Giants, Beasts, and Gods: Tales from the North

Chapter 4: Asgard

The Halls of Asgard
Asgard, the home of the Aesir, was one of the most glorious places in the world. Many majestic halls stood about, from Thor's hall Bilskirnir to Balder's hall Breidablik. The greatest of them all was Valaskjalf, the silver tower containing Odin's all-showing throne. At the center laid Ida, a fair field. There, the gods rolled in the grass or ran though the flowers. Their favorite activity at Ida was playing chess with golden pieces on golden boards, all while resting beneath the golden foliage of the birch tree Glasir.

The Wall and the Steed
The gods met one day to discuss how to replace Asgard's fence, which the Vanir destroyed during the war. Just then, a man rode up to them in a horse-drawn cart. He said he could build a sturdy wall around Asgard, provided he was given the sun, the moon, and Freya's hand in marriage, as payment. Outraged, the gods were about to drive the treacherous mason off when Loki had an idea. The clever trickster told the mason he would into get his compensation if he alone completed the wall in three seasons.

Unfortunately, the mason was inhumanely fast, and soon a high wall encompassed most of Asgard. Fearing his loophole would backfire, Loki changed into a mare and wooed away the mason's steed, Svadilfari. The horse took off in hot pursuit, prompting his master to follow. By the time the mason and his horse got back, it was too late; the three seasons were up and the gatehouse wasn't complete. Enraged by fact he had been cheated, the mason, who was in fact a jotun, flew into a rage and started tearing down the wall, only to be slain by Thor's trusty hammer.

The gods competed the wall themselves, and it was a good, sturdy structure. Strangely, Loki was nowhere to be seen. Months later, he returned with an eight-legged colt. He was the child of Loki, whom he bore as the mare. The colt grew into a strong stallion and became Odin's personal steed, Sleipnir.

The Hall of Heroes
Life wasn't always peaceful in Midgard, for men often warred with each other. They fought for gold, food, land, and just for the fun of it. People knew a bloody battle was coming when Odin was seen riding through the stormy sky on his eight-legged steed. With a throw of his spear, he decided who would win and who would fall. Then he charged into battle, accompanied by a band of righteous warrior maidens, the Valkyries. Wearing winged helmets and swan cloaks, wielding spears of light, and riding nebulous horses, they were ones who selected dying heroes who fought bravely. Those men were spirited away by the Valkyries to Valhalla, where fallen warriors, the einherjar, dined in all their honor with Odin. Since he feared a final battle was inevitable, he gathered an army as large as possible.

Valhalla was a very splendid place indeed. Golden shields made up the roof, the rafters were spear shafts, and coats of mail hung on the walls like tapestries. At the very center of it all was Laerad, a giant tree. Like Yggdrasil, the World Tree, it was inhabited by many creatures. One very important animal was Eikthyrnir, a stag whose antlers produced a great waterfall, which in turn flowed throughout the world. Heidrun, a goat who ate the tree's leaves and bark, produced mead from her udders. The einherjar drank this mead and dined on fresh pork, cooked by Andhrimnir in his cauldron, Eldhrimnir. The pork was provided by Sæhrimnir, a magic pig who came back to life in the morning. The Valkyries were kept busy, refilling the heroes' platters and cups. After they had eaten their fill, the einherjar fell asleep on the straw-strewn benches. In the morning, they woke in a quarrelsome mood. Donning their armor and grabbing their weapons, they headed to the field of Ida and brutally slaughtered each other in combat. The most ferocious of them all were the berserkers, frenzied warriors dressed in the pelts of bears and wolves. Luckily, the magic of Asgard kept the einherjar alive. When the dinner bell rang, the einherjar put themselves back together and headed back to Valhalla as the best of friends.