In a valley of northern Jutland the folk were preparing for midsummer’s day. The children were particularly excited as a children’s race was to be held that year. The winner would receive an embroidered shirt that a boy could wear proudly and a girl could add to her dowry chest to increase her worth as a bride.
At the farm of Brand the already boisterous children of the master and his servants were further delighted by the arrival of Lodfafnir, a tattered old storyteller of great renown. Brand’s wife greeted him and pressed a small horn of Frankish wine and a silver coin into his hands. Following a long tradition of such visits Lodfafnir made himself comfortable in the master’s chair as the farm children gathered at his feet. The adults brought their work closer so that they could listen to what the old man had to say.
‘So little ones, are you looking forward to Midsummer’s day?’ he asked.
‘Yes yes,’ bubbled little Alf, only four years old ‘I am going in the race!’
‘I am going to win.’ boasted Hild ‘I am going to ask Freya to help me.’
‘No you wont.’ said Erik ‘I am going to ask Thor to help me, I will win.’
‘I will.’ insisted tiny Alf ‘I will ask Odin.’
‘Peace children.’ laughed Lodfafnir ‘Don’t you think it would be better to win the race by your own skill?’ The youngster’s regarded him with puzzled expressions. ‘Ah’ sighed Lodfafnir happily ‘I know what tale to give you today, I will tell you of the two godmen.’
Silence fell in the hall as folk eagerly awaited his words.
‘In a valley of farms not far from here, there lived two magic workers. One was named Stolti, he owned one of the larger farms and had acted as godman for the people there for many years. The other was called Grim, he had recently inherited another farm from his uncle across the valley. He had spent several years travelling among the Finns learning witchery from the reindeer herders.
‘When Grim came to the valley he also wished to be treated as a godman and the conflict between the two men distressed the other folk living in the valley, as they could not ask help of one without invoking the anger of the other. The problem was raised at the valley’s Thing, both men asked to named the sole godman for the region and the weary folk suggested that the title should go to whichever of them could maintain the best shrine.
‘They both returned to their homes delighted, convinced that they could easily outdo the other. Stolti called on Odin and Odin listened intently. Being a magic worker Stolti’s call was far louder than most.
‘Oh great Warfather, oh mighty Alfather,’ Stolti called ‘tell me how to build you a shrine to surpass every other in this valley.
Odin was surprised at the question but was keen to help, he gazed around Stolti’s farm from his all seeing throne. He saw great heaps of stones which had been cleared from the fields during ploughing. ‘Make a cairn of field stones and…’
‘Thank you’ Stolti interrupted ‘I will do as you suggest.'
‘Very little time passed and the Grim called on Odin with the same request. Odin sighed, he was busy trying to plan a great war in Middle Earth that was to bring many great heroes to his hall. These constant interruptions were beginning to erode his patience.
But there was Grimm calling ‘Oh great Odin, father of the gods and creator of man, tell me how to build you a shrine to outshine any other in this region.’
Odin peered at Grimm’s farm, there were many trees growing alongside the lakeside. ‘Cut down the trees and make a causeway out into the lake and then…’
‘Oh thank you.’ Grimm interrupted.
‘Over the next few days Stolti and Grim set their farm slaves and bondsmen to work dragging stones and chopping tree trunks. Stolti finished first and he called to Odin again. ‘Oh great god of fallen heroes is this not a great pile of stones.’
Odin dropped his birchbark maps and swore quietly ‘Yes it is a very good pile of stones.’
‘What must I do now to make this a most wondrous shrine?’
‘Well,’ considered Odin ‘You could make a shield of iron supported by iron dragons at its base to form a platform on the top of the stones and…’
‘It will be done.’ interrupted Stolti. And he hurried off to speak to the blacksmith.
‘But it wasn’t long before the causeway was built and Grimm called on Odin.
‘Oh great god of the cargo’s, what must I do to make my shrine truly mighty?’
Odin was trying to converse with his ravens, he groaned and the birds stepped impatiently from claw to claw in indignity at the interruption. Odin observed the causeway and suggested ‘Make a small room at the end from four posts and roof it with thatch. Add two walls of wattle to shelter it and….’
‘Oh thank you great battle lord.’ Grimm interrupted again. Odin seethed, but gods do so like to have shrines built in their honour, so he curbed his fury and returnedto his maps and lists of warriors.
‘After only two days Grimm called again ‘Oh great rider of the World Tree, tell me how I might finish my shrine to make it truly outstanding.’
‘It just needs an idol.’ Odin replied grimly.
‘What should the idol be made of? asked Grimm.
‘Wood.’
‘Are you sure?’ asked Grimm, ‘That’s not very impressive.’
‘No you are right’ agreed Odin sourly ‘It should be solid silver set with garnets.’
‘Meanwhile Stolti’s iron alter had been completed and set atop the great cairn of stones. He also called to Odin asking what final touch was required. Odin was now feeling vindictive from their constant interruptions. He told them both to build a solid fence around their shrines which no one who was not worthy could pass. Stolti and Grimm both thought this was a wonderful idea and built the walls without delay. By now Grimm had emptied his farm of all the best cattle to buy the silver to make his idol.
‘When both shrines were complete the two godmen called a gathering of the folk so they could choose which of them was more worthy to be the local godman. Stolti had decided that he was the only man worthy to approach his shrine and would not let anyone within the fence. Grimm declared the same. The people decided that it was pointless having shrines that they could not use and said they were both equally useless. Stolti and Grimm fell to arguing. Grimm said that his shrine was the better, Odin himself had said that his shrine must be built in the lake. Stolti laughed at him saying he must have been listening to trolls, as Odin had clearly told him to build a shrine on the hill made of stones. The argument raged for hours and the people left them in disgust.
‘In Valhol the valkyrie Skogul walked sadly up to Odin’s throne and informed him that his favourite champion Helgi had died of a wasting sickness and was now treading to road to Hel’s realm. Odin was furious, Helgi was to lead one the armies into battle and he had hoped to see the valiant hero in his hall before long. All his careful plans were in tatters.
‘How did this happen?!’ shouted Odin.
‘I asked him.’ Skogul replied ‘He said he made offerings to you three times and asked your aid. Surely you heard him.’ Odin was furious, it was all so obvious. Stolti and Grimm had distracted him when someone he really cared about needed his help.
‘Right’ he said ‘Those two are going to suffer for this.’
‘Odin visited Stolti and Grimm in their dreams he told them he was so pleased with the shrines they had built that he would teach them a magic spell that would make them the most powerful wizard in the world. Of course they both thought that they alone were receiving this special gift from Odin and became even more insufferable to the other farmers.
‘Odin visited a widow in the village called Thordis who was famed for her ability to see the future and was much liked in those parts. She also honoured Odin above the other gods and was delighted to see him. Odin gave her careful instructions which she promised to follow.
‘The day of the autumn equinox was approaching. Odin spoke again to Stolti in his dreams. He told him that for the first stage of the spell he had to visit the seeress of the valley just before sunrise on the equinox morning. As the sun was rising he had to bed her and cut off a braid of her hair and bring it home. Odin gave the same advice to Grimm but told him that he had to bed the seeress at sunset on the same day.
‘While it was still dark on the equinox morning Thordis rose from her bed and braided her hair in two plaits and hung her largest shears from the hearth beam. Not long before sunrise Stolti was hammering on her door. Thordis let him in and he explained how he was going to be the most powerful wizard in the world, he just needed to bed her and cut off one of her braids.
‘Why should I?’ asked Thordis. ‘I don’t want to bed you and if you cut off my hair I will look like a slave.’
‘I will share my knowledge with you.’ said Stolti.
‘I consider that very unlikely.’ replied Thordis.
‘The sun is about to rise I will take you willing or not.’
‘Oh no you will not.’ said Thordis snatching the shears from the hearth beam. ‘Come forward any further and both braids will fall in the fire.’ Stolti hesitated, terrified that she would carry out her threat. ‘The sun is rising, if you really want to bed me you must pay me. Bring me the iron shield you had the blacksmith make for you.’
‘What?’ asked Stolti surprised.
‘Hurry the sun is rising.’
'Desperate for the power promised him by Odin Stolti ran to his shrine and dragged off the iron shield with its dragon supports and rolled it down the hill to Thordis’s house. The sun was almost clear of the horizon when Thordis allowed Stolti to bed her and cut off one of her braids.
‘Stolti rushed off triumphant clutching the braid. Thordis covered the shield shaped altar in a deep pile of straw. She rearranged her hair so it was not obvious that a braid had been cut and awaited her second visitor.
Grimm’s visit went much as Stolti’s had done. After she threatened to cast her remaining braid into the fire Grimm was prepared to offer anything in return for her hair, even the silver idol in his shrine.
‘That night Odin visited the two godmen in their dreams. He told them that they must secretly spin the hair into a long cord from which they should make a girdle of nine strands knotted together. If they told anyone what they were doing the spell would not work. ‘For the next three days Odin watched with great satisfaction as the two godmen tried to make cord out of the hair. The hair was slippery and would not hold together, and there was not enough of it to make the task easier.
‘Odin appeared in a dream to the two cunning men one last time. He told them that they must walk up to an old fortification on the hill at sunrise wearing nothing but the girdle of hair and carrying two spears. He told Stolti to walk around the hill sunwise and Grimm to walk around the hill widdershins. He also told them both that they would have to continue to wear the hair girdle to keep the power they gained from the spell.
‘The following morning the two men walked up the hill from their farms, it was bitterly cold. As they circled the hill in opposite directions the passed one another, but averted their eyes and failed to notice that they both wore girdles of Thordis’s hair. They did however think how stupid the other fellow was to copy them and perform such a simple spell backwards.
‘The next day Thordis uncovered the iron altar outside her house and placed the one eyed idol opon it. The folk in the valley were delighted and declared it to be a much superior shrine to those that Stolti and Grimm had built. It was generally agreed that Thordis would be the valley’s godwoman.
‘When Stolti and Grimm saw Thordis’s shrine and the local farmers thronging around it to make their offerings they were both disgusted at the local folks’ lack of appreciation for their new status. They both sold off their farms and left the region in search of more deserving followers. Odin never spoke to them again but the trolls, the less benevolent elves and even Loki when he was bored were happy to answer them on Odin’s behalf.’
‘Oh!’ said young Hild from the floor ‘what did the trolls tell them to do?’
‘Ah,’ replied Lodfafnir ‘They would make them build a cairn and leave bowls of mead and silver coins there, and the trolls would take the offerings for themselves. So will you call on the gods to help you win a race?’
‘No.’ the children replied together.
‘That is well.’ said Lodfafnir with a smile, and if you try hard and deserve to win they may help you anyway.’
This is a modern tale not based on any of the old myths.