whose name was Hela.

No sooner were these three terrible children born than all the wise
men of the earth began to foretell the misery they would bring upon
the Asa folk.

In vain did Loki try to keep them hidden within the cave wherein
their mother dwelt. They soon grew so immense in size that no dwelling
would contain them, and all the world began to talk of their frightful
appearance.

It was not long, of course, before All-Father Odin, from his high seat
in Asgard, heard of the children of Loki. So he sent for some of the
Asas, and said:

"Much evil will come upon us, O my children, from this giant brood, if
we defend not ourselves against them. For their mother will teach them
wickedness, and still more quickly will they learn the cunning wiles
of their father. Fetch me them here, therefore, that I may deal with
them forthwith."

So, after somewhat of a struggle, the Asas captured the three
giant-children and brought them before Odin's judgment-seat.

Then Odin looked first at Hela, and when he saw her gloomy eyes, full
of misery and despair, he was sorry, and dealt kindly with her,
saying: "Thou art the bringer of Pain to man, and Asgard is no place
for such as thou. But I will make thee ruler of the Mist Home, and
there shalt thou rule over that unlighted world, the Region of the
Dead."

Forthwith he sent her away over rough roads to the cold, dark region
of the North called the Mist Home. And there did Hela rule over a grim
crew, for all those who had done wickedness in the world above were
imprisoned by her in those gloomy regions. To her came also all those
who had died, not on the battlefield, but of old age or disease. And
though these were treated kindly enough, theirs was a joyless life in
comparison with that of the dead warriors who were feasting and
fighting in the halls of Valhalla, under the kindly rule of All-Father
Odin.

Having thus disposed of Hela, Odin next turned his attention to the
serpent. And when he saw his evil tongue and cunning, wicked eyes, he
said:

"Thou art he who bringest Sin into the world of men; therefore the
ocean shall be thy home for ever."

Then he threw that horrid serpent into the deep sea which surrounds
all lands, and there the creature grew so fast that when he stretched
himself one day he encircled all the earth, and held his own tail fast
in his mouth. And sometimes he grew angry to think that he, the son of
a god, had thus been cast out; and at thos