could not speak a word of English, with the aid of another younger
woman named Sarah.

It will be observed that it is said in the beginning that Glooskap
produced the first human beings from, the ash-tree. Ash and Elm in the
Edda were the Adam and Eve of the human race. There were no intelligent
men on earth--

"Until there came three
mighty and benevolent
Aesir to the world
from their assembly
nearly powerless,
Ash and Embla (Ash and Elm),
void of destiny.

"Spirit they possessed not,
sense they had not,
blood nor motive powers,
nor goodly color.
Spirit gave Odin,
sense gave Hoenir,
blood gave Lodur,
and good color."
[Footnote: _The Edda of Saemund_, translated by Benjamin Thorpe.
London: Trubner & Co. 1866. Voluspa, v. 17, 18.]

It is certain, however, that the _ash_ was the typic tree of all
life, since the next verse of the Voluspa is devoted to Yggdrasil, the
tree of existence, or of the world itself. It may be observed that in