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009 - The Stealing of Iduna · Asgard Stories- Tales from Norse Mythology

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine of Asgard's stories. This is a libervox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All liberyvox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit libyvox dot org. Read
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  Speaker 1: by Juliu Esgard, stories by Mary H. Foster and Mabel H. Cummings.
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  Speaker 1: The Stealing of Idunna Odin, the Wise Father of the Gods,
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  Speaker 1: started off one day on a journey through me God
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  Speaker 1: the world of men, to see how his people were
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  Speaker 1: getting on and to give them help. He took with
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  Speaker 1: him his brother Hernia, the light giver, and Loki, the
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  Speaker 1: fire god. Loki, you know, was always ready to go
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  Speaker 1: wherever he could have any fun or do any mischief.
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  Speaker 1: All the morning they went about among the homes of
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  Speaker 1: mik God, and whenever Olden found busy, faithful workers, he
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  Speaker 1: was sure to leave behind some little thing which would
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  Speaker 1: hardly be noticed, a straw in the farmer's barn, or
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  Speaker 1: a kernel of grain in the furrow by the plow,
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  Speaker 1: or a bit of iron at the blacksmith's forge. But
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  Speaker 1: always happiness and plenty followed his little gift. At noontime,
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  Speaker 1: Loki was so hungry that he begged Olden to stop
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  Speaker 1: for dinner. So when they came to a shady spot
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  Speaker 1: by the bank of a river, the three gods chose
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  Speaker 1: it for their resting place. Oden threw himself down under
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  Speaker 1: a tree and began to read his little book of
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  Speaker 1: Ruins all wise sayings. Loki began to make a fire
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  Speaker 1: and get ready for the feast. Then he started off
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  Speaker 1: to a farmhouse nearby, leaving her to cook the meat
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  Speaker 1: which they had brought. As Loki came near the farmhouse,
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  Speaker 1: he thought to himself, I will change myself into a cat,
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  Speaker 1: and then I can have a better chance to spy about.
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  Speaker 1: So he changed himself into a black cat, and jumping
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  Speaker 1: upon the kitchen window sill, he saw the farmer's wife
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  Speaker 1: taking some cakes out of the oven. They smelled so
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  Speaker 1: good and looked so tempting that Loki said to himself,
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  Speaker 1: what a price those cakes would be for our dinner.
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  Speaker 1: Just then the woman turned back to the oven to
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  Speaker 1: get more cakes, and Loki snatched those which she had
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  Speaker 1: laid on the table. The good housewife soon missed her cakes.
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  Speaker 1: She looked all about and could not think what had
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  Speaker 1: become of them. But just as she was taking the
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  Speaker 1: last lot from the oven, she turned quickly around and
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  Speaker 1: saw the tail of a cat whisking out of the window. There,
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  Speaker 1: cried she, the wicked black cat has stolen my nice cakes.
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  Speaker 1: I would go after him with my broom. By the
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  Speaker 1: time she reached the door, all she could see was
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  Speaker 1: a cow walking in her garden, and when she came
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  Speaker 1: there to drive her away, nothing was to be seen
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  Speaker 1: except a big raven and six little ones flying overhead.
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  Speaker 1: Then the mischievous Loki went back to the river bank
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  Speaker 1: where he had left his two friends and showed them
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  Speaker 1: the six cakes, boasting of the good joke he had
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  Speaker 1: played upon the poor woman. But Odin did not think
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  Speaker 1: it was a joke. He scolded Loki for stealing, and said,
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  Speaker 1: it is a shame for one of the asher to
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  Speaker 1: be a thief. Go back to the farmhouse and put
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  Speaker 1: these three black stones on the kitchen table. Loki knew
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  Speaker 1: that the stones meant something good for the poor woman,
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  Speaker 1: and he did not wish to go back to the house,
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  Speaker 1: but he had to do as the old father told him.
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  Speaker 1: As he went along, he heard his friends the foxes
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  Speaker 1: to put their heads out of their holes and laughed
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  Speaker 1: at his tricks. For the foxes, thought Loki was the
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  Speaker 1: biggest thief of them all, changing himself into an owl.
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  Speaker 1: Loki flew in at the kitchen window and dropped from
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  Speaker 1: his beak the three stones, which when they fell upon
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  Speaker 1: the white table, seemed to be three black stains. The
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  Speaker 1: next time the good woman came into her kitchen, she
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  Speaker 1: was surprised to find that the dinner was all cool,
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  Speaker 1: and so the wonderful stones that Olden has sent brought
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  Speaker 1: good luck. The housewife always found her food ready cooked,
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  Speaker 1: and all her jars and boxes filled with good things
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  Speaker 1: to eat, and never again was in need. The other
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  Speaker 1: women all said she was the best housekeeper in the village,
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  Speaker 1: but one thing always troubled her, and that was the
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  Speaker 1: table with the three black stains.
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  Speaker 2: She scrubbed and scrubbed.
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  Speaker 1: But could never make it white again. And now we
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  Speaker 1: must go back to Loki. He was very hungry by
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  Speaker 1: this time and hoped that Hernya would have the meat
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  Speaker 1: nicely cooked when he came back to the river bank.
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  Speaker 1: But when they took it out of the kettle, they
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  Speaker 1: found it was not cooked at all. So Olden went
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  Speaker 1: on reading his book of Ruins, not thinking about food,
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  Speaker 1: while her near and Loki watched her fire and at
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  Speaker 1: the end of an hour, they looked again at the meat.
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  Speaker 1: Now it will surely be done this time, said Loki.
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  Speaker 1: But again they were disappointed, for the meat in the
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  Speaker 1: kettle was still raw. Then they began to look about
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  Speaker 1: to see what magic might be at work, and at
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  Speaker 1: last spy the big eagle sitting on a tree near
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  Speaker 1: the fire. All at once the bird spoke and said,
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  Speaker 1: if you will promise to give me all the meat
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  Speaker 1: I can eat, it shall be cooked in a few minutes.
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  Speaker 1: The three friends agreed to this, and in a short time,
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  Speaker 1: as the bird had promised, the meat was well done.
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  Speaker 1: Loki was so hungry he could hardly wait to get
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  Speaker 1: it out of the kettle. But suddenly the eagle pounced
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  Speaker 1: down upon it and ceased more than half, which made
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  Speaker 1: Loki so angry that he took up a stick to
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  Speaker 1: beat the bird. And what do you think happened? Why?
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  Speaker 1: The stick, as soon as it touched the bird's back,
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  Speaker 1: stuck fast there, and Loki found he could not let
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  Speaker 1: go his end of it. Then away flew the eagle,
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  Speaker 1: carrying Loki with him, over the fields and over the
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  Speaker 1: tree tops, until it seemed as though his arms would
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  Speaker 1: be torn from his body. He begged for mercy, but
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  Speaker 1: the bird flew on and on. At last, Loki said,
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  Speaker 1: I will give you anything you ask if you will
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  Speaker 1: only let me go. Now the eagle was really the
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  Speaker 1: cruel storm giant Tiarsi, and he said, I will never
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  Speaker 1: let you go until you promised to get for me
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  Speaker 1: from ask God, the lovely goddess Iduna and her precious apples.
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  Speaker 1: When Olden and Hernia saw Logi winkes off through the air,
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  Speaker 1: they knew that the eagle must be one of their
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  Speaker 1: giant enemies, so they hurried home to ask God to
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  Speaker 1: defend their sacred city. Just as they came to be
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  Speaker 1: first the rainbow bridge, Loki joined them, but he took
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  Speaker 1: care not to tell them how the ego came to
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  Speaker 1: let him go. Olden felt sure that Loki had been
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  Speaker 1: doing something wrong, but knowing very well that Loki would
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  Speaker 1: not tell him the truth, he made up his mind
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  Speaker 1: not to ask any questions. The goddess Iduna, whom Loki
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  Speaker 1: was to tempt away out of ask God, was the
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  Speaker 1: dearest of them all. She was the fair goddess of
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  Speaker 1: spring and of youth, and all the Asia loved her.
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  Speaker 1: Her garden was the loveliest spot, with all sorts of
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  Speaker 1: bright sweet flowers, birds singing by day and night, little
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  Speaker 1: chattering brooks under the great trees, and everything happy and fresh.
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  Speaker 1: The gods loved to go and sit with Iduna and
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  Speaker 1: rest in her beautiful garden within the walls of esgard.
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  Speaker 1: There was another delightful thing in the garden, and that
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  Speaker 1: was Iduna's casket. This was a magic box filled with big,
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  Speaker 1: golden red apples, which she always gave her friends to taste.
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  Speaker 1: These wonderful apples were not only delicious to eat, but
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  Speaker 1: whoever tasted them, no matter how tired or feeble he
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  Speaker 1: might be, we feel young and strong again. So the
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  Speaker 1: dwellers in esgad ate often of this wonderful fruit, which
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  Speaker 1: kept them fresh and young, fit to help the people
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  Speaker 1: in the world of midgad. The casket in which Iduna
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  Speaker 1: kept her apples was always filled, for whenever she took
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  Speaker 1: out one, another came in its place. But no one
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  Speaker 1: knew where it came from, and only the Goddess of
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  Speaker 1: Youth herself could take the apples from the box, for
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  Speaker 1: if anyone else tried, the fruit grew smaller and smaller
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  Speaker 1: as the hen came nearer, until at last it vanished away.
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  Speaker 1: A few days after Loki's bargain with the giant Tiasi,
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  Speaker 1: Iduna was in her bright garden one morning watering the
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  Speaker 1: flowers when her husband Braggi, came to say goodbye to
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  Speaker 1: her because he must go on a jenney. Loki watched
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  Speaker 1: him start off and thought, now here is my chance
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  Speaker 1: to tempt Iduna away from Asgard. After a while, he
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  Speaker 1: went to the garden and found the lovely goddess sitting
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  Speaker 1: among her flowers and birds. She looked up at Lonki
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  Speaker 1: with such a sweet smile as he came near. Then
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  Speaker 1: he felt almost ashamed of his cruel plan, but he
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  Speaker 1: sat down on a grassy bank and asked Iduna for
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  Speaker 1: one of her magic apples. After tasting it, he smat
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  Speaker 1: his lips, saying, do you know, fair Iduna. As I
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  Speaker 1: was coming home toward Asgart one day, I saw a
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  Speaker 1: tree full of apples which were really larger and more
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  Speaker 1: beautiful than yours. I do wish you would go with
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  Speaker 1: me and see them. Why how can that be, said Iduna?
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  Speaker 1: For father Olden has often told me that my apples
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  Speaker 1: were the largest and finest he ever saw. I should
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  Speaker 1: so like to see those others, and I think I
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  Speaker 1: will go with you now to compare them with mine.
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  Speaker 1: Come on, then, said Loki, and you'd better take along
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  Speaker 1: your own apples so that we can try them with
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  Speaker 1: the others. Now. Braggie had often told Iduna that she
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  Speaker 1: must never wander away from home, but thinking it would
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  Speaker 1: do no harm to go such a little way just
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  Speaker 1: this once, she took the casket of apples in her
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  Speaker 1: hand and went with Loki. They had hardly passed through
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  Speaker 1: the garden gate when she began to wish herself back again. Loki,
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  Speaker 1: taking her by the hand, hurried along to the rainbow bridge.
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  Speaker 1: They had no sooner crossed over beefest than Iduna saw
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  Speaker 1: a big eagle flying two of them. Nearer and nearer
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  Speaker 1: he came, until at last he swooped down and ceased
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  Speaker 1: poor Iduna with his sharp talons, and flew away with
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  Speaker 1: her to his cold, barren home. There she stayed shut
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  Speaker 1: up for many long, dreary months, always longing to get
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  Speaker 1: back to Asgard to see Braggi and her lovely garden.
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  Speaker 1: The giant Tiacee had long been planning that if he
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  Speaker 1: could only once get the fair goddess of youth in
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  Speaker 1: his power, he would eat her magic apples and so
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  Speaker 1: get strength enough to conquer the asher. But now, after all,
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  Speaker 1: she would not give him even one of them, And
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  Speaker 1: when he put his hand into the casket, the apples
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  Speaker 1: grew smaller and smaller, until at last they vanished, so
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  Speaker 1: that he could not get even a taste. This cruel
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  Speaker 1: storm Giant kept poor Iduna closely shut up in a
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  Speaker 1: little rock chamber, hoping that some day he could force
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  Speaker 1: her to give him what he wanted. All day long,
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  Speaker 1: she heard the sea beating on the rocks below her
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  Speaker 1: gloomy ceil, but she could not look out, for the
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  Speaker 1: only window was a narrow opening in the rock high
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  Speaker 1: up above her head.
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  Speaker 2: She saw no one but the.
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  Speaker 1: Giant and his serving women, who waited upon her. When
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  Speaker 1: these women first came to her, Duna was surprised to
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  Speaker 1: see that they were not ugly or stern looking, and
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  Speaker 1: when she looked at their fair, smiling faces, she hoped
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  Speaker 1: they would be friendly and pitiful to her in her trouble.
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  Speaker 1: She begged them to help her, and with many tears,
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  Speaker 1: told them her sad story. But still they kept on smiling,
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  Speaker 1: and when they turned their bags, Iduna saw that they
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  Speaker 1: were hollow. These were the all women who had no hearts,
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  Speaker 1: and so could never be sorry for anyone when one
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  Speaker 1: is in trouble. It is very hard to be with
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  Speaker 1: l women. Every day the giant came to ask Iduna,
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  Speaker 1: in his terrible voice if she had made up her
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  Speaker 1: mind to give him the apples. Iduna was frightened, but
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  Speaker 1: she always had courage enough to say no, for she
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  Speaker 1: knew it would be forced and cowardly to give to
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  Speaker 1: a wicked giant the precious gifts which were meant for
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  Speaker 1: the high gods. Although it was hard to be a
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  Speaker 1: prisoner and to see no one but the cold, fair
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  Speaker 1: el women, who kept on smiling at her tears, she
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  Speaker 1: knew it was far better to belong to the bright Asher,
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  Speaker 1: even in prison, than to be a giant or an
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  Speaker 1: ald woman, no matter how free or smiling they might be.
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  Speaker 1: All this while, the dwellers in Asgard were sad and
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  Speaker 1: lonely without their deer in Donna. At first they went
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  Speaker 1: to her garden as before, but they missed the bright goddess,
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  Speaker 1: and soon the garden itself grew dreary. The fresh green
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  Speaker 1: leaves turned brown and fell the flowers faded, and no
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  Speaker 1: new buds opened, no bird songs were heard, and said,
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  Speaker 1: this thing of all was that now the gods had
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  Speaker 1: no more of the wonderful apples to keep them fresh
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  Speaker 1: and strong. While two strangers named Age and Pain walked
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  Speaker 1: about the city of Asgard, and the Airsha felt themselves
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  Speaker 1: growing tired and feeble. Every day they watched for Iduna's return.
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  Speaker 1: At last, when day after day had passed and still
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  Speaker 1: she did not come, a meeting of all the gods
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  Speaker 1: and goddesses were called to talk over what they should
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  Speaker 1: do and where they should search for the lost sister. Loki,
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  Speaker 1: you may be sure, took care not to show himself
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  Speaker 1: at the meeting. But when it was found out that
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  Speaker 1: Iduna had last been seen walking with him, Raggi went
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  Speaker 1: after him and brought him in before all the Esha.
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  Speaker 1: Then father Odin, who sat on his high throne, looking
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  Speaker 1: very tired, and said, said.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, Loki, what is this that you have done. You
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  Speaker 2: have broken your promise of brotherhood and brought sorrow upon
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  Speaker 2: as God. Fail not to bring home again our sister,
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  Speaker 2: or else come not yourself within our gates.
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  Speaker 1: Loki knew well that this command must be obeyed, and besides,
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  Speaker 1: even he was beginning to wish for Iduna again, so
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  Speaker 1: borrowing the cloak of falcon feathers which belonged to the
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  Speaker 1: goddess Friar, he put it on and settle for you, God,
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  Speaker 1: and the castle of the giant Tiasi, which was a
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  Speaker 1: gloomy cave in a high rock by the sea. And
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  Speaker 1: there he found poor Iduna shut up in prison. By
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  Speaker 1: good luck, the giant was away fishing when Loki arrived,
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  Speaker 1: so he was able to fly in without being seen
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  Speaker 1: through the narrow opening in Iduna's rock ceil. You would
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  Speaker 1: have taken him to be just a falcon bird, but
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  Speaker 1: Iduna knew it was really Loki, and was filled with
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  Speaker 1: joy to see him. Without stopping to talk, Loki quickly
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  Speaker 1: changed her into a nut, which he held fast in
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  Speaker 1: his falcon claws, and flew swiftly northward over the sea
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  Speaker 1: toward as God. He had not gone far when he
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  Speaker 1: heard a rushing noise behind them, and he knew it
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  Speaker 1: must be the eagle. Faster and faster flew the falcon
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  Speaker 1: with his precious nut, but the fierce eagle flew still
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  Speaker 1: faster after them. Meanwhile, for fire five days the dwellers
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  Speaker 1: in Asgard gathered together on the city walls, gazing southward
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  Speaker 1: to watch for the coming of the birds, while Loki
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  Speaker 1: and Iduna chased by Tias, the eagle flew over the
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  Speaker 1: y sea, separating Yugad, the land of the Giants, from Asgard.
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  Speaker 1: Each night the eagle was nearer his prey, and the
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  Speaker 1: watchers in the city were filled with fear lest he
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  Speaker 1: should overtake their friends. At last, they thought of a
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  Speaker 1: plan to help Iduna. Gathering a great pile of wood
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  Speaker 1: by the city walls, they set fire to it. When
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  Speaker 1: Noki reached the place, he flew safely through the thick
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  Speaker 1: smoke and flame, for you know, he was the god
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  Speaker 1: of fire, and dropped down into the city with his
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  Speaker 1: little knut held fast in his falcon claws. But when
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  Speaker 1: the heavy eagle came rushing on after them, he could
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  Speaker 1: not rise above the heat of the fire, and, smothered
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  Speaker 1: by the smoke, fell down and was burnt to death.
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  Speaker 1: There was great joy in Asgard at having the.
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  Speaker 2: Deer Iduna back again.
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  Speaker 1: Her friends gathered around her, and she invited them all
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  Speaker 1: into her garden, where the wicked trees and flowers began
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  Speaker 1: to sprout and blossom. The gay birds came back, singing
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  Speaker 1: and building their nests, and the happy little brooks went
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  Speaker 1: dancing under the trees. Iduna sat with Braggi among her friends,
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  Speaker 1: and they all feasted upon her golden apples. She was
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  Speaker 1: so thankful to be free, and a tomb in her
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  Speaker 1: garden again once more. The Asha became young and strong,
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  Speaker 1: and the two dark strains Jes went away for happiness
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  Speaker 1: and peace had come back to Asgard end of chapter
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  Speaker 1: nine