But Father Odin, the king of all the AEsir, knew of another fountain more
wonderful still; the two ravens whom he sent forth to bring him news had
told him. This also was below the roots of Yggdrasil, in the spot where
the sky and ocean met. Here for centuries and centuries the giant Mimer
had sat keeping guard over his hidden well, in the bottom of which lay
such a treasure of wisdom as was to be found nowhere else in the world.
Every morning Mimer dipped his glittering horn Gioell into the fountain
and drew out a draught of the wondrous water, which he drank to make him
wise. Every day he grew wiser and wiser; and as this had been going on
ever since the beginning of things, you can scarcely imagine how wise
Mimer was.
Now it did not seem right to Father Odin that a giant should have all
this wisdom to himself; for the giants were the enemies of the AEsir, and
the wisdom which they had been hoarding for ages before the gods were
made was generally used for evil purposes. Moreover, Odin longed and
longed to become the wisest being in the world. So he resolved to win a
draught from Mimer's well, if in any way that could be done.
One night, when the sun had set behind the mountains of Midgard, Odin
put on his broad-brimmed hat and his striped cloak, and taking his
famous staff in his hand, trudged down the long bridge to where it ended
by Mimer's secret grotto.
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