Asgard, a realm of wonders, was where the Norse Gods made their home. There Odin’s great hall of Valhalla towered above the mountains and Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, anchored itself. But though their domain was magnificent, it stood undefended from the giants and trolls of Jotunheim, who despised the gods and sought to destroy them.
Azgard, carstvo čuda, dom je nordijskih bogova. Tu se Odinova velika dvorana Valhala uzdizala iznad planina, a Bajfrost, most duga, počinjao. Međutim, iako je njihovo carstvo bilo veličanstveno ono je bilo nezaštićeno od napada džinova i trolova Jotunhajma, koji su prezirali bogove i želeli da ih unište.
One day when Thor, strongest of the gods, was off fighting these foes, a stranger appeared, riding a powerful gray horse. The visitor made the gods an astonishing offer. He would build them the greatest wall they’d ever seen, higher than any giant could climb and stronger than any troll could break. All he asked in return was the beautiful goddess Freya’s hand in marriage— along with the sun and moon from the sky.
Jednog dana kada je Tor, najjači od bogova otišao u borbu protiv ovih neprijatelja, pojavio se stranac koji je jahao na moćnom sivom konju. Posetilac je dao bogovima neverovatnu ponudu. On bi napravio najveći zid koji su ikad videli, viši od bilo čega što bi džinovi mogli da pređu i čvršći od bilo čega što bi trolovi mogli da probiju. Sve što je tražio zauzvrat bila je ruka prelepe boginje Freje - kao i sunce i mesec sa neba.
The gods balked at this request and were ready to send him away. But the trickster Loki concocted a devious plan. He told the gods they should accept the stranger’s offer, but set such strict conditions that he would fail to complete the wall in time. That way, they would lose nothing, while getting most of the wall built for free. Freya didn’t like this idea at all, but Odin and the other gods were convinced and came to an agreement with the builder. He would only have one winter to complete the wall. If any part was unfinished by the first day of summer, he would receive no payment. And he could have no help from any other people. The gods sealed the deal with solemn oaths and swore the mason would come to no harm in Asgard.
Bogovi su odmah odustali od njegovog predloga i spremali su se da ga oteraju. Međutim, prevarant Loki smislio je lukav plan. Rekao je bogovima da treba da prihvate strančevu ponudu, ali da postave tako stroge uslove da neće uspeti da završi zid na vreme. Tako ne bi izgubili ništa, a većina zida bila bi izgrađena besplatno. Freji se ova ideja uopšte nije dopala, ali Odin i drugi bogovi bili su ubeđeni i sklopili su dogovor sa graditeljem. Imaće samo jednu zimu da završi zid. Ako i jedan jedini deo ostane nezavršen do prvog dana leta neće dobiti nikakvu nagradu. Takođe, niko mu ne sme pomagati. Bogovi su zaključili dogovor svetom zakletvom i zakleli se da zidaru niko neće nauditi u Azgardu.
In the morning, the stranger began to dig the foundations at an astonishing speed, and at nightfall he set off towards the mountains to obtain the building stones. But it was only the next morning, when they saw him returning, that the gods began to worry. As agreed, no other people were helping the mason. But his horse Svadilfari was hauling a load of stones so massive it left trenches in the ground behind them.
Ujutru, stranac je počeo da kopa temelje neverovatnom brzinom i uveče se uputio ka planinama kako bi prikupio kamenje za gradnju. Međutim, već sutra ujutru, kada su ga videli kako se vraća bogovi su krenuli da brinu. Kao po dogovoru, niko nije pomagao zidaru. Međutim, njegov konj Svadilfari vukao je tovar toliko teškog kamenja da je ostavljao rovove za njima.
Winter came and went. The stranger kept building, Svadilfari kept hauling, and neither snow nor rain could slow their progress. With only three days left until summer, the wall stood high and impenetrable, with only the gate left to be built. Horrified, the gods realized that not only would they lose their fertility goddess forever, but without the sun and moon the world would be plunged into eternal darkness. They wondered why they’d made such a foolish wager— and then remembered Loki and his terrible advice.
Zima je došla i prošla. Stranac je nastavljao da gradi, Svadilfari je nastavljao da vuče i ni sneg ni kiša nisu mogli da ih uspore. Samo tri dana pre početka leta, zid je stajao uspravno i neprobojno i samo je još kapija ostala da bude sagrađena. Užasnuti, bogovi su shvatili da će zauvek ostati, ne samo bez svoje boginje plodnosti, već će bez sunca i meseca svet progutati večna tama. Pitali su se zašto su pristali na tako besmislen dogovor - onda su se setili Lokija i njegovog užasnog saveta.
Suddenly, Loki didn’t feel so clever. All of his fellow gods threatened him with an unimaginably painful death if he didn’t find some way to prevent the builder from getting his payment. So Loki promised to take care of the situation, and dashed away.
Odjednom, Loki se nije više osećao tako pametno. Svi bogovi pretili su mu nezamislivo bolnom smrću ako ne nađe način da spreči graditelja da dobije svoju nagradu. Loki je obećao da će rešiti problem i zatim odjurio.
Outside, night had fallen, and the builder prepared to set off to retrieve the final load of stones. But just as he called Svadilfari to him, a mare appeared in the field. She was so beautiful that Svadilfari ignored his master and broke free of his reins. The mason tried to catch him, but the mare ran deep into the woods and Svadilfari followed.
Napolju je pala noć i graditelj se pripremao da krene da prikupi poslednji tovar kamenja. Međutim, kako je pozvao Svadilfarija, kobila se pojavila u polju. Bila je toliko lepa da je Svadilfari ignorisao poziv svog gospodara i oslobodio se svojih uzdi. Zidar je pokušao da ga uhvati, ali kobila je otrčala duboko u šumu i Svadilfari ju je pratio.
The stranger was furious. He knew that the gods were behind this and confronted them: no longer as a mild-mannered mason, but in his true form as a terrifying mountain giant. This was a big mistake. Thor had just returned to Asgard, and now that the gods knew a giant was in their midst, they disregarded their oaths. The only payment the builder would receive— and the last thing he would ever see— was the swing of Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir.
Stranac je bio van sebe. Znao je da su bogovi stajali iza ovoga i suprotstavio im se: ovog puta ne kao blagonamerni zidar, već u svom pravom obliku kao zastrašujući planinski džin. To je bila velika greška. Tor se nedavno vratio u Azgard i sada kada su bogovi znali da je džin bio u njihovoj blizini zanemarili su svoje zakletve. Jedinu nagradu koju će graditelj dobiti - i poslednju stvar koju će ikad videti - bio je udarac Torovog moćnog čekića Mjolnira.
As they set the final stones into the wall, the gods celebrated their victory. Loki was not among them, however. Several months would pass before he finally returned, followed by a beautiful gray foal with eight legs. The foal would grow into a magnificent steed named Sleipnir and become Odin’s mount, a horse that could outrun the wind itself. But exactly where he had come from was something Loki preferred not to discuss.
Nakon što su ugradili poslednje kamenje u zid, bogovi su proslavili svoju pobedu. Međutim, Loki nije bio među njima. Proći će nekoliko meseci pre nego što će se konačno vratiti, u pratnji prelepog sivog ždrebeta sa osam nogu. Ždrebe će porasti u veličanstvenog konja po imenu Slejpnir i biće samo Odinov, konj koji trči brže od samog vetra. Međutim, odakle tačno je on došao bilo je nešto o čemu Loki nije želeo da razgovara.