Loki scurried through the halls of Valhal to heed the summons of an impatient blood brother. Odin's private chamber was unexpectedly barred before him, the Warfather himself blocking the threshold. Loki fought for balance on the rush-strewn flagstones. 'Why did you want me?' he asked sulkily, moody for the interruption to his sport among the goddesses of Friendly Hall.
'I need your counsel' Odin replied briskly. 'How long would it take to build a stone wall, the width of the tallest pine and twice as high, around the land of Asgard?'
Loki gaped, caught off guard by the question, his brain struggled to measure the distance around the gods' dwellings. There were many estates in Asgard and all of a good size, even by the standards of a god. Beside the rambling Valhall, there was Fensalir with its lakes and gardens, Thrudvang with its towering hall and endless fields, Friendly Hall with its orchards and weaving sheds, Folkvang and Himingbiorg. To build a wall around all that, why it would take 'A very long time.' Loki answered.
'So,' the Warfather encouraged 'You don't think it could be done in the time it takes a woman to bare, birth and wean her bairn?'
'No, I don't think that would be possible,' Loki replied, 'not a wall of stone so high and wide'.
'Thank you.' Odin replied and slammed the door, leaving Loki alone outside and little the wiser to the purpose of the question.
………………..
These were peaceful times in Asgard, the Aesir and the Vanir had settled their differences and lived contentedly together among the golden fields. The gods' enemies were far away beyond the boundaries of Middle - Earth, and only Thor concerned himself with the rough trolls and giants and rode his chariot on the border roads to keep the foes of men in the Outlands.
The complacency in Asgard was marred by the arrival of giant leading the stockiest stallion the gods had ever seen, standing fifty hands at the shoulder, and a young man of mortal build. The giant, a rough fellow clad in untrimmed ox hide bellowed for Odin from Asgard's gate. For a stranger among potential foes he showed great confidence and paid no heed to Heimdal who dutifully barred the giant's way.
Odin strode proudly to the gate to meet the newcomer with his brothers Vili and Ve beside him, 'Greetings Hrimthurs' he cried.
The giant spoke again in his rumbling voice 'I have come, as we agreed. Do you have the virgin girl by which our bargain can be measured?'
Ve pulled a young woman forward 'Here.', Odin's brother held a woman of Middle-Earth, she averted her eyes from the giant in fear, but her beauty was clear beneath her black locks held by a crudely beaten band of gold.
'Is this your bondsman?' Odin inquired, nodding at the young man holding the stallion's reigns.
'Oh yes.' The giant beamed proudly 'This is Fal. He is a good servant and I trust him in all things. He has fathered many a bastard rutting with my house maids. He will be quick to report if you have cheated me.'
'You will not be cheated in this wager.' Odin responded, hurt by the suggestion. 'Let the two of them be joined, and join me at my table for your welcome feast, for you will be eager to start work soon I am sure.'
'Oh yes,' the giant responded 'I am eager to claim my pay.'
There was much speculation among the gods and goddesses as to the giant's business in Asgard and the nature of Odin's bargain, but the warfather keep his knowledge to himself. Hrimthurs ate heartily from the platters of meats and bread served at Valhall's tables and spent much of his time admiring his view of the goddesses from the top table.
Fal returned after an hour, grinning from the pleasures of his sport 'It is done master.'
'Was she a virgin then?' demanded Hrimthurs.
'Oh yes,' Fal replied and brandished the girls blood stained linen shift for his masters inspection.
'Excellent.' The giant acknowledged as Fal helped himself to a joint of meat from his master's trencher.
'Go back to her boy! She must bear you a child or this rascal' the giant nodded towards Odin 'will find some excuse to break our bargain.' Fal grinned and accepted a full horn of mead and returned to the girl's chamber chewing on his supper.
Soon after the feasting the giant got to work. The halls of Asgard shuddered as he delved deep into the earth below the existing boundary walls. Hrimthurs' magnificent horsedragged great boulders straight from the packed earth. Despite the size of the excavation, the work progressed fast, and the foundations of the new wall were both cleared and laid when the girl's belly was swollen by Fal's child. Both giant and horse proved incredibly strong and the walls rose at an alarming rate.
The birthing came ever nearer but Odin was greatly fearful that he might be forced to pay the giant after all. He summoned Loki to his chambers. 'You were wrong Loki.' He said bluntly. 'Hrimthurs has nearly finished. You must prevent him from completing the wall.'
Loki was puzzled 'But surely you want the wall completed?'
'Started yes, but not completed, the price would be too high.' Odin answered, scowling with concern.
'What did you promise him?' Odin passed over a carved tablet which recorded the Warfather's promise to Hrimthurs. Loki read it and stared.
'Stop him!' Odin commanded.
Loki had no wish to tangle with the giant, but as Hrimthurs relied so heavily on his stallion he thought a different approach would work well. The giant was encouraging the horse to pull one of the last great blocks into position. The horse paused and his nostrils twitched as a familiar scent reached him. The unmistakable, unignorable smell of a female on heat.
The stallion reared and jerked aside. The traces snapped and the great stone block and its oak sledge tumbled back down the step path. The giant howled in fury and frustration as the horse galloped straight down the slopes and vanished into the misty forest below.
'Odin!' Hrimthurs bellowed 'Where's my horse?'
The Warfather glanced up from his battle charts, feigning annoyance at the interruption. 'How should I know?'
'You will not get away with this. This is a deliberate attempt to delay the building past the birthing.'
'Don't be ridiculous!' Odin retorted 'Get another horse if you cannot control the one you brought.' He looked at the panting girl on the bottom step of his high seat. 'You might wish to hurry Hrimthurs, you have very little time.'
Hrimthurs cursed and turned to leave but stopped as the girl cried out in pain. Eir ran forward to attend the girl and hitched up her skirts to examine her. 'You are too late Hrimthurs.' said Eir 'The child's head is emerging.'
'Hah, you have lost' cried Odin in triumph.
'No!' Hrimthurs tore his hair in anger as Fal's child gave its first lusty cry. He rounded on Odin, eyes blazing in accusation. 'I want you to make a holy oath Odin, swear that neither you, nor any other god or goddess, servant or elf of Asgard, had any hand in the loss of my horse. Swear that and I will leave peaceably and without payment for my work.' Odin hesitated and Hrimthurs was convinced of his suspicions. 'Then I will claim my payment now.' The giant strode purposefully out of the gate of Valhall. Odin shouted for his warriors to follow him and ran in pursuit of the long legged giant.
Hrimthurs strode directly to Freya's hall of Folkvang. Goddesses from friendly hall and farmers from Thrudvang ran to see what was happening. Alerted by the commotion Freya came to the door of her hall to be confronted by the determined giant. 'Pack your dresses and jewels Freya' demanded Hrimthurs. 'You are coming back to the Outlands with me.'
'Well' laughed Freya 'I have heard some terrible courting speeches, but few as bad as that.'
'I am not courting woman, You are mine, you belong to me.'
'Pardon?'
'Read this' Hrimthurs tossed her the wooden tablet carved with runes.
Freya glanced at the tablet, then clutched it in both hands, noting every word, she rounded on Odin who had just arrived in the giant's wake. 'How dare you?'
'What's wrong?' asked Idunn?
'That, traitor, has bought the services of that giant, by bargaining with the lives of three goddesses.'
'Who?' asked Idunn her voice shaking with anger.
'Sol, Bil and myself.'
'The bargain is sworn Freya, even you must agree that you are bound by it as much as Odin!'
'Surely not.' Freya searched the crowed for an ally but the Aesir averted their eyes, unable to approve breaking Odin's oath.
Hrimthurs reached forward and clutched Freya's shoulders with his heavy hands 'Enough talk woman, now come with me.'
'Enough of this!' Freya shouted, shaking herself free of the giants grip. 'If you are so sure of yourself giant, you can explain yourself to Thor.' Freya's last word rang through the nine worlds causing every As in Asgard to wince.
'Huh!' laughed Hrimthurs 'He's not here.'
'Think again lofty' the Thundergod replied shoving the giant away from the Vanadis. 'Can I assist you in removing this giant Freya?'
'As pleasurable as that would be Thor, I am not sure that would be appropriate under the circumstances.' Freya sighed 'Odin asked Hrimsthurs here to build a wall around Asgard. He kept very quiet about the price he promised in return but now that Hrimthurs has come to claim his reward the truth is known.' Freya passed the Thundergod the tablet. 'I can only assume that Odin was confident that he had set an impossible task and would never have to pay.'
Thor frowned at the tablet, and looked towards Freya 'You knew nothing about this?'
'No' Freya replied glaring at Odin.
'Did Loki have a hand in this?'
'Yes.' Odin replied with releif, 'I asked his advice, he said Hrimthurs had no chance to complete the wall.'
'But was he aware of this?' Thor waved the tablet.
'Er, no.' Odin replied with great reluctance.
'Look.' Interrupted Hrimthurs 'Freya you are coming with me. If Odin didn't tell you about our agreement that is your problem.'
'No.' said Thor 'It is his problem, and yours. Odin cannot promise what is not his to give. You must agree on a new payment, but leave the goddesses out of it. Never fear giant, Odin has enough treasures to pay you!'
The giant bristled 'I could take this knaves lands, his treasures, the shirt from his back and his tricky tongue from his head, but I WANT the goddesses. I will not leave with anything less.'
'No.' Thor repeated.
Furious, the giant swung his fist at Thor, the thunderer stepped aside and the ground shook as Hrimthur's blow connected with Freya's threshold. 'You certainly know how to lose my sympathies giant!' laughed Thor dodging another wild swing. One of the pillars of Folkvang shattered from its footing in a shower of splinters.
'Shut up and die you interfering bastard.' Hrimthurs howled, trying to stamp his foot of the thunderer's head. Thor grabbed the giants foot as it descended and hurled him over, and sprang to the giant's chest wielding the broken pillar. The giant died screaming obscenities. The gore splattered thundergod glared at Odin 'You are very, very lucky.'
Silent, the Warfather turned and trudged back to Valhall.
…………..
Time passed and Odin's treacherous bargain was, if not forgotten, a wound that smarted less.
Loki returned to Asgard leading the giant's mighty horse and a foal, remarkable in itself for it pranced on no less than eight legs. Although quiet of late, Odin was delighted by the arrival of the remarkable beasts. Ever an admirer of fine horses Odin greeted Loki warmly 'Well done, well done, I will take those two to my stables.'
Overhearing Heimdall snorted from the door to his hall at Asgard's gate. 'What makes you think you have any claim to these beasts? I know well what has been happening in the forests below Asgard since we last saw Loki. I would not deny him his well earned reward for his services to Asgard.'
Gods and goddesses were gathering to hear the exchange and seeing Freya Loki smiled and led the horses to her. 'Freya I realise that you suffered from Odin's bargaining, I want you to have Hrimthurs' stallion to give to whom you will.'
Freya smiled 'Thank you Loki, I will give him to Freyr, he will add good seed to the horses of Vanaheim.' Loki turned to Odin who was watching the exchange miserably.
Loki nodded to the foal, 'You really want this horse don't you.'
'Yes.'
'You can have him on one condition.'
'What?'
'Release me from my oath of brotherhood.'
Odin frowned, then shrugged. 'Very well, I release you. I no longer look to you as kin or expect any service from you.' The Warfather put his arm around the foal's neck and proudly led away his new possession.
Loki surveyed the gathered folk of Asgard and laughed 'Well goddesses, now I am a free man, who will offer me the shelter of their roof?' The goddesses of Friendly Hall giggled and whispered among themeselves. One came forward, plain but practical Sigyn, the housekeeper of Bilskirnir.
She smiled 'I might be able to find you a corner somewhere.' Loki hugged her fondly
'A corner of Bilskirnir eh? That might suit me very well indeed.'
(This retelling of the famous myth of the Building of Asgard's wall is very close to the surving Eddic version. Who is responsible for promising Freya, the sun and the moon to the giant is not clear, but Loki is blamed and has to save the day. It fits within the pattern of the Loki myths for him to be at fault, but I have choosen to pin the blame on Odin, a god with an equal reputation for untrustworthy behaviour.
Thor's ability to magically appear when the gods call him is from the original tale, and in this version of the myths his ability follows on smootly from his tuition from Freya in the previous chapter 'Mistress of Magic'
Thor appears here in his role as god of justice. The attempt to reason with the giant makes more sense to me than the original version which simply has Thor thump the agreived giant into the ground.
I have place this story chronologically before the tale of Loki's children. This means there is no wolf chasing the sun, day and night do not exist and therefore nor does time. To get round this I am using the 'nine months' of pregancy as a measure of time.)