Freya, Norse goddess, kidnapped by giants,
by Arthur Rackham, 1867 – 1939
A SPECIAL DAY in the life of ROB, the GIANT, and JANET, the daughter of ROW, the father of fire, and LEY, the goddess of the wind
In ancient times, GIANTS, those primeval creatures with prodigious size and strength, often associated with chaos and a wild nature, frequently collided with the gods in temples of silver and gold. If a GIANT was not happy with something, he would grab an oak with all its roots out of the earth and throw it at the heavens. If that tree missed and returned to the earth, the GIANT would grab it and chuck it into the sea like an arrow to observe the waves, the magic liquid patterns it created.
Thousands of years went by and only a few GIANTS survived, changed by the winds of time. Instead of just grabbing oaks and throwing them like arrows into the sky, they took trees and shaped them into arches, bridges, and domes. And instead of just chucking trees into the water to observe the waves, the younger generation of GIANTS turned those cascades into curtains of electric lights that brightened the night and the many castles and bridges they built over the years to make the world a better place.
Some time ago, ROB, the youngest of the GIANTS, fell in love with JANET, the daughter of ROW, the father of fire, and LEY, the goddess of the wind, whose long hair left a trail of fire when she and ROB rode through the night. Today, out of the blue, ROB the giant, instead of throwing an oak tree, chucked a ring box at the daughter of Row and Ley and growled, with a smile, “Will you grow old with me and love me forever?” She screamed YES (three times) and the fire and the wind made the GIANT cry with joy.
In ancient times, GIANTS, those primeval creatures with prodigious size and strength, often associated with chaos and a wild nature, frequently collided with the gods in temples of silver and gold. If a GIANT was not happy with something, he would grab an oak with all its roots out of the earth and throw it at the heavens. If that tree missed and returned to the earth, the GIANT would grab it and chuck it into the sea like an arrow to observe the waves, the magic liquid patterns it created.
Thousands of years went by and only a few GIANTS survived, changed by the winds of time. Instead of just grabbing oaks and throwing them like arrows into the sky, they took trees and shaped them into arches, bridges, and domes. And instead of just chucking trees into the water to observe the waves, the younger generation of GIANTS turned those cascades into curtains of electric lights that brightened the night and the many castles and bridges they built over the years to make the world a better place.
Some time ago, ROB, the youngest of the GIANTS, fell in love with JANET, the daughter of ROW, the father of fire, and LEY, the goddess of the wind, whose long hair left a trail of fire when she and ROB rode through the night. Today, out of the blue, ROB the giant, instead of throwing an oak tree, chucked a ring box at the daughter of Row and Ley and growled, with a smile, “Will you grow old with me and love me forever?” She screamed YES (three times) and the fire and the wind made the GIANT cry with joy.
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