She went to the Iron Wood and asked the old witch, but the old witch was cross and drove her away. She drove up to the Vedar on the mountain side, but he was like a tree and merely shook his branches. And so she went on and on always with her necklace, but she never found her husband. And sometimes she stops to weep, and then people say: “The summer rain is falling on the flowers.”
THE BINDING OF FENRIR
A Norse legend to show that little things are often stronger than large ones.
Loki, who was always doing what he should not do, had a fierce son named Fenrir. He looked like a wolf, and was so strong that nothing could bind him. Fenrir prowled around and was fed by Tyr who was the only god that Fenrir had the least fear of. Fenrir grew stronger and fiercer every day until Odin said he must be chained. The question was how to get a chain strong enough.
Thor said he would make one with his hammer. So he took his mighty hammer and went to the forge and worked all night making a chain. When the chain was ready he brought it to Odin, but Odin shook his head in doubt. Soon Fenrir came in and, strangely enough, he did not mind the chain being put around him and fastened to a stone. When he had finished eating he snapped the chain apart and walked away laughing.
Thor went to work to make another chain. For three days he hammered and forged until the chain was so big and strong and long that Thor himself could hardly carry it. All the gods said:
“It is a marvelous chain. Surely Fenrir cannot break this!” Fenrir again allowed himself to be bound as before, and when he had finished eating he broke that chain as easily as he had the other, and went away laughing again.
Frey now spoke up and said:
“I will go into the earth and get the dwarfs to forge me a chain.” So he departed and was gone for a long time. The dwarfs made the chain for him as he asked them, but they made it so light that it could hang on a dwarf’s little finger.