the others dragged it along towards the sea.  Loki then perceived that he had only two chances of escape, either to swim out to sea, or to leap again over the net.  He chose the latter, but as he took a tremendous leap Thor caught him in his hand.  Being, however, extremely slippery, he would have escaped had not Thor held him fast by the tail, and this is the reason why salmons have had their tails ever since so fine and thin.

“The gods having thus captured Loki, dragged him without commiseration into a cavern, wherein they placed three sharp-pointed rocks, boring a hole through each of them.  Having also seized Loki’s children, Vali and Nari, they changed the former into a wolf, and in this likeness he tore his brother to pieces and devoured him.  The gods then made cords of his intestines, with which they bound Loki on the points of the rocks, one cord passing under his shoulders, another under his loins, and a third under his hams, and afterwards transformed these cords into thongs of iron.  Skadi then suspended a serpent over him in such a manner that the venom should fall on his face, drop by drop.  But Siguna, his wife, stands by him and receives the drops as they fall in a cup, which she empties as often as it is filled.  But while she is doing this, venom falls upon Loki, which makes him howl with horror, and twist his body about so violently that the whole earth shakes, and this produces what men call earthquakes.  There will Loki lie until Ragnarok.”

OF RAGNAROK, OR THE TWILIGHT OE THE GODS, AND THE CONFLAGRATION OF THE UNIVERSE.

63.  “I have not heard before of Ragnarok,” said Gangler; “what hast thou to tell me about it?”

“There are many very notable circumstances concerning it,” replied Har, “which I can inform thee of.  In the first place will come the winter, called Fimbul-winter, during which snow will fall from the four corners of the world; the frosts will be very severe, the wind piercing, the weather tempestuous, and the sun impart no gladness.  Three such winters shall pass away without being tempered by a single summer.  Three other similar winters follow, during which war and discord will spread over the whole globe.  Brethren for the sake of mere gain shall kill each other, and no one shall spare either his parents or his children.

64.  “Then shall happen such things as may truly be accounted great prodigies.  The wolf shall devour the sun, and a severe loss will that be for mankind.  The other wolf will take the moon, and this too will cause great mischief.  Then the stars shall be hurled from the heavens, and the earth so violently shaken that trees will be torn up by the roots, the tottering mountains tumble headlong from their foundations, and all bonds and fetters be shivered in pieces.  Fenrir then breaks loose, and the sea rushes over the earth, on account of the Midgard serpent turning with giant force, and gaining the land.  On the waters floats the ship Naglfar, which is constructed of the nails of dead men.  For which reason great care should be taken to die with pared nails, for he who dies with his nails unpared, supplies materials for the building of this vessel, which both gods and men wish may be finished as late as possible.  But in this flood shall Naglfar float, and the giant Hrym be its steersman.