WHEN the Vanir had attacked the Aesir, the silver and gold fence around Asgard had been breached) and the jotuns could now shoot their arrows of ice right into the green fields of Ida. So the Aesir gathered. at the foot of Yggdrasil to consider the matter. After much talk they decided that a wall of stone must be built, turning Asgard into a real stronghold.
Just then a huge hulk of a man came driving along in a cart pulled by a great black horse. He would be glad to build the wall for them, he said, for he was a mason. The Aesir were delighted. They all loved to build with bricks. of gold and shingles of silver, but to build a fortress wall of stone was a dreary chore, not a fitting task for gods. When they asked what the mason would want for payment, however, they were shocked. He wanted. Freya herself, and also the sun and the moon!
“Preposterous!’ the all cried. ‘‘We would never think of giving Freya to a stranger, and we would never rip the sun and the moon out of the sky, leaving the world in total darkness!’’
They were just going to chase the mason away when Loki whispered, ‘‘Tell him you will give him what he asks, but on two conditions: he alone must build the wall, and he must build it within. the span of a winter. Nobody can possibly build that wall in such a short time.’’
The Aesir listened to Loki’s advice, and when the mason accepted the conditions they thought his arms must be much stronger than his wits, and they exchanged sly glances. They would have most of the stone wall built for nothing. What a cunning fellow Loki really was!
But as the winter went slowly by and a high wall rose and grew around them, the Aesir began to worry. Never had they seen a worker like the mason. He never slept, he never rested. All night long his huge black horse carted boulders as big as mountains up to Asgard. All day long, while the horse ate, the mason easily fitted the boulders into place. At last, with three days of winter still to go, only the gateposts were unfinished. The Aesir’s worry turned to despair; they rushed at Loki and shouted:
“Traitor! You talked us into this with your slippery tongue. Now you get us out of it!” And they seized him by the neck and shook him. “We cannot give beautiful Freya to an unknown stranger and plunge the world into darkness. Now do something!”
The frightened Loki begged, “Please let go of my neck and I promise I will find a way out.” So the Aesir let him go, and Loki scampered into the woods.
That evening, when the mason came driving his horse down through the woods to start his night’s work of hauling stones, a sleek young mare ran out in front of his cart. She neighed softly, tossed her head, kicked high her heels, and trotted back into the woods.
The mason’s big black stallion bolted and tore off after the mare. The mason ran after his horse.
Late the next day he caught up with him, but both mason and horse were too exhausted to do any carting and building of stone walls. So the wall was still unfinished when winter came to an end.
Then the mason realized that he had been tricked, and, showing his true nature, flew into a jotun rage. For he really was a jotun disguised as a mason. With all his great strength he began to tear down the wall he had built, threatening to destroy whoever came near him.
When the Aesir saw that instead of a stupid mason they had a raging jotun among them, they shouted for Thor.
Thor was away, chasing trolls, but the moment his name was mentioned he appeared; and when he saw that there was a jotun in Asgard, he did not think twice but threw his hammer that never missed. That was the reward of the jotun who tried to outwit the Aesir and carry away Freya and the lights of the world.
The strong stone wall around Asgard was almost built, and the Aesir themselves easily finished what was left to do. They were pleased with themselves, and only Odin worried that the Aesir had again broken faith. The mason would have kept his part of the bargain, and the Aesir had not kept theirs.
The wall itself was good and strong; and nobody blamed Loki for his part. Still, for a long while he was not seen. Then one day he walked out of the woods leading a colt—a little gray colt that glided along on eight legs! The mare of course had been none other than Loki, and he had mothered the handsome colt.
In time the colt grew into a wonderful horse that no other horse could match. His eight legs were so swift that he ran like a storm wind through the air and over the billowing sea. Odin made him his personal steed and named him Sleipnir, the Glider.