It seems strange that any one who might have lived with the gods in their beautiful city of Asgard [Footnote:  The Norse peoples believed that their gods lived above the earth in a wonderful city named Asgard.  From this city they crossed to the earth on a bridge, which by people on earth was known as the rainbow.] and have shared in their joys and their good works should have preferred to associate with the ugly, wicked giants.  But that was the case with Loki—­Red Loki, as he was called, because of his red hair.  He was handsome like a god; he was wise and clever like a god—­more clever than any of the other gods.  In one way, however, he differed from the others; he had a bad heart, and liked much better to use his cleverness in getting gods and men into trouble than in making them happy.  Besides this, he was very proud, and could not bear to submit even to Odin, the king of the gods.

“Who is Odin,” [Footnote:  Odin, chief of the Norse gods, had been induced to part with one eye in exchange for wisdom.] he muttered, “that he should be set over me?  Is he more clever than I am?  Is he more handsome, with his one eye and his gray beard?” And Loki held his handsome head high.

Proud as he was, however, he was not too proud to do a disgraceful thing.  He went off to the home of the giants and married the ugliest and fiercest of all the giantesses.  Just why he did it does not seem very clear, for he certainly could not have loved her.  Perhaps he did it just to spite the other gods and to show them that he cared nothing for what they thought.

But he must have repented of his act when he saw the children which the giantess bore him, for they were certainly the most hideous and frightful children that were ever born into the world.  The daughter, Hela, was the least awful, but even she was by no means a person one would care to meet.  She was half white and half blue, and she had such gloomy, angry eyes that any one who looked at her sank into unconquerable sadness and finally into death.  But the other two!  One was a huge, glistening, scaly serpent, with a mouth that dripped poison, and glaring, beady eyes; and the other was a white-fanged, red-eyed wolf.

These two monsters grew so rapidly that the king of the gods, looking down from his throne in the heavens, was struck with fear.

“The gods themselves will not be safe if those monsters are allowed to go unchecked,” he said.  “Down there in the home of the giants they will be taught to hate the gods, and at the rate they’re growing, they’ll soon be strong enough to shake our very palaces.”

He sent, therefore, the strongest of his sons to fetch the children of Loki before him.  Well was it for those gathered about Odin’s throne that they were gods and goddesses, else would the eyes of Hela have sent them to their death.  Upon her, Odin looked more in pity than in anger—­she was not all bad.

“You, Hela,” he said, “although it is not safe to allow you to remain above ground, where you may do great harm to men, are not all wicked.  Honor, therefore, shall be yours, and ease; but happiness shall be far from you.  I shall make you queen over the regions of the dead—­that kingdom which is as large as nine worlds.”