Northern mythology

62 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY.
was nearly as much in it as before.
'' Thou hast drunk
some, but no great deal/^ said Utgarda-Loki.
^^ I coukl
not have believed it, had it been told me, that Asa-Thor
was unable to drink more. I am sensible, however, that
thou wilt drink it all at the second draught.^'' Instead of
answering, Thor set the horn to his mouth, resolved on
taking a greater draught than before, but could not raise
the tip of the horn so high as he wished, and on taking it
from his mouth, it seemed to him that he had imbibed still
less than at the first pull ;
though now the horn was easy
to carry without spilling. Utgarda-Loki then said, " How
now, Thor, hast thou not left
more than thou canst conveniently
quafi"off in one draught ?
It appears to me that
if thou art to empty the horn at the third pull, thou hast
left for that the greatest portion. But thou wilt not be
thought so great a man here with us as thou art said to
be among the iEsir, if thou dost not distinguish thyself
more at other games than, as it seems to me, thou art
likely to do at this.^^ At this speech Thor waxed angry,
raised the horn to his mouth and di'ank a third time with
all his might, and as long as he was able ; but when he
looked into the horn, he saw that a part only of its contents
had disappeared. He then put the horn aside and
would have no more. " It is now pretty plain,^^ said
Utgarda-Loki, " that thou art not quite so mighty as we
thought thee. Art thou inclined to try any other feats,
for it is evident thou wilt not gain much at this.^^ Thor
answered, " I am willing to try another: though I wonder
whether among the Msiv such draughts would be called
little. But what feat hast thou now to propose ? '^
Utgarda-Loki answered, " It is
what my youngsters here
do and make nothing of; it is merely to lift my cat frOm
the ground. I should not, however, have proposed such a
feat to Asa-Thor, had I not seen that thou art by no means
the man I imagined thee to be.^^ A huge gray cat then came