Idun's apples

It was an usual autumnday when Odin, Loki and Thor with his human servants Tjalfi and Roskva were out walking. They had been out for a long time and last time they eat was around breakfast. Suddenly the saw a couple of fat cows. Thor who was very hungry slaughtered one of them which they grilled, but the meat never seamed to be ready, no matter how long it was in the fire. It was a giant named Tjatsi who had transformed it, because the cows were his and he was incredibly stingy. Tjatsi took the shape of an eagle and told the gods the the cows were his and he wouldn't let the meat get grilled until he had got his part. The gods agreed to that, but Tjatsi lifted up the whole cow and ate it as fast as he could in the air. The whole cow was mine therefor all the meat is also mine, he told them.

Thor got angry, but Loki got furious. He grabbed a branch and tried to hit the eagle. Then Tjatsi grabbed the stick and flew away with Loki high above the other gods heads. Loki got terrified and started to pray and threaten Tjatsi. He explained that he was the famous Loki, but Tjatsi didn't believe him. My grandfathers father played with Loki when he was a child, answered Tjatsi. That could impossible be you. Then Loki told him that every aesir over the age of 25 gets one of Idun's goldapples every year and that made them keep their youth. Tjatsi had worried for a long time about what was going to happen with his gold when he died. No one wanted to marry his ugly daughter Skadi even though he would pay them good, so there was no one who could inherit. Now he got interested. Get me those apples, he demanded. Loki refused, but when Tjatsi promised he would give him the gold he didn't longer need to spend on tying to get his daughter married, Loki promised to try to get the apples.

When Loki gets back to Asgard he goes to the place in the forest where Idun and her husband Bragi usually spent their time. He told Bragi that Odin had sent a message for him that it was going to be a great feast at Valhalla and they wanted the poet Bragi to sing. Bragi gets flattered and walks away towards Valhalla. Idun is left alone. Loki tells her that he can't understand how Bragi could leave her, to go to sing for these drunks in Valhalla and then the two of them goes deeper in to the forest to take a walk. Suddenly Tjatsi who has been hidden behind a tree grabs Idun and her bag with apples and put them into a big sack. Loki reminds him about the gold he was going to get, but Tjatsi just laughs and flies away.

In Asgard the gods really starts to worry. Idun is gone, and more important; the goldapples are also gone. The gods get older fast, they gets wrinkles, bad sight and bad hearing. The gods decide to have a big meeting. Doesn't anybody know anything? Then says Tjalfi that he saw Idun and Loki go out in the forest together, but when Loki returned he was alone. All the gods turn their faces to Loki. Loki don't know how to handle it at all, but then he gets an idea. He tries to blush and then he stammers out that he is sorry, but he had finally found the women of his life, and her father didn't agree to their marriage if he didn't bring him Idun and her apples. Then who is this girl, asked the aesirs. Skadi, the giant Tjatsi's daughter, answered Loki. Freya, the goddess of love immediately feels sorry for Loki. Even Sif and Thor understands him.

Loki gets forgiven because it's the first time he has fallen in love, but Idun and her apples must get back where they belong. It gets decided that Thor shall go with Loki to Tjatsi to get back Idun and his bride Skadi. When they got there it was Skadi who opened the door. Loki told her that he wanted to speak to Tjatsi. When Skadi had went away to tell her father Thor asked Loki if she was the one. Loki mumbled something and Thor became a bit confused. When Tjatsi came down the stairs and saw that Loki had come to get his gold he got angry, but when Loki and he had had a chat face-to-face and Loki had told him that Thor, the one with the hammer was the same Thor that right now was standing in his house, he calmed down. Loki got the gold and they were just about to leave when Skadi came running towards them. Thor had told her that Loki never had been this keen on any girl before and that they were going to take her with them to Asgard. Loki got pale, but he realized there was nothing to do.

They decided to spend the night there and travel back the following morning. When the night came Loki sneaked around in Tjatsi's house trying to find Idun. He thought he could hear her voice in a room so he went in. When Idun saw him she got really angry because he had fooled her, she started to scream at him. Loki got worried that someone might hear them so he turned Idun into a nut, which he put in his pocket. But it was to late, Skadi knocked angrily at the door wondering if he was going to betray her even before they had got married. Loki knew that Thor was waiting outside with his goats so he jumped out of the window and turned himself into a bird. He flew as fast as he could back to Asgard. Skadi's furious screams made Tjatsi wake and he understood soon what had happened. He turned himself into an eagle and flew after Loki. Skadi who had skills in skiing followed him.

When Loki came flying over Asgard with the huge eagle after him were the gods in so bad condition that they could hardly see him, hear him or understand what was going on. But the human child Tjalfi did. When Tjatsi flew down over a some leaves he quickly lighted a match and his sister Roskva helped him to throw it. The eagle got on fire and fell to the ground. Skadi who saw it started to cry. Loki became himself again and felt for the nut in his pocket. At the same time he turned Idun back to a goddess she started to yell at him. Then she saw the other gods and hurriedly started to give everybody her apples. One by one the gods became themselves again. It was decided that Skadi could marry anyone in Asgard, because she did not longer have a father. She was going to choose her man, but only after the gods legs. Loki who had nice legs and was worried that she might would pick him covered his legs in dirt before the competition was going to begin. She picked Njord. But their time together didn't lasted very long, Skadi never liked living in Asgard so she moved back to the mountains. Loki's punishment this time... they tied a very special part of his body with a thread to a jumping goat.

Related Links: Bragi Feathercoat Idun Loki Odin Skadi Tjatsi Thor