Frodi.—The son of Frey, a god of peace. Under his direction two giantesses turned a pair of magic millstones which ground out gold according to his wish and filled his coffers. Excited by greed he forced them to labor, allowing rest only long enough for the singing of one verse. When Frodi himself slept, the giantesses changed their song and proceeded to grind out an army of troops to invade the land. These troops represent the vikings.
Furiæ (fū´ri-ē).—The Furies; called Eumenides (ū-men´-i-dēz), i. e. the gracious or well-meaning ones, by the Greeks; three goddesses of vengeance, whom the Greeks so much dreaded that they dared not to call them by their real names, hence referred to them by the euphemism Eumenides. The Romans also called them Diræ (dī´rē). Their names were Alecto (a-lek´tō), Megæra (me-gē´ra) and Tisiphone (tī-sif´-onē). They were the daughters of Earth or of Night, and were terrible winged maidens with serpents twined in their hair and with blood dripping from their eyes. They were stern and inexorable, punishing the guilty both in this world and after death. They dwelt in Tartarus—i. e. Hades. The sacrifices offered to them were black sheep and a drink of honey mixed with water, the latter, called a libation (lī-bā´shun), being poured forth out of a cup in their honor.
G
Galatea (gal-a-tē´a).—A sea nymph. See “[Acis].”
Ganesa.—Goddess of wisdom, in Hindu mythology.
Gangler.—The gate-keeper in Odin’s palace who gave the explanation of the northern mythology that it might be recorded.
Ganymedes (gan-i-mē´dēz), or Ganymede (gan´i-mēd).—Son of Tros and Callirrhoe, a beautiful youth who was carried off by Jupiter’s eagle from Mount Ida to heaven, that he might be cup-bearer to the gods in place of Hebe. Jupiter compensated his father by presenting him with a pair of divine horses.
Garm.—A fierce dog that kept guard at the entrance of Hel’s kingdom, the realm of the dead. He could be appeased by the offering of a Hel-cake which always appeared in the hand of one who, on earth, had given bread to the needy.
Genius (jē´ni-us).—The protecting spirit or genius of a person, place, etc.; called by the Greeks Dæmon. They were represented as the guardians of men and of justice, and the Greek philosophers held that every human being at his birth had a dæmon assigned to him, which accompanied him throughout life. Every place, also, had its genius, which appeared in the form of a serpent eating fruit placed before him. In works of art genii are commonly represented as winged beings.
Gerda.—Wife of Frey, and daughter of the frost giant Gymir. She is so beautiful that the brightness of her naked arms illuminates both air and sea.