Loki and Idunn

Odin, Loki, and Hœnir were traveling through the wilderness when they came upon a herd of oxen. They slaughtered one and built a fire, but no matter how long the meat cooked, it remained raw. A great eagle spoke from an oak tree above: it had placed a spell on the fire and would lift it in exchange for a share of the meal.

The gods agreed. The eagle descended and took the thighs and shoulders, leaving bones and scraps. Loki, furious, struck the eagle with a pole. The pole stuck fast, and so did his hands. The eagle flew upward, dragging Loki over rocks and through branches.

The eagle was no eagle — it was the giant Thjazi in disguise. He would free Loki only if Loki agreed to lure Idunn, keeper of the golden apples of youth, out of Asgard. Without her apples, the gods would age and wither. Loki agreed.

Back in Asgard, Loki told Idunn he had found apples in the forest that might rival her own, and invited her to compare them. She followed him beyond Asgard's walls. Thjazi swooped down and carried her off to his hall in Thrymheim.

Without Idunn, the gods grew old. Their hair turned grey, their joints ached, and wrinkles spread across faces that had been ageless for centuries. When Loki was identified as the last to see Idunn, he was threatened with death unless he brought her back.

Freyja lent him her falcon cloak. Loki flew to Thrymheim, transformed Idunn into a nut, and raced back toward Asgard. Thjazi gave chase in eagle form. The gods saw them coming and set fire to wood shavings piled at the walls. The falcon crossed safely; Thjazi flew into the flames, fell, and was killed. Idunn returned, and the gods ate of her apples and became young once more.