Story of the Langobards

By Heidi Graw

Once upon a time, late at night, young Coal-muzzle the billy goat had trouble sleeping. Something strange was in the air and he wanted to find out what it was. So, he sneaked out of his shelter and wandered up the path leading to Asgard. Andvari, the dwarf was fast asleep at his post. Coal-muzzle quickly tip-tapped past him and made his way to Fensalir, the palace where the great Goddess Queen Frigga lives. Her home was still lit brightly and the door was slightly ajar. Young Coal-muzzle poked his little head inside the palace and saw the heavenly Queen still spinning wool at this late hour. Every so often she looked over at her husband Odin who was fast asleep on the couch. She would sigh and return back to her spinning.

There were many fluffs of wool floating around in the room. Some floated out of the open windows, others gathered at the corners of the ceiling in the room. Strands of twisted wool were coiling up in the basket on the floor next to the gracious Goddess. A wisp of wool landed on Coal-muzzle's nose and caused him to sneeze. "Ah-ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

Frigga quickly looked over to find Coal-muzzle trying to stop himself from sneezing by burying his muzzle in the soft rug which layed at the entrance. "Coal-muzzle! You silly little goat! What are you doing up so late at night?"

"Oh, oh, ah-choo!" sneezed Coal-muzzle in a panic. "I'm so sorry...I couldn't sleep. I didn't mean to disturb you. Ah-choo!"

"Ssshhh, Coal-muzzle! You'll wake up Odin with all that noise!" scolded the great Queen. "Come over here and use this old hanky."

Thoroughly embarrassed, Coal-muzzle tip-tapped over towards Frigga and allowed the great Queen to wipe his nose. "Now, you sit right here and tell me just why you're out this late at night," the Queen firmly demanded.

"I couldn't sleep. There is something strange in the air," explained the young goat. "Besides, Tooth-gnasher was making too much noise grinding his teeth. So, I thought I'd take a walk around outside. Why are you still up so late?" Coal-muzzle looked up at the many fluffs floating around in the room.

"Oh, I have a big problem, Coal-muzzle," sighed the Queen. "The Winilers and the Vandals are preparing to fight each other in the morning. Odin promised the Vandals the victory, but I want the Winilers to win. Of course, Odin didn't quite say who he wants to see win this battle. He merely told me that he'd assign victory to those who he would see first in the morning. And as you can see, when Odin wakes in the morning, he will see the Vandals! What I need to do is turn his couch around so that the first people he'd see are the Winilers. But, the couch is too heavy to move, especially with Odin still sleeping on it!" The Queen looked over at her sleeping husband and let out a deep and unhappy sigh.

"Oh," was Coal-muzzle's small reply. He had no idea as to what to suggest. He wasn't sure if he even should.

Alas, the Queen returned to her spinning. Coal-muzzle laid himself down beside her and began nibbling at the wool in her basket. He nibbled and nibbled until his belly was quite full and then ... he burped!

"Oh, my goodness! Coal-muzzle! What did you do?" cried Frigga. "That was wool I spun for Dag's new morning cloak! He wanted something new to wear....and you ate it all up! How could you?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," winced the young billy goat. "I didn't even realize I was doing that," and crawled under Frigga's chair to hide his shame.

Frigga got up and went down on her knees to try to pull the young goat from under the chair. "You have no idea what you did, do you? This is magic wool I spun! Who knows what will happen now that you ate it!" She frantically tried to grasp the leg of the goat so she could pull him out from under her chair.

"Burp!" belched the little goat and, to Frigga's amazement, the chair lifted up quite on its own. Coal-muzzle was stuck to its bottom and was rising along with it.

"Well, I'll be..." gasped the heavenly Queen. "I think I know how I can move Odin's couch around." And with that, she grabbed Coal-muzzle's hind legs and pulled him gently down along with the chair and wiggled him out from under it. She clung fast to the little goat and could feel herself being pulled upward, too. With great effort, she summoned up her own weight and remained firmly planted on the ground. "Whew!" she exclaimed, squeezing the goat until he burped once more.

"What are you going to do to me?" wailed Coal-muzzle. "Ouch! Don't squeeze me so hard," he complained.

"Hush! I have an idea and I need you to co-operate," replied Frigga while she loosened her grip on the little goat. "I'm going to put you under Odin's couch and when it lifts up, I'll turn it around. After that, I think I'll just let you fly around outside. Would you like that?" she grinned as Coal-muzzle's face shrank in terror.

"I don't want to be a flying goat!" he cried.

"Why not?" asked Frigga. "Both Tooth-gnasher and Tooth-cracker can fly. I thought you wanted to be just like them? Besides, I don't know how I can undo what you did to yourself. Maybe in due time the effects will wear off. But at this moment, I need you to co-operate with me."

Frigga then tucked young Coal-muzzle under the couch and when it lifted off the floor, she turned it the other way around. Odin didn't skip a beat of his rhythmic snoring and remained sound asleep. And when the great Goddess pulled the young goat from under the couch, she took him outside and with a strong rope she tied him to a sturdy fence post. There, young Coal-muzzle spent a very unhappy night.

In the meantime, the Winilers had received instructions to round up their women and station them in battle array. The ladies had been told to dress in battle gear and wear their hair carefully combed forward in the manner of long beards.

When Odin awoke and gazed outside, he exclaimed in surprise, "What Longbeards are those?" Frigga smiled with deep satisfaction. Those Langobards gained a victory and went on to become the people of Lombardy.

And as for the fate of young Coal-muzzle? After spending such a dreadful night floating in the air while clinging to a rope, the magic effects did eventually wear off. He swore never again to nibble on strands of wool...no matter who had spun it.

The End