Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY, 189
as has already been observed, denotes a president; his
abode is GHtnir (from at gUta, to shine, glitter), the shining,
glittering, and betokens the solemnity, sanctity and purity
of justice ^
Bragi and Idun (I^unn I)7uSr)^.—Bragi is a son of
Odin and husband of Idun, the originator of poetry and
eloquence, the most exquisite skald; hug-runes (mindrunes)
are inscribed on his tongue ;
he is celebrated for his
gentleness, but more particularly for eloquence and \Yise
utterance. After him poetry is called bragr; and after
him men and women distinguished for wisdom of speech
are called bragr-men or bragr- women. He is described as
having an ample beard, whence persons with a similar ap-
])endage are called Skeggbragi (from skegg, heard). His
wife, Idun, keeps in her casket the apples of which the
gods bite when they are growing old; they then again
become young, and so it will go on imtil Ragnarock. On
hearing this relation of Har, Gangleri observed :
" It is a
very serious charge which the gods have committed to
Idun^s care ; ^^ but Har answered, laughing at the same
time, '' It was once near upon bringing with it a great misfortune'.^'
(In what it consisted is nowhere said.) For the
story of her being carried off by Thiassi see page 44.
the Loka-glepsa^ Bragi offers a horse and a sword to Loki,
if he will desist from raising strife, who in return upbraids
him with being, of all the iEsir and Alfar present, the
most fearful in battle and the greatest avoider of shot.
Idun beseeches her husband to keep peace with Loki, and
declares that she will utter no contemptuous words to him,
but will only appease her husband, who is somewhat heated
by drink. But Loki, who appears verj^ regardless of her
gentleness, tells her that she is the most wauton of women,
1
Gylf. 26. Bi7nli. Qvi'Sa, i. 17. Skaldskap. 10.
2 Connected with i^, activity ; i'5inn, active. Keyser, p. 39.
3 str. 12-18.
In