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Aegir's Feast · Asgard Stories: Tales from Norse Mythology

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twelve of Esgard's stories. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All libervox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read
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  Speaker 1: by Juliu Escard, stories by Mary H. Foster and Mabel H. Cummings.
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  Speaker 1: Edg's feast. Edgia was the ruler of the ocean, and
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  Speaker 1: his home was dipped down below the tossing waves, where
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  Speaker 1: the water is calm and still. There was his beautiful
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  Speaker 1: palace in the wonderful coral caves. It was all hung
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  Speaker 1: with bright colored seaweeds in the floor of white sparkling
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  Speaker 1: coral scind Such wonderful sea plants grew all about, and
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  Speaker 1: still more wonderful creatures, some which you could not tell
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  Speaker 1: from flowers, waving their pretty fringes in the water, some
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  Speaker 1: sitting fastened to the rocks and catching their food with them,
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  Speaker 1: moving like the sponges, others darting about and chasing each other.
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  Speaker 1: Deep in the wave is a coral grove where the
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  Speaker 1: purple mud lid and goldfish rove, where the sea flowers
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  Speaker 1: spread its leaves of blue that never are were with
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  Speaker 1: falling dew, but in bright and changeful beauty shine fathering
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  Speaker 1: in the green and glassy brine. The floor is of
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  Speaker 1: sand like the mountain drift, and the pearl shells spankled
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  Speaker 1: the flinty snow from coral rocks. The sea plants lived
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  Speaker 1: the boughs where the ties and billows flow. The water
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  Speaker 1: is calm and still below, for the winds and waves
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  Speaker 1: are absent there, and the scents a bright as the
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  Speaker 1: stars that glow in the motionless fields of upper air. Percival.
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  Speaker 1: In that ocean home lived the lovely mermaids, who sometimes
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  Speaker 1: came up above the waves to sit on the rocks
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  Speaker 1: and comb their long golden hair in the sunshine. They
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  Speaker 1: had heads and bodies like beautiful maidens, with fish tails
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  Speaker 1: instead of feet. One day, the gods in Asgard gave
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  Speaker 1: a feast, and Edgia was invited. He could not often
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  Speaker 1: leave home to visit Asgard, for he was always very
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  Speaker 1: busy with the ocean winds and ties and storms. But
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  Speaker 1: calling his daughters the waves, he bade them keep the
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  Speaker 1: ocean quiet while he was away, and look after the
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  Speaker 1: sheeps at sea. Then Agia went over Beefirst the Rainbow bridge,
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  Speaker 1: to ask God where they had such a gay party
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  Speaker 1: and such feasting that he was sorry when the time
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  Speaker 1: came to go home. But at last he said goodbye
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  Speaker 1: to Father Odin and the rest of the Asher. He
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  Speaker 1: thanked them more for the pleasure they had given him, saying,
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  Speaker 1: if only I had a kettle that held enough meat
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  Speaker 1: for us or to drink, I would invite you to
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  Speaker 1: visit me. Th who was always glad to hear about
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  Speaker 1: eating and drinking, said I know of a cattle a
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  Speaker 1: mile wide and a mile deep. I will fetch it
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  Speaker 1: for you. Then Edgel was pleased, and Saturday for them
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  Speaker 1: are to come to his great feast. So Thor took
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  Speaker 1: with him his brother, the brave Tear, who knew best
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  Speaker 1: how to find the kettle, and together they started off
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  Speaker 1: in thors thunder chariot drawn by goats, on their way
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  Speaker 1: to Yugad, the home of the giants. When they reached
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  Speaker 1: that length of ice and snow, they soon found the
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  Speaker 1: house of him, the giant, who owned Mile Deep, as
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  Speaker 1: the big kettle was called. The gods were glad to
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  Speaker 1: find that the giant was not at home, and his wife,
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  Speaker 1: who was more gentle than most of her people, asked
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  Speaker 1: them to come in and rest, advising them to be
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  Speaker 1: ready to run when they should hear the Giant coming,
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  Speaker 1: and to hide behind a row of kettles which hung
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  Speaker 1: from a beam at the back end of the hall. Four,
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  Speaker 1: says she, My husband may be very angry when he
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  Speaker 1: finds strangers here, and often the glance of his eye
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  Speaker 1: is so fierce that he accuse. At first, the Mighty
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  Speaker 1: Thought and Brave Tear were not willing to hide like cowards,
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  Speaker 1: But the last they agreed to the plane, upon the
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  Speaker 1: good wife promising to call them out as soon as
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  Speaker 1: she had told her husband about them. It was not
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  Speaker 1: long before they heard the heavy steps of him as
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  Speaker 1: he came striding into his icy home. And very lucky
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  Speaker 1: it was Forethor and Tears that the Giantess had told
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  Speaker 1: them to hide, for when the Giant heard that two
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  Speaker 1: of the Asia from Asgard were in his home, so
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  Speaker 1: fierce a flesh shot from his eyes that they broke
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  Speaker 1: the beam from which the kettles hung, and they all
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  Speaker 1: fell broken on the floor, except mile deep. After a while,
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  Speaker 1: the Giant grew quiet, and at last even began to
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  Speaker 1: be polite to his guests. He had been unlucky at
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  Speaker 1: his fishing that day, so he had to kill three
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  Speaker 1: of his oxen for supper. Thor, being hungry as usual,
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  Speaker 1: made him quite angry by eating two whole oxen, so
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  Speaker 1: that when they rose from the table, the giant said,
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  Speaker 1: if you came on eating as much at every meal
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  Speaker 1: as you have tonight, Thor, you will have to find
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  Speaker 1: your own food. Very well, said Thor, I will go
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  Speaker 1: fishing with you in the morning. Next morning set forth
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  Speaker 1: with the giant, and as they walked over the fields
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  Speaker 1: towards the sea, Thor cut off the head of one
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  Speaker 1: of the finest oxen for bait. Of course, you may
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  Speaker 1: know that Humor was not pleased at this, but Thor
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  Speaker 1: said he should need the very best kind of bait,
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  Speaker 1: for he was hoping to catch the meat god Serpent,
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  Speaker 1: that dangerous monster who lived at the bottom of the ocean,
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  Speaker 1: coiled around the world with his tail in his mouth.
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  Speaker 1: When they came to the shore where the boat was ready,
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  Speaker 1: each one took an owe and they rolled out to
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  Speaker 1: deep water. Hum was tired first and called to Thor
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  Speaker 1: to stop. We are far enough out, he cried. This
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  Speaker 1: is my usual fishing place where I find the best whales.
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  Speaker 1: If we go farther, the sea will be rougher, and
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  Speaker 1: we may run into the meat god Serpent. As this
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  Speaker 1: was just what Thor wanted, he rowed all the harder
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  Speaker 1: and did not stop until they were far out on
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  Speaker 1: the ocean. Then he baited his hook with the ox's
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  Speaker 1: head and threw it overboard. Soon there came a fierce
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  Speaker 1: jerk on the line. It grew heavier and heavier. What
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  Speaker 1: Thor put with all his might. He tugged so hard
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  Speaker 1: that he broke through the bottom of the boat and
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  Speaker 1: had to stand on the slippery rocks beneath. All this
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  Speaker 1: time the giant was looking on, wondering what was the matter.
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  Speaker 1: But when he saw the horrid head of the meat
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  Speaker 1: god Serpent rising above the waves, he was so frightened
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  Speaker 1: that he cut the line and Thor, after trying so
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  Speaker 1: hard to read the world of that dangerous monster, so
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  Speaker 1: heim fall back again under the water. Even mener the
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  Speaker 1: magic hammer which Thor hurled at the creature, was too
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  Speaker 1: late to hit him, and so the two fishermen had
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  Speaker 1: to turn back and wait to the shore, carrying the
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  Speaker 1: broken boat and oars with them. The giant was proud
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  Speaker 1: to think he had been too quick for Thor, and
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  Speaker 1: after they reached the house. He said to the thunder god,
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  Speaker 1: since you think you're so strong, let us see you
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  Speaker 1: break this goblet. If you succeed, I will give you
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  Speaker 1: the big kettle. This was just what Thor wanted, so
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  Speaker 1: he tightened his belt of strength and threw the goblet
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  Speaker 1: with all his might against the wall. But instead of
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  Speaker 1: breaking the goblet, he broke the war A second time,
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  Speaker 1: he tried, but did no better. Then the giant's wife
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  Speaker 1: whispered to Thor, throw it at his head, and she
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  Speaker 1: sang in a low voice as she turned her spinning
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  Speaker 1: wheel hard, the paler hard, the stone hard the Yet
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  Speaker 1: the giant sponge stones showed break and pillars four he
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  Speaker 1: must forehead and breaks them more. Yet again Thor through
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  Speaker 1: the goblet, this time against the giant's head, and the
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  Speaker 1: fell broken in pieces. Then Tear tried to lift the
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  Speaker 1: mild deep kettle, for he was in a hurry to
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  Speaker 1: leave this land of eyes and snow, but he could
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  Speaker 1: not stir it from its place, and Thor had to
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  Speaker 1: help him before they could get it out of the
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  Speaker 1: giant's house. When him saw the gods home, he hated
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  Speaker 1: carrying off his kettle. He caught all his giant friends,
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  Speaker 1: and they started out in chase of the Asher. But
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  Speaker 1: when Thor heard them coming, he turned and saw their fierce,
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  Speaker 1: grinning faces glaring down at him from every rocky peak
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  Speaker 1: and iceberg. Then the Mighty Thunderer raised Mina the hammer
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  Speaker 1: above his head and hurled it among the giants, who
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  Speaker 1: became stiff and cold, all turned into giant rocks that
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  Speaker 1: still stand by the shore. Edgia was very glad to
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  Speaker 1: get mild deep, so he set to work to make
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  Speaker 1: the meat in it to get ready for the great
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  Speaker 1: feast at the time of the flag's harvest, when all
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  Speaker 1: the Asher were coming from Escar to visit him. Before
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  Speaker 1: the day came, all light and joy had gone from
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  Speaker 1: the sacred city because the bright border had been slain,
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  Speaker 1: and the homes of the gods were dark and lonely
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  Speaker 1: without him. So they were all glad to visit Edgia
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  Speaker 1: to find cheer for the sadness. There was Father Olden
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  Speaker 1: with his golden helmet, and Queen Friggure wearing her crown
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  Speaker 1: of stars, golden haired Sithe Friar with prison garment the
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  Speaker 1: wonderful necklace, and all the noble company of the Asher,
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  Speaker 1: all except Mighty Thor, who had gone far away to
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  Speaker 1: the giant land. As they all sat in edges beautiful
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  Speaker 1: ocean hall, drinking the sweet meat and talking together, Loki
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  Speaker 1: came in and stood before them, but finding he was
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  Speaker 1: not welcome and no seat saved for him, he began
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  Speaker 1: saying ugly things to make them more angry, And at
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  Speaker 1: last he grew angry himself and slew Edges servant because
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  Speaker 1: they praised him. The assure drove him out from the hall.
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  Speaker 1: But once more he came in and says such dreadful
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  Speaker 1: things that at last Friga said, oh, if my son
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  Speaker 1: bother were only here, he was silenced thy wick tongue.
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  Speaker 1: Then Loki turned to Frigga and told her that he
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  Speaker 1: himself was the very one who has slain border. He
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  Speaker 1: had no sooner spoken than a heavy peal of thunder
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  Speaker 1: shook the hall. An angry Thor strode in, waving his
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  Speaker 1: magic hammer. Seeing this, the coward Loki turned and fled,
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  Speaker 1: and Asgard was rid of him forever. End of chapter twelve.