Northern mythology

.
40 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY.
wished it^ would become so small tliat he might put it in
his pocket : its only defect was_, that the haft was rather
shorts
The judgement was, that the hammer was the best
work of all, as they would find in it a powerful defence
against the frost-giants; and that the dwarf had, consequently,
won the wager. Loki offered ransom for his
head, but the dwarf rejected it. " AVell, take me then," said
Loki; but when the dwarf would lay hands on him, he
was already far away ; for he had on shoes with which he
could run both on air and water. The dwarf then begged
of Thor to take him, and he did so ; but when he was
about to cut his head off, Loki told him that the head was
his, but not the neck. The dwarf then took a thong and
a knife, and would pierce holes in Loki^s lips, in order to
sew his mouth up ; but the knife would not cut. " It
were well," said he, " if I now had my brother^ s awl," and
the instant he named it, it was there. The awl did its
duty, and with the thong, which was called Vartari, the
dwarf stitched up the lips of Loki^.
Origin of the Skaldic or Poetic Art.—When the
aEsir made peace with the Vanir, in token of amity, they
mingled their saliva in a vessel. Of the contents of this
vessel the gods created the man Kvasir. He was so wise
that no one could ask him a question that
he was unable
to answer; and he travelled far and wide to impart his
knowledge to mankind. Being invited to a feast by the
dwarfs Fialar and Galar, they took him aside, under the pretext
of a secret communication, and slew him.
His blood
they let run into two vessels, named Son and Bodn,
and into the kettle Odhraerir (0(5hr?erir). With the blood
they mingled honey, and thus composed the mead which
makes every one that partakes of it a skald or a wise man
1 Owing to the interruption caused by tlie gad-fly.
2 Grimnism. Str. 43. Gylf. 43. Skaldskap. 35.