to Asgard once more. And his offspring
took on forms and showed themselves to the Gods. The first, whose greed
was destruction, showed himself as a fearful Wolf. Fenrir he was named.
And the second, whose greed was slow destruction, showed itself as a
Serpent. Joermungand it was called. The third, whose greed was for
withering of all life, took on a form also. When the Gods saw it they
were affrighted. For this had the form of a woman, and one side of her
was that of a living woman and the other side of her was that of a
corpse. Fear ran through Asgard as this form was revealed and as the
name that went with it, Hela, was uttered.

Far out of sight of the Gods Hela was thrust. Odin took her and hurled
her down to the deeps that are below the world. He cast her down to
Niflheim, where she took to herself power over the nine regions. There,
in the place that is lowest of all, Hela reigns. Her hall is Elvidnir;
it is set round with high walls and it has barred gates; Precipice is
the threshold of that hall; Hunger is the table within it; Care is the
bed, and Burning Anguish is the hanging of the chamber.

Thor laid hold upon Joermungand. He flung the serpent into the ocean that
engirdles the world. But in the depths of the ocean Joermungand
flourished. It grew and grew until it encircled the whole world. And men
knew it as the Midgard Serpent.

Fenrir the Wolf might not be seized upon by any of the AEsir. Fearfully
he ranged through Asgard and they were only able to bring him to the
outer courts by promising to give him all the food he was able to eat.

The AEsir shrank from feeding Fenrir. But Tyr, the brave swordsman, was
willing to bring food to the Wolf's lair. Every day he brought him huge
provision and fed him with the point of his sword. The Wolf grew and
grew until he became monstrous and a terror in the minds of the Dwellers
in Asgard.

At last the Gods in council considered it and decided that Fenrir must
be bound. The chain that they would bind him with was called Laeding. In
their own smithy the Gods made it and its weight was greater than Thor's
hammer.

Not by force could the Gods get the fetter upon Fenrir, so they sent
Skirnir, the servant of Frey, to beguile the Wolf into letting it go
upon him. Skirnir came to his lair and stood near him, and he was
dwarfed by the Wolf's monstrous size.

"How great may thy strength be, Mighty One?" Skirnir asked. "Couldst
thou break this chain easily? The Gods wou