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~ Heathen Stories and New Myths ~
Insight
He had been waiting for the nightfall. Wrapped in his cloak,
he stood among the trees. His eye was upon the fire in the valley.
He was
patient; he had begun scheming weeks ago. The ravens had watched every movement
of the giant, who hadn´t left
the wellspring for weeks. The figure was now
sitting hunched over the fire and did not stir; the fire was slowly burning
lower.
The moment for acting had come.
He left the wood´s cover behind him and sneaked down the
hill. The nearer he came, the more cautious his steps became.
He heard the
giant´s heavy breathing, felt it upon his skin. The well was within his grasp. A
movement in the corner of his eye –
the giant jolted up, grabbing for him with
his paw. He turned away at the last moment. The paw did not hit him with full
force.
With big strides he fled from the giant´s anger, leaving him behind in
the darkness. This was just a skirmish – the fight had only
begun.
This Mimir had proved himself a worthy enemy, as expected.
So he let a few days pass by before putting his next step into
action. This
time, he had settled for a different perspective. He wound his cloak around
him, which began sprouting feathers.
He started to beat his arms with an eagle´s
strong wings, his shape changing until his semblance merged into that of the
predator.
With fast strokes he took to the air.
The source was blue at the rim and became black toward its
middle. He let the warm morning wind lift him to spiral higher and higher.
He
circled the well, watching the giant bathe his feet in the shallow water.
Odin waited. Then shifted his balance, drew the wings to his
body and plummeted towards the ground. The small point which
was the well became
bigger and bigger until it filled his whole vision. A few feet above the
surface, a hail of stones greeted him.
One grazed him and set him spinning.
Turning a sharp curve he escaped further hits. Back in the woods, he shrugged
off both
bird-shape and cloak. The giant now had his full attention.
Three more days went by. Early the third morning, Odin
went to the well.
The giant drew himself to his full height, and a smile lay on his face. He
easily towered over Odin by a few feet.
"Odin the Counselor seeks out me, Mimir the Giant. What do
you want?"
"You know why I am here."
"There was one who tried to sneak past me in the night, an eagle that tried
the same, and now it´s you turning up.
The water of my Well of Wisdom awakens the desire of
many."
"Stop beating around the bush, and name your price."
"Mighty Odin as a supplicant, what a pleasure. I
want a piece of you."
"Don´t be presumptuous. Next time I can ask Thor to come along with me."
The giant looked around nervously. "Well – I suppose an eye will do."
"You want one of my eyes, for a sip of water."
Odin pushed at his eye until it came out of the socket and fell into his hand.
The giant stepped aside. "Take your well-earned sip, then."
Odin bowed down, and his cupped palm filled with cool water, which he greedily
drank.
"The true wisdom lies in looking into the well, and not in the drinking, Odin",
the giant said with a smirk.
"I know."
Odin turned towards Mimir, and cast his eye into the well. Slowly, it sank
through the clear water down into the darkness.
The giant hastily made a bolt for the eye, which slipped through his grasped and continued descending into
the well.
Water splashed to all sides,
rippling the well´s surface, but water was all the giant´s hands could
get hold of.
In silent fury he stared up at Odin.
Odin calmly watched him with his other eye.
"It is done. Now I can see within both worlds. Wisdom needs to be used, not
hoarded!"
©
Michael Schütz
Asatru Ring
Frankfurt & Midgard