“So, that is your choice? I must be ugly when all around us are so beautiful? The other ladies are fair and shown respect. Must I seem foul to all men?” Turning away from him, she wept.
Gawain was filled with pity and remorse as he heard her lament. He cursed himself for putting his own pleasure before his lady's feelings.
“Please, I did not think,” he said, his natural courtesy and kindness winning the upper hand. “My dear, if you would rather that you be beautiful while in the world of daylight, I will choose that. To me, of course, you'll be always as you are right now, so be lovely in front of others and deformed to me alone. Anyway, at least the others need never know that the enchantment is not wholly removed.”
Looking pleased for a moment, the lady suddenly turned grave, and said:
“But have you considered the dangers a young and lovely lady is exposed to at court? Surely there are bad knights who would try and seduce an innocent dame who has led such an odd life and may be susceptible to flattery and attention even though her husband is the king's favourite nephew? Heaven forbid, but one of them might please me more than you. Many are bound to be sorry they refused to marry me when they see me in the morning. It may be a great risk to leave my beauty under the guard only of my own virtue and wisdom. If you want me young and fair, that is the consequence. Do you dare it?” She was grinning merrily now at him and he finally smiled and shook his head.
“No, no, my dear love,” he said, his hands raised in surrender. “I'll leave the matter to you. It is only just that it should be left to your own judgement. I will be happy with whatsoever you decide.”
With a gasp, the lady threw her dainty hand over her tender mouth and looked wide-eyed at her husband.
“Oh, Gawain,” she cooed, tears of joy welling up in her lovely eyes. “Bless you, my own dear lord. With these words you have entirely released me from the spell. Now I will always be as fair and young as I am now, that is until old age changes me as it does every other mortal.”
Relieved, happy and rather proud of himself, Gawain swept her into his arms and twirled her around the room, showering kisses on her lips and face, then falling on to the bed with his bride.
“How did all this happen?” he asked, catching his breath.
“My widowed father, a great duke of high renown had one son and one daughter, both of goodly appearance, whom he dearly loved. However, about the time when I came of an age to be married, my father decided to take a new wife. Alas, he wedded a witch and she used her powers to be rid of his two children. She cast a spell upon us both, and that is how I was transformed into the woman you wed, while my gallant and gentle young brother was turned into the churlish giant who occupies the enchanted castle at Tarn Wathelan.”
“The very one who ransomed the king?”
“Yes; in his guise as a cruel giant he certainly meant me no good. Our stepmother condemned me to keep that awful shape until I married a young and courtly knight who would grant me all my will. That seemed an impossible dream until just the day before yesterday. But Gawain, you have done all those things for me, and I shall always love you and be your good and faithful wife.”
“And what about your brother?”
“That is part of the wonderful thing you have done. He too is now released from the spell. He will become once again one of the truest and most gentle knights alive.”
The great hall was full the next morning when the knight and his bride appeared. Every single knight and lady had turned up at court to see them. The men were all thinking scornfully of the hideous hag Gawain had married and wondering how the wedding night had gone for the poor self-sacrificing fool. The ladies thought it a terrible pity that so good looking and well placed a young knight should be tied to an ugly old crone. All their scorn and pity disappeared when they saw the bride on Gawain's arm as they slowly came down the long staircase into the hall.
“S'wounds, who is this delightful dame?” Sir Kay whispered loudly. “So Gawain,” he called, “for all your sweet courtesy yesterday, you got rid of your ancient bride quickly enough.”
“Where is you wife?” asked the king, alarmed.
Everyone awaited the answer with bated breath.
“Why, uncle, do you not recognize her? This is the lady to whom I was married but yestere'n,” Sir Gawain replied with a grin.
“I was under an evil enchantment,” the young lady explained, blushing prettily as everybody gaped at her.
Sir Kay stared with much the same expression he had worn when he had first seen her in her hideous form, except that now it was his pinched-looking mouth that was turned slightly up at the corners instead of his nose.
“The spell has vanished now that I have a fine husband,” the lady went on. “What is more, my lord King Arthur,” the lady smiled winningly at her husband's uncle, “the giant knight of Tarn Wathelan is my brother, who was also under a spell. It too is now lifted, and he surely will soon come to ask your pardon and assure you all that the ground on which his fortress stands will have no more power to sap the strength of other knights.” His prisoners, of course, were all set free.
“By God's good grace, dear liege and uncle,” Gawain said as he came before the king and queen. “When I married the loathly lady yesterday, truly I thought only of your happiness. Perhaps for that reason He has blessed me beyond measure. I am now the happiest of men.”
The miraculous good fortune of his nephew gave King Arthur much joy. His guilt for allowing Gawain to pay his debt was lifted and it was glorious to see such sincere virtue so profoundly rewarded. For her part, Queen Guinevere welcomed the fair maiden as graciously as she had the loathly lady. The wedding feast began anew with greater merriment and with all tongues wagging over more uplifting subjects or more gentle fun, as befitted the end to the Christmas festivities.
Thor, Loki the Trickster, and the Twilight of the Gods
The Germanic tribes and pagan Norway put Thor (or Donar) at the head of their pantheon of gods. He is often ifentified with Jupiter (Zeus to the Greeks) and honoured in the German language by having a day named after him – Donnerstag (Thursday). Thor crops up in many legends and took a hand in the careers of many other gods, including Loki, who was a creation of Scandinavian myth-makers.
When Thor woke up and stretched, his hand landed naturally on the spot where the hammer, Mjolnir, should have been, but his touch only met with empty space. Fully awake instantly, he looked around for the famous weapon, which could shrink to such a small size as to fit into a pocket when he wished it to. He searched among his blankets, under his bed, through all of his clothing. Alas, ‘the Destroyer’ was nowhere to be found.
His first thought was of his fellow god, Loki. From mischief to downright skulduggery, Loki could always be counted on to keep the lives of gods, giants, demons, and even ordinary people, interesting. He was decidedly light-fingered and knew more than anyone ought to about theft and trickery in general. One way or another he would be able to enlighten Thor.
Of course, it had been through some of Loki's shenanigans that Thor came to have the hammer in the first place. Gungnir, the famous spear of Odin, was acquired by similar means, as well as several other remarkable possessions of the gods. Thor found himself recalling the matter as he made his way to Loki's home.
He ground his teeth a moment as he recollected how Loki had cut off the hair of his wife, Sif, while she slept, and how he, Thor, had nearly broken the miscreant in two upon finding her shorn like a sheep. Loki had escaped with promises of getting the dwarfs to fashion for Sif hair of pure gold that would grow and feel like real hair.
So skilful were these renowned workers of metal, and so flattered by the divine commission, that they made Odin two fine gifts in addition. There was Gungnir, the spear that would never stop in flight, and a wonderful ship that could be shrunk so small as to fit in a pocket and yet sail straight to its destination when full sized, all of its on accord.
Loki had been so impressed that he thought he was on safe ground when he bet o
ther dwarfs that they could not make anything as special. Now these dwarfs diligently worked to rise to the challenge and were on the verge of succeeding when Loki, in fear for his head, for that had been the wager, turned himself into a gadfly and vexed them so much they could hardly work. Despite his attentions, they finally completed the task and produced several wonderful things. There was the ring Draupnir, which had the virtue of constantly enriching its owner, the golden boar which later became the property of the god Frey, and Thor's now stolen hammer, which never missed its mark when thrown and always returned to him.
Of course, the gods, who were also known as the Aesir, were asked to be the judges in the matter. They found that these works were indeed as fine as the earlier gifts. Loki fled. When Thor brought him back to face the music, the mischievous god's quick wits and slippery tongue saved him. Loki pointed out that the wager had only been for his head, therefore no part of his neck could be taken. In the end the cheated dwarf was satisfied with having the tricky god's lips sewn up as punishment. Loki, of course, promptly untied the stitches.
Thor now reasoned that, even if Loki was not responsible for the theft, he might be a source of good advice about who might have taken the hammer. Aware of his own shortcomings, Thor knew he could be too naive and unworldly at times. A mind like Loki's would be invaluable in a matter such as this.
“Don't look at me,” were Loki's first words. And his second remark, with perfect understanding, was: “Some giant has obviously stolen your hammer. Who else would dare and who else would most wish to remove the greatest weapon in the defence of we gods of Asgard?”
“All right,” Thor nodded, accepting this logic.
“Do you want me to help you get it back?” the trickster asked with a yawn.
“Just help me find out where it is and I'll get it back,” Thor said, cracking his knuckles. He would not have been so confident and not so keen to set out if he had known what it would involve.
“I'll need Freyja's feathered cloak,” Loki said, trying to hide his smile. He had long wanted to use the thing and fly with it as himself and not in the guise of some bird or insect.
“I'll ask,” Thor shrugged. It would be a big favour but, on the other hand, all the Aesir would be anxious to see him get his hammer back. After all, it was their champion's favourite weapon.
Shortly afterwards Loki set off wearing the magic robe of feathers, flying to the domain of the giants. He went with the blessing of the gods. Their hereditary enemies must not be allowed to get away with this sort of thing or life would become unbearable. As it was, almost constant fighting persisted, though not open warfare.
In the beginning the gods and the giants had sprung from the same parents, though the giants came first. When the seed of the universe was made from the icy region of Nifleim in the north meeting the fiery realm of Muspell in the south, the first giant, Ymir, was formed. As he lay frozen in sleep he broke into a sweat. From his armpit a new male giant and a female appeared, then another male from his legs. But it was the cow Audhumla, also born of this frost, wet nurse to the giants, who licked the salt from the ice and uncovered first the hair then the head and body of yet another being, Buri.
The son of Buri, Bor, married a female frost giant and their offspring were the first gods, Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve. They eventually killed Ymir and created the world from his body. They made the first humans and a region for them to live in, as well as one for giants, elves and dwarfs. Their own realm was Asgard, home of the Aesir, the sky gods and some of the Vanir, their one-time rivals, gods who also had a home beneath the earth. All of these lands and beings had their place on, around, or under the great tree of life, Yggdrasil.
The enmity of the giants had been a given ever since, of course, and keeping them at bay was a major part of the lives of the Aesir, who were mortal, despite being gods. Like the giants themselves, they could be killed and defence of their primacy in the world, their homeland of Asgard and their lives was vital. As in the beginning, sex, love and marriage between them was possible, despite size differences, due to magic, but affairs and jealousies only added to the trouble between the two races.
As Loki flew over Jotunheim, the giant's homeland, he had no difficulty discovering the identity of the thief. A certain giant named Thrym had been boasting of having purloined Thor's hammer to everyone he met. When Loki found him, he again proudly admitted it.
“The hammer,” Thrym told Loki, “is hidden eight fathoms underground, but I will return it under one condition.”
“And that is,” Loki wondered, studying the giant with hooded eyes, relishing the coming revelation.
“I wish to wed the goddess Freyja. If the Aesir will give her to me as my wife, I will return the hammer to Thor.”
Loki laughed out loud at such audacity and could not help but express his admiration. When he took this news back to Asgard, he had to hide his glee at the consternation it caused. Freyja flatly refused to marry the giant. Her outrage was so great that the veins in her neck swelled up and burst her golden necklace.
Embarrassment and consternation reigned, until Loki himself suggested a possible solution.
“We could give him a false Freyja.”
“What?” everyone cried. “How?”
“I think if we dressed Thor up as Freyja …”
“Are you mad? He would never pass …”
“I am not going in drag to some horny giant's lair …” Thor thundered.
“Hear me out,” Loki shouted. “First of all, with a little bit of illusion, Thor can pass.”
“I am still not …”
“And secondly, Thrym is not horny; he's love struck. Remember, it is matrimony he's after, not simply to lay with Freyja. He will be respectful and easily fooled. Freyja's reputation for beauty will aid us as well as Thrym's over confidence and vanity. Besides, does anyone have a better idea?”
No one did and so, feeling like an idiot, Thor put on women's clothes, a bridal veil and Freyja's famous necklace, freshly repaired. Some of the fun of the plan backfired on Loki when Thor insisted that his fellow-god should accompany him disguised as a servant girl. It was thus that the blushing and uncomfortable pair made their way to Thrym's territory.
On the journey Thor saw Loki glancing occasionally at the necklace and knew he was recalling the trouble it had caused him in the past.
There were four dwarfs who lived in a grotto not far from Freyja's palace and as a great collector of jewellery she often went there to see what they were working on. One day she found a fine and cunningly wrought gold necklace, which they were just finishing off, and she knew she absolutely must have it.
She offered much gold and silver but the dwarfs only laughed. As lords of the underground world, they had access to all the gold and silver they could ever want. It was as clay to the potter for them. What they demanded as payment was a far more tender currency. Freyja was to go to bed with each of them. She agreed in a trice and thought nothing of it, until Loki told on her to Odin, who was enraged and ordered Loki to steal the necklace.
Loki succeeded in the theft, by turning himself into a fly and entering her locked bedroom through a hole in the roof. When the ingenious god was then unable to get at the catch of the necklace, he turned into a flea and bit the sleeping Freyja's cheek. As she stirred and rolled over, Loki was able to turn back into himself, undo the clasp and walk out of the room. Intending to keep the trinket, he hid it under a reef. Later, when Odin made a bargain with Freyja and said she could have the trinket back, he did not wish to co-operate. The god Heimdall, guardian of the gates of Asgard, and to Loki a mere drudge, turned himself into a seal and fought Loki, who had also assumed the form of a seal. Heimdall won the battle, took the necklace from beneath the reef and returned it to Freyja.
“All your own fault,” Thor said, sensing that Loki was brooding on this old sore.
“It was not … I don't know what you mean.” The trickster corrected himself quickly, reluctant to admit anyone could
tell what he was thinking. “I am just puzzling over how we should proceed when we get to Thrym's place. You could always help the illusion along a little by swaying your hips and treading a deal more lightly.”
“If this turns out like half the other things you've pulled, Loki, my last act will be to tear your head off your shoulders.” Thor threatened.
“Charming sentiment, when all I'm doing is trying to help.”
“You could walk a bit lighter too, you know,” Thor accused bitterly. “And mind how you go with any females we meet. None of your usual lechery or you'll give the game away.”
“I won't forget myself. I'm a born actor. It's you we have to worry about.”
“Well, just remember you're supposed to be my maidservant.”
“Yes, mistress,” Loki curtsied primly, buoyed up by the thought that no matter how ridiculous he felt, the excruciating embarrassment of Thor was multiplied ten-fold. “If we don't get the hammer back until after the ceremony,” he wondered aloud, “would that mean you'd actually be married to Thrym?”
Loki had to step lively to avoid a kick in the backside, but soon they had to stop bickering and teasing one another for they crossed into Jotunheim. Here they had to take seriously their roles as women, keep up the illusion and maintain their respective social status. Thor got his revenge by ordering Loki about mercilessly, though when they got to Thrym's palace he wanted the other god very near him indeed.
The giant was overjoyed at their arrival and they were lavishly received. Thrym gave orders for the wedding banquet to be prepared at once. By this time Loki had been promoted from maid to handmaiden and finally lady-in-waiting and his presence at table was not unusual. Thor, however, soon forgot himself once the food was placed before them, and ate and drank ravenously.
Every morsel meant for the women of the palace, which constituted one whole roast ox, eight large salmon and dozens of side dishes disappeared down the supposed Freyja's throat along with three barrels of mead. Everyone was amazed, especially Thrym.
Myths and Legends from Around the World Page 12
