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The sir had a conference, and they struck this bargain with the builder. He
should receive what he asked for, if he succeeded in building the stronghold in
one winter. But if, on the first day of summer, any part of it was unfinished,
he was to forfeit his reward; nor was he to receive anyone's help in the work.
When they told him these terms, however, he asked them to let him have the help
of his horse, which was called Svadilfari, and acting on the advice of Loki, the
gods granted this to him.
He began building the stronghold the first day of winter, and by night used his
horse for hauling the stones for it. The sir were astonished at the size of the
huge boulders the horse hauled. It performed twice as much of that tremendous
task as the builder.
Now there were strong witnesses to their bargain. It had been confirmed with
many oaths, because the giant had not considered it safe to be among the sir
without promise of safe-conduct, if Thor should come home. At that time he had
gone into the east to fight trolls.
As winter drew to an end, the building of the stronghold had made good progress.
It was so high and strong that it could not be taken. By three days before
summer the work was almost finished.
The gods then sat down in their judgment seats and sought for a way out. They
recalled that it had been Loki who had given the advice to marry Freyja into
Giantland and also to ruin the sky and heaven by giving the sun and moon to the
giants. They threatened him with an evil death if he did not devise a plan
whereby the builder would forfeit his wages. Loki swore that he would do this,
no matter what it might cost him.
That same evening, when the builder was driving out after stones with his
stallion Svadilfari, a mare ran out of a wood up to the horse and whinnied to
him. The stallion became frantic and ran into the wood after the mare. The two
these horses galloped about all night, and the work was delayed.
The next day, when the builder saw that the work would not be finished, he flew
into a rage. As soon as the sir saw for certain that it was a giant who had
come there, they disregarded their oaths and called on Thor.
He came at once and raised the hammer Mjlnir aloft. Thor paid the builder his
wages, and it was not the sun and the moon. He struck him such a blow that his
skull shivered into fragments, and he sent him down to Niflhel.
Loki, however, had had such dealings with Svadilfari that some time later he
bore a foal. It was gray and had eight legs, and amongst gods and men that horse
is the best.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Notes:
* Thor is the Norse god of thunder. Armed with his battle hammer Mjlnir, he
was a sworn enemy of giants, trolls, and elves. For more information see
Thor's Home Page.
* The eight-legged horse borne by Loki was named Sleipnir and became a prized
possession of Odin. A picture of Odin astride Sleipnir is featured on the
famous Tjngvide picture stone from the Island of Gotland (Sweden).
and decorations, both inside and out, were to be of hard flint, and so forth.
Soon such a church was standing there, complete except for roof and steeple.
Deeply concerned, Olaf again wandered through the mountains and valleys.
Suddenly, from within a mountain, he a child crying and a giantess comforting it
with the words:
Shush, shush,
tomorrow your father,
Wind and Weather,
will come home,
and he will bring you
the sun and the moon
or Saint Olaf himself!
Olaf returned home, elated with this discovery (for one can destroy an evil
spirit's power with his name). Everything was finished. The steeple had just
been set into place. Then Olaf called out:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Source: Jacob Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie, vol. 1 (1876), p. 454. First
published 1835. Translated by D. L. Ashliman.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Source: Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance
and Superstition of Various Countries (London: H. G. Gohn, 1850), pp.
116-117.
* This story is also told by H. A. Guerber in his Myths of the Norsemen from
the Eddas and Sagas (London: George G. Harrap and Company, 1909), pp.
240-241, and in a ballad entitled "Kallundborg Church" by John Greenleaf
Whittier (1807-1892).
thought so easy, and was very far from feeling glad that the end of the church
building was so near; for do what he would, ask whom he would, and search the
country round as he would, and had done, he could not, for the life of him, find
out the name of his quick-handed mason. Still the church went on not a whit
slower for his anxiety, and autumn came, and a very little more labor would
finish the building.
One day, the last day of the work, he happened to be wandering outside his
field, brooding in deep grief over what now seemed to be the heavy price he
would have to pay to his master builder, and threw himself down upon a grass
mound which he came to. He had scarcely lain there a minute, when he heard
someone singing, and listening, he found that the voice was that of a mother
lulling her child, and came from inside the mound upon which he had flung
himself down. This is what it said:
Soon will thy father Finnur come from Reynir,
Bringing a little playmate for thee, here.
And these words were repeated over and over again; but the farmer, who pretty
soon guessed what they meant, did not wait to hear how many times the mother
thought fit to sing them, or what the child seemed to think of them, but started
up and ran with all speed, his heart filled with joy, to the church, in which he
found the builder just nailing the last plank over the altar.
"Well done, friend Finnur!" said he, "how soon you have finished your work!"
No sooner had these words passed his lips than friend Finnur, letting the plank
fall from his hand, vanished, and was never seen again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Notes:
* Source: Jn Arnason, Icelandic Legends, translated by George E. J. Powell
and Eirkur Magnsson (London: R. Bentley, 1864). Translation slightly
revised by D. L. Ashliman.
Builder Hans von Prachatitz, who since the year 1430 had been directing the
construction of the south tower. The proud builder had selected the son of a
wealthy burgher to marry his daughter and was thoroughly opposed to her affinity
for Hans Puchsbaum.
"If you can finish the north tower at the same hour that I complete the south
tower, then you may take Maria to wife," thundered hard-hearted Prachatitz to
his journeyman. This condition was practically impossible. No one would be able
to complete such a construction project in so short a time. The hopes and dreams
of poor Puchsbaum disappeared. In despair he stood there and murmured to
himself: "Only the devil could complete such a masterpiece. I shall leave this
city, and Maria will belong to another man."
He had scarcely spoken these words when the Evil One appeared before him. "I
will help you build the tower, but during the entire construction time you may
not utter the name of God nor that of any of any of His saints, otherwise your
soul will belong to me," was the offer made to him by the Spirit of Hell.
Plagued with a bad conscience, Hans asked himself if he should build a house of
God with the help of Satan. But his love of Maria conquered all doubts, and he
entered into the pact with the devil.
The townspeople of Vienna watched in amazement as the north tower scaffolding
grew upward and the construction advanced rapidly. Puchsbaum himself was the
most industrious of all the workers. Day and night he mixed mortar and set
stones into place. The tower, growing ever higher, was decorated by the most
glorious stone figures. Puchsbaum adhered rigorously to the conditions set by
the devil, and it appeared less and less likely that the builder would have to
surrender his soul.
Then the Evil One resorted to trickery. Assuming Maria's shape, he walked across
Saint Stephen's Square with his head bowed. Hans Puchsbaum, who was standing
high above on the scaffolding, recognized Maria. Forgetting his oath, he called
out her name. Immediately the heavy beams broke apart and Puchsbaum fell to the
ground. The tower remained unfinished. No one dared continue with the devil's
work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Source: Elisabeth Jaindl, Der Stephansdom im alten Wien: Geschichte und
Geschichten (Korneuburg: Kellner Verlagsgesellschaft, n.d.), pp. 27-28.
* Jaindl's title for this legend is "Hans Puchsbaum, der Baumeister von St.
Stephan."
Bavaria
The Wasserburg town hall was built more than 600 years ago. A legend is
connected to the history of this building.
At Wasserburg they were building a church and a town hall at the same time. Thus
they engaged many masons and construction workers, and instructed the masters to
not delay.
Two diligent stonemasons, named Hans and Stephan, took charge of the work. The
older one, Hans, supervised the construction of the church; the younger one,
Stephen, the town hall. Both were experienced in the art of building, having
participated together in the construction of many a marvelous structure, also in
southern Europe. They proceeded once again together with the plans, extending to
one another the hand of true friendship and swearing that they would help each
other like good brothers, without hate and without envy.
Because every good work should be rewarded, if it is to advance and succeed, the
man who finished his project first was promised a reward, provided that the work
was worthy and without blemish.
Do you want to know what kind of reward it was to be? A very unusual reward,
neither of gold and silver, nor a medal of honor: It was the mayor's beautiful
daughter.
Both stonemasons had cast their eyes on the girl at the same time, and this was
no secret to her father. Because both were skilled and upright people, the mayor
did not care if his daughter would take the one or the other as a bridegroom.
Thus he promised her to the one who would first complete his building. However,
the bride-to-be was not consulted in this matter. In her heart she had already
chosen Stephen, the younger man.
As luck would have it, Stephan completed his building first. The town hall was
finished, but the church tower's steeple was still missing. The competition was
over. Stephan was to take home the mayor's wealthy and beautiful daughter as his
bride.
This was a difficult test of friendship. Hans accepted his fate without envy and
complaint, devoting himself to his friend as before. But Stephan could not see
it the same way. He did not feel right surrounded by good fortune while his
friend was unhappy. Thus he walked about sadly and despondent, thinking to
himself how he might be freed of his misery.
One day he disappeared. In his room, instead of himself, there was a stone
statue of him and a written message, in which he extended his final greetings to
his friend and to his bride-to-be. He revealed to them his decision to join a
distant monastery.
The legend does not tell us if Hans took home the abandoned bride. However, the
friend appears to have lost all joy in his work, because the church tower's
steeple is missing even today.
The statue of loyal Stephen is still preserved in the town hall of Wasserburg.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Source: Hans Sponholz, Drei Frauen und zwei Riesen: Sagen aus Bayern um
Burgen, Schlsser und Kapellen (Hof [Saale]: Oberfrnkische Verlagsanstalt
und Druckerei GmbH, 1978), pp. 30-32.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Source: Hans Sponholz, Drei Frauen und zwei Riesen: Sagen aus Bayern um
Burgen, Schlsser und Kapellen (Hof [Saale]: Oberfrnkische Verlagsanstalt
und Druckerei GmbH, 1978), pp. 77-78.