Prev | Current Page 8 | Next

Judd, Mary Catherine

"Classic Myths"

Even to this day they mourn for him and tremble at the
least breeze from heaven. Apollo's horses, calmed by Jupiter's voice,
finally found the track. When evening came they entered the western
gates of the sky and were taken back, by way of the north, to their
stalls near Apollo's palace.


WODEN, GOD OF THE NORTHERN SKY
_Norse_

Little Hilda Peterson sat by a table in her mother's room studying her
spelling lesson. Suddenly she startled her mother by giving the table a
sharp rap with her pencil and saying:
"What a queer name for a day! Why didn't the people who named the days
give them numbers instead of names? I can never remember how to spell
Wednesday. What is the use of the third letter in it?"
"My little girl, when you have finished your lesson I will tell you a
story; then I think you will always remember where the fourth day got
its name."
It did not take Hilda many minutes to finish her studying, with the
promise of a story before her.
This is the old Norse tale her mother told:
"Long years ago, before our fatherland, Norway, became a Christian
country, our people were taught that they must worship many gods. Nearly
all of these they feared; a very few they loved.


Pages:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25