nto another hall, where a number of large fires were burning.

Here he proceeded to challenge Thor to a contest of skill in throwing.
The Thunderer, nothing loth, bade Geirrod give the signal.

But Geirrod, thinking to catch Thor off his guard, snatched up a
red-hot wedge of iron from the fire and flung it at him.

Quick as lightning, Thor caught the wedge in his glove of might, and
so forcibly did he throw it back that it passed through the giant,
through the pillar in front of which he stood, through the wall of his
castle, and at last buried itself fathoms deep in the rock without.

Nor was this all, for at the touch of the red-hot iron the body of
Geirrod was turned into stone; this Thor now took and set up on top of
a high mountain in Giantland; and it was long before any of the folk
of that country dared try conclusions with the Thunderer again.

And this is the end of the tale of How the Giant's Daughters tried to
kill Thor.

CHAPTER XII

The Story of Balder the Beautiful

_This is the tale the Northmen tell of the
sad fate of Balder the Beautiful._

Fair beyond all the sons of Odin was Balder the Beautiful, Balder of
the snow-white brow and golden locks, and he was well beloved not only
by the Asa folk, but also by the men of the earth below.

"Of all the twelve round Odin's throne,
Balder, the Beautiful, alone,
The Sun-god, good and pure and bright,
Was loved by all, as all love light."

Balder had a twin-brother named Hoder, who was born blind. Gloomy and
silent was he, but none the less he loved his bright sun-brother best
of all in heaven or earth.

The home of Balder was a palace with silver roof and pillars of gold,
and nothing unclean or impure was allowed to come inside its doors.

Very wise in all magic charms was this radiant young god; and for all
others save himself he could read the future; but "to keep his own
life safe and see the sun" was not granted to him.

Now there came a time when Balder's bright face grew sad and downcast;
and when his father Odin and his mother Frigga perceived this they
implored him to tell them the cause of his grief. Then Balder told
them that he had been troubled by strange dreams; and, since in those
days men believed that dreams were sent as a warning of what was about
to happen, he had gone heavily since these visions had come to him.

First he had dreamt that a dark cloud had arisen which came before the
sun and shut out a