eloquence, Kuse rejoined that his daughter’s wish must be consulted, in order that no paternal strictness might forestall anything against her will.  He called her in and asked her whether she felt a liking for her wooer; and when she assented he promised Helgi her hand.  In this way Hother, by the sweet sounds of his fluent and well-turned oratory, opened the ears of Kuse, which were before deaf to the suit he urged.

While this was passing in Halogaland, Balder entered the country of Gewar armed, in order to sue for Nanna.  Gewar bade him learn Nanna’s own mind; so he approached the maiden with the most choice and cajoling words; and when he could win no hearing for his prayers, he persisted in asking the reason of his refusal.  She replied, that a god could not wed with a mortal, because the vast difference of their natures prevented any bond of intercourse.  Also the gods sometimes used to break their pledges; and the bond contracted between unequals was apt to snap suddenly.  There was no firm tie between those of differing estate; for beside the great, the fortunes of the lowly were always dimmed.  Also lack and plenty dwelt in diverse tents, nor was there any fast bond of intercourse between gorgeous wealth and obscure poverty.  In fine, the things of earth would not mate with those of heaven, being sundered by a great original gulf through a difference in nature; inasmuch as mortal man was infinitely far from the glory of the divine majesty.  With this shuffling answer she eluded the suit of Balder, and shrewdly wove excuses to refuse his hand.

When Hother heard this from Gewar, he complained long to Helgi of Balder’s insolence.  Both were in doubt as to what should be done, and beat their brains over divers plans; for converse with a friend in the day of trouble, though it removeth not the peril, yet maketh the heart less sick.  Amid all the desires of their souls the passion of valour prevailed, and a naval battle was fought with Balder.  One would have thought it a contest of men against gods, for Odin and Thor and the holy array of the gods fought for Balder.  There one could have beheld a war in which divine and human might were mingled.  But Hother was clad in his steel-defying tunic, and charged the closest bands of the gods, assailing them as vehemently as a son of earth could assail the powers above.  However, Thor was swinging his club with marvellous might, and shattered all interposing shields, calling as loudly on his foes to attack him as upon his friends to back him up.  No kind of armour withstood his onset, no man could receive his stroke and live.  Whatsoever his blow fended off it crushed; neither shield nor helm endured the weight of its dint; no greatness of body or of strength could serve.  Thus the victory would have passed to the gods, but that Hother, though his line had already fallen back, darted up, hewed off the club at the haft, and made it useless.  And the gods, when they had lost this weapon, fled incontinently.  But that antiquity vouches for it, it were quite against common belief to think that men prevailed against gods. (We call them gods in a supposititious rather than in a real sense; for to such we give the title of deity by the custom of nations, not because of their nature.)