Pine Needles

sat on the terrace in the mellow October light and dreamed. Dinner went off merrily. After dinner, when it began to be dark, they all repaired to the library. A little fire was k

e see about all those Saxon go

d Meredith, springing up and going to the

rom the Roman and Grec

keep their ears open, to refrain f

little; "but how should I know but those were the s

will enlighten you and myself too," said Meredith, rummaging among the bookshelves. "Here it is, I believe!" And with a volume in his hand he came back to the table

?" she said

ha

ggie, laughing. "Hav

ening himself up. "Yes, Maggie, it's

who was

ty. He was the god of the mo

ollo," s

all the other gods. He was the god of the sky. They represented him with two ravens that sat

's Mi

the abode of the god

ything about Midgar

then Walhalla was the place where Odin put ha

f the other ha

h them, this book does not say. I have read before of t

was F

ended by two dogs. He was the chief and head of the gods, you understand. Now Freija was one of his wives. Naturally, she was the goddess of good weather and harvests-a fair ki

those old Saxons should have fancied he would like such

ith m

look bright and cheerfu

then,

ss mean

"To be sure, I know darkness means si

n darkness and light, undoubtedl

they could think he w

Meredith musingly. "How afraid we should b

rews so afraid of

h appeared to them? And how should people who never heard of Christ guess that God is so

e Him by such awful sa

to give him the most pr

a puzzle to me. In the first place, I do not be

show it. 'How beautiful' among them must be 'the feet of him that bringeth good tidings

n't lived in Landolf

ons. Theirs was not a bad specimen of heathen mythology, by any means. And yet,

unt people were bette

red Meredith. "I must ask Mr. Murray

e comes. Well, go on with your Saxon mythology and be

n and Norway and Denmark were all of one race and one faith. Norsemen carried it t

nd her elbows on the table, leaning over towards

s the th

do you

d driving in a car drawn by two goats and with a great hammer in his hand. This hamme

he want a

came down, that made the thunder, don't yo

d have been frightened to

those old Saxons kn

hink they would h

e was also the god of fire, and the god of the domestic hearth. Listen to this: 'Among the pagan Norsemen, Thor's hammer was held in as much rev

repeated Maggie

hor now," observed

eredith. "There is a relic of the old Thor wors

a, looking up. "

on't know which. Freyr was the god of weather and fruits-another impersonation of Odin. He rode through the air on a wild boar, faster than any horse could

ay left," said Maggie

d so not Saxon, Maggie, but Roman. The nam

e t

children. Listen to this. 'One was the huge wolf Fenris, who at the last day shall hurry gaping

asked Flora. "It is just li

something. How did these old Norsemen know there would be

you kn

Bib

, Ditto?" said Maggie.

y pl

s one,

is book of Norse mythology on one side. Then he o

man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp

d gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the fles

he false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake

d all that, the lea

here will be a wa

at's a

t. How should i

d by a 'sword proceedi

chapter: 'And he had in his right hand seven stars;

at a figure? Wh

e the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the ear

el

onsume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his

t is not a real sword, w

says it has

you know wh

battle is real, don't you see? and the awful overthrow and destruction, and what I am wondering about is, how those old Saxon

hey kn

another was the serpent which Odin cast into the sea, where it grew and gre

t, D

they kn

w wh

coming to the earth, has enveloped the whole world in his toils. The Bible says, I know, somewhere, that those w

hose Bible verses just no

ces here

There were three ch

. I wonder! that must be where our word 'hell' comes from. What dreadful old times! And times now are just as ba

es were so much worse than

rifices are a pleasa

he rest were all accustomed to it, a

o have been a go

anything more, Ditto, ab

ies of lesser ones-really, personifications of the good and evil powers of nature. The elves and their king, and the d

lieve in elves and f

hy

d poetical. Fairy r

d hill, which might feel kindly disposed towards you and might not? which might suddenl

e believe

any people, in variou

t God has it all in His han

d that Jesus has the ke

nton will be here

-Uncle Eden gets here," sa

said Esth

nding shrug of her shoulders; "I never know

way to speak o

"I can't find any nice

uldn't spe

of comfort and plague. And that is true of the best of them, Es

-Maggie began

rothers and brothers," said Flora laughing

e there any such stones as those q

any countries. Not all just like the stone-houses. Some are just single stones set up on end. Some are two laid together,

human sacrifices

s tolerably uncertain. Did you n

nd got another volume. This contained many illustrations of old stone monume

iest illustrations, "there, Ditto! that is very like-v

s is in Ireland. I dare say some of t

top stone rests just on one point at the low

ll stand for all time-unless an earthquake shak

is a d

haen, a stone.' A stone table. And it says here that there are probably a hundred of such dolmens in Great B

ble support. In the stones of Stennis, over which Maggie and Meredith pondered with intense interest, one of the enormous up-standing masses has a hole through it. And this stone, there is no doubt, was dedicated to Woden. And so long had the superstition of Woden's worship clung to it, that until very lately an oath sworn by persons joining their hands through this hole, was reckoned especially sacred; even the courts of law so recognising it. After that, Woden seemed to Maggie to have strong cla

otten ourselv

avelling. Oh, I wish I could see the Stones o

to bed, little one, and forget it