Daily Short Stories - Children's Stories

How Odin Lost His Eye

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Duration:: 12m
Broadcast on:: 30 Jun 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

Ryan Seacrest here, when you have a busy schedule, it's important to maximize your downtime. One of the best ways to do that is by going to Chumbah Casino.com. Chumbah Casino has all your favorite social casino games, like spin slots, bingo, and solitaire that you can play for free for a chance to redeem some serious prizes. So hop on to Chumbah Casino.com now and live the Chumbalife. Sponsored by Chumbah Casino, no purchase necessary. VGW Group, void where prohibited by law, 18-plus terms and conditions apply. Is your vehicle stopping like it should? Does it squeal or grind when you break? Don't miss out on summer break deals at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, righty. Auto Parts. In the beginning of things, before there was any world or sun, moon and stars, there were the giants. For these were the oldest creatures that ever breathed. They lived in Jotunheim, the land of frost and darkness, and their hearts were hevel. Next came the gods, the good Asia, who made earth and sky and sea, and who dwelt in Asgard above the heavens. Then were created the queer little dwarfs who lived underground in the cabins of the mountains, working at their minds of metal and precious stones. Last of all, the gods made men to dwell in Midgard, the good world that we know. Many which in the glorious home of the Asia stretched by frost, the bridge of rainbows. In those days, folks say, there was a mighty ash tree named Eagrassio, so vast that his branches shaded the whole earth and stretched up into heaven where their Asia dwelt, while its roots sank far down below the lowest depth. In the branches of the big ash tree, lived a queer family of creatures. First, there was a great eagle, who was wiser than any bird that ever lived. At the two ravens, thought and memory, who sat upon father Odin's shoulders, and told him the secrets which they learned in their flighter with a wide world. Near the great eagle perched a hawk, and four antlered deer browsed among the buds of Eagrassil. At the foot of the tree, called a huge serpent, who was always ignoring Hungary at its roots, with a whole colony of little snakes to keep in company. So many that they could never be counted. The eagle at the top of the tree and the serpent at its foot were enemies, always saying hard things of each other. Between the two skipped up and down a little squirrel, a tail-bearer and a gossack, who repeated each unkind remark and, like the malicious neighbour that he was, kept their quarrel ever fresh and green. In one place at the roots of Eagrassil was a fair fountain called the erderwell, where the three known maidens, who knew the past, present and future, dwelt with their pets, the two white swans. This was magic water in the fountain, which the non-sprinkled every day upon the giant tree to keep it green. Water so sacred that everything which entered it became white as the film of an eggshell. Close beside this sobered well, the aesir had their council hall, to which they galloped every morning over the rainbow bridge. But father Odin, the king of all the aesir, knew of another fountain more wonderful still. The two ravens whom he sent forth to bring him news had told him. This also was below the roots of Eagrassil, in the spot where the sky and ocean met. Here for centuries and centuries the great mimer had sat keeping guard over his hidden well, in the bottom of which lay such a treasure of wisdom as was to be found nowhere else in the world. Every morning mimer dicked his glittering horn, gill, into the fountain and drew out a draught of the wondrous water, which he drank to make him wise. Every day he grew wiser and wiser, and as this had been going on ever since the beginning of things, you can scarcely imagine how wise mimer was. Now it did not seem right to father Odin that a giant should have all this wisdom to himself, for the giants were the enemies of the aesir, and the wisdom which they had been hoarding for ages before the gods were made was generally used for evil purposes. Moreover, Odin longed and longed to become the wisest being in the world, so he resolved to win a draught from mimer's well, if in any way that could be done. One night, when the sun had set behind the mountains of Midgard, Odin put on his broad brim tat and his stripes cloak, and taking his famous staff in his hand, trudged down the long bridge to where attended by mimer's secret grotto. "Good day, mimer," said Odin, entering, "I have come for a drink from your well." The giant was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chin, his long white beard falling over his folded arms, and his head nodding from mimer was very old, and he often fell asleep while watching over his precious spring. He woke with a frown at Odin's words, "You want to drink from my well, do you?" he growled, "Hey, I let no one drink from my well." Nevertheless, he must let me have a draught from your glittering horn, insisted Odin, and I will pay you for it. The whole, "You will pay me for it, will you?" echoed mimer, eyeing his visitor keenly. For now that he was wide awake, his wisdom taught him that this was no ordinary stranger. "What will you pay for a drink from my well, and why do you wish it so much?" "I can see with my eyes, all that goes on in heaven and upon earth," said Odin, "but I cannot see into the depths of the ocean. I lack the hidden wisdom of the deep, the wit that lies at the bottom of your fountain. My ravens tell me many secrets, but I would know all. And as the payment, ask what you will, and I will pledge anything in return for the draught of wisdom." Then mimer's keen glance grew keener. "You are Odin of the race of gods," he cried. "We giants are centuries older than you, and our wisdom, which we have treasured during these ages, when we, with it, only creatures in our space, is a precious thing. If I grant you a draught from my well, you will become as one of a hurts, a wise, and dangerous enemy. It is a goodly priced Odin, which I shall demand for a boon so great. Now Odin was growing impatient for the sparkling water. "Ask your price," he frowned, "I have promised that I will pay." "What say you then, to leave you one of those fast-seeing eyes of yours at the bottom of my well?" asked mimer, hoping that he would refuse to bargain. "This is the only payment, I will take," Odin hesitated. It was indeed a heavy price, and one that he could ill afford, for he was proud of his noble beauty. But he glanced at the magic fountain, bubbling mysteriously in the shadow, and he knew that he must have the draught. "Give me the glittering horn," he answered, "I pledge you my eye for a draught to the brim." Very unwillingly, mimer filled the horn from the fountain of wisdom and handed it to Odin. It then, he said, "drink and grow wise. This hour is the beginning of trouble between your race and mine." And wise mimer asked what older truth. Odin thought merely of the wisdom which was to be his. He seized the horn equally and emptied it without delay. From that moment he became wiser than anyone else in the world, except mimer himself. Now he had the price to pay, which was not so pleasant. When he went away from the grotto, he left at the bottom of the dark pool, one of his fiery eyes, which twinkled and winked up through the magic depth, like the reflection of a star. This is how Odin lost his eye, and why from that day he was careful to pull his grey hat low over his face, when he wanted to pass unnoticed, for by this oddity folk could easily recognize the wise lord of Asgard. In the bright morning, when the sun rose over the mountains of Midgard, old mimer drank from his bubbly well, a draught at the wise water that flowed over Odin's pledge. Doing so, from his underground grotto, he saw all that befell in heaven and on earth, so that he also was wiser by the bargain. Mimer seemed to have secured rather the best of it, for he lost nothing that he could not spare, while Odin lost what no man can well part with. One of the good windows where through his heart looks out upon the world, but there was a sequel to these doings, which made the balance swing down in Odin's favour. Not long after this, the aesir quarreled with the Vanir, wild enemies of theirs, and there was a terrible battle, but in the end the two sides made peace, and to prove that they meant never to quarrel again, they exchanged hostages. The Vanir gave to the aesir, old neored the rich, the lord of the sea and the ocean wind, with his two children, Frey and Freyja. This was indeed a gracious gift, for Freyja was the most beautiful maid in the world, and her twin brother was almost as fair. To the Vanir in return, father Odin gave his own brother, Honeer. And with Honeer he sent Mimer the wise, whom he took from his lonely well. Now the Vanir made Honeer their chief, thinking that he must be very wise, because he was the brother of great Odin, who had lately become famous for his wisdom. They did not know the secret of Mimer's well, how the hoary old giant was far more wise than anyone who had not quuffed of the magic water. It is true that in the assemblies of the Vanir, Honeer gave excellent counsel, but this was because Mimer whispered in Honeer's ear all the wisdom that he uttered. Whitless Honeer was quite helpless without his aid, and he did not know what to do or say. Whenever Mimer was absent he would look nervous and frightened, and if folk questioned him he always answered, "Yes, oh yes, now go and consult someone else." Of course, the Vanir soon grew very angry at such silly answers from their chief, and presently they began to suspect the truth. "Odin has deceived us," they said. "He has sent us his foolish brother with a witch to tell him what to say." "Ha, we will show him that we understand the trick." So they cut off poor old Mimer's head and sent it to Odin as a present. The tales do not say what Odin thought of the gift. Perhaps he was glad that now there was no one in the whole world who could be called so wise as himself. Perhaps he was sorry for the danger into which he had thrust a poor old giant who had never done him any wrong, except to be a giant of the race which the atheist hated. Perhaps it was a little ashamed of the trick which he had played on the Vanir. Odin's new wisdom showed him how to prepare Mimer's head with herbs and charms, so that it stood up by itself quite naturally and seen not dead. Then, fourth, Odin kept it near him and learned from it many useful secrets which it had not forgotten. So in the end, Odin fed better than the unhappy Mimer, whose worst fault was that he knew more than most folk. That is a dangerous fault, as others have found, though it is not one for which many of us need fear being punished. End of "Hello, Odin lost his eye." It is Ryan here, and I have a question for you. What do you do when you win? Like are you a fist-pumper? A woo hoo! A hand clap or a high-fiver? If you want to hone in on those winning moves, check out Chumba Casino. Choose from hundreds of social casino-style games for your chance to redeem serious cash prizes. There are new game releases weekly plus free daily bonuses, so don't wait. Start having the most fun ever at Chumba Casino.com. Sponsored by Chumba Casino, no purchase necessary. VGW Group, voidware prohibited by law, 18-plus terms and conditions apply. Hey there, listeners. 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