Grow Old

He began his account where three Æsir set out—Odin and Loki
and Haenir - and crossed mountains and wildernesses, and food
was difficult to come by. And when they came down into a certain
valley they saw a herd of oxen and took one of the oxen and set it
in an earth oven. And when they thought it must be cooked they
opened the earth oven and it was not cooked. And a second time
when they opened the oven after some time had passed, it was still
not cooked. Then they discussed among themselves what could be
the reason. Then they heard someone talking in the oak tree up
above them, saying that the one that was sitting there claimed to
be responsible for the oven not cooking. They looked up and it
was an eagle sitting there, and no small one. Then said the eagle:

‘If you will grant me my fill of the ox, then the oven will cook.’

They agreed to this. Then it let itself drop from the tree and sat
on the oven and to begin with immediately put away the ox’s two
hams and both shoulders. Then Loki got angry and snatched up a
great pole and swung it with all his strength and drove it at the
eagle’s body. The eagle jerked away at the blow and flew up. Then
the pole was stuck to the eagle’s body and Loki’s hands to the
other end. The eagle flew at such a height that Loki’s feet banged
down against the stones and gravel and trees, and his arms he
thought were going to be wrenched from his shoulders. He
shouted and begged the eagle most earnestly for a truce but it said
that Loki would never get free unless he vowed solemnly to get
Idunn to come outside Asgard with her apples, and Loki accepted.
Then he got free and went up to his comrades. And nothing else
noteworthy was told for the moment of their expedition until
they got home. But at the agreed time Loki lured Idunn out
through Asgard into a certain forest, saying that he had found
some apples that she would think worth having, and told her she
should bring her apples with her and compare them with these.
Then giant Thiassi arrived in eagle shape and snatched Idunn and
flew away with her to his home in Thrymheim.

But the Æsir were badly affected by Idunn’s disappearance and
soon became grey and old. Then the Æsir held a parliament and
asked each other what was the last that was known about Idunn,
and the last that had been seen was that she had gone outside
Asgard with Loki. Then Loki was arrested and brought to the
parliament and he was threatened with death or torture. Being
filled with terror, he said he would go in search of Idunn in
Giantland if Freyia would lend him a falcon shape of hers. And
when he got the falcon shape he flew north to Giantland and
arrived one day at giant Thiassi’s; he was out at sea in a boat, but
Idunn was at home alone. Loki turned her into the form of a nut
and held her in his claws and flew as fast as he could. When Thiassi
got home and found Idunn was not there he got his eagle shape and
flew after Loki and he caused a storm-wind by his flying. And
when the Æsir saw the falcon flying with the nut and where the
eagle was flying, they went out under Asgard and brought there
loads of wood-shavings, and when the falcon flew in over the
fortification, it let itself drop down by the wall of the fortification.
Then the Æsir set fire to the wood-shavings and the eagle was
unable to stop when it missed the falcon. Then the eagle’s feathers
caught fire and his flight was ended. Then the Æsir were close by
and killed giant Thiassi within the As-gates, and this killing is
greatly renowned.


- Prose Edda, Skaldskaparmal