Northern Mythology - Forgotten Books

NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY ,

C OM PR I S ING T H E PR IN C I PA L

POPULAR TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITION S

SCAND INAV IA, NORTH GERMANY ,

A N D

THE NETHERLANDS.

COMP ILED FROM ORIGINAL AND OTHER SOURCE S ,

BENJAM IN THORPE ,

M EM B E R O F T H E R O YAL A CAD EM Y O F S C IEN C E S AT M UN I CH .

IN THREE VOLUME S .

VOL . I .

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY .

LONDON

E D W A R D L U M L E Y ,

SOUT HAMPT ON ST REET,B LOOMSBURY SQUARE .

MDCCCL I .

PR IN TED B Y R ICHAR D TAY LO R ,

R E D L ION COU RT, FLEET STR EET.

THE R IGHT HONOURAB LE

FRANCIS, EARL OF ELLESMERE ,

V I SCOUNT B RACKLE Y .

A TR IB UTE OF RE SPE CT

FROM

THE EDITOR .

C O N T E N T S .

PR EFACE

NORT H ERN MY T H OLOGY AND ILLUST RAT I ON S 1 206

APPEN D IX

The Grottasavngr, or Mill-SongThe three solemn Pagan Festivals

The Quicken-Tree, or Mountain-Ash

OfPlace s ofWor sh ip

OfSoo th saying and SorceryE pitome ofGerman My thology

P R E FA C E .

NORTHE RN literature,more particularly that branch of it

which is connected with the early times and antiquities of

S candinavia and the north of Germany, having of late

become an object of increas ing interest in many parts of

Europe,the idea seemed to me not unreasonable that a

work,comprehensive yet not too voluminous, exhibiting

the ancient mythology and principal mythologic traditions

of those countries,might b e found both useful and enter

taining not only to the lover of Northern lore at home and

to the English traveller over those interesting lands, but

al so to the English antiquary,on account ofthe intimate

connection sub sisting between the heathenism ofthe Ger

manic nations ofthe Continent and those ofhis own Saxon

forefathers,manifest traces ofwhich are to b e found in

the works of our earliest chroniclers and poets . It was

under this impression that the present work was under

taken .

The first,or purely mythologic

,part was originally in

tended to consist of a mere translation of the Asalmre

of Professor N . M . Petersen of Copenhagen but on com

vfii PRE FACE .

paring the several myths 1 as given in that work with the

text of the two Eddas, it appearing that the conciseness

observed by Prof. Petersen, and which he, no doubt, found

necessary to his obj ect 9, not unfrequently impaired the

interest of the narrative, I resolved, while following the

plan of the Asalaere,

’ to have redourse to the Eddas them

selves,and exhibit the several fables or myths unabridged

,

in all their fullness,as they appear in those authorities .

The interpretation of these myths,forming the second .

part of the first volume,is,with slight exceptions

,from

the work of Prof. Petersen, though considerably abridged,particularly as regards the etymological portion

,which

,if

1 I use the term my th rather in the sense oflegend orfable than in thesignification now more usually attached to it, that ofsupposing each d ivinity a personification ofthe pow ers ofnature a theory which assumes adegree ofmental culture to have exis ted among the early settlers in the

’

North wholly incompatible w ith all w e know concerning them . A s equallyappli cab le here , I w ill venture to repeat my own words used on a formers imilar occasion : In these meagre traditions exist , I firmly believe, fainttraces ofpersons that once had being and ofactions that once took place ;but that they generally require a my thic interp retation, is tomemorexhan

questionable.

”

(Lap p enb erg’

s England , i . p .

Much more consi stent w i th p robab il ity I consider the vi ew taken bythe Rev. A . Faye , but to which he does not seem to adhere (see Introduct ion to vol. ii . p . which i s the converse of the theory before-mentioned , viz . that unacquaintance w ith nature and her powers , comb inedw ith the innate desire of finding a reason for and explaining the variousnatural phenomena, that must daily and hourly attract the attention of

mankind , has led them to seek the causes of these phenomena in the

power ofbeings who , as they supposed , had produced themL ike the poor Ind ian, whose untutor’d mindSees God in clouds or hears him in the w ind .

’

These phenomena w ere too numerous and various to allow the

ascrib ing ofthem to a single being, and therefore a number ofsupernaturalbeings were imagined , whose dangerous influence and pernicious w rathit was sought to avert by sacrifices and other means .”

9 The Asalae re forms a part only of the work Danmarks Historic iHed enhold .

’

3 vol s . small 8 y o .

PRE FACE . ix

given at length,could hardly have failed of being tedious

to the maj ority of readers in this country,and the more

so as much of it i s necessarily based on conjecture ; an

objection from which,I fear

,that what i s here given will b e

pronounced not wholly free . With this deduction,Prof.

Petersen’ s illustrations, as contained in the Asalaere,

’and

in his more recent valuable work on the same subject 1,

h ave in general been adopted, as bearing, at least in my

judgement, a nearer resemblance to probability than any

o thers wi th which I am acquainted 5 though manifesting,perhaps

,too strong a tendency to the mythic theory

,from

which I have already ventured to express my di ssent . A

small,though estimable work

,by Prof. Keyser of Chris

tiania, has also been frequently and not unprofitably con

sulted 2

That many ofthe Northern myths are after all densely

obscure i s a lamentable fact 5 they were probably not much

less so to the Northern pagans themselves,whose fore

fathers, it may reasonably b e supposed, brought with them

no great stock of recond ite lore from the moun tains of

central Asia to their present settlements in S cand inavia .

Some portion of their ob scurity may, however, b e perhaps

ascribed to the form in which they have been preserved

as even in Saemund ’ s Edda,their oldest source

,they ap

pear in a garb which affords some ground for the conjee

ture,that the integrity of the myth has been occasionally

sacrificed to the structure and finish of the poem 3 while in

1 Nordisk Mythologi. Forlaesninger af N . M . Petersen. Kobenhavn,

1849, 8vo.

2 Nordmaend enes Religionsforfatning i Hed end ommen, af R. Keyser.Chri stiania, 184 7 , 1 2mo.

PRE FACE .

the later Edda of Snorri their corruption is, in several

instances,glaringly evident, some of them there ap

pearing in a guise closely bordering on the ludicrous 5 a

circumstance,perhaps

,ascribable

,at least in part

,to the

zeal and sagacity of the Christian missionaries and early

converts,who not unwisely considered ridicule one ofthe

most efficacious methods of extirpating the heathenism

that still lingered among the great mass ofthe people .

But the myths of the Odinic faith were doomed to

undergo a yet greater debasement 5 their next and final

degradation being into a middle-age fiction or a nursery

tale,in which new dress they are hardly recognizable . A

few instances of such metamorphoses will b e found in the

course ofthe work,and more are to b e met w ith in the

popular tales of Scand inavIa,Germany, the Netherlands

and Italy 2 .

But besides these,and apparently of equal ifnot higher

antiquity,there are many traditions and superstitions

which cannot b e connected w ith what we know of the

Odinic faith . These,it may not unreasonably b e con

jectured , are relics of the mythology ofthe Fins and other

primitive inhabitants of Scandinavia,who were dr iven

northwards or into the mountain-recesses by Odin and

his followers,and in whom and in their posterity we are

to look for the giants (jotnar, jaetter, jutuler, the

dwarfs and the elves,with whom the superstition of later

1 See Thor’s visit to Utgard a-Loki (p . and Loki ’s pranks to makeSkad i laugh (p .

2 See Faye’ s Norske Sagn ; Thiele, Danmarks Folkesagn ; Afzelius ’Svenska Folkets Sago- Ilafd er ; G rimm ’s Kinder und Ilausm'

archen ; Wolf’sNied erl

‘

and ische Sager: the Pentamerone ofBas ile, etc. etc.

PRE FACE . xi

t imes peopled the woods,the hills, the rivers and moun

tain - caverns of the North .

Thus far I have spoken solely of the mythology and

early tradi tions ofthe three northern kingdoms,and with

these it was originally my intention to close the work 5 but

at the suggestion of one,whose judgement I hold in no

light estimation,I was induced to continue my labour

,by

adding to it a selection ofthe principal later popular tra

d itions and superstitions of S candinavia,North Germany

and the Netherlands 5 and thus present to the reader a

View of Germanic mythology and popular belief from the

north ofNorway to Belgium,and from the earliest times

down to the present . To many—should my book,unlike

its predecessors,fortunately fall into the hands ofmany

this will,perhaps

,b e regarded as not the least interesting

part of it,from the circumstance of its supplying matter

for comparison with the popular superstitions and usages of

our own country,to not a few of which those here recorded

will be found closely to correspond . To the ethnographer

the subject cannot be one of indifference,when even the

general reader cannot fail of being struck by the strong

similarity and often perfect identity of the traditions and

superstitions current in countries far remote from each

other and without any known link of connection . That

many ofthe traditions and superstitions ofEngland and

S cotland have their counterparts in S candinavia and the

north ofGermany,can easily be accounted for by the

original identity of,and sub sequent intercourse

,as friends

or foes,between the several nations 5 but when we meet

with a tradition in the far North, and a similar one not

only in the south of Germany,but in the south ofFrance

,

xfi PRE FACE .

and even in Naples,

according to what theory of the

migration of peoples are w e to explain the phenomenon ?

One inference may, however, b e drawn with tolerable

certainty,viz . the great antiquity of many of these le

gend s, some of which are,indeed

,traceable to Hebrew and

H indu sourcesl.

By way ofintroduction to the matter contained in the

third volume,I have given in the Appendix at the end of

this volume,a brief sketch

,chiefly from the work ofWVil

liam Miiller g,of the old German mythology

,so far as it

appears unconnected with the Scandinavian .

From the great number of traditions contained in the

works indicated in their respective places,I have chiefly

selected those that seemed to spring from the old my

thology, or at least from an old mythology ; as many of

the supernatural beings, ofwhom w e read in the traditions

even ofthe three northern kingdoms, are not to b e found

in the Odinic system,and probably never had a place in

it 5 but, as we have already said,were the divinities of

those earlier races, who, it may b e supposed, by intermar

riages with their Gothic conquerors and a gradual r eturn

to their ancient home,contributed in no small degree to

form the great mass of the people . Hence the introduc

1 Of the German popular superstitions some may b e traced to the Greek.

and Roman w riters that ofthe B ilsen- sclmitter s , for instance (see p .

i s to b e found in Apuleius , and the same i s probably the case w ith others .The inference seems to b e , that such are not genuine German supersti tions ,but that the South i s their native soil , whence they have been transplantedto Germany or, at least, enrolled as German among the superstitions ofthat country .2 Geschichte und Systeme d er Altdeutschen Religion von Wilhelm

Muller. G '

Ottingen, 1 844 , 8vo , in which a great part ofG rimm ’ s DeutscheM ythologie is given in an abridged form .

PRE FACE . xfii

tion among and adoption by the later population of these

alien objects of veneration or dread .

To facilitate the use of the ‘Northern Mythology ’as

much as possible to the general reader, the passages quoted

from the Eddas and Sagas are rendered literally into

English . Of the poetical extracts the versions are allitera

tive,in humble imitation of the originals .

With respect to the orthography adopted in the Mythology, it may b e observed that, in the proper names of

most frequent occurrence,the O ld Norsk termination r (n)

of the nominative masculine (sometimes feminine) , i s, in

conformity with common custom,usually omitted 5 and

d is generally written instead of the old 17 and’6 (Hz, d /z)

as Frey for Freyr, Odin for O’d inn

,Brynhild for Bryn

hild r . The Swedish (anciently also Danish ) 5 and it s

Danish equivalent aa are pronounced like a in warm,or

on in broad . The pronunciation nearly resembles the

German, j being pronounced as the English y, and 9 being

always hard before i and e, as in g ive, get, and other

English words ofAnglo -Saxon origin .

The fronti sp iece, represent ing the scene described in the note at

p . 1 32, i s from a copy in Canciani, Leges Barbarorum. The original i sin a manuscript ofSnorri’s Edda.

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY .

INTRODUCTION .

T O every one who looks back on his past life,it pre

sents itself rather through the beautifying glass of fancy,than in the faithful mirror ofmemory 5 and this is moreparticularly the case the further thi s retrospection penetrates into the past, the more it loses itself in ob scureimages wi thout any definite outline, the more it approachesto the earliest remembrances ofchildhood, and, in general,the more we strive to give to that which is dark and halfobliterated renewed life in our minds . Then does a singleincident

,which in reality was probably of a very ord inary

character,expand itself into a wonderful event, the heart

beats,and a longing after the lost peace

,the vanished hap

p iness, creates a dream,a state which, independent of man,

has no existence,yet has its home deep in his breast .

Among nations in the mass the same feeling prevails 5 theyalso draw a picture of their infancy in glittering colours 5the fewer traditions they have

,the more they embellish

them ; the less trustworthy those traditions are, the moreB

2 NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY .

they sparkle in the brilliancy which fancy has lent them,

the more the vain -glory of the people w ill continue to cherish

,to ennoble and diffuse them from generation to gene

ration,through succeeding ages . Man

’ s ambition is twofold : he w ill not only live in the minds of posterity 5 he

wi ll also have lived in ages long gone by 5 he looks notonly forwards

,but backwards al so 5 and no people on

earth is indifferent to the fancied honour of being able totrace its origin to the gods

,and of being ruled by an

ancient race .

He who devotes himself to delineate the state ofa peoplein its earliest times, takes on himself a task of difficulty .

He shares with all his predecessors the same feeling,by

which the departed attracts, even, perhaps, because it i s nomore

,the very darkness dazzles, because it i s so black

they who should guide him are probably blind themselves,and of those who wandered before him,

many have,no

doubt,taken devious paths .

Every inquiry into the internal condition of a nation mustnecessarily turn on three points : the land

,the people

,and

the state ; but these three are so variously interwoven witheach other, that their investigation must resolve itself intoseveral subordinate sections it must set out with religion,as the element which

fi pervad es all

,and i s itself pervaded by

all. We begin,therefore

,our undertaking with a most

difficult inquiry, a view of the whole mythology of theNorth, which we shall consider in three sections —I . the

mythic matter, II . the several ways in which it has beenattempted to explain it

,III . an attempt at explanation

derived from the matter itself, and founded on the originalsources .

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sand nor sea nor cool waves,neither earth nor grass nor

vaulted heaven,but only Ginnunga

-

gap , the abyss ofabysses . Ymir was nourished from four streams ofmilk,which flowed from the udder of the cow Audhum la (Au

’

O

humla) , a being that came into existence by the power ofSurt . From Ymir there came forth offspring while heslept : for having fallen into a sweat

,from under his left

arm there grew a man and a woman,and one of his feet

begat a son by the other . At this time,before heaven

and earth existed,the Universal Father (AlfOOr) was

among the Hrimthursar,or Frost -giants

l.

The cow Audhumla licked the frost - covered stones thatwere salt, and the first day

,towards evening

,there came

forth from them a man’ s hair,the second d ay a head, the

third d ay an entire man . He was called Buri (the producing) 5 he was comely ofcountenance, tall and powerful .H is son

,BOr (the produced) , was married to B estla (or

B elsta) , a daughter of the giant BOlthorn, and they hadthree sons, Odin Vili and Y e . T hese brotherswere gods, and created heaven and earth ?

BOr’s sons slew the giant Ymir

,and there ran so much

blood from his wound that all the frost -giants weredrowned in it

,except the giant B ergelmir (whose father

was Thrud gelmir and whose grandfatherwas Aurgelmir) , who escaped with his w ife on a chest

(MCI) , and continued the race of the frost - giants . ButBOr

’s sons carried the body of Ymir into the middle of

Ginnunga-

gap , and formed ofit the earth,of his blood the

seas and waters, of his bones the mountains, of his teethand grinders and those bones that w ere broken, they madestones and pebbles 5 from the blood that flowed from hiswounds they made the great impassable ocean

,in which

1 Gylf. p aragr. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. Voluspa, S tr. 2, 3 . Vafbrfid nism. S tr. 30-33 .

Hynd lul O, S tr. 32.

3 Gylf. G. Hynd luljo ii , Str. 29. Runatalsb. 0 3 . Str. 3 .

NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY . 5

they fixed the earth,around which it lies in a circle 5 of

his skull they formed the heaven,and set it up over the

earth with four regions, and under each corner placed a

dwarf,the names of whom were Austri, Vestri, Northri

,

Suthri 5 of his brain they formed the heavy clouds,of

his hair the vegetable creation,and of his eyebrows a wall

ofdefence against the giants round M idgard (Mibgarfir) ,the middlemost part of the earth, the dwelling-place ofthe sons of men

‘. They then took the sparks and glowing

Cinders that were cast out of Musp ellheim,and set them

in heaven,both above and below

,to illumine heaven and

earth “ They also assigned places for the lightning and

fiery meteors,some in heaven

,and some unconfined under

heaven,and appointed to them a course . Hence, as it i s

said in old philosophy,

”aro se the division of years and

days . Thus BOr’s sons raised up the heavenly disks, andthe sun shone on the cold stones, so that the earth wasdecked with green herb s . The sun from the south followed the moon

,and cast her 2 right arm round the hea

venly horses’ door (the east) 5 but she knew not where her

dwelling lay, the moon knew not his power, nor di d the

s tars know where they had a station . Then the holy godsconsulted together

,and gave to every light its place, and a

name to the new moon (Nyi) , and to the waning moon

(Nibi) , and gave names to the morning and the mid- d ay, tothe forenoon (undern) and the evening

,that the children

ofmen,sons of time

,might reckon the years thereafter3 .

N ight (Nott) and Day (Dagr) were of opposite races .N ight

,of giant race

,was dark

,like her father

,the giant

N'

Orvi (or Narfi) . She was first married to Naglfari, and

had by him a son named Aud (AutSr) ; secondly to Anar

1 See p . 10.

9 In the Germanic tongues the sun i s feminine, the moon mascul ine.

3 Gylf. 7 , 8 . Voluspa, Str. 4 , 5 , 6. Vafbrudnism. S tr. 20 , 21 , 29, 3 5 .

Grimnism. S tr. 40 , 4 1 .


(or Onar) ; their daughter was Earth lastly toDelling

,who was of the race ofthe fE sir

,and their son was

Day,who was fair, bright and beautiful, through his p a

ternal descent . All - father took N ight and Day, and gavethem two horses and two cars, and placed them in heaven,that they might ride successively

,in twenty-four hours’

time,round the earth . N ight rides first with her horse

which is named Hrimfaxi,that bedews the earth each morn

w ith the dr ops from his bit . He i s al so called FiOrsvartnir ‘. The horse belonging to Day is called Skinfaxi

,from

whose shining mane light beams forth over heaven and

earth . He is al so called Glad (Gla’Or) and DrOsul. The

Moon and the Sun are brother and sister ; they are the

childr en ofMund ilfOri, who, on account of their beauty,

called his son Mani, and his daughter SO1 5 for which p resumption the gods in their anger took brother and sisterand placed them in heaven

,and appointed S01 to drive the

horses that draw the chariot of the sun,which the gods

had formed,to give light to the world, ofthe sparks from

Musp ellheim . SO1 was married to a man named Glen

(Glenur, Glanur) , and has to her car the horses Arvakur

(the watchful) , and Alsvith (the rapid) , under whoseshoulders the gods placed an ice- cold breeze to cool them .

Svalin (the cooling) i s the name of a shield that standsbefore the sun

,which would el se set waves and mountains

on fire . Mani di rects the course of the moon, and regulates Nyi and N ithi . He once took up two childr en fromthe earth

,Bil and Hiuki (Hviki) , as they were going from

the well ofByrgir, bearing on their shoulders the bucketSaeg, and the pole S imul . Their father was V idfinn 5 theyfollow Mam,

as may b e observed from the earth . Thereare al so two wolves to be mentioned, one of which, namedShOll, follow s the sun

,and which she fears w ill swallow

1 Finn Magnusen considers FiOrsvartnir as the name of a second horsebelonging to Night, and so ofG lad. Lex . Myth . sub voee.


her ; the other called Hati, the son of Hrodvitnir, runsbefore the sun

,and strives to seize on the moon ‘, and so

in the end it will b e . The mother of these wolves i s agiantess

,who dwells in a wood to the east of M idgard

,

called Jarnvid in which those female demons

(trOllkonur) dwell called Jarnvid s (Jarnvi’Ojur) . She

brought forth many sons, who are giants, and all in the

form of wolves . One of this race,named Managarm,

i ssaid to b e the most powerful ; he will b e sated with thelives of all dying persons 5 he will swallow up the moon,and thereby besprinkle both heaven and air with blood .

Then will the sun lose it s brightness, and the winds rageand howl in all directions

,as it is said 2

Eastward sat the cronein the iron wood,and there b rought forthFenrir

’

s offspring .

Ofthese shall b eone worse than all,

the moon’

s devourerin a demon

’s guise.

Fill’d shall he b ew ith the fated ’

s lives ,the gods

’

ab odew ith the red b lood shall s tain.

Then shall the summer’ssun b e d arken

’

d ,

all weather turn to storm.

The father ofWinter (Vetur) was called Vind sval, of

Summer (Sumar) , Svasud Both shall reignevery year until the gods pass away . At the end ofheaven

I That wolves follow the sun and moon, i s a w ide-Spread popular superstition. In Swedish solvarg (sun-wolf) signifies a parhelion. Petersen,Nor. Myth . p . 7 6.

VOluSpa, Str. 32, 33 .

8 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY .

sits the giant Hraesvelg, in an eagle’ s garb (arnaFrom the motion of his wings comes the wind which passesover men

?

Thus the first created beings were Ymir and his race,the giants ; next were the gods, who created heaven and

earth ; for not until these were in existence,and ready as

places of abode for living beings,were the dwarfs and

human race created3 .

The mighty gods,or fE sir“

,assembled on Ida’ s plain

(I’OavOllr) in the middle oftheir city Asgard . There they

first erected a court (hof) , wherein were seats for all thetwelve

,and a high seat for All - father 5 also a lofty burgh

or hall (havrgr) for the goddesses, called Vingolf. Theythen constructed a smithy

,made hammers

,tongs

,anvils

and,in fine

,all other requisite implements . There they

worked in metal,stone and wood

,and so extensively in the

metal called gold,that all their household gear was formed

of it,whence that age was called the Golden Age . T hi s

lasted until it was corrupted by the women that came fromJ iitunheim

,or the giants’ world

,as it is said 5 :

The ZE sir met

on Ida’ s plain,

The Shetlanders of the present d ay are said by S cott , in hi s Pirate,’to adjure the w ind under the form ofan eagle.

2 Gylf. 1 0 , l l . Vafbrud nism. S tr. 1 2, 1 4 , 22—27 , 3 7 . Grimnism. Str .3 7 , 38 . Skald sk. 5 8 .

3 B oth giants and dwarfs shun the light. If surprised by the breakingforth ofd ay , they become changed to stone. In the Alvismal, Ving-Thoramuses the dwarf Alvis w ith various questions t il l daylight , and thencoolly says to him , With great artifices , I tell thee, thou hast been d eceived ; thou art surpri sed here, dwarf ! b y daylight : the sun now shinesin the hall .” In the Helga Kviba Had inga Skaba also , At li says to the

giantes s (nicker) Hrimgerd : It i s now d ay , Hrimgerd ! But Atl i hathdetained thee to thy life’s perdition. It w ill appear a laughable harbourmark , where thou standest as a stone- image .

”Saemund

’

s Edda, pp . 5 1 ,

1 1 5 .

4 1Esir, pl . ofAs . 5 Vo luspa, S tr. 7 , 8 .


altars and templesupraised high ,furnaces con s tructed,forged precious thing s ,fashion

’

d tongs,and fab ricated tools .At dice they playedin their dwelling joyfulrich too they w erein ruddy gold,until thither threeThurs-maidens cameall- powerfulfrom JOtunheim .

Then the gods sitting on their thrones held counsel . Theyconsidered how the dwarfs had been quickened in the

mould down in the earth, like maggots in a dead body ‘

for the dwarfs had been first created Q,and received life in

the carcase ofYmir,and were then maggots 5 but now, by

the decree of the gods, they received human understandingand human bodies

,though they dwell in the earth and in

stones3 . Mod sognir (MOiSsognir) was the chief, the secondDurin

,as it is said in theVOluspa

4: The holy gods deli

berated who should create the race of dwarfs, from Ymir’ s

blood and livid (blue) bones .” The dwarfs ofLofar’s race

betook themselves from the Rocky Hall (Salar-Steinn) overthe earth -field

’s regions (Aurvangur) to Jora

’ s plains (JO

1 For hold, body , d ead carcase, some M S S . read blobi, blood .

2 According to Snorri’

s E dda the dwarfs were created after mankind ,while in the other Edda it i s the reverse.

3 In the German tales the dwarfs are describ ed as deformed and diminutive, coarsely clad and ofdusky hue a l ittle black man 5” a l ittle greyman.

”They are sometimes described ofthe height ofa child offour y ears ;

sometimes as two spans high , a thumb high (hence Tom Thumb) . The oldDani sh bal lad ofE line afV illenskov mentions a trold not bigger thanan ant. Danske Viser , i . p . 1 7 6 . Dvergmal (the speech ofthe dwarfs ) i s theOld Norse expression for the echo in the mountains . Grimm , D . M . p . 421 .

4 Str. 10.


Their several names bear allusion to the sub -o

ordinate powers of nature in the mineral and vegetablekingdoms, and express the operating power which penetrates the soil, the veins of stone, the sap ofplants ; alsothe cold and heat

,the light and the colours which are

thereby produced ?

Men came into existence when three mighty, benevolentgods

,Odin

,Hoenir and Lodur (Lobur)? left the assembly

to make an excursion . On the earth they found Ask and

Embla (ash and elm with little power and without destimy spirit they had not, nor sense, nor blood, nor powerofmotion

,nor fair colour . Odin gave them Spirit (breath) ,

Hoenir sense,Lodur blood and fair colour . Somewhat less

circumstantially, though _illustratively, it i s related in

Snorri’ s Edda,that BOr’ s sons (Odin, Vili and Ye) walking

on the sea- shore found two trees,which they took up, and

created men of them . The first gave them spirit and life 5the second

,understanding and power of motion 5 the third,

aspect,speech

,hearing and sight ? The man they called

Ask,the woman Embla . From this p alr the whole human

race i s descended, to whom a dwelling was assigned inMidgard .

EARTH AND HEAVE N .—The earth is flat and rorm d 5

about it i s the deep ocean . Outermost of all,around

the shore,i s the giants’ abode

,Jo

’

tunheim or Utgard,

1 In the later popular bel ief the dwarfs are generally called the subterraneans , the brown men in the moor, etc. They make themselves invisibleby a hat or hood. The w omen spin and w eave, the men are smiths . In

Norway rock - crystal i s called dwarf- stone (d vaergsten) . Certain stones arein Denmark called dwarf-hammers (d vzerghamre) . They borrow thingsand seek advice from people, and b eg aid for their w ives R hen in labour

,

all which services they rew ard . But they also lame cattle, are thievish andw ill carry offdamsels . There have been instances ofdw arf females havingmarried and had children by men. Petersen, Nor. Myth . p . 109.

2 Gylf. 1 4 . Voluspa, S tr. 7—1 6 .

3 Connected w ith Ger. lodern, tofl ame, blaze.

Gylf. 9. Voluspa, S tr. 1 5 , 1 6 .

1 2 NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY .

while the third stands over N iflheim,under which is Hver

gelmir . This root is constantly gnawed from beneath bythe serpent NidhOgg (Nib hOggr) . Under the second rootis M imir’ s well

,in which wisdom and genius are concealed .

M imir,the owner ofthe well

,is full ofwisdom

,because

he drinks every morning of the well from the horn GiOll

(Giallar-horn) . All -father once came, and craved a d raughtfrom the well

,but got it not before he had given an eye as

a pledge ; whence it is said that M imir drinks mead everymorning from V alfather

’s pledge . Under the root which

reaches to the fE sir’ s abode,is the sacred fountain of Urd

where the gods sit in judgement . Every d ay theZE sir ride thither over B ifrOst, which is likewise called theZEsir-bridge (Asbrti ) . The names of the [E sir’s horses areas follow : S leipnir

,which is the best

,and belongs to Odin

,

has eight legs,Glad Gyllir, Gler, Skeid brimir

(Skeib b rimir) , Silfrintop (SilfrintOpp r) , S in ir, Gil s, Falhofnir

, Gul ltop (GulltOpp r) , Lettfeti . Baldur’ s horse was

burnt with him,and Thor walks to the meeting, and wades

through the rivers KOrmt and Ormt, and the two Kerlaugs,else the [E sir’ s bridge would b e in a blaze, and the sacredwater boil. By the well ofUrd there stands

,under the

ash- tree,a fair hall

,from which go three maidens, Urd,

Verd and i, and Skulld l (past time, present time, and futuretime) . They are called Norns (Nornir) ; they grave onthe tablet (shield) , determine the life, and fix the destinyof the children ofmen . But besides these there are

other Norns, viz . those that are present at the birth ofevery child, to determine its destiny. These are of the

race of the gods,while some others are of elf- race

,and

others ofthe dwarf-kin,or daughters of Dvalin . The good

Norns and those of good descent allot good fortune 5 andwhen men fall into misfortunes

,it is to b e ascribed to the

evil Norns . Mention occurs of the dogs of the Norns .1 Skulld the y ounges t ofthe Norus , is also a Valkyrie. Gylf. 36.

N ORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY . 1 3

In the branches of the tree Yggdrasil sit s an eagle thatknows many things . Between his eyes sits the hawk Ved urfOlnir . The squirrel RatatOsk runs up and down the

tree, and bears rancorous words between the eagle and theserpent Nidhogg . Four harts run among the boughs andbite it s buds 5 their names are, Dain, Dvalin, Dunneyr andDurathror . In Hvergelmir, under Yggdrasil, there are ' somany serpents

,besides NidhO

'

gg, that no tongue may tellthem

,as it is said 1

Yggd rasil’

s ash

evil suffersmo re than men know of

at the side it moulder s,a hart gnaw s it above,NidhOgg b eneath tears it .Under Yggdrasil lieunnumber

’

d snakes,more than m indle ssmen can conceive .

Those Norns that dwell by the well ofUrd take waterevery d ay from the spring, which, with the mud that liesabout it

,they pour over the ash

,that its branches may not

rot and perish . This water is so sacred,that everything

that enters it becomes as white as the film ofan egg- shell

,

as it is said in the Voluspa

An ash I knowYggdra sil named,A b ranchy tree, b ed ew

’d

With b rightest water .Thence come the dew sinto the dales that fallever s tands it flourishingo’

er Urda’

s fountain .

The d ew that falls from its branches on the earth is bymen called honey- d ew

, and is the food of bees . Two birds

1 Grimnismél, S tr. 34 , 35 .

1 4: NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY .

are fed in the well of Urd, called swans, and from themdescend the birds of that species ] .‘VAR . It was the first warfare in the world when they

(men) pierced Gullveig through with a spear, and burnedher in the H igh one’ s (Odin

’s) hall? Thrice they burned

her, thrice she was born anew : again and again, but she

still lives . When she comes to a house,they call her

Heid i (the bright, the welcome) , and regard her as a p ropitious ‘vala ’ or prophetess . She can tame wolves, understands witchcraft (sei

‘br) and delights wickedwomen . Hereupon the gods consulted together

,whether they should

punish this misdeed,or accept a blood-fine ; when Odin

cast forth a spear among the people (mankind) , and now

began war and slaughter in the world . The E sir-burgh’ sdefences w ere broken down . The Vanir anticipated war

,

and hastened over the field . The V alkyriur (choosers ofthose doomed to fall) came from afar

,ready to ride to the

gods’ people : Skulld w ith the shield, Sk'

Ogul, Gunn, H ild,GOnd ul

,and Geir-SkOgul. These were Odin

’ s maidens,

the Valkyriur, ready to ride over the earth3,whom he sends

to every battle-field,there to choose those that shall fall

,

and decide the victory . Surround ed by lightnings,with

bloody corselets and radiant spears,they ride through the

air and on the ocean . When their horses shake theirmanes, d ew fall s in the deep valleys and hail in the highforests ? ”

The [E sir and the Vanir made peace,and reciprocally

gave hostages . The Van ir gave to the fE sir NiOrd the

Rich, whom the wise pow ers had created in Vanaheim,

1 Gylf. 9, 1 4—1 7 . Vo luspa, Str. 19—22, 31 . Vafbrti d nism. Str. 1 5

, 1 6 .

Grimnism. Str. 6 , 3 1—3 5 . Fafnism. S tr. 13 . Hambism. S tr. 30 .

2 The world .

3 Voluspa, Str . 24—28 . I read the sup pli es in the follow ing order26 , 2 7 , 28 , 24 .

—P.

4 Gylf. 36 . Ilelgakv. llad inga Sk. 28 . Helgakv. Hund b . l , 1 5 .

NORTHERN MYTH OLOGY . 1 5

together with his children, Frey and Freyia. The Z‘E sir,on their part, gave Hoenir, and sent him with M imir, forwhom in return they received Kvasir, the most prudentamong the Vanir. Hoenir was raised to the chieftainshipover the Vanir 5 but in all assemblies where good counselwas required, Mimir was obliged to whisper to Hoenireverything he should say 5 and in his absence, Hoenir constantly answered, yes, consult now ye others .

”The Vanir

hereupon,thinking themselves deceived, slew M imir, and

sent his head to the fE sir, which Odin so prepared withherb s and incantations, that it spoke to him,

and told himmany hidden things 1

TH E GOD s .—There are twelve principal [E sir, besides

All -father (Al-fo’Or) or Odin, who has his own throne

?

The highest among the gods is OD IN ? He i s called Allfather

,because he i s the father of all, gods and men 5 al so

Valfather, because all the free that fall in battle belong tohim . They are received into Valhall and Vingolf, and are

called E inheriar“. But in the old Asgard he had twelvenames

,and has besides many othersf’, every people having

1 Ynglingas. c . 4 . Gylf. 23 . Valbrud nism. S tr. 39. Lokaglep sa, Str.34 , 35 . Grimnism. S tr. 5 0 .

2 Gylf. 1 4 . 20 .

3 In Norway Thor was regarded as the principal deity. In the greattemple at Upsala his image occupied the second place. (M ight it not havebeen the centre ? ) Among the Sw edes the worship ofFrey seems chieflyto have been followed. The Danes , Gothlanders and Saxons appear tohave been addicted to the w orship ofOdin (Woden) . Grimm ,D .M . p . 1 46.In the Sagas Thor is usually named before Odin. Ih. p . 1 4 7 . Associatedw ith H ai r and Jafnhar, Odin appears under the denomination of Thrithi

(Third ) . Sh orra Edda, p . 3 . In the Grimnismal he assigns to himself allthe three names . Edda Saem . p . 4 6 .

4 Gylf. 20 . B ragaraeb ur, 5 5 . Hynd lulj. S tr. 28. Asaheiti in Snorra

Edda, p . 21 1 .

5 H is other names were Herran or Herian, N ikar or Hnikar, N ikuz or

Hniku’

O, Fi'

Olnir, O ski, Omi , BifiiOi or Biflind i, SviOor, Svibrir, Vibrir, Jalgor Jalkr. He i s al so called Drauga d rOttin, lord of sp ectres . Ynglingas .


given him a peculiar one l . In other words, his agency inheaven and earth is so great and manifold, that it is expressed by so many various names : as examples may be

cited,Alda-

gautrQand Alda-fO

’Or

,creator andfather ofmen 5

Vera-tyr, god ofmen 5 Val-fO

’Or,father ofthe slain, because

those that fell in battle came to him ; S ig-fO’Or or Seier-fOtSr

,

father ofvictory ; Herian,d evastator ; S id-hat (SitS-hiittr) ,

broad -hat 5 S id- skegg (SiO- skeggr) , amp le- beard 5 Hanga

gud , Hanga- tyr, god or lord of the hanged, because the

hanged were thought to belong to him ? Other namesassumed by Odin are

1 . Gangrad (Gangrab r, Gagnra’

Or) , under which he paida Vi sit to the giant Vafthrudnir, the object and particularsofwhich form the subj ect of the eddaic poem

, Vafprudnimal

,and are as follow

Odin imparts to his wife Frigg,that he is seized with a

strong desire to visit the all-wise giant V afthrudnir,for the

pur pose of contending w ith him in the wisdom of ancienttimes . Frigg endeavours to dissuade him from the j ourney

,

in the belief that no one is able to contend with Vafthrud nir . Odin then reminds her ofhis numerous wanderings and trials

,and persists in his resolve to see the ha

b itation of the giant 5 whereupon Frigg wishes him a

pleasant journey and safe return,and prays that his saga

city may prove sufficient in his trial ofwords . Odin thendeparts

,and arrives at the hall of the giant

,in the guise

ofa traveller, and under the name of Gangrad . Here hegreets the giant, and tells him the obj ect ofhis coming

.

V afthrud nir answers rather angrily,and gives him to un

1 Odin could change his form : his body w ould lie as dead or asleep ,while he, as a bird or beast , fish or serpent , would in an instant pas s intoother lands . Ynglingas. e. 7 .

‘2 From alda (ofmen) , and gauta (creator , caster) , from gjota, gaut , tocas t (metal) . Prof. Munch , cited by Petersen.

3 Connected p robab lv w ith the myth ofhis having hung nine nights ona tree. Hrafn. Otiins.

NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY . 7

d erstand,that if he prove the less wise of the two, he shall

not leave the hall alive . Odin then informs his antagonistthat

,after a long j ourney

,he is come thirsty (after wisdom ?)

to his mansion,and in need of a good reception, whereupon

the giant desires him to sit,and the - contest begins . The

giant then proposes that their contest shall b e head forhead, and all goes on smoothly

,each answering the other’ s

questions satisfactorily,until Gangrad asks what Odin

whispered in the ear of Baldur before the latter was laidon the pile. Startled the giant now exclaims : No one

knows what thou,in the beginning oftime, didst whisper

to thy son . With death on my lips have I interpreted thewisdom of old and the fate of the gods 5 with Odin have Icontended

,with the wise speaker : ever art thou wisest of

all 1”

The questions are entirely of a cosmogonic or mythologic nature

,as may b e seen by the numerous quotations

from the poem in the course of this section of the presentwork .

2 . Gr imnir . Why Odin assum ed this appellation willb e seen in the following story

,being the prose introduction

to the eddaic poem,Grimnismal.

“ King HrOdung (Hropungr) had two sons, one namedAgnar, the other GeirrOd (GeirrOOr) . Agnar was ten, andGeirrOd eight years old . They once rowed out in a boat

,

with hook and line, to catch small fish, but the wind drovethem out to sea . In the darkness of the night they werewrecked on the sea- shore

,and went on land

,where they

met with a small farmer,with whom they passed the win

ter . The farmer’ s wife brought up Aguar,but the farmer

himself took charge ofGeirrOd,and gave him good advice .

In the spring the farmer gave them a vessel, and he and

his wife accompanied them down to the shore,where the

farmer had a long conversation alone with GeirrO’

d . Afavourable wind soon bore them to their father’ s dwelling .


Geirro d, who was foremost in the boat, sprang on shore

,

and pushed the boat out to sea,saying

,Go hence in the

power of the evil spirits (smyl) . He then went home tohis paternal habitation

,where he was received with wel

come, and his father being dead, was made king, and

attained to considerable reputation .

Odin and Frigg were sitting in Hlid skialf, and lookingover the whole world

,when Odin said, Seest thou thy

fo ster- son Aguar,how he passes his time in dalliance wi th

a giantess in a cave,while GeirrOd , my foster- son, i s a king

ruling over the land ?’ Frigg answered,He i s so inhos

p itable, that he tort ures his guests, when he thinks theyare too numerous .’ Odin said that this was the greatestoffalsehoods . They then laid a wager, and Odin resolvedon a visit to GeirrOd . Frigg now sent her confidentialattendant

,Fulla

,to GeirrOd

,to advise him to be on his

guard,lest the w izard that had arrived in his country

should cause his destruction, adding,as a token whereby

to know him,that no dog

,however fierce, would attack

him . That King GeirrOd was not hospitable,was mere

idle talk,he nevertheless caused the man to b e seized that

the dogs would not assail . He was clad in a grey fu r

,and

called himself Grimnir,but would give no further account

ofhimself,although questioned . To extort a confession

,

the king had him tortured,by placing him between two

fir es,where he sat during eight days . GeirrOd had a son

of ten years,named Agnar after his uncle . This youth

went to Grimnir and gave him a hornful of drink,saying

that his father had acted unjustly in causing an innocentperson to b e tortured . The fire had by this time ap

p roached so near that Grimnir’s fur was singed .

” He thensang the mytho - cosmogonic song called Grimnismal, inwhich he enumerates and describes the habitations ofthetwelve chief fE sir, of which further notice will b e foundhereafter . The remainder of the poem consists ofmytho


gold, where he daily receives those that fall in arms . The

hall’s ceiling is formed of spears,it is roofed with shields,

and the benches are strewed with coat s of mail 5 beforethe west door hangs a wolf

,and over him an eagle hovers .

It is surrounded by a roaring river called Thund 1,and

before it is a paling or lattice named Valgrind . It has fivehundred and forty gates

,through each of which eight

hundr ed men can,go abreast . Without the gates ofVal

hall is the wood Glasir,where the leaves are of red gold .

They who from the battle-field come to Odin are calledE inheriar

,or chosen heroes ; their occupation consists in

arming themselves,in going out into the court

,to fight

with and slay each other 5 but at breakfast - time they ridehome to Valhall

,perfectly sound

,drink beer with the

fE sir,and recruit themselves with the flesh of the hog

Saehrimnir ; for this hog, although boiled every day bythe cook Andhrimnir

,in the kettle E ldhrimnir

,i s whole

again in the evening . The mead which they drink flowsfrom the udder of the goat Heidrun (Heibrun) , that feedson the leaves of the tree Lerad (Lerab r) , which stands overOdin’ s hall . lVith this mead a drinking-vessel is filled ofsuch capacity

,that all the E inheriar have wherewith to

satisfy themselves . Here they are waited upon by theV alkyriur, who present the mead and have charge ofeverything belonging to the table . The branches of the tree

1 This interpretation I beli eve to b e borne out by the context ofGrimnismal, S tr. 21 , which has manifestly been misunderstood , viz.

pytr pund , Thund roars , arstraumr hikir the s trong streams

seem

uni r p iotivitnis Thiod oz’

tnz’

r’

sfi sh ofer mikill over great

fiskr flOOi i p lay s in the r iver valglaumi at vab afor the band of thefallen to wad e.

pund , the roar ing (l ike Odin’s name pund r) , I take for the name of the

river that surrounds Valhall . Valglaumr, as Rask ob serves , i s the company of valr,

’or fallen, that have to pas s over the river to come to Val

hall . What i s meant by Thiod vitnir’s fi sh i s unknown - P.


Lerad are eaten al so by the hart E ikthyrnir, from whosehorns dr ops fall into Hvergelmir, ofwhich many rivers areformed

,some ofwhich flow through the domains of the

gods,others in the neighbourhood of men

,and fall from

thence to Hel. Odin takes no food,but gives that

which is set before him at table to his wolves,Geri

and Freki ; Odin lives solely on wine . H is attendant ishis son Hermod (HermOtSr) , whom he sends on his mes

sages 1

THOR,orASA -THOR

,a son of Odin and the earth (FiOrg

V in,the vimfyz

'

ng 5 HlOdyn, the warming i s the strongestof all the gods ? He rules over the realm of Thrud vang(prii

'

bvangur) or Thrudheim (prubheimr) , and his man

sion is named Bilskirnir,in which there are five hundred

and forty floors . It is the largest house ever seen by men .

He is al so called Hlorrid i (the Fire-driver or rider) , Ving

1 Gylf. 20 , 36 , 38—4 1 . Skald skap . 34 . Vafbri

’

i d nism. S tr. 4 1 . Grimni sm . S tr. 8—1 0

, 18 , 19, 21—28

, 36 . Hrafnag. 0 6 . S tr. 1 0 . Hynd lulj. S tr. 2.

2 The goddess Hléd yn seems also to have been known to the Germans.Near B irten, on the Lower Rhine, the follow ing inscription was found , nowpreserved at B onn : DEA; HLUDAN JE SA CRUM C . TIB ER IU S VER U S . Thorlacius , w ith great probab ility (Antiq. B or. Spec. identifies Hlud anawi th the HlOd yn Ofthe North , and certainly Hlud ana w as neither a Roman nor a Celtic divini ty ; though Schreiber (Die Feen in Europa, p . 63 )refers the name to the town ofLii d d ingen, not far from Birten. Grimm ,

D .M . p . 23 5 . M iiller, Altdeutsche Religion, p . 88 .

3 Thor i s described sometimes as an old man, though usually as a tal l ,slender , comely young man w ith a red beard ; on his head there IS a crownof twelve stars (S teph . Notes in Sax . p . When he waxes w roth heblow s in his red beard , and thunder resounds among the clouds . And S t.O laf the king—to whom , on the suppression of heathenism in the North ,much ofThor’s character was transferred by the missionaries , for the purpose, no doubt , of reconciling their converts to the new faith—i s celeb rated as resemb ling his prototype even to the hue of his heard , as w e

learn from the troll-w ife ’s address to him , when he caused a rock , that hadobstructed his course, to part in two

Saint O laf w i th thy heard so red ,

Why sailest thou through my cellar wall ?n


Thor,&c.

,and sometimes Anku-Thor

,Oku-Thor (Car-Thor)

because he drives in a chariot with two he -goat s,Tanngniost

and Tanngrisnir . He is the constant enemy ofthe giant sand troll s . He possesses three precious things, viz. 1 . the

hammer MiOlnir,which the frost and mountain -giants

know but too well,when he swings it in the air 5 2 . his

belt of power (Megingjarhar) , when girded with which hisstrength is doubled 5 3 . his iron gloves

,which he requires

when he grasps the haft ofMiOlnir. As the j arls (men

of rank, whence our earls ) that fall in battle belong toOdin

,in like manner Thor has the race of thrall s . Thor’ s

sons are Magni and Modi (MOM) . By his wife Sifhe hasa daughter named Thrud (priib r) . He i s foster -father toV ingnir and Hlora . On his travel s he is attended byThialfi and ROskva 1 .

BALDUR is Odin’ s second son (by Frigg) 5 he i s the bestand is praised by all. He i s so fair of aspect

,and so bright,

that light issues from him 5 and there is a plant,that

'

of

all plants is the whitest,which is compared to Baldur’ s

brow ? Hence an idea may b e formed of his beauty bothofhair and person . He is the wisest

,and most eloquent

,

1 Gylf. 21 . Voluspa, S tr. 5 6. Lokaglep sa, S tr. 5 5 , 5 7 , 5 8 . Hamarsh .

S tr. 1 , 9. Grimnism. S tr. 4 , 24 . Harb arb slj . Str. 24 , 5 4 . Alvism. S tr. 6 .

Hynd lulj. S tr. 40 . Skald skap . 4 , 21 . and p . 21 1 .

The aconite (w olfsbane, monkshood) i s in Norway cal led Thorhjalm(Thori galea) , Thorhat (Thori pileus) ; Sw ed . Dan. stormhat. May not

it s denomination ofw olfsbane bear allusion to Thor ’s combat w ith thewolf ? It i s also called Tyrihjalm (Tyris galea) . See Grimm , D . M . p .

1 1 4 5 .

2 In Denmark , Baldur ’s brow i s the anthemis cotnla ; in Iceland , thematr icar ia marttz

’

ma inod ora ; in Sweden, a plant called hm’

tatoj a (whiteeye) or hm

’

tap z'

ga (white las s) . In Skania, the anthemz’

s cotula bears thename ofbalsensbro . On the right hand side ofthe road leading from Cop enhagen to Roeskild e there i s a w ell called B aldur

’s B rond , which he issaid to have Opened after a battle w ith Hb' d ur, to refresh his men suffering from heat and fatigue. The tradition among the country -people i s ,that i t was produced by a stroke ofthe hoof ofBaldur’s horse. See Saxo,p . 120 , and Bp . M iiller

’

s note ; al so Thiele, Danske Folkesagn, i . 5 .


and most amiable of the fEsir,and is so gifted by nature

that no one may pervert his judgements . H is abode is inheaven

,in the place called Breidablik

,into which nothing

impure may enter 1 .

1 Gylf. 22. A short poem , in O ld H igh German, of the ninth or tenthcentury, di scovered a few years since at Merseburg by D r.Waitz, and

published by Dr. J . Grimm , has for subj ect the horse ofPhol, whomGrimm , w ith great probab il ity, takes to b e i dentical w ith B aldur. A sthe anecdote it contains does not appear in either Edda, though the tradition, as w ill presently be seen, has been, and probably still i s , currentnot only in the North and the Netherlands , but al so in this i sland , I d onot hesitate in giving the entire poem together w ith its more modernparaphrases .

Phol endi W6d an Phol and Wodenvuorun zi b olza went to the wood ;d u wart demo Bald eres volon then was ofBalder’s col tsin vuoz b irenkit 5 his foot w renched 5thu b iguolen Sinthgunt, then Sinthgunt charm

’

d it,Sunnaera suister ; and Sunna her si ster 5thu b iguolen Frfifi, then Frua charm

’d it,

Vollaera suister and Volla her s ister ;thu b iguolenW6d an, then Woden charm

’d it,

so he w ola conda, as b e well could ,sfise b énrenki, as w ell the bone-w rench,sOse bluotrenki, as the b lood-wrench ,sOse lid irenki ; as the joint-wrench 5

s as x «x as

bén zi b éna, bone to bone ,b luot zi bluod a, b lood to blood,lid zi gelid en, joint to joint,sOse gelimid a sin. as if they were glued together.

Under the follow ing christianized form it appears in NorwayJesus reed sig til Heede, Jesus rode to the heath,d er reed han synd t (stind er) s it There he rode the leg ofhis col t in

Foleb een. two .

Jesus stiged e afog laagte d et 5 Jesus di smounted and heal ’d it 5Jesus lagd e Marv i Marv , Jesus laid marrow to marrow,

B en i Ben, Kjii d i Kjtid Bone to bone, flesh to flesh 5Jesus lagd e d erpaa et Blad, Jesus laid thereon a leaf,At d et skuld e blive i samme stad. That itmight remain in the same place.In AsbjOrnsen

’s Norske Huldreeventyr (i . 45 ) an old Norwegian crone


The third As is N IORD (Njorpr) . He dwell s in Noatun .

He rules the course of the w ind,stills the ocean

,and

quenches fire . He i s invoked by sea- farers and fishermen,

and is the patron of temples and altars 1 . He is so richthat he can give wealth and sup erfluity to those that in

applies the veterinary remedy to a young man’s sprained ankle, in thefollow ing formula muttered over a glass ofbrandy

Jeg red mig engang igjennem et Led , I once was riding through a gate,Saa fik min sorte Fole Vred 5 When my black col t got a Sprain 5Saa satte jeg Kjod mod Kjii d og So l set flesh to flesh and blood toB lod mod E lod, b lood,

Saa b ley min sorte Fole god . SO my black colt got w ell .

From Norway the horse-remedy most probably found its way to Shetland , where, “ when a person has received a sprain , it is customary to applyto an individual practi sed in casting the ‘

w resting thread .

’This i s a

thread spun from black w ool , on which are cast nine knot s , and tied rounda Sprained leg or arm. During the t ime the Operator i s putting thethread round the affected limb , he says , but in such a tone of voice asnot to b e heard by the bystanders , nor even by the person operatedupon

The Lord rade, Set joint to jomt,And the foal slade 5 Bone to bone,He lighted , And sinew to sinew .

And he righted ; Heal in the Holy Ghost ’s name 1

In Sw eden against the horse distemper , flog,’w e find

Oden stair p al b orget , Odin stands on the mountain,

han SpOrger efter sin fole, He inquires after his colt ,floget har han taitt. He has got the flog.

’

Sp otta i d in hand och i hans mun, Spit in thy hand and eke inhis mouth ,han skall féi bot i samma stund He shall b e cured in the same hour.

See Jacob Grimm , Ueber zwei entdeckte Gedichte aus d er Z eit d esDeut schen Heid enthums , B erlin, 1 842, 4 to ; and Deut sche Mythologie ,p . 1 1 8 1 ; al so Popular Rhymes , &c. of S cotland , by Robert Chambers ,p . 3 7 , E d inb . 1 842. A s imilar formula i s known in the Netherlands

, but

which Grimm was unable to give. An attempt by the present editorto procure it from Belgium has , he regrets to say , al so proved unsuccessful.

1 Vafbrfidnism. 38 .


voke him ‘. NiOrd , as we have already said, was born

and bred in Vanaheim 2

Frey (Freyr) , a son of N iord and his sister 3,was also

bred in Vanaheim . He is beloved ofall,and i s one of the

mo st renowned of the fE sir . He presides over rain,and

sunshine,and the fruits ofthe earth . He i s to b e invoked

for good seasons and peace . He al so pre sides over thewealth ofmen . He is the god ofthe year, and giver ofcattle

,and loosen s the bonds of the captive". In the

beginning of time, Alfheim was given to him by the gods

as tooth -money . He reigns over the Light - elves (LIOSalfar) , who are more beauteous than the sun

,while the

Black or Dark - elves (DOckélfar) , who are blacker thanpitch

,dwell in the bowel s of the earth 5 . He is the foe

1 Gylf. 23. Grimnism. S tr. 1 6 . Skald skap . 6 .

2 An aquati c plant (spongia marina) bears his name, viz. Niartiar vottr

(NiOrd’

s glove) , which i s al so consecrated both to Freyia and the VirginMary. This plant , as well as some kinds of orchis , in consequence ofthehand-shaped form oftheir roots , are called Mary ’s hand, our Lady ’s hand,God’s hand (Dan. Gud shaand ) . Grimm , D . M . p . 198 .

3 Adam ofB remen (De S itu Danise) , who cal l s him Frieeo , thus speak softhe worship ofFrey in Upsala : Frieeo , pacem volup tatemque largiens

mortalibus ; cujus etiam simulacrum fingunt ingenti priapo ; si nup tiaaceleb rand ae sunt , immo lant Fricconi.”

4 Lokaglep sa, 3 7 .

5 The E lves (Altar) oflater times seem a sort ofmiddle being betweenthe L ight and Dark E lves . They are fair and lively, but also had and mischievous. ln some part s of Norway the peasant s describe them as diminutive, naked boys w ith hats on. Traces oftheir dance are sometimes tobe seen on the wet grass , e specially on the banks of rivers . Their exhalation i s injurious , and i s called alf

‘

gust or elfblwst, causing a swelling,which is eas ily contracted by too nearly approaching places where theyhave spat , 81 0 . They have a predilection for certain spots , but particularlyfor large trees , which on that account the owners d o not venture to medd le w ith , but look on them as something sacred , on whi ch the w eal or woeof the place depends . Certain diseases among their cattle are attributedto the Alfs , and are, therefore , called alf- ild (elf- fire) or alfskud (elfshot) . The Dark E lves (DOCk - alfar) are often confounded w ith the Dwarfs ,w ith whom they indeed seem identi cal

,though they are distinguished in

Odin’s Ravens ’ Song. The Norwegians al so make a distinction betweenC


and slayer of Beli 5 is owner of the ship Skidbladnir, andrides in a chariot drawn by the hog Gullinbursti (Gold

Dwarfs and Alfs , believing the former to live solitary and in quiet , whilethe latter love music and dancing . Faye , p . 4 8 .

The fairies (elves) of Scotland are precisely identical w ith the above.

They are described as a diminutive race Of beings , of a mixed or ratherdub ious nature, capricious in their dispositions , and mischievous in theirresentment . They inhab it the interior of green hills , chiefly tho se of a

conical form , in Gaelic termed Sighan, on which they lead their dances bymoonlight 5 impressing upon the surface the mark s ofcircles , which sometimes appear yellow and blasted , sometimes of a deep green hue ; andw ithin which it i s dangerous to sleep , or to b e found after sunset . Cattle,which are suddenly seized w ith the cramp , or some similar disorder , aresaid to b e elf-shot.

” Scott ’s M instrel sy of the S cottish Border, ii . 1 62 ,edit. 1 821 .

Of the Swedish elves , Arndt gives us the follow ing sketch Of giantsand dwarfs , of the alp , of dragons that keep w atch over treasures , theyhave the usual stories ; nor are the kindly elves forgotten. How often hasmy postillion, when he ob served a circular mark in the dewy gras s , exclaimed : See ! there the elves have been dancing 1’ These elf-dancesplay a great part in the spinning room. To those who at midnight happento enter one ofthese circles , the elves become visible , and may then playall kinds ofpranks w ith them ; though , in general , they are little, merry ,harmles s beings , both male and female. They often s it in small stonesthat are hollow ed out in a circular form , and which are cal led alfquarnar(elf-querns or -millstones) . Their voi ce i s said to b e soft like the air. Ifa loud cry i s heard in the forest , it i s that of the Skogsra

°

(see vol. or

Spirit of the w ood , which should be answered only by a He when i tcan d o no harm .

”Rei se durch Schw eden, iii . 1 6 .

The elf- sho t was know n in this country in very remote times , as appearsfrom the Anglo- Saxon incantation printed in Grimm , D . M . 1 192 and

in the Appendix to Kemb le ’

s Saxons in England (i . 5 30 , sq. ) G if hitwahre ésagescot , OOOe hit waére ylfa gescot. If it wer e an aes ir -shot or

an elve’

s -shot. On thi s subj ect Grimm says “ I t i s a very Old bel ief, thatdangerous arrow s w ere shot by the elves from the air The thunderbolt i s al so called elf-shot, and in Scotland , a hard , sharp , w edge- shapedstone i s know n by the name of elf-arrow , elftflint, elf-bolt, which it i ssupposed has been sent by the Spirits .” D . M . 429. See also the old Dani sh ballad Elveskud ,

’in which the elf-king’s daughter strikes S ir Oluf

betw een the shoulders , and causes his death . Danske Viser, i . 23 7 5 orthe Bug] . transl . in Jameson

’s Ballad s , i . 2 19.

The w ives of the elves are called elliser. They are to b e seen only infine weather, and then in the elf-marshes , part icularly in spot s where


her net those that perish at sea 1 . These divinities seem tohave belonged to an older mythology

,most probably that

of the Fins ?

TY,or TYR

,is the boldest and stoutest ofthe .ZE sir . It

i s he who gives victory in war,and should b e invoked by

warr iors . It is a proverbial saying,that a man who sur

passes others in valour i s as bold as Ty . He is also sow ise

,that it is usual to say ofa very sagacious man, he

i s as wise as Ty . He is,however

,not considered as a

settler ofquarrel s among people . Odin is his father 3, buton his mother’ s side he is ofgiant race4 .

B RAG 1 is another of the [E siiu He is famed for wisdomand eloquence

,and is profoundly skilled in the art of

poetry,which from him is denominated bragr, and those

who distinguish themselves above others in eloquence are

called bragr -men,and b ragr

-women . He is upbraided byLoki for not being sufficiently warlike and doughty inbattle . He has a long beard

,and i s a son of Odin 5 .

H E IMDALL,though regarded as a V an

,is nevertheless

called a son of Odin . He i s also called the White or

Bright God,and is a great and holy god . In the begin

11 111 0 ‘

oftime he was born,on the boundary of the earth

,

ofnine giant maidens,who w ere sisters

,and was nourished

with the strength of the earth,and the cold sea . The

nine maidens were named,Gialp , Greip , Elgia, Angeia,

Ulfrun,Aurgiafa, S indur, Atla, and Jarnsaxa. He drinks

1 Lokaglep sa, Introd . Skald skap , 25 , 2 7 , 33, 6 1 . Hrafnag. 0 6 . S tr. 1 7 .

Hversu Noregr b ygb ist , c . l .2 Forniot w as known to the Anglo - Saxons , as appears from the namegiven by them to a plant : Forneotes tolme (Forniot

’

s hand) .3 In the Hymiskvib a he speaks ofhimself as a son of the giant Hymir.

See hereafter .4 Gylf. 25 . Skald skap , 9. Hymiskv. Str. 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 10 . The daphnemezereon (spurge laurel) bears hi s name—Tyvitir (Dan Tysved ) . Th

viola Marti s i s in Scotland called Tysfiola.

5 Gylt. 26 . Skald skap . 10 . Grimnism. S tr. 44 . Lokaglep sa, S tr. 1 3 .


mead in his bright hall,Himinb iOrg, by Bifro st, at the

bridge head (bruarsp orb r), where the rainbow reachesheaven . There he sits

,as the watchman of the gods

,at

the end of heaven, to guard the bridge from the mountaingiants

,where he is often wetted through with rain, or, as

Loki expresses it, gets a wet back. He needs less sleepthan a bird

,hears the grass grow on the ground and the

wool on the sheep,and sees

,as well by night as by d ay,

for a hundred miles around him . H is horn GiOll (Giallarhorn) is hidden under the sacred tree Yggdrasil 5 butwhen he blows it

,it s sound is heard through all w orlds .

Heimdall’ s horse is named Gulltopp (Gold-mane) . He ishimself also called Hallinskeid i (Descending) , and Gullintanni (Golden -tooth), because his teeth are of gold . The

head is called Heimdall’ s sword,because he was pierced

through with a man’ s head 1 . He contended with Lokifor the B risinga-men

,Freyia

’s ornament ?

HOD (HODUR) is another ofthe fE sir, and is said to b ea son ofOdin . He is blind

,but exceedingly strong . The

gods may well wish never to hear his name pronounced,for his deed 3 will b e long remembered both by gods andmen .

V IDAR is called the silent god . He is the son of Odinand the giantess Grid He has a very thick shoe

,

that has been forming,from the beginning oftime

,of the

thin shreds that are cut from shoes in shaping the toes orheels : therefore should every one cast away such shreds

,

who cares about rendering aid to the E sir “ . In otherplaces mention is made of his iron shoes

,and in the Skald a

he is called ciganda iarnskoss (owner of the iron shoe)1 Skald skap . 8 . The myth to which thi s refers is lost .2 Gylf. 1 7 , 2 7 . VOluspa, S tr. 3 1 . Grimnism. S tr. 13 . Hamarsh . Str. 1 7 .

Lokaglep sa, S tr. 4 8 . Hynd lulj. S tr. 34- 36 . Hrafnag. 0 6 . S tr. 26. Skaldshap . 8 , 1 6 , 69.

3 H is slaying ofB aldur. Gy lf. 28 . Skald skap . 1 3.

4 The reason w ill appear hereafter.


he is the strongest of the gods after Thor,and affords them

aid in many difficulties . H is abode,Land vid i (Land vibi) ,

is thickly overgrown with brushwood and high grass 1 .VAL I is a son of Odin and Rind . He is stout in battle

,

and an excellent archer ?

ULL (ULLR) i s the son of S if and stepson ofThor . He

i s a good archer,and runs so rapidly on snow- shoes

,that

no one i s a match for him . He i s comely of aspect,and

warlike in habit and manners . It is good to invoke himin single combats . H is dwelling is Yd al (Ydalir)

3

FORSE T I,a son of Baldur and Nanna 4

,Nef’ s (Nep

’ s)daughter

,dwell s in the heavenly mansion called Glitnir

,

which is supported on gold,and roofed with silver. He

settles all quarrel s,and neither gods nor men know any

better judgement s than his 5 .

LOK I (ASA -LOR I or LOp t) i s reckoned among the rE sir,and is styled the traducer of the gods

,and a scandal to

gods and men . H is father i s the giant Farbauti ; hismother is Laufey (leafy- isle) , or Nal (needle) , and hisbrothers are B yleist and Helblind i 6 He i s comely of

1 Gylf. 29, 5 1 . Grimnism. S tr. 1 7 . Skald skap . 1 1 , 1 8 , p . 1 1 3 .

Gylf. 30 . Skald skap . 1 2.

3 Gylf. 3 1 . Skald skap . 1 4 . Grimnism. S tr. 5 , 42. V egtamskv. S tr. 3 .

4 The inhab itants ofHeligoland w ere especially devoted to the w orshipofForseti, from whom the i sle it self bore the name ofFosetisland , t. e. For

seti’

s land . I t was held so sacred by the natives , and bymariners and pirates,that no one d ared to touch any animal that grazed on it , nor even to drawwater from the w ell unless in silence. Hence no doubt it s appellation of

Heilig (holy) land . Al cuin, in his Vita S . Willib rord i, gives an interesting account ofthe saint ’ s actions on the i sle, on w hich he had been castby a storm . The entire extract , as w ell as another from Adam ofB remen,‘De S itu B anim,

’ may b e seen in Grimm , D . M . pp . 210,21 1

5 Gylf. 32. Grimnism . S tr . 1 5 .

5 In Jutland the plant p oly tm’

cham commune i s called Loki ’s oats .

When there i s a certain trembling or w aving motion in the air, which b ew ilders and dazzles the sight , the Jutish peasants say that Loki is sow ing

his oats .—B licher ’s Noveller, v . p . 7 7 . Another plant , the rhinanthus

cr ista galli, or yellow rattle, i s called Lok i’s purse. In the middle age, the

NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY . 3 1

aspect,but evil-minded

,and very capricious . He is di stin

guished above others for guile and artifice,and has often

brought the fEsir into perilous plights, from which however he has extricated them by his cunning . H is wife isnamed S igyn

,and their son s Nari or Narvi

,and Vali or

Ali . But Loki has also other children by Angurboda, agiantess from JOtunheim

,viz . the Wolf Fenrir, the Jor

mungand or Midgard’ s Serpent, and Hel,the goddess of

the dead . In the beginning of time, Odin and Loki werefoster-brothers 5 they had mingled b lood together, on whichaccount Od in would never hold a feast unless Loki werepresent . But Loki was afterwards, for eight years

,down

on earth,in the form of a cow

,and as a woman

,and there

bore children . Burnt up in his innermost sense (seared upin mind) , Loki found a half-burnt heart of a woman 5 thenhe became false and wicked, and thence came all unhap

p iness on earth 1 .

We meet also with the names Of Meili,a son of Odin

and brother of Thor ; Nep or Nef (Nepr, Nefir) , a son

of Odin, and father of Nanna 5 also Hild olf, a son of

Odin 2

TH E GoDDE SSE s .—The chief goddess is FR IGG 3

,the

wife ofOdin . From them descend the race of fEsir 4 . Her

idea of the devil was applied to Loki, who sow s weeds among the goodseed . In the Thellemark in Norway he once took a child on his back , and onsetting i t down, said, So shalt thou Sit till thou art a year old .

” Wh enceit comes that children have a hollow on each side of the hip , and cannotwalk before the expiration of a year . When the fire makes a whiningnoi se, it i s said that Lokje (Loki) i s beating his children—Faye, NorskeSagu, p . 6. In Iceland the fiery, sulphureous igni s fatuus i s called Lokabrenna (Lokii incendium) . Loka daun i s the Icelandic name of a fieryvapour. Grimm , D . M . pp . 221 , 868 .

1 Gylf. 33 , 34 . Skald skap . 1 6. Lokaglep sa, S tr . 6, 9, 23 . Hynd lulj.

Str . 38 .

2 HarbarS slj. Str. 8 , 9.

3 Whether the sixth d ay of the week is named after her, or after thegoddes s Freyia, i s very doubtful .

‘1 Gylf. 9. Skald skap . p . 21 1 .

32 NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY .

habitation is Fensalir . She knows the destiny ofmen,al

though she is silent thereon . During Odin’ s absence,she

married his brothers Vili and V e1 She i s called FiOr

gyn’s daughter

,Nanna

’ s stepmother,Earth’ s

,and Rind’ s

and GunnlOd’s,and Gerd’ s rival . She possesses a feather

garb, or falcon’ s plumage ? She is the goddess of mar

riage .

In equal veneration is FR EY IA held,the daughter of

NiOrd and sister ofFrey . From her descent she is calledVana- dis

,or goddess ofthe Vanir . She dwell s in Folkvang

,

her hall is called Sessrymnir (roomy- seated) 5 and whenshe rides to battle

,one half of the slain b elong to her, the

other to Odin 5 hence her appellation ofValfreyia. She

delights in love songs,and is to b e prayed to in love

matters . When she rides,her chariot is drawn by two cats .

She owns the ornament called Brieing,or B risinga

-men3.

1 The story i s thus told by Snorri. Odin had two brothers , onenamed V e the other V ilir, and these governed the realm in his ab sence .

Once, when Odin had travelled far aw ay , and had been so long ab sentthat the zE sir despaired ofhis return, his brothers took on themselves todivide his possessions 5 but of his w ife, Frigg , they both took pos session.

Odin,however , returning Shortly after , took back his w ife .

” —Ynglingasaga, 3 . For this unlucky affair she w as afterwards j eeringly reproachedby Loki : pegi bii , Frigg ! bi

’

I ert Fj'

d rgyns maer, ok hefir ae vergj'

orn

veritS5 er haVea oc V ilja le’

ztu pér V ihris kvaen I bapa i b abm um-tekit .”—Lokaglep sa, 26 . Saxo (p . 42) tell s sad tales ofFrigg , how She strippedher husband’s statue ofit s gold , and demol ished it , how she violated herconjugal fid elitv, till Odin, provoked by the twofold injury , went intovoluntary exile.

2 Gylf. Skald skap . 19. Lokaglep sa, S tr. 26 , 29. Ynglingas. c . 3 .

3 In the Saga Olafs Tryggvasonar , vol. ii . 0 . 1 7 , ed . Skalholt (and re

printed in B ask ’s edit . ofSnorra Edda, p . 3 5 4 ) there i s rather an awkwardstory ofthe manner in which Frey ia became possessed of her ornament .Freyia, w e are there told , was a mistress ofOdin. Not far from the palacedw elt four dwarfs , whose names w ere Alfrig, Dvalin, B erling and Grer

they w ere skilful smith s . Looking one d ay into their stony dw elling , Preylasaw them at w ork on a beautiful golden necklace or collar, which she

Offered to buy , but which they refused to part w ith , except on conditionsquite incompatible w ith the fidelity She ow ed to Odin, but to which she,


Like Frigg,she possesses a falcon’ s plumage

,and

,like

Frey,a hog named Gullinbursti, or Hild isvini (the swine

ofwar) , which the dwarfs Dain and Nabbi made for her,

and whose golden bristles illumine the thickest darkness .After her name women of condition are called Fru (D an.

Frue,Ger . Frau) . Frey ia was married to Od (Otir) , and

they had a daughter named Hnos, after whose name all

precious things are called hnosz’

r . Od forsook her,and

went far away : she weeps for his absence,and her tears

are red gold . She travelled among unknown people insearch of him 1

. Freyia has many names, because she

nevertheless, was tempted to accede. Thus the ornament became hers .By some means thi s transaction came to the know ledge ofLoki , who toldit to Odin. Odin commanded him to get pos session of the ornament .This was no easy task , for no one could enter Freyia

’s bower w ithout her

consent . He went away whimpering , but most w ere glad on seeing him insuch tribulation. When he came to the lo cked bow er he coul d nowherefind an entrance, and i t being cold w eather he began to shiver. He thentransformed h imself to a fly, and tried every opening, but in vain therewas nowhere air enough to enab le him to get through (Loki requires air) .At length he found a hole in the roof, but not b igger than the prick of a

needle : through this he slipt. On his entrance he looked around to see

if any one were awake , but all w ere buried in sleep . He peeped in at

Freyia’

s b ed , and saw that she had the ornament round her neck, but thatthe lock was on the side she lay on. He then transformed himself to a

flea, placed himselfon Freyia’

s cheek , and stung her so that she w oke ,but only turned herself round and slept again. He then laid aside hi sassumed forni (ham) , cautiously took the ornament , unlocked the bow er,and took his prize to Odin. In the morning , on w aking , Frey ia seeing thedoor open w ithout having been forced , and that her ornament i s gone , instantly understands the whole affair . Having dressed herself she repair sto Odin’s hal l , and upbraids him w ith having stolen her ornament, andinsist s on its restoration, which she finally obtains .This story , though probably based on some lo st poem , i s subsequent

to the time of Chris tianity and of l ittle value . Compare the B risingamen ofFreyia w ith the Opp os and reco r d s ofVenus . In B eowulf (v. 2394 ,sq.) allusion i s made to the Bro

’

singa-men, as belonging to IIermanric,but the legend concerning it i s no longer extant . See Kemb le

’s edition,

vol. i i. Appendix .1 Some traces of the mvth ofFreyia (under the name of Syr ) and 0 d

C 5


assumed a new one among each people that she visited inher j ourneyings : hence she is cal led MardOll

,HOrn, Cefn,

and Syr 1 .Of NANNA

,the w ife ofBaldur

,mention w ill b e made

hereafter .IDUN (lbunn, Ipii

’ér) , the wife of Bragi, and daughterofIvald

,keeps in her casket the apples of which the gods

must eat,when they begin to grow old : they then again

become young ; and this process will continue till the d estruction of the gods

,or RagnarOck. Her dwelling is in

B runnakr

SI F,Thor’ s wife

,mother of U11 and Thrud

,has a noble

head of hair 3 . Loki says there is but one who had unlawful intercourse with her, and that was the wily Loki

‘1

SAGA dwells in SOckquab eck, over which the cool wavesmurmur . There she and Odin j oyful drink each d ay fromgolden cups 5 .

GE F I ON 6 i s a virgin,and is served by those that d ie vir

are to b e found in the story ofSyritha and Othar, given by Saxo (p. 330,though in almost every particular w idely differing from the little

that has been transmitted to us of that myth . The flower Freyju heir(sup ercilz

‘

am Venera’

s) owes it s northern appellation to the goddess .1 Gylf. 24 , 35 , 49, p . 66. Grimnism. S tr. 1 4 . Hynd lulj. Str. 7 . Ha

marsh . Str. 3 .

2 Gylt. 26 . Hrafnag. 0 6 . S tr. 6 . Skald skap . p . 121 .

3 See more about S if’s hair at p . 38 . A plant (p oly tr z’

chum aureum)bears the name ofSifjar had d r (S ifac peplum) .

4 Skald skap . 21 . Lokaglep sa, St r. 5 4 .

5 Gylf. 35 . Grimnism . S tr. 7 .6 Of Gefion , and the Ob ligation under which the Danes lie to her, therei s the follow ing trad ition. A king named Gylfi once reigned over the landsnow called Sw eden. Of him it i s related that he gave a wandering w oman,

who had diverted him by her song, as much land as four oxen couldplough in a d ay and a night. This woman was of the race of the fE sz

‘

r, and

named Gefiun. She took four oxen from the north , from Jotunheim ,

who w ere her own sons by a JOtun, and set them before the plough ,whichpenetrated so deeply that it loosened a part of the land , which the oxendrew out to sea w estwards , until they stopt in a certain sound , whereGefiun fixed the land, and gave it the name of Saclund . Where the land


is wise,and hears of everything

,so that nothing can be

hidden from her . SYN guards the door of the hall,and

locks it against those that may not enter . She i s ap

pointed as the defender in court s of those causes whichit is endeavoured to defeat by falsehood . SNOTRA i s sagacious and of elegant manners . From her name a man or

woman of sagacity is said to b e snotr . SOL and B I L 1 are

also reckoned among the goddesses 5 al so EARTH,the

mother of Thor,and RIND

,the mother of Vali ?

OF OD IN’s H ORSE S LE IPN IR .

—Odin had a horse namedSleipnir

,that was the mo st excellent Ofhorses . The fol

lowing account is given ofhis origin . In the beginningof time

,when the gods had founded M idgard and Valhall

,

there came a builder from JOtunheim,who promised to

construct for them,in three half-years

,so strong a fast

ness,that neither the mountain - giants nor the frost

giants Should b e able to take it,even though they w ere to

come over M idgard,if in recompense they would give him

Freyia together with the sun and moon . The gods acquiesced in his demand

,provided he completed the work in

one winter 5 but if on the first d ay of summer aught werewanting

,or if he availed himself of any one

’ s assistance,

the bargain should b e void . The builder hereupon prayedthat he might b e allowed to use his horse Svadilf

'

Ori

(SvabilfOri) , to which the E sir,by the advice of Loki

,

assented . He began his work on the first d ay ofwinter,

and during the night his horse dragged the stones . The

fE s ir were amazed at the immense size of the stonesbrought by the horse

,which performed more work by half

than the builder himself 5 but there were w itnesses to thebargain

,and many oaths taken ; for the giant w ould not

have deemed it safe to b e among the [E s ir w ithout suchsecurity

,especially if Thor should return

,who was then

absent in the eastern parts,on an expedition against the

1 See page 6 .2 Gylf. 35 , 36 .

pNORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY . 3 1

a

trolls (demons) . When the winter drew near to a close,

the fortification w as far advanced,and was so high and

strong that it was secure from assault . When three daysonly were wanting to summer, the gateway was all thatremained to b e completed . Hereupon the gods assembled

,and deliberated

,and inquired whence the counsel

came,to give Freyia in marriage in Jotunheim,

and spoilair and heaven by taking away the sun and moon and

giving them to a giant . It was agreed that such advicecould come from no one but Loki

,the son ofLaufey, the

author of so much mischief,whom they accordingly

threatened with an ignominious death,if he did not d e

vise some means Of annulling the contract . Loki wasnow terrified

,and swore that the bui lder should get no

payment . In the evening,when the latter was gone with

his horse to fetch stones,a mare came running out of the

wood to the horse,and neighed : the horse hereupon he

came restive,broke his rein

,and ran after the mare into

the wood,and the giant after the horse ; and they ran

during the whole night . When the builder saw that thework could not b e finished in the time

,he assumed his

giant mood 5 but when the .f’

E sir found that he was amountain - giant

,they

,regardless of their oaths

,called

Thor to their aid,who raising his hammer Miiilnir

,paid

him therewith,instead of the sun and moon

,not even

allowing him to return and build in Jotunheim 5 for atthe first blow he crushed the giant’ s skull

,and sent him

to Niflheim . Loki,in his guise of a mare

,had conceived

by Svad ilfiiri, and sometime after brought forth a graycolt with eight legs

lz that was Sleipnir

,Odin’ s horse

,on

which he rides over land and seaQ.

1 In Inga Barb ar’s Saga, 0 . 20 , S leipnir has four legs only. Runes w ereinscribed on his teeth or rein. B rynh . Kv. i . 1 5 .

2 Gylf. 42. Voluspa, S tr. 29, 30. Grimnism. S tr. 44 . Hynd lulj. Str.3 7 . Hervarars. c . 1 5 . VOISungas . c . 13.

3 8 NORTHERN MYTH OLOGY .

OF THE SH I P SK ID B LADN IR 1 (SK IPB LAPNIR ) .—Tll isship was constructed in the beginning of time

,by the

dwarfs,sons OfIvald iQ

,who made a present of it to Frey .

It is the best and most curiously constructed of all ships,

though Naglfar,belonging to Muspell

,i s the largest .

But respecting this famous ship there i s another story .

Loki,out of mischief

,once cut all S if’ s hair Off. “ Then

this came to the knowledge Of Thor,b e threatened to

crush every bone in him,if he did not get the svart

elves to make her a head Of hair of gold,that should

grow like natural hair . Loki thereupon went to the son sOf Ivaldi

,who made the hair for him

,together with the

ship Skidbladnir,

and the spear possessed by Odin,

Gungnir .

Loki afterwards wagered his head with the dwarf Brock,

that the latter’ s brother S indr i (ZEitri) was unable to makethree such precious things . They then went to the smithy .

S indr i laid a swine’ s skin on the fire,and desired Brock

to blow until he took it from the forge. But while hewas gone out

,and Brock stood blowing

,there came a

gad-fly

3,which settled on his hand and stung him . Brock

,

nevertheless, went on blow ing until his brother returnedand took what was forged from the fire . It was a hogwith golden bristles . The smith then put gold into the fire,and desiring his brother to blow without intermissionuntil he returned, went away . The gad

-fiy came again,

fixed itself on his neck, and stung him twice as sorely as

before 5 but Brock continued blowing until the smith cameback, and took from the fire the gold ring called Draupnir .

The third time S indri put iron into the fire, and exhortedhis brother to blow without ceasing, for else all would b e

1 From skio, a thin p lank, and Mad , a leaf,2 This Ivald i, the parent ofcertain dwarfs , i s not to b e confounded w ith

the elfIvald , the father OfIdun.

3 That i s , Loki under th e form ofa gad-fly .


spoiled . The gad-fly now took his post over Brock

’ s eye,and stung his eyebrow 5 and as the blood trickled down

,

so that he could not see,he raised his hand in haste

,

thereby causing the bellows for a moment to stand still,

while he drove away the gad -fly . At this moment thesmith returned

,and said that what was in the fire had

been nearly spoiled . On taking it forth, it proved to b ea hammer . S indri intru sted these things to his brother

,

saying,he could now go to Asgard and get the wager .

decided . S indri and Loki now appearing,each with his

treasures,the ZE sir took their places on their judgement

seats,and it was agreed that whatever Odin

,Thor

,and

Frey might decide should b e valid .

Loki made a present to Odin of the spear Gungnir, toThor of the hair for S if

,to Frey of Skidbladnir

,and

,at

the same time,explained the virtues Of these presents

how the spear never failed to strike whatever it was aimedat 5 how the hair would grow rapidly as soon as it wasplaced on S if’ s head 5 and that Skid bladnir would alwayshave a fair wind

,when the sails were set

,and was withal

so capacious that it could contain all the gods with theirweapons and armour

,but

,at the same time

,contrived so

ingeniously,and of so many pieces

,that it might b e folded

up like a cloth and put into one’ s pocket .Now came Brock forwards with his wonderful handi

works . TO Odin he gave the ring, saying that every ninthnight eight rings equally precious would drop from it . ToFrey he gave the hog

,adding that it could run more

swiftly than any horse, on air and sea,and that even in

the darkest night a sufficiency of light would shine fromits bristles. TO Thor he gave the hammer

,and said that

he might strike with it with all his might whatever Objectcame before him, without receiving any hurt 5 howeverfar he might cast it

,he should never lose it

,but that

it would always return to his hand,and

,whenever he


wished it,would become so small that he might put it in

his pocket : its only defect was,that the haft was rather

short 1

The judgement was,that the hammer was the best

work Of all,as they w ould find in it a powerful defence

against the frost -giants 5 and that the dwarf had,conse

quently,won the wager. Loki offered ransom for his

head,but the dwarf rej ected it . Well

,take me then

,

” saidLoki 5 but when the dwarf would lay hands on him

,he

was already far away 5 for he had on shoes with which hecould run both on air and water . The dwarf then beggedOf Thor to take him

,and he did so 5 but when he was

about to cut his head Off,Loki told him that the head was

his,but not the neck . The dwarf then took a thong and

a knife,and would pierce holes in Loki’ s lips

,in order to

sew his mouth up 5 but the knife w ould not cut . Itwere well

,

” said he,if I now had my brother’ s awl

,

”and

the instant he named it,it was there . The awl did it s

duty,and with the thong

,which was called Vartari

,the

dwarf stitched up the lip s OfLoki2

OR IG IN OE TH E SKALD I C OR POE T I C ART —When theE lsir made peace w ith the Vanir

,in token Of amity

,they

mingled their saliva in a vessel . Of the contents of thisvessel the gods created the man Kvasir . He was so wisethat no one could ask him a question that he was unableto answer 5 and he travelled far and wide to impart hisknowled ge to mankind . Being invited to a feast by thedwarfs Fialar and Galar

,they took him asid e

,under the p re

text Ofa secret communication,and slew him . H is blood

they let run into two vessel s,named Sen and Bodn

,

and into the kettle Odhraerir (OOhraerir) . “ fith the bloodthey mingled honey, and thus composed the mead whichmakes every one that partakes Ofit a skald or a wise man .

1 Ow ing to the interruption caused by the gad -fly .

2 Grimnism. S tr. 43 . Gylf. 43 . Skald skap . 3 5 .

NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY . 4 1

TO the [E sir they said that Kvasir was drowned in his ownwisdom .

These dwarfs afterwards invited to them a giant namedGilling

,and his wife

,and rowed out with him to sea 5 but

when they were some distance from land, they ran on a

rock,and upset the boat

,and Grilling

,who could not swim,

was d rowned . Having set the boat right, they returnedhome . On relating to Gilling’ s wife what had befallenher husband

,she was inconsolable

,and wept b itterly .

Fialar then asked her whether it would alleviate her sorrowto look on the sea where her husband had perished . She

answered in the affirmative,when he desired his brother

Galar to go up over the door, and as she was going Out,

to let a millstone fall on her head,as he could not endure

her lamentations . The brother did as he was desired .

When Suttung, the son of Gilling, was informed Ofwhathad taken place

,he set out

,seized the dwarfs

,took them

out to sea,and placed them on a rock that at high tide

was under water . They prayed for their lives,and Offered

to give him,as blood-fine

,the precious mead

,which he

accepted . Suttung then took the mead home, depositedit in the mountain Hnitb iOrg, under the custody Of hisdaughter GunnlOd . Hence it i s that poetry is calledKvasir

’s blood

,the drink of the dwarfs

,Odhraerir

’s,or Sfin

’s,

or B odn ’s liquor

,or the dwarfs’ passage- supply (because

it supplied the means Of saving their lives from the rock) ,or Suttung

’s mead

,or HnitbiO

’

rg’s water .

Odin being very desirous to Obtain this mead,left home

,

and came to a place where nine thralls were cutting hay .

He asked them whether he should whet their sithes . Theythanked him for his Offer

,and taking a Whetstone from his

belt,he sharpened them so that they cut much better

,and

they wished to buy the stone . Odin then threw it up inthe air

,when in struggling to seize it

,each turned his

sithe on the neck of another . Odin sought shelter for the

4 32 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY .

night at a giant’s named Baugi, a brother ofSuttung, who

complained bitterly of the loss he had sustained,saying

that his nine thralls had killed each other,and that he

knew not whence he was to get lab orn'

ers . Odin,who now

called himself BOlverk,Offered to perform the work of nine

men,on condition of receiving in reward a drink of Sut

tung’s mead . Bangi told him that he had no power overthe mead

,and added

,that Suttung wished to have it all

to himself 5 but that he would go w ith B olverk, and en

d eavour to get it . During summer he performed the w orkofnine men for Bangi

,and when winter came, demanded

his reward . They thereupon went to Suttung, whomBangi informed of the agreement

,but Suttung would not

part with a drop Of the mead . BOlverk then proposed thatthey should try some stratagem

,if they could not other

w ise get at the mead 5 to which proposal Bangi assented .

BOlverk then produced the auger named Rati,and re

quested Bangi,if the auger were sharp enough, to bore

into the mountain . Bangi did so,and said that the moun

tain was penetrated 5 but when BOlverk blew into the hole,the dust made by the auger flew towards him

,and he found

that Bangi was deceiving him,and desired him to bore

again . He bored,and when BOlverk again blew

,the dust

flew inwards . BOlverk now,assuming the form Ofa worm

,

crep t in . Bangi made a stab after him with the anger,

but missed him . BOlverk then went to the place whereGunnlO

'

d was,w ith whom he stayed three nights

,and Ob

tained her permission to drink thrice Of the mead . At thefirst draught he emptied Odhraerir 5 at the second

,Bodn 5

and at the third,SO11 ; and thus drank up all the mead .

Then assuming an eagle’ s garb,he flew away with all pos

sible speed . But Suttung, who saw the eagle’ s flight,also

took his eagle’s plumage,and flew after him . “

rhen the[E sir saw Odin flying towards them

,they set out vessel s

in the court,and on entering As g ard, he spat the mead

4 4 NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY .

escape,and flew up , with one end Of the pole hanging in

it s body,and the hand of Loki fast to the other . As the

eagle flew,Loki’ s feet were dragged over stones

,hillocks

and trees,and he thought his arm w ould b e torn from his

shoulder . He screamed and prayed for mercy,but was

told by the eagle that he should not b e loosed until hehad sworn to bring Idun with her apples out of Asgard .

Loki having sworn,was released accordingly

,and with his

companions returned to Asgard .

On a certain time,he told Idun

,that in a wood just

without Asgard he had found some splendi d apples,and

so enticed her out,bidding her to take her own with her

,for

the sake ofcomparing them . Then came the giant Thiassiin his eagle’ s plumage (for he was the eagle) , seized Idun,and flew with her to his home . But it fared badly w iththe fE sir while Idun w as absent 5 they quickly gr ew gr ayand Old . Thereupon they held a meeting

,and inquired

one of another,who had seen her last, when it was found

that she went out OfAsgard with Loki . Loki was nowseized

,and brought to the meeting, and threatened w ith

torments and death,if he did not bring Idun back from

JOtunheim . Terrified at their threats, he engaged to bringher back

,provided Freyia would lend him her falcon’ s

plumage 5 hav mg Obtained which, he flew northwards toJotunheim

,and reached the abode of the giant

,where he

found Idun alone,Thiassi being gone out tO sea . Loki

transformed her into a nut,took her in his talons

,and

hastily flew away . Thiassi on his return home missingher

,took his eagle’ s plumage and flew after Loki

,and had

nearly caught him 5 but the fEs ir seeing the falcon withthe nut in his talons, and the eagle closely follow ing

,w ent

to the wall ofthe city, carrying w ith them loads of chips,to which

,as soon as the falcon entered and had glided

down w ithin the w all, they set fire 5 so that the eagle,

able to check his rapid flight,burned his w ings

,and being


thus di sabled was slain by the fE sir . Of Thias si w e are

besides told that his father’s name was Olvaldi , who possessed much gold . H is sons

,Thiassi

,Idi

,and Gang

,shared

the inheritance among them,by each in his turn taking a

mouthful 1

OF NIORD (NIORpR ) AND SKAD I (SK AbI ) .— Skad i, thedaughter Of Thiassi, took helm and corselet

,and went fully

armed to Asgard,to avenge the death Ofher father. The

ZE sir Offered her peace and compensation,and granted her

permission to choose herself a husband among them,

though under the condi tion that she should see their feetonly . She accordingly went round among them

,saw a

pair Ofhandsome feet, and said,“ This one I choose 5 few

b lemishes are to b e found in Baldur .” She had,neverthe

less,made a mistake

,for the feet belonged to NiOrd of

Noatfin . Another article of peace was,that one Of the

fE sir should cause her to laugh, a task successfully p erformed by Loki, who played some ludicrous antics with a

goat . It is further related, that Odin (or Thor) tookThiassi

’s eyes

,cast them up to the heavens, and formed of

them two stars . NiOrd married Skadi,but dissension

soon sprang up between them ; for Skad i would dwellamong the mountains

,in her father’ s abode

,Thrymheim

,

while NiOrd liked to be near the sea . At length it wasagreed

,that they should stay alternately nine days in

Thry mheim,and three in Noatfin g . But when NiOrd re

turned from the mountains tO his Noatfin,he said

Loathsome are the hills 5long seem

’

d to me

nine n ights only .

The noise ofwolve ssounded ill, comparedw i th the swan

’ s song .

1 Bragaraeb ur , 5 6 . Hynd lulj. Str. 29.

2 Or, according to another MS., and another nine in Noatfin.

4 6 NORTH ERN MYTHOLOGY .

But Skadi answered,

Sleep I got notby the sea-wave s ,for wa il Ofb ird sfrom the wood coming ;the sea-mew me each mornw i th it s s cream waked ‘

.

She then went up into the mountain, and abode in Thrymheim

,where she runs on snow- skates

,and shoots wild beasts

w ith her bow 5 hence she i s called Ondurgud or Ondurd i

(the goddess of snow- skates) . From her habitation and

fields ever come cold (pernicious) counsels to Loki,”who

had been foremost in causing her father’ s d eath Q.

OE FRE Y AND GE RD (GE RPR ) .— Frey had one d ay seatedhimself in Hlid skialf

,and was looking over all the worlds

,

when on turning to Jotunheim,he there cast his eyes on

Gerd,a beautiful maiden

,the daughter ofGymir and Aur

boda,relations of Thiassi

,as she was going from her

father’s hall to her maiden -bower . On raising her arms toOpen the door

,both air and water gave such a reflection

that the whole world was illumined . Frey descended fromHlid skialfw ith a heart full of love and care

,went home

,

spoke not,drank not

,slept not

,nor di d any one venture

to speak to him . This penalty Frey brought on himself,

for having presumed to sit in Odin’ s sacred seat . Onseeing him in this state

,Niord

,his father

,sent for Skir

nir,Frey’ s attendant 3

,and bade him go to his son and

1 See in Saxo (p . 5 3) the Song OfHading and Regnild , beginningHading loq . Qui d moror in latebris Op acis,

Collibus imp licitus scrup osis , &c.

To which Regnild answ ers,Me canorus angit ales immorantem littoriEt soporis ind igentem gan

'iend o concitat, &c.

The whole story of Hading and Regnild bears a striking resemblance tothe myth OfNitird and Skad i.

2 B ragaraeb ur, 5 6 . Gylf. 23. Grimnism. S tr . 1 1 . Harb arb slj. S tr . 19.

Lokaglep sa, S tr. 5 0 , 5 1 .3 Skésveinn, shoe-boy .

NORTH E RN MYTHOLOGY . 4 7

inquire what had so disturbed his temper . Skirnir wentaccordingly, and asked his master, why he sat all d ay alonein the great halls. How

,

”answered Frey, shall I d e

scribe my affliction to thee ? The elves’ illuminator (thesun) shines every d ay, but never to my pleasure.

” Confid e to me thy sorrow, said Skirnir 5 at the beginning

Of time we lived young together, and w e ought to haveconfidence in each other .” Frey now recounted to himhow he had seen

,in Gymir

’s man sion, the maid with the

bright arms 5 that he loved her more fervently than a

youth loves in the spring Of his days ; but that neitherfEs ir nor Alfar would permit them to come together .“ Give me but thy swift courser,

” said Skirnir,“ which

can bear me through murky flames,and thy sword, which

fells Of itself the giant race, when he is stout who wieldsit .” Then rode Skirnir

,and said to the horse : Dark it

is without,it is time for us to go ever hear mountains

,

amid giant folk ; we shall both return, or that mightygiant will take us both . And Skirnir rode to JO

'

tunheim,

to Gymir’s mansion

,where he found fierce dogs chained

at the gate of the enclosure . He rode up to a herdsmanwho was sitting on a hillock

,and asked him how he could

pass by Gymir’s dogs and get speech ofthe young maiden

Art thou doomed to death,or art thou a spectre ? never

wilt then get speech OfGymir’s good daughter .” To this

answer Of the herdsman Skirnir replied,There i s a better

choice than to sob for him who voluntarily meets death 5my life was decreed to one d ay only, and my days determined by fate .

” But Gerd hears the stranger and says,

What noise ofnoises do I hear in our halls ? The earthshakes w ith it

,and all Gymir

’s courts tremble .

” Her

waiting-maid answers,

Here i s a man without descendedfrom his horse

,which he lets graze .

” “ Bid him,

” saidGerd

,enter our hall and dr ink the bright mead

,though

I fear that my brother’ s slayer stands without .” On his


entrance Gerd says,Which Of the Alfar

’s,or Of the

JE sir’s or the wise Vanir’ s sons art thou ? Why comest

thou alone over raging flames l to see our halls ?” Skirnirthen declares his errand . For a long time she withstoodhis prayer

,that she would dwell with Frey . He promised

her eleven golden apples, in reward for her love, but shewould not accept them . He promised to give her the ringDraupnir, which had been laid on the pile with Odin’ syoung son Baldur

,but she declined it

,saying that she

lacked not gold in her father’ s house . He threatened tostrike Offher head

,with the bright sword that he held in

his hand,under which even the old giant her father must

sink 5 to strike her with the taming wand 5 that she shouldgo where the sons of men would never see her more 5should pass her life on the eagle’ s mount

,turned from the

world towards Hel,and food should b e more loathsome

to her than M idgard’ s serpent ? to the sons Of men 5 thatwhen she comes out she should b e a spectacle at whichHrimnir and all beings would stare

,a monster set forth

for mockery and scorn . S it,

” said he,

and I will announce to thee a dire flood Of b itterness

,and double mi

sery . Terrors shall beset thee all the d ay in the giants’

dwellings 5 each d ay shalt thou wander about without joy ;weeping shall b e thy lot

,instead of pastime

,and tears shall

accompany thy pain . With a three -headed giant thoushalt drag out thy life

,or d ie a maiden 5 from morn to

mom thy mind shall b e in alarm,and thou shalt b e as the

thistle that wither s on the house -top . Then swingingover her his magic wand

,he pronounced the malediction

,

Wroth with thee is Odin l Wroth with thee is the fEsir’sprince ! Frey shall shun thee

,thou evil maiden ! when

1 See the account ofBrynhild ’ s bow er in the story ofthe Vol sungs hereafter ; al so FiOlsvinnsmal, S tr . 2. Such fiery fences round a ‘ borg

’ seem tohave been not unfrequent .

2 Of thi s monster hereafter.


thou art stricken by the vengeance Of the gods . Hear it,

giants Hear it,frost-giants

,and sons Of Suttung

1,and

ye, friends Of the ZEsirQ ! how I forbid and hinder theefrom man ’ s society ! Hrimgrimnir the giant is namedthat shall possess thee below in the barred dwelling of thed ead

,where misery’ s thrall s shall give thee only goats’

water to d rink . I cut for thee Thurs S,and three letters

,

feebleness,frenzy and imp atience. I wi ll cut them Off 4 as

I have cut them on : do then only choose .

” “ B e thougreeted

,youth said Gerd

,and in welcome take the icy

cup filled with old mead 5 although I never thought to feelwell-di sposed towards a man of the Vanir’ s race .

”She

then promised to b e with the son of NiOrd in nine days,

in the warm wood OfBarri . Skirnir rode home,

'

and an

nounced the happy result of his j ourney 5 but full Of d esire

,Frey exclaimed

,

“ One n ight is long,long are two 5

how shall I endure three ? Oftentimes a month seems tome shorter than the half of such nights Ofdesire .

”

Frey having thus parted with his sword,was unarmed

when he fought with Beli 5,whom he slew with a stag’ s

horn,although he could have killed him with his hand

but the time will come when the loss of his sword will costhim more dearly, when Muspell

’ s son s go forth to battle6 .

OF LOK I’ S O FFSPR ING .—By Angurboda (Angrboba) , a

giantess.

ofJOtunheim,Loki had three children

,viz . the

wolf Fenrir,the M idgard’ s serpent or Jormungand , and

He],the goddess Of death . When the fEsir discovered

that these three were being bred up in JOtunheim,and

called to mind the predi ctions,that they would prove a

1 The dwarfs . 2 The elves .3 The name ofone ofthe letters Ofthe runic alphabet .4 I w ill cut them Off,

” that i s , I will, by erasing the runes , dissolvethe Spell,” in the case OfGerd ’s compliance.

5 The myth ofFrey and Bell i s lost .5 Gylf. 3 7 . Skirnis r

,Lokaglep sa, S tr. 42. Vo luspa, S tr. 5 4 . Hynd

lulj. S tr. 29.

5 0 NORTH E RN MYTHOLOGY .

source Ofgreat calamity to them,there being much evil to

expect from them on the mother’ s side,and still more on

the father’ s,All-father sent the gods to fetch the chil

dren . When they came,b e cast the serpent into the deep

ocean which surrounds all lands 5 but there it grew and

became so great that it encircles the whole world,and bites

it s own tail . From hence it heaves itself up with violencetowards heaven

,rises up on land, causes the air to tremb le,

and sends snow,and stormy winds

,and pattering rain

over the earth . Hel he cast dow n into Niflheim,and gave

her authority over nine worlds,that she might assign their

places to those who are sent to her,namely

,all those that

d ie ofsickness or age . Her abode Of vast extent i s sur

rounded by a high enclosure with large gates . Her hallis called Eliudnir (nimbos sive procellas late accip iens) ;her dish

,Hungr (hunger) ; her knife, Sullt (starvation) 5

her serving-man,Ganglati (slowly moving) 5 her woman

servant,Gangl

'

Ot (the same, but feminine) 5 her threshold,Falland a forat (perilous precipice) 5 her b ed , KO

'

r (the b edof sickness) 5 her curtains or hangings, B likiand a bOl

(splendi d misery) . She is half black,half flesh - coloured

,

and therefore easily recognised,and very fierce and grim

Of aspect . The wolf was bred up among the fE sir ; butonly Ty had the courage to give him food . When the

gods saw how much he increased daily,and as all the

predictions declared that he was destined to b e their d estruction

,they resolved on having a very strong chain

made for him,called Laeding (Laepingr) , which they took

to the wolf,that he might prove his strength on it . The

wolf,to whom the chain di d not appear over strong, let

them do as they would 5 but the moment he stretchedhimself it brake

,and he was again loose . They then

made another chain half as strong again,called Dromi .

This likewise the wolf was to try,they assuring him that

he would be renowned for his strength,if so strong a bond


thee .

” The wolf answered,If ye bind me so fast that I

cannot free myself again, I am well convinced that I shallwait long to b e released by you : I am

,therefore

,not at

all desirous to let the cord b e fastened on me . B ut ratherthan that ye shall accuse me Ofwant ofcour age

,let one Of

you place his hand in my mouth as a pledge that there i sno guile in the case .

” The gods now looked at one an

other,but not one would put forth his hand . At length

Ty stretched forth his right hand, and placed it within thejaws ofthe wolf. The wolf now began to struggle, and themore he strove to get loose, the more tightly did the bondbind him . Hereat they all set up a laugh

,except Ty

,

who lost his hand for his rashness . When the fE sir saw

that the wolf was effectually bound,they took the end Of

the chain,called Gelgia, which was fastened to the bond,

and dr ew it through a huge rock named GiOll,which they

secured far down in the earth,and beat down still lower with

a fragment ofrock named Thviti . In his yawning j aws theystuck a sword

,the hilt of which was driven into his lower

jaw,while the point penetra ted the upper one . He howls

dreadfully,and the foam that issues from his mouth forms

the river called V on 5 whence he is also called V anargand

(Vanargannd r) . There will he lie till RagnarOck1

OfThor and his j ourney s there were many stories, ofwhich the following are preserved .

T HOR IN TH E H OUSE o r GE I R ROD (GE IRROPR )Q.— L0 l! i

for his amusement had one d ay flown out in Frigg’S falcon-plumage

,and came to the mansion Of GeirrOd

,where

seeing a spacious hall,and prompted by curiosity

,he

perched himself,and peeped in at a window . GeirrOd

having caught a glimpse Ofhim,ordered one ofhis people

to catch and bring the bird to him 5 but the man to whomthe order w as given found difficulty in clambering up

1 Gylf. 34. Hynd lulj. Str. 3 7—39. Lokaglep sa, Str. 38 .

2 See a traves tie Ofthis story in Saxo , pp . 420—428 .


along the high wall,and Loki

,who sat chuckling over the

difficulties the man had to encounter,fancied he could fly

away before he had surmounted them . So when at lengththe man made a grasp at him

,Loki flapp ed his wings, in

order to fly away 5 but his feet having got entangled insomething

,he was caught and brought to the giant

,who as

soon as he looked at his eyes suspected that he was a man,

and commanded him to speak 5 but Loki was silent . The

giant then locked him up in a chest, where he had to und ergo a fast of three months’ duration . At length the

giant took him out,and again ordered him to speak

,when

Loki told him who he was 5 and,to save hi s life

, premised

on oath that he would bring Thor thither,without either

hammer or belt of power . Loki persuaded Thor to un

d ertake the j ourney . On their way they stopt at the

giantess Grid’ s (Gribr) , the mother ofVidar the S ilent,

who advised Thor to be on his guard against Geirrod , whowas a crafty knave

,with whom it was not desirable to have

any intercourse . She at the same time lent him a belt Ofpower

,an iron glove

,and her staff named Grid arvO

'

ll.

Pursuing their j ourney,they came to the river V imur, the

greatest Of all rivers,to cross which Thor girded himself

with the belt,and supported himself against the stream

on Grid’ s staff, while Loki took fast hold Ofthe belt . Onreaching the middle ofthe stream

,they found it SO greatly

increased that the water washed over Thor’s shoulders 5when

,on looking up towards a part of the river between

two steep rocks, he perceived Gialp , one of Geirrtid ’ sdaughters

,standing wi th a foot on each bank

,and found

that it was she who had caused the river to rise 5 whereupon

,seizing a heavy stone

,he cast it at her

,saying,

“ The river must b e stopt at it s spring .

” At the sametime wading towards the shore

,he took hold Ofsome sorb

bushes,and so get to land. Hence the proverb : “ The

sorb i s Thor’ s salvation .

” When he came to Geirrod ’S, a


lodging was assigned him in a chamber where there wasonly one chair ; Sitting on which, he found that the seatrose with him up to the roof, whereupon, placing Grid

’ sstaffagainst the rafters, and pressing against it with all

his might,a loud crash was heard, accompanied by an

appalling cry . GeirrOd’S daughters

,Gialp and Greip , were

under the seat,and Thor had broken their backs . After

this GeirrOd invited Thor into his hall to play . Alongone side ofthe hall were huge fir es, from which, as Thorcame just Opposite to GeirrOd , the latter, with a pair oftongs

,snatched a red -hot iron wedge, and hurled it at

Thor,who catching it with his iron glove cast it back .

GeirrOd took refuge behind an iron pillar,but Thor had

hurled the wedge with such force,that it passed through

the pillar,through Geirriid

,through the wall

,and deep

into the earth without 1 .

TH E HAMME R EE TOH E D .—Ving-Thor awoke and missed

his hammer ; his beard Shock, and his head trembled withrage . He made known his loss to Loki

,and they went

to Freyia’s fair abode

,to borrow her falcon -plumage . In

this Loki flew to JOtunheim,and found the giant chieftain

,

Thrym,Sitting on an eminence without his dwelling

,plait

ing a collar of gold for his d og, and smoothing the manesofhis horses . “ How fares it with the fEsir

,

” said he,

and how w ith the Alfar ? Why comest thou alone tothe giant s’ land ?” “ Ill fares it with the fE sir

,ill with

the Alfar . Hast thou hidden Hlorrid i’s hammer ?” an

1 Skald skap . 1 8 . According to the popular bel ief, the lightning i saccompanied by a black bolt or projectile, which penetrates as far as thehighest church steeple i s long into the earth , but ri ses towards the sur

face every time it thunders , and at the expiration Of seven years againmakes it s appearance on the earth . Every house in which such a stonei s preserved i s secure from the effects Ofthunder- storms, on the approachOfwhich it begins to sweat . Grimm ,

D . M . pp . 1 63—1 6 5 . The sameidea seems expres sed by the mvth that the hammer always returns toThor ’s hand. See p . 39.


Swered Loki Yes,

” replied Thrym,

“ I have hidden itnine m iles underground

,and no one shall get it back,

unless he brings me Freyia for a bride .

” Loki then flew

back in his rustling plumage,with the giant’ s message

,

and informed Thor where the hammer was, and of the

condi tion on which alone it could b e recovered . On thisthey both went to the lovely Freyia, to whom they communicated the affair

,and Loki said

,

“ Adorn thyself thenwith a bridal veil

,and we two will go together to JOtun

heim .

” But Freyia snorted with anger, SO that the halltrembled under her

,and her necklace

,the B risinga

-men,

snapt asunder, and she said, I must,indeed

,b e very fond

Of men’ s society,if I went with thee to JOtunheim .

” Allthe fE sir now held a meeting

,and all the goddes ses went

to their rendezvous,to consult how the hammer should b e

recovered . Then said Heimdall the Wise,who as a Van

saw well into the future,

“ Let us bind a bridal veil onThor

,and decorate him wi th the B risinga-men 5 let keys

j ingle at his side,female attire fall about his knees

, p re

cions stones adorn his breast,and an elegant head-dress

his head .

”But Thor

,the mighty god

,an swered

,

“ ThefEsir would jeer me, if I allowed myself to b e d ressed outin a bridal veil .” Loki then represented to them that thegiants would take up their abode in Asgard

,if Thor did

not fetch back his hammer . So they bound a bridal veilon Thor

,and decorated him with the famed Bfisinga-men

,

let keys j ingle at his Side,female attire fall about his

knees,set precious stones on his breast

,and an elegant

head- dress on his head. Loki accompanied him as a

waiting-maid . The goats ran,the mountains burst, the

earth stood in a blaze,when Odin’ s SOn drove to JOtun

heim . Then said the giant chief,Stand up

,giants ! lay

cushions on the benches,and lead to me Freyia as a bride .

Let gold-horned cows and coal-black oxen be brought inmultitudes to my dwelling . Of ornaments I have enough,


enough Of treasures 1 ; Preyla alone was wantin g to my

and all the d aint ies that are On”cred to ladi es ; to which,

by w ay of slak ing hi s thirst,he added three huge vessel s

of mead . In amazement Thrym exclaimed , didI see a brid e eat. so voraci ously , or drink so much mead .

”

But. the prudent w aiting-maid sai d

,

“ For eight night sand days Fret -v ia has eat en nothing

,so fervent ly di d she

long aft er JO'

tit eim .

’The giant then raised her veil

,

claimin g,Wby has Freyia so piercing a look ? Her eyes

burn like fire .

”But the wi ly wait ing-maid answered

,

said,

“ Giv e me the rings of red gold from -thv hand,if

Brin g now the hammer in,to con s ecrat e the bride 5 lay

M i tilnir in the maiden’ s lap , and uni t e us in the name of

laughed in hi s breast,when he felt the hammer in his

han d . Fir st he slew Thrym,then the whole giant tr ibe 5

trOkes foor rud dy rings . And thus di d Odin ’

s son get(II

Or THOR AND L I GARDA -LOH I 4 .— Once on a time Thor

1 Indians, Greek s and S candinavi ans have been accustomed to adorn

the horn s ofcow s m th gilding. It ha been remarked that even in recent

giv en t o the people at the co ronat ion ofChr istian VI I . having had gild edhorns . F . Magnu

s en , Den E ldre E d d a, iin . 1 24 .

See page 3 5 .

5 See a trav es c re ofthi s story in Saxo , pp . 429, 8g.


drove out in his cha riot w ith the goat s,together w ith Asa

Loki,and in the evening they came to a coun tryman’ s

hous e . The goat s were killed and boiled, and Thor invited the countryman and his wife

,hi s son Thialfi, and hi

daughter ROskva to partake Of the repa st ; and desir edthem to thr ow the bones into the goat - skin s, whi ch hehad laid by the side Of the hearth . But Thialfi broke a

thigh -bone,in order to get at the marrow . Thor remain ed

there during the night,rose at dawn

,rais ed M i

'

o lnir onhi g h

,consecrated the goat - skin s with it

,and the goat s

sp rang up , but one w as lame ofa hind -leg . He called tothe countryman

,who w as ready to sink on seeing the

angry brow of the god, and his knuckles white withclenching the haft OfMitilnir . Bo th the man and his

fami ly sued for pardon,and Offered to give all they p os

sessed,in compen sation for the misfortune . Thor seeing

them thus terrified, m itigated his anger, and contentedhim self wi th taking Thialfi and B

'

Oskva as hi s servant s,who attended him ever afte r . Leavin g the goat s behi nd,he resolved on proceedin g eastward to J

'

otunheim, in thedirection Of the sea

,whi ch he crossed, accompani ed by

Loki,Thialfi

,and Ro skva. After t ravelling a short di

stan ce they came to a vast forest,in whi ch they journeved

the whole day till dark ; Thialfi, who Of all men was

swiftest of foo t,b earing Thor’ s w allet

,thoug h provisions

to fill it w ere not easily to b e had . Looking now on all

side s for a place wherein to pas s the night, they found a

very spacious house, w ith a door at one end as broad as

the house itself. They entered,and betook themse lves to

rest ; but at mi dnight the earth shook un der them,and

the hous e trembled . Thor arose and called to hi s companions . Groping their w ay

,they found a chambe r on

the right, whi ch thev ente red, but Thor set himself in the

door-way wi th hammer in hand . The se wi thin w ere muchterrified

,for they heard a great din and crash . At d aw n

D O

5 8 N ORTHERN MYTHOLOGY .

Thor went out,and saw a man Of gigantic stature lying

close by in the forest : he was sleeping, and snoredloudly . Thor

,who could now understand whence the

noise during the night proceeded, buckled his belt Of

power about him,by which his divine might was increased .

At this moment the man awoke, and stood up . It is saidthat Thor did not venture to strike him with his hamm er

,

but merely asked him his name . He was called Skrymiror Skrymnir . I need not,

’ said he,

“ inquire thy name,for I know thou art Asa-Thor 5 but what hast then donewith my glove ?” At the same moment steep ing downand taking up his glove . Thor then saw that the housein which they had passed the night was the glove, and

the chamber its thumb . Skrymir then asked whetherhe might accompany them 5 Thor answered in the affirma

t ive . Skrymir then untied his wallet,and began eating

his breakfast, while Thor and his companions did the

same,though in another place . He then proposed that

they should lay their provisions together, to which Thoralso assented . Skrymir then p ut all the provisions intoone bag, took it on his back, and walked stoutly on

before them . Late in the evening Skrymir sought a

resting -place for them under a large oak,saying that he

would lie down and Sleep But,

”added he

,do you take

the wallet,and prepare your supper .” Skrymir immed i

ately began to Sleep,and snored lustily . Thor now took

the wallet to open it,and

,incredible as it may seem,

couldnot untie a s ingle knot

,nor make one strap looser than

it was before . Seeing that all his exertions were fruitless,

Thor grew angry,and grasping M iOlnir with both hands

,

and advancing one foot,struck Skry mir, where he was

lying,a blow on the head . At this Skrymir awoke

,and

asked whether a leaf had fallen on his head ? whether theyhad supped and were ready for b ed ? Thor answered thatthey were then going to Sleep . They went then under


when they saw before them a city,on a vast plain

,so high

that they had to bend back their necks in order to see tothe top Of it . The entrance was protected by a barredgate

,which was locked . Thor endeavoured to open it,

and failed 5 but being desirous to enter, they crept throughthe bars

,and so gained admission . Before them was a

spacious hall with open door,into which they passed

,

where,on two benches

,sat a company of men

,most of

them very gigantic. They then went before the king,

U tgard a-Loki

,and greeted him 5 but he, just glancing at

them,said with a contemptuous smile

,It is wearying to

ask oftravellers the particulars Of a long journey ; but i smy surmise correct that this little fellow is Anku -Thor ?

though,perhaps

,you are taller than you appear to b e .

What feats can you and your followers perform ? for noone i s suffered here

,who in one or other art or talent does

not excel others .” Then said Loki,who entered last,

One feat I can exhibit,and which I am willing to p er

form forthwith,and that is that I can devour my food as

expeditiously as any one .

” Utgard a-Loki answered

,That

i s certainly a notable feat,provided thou art able to p er

form it,and that we will put to the proof.

” He thencalled a man from the bench

,by name Logi (flame) , and

commanded him to try his power w ith Loki . A troughfull Ofmeat w as then placed on the floor

,at one end Of

which Loki seated himself,and LOgi at the other . Each

ate to the best Of his ability,and they met in the middle

of the trough . Loki had eaten all the meat from the

bones,while Logi had swallowed down meat

,and bones

,

and the trough into the bargain . All were,therefore

,

unanimous that Loki was the loser at this game . Utgard a

Loki then asked at what game that young man could play ?Thialfi answered

,that he would try a race w ith any one

that Utgard a -Loki might select . U tgard a-Loki said thatthat was a goodly craft, but added, that he must b e very

NORTHERN MYTH OLOGY . 6 1

Swift-footed if he hoped to win at that game . He thenrose and went out . WVithout on the plain there was a

noble race-ground . Utgard a-Loki called to a young man

named Hugi (thought) , and ordered him to run a race withThialfi . In the first run Hugi was SO greatly ahead

,that

when he had reached the goal, he turned and came tomeet Thialfi .

“ Thou must step out better than that,

”

said Utgard a-Loki,if thou wilt win 5 though I must allow

that no one has ever come here before more swift -footedthan thou .

” They now tried a second race . When Hugiw as at the goal and turned round

,there was a long bow

shot between him and Thialfi . Thou art certainly a goodrunner

,

” said Utgard a-Loki,but thou wilt not

,I think

,

gain the victory ; though that will b e seen when thou hasttried the third course . They now ran the third time

,and

when Hugi had already reached the goal,Thialfi had not

arrived at the m idd le of the cour se . All were now unanimous that these trial s were qui te sufficient .Utgard a

-Loki now inquired Of Thor what the performances were which he wished to exhibit before them

,and

which might justify the general report as to his greatprowess . Thor answered that he would undertake to drinkwith any Of his men . With this proposal Utgard a-Lokiwas content, and returning to the hall, ordered his cupbearer to bring the horn of atonement, or punishment, outOfwhich his men were wont to drink

,saying

,

“ When anyone empties this horn at one draught

,we call it well

d runk 5 some empty it in two,but no one i s SO great a

milksop that he cannot manage it in three .

” Thor lookedat the horn, which did not appear to him particularlycapacious

,though it seemed rather long . Being very

thirsty,he applied it to his mouth and took a long pull

,

thinking there would be no occasion for him to have re

course to it more than once 5 but on setting the horn downto see how much Ofthe liquor had vanished, he found there


was nearly as much in it as before . Thou hast drunksome

,but no great deal

,

” said Utgard a-Loki . “ I couldnot have believed it

,had it been told me

,that Asa-Thor

was unable to drink more . I am sensible,however

,that

thou wilt drink it all at the second draught . Instead Ofanswering, Thor set the horn to his mouth

,resolved on

taking a greater draught than before, but could not raisethe tip Ofthe horn so high as he wished, and on taking itfrom his mouth

,it seemed to him that he had imbibed still

less than at the first pull though now the horn was easyto carry without spilling . Utgard a

-Loki then said,How

now,Thor

,hast thou not left more than thou canst con

veniently quaff offin one draught ? It appears to me thatif thou art to empty the horn at the third pull

,thou hast

left for that the greatest portion . But thou wilt not bethought so great a man here with us as thou art said tob e among the fEsir, if thou dost not distinguish thyselfmore at other games than, as it seems to me

,thou art

likely to d o at this .” At this speech Thor waxed angry,

raised the b orn to his mouth and drank a third time withall his might, and as long as he was able ; but when helooked into the horn

,he saw that a part only of it s con

tents had di sappeared . He then put the horn aside and

would have no more. It is now pretty plain,

” saidUtgard a

-Loki, that thou art not quite SO mighty as wethought thee . Art thou inclined to try any other feats

,

for it is evident thou wilt not gain much at this .” Thoranswered, I am willing to try another : though I wonderwhether among the [Esir such draughts would b e calledlittle. But what feat hast then new to proposeUtgard a

-Loki answered, It is what my youngsters heredo and make nothing of5 it i s merely to lift my cat fromthe ground . I should not

,however

,have proposed such a

feat to Asa-Thor, had I not seen that thou art by no meansthe man I imagined thee to be .” A huge gray cat then came

NORTHERN MYTHOLO GY . 63

walking forth . Thor approaching it,took it under the

belly and l ifted it ; but the cat arched its back, and whenThor had raised it as high as he could, one foot only wasoffthe ground, but further than this Thor could make nothing at that sport . It is just as I foresaw it would b e

,

”

said Utgard a-Loki 5 the cat is very large,and Thor is

short and little compared with those present L ittle as

I am,

” replied Thor,I new challenge any one who likes

to come forth and try a hug with me,now that I am

angry .

” There is no one here,said Utgard a-Loki

,

Who will not think it child’ s play to wrestle with thee 5but call in the Old crone Elli (age), my foster-mother . Shehas laid many a man On his mother earth

,that di d not

appear weaker than Asa-Thor.” The crone came in,and

the game began 5 but the more he squeezed her in hisarms the firmer She stood . She now endeavoured to triphim up 5 Thor soon began to totter, and a hard struggleensued . It had not

,however

,lasted long before Thor sank

on one knee . Utgard a-Loki now approached

,and bade

them cease,adding that Thor needed not challenge any

more Ofhis people,and that night was drawn near . He

then caused Thor and his compani ons to be seated,and

they stayed the night over as welcome guest s .The next morning at d ay

-break the guests arose,and

having dressed themselves,prepared for departure . Ut

garda-Loki then came,and ordered a table to be set forth .

There was no lack of hospitality with regard e ither tomeat or drink . Having finished their repast

,they betook

themselves to their j ourney. Utgard a-Loki accompanied

them out ofthe city,and at parting inquired of Thor how

he thought his visit had come off,and whether he had met

with any mightier men than himself ? Thor answered,that

he could not but acknowledge that their mutual intercoursehad greatly redoun ded to his discredit 5

“and I know

,

”


added he,that you will call me a very insignificant per

son,which vexes me exceedingly .

”

Utgard a-Loki an swered

,Now that thou art out of the

city,I will tell thee the real state Of the case

,which

,if I

live and have power,then never again shalt enter 5 nor

Shouldst thou have entered it this time,had I previously

known that thou hadst SO great strength in thee,and

wouldst have SO nearly brought us to the verge of d estruction . By magic alone I have deluded thee . When w e

first met in the forest,and thou wouldst unfasten the

wallet,I had secured it with iron wire

,which thou wast

unable to undo . Thou didst then strike me thrice withthy hammer . The first blow was the least

,and yet it

would have caused my death, had it fallen on me . Thousawest in my hall a rock with four square hollows in it,one of which was deeper than the others these were thedints of thy hammer . I slipt the rock under the strokeswithout thy perceiving it . In like manner the sports werecontrived, at which you contended with my people . IVith

respect to the first,at which Loki proved his prowess, it

was thus : Loki was certainly very hungry and ate voraciously 5 but he who was called Logi was fire, which con

sumed both meat and trough . The Hugi,with whom

Thialfi strove in running, was my thought, with which itwas impossible for him to contend . When thou didstdrink from the horn with, as it seemed, so little effect

,

thou didst in sooth perform a miracle,such as I never ima

gined possible . The other end Of the horn was out in theocean

,which thou didst not Observe . t en thou comest

to the sea,thou wilt see how much it is diminished by thy

dr aughts,which have caused what w ill now be called the

ebb .

” Furthermore he said, NO less a feat does it seemto me when thou didst lift the cat 5 and , the sooth to say,all were terrified when they saw thee raise one of its feet


from the ground. For it was not a cat,as then didst

imagine,it was in fact the M id gard’ s serpent, which en

circles the whole world . It had barely length enough forits head and tail to touch

,in its circle round the earth

,and

thou didst raise it so high that it almost reached heaven .

Thy wrestling with Elli was also a great miracle 5 forthere never has been one

,nor ever will b e

,if he be so old

as to await Elli,that She will not cast to the earth . We

must now part,and it will be best for both that thou dost

not p ay me a second visit . I can again protect my cityby other spells

,so that thou wilt never b e able to effect

aught against me .

”

On hearing these words,Thor raised his hammer, but

when about to hurl it,Utgard a-Loki was no longer to be

seen 5 and on turning towards the city,with the intention

of destroying it,he saw a spacious and fair plain

,but no

chy l .OF THOR AND TH E MIDGARD’S SE RPE NT .

—Short1yafter his j ourney to JOtunheim

,Thor

,in the guise of a

youth,departed from M idgard

,and came one evening to

a giant’ s named Hymir,where he passed the night . At

dawn the giant rose,dressed himself

,and made ready to

row out to sea and fish . Thor also rose,dressed himself

in haste,and begged Of Hymir that he might accompany

him . But Hymir answered, that he would b e of little orno use to him,

as he was so diminutive and young 5 and,

”

added he,thou w ilt d ie of cold

,if I row out as far and

stay as long as I am wont to do . Thor told him that hecould row well

,and that it was far from certain which of

the two would first desire to reach land again . He was,

moreover,so angry with the giant

,that he almost longed

to give him a taste Ofthe hammer 5 he, however, suppressedhis wrath

,intending to prove his strength in some other

1 Gylf. 4 5—4 7 . Lokaglep sa, S tr. 59 , 60 , 62. Hymiskv. S tr. 3 7 . Har

b arfi slj. S tr. 26.


way . He then asked Hymir,what they should have for a

bait,and received for answer

,that he might provi de one

for himself ; whereupon Thor, seeing a herd Of oxen b elonging to Hym ir

,wrung Off the head of the largest

,

named Himinb riot,and took it with him down to the sea .

Hymir had already launched his boat . Thor stept on

board,placed himself abaft

,and rowed so that Hymir was

compelled to acknowledge that they were making a rapidcourse . Hymir at the same time rowed at the prow 5 and

it was not long ere he said they were now come to theplace where he was accustomed to catch flat -fish . But

Thor was desirous Ofgoing still farther out,and they rowed

a good way farther . Hym ir then said,they were now

come SO far that it would be dangerous to remain there,on

account Of the M idgard’S serpent 5 but Thor answered thathe would row a while longer

,and he did so . Then laying

his ears aside,he attached a very strong hook to an equally

strong line,fixed the ox

’ s head on,as a bait

,and cast it

out. It must b e confessed that Thor here tricked theMidgard’ s serpent no less than Utgard a-Loki had deceivedhim

,when with his hand he undertook to lift the cat .

M idgard’ s serpent gaped at the bait,and so get the hook

into his jaw,Ofwhich he was no sooner sensible than he

struggled so that Thor’ s hands were dashed on the Side of

the boat . Thor now waxed angry,assumed his divine

strength,and resisted with such firmness

,that his legs

went through the boat,and he rested on the bottom Of

the sea. He t hen hauled the serpent up to the boat’ s edge .

Dreadful it w as to behold,how Thor cast his fiery looks

on the serpent,and how the serpent glared on him and

spat forth venom . Hymir changed colour and grew palewith terror

,when he saw the serpent

,and the water stream

i ng into the boat 5 and as Thor was sw inging his hammer,the giant in his trepidation drew forth his knife

,and cut

the line,and the serpent sank down into the ocean . Thor


content with living on what they could catch SO the nextd ay they rowed out to fish

,Thor providing the bait

,as w e

have seen in the foregoing narrative . They rowed to thespot where Hymir was accustomed to catch whales, butThor rowed out still farther . Hymir caught two whalesat one haul, but the M idgard

’ s serpent took Thor’ s bait .Having drawn the venomous monster up to the boat’ sedge

,he struck its mountain -high head with his hammer 5

whereupon the rocks burst,it thundered through the ca

verns, Old mother earth all shrank,even the fishes sought

the bottom of the ocean 5 but the serpent sank back intothe sea . Ill at ease and silent

,Hymir returned home

,and

Thor carried the boat,together with the water it had Shipt

,

bucket and ears,on his shoulders

,back to the hall . The

giant continued in his sullen mood,and said to Thor

,that

though he could row well,he had not strength enough to

break his cup . Thor took the cup in his hand, and castit against an upright stone

,but the stone was shattered in

pieces 5 he dashed it against the pillars Ofthe hall, but thecup was entire when brought back to Hy mir . The beautiful woman then whispered good advice in Thor’ s ear

Cast it against Hymir’ S own forehead,which is harder

than any cup .

” Thor then raising himself on his kneeassumed his divine strength

,and hurled the vessel against

the giant’ s forehead . The Old man’ s forehead remainedsound as before

,but the wine- cup was shivered in pieces .

Well done,

”exclaimed Hymir

,then must now try

whether thou canst carry the beer -vessel out Ofmy hall .”

Ty made two attempts to lift it, but the kettle remainedstationary . Thor then grasped it by the rim

,his feet

stamped through the floor Of the hall,he lifted the kettle

on his head , and its rings rang at his feet . He thenstarted Offwith the kettle, and they j ourneyed long beforehe looked back, when he saw a host Ofmany-headed giantsswarming forth from the caverns w ith Hymir . Lifting

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY . 69

then the kettle from his head, he swang M iOlnir, and

crushed all the mountain-giants . Thus did the stout Thorbring to the assembly of the gods Hymir’ s kettle ; SO

that they can now hold their feast with Oegir at flax-har

vest 1

There was a feast also given by Oegir to the gods, atwhich Loki ridiculed and reviled all the principal guests

,

and which forms the subj ect of an entire eddaic poem .

On the above occasion,Oegir

’s hall was lighted with shi

ning goldQ.

Or THOR AND THE GIANT HRUNGNI R .—Odin once

upon a time riding on his horse S leipnir to JOtunheim,

came to the giant Hrungnir’s . Hrungnir asked who he

was with a golden helmet,who rode through air and

water ? “ Thine must,

”added he

,

“ be a most powerfuland excellent horse .

” Odin answered, that he wouldpledge his head that his horse’ s match was not to be foundin JOtunheim . Hrungnir was

,however

,Of Opinion that

his horse Gullfaxi (golden-mane) was far superior ; and

springing on it in anger,he rode after Odin

,with the in

tention Ofpaying him for his presumptuous words . Odingalloped at full speed, but Hrungnir followed him withsuch giant impetuosity, that before he was aware Of it

,he

found himself within the barred inclosure Of the fE sir .

On reaching the gate Of their hall, the fESir invited himin to drink

,and set before him the cups out of which

Thor was wont to quaff. He drank of them all,became

intoxicated, and threatened to take Valhall and carry it toJOtunheim,

to sack Asgard and slay all the gods,except

Freyia and S if, whom he would take home with him .

Freyia alone ventured to fill for him,and it appeared that

he was well disposed to drink all the fEsir’s beer. The

1 Hymiskvi’da. The last line of this poem is very Ob scure ; the mean

ing may b e, that Oegir had now got a kettle, in which he could preparearm beer for the gods. 2 Lokaglep sa


ZEsir, who wished to hear no more Ofhis idle vaunt

,called

for Thor, who came, raised his hammer, and asked whogave that insolent giant permission to b e in Valhall

,and

why Freyia was filling for him,as at a festival Ofthe .ZESII‘ ?

Hrungnir, looking not very benignantly on Thor,an

swered, that he came on the invitation of Odin

,and was

under his protection . Thor replied,that he should repent

the invitation before his departure . Hrungnir then said,that Thor would gain but little honour in Slaying himthere

,where he was without weapons 5 he would Show

more valour by meeting him in Single combat on the frontier Of the country at Griotuna-gard . It was

,

”added

he,

a great folly ofme that I left my shield and stoneclub at home . Had I my arms with me

,we would in

stantly engage in combat : but as it is otherwise,I pro

claim thee a coward,if thou slayest me unarmed.

” Thor,who had never before been challenged by any one

,would

on no account decline the meeting . When Hrungnir re

turned to JOtunheim, the giants, to whom it was Of vitalimportance which Ofthe two should gain the victory

,made

a man ofclay nine miles high,and three in breadth 5 but

they could find no fitting heart for him,till they took one

from a mare,which did not

,however

,remain steady when

Thor came . Hrungnir’s heart was of hard stone

,and

triangular,like the magic sign called

‘

Hrungnir’S heart .

H is head was likewise of stone,as w as al so his shield, and

this he held before him,when he stood at Griotuna-gard

,

waiting for Thor,while his weapon

,a form idable whet

stone,or stone club

,rested on his shoulder . At his side

stood the man of clay, who was named l‘vIOckurkalfi

,who

was excessively terrified at the sight OfThor . Thor wentto the combat attended by Thialfi

,who running to the

spot where Hrungnir was standing, exclaimed, Thou art

standing very heedlessly,giant ! Thou hold cst the Shield

before thee,but Thor has Observed thee

,and will go down

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY . 7 1

into the earth, that he may attack thee from beneath .

On receiving this information,Hrungnir placed the shield

under his feet,stood upon it

,and grasped his club with

both hands . He then saw lightning, and heard a loudcrash ofthunder

,and was sensible ofThor’ s divine power

,

who w as advancing in all his strength, and had cast hi shammer from a distance . Hrungnir raising his club withboth hands

,hurled it against the hammer : the two met

in the air,and the club was dashed in pieces, Ofwhich one

portion fell on the earth,whence come all the Whetstone

mountains 5 while another fragment struck Thor on thehead

,causing him to fall on the earth . B ut MiOlnir struck

Hrungnir on the head,and crushed his Skull he fell for

wards over Thor,so that his foot lay on Thor

’s neck .

Thialfi fought with MOckurkalfi, who fell with little honour . Thialfi then went to Thor

,and endeavoured to take

Hrungnir’s foot from his neck, but was unable to move it .

All the fEsir came,when they heard that Thor had fallen

,

but they were e qually powerless . At length came Magni,

a son Of Thor and Jarnsaxa,who

,although he was only

three days Old ',cast Hrungnir

’s foot from his father’ s

neck, and got from Thor in reward the horse Gullfaxi,

which Odin took amiss,saying that SO good a horse ought

not to have been given to a giantess’ s son, but rather tohimself. Thor went home to Thrud vang, but the stoneremained fixed In his forehead. Then came a Vala

.(VOlva)or prophetess

,named Groa

,the w ife of Orvand il (Orvald ) ,

who sang incantations (galld rar) over him, SO that thestone was loosed . In recompense

,Thor would gladden

her with the tidings that he had come from the north overElivagar, and in an iron basket

,had borne Orvand il from

Jotunheim 5 in token ofwhich he related to her how one

ofOrvand il’s toes had protruded from the basket,and got

1 Val i, in like manner, when only one d ay old , avenged the death OfB aldur on HOd . See hereafter.


frost-bitten,and that he (Thor) had broken it Off, and cast

it up to heaven, and formed Ofit the star called Orvand il’s

toe . When Thor further informed her that Orvandilwould soon return home, she w as so overj oyed that she

forgot to continue her incantations, SO that the stone wasnot extracted, but still remains in Thor

’ s forehead ‘. NO

one should, therefore, cast a Whetstone across the floor,for then the stone in Thor’ s head is moved2 .

OF BALDUR’S DE ATH AND LOK I ’S PUN I SHME NT .—The

good Baldur had been troubled with sad and painfuldreams that his life was in peril . The gods were exceedingly distressed, and resolved to pray for Baldur

’ s securityagainst all possible danger ; and his mother Frigg exactedan oath from fire

,water

,iron

,and all kinds of metal

,stone

,

earth,trees

,diseases

,beasts

,birds, and venomous snakes

,

that they would not injure her son . When the gods hadthus

,as they imagined

,rendered all safe

,they were ac

customed,by way Of sport, to let Baldur stand forth at

their assembly,for all the ZEsir to Shoot at him with the

bow,or to strike or throw stones at him,

as nothing causedhim any harm . This was considered a great honour shownto Baldur . Yet

,notwithstanding these precautions

,Odin

,

it appears,had misgivings that something wrong would

take place,and that the Norns Of happiness had secretly

departed from them . To put an end to this painful stateofanxiety

,he resolved on a j ourney to the infernal abodes .

He arose,placed the saddle on S leipnir

,and bent his way

down to Niflhel (Niflheim), there to raise and interrogatea dead Vala, whose grave lay by the eastern gate OfHel’sabode . Here he was met by the fierce dog Of Hel

,with

bloody breast and j aws, which bayed and howled terrifically 5but Odin rode on until he reached the Vala’S grave . Turn

1 It may here be Ob served that the Lapps represent Thor with a. flintstone in his forehead.2 Skald skap . 1 7 . HarbarOslj. Str. 1 5 . Lokaglep sa, S tr. 6 1 .


ing then his face to the north, he uttered those necromantic songs which have power to wake the dead, until

the Vala, raising herself reluctantly from the tomb, d e

mand ed what man it w as that had thus ventured to disturb her rest . In answer, Odin told her that his name

was Vegtam,son ofValtam,

and at the same time inquiredOf her

,on what occasion the benches and gilded couches,

which he perceived, were being prepared . She informedhim

,that it was in honour ofBaldur, and desired to b e

no more questioned . Persisting in his inquiries, she goeson to tell him the whole manner Of Baldur’ s death and

the events immediately following,as they are here related 5

and again deprecates all further in terrogation . But Odinpersists

,and asks

,who those maidens are that do not

weep for Baldur, but let their towering head-gear flaunttowards heaven l ? Hereupon the Vala exclaims : “ Thouart not V egtam,

as I before believed ; rather art thouOd in

,chief of men .

” To this Odin answers : “ NO Valaart thou

,nor wise woman : rather art thou mother of

three giants .” To this insulting speech the Vala repliesRide home, and boast of thy feat . Never shall mortalvisit me again, till Loki Shall have burst his chains, andRagnarOck be come .

”

When Loki, Laufey’s son

,saw the sport before men

tioned,he was displeased that Baldur was not hurt

,and

in the likeness Ofa woman he went to Frigg in Fensalir .Frigg inquired of her whether she knew what the fE sirwere doing in their assembly ? She answ ered that theywere all shooting at Baldur

,but without hurtn him .

Frigg then said, Neither weapon nor wood will hurt Bal

1 Who these maidens are we are nowhere informed, though it i s evid entthey w ere not visible to mortal eyes , and that by discerning them Odinbetrayed his divine nature. The lost myth concerning them must havebeen at variance w ith the story ofThOkt (see hereafter) who i s mentionedas the only being that would not bewai l the death OfBald ur.

E


d ur : I have exacted an oath from all Of them .

” Onhearing this

,the woman asked

,

“ Have all things,then,

sw orn to spare Baldur Frigg told her in reply, thatthe mistletoe

,a little insignificant plant

,growing to the

w est of Valhall,was the only thing from which She had

not required an oath,as it appeared to her too young to

take one . Loki then departed,went and pulled up the

mistletoe,and took it w ith him to the assembly

,where all

were engaged in their sport with Baldur . HOd was standing without the circle . Turning towards him

,Loki asked

why he d id not Shoot ? HOd excused himself by sayingthat he was both blind and unarmed . B ut

,

” said Loki,

“ thou Shouldst,nevertheless

,Show to Baldur the same

honour as the others . Take this wand,and I will direct

thee to where he i s stand ing . HOd took the mistletoe,and cast it at Baldur : it pierced him through

,and he fell

dead to the earth . This was the most deplorable eventthat had till then happened among gods and men .

On Baldur’ s fall the fE sir w ere struck Speechless, and

lost all presence Of mind . One looked at another, and all

breathed vengeance on the author Ofthe misdeed 5 but noone durst wreak his vengeance there, the place beingsacred (a place ofpeace) . When they essayed to speak,tears burst forth, so that they could not impart theirsorrow to each other . But Odin was the most afflicted bythis misfortune

,for he saw how much the JE sir w ould

lo se by the death OfBaldur .When they had somewhat recovered themselves, Frigg

asked,which of the JESir was w illing to gain her love and

e steem by riding to Hel for the purpose offinding Baldur,and Offering her a ransom,

if She w ould allow him to re

turn to Asgard . H ermod,Odin’S active son and follower,

undertook the j ourney ; Sleipnir was led forth, Hermod

mounted and galloped away .

The rZESir conveyed Baldur’ s corpse to the sea- shore ;

7 6 NORTH ERN MYTH OLOGY.

then dost thou ride on the way to Hel Hermodanswered

,

“ I am riding to Hel to seek Baldur : hast thouseen aught of him on this road ?” She answered

,that

Baldur had ridden over the bridge,and Showed him the

way that led downward s and northwards to Hel. H ermodrode on until he came to the barred enclosure which sur

rounds Hel’ s abode . Here he dismounted,tightened the

saddle-girth,and having remounted

,clapped spurs to his

horse and cleared the enclosure . Thence he rode straightto the hall

,where he saw his brother Baldur Sitting in the

place Ofhonour . He remained there that night . The nextmorning

,he besought ofHel that Baldur might ride home

with him,and represented to her the grief of the fE sir for

his loss . Hel answered,that it would now appear whether

Baldur were really SO beloved as was said 5 for if everythingin the world

,living and lifeless

,bewailed him

,he should

return to the fE sir 5 if not, he Should continue w ith her.

Hermod rose up,Baldur followed him out Ofthe hall, took

the ring Draupnir, and sent it to Odin as a remembrance 5and Nanna sent her veil with other presents to Frigg,and to Fulla her ring . Hermod returned to Asgard, andrelated what he had seen and heard .

Thereupon the E sir sent messages over the whole world,

praying all things to weep for Baldur,and thereby release

him from Hel. And all did so : men and beasts,earth

and stones,wood and all metals . But as the messengers

were returning,they found in a cavern a giantess named

ThOkt,who

,on their beseeching her to weep for Baldur

,

answered,

Yes, Thokt w ill wa il,w eep wi th dry tear s ,for B aldur ’ s death ;b reathe s he Or die s,i t boo t s me not :

let him b ide w ith Hel.

Baldur’s death was avenged by Odin’ s


though only one d ay Old, unwashed and uncombed,slew

HOd l

Thokt, it was supposed, was Loki, who had thus notonly caused the death OfBaldur

,but also prevented his

release from Hel._TO escape from the vengeance of the

gods,he concealed himself in a mountain, where he built

a house with four doors, that he might see on all sides .But in the d ay - time he Often transformed himself into asalmon

, and hid himself in the waterfall called Franan ~

gur’s fors . He was one d ay sitting in his house twistingflax and yarn, and forming meshes, like the nets of latertimes

,with a fire burning before him,

when he perceivedthat the fE sir were not far off5 for Odin had spied out hisretreat from Hlid skialf. On the approach ofthe E sir

,he

threw the net-work into the fire, and sprang into the river .Kvasir, the w isest ofthe ZE sir, was the first that entered

,

who, on seeing the ashes of the net-work on the fire,con

cluded that it must b e for the purpose of catching fish .

On mentioning this to the E sir,they took hemp

,made a

net after what they had seen on the ashes, and cast it intothe water-fall ; Thor holding it at one end

,and all the

PESir drawing it at the other . But Loki went to a d is

tance,and placed himself between two stones, so that the

net passed over him ; but they were aware that somethingliving had touched it . They then cast it out a secondtime, having tied to it something heavy, so that nothingcould Slip from under it 5 but Loki went on farther, andperceiving that he was near the sea

,he sprang over the

net up into the water afall. The [Esir havi ng now ascer

tained where he was, returned to the waterfall, and divid ed themselves into two parties, Thor wading in themiddle of the river towards the sea. Loki had now thealternative, either, at the risk of his life

,to swim out to

sea, or again to leap over the net . With the greatest

1 Gylf. 49. Vegtamskvifia. Voluspa, Str. 36—38 . Hyndlulj. S tr. 28 .


promptitude he tried the latter chance,when Thor grasped

him, but he slipt in his hand, and it was by the tailonly that Thor could secure him . To this circumstanceit is owing that the salmon has so pointed a tail .WVhen the gods had thus captured Loki

,they brought

him to a cave,raised up three fragments Of rock

,and

bored holes through them . They then took his sons,

Vali (Ali) and Narfi (Nari) . Vali they transformed intoa wolf, and he tore his brother Narfi in pieces . With hisentrails they bound Loki over the three stones

,one being

under his shoulders,another under his loins, the third

under his hams 5 and the bands became iron . Skad i thenhung a venomous snake above his head

,so that the poi son

might drip on his face 5 but his wife Sigyn stands by him,

and holds a cup under the dripping venom . t en the

cup i s full, the poison fall s on his face while she emptiesit 5 and he shrinks from it

,SO that the whole earth trem

bles . Thence come earthquakes . There will he lie bounduntil RagnarO

’

ck l .

Or RAGNAROCK ,THE TW I L IGHT OF TH E GODS

,OR THE

D E STRUCT I ON OF THE GODS AND TH E V VOR LD .

- Loki laychained under the hot spring’ s grove . In the iron foresteast of M idgard the old giantess brought forth Fenrir’ s

(the deep’ s) progeny ; one Ofwhich, named SkOll

,will

pursue the sun to the encircling ocean 5 the other,Hati

,

Hrod vitnir’s son

,called al so Managarm, will run before

the sun, and will swallow up the moon . He will be satedwith the lives of the dying . On a height will sit thegiantess’ s watch, the dauntles s Egdir (eagle) , and strikehis harp 5 over him,

in the Bird -wood,will crow the light

red cock Fialar . Over the rE sir will crow the gold - combedcock that wakens heroes in Odin’ s hall . But a soot-redcock will crow beneath the earth in Hel’s abode . Loud lywill howl the dog Garm in Gnipa

’s cave ; bonds will be

1 Gylf. 5 0 . Lokaglep sa, conclusion. Voluspa, Str . 39, 40 .


burst,

i

loose the wolf run forth ; brothers will contend andSlay each other, kindred tear kindred

’ s bond asunder . Itwill go hard with the world . Great abominations thereShall be : an axe- tide, a sword- tide 5 shields Shall be cloven 5a wind- tide

,a wolf- tide

,ere the world perishes : no man

will then spare another . The tree of knowledge 1 (Mid tviOr, M iOtu

‘

Or) Shall be burnt, Mimir’S sons shall dance

to the resounding Giallar-horn, Heimdall raise high histrump and blow

,Odin consult M imir’ s head 5 Yggdrasil

’s

ash that ancient tree, tremble but stand ; from the eastHrym shall come driving, then shall ocean swell ; Jormungand (M idgard

’S serpent) put on his giant-mood, and

plough through the billowy deep 5 but glad shall theeagle scream , and with it s pale beak tear corpses 5 Naglfarshall go forth, the keel from the east Shall glide

,when

Muspell’ s sons over the ocean sail 5 Loki will steer it 5 thewolf b e followed by its whole monstrous progeny, led byByleist

’s brother (Loki) . What now befalls the rE s ir ?

What befalls the Elves ? All JOtunheim resounds 5 the

rE sir meet in council 5 the dwarfs moan before their stonydoors . From the south comes Sur t with flickering flames 5from his sword gleams the heaven -god’ s sun ; the stonemountains crack, the giantesses stumble, men tread theway to Hel

,and heaven is riven . Then shall come Hlin’

s

second sorrow 2, when Odin goes with the wolf to fight,

and Beli’ s radi ant slayer against Surt . Then shall fal lFrigg’ s dearest god . Then shall come the great victorfather’ s son, V idar, to fight against the deadly monster 5he with his hand shall cause his sword to stand in thegiant’ s son’ s heart . Then Shall the glorious son OfHlod yn,Odin’ s son (Thor) , go against the monster (Midgard

’ sserpent) , bravely Shall Slay it M idgard’ s defender . Thenshall all men their home (the world) forsake . Nine feetShall go FiOrgyn

’s (Earth

’s) son from the serpent,bowed

1 Lit. The middle tree.2 Baldur’s death was the first . See p. 3 5 .


down, who feared no evil . The sun Shall b e darkened,

earth in ocean sink,the glittering stars vanish from heaven

,

smoky clouds encircle the all-nourishing tree (Yggdrasil) ,high flames play against heaven itself 1

O F RAGNAROCK ACC ORD ING T O SNORR I’S EDDA .

There will come a winter called Fimbul-winter,when snow

will drift from every side, a hard frost prevail, and cuttingwinds 5 the sun will lose its power . Of these wintersthree will follow without an intervening summer . Butbefore these, three other winters will come

,during which

there will b e bloodshed throughout the world . Brotherswill slay each other through covetousness

,and no mercy

w ill be found between parents and children . Then willgreat events take place . One wolf will swallow up the

sun,to the great detriment ofmankind ; the other wolf

w ill take the moon, and will al so cause a great loss . The

stars will vanish from heaven . Then will it also happenthat the whole earth and the mountains tremble

,that the

trees will b e loosed from the earth,and the mountains

come toppling down,and all fetters and bonds be broken

and snap t asunder . The wolf Fenrir will break loose,the

sea w ill burst over the land, because M idgard’ s serpent

w rithes with giant rage, and strives to get on land . Thenalso will the Ship called Naglfar be loo sed

,which is made

of dead men’ s nails . It should, therefore, be borne inmind

,that when any one dies with uncut nails

,he much

increases the mater ial s for the construction of Naglfar,

which both god s and men wish finished as late as possible ?

1 Gylf. 1 2. 5 1 . Grimnism. S tr . 39. VOluspa, S tr. 32—35 , 4 1 , 42, 46—5 8 .

Vafbni d nism. S tr. 18 . 5 3 . Fafnism. Str. 1 4 , 1 5 .

2 G rimm suggest s that b y the slow proces s Of constructing a ship, d e

scribed as the larges t Ofall ships (see p . ofthe parings ofthe nai ls ofthe dead , it is simply meant to convey an idea Ofthe great length oftimethat i s to elapse before th e end Of the w orld , and which the implied admonit ion to cut and burn the nail s ofthe dead, i s intended still further toprolong . D . M . p . 7 7 5 , note.

NORTHE RN MYT HOLOGY . 1

In this sea-flood Naglfar will float : Hrym is the giantnamed who will steer it . The wolf Fenrir will go forthw ith gaping mouth his upper jaw will touch heaven, andhis nether jaw the earth : if there were room,

he wouldgape even more widely ; fire burns from his eyes and

nostrils . M idgard’ s serpent will blow forth venom, whichwill infect the air and the waters . He is most terrific,and he will be by the side Ofthe wolf. During this tumultheaven will b e cloven

,and Muspell’ s sons ride forth

Surt will ride first,and both before and after him will be

burning fire . The gleam of his good Sword is brighterthan the sun 5 but as they ride over it B ifrOst willbreak . Muspell’ s sons will proceed to the plain calledVigrid (V igribr) there will come also the wolf Fenrir andM idgard’ s serpent ; there will Loki also have come, andHri’m,

and with them all the fro st- giants . All the friendsofHel will follow Loki

,but Muspell’ s sons will have their

own bright battle- order. Vigrid’ s plain is a hundred mileswide On every Side .

But when these events take place,Heimdall will stand

up, and b low with all his might the Giallar-horn, and rouseup every god to hold a meeting . Odin will then ride toM im ir’ s well

,and take counsel for himself and friends .

Then will the ash Yggdrasil tremble,and nothing will be

free from fear in heaven and earth . The ZEsir will arm,

and all the E inheriar,and go forth to the plain . Odin

will ride first with his golden helmet and bright corselet,

and his spear Gungnir : he will encounter the wolf Fenrir .Thor wil l be at his Side

,but may not help him,

as he willb e fully engaged in fighting with M idgard’ s serpent . Freywill fight with Surt

,and after a hard conflict fall . The

cause of his death will b e,the lack of his good sword

,which

he gave to Skirnir . Then w ill the dog Garm b e loosed,

which had till then been bound before Gnipa’s cave : he

will prove the greatest misfortune 5 he will fight again stE 5


Ty, and they will slay each other . Thor will gain gloryfrom [the slaying of] M idgard

’ s serpent ; thence he willwalk nine feet, and then fall dead from the venom blownon him by the serpent . The wolf will swallow Odin

,and

so cause his death 5 but immediately after,Vidar will come

forth,and step on the monster’ s nether jaw with the foot

on which he will have his formidable Shoe l Wi th hishand he will seize the wolf’ s upper jaw ,

and rend hismouth asunder . Thus will the w olf be slain . Loki willenter into conflict with Heimdall, and they will slay eachother . After all this, Surt w ill hurl fire over the earth

,

and burn the whole w orld .

After the conflagration Of heaven and earth and the

whole universe, there will still b e many dwellings, somegood some bad

,though it will b e best to b e in Gimli

,in

heaven : and those who are partial to good drinking willfind it in the hall called B rim ir

,which is also in heaven

[in OkOlni] . That is al so a good hall which stands onthe N ida-fells

,made of red gold

,and is called S indri . In

these halls good and upright men will dwell . In Nastrond

there i s a large and horrible hab itation, the d oor of whichis towards the north . It is formed Of the backs of ser

pents,like a house built of wands, but all the serpents

’

heads are turned into the house, and blow forth venom,

SO that the venom flows through the halls,in which wade

perjurers and murderers, as it i s said2

She saw a hallfrom the sun far remo teon NastrOnd s tand 5northw ard are i t s door s 5through the roof Openingrun venom - drop sbuilt i s that hallofback s ofsnakesmen, for swearer s

1 See page 29.2 Voluspa, Str. 4 4 .


s cribed. A new earth will spring up from the sea,which

w ill be both green and fair 5 there will the unsown fieldsbring forth fruit . Vidar and Vali will be living

,as if

neither the sea nor Surt’ s fire had injured them 5 they willdwell on Ida’ s plain

,where Asgard formerly stood . And

thither will come the son s OfThor,Modi and Magni

,and

w ill have MiOlnir with them . Next will come Baldur andHOd from Hel. They will sit and converse together

,and

call to remembrance their secret councils,and discourse

of events long Since past 5 Of M idgard’ s serpent and

the wolf Fenrir . Then will they find in the grass thegolden tables formerly belonging to the fEsir

,as it i s

said Vidar and Vali Shall inhabit the house ofthe gods,

when Surt’ s fire is quenched .

” Modi and Magni will p ossess MiOlnir

,and labour to end strife . B ut in a place

called Hod dmimir’s holt, two persons, Lif and Lifthrasir,

w ill lie concealed during Surt’ s conflagration, who willfeed on morning d ew . From these will come SO great aprogeny

,that the whole earth will be peopled by them .

And it w ill seem wonderful,that the sun will have brought

forth a daughter not less fair than herself. She willjourney in her mother’s path

,as it i s said : A daughter

Shall the sun bring forth ere Fenrir destroys her . The

maid shall ride on her mother’ s track,when the gods are

dead 1 .”

THE SAGA OF VOLUND .2

Vo lund and his brothers,Slagfin (Slagfi

’Or) and Egil,

were the sons Ofa king Of the Fins . They ran on snow

1 l f. 5 3 .

The Saga of V iilund or Veland (Vo lund r) , though w ithout claim for

admission w ithin the pale Of the MY TH OLOGY OF T H E fE S IR , y et , on ac

count Oi it s intimate connection w ith that mythology , ofits high antiquity,as well as Ofthe w ide-spread celebrity Of it s hero throughout the middleage, cannot w ell b e omitted in a work professing to be an account of theMY THOLOGY OF TH E NO RTH . I have, therefore, added it .


Skates and hunted the beasts of the forest . They came toa place called Ulfd al, where they built themselves a housenear a lake called Ulfsiar (Wolf-waters) . One morning earlythey found on the bank ofthe lake three maidens Sitting andspinning flax

,with swan-plumages lying beside them . They

were V alkyriur . Tw o of them,named Hlad gun Svanhvit

and HervOrAlvit, were daughters Ofa king named HlOdver 5the third was Olrun, the daughter of K iar king OfVal

land . The brothers conducted them to their dwelling, andtook them to wife

,Egil Obtaining Olrun

,Slagfin Svan

hvit,and VOlund Alvit . After having lived eight years

with their husbands, the V alkyriur flew away in quest Of

conflicts,and did not return 5 whereupon Egil and Slagfin

set out on their snow- skates in search Ofthem,but Vo

'

lundremained at home in Ulfd al. Accord ing to Old tradi tion

,

VOlund was of all men the most skilful . H i s hours Ofsolitude were passed in making rings Of gold and settingthem with precious stones : these he hung on a line ofbast . Thus did he while

,away the long hours

,anxiously

awaiting his fair consort’ s return .

Having received intelligence that Vo lund was alone inhis dwelling

,Nidud (NibuOr) , king ofthe Niarer in Swe

d en,sent a party Ofarmed men thither by night

,during

V Olund’S absence at the chase

,who on searching the house

,

found the line of rings, to the number of seven hundr ed,

one Ofwhich they carried Off. On his return, VOlund proceed ed to roast bear’s flesh, and while the meat was at the

fire,sat down on a bear- skin to count his rings . M issing

one,he concluded that Alvit was returned and had taken

it . In anxious expectation of seeing her enter,he at

length fell asleep, and on waking found that his handsand feet were fast bound with heavy chains, and that Nidudwas standing by his side, who charged him with havingstolen the gold from him Ofwhich the rings were made .

VOlund repelled the Charge,declaring that while their


wives were with them they had possessed many treasures .The ring Nidud gave to his daughter BOdvild i 5 but a

sword,in the tempering and hardening Of which VOlund

had exerted his utmost skill,Nidud took for himself.

Apprehensive of vengeance on the part OfVOlund,for

the inj uries he had inflicted on him,Nid ud

,at the sug

gestion ofhis queen,caused him to be hamstringed 1

,and

confined on an islet cal led SaevarstOd . Here he fabricatedall kinds Of precious things for the king, who allowed noone excepting himself to visit him . One day, however, thetwo young sons Of Nid ud

,heedless of the prohibition

,

came to Volund’s habitation,and proceeding at once to

the chest in which his valuables were kept,demanded

the keys . Here they feasted their eyes over the manycostly ornaments of gold thus brought to view, and re

ceived from VOlund the promise,that if they would return

on a future d ay, he would make them a present Of thegold they had seen

,at the same time enj oining them to

keep their visit a secret from all. They came accordingly,and while steep ing over the contents of the chest, V Olundstruck Off their heads

,and concealed their bodies in an

adjacent dunghill . The upper part Of their Skulls he set

in silver, and presented them as drinking cups to Nid ud 5Oftheir eyes he formed precious stones (pearls) , which hegave to Nidud ’ s queen 5 of their teeth he made breastornaments

,which he sent to BOdvild i.

BOdvild i having broken the ring given to her by her fatherfrom VOlund

’s collection, and fearing her father’ s anger

,

1 Another and , no doubt , Older tradition respecting Vo lund i s referredto by Deor the skald (Cod . Exon. p . according to which Nithhad , ashe i s called in the A . S . poem , only bound him w ith a thong ofsinew s

Sihhan hine Ni’dhad on When that on him Nithhadnede legde, constraint had laid,swoncre seono-bende. w ith a tough (pliant) sinew -band .

The hamstringing w ill then appear to be a later improvement on the

story.


While King V ilkinus,on his return from an expedition

to the Baltic,lay with his fleet on the coast of Russia, he

went one d ay up into a forest, where he met with a beantiful woman

,who was a mermaid 1 . In the following year

she brought forth a son,who received the name Of Vadi 2,

and grew to a gigantic stature . H i s father,who had no

great affection for him,nevertheless gave him twelve man

sions in Seeland . Vadi had a son named V elint, who, inhis ninth year

,was placed by his father for instruction

with a smith named M imir in Hunaland , where he hadmuch to endure from S igurd Svend

,who was also under

the same master . This coming to the knowledge of hisfather in Seeland, he, at the expiration of three years, tookhis son away from M imir

,and placed him with two skil~

ful dwarfs,who dwelt in the mountain of Kallova (Kullen ) .

two years afterwards his father went to fetch him,but

perished by a mountain- slip . Velint slew the dwarfs,who

,

being envious ofhis superior skill,had sought his life .

He then placed himself with his tools in a hollowed tree,

having a glass window in front,and committed himself to

the mercy of the waves,which bore him to the coast Of

Jutland,where he was well received by Nidung, who at

that time ruled in Thy . Here he availed himself of theOpportunity of showing how greatly he excelled in curiousworks the king’ s own smith [EmiliasIt happened 0 11 a certain time that the king went forth

to war with thirty thousand horse,and had proceeded five

d ays at the head ofhis army,when he discovered that

he had left behind him the talisman (Sigursteinn) which

1 In the German poem Of the Rabenschlacht, 964 , 969, she i s calledFrouWachilt .2 In the Sc6p or S cald ’s Tale (Cod . Exon. 320 , 1 ) w e have “ Wada(weold ) Haelsingum (Wada ruled the Helsings) . Memorial s ofthi s tribeare Hel singborg,HelsingOr (ElsinOr) , Helsingfors ,Helsingland , etc. Wade ’sboat , Guingelot, i s celebrated by Chaucer.


brought him victory. TO repair his mishap, he promisedto bestow his daughter and half his kingdom on him who

should bring him the talisman on the following d ay b efore sunset . Velint performs the feat, but having by theway killed one of the king

’ s men in self- defence,it affords

the king a pretext for declaring him an outlaw . To wreakhis vengeance

,Velint disgui ses himself as a cook, and puts

charmed herb s in the food Ofthe princess, but she detectsthe treachery

,and V elint is seized

,hamstringed

,and con

d emned to make ornaments In the king’ s court for hisenemies .At this time

,by Velint’s desire

,his younger brother

Egil came to Nidung’s court . Being famed for his Skill

in archery,the king commanded him to shoot an apple

,at

a Single Shot,from the head of his son, a child Of three

years . Having performed this deed,the king, seeing that

he had taken two arrows from his qui ver,demanded of

him for what purpose they were intended ? Egil answered,

They were designed for thee,if I had hit the child .

”

This bold answer was not taken amiss by the king .

V elint in the meantime was brooding over vengeance .

One d ay the king’ s daughter came to his smithy

,for the

purpose of getting a broken ring mended ; when Velint,availing himself Of the Opportunity

,violated her . This

crime w as shortly after followed by the murder Of the

king’ s two youngest sons,whom he had enticed to his

smithy . Their bone s he set in costly golden vessels,which

were placed on their father’ s table . V elint then madehimself a plumage of feathers collected by his brother Egil,by mean s ofwhich he flew up on the highest tower Of thepalace

,from whence he declared all that he had done .

Nid ung on hearing this commanded Egil,under threats

of death,to shoot his brother

,and he actually struck him

under the left arm,but where

,as had been previously

concerted between them,a bladder was placed filled with


blood,which Nidung imagined to b e the blood OfVelint

he,however

,flew to his father’ s abode in Seeland . Shortly

after these events Nidung died, and V elint was reconciledwith his son Otwin

,and married his sister

,who had

already borne him a son named Vidga‘.

Or THORGE RD HORGARRU D (pOR GE R’OR HORGARRH’OR ,

OR HOLGAB RH’

OR ) AND IRPA .— Objects ofworship among

the people OfHalgoland , in Norway,were Thorgerd HOr

gabrud and her sister Irpa . Who these were w ill appearfrom the following extract

The Halgoland ers had their local deities, who werebut rarely worshiped by the other Scandinavians . One ofthese was Halogi (high flame) , or Helgi (holy) , fromwhom the whole district

,Ofwhich he was king

,derived its

name of Haloga- land,or HOlga

- land Q. He w as probablyidentical with the Logi and Loki (fire, flame) formerlyworshiped by the Fins . H is daughters were ThorgerdHOrgabrud , or HOlgab rud , and Irpa, Ofwhom the formerwas an Object ofespecial veneration w ith Hakon Jarl, andto propitiate whom

,we are informed

,he sacrificed his son

Erling,a child Of seven years

,when engaged in a doubt

ful battle with the pirates of.Iom sb org . She consequentlyappeared in a raging hail- storm from the north

,and the

pirates imagined that they saw both her and her SisterIrpa on board of the j arl’S ship 5 an arrow flew from eachof her fingers

,and every arrow carried a man ’s death 3 .

In Gud brand sd al she and Irpa together with Thor w ereworshiped in a temple

,which Hakon Jarl and the chief

tain Gudbrand possessed in common“ . In western Nor

1 The Wud ga mentioned in The Seep or Scald’s Song (Cod . Exon.

the Vid rik Verland sOn of the Dani sh Kjaemp eviser . For the several extracts relating to these personages , from German and Northern sow 'ces ,see W . Grimm’ s Deutsche Heldensage p assim.

0

See p . 27 .

3 Jomsv. S . edit . 1 824 , c . 1 4 . Forum . S . xi . p . 1 34 . Olaf Tryggv. S .in Fornm. S . p . 90.

‘1 Njalss . p . 89.


a daughter Of the giant (j otun) Hrimnir,with an apple to

the king . She assumed the guise of a crow (krageham ) ,flew to a mound

,on which Rerir was sitting

,and let the

apple fall into his bosom . The king ate of it,and his

queen forthw ith became pregnant, but could not bringforth . In this state she passed six years

,when a wonder

fully large child w as cut from her womb . He was namedV Olsung, and kissed his mother before her death .

VOlsung married the daughter ofHrimnir,by whom he

had ten sons,and a daughter named S igui . S igmund and

Signi, the eldest,were twins . Signi was married to a

king Of Gothland,named S iggeir. At the nuptial feast

there came a tall,one- eyed Old man

,barefooted

,wrapt in

a cloak,with a broad- brimmed hat

,into the hall

,in the

middle ofwhich stood an oak 1,who se roots passed under

the floor,while it s branches covered the roof. The old

man struck a sword into the trunk Of the tree,as a gift

for any one who Should draw it forth . Sigmund acquiredthe sword

,to the mortification of S iggeir

,who on his d e

parture invites Volsung to b e his guest in Gothland 5 buton his arrival there

,attacks him with an overwhelming

force,slays him,and makes all his sons prisoners .

S igui begged that her brothers might not be immed iately put to death . Their feet were set fast in a largetree in the forest

,and every night there came a wolf and

devoured one Ofthem,until S igmund was the only one

left . Signi caused his face to b e smeared with honey, andsome to b e laid in his mouth

,so that when the wolf came

,

he licked the honey, and put his tongue into S igmund’ s

month,which S igmund seized w ith his teeth . The wolf

kicked with so much violence that the trunk Of the treeburst asunder . The wolf lost his tongue

,and got his

death . S igmund fled to a cave in the forest . Signi sent

1 This primitive style of building speaks strongly for the antiquity ofthe legend .


her two sons to bear him company 5 but finding they werenot sufficiently stout and valiant

,he killed them by the

counsel of S igui ; who then changed form with a trollwife

,and was three days in the cave with her b rother

,to

whom she bore a son,who was named Sinfiotli. He

,when

ten years Old,was sent to S igmund’ s cave

,and was bold

enough to knead a dough,without caring for the nume

rous snakes that were in it . S igmund then and his son

turned robbers . One d ay they fell in with the sons of

some king,who n ine days in ten

,through enchantment

,

wore the form of wolves ‘. By putting on their wolfishgarb s

,S igmund and his son became wolves 5 but when the

time came for laying them aside,they burnt them

,SO that

they might do no more harm . They now went to S iggeir’ scastle

,where they concealed themselves

,but were disco

vered through two young children of S igui . These,at the

instigation of Signi, were slain by Sinfiotli, who, togetherw ith S igmund

,was immediately after overpowered by S ig

geir’s men

,and cast into a pit

,to die of hunger . Just

before the pit was closed,Signi came to it, and threw into

it a helmet full Ofpork,and S igmund’ s sword

,by the aid

ofwhich they worked their way out . They then set the

royal castle on fire . When S igui heard what had takenplace

,She went out and kissed them both, then went in

again,glad to d ie with the man with whom she had SO

unwillingly lived .

S igmund,who had returned to his paternal kingdom of

Hunaland,married Borghild, by whom he had a son

,

Helgi, of whom the Norns foretold that he should becomea powerful prince . Helgi went to war, together with S infiotli

,and Slew King Hunding, whence he acquired the

1 This i s the earliest trace of the werwolf superstit ion occurring in thetraditions of the North. While S igmund and his son slept , their w olfskins hung close by them (Fornald . SOgur , i. 1 30, In the LegesReel. ofCnut , xxvi., the werwolf i s named as a known, exi sting being.


name of Hund ingsbani, and afterwards Slew several of hissons In a forest he met w ith S igrun

,a daughter of King

H ogni,who solicited him to free her from HOd brod

,son

Of Granmar,to whom her father had betrothed her . Hod

brod is Slain in a battle,Helgi marries S igrun, and b e

comes a powerful king .

In another expedition, Sinfiotli killed a brother ofBorghild

,who in revenge prepared a poisonous drink,

which caused his death . S igmund bore the corpse in hisarms to a narrow frith, where there was a man with a

small boat, who Offered to convey him across ; but no

sooner had S igmund laid the corpse in the boat, than theman pushed Offand vanished . After this S igmund partedfrom Borghild and married H iordis

,a daughter of King

E ilimi,but w as attacked in his kingdom by King Lingi

,

who with his brothers had assembled a numerous army .

S igmund fought valiantly in the battle,until he was met

by a one-eyed man,with a broad hat

,and blue cloak

,who

held his spear against the sword Ofthe king, which it Shivered into fragments . S igmund fell with almost the wholeofhis army . At night

,H iordis came to the field of battle

,

and asked S igmund whether he could be healed,but he

declined her kind Offices, for his good fortune had forsakenhim

,since Odin had broken his sword

,ofwhich he re

quested H iordis to collect the fragments,and give them

to the S0 11 she bore under her heart,who should become

the greatest ofthe VOlsung race .

H iordis was carried offby Alf,a son of King Hialprek Of

Denmark,who had just landed at the battle-place with a

band Of vikings . She had changed clothes with her at

tendant, who gave herself out as queen . But Alf’ s mother,

suspecting the artifice, caused her SOI1 to ask,how towards

the end of night they could know what hour it was,when

they could not look on the heavens ? The servant an

swered, that in her youth she had been in the habit Of


foretold that it should prove the bane of all its possessors .With this gold the rE sir enclosed the otter’ s skin ; but onHreidmar perceiving a hair of the beard

i

still uncovered,Odin threw on it the ring Of Andvari . Fafnir afterw ardsSlew his father

,took all the gold

,and became one of the

worst Ofserpents,and now watched over his treasure .

S igurd then requested Regin to forge him a sword . He

forged two,but their blades would not stand proof. S i

gurd then brought him the fragments OfS igmund’ s sword,

Of which he forged one that could cleave an anvil and cut

through floating wool . Armed with this weapon,S igurd

went forth,first to his maternal uncle Grip , who foretold

him his destiny . He then sailed with a cho sen army toavenge his father’ s death on the son s OfHunding . Duringa storm they were hailed by an old man

,from a point of

land,whom they took on board . He told them his name

was Hnikar 1 , together with much other matter . The stormthen abated

,and as he stept on Shore

,he vanished . Hun

ding’ s sons wi th a large army encountered S igurd, butwere all slain

,and S igurd returned with great honour.

S igurd was now impatient to Slay the serpent,whose

lair had been pointed out to him by Regin . An Old longbearded man warned him to beware of the monster’ s blood .

S igurd pierces Fafnir through,who

,nevertheless, holds a

long conversation with his Slayer, in which he answers thelatter’ s questions relative to the Norns and fE sir

, butstrives in vain to dissuade him from taking the gold2 .

After the death of Fafnir,Regin

,who had concealed

himself,came forth

,drank Of Fafnir’ s blood, cut out his

1 This was Odin, one ofwhose numerous names w as Hnikar (see p . 1 5 ,

note) , under which he appears as a marine dei ty.2 On receiving th e fatal w ound, Fafnir demanded to know the name ofhis murd erer, which S igurd at first declined giving him , in the belief (asB i shop M illler suppo ses) then prevalent , that the w ords of a dying manpossessed great power, when he cursed his enemy by name. See EddaS tem . p . 1 86.

NORTH ERN MYTHOLOGY . 97

heart with the sword named Rithil, and requested S igurdto roast it for him . As S igurd touched the heart with hisfinger, a drop by chance lighted on his tongue, and he instantly understood the language of birds . He heard an

eagle 1 tell its companion that S igurd would act wisely,if

he himself were to eat the serpent’ s heart . Another eaglesaid

,that Regin would deceive him . A third

,that he

ought to slay Regin . A fourth,that he ought to take the

serpent’ s gold, and ride to the wise Brynhild at Hind ar

fiall. All these feats S igurd performs, and rides off withthe treasure on Grani’ s backQ .

S igurd now bent his course southwards to Frakland 3,

and rode a long time,until he came to Hind arfiall

,where

he saw before him a light flaring up to the sky, and a

shield-burgh, within which he found a damsel sleeping incomplete armour

,whose corselet seemed to have grown

fast to her body . On S igurd ripping up the corselet withhis sword

,the maiden awoke

,and said that she was a Val

kyria and named Brynhild“, that Odin had condemnedher to that state of sleep by pricking her with a sleepthorn 5

,because

,contrary to his will

,she had aided king

Agnar (or Audb rod ) in war, and slain king Hialmgunnar .

S igurd begged her to give him some instruction,and

she taught him the power of runes,and gave him lesson s

1 The word igba signifies the female eagle, though it may al so signifyswallow , owl, p ar tr idge.

2 Among which w ere the famed CEgir-hialm, which Fafnir was wont towear while brooding over the treasure, a golden corselet , and the swordHrotti.

3 That i s Frankenland , the land ofthe Franks , Franconia.

4 According to the B rynhild ar -kviOa I. , she w as named Sigurd rifa, another name, it i s said , of B rynhild . From thi s pas sage i t appears thatOdin received mortal s ofroyal race into his band ofValky riur.5 Svefn-horn, sp ina sep arg

'

fera . A superstition not vet wholly extinctin Denmark and Iceland. I t w as supposed that a person could not b e

w akened out Ofthis sleep as long as the thorn lay on his body or remainedsticking in his clothes .


for his conduct in life . They engaged on oath to marryeach other

,and S igurd took his departure . H is shield

blazed w ith the red gold,on it w as depicted a dragon, dark

brown above,and bright red beneath, a memorial of the

monster he had slain, which the Vaerings call Fafnir . S i.

gurd’s hair was brown

,and fell in long locks, his beard

short and thick 5 few could look on his piercing eyes . He

w as so tall that, when girded w ith his sword Gram,which

was seven spans long, he went through a ripe rye field,

the knob ofhis sword- sheath still stood forth . When all

the stoutest w arriors and greatest captains are spoken of,he is mentioned the first

,and his name i s current in all

languages .S igurd rode on until he came to a spacious mansion

,

the rich lord Ofwhich was named Heimir . He was mar

ried to a sister ofBrynhild,named B ekhild (B aenkhild ) .

S igurd was received with pomp,and lived there a consi

d erab le time in great honour . Brynhild was al so there—ona visit to her relations, and employed herself with emb roi

dering in gold the exploits of Sigurd —the slaying of the

serpent and carrying offthe gold .

It chanced one d ay that Sigurd’s falcon flew and perched

on the window of a high tower. On going in pursuit ofit,S igurd discovered Brynhild at her work . Hereupon he

became thoughtful,and imparted to Heimir

’s son

,Al

swith,what a beautiful woman he had seen embroidering

his deeds . Alsw ith told him that it was Brynhild,Budli

’s

daughter ; whereup on S igurd observed,that only a few

days before he had learned that she was the most beautiful woman in the world

,and expressed his resolution to

visit her,although Alswith informed him that she would

never endure a husband,but that her thoughts were solely

bent on warfare l .

1 According to thi s account , S igurd appears now to have seen Brynhildfor the first time,which i s completely at variance w ith what w e have just


in avenging their sister,who had been carried Offby S igar .

Gudrun then named her own brothers,but Brynhild said

that they had not yet proved themselves but that S igurdFafnisbana was the flower of all heroes . Gudrun thentold her that she had dreamed ofa beautiful hart

,ofwhich

all were in chase, but which she alone overtook,and that

Brynhild killed it in her lap . Brynhild then recounted toher her whole future destiny, and Gudrun returned toGiuki’ s palace .

Thither shortly after came S igurd,riding on Grani with

all his treasure . Grimhild conceived such an attachmentto him that she was desirous he should marry her d aughter ; and therefore gave him a charmed potion

,which

caused him to forget Brynhild,to swear fellowship with

Gunnar and HOgni, and to marry Gudrun1

When S igurd and the sons of Giuki had traversed farand wide over the country

,and performed many great

feats,Grimhild persuaded her son Gunnar to w oo Bryn

hild,Bud li

’s daughter

,who was still dwelling w ith Heimir

in Hlind al. Her maiden -bower was encircled w ith glow ingfire

,and she would marry that man only who should ride

through it. The princes rode thither,but Gunnar could

not force his horse over the fire . He and S igurd then ex

changed forms,and the latter on Grani traversed the flames

and made love to Brynhild as though he were Gunnar,

son OfGiuki . Brynhild, though sore against her will, was

obliged to fulfil her engagement . .For three nights theyslept in the same bed

,but S igurd laid the sword Gram

between them Q. He took And vari’ s ring from her hand,

and gave her in return one from Fafnir’ s treasure . After

1 S igurd gave her a piece of Fafnir’s heart to cat , which rendered hermore obdurate than before.

2 Remains ofthis custom are , it i s said , st ill to be traced in some oftheDani sh isles , South Jutland , Hol stein and Norway. Such nights werecalled PrOvenaetter, Prob enachte, nights of tr ial or p roof.

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY . 1 0 1

these events,S igurd rode back to his comrades

,and re

sumed his own form .

Brynhild related to her foster-father,Heimir

,how Gun

nar had ridden through the fire and made love to her, andhow certain she till then had felt that S igurd alone

,to

whom she had vowed eternal constancy, could have ac

complished the adventure . Then commending Aslaug, herdaughter by S igurd

,to the guardianship of Heimir

,she

returned to her father,Bud li

,and the celebration of her

marriage with Gunnar lasted many days . Not until it wasover did S igurd call to memory the oaths he had sworn toBrynhild

,but let all pass offquietly .

It happened one d ay that Brynhild and Gudrun wentto the Rhine to bathe . On Brynhild going further outin the water

,Gudrun asked the cause . She answered,

Neither here nor anywhere else will I stand by side Ofthee . My father was more powerful than thine

,my hus

band has performed greater feats than thine,and has

ridden through the glowing fire . Thy husband was kingHialprek

’s thrall .” Hereupon Gudrun gave her to under

stand that it was her husband that had ridden through thefire

,had passed three nights with her

,had taken And vari’ s

ring from her,which she herself then wore . At this in

telligence Brynhild grew deadly pale, and uttered not aword . The following d ay the two queens began jarringagain about their husbands’ superiority, when Gudrun d eclared that what had been sung of Sigurd

’s victory over

the serpent was of greater worth than all king Gunnar’ srealm . Brynhild now went and lay down as one dead .

When Gunnar came to her she upbraided him with his andhis mother’ s deceit, and attempted his life . HOgni causedher to b e bound, but Gunnar ordered her to be loosed.

She would engage in no occupation, but filled the palacewi th loud lamentations . Gudrun sent S igurd to her

,to

whom she poured forth all her grief, and said that she hated


Gunnar,and wished S igurd were murdered . On the lat

ter saying it had affl icted him that she w as not his w ife ,and that he w ould even then marry her

,she answ ered that

she would rather d ie than b e faithless to Gunnar . She

had sworn to marry the man that should ride over the firethat oath she w ould keep sacred or d ie . S igurd said

,

Sooner than thou shalt d ie I will forsake Gudrun . H iss ides heaved so violently that his corselet burst asunder .I w ill neither have thee nor any other man

,

” said Brynhild ; and S igurd took his departure .

Brynhild threatened to leave Gunnar,if he did not

murd er S igurd and his child . Gunnar w as bew ildered .

Hogni dissuaded him from compliance w ith the w ill of

Brynhild . At length Gunnar said there was no alternative

,as S igurd had d ishonoured Brynhild ‘. They would ,

therefore,instigate their brother Guttorm (who had not

sworn brotherly fellowship with S igurd ) to d o the deed .

For this purpose they gave him a d ish composed ofwolf’ sand serpent’ s flesh ; after which

,being urn on by Bryn

hild,Guttorm stabbed S igurd while slumbering

Q,but was

him self cut asund er by the sword Gram,which his victim

hurled after him . Gud run mourned over her murderedconsort

,but Brynhild laughed at her grief. Gunnar and

HOgni reproached her for her malignity , but she set before

1 I t w ould seem that Brynhild had feigned the story of her own d ishonour , for the purpo se of inst igating the Giukings to murder S igurd , asshe i s afterwards made to say , We slept together in the same b ed as ifhe had been my own brother. Nei ther of us during eight nights laid ahand on the other .” At the same time , how ever , w e read that B rynhild ,when on the eve of her marriage w ith Gunnar, committed Aslaug , her

daughter by S igurd , to the care ofher fo ster-father Heimir. Aslaug w as

afterwards married to Ragnar Lod brok, whence i t seems no t improbablethat the latter story w as invented for the purpose of connecting the lineofDanish kings w ith S igurd and B rynhild . See Edda Sam , pp . 229, 203 .

2 According to other narratives , S igurd w as murdered on his w ay to thepublic as sembly (hing) . According to the German tradition,

he w as slainin a forest . See Edda Saem . , p . 210 .

1 0 4 NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY .

w ith Atli, from which she foreboded evil . They travelledduring four days on horseback

,but the women were placed

in carriages ; then four days in a ship,and again four

days by land,ere they came to Atli

’s residence

,where the

nuptials were solemnized with great splendour : but Oudrun never smiled on Atli .One night Atli dreamed ill-boding dreams

,but Gudrun

interpreted them favourably. It then occurred to his remembrance that the Giukings had kept possession of all

S igurd’ s gold,and he therefore sent Vingi to invite them

to a banquet ; but Gudrun, who had noticed what hadpassed between him and his messenger

,cut runes and sent

them to her brothers,together with a gold ring

,in which

some wolf’ s hair was twined . Vingi altered the runes before he stept on shore . He made great promises to theGiukings, if they would visit King Atli . Gunnar had butlittle inclination for the j ourney

,and Hogni was Opposed

to it ; but being overcome by wine at the protracted feastgiven to Vingi

,Gunnar was led to pledge himself to the

journey .

In the mean time,Kostb era

,Hogni’ s wife

,had read the

runes sent by Gudrun,and discovered that they had been

falsified . She strove to dissuade her husband from the

j ourney,and related to him her terrific dreams

,which he

interpreted in a contrary sense . Glauv r also,Gunnar

’s

queen,dreamed oftreachery

,but Gunnar said that no one

could avert his destiny . Though all would dissuade them,

they,nevertheless

,stept on board with Vingi

,attended by

a few only of their own people . They rowed so lustilythat half the keel burst and their ears were broken . Theythen travelled a while through a gloomy forest, where theysaw a powerful army, notwithstanding which they opened

norn Urd i s here alluded to i s extremely doubtful , and almos t equally soi s the allusion to 86 11 , though the ves sel containing the skaldic or poeticmead may he intended , for w hich see p . 4 0.

NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY . 1 0 5

the gate of the fastness and rode in . Vingi now gave themto understand that they had been beguiled, whereuponthey slew him with their maces .King Atli now commanded his people to seize them in

the hall . On hearing the clash of arms,Gudrun cast her

mantle aside,entered the hall, and having embraced her

brothers,endeavoured to mediate

,but in vain . She then

put on a corselet,took a sword

,and shared in the conflict

like the stoutest champion . The battle lasted long,Atli

lost many of his warriors . At length,the two brothers

alone survived oftheir whole party they were overpoweredand bound . Atli commanded HOgni

’s heart to b e cut out

,

though his counsellors would have taken that ofthe thrallHialli ; but as he cried out when they were about to layhands on him

,HOgni said it was a game he reeked little

of,so the thrall for the moment escaped . Gunnar and

H ogni were set in chains . It was Atli’ s wish that Gunnarshould save his life by disclo sing where the gold was d eposited ; but he answered, Sooner would I see my brother HOgni

’s bloody heart They then again seized on

the thral l,cut out his heart, and laid it before Gunnar .

“ This,

” said he,

“ i s the heart of a coward,unlike the

brave H ogni’ s for even now it trembles,though less by

half than when in it s owner’ s breast .” They then cut outthe heart ofHo

’

gni,who laughed under the process . On

seeing that it did not tremble, Gunnar recognised it forHOgni

’s,and said that now he alone knew where the gold

w as hidden,and that the Rhine should possess it rather

than his enemies wear it on their fingers . Gunnar wasthen confined

,with his hands bound

,in a yard filled with

serpents . Gudrun sent him a harp, which he played withhis feet

,so that all the serpents were lulled to sleep save

one viper, which fixed itself on him and stung him to theheart 1

1T his was Atli’s mother so transformed. See Od drr’mar Grétr , S tr . 30 .

F 5

1 06 N ORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY .

Elated with hi s Vi ctory, Atli scoffed at Gudrun but onperceiving her exasperation, he sought to appease her .

She removed his doubts and susp icions by her assumedgentleness, and a sumptuous grave -ale l was ordered inmemory of the fallen . Gudrun now took her two youngsons

,who were at play

,and cut their throats . “ Then Atli

inquired for his children, she answered that their skulls,set in gold and silver, had been turned into drinking cups,that in his wine he had drunk their blood, and eaten theirhearts in his food . HOgni

’s son

,Niflung, thirsting to

avenge his father, consulted with Gudrun and when Atli,after his repast, lay down to sleep, they slew him

? Gudrun then caused the palace to b e surrounded with fire, andburnt all Atli’s people .

Gudrun then plunged into the sea,but the waves bore

her to land, and she came to the city of the great kingJonakur, who married her, and had by her three sons,Hamd ir (Hampir) , SOrli

,and Erp (Erp r) . Svanhild ,

Gudrun’ s daughter by S igurd,was also bred up there .

The m ighty king .Iormunrek,having heard of Svanhild

’s

beauty,sent his son B andye

,together w ith his counsellor

Biki,to woo her for him . She was married to him against

1 O ld Norse Erfiol, Dan. Arve-ol,Wel sh Aruyl. A funeral feast heldin honour ofthe dead by the heir (O . N . arfr, Ger. Erbe) . I t w as believedthat the dead w ere present at their grave-ale. In the Eyrbyggiasaga a

story connected w ith this superstition w ill be found , which being too longfor insertion here, the reader i s referred to S ir Walter Scott ’s extract inthe ‘ I llustrations ofNorthern Antiquities ,’ p . 5 0 7 , and in B ohu’s editionofMal let ’ s Northern Antiquities ,’ p . 5 36 .

2 See the account ofAtli’s death and funeral in Jornand es , ch xxv . Therelation here given accords in some measure w ith what w e find in the

B yzantine w riters , viz. Marcellinus Comes w rites , Attilam noctu mutter is

mama cultrogue confossum. According to others , m’

mz’

o vino et somno

gr ava tus , cl cop ioso sanguinis p rofluez’

o obuna’a tus , tnventus es t mor tuus in

lecto, aceubans multer z’

, guce d e ej us nece susp ecta lzabz’

ta es t. John Malalasays that a certain armour-bearer slew Attila. Sec Edda Saemund ar, edi t .Copenhagen, i i . 95 4 .


and slew him . Shortly after Hamd ir stumbled, and , supporting himself by his hand

,exclaimed

,

“ Erp said truly ;I should have fallen

,had I not supported myself by my

han t They had proceeded but a few steps further whenSOrli stumbled with one foot I should have fallen

,

” saidhe

,

“ had I not stood on both .

”IVhen they came to

JOrmunrek they immediately assailed him . Hamd ir cutoff his hands

,SOrli his feet . Hamd ir said

,

“ H is headwould also have been smitten off

,had Erp been with us .

”

Against JOrmunrek’s men

,who now attacked them

,they

fought valiantly,their armour being impenetrable to steel,

until an old man with one eye came and counselled themen to stone them

,and thus caused their destruction ] .

O r RAGNAR AND THORA 2 . .

—Wide - spread over all the

North w as the story of Jarl Heraud ofGothland ’ s youthfuldaughter

,Thora

,though more generally known by the

appellation of B orgar-hj ort ’ (the H ind of the Castle) ,

which was bestowed on her because,unlike the bold Ama

zons (shield -maidens) of that age, she rather resembled a

tender,timid hind and being at the same time exquisitely

fair and am iable,her father placed her in a strong castle,

in stead of a maiden -bower . By some it is related thather castle was guarded by a warrior named Orm,

but ac

cording to the Saga : Heraud once gave his daughter a

dragon in a little b ox,in which it lay coiled up , and under

it placed. gold . The serpent grew,and with it the gold

,

so that it w as found necessary to remove it out of the

castle . At length it became a form idable mon ster,en

circ l ing the whole castle,so that no one could enter save

such as gave it food .

” Hereupon the j arl held a council,

1 In the battle ofB rdvalla, the Dani sh king , Harald Hild etan, i s said tohave been slain by Odin, under the form of Harald ’ s own general . See

Grater’ s Suhm ,i i . 28 4 ; Saxo, p . 390 .

2 Not havi ng either Ragnar Lod b rok’s Saga or the Volsunga- Saga at

command , the editor has taken these traditions from Afzelius ’ Sago-Hafd er

and Muller ’s Sagab ib liothek.


and promised that whosoever should slay the monstershould have his daughter to wife . Ragnar

,son of king

S igurd ofSweden,who won the famous battle of B r‘

avalla,

having heard ofthi s,caused five woollen cloaks and hose

to be made,and boiled in p itch

l. He then encoun tered

the dragon,or

,as it is al so related

,the bear

,that guarded

fair B orgar -hjort’s dwelling

,which after much peril and

fatigue he overcame . Lod brok left his spear sticking inthe dragon’ s back

,but took the shaft in his hand

,with

which he went up to the castle, to the beautiful Thora,whom he thus addressed

My youthful life I’ve ventured,

My age offi fteen yearsThe hateful worm I

’

ve slaughter’

d

For thee, thou b eauteou s maid .

He then went before the jarl, and demanded the fulfilment of his promise

,proving himself the liberator of his

daughter by the shaft,which he held in his hand

,belong

ing to the spear remaining in the dragon’ s body . It nowappeared that he was the young King Ragnar

,son of

S igurd . Their marriage was solemnized in a mannerbefitting their rank . By his wife, Thora B orgar-hjort,Ragnar had two sons

,Eric and Agnar ; but he did not

long enj oy his happiness : Thora died, and Ragnar,lea

ving his states under the government of his son s and cer

tain wise men,again betook himself to a roving life on the

ocean,that in the society ofhis vikings he might drown

or mitigate his sorrow for the loss of one whom he had sotenderly loved .

OE RAGNAR AND ASLAU G .— ‘Nhen Heimir ofHlind al2

was informed ofthe death ofS igur d and Brynhild, and that

1 H i s garb was s ingular, and gave him a ferocious appearance : from hissailor’s breeches , made ofw ild beast s ’ skins , he acquired the surname ofLod brok, from id d (shagginess) , and brok (breeches) .

2 See p . 98 .


it was intended to destroy their daughter, who had beenreared by him

,he caused a large harp to b e made, in

which he concealed the child together w ith many j ewel s,and wandered forth towards the north . He gave her an

onion to taste,which has the property of sustaining life

for a considerable time . Heimir is described as of a gi

gantic, maj estic figure,though his garments but ill ac

corded w ith his mien,being those of a beggar or beads

man,while his manners and the melodious tones of his

harp proved him to b e something widely different . VVhenever he came to a lonely spot in wood or field

,he would

take the child out to divert it self ; but if it cried withinthe harp

,when he was in the company ofothers , or in any

house,he would play and sing

,until the little one was

appeased and silent .Heimir with his harp came late one evening to a little,

lonely dwelling in Norway,called Sp angarhed e

l,in which

lived. an old man named Aki and his wife Grima . The

crone was sitting alone,and could hardly b e in duced to

kindle a fire on the hearth,that Heimir might warm him

self. Her eyes were constantly fixed ou the harp, in consequence of a piece of a costly garment that protrudedfrom it ; but her suspicion rose still higher when, fromunder the fringes of the harper’s coat

,she observed

,when

he stretched out his arms towards the fire, a bright, goldarmlet . Heimir w as then shown to a chamber

,where

,

wearied with his journey,he soon fell into a profound

sleep . At night the peasant returned . YVearied w ith thetoils ofthe d ay, he w as displeased at not finding his sup

p er ready, and bitterly complained Ofthe poor man’ s lot .

Hereupon the old woman said to him that in that very

1 A tongue ofland near Lind esnms, where the names still exist ofKrakeb ack and Guld vig, which , as the people say , are so called after the king ’sdaughter that was concealed in a golden harp . Krakumal, edit . Rafa ,Forord , p . 1 .


she was attended only by a dog,and had tasted an onion,

but eaten nothing . The king was no less astonished at

her wit and understanding than at her beauty . He pre

ferred a prayer to Odin,that she might b e inspired with

such love for him as at once to yield to his wishes . But

Kraka prized her honour too highly and spurned his suit .He tried to prevail on her with the gift ofan embroideredkirtle that had belonged to his deceased queen, saying

Art thou skill’

d in such'

.Z

Wilt thou ac cep tTh i s k irtle s ilver-w rought ?Well w ould b ecome theeThe garmen t onceOwn

’

d by fair B orgar-hjort .H er lily hand sWove the curious texture .

To me, chief ofheroe s ,Faithful she w as t ill death .

Kraka answered

I may not takeThe k ir tle s ilver-w rought,Wh i ch B orgar -hjort once own

’d .

I am call’

d K raka,Coal- b lack in vadmel 1

For I mus t ever traver se s tone sAnd tend the goat sOn the sea- shore .

Astonished at what he heard and saw,the king would

now,by prom ises ofmarriage

,persuade her to stay the

n ight with him ; but as she was inexorable,he was too

honourable to break the promise he had given her . Finally,

however, Kraka agreed that if the king should return inthe same frame of mind of making her his queen

,she

would be ready to accompany him . After some time theking returned, when Kraka, bidding her foster-parents

1 A coarse woollen stuff made in Norway and Iceland.

NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY . 1 1 3

farewell,accompanied him to his castle

,where their mar

riage was solemnized with all royal pomp .

It once happened that Ragnar visited his friend,King

Osten, at Up sala. In the evening O sten’ s young daughterwent round the hall presenting mead and wine to Ragnarand his men . The king was smitten with the beauty of

the young princess,and his followers represented to him

how much more befitting it would b e for him to possessthe fair daughter of a royal house than Kraka, the daughterofa peasant . It was then agreed on by both kings thatRagnar should return home, dismiss Kraka, and comeback and marry the daughter of Osten . When this cameto the knowledge of Kraka

,she disclosed to the king her

real name of Aslaug, and that she was the daughter of

King S igurd and Brynhild,and the last descendant ofthe

renowned race of the VOlsungs how that Heimir,after

the mournful fate ofher parents,had fled with her from

their enemies and concealed her in his harp,until he was

murdered by Aki at Spangarhed e, from which time she

had borne the name of Kraka. Awakened from his d reamby this narrative

,and touched by her proved affection

,

Ragnar returned no more to Upsala . All friendship withKing O sten was now at an end , and from that time Aslaugbecame fierce and vindictive, like all ofher race .

FY LGIA—V AR DOGL— HAM—HAM INGIA—Dis—V JETT-B RAUG .

— TH E FY LGIA was a tutelar angel or attendantspirit attached either to a single individual or to a wholerace . To a person at the point of death the Fylgia he

came visible Thou must be a fated (moribundus) man,thou must have seen thy Fylgia,

” said an Icelander to onelabouring under an optical delusion 1 . The Fylgia sometimes appeared to another person . Hedin, we read, returning home one Yule eve

,met in the forest a Troll -wife

riding on a wolf,with a rein formed of serpents

,who

1 Nial ’s Saga, 4 1 .

1 1 4 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY .

offered to bear him company . On relating the incidentto his brother Helgi, the latter foresaw his own approaching end

,for he knew that it was his Fylgia that had ac

costed his brother,under the form of a woman on a wolf.

When a person was dead or near death,his Fylgia was

desirous to follow his nearest relative,or one of the family .

When a person’ s own Fylgia appeared to him bloody,it

betokened a Violent death 1 .

Identical apparently with the Fylgia are the HAM

(HAMR, I NDU V I JE ) and the HAM INGIA . In the Atlamal 2,

Kostb era dreams that she saw the Ham or genius ofAtlienter the house under an eagle’ s form

,and sprinkle them

all with blood . In the Vafbrudnismal and V egtams -quipa3,

the Hamingior are identical with the Norns .Connected with the foregoing is our own superstition

about a child’ s caul . In Germany,children born with

this membrane are regarded as fortunate 4,and the mem

brane itself i s carefully preserved,or sewed in a girdle for

the child to wear . Among the Icelanders this can] al sobears the name of fylgia they fancy that the guardianangel

,or a part of the infant’ s soul dwells in it : the mid

wives,consequently

,are careful not to inj ure it, but bury

it under the threshold,over which the mother must walk .

IVhoever throws it away, or burns it, deprives the child Of

its guardian angel . Such a guardian is called Fylgia, because it is supposed to follow the individual ; it i s alsocalled FORYN IA

,from being likew ise regarded as a fore

runner 5 .

Trad itions of,and a belief in

,beings

,of which every

person has one as an attendant, are universal over thegreatest part of Norway, though the name and the idea

1 Keyser, p , 1 5 7 .

2 S tr. 20 .3 Str. 48, 49 ; Str . 1 7 .

See the story ofthe Devil wi th the three Golden Hairs , in the Kinderund Hausm

'

archen, NO . 29.

5 Grimm,D . M . p . 828 .


that when Thorsten Oxefod was yet a child ofseven years,he once came running into the room and fell on the floorwhereat the wise old man Geiter burst into a laugh . Onthe boy asking what he saw so laughable in his fall, hesaid

,I saw what you di d not see .

"

When you came intothe room

,a young white bear’ s cub followed you and ran

before you, but on catching sight ofme,he stopt

,and as

you came running you fell over him .

” This was Thorsten’ s own Fylgia .

If a person is desirous of knowing what animal he hasfor a Vard ogl, he has only to wrap a knife in a napkin

,

with certain ceremonies,and to hold it up while he names

all the animals he knows of. As soon as he has namedhis FOlgie, the knife will fall out ofthe napkin .

Our old divines assumed,in like manner

,that every

person has an attendant or guardian genius . In the Jernpostil (edi t . 1 5 1 3, p . 1 42) it i s said The moment anyman is born in the world

,our Lord sends an angel to p re

serve his soul from the devil,and from all other evil ;

appealing,for support of the proposition

,to the testimony

ofSt . Jerome and S t . Bernard 1

Dis (pl . DiSI R ) i s a generic name for all female,mythic

beings,though usually applied to a man’s attendant spirit

or FO'

lgie . Of the se some are friendly,others hostile .

The tutelar or friendly Disir are likewise called Spfid isir,i . e . prophetic Disir : Scotice spae, as in spae-wife, a p ro

p /zetess,fortune- teller . In Norway the Disir appear to havebeen held in great veneration . In the Sagas frequentmention occurs of Disa blot, or offerings to the Disir . Apart of their temples was denominated the D isa- sal (D i sarsalr)

Q

V JETT (VJETTR , pl . V ZETT I R ) in its original significationis neither more nor less than tiring , being, w ig /Qt, though inScandinavia (particularly Norway and Iceland) it i s used

1 Faye, p . 7 6 399.2 Keyser,p . 7 4 .

NORTH ERN MYTHOLOGY . 1 1 7

to signify a sort of female tutelary genius of a country,

and then is called a LAND -W ET T . In the Gulathing’s

law it is enjoined that omni diligentia p erquirant rex et

ep iscopus ne exerceantur errores et sup erstitio ethnica,uti

sunt incantationes et artes magicae si in Land vaettas

(genio s locorum ) credunt quod tumulos aut cataractas in

habitent,

”etc .

1 The Landvaett assumes various forms .Hallager describes the Vaett as a Troll or N isse inhab iting mounds

,which for that reason are called V JETTE

HOUE R . He resembles a young boy in grey clothes witha black hat 2 . The word is

,nevertheless

,feminine . In

Ulfliot’ s law it w as ordered that the head of every shipshould be taken off before it came in sight of land

,and

that it should not sail near the land with gaping head and

yawn ing beak,so as to frighten the Land-vaettir 3

DRAU G (DRAU GR ) , a spectre . Odin is called Drauga

Drott 4 (lord of spectres) because he could raise the deadfrom their graves (as in the Vegtams KvitSa) . The apparition to a person of his Drang forebodes his death . Inthe Hervarar Saga 5

,Drangar are spoken of as lying with

the dead in their mounds . The D rang follows the persondoomed whithersoever he goes

,often as an in sect

,which

in the evening sends forth a piping sound . He sometimesappears clad as a fisherman . Both the appearance of theDraug himself, as well as ofhis spittle (a sort offroth thati s sometimes seen in boats) are omens of approachingdeath .

1 Lex . Myth . p . 833 .2 Norsk Ord samling, p . 1 4 5 .

3 Fornmanna SOgur, p . 105 .

4 Yugl. Saga, 7 . 5 Edit . Suhm, p . 64 .


SECTION II .

THE foregoing comprises what i s most essential of the

contents of the Eddas . On turning to the later inter

p retations ofthese dark runes ofthe times ofold,w e meet

with so many mutually contradicting illustrations,that it

is hardly possible to extract anything like unity amid somuch conflicting matter . The obscure language in whichthe mythology of the North i s expressed, the images of

which it is full,the darkness in which the first mental d e

velopment of every people i s shrouded,and the d ifficulty

ofrendering clear the connection between their religiousideas—all this leads every attempt at illustration sometimes in one and sometimes in another direction

,each of

which has,moreover

,several by -ways and many wrong

ones .I’Vith regard to the importance and value of the Northern

mythology,w e meet with two w idely different opin ions .

Some have considered the old Eddaic songs and traditionsas mere fabrications, compo sed for pastime by ignorantmonks in the middle age ; while others have pronouncedthem not only ancient

,but have regarded their matter as

so exalted,that even ideas of Christian ity are reflected in

them . That Christ,for instance

,is figuratively delineated

in Thor,who crushes the head of the serpent so that the

Eddaic lore i s an ob scure sort of revelation before Revelation . The first -mentioned of these Opinions

,though it

may have blazed up for a moment,may b e now regarded

as totally and for ever extinguished ; for every one who

reads the Eddas will at once perceive that the concordwhich exists between their several parts

,notw ithstanding

that they are but fragments,the grandeur and poetic

beauty,Ofwhich they in so many instances bear the im

press, together with the old tongue in which the songs are


wish,as much as possible

,to become acquainted with in

its whole purity . When these myths are,for example

,

considered not only with relation to the history of the

North,but as universally historical ; when w e, therefore,

in the Northern mythology find figurative indi cations ofthe great epochs in the history of the world ; and in the

several myths of nations particular manifestations of theirfortunes in the course of time

,it is clear that this i s not

truth but fiction . Though such notions of the Eddaiclore may have in themselves poetic value, though theymay,

in an agreeable manner,set the imagination in activity and

give it a store of new images, yet will the understandingnot allow itself to b e set aside with impunity . If

,there

fore,they assume the semblance of a serious interpreta

tion,they di ssolve 1 11 to airy nothingness

,because they

lack a firm foundation . Fiction may have its liberty, butresearch has its restraint .However widely the interpreters of the Eddas differ in

their Opinions from each other,and however faithless they

sometimes are even to themselves,their illustrations may,

nevertheless, all b e referred to three classes—the historic,

the physical, and the ethical : to the historic method,in

as far as every nation’ s mythology and earliest historycome in contact and melt into each other at their boundarics

,and transgress each other’ s domain to the physical

,

because all mythology has nature and her manifestationsfor obj ect to the ethical

,because laws for the conduct of

mankind are the final intent ofall religion .

The historic mode of illustration i s the most circumscribed ofall. As mythology embraces not only life physically and ethically considered

,but also the creation and

destruction of the world,the beginning and end of time

,

or eternity,we consequently find in it many elements

that belong not to the province ofhistory,and every at

tempt to bring them within its pale must naturally prove


abortive . This mode of illustration can,therefore

,at best

b e applied only to the agency of natural beings—the gods .It is divided into two branches . It may either be assumedthat real men have been regarded as gods

,or that super

human beings have been considered as persons on the

earth . Of these branches the first may b e subdividedthe deified beings may be regarded as impostors and d eceivers

,or as benefactors of mankind .

That the gods,Odin and his friends

,were mere d e

ceivers,magicians, and wizards (trollmen) that they

dazzled the eyes of the people by their arts, and therebyinduced them to believe whatever they deemed conduciveto their worldly objects ; that religion arose among thepeople

,not as a necessity

,but was a priestly imposture

such was the opinion entertained in the Christian middleage of the ancient mythology

,all heathenism being con

sid ered a work of the devil,who through his ministers,

the pagan priests, enlarged the realm of falsehood uponearth —that the earliest human beings were giants of

superhuman size and powers, after whom came others, les sof stature

,but excelling them in sagacity

,who overcame

them by sorcery, and gained for themselves the reputationofgods ; that their successors were a mixture ofboth

,nei

ther so large as the giants nor so crafty as the gods,though

by the infatuated people they were worshiped as gods ;such was the belief in Saxo’ s time, who consequently setsforth the op inions just adduced, and speaks of Odin as of abeing who had acquired for himself divine honours throughout Europe

,and after having fixed his residence at Upsala

,

he and his companion s were there regarded as d ivinebeings 1 The first class of beings was of course Ymirand his offspring, the Fro st -giants the second

,Odin and

his kindred ; the third, the priests of the gods,who by

1 Saxo Gram . pp . 42. sqq.


fraud disseminated the doctrines oftheir predecessors, andraised themselves to the rank ofgods .That these opinions found followers in the middle age

may easily b e conceived,but it may well seem extraor

d inary that also in modern times they have had their d efenders

,and that

,by confounding the announcement by

the priest of the pretended will ofthe gods with the divinebeings themselves

,any one could be satisfied with the

persuasion,that priestly craft and deception have alone

formed the entire circle ofreligious ideas,which are a na

tural necessity among every people,and one of the earliest

manifestations of man’ s reflection on himself and on the

world .

More probable is the Opinion that,not deception

,but

real historical events have given rise to myths ; that theworship ofOdin and his kin and companions in the Northoriginated in the immigration of a sacerdotal caste ; thatthe priest’ s agency has

,by the people - themselves

,been

confounded with that of the god , whose minister he wasthat his undertakings and exertions for the civilization ofthe people

,the evidences of his superior penetration and

higher knowledge,have

,after his death, been clad in a

mythic garb ; and that thereby,partly through learning

and partly from events,a series ofmyths has been framed

,

the elements of which now hardly admit of being separated from each other . Such was the Opinion of Snorriand other ancient writers

,according to whom the gods

w ere a sacerdotal caste from Asia,even from Troy Odin

and his sons were earthly kings and priests Odin died inSweden

,and w as succeeded by N iord after the death of

whose son,Frey

,Freyia alone presided over the sacrifices

,

being the only one of the deities still living‘. Such a

d eification of human beings is not without example in b istory ; among the Greeks w e meet with many historic

1 Suorra-Edda, Form ., Ynglingas. 0 . 2—13 .


d icate those powers of nature and natural phenomena,which in the myths are represented as personal beings,and to show the accordance between the mythic representation and the agency of the natural powers . This modeof illustration has been followed and developed by thegreater number of interpreters

,and

,on the whole

,none

of the proposed systems has in its several parts been soborne out as this . To the Northern mythology it, me

over,presents it self so naturally

,that its application is

almost unavoidable for not only have the ancient writersthemselves sometime s expressly declared the natural phenomenon intended by this or that myth

,as the rainbow

,

an earthquake,etc .

,but some myths

,as that of the wolf

Fenrir,the M idgard’ s serpent and others

,contain so evi

dent a representation of a natural agency,that it i s hardly

possible to err as to their signification . In the case,there

fore,of every obscure myth

,it i s advisable first to ascer

tain whether it i s or is not a natural myth,before making

any attempt to explain it in some other way . But b e

cause this mode of explanation i s the simplest,

.most natural

,and most accordant with the notions ofantiquity

,

it does not follow that it can b e applied in all cases,or

that it is always applied rightly . An explanation may b e

right in it s idea,without necessarily being so in its seve

ral parts . The idea may be seized, but the applicationmissed . But the idea itself may al so b e a misconception

,

when no real agreement is found between the myth and

the natural obj ect to which it is applied ; when the resemblance is

,as it were

, put into it, but does not of itselfspring from it . An example or two may serve to explainthis

,to which the reader may easily ad d others . An in

terpretation fails, when it is made up of that which is onlythe poetic garb of the thought . The Valkyriur are

,for

instance,sent forth by Odin

,to choose the heroes that are

to fall in a battle : they hover over the conflicting bands,


they mingle in the hostile ranks,they take the fallen in

their embrace,and ride with them on their heavenly

horses to Valhall . Here is only a beautiful poetic expression ofthe thought

,that Valfather Odin decides the result

ofthe battle,that his will decrees who shall fall

,and that

this kind of death is a blessing,through which the hero i s

taken into his abode : while by explaining the Valkyriuras bright aerial meteors, balls of fire, and the like, which,by the way

,could not make their appearance on every

battle-field,we impair all the poetic beauty

,by conceiving

to be physical that which is purely imaginary . When thesignification of Skirnir’ s j ourney 1 is thus explained : thatFrey is the sun

,Gerd the northern light

,her father

,Gy

mir,the frozen ocean, and that Frey and Gerd’ s love p ro

duce spring or summer,we find in this explanation many

and striking resemblances with the several contents ofthepoem ; though these appear to be purely accidental

,b e

cause a principal resemblance is wanting,because for Gerd

,

as the northern light,it can b e no very formidable threat

,

that she shall always continue barren,and live united with

a Frost - giant,which is

,in fact

,her constant lot ; and

Frey’ s fructify ing embrace— for without fruit it cannot b e,whatever we may take Frey to be, since it takes place inthe wood of buds— has on a being like the northern lightno effect

,which is

,and continues to b e

,unfruitful . The

explanation must,therefore

,ofitself pass over to the fruit

fulness of the earth,effected by the summer sun

,but

thereby,at the same time

,abandon s it s first di rection .

Here the idea,which really forms the ground-work of the

poem,is in fact comprehended

,viz . the earth rendered

fertile by Frey ; but when put aside by other similitudes,

it i s almost lost in another idea—the beauty of the northern light .If,with some commentators

,we take the god Vidar for

1 See p . 4 6.

1 26 NORTHE RN MYTHO LOGY .

the silent departure ofthe year,and

,consequently

,ofthe

wmter also the time when Thor wanders to GeirrOd 1,for

the autumn or beginning ofwinter and Grid,the mother

ofVidar, who dwells on the w ay to Geirr'

Od,for the au

tumn or end of summer,in opposition to her son ; and

when we find that she must b e a giantess,seeing that her

son closes the winter ; if we assume all this,a series Of

ideas i s set up which have no natural connection wi th themyths . Vidar

,it is true

,is silent

,but what i s the silent

departure of the year ? In the North it i s wont to b eno isy enough . And how can the silent departure of theyear b e said to destroy Fenrir

,and to survive the gods

,

as it is said ofVidar 2 How can the mother he in Opposition to the son and how can her nature b e determinedby the son’ s If Grid is the end of summer

,she might

,

perhaps,b e said to bring forth winter

,but not the close of

winter ; nor, because Vidar clo ses the winter, must hi smother b e a giantess

,but rather the converse ; if his mo

ther is a giantess, he might b e winter, and a giant himself.By this interpretation

,contradiction seems heaped on con

trad iction .

Among the extraordinary direction s which the physicalmode of interpretation has taken

,must b e noticed that

which may b e called the chymical . It consist s in showingthe accordance between the myths and the later systemsof chymistry . It explains

,for instance

,the three equal

divinities by the three natural substances,sulphur

,quick

silver,and salt ; Odin,

Vili,and V e

3,as the three laws of

nature,gravity

,motion

,and affinity . It takes the rivers

that flow from Hvergelmir4 to denote destructive kinds of

gas in the bowel s of the earth ; the horses of the gods,on which they ride over Bifro st

,for vibrations in the air ;

Sleipnir among others for the vibrations of light Valfather

1 Page 5 2.2 Pages 82, 84 .

3 Page 4 .

4 Pages 3 , 21 .


brought in connection,and the explanation w ill then

,at

the same time,be mathematical . Both these methods of

illustration are,however

,in the Northern mythology of

but limited application,and entirely fail in the case of

myths that have another origin and object . It has alreadybeen remarked by others

,that among our forefathers w e

find very little,next

,indeed

,to nothing

,about the sun

,

moon,and stars . S6l 1 , that i s the damsel who drives the

horses of the sun, is, it is true, named as a goddess , butonly incidentally, and without mythic action . The sunitself was no god, but only a disk of fire issuing fromMusp ellheim,

the region of eternal light,drawn by two

horses and guided by the damsel SO1 in its most exaltedcharacter appearing only as Odin’s eye ; but ofany adoration paid to it, not a trace appears in the whole mythology . 1311 1 i s also mentioned as a goddess

,but she is one

ofthe moon’ s spots, not the moon itself : ofher worshipnot a trace is to b e found . The stars came forth as sparksfrom Musp ellheim

2,and were fixed 0 11 and und er heaven

an idea so childish,that it could not possibly have oc

curred to any one who thought of worshiping such spangleas gods . Two are mentioned as formed ofearthly matter

,

viz . Thiassi’s eyes 3

,and Orvand il’ s toe 4 (probably the two

principal stars in the head of the bull, and the polar star,or one ofthe stars in the great bear) but their origin fromgiants must at once have prevented all adoration of them .

“ Tith these exceptions,stars are neither spoken ofnor even

named in any myth . Where so little attention was paidto the heavenly bodies and their motions

,it cannot b e

supposed that any idea existed of a complete solar yearwith its twelve months ; nor d o the two passages in the

Eddas,where mention clearly occur s of the division of

time 5,give any cause for supposing it, as they name only

1 Page 6 .

2 Page 5 .3 Page 4 5 .

4 Page 7 1 .5 l i . 8 . Vo luspa, S tr. 6 .


the parts of the d ay and night,according to which the

year may be calculated, without, by any more precise data,bringing it in connection with the sun and moon . Of themoon they Ob served two principal changes

,Nyi and N ithi

,

which implies an Observation of its course . Of the sun,

on the contrary,we find nothing

,except in connection

with the d ay . This leads to the supposition,that the

oldest year among the inhabitants ofthe North,as among

other nations,was a lunar year

,which is corroborated by

the Vafthrudnismal 1,where

,after having mad e mention

of d ay and night,in the same strophe it adds

,that the

gods created Nyi and N ithi for the calculation of the yearnor is there any historic information to the contrary. On

the other hand,the earliest mention of a regular compu

tation by the solar year of 364: days,or 1 2 months

,i s

from the years 95 0 to 97 0, that is, at the utmo st,only

fifty years older than the introduction of Christianity.The Icelanders

,therefore

,who at that time adopted a

similar computation,cannot have brought such accurate

knowledge with them when they emigrated from Norway,

where,it can hardly be assumed such a calculation was in

use at the time of Harald He agr2,much less before his

time . Hence some doubt may b e entertained whether thetwelve mansion s of the riEsir 3 have reference to the yeardetermined by the course of the sun . As

,however

,some

distinguished commentators have adopted thi s View,

a

short sketch of the system adopted by the late ProfessorFinn Magnusen

4 is here given,as most in accordance

with the Grimnismal.

1 Str. 25 .

2 In whose reign the colonization ofIceland commenced , an. 8 7 4.

3 Grimnismal, Str. 4—1 7 .4 See commentary in Den E ld re Edda,’ i . pp . 148 , seq.


MAN SION .

I . Yd al.I I . Alfheim .

I I I . V alaskialf.

IV . SOckquab eck .

V . Gladshe im .

V I . Thrymheim .

V II. B re idab l ik .

V III . H iminbiOrg .

IX. Folkvang .

X. Glitnir .XI. Noatfin .

XII. Land vid i .

Here congruity certainly prevails in many part s winterprecedes summer

,and begins with Ull just at the time

when the ancient s began to reckon their winter ; Ull canvery well inhabit the humid dales (Ydalir

1) in November ;

Frey,in December

,may have got Alfheim for a tooth -gift 2

Vali,who renews the year3

,presides in January ; Odin

with Saga may here in February repeat the records of warlike feats performed

,and the like 4 . Notwithstanding all

which,it appears to me

,that to these systems it may b e

objected,that there i s no other ground for assuming that

the mansions of the gods stand in any fixed order withrespect to each other

,than because they are so enumerated

in the Grimnismal for the same poem enumerates alsothe horses of the fE sir

,the several names of Odin

,etc.

,

etc . and may, therefore, b e considered a sort Of catalogueor nomenclature Of mythic objects . Nor is there any morereason for excluding Thor than for excluding Heimdall

,

the god of the rainbow, both being connected with the

aerial phenomena, and have no reference to the annualcourse ofthe sun ; and

,in general

,it i s clear

,as far as I

can perceive,that neither Vidar

,nor NiOrd

,the god ofthe

wind and ocean,nor Frey and Freyia, the divinities of

1 Page 30.2 Page 25 .

3 Pages 30, 8 4.4 Page 34 .


the matter still extant in the Eddas,even as they now lie

before us,after having past through the middle age . The

later interpreters are,therefore

,unquestionably right in

seeking in these remains not only tradi tions of the originand destruction ofthe world

,ofthe relation ofman to the

D ivinity,but also the outlines of the natural and historic

knowledge possessed by Antiquity . We have of course,

in the foregoing sketch,omitted all that might seem to

have an historic signification,and communicated that alone

which may b e regarded as purely mythic .This mythic matter is comprised in two ancient monu

ments,the Elder and the Younger Edda

,called usually

,

after their supposed compilers,Saemund

’s Edda

,and

Snorri’s Edda. The first-mentioned contains songs that

are older than Christianity in the North,and have been

orally transmitted and finally committed to writing in themiddle age . They have

,for the most part

,reached us as

fragments only,and several chasms have

,at a later period

,

w ith greater or less felicity, been filled up by prosaic introd uctions or insertions . The other Edda consists of talesfounded on

,and often filled up with, verses from the Elder,

b ut which have been wr itten down after the time ofpaganism

,preserved

,as memorial s of the past

,by indi

vidual scholars of the time,and to which

,here and there

,

are added illustrations ofsome part of the subject 1 . To all

1 The follow ing i s the introduction to the matter contained in the port ion of the Prose , or Snorri ’s , Edda, which i s entitled Gylfaginning,

’or

D elusion of Gy lfiKing Gylfi (see p . 34 , note 6) was a w ise man and ofgreat know ledge.

He wondered much that the JE sir folk w ere so w i se that everything went asthey w illed . He considered whether it might proceed from their nature,or b e caused by the divine pow ers whom they w orshiped . He undertooka journey to Asgard , and travelled in disgui se, having assumed the likenes s of an aged man ; and was thus concealed. But the fE sir were toow i se in pos ses sing fore -know ledge , and knew ofhis journey ere he came,and received him w ith illusions . SO when he came into the city he p er

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY . 1 33

this are appended fragments of di vers sort s of mythiclearning, intended for the use of later skalds

,as an illus

tration of,and guide to, the use of poetic expressions .

Hence it will b e manifest that the old er of these colleetions is the most important, though to the understanding,arranging and completing of it, considerable help i s foundin the younger

,and the interpretation of the one i s not

practicable without constantly comparing it with the other .Where the myths in the Elder Edda are at all detailedand complete

,they are full of poetry and spirit, but they

ceived a hall so lofty that he could hardly see over it. Its roof wascovered w ith gilded shields , l ike a shingle roof.

Gylfi’

saw a man at the hall gates playing w ith small swords , ofwhichhe had seven at a t ime in the air. This man inquired his name. H i sname, he said , was Gangleri, that he had come a tedious way , and re

quested a night ’s lodging . He then asked to whom the hall belonged.The man answered that it was their king ’s : but I w ill attend you to see

him , you can then yourself ask him his name.

’Thereupon the man turned

into the hall fol low ed by Gangleri, and instantly the gate was closed attheir heel s . He there saw many apartment s and many people ; some at

games , some drink ing, some fighting w ith w eapons . He then lookedabout , and saw many things that seemed to him incredib le : whereuponhe said to himself,

Every gate , for’tis hard to know

ere thou goest forward , where foes sitshalt thou inspect ; in the dwelling.

(Havamal, S tr.Here he saw three thrones , one above another, and a man sitting on

each . He then asked what the name of each Chieftain might b e. H i sconductor answ ered, that he ,

who sat on the low est throne w as a kingand named Har (H igh ) that the next was named Jafnhar (Equally high) ;and that the highest of all was cal led Thrithi (Third) . Har then askedthe comer what further busines s he had ; adding, that he was entitled tomeat and drink , like all in Hava-hall . He answered , that he w ould firstinquire whether any sagacious man w ere there ? Har told him that hewould not come offwho le , unles s he proved himself the w iser :

but stand forthwhile thou mak’

st inquiry’ti s for him to sit who answ ers .

Gangleri then began his speech.

”The questions and answers that follow

constitute what i s called Snorri ’s , or the Prose, or the Younger Edda.


often consist in dark allusions only,a defect which the

Younger cannot supply,for here we too often meet with

trivial and almost puerile matter,such as w e may imagine

the old religious lore to have become,when moulded into

the later popular belief. It follows,therefore

,that several

myths 11 0W appear as poor,insipid fictions

,which

,in their

original state,were probably beautiful both in form and

substance . In both Eddas,the language is often ob scure,

and the conception deficient in clearness it appears,moreover

,that several myths are lost 1

,so that a complete

exposition of the Northern Mythology is no longer to b eobtained .

All illustration of Northern mythology must proceedfrom the Eddas

,and the most faithful i s, without doubt,

that which illustrates them from each other . It may inthe meanwhile b e asked

,whether their matter has its ori

ginal home in the North,or i s of foreign growth ? For

myths may either have originated among the Northernpeople themselves

,and gradually in course of time have

developed themselves among their descendants as a production of the intellectual and political life of the peopleor they may have found entrance from without, have beenforced on the people of the North at the conquest of theircountries

,and with the suppression Oftheir own ideas or

,

lastly,they may consist of a compound of native and

foreign matter . This question has been the subj ect of

strict and comprehensive investigation . To the faith of

the ancient Finnish race i s with great probability referred

1 Instances of lost myths are , How Idun embraced her brother ’ smurderer,” Loka-glep sa, Str. 1 7 ; Odin’s sojourn in Samso ,” io. S tr. 24How Loki begat a son w ith Ty s w ife ,

”ib . S tr. 4 0 ; Myth s concerning

Heimdall ’s head, and his contest w ith Loki for the Brisinga-men,Skald

skap . 8 (see p . 29) a myth concerning the giant Vagnhtifd i, Saxo, edit .Stephanii, p . 9 ; edit . Muller, pp . 34 , and OfJOtnaheiti, in SuorraE dda, p . 21 1 ofthe giant Thrivald i slain by Thor

, and other ofhis feat s ,Skald skap . 4 , and HarbarOs . S tr. 29, 3 5 , 3 7 , etc.

1 36 N ORTH E RN MYTHOLOGY .

ice-bergs and rocks and. the ever active course of life,in

which men were there engaged,tran sformed the sluggish

,

half- slumbering gods of the East,absorbed in contempla

tion,into beings that rode on the wings of the storm

,

and,in the raging battle

,gathered men to them

,to re

ward them in another world w ith combats and death,from

which they rose again to life,and with the aliments known

to the natives of the North as the most nutritive, and bywhich they were strengthened to begin the combat anew 1 .

Every closer consideration of Northern life,of the people’ s

constant warfare with nature and with foe s,renders it

easily conceivable, that Odin, however Buddhistic he mayoriginally have been,

must under a Northern sky b e transformed into a Valfather” that the Northern man

,to whom

death was an every- d ay matter, must have a Valhall,and

that the idea of a state of happiness without battle,of

quiet without disquiet, must be for ever excluded . Afterall

,in explaining the Eddas, it does not seem necessary to

resort to other mythologies,though a comparison with

them is always valuable, and highly interesting, when itshows an analogy between them and the myths of theNorth .

To arrive at a satisfactory explanation of the Northernmyths

,it is necessary to commence with the signification

of the mythic names . Verbal illustration must precedeevery other ; when that fails, the rest i s almost always d efective . The names of the gods are

,as Grimm observes

,

in themselves significant, bearing an allusion to their nature3 But in this investigation

,difficulties sometimes

arise,as it i s generally the Oldest words of a language

,

that form the ground-work,and all etymology is

,more

over,exposed to much caprice . The illustration of myths

will also be greatly prej udiced,if we yield to a blind guess

1 Page 19.2 Page 1 5 .

3 Deut sche Mythologie, p . 20 1 , l st edit .


among forms of like sound . Every verbal illustrationmust

,therefore, be conformable to the laws of transition

between the Northern and its kindred tongues a rule,by

the way, easier to give than to follow .

To explain a myth is to show what can have given oc

casion to the image on which it hinges,and to express

,in

unemblematic language,the thought which serves as a

basis for the image . Here explanation may usually stopfor to follow the figurative picture through all its parts i snot necessary

,that being a process which will naturally be

undertaken by every poetic mind,and the obj ect of expla

nation is not to excite the fancy,but to lead it to the

point whence it may begin its flight . In the myth of

Frey and Gerd’ s love,for instance

,the thought forms the

basis,that the god of fecundity longs to spread his bless

ing over the barren earth,and to wake in the seed it s

slumbering efficacy . To show this is to explain the myth .

But this thought is expre ssed by a picture of all the d e

sires and sufferings oflove,of the b lessing of fruitfulnes s

,

as the effect of love in the youthful heart whereby themyth becomes a beautiful poem . To develop this poeticbeauty is not the object of illustration it can escape noone who has a feeling for poetry . And to follow all the

possible resemblances between the effect of fruitfulness inthe earth, and the effect of love in the heart

,would b e as

uninteresting as tasteless .


SECTION III .

EVE RY illustration of the Eddas has something ind ividual it d epends on the idea w e have formed to ourselvesof Antiquity . That which I shall here attempt has notfor obj ect either to disparage any foregoing one

,or to

render it superfluous . Availing myself of the labours ofmy predecessors

,I shall endeavour to represent the prin

cipal Northern myths in their most natural connection,

and thereby furnish my readers with a view of Northernmythology

,by which the mental culture and life of the

people may the more easily b e conceived .

CRE AT ION .-Bef0 1’e heaven and earth

,gods and men

existed,there were cold and heat

,mist and flame, which

are represented as two worlds,Niflheim and l‘s/Iuspellheim

1.

Over the hovering mist and the world offire no rulers arenamed

,Surt being only the guardian of the latter . B e

tween both worlds there was nothing except Ginnunga

gap1,a bound less abyss, empty space ; but by the contact

of ice and heat,there w as formed

,through the power of

the Almighty,the first

,unorganic foundation of heaven

and earth -matter . This was called Ymir2,and i s repre

sented under the form of a huge giant . Oflfsp ring came

forth from under his arm,and his feet procreated with

each other ; for the unorganized mass was increased bylife not inward but from without . He was nourished bythe dripping rime from the constant melting of the ice

,

represented under the figure of a cow 3,the symbol of

nourishment and preservation or,in other words

,matter

constantly added to itself,and spread itself into a mon

strous unorganic race,the Frost- giants

,or the vast groups

of snow-mountains and ice -bergs .ILLUSTRAT I ON .

— Before the world itself,in the begin

1 Page 3.2 Page 3 .

3 Page 4 .


would have been used ‘. It is not he who causes the hotand cold worlds to come in contact and operate on eachother

,whereby the world’ s foundation came into being : it

i s a higher being,the Ineffable

,the Almighty

,without

whose will the worlds of mist and oflight would have re

mained for ever,each within its bounds . But He willed

,

H is power manifested itself,and creation began . Between

both worlds w as Ginnunga-

gap (the abyss of abysses) ,from ginn

,denoting something great

,widely extended

,

whence is formed ginmingr, a w ide exp ans e, here used inthe genitive plural . This appellation

,as well as Elivfigar,

was by the geographers applied to the Frozen ocean, oneofthe many proofs that mythic names have obtained an

historic application .

Ymir (from Omr, y mr, at ymja) signifies the noisy , whis t

ling , blustering ; it is the primeval chaos . In Aurgelmir

(Orgelmir) , his other name2,aur signifies matter

,the old

est material substance, al so mud , clay . This grew and he

came consistent,strong

,firm in other words

,he brought

forth Thrudgelmir, who increased in size till he became a

perfect mountain,B ergelmir

3. Auphumla

2(derived from

au’Or

,d esert

,Ger . tide

,and hum

,d arkness

,dusk

,wi th the

derivative termination la) shows that the matter increasedby the streams that ran through the desert darkness . Thecow is found in almost all cosmogonies . Hrimburs

2(from

b rim,

rime,rime frost, and burs, puss, giant) signifies

plainly enough the ice -bergs,and their senseless being .

The Universal Father (AlfO’Or) was among the Frost

giants 4 . That is,the creative power began to operate in

the unorganic,elementary mass . The cow

,or nourishing

power,licked the salt stones

,and thereby produced an

internal motion,so that life sprang up . It began w ith

1 See p . 3 ; also the pas sage in Gylf. p . 6 , where Surt is already men

tioned by name.2 Page 3 .

3 I t should therefore be written Berggelmir. 4 Page 4 .


the hair,the first growing plant then the head, the abode,

ofthought, came forth and lastly,the entire human crea

ture . Vegetable,intellectual

,and. animal life came into

activity,the strictly so- called creation began, the first in

telligent being existed . It had power through it s internalvirtue

,it increased itselfOfit self : Buri, the bringerforth,

produced BOr,the broughtforth. BOr married B estla

,or

B elsta 1,a daughter of the giant BOlthorn ; the higher

mental power began to operate in the better part of themiserable material, which was thereby ennobled, and thecreative powers

,the fEsir

,came forth : they were good

gods,opposed to monsters

,to the wicked giants . The

ZE sir are represented as three brothers,that is

,three di

rections ofthe same agency,Odin

,Vili

,and Ve

,or M ind

,

Will,and Holiness . These sons ofBOr slew Ymir or Chaos

,

and formed of him heaven and earth 1 . But a part of thematerial escaped from their qui ckening power, the highestmountain peaks remained untouched by the inundationproduced ; the sea gradually sub sided

,and around the

inhabited earth high ice-bergs were formed,the family of

B ergelmir . From the world of light came the brightheavenly bodies, but they wandered about without objector aim . The gods placed them in order and. fixed theircourse : night and d ay, winter and summer, took each itsturn ; days and years might b e reckoned . The mostcentral part ofthe earth

,or M idgard

,was appointed for

the future human race ; the E sir fixed their abode in Asgard

,the highest part of the world. This was the first

period of creation : they rested .

ILLU STRAT I ON .- The word salt

,Lat . sal

,salum

,Gr.

o' dkoe, tith e, is referred to the Sanskrit zal, to p ut oneselfin motion (Lat . salire) . It is the expression for the moving,animating

,recreative power. Buri denotes theforth-bring

ing, origin, source : it is referred to the Sansk . b’ii,to be

,

1 Page 4 .


also to consider,think

,with many derivatives . Borr

,.Burr

,

or Bors,is the brought forth, born, Sansk . b ’aras

,Goth .

baurs,Lat . por

,puer. It al so forms an adj ective bor - inn

,

born,from bera

,to bear

,bring forth, from the past tense

ofwhich,b ar

,i s derived barn

,a child

,A . S . bearn

,S cot .

bairn : burr also (A . S . byre) i s used by the skalds forson. By B olthorn (from trouble

,evil

,bale

,and Porn,

thorn) is expressed the b ad quality of matter, as opposedto the gods . Of B estla

,or B elsta

,the etymon is a ncer

tain,as i s al so the signification of the myth . The names

Odin,Vili

,and V e will b e noticed hereafter . The general

denomination of these gods is As,pl . ZE sir ; Goth . ans

,

A . S . 6s,pl . és (analogously with Ger . Gan s

,A . S . gOs,

ges, goose, geese) . Jornand es call s them Anses . The rooti s the Sansk . as

,to be

,ex ist

,and is the same as the Latin

termination en s1. The boat in which B ergelmir escaped

is called lii ’Or,signifying a lute

,d rum

,also a sort of sack

or case used in the ancient mills ; its meann here can

not,however

,b e doubtful

,as it evidently corresponds to

Noah ’s ark : its radi cal signification may lie in it s hollowed- out form .

With the creation ofthe gods this world begins . Therewas a state before it

,and a state will follow it . In the

state before it the raw elements existed,but it was a rough

,

unformed life : mind was yet lacking in the giant’ s body .

With Odin and the fE sir the intellectual life began to

operate on the raw masses,and the world in its present

state came into existence .

Day and night were Opposed to each other light came

1 The ZE sir are the creators , sustainers and regulators ofthe world , thespirits Ofthought and l ife that pervade and animate all dead nature , andseek to subject it to the spiritual w ill. They assemble daily to hold council on the w orld’s destinies . The human form and manner of being are

ascribed to them , but in a higher and nobler manner ; they hear and see

more acutely , they go from place to place w ith inconceivable speed. Petersen, Nor. Myth . p . 1 1 6.


Glen,the husband of the sun

,i s the Kymric word for

sun. Her horses are Arvakr,the vigilant, and Alsvith, the

all burning, all-rap id . The sun i s feminine and the moon

masculine,because d ay is mild and. friendly

,night raw

and stern ; while' in the south

,d ay i s burning and night

the most pleasant . The father ofWinter,Vind sval

,d e

notes w indy , cold . The father of Summer is Svasud , ormild

,soft. Hraesvelg, the name of the north wind, rep re

sented as an eagle,signifies corp se-d evourer 1 .

DWARFS AND M E N .—The gods assembled on Ida’ s

plain 2,etc . The maidens from JOtunheim,

were,with

out doubt,the maidens offate or destiny

,who craved the

creation of the beings that should b e subj ected to them .

Now,therefore

,follows the creation of dwarfs and men .

The subordinate powers of nature were generated in theearth men were created from trees . This is the gradualdevelopment Oforganic life . The nature of the three godswho were active in the creation of man is particularlymarked by their respective donations to the trees, thati s,to organic nature in its first development, whereby man

i s di stinguished from the vegetables .

Bering a bushe ofthornis on his bake,Whiche for his theft might clime no ner the heven.

In Ritson’

s Ancient Songs (ed . 1 790, p . 35 ) there i s one on the Men

in the Mone.

’

Shakspeare also ment ions him and his bushStep h . I was the man in the moon, when time was .Cal. I have seen thee in her, and I d o adore thee ;

My mistres s showed me thee, and thy d og and thy bush .

Again Temp es t, i i. 2.

Quince. One must come in w ith a bush ofthorns and a lantern,

and say , he comes to d isfigure, or to present , the person ofmoonshine.

M id s . N ight’

s Dream,i . 3 .

For Oriental and other tradit ions connected w ith the man in the moon,see G rimm ,

D . M . p . 6 7 9.

1 Grimm call s attention to the apparent connection between the Lat .aquilo and aguila , the Gr. (i i/ eg os and d er bs, from the root aim, c

’

inp i , etc .

2 Pages 9, 10 .3 Page 1 0 .


ILLUSTRAT I ON —Iliavollr,or Ida’ s plain (whether d e

rived from i’d,action

,or from the dwarf’ s name

,I’Oi

, gold ,

and signifying either the p lain ofaction, or ofgold ) denotesa heavenly

,bright abode . The occupations of the Hi sir

are an imitation of those of men . To forge metals wasone of the most honourable employments of a freeman ;equally so was the game of tables . To play at tablessignifies simply to lead a life of enj oyment and happiness .Hence

,on the other hand

,the son says to his mother,

Groa,

“ Thou didst set an odious play-board before me,

then who didst embrace my father ; that i s,

“ thou didstprepare for me an unhappy With respect to thethree maidens from JOtunheim

,opinions have been much

divided . The most natural interpretation seems to me,

that they were the three Norns, the goddesses of fate .

When these came,the attention of the gods became di

rected to that which should yet come to pass,and their

hitherto useless energies acquired a definite obj ect . The

Norn s,who had been reared among the giants, must also

come before the beings were created who, during the wholecourse of their existence

,were to b e subjected to them .

It is,moreover

,said that mankind lay like senseless trees,

without fate and destiny (orlOgslausir) , but that they now

got fate (OrlOg) . Askr is the ash tree what tree i s meantby embla i s doubtful .The Northern Mythology

,like almost every other

, p re

sents us with three equally powerful gods . In the Gylfaginning they are called Hei r

,the H igh ; Jafnhar, the

E qually H igh ; and Pri’d i

,the Third . The first and last

of these are also surnames of Odin ; it might otherwiseseem probable

,that here

,where they are opposed to King

Gylfi, and the scene lies in Sweden, the three chief godsworshiped at Upsala

,Odin

,Thor

,and Frey

,were in

tended . At the creation of the world, the three active1 GrOu-

gald r, S tr. 3 .


deities are Odin,Vili

,and Ve

,who are brothers ; at the

creation of mankind,they are Odin

,Hmnir

,and Lodur

,

who are not brothers . These beings,therefore

,denote

several kinds of the divine agency,but are not the same .

Odin’ s name shall b e further considered hereafter ; herew e will merely observe that it bears allusion to mind or

thought,and breathing ; it is the quickening, creating

power . Vili,or Vilir 1

,i s the O ld Norsk expression for

w ill,which

,if referred to the Sansk . vél

,or véll

,Gr . elh éw

,

Lat . volo,velle (volvo) , would denote the power that sets

matter in motion . Among the dwarfs also the name of

Vi li occurs . V e signifies in the O . Nor . tongue,a p lace

ofassembly , with the idea of holiness and peace, and i s theroot ofat vigja

,to consecrate (Goth . veihs

,Ohg . wih

,sacred ;

Goth . vaihts,a thing, the created

,consecrated ; O . Nor .

vaettr, thing, opp . to Ovaettr, a monster ) . It expresses

therefore consecration, that is, sep aration from the evil,

hurtful or d isturbing . Hence,at the creation of the world

,

V e operates so far as the divine power obstruct s the 0 p

posing evil matter,that would not yield to Thought and

Will . Thus explained,Odin

,Vili and V e accurately cor

respond to the Indian trin ity, Trimurti, and the threechief Indian gods

,Brahma

,Vishnu

,and S iva

,the creating

,

preserving,and judging powers, or omn ipotence, goodness,

and justice . As Frigg is said to be married to Odin,Vili

,

and V e g,so is the primeval mother ofthe Indi ans

,Para

s iakti,represented as the w ife of the three first- created

gods . Accord ing to Finn Magnusen,Vili is light, and

Ve fire, whereby it is,at the same time

,assumed that

Vili is the same w ith Hoenir,and Ve with Lodur . At the

creation of man,Odin gave ond

,Haanir 65

,Lodur la’. and

litu gobu . Ond signifies sp irit or breath, the intellectualor physical life ; 66 1: signifies sense

,mind ; Ond and 65 1:

are to each other as anima and mens (65 1: from vaha

,end ere

1 Ynglingas. cc . 3 , 5 .

2 Page 32, and note.


the gradual transition through Dwarfs (stones) , Swartelves (metal s) , Dark - elves (earth and mould) , Light - elves

(plants) . Between the £Esir and the Elves are the Vanir .

Their creation is nowhere spoken of they are the powersof the sea and air ; as active beings they appear only intheir relation to the [Esir and Elves

,that is

,to heaven and

earth . They made war against and concluded peace withthe fEsir, and one of them

,Frey

,obtained the sovereignty

over the Light-elves 1 The Vanir rule in the sea and air,

encircling the whole earth in a higher and remoter sphere .

The Light - elves rule in the rivers and air,surrounding

the inhabited earth in a lower and more contracted sphere .

ILLUSTRAT I ON .—Besides the before -mentioned appella

tion of purs (Goth . baursus, d ry baursjan, to thirst) , thegiants are al so called j otunn

, p l. jOtnar (A . S . coten,Lat .

ed o,edonis) , from at eta

,to eat

,thus signifying the vora

cions, greedy

2. These beings use stones and fragments

ofrock as weapons, and,within the mountains

,iron bars

also . Among the common people the belief is still lively,how mountain s

,i slands

,etc . have arisen through their

wanderings,how they hurled vast stones and rocks

,and

how they fled before the husbandmen . The giants dwell inlarge caverns

,in rocks and mountains

,and are intelligent

and wise, for all nature has proceeded from them ; voracions

,large

,powerful

,proud

,insolent 3 : were it not for

1 Page 25 .

2 IOmesan mmg meahtlicor and efan eten caldam byrre (pyrse) , I canfeas t and also ea t more hear tily than an old g iant. Cod . Exon. p . 425 ,

1. 26- 29.

3 They are represented as having many hands and head s : Stacrkod d erhad six arms in Skirnis -fOr a three-headed Thurs is mentioned. Of theirrelative magnitude to man an idea may b e formed from the follow ing .

At the entrance of the B lack forest , on the HnnenkOpp e , there dw el t agiantess (h iinin) w ith her daughter . The latter having found a husbandman in the act ofploughing , put him and his plough and his oxen into herapron, and carried the little fel low w ith his k ittens to her mother , whoangrily bade her take them back to the place whence she had taken them ,


Thor,they would get the mastery, but he stands between

them and heaven,and strikes them d own when they ap

proach too near . Like nature,which is still or agitated

,

the giant at rest i s blunt and good-humoured but whenexcited

,savage and deceitful . This latter state i s called

jOtun -méifir (giant-mood) in contradistinction to as-mo’Or

(As-mood) . The giantesses are sometimes described as

large,ugly

,and misshapen

,like the giants ; sometimes as

exceedingly beautiful,exciting desire among the gods

,who

long to unite with them in marriage . Such a one wasGerd 1 . Of these the gygr (p l. gygjur) is represented as

inhabiting mountain - caves,

and guarding the descentthrough them to the nether world . Thus it is related

,

that Brynhild,after her death

,when on the way to Hel,

came to a giantess,who thus addressed her : Thou shalt

not pass through my courts upheld by stone ? Such a

giantess was Saxo’ s Harthgrep as(O . Nor. Har

’Ogreip ) .

Thor also came to the giantess Grid, the mother of Vidar,on his way to GeirrOd , or the Iron

-king 4 . Vidar,as we

shall see hereafter, ruled in a wood above ground,the

giantess dwelt at the entrance Ofthe cavern,GeirrOd in its

depth . It will now appear what is meant by the class ofgiantesses called Jarnvi

’éijur (sing . Jarnvihja) . These

dwelt in the Jarnvi’Or (Iron wood) , where Fenrir’s Offspring

were brought forth, the wolves that will swallow the sun

and moon 5,and cause calamity above

,as the wolf Fenrir

in the deep . Jarnsaxa,one of Heimdall’ s mothers, was of

this number 6. The lord of this impenetrable forest w as

Vidar . In all this dead inert nature seems to b e depicted,

adding , They belong to a race that can infl ict great injury to the giant s .See Grimm ,

D . M .,p . 5 06 , where other examples are given see also the

story ofThor ’ s journey to JOtunheim.

1 Page 46 .

2 HelreitSBrynhild ar. Str. 1 .

3 Page 36, ed . Muller, Skald skap . p . 210.

4 Skald skap . p . 1 13 .

5 Page 7 .

6 Page 28 .

1 5 0 NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY .

but at the same time,how it is subjected to the higher

power of the gods,who

,as soon as they came into exist

ence, began and ever continue to operate on it . And ingeneral

,it must b e remarked

,that the giants are not

merely beings dwelling in Utgard, or on the edge of the

earth,but are all nature

,in Opposition to the gods .

TH E VAN IR .—Their name i s to b e traced in the adjec

tive vanr, emp ty , oanus ; though they rule also in the

water . In all the Gothic and S lavonian tongues a relationship is found between the denominations of wind andwater and weather . That the Vanir ruled over the sea

appears manifestly from N iord ; that they ruled in theair may b e inferred from their seeing Gna riding in the

1

THE E LV E s AND DWARFS are not clearly distinguishedfrom each other . The Light - elves border on the Vanir

,

the Dark or Swart -elves on the dwarfs . According tothe popular belief, the elves (elle - folk) dwell by rivers, inmarshes

,and on hills ; they are a quiet

,peaceful race .

The etymon Of the word dvergr (d urgr) , dwarf, i s unknown

,but their habitation in stones

,down in the earth

,

and their occupation in smith’ s work, remove all doubt asto their nature . They were created from the earth

,or

Ymir’ s bod yQ

. The name Oftheir chief l‘vl é d sognir signifiesthe s trength or sap

- sucker the second,Durin

,the s lum

bering , from dur,s lumber . From Lofar

,the graceful,

comely descend those ofthe race of Dvalin (torp or) . Itwas this family that wandered from their rocky halls

,

where they lay in a torpid state (i d vala) , over the clayfield

,to Jora’ s p lains . If the word JOra b e here taken in

its usual acceptation ofconflict, then by jOru-vellir will b emeant field s ofcontes t

,men

’s habitations but

,at all events

,

the contest shows that the development of nature is hereintended

,from the lifeless stone

,through the fertile earth

,

1 Page 3 5 .2 Page 9.

1 5 2 NORTHERN MYTH OLOGY .

world of the [E sir or gods,heaven ; 3 . Vanaheim

,or

the abode of the Vanir 4 . M idgard or Manheim, the

world of men,the middlemost inhabited part of the earth

5 . Alfheim,or Lio s- alfheim

,inhabited by the elves

6 . Svart- alfheim,inhabited by swart - elves and dwarfs ;

7 . JOtunheim,or Utgard

,inhabited by jOtuns or giants,

the uttermost boundary of the earth 8 . Helheim,inha

b ited by those dead who go to Hel,the world ofspectres

9. Nifiheim,the world of mist

,the furthest north

,and the

nethermost,uninhabited

,older than heaven and earth 1 .

ILLUSTRAT I ON .

— The nine worlds mentioned in the

Alvismal must not b e confounded with the nine over whichthe gods gave dominion to Hel

,which are identical with

the nine worlds below Niflheim,where the Halir or sub

jects of Hel wander about 2 . She acquired the dominionover a portion ofNiflheim

,and that she had nine worlds

to rule over,mean s simply that her realm was boundless .

Some explain the nine worlds thus l . Muspellheim,the

abode ofMuspell’ s sons 2 . Alfheim,of the Light-elves

3 . God heim,of the fE sir ; 4 . Vanaheim

,of the Vanir ;

5 . Vindheim,Ofsouls ; 6 . Manheim

,of men ; 7 . JOtun

heim,of giants ; 8 . Myrkheim,

of dwarfs ; 9. Niflheim,

of spectres . But Vindheim is the same as Vanaheim,and

i s not inhabited by souls,who go either to Valhall or to

Hel. O thers place Alfheim,or Lio s - alfheim

,either

,as

here,after Musp ellheim,

or even above it . This collocation is founded on Gylfaginning 1 7 where, in speaking ofthe heavenly dwellings, after mention made ofGimli

,it i s

said that there is a heaven,And lang, above Gimli, and

above that another,V ihblain (wide-blue)

“and w e b e

lieve that the L ight -elves alone now inhabit those places .”

But the text of Snorri seems to have been here made upby additions at different times ; for the state ofthings therealluded to is evidently what is to take place after Ragna

1 Page 3 .2 Page 5 0 . Vafbrudnism, Str. 43.


rock ; as not until then will either good men inhabitGimli

,or the elves And lang and V iOblain . Not until

after RagnarOck, will men,elves

,and giants, the beings

who till then had dwelt on earth,come to their heavenly

abodes . This is,moreover

,clear from the circumstance,

that not till the conclusion Ofthe chapter above-mentionedof Gylfaginning, is there any mention of the heavens,And lang and V id blain, but previously the abode of theLight- elves in Alfheim is spoken of.

HE AV E N AND EARTH .—Tll e ideas of these are formed

in accordance with their seeming figure . Outermost wasthe ocean

,on which Utgard bordered . In the middle of

the earth was M idgard . Above all Asgard raised it shead, first on earth

,but afterwards

,it would seem

,tran s

ferred to heaven . This scheme is a perfect image of theThing , or popular assembly

,around the king’ s exalted

seat . He was immedi ately encircled by his priests and

officials as Odin by the fE sir . Without them stood the

people or free men ; outermost of all was the circle of

thralls . In like manner the holy offering- tree,with its

three branches and it s sacred spring, whence oracles wereissued

,was tran sferred to heaven . By one OfYggd rasil

’s

roots are the spring and dwelling Ofthe Norns 1,like the

priestesses or Valas on earth . There the will of the fatesis to be learned

,to which even the gods themselves are

subj ected ; by another of its roots is M imir’ s spring 1,

where i s the wisdom of the deep ; by the third root areserpents

,herein also resembling the earthly tree

,by which

serpents were fed . Between the giants and the gods thereis a river named Ifing, which never freezes

Q,that is

,the

atmosphere ; but from the abode of men a bridge leadsup to the latter

,herein again resembling the earthly

temples,built probably on an i sle

,and accessible only over

a sacred bridge . The guardian of the bridge was Heim1 Page 12.

2 Page 1 1 .


dall,who from the river Gioll

,the hori zon

,raised his

Giallar-horn, which is kept under the tree Yggd rasill

But there was another guardian,M im ir

,at the descent

into the nether w orld,at the junction of heaven and sea

,

in the north, as the abode ofnight,and the region where

the inhabitants ofthe North found the country surroundedby the sea . The spring of the Norns is that of superhuman wisdom

,M imir’ s that of sublunary . Odin must

possess both . lVith his one eye, the sun,he saw all that

passed in heaven and on earth ; but the secrets of the

deep he must learn,either by sinking

,as the sun

,into the

sea,or by getting possession ofM imir’ s head

,as the seat

ofsubterranean wisdom .

ILLUSTRAT I ON .— Ifing . The name of this river seems

derived from the verb at ifa,which now signifies to d oubt,

though the primitive idea has probably been to totter,to

movefrom p lace to p lace Ifing will then signify that whichis in constant motion, like the air, which also never freezes .Bifrost i s the rainbow

,from at bifa

,to tremble

,sw ing, and

rost,a measure ofleng th, mile. Yggd rasil has never been

satisfactorily explained ? But at all event s,the sacred tree

ofthe North is,no doubt, identical with the robur Jovis,

’

1 Page 29.

2 The ash Yggdrasil i s an emb lem of all living nature. The name i sOb scure, but may b e explained . Ygg

’

s, i . e . Odin’s , horse, seat , or chariot ,from Ygg, a name ofOd in, and d rasill or d rOsull, from draga, to bear , 8 1

0 .

L iving nature i s regarded as moved and ruled by the divine pow er , whichhas it s seat in it as the soul in the body. The word thus explained is inperfect accordance w ith the Old skaldic notions , and the myth seems apoeti c allegory throughout . The image accords w ith their cosmogony.In the tree’s top sits an eagle, the emblem ofspirit or life ; at its root inHvergelmir lies Nid hogg, the serpent of darknes s and death ; but thesquirrel RatatOsk runs up and d own the trunk , carrying rancorous wordsbetw een the eagle and the serpent i . e . contending pow ers move in nature ,and fal se mal ice steal s w i th its calumny through human life , and disturb sits peace. The fundamental idea seems to b e the great strife that p ervades w orldly life , the strife betw een spirit and matter , good and evil , lifeand death . Keyser , Relig. Forfatn. pp . 24

,

1 5 6 NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY ;

creatures in one worship,

as the earthly Offering- treeassemb led all followers of the same faith under its overshadowing branches .The goddesses of fate are called Norns ‘. The word

Norn does not occur in any kindred dialect . They decidethe fate of the hero

,while they twist or spin the threads

of destiny,and the extent of his dominion

,by fastening

and stretching it from one quarter of the earth to another 2

and herein they resemble the spinning M o'

ipa i or Parcae,only that the Northern picture is more comprehensive .

Their functions are to p oint out, show,and to d etermine ;

they show or make known that which was destined fromthe beginning

,and determine that which shall take place

in time. Of the Fylgiur and Hamingiur, a sort of guardian angels

,that accompany every mortal from the cradle

to the grave,w e have already spoken 3 . Nearly allied to

,

and almost identical with the Norns,are the Valkyriur .

They are also called Valmeyiar (battle-maids) , Skialdmeyiar

(shield-maids) , Hialmmeyiar (helm-maids) , and Oskmeyiar,

from their attendance on Odin,one of whose names is

Oski . They spin and weave like the Norns . In N ial ssaga4 we read that Darrad (DOrru

’Or) looking through a

chasm in a rock,saw women singing and weaving

,with

human heads for weights,entrails for woof and warp

,

swords for bobbins,and arrows for comb . In their appal

ling song they designated themselves Valkyriur, and an

nounced that their w eb was that of the looker-on,Darrad .

At last they tore their work in fragments,mounted their

horses,and six rode southwards

,and six northwards 5

The origin of the name ofM imir is unknown,and the

1 Page 12.2 Helgakv. Hund ingsb . en fyrri, Str. 2—4 .

3 Pages 4 Cap . 1 5 8.5 On this Grimm (p . 397 ) not inaptly ob serves SO at least may b e

understood the w ords vindum vindum vefDarrahar,’ though the whole

story may have its origin in a vefd arraOar (tela jaculi) . Comp . A . S .d arroii , a d ar t.

”The story has been beautifully versified by Gray.


myth concerning him differs in the several sources . Ac

cording to the Ynglinga- saga ‘,he was slain by the Van ir 2

,

but of his fate no traces are to b e found in either Edda .

There was a tree apparently connected with M imir,called

M iOtviiSr,which is usually rendered by M idd le tree

,and

i s considered identical with Yggdrasil but M imir dweltunder Yggd rasil

’s root . In the VOluspa

3,the context

evidently shows that the nether world is spoken of ; hereMiOtvi’Or appears manifestly to signify the tree of knowledge 4 In the obscure FiOlsvinnsmal 5

,M imameihr (M i

mir’ s tree) is spoken of, which spreads i tself round all lands,i s not injured by fire or iron

,but few only know from what

roots it springs ; neither then is this Yggdrasil, whoseroots are known . In the following strophes it appearsthat it went deep down to the nethermost region of earth .

Here mention i s also made ofThrymgiOllG,a gate or lattice,

made by SOlblind i’s (Night’ s) three sons . The meaning

ofall which seems to be,that

,besides the heavenly tree

,

Yggdrasil,there was a tree under the earth

,whose roots

were lost in the abyss,and Whose top spread itself in the

horizon around all lands,on the limit of the upper and

nether worlds ; and it was on this tree that Odin hungfor nine nights

,of whose roots no one had knowledge 7 .

The rivers GiOll and Leipt flow near to men,and thence

to Hel s . GiOll (Ger . Gall Schall) signifies sound ; itprobably means the horizon

,and has reference to the

popular belief of the sun’ s sound,when it goes down 9

,and

when it rises,or when d ay breaks forth . Leip t

—the nameofthe other river signifies lightning ,flash. Both wordsmay then denote the glittering stripe of the horizon .

1 Cap . 4 .2 S tr. 2, 4 7 . 3 S tr. 5 0 .

4 Page 7 9.

5 Str. 6 S tr. 1 0, 1 1 .

7 Runatalsb. Str. 1 .

8 Grimnism. S tr. 28 .

9 The skreik of d ay .

’Hunter

’

s Hallamshire Glossary . Our ‘ breakofd ay .

’See Grimm ’s remarks on the A. S . w ord woma (deeg-woma,

d aegrédmOma) in Andreas und E lene,’ p . xxx. and D . M . pp. 13 1 , 1 32.


M imir is al so called Hod dm imir ‘,which has been rendered

Circle-M imir or Sp here-M imir,as alluding to the c ircle

of the horizon . Awaiting the regeneration ofmankind,

the original matter of the new human race w ill b e p reserved in Hod dmimir

’s holt or woo . This explanation

is confirmed by the SOlarl’6 3

,where it i s said

,in full

horns they drank the pure mead from the ring (circlegod’ s fountain .

” According to a popular belief in Germany

,Denmark and England

,a golden cup , or hidden

treasure lies where the rainbow apparently touches thehorizon . This seems a remnant of the belief in M imir’ sspring

,in which wisdom ’ s golden treasure was con

cealed 4 .

War burst forth in the world when men pierced Gullveig (gold) through with their spears, and burnt her inthe high one

’ s hall 5 . That is,when they hammered and

forged gold,and bestowed on it a certain value

,then the

1 It i s far from certain that Mimir and Hod dmimir are identical .2 Page 8 4 .

3 S tr . 5 6.

4 The name M imir signifies having know ledge, and seems identical w ithA . S . meomer, Lat. memor. The giant s , who are Older than the Ai sir,

saw further into the darknes s of the past . They had w itnessed the creation of the fE sir and of the w orld, and fore saw their destruction. On

both points the fE sir must seek know ledge from them , a thought repeated ly expres sed in the Old mythic poems , but nowhere more clearly thanin the Voluspa, in which a Vala or prophetes s , reared among the giants ,i s represented rising from the deep to unvei l t ime past and future to godsand men. I t i s then thi s w i sdom of the deep that M imir keeps in hi sw ell . The heavenly god Odin himself must fetch it thence, and this takesplace in the night , when the sun, heaven’s eye , i s descended behind thebrink ofthe disk ofearth into the giants ’ w orld . Then Odin explores thesecrets ofthe deep , and his eye i s there pledged for the drink he Obtainsfrom the fount ofknow ledge. But in the brightnes s of dawn, when the

sun again ascends from the giants ’ w orld , then does the guardian of the

fount drink from a golden horn the pure mead that flow s over Odin’ spledge. Heaven and the nether world communicate mutually their w isd om to each other. Through a literal interpretat ion ofthe foregoing my thOdin i s represented as one-eyed . Keyser, Relig . Forfatn. pp . 25 , 26 .

5 Page 14 .

1 60 NORTH ERN MYTH OLOGY.

heim l,and gathers them around him in Valhall . As king

ofmind,he daily visits Saga

,the goddess of history

,in

her abode,SOckquab eck

2and this

,his mental dominion ,

i s further indi cated by his ravens, Hugin and Munin 3

(thought and memory) . Odin is described as a tall,one

eyed old man,with a long beard

,a broad-brimmed hat

,a

wide,blue or variegated

,rough cloak

,with a spear (Gung

nir) in his hand, and the ring D raupnir on his arm . Onhis shoulders sit his two ravens, his two wolves lie at hisfeet

,and Charles’ s wain rolls above his head . He sit s on

a high seat (as he w as represented at Upsala) , whence hesees over the whole world .

The following account of his appearing to King OlafTryggvason i s particularly interesting .

The first evening that King O laf kept Easter at Og-n

vald snaes,there came an old man

,of very shrewd discourse

,

one - eyed,ofsombre look, and with a broad-brimmed hat.

He entered into conversation with the king,who found

great pleasure in talking with him,for he could give

information ofall countries both ancient and modern . The

king asked him about Ogvald , afte1 whom the naze andthe dwelling were called

,and the old man told him about

Ogvald and the cow that he worshiped,seasoning his

narrative with old proverbs . Having thus sat until latein the night

,the bishop reminded the king that it was

t ime to retire to rest . But when O laf was undressed and

had lain down in b ed , the old guest came again and sat

on the footstool,and again conversed long with him ; for

the longer he spoke the longer di d Olaf wish to hear him .

The bishop then again reminded the king that it wastime to sleep . Unwilling as he was

,for he was very loth

to end their conversation, he nevertheless laid his headon the pillow, and the guest departed . Scarcely howeverw as the king awake

,before his first thought w as his guest

,

1 Page 1 1 .

2 Page 34 .3 Page 19.


whom he ordered to b e called,but he was nowhere to be

found . It now was made known that while preparationswere making for the feast

,there came an elderly man

,

whom no one knew,to the cook

,and said they were cook

ing some bad meat,and that it was not fitting to set such

on the king’ s table on so great a festival ; and thereupon gave him two thick

,fat sides of an ox

,which he

cooked with the other meat . The king commanded them toburn the whole together

,to cast the ashes into the sea

,and

prepare some other food ; for it was now manifest to himthat the guest w as the false Odin

,in whom the heathens

had so long believed,and whose tricks he now saw l .”

ILLUSTRAT I ON .— Tlle name Odin (OOinn,

Ohg . Wu

otan) has been satisfactorily interpreted . It is derivedfrom vatSa

,to go, Lat . vad ere

,pret . 66

,or strictly, VOO ;

whence the double participle Ohinn and (Stir,the imp etuous

d isp osition or mind . Hence it denotes the all-p ervad ing ,

sp iritual godhead . In accordance with this interpretationare the words of Adam of Bremen : “ VVOd an

,id est

,

fortior ” (furor In the Grisons,Wut signifies idol.

The Wuthend es Heer (Wild Hunt) of the Germans i sascribed to Odin . To the god ofw ar the name i s also

appropriate, as at va’Oa uppa signifie s to attack in battle .

He pervades not only the living,but the dead . N ine

songs of power (fimbul- lio’d ) he learned from B olthorn

,

B estla’s father2 obtained possession ofM imir’ s head3, and

embraced GunnlOd “ ; he is likewise the lord of spectres

(dranga d rottinn)5

. It is also said,that by the aid of cer

tain incantations, sung by the dwarf Thiod reyrir, the fEsiracquired power or strength (afl) , the elves fame

,advance

ment,prosperity (frami) , Hrép tatyr or Odin thought, re

flection (hyggia)6. Odin’ s oldest habitation was V alaskialf

,

1 Saga Olafs Tryggv. quoted by Petersen, N.M ., p . 1 6 1 .

2 Runtalsb. Str. 3 , and page 4 .3 Page 1 5 .

4 Page 42 ,

5 Page 1 5 , note 5 . 6 Runatalsp. Str. 23.


which he built for himself in the beginning oftime ‘. The

signification of this word is extremely doubtful . Grimmis inclined to consider the first part of the compound as

identical with Val in Valhall,Valkyria

,and bearing an

allusion to Odin’ s own name ofV alfa’é ir skialf(which signifies tremor) he regards as expressing the trembling mo

tion ofthe air,like the first syllable of B ifrOstQ . Another

derivation is from the verb at vaela,to build w ith art,

whence comes the participle vair,artificially built, round ,

vaulted 3 . This interpretation is,moreover

,corroborated

by a passage in the Grimnismal“ . Skialfmay also b e ihterpreted bench, seat, shelf. H is throne in V alaskialf wasHlid skialf (from lib

,d oor

,w ind ow

,lid ) and skialf as

above . As god ofwar,Odin’ s abode was in Gladsheim

(the home Of gladness and splendour) . There i s his hallValhall (from valr

,the fallen in battle) , of kindred origin

with the first syllable in Valkyria a chooser (fem .) of the

fallen. Here we meet with the goat Heidrun (from heihr,clear

,serene

,and renna

,to run

, flow ) , that i s, the clear,

heavenly air,whence mead comes, like honey- d ew

,from

Yggd rasil’s top . By the goat may possibly b e typified

the whiteness and abundance of sustenance . The treeLaerad (that which produces lae or calm) signifies the higherregion of the air

,where the w inds d o not rage . Under

the emblem ofE ikthyrnir, the oak- thorned s tag (from eik,

oak,and porn, thorn) , are represented the branches of the

tree,that proj ect like the antlers Ofa stag . From its horn

flow many rivers,which are enumerated in the Grimnis

mal,of which some flow near the gods

,others near men

,

and thence to Hel. Of those that flow near the gods,

some are designated the d eep ,the w id e

,the striving, the

2 D . M . p . 7 7 8 , note.3 See Hymiskv. S tr . 30 .

V alaskialfheitir, Valask1 alfit i s called ,er veelti sér which for himselfconstructedA s s i ardaga. Odin in days ofyore.


whereby it is meant merely to express his great speed,as

Odin ’ s horse is mentioned el sewhere as four -footed . Likehis shield

,Odin’ s horse was white

,in allusion probably to

the clearness of heaven . In the myth of Sleipnir’ s birth,

Svad ilfOri i s the winter’ s cold (according at least to FinnMagnusen) , from sva

’O,a heap ofmelting snow

,therefore

that which brings sleet and snow - storms and the simplestinterpretation of a part of the myth is

,perhaps

,the follow

ing . Loki (fire, heat) , who was probably desirous of resting a while

,persuaded the ZE sir to allow the stranger ar

chitect inter) to rai se a fortress of ice, which he beganwith his assistant

,the horse Svad ilfOri

,that is

,the intense

cold . But while he was still engaged on the work,the

gods saw that the beauty of life,Freyia, would b e lost to

them,and the sun and moon hidden in the foul giant’ s

eternal fog .

1Whereupon they caused Loki to connecthimself with Svad ilfOri, from which un ion w as born the

gray colt,S leipnir (the wind) , which demolished the ice

mansion,and soon increased in growth

,so that the god of

the year (Odin) could mount hi s steed, the cooling windofsummer 1 . That the wind is betokened is apparent fromthe popular belief in M eklenburg, that on Wednesday

(VVod en’s d ay ) no flax i s weeded, that “

roden ’ s horse may

not trample on the seed ; nor may any flax remain on the

distaffduring the twelve days of Christmas,lest VVod en’

s

horse ride through and tangle it,and that in Skania and

Bleking, after the harvest, a gift w as left on the field forOdin ’ s horseQ It was also on this horse that Odin con

1 See a similar tradition from Courland , of the giant Kinte, and hi sw hite mare , Frost , in G rimm , p . 5 1 6 .

2 G rimm , p . 1 40 . In Low er Saxony al so i t i s customary to leave a

bunch of grain on the field for Woden’ s horse. In the I sle ofMOen a

sheaf ofoats w as left for his horse , that h e might not by night trample onthe seed. Woden occasionally rides al so in a chariot . Petersen, N . M .

p . 1 7 3 . G rimm , p . 1 38 .

In O land , HOgrum parish , there he great stones cal led Odin’s fiisor(Od ini lamellae) , concerning which the story goes , that Odin being about


veyed Hading across the sea,wrapping him in his man

tle, so that he could see nothing 1 . It is on the same

white horse that he rides as the Wild Huntsman ? Inthe later sagas (as in that of HrOlfr Kraki) , we alreadyfind it believed of Odin

,that he was an evil and p erfidious

being, who mingled in the tumult of battle,and caused

the fall Ofwarriors . In the middle age, this belief became

more and more prevalent . To the singular method,by

which, according to Saxo,one might p raesentem co

gnoscereMartem 3,

”a corresponding tradition exists even in

the heart ofGermany . lVe are told,that as some people

to feed his horse, took the b it from his mouth , and laid it on a huge blockofstone, which by the w eight ofthe b it w as Split into two part s , that w ereafterwards set up as a memorial . According to another version of the

story , Od in, when about to fight w ith an enemy, being at a los s where tot ie his horse, ran to thi s stone, drove his sw ord through it , and tied hi shorse through the hole. The horse , however , broke loose, the stone sprangasunder and rolled aw ay , making a sw amp called HOgrumstr

‘

ask, so deepthat although several poles have been bound together, they have not sufficed to fathom it . Geijer

’

s Schw . Geseh . i . 1 1 0 . Abr. Ahlqui st, Olands

H i storia, i . 3 7 ; i i . 21 2, quoted by Grimm , D . M . p . 1 4 1 .

A small water-fow l (tringa minima, inqui eta, lacustri s et natans) i s tothe Danes and I celanders known by the name of OOinshani, Odin’s fugl.In an O ld H igh-German glos s mention occurs of an Utinswaluwe (Odin’sswallow ) . Ih . p . 1 4 5 .

l Saxo, p . 40 .

2 Grimm, D . M . p . 880 .

3 Saxo ,p . 1 06 ; G rimm , p . 891 . B iarco being unable to perceive Od in

on his white horse, giving aid in a battle to the Sw edes , says to RutaEt nunc ille ub i sit , qui vulgo d icitur Oth inArmip otens , uno semper contentus ocello 3

D ie mihi , Ruta, p recor, usquam s i consp icis illumTo which she answers

Adde oculum propia s , et nostras prospice chelas ,Ante sacraturus victrici lumina signo ,

S i vi s praesentem tuto cogno scere Martem.

Whereupon B iarco replies

Quantumcunque albo clyp eo si t tectus et altum (1. album )Flectat equum, Lethra nequaquam sosp es ab ib it ;

Fas est b elligerum bello prosternere d ivum.

Petersen, N . M .,cites Orvar Odd’ s Saga (c. 29) for a s imilar instance.


were one d ay walking on the Odenberg,they heard a

beating of drum s,but saw nothing ; whereupon a wise

man bade them,one after another

,look through the ring

which he formed by setting his arm a-kimbo . They di dso

,and immediately perceived a multitude of warriors en e

gaged in military exercises,going into and coming out of

the Od enb ergl

. Many authors have identified the Odinof the North with the Indi an Budha f their originalidentity there can hardly ex ist a doubt

,though the myths

relating to each have naturally taken widely different directions . What I have seen hitherto in opposition to thisopinion seems to me to favour

,if not confirm it . S chlegel

repudiates it because Budha signifies the l/Vise,and i s an

adj ectival form from bud ’,to think but Ohinn i s a simi

lar form from va’Oa

,so that the verbal identity can hard ly

b e greater ; the form ingenium,aninza sensitiva

,agree

ing with OOinn,shows also that the signification of both

words is one and the same .

The other gods also,as princes

,had their horses

,though

the authorities d o not state which belonged to each inparticular

,and their names bear a close resemblance to

each other . They may b e rendered the Shining, the Golden,the P recious stone

,the Rays shedd ing on the way, Silver

mane 2,S inew - strong, the Ray , the Pale ofhead , Gold -p lane

Q

and L ight-foot. Gold-mane w as Heimdall’ s

,in allusion

to the radiant colours ofthe rainbow .

“T

ar w as too weighty an affair not to have,besides the

universal ruler Odin,it s appropriate deity . This w as Ty

s,

who,at the same time

,w as god of courage and honour .

He i s a son of Odin, but his mother w as of giant race,

light-browed and radiant with gold ‘1. No one equals him

1 Grimm,p . 891 .

2 GulltOp pr, SilfrintOpp r horses were called , who se manes (toppr, Ger .

zopf) w ere intw ined w ith gold or silver. Grimm , p . 623.

3 Page 28 .4 Page 6 7 .


other form the earth appears as Rind,the hard-frozen

winter earth,with whom Odin begets Vali, the bright,

winter days,with clear

,hard frost

,which passes over to

spring . Frigg’ s rivals are Gerd and GunnlOd : the firstmay b e regarded as the germinating spring earth, whichin seed- time is embraced by Frey ; the latter is the au

tumnal earth,which is embraced by Odin

,and gives him

Suttung’s mead ‘

,at the time when the labours ofsummer

and warfare are over,when the harvest songs resound in

the field,and the shout of warriors in the hall . But

neither of these two are strictly earth’ s divinities . Asmother ofThor

,the thunder

,the earth is called Fio rgyn

(FiOrgvin)Q(Goth . Fairguni

3,mountain) and Hlédyn

“,an .

other name for mountain,which when begrown with grass

,

i s represented as Thor’ s wife,S if 5 .

ILLUSTRAT ION .—The general name of the earth is ior ‘

O.

Frigg or Frygg is related to the Lat . Fruges,the root of

which is found in the participle fructus, Ger . Frucht

,Dan .

Frugt ; it therefore d enotes the fruitful earth . Her dwelling is called Fensalir

,the lower and humid parts of the

earth ; for as the divinity of the fertile earth,she does

not rule over the high,barren mountains . Fulla

,thefull,

abund ant, the luxuriant cornfield,i s opposed to Sif

,the

grass - grown mountain . Hlin or Hlyn (from hly, at b lria,at hlyna, calescere) , the mild , refreshing warmth. The d an

ger from which she protects is cold . That her name d enotes a property of earth

,appears from the circumstance

,

that Frigg herself i s also called Hli11 6 . By Gna, and itsderivative at gnaefa (to b e borne on high) is expressedmotion on high, in the air ; as i s also apparent from the

Pages 4 1 sqq.2 Page 21 .

Grimm , pp . 1 5 6 , 6 10 , and Pref. to l st edit . p . xvi .Page 21 , note 2.See p . 21 for other interpretations ofFi ‘

Orgyn and Hléd yn.

Page 7 9. Vo luspa, S tr. 5 4 .

Ch

en

-h

w

u-a


name of her horse, HOfvarpnir (the hoof- caster) , and thatof it s sire, Hamskerpnir (skin- drier) , or Hattstrykir (hatsweeper) , and of its d am

,(lard réfa 1 (house, or fence

breaker) . The word rindr is still used in Iceland to d enote barren land . It is the Engl . r ind . Rind betokensthe frost-hardened surface ofthe earth . Of her son Vali’ sb irth the Eddas supply no details : it is merely said

,She

gave birth to him i vestur sOlq (in the halls of theWest), for which a various reading has i vetur solum (inthe halls of winter) , which suits remarkably well w ithRind . In Saxo 3 w e find the chief features of a myth

,

which has there assumed an almost historic colouring,but

evidently belongs to our category . It is a description ofOdin’ s love for Rinda, and forms a counterpart to themyths of Odin and GunnlOd 4, Frey and Grerd 5 Rostiophus

6 Phinnicus having foretold to Odin,that by Rinda

,

the daughter of the king of the Rutheni 7 , he would havea son, who should avenge the death of Baldur Odin

,

concealing his face with his hat, enters into that king’ sservice

,and being made general of his army, gains a great

victory ; and shortly after,by his single arm

,puts the

whole army of the enemy to flight with immense slaughter . Relying on his achievements, he solicits a kiss fromRinda

,in place ofwhich he receives a blow

,which does

not,however

,divert him from his pur pose . In the follow

ing y ear, disgui sed in a foreign garb,he again seeks the

king,under the name of Roster the smith

,and receives

from him a considerable quantity of gold,to be wrought

into female ornaments . Of this,besides other things

,he

1 Page. 35 .2 V egtamskv. Str. 1 6 .

3 Pages 1 26 , sq. ed . Muller .4 Page 4 0 .

5 Page 4 6.

5 Hrossbiéfwas one of the Frost-giant Hrimnir’s chil dren ; it i s therefore clear that w ith him it i s the middle ofw inter . Hynd lulj. Str. 3 1 .

7 Th e Russians .


fabricates a bracelet and several rings of exquisite beauty,

which,in the hope of gaining her love

,he presents to

Rinda,but by whom he is repulsed even more ignomi

niously than before . He then comes as a young warrior,

but on demanding a kiss,receives a blow which lays him

flat on his face . On this he touches her with a piece ofbark, on which certain incantations were inscribed, wherebyshe is rendered as one frantic . He then appears in theguise of a woman

,under the name of Vecha, and is ap

pointed to the Offi ce of Rinda’ s w aiting -maid . Availinghimself ofher malady

,he prescribes a potion

,but which

,

on account of her violence,he declares cannot b e admi

nistered,unless she is bound . Deceived by the female

attire ofthe leech,the king orders her to b e bound forth

w ith,when Odin

,taking advantage of her helplessness

,

becomes by her the father of a son,

” whose name i s,not

Vali,but Bo (Bous) , but who, nevertheless

,is identical

with Vali,being the avenger ofBaldur . The signification

ofthe myth is evident enough,particularly when compared

with those allied with it . Rinda is the hard- frozen earth,

that repulses Odin ; the ornaments which he proffers her,

are the glories of spring and summer ; as a warrior,he

represents war to her as the most important occupation of

summer . But by his four appearances are not meant, assome have imagined

,the four seasons

,but merely the

hard w inter and its transition to spring . FiOrgynn occursonce as a masculine

,V iz. as the father ofFrigg

l,but else

where always as a feminine (FiOrgyn) and mother of Thor .HlOd yn, which also denotes the earth as the mother of

Thor,i s r ightly referred to hlé ’é

,hearth which is derived

from at hla‘

Oa,to heap up ,

load 2,pret . bloh . But HlOd yn

does not denote the deity ofthe hearth,who could not in

any way be mother of Thor ; while if w e only enlarge theid ea

,it will be clear that the word signifies a mountain, that

1 Skald skap . 19.

9 Grimm , D . M . p . 235 .


ever at home w ith the fE sir,but visit s the giants

,—the

rocks and mountains,—and it i s only when the gods call

on him,that he is at hand . Sometimes we find him in

conflict with Midgard’s serpent 1,which he strikes to the

bottom of the ocean,or raises in the air ; he hurls the

roaring waves against the cliffs that proj ect from the deep,

and forms Whirlpools in the rocky halls sometimes he i scontending with the giant (mountain) Hrungnir

9,the

crown ofwhose head pierces the clouds,and who threaten s

to storm the heavens . Thor cleave s his jagged summit,

while Thialfi 3,his swift follower

,overcomes the weak clay

hill by the mountain’ s side . He also visit s the metalking

,Geirro d

,

4 passes through the mountain streams intothe clefts

,and split s their stones and ores . In vain will

the giant Thrym5,groaning in his impotence

,imitate the

Thunderer in vain he hopes that the goddess offrui tfulness w ill b e his he gets neither her nor the Thunderer’ smight

,who despises the powerless matter’ s presumptuous

and bootless attempt . The thunderbolt returns to the

hand of the Thunderer . In winter only Thor loses a partofhis resistless might his hammer rests not

,but its force

is deadened with Skrymir on the ice- rocks 6 .

i LLU STRAT I ON .—Thorr

,as Grimm ob serves

,seems con

tracted from Thonar,whence the modern Ger . Donner

,

thund er . H ereto belong also the Latin tonus,tonare

,tonitru .

Thrudheim,or Thrud vang, Where he dwells, is from pru

’ér

,

s trong, strictly, closely p acked together . Bilskirnir is frombil

,an interval (of time or sp ace) , and skir, clear, bright ;

skirnir,that which illumines

, g litters in the a ir . The masses,

like strata, lying one over another,are represented as the

several stories of the dwelling . The rolling thunder isexpressed by Thor’s chariot, rcih (Lat . rheda) ; whencealso the thunder- crash i s called rei

’Oar-hruma (the rattling

1 Page 6 5 .

2 Page 7 0 .

3 From hi alf, severe labour .

4 Page 5 2.

5 Page 5 4 .

6 Pages 5 8 , sq.


of the chariot . The names of the goats,Tanngniost and

Tanngrisnir1,have also a reference to sound ; the first

from gnist, gnash. Thor’ s chariot is drawn by goats,pro

bably because those animals inhabit the highest mountaintops whether they were accounted sacred to Thor, i s unknown . The O ssetes

,in the Caucasus

,a half Christian

race,sacrifice a black goat to Elias

,and hang the skin on

a pole,when any one i s killed by lightning 9 The rapid

course and warmth are expressed in Ving-Thor, or the

Winged Thor,and in his foster- children

,Vingnir and

Hlora 1,male and female ; the latter is akin to hlaer

,

hlyr, warm,lukewarm

,and with at h16a 3

,to glow . From

t a or t ra Thor’ s name of Hlorid i,or Hlorrid i 4

,i s

most readily derived, the latter part of which is formedfrom rei

’O,a char iot

,as Hallinskeid i 5 is from skei

’O. Auku

Thor,or Oku-Thor

,is by the ancient writers referred to

aka,to drive

,though it is probably no other than Thor’ s

Finnish name,Ukko -Taran . The thunderbolt and the

lightning are denoted by the hammerM iOlnir, the crusher,

bruiser,from at mala (mOlva, melia) , to crush. It is also

called prub hamar,signifying

,according to FinnMagnusen,

malleus comp actus . Megingiard ar1,from megin

,s trength,

i s literally the girth, or belt, ofp ower . Thor is also calledVeor (VOr) , and Midgard’ s Voor 6 , the signification of

which is extremely doubtful . As followers of Thor,are

named Thialfi and R6 skva, brother and sister,

conse

quently kindred ideas . R6 skva signifies the quick, active,and her brother, who ran a race with Hugi 7 (thought) , i salso a good runner . Thialfi may not improbably denote therushing thunder- shower

,which will well suit his conflic t

with,and easy conquest of

,the clay-giant Mockurkalfi 8

for it is undoubtedly either the wind that blows him down

2 Grimm , D . M . p . 1 5 9.3 Grimnism. Str. 29.

5 Page 29.

6 v iskv. S tr. 1 1 , 21 .

8 Page 7 1 .

1 7 4i NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY .

or the rain that washes him away . The father of Thialfiand ROskva is in Snorri

’s Edda called a peasant

,but in

Saemund’s Edda 1

,he is designated a hravnbui ’2

(seadweller) , a name well suited to the character just assignedto his son .

The stories of Thor’ s j ourneys are chiefly found inSnorri

’s Edda

,though allus ions to many of them occur in

that of Saemun d . Their my thi c import is unquestionable .

The giant Hymir (from hum or humr,the sea

,Gr . xflua ) 3,

i s manifest ly,both from hi s name and from the matter

ofthe poem,a sea-giant ; he represents the cliffs whi ch

stretch themselves out from the land into the vast uh fathomable deep

,where lies the Midgard ’ s serpent . The

thi nking cup is smashed again st his forehead,viz. the

cliffs’ proj ecting summits 4 . The kett le sign ifies the whirlpool among the rocks . Hrungnir, or Hrugnir (from at

hrtiga, to heap up ) is the mountain formed by stratum uponst ratum,

whose head penetrates the cloud s,and contends

with heaven .

The followi ng popular tradi t ion from the Upper Thellemark is both interesting in itself and w ill serve as a further illustration ofthe story of Thor and Hrungnir .

At the upper end ofthe long Totak water in the UpperThellemark is a very remarkable and imposing as semblageof stones which, seen from the water

,resembles a town

with it s gables and tow ers of its origin the peasants relate the following stmy

1 Hymi skv. Str . 35 , ‘ b ravu-hvala Str . 3 7 hravn also Helgakw .

Had ingask . Str. 25 .

2 Hravn (HrOn) i s the Anglo- Saxon hrc’m, si gnify ing the ocean. In

thi s sense hrOn-rad (the sea- road) i s used in Caedmon (pp . 1 3 , and in

the Legend ofS t . Andrew (Y . 7 4 0 ) hrOn-fixas (sea-fi shes ) , but where it i sw ritten ‘ horn-fixas .

’

So B eowulf, v . 19, ofer hrOn-rade (over the sea

road) .3 Olafsen

’s Nord . Digtek . p . 23 . Njala, Ind ., Skald skap . 6 1 .

4 Page 68 .


path was formed through the stony heap,which to this

d ay bears the name ofThor’ s way1

Hrungnir’s mountain -nature i s also well expressed in

the beginning ofthe narrative the only beings for whomhe entertains a regard

,are the goddess Of beauty herself

,

Freyia- whom the giants constantly desire—and S if

,who

might clothe the mountains’ naked sides with grass . H i sabode is named Griotunagard

9(from griot, stone, and trim,

enclosure,Eng . town) . It lies on the boundary between

heaven and earth . The description of the giant himselfportrays plainly enough a mountain with its summits ;nor does it require illustration that Thor cleaves his skulland the mass ofrock

,which he holds before him as a

shield,with a thunderbolt .

Like his father,Odin

,Thor al so manifested himself to

King Olaf Tryggvason . As the latter was once sailingalong the coast

,a man hailed him from a projecting

cliff,requesting to b e taken on board

,whereupon the

king ordered the ship to steer to the spot and the man

entered . He was of lofty stature, youthful, comely, and

had a red beard . S carcely had he entered the vesselwhen he began to practise all sorts of j okes and tricksupon the crew

,at which they were much amused . They

were,he said

,a set of miserable fellows

,wholly um

worthy to accompany so renowned a king or to sail in sofine a ship . They asked him whether he could relatesomething to them

,old or new He said there were few

questions they could ask him which he could not resolve .

They now conducted him to the king, praising his vastknowledge

,when the latter expressed the wish to hear one

or other old history . I will begin then,

” said the man,

with relating how the land by which we are now sailingwas in old t imes inhabited by giants, but that such a ge

neral destruction befell those people,that they all perished

1 Faye , p . l .2 Page 70.

NORTHE RN MYTH OLOGY . 1 7 7

at once , except two women . Thereupon men from the

east countries began to inhabit the country,but those

giant women so troubled and plagued them that there wasno living there until they thought of calling on this Redbeard to help them whereupon I straightway seized myhammer and slew the two women ; since which time thepeople of the country have continued to call on me for

aid,until thou

,king

,hast so destroyed all my Old friend s

that it were well worthy of revenge . At the same moment,

regarding the king with a bitter smile,he darted over

board with the swiftness of an arrow In this wonderful story we see expressed Thor’ s hostility to the giants

,

and their extirpation through him ; or, in other words,how by his operation he prepares and facilitates the cul

ture of the earth among mankind ‘.

Thor had a daughter named Thrud Q and

Hrungnir is called Thrud’s thief or ab d ucer (pru

’d ar piOfr) ;

also an allusion to a mountain,which attracts the cloud s ;

Thrud,agreeably with what has been alread y said

,being

the dense thunder- cloud . MOckurkalfi (from mOkkr,a

collection of thick mist or cloud s,and kalfr

,the usual ex

pression for any small thing w ith reference to a greater,

as a calf to a cow,though usually applied to a little island

lying close to a larger) is a giant ofclay, not, like Hrung

nir,of stone

,and , therefore, denotes the lower earthy

mountain . Thor’ s son,Modi 3

,signifies the courageous

his other son, Magni 3,the strong, may b e compared w ith

Od in’ s son Vali, whose name has the same signification .

Both perform mighty deeds immediately after their birthwhence it would seem,

as Prof. Finn Magnuson is inclinedto suppose

,that Magni denotes a god of spring . A similar

allusion is contained in the name of Groa, signifying caus ingto, or letting, grow . By the star Orvand il’s toe4 is probably

1 Saga O lafs Tryggvasonar, n . p . 1 82. Pages 22 , 34 .

3 Page 22. Page 7 1 .

1 5

1 7 8 NORTHE RN MYTHOLOGY ;

meant the small and scarcely visible star over the midd lestar in the pole ofthe wain . The frozen toe was

,no doubt

,

the great toe, and i s identical with the Diimeke or HansD iimken (thumbkin) ofthe northern Germans, which is regarded as the driver of the carriage

l. The rest ofthe myth

seems inexplicable . GeirrOd,who also in the Grimnismal?

appears as a giant3,i s lord of the ores in the bowels of

the earth . H is name,as well as that ofGrid the

giantess at the entrance of the mountain“,Jarnsaxa 5 and

the like,have reference to metals, and have afterwards

passed into names of weapons,as gri‘h

,an ax e

s; geir

(A . S . gar) , a d art. GriharvOllr,Grid

’s sta 4

,is also a

metal rod . Thrym7(the drummer, thunderer) from at

]) ruma, to thunder, make a thund ering noise,is a fitting

name for the giant who would rival the thunderer Thor,

and fancied that the goddess offertility and beauty wouldfall to his lot . Skrymir

,or Skrymnir (from skrum

, show ,

brag,feint) designates the crafty, false giant who by hismagic deceives Thor . He i s supposed to d enote winter

,

a symbol ofwhich is,moreover

,his woollen glove 8 . The

myth about Utgard a-Loki is probably a later addition,its

Obj ect being apparently to represent the weakness of the

i E sir - gods,in comparison with the Finnish divinity 9.

Thor’ s wife is S if 10 . Loki (fire) destroyed her lovelylocks, but the dwarfs, sons of Ivald i 1 1, who work in the

e arth, made her a new head of hair,the germinating

,

1 Grimm , D . M . p . 688 .2 Page 1 7 .

3 See Saxo , p . 420, for the account of Thorkill-Ad elfar’s perilous and

marvellous journey to visit the giant Geruth (GeirrOd ) .4 Page 5 3.

5 Page 28 .

5 Egils Saga, p . 443 .

7 Page 5 4 , and note.

3 Page 5 8 . F. Magnuson, Lex . Mythol . pp . 494 , 630 .

9 It may rather , perhaps , b e regarded as a burlesque on the old religion,composed at a period when common sense b egan to Operate among thefol low ers ofthe Odinic faith .

10 Page 34 .1 1 Page 38 .


has well explained to be skates,which in the earliest times

were made of the bones ofhorses or oxenl.

Loki is fire . In the beginning of time he was, as LodurQ,

the mild,beneficent warmth, united with All- father

but afterwards,like a fallen angel

,having descended on

earth,he became crafty

,devastating and evil

,like the d e

solating flame . There he was born in the foliage, and

had the wind for his father 3 . H is brothers are devastation and ruin . At one time he flutters

,like a bird

,up

along a wall,beat s with his wings

,and peeps in at a

window,but his heavy feet cling to the earth 4 some

times he flies,whirled by the storm -wind

,over stock and

stone,floating between heaven and earth 5 but while

,as

LOp t, he i s traversing the free air, he, nevertheless, suffershimself to b e shut up and tamed by hunger 4 the humidgrass can bind his mouth, and yet his heart is not consumed . It became so when he wrought and begat children

1 And so in Iceland , even at the present d ay . The w ords ofSaxo are

Fama est, illum adeo p raestigiarum usu calluisse , ut ad trajiciend a mariao sse , quod d iris carminibus Ob signavisset, navign loco uteretur, nec eo

segnius quam remigio praejecta aquarum ohstacula snp eraret . p. 1 3 1 .

That such was al so the custom in our own country in th e 1 2th century ,appears from a curious pas sage in Fitzstephen

’

s Description ofLondon, of

which the follow ing i s a t ranslation “ When that great pool , whichw ashes the northern w al l of the city i s frozen, numerous bodies ofyoungmen go out to sport on the ice . These gaining an accelerated motion byrunning, w ith their feet placed at a distance from each other, and one sideput forwards , glide along a considerable space. Others make themselvesseats ofice like great millstones , when one sitting is drawn by many running before , holding each other ’s hands . During this rapid motion theysometimes all fal l on their faces . O thers , more skilled in sporting on

the ice fit to their feet and bind under their heel s the bones , i . e. the legbones , ofanimal s , and holding in their hands poles w ith iron points ,whichthey occasionally strike on the ice , are borne aw ay w ith a speed like thatofa bird flying , or an arrow from a how .

”The great pool above alluded

to afterw ards gave place and name to Moor -helds .2 Page 1 0 .

3 Page 30 .

‘1 Page 5 2.

5 Page 43 .


in the bowels of the earth,with giantesses and jarnvid iur,

i . e. the metals and combustible parts ofthe earth . Therehe begat with Angurboda 1 (the announcer of sorrow) , thewolf Fenrir

,M idgard’ s serpent and Hel. The ravenous

wolf, (subterranean fire) would have destroyed the world,

if the powerful gods had not chained it in the mountaincavern ; but even there the foam i ssues from its open jawsas a dense vapour

,and sparkling smoke . The foul

,perni

cions Loki was by the gods thrust down into the earth andconfined in its caverns there he yet works, though men

notice it only when he moves,for then the earth trembles .

The bonds yet hold him,but when they are loosed the

gods will lo se their sway over the world . Then will Lokicome forth with his son Fenrir

,whose under jaw i s on earth

,

while his upper jaw reaches heaven9,and fill s all the air

with flame . The fire confined in the earth will also causecommotion in the sea ; then will the great serpent moveitself in the deep

,threaten the land and raise itself to

heaven . The raging fire will cause death and desolationaround it

,etc . etc.

ILLUSTRAT ION .—The root of the word Loki is found in

many languages,as Sansk . lOc (lOtsj) , to shine ; Lat . luceo,

lux (lucs) Kymr . llug, fire O . Nor . logi,flame, etc. He

is a mixed being, good and evil,but as terrestrial fire

,par

ticularly the latter . He i s the cause of almost all evil,

wherefore some connect his name with the Greek Koxafco,O . Nor. lokka, to entice3 . H is other name

,Lop tr, from lop t,

air,Ger . Luft

,signifies the aerial. In the Voluspa 4 the

1 Page 3 1 .2 Pages 7 9, 8 1 .

3 Asaloki forms a contrast to all the o ther gods . He i s the evil principle in all its varieties . A s sensual ity he runs through the veins ofmen ; innature he i s the pernicious in the air, the fire , the water in the lap ofearthas the volcani c fire , in the ocean’s depth as a fierce serpent, in the netherw orld as the pallid death . Hence he i s not bound to any individual nature like Odin he pervades all nature. Petersen, N . M . p . 3 5 5 .

4 Str. 5 5 .


wolf Fenrir is called Hved rung’s (Hve

’Orungs ) son in like

manner Hel is called Hved rung’s daughter 1

,the signifi

cation ofwhich is extremely doubtful . As the terrestrialfire

,he has Farbauti for his father

,from far

,a ship ,

and

bauta,to beat

,therefore the ship

- beater,

an appropriateperiphrasis for the wind . For his mother he has Laufey(leafy isle) or Nal, needle (i . e . the leaflet ofthe fir 9) for

his brothers,Byleist, from bu

,a habitation

,and lesta

,to

lag waste or from bylr, storm,and aestr

,raging and Hel

blindi 3,which is also one of Odin’s name s . But Loki

does also some good : it is he who has almost always toprocure what i s wanting ; he causes the implements and

ornaments to b e made for the god s,both by the sons of

Ivald i 4,who work in wood

,as well as by those who forge 4 .

It is fire that sets all things in activity . Loki visit s themetal king

,GeirrOd

,who causes him to b e confined and

nearly starved : both types are in themselves sufficientlyclear . Thiassi flies with Loki, who hangs fast by the pole 5 :this i s evidently fire

,which by the storm is borne through

the air . Thiassi has been explained as identical w ithThiarsi

,from biarr, violent, imp etuous . H i s windy nature

i s manifest enough,partly as being the father of Skad i 6,

and partly from appearing in the form of an eagle,like

Hraesvelg7

. It i s the storm in the hollows of the mountains that rushes out

,and bears along with it the burn

ing trunks oftrees through the air . Snorri’

s Edda 8 givestwo brothers to Thiassi

,Id i (Ipi, br ightness, sp lendour) and

Gang (Gangr, the gold (lifiilsed in the innermos t recesses ofthe mountain) . In the story of S indri

,who forges

,and

Brock,who stirs the fire

,and afterwards closes up Loki

’ s

1 Ynglingas. 5 2 .

“

3 Trees w ith acicular leaflets , l ike the fir , cedar , yew and the like, arecalled needle-trees .

3 Page 30 .

6 Page 4 5 .


E itr,as w e have already seen

,was the most intense cold

the serpent,consequently

,is the cold stream that flows

from the mountains into the deep . The name of Loki’ sw ife

,S igyn

,is plainly from at siga (A. S . sigan) , to s ink,

fall, g lid e d own, consequently a w ater - course. It i s saidthat Loki lies under Hvera-lund l (the wood or forest of

hot- springs) , and that his wife,S igyn

,sits “

not rightglad with him 9

. Sigyn denotes the warm subterraneansprings

,which receive the cold stream that comes from

Skad i l ; but when the warm springs,swollen w ith the

mountain - streams,rush violently down upon the fire, then

the earth trembles . In Saxo 3 we find traces of this myth,though

,according to him

,it is Utgard a-Loki that lies

bound in a cavern . Angurboda,the mother of Loki’ s

children,denotes the bod er ofsorrow (from angur , sorrow) .

Fenrir (the inhabitant of the abyss or deep) , or Fenrisulf (the howling wolf of the deep) , i s another form of thesubterranean fire— the volcanic . The bands by which hei s bound (Laehing, Dromi, Gleipnir)

4 have allusion to

strength and pliability . The holm or islet of Lyngvi,

which is overgrown with ling or heath,and surrounded

by the black lake Amsvartnir,is the fir e- spouting moun

tain 5 . The river V an,or V on

,is the ascending smoke .

In a Skaldic poem cited by Finn Magnuse11 6,several names

occur belonging to this place, among others,

v

il and V on,

two rivers flow ing from the mouth of the wolf (signifying,howl, lament, and vap our) , whose lips are named GiOlnar

(from giOla, a gus t of w ind ) , consequently the craters ofavolcano . Two rivers

,Vid (V i

’O) and V an are named in

the Grimnismal 7,evidently in allusion to vapour and

clouds . The W'

orld’ s Serpent or the

1 VOlusp-é , Str. 39. Compare Lokaglep sa, Str. 5 1 .

2 Page 7 8 .3 Pages 4 31 , 433 .

4 Pages 5 0 , 5 1 .5 Page 5 1 .

5 Lex . Mythol . p . 340 .7 S tr. 28 .


Terrestrial Serpent,or Wolf (Jormungandr) , is the deep

ocean . That it i s excited by subterranean fire,and thereby

becomes baneful,i s quite intelligible but it is by a bold

transition that the ancient s made fire (Loki) the father ofHel or Death

,with whom there i s only cold . The domi

nion,however

,over cold she did not obtain until the gods

sent her to Niflheim 1. On the way to her abode lay the

dog Garm 2,which bays before Guipa-hellir 3

,a being that

both in name and signification (from gerr, voracious ) answers to Cerberus 4 . This d og seems to have guarded thedescent to Hel through the earth ; as those taking theway by the Giallar-bru met with the maiden Modgud

5,of

whom more when we speak of Baldur .Baldur the good, with the light or bright brows, is, as

almost all have admitted,the warm summer

,the season of

activity,j oy and light . On his life depend the activity

and j oy of the gods ; his death brings sorrow to all, togods and men

,and to all nature . One being only, the

evil Loki,the terrestrial fire

,loses nothing by Baldur’ s

death,and is

,therefore

,represented as the cause of it

,and

as hindering Baldur’ s release from Hel 6 Baldur , thelight, is slain by the darkness, HOd ”; the bale-fires blazeat his death he j ourneys to Hel

,and there is no hOp e of

his return . H is mother,the fruitful earth

,mourns

, and

all beings shed tears,all nature is filled with weeping

,like

the days of autumn . Darkness prevails almost as muchby d ay as by night but the earth stifiens

,and B ind brings

forth a son,the powerful V ali e

,so that darkness is again

dispelled by pure,clear days . Baldur’ s wife

,Nanna

,i s

the busy activity of summer,it s unwearied

,light occupa

1 Page 5 0 .2 Page 7 8 .

3 Page 8 1 . Lex . Mythol . p . 398 Voluspa, Str . 49 Grimnism. S tr. 44V egtamskv . Str . 6 , 7 .

4 Lex . M y thol . p . 1 1 1 .

5 Page 7 6 .


tions 1 . Their son,Forseti (the fore - sitter

,president

,in

the assembly) , holds spring, summer, and autumn meetings (guilds), as the maintainer of justice 2 “

f

ar,the

principal employment of summer,was reserved for Odin

himself,as the highest god .

ILLUSTRAT I ON .—B al(lul’ i s referred to the L ith . baltas,

white S lav . bel or biel bielbog, the white, or bright god .

Beauty and goodness are the fundamental ideas containedin the name . Baldur’ s abode is Breidablik 3 (the broad

g lance) . The clear,white light is also ind icated by the

plant sacred to him,Baldur’ s bra“ . Nanna

,the name of

Baldur’ s wife,has received various interpretations

,among

which the least improbable i s,perhaps

,to derive it from

at nenna, to have a mind ,feel inclined both nenna and the

adj ective nenninn,signify a sedulous worker

,one ind efa

tigably active hence Nanna would denote the active,

summer life . Very appropriately, therefore, is the name ofNOnna applied to Idun 5

,and that Odin’ s active maidens

,

the Valkyriur, are called nO'

nnur herjans6(maidens of

Odin) . Nanna’ s father is named Nef or Nep , but bySaxo 7 he is called Gevar (Gefr) ; one of these must b e

1 There i s much , as Keyser remarks , to obj ect to in this interpretationofthe myth ofB aldur, but more particularly the circumstance of B al durcontinuing w ith Hel until the di s solution of the w orld, while Summer returns annually . The whole story of Bald ur and of his bright abodeB reidablik , w here nothing impure enters , points him out as the god of

innocence . H is name signifies the s trong, and alludes to mental strengthcomb ined w ith spotless innocence. The b lind HOd w il l then representbodily strength w ith it s blind earthly strivings , w ho, instigated by sinLoki—unconsciously destroys innocence, and w i th it d ie both the desireand activity for good—Nanna. The homicide i s avenged by quick-wakingreflection —H

'

Od i s slain by Val i b ut pure innocence has vani shed fromthis w orld to return no more , though all nature bewail s it s loss . Onlyin the regenerated world w ill it again predominate. Relig. Forfatn.

p p . 4 5 , 4 6 .

2 Page 30 .

3 Page 23 .

4 Page 22,note 2. 5 Hrafnag. O

‘

Oins , S tr . 8 .

5 Voluspa, Str . 24 .7 Pages 82, 1 1 1 .

1 88 NORTHERN MYTH OLOGY .

tions Vali may, therefore, b e regarded as the transitionofthe year to spring . The mistletoe shoots forth towardsthe end of June

,flowers in May, and is green all the

winter . The Romans were acquainted with it,and among

the Gauls,the chief druid

,on a certain d ay in spring,

ascended the oak on which it grew,and cut it offwith a

golden knife 1,that it might not inj ure Baldur

,or that the

summer might come without hindr ance : a proof of thewide- spread veneration for Baldur

,and also a confirm ation

of the just interpretation of the myth . The giantessThOkt

,whose form Loki assumed 2

, has been well illustrated by Finn M agnusen, by a saying still current inIceland All things would weep (release by weep ing )B aldurfrom Hel

,ex cep t coal

3 The name of the giantesshe explains by tecta

,Op erta it will then b e derived from

at pekja, Lat . tego,to d eck

,cover

,whence the adjective

paktr, fem . bOkt, Lat. tego, and signify the covered (fire) .Coal knows no other tears than dry sparks ; it suffers nod etriment from the death of summer, and has no j oy in it .Hyrrokin, the whirling , smoking fire (from hyrr, fire, androka

,whirlw ind ) , may have allusion to the manner in which

they anciently eased the motion of their ships along therollers . Litur (Litr) colour

,whom Thor kicks into the

fire,indicates the hue ofthe flaming fire which di es with

the light 4 . The presence of all beings at the funeral pileof summer

,in which all

,more or less

,had had pleasure

,i s

perfectly intelligible nor is Thor (thund er) inactive on the

occasion . The funeral is princely,according to the custom

of the North . The watch at the Giallar -bru,Mod gud ,

signifies the contentious, quarrelsome. The Giallar-bru is

,

from what has been said,Opposed to the rainbow

,and

Modgud here, instead ofM imir,to Heimdall . Forseti

,

1 Plinii H . N . xvi. 95 .

2 Page 7 6 .

3 Allir b latir gri ta Balldur fir Helju, nema kol. Lex . Myth . p . 297 .

4 Page 7 5 .


as has already been observed, denotes a president ; hisabode is Glitnir (from at glita, to shine,g litter ) , the shining,g littering, and betokens the solemnity, sanctity and purityof justice 1

BRAG I AND IDUN (IOUNN IPUOR )2

.—Bragi is a son of

Odin and husband of Idun, the originator of poetry and

eloquence, the most exquisite skald hug-runes (mind

runes) are inscribed on his tongue he i s celebrated for hisgentleness, but more particularly for eloquence and wiseutterance . After him poetry is called b ragr ; and afterhim men and women distinguished for wisdom of speechare called b ragr-men or b ragr-women . He i s described as

having an ample beard, whence persons with a similar appendage are called Skeggb ragi (from skegg, beard ) . H i swife

,Idun

,keeps in her casket the apples ofwhich the

gods bite when they are growing old they then againbecome young, and so it will go on until RagnarOck. Onhearing this relation ofHai r

,Gangleri observed :

“ It is avery serious charge which the gods have committed toIdun’ s care ;

”but Hei r answered

,laughing at the same

time,It was once near upon bringing with it a great mis

(In what it consisted is nowhere said .) For thestory ofher being carried offby Thiassi see page 4 4 . Inthe Loka-

glep sa3 Bragi offers a horse and a sword to Loki

,

if he will desi st from raising strife, who in return upbraidshim with being

,of all the fE sir and Alfar present

,the

most fearful in battle and the greatest avoider of shot .Idun beseeches her husband to keep peace with Loki

,and

declares that she will utter no contemptuous words to him,

but will only appease her husband, who i s somewhat heatedby drink . But Loki , who appears very regardless of hergentleness, tells her that she is the most wanton ofwomen

,

1 Gylf. 26 . B ry nh . QviOa, i . 1 7 . Skald skap . 1 0 .

2 Connected w ith iii, activity ; itiinn, active. Keyser, p . 39.

3 S tr. 1 2- 1 8 .


since she threw her nicely washed arms around her brother

’s slayer .At guilds the B ragarfull, or Bragi- cup was drunk . A

troll -wife told Hedin that he should p ay for his contemptofher at the Bragi- cup

l. It was the custom at the funeral

feast ofkings and j arls, that the heir should sit on a lowerseat in front of the high seat

,until the B ragarfull was

brought in, that he should then rise to receive it, make a

vow and drink the contents of the cup . He was then ledto his father’ s high seat 2 . At an Offering - guild the chiefsigned with the figure of Thor’ s hammer both the cup andthe meat . First was drunk Odin’ s cup , for victory and

power to the king ; then NiOrd’s cup and Frey’s

,for a

good year and peace ; after which it w as the custom withmany to drink a B ragarfull

? The peculiarity of this cupwas

,that it was the cup ofvows, that on drinking it a vow

w as made to perform some great and arduous deed,that

might b e made a subj ect for the song of the skald .

From the foregoing Bragi’ s essence seems sufficientlymanifest

,that of Idun is involved in Obscurity . One myth

concerning her we have already seen (page the otheris contained in Odin’ s Ravens’ Song

,where she i s rep re

sented as having sunk down from Yggd rasil’s ash to the

lower world . Odin then sends her a wolf’ s guise,and

despatches Heimdall, accompanied by Bragi and LOp t, toascertain from her what she had been able to discoverre specting the duration and destruction of the netherworld and of heaven ; when, instead of answering

, she

bursts forth into tears, etc . The whole i s w rapt in denseObscurity

,and all that can b e gathered seems to be

,

“ thatshe i s the goddess that presides over the fresh youngverdure

,and herein to b e compared w ith Proserpine

,the

blooming daughter ofCeres . She dwells in well -watered1 Helga-Ovi

'

fia Hading. S tr. 29, 30 .2 Ynglingas . 4 0.

3 Hakonars . gotia, c . 1 6 . Full signifies cup .


in his own wisdom,and in himself was vapid . The dwarfs

that slew him and squeezed out his blood,would conse

quently be those who stood at the must -press . Fialar’s

drink sweetened with honey is then the poetic d rink,must .

But the myth does not end here ; it passes on to the p re

p aration ofa species of beer,for which it must b e assumed

that must was al so employed . The name Gilling may b e

referred to at gilja, to sep arate, and in Norse,gil is the

vessel into which the beer passes ‘. He enters a boat orvessel

,which is upset in the great ocean

,or brewers’ vat ;

here the harm i s meant and the wife who i s crushed bythe millstone, when she is going to look at the sea whereher husband was drow ned

,i s the malt

,or something

similar,that is ground . All this would probably b e evi

dent,if only w e knew how the ancients prepared their

mungatQ,whether it was a sort of beer mixed with must

and honey . Suttung (probably for Sup tung) seems akinto the Engl ish sup ,

an allusion to the dr inking tend encyofthe giant race while his daughter

,GunnlOd

,represents

the beverage itself. Her name is compounded of gunnr

(A . S . guth) war, and laha, to invite ; therefore that whichinvites to war or battle ; the liquor which al so inspires theskald to overcome all obstacles in his art . The vesselOdhraerir (that which moves the mind) expresses the effectsof the drink . The same may possibly b e the case with thetwo others

,Bodn (invitation) and SOn (redemption, or

reconciliation) . Od in now comes forth as BOlverk (fromb

'

Ol,calamity , hard ship ,

bale,and yirka

, to work) , one who

p erforms d eed s ofhard ship . Wh en he causes the reapersto kill one another with their sithes

,he represents the god

of war ; when he enters the service ofBangi,he resembles

the reaper who, when the labours of summer are over,i s

rewarded with song . The giant Bangi signifies the bowed ,1 Hallager, sub voce.

2 A sort ofbeer ; cerevisia secundaria.

’

B ib’

rn Hald orsen, sub voce.

NORTHERN MYTH OLOGY . 193

but why Bolverk enters his service cannot be explained .

The anger or borer, Rati, is derived from at rata,to find

the way . Hnitb iOrg signifies a group of clo se, impenetrablemountains . This myth

,though not wholly devoid of

beauty,is,in the form in which it appears in the Prose

Edda,as insipid as most of the far- fetched periphrases of

the Old Northern poetry. It has more than once,in later

times,served as the subj ect ofcomic fiction .

Vidar 1 is the son of Odin and of the giantes s Grid,who

dwells in a mountain - cave,and guards the descent to the

giant- chieftain’ s abode in the interior of the mountain ?

The name ofhis habitation, Landvid i (the wide, boundlessland), marks him for lord of the thick, impervious woods,which

,through Odin’ s power

,rear their summits on the

huge inaccessible mountains,where axe never sounded

,

where man’ s footsteps never trod,where human voice was

never heard . Rightly,therefore, is he named the S ilent .

Vidar is the imperishab ility of nature,her incorruptible

power . Who has ever wandered, or even imagined himself a wanderer

,through such forests

,in a length of many

miles,in a boundless expan se

,without a path

,without a

goal,amid their monstrous shadows

,their sacred gloom

,

without being filled with deep reverence for the sublimegreatness of nature above all human agency

,without feel

ing the grandeur ofthe idea which forms the basis of Vi

1 Finn Magnusen reject s the story ofVidar ’s shoe made of shreds ofleather (p . 29) as a nursery tale. For the same reason he might , I fear,have rejected a vast deal more. Keyser derives hi s name from at vinna,to conquer , in allusion to his victory in the last conflict w ith the gods

(p . and thinks he may b e an emblem ofthe regenerative power whichi s supposed to b e in the earth . Therefore i s he a son of Odin and a

giantess , of Spirit and matter ; therefore i s hi s hab i tation Land viOi , thew id e ear th ; therefore i s he the s ilent , inactive god in the w orld

’ s presentstate. Not until its destruction does he come forth in his strength ,overcoming the powers of darkness and d estruction, and finally dwell sin the regenerated w orld. Relig. Forfatn. pp . 39, 40.

2 Pages 29, 5 3 .


dar’ s essence ? This great nature was familiar to Antiquity,

which dwelt,as it were

,in her lap ; and we must feel

veneration for the ancients,who neglected not to conceive

and ennoble the idea of her infinite creative power, evenwithout any view to man . The blooming fields they glorified in Fulla

,the whole cultivated earth in Frigg

,the

grass-grown mountain in S if 1 the boundless woods mustalso have their divinity . Around the dwellings of men

Frey and his elves hold sway . He is mild and b eneflcent,

he loves the earth and its swelling seed but Vidar is silentand still ; after Thor he is the strongest ; he moves notamong men

,he i s rarely named among the gods

,but he

survives the destruction of the world,of the gods

,and of

mankind . With Earth Odin begat Thor ; with Frigg,Baldur with Rind

,Vali but with a giantess

,Vidar

,the

connection between the eternal creative power ofmatterand spirit . These gods and these men shall pass away,but neither the creative power in nature

,Vidar

,nor in

man,Hoenir

,shall ever have an end .

ILLUSTRAT I ON .— The name of Vidar is formed from

vitSr, a wood

, forest. H is abode,Land vid i, is thus de

scribedB egrown w ith b ranche sand w ith h igh gras si s V idar ’ s dw elling2.

H is leathern or iron shoe has been already described3, andin the Sagas leather is mentioned as a protection againstfire . Hence we find him unscathed presenting the drinking-horn to Loki at Oegir

’s banquet 4 nor does the wolf

Fenrir harm him,but he seizes it and rends its j aws

asunder 5 . All this pronounces him lord of the iron w ood .

According to Finn Magnuson’ s interpretation of thismyth

,Vidar is neither more nor less than the phenomenon

1 Pages 3 1 , 34 , 35 .

2 Grimnism. Str. 1 7 .

3 Page 29.

4 Loka-

glep sa, Str. 1 0 .5 Pages 7 9, 82.


nour ish) . He is supposed to be id entical with the Ger

man goddess Nerthus,the Gothic form of which

,Nairbus

‘,

may b e either masculine or feminine g . NiOrd’

s habitationis Noatfin

,the p lace of ship s, i . e . the sea

,from nOr, nOs

(m ils, navis ) ship ,and trin

,an enclosed p lace, house and

land . Ska’Oi signifies the hurtful. Her habitation

,Thrym

heim,i s from prymr, noise, up roar, and bears allusion to

the stormy winds .Far more conspicuous than N iord are his children

,Frey3

and Freyia“,who spread the fructifying power of the air

over the earth,and br ing abundance around and into the

dwellings ofmen . Frey gives fruitfulness to the earth,

Freyia to human beings . Frey rules over the Light- elves,and their united influence brings good years and prosperity .

In the most spirited of the Edd aic poems,Skirnir’ s Jour

ney5,i s described Frey’ s longing to impart his blessings

to the earth . Earth,with the seed deposited in it, as

Gerd, resist s his embraces . H is messenger,Skirnir

,who

impels the seed forth into the light,vainly promises her

the harvest’ s golden fruit,and a ring dripping with abun

dance . From her giant nature,not yet quickened by the

divine spirit, she has no idea of the benefits that willaccrue to her through Frey’ s love ; Skirnir must impresson her mind how

,without Frey’ s embraces

,she will to all

eternity b e the bride ofthe frost -giant Hrimnir,and never

feel the j oys of conception . She yields herself up to Frey,and they embrace when the buds burst in the woods .Freyia

’s abode is Folkvang she has her dwelling amid

the habitations of people, and fills them with abundance .

Her hall is Sessrymnir, the roomy- seated . But her influ

1 The identity ofthe names seems unquestionable ; but how i s the ao

count here given ofN i 'ord as “ the universal nourishing power in air and

w ater, and “as god of the ocean and the w ind , etc. to b e reconciled

w ith what Tacitus says of Nerthus : Nerthum,id est Terram matrem,

ce lant2 G rimm

,D . M . p . 197 .

3 Page 25 .

4 Page 32.5 Page 4 6 .


once is also pernicious ; seeing that as many fall throughthe frantic power of love as before the sword of the god ofwar . Her chariot is drawn by cats, an emblem of fondness and passion . She longs constantly after Od

, the

intox icating p leasure of love, and by him has a daughter,Hnos

, the highest enj oyment. Her tears and ornamentsare of gold for she is beautiful and fascinating even in hergrief. She travels far and wide, and assumes many namesand forms among the children of men

1,as various as are

her operations on their minds for one is the sacred j oy ofmarriage, whose fruit i s a numerous Offspring for another,only the impure pleasure ofthe senses .The nature of Frey and Freyia seems quite compre

hensible, if we confine ourselves to the accounts in theEddas

,and not mingle with them the ideas of other na

tions . As god of the year, Frey presides over sunshineand rain

,without which no seed would germinate . Frey

and Freyia denote, in the Scandinavian and kindredtongues

,M aster and M istress . Frey is particularly repre

sented as lord ofmen ; and Snorri remarks that fromFreyia high-born women are called freyior (frur), Dan .

Erner ; Ger. Frauen . The word freyr (the feminine of

whi ch is freya) denotes either the fructify ing, or the mild ,j oyous ; Ger. froh . Both these interpretations spring froma common root, which is to b e found in many tongues,having reference to earthly fertility

,enj oyment

,j oy

, etc.

comp . Lat . fruor, frumentum .

Frey obtained dominion over the Light-elves in the beginning of time

,i . e . of the year (i ardOgum ) . Skirnir

(from skirr, p ure, clear) i s the clarifier, that which brings the

p ure, clear air . Gerd (GeriSr) i s from gera, to do, make, asin akrgerh , agriculture. As she dwells in the mansion ofGymir, the allusion may possibly be to the word gariS, enclosure, court, garth. When represented as Frigg’ s rival

,

1 Pages 32, sqq.


the allusion is perhaps to the earth prepared by the

plough ; but when, in Skirnir’ s j ourney,she is described

as a beautiful girl,w ith bright

,shining arms

,the image

is without doubt borrow ed from the seed,the bright

, yel

low corn,so beneficial to man. She is of giant race

,of

earth,and as yet dead, but, nevertheless, fair and fertile .

Her resemblance to Ceres is evident : Geres,quod gerit

fruges 1 O . Nor . gera,gerb

'

i Lat . gero,gessi . Barri

,or

Barey,is the wood or isle ofgerms or bud s

,from bar

,bud

,

the eye in a tree, the w inged seed . 1Vhen the god offruitfulness embraces the seed

,it shoots forth ; and that takes

place with the aid of Skirnir . Gerd’ s father,Gymir

(Geymir) , denotes one who keep s, lays by . Her mother’ sname

,Aurb od a

,alludes to the material, earthly substance

that is not yet developed . Frey parted with his sword .

This seems to indicate that he lost his fertilizing p owhe gave it to Skirnir

,but whether the latter retained it

,

or what became ofit,does not appear from the myth . He

does not require it in his combat w ith Beli i’ . The mythrespecting Beli i s not. complete, and

,therefore

,ob scure .

It may,however

,b e noticed that the interpreters take him

for Gerd’ s brother,of whom she says, that she i s fearful

Skirnir w ill be her brother’ s destroyer 3 . “ b may herealso ob serve

,that in the Lokaglep sa

4two attendants are

attributed to Frey,B ey ggvir and his wife Beyla . Of

B eyggvir Loki says, that he is a little, pert being that isalways hanging at the ear of Frey, and makes a rattlingunder or b y the hand-mill ; that he can never distributemeat to men

,and that he hid himself in the b ed - straw

when men contended . Of Bey la he sa'

s,that she i s full

ofevil, and that an uglier monster never came among therE sir

,nor a dirt ier slut . Professor Petersen considers it

evident that by B evg g vir the refuse of the mill,as chaff

,

1 Varro d e L . L . v . 64 .2

3 Skirnis-fdr. S tr . 1 6 and page 4 7 . 4 Str . 4 4—4 6 , 5 3, 5 6 .


brewing kettle 1 s not large enough,and Thor accompanied

by Ty fetches, as we have seen, a more capacious one fromthe giant Hymir

l. After Baldur’ s death the JE sir visit

him a second time, when Loki comes and vents all hisspleen on them . Here we learn that he has two servingmen

,Fimafeng (Funafeng) and Eld ir that bright gold

was used in his hall instead of fire,and that Degir himself

handed the beer round Q. Oegir’s,or E rin’ s

,or their

daughters’ fire is a skaldic periphrasis for gold3

ILLUSTRAT ION .-Tlle whole myth is simple and intelli

gible . Oegir i s the stormy ocean, from Oga, to dread , shudd er at. H is wife’ s name

,Ban

,signifies p lund er, robbery .

It is a common expression in the North that the oceanbrews and boils

,which serves to illustrate Oegir

’s kettles ;

the frothy drink also bears itself round,and there is plenty

Ofit . Equally common i s the idea of the ocean’ s surge,

which in its most violent motion becomes phosphorescent .Seafaring men have much to relate of the shining of thesea

,which is ascribed to insects . Oegir

’s servants are

,

therefore,good stokers . Eld ir i s from elld a

,to make a fire,

and Fimafeng is the rap id , agile. (Funafengr is probablyfrom funi

, fire) . H i s daughters’names

,as we have already

1 emarked , denote waves 4 . With Oegir 1 s associated an ideaof the ter1 ifie ; hence the Oegishialmr belonging to Fafnir

,at which all living beings were terrified ?

The attributes of Heimdall,as far as they are not d e

scriptive of the vigilant guardi an,are derived from the

rainbow . He i s a Van,because the rainbow appears in

the sky. He is,at the same time

,Odin

’ s son,as being

superhuman . H is mothers,the nine giantesses

,are the

aqueous,earthy

,and

,on account of their brightness

,the

metallic parts ofwhich the rainbow was thought to con

1 Hymiskv. Str. 1 , sqq. and page 6 7 .2 Lokaglep sa, Introd..

3 Skald skap . 33 .

4 Page 27 . 5 Page 97 , note 2.

NORTH ERN MYTHOLOGY . 20 1

s ist . Here there is no allusion to the number of the colours ofthe rainbow, which are given as three, but to theirappearance . He is called Golden-tooth

,because of the

beauty of the rainbow, and Descendingbecause ofits curved figure ‘.ILLUSTRAT ION . i s derived from heimr, the

world, and Pallr or d allr, a tree which send s forth shoots

and branches . This word i s the same with pollr, a long

p ole ; the name Heimballr will therefore signify the pole

or post of the world . The rainbow also,when incomplete,

i s still by the Northern nations called a Veirstolp e (VeirstOtte) , literally a weather-

p ost and the Slavonic wordfor the rainbow

,duga

,signifies strictly the stave ofa cask2 .

The ancient s must therefore have had in View the rainbow’ s rarely perfect figure ; but when it appeared in itsfull beauty

,like a broad bridge, it is easy to conceive why

they called it BifrOst, or the trembling, sw ing ing way, leading from earth to heaven3 . Its curved figure gave occasionalso for regarding it as a horn

,one end of which was at

GiOll (the horizon) , the other at Himinbiorg (the heavenlymountains

,i . e . the clouds) , whence Heimdall raised his

Giallar-horn,as it i s said

,

E arly up B ifro s tran Ulfrun

’

s son,

the mighty horn -b low erofH iminb i

'

Org4

By nine,the number of Heimdall’s mothers

,nothing

more seems implied than its well-known sanctity amongalmost all the people of antiquity . The number ofOegir

’s

daughters is also nine 5 . Heimdall descended among man

1 Page 29.2 Grimm

,D . M . p . 695 .

3 It w as believed that at the place where the rainbow rises , a goldendish or a treasure w as hidden, and that gold money falls from the rainbow .

Hrafnag. Obins, S tr . 26 .

5 Page 2 7 .p

K O


kind under the name of B ig1,whence the whole human

race are called children of Heimdall ? In the contest b etween Heimdall and Loki for the B risinga-men

3,the idea

seems to lie that fire and the rainbow vie with each otherin displaying the most beautiful colours .From the foregoing attempt to illustrate the mythology

Ofthe Scandinavian nations,it appears that their gods were

neither more nor less than figurative representations oftheagency of nature and mankind . Nothing is there withoutsignification

, yet there i s nothing that lies without thepale of our forefathers’ experience, or that i s incompatiblewith the manner in which Antiquity was wont to conceiveit . Heaven and earth are the two great leading ideaswhich comprise the others between both are sea and air .

Thunder and the rainbow are the two most prominent natural phenomena

,which first and most impressively must

excite the attention ofmankind . The Northman was en

compassed with bare ice -mountains,nearer to him were

high hills and boundless forests but immediately aroundhis dwelling was the fertile field . Plenty and contentmentat home

,and the bloody game ofwar abroad, were his

1 Rigsmal. This forms the subject ofthe Eddai c poem Rigsma’

il. Heimdall , one of the fEsir, w anders in green ways along the sea-strand. He

call s himself Rig (Rigr) ; he i s strong, active and honourable. In a but he

finds a great-grandfather and a great-grandmother (ii i and edda) , wi thw hom he stays three nights . Nine month s after, the old woman givesbirth to the swarthy thrall , from whom the race ofthrall s descends . Rig

w anders further and finds in a house a grandfather and a grandmother(afi and amma) . N ine months after, the grandmother gives b irth to a

b oy , the progenitor of the peasant race. Rig proceeds st ill further , andfinds in a hal l a father and mother , and nine months after, the motherbrings forth Jarl (earl) . Jarl marries E rna, a daughter ofHersir (baron) ,and the youngest of their sons i s the young Konr (Konr (mgr, contr .

konfingr , Icing) . The last-mentioned are obj ects ofRig ’s especial care ; hei s solicitous not only w ith regard to their b irth , but for their instructionand culture, thus affording a striking example of the aristocratic spiritthat prevailed in the North from the remotest period .

2 VOluspa, S tr. 1 .3 Page 29.


A people that raised their thoughts to beings higher thanheaven and earth

,must naturally

,at the same time

,be

lieve in the cessation of that heaven and earth . Beforethe gods existed there were higher powers, from whosebreath all creation drew life . These could annihilate theirown work

,though its nobler part might not pass away

,

which is as imperishable as themselves . To these ideasleads also the consideration of nature herself. The circumvolution on a small scale i s repeated on a larger ; thedarkness ofnight and the light ofd ay are a reduced repetition of the interchange ofwinter and summer

,and both

amplified are p refigurations ofthe de struction and renewalof all nature . This time or age is brought forth like everyother

,and must

,therefore

,like every other

,pass away ;

but as the year is renewed,in like manner shall time also

be renewed . In the myth of Baldur ’s death with its conelusion

,the b irth of Vali

,the idea ofB agnarOck i s so evi

d ent,that the one cannot well be conceived without draw

ing with it the presence of the other . The death of

summer is a presage of the downfall of the gods,which

begins with the great,severe winter (fimbul-vetr) . All

nature is described as agitated by the storms of autumn,

snow drifts,frost prevails

,fire struggles in its bonds

,and

the earth is filled with conflict . The powers of darknessunite with the super- celestial spirits, and fire and waterdesolate the world . The sun and moon were also created

,

and they shall be swallowed by the pursuing wolves .But a new earth shoots forth, a new human race appears

,

a new sun beams in the heaven . Of the moon there isno more mention

,for there will b e no more night . The

noblest of the gods return to their pristine innocence and

joy . The nature that had until then prevailed is perishedwith Odin

,but Vidar and Vali live

,imperishable nature

survives and blooms like the ever -youthful year . Baldurand HOd live peaceably together, there is no longer strife


between summer and winter,light and darkness . Thor

no more thunders, but his strength and courage pervadenature as Modi and Magni. Freyia with her sensual pleasure is no more, but Hmnir, the unperishing sensitivefaculty

,continues to Operate in the new human race.

Earth’ s former creatures live now in heaven . As ind ivid ual heroes could b e renewed and regenerated here on

earth,so were chosen bands of warriors assembled in Val

hall,for the purpose of continuing

,while the earthly age

lasted,the best of earthly occupations ; but even in life

there was something higher than warfare—peace battleitself shall, therefore, cease with the great battle of nature

,and all the gods be assembled in Gimli

,the abode of

peace and innocence . Over this a new heaven will bespread

,where the benignant and protecting elves will

watch over mankind as ofold in earthly life . Even dwarfsand giants shall all live in peace . The M ighty One shallcome from above and sit in judgement there shall b e an

eternal separation between good and evil,which had p re

viously been confounded . An everlasting reward shallawait the good, everlasting torment the evil . Beyond thisno eye may see .

ILLUSTRAT I ON .—Ragnarock, the darkness or twilight of

the god s (from regin, gen. p l. ragna, d eus, p otestas, and

rOckr, tw ilight, d arkness ) . That wolves pursued and wouldswallow up the sun and moon

,is a general figure to ex

press the eclipse of the heavenly bodies . The solar wolfhas also been explained to b e a p arhelion

l. Egdi r

,the

eagle,and Fialar

,and the other two cocks 2

, do not strictlybelong to B agnarOck, but to the previous state Of the

world . What they signify is extremely obscure,or

,rather

,

unknown . Who the two brothers are,whose sons shall

inhabit V indhci1n 3, is quite uncertain some suppose themto b e Thor and Baldur . Gimli is the clear

,bright heaven

1 Lex . Mythol . p . 4 1 4 , note.2 Page 7 8 .

3 Page 83 .


Vid blain and And lang, the spacious blue heaven, the

boundless aether OkOlnir,the warm (lit . the uncold ) . Cold

had hitherto been the lot ofthe giants, but now they alsoshall share in the warmth ; to this also the name B rimiralludes, from b rimi, fire . NastrOnd is from na

,a corp se,

therefore the strand of corp ses . Slid (Sli’Or) signifies the

lugg ish or p ernicious NidhOgg, the serpent of darkness,or envy . The idea of all nature awaiting a deliverancefrom the existing state of things, and a renewal or exaltation of its blunted powers, i s deeply impressed on the

human mind ; it i s also Oriental,but manifests itself

among several nations under various forms,though essen

tially the same .


more when the ship sank . There was afterwards a whirl-s

pool in the ocean,where the water fall s into the eye of the

millstone,and thence the sea became salt .

Professor Petersen 1 considers the myth to signify thecultivation of the land during peace

,and the prosperity

consequent thereupon, that prosperity begets desire, and

desire war . The grinding ofsalt is a later adoption, as inthe latter part of the song it is said that one of the stoneshad been split asunder in grinding for Frodi .

THE THREE SOLEMN PAGAN FE ST IVAL S 2.

Three great festivals were celebrated every year in thetime of heathenism,

when sacrifices were made to thegods . The first was held at the new year

,which was

reckoned from the mother-night,

’ so called because thenew year sprang, as it were, out of her lap . The month

,

which began then with the first new moon,was called

Yule-month (Jule- tungel) , and , from the sacrifice,Thora

blot3,which was then chiefly celebrated . This season, even

to the present d ay, i s called Thorsmz‘

inad . Kings and j arls,

not only in Sweden,but also in Denmark and Norway

,

held at this time their great sacrificial meetings or guilds .Rich land-holders then made ready their Yule-beer forfriends and kindred ; but the poorer, who had no wealthyrelatives, assembled in feastings

,to which they all con

tributed, and drank hop -Dl (social beer) . On these occasions offerings were made to the gods for a prosperousyear, both to Odin for success in war

,and to Frey for a

good harvest . Animals ofvarious kinds were slaughtered,

but the principal victim was a hog,which was especially

1 Nord i sk Mythologie, p . 221 .2 Afzelia s, 1» 1 5 ~

3 So called , it i s supposed , from Thorri , an ancient k ing or deity oftheFins and Lapps , of the race of Forniot , and blOt, sacr ifice. See SuorraE dda, ed . Rask , p . 3 5 8 .

APPE ND IX . 209

sacred to Frey, because the swine i s supposed to have firsttaught mankind to plough the earth . This was led forthwell fattened and adorned ; and it was a custom to makevows over the sacred hog, and pledge themselves to somegreat enterprise, to be achieved before the next Yulemeeting (Jula-mfit) . Feastings, bodi ly exercises, and Yulegames occupied the whole of this month

,whence it was

denominated skamte-mfinad (the merry month) .M idwinter sacrifice was the second grand festival

,and

took place on the first new moon after Yule-month,to

the honour of GOa or Goa . This goddess was believed topreside over the fertility of the earth, and to be a daughterofThor . Hence in many places, when thunder is heard,the people still say, Goa is p assing . After her the monthofFebruary is called GOje-mi’mad . At a later period thissacrifice acquired the appellation of D isa-blot

,when the

celebrated Queen D isa, whose memory is still preserved inthe traditions ofthe Swedi sh people, had not only partakenin

,but almost superseded, the worship ofFrigg and Goa

at this festival . The story of Queen D isa i s usually relatedas followsWhen King Frey, or, according to other accounts

,a

King Sigtrud , far back in the times of heathenism,ruled

in the North, the population, during a long peace,had so

greatly increased, that one year, on the coming of winter,the crops ofthe preceding autumn were already consumed .

The king therefore summoned all the commonalty to anassembly, for the purpose offinding a remedy for the impending evil, when it was decreed

,that all the old

,the

sickly,the deformed

,and the idle should be slain and

Offered to Odin . When one of the king’ s councillors,

named Siustin, returned from the assembly to his dwellingin Uppland, his daughter, D isa, 1nqu1red of him what hadthere taken place ; and as she was in all respects wise and

judi cious, he recounted to her what had been resolved on .


On hearing it she said she could have given better counsel,and wondered that among so many men there was foundso little wisdom . These words reached at length the earsofthe king

,who was angry at her boldness and conceit,

and declared he would soon put her to her wit’ s end . He

promised to take her to his counsel, but on condition thatshe should come to him not on foot nor on horseback, notdriving nor sailing

,not clad nor unclad

,not in a year nor

a month,not by d ay nor by night, not in the moon

’ s increase nor wane . D isa

,in her perplexity at this order,

prayed to the goddess Frigg for counsel,and then went

to the king in the following manner . She harnessed twoyoung men to a sledge

,by the side of which she caused

a goat to b e led ; she held one leg in the sledge and placedthe other on the goat, and was herself clad in a net . Thusshe came to the king neither walking nor riding

,nor

driving, nor sailing, neither clad nor unclad . She cameneither in a current year nor month

,but on the third d ay

before Yule, one of the days ofthe solstice, which were notreckoned as belonging to the year itself

,but as a comple

ment,and in like manner might be said not to belong to

any month . She came neither in the increase nor in thewane

,but just at the full moon ; neither by d ay nor by

n ight,but in the twilight . The king wondered at such

sagacity,ordered her to b e brought before him,

and foundso great delight in her conversation

,beauty and under

standing,that he made her his queen . Following her ad

vice,he then divided the people into two portions

,one of

which,according to lot

,he furnished with arms

,hunting

gear,and as much seed-c orn as would suffice for one

sowing,and sent them to the uninhabited regions of the

north,there to establish a colony and cultivate the land .

Much other good counsel this queen gave for the benefitofthe country, for which she was loved and honoured bothby king and people and so highly was she prized for her


OF PLACE S OF WORSH IP 1.

Spacious and magnificent temples, in honour of the

gods,were erected in many parts of the S candinavian

countries,besides which there were stone-groups or altars

for sacrificial purposes . Such a pagan altar was called ahorg, whence the priestesses attending it were denominatedhorgabrudar . By every horg or temple there was a sacredgrove

,or a solitary tree

,on which the Offerings were sus

pended . Such trees were supposed to possess great virtuein the cure of diseases . Hence it i s that even now sometrees are regarded wi th a superstitious veneration

,parti

cularly the lime, and those in which elf-holes,

’or open

ings formed by two branches that have grown together,are found . These are often cut down for superstitiouspurposes . Women

,who have difficult labour s, are drawn

through them,and have thereby not unfrequently lost

their lives ; and superstitious persons may he often seencarrying sickly children to a forest

,for the purpose of

dragging them through such holes .By every sacred grove there was a well or fountain

,in

which the offerings were washed .

OF SOOTH SAYING AND SORCERY 2.

Besides the regular priests,the Northern nations had

al so their wise men and women,or soothsayers . The

principal kinds of witchcraft were seid (sei’Or) and galder

(gald r) ; though there seems also to have been a thirdspecies

,as the prophetesses (vOlur), prophet s (vithar) , and

seid-workers (seiO-b erend r) are distinguished from eachother

,and spring from different origins 3 . Galder i s a d e

rivation of at gala,to s ing

4,and consisted in producing

1 Afzelius , i . 1 8 , 20 .

2 From Petersen, Danmark s Historic and Keyser, Relig. Forfatn.

3 Hynd lulj. S tr. 32.

4 L ike our enchant.

APPE ND IX . 213

supernatural effects by means of certain songs,or by cut

ting certain runes . This in itself may not have been criminal

,as there was also a species called meingald r (from

mein,harm, by which something evil was brought

forth . Groa sang over the stone that was lodged in Thor’ sforehead l, Od d run over B orgny when the latter could notbring forth 2 . A particular kind of galder was valgald er,by which the dead were waked and made to converse

,that

the will of fate might be known from their month . Th isi s ascribed to Odin

,who sat under one hanged and com

p elled him to speak, or went down to the nether world,

waked the dead Vala,and made her prophesy 3 . We also

find that Hardgrep e cut songs on wood,and caused them

to be laid under a corpse’ s tongue, which compelled it torise and sing“ . H ild by her song waked HOgni and He

din’ s fallen warriors,that they might continually renew

the combat 5 . As examples Of such songs may b e men

tioned that by which Hervo’

r woke Angantyr, and the so

called Busla’s prayer and Serpa’ s verse 6 .

Seid,according to some

,consisted in a kind of boiling

(from at siob a, to boil) although in the original authorities there is nothing that evidently allude s to that p rocess 7 . The [E sir learned it from Freyia

8 it was regardedas unseemly for men

,and was usually practised by women

only : we nevertheless meet with seid-men . Both seidand galder were practised by Odin himself. The seidwoman occupied an elevated seat with four pillars . Allchanges in nature

,such as quenching fire

,stilling the sea

,

turning the wind,waking the dead

,seem to have been

mostly effected by galder while by means of seid the fate

1 Mythol . p . 7 1 .2 Od d r. Grétr, S tr. 6 .

3 Ynglingas . c . 7 , and Mythol . pp . 1 6 , 7 2.

4 Saxo, p . 38 , edit . Miiller.

5 Ih. p . 242.

5 Saga Herrautis 0k Bosa, cap . 5 .7 See G rimm, D . M . p . 988 .

8 Ynglingas. c. 4 .


of individuals was ascertained and control over futurityacquired ; by seid death, misfortune and disease could b ecaused to others

,intellect and strength taken from one

and given to another,storms raised, etc . etc. On account

ofits wickedness,it w as held unworthy of a man to prae

tise seid,and the seid-man was prosecuted and burned as

an atrocious trollman . The seid -women received moneyto make men hard

,so that iron could not wound them 1

.

The most remarkable class of seid-women were the so

called V alas,or VOlvas . We find them present at the birth

ofchildren,when they seem to represent the Norns . They

acquired their knowledge either by means of seid,during

the night,while all others in the house were sleeping, and

uttered their oracles in the morning ; or they receivedsudden in spirations during the singing of certain songsappropriated to the purpose

,without which the sorcery

could not perfectly succeed . These seid-women are com

mon over all the North . They were invited by the masterofa family

,and appeared in a peculiar costume, sometimes

with a considerable number of followers, e . g . w ith fifteenyoung men and fifteen girl s . For their soothsaying theyreceived money

,gold rings and other precious things .

Sometimes it was necessary to compel them to prophesy .

An old description of such a Vala,who went from guild to

guild telling fortunes,will give the best idea of these

women and their proceedingsThorb iOrg during the winter attended the guilds

,at

the invitation of those who desired to know their fate or

the quality of the coming year . Everything was preparedin the most sumptuous manner for her reception . Therewas an elevated seat

,on which lay a cushion stuffed with

feathers . A man w as sent to meet her . She came in theevening

,dressed in a blue mantle fastened with thongs

,

1 Ynglingas . c . 4 , 7 , 1 7 . HrOlfss . Kraka, c . 3 , 48 , 5 1 . Fribhjéfss. c . 5 .

Orvarod d ss. c . 19. Gaungu-Hrélfss. c . 28 . S

'

Ogubrot afFornkon. c. 4 .


and the witch could,like Harthgreb e, assume various

forms, make themselves little or big, ugly or handsome ;al so invest themselves with the likeness of a whale orother animal, as the trollman sent by Harald Bldtandto Iceland

,and the troll -wife who

,in order to kill King

Frodi,transformed herself to a sea- cow

,and her sons to

calves . “ 7 1th viands prepared from snakes or serpents a

person procured strength, w i sdom and success in w ar for

any favourite individual . By oblivious potions and philters lovers were made to forget their old love and contracta new one . That which Grimhild gave to Gudrun consisted of a strong drink, ice - cold water and blood : and

with this dr ink were mingled many potent (evil) things,as the j uice of all kinds of trees

,acorns

,soot

,entrails of

vi ctims, and boiled swine’ s liver

,which has the virtue of

extinguishing hatred . In the horn containing it runeswere sculp tured

l.

Trollmen,it was believed

,could derive much aid from

certain animal s thus the art of interpreting the voice ofbirds is spoken of as a source of great discoveries . The

crow was in this respect a bird ofconsiderable importance,and that such was al so the case with the raven is evidentfrom Odin’ s Hugin and Mun in . The cat is al so m en

tioned as a special favourite among trollmen . The skilfulIcelandic magician, Thorolf Skegge, i s said to have hadno less than twenty large black cats, that valiantly d efended their master when attacked

,and gave eighteen

men enough to d o 2 .

Of the ‘ hamhlaup ,’

or power of assuming variousforms

,w e have an example in Odin himself

,who could

change his appearance (hamr) , and as a b ird,a fish or

1 Saxo, p . 3 7 , 25 6 ; Snorri, Saga Olafs Tryggv. c . 3 7 .

Goti rt’

mar Harmr , 21—23 .

2 Ragn. LoObr. Saga. 8 Vol s . S . 19 Snorri, O laf Kyr . Saga, 9 Vatnsd .

Saga, 28 .

APPE ND IX . 21 7

other animal transport himself to distant lands 1 al so inthe falcon-plumage (valshamr

,fiaprhamr) ofthe goddesses,

which they could lend to others,and in the swan -plumage

of the Valkyriur2 It was likewise believed that men

could by magic b e changed to the form ofwolves,which

they could lay aside only at certain times . Of some itwas believed that by putting on a magical hat or hood

(dularkufl, hulih shjalmr) , they could render themselvesinvisible to

,or not to be recognised by

,others 3 or by

certain arts alter the whole aspect of the surroundingcountry . Of all this many instances occur in the Sagas .The witch Liot would change the aspect ofthe country inthe sight of others

,by placing one foot over her head

,

walking backwards,and protruding her head between her

legs ; but the proces s failed, as they saw her before she

saw them . Svan,when desirous of concealing another

,

wrapped a goatskin round his head,and said : “ There

will be fog,and bugbears

,and great wonders for all who

seek after thee A man became freskr,

’ i . e . capable of

seeing the concealed trollman by looking under another’ sarm placed a-kimbo on the left side 5 . Even to the glanceor look of the eye an extraordinary effect was ascribed

,

sometimes harmless,as Svanhild

’s when the horses were

about to trample on her,or as Sigur d

’s,whose sharp

glance held the most savage dogs at b ay6; sometimes

pernicious . The effect of either might b e neutralized bydrawing a bag over the head

,by which process the troll

man lost his power . It is told ofone,that he saw through

1 Ynglingas. c . 7 .2 Mythol. pp . 5 4, 8 5 .

3 This w as effected by a kind of powder resembling ashes , which theoperator sprinkled over and around the person i t was intended to conceal . Snorri, Har. Harf. Saga, 3 1 O laf Helg. Saga, 1 43 .

4 V atnsd aelas , c . 26 ; Njala, c . 2 7 etc.

5 Orvarod d s, c. 29. Mythol. p . 1 66 .

5 V blsungas. c . 29 ; Olafss. Tryggvas. c. 208 . Mythol . p . 1 8 .


a hole in the bag, and with a glance destroyed a wholefield ofgrass 1 . Hence the common sayi ng ofone havi ngan evil eye. Troll-wi ves and noxious demons (uveettir) aredescribed, as Hyrrockin, riding on wolves with snak es or

serpents for a rein 2 . Such ridings generally took placeby night, and the heroes pursued and slew these beings ofthe dark s . In an old narrative ofsuch a ride the circum c

stance appears that the ti oll rode on a staff 4 ; but of assemblies ofw itches on mountains

,as on the Blakul la In

Sweden,Troms in Norway

,Hekla in Icelan d

,the Blocks~

berg in the north of Germany,ofwhich we read so much in

the legends ofthe midd le age, we fi nd absolutely nothing :this superstition must have arisen at or aft er the introduc~tion ofChristianity .

A peculiar kind ofmagic was that called sitting out

(utiseta, at sitja riti), which consisted in sitt ing out atnight

,and by certain magical proceed ings, which are no

lofi ger known, though Oftenest with galder,’ summoning

forth trolls,or rai sing the dead

,for the purpose ofinterro

gating them .

5

In the more f .bulous Sagas mention occurs ofa varietyofsuperstitions

,such as of a wooden Image endowed with

lite,by mesus of galder,

’and sent to Iceland

,by which

Thorleif .Iarlaxki 11d wes slain ; the rai sing of charmedweather

,by shaking a weather-hag (vebrbelgr) , from which

storms proceeded ; the belief that certain men every ninthnight became women ; that am ,

an by a kind of gras s placedunder a woman ’s head

,might ex cite her love ; that pers ons

could by magic be fixed to the spot whei e they stood,

wi thout the power of st irring from it that there are

mantles,woven by elves

,whereby women’ s fidelity and

maidens’ chas tity may be tested, etc. etc . Some of these

0 . “Q1 Laxd eelas . c. o r , 0 8 . 31 yrhol. p . 7 5 .

3 Helg akv . Had ing-ask. S tr . 1 4 6.4 Saga Thorsteins B zearm. c. 2 .

s Yngunafl S o I

.

HRH. Her b.“bre So 18 .


looked towards the interior of the country,and set a horse’ s

head on the stake,while he uttered the following maledic

t ion : Here raise I a nithstake,and tm'

n this ‘ nithagain st King Eric and Queen Gunnhild—at the same t imeturning the head toward s the country . And I t tu'

n thi s" nith ’

again st the ‘ land-Vzettir’that abide in thi s land

,

so that they may wander about, wi thout finding house or

habitat ion,unt il they shall have driven King Eric and

Queen Gunnhild from the country He then drove thestake fast down in a cleft of the mountain

,and cut runes

on it containing the same maledi ct ion 1 . In perfect accordance wi th this is the law of I

'

lfiiot‘z,that no one might

sail t oward s the land with a y awning head at the stem,in

ord er not to terrify the land-wett ir , or guardian deit ies .In other narrat ives w e find that a htmi an head of woodw as set in the breast of the slaughtered horse . Anotherspecies of nith w as performed wi th runes

,whi ch in some

w ay or other must b e conveyed to the enemy or his property : for this purpose the operator cut runes on wood

,

smeared them wi th his blood,utt ered galder over them

,

an d walked round them again st the $1111,then cast them

into the sea, w ith the wish that they might b e drift ed to

the Obj ect. again st whom the nith w as directed 3 .

But as misfort tme and lasting calamity could be causedt o Others by imprecat ions

,so could one indivi dual

,by good

wi shes,impart to Others good fortune an d happiness and

the belief w as general,that the father

’

s luck could cont i nne to operate on the life ofthe son

,and of generous

,kind

relat ives on that of succeedin g generations,and that the

1 Gunnhil d had at a banquet caused a po i soned drink to b e present edt o Egil . who having cause for suspici on , s crat ched runes on the horn w ithhis knife. w ounded himself in the palm . and smeared the runes wi th b lood ,w hen the horn burst asunder and th e liquor w as spilt . Hence hi s enmity .

‘

3 The first law-giver OfIceland. He lived in the 1 0th century .

3 Saxo, p. 203 ; Egils s. c. 60 ; Vatnsdaelns c. 31 , 36, etc.

APPE ND IX . 221

king or a Chieftain could communicate his good fortune toothers . Thus it is related ofOdin

,that to render hi smen

successful in battle, he laid his hands on them and b lessedthem ; ofOlaf Tryggvason

,that to Halfred and others he

gave hi s good luck ; ofHOskuld Dalakols sen in Iceland,

that just before hi s death he gave his son a ring togetherwi th hi s own and his kindr ed’ s good fortune and SvendTveskiaeg, who formed a commercial connection w ith Vanhelds-Roe

,communicated to him a share of his prosperity .

224 E P IT OME OE GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

Popular narratives branch into three classes : I . HeroicTraditions (Heldensagen) II . Popular Traditions (Volkssagen) III . Popular Tales (Marchen) . That they all

in common—though traceable only in Christian timeshave preserved much of heathenism,

is confirm ed by thecircumstance

,that in them many beings make their appear

ance who incontestably belong to heathenism,viz . those

subordinate beings the dwarfs, water- sprites, etc .,who are

wanting in no religion which, like the German, has d evelOp ed conceptions ofpersonal divinities

].

The principal sources of German HE RO IC TRAD IT IONare a series of poems

,which have been transmitted from

the eighth,tenth

,but chiefly from the twelfth down to the

fifteenth century . These poems are founded,as has been

satisfactorily proved,on popular songs, collected, arranged

and formed into one whole, for the most part by professedsingers . The heroes

,who constitute the chief personages

in the narrative, were probably once gods or heroes, whosedeep -rooted myths have been tran smitted through Christian times in an altered and obscured form . IVith the

great German hero ic tradi tion— the story ofS iegfried andthe N ibelunge

,this assumption is the more sm'

ely fOtm d ed,

as the story,even in heathen times, was spread abroad in

Northern songQ.

If in the Heroic Tradi tions the mythic matter, p articularly that which forms the pith of the narrative

,i s fre

quently concealed,in the POPULAR TRAD IT I ONS (Volks

sagen) it i s often more obvious . By the last-m entionedtitle w e designate those narratives which

,in great number

and remarkable mutual accordance, are spread over all Germany

,and which tell ofrocks, mountains, lakes and other

prominent obj ects . The collecting ofthose still preservedamong the common people has, since the publication of

the ‘Deutsche Sagen ’ by the Brothers Grimm,made con

1 W. Muller, Altdeut sche Religion, p . 12.2 Ih.

APPE ND IX . 225

sid erable progress . Of such narratives many,it i s true

,

belong not to our province,some being mere ob scured

historic reminiscences, others owing their origin to etymologic interpretations, or even to sculpture and carvings,which the people have endeavoured to explain in their ownfashion ; while others have demonstrab ly sprung up inChristian times

,or are the frui ts ofliterature . Neverthe

less,a considerable number remain, which descend from

ancient times,and German mythology has still to hope

for much emolument from the Popular Traditions,since

those with which we are already acquainted Offer a p lentiful harvest ofmythic matter

,without which our know

ledge OfGerman heathenism would b e considerably moredefective than it i s l .The POPULAR TALE (V olksmarchen) , which usually

knows neither names ofpersons or places,nor times

,con

tains,as far as our object is concerned

,chiefly myths that

have been rent from their original connection and ex

hibited in an altered fanciful form . Through lively ima

gination, through the mingling together of originallyunconnected narratives, through adaptation to the varioustimes in which they have been reproduced and to theseveral tastes of listening youth

,through transmission

from one people to another, the mythic elements of thePopular Tales are so disguised and di storted

,that their

chief sub stance is, as far as mythology is concerned , to usalmost unintelligible ?

But Popular Traditions and Popular Tales are,after all

,

for the most part,but dependent sources, which can d e

rive any considerable value only by connection with moretrustworthy narratives . A yet more dependent source isthe SUPE RST IT I ONS still to b e found in the country amongthe great mass of the people, a considerable portion of

which has,in my opinion

,no connection with German

1 Muller, p . 1 4 .9 Ih. p . 1 5 .

L 5

226 E P ITOME OF GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

mythology ; although in recent times there is manifestlya di sposition to regard every collection of popular superstitions

,notions and usages as a contribution to it 1

Among the superstitions are to be reckoned the charmsor spells and forms ofadjuration, which are to b e utteredfrequently

,with particular ceremonies and usages, for the

healing of a di sease or the averting ofa danger, and whichare partly still preserved among the common people, andpartly to b e found in manuscripts ? They are for the mostpart in rime and rhythmical

,and usually conclude with

an invocation ofGod,Christ and the saints . Their begin

ning is frequently epic, the middle contains the potentwords for the obj ect of the spell . That many of theseforms descend from heathen times is evident from the

circumstance that downright heathen beings are invokedin them ?

Another source is open to us in GE RMAN MANNE R s

AND CUST OMS . As every people i s wont to adhere tenaciously to its old customs, even when their Obj ect is nolonger known, so has many a custom been preserved, oronly recently fallen into desuetude

,the origin ofwhich

dates from the time of heathenism,although its connec

tion therewi th may either b e forgotten or so mixed upwith Christian ideas as to be hardly recognisable . Thisobservation is particularly applicable to the popular di versions and processions

,which take place at certain seasons

in various parts of the country . These, though frequentlyfalling on Christian festivals

, yet stand in no necessaryconnection with them ; for which reason many may , no

1 Muller , p . 16 .

2 Many such conjtu'

ations and spell s are given by Grimm , D . M .

pp . CXXVI—CL IX. l st edit ., and in Mone’s Anzeiger, al so in Altdeutsche

B latter, B d . ii . etc.

3 A s E rce and Fasolt . See D . M . pp . c x xx—cx x xn . l st ed it . Muller ,p . 21 .

E P ITOME O F GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

While the Scandinavian religion may, even as it hasbeen transmitted to us

,be regarded as a connected whole

,

the isolated fragment s ofGerman mythology can b e cons id ered only as the damaged ruins of a structure, for therestoration ofwhich the plan is wholly wanting . But thisplan we in great measure possess in the Northern Mythology, seeing that many of these German ruins are inperfect accordance with it . Hence we may confidentlyconclude that the German religion, had it been handeddown to us in equal integrity with the Northern, would,on the whole

,have exhibited the same system,

and may,

therefore,have recourse to the latter, as the only means

left us of assigning a place to each of its isolated fragments l .

Although the similitude oflanguage and manners speaksforcibly in favour ofa close resemblance between the German and Northern mythologies

, yet the assumption of a

perfect identity of both religions is,on that account, by

no means admissible ; seeing that the only original authorities for German heathenism

,the Merseburg p oems

Q,in

the little information supplied by them,show some re

markable deviations from the religious system of the

North 3

The question here naturally presents itself,by what

course of events did the Odinic worship become spread

and fi ll ing the heart , because they mediate between i t and a higher, severerGodhead . Among the saints al so , both male and female, there were manyclas ses , and the several cases in which they are helpful are distributedamong them like offices and occupations . For the hero who slew the

dragon,M ichael or George was sub st ituted, and the heathen Siegb erg wastransferred over to M ichael ; as in France out of Mons Mar tis a Monsmart ymm (Montmartre) w as formed. I t i s worthy of remark that theO sseten out of d ies Mar tis (Mardi ) make a George’ s d ay , and out ofd ies

Venerz’

s (Vendredi) a Mary ’s d ay . Instead ofOdin and Freyia, at minne

drinking , S t. John and S t. Gertrud w ere sub stituted .

”

1 Muller, p . 34 .

2 See page 23.3 Miiller, p . 3 5 .

APPE ND IX . 229

over the larger portion of Germany and the Netherlands ?By Paulus D iaconus (De Gestis Langobard . i . 8 ) we are

informed that WODAN was worshiped as a god by all theGermanic nations . And Jonas ofBobb io (Vita S . Columbani

,in Act . B ened . sec . 2 . p . 26 ) makes mention of a

vessel filled with beer,as an offering to Wodan

,among

the Suevi (Alamanni) on the Lake ofConstance l . Henceit i s reasonable to conclude that his worship prevailedespecially among those tribes which, according to theirown traditions and other historic notices, wandered fromnorth to south ? Whether Wodan was regarded as a chiefdivini ty by all the German tribes is uncertain

,no traces

of his worship existing among the Bavarians ; and the

name of the fourth day of the week after him being foundchiefly in the north ofGermany

,but in no H igh German

dialect 3

The following is Snorri’ s account of Odin’ s course fromthe Tanais to his final settlement in Sweden

“ The country to the east of the Tanais (Tanaqvisl) inAsia was called Asaheim but the chief city (horg) in thecountry was called Asgard . In this city there was a chiefnamed Odin (Wodan) , and there was a great place of

sacrifice (offersted ) , etc.

4

1 Sunt etenim inib i vicinae nationes Suevorum, quo cummoraretur et interhab itatores illius loci p rogred eretur, reperit eos sacrificium p rofanum liture

velle, vasque magnum , quod vulgo cap am vocant, quod viginti et sex

mod ios amplius minusve cap iebat, cerevisia plenum , in medio habebantpositum . Ad quod vir Dei acces sit et sciscitatur quid d e illo fieri vellent ?I lli aiunt : d eo suo Wodamo, quem Mercurium vocant ali i , se velle litare.

2 Grimm , D . M . p . 49. Miiller, pp . 80, 8 5 .

3 Muller , p . 86 . In the Westphalian d ialect Wednesday i s calledGod enstag , Gauns tag , Gunstag ; in Nether Rheni sh , Gud ens tag ; in M iddleage Netherlandi sh or Dutch , Woensd ack ; in New Netherl., Woensd ag ; inFlemish , Goensd ag ; in O ld Frisic, Wernsd ez

'

; in New Fris ., Qi'

nsd ey ; in

Nor. Fri s ., Winsd ei ; in Anglo-Sax . , Wod enes and Wednesd ay ; in O ldN0 r., Ob insd agr .

4 Ynglingasaga, c . 2.

280 E PTTOM E or GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

At that time the Roman generals were marching overthe world and reducing all nations to subj ection 5 butOdin being foreknowing and possessed ofmagical skill

,

knew that his posterity should occupy the northern halfofthe world . He then set his brothers Ve and Vili overAsgard

,but himself

,with all the d iar 1 and a vast multi

tude of people,wandered forth

,first westwards to Garda

riki Q,and afterwards southwards to Saxland 3 . He had

many sons ; and after having reduced under his subj ectionan ex tensive kingd om in Sax land , he placed his sons to d efend the country . He afterwards proceeded northwardto the sea

,and took up his abode in an island which is

called Od ins u ey in Fyen4

. But when Odin learned thatthere were good tracts of land to the east in Gylfi

’s king a

dom 5,he proceeded thither, and Gylfi concluded a treaty

w ith him Odin made his place of residence by theMalar lake

,at the place now called S igtuna . There he

erected a vast templeThe worship of THUNAE R or D ONAR

,the Northern

Thor, among the Germans appears certain only from the

Low German formula of renunciation 7 and the name of

the fifth d ay ofthe week s .

1 The d tar w ere the twelve chief priests .2 The Great and L ittle Russia ofafter - t imes .3 S trictly the Saxons ’ land ; but by the Northern w riters the name i s

applied to the whole of Germany, from the Alp s in the south to the

Rhine in the w est .4 A singular inaccuracy, Odense (Ch ins ey or rather Ob ins ve) being

the chief town ofFyen.

5 See pp . 34 , 1 32 note and 1 4 5 ofthis volume.

6 Ynglingas. c c. 5 , 6 .

7 E 0 forsacho allum d iob oles uuercum and uuordum thuuaer end e

uuod en ende saxnote ende allbm them unhold um the hira genotas sint .I renounce all the war/cs and word s of the d evil, Thunaer and Woden and

Saxnd t and all those fi end s that are their associates. Mas smann, Ah

schworungsformeln, No . 1 .

3 Ohg. Donares tac, Toniris tac t . Doures tac ; Mnl. Donresd ach

a . Dond erd ag ; O . Fris . Thunresd ez’ , Torusd ez'

; N. Fris . Tongersd ez’

;

Nor. Fris . Tursd ez'

; A . Sax . Thaures d ay ; 0 . Nor. po’

rsd agr .

232 E P IT OME OF GERMAN MYTH OLOGY .

her or after the Northern goddess Freyia1,but who in

Germany was probably called F rouwa ; and the godd essHLUDANA

,whom Thorlacius identifies with Hlodyn

9.

Of the god SAXNOT nothing occurs beyond the mentionofhis name in the renunciation, which w e have just seen .

In the genealogy ofthe kings OfEssex a Seaxnefit appearsas a son ofWOden 3

As the common ancestor of the German nation, Tacitus,on the authority of ancient poems 4

,places the hero or

god Tuisco,who sprang from the earth ; whose son

Mannus had three sons,after whom are named the three

tribes,viz . the Ingaevones

,nearest to the ocean 5 the Her

minones,in the middle parts 5 and the Istaevones 5 .

After all it is,perhaps

,from the several prohibitions,

contained in the decrees of councils or declared by the laws,that we derive the greater part of our knowledge ofGer

man heathenism . Of these sources one of the most important is the IND ICULU S SUPE R ST IT IONUM E T PAGAN IARUM

,at the end of a Capitulary ofCarloman (A .D .

contained in the Vatican MS . No . 5 7 7 , which is a catalogue ofthe heathen practices that were forbidden at the

council of Lestines (Lip tinae) , in the di ocese Of Cambrai6

.

1 The names ofthe sixth d ay ofthe w eek waver : Ohg. Fr ia d ag , Fr y e

tag ; t . Fr ttae, Vr iegtag ; Mnl. Vr td aeh ; O . Fris . Fr igend ez'

, F red ez’

;

N . Fris . Fred ; A. Sax . Fr ige d ney ; O . Nor. Fr iad agr , Freyjud agr ; Sw .

2 See page 21 . Muller, p . 88 .

3 Lapp enb erg’s England by Thorpe, i . p . 288 . M iiller, p . 89.

4 Celebrant carminibus antiquis , quod unum apud illos memoriae et annalium genus est , Tuisconem deum terra ed itum, etc.

5 Germania, c . 2.

Although the Ind tculus has been frequently printed , w e venture to

give it a place here, on account ofits importance for German Mythology .

INDICULUS SUPER ST IT IONUM ET PA GAN IAR UM .

1 . D e Sacrilegio ad Sepulchra Mortuorum.

I I . De Sacrilegio super Defunctos, id est Dad sz‘

sas .

I I I . De Spurcalibus in Februario.

APPE ND IX . 233

In the manuscript this catalogue is preceded by the formula of renunciation already given .

From the popular traditions and tales of Germany a

sufficiently clear idea of the nature Ofthe giants and dwarfsofTeutonic fiction may b e obtained . As in the Northernbelief the giants inhab it the mountains

,so does German

tradition assign them dwellings in mountains and caverns .Isolated mounts

,sand-hills or islands have been formed by

the heaps of earth which giant-maidens have let fall out

Of their aprons when constructing a d am or a causeway l

IV. De Casalis , id est Panis .V. De Sacrilegii s p er Ecclesias.VI . De Sacris Silvarum,

quae Nimid as vocant.VII . De his quae faciunt super petras .VII I . De Sacris Mercur ii vel Jam

'

s (Wod an or Thor) .IX. De Sacrificio quod fit alicui Sanctorum .

X . De Phylacteriis et Ligaturis.

XI . De Fontibus Sacrificiorum.

XII . De Incantationibus.XII I . De Auguriis vel avium vel equorum , vel boyum stercore, vel

sternutatione.

XIV. De D ivini s vel Sortilegis.De Igne fricato d e ligno, id est nod fy r .

XVI . De Cerebro Animalium.

XVII . De Ob servatione pagana in foco vel in inchoatione rei alicujus .XVIII . De Incertis Locis , quae colunt p ro Sacris.XIX. De Petend o quod boni vocant Sanctae Mariae.XX. De Feriis, quae faciunt Jam

“

vel Mercur io.

XXI . De Lunae d efectione, quod d icunt Vinceluna.

XXII . De Temp estatibus et Cornibus et Goeleis .XXII I . De Sulci s circa Villas .XXIV. De Pagano Cursu, quem Fr ias (e

’

as , Grimm) nominant, scissispannis vel calcei s .

‘XXV. De eo quod sib i sanctos fingunt quoslibet mortuos.XXVI . De S imulacro d e consparsa farina.

XXVI I. D e Simulacris d e pannis factis .XXVII I . De S imulacro quod p er campos portant .XXIX . De Ligneis Pedibus vel Manibus pagano ritu.

XXX. De eo quod cred unt, quia Feminae lunam commend ent, quodp ossint corda hominum tollere juxta paganos .

1 See vol. iii . p. 8 7 .

234 E P ITOME or GE RMAN MYTH OLOGY .

Scattered fragments of rock are from structures undertaken by them in ancient times ; and ofthe huge massesofstone lying about the country

,for the presence Ofwhich

the common people cannot otherwise account,it i s said

that they were cast by giants, or that they had shakenthem out oftheir shoes like grains ofsand 1 . Impressionsoftheir fingers or other members are frequently to be seenon such stones . O ther traditions tell of giants that havebeen turned into stone, and certain rocks have received

the appellation Of giants’clubs 9. Moors and sloughs have

been caused by the blood that sprang from a giant’ s wound,as from Ymir’ s 3

In Germany, too, traces exist ofthe turbulent elementsbeing considered as giants . A formula is preserved inwhich Fasolt i s conj ured to avert a storm 5 in another,Mermeut

,who rules over the storm

,is invoked 4 . Fasolt

i s the giant who figures so often in German mid d le c age

poetry 5 5 he was the brother of Ecke, who was himself adivinity of floods and waves 6 . Of Mermeut nothingfurther is known .

In the German popular tales the devil is frequentlymade to step into the place ofthe giants . Like them hehas his abode in rocks 7 , hurls huge stones, in which theimpression of his fingers or other members is Often to beseen 8

,causes moors and swamps to come forth

, or has his

1 See vol. iii. p . 93 .

2 A rock near Bonn i s called Fasolt’s Keule (club ) .3 See page 4 .

4 Ich peut d ir, Fasolt , das s d u d as wetter verfirst (wegfiihrest) , mir undmeinen nachpauren fin schaden. D . M . p . cxxxi i . l st edi t. Mul ler, p . 3 1 7 ,sqq.

5 See the passages in which mention of him occurs in W. Grimm,

Deut sche Heldensage.6 See Grimm , D . M . pp . 21 8 , 602. Miiller, pp . 310 , 3 19.

7 Grimm , K . and H . M . No . 1 25 .

8 Ih. D . S . NO. 191—198 , 200—205 5 Wolf, N iederl. Sagen, No. 1 7 8 , etc.

236 E P ITOME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

which is hardly to be explained by the assumption of an

original resemblance independent of all intercommunication 1

.

Tradition assigns to the dwarfs of Germany, as the

Eddas to those of the North,the interior of the earth

,

particularly rocky caverns, for a dwelling . There they livetogether as a regular people

,dig for ore

,employ them

selves in smith’ s work,and collect treasures . Their activity

i s of a peaceful,quiet character

,whence they are distin

guished as the stillfol/c (the good p eop le, the guid neigh

hours) 5 and because it i s practised in secret,they are said

to have a tarncap ,or tarnmantle ‘z

,or mistmantle

,by which

they can make themselves invisible . For the same reasonthey are particularly active at night 3 .

The dwarfs in general are, as we have seen, the personification of the hidden creative powers

,on whose effi cacy

the regular changes in nature depend . This idea naturallysuggests itself both from the names borne by the dwarfsin the Eddas“, and from the myths connected with them .

These names denote for the most part either activity ingeneral

,or individual natural phenomena

,as the phases of

the moon, wind, etc.

5

The activity of the dwarfs,which popular tradition

symbolically signifies by smith’ s work, must b e understoodas elemental or cosmical . It applies particularly to the

thriving of the fruits Of the earth . We consequently frequently find the dwarfs busied in helping men in theiragricultural labours

,in getting in the harvest

,making

hay and the like,which is merely a debasement of the

idea that, through their efficacy, they promote the growthand maturity Ofthe fruits Of the earth . Tradition seems

I M iiller, p . 327 .2 From O ld Saxon d ernian, A . S . d yrnan, to conceal. With the dwarfs

the sun rises at midnight . Grimm , D . M . p . 435 ;3 Muller, p . 335 .

4 See page 1 5 1 .5 Muller, p . 332.

APPE ND IX . 23 7

to err in representing the dwarfs as thievish on such occasions

,as stealing the produce from the fields, or collecting

the thrashed-out corn for themselves 5 unless such stories

are meant to signify that evil befalls men, if they Offend

those b eneficent beings, and thereby cause them to suspend their efficacy, or exert it to their prej udice

‘

The same elemental powers which Operate on the fruitsOf the earth also exercise an influence on the well-being ofliving creatures . Well-known and widespread is the tradition that the dwarfs have the power, by their touch,their breathing, and even by their look, to cause sicknessor death to man and beast . That which they cause whenthey are offended they must also b e able to remedy .

Apollo,who sends the pestilence, is at the same time the

healing god . Hence to the dwarfs likewise i s ascribed aknowledge of the salutary virtues of stones and plants .In the popular tales we find them saving from sicknessand death ; and while they can inflict injury on the cattle,they often also take them under their care . The care of

deserted and unprotected children is also ascribed to them,

and in heroic tradition they appear as instructors ? Atthe same time it cannot b e denied that tradi tion muchmore frequently tells a widely different tale, representingthem as kidnapping the children of human mothers andsubstituting their own changelings, d ickkopfs

’or

‘ kiel

kropfs3 .

’ These beings are deformed,never thrive

, and ,

in spite ofthe ir voracity, are always lean,and are

,more

over,mischievous . But that this tradition is a misrepre

sentation, or at least a part only, of the original one,is

evident from the circumstance, that when the changelingis taken back the mother finds her own child again safeand sound

,sweetly smiling, and as it were waking out of

1 Muller, p . 336 .

2 Of thi s description was Regin, the instructor ofS igurd. See p . 95 .

3 See page 46.

238 E P IT OME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

a deep sleep . It had, consequently, found itself verycomfortable while under the care of the dwarfs

,as they

themselves also declare, that the children they steal findbetter treatment with them than with their own parents .By stripping this belief of its mythic garb

, we should probably find the sense to be, that the dwarfs take charge of

the recovery and health ofsick and weakly children ?Hence it may also be regarded as a perversion of the

ancient belief, when it is related that women are frequentlysummoned to render assistance to dwarf-w ives in labour 5although the exi stence of such traditions may b e con e

sid ered as a testimony Of the intimate and friendly rela «

tion in which they stand to mankind . But if we reversethe story and assume that dwarf-wives are present at theb irth of a human child

, we gain an appendage to theEddaic faith—that the Norns

,who appeared at the b irth

of children,were of the race Of dwarfs . In the traditions

it is,moreover

,expressly declared that the dwarfs take

care of the continuation and prosperity offamilies . Bren

sents made by them have the effect of causing a race toincrease

,while the loss of such is followed by the decline

ofthe family ? 5 for this indicates a lack Of respect towardsthese b eneficent beings, which induces them to withdrawtheir protection . The anger Of the dwarfs

,in any way

roused,is avenged by the extinction of the offender’ s

race 3 .

“ Te have here made an attempt

,out of the numerous

traditions of dwarfs, to set forth,in a prominent point of

View, those characteristics which exhibit their nobler nature,in the supposition that Christianity may also have vilifiedthese beings as it has the higher divinities . At the sametime it is not improbable that the nature of the dwarfs

,

even in heathen times, may have had in it something of

1 M iiller, p . 337 .3 See vol. i ii. p . 5 1 .

3 Vol. i i. p . 239, and Muller, p . 339.

240 E P ITOME OP GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

as the goddess of fate,who attends human beings when

at the point Of death 5 and from the Codex Exoniensis 1

we learn that the influence ofthe Norns in the gui ding offate is metaphorically expressed as the weaving ofa web

,

as the uoip a o and parcae are described as spinners . Thus,

too,does the poet Ofthe Heliand personify VVU RTH

,whom

,

as a goddess ofdeath, he in like manner makes an attendant Ou man in his last hour ?

We find not only in Germany traditions ofWI SE WOME N,

who,mistresses offate

,are present at the birth ofa child 5

but ofthe Keltic fairies it is also related that they hoverabout mortal s as guardian spirits, - appearing either threeor seven or thirteen together—nurse and tend new -bornchildren

,foretell their destiny

,and bestow gifts on them

,

but among which one of them usually mingles somethingevil . Hence they are invited to stand sponsors

,the place

of honour is assigned them at table,which is prepared

with the greatest care for their sake . Like the Norri s,

too, they spins

.

Let us now endeavour to ascertain whether among theGermans there exist traces Of a belief in the V alkyriur .

In Anglo - Saxon the word waelcyrige (waelcyrie) appears as

1 Me baet Wyrd gewaef. That Wy rd woveforme. 1 .

Wyrd oft nereO Wy rd oft preservesunfaegne eorl, an und oom

’

d man,

bonne his ellen deah . when his valour avails . B eowulf, 1 139.

Him w aes Wyrd To him w as Wy rdungemete neah . exceed ingly near. Ih. 4 836 .

Thiu uurd i s at handum . The Wa rd i s at hand. Heliand , p . 1 46 , 2.

Thin uurth nahid a thuo , The Wur th then drew near ,mari maht godes . the great might ofGod . Ih. 1 63, 1 6 .

In an O ld H igh German glos s also w e find wur t, fatum . Grafl'

, i . p . 992 .

The Engli sh and Scotch have preserved the w ord the longest , as in theweird sisters OfMacbeth and Gawen Douglas ’s Virgil ; the weird elves in

Warner’s Alb ion’ s England ; the w eird lad y of the wood s in Percy ’s Reliques. See Grimm , D . M . pp . 3 7 6—37 8 for other instances .

3 Milller, p . 346 .

3 Ih. p . 349.

APPE ND IX . 24 1

an equivalent to necis arbiter, B ellona, Alecto, E rinnys,

Tisip hone ; the pl . vaelcyrian to p arcw,veneficw and Anglo

Saxon poets use personally the nouns H ild and GuiS,

words answering to the names of two Northern Valkyriur,Hild r and Gunnr (comp . hild r

,pugna ; gunnr, p roelium,

bellum) . In the first Merseburg poem damsels, or id ist,

are introduced,of whom “ some fastened fetters, some

stopt an army,some sought after bonds and therefore

perform functions having reference to war 1 5 consequentlyare to be regarded as Valkyriur

Q

We have still a superstition to notice, which in some

respects seems to Ofler a resemblance to the belief in theValkyriur, although in the main it contains a strange

mixture of senseless,insignificant stories . We allude to

the belief in witches and their nightly meetings .The belief in magic

,in evi l magicians and sorceresses,

who by means Of certain arts are enabled to injure theirfellow- creatures S—to raise storms, destroy the seed in the

1 The following i s the poem alluded to in the text, w ith Grimm’

s Latinversion

B iri s silzun idisi‘, Olim sed eb ant nymphae,sazun hera d uod er, sed ebant huc atque illuc,suma hapt hep tid un aliac vincula vinciebant,suma heri lezid un, aliac exercitum morabantur,

suma clubod unali se colligebant serta,

umb i cuniouui d i , J

insprincg haptbandun, insultum d ns complicibus ,

inuar u’

igand un. introitum heroibus.

the last two li nes ofwhich are particularly Ob scure. See Grimm , uberzwei entdeckte Gedichte aus d er Z eit d es Deut schen Heid enthums . B er

lin, 1 842 ; also W. Wackernagels Altdeutsches Lesebuch , edit . 1 842 .

Vorrede, p . IX . D . M . p . 3 7 2.

3 Muller , p . 3 5 5 .

3 We subjoin the principal denominat ions ofmagicians and soothsayers ,as affording an insight into their several modes ofOperation. The moregeneral names are : d ivini , magi , har ioli, vaticinatores , etc. More specialappellations are : sor tilegi (sor tiar ii, xpno'p ékoy or) , diviners by lot ; incantatores , enchanters ; somniorum conj ectores , interpreters of dreams ;

M

242 E P ITOME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

earth, cause sickness to man and beast— is of remote ah

tiquity . It is found in the East and among the Greeksand Romans ; it was known also to the Germans and

S laves in the time of their paganism,without their having

borrowed it from the Romans . In it there is nothing tob e sought for beyond what appears on the surface

,viz .

that low degree of religious feeling,at which belief sup

poses efl'

ects from unknown causes to proceed from supernatural agency, as from persons by means of spells, fromherb s

,and even from an evil glance—a degree which can

subsist simultaneously with the progressing religion, and ,therefore

,after the introduction ofChristianity, could long

prevail, and in part prevails down to the present d ay .

Even in the time ofheathenism it was, no doubt, a beliefthat these sorceresses on certain days and in certain placesmet to talk over their arts and the application of them

,to

boil magical herb s, and for other evil purposes . For asthe sorcerer, in consequence of his occult knowledge and

of his superiority over the great mass Of human beings,became

,as it w ere

,i solated from them

,and Often har

boured hostile feelings towards them,he was consequently

compelled to associate with those who were possessed Of

similar power . It must,however, b e evident that the

points of contact are too few to justify our seeing theground of German belief in witch -meetings in the old

heathen sacrificial festival s and assemblies . And whyshould we b e at the pains of seeking an historic basis fora belief that rests principally on an impure

,confused

dei sidaimonia, which finds the supernatural where it does

cauculatores and coclear i z, diviners by offering-cups (comp . Du Fresne subvocc, and Indic . Sup erst. c . 22) harusp ices , consulters ofentrail s (Cap itul.V I I . 3 7 0 , Legg . Liutprand i V I . 30 ; comp . Ind ie. 0 . 1 6 , and the diviningfrom human sacrifices . Procop . d e B . G . 2. ausp ices (Ammian. Mar.

eel. 1 4 . obligatores, t iers of strings or l igatures (for the cure of diseases) temp es tar ii, or immissores temp esta tum, raisers ofstorms .

244 E P IT OME or GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

the dwarfs,etc .

,there

i

remains for consideration a seriesofsubordinate beings, who are confined to particular localities

,having their habitation in the water

,the forests and

woods,the fields and in houses

,and who in many ways

come in contact with man1.

A general expression for a female demon seems to havebeen minne

,the original signification ofwhich was

,no

doubt,woman. The word is used to designate female

water- sprites and wood-wivesHold e is a general denomination for spirits

,both male

and female,but occurs Oftenest in composition

,as brun

nenholden,wasserhold en (spirit s of the springs and waters) .

There are no berghold en or waldholden (mountain -holds,

forest -holds), but dwarfs are called by the diminutiveho ldechen. The original meaning of the word is bonus

genius, whence evil spirits are d esignated unholds 3

The name ofB ilwiz (also written P ilwiz, P ilew is, B ulw echs) is attended with some obscurity . The feminineform B ulwechs in also occurs . It denotes a good

,gentle

being, and may either,with Grimm 4

,b e rendered by

ceguuin sciens,aequus, bonus ; or with Leo by the Keltic

bilbheith,bilbhith (from bil, good, gentle, and bheith or bhith,

a being) . Either of these derivations would show thatthe name was originally an appellative 5 but the traditionsconnected with it are so Obscure and varying

,that they

hardly distinguish any particular kind of sprite . The

B ilwiz shoots like the elf,and has shaggy or matted hair 5 .

In the latter ages,popular belief

,losing the Old nobler

idea Ofthis supernatural being,as in the case OfHolla and

Berchta, retained the remembrance only ofthe hostile sideof its character . It appears

,consequently

,as a torment

1 Milller, p . 36 5 .3 lb . p . 366 .

3 Ih . p . 366 .

4 D . M . p . 4 40 , which see for further illustration of the subject ; andMuller , p . 36 7 .

5 Bilwitzen (b ilmitzeu) signifies to tangle or mat the hair . M illler, p . 367 .

APPE ND IX . 24 5

ing,terrifying, hair and beard - tangling

,grain - cutting

sprite,chiefly in a female form,

as a wicked sorceress or

witch . The tradition belongs more particularly to theeast of Germany, Bavaria, Franconia, Voigtland and S ilesia .

In Voigtland the belief in the bils en or bilver -schnitters,or

reapers, is current . These are wicked men,who injure

their neighbours in a most unrighteous way : they go atmidnight stark naked

,with a sickle tied on their foot, and

repeating magical formulae, through the midst Of a fieldOf corn just ripe . From that part Ofthe field which theyhave cut through with their sickle all the corn will fly intotheir own barn . Or they go by night over the fields withlittle sickles tied to their great toes, and cut the straws,believing that by so doing they will gain for themselveshalf the produce of the field where they have cut 1 .The Schrat or Schratz remains to b e mentioned . From

O ld H igh German glosses, which translate scratun bypilosi

,and waltschrate by satyrus, it appears to have been

a Spirit of the woods .In the popular traditions mention occurs of a being

named J iid el, which disturb s children and domestic animals .When children laugh in their sleep, open their eyes andturn

,it is said the J iidel is p lay ing w ith them. If it get s

entrance into a lying-in woman’ s room,it does injury to

the new -born child . TO prevent this,a straw from the

woman’ s b ed must be placed at every door,then no Jii d el

nor spirit can enter . If the Jiid el will not otherwise leavethe children in quiet, something must be given it to playwith . Let a new pipkin b e bought

,without any abate

ment of the price demanded 5 put into it some water fromthe child’ s bath, and set it on the stove . In a few daysthe J iidel w ill have sp lashed out all the water . People alsohang egg

- shell s, the yolks of which have been blown into

1 Miiller, p . 367 .

246 E P ITOME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

the child’ s p ap and the mother’ s pottage,on the cradle

by linen threads,that the Jii d el may play with them ih

stead Ofwith the child . If the cows low in the night,the J ildel is p laying w ith them

1 But what are the Wihseln We are informed that the d ead must be turned w iththe head toward s the east

,else they will b e terrified by the

Winscln,who wander hither from the west

Of the several kinds Ofspirit s,which we classify accord

ing to the locality and the elements in which they havetheir abode

,the principal are the demons of the water or

the N ixen 3 . Their form is represented as resembling ahuman being

,only somewhat smaller . According to some

traditions,the N ix has slit ears

,and is al so to b e known by

his feet,which he does not willingly let be seen . Other tra

d itions give the N ix a human body terminating in a fish’stail

,or a complete fish’ s form . They are clothed like

human beings,but the water-wives may be known by the

wet hem of their apron,or the w et bord er of their robe .

Naked N ixen,or hung round with mos s and sedge, are

also mentioned 4 .

Like the dwarfs,the water- sprites have a great love of

dancing . H ence they are seen dancing on the waves,or

coming on land and j oining in the dance of human beings .They are also fond Of music and singing . From the

depths of a lake sweetly fascinating tones sometimes ascend,oftentimes the N ixen may b e heard singing . Extraor

d inary wisdom is al so ascribed to them,which enables

them to foretell the future 5 . The water-wives are said to

1 Grimm , Abergl. NO . 62, 389, 4 5 4 , from the Chemnitzer Rockenphilos0 ph ie .

3 lb . No. 5 4 5 .

3 The male water-sprite i s called nix , the female nix e. Comp . Ohg.

nichus , crocodilus A . S . nicor , pl . niceras ; Sw . neck ; Dan. 7 15 76 . Hnikarr

and Hnikntfir are names ofOdin.

4 M ii ller , p . 369.

5 That w ater-Sprites have the gift ofprophecy has been the bel ief ofmany nations . We need only remind the reader ofNereus and Proteus.

248 E P ITOME OF . GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

which sometimes come on land and mingle with those Of

men and render them prolific 1 .Tradition also informs us that these beings exercise an

influence over the lives and health of human beings . Hencethe Nixen come to the aid of women in labour 3 5 while thecommon story

,as in the case Of the dwarfs

,asserts the

complete reverse . The presence ofN ixen at weddings bringsprosperity to the bride 5 and new -born children are saidto come out Of ponds and springs 5 although it is at thesame time related that the N ixen steal children, for whichthey substitute changelings . There are also traditions ofrenovating sp rings (Jungbrunnen) which have the virtueofrestoring the Old to youth 3 .

The water- sprites are said to be both covetous and

bloodthirsty . This character is,however

,more applicable

to the males than to the females,who are of a gentler

nature,and even form connections with human beings

,

but which usually prove unfortunate . Male water- spritescarry ofl

'

young girls and detain them in their habitations,

and assail women with violence .

The water- sprite suffers no one from wantonness forciblyto enter his dwelling

,to examine it

,or to diminish its

extent . Piles driven in for an aqueduct he will pull upand scatter 5 those who wish to measure the depth of a

lake he will threaten ; he frequently will not endurefishermen

,and bold swimmers Often pay for their temerity

with their lives . If a service is rendered to the water~

sprite,he will p ay for it no more than he owes 5 though

he sometimes pays munificently 5 and for the wares thathe buys

,he will bargain and haggle

,or p ay with Old p er

1 See vol. 11 . pp . 1 7 0 , 1 7 1 . Miiller, p . 3 7 1 .2 Mark . Sagen, No . 83 .

3 Thus the rugged El se ,Wolfd ietrich’

s beloved , bathed in such a springand came forth the beautiful Sigeminne. Mtiller, p . 3 7 3 .

APPE ND IX . 249

forated coin . He treats even his relations with cruelty .

Water-maidens,who have staid too late at a dance

,or other

water- sprites,who have intruded on his domain

,he will

kill without mercy a stream of blood that founts up fromthe water announces the d eed l . Many traditions relatethat the water- sprite draws persons down with his net

,

and murders them 5 that the spirit of a river requires hisyearly Offering

,etc .

2

To the worship Of water- sprites the before - cited passage from Gregory of Tours bears ample witness . The

prohibitions,too

,of councils against the performance of

any heathen rites at springs,

and particularly againstburning lights at them

,have

,no doubt

,reference to the

water- sprites . In later Christian times some traces havebeen preserved Of offerings made to the demons of the

water . Even to the present time it is a Hessian custom to

go on the second d ay of Easter to a cave on the Meisner 3,

and draw water from the spring that flows from it,when

flowers are‘

d ep osited as an offering 4 Near Louvain are

three springs,to which the people ascribe healing virtues 5

In the North it was a usage to cast the remnants of foodinto waterfall s 6

Rural sp rites cannot have been so prominent in the

German religion as water- sprites,as they otherw ise would

have acted a more conspicuous part in the traditions . TheOsnabriick popular belief tell s Of a Tremsemutter, who

goes among the corn and i s feared by the children . InBrunswick she i s called the K ornweib (Cornwife) . Whenthe children seek for cornflowers, they do not venture too

1 See vol. i ii. p . 200 .

2 Muller, p . 3 7 3 .

3 A chain ofhills in E lectoral Hes se.

4 The Bavarian custom al so of throw ing a man w rapped in leaves orrushes into the water on Whi t Mond av may have originated in a sacrificetoappease the water- spr ite.

5 See vol. iii. p . 27 0 .

6 Milller, p . 3 7 6 .

M 5

25 0 E P ITOME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

far in the field,and tell one another about the Cornwife

who steal s little children . In the Altmark and Mark ofBrandenburg she is called the Roggea hme

1,and

screaming children are silenced by saying : B e still,else

the Roggea hme with her long,black teats will come

and drag thee away Or,according to other relations

,

“ with her black iron teats ” By others she i s calledRochenmb

’

r,because like Holda and Berchta she plays all

sorts oftricks with those idle girls who have not spun alloff from their spinning-wheels (Rocken) by Twelfth d ay .

Children that she has laid on her black bosom easilyd ie . In the Mark they threaten children with the E rbsen

muhme 9,that they may not feast on the peas in the field .

In the Netherlands the Long Woman i s known,who goes

through the corn -field s and plucks the proj ectn ears . Inthe heathen times this rural or field sprite was

,no doubt

,

a friendly being,to whose influence the growth and

thriving of the corn were ascribed 3 .

Spirit s inhabiting the forests are mentioned in the Olderauthorities

,and at the present d ay people know them

under the appellations Of Wh ld leute (Fore st -folk) , Hols

leute (l’VOOd -folk) , M oosleute (Moss - folk) , PVilde L eute

( Wild folk)? The traditions clearly distinguish the F0

1 From roggen, rye, and muhme, aunt, cous in.

2 From Erbsen, peas .3 Muller , pp . 3 7 8 , sqq. Grimm , D . M . p . 445 . Adalbert Kuhn, who

in the collecting of G erman popular traditions i s indefatigable, makes uSacquainted w ith another female being , who bears a considerable resemblance to Holda , B erchta and others ofthat clas s, and i s called the Mur

raue. See more ofher in vol. i ii . pp . 1 5 4, sq.

4 The appellation ofSchrat (p . 2 1 5 ) i s al so applicab le to the Forestsprites . The Goth . SkOhsl (5 61 111 t 0 2! ) i s by Grimm (D . M . p . 4 5 5 ) compared w ith the O . Nor. SkOgr (forest) , who thence concludes that i t w asoriginally a forest-sprite. Jornand es Speaks of sylvestres homines , quosfaunosfi car ios vocant. Agrestes feminas, quas silvaticas vocant.” Burehard ofWorms ,

25 2 E P ITOME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

offa piece and threw it in her load ofwood at home she

found it was gold 1 .Like the dwarfs

,the Forest -wives are dissatisfied with

the present state Of things . In addition to the causesalready mentioned, they have some particular reasons .

The times, they say, are no longer good since folks countthe dumplings in the p ot and the loaves in the oven

,or

since they p ip ed2 the bread

,and put cumin into it . Hence

their preceptsPeel no tree,relate no dream,

p ip e no b read, orbake no cumin in b read,so w ill Go d help thee in thy need .

A Forest-wife, who had just tasted a new -baked loaf,ran

Offto the forest screaming aloud

They’ve b aken for me cumin -b read,

that on this house b rings great dis tre s s

And the prosperity of the peasant was soon on the wane,

so that at length he was reduced to abj ect poverty 3

Little Forest-men,who have long worked in a mill

,have

been scared away by the miller’ s men leaving clothes andshoes for them . It would seem that by accepting clothesthese beings were fearful Of breaking the relation sub sisting between them and men . hVe shall see presently thatthe domestic sprites act on quite a different principle

1 Grimm , D . M . p . 4 5 2.

2 To p ip e the bread (d as B rot p ip en) i s to impres s the point s of thefingers into the loaf, as i s usual in mo s t places . Perhaps the Forest-w ivescould not carry ofi‘

p ip ed bread . From a like cause they w ere, no doubt ,averse to the counting . Whether the seasoning w ith cumin di spleasedthem merely as being an innovation, or for some hidden cause, we knownot, but the rime says

Kummelbrot unser Tod Cumin-bread our deathKummelbrot macht Angs t und Cumin-bread makes pain andNoth afiliction

3 D . M . p . 4 5 2.

4 1h.

APPE ND IX . 25 3

We have still a class ofsubordinate beings to consider,

viz. the domestic sprites or Goblins (Kobolde ) . Numerous as are the tradition s concerning these beings

,there

seems great reason to conclude that the belief in them,in

it s present form,did not exist in the time of heathenism 5

but that other ideas must have given occasion to its development . The ancient mythologic system has in fact noplace for domestic sprites and goblins . Nevertheless

,w e

believe that by tracing up through popular tradi tion,we

shall discern forms,which at a later period were comprised

under the name of Kobolds 1

The domestic sprites bear a manifest resemb lance to thedwarfs . Their figure and clothing are represented as p erfectly similar ; they evince the same love of occupation

,

the same kind,though sometimes evil

,nature . We have

already seen that the dwarfs interest themselves in the

prosperity of a family ? and in this respect the Koboldsmay b e partially considered as dwarfs

,who

,for the sake of

taking care of the family, fix their abode in the house .

In the Netherlands the dwarfs are called Kabouterman

nekens, that i s, K obolds 3 .

The domestic sprite i s satisfied with a small remuneration

,as a hat

,a red cloak

,and party - coloured coat with

tingling bells . Hat and cloak he has in common with thedwarfs 4

It may probably have been a belief that the deceasedmembers of a family tarried after death in the house asguardian and succouring spirits

,and as such

,a veneration

might have been paid them like that of the Romans tothe ir lares . It has been already shown that in the heathentimes the departed were highly honoured and revered

,and

we shall presently exemplify the belief that the dead cleave

1 Muller , p . 38 1 . According to the Sw edish popular bel ief, the d omestic Sprite had his usual abode in a tree near the house.

3 See p . 1 1 .3 M illler, p . 382.

4 Grimm , D .M . p . 4 79.

25 4 EP ITOME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

to the earthly,and feel solicitous for those they have left

behind . Hence the domestic sprite may b e compared to alarfamiliaris, that participates in the fate Ofits family . It

is,moreover

,expressly declared in the traditions that do

mestic sprites are the souls Of the dead 1,and the “

T

hite

Lady who,through her active aid

,occupies the place of a

female domestic sprite, is regarded as the ancestress Of thefamily

,in whose dwelling she appears

When domestic sprites sometimes appear in the form Of

snakes,it is in connection with the belief in genii or spirit s

who preserve the life and health of certain individuals .This subj ect

,from the lack of adequate sources

,cannot be

satisfactorily followed up 5 though so much is certain, thatas

,according to the Roman idea

,the genius has the form

Ofa snake 3,so

,according to the German belief

,this crea

ture was in general the symbol ofthe soul and of spirits .Hence it is that in the popular traditions much is relatedOf snakes which resembles the traditions ofdomestic sprites .Under this head w e bring the tradition

,that in every

house there are two snakes,a male and a female

,whose

life depends on that Of the master or mistress of the fa

mily. They do not make their appearance until thesed ie

, and then d ie with them . Other traditions tell ofsnakes that live together with a child

,whom they watch in

the cradle,eat and drink with it . If the snake i s killed

,

the child declines and di es shortly after . In general,

snakes bring luck to the house in which they take uptheir abode

,and milk is placed for them as for the do

mestic sprites 4 .

1 Kobolds are the soul s of persons that have been murdered in the

house. Grimm , D . S . No . 7 1 . A knife sticks in their back. Ih. i . p . 224 .

2 See vol. ii i. p . 9.

3 Servius in Virgil , 5 211 . v . 8 5 Nullus locus sine genio est, qui p er

suguem plerumque ostend itur.

4 Miiller, p . 383 .

25 6 E P ITOME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

in assuming that a sort of fetish adoration of trees and

springs existed among them,and that their religious rites

were unconnected with the idea of divine or semi- divinebeings

,to whom they Offered adoration 5 for the entire

character of the testimonies cited in the note sufficientlyproves that through them the external s only ofthe paganworship have been transmitted to us, the motives Of whichthe transmitters either did not or would not know 1

.

As sacred spots,at which Offerings to the gods were

made,those places were particularly used where there were

trees and springs . The trees were sacred to the gods,

mag. Vita Eligu 1 1 . e . 1 6 Nullus Christianus ad fana, vel ad p etras , ve1 adfontes , vel ad arbores , aut ad cellos , vel p er trivia luminaria faciat, aut votared d ere p rae sumat.

—nee p er fontes aut arbores , vel b ivios diabolica phylacteria exereeantur.

—fontes vel arbores , quos sacros voeant, succid ite.

On the B lood Tree Ofthe Langobards ,Vita S . B arbat i (oh. Act. S S.

1 9 Feb . p . 1 39 : Quinetiam non longe a B eneventi mcenibus d evotissime

sacrilegam colebant arborem. Comp . Leges Liutp r. V I . 30 : Qui ad arborem,

quam rustici sanguinum (al. sanetivam, saerivam) voeant, atque ad fontanasad oraverit . The prohibit ions in the decrees ofthe councils and the law susually join trees w ith springs

, or trees , springs , rocks and cros sways together. Cone. Autissiod . a. 5 86 , e . 3 : ad arbores sacrivas vel ad fontes votaexsolvere. Comp . Cone. Turon. I I . a. 5 66 , e. 22 Indie. Sup erst. e. 1 1 B ur

chard ofWorms , Collect .Decret. X. 1 0 (Cone . Nam h et . a. 895 , e. arboresd aemonibus consecrates , quas vulgus eolit et in tanta veneratione habet ,ut nee t amum vel surculum aud eat amputare. Ih. X IX. 5 (comp . D . M .

p . xxxvi . l st edit .) Venisti ad aliquern locum ad orand um nisi ad ecclesiam , i . e . vel ad fontes, vel ad lapides , vel ad b ivia, et ib i aut eand elamaut faculam p ro veneratione loci ineend isti, aut panem aut aliquam oblationem illac d etulisti, aut ib i eomed isti Comp . X. 2. 9. Cap itul. d e Part .Sax . c . 2 1 : S i qui s ad fontes , aut arbores , vel laco s votum fecerit, aut

aliquid more gentilium Obtulerit et ad honorem d aemonum comed erit.

Capit . Aquisgr. I . e. 63 : D e arb oribus , vel petris , vel fontibus , ub i aliquistalti luminaria aeeend unt, vel aliquas ob servationes faciunt . Comp . Capit.Francof. a. 7 94 , c . 4 1 . Cap itt. lib . I . e . 62, V I I . 3 1 6 , 3 7 4 , Lex Wisigoth .

l ib . V I . 2, 4 . Ecgb . Peni t . IV . 19. Law ofNorth . Priests , 5 4 Leges Cnuti ,Sec. 5 ; Can. Ead gari, 1 6 . Whether all the pas sages which refer to Gaulare applicable to German heathenism i s not always certain, as trees andsprings were held sacred also by the Kelts .

1 Muller, p . 5 8 .

APPE ND IX. 25 7

whose festivals were solemnized near or under them ; aninstance Ofwhich is the oak sacred to Jupiter, which Boniface caused to be felled . These trees, as we shall presentlysee

,were

,at the sacrificial feasts

,used for the purpose of

hanging on them either the animal s sacrificed or theirhides

,whence the Langobard ish Blood-Tree derives its

name l . S imilar was the case with regard to the springsat which Offerings were made ; they were al so sacred tothe god whose worship was there celebrated

,as is con

firmed by the circumstance,that certain springs in Ger

many were named after gods and were situated near theirsanctuaries ? How far these were needful in sacrificialceremonies

,and in what manner they were used, we know

not 3 .

But the worship of trees and springs may in realityhave consisted in a veneration Offered to the spirits who,according to the popular faith

,had their dwelling in them

tradition having preserved many tales of beings that ihhabited the woods and waters

,and many traces Of such

veneration being still extant,Ofwhich we shall speak here

after . It seems,however

,probable that the worship of

such spirits,who stood in a subordinate relation to the

gods, was not so prominent and glaring that it was deemednecessary to issue such repeated prohibitions against it 4 .

This double explanation applies equally to the thirdlocality at which heathen rites were celebrated—stones

1 If such he the true reading, which is very questionable (see note ,p . The word blood has no connection w ith the verb b16tan, tosacr ifi ce.

2 Miiller, pp . 5 8- 61 . Near the grove of the Fri sian god Fosite therew as a sacred Spring. Comp . Vita S . Remaeli, c . 12 Warchinnam rivulum

aeced it (the scene of the incident was the Ardennes) , invenit illic certaindicia loea illa quondam id ololatriae fui s se mancipata. Erant illic lapidesD ianae, et i d genus p ortentosis nominibus inserip ti, vel efiigies corum hab entes fontes etiam ,

hominum quidem usibus apti , sed gentilismi erroribus polluti , atque Ob id etiamnum d aemonum infestationi obnox ii .3 Miiller, p . 61 .

4 Ih. p . 62.

25 8 E P I TOME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

and rocks l . In stones,according to the popular belief

,

the dwarfs had their abode 5 but principally rugged stonealtars are thereby understood

,such as still exist in many

parts ofGermany 2

We are unable to say with certainty whether the beforementioned offering -places served at the same time as

burying-grounds ofthe dead,a supposition rendered pro

bable by the number of urns containing ashes,which are

Often found on spots supposed to have been formerlyconsecrated to heathen worship . But the graves of thedead

,at all events

,seem designated as offering-places3 .

That such Offerings at graves were sometimes made to thesouls of the departed

,who after death were venerated as

higher and b eneficent beings,may b e assumed from the

numerous prohibitions,by the Christian church, against

afiering to saints, and regarding the dead indiscriminatelyas holy 4 5 although not all the sacrificia mortuorum and

the heathen Observances, which at a later period took placeat burials 5

,may have had reference to the dead, but may

1 See p . 25 5 , note3. Comp . Indi e. Superst. e. 7 . Cone. Namnet. e. 20 :

lapides , quos in ruinosis locis et silvestribus d aemonurn lud ifieationibus

d eeep ti venerantur, ubi et vota vovent et d eferunt. B ecard, Fran. Orient .i . p . 4 1 5 .

2 Muller, p . 62 .

3 Burchard , 19. 5 : Comed isti aliquid d e id olothito , i . e. d e oblationibus

quae in quibusd am locis ad sep ulcizra mortuorum fiunt, vel ad fontes , autad arbores , aut ad lapides , aut ad b ivia.

4 Ind ie . Sup erst. c . 9 : De sacrifieio quod fi t alieui sanctorum ; c . 25De eO quod sib i sanctos fingunt quoslibet mortuos. Cone. Germ . a. 7 42.

can. 5 (comp . Cap itul. V I I . ut populus Dei paganias non faciat , sedomnes spureities gentilitatis abjiciat et respuat, sive profana sacrificia mortuorum,

sive hostias immolatitias , quas stulti homines juxta ecclesias ritupagano faciunt , sub nomine sanctorum martyrum vel confessorum.

5 Ind ie. Superst. cc . 1 , 2. B urchard , B onifac. Ep . 44 : sacrificia mortuorum respuentes. E p . 82 : sacrilegis p resbyteris , qui tauros ethirco s d iis p aganorum immolabant, mand ucantes sacrificia mortuorum.

Capit . V I . 197 Admoneantur fid eles ut ad suos mortuos non agant ea

quaa d e p aganorum ritu remanserunt. E t quando eos ad sepulturam portaverint, ilium ululatum excelsum non faciant et super corum tumulos


precludes all doubt on the subject . But with respect tothe temples, Of which mention is made

,either on the

Rhine or in Gaul (where the greater number occur) , it isdoubtful whether they are not rather to b e considered asKeltic, which the invading Franks and Burgundians app ropriated to themselves ; as heathenism is inclined todedicate to its own worship places regarded by others asholy . With respect to other places, the accounts suppliedby the authorities are so vague

,that it cannot b e pro

nounced with certainty whether the question is ofa templeor a grove

,as the fanum arboribus consitum,

” which ismentioned among the Langobard i

1,can certainly have

been only a grove . The fourth chapter of the Indiculus,

“ De easulis, i . e . fanis,

” may refer to small buildings,in which probably sacrificial utensils or sacred symbolswere ket .

The paucity oftemples among the Germans implies alsoa paucity of idols among them 5 for the heathen templedid not

,like a Christian church

,serve for the reception Of

a holyday congregation,but was originally a mere shelter

or house for the image Ofthe god . Certainly we are notjustified in totally denying the presence of images 5 as iti s expressly stated that the Gothic king Athanrie (Ob . 382)caused a carved image to b e carried about 3

,which

,like

Nerthus,was everywhere received with prayers and offer

ings . Nor are we, at the same time,justified in as

suming the fact of their existence among all the Germannations 5 and although in the authorities idola and s imu

lac m are repeatedly mentioned, and great zeal i s manifested against the folly of the heathen, in expecting aid

from images of gold, silver, stone and wood 5 yet are theseonly general forms of speech directed against idolatry

, and

1 Vita S . Bertulfi Bobbiensis (ob . in Act. Bened . sec. 2,p . 1 64.

2 M iiller, p . 6 5 .

3 Eéa vov égb’

d py ay d éns ear ths. Sozomen. H i st. Eccles . V I . 3 7 .

APPE ND IX . 26 1

applying rather to Roman than German heathenism ]. We

have in fact no genuine or trustworthy testimony thatclearly describes to us an idol in Germany Proper . In noLife Ofa saint is it related that a converter destroyed suchan idol . On the contrary, all the passages, which hereenter into consideration, point either to a blending of

foreign worship,

or,on closer examination, there i s no

question in them of an idol, or they are Of doubtful cha

raeterg .

The three brazen and gilt images, which St. Gall foundand destroyed at Bregenz on the Lake of Constance, builtinto the wall of a church dedi cated to S t . Aurelia, andvenerated by the people as gods, were no doubt of Romanorigin3

,like those stone images which St . Columban (Ob .

6 1 5 ) met with at Luxeuil in Franche Comté 4 . The statueOf D iana at Treves

,and the images ofMars and Mercury

in the south Of Gaul,ofwhich Gregory Of Tours makes

mention 5 , are likewise rather Roman or Keltic than German . Not even the noted and in other respects remarkable passage ofWidukind (I . according to which theSaxons

,after their victory over the Thuringians on the

Unstrut,raised an altar and worshiped a god

“ nomineMartem,

efiigie columnarum imitantesHerculem,loco Solem,

1 S imilar forms OfSpeech are numerous : e . g . Gregor. Tur . H ist . Franc .I I . 29. Willibald, Vita B onifac. 11 . 339, ap . Pertz. Vita Willehad i, ih. I I.380 . B onifac. Ep . 6 ; Vita Lebuini, ih. I I . 362. Vita S . Kiliani in A ct.E ch ed. see. 2. p . 992. Id ola was the usual denomination of the heathengods . The passages , however , in the V ita Bonifaeii and VitaWillehad i,which refer to the Frisians , may appear convincing, as they had templesal so .

2 Muller, p . 65 .

3 Walafrid . Strab . Vita S . Galli, in Act . Ecned . sec. 2. p . 233 . Comp .

Vita S . Gall i ap . Pertz, ii . 7 5 Ratp erti Casus S . Galli , ap . Pertz, 11 . 6 1 .4 JonaeBobb iensisVitaS.Columbani, c . 1 7 ,inAct. B ened . sec.2. pp .12 , 1 3 .

5 H ist . Franc . VI II . 1 5 . M irac . 2. 5 : grande delubrum , ub i in columnaaltis sima simulacrum Marti s Mereuruque colebatur.

262 E P IT OME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

quem Graeci appellant Ap ollinem,appears to us unques

tionably to indicate a true idol . We can infer from the

words of Widukind nothing more than the erection of acolumn similar to the Irmenseule at Eresburg, whichCharles the Great destroyed . In the passages which relateto this latter 1 it is called sometimes id olum

,sometimes

fanum,sometimes lucus ; but the word itself shows that

Rudolf Of Fulda was right in defining it “truncum ligni

non parvae magnitud inis in altum erectum,

” nor is hisexpression for it of universalis columna ” an unfitting

one?

The history of the development of Greek and Romanimage w orship may aid us to a clearer insight into our

native heathenism . The Greek representation of a godhad not from the commencement the pretension Of being alikeness ofthe god , but was only a symbol of his presence,for a sense Ofwhich the piety of ancient times requiredthe less of externals the more d eeply it was impressedwith the belief Of that presence3 . An external sign of thedivinity was

,nevertheless

,necessary for the sake ofhaving

an Obj ect on which pious veneration Of the gods mightmanifest itself. As

,therefore

,both in Hellas and Italy

,

the antique representations of the gods,as lances

,etc .

,

were mere symbols,in like manner we may regard the

swords Ofthe Quadi and the golden snakes of the Langobardi only as consecrated sign s announcing the presenceofthe god . The representations of the gods next developed themselves

,among the Greeks

,under the form of

rough stones, stone pillars and wooden poles, which were

1 See the passages relating to the Irmenseule in Meibom. d e Irminsula

Saxonica, in Her. Germ. Scriptt. i ii. pp . 2, sq. D . M . pp . 1 05 , sq. Comp .

al so Ideler’s E inhard , i . 1 5 6, sq.

2 M iiller, p . 6 7 . Rudolf. Fuld . Transl . S . Alexandr i , ap . Pertz, ii . 6 7 6.

3 O . Mifl ler, Handbuch d er Arehmologie d er Kunst , 66.


heathenism ‘. At funerals also heathen religious songs

were sung 2 .

With prayer,sacrifice

,which formed the chief part of

heathen worship,was inseparably connected . In general

there w as prayer only at the sacrifices . The principalsacrifice was a human one

,the Offering Ofwhich by all the

Germanic races i s fully proved 3 . Human beings appearchiefly to have served for sacrifices Of atonement, and wereeither Offered to the malign deities, or

,as propitiatory

,to

the dead in the nether world 4 . The custom Of burningthe servants and horses with the corpse

,must

,therefore

,

be understood as a propitiatory sacrifi ce to the shade ofthe departed 5

The testimonies just cited on the subject Of human

1 Capit . V I . c . 196 : I llas vero balationes et saltationes, cantica turp iaet luxurio sa, et illa lusa diaboli ca non faeiat , nee in plateis nee in d omibusneque in ullo loco , quia haze d e p aganorum consuetudine remanserunt.

Vita S . E ligii , I I . 1 6 : Nullas saltationes , aut choraulas , aut canti ca d iabolica exereeat . For the prohib itions ot the ancient popular songs , the readeri s referred to the collections ofextracts on the subj ect , as Wackernagel ,DasWessob runner Gebet , pp . 25—29 Hofmann, Geschichte d es Deut schenKirchenliedes , pp . 8—1 1 5 Mas smann, Ab sct rungsformeln.

2 Muller, p . 7 4 .

3 For human sacrifices among the Goths , see Jornand es , c . 5 ; Isid oriChron. Goth . aera 446 ; among the Heruli , PrOCOp . d e B ello Goth . I I . 1 4 ;

among the already converted Franks , ib . I I . 25 the Saxons , S idon. Apoll .8 . 6 , Capit. d e Part . Sax . 9 ; the Frisians, Lex Fris . Addit. Sap . Tit . 1 2

Thuringians , B onifac. Ep . 25 . Comp . D . M . p . 39.

4 The great sacrifice at Lethra, described by D ietmar ofMerseburg , I . 9,at which ninety-nine men, and a like number of horses , dogs and cocksw ere offered , w as evidently a sacrifice Ofpropitiation.

5 M iiller, p . 7 6 . Tacitus (Germ . 2 7 ) testifies only to the burning ofthehorse. In the North servant s and hawk s were burnt w ith the corp se. In

the grave ofKing Ch ild erie a human skull w as found, which was supposedto have been that ofhis marshal . The w ives ofthe Heruli hanged themselves at the graves oftheir husbands . ProcOp . B . G . I I. 14 . Among theGaul s also it w as customary to burn the slaves and client s with the corpseofa man Ofhigh rank . Caesar, B . G . IV. 19.

APPE ND IX . 26 5

sacrifices inform us at the same time that prisoners ofwar—as in the time ofTacitus —purchased slaves or criminal swere especially chosen for sacrifice 1 When a criminalwas s acrificed, his death was at the same time the penaltyOf his misdeeds . He was Offered to the god whom

,it was

believed,he had particularly offended, and his execution,

decreed by the law,was reserved for the festival Of that

d ivinity . This usage, which gives an insight into the intimate connection between law and religion, and shows thepunishment Of death among the Germans in a peculiarlight

,is particularly conspicuous among the Frisians .

This people put criminals chosen for sacrifice to death invarious ways 5 they were either decapitated with a sword

,

or hanged on a gallows,or strangled

,or drowned ? A

more cruel punishment awaited those who had broken intoand robbed the temple of a god3

Of animals used for sacrifice,horses

,oxen and goats are

especially mentioned . The horse- sacrifice was the mostconsiderable

,and is particularly characteristic Of the Ger

manic races . The heads were by preference Offered to thegods

,and were fixed or hung on trees . The hides also of

the sacrificed animal s were suspended on sacred trees . In

the North the flesh Of the sacrifices was boiled,and the

door-posts of the temple were smeared with their blood4 .

1 According to the Vita S . Wulframmi (oh. 7 20) in Act . B ened . sec. 3 ,

pp . 3 5 9, 361 , the individual s to b e sacrificed were sometimes chosen bylot . The accounts given in this L ife seem rather fabulous

, but are, nevertheless, not to b e rej ected . S .Willibrord and his companions , when theyhad desecrated the sanctuary ofFosite, were subj ected to the lot, and the

one on whom the lot fel l w as executed. Alcuini V ita S . Willibr. c . 10 .

Among the Slaves al so human sacrifices were determined by lot. Jahrb .

fur S law . L it . 1 843 , p . 392.

Vita S . Wulframmi, p . 360 .

3 Muller , p . 7 7 . Lex Frisionum, Addit . Sap . Tit. 1 2. Qui fanum efi'

re

gerit et ib i al iquid d e sacris tulerit , d ucitur ad mare, et in sabulo , quodaceessus maris Op erire solet , find untur aures ejus, et castratur, et immolatur d iis, quorum templa violavit. 4 Muller, p . 7 9.

N

26 6 E P ITOME OF GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

The Ind iculus (cap . 26 ) leads to the supposition Of aparticular kind of Offering . The S imulacrum d e consp arsa

far ina there mentioned appears to be the baked image Ofa sacrificial animal, which was offered to the gods in thestead Ofa real one . S imilar usages are known to us amongthe Greeks and Romans

,and in , Sweden

, even in recenttimes, it was a custom on Christmas eve to bake cakes inthe form ofa hog 1

It was extremely difficult to prevent a relapse intoheathenism

,seeing that to retain a converted community

in the true faith, wella instructed ecclesiastics were indis

pensable,and these were few in number

,the clergy being

but too frequently persons of profane and ungodly life .

In many cases it was doubtful whether they had even re

ceived ordination ? Instances might therefore occur likethat recorded in the Life Of S t . Gall

,that in an oratory

dedicated to S t . Aurelia idols were afterwards worshipedwith Offerings 3 5 and we have seen that the Franks

,after

their convers ion, in an irruption into Italy,still sacrificed

human victims . Even when the missionaries believedtheir work sure

,the return of the season

,in which the

j oyous heathen festivals occurred, might in a moment callto remembrance the scarcely repressed idolatry 5 an interesting instance of which

,from the twelfth century

,we

shall see presently . The priests,whose duty it was to

retain the people in their Christianity,permitted them

selves to sacrifice to the heathen gods, if, at the same time,they could perform the rite Of baptism 4

. They wereaddi cted to magic and soothsaying 5 , and were so infatu

1 Muller , p . 80 . See vol. 1 1 . p . 5 0 .2 Bonifac. Ep . 38 , 4 6 .

3 See page 249.

4 B onifac. Ep . 25 : Qui a p resbytero Jovi maetante et immolatitias ear

nes vcscente b ap tizati sunt . Comp . Ep . 82 and Cap itul. V I I . 4 05 .

5 S tatut . B onifac. 33 , p . 1 42, ed . Wurd tw . : S i quis presbyter aut clericus auguria, vel d ivinationes. aut somnia, sive sortes , seu phylacteria, i dest, scrip turas, Ob servaverit.

268 E P I T OME or GE RMAN MYTH OLOGY .

matters of warfare and the heathenism still practised in thefield

,the clergy were equally powerless . Hence the Chris

tian Franks,as w e have already seen

,when they invaded

Italy,sacrificed men

,while such cruelty in ordinary life

had long been abolished among them . Thus di d muchheathenism find its way back during the first Christian age,

or maintained its ground still longer, because it was sanctioned by law and usage . Where the converters in theirblind zeal would make inroads into the social relations

,the

admission Of Christianity met with many hindrances . Theteaching Of St . Kilian had found great favour with the

Frankish duke Gozb ert 5 but when he censured that princefor having espoused a relation

,he paid for his presumption

with his life . Among the Saxon s Christianity encounteredsuch strong Opposition

,because with its adoption was con

nected the loss Oftheir old national constitution 1 .As the m issionaries thus found themselves obliged to

proceed with caution,and were unable to extirpate hea

thenism at one effort,they frequently accommodated them

selves so far to the heathen ideas as to seek to give thema Christian turn . Many instances Of such accommodations can b e adduced . On places

,for instance

,regarded

by the heathen as sacred,Christian churches were con

s tructed Q, or,at least crosses there erected3

,that they

1 Muller, p . 104 .

2 Vita S . Agil i Resbac. in Act. E ch ed . sec. 2. p . 3 1 7 ; Vita S . Amandi ,ih . p . 7 1 5 ; Vita Liud geri ap . Pertz, I I . p . 4 1 0 ; Gregor. M . E p . ad Mel

litum (B eda, H . E . I . “ Dicite ci (Augustino) quid d iu mecum d e

causa Anglorum cOgitans tractavi : videlicet , quia fana id olorum destruiin eadem gente minime d eb eant ; sed ea quae in ip sis sunt idola d estruantur ; aqua benedicta flat , in eisd cm fanis asp ergatur, altaria construantur,

reliquiae p onantur ; quia si fana ead em bene constructa sunt , necesse est uta cultu d aemonum in Ob sequium veri Dei d ebeant commutari, ut, d um gensipsa eadem fana sua non videt d estrui , d e corde errorem deponat , et Deumverum cognoscens et ad orans , ad loca qum consuevit familiarius coneurrat .

”

3 Mone , Oesch . d es Heid enthums , ii . 5 2. Schreiber, d ie Feen in Eu

ropa, p . 1 8 .

APPE ND IX . 269

might no longer b e used for heathen worship, and that

the people might the more easily accustom themselves toregard them as holy in a Christian sense . The wood of

the oak felled by Boniface 1 was made into a pulpit,and

of the gold of the Langobard ish snakeQ altar -vessels werefabricated . Christian festivals were purposely appointed

on days which had been kept as holy days by the hea

thens ; or heathenish festivals, with the retention Of some

oftheir usages, were converted into Christian ones3. If,

on the one side, through such compromises, entrance wasgained for Christianity, so on the other they hindered therapid and complete extirpation of heathenism,

and occas ioned a mixture of heathenish ideas and usages withChristian ones 4 .

To these circumstances it may b e ascribed that heathenism was never completely extirpated

,that not only

in the first centuries after the conversion, an extraordinaryblending of heathenism and Christianity existed

,but that

even at the present d ay many traces of heathen notionsand usages are to b e found among the common people .

As late as the twelfth century the clergy in Germany werestill occupied in eradicating the remains Ofheathenisn1 5 .

The missionaries saw in the heathen idols and in the

1 See page 25 7 . 2 See page 262.

3 In the letter just cited ofGregory it i s further said : Et quia bovessolent in sacrificio d aemonum muitos occidere, d ebet eis etiam hac d e re

aliqua sollemnitas immutari ; ut di e d ed icationis , vel natalitiis sanctorummartyrum , quorum illic reliquiae p onuntur, tab ernacula s ib i c irca easd emecclesias , quae ex fanis commutatae sunt, d e ramis arb orum faciant , et religiosis conviviis sollemnitatem celeb rent ; nee diabolo jam animalia immolent, sed ad laud em Dei in esu suo animalia occid ant, et Donatori omniumd e satietate sua gratias referant ; ut d um eis ali qua exterius gaudia reservantur, ad interiora gaudia consentire facilius valeant. Nam d uris mentibus simul omnia ab scid ere impo ssib ile esse non dub ium est ; quia et i s ,qui summum locum ascendere nititur , grad ibus vel passibus , non autemsaltibus elevatur.”4 Miiller, p . 106.

5 Ih. p . 1 08 .

2 7 0 E P I TOME or GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

adoration paid to them only a delusion of the devil,who

,

under their form,had seduced men to his worship

,and

even believed that the images of the gods and the sacredtrees r

ere possessed by the evil one . Thus they di d notregard the heathen deities as so many perfect non -entities

,

but ascribed to them a real existence, and,to a certain

degree,stood themselves in awe of them . Hence their

religion was represented to the heathen s as a work Ofthe

devil,and the new converts were

,in the first place

,requ ired

to renounce him and his service . In this manner the ideanaturally impressed itself on the minds Ofthe people thatthese gods were only so many devil s 5 and if any person, inthe first period OfChristianity

,was brought to doubt the

omnipotence of the God of the Christians, and relapsedinto idolatry

,the maj ority regarded such apostasy as a sub

mission to the devil . Hence the numerous stories of compacts with the evil one, at which the individual

,who so

devoted himself,must abjure his belief in God

,Christ

,and

the Virgin Mary,precisely as the newly converted Chris

tian renounced the devil . That the devil in such storiesfrequently stood in the place Of a heathen god i s evidentfrom the circumstance

,that Offerings must b e made to him

in crossways,those ancient places Ofsacrifice l .

But heathenism itself entertained the belief in certainbeings hostile alike to gods and men

,and at the same

time possessed of extraordinary powers, on account of

which their aid frequently appeared desirable . We shallpresently see how in the Popular Tales the devil is Oftenmade to act the part which more genuine traditions assignto the giant race, and how he not unfrequently occupiesthe place Ofkind

,beneficent spirit s ?

1 Muller, p . 1 09. Hence the expres sions diabolo sacrificare ,”

dja

bol i in amorem vinum b ibere.

” A black hen was Offered to the devil .See vol. ii i . p . 25 6 . Harrys , i . No . 5 5 . Temme, Sagen Pommerns , No. 233 .

2 Muller, p . 1 10 .

2 7 2 E P ITOME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

issue ofa war he had commenced against the VVisigoths1,

as similar transmutations Of heathen soothsaying and

drawing Of lots into apparently Christian ceremonies areto b e found elsewhere“ 7 c will now ad d two instances

,one Of which will show

how an individual mentioned in the New Testament hasso passed into popular tradition as to completely occupythe place Ofa heathen goddess

,while the other will make

it evident how heathen forms Of worship can,through

various modifications,gradually assume a Christian cha t .

racter .

Herodias i s by Burchard of “ forms 3 compared withD iana . The women believed that they made long j ourneyswith her

,on various animal s

,during the hours of the

night,obeyed her as amistress

,and on certain nights were

summoned to her service. According to Ratherius, bishopofVerona (Ob . it was believed that a third part ofthe world was delivered into her subj ection 4

. The authorofReinardus informs us that she loved John the Bapti st,but that her father

,who disapproved Of her love

,caused

the saint to b e beheaded . The afflicted maiden had his

1 Gregor . Tur. I I . 3 7 .

2 Muller , p . 1 10 . Cone. Autissiod . a. 5 7 8 , c . 3 . Non licet ad sor

tilegos vel ad anguria resp icere ; nee ad sor tes , quas s anctorum vocant ,

vel quas d e ligno aut d e pane faciunt , ad sp icere .

” According to the LexFrisionum,

Tit . 1 4,two little staves , one ofwhich w as marked w ith a

cross , w ere laid on the altar or on a relic . A priest or an innocent b oytook up one Ofthem w ith prayer.

3 1 0 , 1 . (from the Cone. Ancyran. a. 3 1 4 ) lllud etiam non omitten

d um , quod quaedam sceleratae mulieres, retro post Satanam conversae,

d aemonum illusionibus et phantasmatibus sed actae , cred unt se et p rofi

tentur nocturnis horis cum D iana, p aganorum d ea, vel cum Her od iad e et

innumera multitudine mulierum equitare super quasd am bestias , et

multa terrarum spatia intemp estae nocti s silentio p ertransire, ejusque jussionibus

‘

vclut dominae Ob ed ire, et cert is noctibus ad ejus servitiumevocari.

”

4 Opera, edit . Ballerini , p . 20 . D . M . p . 260.

APPE ND IX . 2 7 3

head brought to her, but as she was covering it with tearsand kisses

,it raised itself in the air and blew the damsel

back,so that from that time she hovers in the air . Only

in the silent hours Of night until cockcrowing has she

rest,and sits then on oaks and hazels . Her sole consola

tion is,that

,under the name of Pfiaraild is

,a third part Of

the world is in subj ection to her 1.

That heathen religiou s usages gradually gave rise to

Christian supers titions will appear from the following . Itwas a custom in the paganism both of Rome and Germany to carry the image or symbol of a divinity round thefields

,in order to render them fertile . At a later period the

image ofa saint or his symbol was borne about with the

same Object Thus in theAlbthal,according to popular

belief,the carrying about ofSt . Magnus’ staffdrove away

the field mice . In the Freiburg territory the same staffwas employed to extirpate the caterpillars 3 .

Of all the divinities,Ofwhom mention has been already

made,Wodan alone appears to have survived in the north

Lenit honor luctum, minuit reverenlia poenam ,

Pars hominum maestce ter tia servit b erm.

Qaercubus et cory lzs a noctis p ar te secunda

Usque nigr i ad galli carmina p r ima sed et.

Nunc ea nomen habet Pliaraz’ld is , Herod i‘

as anteSaltria, nee sub iens nec sub eund a pari .

Reinard us, I . 1 1 5 9—1 1 64 . Muller, p . 1 12 Grimm,D . M . p . 262.

2 Eccard , Franc . Orient . i . 43 7 .

3 Miiller, p . 1 1 3 . Act. Sanct . u. p . 7 7 4 . In agrum Friburg, quodest in B risgoia circumjectum , al iquot anni s adeo copiosa sa viterque grassata erant insecta, ut vix jam herba quid excreseeret, sed omnia velat inimiis solibus torrida rub erent . Motus diuturno hoc malo urb is ejus magistratus enixe p etiit, ut adversus d iros vermes afi’

erretur sacra cambatta .

Qua ub i allata est a quod am S . Magni coenob ita, eaque camp i’

p ra laque

illa lustra ta, eod em ad huc anno , qui seculi hujus fui t XI telluslaeto herb arum vigore convestiri ; vermes pars migrare al io, pars emori .

Ut tanti b eneficii p erennaret memoria, d ecreverere Friburgenses p osthacnatalem S . Magni habere sacrum et festum.

” Comp . S chreiber ’s Taschenbuch fiir Geschichte und Alterthum in Sii d d eutsehland , 1839, p . 329.

N 5

27 4 E P ITOME OF GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

OfGermany . From the following customs it will appearthat he was regarded as a god , in whose hand rested thethriving Ofthe fruits Of the field .

In M eklenburg it was formerly a custom at the rye

harvest to leave at the end of every field a little strip of

grain unmowed ; this with the ears the reapers plaitedtogether and sprinkled it . They then walked round thebunch, took Ofl their hats

,raised their sithes

,and called

on TWod an thrice in the following verses

Wod e, hale dynem rosse nu Wad e, fet ch now fodder for thyvoder

,horse,

nu di s tel uncle dorn, now th i s tle s and thorn,thom andren jahr b eter korn ! for another year b etter corn

The corn thus left standing for the horse ofthe god was asimple Offering to the bestower of the harvest . At themansions Of the nobility and gentry, it was a custom

,when

the rye was cut, to give Wod el- beer . On a Wednesdaypeople avoided all work in flax or sowing linseed

,lest the

horse of the god, who with his dogs was Often heard in the

fields,might tread it down 1 .

With these customs a custom of the Mark may b e compared . In the neighbourhood Ofthe former monastery OfD iesdorf

,during the whole rye

-harvest,a bundle of cars

i s left standing in every field,which is called the Vergo

d end eel’s S lruus . When all is mowed, the people, in holy

d ay attire,proceed to the field with music, and b ind this

bundle round with a variegated riband, then leap over it andd ance round it . Lastly the principal reaper cuts it withhis sithe and throws it to the other sheaves . In like man

ner they go from field to field,and finally return to the

village singing : “ Nun d anket alle Gott,” and then from

farm to farm,at each ofwhich some harvest lines are re

p eated . The name ofthis harvest festival i s Vergodendeel,

1 Miiller, p . 1 1 5 .


later popular tradition this appellation 1 has afterwardsbeen attributed to a female divinity .

The names Of the other gods have passed out Of thememory ofthe people . Of the worship ofDonar (Thor)there i s, perhaps, still a faint trace in the custom,

that inM eklenburg the country people formerly thought it wrongto perform certain work on a Thursday

,as hopping

,etc .

2

Ofthe goddesses,Wodan’ s wife

,Frigg

,was, till compa

ratively recent times, still living in the popular tradi tionsof Lower Saxony

,under the name of Fru Free/re 3, but

now seems defunct . In the neighbourhood ofDent inYorkshire the country people

,at certain seasons

,partien

larly in autumn, have a procession, and perform Old dances,

one of which they call the giants’ dance . The principalgiant they call Wad en

,and his wife Frigga . The chief

feature Of the spectacle i s,that two swords are swung

round the neck of a boy and struck together withouthurting him 4

.

But in the popular traditions of the Germans the me

mory still lives Of several female divinities, who do notappear in the Northern system . Goddesses can longermaintain themselves in the people’ s remembrance, becausethey have an importance for the contracted domestic circle .

But their character,through length Of time and Chris

tianity, i s so degraded, that they usually appear more asterrific

,spectral beings than as goddesses . Whether their

names even are correct,or have sprung out of mere

secondary names or epithets,whether several, who appear

1 Goth . Frauja, d ominus , whence the modern feminines Frau, Fru,d omina , lad y . The masculine i s no longer extant .

2 Muller , p . 1 1 6 .

3 B ecard d e Orig. Germ . p . 398 : Celeb ratur in plebe Saxonica FruFree/re, eui eadem munia tribuuntur, qua Superiores Saxones Holda sua

ad scribunt .”

4 Grimm,D . M . p . 280 , from a communication by Kemble. Muller ,

p . 1 21 .

APPE ND IX . 27 7

und er various names, were not originally identical, a supposition rendered probable by a striking resemblance inthe traditions

,can no longer be decided . We can here

only simply repeat what popular tradition relates ofthem 1

.

FRAU HOLDA,or Holle

,still survives in Thuringian and

Hessian, as well as in Markish and Frankish tradition and

story . The name Ofthis goddess signifies either the hind

(holde) or the dark, obscure? She i s represented as a being

that directs the aérial phenomena,imparts fruitfulness to

the earth,presides over rural labours and spinning . She

appears likewise as a d ivinity connected with water,as she

dwells in wells and ponds,and particularly in the Hol

lenteich (so called from her) in the Meissner . From herwell children come

,and women

,who descend into it

,

become healthy and fruitful . But she al so takes person sdrowned to her

,and i s so far a goddess of the nether

world,a circumstance that is alluded to in the tradi tion

that she has her abode in mountains? in which, as we

shall see,the souls of the departed dwell . On account of

these manifold and important functions, Holda, in thetime ofheathenism,

must,no doubt

,have been a divinity

ofhigh rank . Other traditions concerning her are moreObscure and difficult to explain . Burchard of Worms

(p . 194 2 ) mentions, as a popular belief, that some womenbelieved that on certain nights they rode with her on all

kinds of animals,and belonged to her train, according to

which she completely occupies the place of D iana and

Herodias 5 and it is still a popular belief in Thuringia, thatthe witches ride with the Holle to the Horselberg, and

1 Muller, p . 121 .

2 The word i s connected either w ith hold , p rop itious , kind , 0 . Nor .

hollr, or w ith O . Nor. hulda, obscur ity , d arkness . D . M . p . 249.

3 E . g. in the Horselberg near E isenach . See p . 243 .

27 8 E P IT OME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

that,likeWodan

,she lead s the Wild Ho st . It is al so said

that she has bristling,matted hair .

This goddess had apparently two chief festivals, one inthe twelve nights ofChristmas

,during which she makes

her tour 5 the other at Shrovetide, when she returns 1 .FRAU BE RCHTA i s particularly at home among the

Upper German races,in Austria

,Bavaria

,Swabia, Alsace,

Switzerland,also in some districts of Thuringia and Fran

conia. She is even more degraded in popular story thanHolda. She also appears in the twelve nights as a femalewith shaggy hair

,to inspect the spinners

,when fish and

porridge (Brei)"2are to be eaten in honour Of her

,and all

the distaffs must b e spun Off. She i s also the queen Of

the Heimchen (little elementary spirits) , who by watering the fields rendered the soil fertile

,while she ploughed

beneath the surface,and so far has claims to the character

of an earth -goddess and promoter of the fertility of theland 3 . To those who mend her chariot she gives the chipsby way Ofpayment

,which prove to be gold 4

Between Berchta and Holle there i s unquestionably a

considerable resemblance,although their identity is ex

tremely doubtful,as they apparently belong to different

German races . The name of Berchta (B erhta, Perahta,Bertha) signifies resp lendent, shining, with which theWelshsubstantive berth

, p erfection, beauty, and the adj ectiveberth

,beautiful, r ich, may b e compared . As this goddess

appears only in the south Of Germany,it is a question

whether she did not pass from the Kelts to the German1 M iiller, p . 122. For the Norwegian Huld ra, or Hulla, see vol. 11 .

2 Of those who have eaten other food than her fest ival-di shes she rip sopen the bodies , takes out the forb idden viands , stuffs them w ith chaff,and sew s them up again w ith a ploughshare and an iron chain. Grimm

,

D . S . No . 268 ; Ab ergl. NO. 5 25 .

3 Miiller, p . 1 24 .4 Grimm , D .M . p . 25 2.


Of popular tradition does not enable us to ascertain moreofher nature 1 .

In the traditions Of the Altmark there lives anothergoddess—FRAU HARKE

,Ofwhom it is related

,that in the

twelve nights ofChristmas she passes through the country,and if by Twelfth -d ay the maids have not spun off all the

flax,she either scratches them or befoul s the spinning

wheel . Stories concerning her must formerly have beenmore numerous . Gob elinus Persona relates, that FrauHera in the Twelfths flies through the air and bestowsabundance 2 As this account points to an earth - goddess

,

there seems no doubt that the E rce3,invoked as mother

Of earth in an Anglo -S axon spell for the fertilizing of the

land,is identical with her 4 .

In German popular story other names are mentioned offemale beings

,but who are enveloped even in greater oh

scurity than the before-mentioned . The V VE RRE , who isat home in VOigtland , inspects, like Frau Holle

,the spin

ners on Christmas eve,and

,if all the distaffs are not spun

Off,befouls the flax . Like Berchta

,she rips up the bodies

of those who have not eaten porridge . The STEM PE

tramples on those children who on New Year’ s d ay willnot eat . The STRAGGE LE appears in Lucerne the VVednesd ay before Christmas

,and teazes the maids

,if they

have not spun their daily task 5 WANNE THE KLA i s in

1 Muller, p . 1 26 .

2 Cosmod rom. Act . V I . Meibom. Scrip tt. Rer. Germ . i . p . 235 :“ Inter

festum Nativitatis Chr i s ti ad festum Epiphania Domini , domina Her a

volat p er aéra. Diceb ant vulgares p ra d icto tempore : Vrawe Hera , seu

corrupto nomine Vra Here d e vluyhet, et cred ebant illam sib i conferrererum temporalium abundantiam .

”

3 Thorpe, Analecta Anglo - Saxonica, p . 1 1 6 , 2nd edit . Grimm,D . M .

p . CXXIX . E rce, E rce, Erce , Erce, Erce, Erce,eor5 an mOd or, etc. mother Ofearth , etc.

4 Muller, p . 1 27 .5 Grimm , D . M . pp . 25 1 , 25 5 ; D . S . 269.

APPE ND IX . 28 1

the Netherlands the queen Ofthe elves and witches ‘. Thistradi tion is probably of Keltic origin

,which may likewise

b e the case with the following one . D OM INA AB UND IA,or DAME HAB ONDE

,who is mentioned by Guilielmus Al

vernus,bishop of Paris (Ob . 1248 )

2,and who also figures

in the Roman d e la Rose 3,is said

,on certain nights,

accompanied by other women,who are likewise styled

D ominae,and all clad in white4

,to enter houses and p ar

take Ofthe viands placed for them . Their appearance ina house is a sign Ofgood luck and prosperity . In thesewhite - clad females we at once recognise the Keltic fairies .The name Habund ia has no connection with the Latinabundantia

,from which Guilielmus Alvernus would de

rive it 5 .

Together with Habund ia Guilielmus Alvernus placesSAT IA, whose name he derives from satietas . The goddessB ENsoe

,whom Augerius ep isCOpus Conseranus mentions

as a being with whom,as with Herodias

,D iana and Holda,

the women were believed to ride at night,may b e identical

with her,and her name b e only a fuller form ofSatia

6.

The foregoing are the principal memorials Of heathendivinities that have been preserved in Christian times .Together with them we find traces of that living concep

tion of nature,which is perceptible among the Germans

from the remotest period . The sun and moon were alwaysregarded as personal beings, they were addressed as Frauand Herr (Domina and Dominus)

7,and enjoyed a degree

Ofveneration with genuflexions and other acts of adoration 8 . TO certain animals, as cats, the idea Of something

1 See vol. iii. p . 265 .2 Opera, Paris , 1 6 7 4 , i. 1 036, 1 066, 1 068 .

3 Edit. Meon, W . 1 8622, sqq.

4 Nympha alba ,domina bona , dominae nocturna . Wolf, N iederl.

Sagen, NO . 231 .

5 Muller, p . 1 29.5 Ib . p . 130 .

7 See page 5 , note 2.Vita Blign , I I . 1 6 : Nullus dominos solem aut lnh am vocet. N ic .

Magni d c Gawe d e Superstitionibus (written in 14 1 5 : comp . D . M .

282 E P IT OME OF GERMAN MYTH OLOGY .

ghostly and magical was attached ; to others, as the cuckoo,was ascribed the gift Ofprophecy ; while others, as snakes,had influence on the happiness Ofmen

,or are accounted

sacred and inviolable . Trees,also

,even to a much later

period,were regarded as animated beings, on which account

they were addressed by the title ofFrau 5 or it w as believedthat personal beings dwelt in them,

to whom a certainreverence was d ue ‘.Of processions and festivals, which have pretensions to

a heathen Origin,we can give only a brief notice .

As,according to Tacitus

,the goddess Nerthus was

drawn in a carriage in a festive procession,through the

several districts,so in Christian times

,particularly during

the spring, we meet with customs, a leading feature of

which consists Of a tour or procession . Such festive processions are either through a town

,or a village

,or through

several localities,or round the fields of a community

,or

about the mark or boundary . On these occasions a symbolwas frequently carried about

,e ither an animal having

reference to some divinity, or else some utensil . A procession may here b e cited which, in the year 1 1 33 , tookplace after a complete heathenish fashion

,notwithstanding

the strenuous Opposition Ofthe clergy . In the forest nearInda? a ship was constructed, and furnished beneath withwheels ; this was drawn by weavers (compelled to thetask), harnessed before it, through Aix- la-Chapelle

,Mae

stricht,Tongres

,Looz and other localities

,was everywhere

received with great j oy,

and attended by a multitude

p . x1iv) : Itaque hodie inveniuntur homines qui cum noviluniumprimo vid erint, fiexis genibus adorant , vel deposito capucio vel pileo inclinatO capite honorant alloquend o et suscip iend o . Immo etiam p lures

jejunant ipso d ie novilunii. See al so D . M . p . 668 , and Abergl. NO. 1 1 2

If a w oman at go ing to b ed salutes the stars Of heaven, neither vulturenor hawk w ill take a chicken from her.

”

1 See vol. ii . p . 1 68 , and vol. ii i . p . 1 82. Muller, p . 1 30.

2 Inden in the territory ofJulieh , afterwards Cornelimiinster.

284 E P IT OME or GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

with sticks, believing that they thereby rendered themfruitful 1

In other places the beginn ing of the beautiful season isrepresented as the entrance Of a benignant divinity intothe country . In Thuringia

,on the third d ay Of 1Vhitsun

tide,a young peasant

,called the greenman, or lettuce-hing ,

i s in the forest enveloped in green boughs,placed on a

horse,and amid rej oicings conducted into the village

,

where all the people are assembled . The S chulze (Bailifi'

or Mayor) must then guess thrice who is concealed underthe green covering . If he does not guess

,he must forfeit

a quantity ofbeer ; and even if he does guess,he must

,

nevertheless,give it . Of the same class is the procession

ofthe Maigraf (Count of the May) , (called also the Kingofthe M ay , or K ing ofF lowers) , which formerly, usuallyon the first of M ay, took place with great rej oicings, notonly in Lower Germany

,but in Denmark 2 and Sweden .

Attended by a considerable company,and adorned with

flowers and garlands,the Count of the May paraded

through the several districts, where he was received bythe young girls

,who danced round him,

one Of whom hechose for Queen ofthe M ag/

3.

We shall conclude this sketch Ofthe festive processionswith a short notice Ofsome other heathen customs .It is a widespread custom in Germany to kindle bon

fires On certain days,viz . at Easter and St . JObu’ s (M id

summer) d ay, less usually at Christmas and Michaelmas .In Lower Germany the Easter -fires are the most usual

,

which are generally lighted on hills 5 while in the southOf Germany the St. John’ s fires are the commonest

,and

were formerly kindled in the market-places,or before the

gates Of the town . The ceremonies connected with thesefires are more and more forgotten . In former times Oldand young

,high and low regarded the kindling ofthem

1 M ‘

uller, p . 1 35 .2 See vol. ii . p . 266.

3 Muller, p . 139.

APPE ND IX . 28 5

as a great festival . These customs had apparently anagrarian Object, as it is still believed that so far as the

flame Ofthe Easter-fire spreads its light will the earth b efertile and the corn thrive for that year . These fir es

,too

,

were,according to the Old belief

,beneficial for the p re

servation Of life and health to those who came in contactwith the flame . On which account the people dancedround the S t . John’ s fire

,or sprang over it

,and drove

their domestic animals through it . The coal and ashes Ofthe Easter -fire were carefully collected and preserved as a

remedy for d iseases of the cattle . For a similar reason itwas a custom to drive the cattle when sick over particularfires called need res (Notfeuer), which, with certain ceremonies

,were kindled by friction 1 5 on which account the

S t . John’ s fire is strictly to be regarded as a need-fire

kindled at a fixed period. Fire i s the sacred,purifying and

propitiating element,which takes away all imperfections ?

A similar salutiferous power is,according to the still ex

isting popular belief, possessed by water, particularly when

1 Indi e . Sup erst. c . 1 5 . De igne fricato d e ligno.

2 M iiller, p . 1 4 1 . For detail s relating to these fires see Grimm, D.M.

pp . 5 7 0—5 94 . Particularly w orthy ofnotice i s the employment of a cartw heel, by the turning ofwhich the need-fire i s kindled . In some places ,at the Easter-fire, a burning wheel i s rolled down a hill . In the Mark acart-wheel i s set on fire and danced round . A wheel , too , i s hung overthe doors of the houses for the thriving of the cattle. Mark. Sagen,

p . 362. Comp . Grimm , D . M . l st edit. Ab ergl. NO . 30 7 : “ Wh oever putsa wheel over hi s doorway has luck in his house.

”This custom ofkindling

sacred fires on certain days prevails throughout almost the whole of

Europe, and w as known to Antiqui ty , particularly in Italy . The Keltskindled such fires , on the first ofMay , to the god B eal (thence even now

called bealtine) , and on the first Of November to the god S ighe. Leo ,

Malh . Gl. i . 33 . B ut whether the need-fire i s of Kelti c origin remains adoubt . The fires lighted by the [S cotti sh] H ighlanders on the first ofMay , in compliance w ith a custom derived from the pagan times , are

termed the B eltane- Tree. It i s a festival celebrated w i th various superstitious rites , both in the north of S cotland and in Wales .” Scott’s Minstrelsy , i ii . p . 324 .

286 E P I TOME OF GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

d rawn in silence on certain holyday nights,as St . John’ s

or Christmas,from certain springs that were formerly

sacred to some divinity . To wash in such water impartshealth and beauty for the whole year 1

On D eath,and the condition Of souls after death

,a

few words are necessary . Even in Christian ideas of

hell,the remains Of pagan belief are here and there di s

cernible . Among these may b e reckoned that the devilhas his hab itation in the north 2

,as in the Scandinavian

belief the nether world lies in the north . According tosome traditions

,the entrance to hell leads

,through long

,

subterranean passages, to a gate 5 in the innermo st spacelies the devil fast bound

,as Utgarthilocus i s chained in

the lower world 3 . According to another tradition,the

emperor Charles, when conducted to hell by an angel,

passed through deep dell s full offiery springs,as

,accord

ing to the S candinavi an belief, the w ay to H el’ s abode ledthrough deep valley s, in the midst ofwhich is the springHvergelmir

4. The popular tales al so relate how a water

must b e passed before arriving at Hell 5

According to all appearance, the idea was very generalin the popular belief of Scandinavia

,that the soul s Of the

departed dwelt in the interior of mountains . This ideaat least very frequently presents itself in the IcelandicSagas

,and must have been wide - spread, as it is retained

even in Germany to the present d ay . Of some Germanmountains it is believed that they are the abodes of thedamned . One ofthese is the Horselb erg near Eisenach,which is the habitation of Frau Holle ; another is thefabulous Venusberg

,in which the Tanhauser soj ourns

,

and before which the trusty Eckhart sit s as a warning

1 M iiller, p . 143.2 Ga dmon, p . 3 . l . 8 .

3 Saxo, p . 43 1 , edit . M iiller.4 See pp . 1 2, I3 .

5 Grimm , K . and H . M . NO. 29. Miiller, p . 389.


on the one hand,it was thought that the dead preserved

their Old bodily aspect,and appeared just as when they

soj ourned on earth,although the freshness of life had d e

parted 5 on the other hand there is no lack of passages,

according to which a particular form is ascribed to thesoul when separated from its body 1

As mountains,according to the heathen popular belief

,

were supposed to b e the soj ourns of the dead,so it was

imagined that in the bottom of wells and ponds there wasa place for the reception of departed souls . But this belief had special reference to the souls of the drowned, whocame to the dwelling of the Nix

,or of the sea- goddess

Rein . The depths ofthe water were,however

,at the same

time,conceived in a more general sense

,as the nether

world itself. For which reasons persons who otherwise,

according to the popular tradi tions, are conveyed awayinto mountains

,are al so supposed to b e dwelling in wells

and pond s 2 5 and the numerous tales current throughoutthe whole of Germany oftowns and castles that have beensunk in the water, and are sometimes to b e discerned at

the bottom,are probably connected with this idea . It is

particularly worthy of notice that beautiful garden s havebeen imagined to exist under the water ? Yet more widespread is the tradition that green meadows exist underwater

,in which soul s have their abode 4 . In an Old Ger

man poem it is said that these meadows are closed againstsuicides 5

,according to which they would appear to be a

detached portion Ofthe nether world 6 .

1 Muller, p . 401 .

2 Thus the emperor Charles i s said to sojourn in a w ell at Nuremberg .

D . S . No . 22.

3 Thus Frau Holla has a garden under her pool or w ell , from which shedistributes all kinds Offruits . I) . S . NO. 4 . Camp . 1 3

,291 , and K . and

H . M . NO . 24 .

4 G rimm,K . and H . M . NO . 61 . “ lolf, N iederl . Sagen, NO . 5 06 .

5 Flore, 1911 . 6 Muller, p . 399.

APPE ND IX . 289

The soul was supposed to bear the form ofa bird . Evenin Samund ’s Edda it is said

,that in the nether world

singed birds fly that had been souls 1,and in the popular

tales similar ideas occur frequently . The ghost of the

murdered mother come s swimming in the form of a duck,

or the soul sit s in the form of a bird on the grave 5 theyoung murdered brother mounts up as a little b ird

,and

the girl,when thrown into the water

,rises in the air as a

white duck ? The frequent conjurations into swan s,doves and ravens 3 originate in the same ideas : thesebirds are the soul s of the murdered, a belief which the

popular tale ingeniously softening,represents merely as a

transformation . With this belief the superstition mustb e placed in connection

,that

,when a person dies, the

windows should b e Opened,that the departing soul may

fly out 4 .

From the popular traditions we also learn that the soulhas the form of a snake . It is related that out of themouth ofa sleeping person a snake creeps and goes a longdistance

,and that what it see s or suffers on its way

,the

sleeper dreams Of 5 . If it is prevented from returning,the

1 Frabvi er at segja, Of that i s to be told ,b vat ek fyrst um sé , what I first Observed,haek var i kvOlheima kominn when I had come into the land of

tormentsvi5 nir fuglar , singed b irds

,

er salir varu, that had been souls ,flugu svamargir sem my

’

. flew as many as gnats .Sé larljoti S tr. 5 3 .

It i s how ever to b e remarked that the Sélarlj 0 5 i s a Chri stian poem ,

though composed at a period when heatheni sm still prevailed in the North .

2 G rimm , K . and H . M . Nos. 1 1 , 13, 2 1 , 4 7,96 , 13 5 .

3 lb . Nos. 9, 25 , 49, 93 , 1 23 , pp . 1 03 , 221 .

4 Muller,p . 402 5 Grimm , D . M . I st edi t .Abergl. Nos . 191 , 664 ; Kuhn,

Mark . Sagcu, p . 36 7 .

5 When the grave Of Charles Martel was Opened, a large snake was

found in i t ; such at least i s the s tory , which , moreover, tel l s us that

O

290 E P IT OME OF GE RMAN MYTH OLOGY .

person dies . According to other tradi tions and tales, itwould seem that the soul was thought to have the formofa flower, as a lily or a white rose 1 .These ideas may be regarded as the relics of a belief in

the transmigration of souls,according to which the soul,

after its separation from the body,passes into that of an

animal, or even an inanimate obj ect . More symbolic i sthe belief that the soul appears as a light . Hence thepopular superstition that the ignes fatui, which appear bynight in swampy places

,are the soul s of the dead. Men

,

who during life have fraudulently removed landmarks,must, after death, wander about as ignes fatui, or in a

fiery form

havi ng exhausted his treasures , he gave the tenth, which was the d ue of

the clergy, to hi s knights to enable them to live. The story Of the snakewas told by S t . Eucherius , b ishop ofOrleans . See Wo lf, N iederl . Sagen ,

NO . 68 . O ther traditions tel l that the soul proceeds from the mouth ofasleeping person in the form of a butterfly , a w easel or mouse. D . S .Nos . 24 7 , 25 5 D M . pp . 7 89, 1 036 . Goethe alludes to a s imilar superstition in Faust

Ach ! mitten im Gesange Sprang Ah in the midst Ofher songE in rothes Mauschen ihr aus A red mousekin sprang out ofher

d em Munde. mouth.1 See vol. iii . p . 27 1 . Grimm , K. and H . M . NOS. 9, 8 5 . The populartales tell also Ofpersons transformed into lilies or other flowers . K . and

H . M . Nos. 5 6 , 7 6 . On the chair Ofthose that w ill soon d ie a whi te roseor lily appears . D . S . Nos . 263 , 264 ; Harrys , i. p . 7 6. From the graveof one unjustly executed white l ilies Spring as a token Of his innocence ;from that ofamaid en, three lilies , which no one save her lover may gather ;from the mounds Oflovers flow ery shrub s spring , which entw ine together.Al so in the Sw edish ballads lilies and limes grow out Of graves . In the

Scottish ballad ofFair Margaret and Sw eet Willi am it i s saidOut ofher breast there sprang a rose,

And out Ofhis a br iar ;They grew til l they grew unto the church u tOp ,

And there they tied in a true lovers ’ knot .

See also the story ofAxel and Vald borg in vol. II . p . 4 6 , where the treesare the ash.

2 Muller, p . 404 . See instances Ofthi s superstition in vols . n. and iii .

292 E P IT OME o r GE RMAN MYTHOLOGY .

wholly estranged from earthly life . No oblivious draughthas been given them

,but the remembrance oftheir earthly

doings cleaves to them . Hence they gladly see again theplaces frequented by them while on earth 5 but they are particularly di squieted whenanything still attaches them toearthly life . A buried treasure allows them no rest untilit i s raised 1 5 an unfinished work

,an unfulfilled promise

forces them back to the upper worldIn like manner the dead attach themselves to their

kindred and friends . Hen ce the belief is very generalthat they will return to their home and visit them,

and

that they sympathize with their lot 3 Thus a mother returns to the upper world to tend her forsaken children 4,or children at their parents’ grave find aid

,who

,as higher

powers,grant them what they wish 5 . S lain warriors also

rise again to help their comrades to victory 6 . But it disturb s the repose of the dead when they are too much wept

w ere in l ife and to follow the same pursui ts . In m ined castles , knightsin their ancient co stume hold tournament s and sit at the joyous feast the

priest reads mass , the wi ld hunt sman and the robber continue their handiwork after death . D . S . NOS. 5 27 , 828 5 Niederl . Sagen, Nos . 422, 424 ,

4 25 5 Manes Anzeiger, 4 . 30 7 Harrys , i . NO . 5 1 et al ibi.1 Grimm , Ab ergl. NO. 606 , comp. 20 7 , 5 88 .

2 Miil ler, p . 4 1 0.

3 In the neighbourhood ofCourtrai i t i s a custom , when conveying a

corpse to the churchyard , to repeat a Pater no ster at every crossway , thatthe dead , when he w i shes to return home , may b e able to find the way .

N iederl . Sagen, No . 3 1 7 . The dead usually re -appear on the ninth d ay .

Grimm , Ab ergl . No . 8 5 6 . According to the Eyrb . Saga, c . 5 4 , the deadcome to their funeral feast .

4 For a mother that has died in childbirth the b ed i s to b e made dur ingsix w eeks , that she may lie in it when she comes to give her child thebreast . N iederl . Sagen, No . 326 .

5 G rimm , K . and H . M . NO . 2 1 . Comp. Hervarar Saga and Ud valgte

Danske Viser, i . p . 25 3 .

5 G rimm , D . S . NO. 327 . Comp . Wunderhorn, i . 7 3 , 7 4 . The deadal so w reak vengeance. N iederl . Sagen , NO . 3 12. I t i s an Old belief thatif a person i s murdered on Allhallow s ’ d ay , he can have no res t in the

grave until he has taken revenge on his murderer . 1h. NO . 323 .

APPE ND IX . 293

for and mourned after . Every tear falls into their coffinand torments them 5 in which case they will rise up and

implore those they have left behind to cease their lamentation 1

1 Muller, p . 4 12. Grimm , K . and H . M . No. 109. Thi s belief i s feelingly expres sed in the Old Danish bal lad ofAage and E lseHver en Gang Du gla des , Every time than ’

rt joyful ,0 g i D in Hu er glad, And in thy mind art glad,

Da er min Grav forind en Then i s my grave w ithinOmha ngt med Ro sens B lad. Hung round w i th roses ’ leaves .

Hver Gang Du D ig gra mmer , Every time than grievest ,0 g i D in Hu er mod , And in thy mind art sad ,

Da er min K i ste forind en Then i s w ithin my coffinSom fuld med levret E lod. A s iffull ofclotted blood.

Ud valgte Danske V iser, i . p . 2 1 1 .

296

w ill return, 83 , 84 ; myth of, ex

plained , 18 5 , 186 .

B arri , wood Of, 49, 198 .

Bangi , a giant , brother of Suttung,4 2 ; his name explained , 192.

B ekhild , B rynhild ’s si ster , 98 .

Beli , slain by Frey, 25 , 49.

Bergelmir , 4 , 1 40 .

B erling, a dw arf, 32 n.3.

B estla (Belsta) , 4 , 1 4 1 .

B eyggvir, Frey’ s servant , 27 , 198 .

B eyla, Frey's servant , 27 , 198 .

B iflid i, a name ofOdin, 1 5 , note 5 .B ifrOst, the rainbow , 1 1 the E sir

ride over it , 1 2 ; wil l break , 8 1 ;explanation of, 201 .

B iki,his treachery, 10 7 .

Bil , a child in the moon, 6 reckonedamong the goddesses , 36 .

Bilskirnir, Thor’ s mansion, described,21 , 1 7 2 .

Blzikulla, the Swedish B locksberg,218 .

B likiand a-b'

Ol, Hel ’s curtains , 5 0 .

B O (B ous) Od in’s son by Rinda, 1 7 0 .

B odn, name ofa vessel , 40 , 192.

Borghild , mother ofHelgi Hund ingsbani , 93 ; poi sons Sinfiotli, 94 .

B'

Od vild i, daughter OfNidud , 86 .

BOlthorn, a giant, 4 , 1 41 .BOlverk, a name assumed by Odin, 42.

BOr, father OfOdin, 4 , 1 4 1 .

B ragafull (B ragi-cup ) , 190.

B ragi , account of, 28 , 1 89, 190.

B redi , a thrall , 91 .

B reidablik, Baldur’s ab ode, 23 , 130 ,1 86 .

Brimir, a hall in heaven, 82.

Brisinga-men, 32 ; lent by Freyia toLoki , 5 5 .

Brock , a dwarf, 38 , sqq., 1 82.

B runnakr, Idun’s abode , 34 , 191 .

B rynhild , account of, 97 ; instructsS igurd , ib. ; engages to marry S igurd , 99 ; foretel ls Gudrun’s d estiny , ib . ; married to Gunnar, 1 00 ,1 0 1 5 quarrel s w ith Gud run, ih.

her death and funeral , 1 03 .

Bud li, father Of Atli and Brynhild ,1 00 , 1 0 1 .

Buri , grandfather OfOdin,4 , 1 4 1 .

Byleist , brother of Loki , 30 hisname explained , 1 82.

Byrgir, name ofa well, 6 .

I N D E X .

Caul , superstition connected w ith a,

1 14 .

Creation, 4 illustration of, 1 38 .

D .

Dagr, d ay , b irth of, 5 , 6 5 his horse, 6 .

Dain, a d w arf, 33 .

Dain, a hart , 1 3 , 1 5 1 , 1 5 5 .

Dark -elves See E lves .B arrad , Spectacle seen by him , 1 5 6 .

Delling, the husband OfN ight , 6 .

Dis , an attendant spirit , 1 1 3 , 1 1 6 .

D i sa and D isa-blot , 209.

B raug, a spectre, 1 1 3 , 1 1 7 .Draupnir, a ring, 38 , 39 laid on

B aldur ’ s p ile , 7 5 .

Dromi , name Ofa chain, 5 0 , 1 84 .

Dr'

Osul, the horse ofDay , 6.

Dunneyr, a hart, 1 3 , 1 5 5 .

Durathror, a hart, 1 3 , 1 5 5 .Durin, a dwarf, 9, 1 5 0 .

Dvalin, a dw arf, 1 2 , 32 n.3,1 5 0, 1 5 1 .

Dvalin, a hart , 1 3 , 1 5 5 .

Dwarfs , their creation, 9 ; myth of,explained, 1 44 , 1 5 0 .

E .

Earth , the daughter of N ight and

Anar, 6 ; description of, 1 0 ; reckoued a goddes s , 36 .

Eddas, account of, 1 32, and note.Egdir, an eagle, 7 8 .

Egil Skallagrimsson, set s up a nithstake , 2 19.

Egil , V61und ’

s brother, 84 ; hi s featofarchery, 89.

Eikthyrnir, name Of a hart , 20 , 21the name explained , 1 62.

E inheriar, the slain in battle, receivedinto Valhall and Vingolf, 1 5 theiremployment , 20 5 w ill go fortharmed at RagnarOck, 8 1 .

E ir , the best leech , 3 5 .

Eld hrimnir, the kettle in Valhall , 20.

E ld ir, Forniot’

s serv ant , 2 7 , 200 .

Elgia, a mather ofHeimdal l , 28 .

E liud nir, the hall OfHel, 5 0 .

E livagar, 3 .

E lli , her w restl ing w ith Thor, 63 .

I N D E X .

E lves , 25 and n.

5, 1 4 7 , 1 5 0.

Embla, the first w oman, 1 0 .

Erp , son OfJonakur and Gudrun, 1 06his death, 1 0 7 .

Fafnir son of H reidmar, 95 ; robbedof his heard , and Slain by S igurd,96.

Falhofnir, a horse, 1 2.

Falland a forat , Hel ’s threshold , 5 0 .

Farbauti, father ofLoki, 30 his nameexplained, 1 82.

Fenia, a slave , 20 7Fenrir, Wolf, 3 1 , 49 ; chained, 5 0 ;b ites OffTy

’

s hand , 5 2 5 w ill breakloose at RagnarOck, 80 , 8 1 w illswallow Odin, 82 ; his death , ibthe vol cani c fire, 1 84 .

Fensalir, Frigg’ s abode, 32, 7 3.

Pialar, a cock , 7 8 .

Pialar, a dwarf, slays Kvasir, 40 ; invites and slays G illing and his w ife,4 1 ; gives the precious mead to

Suttung, ib.

Fimafeng, Forniot’s servant, 27 200.

Fimbul, a river, 3 , note 1.

Fi mbul-w inter , 80 .

FiOlnir, a name ofOdin, 1 5 , note 5 , 83 .

FiOrgvin, the earth, and mother OfThor, 21 .

Fi'

Orgynn, father OfFrigg, 1 7 0.

FiOrm, a river, 3 , note 1 .FiOrsvartnir , the horse of N ight , 6 ,1 43 .

Fafnir. See Fafnir .Folkvang , Frey ia

’

s abode,Forniot, a giant , 27 .

Forseti , account of, 30, 1 86, 1 88 .

Forynia.

FOlgie.

See Fy lgia.

Franangur’

s fors , a w aterfall , 7 7 , 1 83.

Freki, one ofOdin’s w olves , 21 .Frey given as a hostage to the E sit ,1 5 ; his b irth and attributes , 25 ;his ship , Skid blad nir , and b ag,Gullinbursti , 38 , 39 ; his love forGerd , 4 6 gives his sword to Skirnir , 4 7 , 49 ; slain by Surt , 7 9, 8 1myth of, explained, 196 .

Frey, a king, 209.

Freyia, given as a hostage to the E sit ,

297

1 5 ; account of, 32, and n.3; mar

ried to Od , 33 ; lends her plumageto Loki , 44 5 lends her plumage andthe B risinga

-men to Loki , 5 4 , 5 5myth of, explained , 196 , 199.

Frigg, Odin’s w ife, 1 6 ; account of,3 1 , and n

1 myth of, explained ,1 6 7 1 68 .

Frigg’ s rok, the constellation Orion,

1 6 7 , note.

Frodi , King, 20 7 .Frost -giant s , 3 ; their dwelling, 1 1myth Of, explained , 1 40 , 1 48 .

Fulla, Frigg ’s attendant, 3 5 , 1 68 .

Fylgia, an attendant spirit , 1 13 , 1 14 ,1 1 5 .

G.

Galar, a dwarf, slays Kvasir, 40 ; invites and slays Gil ling and his wife ,4 1 gives the precious mead to

Suttung, ih.

Galder, a species Ofmagic , 212.

Gang , brother ofThiassi, 4 5 , 1 82.

Gangldti, Hel’s servant, 5 0 .

GanglOt , Hel’s female servant , 5 0 .

Gangrad . See Odin.

Gard arofa, a horse, 35 , 1 69.

Garm , a d og at RagnarOck, 7 8 , 8 1slain by Ty, 8 1 .

Gefion, account of, 34 and n 5

Gefu, a name OfFreyia, 34 .

Geirrod , account of, 1 7 ; vi sited byOdin, 1 8 ; his death , 1 9.

Geirr'

Od , a giant , catches Loki , 5 2 5 i sk illed by Thor, 5 4 ; hi s name ex

plained , 1 7 8 .

Geir-Sk '

Ogul, a Valkyria, 14 .

Gelgia, name ofa chain, 5 2.

Gerd , Frey ’s love for, 4 6 ; myth of,explained, 1 6 7 , 196 .

Geri , one OfOdin’s w o lves , 21 .

Gevar, story Of, from Saxo, 1 8 7 .Giallar-bru, 7 5 , 1 88 .

Giallar-horn, 1 2, 29.

Gialp , GeirrOd’

s daughter, causes theriver V imur to swell, 5 3 her backbroken, 5 4 .

Gialp , a mother OfHeimdall, 28 .

Giants , 1 0 ; described , 1 48 .

G illing , a giant , 4 1 ; his death , ih. ;

his name explained, 192.

298 I N D E X .

G il s , a horse , 1 2.

G imli , 1 1 , 82, 1 5 2.

Ginnunga-gap , 3 , 4 .

GiOll (Giallar-horn) , 1 2, 29.

Gioll, a river , 3 , note 1 , 7 5 ; explained ,1 5 4 , 1 5 7 .

GiOll, name ofa rock , 5 2.

G iuki , father ofGunnar , &c., 99.

G lad , a horse , 1 2.

G lad, the horse OfDay , 6 , 1 43 .

G ladsheim , Odin’s abode, 1 30,1 62.

Glasir, a w ood , description Of, 20.

Glauv r, Gunnar’

s w ife, her dream ,

104 .

G leipnir , a chain, ofwhat composed ,5 1 , 1 84 .

Glen, husband ofS61, the sun, 6 , 144 .

Gler , a horse , 12.

G litnir, Forset i’s abode, 30 , 1 30, 1 89.

Gna, Frigg’s attendant , 35 , 1 68 .

Guipa’s cave, 7 8 , 8 1 , 18 5 .

Goa or G'

Oa, 209.

Godheim, 1 5 2.

GOnd ul, a Valkyria, 1 4 .

Gram ,Sigurd

’

s sword , 98 , 1 00 , 1 02.

Grani, Sigurd’

s horse, 95 , 1 00

mourns for hi s master, 1 03 .

Greip , GeirrOd’

s daughter, her backbroken, 5 4 .

Greip , a mother ofHeimdall , 28 .

Grer, a dwarf, 32 , n.3.

Grid , mother ofVidar, 29, 5 3 , 1 7 8 .

Grid arv'

Oll, name ofa staff, 5 3 , 1 7 8 .

Grima, w ife OfAki , 1 1 0 .

Grimhild , mother ofGudrun, 99, 1 00 ,1 03 .

Grimnir. See Od in.

Griotunagard , 7 0 , 1 7 6.

Groa, endeavours to extract the stonefrom Thor’ s forehead , 7 1 .

Grottasav ngr, account ofthe, 20 7 .Gud brand , 90 .

Gudrun, daughter ofGiuki , 99 ; herdream, ib . 5 married to S igurd , 1 00 5quarrel s w ith Brynhild , 10 1 ; fleesto Denmark , 1 03 married to Atli ,1 03, 1 04 ; w arns her brother a

gainst Atli , ib . murders her sons ,1 06 5 murders Atli , ih. ; marriesKing Jonakur, ib .

Gullfaxi , name OfHrungnir’

s horse,69, 7 1 .

Gullinbursti, Frey and Freyia’s hog

26 , 33 , 39, 199.

Gullintanni , a name OfHeimdall , 29,20 1 .

Gulltopp , H eimdall’s horse, 1 2, 29.

Gullveig burnt , 1 4 5 explanation of.

1 5 8 .

Gungnir, Odin’s spear, 39.

Gunn, a Valkyria, 1 4 .

Gunnar, brother ofGudrun, 99 5 marries B rynhild , 1 00 , 1 0 1 5 visit s Atli .1 04 5 his death , 1 05 .

GunnlOd , Suttung’

s daughter , hascharge Of hi s mead , 4 1 5 lets Od irdrink it, 42 5 myth of, explained

1 92.

Gunnthra, a river, 3 .

Guttorm, brother of Gudrun, 99

murders S igurd, 102 5 his deathib .

Gygr, 1 49.

Gylfi , a king of Sweden, 34 , hijourney to Asgard, 1 32, note, 14 5 .

Gyllir , a horse, 12.

Gymir, a giant, father Of Gerd, 46198 .

H .

Hakon Jarl, sacrifices his son, 90.

Hallinskeid i, a name ofHeimdall, 2920 1 .

Halogi, 2 7 , note5; father Of Thor

gerd HOrgab rud and I rpa, 90 .

Ham, an attendant Spirit, 1 13Hamingia, } 1 1 4 , 1 1 5 .

Hamd ir , son ofJonakur and Gudrun106 5 murd ers Erp , 10 7 slays Jormunrek, 1 08 5 his death , ih.

Hamhlaup described , 2 16.

a horse, 3 5 . 1 69.

Efnga' gfd ’

} names of Odin, 1 6 .

anga-ty r,

Hans D iimeke, a star, 1 7 7 .Hai r, 19, 14 5 .

Hati , aw olf, 7 5 w ill pursue the moon7 8 , 80 .

H eidi , a name ofGullveig, 1 4 , 1 5 8 .

Heidrun, the goat in Valhall , 20 ; thname explained , 1 62.

Heimdall , account of, 28 ; contenderw ith Loki for the B risinga-men, 29

Ifing, name ofa river, 1 1 explained ,1 5 3 , 1 5 4 .

Irpa, w orshiped in Norway, 90.

Ivald , father ofIdun, 34 .

Ivald i , sons of, make the ship Skidb lad nir and S if’s golden hair , 38 ,1 5 0.

Ib avollr. See Ida’s plain.

Jafnhar , 19, 1 4 5 .

Jarnsaxa, a mother ofHeimdall , 28 ,1 7 8 .

Jarnvid , a wood , 7 .

Jarnvid s , giantesses , 7 , 1 49.

Jonakur, marries Gudrun, 106 .

Jormungand . See M idgard’s Serpent .Jormunrek, marries Svanhild , 1 06murders her and his son, 1 0 7 hi sdeath , 1 08 .

J6ruvellir , 9, 1 5 0 .

Jorb . See Earth .

Jotun,

Ja unheim, } 10 , 1 5 2. See G iant s.Jule-tungel

, 208 .

Kari , son ofForniot, 27 .

Kerlaugs , the two , name of rivers ,1 2, 1 63 .

Kiar, king ofValland , 8 5 .

Kostb era, Hogni ’ s w ife, her d reams ,1 04 .

Kor, Hel ’s b ed , 5 0.

Kormt, a river , 1 2 , 1 63 .

Kraka. See Aslaug.

Kvasir, a Van, 1 5 ; an A s , 7 7 .

Kvasir, his creation and death , 4 0 ;myth of, explained , 191 .

Lad gun. See Svanhvit.

Leading , name ofa chain, 5 0 , 1 84 .

Laarad . See Lerad .

Land-vaett, a tutelary genius , 1 1 7Land vid i, Vidar’ s abode, 30 , 1 30 , 193 .

Laufey ,mother ofLoki , 30 ; her nameexplained, 1 82.

Leip t, a river , 3 , note 1explanat ion

of,Lerad , a tree over Odin’s hall, 20, 21 ,1 62 .

Lettfeti, a horse, 12.

L if, 84 .

Lifthrasir , 84 .

L ight-elves 25 , and note5.

L ingi , a king , 94 .

L ios-alfheim , 1 5 2.

L iot , a w itch , 21 7 .

L itur , a dwarf, 7 5 , 1 88 .

Lodur, w ith Odi n and Hmnir, createsmankind , 10 ; myth of, explained ,1 46 .

Lofar , progenitor of the dwarfs , 9,1 5 0 .

Lofn, a goddess , 3 5 .

Logi , his contest w ith Loki , 60 .

Logi , 2 7 , and note 5 . See B alogi .Loki , contends w ith Heimdall for theB risinga

-men,29 ; account of, 30 ;

assumes the likenes s ofa mare, andgives b irth to S leipnir , 3 7 ; cutsS if’s hair ofi", 38 ; his wager w iththe dwarf Brock , ib . ; his adventurew ith Thiassi, 43 ; entices Idun fromAsgard , and brings her back , 44 :causes Skad i to laugh , 4 5 his offspring, 49 caught by Geirrod , 5 2accompanies Thor to Geirrod

’s

house , 5 3 ; aids in recoveringThor’shammer, 5 4—5 6 accompanies Thoto Utgard a

-Loki, 5 6—6 5 ; his ad venture there, 60 ; contrives Baldur ’death , 7 3 e scape , capture an

puni shment of, 7 7 w il l steer thship Naglfar at Ragnar

'

ock, 7 9

w il l slay and b e slain by Heimdall82 ; his adventure w ith the otter95 myth of, explained, 1 80 , 1 8 1 .

LOp t. See Loki .Lyngvi , an island, 5 1 , 1 84 .

Magni , Th or’s son, 22 , 7 1 ; w ill p osses s M iolnir after Ragnar

'

cick, 84

name explained , 1 7 7 .

Managarm , a w olf, 7 , 7 8 , 80 .

Manheim . 1 5 2 .

Mani (See Moon) directs the moon’

course, 6 ; takes up tw o childrenib.

Mard oll, a name ofFrey ia, 34 .

Megingjard ar, Thor’s belt of pow er

22 , 5 3 , 1 7 3 .

Meili, a son ofOdin, 31 .

I N D E X .

Menia, a slave, 20 7 .M idgard , 5 ; description of, 1 1 .

M id gard ’s Serpent (Jormungand ) , 3 1 ,49 cast into the ocean, 5 0 in the

likenes s ofa_cat lifted by Thor , 62

i s caught by Thor, 66 , 68 at Ragnarock, 79, 8 1 myth of, explained ,1 8 5 .

M idw inter sacrifice, 208 .

M imameib r, 1 5 7M imir , his w el l , 1 2 ; drinks from thehorn Gioll, to. ; sent w i th Hoenir tothe Vanir, 1 5 slain, ib . of hishead , ib his fountain explained,1 5 4 ; ofhis myth , 1 5 7 .

M imir, a smith , 8 8 .

Miotviiir (Miotub r) , a tree, 7 9, 1 5 7 .

M i ’olnir, the name ofThor’ s hammer,22 ; its origin, 39 ; stolen by thegiant Thrym and recovered , 5 4- 5 6w ill be posses sed by Modi and Magni after Ragnar

'

cick, 8 4 ; the nameexplained , 1 7 1 , 1 7 3 .

Mod gud , guardian ofthe bridge overGioll, 7 5 , 1 88 .

Modi , Thor ’s son, 22 w ill posses sM iolnir after Ragnarbck, 84 nameexplained, 1 7 7 .

Mod sognir, a dwarf, 9, 1 5 0 .

Moon, his origin, 6 ; followed by a

wolf, 7 ; man in the, 143 , and note 5 .Mountain-ash , 2 1 1 .

Mockurkalfi , a giant , 7 0 slain byThialfi , 7 1 name explained , 1 7 7 .

Mund ilfori, father of Sun and Moon,

6 , 1 43 .

Munin, one ofOdin’s ravens , 19.

Musp ellheim, 3 Sparks from , 5 ex

plained , 1 39.

Myrkheim, 1 5 2.

Mysing, a sea-king, 20 7 .

N .

Nabb i, a dwarf, 33 .

Naglfar, the sh ip at Ragnarock, 79,80 ofwhat composed , to.

Naglfari, a husband ofN ight, 5 , 1 43 .

N5 1. See Laufey .

Nanna, B aldur’s w ife, 30 , 34 her

death , 7 5 sends her veil to Frigg,and her ring to Fulla, 7 6 ; myth of,explained, 1 8 5 , 1 86.

30 1

Narfi. See Norvi .

Nari (Narvi) , son ofLoki , 3 1 his

death, 7 8 , 183 .

Nastrond , 82.

Needle-trees , 1 82, note 2.Nep (Nef) , father ofNanna, 31 , 1 8 7 .

N ida-fell s , 8 2, 83 .

Nid h'

cigg, a serpent , gnaw s Yggd rasil’s

root , 1 2 ; sucks dead bodies, 83 ;wi ll bear dead carcases on hisw ings ,to. ; its name , 1 5 5 .

Nidud , king of the Niarer, 8 5 ; hamstrings V '

o lund , 86 .

Nid ung, a king ofThy , 8 8 .

Niflheim, 3 , 1 39, 1 5 2.

Niflung, H o'gni ’s son, murders Atl i ,

1 06 .

N ight (Nott) , 5 married to Naglfari ,ib . ; to Anar , to. ; to Del ling, 6 ;her horse, ib . myth of, explained ,1 43 .

N io’ rd given to the E sir as a ho stage ,1 4 ; his abode and attributes , 24his marriagew ith Skad i , 4 5 ; mythof, explained , 195 .

N ith , a kind ofmagic , 219.

Nithi , the w aning moon,5 .

Noatfin, Nio’

rd’

s abode, 24 , 4 5 , 1 30 .

Norns , their names , 1 2 ; functions , it;dogs, to. w ater the ash Yggd rasil ,1 3 myth of, explained, 1 5 6 .

Northri, 5 , 1 5 1 .

Nott. See N ight.Nb

’

rvi, the father ofN ight , 5 .

Nyi, the new moon, 5 .

Od , Frey ia’

s husband , 33 , 197 .Od hraerir, name ofa kettle , 4 0 , 192.

Odin, his b irth , 4 w ith his brotherscreates the earth , ocean, &c., ib . ;

al so the heavenly bodies, 5 ; w ithHoenir and Lodur creates mankind ,10 ; w ith Vili and Ve creates mankind

,to. ; cast s a spear and excites

war among men, 1 4 enchant s M imir’s head , 1 5 his names , to. ;

under the name of Gangrad vi sit sVafthrud nir, 1 6 ; under the nameofGrimnir goes to Geirrod , 1 7 , 1 8 ;asVegtam consul ts a deadVala, 19of his ravens, Hugin and Munin,

302

ib l ives solely on w ine, 21 ; thej arl s that fall belong to him , 22 ;

foster-brother of Loki , 3 1 drinksdaily wi th Saga, 34 ; of his horse ,S leipnir, 36 of his spear and ring,39; get s Suttung

’

s mead , 4 1 w orksfor Baugi under the name of B 61

verk , to. ; his flight from Suttung,42 his adventure w ith Thiassi,4 3 ; makes stars of Thiassi

’

s eyes ,4 5 ; his adventure w ith the giantHrungnir, 69 ; goes down to Hel

to consult a dead Vala, 7 2 ; w illconsult M imir ’s head at Ragnar

'

ock,

7 9, 8 1 w ill fight w ith Fenrir-w olf,8 1 b e swallowed by him, 82

visit s S iggeir , 92 fights againstS igmund, 94 ; aids S igurd to find

out Grani , 95 kill s O ttur and paysthe appears as Hnikarto S igurd , 96 ; drinks of M imir’sfountain, 1 5 4 myth of, explained ,1 5 8 , 1 6 1 appears to King O lafTryggvason, 1 60 modern beliefconcerning him and his horse, 1 64s tory ofhim and Rinda, 1 69 ; his ohtaining Suttung

’

s mead explained,191 . See also All-father.

CEgir, son ofForniot,27 ; visited by theB sir, 6 7 myth of, explained , 199.

Ok61ni , 82.

O laf, King St., Thor hi s prototy pe,2 1

, note3.

O laf Tryggvason, Odin appears to ,1 60 ; Thor appears to , 1 7 6 .

O ller , myth of, from Saxo , 1 7 9.

Omi , a name ofOdin, 1 5 , note 5Onar. See Anar.O ski , a name ofOdin, 1 5 , note 5

.

Ottur, son ofHreidmar, his death , 95 .

Oku-Thor , a name ofThor, 22, 1 7 3 .

Olrun, a Valkyria, 8 5 .

Ond urgud and Ond urd is, names of

Skad i, 46 .

Ormt, a river, 1 2, 1 63 .

Orvand il, a giant , 7 1 a star made ofhis toe,

O sten, a king at Upsala, 1 1 3 .

Phol, 23, note .

I N D E X .

P lants .—Thorhialm (aconite) , Sw .

stormhat , 22 , note1; Baldur ’s brow ,

what plants so called , to. note 2

Niarb ar vottr (Niord’s glove , spon

gia marina, our Lady’ s hand ,25 , n .

2 Forneotes folme (Forniot’

s

hand) , 28 , n.2; Ty sved (daphne

mezereon) , 28 , n.

4; Loki ’ s oat s

(polytrichum commune) , 30 , n.6;

Loki’s purse (yellow rattle, rhinauthus crista galli) , ib . ; Freyju har

(supercilium Veneris) , 34 , n.

1 S ifjar had d r (poly trichum aureum) ,34 , n.

3, 1 7 9 ; Sorb - tree , proverb of,

5 3 ; Tysfiola (viola Martis) ; Tyrhialm (aconitum , monk ’s -hood) ,Dan. Trold hat ; Tyvi

’d r, Dan. Ty

ved (daphne mezereon, spurge laurel) , 1 6 7 , note ; Friggjar- gras , hjona-gras (orchis odoratissima, marriage grass ) , 1 6 7 , note ; Quickentree, or Mountain-ash , 21 1 .

Q.

Quicken Tree, 21 1 .

R.

Ragnar (Lod brok) , slays a dragon,

1 08 ; marries Thora, 109 ; marriesAslaug , 1 1 1

—1 1 3 .

Ragnarock described , 7 8- 83 , 205 .

Ran, w ife ofForniot, 27 , 1 99.

Rand ve , son of Jormunrek, 1 06 ; hisdeath , 1 0 7 .

Ratatii sk, a squirrel , 1 3 , 1 5 5 .

Rati , an auger , 4 2, 193 .

Regin, Sigurd’

s instructor , 95 ; hisparentage, to. ; forges a sw ord forS igurd

, 96 ; d rinks Fafnir’s bloodand cuts out his heart, ib .

B eri t , father ofV blsung, 91 .

Rig, Heimdall visits the earth underthe name of, 202 , and note.

Rind ,mother ofVali , 36 meaning ofname, 1 68 ; story of, from Saxo, 1 69.

Rithil, name ofa sword , 97 .

Roster, a name assumed by Odin, 1 69.

Rostiophus Finnicus , 1 69.

Roskva, 22 ; taken into Thor’s ser

vice, and attends him to J6 tunheim ,

5 7 , 1 7 3 .

Rutheni, king ofthe, 1 69.

304

Svanhvit, a Valkyria, 8 5 .

Svart-alfheim , 1 5 2.

Svasud , father ofSummer, 7 , 1 44 .

Svavl, a river , 3 .

Swans fed in the well ofUrd, 1 4 .

Svefn-born, 97 .

Sylg , a river, 3 .

Syn, a goddes s, 36 .

Syr, a name ofFreyia, 34 .

T .

Tanngniost, one ofThor’s goats , 22,1 7 3 .

Tanngrisnir, one ofThor’s goats , 22,

1 7 3 .

Thialfi, 22 taken into Thor’s serviceand attends him to Jotunheim, 5 1

his adventure there ,60 ; slays Mockurkalfi, 7 1 ; myth of, explained,1 7 3 .

Thiassi, a giant , his adventure , underthe form of an eagle, w ith Odin,Loki and Hoenir, 4 3 get s pos session of Idun , 44 ; h is death , to. ;

his eyes made into stars , 4 5 ; nameof, explained , 1 82.

Thiod reyrir, a dwarf, 1 6 1 .

Thor, his parentage, 2 1 ; hab itation,

to. ; prototype ofS t . O laf, 21 ,note 3his several names , 21 , 22 ; his goats ,to. ; his hammer , belt and gloves ,to. the thralls belong to him , to.

his sons , w ife and daughter, ib.

servant s , to. ; foster- children, ib . ,

slays the builder , 3 7 his hammer,39 ; enticed by Loki to Geirrod ’

s

house, 5 2 kills the giant Geirrod ,5 4 loss and recovery of his hammer, 5 4

—5 6 ; his visit to Utgard aLoki , 5 6—6 5 ; visits the giant Hymir

,6 5 ; catches the M idgard ’s

serpent , 66 w ith Ty vis its Hymir,6 7 goes w ith him to fi sh and

catches the M idgard ’s serpent , 68carries offHymir ’s kettle, to. slaysand is w ounded by Hrungnir, 7 1catches Loki in the form of a sal

mon, 7 7 ; slays and i s slain by theM idgard ’s serpent , 7 9, 8 1 ; mythof, explained , 1 7 1 ; modern tradition of, 1 7 4 appears to King O lafTryggvason, 1 7 6 .

I N D E X .

Ukko-Taran, the Finni sh name of

Thor, 1 7 3 .

Ulfi iot, the first lawgiver of Iceland ,220 .

Ulfrun, a mother ofHeimdall, 28 .

U ll, account of, 30 myth of, explained , 1 7 9.

Urd,fountain of, 1 2 ; swans in, 13 ;

explained , 1 5 4 .

Urd, a Norn, 1 2.

Utgard. See Jotunheim.

Utgard a-Loki , vi sited by Thor and

Loki , 5 6- 65 .

V.

Vadi , father ofV elint, 88 .

Vaett, a tutelary genius , 1 13, 1 1 6.

Thora, daughter ofHakon, 103 .

Thora Biorgar-hjort , daughter ofHeraud , 1 08 ; married to RagnarLod brok, 1 09 ; her death , to.

Thorb i'

org, a Vala, 2 14 .

Thorgerd Horgabrud , w orshiped in

Norw ay, 90 aids Hakon Jar] , to.

Thorsmainad , 208 .

Thokt , a giantess , 7 6 ; myth of, ex

plained , 1 88 .

Thrithi, 19, 1 4 5 .

Thrud , Thor’s daughter, 22, 34 , 1 7 7 .

Thrud gelmir, 4 , 1 40 .

Thrud heim,

Thrud vang, } Thor s realm,21 , 1 1 2 .

Thrym,a giant , steal s Thor

’ s hammer, his death , 5 4—5 6 ; his si ster ,5 6 ; hi s name explained, 1 7 8 .

Thrymgi'

oll, 1 5 7 .

Thrymheim , Thiassi and Skad i’

s

abode, 196 .

Thu] , a river, 3 , note.

Thund , name ofa river, 20 .

Thurs , name explained , 1 48 .

Thusb et, an evil Spirit , 1 1 5 .

Thviti, name ofa rock , 5 2.

Troms, the Norw egian Blocksberg,2 18 .

T3"

(Tyr) , account of, 28 ; loses hishand , 5 2 ; accompanies Thor toth e giant Hymir ’s , 6 7 ; his death ,8 1 his myth , 1 66, 1 6 7 .

I N D E X .

Vafthrudnir, a giant visited by Odin,1 6 .

Vala, a prophetes s , 21 4 .

Valaskialf, Vali ’s abode, 1 1 , 130 the

name explained , 1 6 1 .Valfather, a name ofOdin, 1 5 , 16 .

Valfreyia. See Freyia.

Valgrind , a fence round Valhall , 20.

Valhall , those that fall in battle re

ceived into , 1 5 description of, 19.

Vali, account of, 30 ; avenges thedeath ofBal dur, 7 6 w ill l ive afterRagnarock, 84 ; ofhis name, 1 8 7 .

Vali (Al i) , son ofLoki , 3 1 his death ,7 8 , 1 83 .

Valkyriur come to the aid ofthe gods,1 4 ; their names , wait uponthe Einheriar, 20 ; their myth, 1 5 6 ;description of, 1 63 .

Vana-dis , an appellation ofFrevia, 32.

Vanaheim ,1 5 2.

Vanargand , a name ofFenrir , 5 2.Vanir anticipate war w ith the E sir,1 4 ; make peace, to. ; slay M imir,1 5 rule over air and sea, 1 4 7 , 1 5 0 .

Vard ogl, an attendant spirit ,1 1 6 .

Vartari , a thong, 40 name explained,1 83 .

V e, 4 w ith Odin creates mankind,10 brother ofOdin, marries Frigg,32 ; myth of, 1 4 5 .

V echa, a name as sumed by Odin, 1 7 0 .

V ed urf'

olnir , a hawk , 1 3.

V egtam, a name assumed by O din.

Velint , his Saga, 8 8 hamstringed,89 violates Nid ung

’s daughter and

murders his sons , to. See Volund .V eor (Var) , a name ofThor, 1 7 3 .

Vera-tyr , a name ofOdin,1 6 .

Verdandi , a Norn, 12.

V estri , 5 , 1 5 1 .

Vetur . See Winter.Vidar, account of, 29 ; w ill slay thew olf Fenrir , 7 9, 82 wi ll live after

W.

Winter, h is father, 7 .

Wud ga, 90, note1

30 5

Ragnarock, 84 myth of, explained ,193 .

V id blain, 1 1 , 1 5 2.

Vid finn, father ofBil and B iuki , 6 .

Vigrid, name ofa plain, 8 1 .

Vili , 4 ; w ith Odin creates mankind,1 0 brother ofOdin, marries Frigg,32 ; myth of, 1 4 5 .

V ilkinus, father ofVadi, 88 .

V imur, name ofa river, 5 3.

Vindheim , 83 , 1 5 2.

V ind sval, father ofWinter , 7 , 144 .

Vingi ,At1i’

s messenger, 1 04 falsifies

Gudrun’s runes , ib . ; his death , 1 05 .

Vingnir, Thor’s foster-child , 22.

Vingolf, 8 , 1 1 those that fall in battle received into, 1 5 .

Ving-Thor , anameofVith , a river, 3 , note 1

.

Von, a river issuing from the mouthofFenrir , 5 2, 1 84 .

V iilsung, account of, 92.

volund , his Saga, 84 ; hamstringed ,86 kills Nidud ’

s sons , to. ; violateshi s daughter , 8 7 See Velint .

V6r, a goddess , 35 .

Y.

Ydalir , Ull ’s abode, 30.

Year, ofthe old Northern , 128—130.

Ygg, a name ofOdin , 1 5 4 , note2.

Yggdrasil , description of, 1 1 an eaglein it s branches , 13 explained, 1 5 4 ,and note 2.

Ylg, a river, 3 , note1

Ymir,b irth of, 3 slain, 4 the earth ,

&c. formed of his body, 5 ; mythof, explained, 1 40 , 14 1 .

Yule-beer, 208 .

Yule-month , 208 .

INDEX TO EPITOME OF GERMAN MYTHOLOGY .

A . D iar , 230.

D ickkopfs , 237 .Abund la, 28 1 . Domen,

243 .

Adalbert. Donar, 230 , 2 7 6 .

Asaheim, 229 Dovrefield , 243 .

Aureha (St ) . 266. Dwarfs , 236—239.

B .

Baldur , 231 . Easter fires, 284 .

Barenton, 24 7 , n.1. E astre, 22 7 , nBeal ,

.

28 5,n.

2. E cke, 234 .

B ealtme, 285 E ckhart, 286 .

B ealtane tree. Erb senmuhme, 25 0.

B echelsberg, 243.Erce, 280 .

B echtelsb erg ,B ensozia, 28 1 .

BerchtaBertha 2 /9.

Bilsen-schnitter, 245 .

Bilwiz, 244 .

B l schenb ei g , 243.

B lakulla, 243 .

Blocksberg, 243 .

Blood-tree, 25 6 .

Brocken, 243 .

Brunnenhold e , 244 .

B ii chelberg, 243 .

Bulwechs, 244 .

Buschgrossmutter,25 1 0

Cat s,28 1 .

Changelings , 23 7 .

Charles (Emperor) , 28 7 .K .

D .

Kandel , 243 .

Death , 286 , 289—292. Kiarru,243 .

Death , driving out of, Kielkropfs , 23 7 .

28 3 . Kilian 268 .

D iana, 2 7 2. King ofthe May, 284.

F.

Fairies , 240.

Fasolt, 234 .

Forest-men,Forest w ives,Forseti , 23 1 .

Fos ite, 23 1 , 25 7 , n.2,

25 9, n.4,265 , n.

1.

Frea, 23 1 .

Frecke (Fru) , 2 7 6 .

Frederic B arbarossa,28 7 .Frigg. 23 1 , 27 6 .

Frua, 23 1 .Fulla, 231 .

G .

Gal l 266.

Gaue (Fru) , 2 7 5 .

George 228 , n.

Gertrud’ s (St.) Jlfi nne,2 7 1 .

G iant s , 234 .

Gozb ert , 268 .

G reen Man, 284 .

Groves , 25 5 .

Guckenb erg, 28 7 .

H .

Hab ond e, 28 1 .

Harke (Frau) , 280.

He] ,

the devil , 2 7 0 .

Hera (Frau) , 280 .

H erodias , 27 2.

Heuberg , 243 .

H ild , 24 1 .Hlod yn, 232.

Hlud ana, 232.

Holda Frau, 27 7 , 2 78 ,Holle n.

1.

Holde, 244 .

Holzl eute, 25 0.

Horselb erg, 243 , 286 .

I. J .

Id is’

i , 24 1 .

Idol s , 260—263 .

Ind iculus Sup erstitio

num , 232.

Inselberg, 243 .

John Baptist 27 1 ,2 7 2.

John’s (St.) d ay , 284 ;fires , ib .

Jude] , 24 5 .

L O N D O NPR INT ED B Y R I CHAR D TAY LO R ,

R E D LION COU R T, F LEET STR EET.

A LER E

Northern Mythology - Forgotten Books

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