s shoulders and told him the secrets which they learned
in their flight over the wide world. Near the great eagle perched a
hawk, and four antlered deer browsed among the buds of Yggdrasil. At
the foot of the tree coiled a huge serpent, who was always gnawing
hungrily at its roots, with a whole colony of little snakes to keep him
company--so many that they could never be counted. The eagle at the top
of the tree and the serpent at its foot were enemies, always saying hard
things of each other. Between the two skipped up and down a little
squirrel, a tale bearer and a gossip, who repeated each unkind remark
and, like the malicious neighbour that he was, kept their quarrel ever
fresh and green.

In one place at the roots of Yggdrasil was a fair fountain called the
Urdar-well, where the three Norn maidens, who knew the past, present,
and future, dwelt with their pets, the two white swans. This was magic
water in the fountain, which the Norns sprinkled every day upon the
giant tree to keep it green--water so sacred that everything which
entered it became white as the film of an eggshell. Close beside this
sacred well the AEsir had their council hall, to which they galloped
every morning over the rainbow bridge.

But Father Odin, the king of all the AEsir, knew of another fountain more
wonderful still; the two ravens whom he sent forth to bring him news had
told him. This also was below the roots of Yggdrasil, in the spot where
the sky and ocean met. Here for centuries and centuries the giant Mimer
had sat keeping guard over his hidden well, in the bottom of which lay
such a treasure of wisdom as was to be found nowhere else in the world.
Every morning Mimer dipped his glittering horn Gioell into the fountain
and drew out a draught of the wondrous water, which he drank to make him
wise. Every day he grew wiser and wiser; and as this had been going on
ever since the beginning of things, you can scarcely imagine how wise
Mimer was.

Now it did not seem right to Father Odin that a giant should have all
this wisdom to himself; for the giants were the enemies of the AEsir, and
the wisdom which they had been hoarding for ages before the gods were
made was generally used for evil purposes. Moreover, Odin longed and
longed to become the wisest being in the world. So he resolved to win a
draught from Mimer's well, if in any way that could be done.

One night, when the sun had set behind the mountains of Midgard, Odin
put on his b