing pleases him more than to commune with Nature as she is found in +the loneliness of vast solitudes, or in the boisterous uproar of the +elements. Once on a time he took with him his friends Hoenir and Loki; +and they rambled many days among the icy cliffs and along the barren +shores of the great frozen sea. In that country there was no game, and +no fish were found in the cold waters; and the three wanderers, as they +had brought no food with them, became very hungry. Late in the +afternoon of the seventh day, they reached some pasture lands belonging +to the giant Hymer, and saw a herd of the giants cattle browsing upon +the short grass which grew in the sheltered nooks among the hills. + +"Ah!" cried Loki; "after fasting for a week we shall now have food in +abundance. Let us kill and eat." + +So saying, he hurled a sharp stone at the fattest of Hymer's cows, and +killed her; and the three quickly dressed the choicest pieces of flesh +for their supper. Then Loki gathered twigs and dry grass, and kindled +a blazing fire; Hoenir filled the pot with water from melted ice; and +Odin threw into it the bits of tender meat. But, make the fire as hot +as they would, the water would not boil, and the flesh would not cook. + +All night long the supperless three sat hungry around the fire; and, +every time they peeped into the kettle, the meat was as raw and +gustless as before. Morning came, but no breakfast. And all day long +Loki kept stirring the fire, and Odin and Hoenir waited hopefully but +impatiently. When the sun again went down, the flesh was still +uncooked, and their supper seemed no nearer ready than it was the night +before. As they were about yielding to despair, they heard a noise +overhead; and, looking up, they saw a huge gray eagle sitting on the +dead branch of an oak. + +"Ha, ha!" cried the bird. "You are pretty fellows indeed! To sit +hungry by the fire a night and a day, rather than eat raw flesh, +becomes you well. Do but give me my share of it as it is, and I +warrant you the rest shall boil, and you shall have a fat supper." + +"Agreed," answered Loki eagerly. "Come down and get your share." + +The eagle waited for no second asking. Down he swooped right over the +blazing fire, and snatched not only the eagle's share, but also what +the Lybians call the lion's share; that is, he grasped in his strong +talons the kettle, with all the meat in it, and, flapping his huge +wings, slowly rose into the air, carrying his booty with him. The +three Asas were astonished. Loki was filled with anger. He seized a +long pole, upon the end of which a sharp hook was fixed, and struck at +the treacherous bird. The hook stuck fast in the eagle's back, and +Loki could not loose his hold of the other end of the pole. The great +bird soared high above the tree-tops, and over the hills, and carried +the astonished mischief-maker with him. + +But it was no eagle. It was no bird that had thus outwitted the hungry +Asas: it was the giant Old Winter, clothed in his eagle plumage. Over +the lonely woods, and the snow-crowned mountains, and the frozen sea, +he flew, dragging the helpless Loki through tree-tops, and over jagged +rocks, scratching and bruising his body, and almost tearing his arms +from his shoulders. At last he alighted on the craggy top of an +iceberg, where the storm winds shrieked, and the air was filled with +driving snow. As soon as Loki could speak, he begged the cunning giant +to carry him back to his comrades,---Odin and Hoenir. + +"On one condition only will I carry you back," answered Old Winter. +"Swear to me that you will betray into my hands Dame Idun and her +golden key." + +Loki asked no questions, but gladly gave the oath; and the giant flew +back with him across the sea, and dropped him, torn and bleeding and +lame, by the side of the fire, where Odin and Hoenir still lingered. +And the three made all haste to leave that cheerless place, and +returned to Odin's glad home in Asgard. + +Some weeks after this, Loki, the Prince of Mischief-makers, went to +Bragi's house to see Idun. He found her busied with her household +cares, not thinking of a visit from anyone. + +"I have come, good dame," said he, "to taste your apples again; for I +feel old age coming on apace." + +Idun was astonished. + +"You are not looking old," she answered. "There is not a single gray +hair upon your head, and not a wrinkle on your brow. If it were not +for that scar upon your cheek, and the arm which you carry in a sling, +you would look as stout and as well as I have ever seen you. Besides, +I remember that it was only a year ago when you last tasted of my +fruit. Is it possible that a single winter should make you old?" + +"A single winter has made me very lame and feeble at least," said Loki. +"I have been scarcely able to walk about since my return from the +North. Another winter without a taste of your apples will be the death +of me." + +Then the kind-hearted Idun, when she saw that Loki was really lame, +went to the box, and opened it with her golden key, and gave him one of +the precious apples to taste. He took the fruit in his hand, bit it, +and gave it back to the good dame. She put it in its place again, +closed the lid, and locked it with her usual care. + +"Your apples are not so good as they used to be," said Loki, making a +very wry face. "Why don't you fill your box with fresh fruit?" + +Idun was amazed. Her apples were supposed to be always fresh,--fresher +by far than any that grow nowadays. None of the Asas had ever before +complained about them; and she told Loki so. + +"Very well," said he. "I see you do not believe me, and that you mean +to feed us on your sour, withered apples, when we might as well have +golden fruit. If you were not so bent on having your own way, I could +tell you where you might fill your box with the choicest of apples, +such as Odin loves. I saw them in the forest over yonder, hanging ripe +on the trees. But women will always have their own way; and you must +have yours, even though you do feed us on withered apples." + +So saying, and without waiting to hear an answer, he limped out at the +door, and was soon gone from sight. + +Idun thought long and anxiously upon the words which Loki had spoken; +and, the more she thought, the more she felt troubled. If her husband, +the wise Bragi, had been at home, what would she not have given? He +would have understood the mischief-maker's cunning. But he had gone on +a long journey to the South, singing in Nature's choir and painting +Nature's landscapes, and she would not see him again until the return +of spring. At length she opened the box, and looked at the fruit. The +apples were certainly fair and round: she could not see a wrinkle or a +blemish on any of them; their color was the same golden-red,--like the +sky at dawn of a summer's day; yet she thought there must be something +wrong about them. She took up one of the apples, and tasted it. She +fancied that it really was sour, and she hastily put it back, and +locked the box again. + +"He said that he had seen better apples than these growing in the +woods," said she to herself. "I half believe that he told the truth, +although everybody knows that he is not always trustworthy. I think I +shall go to the forest and see for myself, at any rate." + +So she donned her cloak and hood, and, with a basket on her arm, left +the house, and walked rapidly away, along the road which led to the +forest. It was much farther than she had thought, and the sun was +almost down when she reached the edge of the wood. But no apple trees +were there. Tall oaks stretched their bare arms up toward the sky, as +if praying for help. There were thorn trees and brambles everywhere; +but there was no fruit, neither were there any flowers, nor even green +leaves. The Frost-giants had been there. + +Idun was about to turn her footsteps homeward, when she heard a wild +shriek in the tree-tops over her head; and, before she could look up, +she felt herself seized in the eagle talons of Old Winter. Struggle as +she would, she could not free herself. High up, over wood and stream, +the giant carried her; and then he flew swiftly away with her, toward +his home in the chill Northland; and, when morning came, poor Idun +found herself in an ice-walled castle in the cheerless country of the +giants. But she was glad to know that the precious box was safely +locked at home, and that the golden key was still at her girdle. + +Time passed; and I fear that Idun would have been forgotten by all, +save her husband Bragi, had not the Asas begun to feel the need of her +apples. Day after day they came to Idun's house, hoping to find the +good dame and her golden key at home; and each day they went away some +hours older than when they had come. No one had seen the missing Idun +since the day when Loki had visited her, and none could guess what had +become of her. The heads of all the folk grew white with age; deep +furrows were ploughed in their faces; their eyes grew dim, and their +hearing failed; their hands trembled; their limbs became palsied; their +feet tottered; and all feared that Old Age would bring Death in his +train. + +Then Bragi and Thor questioned Loki very sharply; and when he felt that +he, too, was growing old and feeble, he regretted the mischief he had +done, and told them how he had decoyed Idun into Old Winter's clutches. +The Asas were very angry; and Thor threatened to crush Loki with his +hammer, if he did not at once bring Idun safe home again. + +So Loki borrowed the falcon plumage of Freyja, the queen of love, and +with it flew to the country of the giants. When he reached Old +Winter's castle, he found the good dame Idun shut up in the prison +tower and bound with fetters of ice; but the giant himself was on the +frozen sea, herding Old Hymer's cows, the cold icebergs. Loki quickly +broke the bonds that held Idun, and led her out of her prison house; +and then he shut her up in a magic nut-shell which he held between his +claws, and flew with the speed of the wind back toward the Southland +and the home of the Asas. But Old Winter coming home, and learning +what had been done, donned his eagle plumage and followed swiftly in +pursuit. + +Bragi and Thor, anxiously gazing into the sky, saw Loki, in Freyja's +falcon plumage, speeding homeward, with the nut-shell in his talons, +and Old Winter, in his eagle plumage, dashing after in sharp pursuit. +Quickly they gathered chips and slender twigs, and placed them high +upon the castle wall; and, when Loki with his precious burden had flown +past, they touched fire to the dry heap, and the flames blazed up to +the sky, and caught Old Winter's plumage, as, close behind the falcon, +he blindly pressed. And his wings were scorched in the flames; and he +fell helpless to the ground, and was slain within the castle gates. +Loki slackened his speed; and, when he reached Bragi's house, he +dropped the nut-shell softly before the door. As it touched the +ground, it gently opened, and Idun, radiant with smiles, and clothed in +gay attire, stepped forth, and greeted her husband and his waiting +friends. The heavenly music of Bragi's long-silent harp welcomed her +home; and she took the golden key from her girdle, and unlocked the +box, and gave of her apples to the aged company; and, when they had +tasted, their youth was renewed. + +It is thus with the seasons and their varied changes. The gifts of +Spring are youth and jollity, and renewed strength; and the music or +air and water and all things, living and lifeless, follow in her train. +The desolating Winter plots to steal her from the earth, and the +Summer-heat deserts and betrays her. Then the music of Nature is +hushed, and all creatures pine in sorrow for her absence, and the world +seems dying of white Old Age. But at length the Summer-heat repents, +and frees her from her prison house; the icy fetters with which Old +Winter bound her are melted in the beams of the returning sun, and the +earth is young again. + + + + +THE DOOM OF THE MISCHIEF-MAKER. + +You have heard of the feast that old Aegir once made for the Asa-folk +in his gold-lit dwelling in the deep sea, and how the feast was +hindered, through the loss of his great brewing kettle, until Thor had +obtained a still larger vessel from Hymer the giant. It is very likely +that the thief who stole King Aegir's kettle was none other than Loki +the Mischief-maker; but, if this was so, he was not long unpunished for +his meanness. + +There was great joy in the Ocean-king's hall, when at last the banquet +was ready, and the foaming mead began to pass itself around to the +guests. But Thor, who had done so much to help matters along, could +not stay to the merry-making: for he had heard that the Storm-giants +were marshalling their forces for a raid upon some unguarded corner of +the mid-world; and so, grasping his hammer, he bade his kind host +good-by, and leaped into his iron car. + +"Business always before pleasure!" he cried, as he hastened away at a +wonderful rate through the air. + +In old Aegir's hall glad music resounded on every side; and the gleeful +Waves danced merrily as the Asa-folk sat around the festal board, and +partook of the Ocean-king's good fare. Aegir's two thralls, the +faithful Funfeng and the trusty Elder, waited upon the guests and +carefully supplied their wants. Never in all the world had two more +thoughtful servants been seen; and every one spoke in praise of their +quickness, and their skill, and their ready obedience. + +Then Loki, unable to keep his hands from mischief, waxed very angry, +because every one seemed happy and free from trouble, and no one +noticed or cared for him. So, while good Funfeng was serving him to +meat, he struck the faithful thrall with a carving-knife, and killed +him. Then arose a great uproar in the Ocean-king's feast hall. The +Asa-folk rose up from the table, and drove the Mischief-maker out from +among them; and in their wrath they chased him across the waters, and +forced him to hide in the thick greenwood. After this they went back +to Aegir's hall, and sat down again to the feast. But they had +scarcely begun to eat, when Loki came quietly out of his hiding place, +and stole slyly around to Aegir's kitchen, where he found Elder, the +other thrall, grieving sadly because of his brother's death. + +"I hear a great chattering and clattering over there in the feast +hall," said Loki. "The greedy, silly Asa-folk seem to be very busy +indeed, both with their teeth and their tongues. Tell me, now, good +Elder, what they talk about while they sit over their meat." + +"They talk of noble deeds," answered Elder. "They speak of gallant +heroes, and brave men, and fair women, and strong hearts, and willing +hands, and gentle manners, and kind friends. And for all these they +have words of praise and songs of beauty; but none of them speak well +of Loki, the thief and the vile traitor." + +"Ah!" said Loki wrathfully, twisting himself into a dozen different +shapes, "no one could ask so great a kindness from such folk. I must +go into the feast hall, and take a look at this fine company, and +listen to their noisy merry-making. I have a fine scolding laid up for +those good fellows; and, unless they are careful with their tongues, +they will find many hard words mixed with their mead." + +Then he went boldly into the great hall, and stood up before the +wonder-stricken guests at the table. When the Asa-folk saw who it was +that had darkened the doorway, and was now in their midst, a painful +silence fell upon them, and all their merriment was at an end. And +Loki stretched himself up to his full height, and said to them: + +"Hungry and thirsty came I to Aegir's gold-lit hall. Long and rough +was the road I trod, and wearisome was the way. Will no one bid me +welcome? Will none give me a seat at the feast? Will none offer me a +drink of the precious mead? Why are you all so dumb? Why so sulky and +stiff-necked, when your best friend stands before you? Give me a seat +among you,--yes, one of the high seats,--or else drive me from your +hall! In either case, the world will never forget me. I am Loki." + +Then one among the Asa-folk spoke up, and said, "Let him sit with us. +He is mad; and when he slew Funfeng, he was not in his right mind. He +is not answerable for his rash act." + +But Bragi the Wise, who sat on the innermost seat, arose, and said, +"Nay, we will not give him a seat among us. Nevermore shall he feast +or sup with us, or share our good-fellowship. Thieves and murderers we +know, and we will shun them." + +This speech enraged Loki all the more; and he spared not vile words, +but heaped abuse without stint upon all the folk before him. By main +force he seized hold of the silent Vidar, who had come from the forest +solitudes to be present at the feast, and dragged him away from the +table, and seated himself in his place. Then, as he quaffed the +foaming mead, he flung out taunts and jeers and hard words to all who +sat around, but chiefly to Bragi the Wise and Sif, the beautiful wife +of Thor. + +Suddenly a great tumult was heard outside. The mountains shook and +trembled; the bottom of the sea seemed moved; and the waves, affrighted +and angry, rushed hither and thither in confusion. All the guests +looked up in eager expectation, and some of them fled in alarm from the +hall. Then the mighty Thor strode in at the door, and up to the table, +swinging his hammer, and casting wrathful glances at the +Mischief-maker. Loki trembled; he dropped his goblet, and sank down +upon his knees before the terrible Asa. + +"I yield me!" he cried. "Spare my life, I pray you, and I will be your +thrall forever!" + +"I want no such thrall," answered Thor. "And I spare your life on one +condition only,--that you go at once from hence, and nevermore presume +to come into the company of Asa-folk." + +"I promise all that you ask," said Loki, trembling more than ever. +"Let me go." + +Thor stepped aside; and the frightened culprit fled from the hall, and +was soon out of sight. The feast was broken up. The Asas bade Aegir a +kind farewell, and favoring winds wafted them swiftly home to Asgard. + +Loki fled to the dark mountain gorges of Mist Land, and sought for a +while to hide himself from the sight of both gods and men. In a deep +ravine by the side of a roaring torrent, he built himself a house of +iron and stone, and placed a door on each of its four sides, so that he +could see whatever passed around him. There, for many winters, he +lived in lonely solitude, planning with himself how he might baffle his +enemies and regain his old place in Asgard. Now and then he slipped +slyly away from his hiding-place, and wrought much mischief for a time +among the abodes of men. But when Thor heard of his evil-doings, and +sought to catch him, and punish him for his evil deeds, he was nowhere +to be found. At last the Asa-folk determined, that, if he could ever +be captured, the safety of the world required that he should be bound +hand and foot, and kept forever in prison. + +Loki often amused himself in his mountain home by taking upon him his +favorite form of a salmon and lying listlessly beneath the waters of +the great Fanander Cataract, which fell from the shelving rocks a +thousand feet above him. One day while thus lying, he bethought +himself of former days, when he walked the glad young earth in company +with great Odin. And among other things he remembered how he had once +borrowed the magic net of Ran, the Ocean-queen, and had caught with it +the dwarf Andvari, disguised, as he himself now was, in the form of a +slippery salmon. + +"I will make me such a net!" he cried. "I will make it strong and +good; and I, too, will fish for men." + +So he took again his proper shape, and went back to his cheerless home +in the ravine. There he gathered flax and wool and long hemp, and spun +yarn and strong cords, and wove them into meshes, after the pattern of +Queen Ran's magic net; for men had not, at that time, learned how to +make or use nets for fishing. And the first fisherman who caught fish +in that way is said to have taken-Loki's net as a model. + +Odin sat, on the morrow, in his high hall at Asgard, and looked out +over all the world, even to the uttermost corners. With his sharp eye +he saw what men-folk were everywhere doing. When his gaze rested upon +the dark line which marked the mountain land of the Mist Country, he +started up in quick surprise, and cried out: + +"Who is that who sits by the Fanander Falls, and ties strong cords +together?" + +But none of those who stood around could tell, for their eyes were not +strong enough and clear enough to see so far. + +"Bring Heimdal!" then cried Odin. + +Now, Heimdal the White dwells among the blue mountains where the +rainbow spans the space betwixt heaven and earth. He is the son of +Odin, golden-toothed, pure-faced, and clean-hearted; and he ever keeps +watch and ward over the mid-world and the homes of frail men-folk, lest +the giants shall break in, and destroy and slay. He rides upon a +shining steed named Goldtop; and he holds in his hand a horn with +which, in the last twilight, he shall summon the world to battle with +the sons of Loki. This watchful guardian of the mid-world is as +wakeful as the birds. And his hearing is so keen, that no sound on +earth escapes him,--not even that of the rippling waves upon the +seashore, nor of the quiet sprouting of the grass in the meadows, nor +even of the growth of the soft wool on the backs of the sheep. His +eyesight, too, is wondrous clear and sharp; for he can see by night as +well as by day, and the smallest thing, although a hundred leagues +away, cannot be hidden from him. + +To Heimdal, then, the heralds hastened, bearing the words which Odin +had spoken, and the watchful warder of the mid-world came at once to +the call of the All-Father. + +"Turn your eyes to the sombre mountains that guard the shadowy Mist +Land from the sea," said Odin. "Now look far down into the rocky gorge +in which the Fanander Cataract pours, and tell me what you see." + +Heimdal did as he was bidden. + +"I see a shape," said he, "sitting by the torrent's side. It is Loki's +shape, and he seems strangely busy with strong strings and cords." + +"Call all our folk together!" commanded Odin. "The wily Mischief-maker +plots our hurt. He must be driven from his hiding place, and put where +he can do no further harm." + +Great stir was there then in Asgard. Every one hastened to answer +Odin's call, and to join in the quest for the Mischief-maker. Thor +came on foot, with his hammer tightly grasped in his hands, and +lightning flashing from beneath his red brows. Tyr, the one-handed, +came with his sword. Then followed Bragi the Wise, with his harp and +his sage counsels; then Hermod the Nimble, with his quick wit and ready +hands; and lastly, a great company of elves and wood-sprites and +trolls. Then a whirlwind caught them up in its swirling arms, and +carried them through the air, over the hilltops and the countryside, +and the meadows and the mountains, and set them down in the gorge of +the Fanander Force. + +But Loki was not caught napping. His wakeful ears had heard the tumult +in the air, and he guessed who it was that was coming. He threw the +net, which he had just finished, into the fire, and jumped quickly into +the swift torrent, where, changing himself into a salmon, he lay hidden +beneath the foaming water. + +When the eager Asa-folk reached Loki's dwelling, they found that he +whom they sought had fled; and although they searched high and low, +among the rocks and the caves and the snowy crags, they could see no +signs of the cunning fugitive. Then they went back to his house again +to consult what next to do. And, while standing by the hearth, Kwaser, +a sharp-sighted elf, whose eyes were quicker than the sunbeam, saw the +white ashes of the burned net lying undisturbed in the still hot +embers, the woven meshes unbroken and whole. + +"See what the cunning fellow has been making!" cried the elf. "It must +have been a trap for catching fish." + +"Or rather for catching men," said Bragi; "for it is strangely like the +Sea-queen's net." + +"In that case," said Hermod the Nimble, "he has made a trap for +himself; for, no doubt, he has changed himself, as is his wont, to a +slippery salmon, and lies at this moment hidden beneath the Fanander +torrent. Here are plenty of cords of flax and hemp and wool, with +which he intended to make other nets. Let us take them, and weave one +like the pattern which lies there in the embers; and then, if I mistake +not, we shall catch the too cunning fellow." + +All saw the wisdom of these words, and all set quickly to work. In a +short time they had made a net strong and large, and full of fine +meshes, like the model among the coals. Then they threw it into the +roaring stream, Thor holding to one end, and all the other folk pulling +it the other. With great toil, they dragged it forward, against the +current, even to the foot of the waterfall. But the cunning Loki crept +close down between two sharp stones, and lay there quietly while the +net passed harmlessly over him. + +"Let us try again!" cried Thor. "I am sure that something besides dead +rocks lies at the bottom of the stream." + +So they hung heavy weights to the net, and began to drag it again, this +time going down stream. Loki looked out from his hiding place, and saw +that he would not be able to escape now by lying between the rocks, and +that his only chance for safety was either to leap over the net, and +hide himself behind the rushing cataract itself, or to swim with the +current out to the sea. But the way to the sea was long, and there +were many shallow places; and Loki had doubts as to how old Aegir would +receive him in his kingdom. He feared greatly to undertake so +dangerous and uncertain a course. So, turning upon his foes, and +calling up all his strength, he made a tremendous leap high into the +air and clean over the net. But Thor was too quick for him. As he +fell toward the water, the Thunderer quickly threw out his hand, and +caught the slippery salmon, holding him firmly by the tail. + +When Loki found that he was surely caught, and could not by any means +escape, he took again his proper shape. Fiercely did he struggle with +mighty Thor, and bitter were the curses which he poured down upon his +enemies. But he could not get free. Into the deep, dark cavern, +beneath the smoking mountain, where daylight never comes, nor the +warmth of the sun, nor the sound of Nature's music, the fallen +Mischief-maker was carried. The Asas bound him firmly to the sharp +rocks, with his face turned upwards toward the dripping roof; for they +said that nevermore, until the last dread twilight, should he be free +to vex the world with his wickedness. Skade, the giant daughter of Old +Winter, took a hideous snake, and hung it up above Loki, so that its +venom would drop into his upturned face. But Sigyn, the loving wife of +the suffering wretch, left her home in the pleasant halls of Asgard, +and came to his horrible prison house to soothe and comfort him; and +evermore she holds a basin above his head, and catches in it the +poisonous drops as they fall. When the basin is filled, and she turns +to empty it in the tar-black river that flows through that home of +horrors, the terrible venom falls upon his unprotected face, and Loki +writhes and shrieks in fearful agony, until the earth around him shakes +and trembles, and the mountains spit forth fire, and fumes of sulphur +smoke. + +And there the Mischief-maker, the spirit of evil, shall lie in torment +until the last great day and the dread twilight of all mid-world things. + + + + +THE HUNT IN THE WOOD OF PUELLE + +RELATED BY THE MINSTREL OF LORRAINE[1] + +Charles the Hammer was dead, and his young son Pepin was king of +France. Bego of Belin was his dearest friend, and to him he had given +all Gascony in fief. You would have far to go to find the peer of the +valiant Bego. None of King Pepin's nobles dared gainsay him. Rude in +speech and rough in war, though he was, he was a true knight, gentle +and loving to his friends, very tender to his wife and children, kind +to his vassals, just and upright in all his doings. The very flower of +knighthood was Bego. + +Bitter feuds had there been between the family of Bego and that of +Fromont of Bordeaux. Long time had these quarrels continued, and on +both sides much blood had been spilled. But now there had been peace +between them for ten years and more, and the old hatred was being +forgotten. + +One day Bego sat in his lordly castle at Belin; and beside him was his +wife, the fair Beatrice. In all France there was not a happier man. +From the windows the duke looked out upon his broad lands and the rich +farms of his tenants. As far as a bird could fly in a day, all was +his; and his vassals and serving-men were numbered by the tens of +thousands. "What more," thought Bego, "could the heart of man wish or +pray for?" + +His two young sons came bounding into the hall,--Gerin, the elder born, +fair-haired and tall, brave and gentle as his father; and Hernaudin, +the younger, a child of six summers, his mother's pet, and the joy of +the household. With them were six other lads, sons of noblemen; and +all together laughed and played, and had their boyish pleasure. + +When the duke saw them, he remembered his own boyhood days and the +companions who had shared his sports, and he sighed. The fair Beatrice +heard him, and she said, "My lord, what ails you, that you are so +thoughtful to-day? Why should a rich duke like you sigh and seem sad? +Great plenty of gold and silver have you in your coffers; you have +enough of the vair and the gray,[2] of hawks on their perches, of mules +and palfreys and war steeds; you have overcome all your foes, and none +dare rise up against you. All within six days' journey are your +vassals. What more would you desire to make you happy?" + +"Sweet lady," answered Bego, "you have spoken truly. I am rich, as the +world goes; but my wealth is not happiness. True wealth is not of +money, of the vair and the gray, of mules, or of horses. It is of +kinsfolk and friends. The heart of a man is worth more than all the +gold of a country. Had it not been for my friends, I would have been +put to shame long ago. The king has given me this fief, far from my +boyhood's home, where I see but few of my old comrades and helpers. I +have not seen my brother Garin, the Lorrainer, these seven years, and +my heart yearns to behold him. Now, methinks, I will go to him, and I +will see his son, the child Girbert, whom I have never seen." + +The Lady Beatrice said not a word, but the tears began to well up sadly +in her eyes. + +"In the wood of Puelle," said Bego, after a pause, "there is said to be +a wild boar, the largest and fiercest ever seen. He outruns the +fleetest horses. No man can slay him. Methinks, that if it please +God, and I live, I will hunt in that wood, and I will carry the head of +the great beast to my brother the Lorrainer." + +Then Beatrice, forcing back her tears, spoke: + +"Sir," said she, "what is it thou sayest? The wood of Puelle is in the +march of Fromont the chief, and he owes thee a great grudge. He would +be too glad to do thee harm. I pray thee do not undertake this hunt. +My heart tells me,--I will not hide the truth from thee,--my heart +tells me, that if thou goest thither thou shalt never come back alive." + +But the duke laughed at her fears; and the more she tried to dissuade +him, the more he set his mind on seeing his brother the Lorrainer, and +on carrying to him the head of the great wild boar of Puelle. Neither +prayers nor tears could turn him from his purpose. All the gold in the +world, he said, would not tempt him to give up the adventure. + +So on the morrow morning, before the sun had fairly risen, Bego made +ready to go. As this was no warlike enterprise, he dressed himself in +the richest garb of knightly hero,--with mantle of ermine, and spurs of +gold. With him he took three dozen huntsmen, all skilled in the lore +of the woods, and ten packs of hunting hounds. He had, also, ten +horses loaded with gold and silver and costly presents, and more than a +score of squires and serving-men. Tenderly he bade fair Beatrice and +his two young sons good-by. Ah, what grief! Never was he to see them +more. + +Going by way of Orleans, Bego stopped a day with his sister, the lovely +Helois. Three days he tarried at Paris, the honored guest of the king +and queen. Then pushing on to Valenciennes, which was on the borders +of the great forest, he took up lodging with a rich burgher called +Berenger the Gray. + +"Thou hast many foes in these parts," said the burgher, "and thou +wouldst do well to ware of them." + +Bego only laughed at the warning. "Didst thou ever know a Gascon to +shun danger?" he asked. "I have heard of the famed wild boar of +Puelle, and I mean to hunt him in this wood, and slay him. Neither +friends nor foes shall hinder me." + +On the morrow Berenger led the duke and his party into the wood, and +showed them the lair of the beast. Out rushed the monster upon his +foes; then swiftly he fled, crashing through brush and brake, keeping +well out of the reach of the huntsmen, turning every now and then to +rend some too venturesome hound. For fifteen leagues across the +country he led the chase. One by one the huntsmen lost sight of him. +Toward evening a cold rain came up; and they turned, and rode back +toward Valenciennes. They had not seen the duke since noon. They +supposed that he had gone back with Berenger. But Bego was still +riding through the forest in close pursuit of the wild boar. Only +three hounds kept him company. + +The boar was well-nigh wearied out, and the duke knew that he could not +go much farther. He rode up close behind him; and the fierce animal, +his mouth foaming with rage, turned furiously upon him. But the duke, +with a well-aimed thrust of his sword, pierced the great beast through +his heart. + +By this time, night was falling. The duke knew that he was very far +from any town or castle, but he hoped that some of his men might be +within call. He took his horn, and blew it twice full loudly. But his +huntsmen were now riding into Valenciennes; nor did they think that +they had left their master behind them in the wood. With his flint the +duke kindled a fire; beneath an aspen tree, and made ready to spend the +night near the place where the slain wild boar lay. + +The forester who kept the wood heard the sound of Bego's horn, and saw +the light of the fire gleaming through the trees. Cautiously he drew +nearer. He was surprised to see a knight so richly clad, with his +silken hose and his golden spurs, his ivory horn hanging from his neck +by a blue ribbon. He noticed the great sword that hung at Bego's side. +It was the fairest and fearfulest weapon he had ever seen. He hastened +as fast as he could ride to Lens, where Duke Fromont dwelt; but he +spoke not a word to Fromont. He took the steward of the castle aside, +and told him of what he had seen in the wood. + +"He is no common huntsman," said the forester; "and you should see how +richly clad he is. No king was ever arrayed more gorgeously while +hunting. And his horse--I never saw a better." + +"But what is all this to me?" asked the steward. "If he is trespassing +in the forest, it is your duty to bring him before the duke." + +"Ah! it is hard for you to understand," answered the forester. +"Methinks that if our master had the boar, the sword, and the horn, he +would let me keep the clothing, and you the horse, and would trouble us +with but few questions." + +"Thou art indeed wise," answered the steward. And he at once called +six men, whom he knew he could trust to any evil deed, and told them to +go with the forester. + +"And, if you find any man trespassing in Duke Fromont's wood, spare him +not," he added. + +In the morning the ruffians came to the place where Duke Bego had spent +the night. They found him sitting not far from the great beast which +he had slain, while his horse stood before him and neighed with +impatience and struck his hoofs upon the ground. They asked him who +gave him leave to hunt in the wood of Puelle. + +"I ask no man's leave to hunt where it pleases me," he answered. + +They told him then that the lordship of the wood was with Fromont and +that he must go with them, as their prisoner, to Lens. + +"Very well," said Bego. "I will go with you. If I have done aught of +wrong to Fromont the old, I am willing to make it right with him. My +brother Garin, the Lorrainer, and King Pepin, will go my surety." + +Then, looking around upon the villainous faces of the men who had come +to make prisoner of him, he bethought himself for a moment. + +"No, no!" he cried. "Never will I yield me to six such rascals. +Before I die, I will sell myself full dear. Yesterday six and thirty +knights were with me, and master huntsmen, skilled in all the lore of +the wood. Noble men were they all; for not one of them but held in +fief some town or castle or rich countryside. They will join me ere +long." + +"He speaks thus, either to excuse himself or to frighten us," said one +of the men; and he went boldly forward, and tried to snatch the horn +from Bego's neck. The duke raised his fist, and knocked him senseless +to the ground. + +"Never shall ye take horn from count's neck!" he cried. + +Then all set upon him at once, hoping that by their numbers they might +overpower him. But Bego drew his sword, and struck valiantly to the +right and to the left of him. Three of the villains were slain +outright; and the rest took to their heels and fled, glad to escape +such fury. + +And now all might have been well with Duke Bego. But a churl, armed +with a bow, and arrows of steel, was hidden among the trees. When he +saw his fellows put to flight, he drew a great steel bolt and aimed it +at the duke. Swiftly sped the arrow toward the noble targe: too truly +was it aimed. The duke's sword fell from his hands: the master-vein of +his heart had been cut in twain. He lifted his hands toward heaven, +and prayed:-- + +"Almighty Father, who always wert and art, have pity on my soul.--Ah, +Beatrice! thou sweet, gentle wife, never more shalt thou see me under +heaven.--Fair brother Garin of Lorraine, never shall I be with thee to +serve thee.--My two noble boys, if I had lived, you should have been +the worthiest of knights: now, may Heaven defend you!" + +After a while the churl and the three villains came near him, and found +him dead. It was no common huntsman whom they had killed, but a good +knight,--the loyalest and the best that ever God's sun shone upon. +They took the sword and the horn and the good steed; they loaded the +boar upon a horse; and all returned to Lens. But they left Bego in the +forest, and with him his three dogs, who sat around him, and howled +most mournfully, as if they knew they had lost their best friend. + +The men carried the great boar into the castle of Lens, and threw it +down upon the kitchen hearth. A wonderful beast he was: his sharp, +curved tusks stuck out full a foot from his mouth. The serving-men and +the squires crowded around to see the huge animal; then, as the news +was told through the castle, many fair ladies and knights, and the +priests from the chapel, came in to view the sight. Old Duke Fromont +heard the uproar, and came in slippers and gown to ask what it all +meant. + +"Whence came this boar, this ivory horn, this sword?" he inquired. +"This horn never belonged to a mere huntsman. It looks like the +wondrous horn that King Charles the Hammer had in the days of my +father. There is but one knight now living that can blow it; and he is +far away in Gascony. Tell me where you got these things." + +Then the forester told him all that had happened in the wood, coloring +the story, of course, so as to excuse himself from wrong-doing. + +"And left ye the slain man in the wood?" asked the old duke. "A more +shameful sin I have never known than to leave him there for the wolves +to eat. Go ye back at once, and fetch him hither. To-night he shall +be watched in the chapel, and to-morrow he shall be buried with all due +honor. Men should have pity of one another." + +The body of the noble Duke Bego was brought, and laid upon a table in +the great hall. His dogs were still with him, howling pitifully, and +licking his face. Knights and noblemen came in to see him. + +"A gentle man this was," said they; "for even his dogs loved him." + +"Shame on the rascals who slew him!" said others. "No freeman would +have touched so noble a knight." + +Old Duke Fromont came in. He started back at sight of him who lay +there lifeless. Well he knew Duke Bego, by a scar that he himself had +given him at the battle of St. Quentin ten years before. He fell +fainting into the arms of his knights. Then afterward he upbraided his +men for their dastardly deed, and bewailed their wicked folly. + +"This is no poaching huntsman whom you have slain," said he, "but a +most worthy knight,--the kindest, the best taught, that ever wore +spurs. And ye have dragged me this day into such a war that I shall +not be out of it so long as I live. I shall see my lands overrun and +wasted, my great castles thrown down and destroyed, and my people +distressed and slain; and as for myself I shall have to die--and all +this for a fault which is none of mine, and for a deed which I have +neither wished nor sanctioned." + +And the words of Duke Fromont were true. The death of Bego of Belin +was fearfully avenged by his brother the Lorrainer and by his young +sons Gerin and Hernaud. Never was realm so impoverished as was +Fromont's dukedom. The Lorrainers and the Gascons overran and laid +waste the whole country. A pilgrim might go six days' journey without +finding bread, or meat, or wine. The crucifixes lay prone upon the +ground; the grass grew upon the altars; and no man stopped to plead +with his neighbor. Where had been fields and houses, and fair towns +and lordly castles, now there was naught but woods and underbrush and +thorns. And old Duke Fromont, thus ruined through no fault of his own, +bewailed his misfortunes, and said to his friends, "I have not land +enough to rest upon alive, or to lie upon dead." + + +[1]The original of this tale is found in "The Song of the Lorrainers," +a famous poem written by Jehan de Flagy, a minstrel of the twelfth +century. In the "Story of Roland" it is supposed to have been related +at the court of Charlemagne by a minstrel of Lorraine. + +[2]_The vair and the gray_,--furs used for garments, and in heraldry. +Vair is the skin of the squirrel, and was arranged in shields of blue +and white alternating. + + + + +OGIER THE DANE AND THE FAIRIES + +When Ogier the Dane was but a babe in his mother's arms, there was +heard one day, in his father's castle, the sweetest music that mortals +ever listened to. Nobody knew whence the bewitching sounds came; for +they seemed to be now here, now there: yet every one was charmed with +the delightful melody, and declared that only angels could make music +so heavenly. Then suddenly there came into the chamber where Ogier lay +six fairies, whose beauty was so wonderful and awful, that none but a +babe might gaze upon them without fear. And each of the lovely +creatures bore in her hands a garland of the rarest flowers, and rich +gifts of gold and gems. And the first fairy took the child in her +arms, and kissed him, and said,-- + +"Better than kingly crown, or lands, or rich heritage, fair babe, I +give thee a brave, strong heart. Be fearless as the eagle, and bold as +the lion; be the bravest knight among men." + +Then the second fairy took the child, and dandled him fondly on her +knees, and looked long and lovingly into his clear gray eyes. + +"What is genius without opportunity?" said she. "What is a brave heart +without the ability to do brave deeds? I give to thee many an +opportunity for manly action." + +The third fairy laid the dimpled hands of the babe in her own white +palm, and stroked softly his golden hair. + +"Strong-hearted boy, for whom so many noble deeds are waiting, I, too, +will give thee a boon. My gift is skill and strength such as shall +never fail thee in fight, nor allow thee to be beaten by a foe. +Success to thee, fair Ogier!" + +The fourth fairy touched tenderly the mouth and the eyes and the noble +brow of the babe. + +"Be fair of speech," said she, "be noble in action, be courteous, be +kind: these are the gifts I bring thee. For what will a strong heart, +or a bold undertaking, or success in every enterprise, avail, unless +one has the respect and the love of one's fellow-men?" + +Then the fifth fairy came forward, and clasped Ogier in her arms, and +held him a long time quietly, without speaking a word. At last she +said,-- + +"The gifts which my sisters have given thee will scarcely bring thee +happiness; for, while they add to thy honor, they may make thee +dangerous to others. They may lead thee into the practice of +selfishness and base acts of tyranny. That man is little to be envied +who loves not his fellow-men. The boon, therefore, that I bring thee +is the power and the will to esteem others as frail mortals equally +deserving with thyself." + +And then the sixth fairy, the youngest and the most beautiful of all, +who was none other than Morgan le Fay, the Queen of Avalon, caught up +the child, and danced about the room in rapturous joy. And, in tones +more musical than mortals often hear, she sang a sweet lullaby, a song +of fairyland and of the island vale of Avalon, where the souls of +heroes dwell. + +And, when she had finished singing, Morgan le Fay crowned the babe with +a wreath of laurel and gold, and lighted a fairy torch that she held in +her hand. "This torch," said she, "is the measure of thy earthly days; +and it shall not cease to burn until thou hast visited me in Avalon, +and sat at table with King Arthur and the heroes who dwell there in +that eternal summer-land." + +Then the fairies gave the babe gently back into his mother's arms, and +they strewed the floor of the chamber with many a rich gem and lovely +flower; the odor of roses and the sweetest perfumes filled the air, and +the music of angels' voices was heard above; and the fairies vanished +in a burst of sunbeams, and were seen no more. And when the queen's +maidens came soon afterward into the chamber, they found the child +smiling in his mother's arms. But she was cold and lifeless: her +spirit had flown away to fairyland. + + + + +HOW CHARLEMAGNE CROSSED THE ALPS + +It was near the time of the solemn festival of Easter,--the time when +Nature seems to rise from the grave, and the Earth puts on anew her +garb of youth and beauty. King Charlemagne was at St. Omer; for there +the good Archbishop Turpin was making ready to celebrate the great +feast with more than ordinary grandeur. Thither, too, had come the +members of the king's household, and a great number of lords and +ladies, the noblest in France. + +Scarcely had the good archbishop pronounced a blessing upon the devout +multitude assembled at the Easter service, when two messengers came in +hot haste, and demanded to speak with the king. They had come from +Rome, and they bore letters from Pope Leo. Sad was the news which +these letters brought, but it was news which would fire the heart of +every Christian knight. The Saracens had landed in Italy, and had +taken Rome by assault. "The pope and the cardinals and the legates +have fled," said the letters; "the churches are torn down; the holy +relics are lost; and the Christians are put to the sword. Wherefore +the Holy Father charges you as a Christian king to march at once to the +help of the Church." + +It needed no word of Charlemagne to arouse the ardor of his warriors. +Every other undertaking must be laid aside, so long as Rome and the +Church were in danger. And the heralds proclaimed that on the morrow, +at break of day, the army would move southward toward Italy. + +The morning after Easter dawned, and the great army waited for the +signal to march. The bugles sounded, and the long line of steel-clad +knights and warriors began to move. Charlemagne rode in the front +ranks, ready, like a true knight, to brave every difficulty, and to be +the first in every post of danger. Never did a better king wear spur. + +Great was the haste with which the army moved, and very impatient were +the warriors; for the whole of France lay between them and fair Italy, +and they knew that weeks of weary marching must be endured, ere they +could meet their Pagan foe in battle, and drive him out of the +Christians' land. + +Many days they rode among the rich fields and between the blooming +orchards of the Seine valley; many days they toiled over unbroken +forest roads, and among marshes and bogs, and across untrodden +moorlands. They climbed steep hills, and swam broad rivers, and +endured the rain and the wind and the fierce heat of the noonday sun, +and sometimes even the pangs of hunger and thirst. But they carried +brave hearts within them; and they comforted themselves with the +thought that all their suffering was for the glory of God and the honor +of the king, for their country's safety and the security of their homes. + +Every day, as they advanced, the army increased in numbers and in +strength: for the news had been carried all over the land, that the +Saracens had taken Rome, and that Charlemagne with his host was +hastening to the rescue; and knights and noblemen from every city and +town and countryside came to join his standard, sometimes alone and +singly, and sometimes with a great retinue of fighting men and +servitors. When at last they had passed the boundaries of France, and +only the great mountains lay between them and Italy, Charlemagne could +look behind him, and see an army of a hundred thousand men. And now +messengers came to him again, urging him to hasten with all speed to +the succor of the pope. + +But the Alps Mountains lifted themselves up in his pathway, and their +snowy crags frowned threateningly upon him; their steep, rocky sides +arose like walls before him, and seemed to forbid his going farther; +and there appeared to be no way of reaching Italy, save by a long and +circuitous route through the southern passes. + +In the hope that he might find some shorter and easier passage, +Charlemagne now sent out scouts and mountaineers to explore every +valley and gorge, and every seeming mountain pass. But all came back +with the same story: there was not even so much as a path up which the +mountain goats could clamber, much less a road broad enough for an +army, with horses and baggage, to traverse. The king was in despair, +and he called together his counsellors and wise men to consider what +should be done. Duke Namon urged that they should march around by way +of the southern passes; for, although a full month would thus be lost, +yet there was no other safe and well-known land-route to Italy. +Ganelon advised that they should turn back, and, marching to +Marseilles, embark from thence on ships, and undertake to reach Rome by +way of the sea. + +Then the dwarf Malagis came before Charlemagne, bearing in his hand a +book, from which he read many spells and weird enchantments. Upon the +ground he drew with his wand a magic ring, and he laid therein the +hammer of Thor and the sword of Mahomet. In a loud, commanding voice, +he called upon the sprites, the trolls, and the goblins, with whom he +was familiar, to come at once into his presence. Forthwith the +lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled, and smoke and fire burst +forth from the mountain peaks, and the rocks and great ice-fields were +loosened among the crags, and came tumbling down into the valley. +Dwarfs and elves, and many an uncanny thing, danced and shouted in the +mountain caves; grinning ogres peeped out from the deep clefts and +gorges; and the very air seemed full of ghost-like creatures. Then the +wizard called by name a wise but wicked goblin, known among the +Saracens as Ashtaroth; and the goblin came at once, riding in a +whirlwind, and feeling very angry because he was obliged to obey. + +"Tell me now," said Malagis, "and tell me truly, whether there is here +so much as a pathway by which Charlemagne may lead his army through the +mountains." + +The goblin was silent for a moment; a dark cloud rested upon his face, +and his look was terrible. But the wizard, in no wise daunted, +returned his glance, and in the tones of a master bade him clear up +that clouded look, and answer the question he had asked. Then +Ashtaroth curbed his anger, and spoke: + +"On what errand would the French king cross the Alps?" he asked. +"Seeks he not to harm my friends the Saracens?" + +"That is, indeed, his errand," answered Malagis. + +"Then, why should I do aught to help him?" asked the goblin. "Why do +you call me from my rest, and bid me betray my friends?" + +"That is not for thee to ask," said Malagis. "I have called thee as a +master calls his slave. Tell me now, and tell me truly, is there here +any pass across the mountains into Italy?" + +"There is such a pass," answered the goblin gravely; "but it is hidden +to eyes like mine. I cannot guide you to it, nor can any of my kind +show you how to find it. It is a pathway which only the pure can +tread." + +"Tell me one thing more," said Malagis. "Tell me one thing, and I will +let thee go. How prosper thy friends the Saracens at Rome?" + +"They have taken all but the Capitol," was the answer. "They have +slain many Christians, and burned many buildings. The pope and the +cardinals have fled. If Charlemagne reach not Italy within a month, +ill will it fare with his friends." + +Then Malagis, satisfied with what he had heard, unwound the spell of +his enchantments; and amid a cloud of fire and smoke the goblin flew +back into the mountains. + +Next the good Turpin came forward, with a crosier in his hand, and a +bishop's mitre on his head, and a long white robe thrown over his +shoulders, scarcely hiding the steel armor which he wore beneath. He +lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed. And the sound of his voice +arose among the cliffs, and resounded among the rocks, and was echoed +from valley to valley, and re-echoed among the peaks and crags, and +carried over the mountain tops, even to the blue sky above. The king +and those who stood about him fancied that they heard sweet strains of +music issuing from the mountain caves; the most bewitching sounds arose +among the rocks and gorges; the air was filled with a heavenly perfume +and the songs of birds; and a holy calm settled over mountain and +valley, and fell like a blessing upon the earth. Then the Alps no +longer seemed obstacles in their way. The steep cliffs, which had been +like mighty walls barring their progress, seemed now mere gentle +slopes, rising little by little toward heaven, and affording a pleasant +and easy highway to the fair fields of Italy beyond. + +While Charlemagne and his peers gazed in rapt delight upon this vision, +there came down from the mountain crags a beautiful creature such as +none of them had ever before seen. It was a noble stag, white as the +drifted snow, his head crowned with wide-branching antlers, from every +point of which bright sunbeams seemed to flash. + +"Behold our leader and our hope!" cried Turpin. "Behold the +sure-footed guide which the Wonder-king has sent to lead us through +narrow ways, and over dangerous steeps, to the smiling valleys and +fields of Italy! Be only strong and trustful and believing, and a safe +way shall open for us, even where there seemed to be no way." + +Then the vision faded slowly away from the sight of the peers; and the +mountain walls rose up before them as grim and steep as ever; and the +snow-crowned crags looked down upon them even more angrily than before, +and there seemed no road nor pathway which the foot of man could +follow. But the wondrous white stag, which had filled their minds with +a new-born hope, still stood in plain sight on the lowermost slopes of +the mountain. + +The king, without once taking his eyes from the Heaven-sent creature, +mounted his war-steed, and sounded the bugle which hung at his girdle; +and the great army, confiding in the wisdom of their leader, began to +move. The white stag went first, steadily following a narrow pathway, +which led upward by many steep ascents, seemingly to the very clouds; +and behind him rode Charlemagne, keeping ever in view his radiant, +hopeful guide, and followed by the long line of knights and warriors, +who, cheered by his earnest faith, never once feared the end. + +Higher and higher they climbed, and more and more difficult became the +way. On one side of them arose a steep wall, shutting out from their +sight more than half of the sky; on the other side, dark gorges and +yawning gulfs descended, threatening to bury the whole army in their +bottomless depths. And by and by they came to the region of snow and +ice, where the Storm-king holds his court, and reigns in ever-lasting +solitude. Looking back, they could see sweet France, lying spread out +as a map beneath them, its pleasant fields and its busy towns seeming +only as specks in the dim distance. But when they looked forward, +hoping there to see a like map of fair Italy, only the rocks and the +ice, and the narrow pathway, and the desolate mountain crags, met their +sight. + +They would have become disheartened by the difficulties before them, +and have turned back in utter despair, had not the bright form of their +guide, and the cheerful countenance of Charlemagne, inspired them with +ever-renewed hope. For seven days they toiled among the dangerous +steeps; and on the eighth a glorious vision burst upon their view--the +smiling plains of Italy lay before them. + +At this sight a great shout of joy went up from the throats of the +toil-worn heroes, and the good archbishop returned thanks to Heaven for +their deliverance from peril. And, a few hours later, the whole army +emerged into the pleasant valleys of Piedmont, and encamped not far +from Aosta. + + + + +WHAT HAPPENED AT RONCEVAUX + +In all the world there was not such another king as Charlemagne. +Wherever his arms were carried, there victory followed; and neither +Pagan nor haughty Christian foe dared lift up hands any more against +him. His kingdom stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Italian shores, +and from beyond the Rhine to the great Western Ocean. Princes were his +servants; kings were his vassals; and even the Pope of Rome did him +homage. And now he had crossed the Pyrenees, and was carrying fire and +sword into the fair fields and rich towns of the Spanish Moors; for he +had vowed to punish Marsilius, king of Spain, for the injuries he had +done the French in former years. He had overrun the whole of that +haughty land, and had left neither castle, nor city, nor wall, +unbroken, save only the town of Saragossa. + +One day Charlemagne sat beneath the blossoming trees of an orchard near +Cordova. White was his beard, and flowered was his head; yet still +handsome was his body, and proud his form. Around him were the noblest +of knights, Roland and Oliver and old Duke Namon, and fifteen thousand +of the choicest men of France. It was a gala-day for the French, and +the warriors amused themselves with field sports, and many pleasant +games. Then a party of Moorish messengers were brought before the +king. They came from Marsilius at Saragossa, who had sent to beg peace +of Charlemagne. + +"What will Marsilius give for peace?" asked the king. + +"If you will go back to your own country, and cease this unhappy war," +answered they, "then Marsilius binds himself to do this: he will go to +Aix at Michaelmas, and be baptized; he will do homage then for Spain, +and will faithfully hold it in fief from you; he will give you great +store of treasures,--four hundred mules loaded with gold, and fifty +cart-loads of silver, besides numbers of bears and lions and tame +greyhounds, and seven hundred camels, and a thousand moulted falcons. +Too long has this cruel war been waging. Marsilius would fain have +peace." + +Charlemagne listened to the words of the messengers, but he was not +quick to answer. He called together his peers, and laid the matter +before them. + +"What think you of the Moor's offers of peace?" asked he. + +"Put no trust in Marsilius!" cried Roland. "He is the most faithless +of Pagans, and speaks only lies. Carry on the war as you have begun, +and talk not of peace until Saragossa is ours." + +Charlemagne's face grew dark, yet he said not a word. It was plain +that he coveted the treasures which Marsilius had promised. Then +Ganelon arose, and with curling lip, thus answered,-- + +"If Marsilius offers to do fealty for Spain, and to hold it as a gift +from you, wherefore should we refuse his plea? He who would advise you +otherwise cares not what manner of death we die." + +And Namon of Bavaria added, "If the Moor is beaten, and cries for +mercy, it would be an unknightly act to continue warring against him. +My voice is for peace." + +And all the peers, save Roland and Oliver, cried out, "The duke hath +spoken wisely. Let us have peace!" + +"It is well," answered Charlemagne, "and so it shall be. But whom +shall we send to Saragossa to treat with Marsilius, and to receive the +pledges of good faith which he shall give?" + +Then arose a great dispute among the peers as to which should undertake +this dangerous errand. Duke Namon, who was never known to shirk a +duty, offered to go; but the king would not consent. He liked not to +part with his wise old friend, even for a single day. + +"I will carry the message," said Roland. + +"Not so, my brother," interrupted Oliver. "Thy pride will get the +better of thy judgment, and thou wilt act rashly. Let me undertake the +errand." + +But Charlemagne refused them both. "Neither of you shall go," said he. +"But you may choose one from among these other barons to be the +messenger." + +"Then send Ganelon of Mayence," said Roland. "He is in favor of this +peace, and he is most fit to carry the message." + +"Yes, send Ganelon of Mayence!" cried all the peers. + +Ganelon rose from his seat in rage. Fire flashed from his hazel eyes; +his lips quivered; he tore the sable border from his crimson tunic, and +stood proudly before Roland. "Fool!" cried he. "Who art thou who +wouldst send me to Marsilius? If I but live to come again from +Saragossa, I will deal thee such a blow as thou shalt never forget." + +"Speak softly, Sir Ganelon," said Roland. "Men know that I care not +for threats. If thou art afraid of the danger, mayhap the king will +allow me to go in thy place." + +Hotter than before was Ganelon's wrath; but he held his tongue, and +turned humbly toward the king. + +"My lord," said he, "since you will that I bear this message to +Marsilius, I go. But I know too well the false-hearted Moor to hope +that I shall ever return. I pray you, care for my fair son Baldwin, to +whom I leave my lands and all my fiefs. Keep him well, for these eyes +of mine shall never see him again." + +"Thou art too fearful, and too tender of heart," said the king, as he +offered to Ganelon the staff and the glove which messengers were wont +to carry as signs of their office. "Go now, and doubt not the issue of +thine errand." + +Ganelon took the staff; but his hand trembled, and the glove fell to +the ground. + +"An evil omen is that," whispered the peers who saw it. "It is a sign +of no good fortune, either to him or to us." + +Then Ganelon bade the king good-by, and went on his way. But he said +to himself, "This is Roland's doings, and I shall hate him all my life +long: neither shall I love Oliver his brother, nor any other of the +twelve peers." + +When he reached Saragossa, Ganelon was led into the presence of +Marsilius. The Moorish king sat under a pine tree, and twenty thousand +warriors stood around him. + +"What answer bring you from your liege-lord Charlemagne?" asked he. + +Ganelon had studied well what he should say; and he answered, like one +long used to cunning guile, "If thou wilt be baptized and become a +Christian, Charlemagne will give thee the half of Spain to hold in +fief. If thou wilt not accept this offer, then he will besiege thee in +Saragossa, and take thee prisoner; and he will send thee bound upon the +back of a sumter horse to Aix, and there he will have thee put to +death. This is the message which Charlemagne sends thee." + +Great was the anger of the Moorish king, and he raised his javelin to +strike the messenger dead. But Ganelon, no whit daunted, set his back +against the trunk of a tree, and drew his sword part way from its +scabbard. + +"Good sword," said he, "thou art fair and bright, and thou hast done me +many a service. Never shall it be said that Ganelon died alone in a +strange land." + +But the courtiers of King Marsilius stepped in between them. "It were +better," said they, "to treat with this man than to slay him. If his +face slander him not, he is a man who may be persuaded to help us. Try +him." + +Then Marsilius called Ganelon to his side, and offered him five hundred +pounds of gold for his friendship. And the two sat long together, and +plotted bloodshed and treason. + +"Indeed, what think you of this Charlemagne?" asked the Moor. "Through +how many lands has he carried that old body of his? How many scars are +there on his shield? How many kingdoms has he stolen, and how many +kings impoverished? Methinks that his days are well-nigh spent. He +must be more than two hundred years old." + +But Ganelon, although a traitor, would say naught against the king. + +"None can see him," said he, "but will say that he is a man. None can +so praise or honor him, but that there shall yet be in him more worth +and goodness." + +"Yet, methinks," said the Moor, "that he is very old. His beard is +white; his hair is flowered. It is strange that he grows not tired of +fighting." + +"That he will never do so long as Roland, his nephew, lives," answered +Ganelon. "There, too, is Oliver; and there are the other peers of the +realm, all of whom the king holds most dear. They alone are worth +twenty thousand men." + +"I have heard much of Roland," said the Moor; "and I would fain put him +out of the way. Tell me how it can be done, and thou shalt have three +baggage-horse loads of gold, three of silver, and three of fine silk +and red wine and jewels." + +Now Ganelon desired, above all things, the death of Roland; and he +eagerly made known his plans to Marsilius. + +"Send to Charlemagne," said he, "great store of rich gifts, so that +every Frenchman shall wonder at your wealth. Send also hostages, and +promise him that on next Michaelmas you will be baptized at Aix and do +him homage for Spain. Pleased with your promises, he will return to +France. But his rear-guard, with Roland and Oliver, and twenty +thousand Frenchmen, will be long among the passes of the Pyrenees. A +hundred thousand Moors could well cope with them there." + +Then the two traitors exchanged promises and pledges; and Ganelon, +taking with him the keys of Saragossa, and rich presents for +Charlemagne, went back to Cordova. + +Right glad was Charlemagne to hear the message which the lying traitor +brought. He was tired of warring, and he longed to return in peace to +his own sweet France. The next day the trumpets sounded throughout the +camp. The tents were struck; the baggage was packed on the sumter +horses; the knights mounted their steeds; banners and pennons waved +thick in the air; the great army began its glad march homeward. Joyful +was the beginning of that march; but, ah, how sad the ending! The +French did not see the crafty Moors following them through the upper +valleys, their banners furled, their helmets closed, their lances in +rest. + +That first night the king was troubled with sad dreams. He thought +that Ganelon seized his lance and shook it, and that it fell in pieces. +He thought that he hunted in the forest of Ardennes, and that both a +boar and a leopard attacked him. A thousand fearful fancies vexed him. +Mountains fell upon him and crushed him; the earth yawned and swallowed +him; perils beset him on every side: but amid them all, the face of +Ganelon was ever to be seen. + +By and by the army came to the Pyrenees, and the great land of France +lay just beyond the mountains. + +"To whom now," said the king to his peers, "shall we intrust our +rear-guard while we pass safely through the mountain gates?" + +"Give It to Roland, your nephew," said Ganelon. "There is none more +worthy than he." + +"And who shall lead the vanguard?" + +"Ogier, the Dane. Next to Roland, he is the bravest of your barons." + +Right willingly did Roland accept the dangerous trust. + +"I will see to it," said he, "that no harm come to the French while +passing through the gates. Neither pack-horse, nor mule, nor palfrey, +nor charger, nor man shall we lose, that shall not be paid for by the +blood of our foes." + +Then he mounted his steed, and rode back to the rear. And with him +went Oliver and Turpin the archbishop, and twenty thousand valiant +fighting-men. + +High were the mountains, and gloomy the valleys; dark were the rocks, +and fearful were the glens. But the day was fair, and the sky was +clear; and the bright shields of the warriors glittered in the sunlight +like flashes of fire. All at once a sound, as of a thousand trumpets +blowing, was heard in the valley below them. The French knights +hearkened. + +"Comrades," said Oliver, "methinks that we are followed by the Moors." + +"And may God grant us battle and victory!" said Roland earnestly. +"Well is it that we are here to defend the king. For one should never +murmur that he suffers distress for his friends: for them, he should +lose, if need be, both blood and flesh and even life itself." + +Then Oliver climbed a high pine tree, and looked down into the grassy +valley behind them. There he beheld such troops of Pagan folk as he +had never seen before. + +"Comrades," cried he, "we shall have such a battle as no man has known. +The passes are full of armed Moors: their hauberks and glittering +helmets fill the lower valleys. Great mischief is in store for us, but +may we stand to the field like men!" + +"Shame be to him that flees!" said the warriors who heard him. + +Bewildered and amazed at sight of so terrible an array of Pagans, +Oliver descended from the tree. + +"Brother Roland," said he, "I pray thee blow thy horn. The king will +hear it, and he will turn him about and come to our succor." + +"To do so would be to act as a craven," answered Roland. "Never shall +it be said that I feared a foe. I will strike strong strokes with my +sword, Durandal. Ill shall it fare with the Pagan traitors." + +"Comrade Roland," again said Oliver, "now blow thy horn. Charlemagne +will hear it, and he will make his host return." + +"Never," answered Roland, "shall my kinsmen upbraid me, or be blamed +for me. But I will strike with Durandal. The brand which the king +gave me when he knighted me, that shall be our succor." + +Then Oliver prayed him the third time, "Comrade Roland, sound now thine +ivory horn. Charlemagne, who is passing the gates, will hear us and +come to our aid." + +"No man shall ever say," answered Roland, "that I have blown my horn +for Pagans. My kinsmen shall not bear that reproach. But when the +great battle is joined, then you shall see the lightning flashes of +Durandal in the thickest of the fight. A thousand and seven hundred +times shall the blade be dyed in the blood of the Moors. Better would +it be to perish than suffer shame." + +But Oliver was not yet satisfied. "I have seen the Moorish host," said +he. "The mountains and the plains, the valleys and the groves, are +full of them. Never have we fought against such great odds." + +"Friend and brother," answered Roland, "say not another word. The king +has left us here, with a rear-guard of twenty thousand men, and he +esteems every one of us a hero. Do thou strike with thy lance and thy +good blade Haultclear. As for me, Durandal shall serve me well. And, +if I die, men shall say, 'This sword belonged to a noble knight.'" + +Then the good Archbishop Turpin rode down the ranks, holding a sword in +one hand and a crucifix in the other. "Comrades," cried he, "the king +has left us here. He trusts in us, and for him we shall die. Cry now +your sins to Heaven. Pray God's mercy, and ask His blessing." + +In a moment every knight among those twenty thousand horsemen had +dismounted. Humbly and reverently every knee was bent, and every head +was bowed. And the good archbishop blessed the company in God's name. + +"If ye die," said he, "ye shall have places in paradise." + +Then the warriors arose, light-hearted and hopeful. They rode into the +place which is called Roncevaux, the Vale of Thorns, and there they put +themselves in battle array, and waited the onset of their foes. Roland +sat astride of his good war steed, and proudly faced the Moorish host. +In his hand he held the bared blade Durandal, pointing toward heaven. +Never was seen a more comely knight. Courteously he spoke to the +warriors about him. Then, putting spurs to his steed, he cried,-- + +"Comrades, ride onward! The day shall be ours!" + +"Forget not the war cry of Charlemagne," said Oliver. + +At these words the rocks and valleys rang with the cry, "Monjoie! +Monjoie!" And every warrior dashed forward to meet the foe. + +Long and fierce was the fight, and terrible was the slaughter. With +heart and strength the French knights struck. The Moors were slain by +hundreds and by thousands. For a time victory seemed to be with the +French. Many and valiant were the deeds achieved by Roland and Oliver +and the archbishop and the peers that were with them. But at length +Marsilius came down upon them with a fresh troop of seven thousand +Moors. They hemmed the French heroes in on every side. Roland saw his +knights falling one by one around him. All were slain save sixty men. + +"Oliver, my fair dear comrade," said he, "behold how many brave vassals +have fallen! The battle goes hard with us. If, now, we only knew how +to send news to Charlemagne, he would return and succor us." + +"It is too late," answered Oliver. "Better would we die than suffer +shame." + +Then said Roland, "I will sound my ivory horn. Mayhap Charlemagne, who +is passing the gates of Spain, will hear it and return." + +"Do no such thing," answered Oliver. "Great shame would be upon you +and your kinsmen forever. You would not blow your horn when I advised +it, and now you shall not do so because the day is lost." + +Then the archbishop rode up, and said, "The day is indeed lost, and to +blow the horn would now no more avail us. But, should the king hear +it, he will come back through the passes. He will find us dead: his +men will lift us in biers and carry us home to be buried in minsters, +and we shall not be left as food for wolves and dogs." + +"Thou sayest well," said Roland. And he placed the horn to his lips. +High were the hills, deep and dark were the gorges, narrow were the +ways among the mountains. Yet the sound of that horn was heard for +thirty leagues. Charlemagne and Duke Namon heard it while yet they +were between the gates. + +"Hark!" said the king. "I hear Roland's horn. The felon Moors have +attacked him: he is hard pressed in battle." + +"You are foolishly mistaken," said Ganelon. "There is no battle. You +are old, your beard is white, your head is flowery, you are growing +childish. You love your silly nephew, Roland, too well. He is only +hunting among the mountains. He would blow his horn all day for a +single hare, and then he would boast before you of his valor. Ride on. +Your own France is not far ahead." + +But the king was not to be deceived. He ordered Ganelon to be seized +and bound and given in charge of his cooks, who were to hold him a +close prisoner. They bound him with a great chain, and laid him across +the back of a sumter horse; they pulled his beard; they struck him with +their fists; they beat him with sticks. Sorry indeed was the traitor's +plight, but his punishment was just. As for Charlemagne, he turned and +with all his host hastened back to the succor of Roland and the valiant +rear-guard. High were the mountain walls, and darkly did they overhang +the way; deep were the mountain gorges; swift and strong were the +torrents; narrow and steep was the road. The trumpets sounded: +anxiously and with haste the king and his horsemen retraced their steps. + +Fiercely still the battle raged in the fated Vale of Thorns. One by +one the French knights fell; but for every one that was slain ten +Pagans bit the dust. At length Oliver was wounded unto death; but +still he sat on his horse and struck valiantly about him with his good +Haultclear. His eyes lost their strength: he could not see. He met +Roland, and struck him a blow which split his helmet down to the +nose-piece, but luckily wounded him not. + +"Brother," said Roland softly and gently, "thou hast not done this +willingly. I am Roland, he who has loved thee so long and so well." + +"Ah, comrade!" said Oliver, "I hear thee; but I cannot see thee. Pray +forgive me if I have harmed thee." + +"I am none the worse," answered Roland; "and there is naught to +forgive." + +Then the two brothers bent over from their steeds, and embraced each +other; and amid much love and many hasty words of farewell, they parted. + +And now all the French were slain, save only Roland and the archbishop. +The hero was wounded in a dozen places: he felt his life-blood oozing +away. Again he drew his ivory horn, and feebly sounded it. He would +fain know whether Charlemagne were coming. The king was in the pass, +not far away, and he heard the failing blast. + +"Ah, Roland!" said he, "the battle goes ill with thee." Then he turned +to his host, and said, "Blow loud your trumpets, that the hero may know +that succor comes." + +At once sixty thousand bugles were blown so loudly that the valley and +the caves resounded, and the rocks themselves trembled. Roland heard +it and thanked God. The Pagans heard it and knew that it boded no good +to them. They rushed in a body upon Roland and the archbishop. +Roland's horse was slain beneath him; his shield was split in twain; +his hauberk was broken. The archbishop was mortally wounded, and +stretched upon the ground. Again the trumpets of Charlemagne's host +were heard, and the Pagans fled in great haste toward Spain. + +Then Roland knelt by the side of the dying archbishop. "Kind friend, +so good and true," said he, "now the end has come. Our comrades whom +we held so dear are all dead. Give me leave to bring them and lay them +in order by thee, that we may all have thy blessing." + +"It is well," answered the good Turpin. "Do as thou wilt. The field +is thine and mine." + +So Roland, weak and faint, went all alone through that field of blood, +seeking his friends. He found Berenger and Otho and Anseis and Samson, +and proud Gerard of Roussillon; and one by one he brought them and laid +them on the grass before the archbishop. And lastly he brought back +Oliver, pressed gently against his bosom, and placed him on a shield by +the others. The archbishop wept; and he lifted up his feeble hands and +blessed them: "Sad has it been with you, comrades. May God, the +glorious King, receive your souls in His paradise!" + +Then Roland, faint with loss of blood, and overcome with grief, swooned +and fell to the ground. The good archbishop felt such distress as he +had never known before. He staggered to his feet; he took the ivory +horn in his hands, and went to fetch water from the brook which flows +through the Vale of Thorns. Slowly and feebly he tottered onward, but +not far: his strength failed and he fell to the ground. Soon Roland +recovered from his swoon and looked about him. On the green grass this +side of the rivulet, he saw the archbishop lying. The good Turpin was +dead. + +And now Roland felt that he, too, was nigh death's door. He took the +ivory horn in one hand, and Durandal in the other, and went up a little +hill that lies toward Spain. He sat down beneath a pine tree where +were four great blocks of marble. He looked at the blade Durandal. +"Ha, Durandal," he said, "how bright and white thou art! Thou shinest +and flamest against the sun! Many countries have I conquered with +thee, and now for thee I have great grief. Better would it be to +destroy thee than to have thee fall into the hands of the Pagan folk." + +With great effort he raised himself on his feet again. Ten times he +smote with Durandal the great rock before him. But the sword was +bright and whole as ever, while the rock was split in pieces. Then the +hero lay down upon the grass, with his face toward the foe. He put the +sword and the horn under him. He stretched his right glove toward +heaven, and an unseen hand came and took it away. Dead was the +matchless hero. + +Not long after this King Charlemagne with his host came to the +death-strewn Vale of Thorns. Great was the grief of the king and of +all the French, when they found that they had come too late to save +even a single life. Roland was found lying on the grass, his face +turned toward Spain. Charlemagne took him up tenderly in his arms, and +wept. + +"Friend Roland," said he, "worthiest of men, bravest of warriors, +noblest of all my knights, what shall I, say when they in France shall +ask news of thee? I shall tell them that thou art dead in Spain. With +great sorrow shall I hold my realm from this time on. Every day I +shall weep and bewail thee, and wish that my life, too, were ended." + +Then the French buried their dead on the field where they had fallen. +But the king brought Roland and Oliver and the archbishop to Blaye in +France, and laid them in white marble tombs; and there they lie until +this day in the beautiful little chapel of St. Roman's. And he took +the ivory horn to Bordeaux, and filled it with fine gold, and laid it +on the altar of the church in that city; and there it is still seen by +the pious pilgrims who visit that place. + + + + +VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES + + _Ac ar na' ni a_, the most western province of ancient Greece. + _A chil' les_ (a kil' lez), the ideal hero of the Greeks. + _Ae' gir_ (a' jir), in Norse legends, the ruler of the sea. + _Ag a me' des_ (-dez), one of the architects of the temple at Delphi. + _Ag a mem' non_, king of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks. + _Aix_ (aks), a city of France, favorite residence of Charlemagne. + _A' jax_, a Greek hero second only to Achilles. + _Al ex an' dros_, a name applied to Paris, prince of Troy. + _Al phe' us_, a hunter transformed into a river of Greece. + _Al the' a_, queen of Calydon, mother of Meleager. + _A mil' i as_, a mythical smith of Burgundy. + _And' vae ri_, a dwarf, the keeper of the Rhine treasure. + _An til' o chus_ (-kus), a Greek prince and friend of Achilles. + _A os' tae_, a town in northern Italy. + _Aph ro di' te_, in Greek mythology, the goddess of love. + _A pol' lo_, in Greek mythology, the god of music, poetry, and healing. + _Ar ca' di a_, a mountainous country in Greece. + _Ardennes_ (aer den'), a forest in northern France. + _Ar e thu' sa_, a nymph loved by Alpheus. + _Ar' go_, the ship that carried Jason and his companions. + _Ar' te nis_, twin sister of Apollo; goddess of the woods. + _Ar' thur_, a heroic legendary king of Britain. + _As' as_ (aes az), the gods of the North. + _As' gaerd_, in Norse mythology, the home of the gods or Asas. + _Ash' ta roth_, an evil spirit. + _At a lan' ta_, an Arcadian princess and swift-footed huntress. + _A the' na_, the goddess of knowledge, arts, and sciences. + _At' ro pos_, one of the three Fates. + _Au' lis_, a town on the east coast of Greece. + _Au tol' y cus_, a famous Greek chieftain, grandfather of Odysseus. + _Av' a lon_, fairyland (in mediaeval legends). + + _Bal' i os_, "Swift," one of the horses given to Peleus. + _Bael' mung_, the sword of Siegfried. + _Be' a trice_, the wife of Eego of Belin. + _Be go'_ (ba go'), duke of Belin and feudal chief of Gascony. + _Ber en ger'_ (-aen zha'), a friend of Bego. + _Blaye_ (bla), a seaport of France, 21 miles from Bordeaux. + _Bo' re as_, the North Wind. + _Bor deaux'_ (-do'), a city on west coast of France. + _Bur' gun dy_, a duchy including a part of northeastern France. + + _Cal' chas_ (kal' kal), a soothsayer of Mycense. + _Cal' y don_, a city in ancient Greece. + _Cas san' dra_, a prophetess, the daughter of Priam. + _Cas tor_, twin brother of Pollux and brother of Helen. + _Cen' taur_, one of an ancient race inhabiting the country near + Mount Pelion, said to have the bodies of horses. + _Charlemagne_ (shaer' le man), king of the Franks, 742-814. + _Cheiron_ (ki' ron), a Centaur famed for his wisdom. + _Cle o pa' tra_, the wife of Meleager. + _Clo' tho_, one of the three Fates. + _Clyt' em nes tra_, the wife of Agamemnon. + _Crete (kret)_, an island southeast of Greece. + _Cris' sa_, a gulf in Greece, now called Gulf of Corinth. + + _Daer' da nus_, ancestor of the people of Troy. + _De' los_, a small island east of Greece. + _Del' phi_, a town at the foot of Mount Parnassus, the seat + of the oracle of Apollo. + _Du ran' dal_, the sword of Roland. + + _E' lis_, a country in southern Greece. + _E' rin_, the ancient name for Ireland. + _E' ris_, the goddess of discord. + _Euboea_ (u be' a), a large island east of Greece. + + _Faef' nir_, a dragon that guarded the Rhine treasure. + _Fa nan' der_, a cataract referred to in Norse mythology. + _Fro mont'_, duke of Bordeaux. + + _Gae' ne lon_, a duke of Mayence noted for his treachery. + _Gae rin'_ (-ranh), one of the sons of Bego of Belia. + _Gas' co ny_, an ancient duchy of France. + _Gerin_ (zhe ranh'), a brother of Bego of Belio. + + _Ha' des_, the land of the shades, or of the dead. + _Hault'_ clear, the sword of Oliver. + _He' be_, the goddess of youth and spring. + _Hec' tor_, a prince of Troy, son of Priam. + _Hel' en_, the wife of Menelaus, celebrated for her beauty. + _He lo ise'_ (ha lo ez'), the sister of Bego of Belin. + _He' ra_, the wife of Zeus; often called Juno. + _Her' cu les_ (-lez), a mighty hero of the Golden Age of Greece. + _Her' mes_ (-mez), the messenger of the gods; same as Mercury. + _Her nau din_ (her no danh'), a son of Bego. + _He si' o ne_, a princess of Troy, sister of Priam. + _Haenir_ (he' nir), a companion of Odio. + _Hreidmar_ (hrid' mar), the father of Regin. + _Hu' na land_, a country mentioned in Norse mythology. + _Hy per bo' re ans_, the people who lived beyond the North Wind. + + _I ae' sus_, a king of Arcadia, father of Atalanta. + _I' das_, the father of Cleopatra. + _I dom' e neus_, a king of Crete, friend of Menelaus. + _Il' i os_, the same as Troy; Ilium. + _I' lus_, the founder of Ilios or Troy. + _Iph i ge ni' a_, a princess, the daughter of Agamemnon. + _I' ris_, a messenger of the gods, personification of the rainbow. + + _Ja' son_, a Greek hero, the leader of the Argonauts. + + _Kwae' ser_, in Norse mythology, a being noted for his wisdom. + + _Lac e dae' mon_ (las-), an ancient Greek city, same as Sparta. + _Lach' e sis_ (lak-), one of the three Fates. + _La om' e don_, a king of Troy, father of Priam. + _Lo' ki_, in Norse mythology, the spirit of mischief. + _Lor raine'_, a region on the border between France and Germany. + + _Ma hom' et_, an Arab, the founder of Mohammedanism. + _Mai' a gis_ (-zhe), a dwarf enchanter and magician. + _Maer seilles'_ (-salz), a city of France on the Mediterranean. + + _Maer sil' i us_, a Moorish king of Spain. + _Mayence_ (mae yons'), a city on the Rhine River. + _Mel e a' ger_ (-jer), a Greek hero, prince of Calydon. + _Mi' mer_, in Norse mythology, the possessor of the well of wisdom. + _Mor' gan le Fay_, the queen of the fairies. + _My ce' nae_, a city of ancient Greece. + + _Nae' mon_, Charlemagne's most trusted counsellor. + _Ne' reus_, "the old man of the sea," father of the sea nymphs. + _Nes' tor_, king of Pylos, oldest of the Greek heroes at Troy. + + _O' din_, in Norse mythology the chief of the gods. + _O dys' seus_, the wisest of the Greek heroes; same as Ulysses. + _Oenone_ (e no' ne), a river nymph, the wife of Paris. + _Ogier_ (o zha), a Danish hero under Charlemagne. + _Oi' neus_, a king of Calydon, father of Meleager. + _Ol' i ver_, one of Charlemagne's paladins, comrade of Roland, + _O lym' pus_, a mountain in Greece, the home of the gods. + _O res' tes_, the son of Agamemnon. + _Orleans_ (or la on'), an important city in France. + _Or sil' o chus_, a king of the ancient city of Pherae. + + _Pal a me' des_, a Greek hero in the war with Troy. + _Par' is_, a prince of Troy, second son of Priam. + _Paer nas' sus_, a mountain in Greece near Delphi. + _Pe' leus_, the father of Achilles. + _Pe' li on_, a mountain on the east coast of Greece. + _Pep' in_, a king of the Franks, father of Charlemagne. + _Phoe' bus_, another name for Apollo. + _Pied' mont_, a district in northern Italy. + _Pol' lux_, the twin brother of Castor, and brother of Helen. + _Po sei' don_, supreme lord of the sea; same as Neptune. + _Pri' am_, the last king of Troy. + _Pu elle'_, an ancient forest in France. + _Py' los_, an ancient town in the south part of Greece. + _Pyr' e nees_, the mountains between France and Spain. + _Py' thon_, the serpent slain by Apollo. + + _Raen_, in Norse mythology, the goddess of the sea. + _Re' gin_ (-jin), a dwarf, the instructor of Siegfried. + _Ro' land_, the most famous of Charlemagne's paladins. + _Ronce vaux'_ (-vo), a valley in Navarre, Spain, in the Pyrenees. + _Roussillon_ (roo se' yon'), an ancient district of France. + + _St. Omer_ (sen to mar'), a famous city in northern France. + _St. Quentin_ (saan kon tan'), a city in northeastern France. + _Sal a mis_, an island of ancient Greece. + _Sar' a cens_, the Arab followers of Mohammed. + _Scae' an_ (ske' an), the principal gate of Troy. + _Sca man' der_, a river near Troy. + _Seine_ (san), one of the principal rivers of France. + _Sieg' fried_, a mythical hero of the Rhine country. + _Si' gyn_, the wife of Loki. + _Skae de_, in Norse mythology, the goddess of the snow. + + _Tel' a mon_, a Greek hero, the father of Ajax. + _Thes sa' li an_, belonging to Thessaly in northern Greece. + _The' tis_, a sea nymph, the mother of Achilles. + _Tro pho' ni us_, one of the architects of the temple at Delphi. + _Tur' pin_, archbishop of Rheims, and paladin of Charlemagne. + + _Valenciennes_ (vae lon syen'), a city in northeastern France. + _Vul' can_, the blacksmith of the gods. + + _Xanthos_ (zan' thus), "Old Gold," one of the horses of Peleus. + + _Zeus_, the king of the gods; same as Jupiter. + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero Tales, by James Baldwin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO TALES *** + +***** This file should be named 15616.txt or 15616.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/6/1/15616/ + +Produced by Al Haines + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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