Norse gods

Chapter 7 The Treasures of the Gods

1
Thor's wife is the beautiful Sif.She is an Asa.Thor loved her dearly, her white skin, her blue eyes, her red lips and her smile, and above all her long hair, golden with the golden hue of a late-summer wheat field.

Thor woke up and looked at the sleeping Sif.He scratched his beard, then patted his wife with his big hand. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.

She opened her eyes, and it was the color of the summer sky. "What are you talking about?" she asked, shaking her head in bewilderment.Her fingers tentatively touched her pink scalp.Then she looked at Thor with terror in her eyes.

"My hair." That was all she said.

Thor nodded. "It's all gone," he said. "He made you bald."

"Him?" Sev asked.

Thor said nothing.He put on the belt of power called Meginird.This belt doubled his divine power. "Loki," he said, "Loki did it."

"Why do you think that?" Sev asked, frantically stroking her bald head, as if the stroking would bring her hair back.

"Because," Thor said, "when something goes wrong, my first thought is always that it's Loki's fault. It saves me a lot of time."

Thor found Loki's door locked and pushed it open, sending the door shattering to the ground.He picked up Loki and asked, "Why?"

"Why?" Loki's expression was like that of an innocent lamb.

"Sev's hair. My wife's blonde hair. It was so beautiful. Why did you cut it?"

Thousands of expressions played on Loki's face like a revolving lantern: cunning and fickle, sharp and bewildered.Thor shook Loki hard.Loki lowered his head, trying to appear ashamed of his actions. "Because it was so much fun and I was drunk."

Thor's eyebrows relaxed. "Sev's hair was her glory. People would think her head was shaved as some sort of punishment. You know, they'd think she did something she shouldn't do with people she shouldn't know. "

"Oh, yes. That's true," said Loki, "and they probably do think so. And, unfortunately, I pulled out the hair at the root, so she'll be sadly bald for the rest of her life... ..."

"No, she won't." Thor looked up at Loki.At this moment, he was furious like a thunder, lifting Loki high.

"I'm afraid she will. But, don't you have hats, silk scarves and things like that?"

"She won't be bald all her life," said Thor, "because, Loki son of Laufey, if you don't give her hair back now, I'll break every bone in you. Every bone , every piece. All. If her hair doesn't grow back, I'll come back and break your bones all over again. And start all over again. You think, if I do this every day and practice hard, I'll soon be Very good at it," he went on, sounding even a little cheerful.

"No!" said Loki, "I can't give her hair back. It can't be done."

"Today," Thor mused, "it would take about an hour to break every single bone in your body. But I believe with good practice I can do my daily breaks in 15 minutes. See if I can do it." Go ahead." He began to break the first bone.

"Dwarves!" Loki shrieked.

"what?"

"Dwarves! They can make anything. They can make Sif's blond hair that will stick to her scalp, grow like natural hair, flawless blond hair. They can do it. I swear they can."

"In that case," Thor said, "you'd better go find them." He let go of Loki from his hold, letting him drop to the ground.

Loki quickly got up and escaped, lest Thor break his bones again.

He put on the boots that allowed him to walk in the sky at will, and went straight to Safa Tafhan.The workshops of the dwarves are all there.According to Loki, the most skillful of the dwarves were the three sons of Ivaldi.

Loki went to their underground iron foundry. "Hello, sons of Ivaldi. I've asked around, and I've heard that Brock and his brother Etri are the greatest dwarf artisans in the world," said Loki.

"No," said one of Ivaldi's sons, "we are right. We are the greatest artisans who have ever lived."

"I've been told that Brothers Brock and Itri can make treasures as exquisite as yours."

"Nonsense!" said the tallest of Ivaldi's sons. "Even if it's saddling a horse, I wouldn't hand it over to those clumsy wretches."

The smallest and smartest of Ivaldi's three sons shrugged. "Whatever they build you, we can build better."

"I hear you accept their challenge," Loki said. "Three treasures. The gods of Asa will judge who makes the most exquisite treasure. Oh, by the way, the three treasures you will make One of the things has to be hair. Flawless blond hair, blond hair that never stops growing."

"We can do it," said one of Ivaldi's three sons.Loki couldn't tell them apart.

Loki next traveled across the mountains to meet a dwarf called Brock.He came to the workshop of Brock and his brother Etri. "The three Ivaldi sons will make three treasures for the gods of Asgard," Loki said, "and the gods will judge these treasures. The three Ivaldi sons asked me to tell you that you and your brother Etri Couldn't make something as subtle as that, not even a door. And they say you two are 'clumsy bastards.'"

Bullock is not stupid. "That sounds very suspicious, Loki," he said. "Isn't that your style? It looks like something you would do to drive a wedge between the three Ivaldi sons and the two of us. .”

Loki's expression is as honest as he can be, so he looks surprisingly sincere. "It has nothing to do with me." He said innocently, "I just thought I should tell you."

"You didn't profit from it yourself?" Brock asked.

"Absolutely not."

Brock nodded and looked up at Loki.Itri was the stronger craftsman of the two brothers, but Brock was the wiser and more decisive. "If this is the case, we are happy to compete with the three sons of Ivaldi and let the gods judge. Because there is no doubt that our two brothers can forge more exquisite treasures than the Ivaldi family. However, in order to increase the interest , Loki, let's get real. Don't you dare?"

"What do you want to propose?" Loki asked.

"Your head," Brock said, "if we win the game, I'll get your head, Rocky. You've got a lot of interesting stuff in your head, and I think Eitri could make a fun thing out of it." Son. Maybe build a thinking machine, or an inkwell or something."

Loki was smiling.But inwardly, he frowned.Everything started off so well.All he had to do, though, was to make sure Eitri and Brock didn't win the match, and the gods would still get the six treasures from the dwarves, and Sif would get her golden hair.He can do it.He is Loki.

"Of course," he said, "my head is fine."

On the other side of the mountain, the third son of Ivaldi was casting treasures.Loki wasn't worried about them.But he had to make sure that Bullock and Eitri couldn't, couldn't win, couldn't win.

Brock and Itri walked into the workshop.It was dark inside, lit only by the orange glow of burning coals.Eitri lifted a pigskin and placed it on the furnace. "I've been keeping this pigskin for critical moments like this," he said.

Brock just nodded.

"Okay," Eitri said, "you pull the bellows, Brock. Just keep pulling. I need this heat, I want consistent heat. It won't work otherwise. Pull. Pull."

Brock started pulling the bellows, sending oxygen-laden air into the center of the furnace, which made everything heat up.He is very skilled at this job.Eitri watched until he was satisfied with everything.He stepped out of the furnace room and started working on his treasures.The moment he opened the door, a black insect spread its wings and flew in.It is neither a horsefly nor a buckfly.It flew maliciously around the furnace chamber.

Brock could hear Eitri hammering outside the furnace chamber, grinding, twisting, shaping, beating.

The black fly—absolutely the biggest, darkest fly you've ever seen— landed on Brock's hand.

Bullock was pulling the bellows with both hands.He didn't stop to drive the fly away.The fly bit Brock hard, right on the back of his hand.

Bullock didn't stop.

At this time the door opened, and Eitri walked in, and he carefully pulled the work out of the furnace.The thing looked like a huge wild boar, its bristles gleaming with gold.

"Well done," Eitri said, "if it's a little bit too hot, or a little bit too cold, this thing won't work, it'll be a waste of time."

"You did a good job, too," Brock said.

The black fly sat in the corner of the ceiling, buzzing with hatred and rage.

Itri took out a piece of gold and placed it on the furnace. "Okay," he said, "the next baby will wow them. You start pulling your bellows while I'm yelling, and no matter what happens, you can't slow down, you can't speed up Or stop. It's delicate work."

"Understood." Brock replied.

Itri went out to work.Brock waited for a signal from Itri, then began pulling the bellows.

The black fly circled the room thoughtfully, then stopped on Brock's neck.The blackfly circled gracefully around a puddle of sweat—for the heat rising from the stove was too hot.It bit Brock's neck with all his might.Bright red blood mixed with sweat trickled down Bullock's neck.

Itri is back.He took a red-hot white armband from the stove and dropped it into the stone pool to cool.The moment the armband fell into the water, heat steamed up.As the armband cooled, it quickly turned orange, then red, and finally golden as the temperature dropped.

"It's called Dropnir," Eitri said.

"'Hourglasser'? That's an interesting name for an armband," Brock said.

"No, this isn't funny," Eitri said, explaining the magic of the armband to Bullock.

"Now," Eitri said, "there's something I've wanted to make for a long time, and it's going to be my life's masterpiece. But it's going to require a lot more finesse. So all you need to do is—"

"Pull the bellows, keep pulling the bellows?" Brock asked.

"Right," Eitri said, "this time it's extremely important. Don't change the speed or it'll be all over." Eitri picked out a piece of pig iron.It was the largest piece of pig iron that Black Fly (which Loki had made) had ever seen.Itri threw the pig iron into the furnace.

He leaves the room and tells Brock to start blowing the bellows.

Brock began to pull, and there was the sound of Eitri pounding outside, and at the same time, you could hear Eitri stretching, shaping, bending and joining.

Loki in the form of a black fly decided that he had to be ruthless.Itri's masterpiece will surely be favored by the gods, but if it is too favored, his head will be lost.Loki stopped between Brock's eyes and began to bite the dwarf's eyelids.Enduring the pain in his eyes, the dwarf continued to pull on the bellows.Loki bit deeper, harder, and more desperately.Blood trickled down the dwarf's eyelids and across his face, blinding him.

Brock squinted his eyes and shook his head, trying to drive away the black flies.He shook his head from side to side.He pursed his lips and tried to blow on the blackfly.None of this worked.The blackflies continued to bite him, and now the dwarf could see nothing but blood.Stinging pain filled his head.

Brock counted down, and at the bottom of the drop, one of his hands released the bellows to drive away the black flies.His hand was so fast and strong that Loki almost died.Brock regained his grip on the bellows and continued to pull.

"Enough!" Eitri yelled.

Black flies were flying around the room unsteadily.Itri opened the door, and the black fly flew out.

Itri looked at his brother with disappointment.Brock's face was covered with blood and sweat. "I don't know what you were up to," Eitri said, "but you almost screwed everything up. The temperature went up and down in the last few minutes. Well now, it's not at all It's as beautiful as I'd hoped it would be. We'll just have to wait and see."

At this moment, Loki walked through the wide open door in his own form. "Well, are you ready to play?" he asked.

"Just let Brock go to Asgard and present a gift to the gods, and chop your head back," Eitri said. "I just want to stay in my own workshop and make things."

Brock looked at Loki with swollen eyelids. "I'm looking forward to chopping off your head," Bullock said. "It's already personal."

2
In Asgard, three main gods sit on thrones as judges: the one-eyed Odin, the father of the gods, Thor, the red-bearded god of thunder, and Frey, the handsome god of fertility.

Loki was in front of them, surrounded by the third son of Ivaldi who seemed hard to distinguish.

Blackbearded Brock stood aside thoughtfully, the treasure he had brought under the cloth.

"So," Odin asked, "what shall we judge?"

"Treasure," said Loki, "the sons of Ivaldi have brought you gifts, for the great Odin, and for Thor and Frey. Eitri and Brock have brought gifts too. It is up to you to judge , Which of these six treasures is the most exquisite. I will show you the treasures of the third son of Ivaldi first."

He showed Odin the spear called Gunnir.It is a beautiful spear engraved with intricate runic script.

"It pierces through everything, and when you throw it, it hits the mark," explained Loki.After all, Odin has only one eye, and sometimes his aim is unavoidable. "There is also the wonderful thing that any oath that is evidenced by this spear will be unbreakable."

Odin raised his spear. "It's ingenious." That's all he said.

"Look here again," Loki said proudly, "is a head of brilliant golden hair. Made of pure gold. It will fit seamlessly into the wearer's scalp and grow naturally. It will be as natural as real hair , Vitality. These are thousands of strands of gold.”

"Let me try," Thor said, "Sev, come here."

Sif got up and came to the temple, with a turban on his head.She removed her hood, and the gods gasped, marveling at her bald pink head.She carefully placed the dwarf-made golden wig on her head and shook her head slightly.In full view, the bottom of the wig fit onto her scalp.Sif stood proudly before the gods, more glamorous than ever.

"It's beautiful," Thor said. "Good work!"

Sif shook her blonde hair and walked out of the hall.She came out into the sun to show off her new hair to her friends.

The last gift of the third son of Ivaldi is small, it can be folded like cloth.Loki placed the cloth in front of Frey.

"What is this? It looks like a silk scarf." Frey said unmoved.

"It looks like a silk scarf," Loki said, "but if you unfold it, it becomes a boat called Skid Platney. Its magic is that wherever it goes, it It will always be with the wind. It is the largest boat you can imagine, but it does not take up much room, and it can be folded. You see, it is as light as a piece of cloth, and it can be easily put in a pocket."

Frey was very moved, and Loki's hanging heart finally let go.These are three wonderful gifts.

Now it's Brock's turn.His eyelids were still red and swollen, and there were marks of giant fly bites on his neck.Loki felt that Brock looked too smug, especially after seeing the exquisite treasure presented by the third son of Ivaldi.

Brock presented the golden armband to Odin's high throne. "The name of this golden armlet is Dropnir," said Brock, "every nine nights, it will give birth to eight equally perfect golden armlets. You can use it to reward others, or send Save them so your wealth keeps growing."

Odin inspected it, then slipped the armband on, wrapping it around his bicep.Treasures glistened. "It's ingenious," he said.

Loki remembered that this was exactly what Odin had said about the spear.

Brock walked over to Frey.He presented a huge wild boar with golden bristles.

"Here is the golden boar my brother made for you. It will pull your chariot," said Brock. It can shine brightly, even in the darkest night, its light can illuminate you and let you see your surroundings clearly. It will never tire and never let you down. It is called Gulinboshidi, Golden Mane Boar."

Frey looked very satisfied.But, Loki thought, wouldn't a magical ship that could be folded up like a piece of cloth be as satisfying as a shiny, galloping pig?Loki's head was safe.And Brock's last gift was the one that Loki had messed up a long time ago, of course Loki knew this.

Brock took a hammer from under the cloth and presented it to Thor.

Thor glanced at it and took a breath.

"The handle of the hammer is a little short," he said.

Brock nodded. "Yes," he said, "that was my fault. I was the one who pulled the bellows. But please don't be too quick to dismiss it. Let me tell you what makes this hammer unique. Its name is Myr Neil, the maker of lightning. First of all, it's indestructible—no matter how hard you hit something else with it, the hammer won't break."

Thor looked a little interested.Over the years, he has damaged many weapons, usually because he used them to hit other things.

"And when you throw it, it always hits."

Thor looked even more interested.He'd lost quite a few great weapons over the years, usually because he'd hurled them at something and missed them, and many of the weapons he'd lost had disappeared into the distance, never to be found again.

"No matter how hard you throw it, or how far you throw it, it will always come back to you."

Thor began to smile.The god of thunder and lightning doesn't laugh often.

"You can change the size of this hammer. It can be bigger or smaller. You can shrink it to fit in your shirt if you want."

Thor clapped his hands with joy, and thunder echoed in Asgard.

"But as you can see," Brock concluded sadly, "the hammer handle is really short. It's my fault. I didn't keep pulling the bellows when my brother Etri made it. .”

"The lack of a handle is just a minor aesthetic issue," Thor said. "This hammer will protect us from the Frost Giants. It's the most ingenious gift I've ever seen."

"It will protect Asgard. It will protect us all," Odin said approvingly.

"If I were a giant, I'd be afraid of Thor with that hammer," Frey also said.

"Yes, it's a good hammer. But Thor, where's Sev's hair? Where's Sev's dazzling blond hair!" Loki asked, slightly anxiously.

"What? Oh, my wife has nice hair," Thor said. "Brock, now show me how to make the hammer bigger and smaller."

"Thor's hammer is more amazing than my exquisite spear and exquisite armband." Odin said and nodded.

"Thor's hammer is more amazing than my ship and the golden pig," Frey also admitted. "It will protect the gods and Asgard."

The gods patted Brock on the back and told him that Eitri and his gift were wonderful, unheard and unseen.

"That's great," Brock said.He turned to Loki. "So," said Brock, "I can now chop off your head and take it home, son of Laufey. Eitri will be very pleased. We can do something useful with it."

"I...I want to redeem my head," said Loki, "I can exchange it with you for treasure."

"Itri and I already have all the treasure we need," Brock said. "We are the treasure maker. No, Loki, I want your head."

Loki thought for a while, then replied, "It's all right for you. If you can catch me." Then Loki jumped high, over the dwarf's head.In an instant, he fled away.

Brock looked at Thor. "Can you catch him?"

Thor shrugged. "I really shouldn't do it," he said, "but I'd like to try that new hammer you gave me."

Thor came back soon, clutching Loki tightly in his hands.Loki was obviously very annoyed, but there was nothing he could do.

Dwarf Brock drew his knife. "Come here, Loki," he said, "I'll cut off your head."

"Of course," replied Loki, "you may behead me. But—I ask Odin to decide—if you cut off an inch of my neck, you will break our agreement. Our agreement only allows you to chop off my head, and only my head."

Odin leaned forward. "Loki is right," he said, "you have no right to cut his neck."

Brock was a little annoyed. "You can't cut off his head without cutting his neck," he said.

Loki looked smug. "You see," he said, "if everyone could think of exactly what their words meant, they wouldn't have challenged Loki—incomparably wise, incomparably clever, insanely cunning, insanely wise, handsome, even Who else..."

Brock said something in Odin's ear. "That sounds fair enough," Odin agreed.

Brock made a leather belt and a knife, and he tied the leather belt around Loki's mouth, trying to pierce the leather with the point of the blade.

"It won't go in," Brock said. "My knife won't cut your flesh."

"It's probably because I wisely took precautions in advance," Loki said modestly, "I'm not afraid of ten thousand, just in case. This is to prevent my previous set of 'you can't cut off the neck, only the head'" Words don't work. I don't think any knife can hurt me right now!"

Brock cursed under his breath and made another awl, the kind of sharp metal spikes used when making leather, and he pushed the awl through the leather and over Loki's lips.Finally he sewed Loki's lips together with strong thread.

Brock left, leaving Loki with his mouth sewn tightly together, unable to complain.

For Loki, not being able to speak was more painful than having lips sewn into leather.

Now you know how the gods got their treasure.Everything is Rocky's fault.Even Thor's hammer is Loki's fault.That's what Rocky is.Even when you were most grateful, you hated him; and even when you hated him most, you were still grateful to him.

(End of this chapter)