Myths Retold V

War Of The Gods, XI.

Hadding recounts a myth to his guards.

During the Aesir-Vanir war and after visiting Mimir, Odin went alone through wild ways, often losing his way and finding it again. He went through Midgard, often having to fight. He went without food through Ironwood haunted by trolls and monsters. He went down into hell, through cold, dark Niflheim, past rushing rivers, swarming vipers and the dragon Nidhogg. He skirted Muspellheim and climbed the highest mountains of Jotunheim where he met Farbauti and Laufey and their sons, Byleist and Loki. (We are still at the beginning of the worlds when figures like Loki appear for the first time.)

Farbauti and Laufey had a huge hall with swart elf servants and wind forever howling outside, driving snow and ice. Loki persuaded his parents to tell Odin that the wisdom he sought was on the far side of death. With Loki as guide, Odin went down the mountains, across the glaciers and wastes and past giants' garths to the sea which they crossed in the half boat seen by sailors before they drown. Loki called a drow from his barrow to ferry them.

They passed through a wildwood inhabited only by "...the beings of water, earth, and sky..." (p. 82) and came to the Tree with the worlds at its roots, on its trunk and in its branches. The red squirrel Ratatosk carries ill will between Nidhogg at the roots and an eagle aloft. A hart grazes the leaves and a rot attacks the wood but the Tree endures. They climbed high into the Tree, along lengthy branches, through leafy caverns. From a particular branch, Odin hanged himself. Loki wounded Odin with his own spear. Odin died and hung for nine nights. He revived and fell when the rope broke. Rising, he grasped the graven runes of high magic and deep wisdom combining the lores of gods, elves, dwarves, giants and men. Because of this, the Tree is called Yggdrasil, Horse of the Terrible One, and Odin is the Lord of the Gallows.