t no prophetess, but the mother of
three giants."

"Ride home, then, and exult in what thou hast discovered," said the dead
woman. "Never shall my slumbers be broken again until Loke shall burst
his chains and the great battle come."

And Odin rode sadly homeward knowing that already Niflheim was making
itself beautiful against the coming of Balder.

The other gods meanwhile had become merry again; for had not everything
promised to protect their beloved Balder? They even made sport of that
which troubled them, for when they found that nothing could hurt Balder,
and that all things glanced aside from his shining form, they persuaded
him to stand as a target for their weapons; hurling darts, spears,
swords, and battle-axes at him, all of which went singing through the
air and fell harmless at his feet. But Loke, when he saw these sports,
was jealous of Balder, and went about thinking how he could destroy him.

It happened that as Frigg sat spinning in her house Fensal, the soft
wind blowing in at the windows and bringing the merry shouts of the gods
at play, an old woman entered and approached her.

"Do you know," asked the newcomer, "what they are doing in Asgard? They
are throwing all manner of dangerous weapons at Balder. He stands there
like the sun for brightness, and against his glory, spears and
battle-axes fall powerless to the ground. Nothing can harm him."

"No," answered Frigg, joyfully; "nothing can bring him any hurt, for I
have made everything in heaven and earth swear to protect him."

"What!" said the old woman, "has everything sworn to guard Balder?"

"Yes," said Frigg, "everything has sworn except one little shrub which
is called Mistletoe, and grows on the eastern side of Valhal. I did not
take an oath from that because I thought it too young and weak."

When the old woman heard this a strange light came into her eyes; she
walked off much faster than she had come in, and no sooner had she
passed beyond Frigg's sight than this same feeble old woman grew
suddenly erect, shook off her woman's garments, and there stood Loke
himself. In a moment he had reached the slope east of Valhal, had
plucked a twig of the unsworn Mistletoe, and was back in the circle of
the gods, who were still at their favorite pastime with Balder. Hoder
was standing silent and alone outside the noisy throng, for he was
blind. Loke touched him.

"Why do you not throw something at Balder?"

"Because I cannot see where Bald