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GIANTS. 537
whom a peasant, to keep him friendly, had invited to a christen
ing, refused, much as he would have liked to share in the feast,
because he learnt from the messenger that not only Christ, Peter
and Mary, but Thor also would be there j he would not face him
(Nyerup s Morskabslasning, p. 243). A giant in Fladsoe was on
bad terms with one that lived at Nestved. He took his wallet to
the beach and filled it with sand, intending to bury all Nestved.
On the way the sand ran out through a hole in tlie sack, giving
rise to the string of sandbanks between Fladsoe and Nestved.
Not till he came to the spot where Husvald then stood, did the
giant notice that the greater part was spilt ; in a rage he flung
the remainder toward Nestved, where you may still see one sand
bank by itself . (Thiele 1, 79) At Sonnerup lived another giant,
Lars Krands by name, whom a farmer of that place had offended.
He went to the shore, filled his glove with sand, took it to the
farmer s and emptied it, so that the farmhouse and yard were
completely covered ;
what had run through the five finger holes of
the glove made five hills (Thiele 1, 33). In the Netherlands the
hill of Hillegersberg is produced by the sand which a giantess
lets fall through een schortekleed (Westendorp s Mythol. p. 187).
And these tales are not only spread through the Teutonic
race, but are in vogue with Finns and Celts and Greeks. Near
Pajilnde in Hattulasocken of Tawastoland there stand some rocks
which are said to have been carried by giant s daughters in their
aprons and then tossed up (Ganander s Finn. myth. pp. 29. 30).
French traditions put the holy Virgin or fays (p. 41 3) in the place
of giantesses. Notre dame de Clery, being ill at ease in the
church of Mezieres, determined to change the seat of her adora
tion, took earth in her apron and carried it to a neighbouring
height, pursued by Judas : then, to elude the enemy, she took
a part of the earth up again, which she deposited at another place
not far off: oratories were reared on both sites (Mem. de 1 acad.
celt. 2, 218). In the Charente country, arrond. Cognac, cornm.
Saintfront, a huge stone lies by the Ney rivulet ; this the holy
Virgin is said to have carried on her head,
beside four other
pillars in her apron ; but as she was crossing the Ney, she let one
pillar fall into Saintfront marsh (Mem. des antiquaires 7, 31).
According to a Greek legend, Athena was fetching a mountain
from Pallene to
fortify the Acropolis, but, startled at the ill news