to conceal himself in the river. As foon as the Gods got there, Kuafer, who was the most distinguished among them all for his quickness and penetration, traced out in the hot embers, the vestiges and remains of the net which had been burnt, and by that means found out Loke's invention. Having made all the other Gods remark the fame thing, they fet themselves to weave a net after the model which they saw imprinted in the afhes. This net, when finished, they threw into the water of the river in which Loke had hid himself. Thor held one end of the net, and all the Gods together laid hold of the other, thus jointly drawing it along the stream. Nevertheless, Loke concealing himself between two stones, the net passed over him without taking him; and the Gods only perceived that fome living thing had touched the meshes. They cast it in a second time, after having tied so great a weight to it, that it every where raked the bottom of the stream. But Loke saved himself by suddenly mounting up to the top of the water, and then plunging in again, in a place where the river formed a cataract. The Gods betook themselves afresh towards that place, and divided into two bands: Thor walking in the water followed the net, which they dragged thus to the very margin of the fea. Then 1 Then Loke perceived the danger that threat ned him, whether he saved himself in the sea; or whether he got back over the net, However, he chose the latter, and leaped with all his might over the net: but Thor running after him, caught him in his hand: but for all this, being extremely flippery, he had doubtless escaped, had not Thor held him fast by the tail; and this is the reason why Salmons have had their tails ever fince so fine and thin. : : THE THE THIRTY-FIRST FABLE. L The Punishment of Loke. OKE being thus taken, they dragged him without mercy into a cavern. The Gods also seized his children, Vali and Nari: the first being changed by the Gods into a savage beast, tore his brother in pieces and devoured him. The Gods made of his intestines cords for Loke, tying him down to three sharp stones; one of which pressed his shoulder, the other his loyns; and the third his hams. These cords were afterwards changed into chains of iron. Besides this, Skada suspended over his head a ferpent, whose venom falls upon his face, drop by drop. At the same time his wife, Siguna, fits by his fide, and receives the drops as they fall, into a bason, which the empties as often as it is filled. But while this is doing, the venom falls upon Loke, which makes him howl with horror, and twift his body about with such violence, that all the earth is shaken with it; and this produces what men call Earth-quakes. There will Loke remain in irons till the last day of the darkness of the Gods. REMARKS ON THE THIRTY-FIRST FABLE. LOKE having at length tired out the patience of the Gods, they seize and punish him. This idea, at the bottom, hath prevailed among almost all the ancient nations; but they have each of them imbellished it after their own manner. One cannot doubt but our Scandinavians brought with them from Afia this belief, which appears to have been very widely esta blished there from the earlieft antiquity. In the Book of the pretended prophecy of Enoch, we find many particulars very much resembling these of the EDDA. The rebel angels caufing incessantly a thousand diforders, God commanded theArch-An gel, RAPHAEL, to bind hand and foot one of the principal among them, named Azael, and cast him into an obfcure place in a defert, there to keep him bound upon sharp pointed stones to the last day. One may also safely conjecture that the fables of Prometheus, Typhon and Enceladus, are derived from the fame original: whether one is to look for this in the History of Holy Writ, misunderstood and disfigured, or in other forgotten events, or only in the ancient custom of concealing all instructions under the veil of allegory; a custom common in all nations, while their reason is in its infancy, but peculiarly proper to thofe of the east. As all the diligence of the learned cannot fupply the want of necessary monuments, I shall not venture to do more than just barely to point out the principal grounds of their conjectures: to enumerate them all, to weigh their respective merits, and to apply each of them to this fable of the EDDA, would be a task as laborious, as difagreeable and useless: and for which very few of my readers would think themselves obliged to me. THE THE THIRTY-SECOND FABLE, G Of the Twilight of the Gods. ANGLER then inquired; What can you tell me concerning that day? Har replied; There are very many and very notable circumstances which I can impart to you. In the first place, will come the grand, the defolating' Winter; during which the fsnow will fall from the four corners of the world: the frost will be very severe; the tempest violent and dangerous; and the Sun will withdraw his beams. Three such winters shall pass away, without being foftened by one summer. Three others shall follow, during which War and Discord will spread through the whole globe. Brothers, out of hatred, shall kill each other; no one shall spare either his parent, or his child, or his relations. See how it is described in the VOLUSPA; "Bro"thers becoming murderers, shall stain "themselves with brothers blood; kindred T " shall 1 |