Teutonic Mythology The Complete Work

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TEUTONIC

MYTHOLOGY. BY

JACOB

TRANSLATED

GKIMM.

FROM

THE

FOURTH

EDITION

WITH

NOTES

APPENDIX

AND

BY

JAMES

STALLYBRASS.

STEVEN

VOL.

LONDON:

GEORGE

BELL

COVENT

I.

AND

GARDEN. 1882.

SONS,

YORK

STREET,

TO

Professor

MAX

MULLER,

M.A.,

:^ts

^or^

IS

EESPECTFULLY

DEDICATED

BY

PERMISSION.

Sue,

"c.,

^^BEF^EEN.

pO.,

J"ING ft.

AND

fl^NTEF^,

PREFACE.

TEANSLATOR'S

"

I THINK

than

Scandinavian otlier.

any

these

It

Norwegians

also

as

our

veins, whom

the

creed

.

of

What

Mr.

task

tradition,so

Scandinavian

in

know

to

sources,

High-Dutch

indeed it

to

seems

enough

view

able

to be

it

as

all

ways.

Scandinavian

well."

that

it

Carlyle's

"

be

the

was

the

it up

into

we

other

from

whole.

a

for,strange

;

still considered

was

it

Icelanders,

whole

connected

it

; and

gleaned

build

apply

course

supplement

to

to

can

and

of

recovered

thanks

one

ago

be

can

that

Low-Dutch, was

will

Mynwlogie

and

of

his mastery

trace

The

into

to the

of

the

word

since

within

his

of

on

a

with

Grimm

to

necessary

and

the

In

languages

scattered

facts all the

among

this

commanded

who

man

he

firm

scientific

certitude

Mythology

first wrote of

of

his book Teutonic

significanceof

the

the all ;

literature

which

show

Teutonic

which

the

nations

he

by the

was

enabled

him

strangest disguises. nations

but

as

has a

of

made

and

persons

as

great of facts

storehouse

Mythology, Names

wide

materially aided

was

basis, and

through

a

and

principlesof Philology, which

specialprovince

derivation

first

thought

Danube.

Comparative

strides

focus

a

true

the

field of Teutonic

system

one

establish a

whole

bring

to

Iceland

first to

perhaps

was

of the

prevalence

the

Scandinavian

(of which,

forty years

us,

Grimm

Jacob

to

in

runs

many

these

so

interesting still

so

ago

it.

prove

from

in

years

is

blood in

preserved

Deutsche

with

most)

to prove

far

his

mythology

happen

And

whose

interest

been

of the

Carlyle says

Grimm

of

It

Odin.

in

".

all Teutonic

the

of

men

of

; 800

century

still resemble

point

have

they

; the

interesting

more

latest ; it continued

eleventh

we

is another

Hero-Worship

as

fathers

.

here, is

us

worshippers

doubtless

mythologies,that

to

till the

our

to

thing, the

one

still

were

There

"

is,for

regions of Europe

the

.

Paganism,

a

and

clue

to

things

Translator's Preface,.

vi in

perhapsit

and

Etymology is his

the

to

classical

the

of occasionally his Deutsch

Still,among

But then

forte.

guessinginto

random

from transfigured

is

his hands

etymology in

pointwith

every

tradition.

; and

at home

he is most

himself

Slavic,Lettic and

circle of

Oriental

Ugric, Celtic, and kindred

it at

superseded

been

never

that he confines

Not

compares

the wide

and

mythus

myth,it has

a

be.

can

never

field ; he

Teutonic

of

versions

the various

scientificfact. There

is

Grimm.

no

to detect in many

which

with

at indignation

bags a

edition (fourth)

the firsttwo

consist of his

2

Appendix

death

the

on

of the

will form

matter

as

If Grimm

a

fourth

the author had

Kved

but he

was

no

longer free.

taken

the

three volumes

third,will contain the

;

lation trans-

will

of the third volume

editions

(1844

an

and

1854) were

Appendix

part of

consisting,

Teutonic

Vol. III.

our

H.

After

it such

collected in his note-books

boolc

ready to

no

run

Grimm's

doubt, have out

of each

task

additional

for future

which great Dictionary,

he would, life,^

nations.

Meyer, of Berlin, the

and includingin edition,

a

have

Ye

"

a

and secondly, Anglo-SaxonGenealogies,

to finish his

used to say, he had

his

Supplement.

to Prof. E.

had

the latter years of his He

third

and

spiritedaway

:

of various Superstitions a

his heirs entrusted

bringingout

1

and

a

glee

Mythologiewill,like

Deutsche

of the

and

;

with

?"

more

vols.,accompanied by

short treatise

bred

It is

ago.

swan-maid

be publishedin original,

Appendix

largecollection

This

of

a

and

text, and the remainder

own

publishedin

of first, a

of the

author's second

The each

I

have

which, and part

of

of Grimm's

of

what

born

presenttranslation of the

The last

German

up

to-daythe

heroes ; the

has

to

delights

zeal patriotic

gods and

Slav who

or

he

of

of years

the

at

than

he hunted

which

Germany,

over

goddess,elf,or

new

was

gods,and

my

smile

a

poachingCelt

any

mythic being that away

to forbear

the trail of his German

he

with

forefathers thousands

our

times

he hunts

which

all

from

indebted

more

and popular custom nursery-tale

a

beliefs and habits of

impossibleat

is

lovingcare

Raus-mdrchen

und

his Kinder

the

to mention

Not

Folk-lore

to whom

one

use.

engrossed

incorporated

of his ten

fingers,

pith of

the

that

much

Preface.

jottingsin

the text

irrelevant

was

himself feeling this

later

these

Translator's

posthumous

select and

book, rejecting

German

editor,not

threw reject,

his third volume

into

matter

of his

pleonastic. The

or

to liberty

at

vii

the whole

(where it occupies

merely arrangingthe items accordingto the pages), subjectsin the book, and numbering each by the page 370

This

illustrates.

few extracts

to

Suppl.").I

devoted

and

accurate

it

to in

it appeared pressed opinion ex-

by

this

valuable

most

whole to

means

parts,and

other

by

gentlemen

branches

to individual

full classified

to the

detailed Index

It is hoped

book.

attention special

Folk-knowledge. A

science of

which

alreadyintroduced

author's

editor himself and

articles by the addingoriginal have

of

But in the present Englishedition it is intended

digestthis Supplement,selectingthe

who

have

to confirm, the materially

contradict,or

order

frequentlyreferred

so

where it in the Foot-notes,especially

from

in the text. to

Supplement

book, under the form ("see

the a

is the

of

of the

Bibliographyand

an

will accompany

work

render the

the

EnglishEdition

as

completeand serviceable as possible. Grimm's sum^

Prefaceto

of the

book, and of the whole Vol. II.

accompany

the edition of 1844,

is

There

with reader's acquaintance

bound

keep it where

to

The the text

only additions

1. The the

most

the

are

book

I find it in the

have

felt

to make

in

original.

ventured

it

An

Norse,Greek, and a

much

High

does

comes

even

various

quotationsin

bristles with

when

written for

I have

"

ordinaryEnglishman

Old

impliesthe

: following

part untranslated.

But

it,which

alterations I have

find the Old and the Middle an

in

part of the book, that

every

or

in the German

will,as subject, much

so

givinga vigorousre-

about

Anglo-Saxon

to

making

Slavic,I

out

must

limited and

more

reader

ordinaryGerman German

and a

as

suppose

might

as intelligible

Chaucer

word

learned

for languages,

or

tively. respec-

passage

in

the author to

publicthan

that

readable. which, I hope,will find this English edition sufficiently I have

therefore

translated

a

great many

words

and

sentences.

Translator's

viii

interest, and

the

where

translated the

book

too

my

own

are

much.

(XII.

to

3.

I

consulted

have

words,

for Grimm's

comprehending of

awkward

coining the word

One

Mythologie I

? up

mythology,

Deutsch

a

remains

meagre

necessarilydraws

he

time

book, though what

But

would

German would

Grimm

does

not

be

amongst

expressly intends the

English

happened English the

whole

ear

at

to

us

it to

the

cross

the than

be

by

a

sea.

"

branch

the of

I have

more

limited

one

the

would

the

portion of

his

Low

was

"

race

thought, that to

been.

the

by It

what

England

German

truer

it

direction.

and

have

itself.

system

to include

therefore title

of

other

Netherlands

same

translate

To

in the

the

the

remains

Norse

?

generally understood

thrown At

richer

and

complete

a

have

shade.

the

ology Mythbuilding

at

giving

substantive

Deutsch

misleading

Teutonic

Scandinavian,

of

the

regards

comprehensive

more

the

as

the

the

sense

Deutsche

"

not

aimed

would

upon

quite a as

include

sunply

are

much

I

'.

vag

'.

author

into

Anglo-

'

wider

a

stituting sub-

Netherlands, instead

than

intention

Deutsch

mean

least

rather

from

own.

in

of

in

Ought

its fulness

exhaustive

not

of the

the

distinct

it forms

that

mythology,

Norse

so

'

Dutch

book.

that

the

the

of

few

a

by

see

instead

Netherlandish

German,

latter,because

the

of

account more

disclaims

expressly

he

that

as

of

chapters

of their

to

waeg

Mid.

the

admit

size of

additions

convenience

'

dialects

title of

to

reader's

as

a,

'

bound

the

of the

some

headings

'

Dutch,

be translated

to

am

'

have

[ ], except

is accustomed

adjective

the

on

"

and

the Teutonic

aU

with

he

v

words

the

used

also

have

brackets

divided

English

ce, which

and

10

swelled

To

pended de-

Trans.".

"

sections

the

quotations.

have

square

signature

smaller

into

XVI.)

the

Saxon

in

paragraph

translation,any

of clearness, I have

sake

the

2. For

such

from

Apart

the

bear

would

English

always placed

which

notes

the

understanding

is not

that

all

argument, of the

the

even

reader's

the

on

Preface.

he ; for

which for the

facts

on

r

VL

I.

CHAPTER INTEODUCTION.i

had turned shore of Asia, Christianity

the westernmost

From

at

oppositeone of Europe. The wide soil of the continent ment; which had given it birth could not supplyit long with nourishneither did it strike deep root in the north of Africa. and became, and remained,its proper dwelling-place Europe soon to the

once

home.

notice,that the direction

It is worthy of worked

its way, which

miration

the

then

was

to tlieWest

North

South

from

and

to

quarter,life itself was

one

North, is contrary to the

driving the nations

South.

the

in which

As to be

from

the

new

faith

current East

of and

spiritual lightpenetratedfrom from the other, reinvigorated

with Heathenism, the meaning of the term book that deals so much for and Romans had no special name be The Greeks ought not to passedover. used that in not nations of another faith (forerepodo^oi, were sense); fiap^apoi contrasted 'idvos, but with the Jews and Christians of the N.T. are Wvta, a nd the Lat. uses idviKOL, gentiles pi.thiudos, by preferencein gentes, ; Ulphilas the gen. after a pronoun, thai thiudo,simrai thiudo (giiamm.4, 441, 457),while As it was thiudiskus translates idviKws Gal. 2, 14. mainly the Greek religion 1

In

a

the the Judteo-Christian, the word"EXX.r;yalso assumed meet with (K\r)viK(ioi i6viKoii,which the Goth would stillhave rendered he does render "EXXf^i/e? thiudos,John 7, 35. as thiudiiilcos, This 1 Cor. 1, 24. 12, 20. 12, 13 ; only in 1 Cor. 1, 22 he prefersKrekos. "eXX";i/gen tills bears also the meaning of giant,which has developed itself that stood

opposed to

meaning iOviKos,and

we

=

=

than one of more national name (Hun, Avar, Tchudi) ; sc the Hellenic walls came to be heathenish, gigantic(seech. XVIII). In Old High German, Notker still iises the pi. diete for gentiles(Graff5, 128). In the meanwhile meaning of kw/xt; into the wider one of ager, pagus had expanded its narrow it stilllives on in It. paese, Fr. pays ; while 2Mganus campus, in which sense which was began to push out gentilis, lapsinginto the sense of nobilis. All the Romance languageshave their pagano, paycn, "c.,nay, it has penetratedinto Bohem. pohan, Pol. poganin,Lith. pagonas [but Russ. j)or/a?i unclean]. The out

=

Gothic

campestris adj.haithns agrestis, the Old H.G. heida 7, 2(i renders fk\r]i/is by liaitlind), paganus Mid. H.(}. and Dutch heide heiden,A.S. hu:L) Jtcc^in, an Engl,heath adj.lieidaii, The Old Norse heitJi hei'Sinn and Swed. Dan. heathen. use /leffiit'wj/. O.H.G ; word Our present retains its adj. nature, and forms its gen. pi. heidanero. heide, gen. heiden (forheiden,gen. heidens)is erroneoi;s, but current ever since Luther. Full confirmation is afforded by Mid. Lat. agrestis paganus, e.g.in the passage quoted "in ch. IV from Vita S. Agili; ami the wilde heiden' in Heldenbuch is an evident pleonasm(seeSupplement). our hdithi campus (Ulph. in Mark

earlydevelopedan

=^

=

'

1

2

INTKODUCTION".

The

worn

and

the

empire of

out

its frontier

Eomans

both its interior

saw

Yet, by the

vulsed, con-

mighty had her ancient gods,subjugated doctrine which just overthrown her conquerors Eome able to subdue the anew. was By this means flood-tide of invasion was graduallychecked, the newly converted to turn their arms lands began to gatherstrengthand againstthe left in their

heathen

overstept.

rear.

Slowly,step by step, Heathendom Five hundred in him

gave

thousand

Christendom.

to

way

years after Christ,but few nations

; after a

same

of

majority did, and most important,yet not all (seeSuppL). From Greece and Italythe Christian faith passed into of all,in the second

on

the

or

a

and

thiid

find here

after,we

soon

the

years

and

there

Teutonic

the

this occurred

in

the

about

The

the

fourth

those

the

Gaul

first

the

Goths

300,

year

the

or

Germans time

same

the

were

first

firm

Christianity gained a

of

course

; and

Goths.

whom

people amongst

the

christian among

a

the Alamanni Ehine, especially

little earlier^ among

About

centuries.

believed

Europe

century, the

footing; West-goths

leadingthe way and the East-gothsfollowing the ; and after them and converted. Vandals, Gepida^ All these races held Eugii were by the Arian doctrine. The Burgundians in Gaul became Catholic at the beginning of the fifth century, then Arian under their Visigothrulers,and Catholic again at the commencement of the sixth

The

century,

Arian

Suevi

in

Spain

at

were

first

Catholic, then

(about 469), until in the sixth century they,with

West-goths,went end

of

the fifth

the

Eranks,

soon

likewise to the Catholic church.

over or

the

beginningof

after

that

the

the sixth

Alamanni,

did and

Not

all the till the

win Christianity

after

them

the

converted in the seventh Langobardi. The Bavarians were and eighth centuries,the Frisians,Hessians and Thuringians in the eighth,the Saxons about the ninth. had into Britain,but was Christianity early found entrance checked by the irruptionof the heathen Anglo-Saxons. Towards

the close of the sixth and also went The

over

to the

Danes

became

at the

in the

course

of the seventli

century,they

faith.

new

christians in the tenth

beginningof ^

the eleventh, the

Waltz's

UlfUa, p.

35.

gians century, the Norwe-

Swedes

not

completely

3

INTKODUCTION.

half of the

second

till the

made cliristianity

the

eighth

and

the and

vonians

twelfth

Hungarians

in the

Lettons

in

twelfth,Esthonians

and thirteenth,Lithuanians

not

tenth, Sorbs

the

of the tentL

beginning of

the

at

in

Slavs, the

North

the

Poles

and

at the end

Eussians

in the eleventh, and Then

^

Heraclius

former, the Moravians

Among

the ninth, Bohemians

in

Obotritie

centuries.

adopt (d.640)

the firstto

were

under

after the

years

ninth

Slavs

South

Carentani, and

the Croatians,then, 150 the

the

the

christian faith:

time

same

to Iceland.

its way

Slavic nations

the

Of

the

About

century.

same

the

eleventh, Li-

and

Finns

the

in

tillthe commencement

even

of the fifteenth. All these data exclude

neither

adherence

only to

are

in limited

the

in

true

as

earlier conversions,nor

some

heathenism

to

be taken

a

main

later

longer and and

Eemoteness

areas.

they

;

pendence inde-

of a tribe. religion might protect the time-honoured reaction. often attempt at least a partial Apostates too would of the rich lead captivethe minds would sometimes Christianity carried and people were great,by whose example the common it affected firstthe poor and lowly. away ; sometimes When Chlodowig (Clovis)received baptism, and the Salian followed

Franks

his lead, individuals

alreadyset West-goths had

the

Catholic

adherents

had

inclined

into collision.

came an

found

example.

Arian

remained

in

even

them

also

was

the

uprooted in

won

sixth and

with

Arian

to

over

now

certain districts of the

the

become

other,Albofled, had

was

kingdom.

and But

communion.^

heathenism

Frankish

and

the two

Here

baptizedwith him,

the Catholic

centuries

seventh

doctrine, while

Chlodowig,Lantlnld,had

was

tribes

Burgundians

parts of Gaul.

his conversion, the

heatlien ; the latter

a

the

to

in other

christian before

the former

Intercourse

sister of

One

of all the Frankish

out

not

yet

Neustria

The Bohemian Fourteen princes baptized845 ; see Palacky 1, 110. the in stillheathen North-slavs" Middle Riaderi,Tolenzi,Kycini, Circipani" The HehuolTl 23 21. (an. 1066). latter half of the 11th century ; see 1, 1

Rugians not till 1168 ; Helm. 2, 12. est Albofledi.s. ha-ptizata

13.

chrismata est,Greg. Tur. 2, wife Bruneadministered to Sigibert's the Goths, chrismation is So among 31. the who assumes Herminichild child (4,27),and to Ingund's husband (5,38, froni converts have of Joannes. The Arians re-baptized new name appear to Catholicism compelled by her grandmother-motherin ; Ingund herself was ' '. Rebaptizarekatholicos, law Eugippii vita Goisuiiitha ut Lanthildis

-

.

.

.

rebaptizaretur

Severini,cap.

8.

4

INTRODUCTION.

heathen

had

inhabitants

in Vosges, Austrasia have been livingin

towards

Frisians into the and

like

in

eleventh

so

manner

the

among

the

Normans

and

there

among

Finns

Here

Saxons and

still to

into the tenth,

Swedes

century,and the

the

among

into

the northern

among

in

Lithuanians

and

in the

seem

lingeredon

the

extinct in the twelfth

not

heathens

heathenism

century, among

twelfth.^

and

was idolatry

ninth

Seine, Burgundy

northwards present Flanders, especially

Vestigesof

Friesland.^

and

; and

Ardennes

the the

Loire

the

on

the

Slavs

universally

not

sixteenth

and

teenth^ seven-

Laplandersclingto it still. not popular. It came from abroad,it aimed at was Christianity the country indigenousgods whom supplantingthe time-honoured These revered and loved. gods and their worship were part and and constitution. Their parcelof the people'straditions,customs had their roots in the people's names language,and were hallowed by antiquity; kings and princes traced their lineageback to individual gods ; forests,mountains, lakes had received a living consecration from their presence. All this the peoplewas to now the

; nay,

; and

renounce was

denounced

sin

and

remotest

what

is elsewhere

and

persecutedby

crime.

a

shifted away

glorycould

The

commended the

heralds

and

source

seat

to far-off regionsfor ever,

henceforth

be shed

and

truth

as

of the

of

all

only a

and

new

sacred

leyalty

faith lore

as

a

was

fainter borrowed

placesin one's native land. in escorted by a foreignlanguage, The new faith came which the missionaries impartedto their disciples and thus exalted into a sacred language, which excluded the slighted mother-tongue from almost all share in publicworship. This does not apply to the could follow the original text of Greek-speakingcountries,which the

christian

which

the

revelation, but

to

the

far

wider

area

over

Latin

itself from the

The

it does

church-language was spread, even among whose pating populations, ordinarydialect was rapidlyemanci-

Eomauce

was

on

the in the

contrast

of

converters

rules

of

ancient

Latin.

Still

more

violent

remainingkingdoms. the

heathen, sternly devout, abstemious,

and mortifyingthe flesh, occasionallypeddhng, headstrong, ^

Authorities

19, 47. ^ 3

proper

given in

Heathenism

Fornmanna Wedekind's converted

Cli. IV."

lasted the

Conf.

lex

longestbetween

sogur

4, 116.

notes

2, 275, 27(3.

in

Frisionum, ed. Gaup}),p. xxiv, Laubach

and

the Weser.

7, 151. Rhesa

1387,the Samogits 1413.

dainos,p.

3.33.

The

Lithuanians

INTRODUCTION.

to subjection

slavish offend

the

the

but

national

Eome, could

distant

feeling.Not

rude

only the

what (see Suppl.). And wonder-working giftscould not effect,was againstobdurate pagans by placingfire and

abomination

an

christian

ways

to

bloody sacrifices,

of heathenism

side pleasure-loving

sensuous

fail in many

not

was

their

words

often

to

sword

be

to them

their

or

executed

in the hands

of

proselytes.

that of a mild, simple,spiritual was triumph of Christianity doctrine over cruel,barbarizingPaganism. In exchange sensuous, The

for

peace

of

and spirit

promptingof

and

not

a

few

their

the pressure

promise of heaven,

a

of his ancestors.

the memory

earthlyjoys and inner

the

others spirit,

Many example

the

man

gave

followed

liis the

of the crowd,

of irresistibleforce.

Although expiringheathenism is studiouslythrown into the shade by the narrators, there breaks out at times a touching excusable protest the loss of the ancient gods,or an lament over againstinnovations imposed from without^ (seeSuppl.). missionaries

The

did not

disdain to work

upon

the

senses

of the

by anything that could impart a higher dignityto the Christian cultus as compared with the pagan : l^ywhite rol)es for the subjectsof baptism,by curtains, peals of bells (see Suppl.), also a wise It was lightingof tapers and the burning of incense.sites and templesby heathen to preserve or measure politic many suitable, into Christian ones, and simply turning them, when anotlier and assigningto them equally sacred meaning. Tlie heathen gods even, though represented as feeble in comparisonwith in themselves ; the true God, were not always pictured as powerless they were pervertedinto hostile malignant powers, into demons, and giants,who had to be put down, l)ut were theless neversorcerers and influence. credited with a certain mischievous activity

heathen

and

Here

there

a

heathen

tradition

or

lived custom superstitious applyingto Christ, Mary

a

and by merely changing the names, and the saints what had formerlybeen related and believed of idols (see Suppl.). On the other hand, the piety of christian priests suppressedand destroyed a multitude of heathen monuments, to and beliefs, annihilation historycan whose cease liardly poems

on

1

Fomnianna

so^nir 1, 31-35.

Luxda'la,p.

170.

72.74. "'

Greg. Tur. 2, 31.

Fonnu.

sog. 1, 260.

2, 200.

Kralodworsky rukopi.^,

6

INTKODUCTIOIi

heathenism

of

all trace

practiceof

The

blamed.

be

advantage that might in

and

to

accrue

spring,and

sacred

pollutingthe

historyfrom Willibrord,in fellingthe

day

some

preservation.Boniface

a

of

was

deprivedus of them is not the extinction pure Christianity, than more concern infinitely

which

sentiment

lament, though the

their

be

denied

aftergrowthsof heathenism, ban, rendered

country, from alienate

image-breaking Calvinists idolatrythat was practisedby

sects

some

loosingthe freer,

fixingof

our

gaze

inward

consecrates

beyond

'

a

of the Piomish

burden

more

floor

eradicated

the Reformation

elevation

of

introduction

(seeSuppL).

It

and

the

and

for

us

Alps

parties, non-conformityhere

themselves, nay, in individual

the heathen

among

the

once

that

everywhere,and

us

near

which

at

oak,

more

every

would

us.

Probably

the

is

God

domestic.

faith

our

and

the

the

'

to

of

longer

sacred

long after them, thought only of the such means (seeSuppL). As those pioneers purg"edtheir first time, it is not

to

sentiment

and

morals,

minds

and a

there

ous precoci-

half-way to meet afterwards its purification of Christianity, as that Old Norse is remarkable legend occasionally came

in utter

disgustand doubt from the heathen faith,placed their reliance on their own strength in the Solar lioS 17 we Thus read of Vebogi and and virtue. Eadey a sik ];autruSu,'in themselves they trusted ; of king Hakon allir aSrir,]?eir trua a sem (Fornm. sog. 1, 35) konungr gerirsem certain

mentions

who, turningaway

men

'

'

megin,'the king does like all others who trust in their 2, 151) ek trui ekki a skurSgoS own might and main ; of BarSr (ibid. ec5r fiandr,hefi ek ];vi lengitruat a matt minn ok megin,'I trust not

matt

ok

sinn

'

vildi long while, "c. ; of Hiorleifr sacrifice aldri biota,'would never (Landn. 1, 5.7); of Hallr and sinn' (Landn. 1, Thorir goSlaui^'vildu eigibiota, ok triiSu a matt getitat Hrolfr 11) ; of king Hrolfr (Fornm. scig.1, 98) ekki er ]?ess

in

idols and

fiends,I have

'

this

'

tima blotat goS,lieldr triiSu kappar bans hafi nokkurn pions sinn ok megin,'it is not thought that king H. and his chamfi matt have at any time, "c.;of Orvaroddr (Fornald.sog. 2, 165; cf. 505) ekki vandist blotum, ]?vihann truSi a matt sinn ok megin '; that Tliis is the mood of Finnbogi (p.272) ek trui a sialfan mik.' in a Danish still finds utterance folk-song(D.V. 4, 27), though

konungr

ok

'

'

without

a

reference

to

religion:

7

INTRODUCTION.

jeg mit gode sviird. Og saa min gode liest, Derniist troer jeg mine dannes"v"enne, Jeg troer mig self allerbedst ; Forst troer

it is Christian

and

the inner

consecrate

We

(seeSiippl.). if Paganism that,even longer,and brought out

to elevate

and

man

assume,

may

besides,wliicli strives

sentiment

have

lived

and

in

sharper relief and characteristics of the nations that obeyed some more spontaneously and disruption, it,yet it bore within itself a germ of disorganisation without the intervention of Christian teaching, which, even luxuriated

would

a

while

conld

shattered

have

and

strange plant whose

it.^ I liken heathenism

dissolved

to

a

we fragrantblossom regard with of nourishinggrain that covers to the crop wonder ; Christianity To the heathen too was wide expanses. germinatingthe true God,

to the Christians

who

the time

At

the heathen

doctrine with

Old

1

as

to

matured

into fruit. press

have

notion,which

entertained

their power

well

faith,and of

as

invoke

Norse

the

of

even

latter in

the missionaries

fusingthem

Anglo-Saxons we

are

in heathen

new

into

told,that

gods,or

cases particular

of

one.

some

at least

in which

they

passages in winch the gods' and Harbard's song may holiest things unshaken (see

and

sagas coarselyderided.

the

resist,of combining the

to

time in Christ and

same

forward,many

Christianity began to

their ancient

at the

continued

to

all in

Of Norsemen believed

had

when

seem

did

are

brilliant

songs have remarkable good deal in Lokasenna

A

for

rough joking, -which still leaves the when a daringpoet can pare comSuppl.). But faith has certainlygrown fainter, and Freyja to dogs (Fornm. OSinn Islend. sog. 1, 11. ed. nov. 207. sog. 2, Nialss. IGO) : when 372. another calls the gods rangeyg (squint-eyed, unfair) and rokindusta to Freyr, I shall quote a we come (Fornm. sog. 2, 154). When for him ; but here is a passtory manifestlytending to lessen the reverence sage from Oswald 2913 'din der ist ein ich wil glouben : got junger tor (fool), den alten.' If we had a list of old and favourite dogs' I believe we an -names, should find that the designationsof several deities were bestowed the upon brute by way of degradation. Vilk. saga, cap. 230. 235, has handed down Tlwr (butcf.ed. nov., cap. 263) and Paron, one being the O.N., the other the

pass

"

Slav

in the

name

herdsmen

hunters

Slovak

form

Thunar

Parom

=

doubtless

ch. VIII.

Perun

in

With

the

Saxon

for dogs,as perhaps Donner is to this day. One sort of dog is called hj the Poles Grzviilas (Linde 1, 7'i9a. Hrmiles (Jungm". Thunder, Forest-thunder. 2, 798),by the Bohemians 1, 759) In Helbling 4, 441 seq. I find a dog IVunsc^i (notWiinsch). Similar to this is the transference of national names to dogs : the Bohemian BoJrok is a dog's or

was

nse

=

name, to

mean

but a

an signifies Same, Sabme

Obotrite =

Lapp

(Jungm. 1, 150) ; Sumr Hell)ling4, 458 has a

;

in the

Frank

Nialssagaseems (seeSuppl.).

8

had

INTRODUCTION.

'

been

christians much

by

even

named

and

their

aid

3, 12 says spells.Landnfimabok truSi a Krist,en ]?6het hann a Thor til seefara varSa' ; he believed alls ]7ess, mestu er honnm ]?otti

hann ok

harSrseSa

have

to

seem

and

in enchantments

invoked

Helgi :

deities

old

later,the

So

them.

formerlyproved helpfulto

Christ,and

yet

"c.

the

Hence

Thor

called upon

he

in

and

voyages

of ok in

difficulties,

transferred heathen

to Christ. ei^ithets Beda 1, 15 relates of Eedwald, an East- Anglian king in the beginab uxore ing of the 7th century : rediens domum sua, a quibusdam doctoribus seductus est, atque a sinceritate fidei depravatus, perversis ita ut in morem habuit antiquorum posteriorapejora prioribus, Samaritanorum, et Christo servire videretur et diis quibus antea too

poets

'

in

serviebat,atque Ohristi

arulam

et

eodem ad

fano

victimas

in

altare habebat

et

sacrificium

(see Suppl.).

daemoniorum'

This

helps to explainthe relapsesinto paganism. The doctrines and ideas is easier to write, historyof heathen remained races accordingas particular longer outside the pale of intimate acquaintancewith the Greek and baptism. Our more Koman rests upon religion writingswhich existed before the rise of Christianity;we are oftener at fault for information as to the altered shape which that religion had assumed the common among people in Greece and Italyduring the first centuries of our era. Eesearch has yet to penetrate,even deeperthan it has done, into the old Celtic faith ;

must

we

shrink

not

from

recomizino-

and

ex-

and customs amining Celtic monuments on ground now occupied Germans. Leo's the real by importantdiscoveryon bearingsof the of the Slavs and The religion Malberg glossarymay lead to much.

Lithuanians

would

be

far

known to us, if these accurately nations,in the centuries immediately followingtheir conversion, had more of their antiquities carefully preserved the memory ; as it scattered detail only wants is,much and traditions still collecting,

alive in

districts aftbrd

many

mythology we Germany

possess

holds While

were

few

each

as

more

a

somewhat middle

a

the

whole

rich

On

the

place,peculiarto

herself and

of

that

decided races

Finnish

fuller information.

conversion

centuries,the Teutonic

material.

and

Gaul

and

finished in the forsook the faith

course

of

not

favourable. un-

Slavland of

a

very

of their fathers

graduallyand slowly,from the 4th to the 11th century. Eemains of their lano;uage been preservedmore too have fullyand

very

9

INTRODUCTION.

from

of

works

periods. Besides wliicli we possess writers,and especially Tacitus, accounts

successive

the

Eoman

earlier undisturbed from

scanty and

of

time

Teutonic

foreignsource,

a

the

in

of the

heathenism, which, though

are

yet exceedinglyimportant,

invaluable.

nay

The

converted about

is first,

the Saxons

and

the East

of religion

South

obscure

more

to

than

us

races, which

that

of the

incomparablyless than

know

againwe

German

were

Saxons about

;

the

insightwe should get into the character and contents of the suppresseddoctrine,how vastly the picturewe are able to form of it would gain in clearness,if some at St. Gall, or one clerk at Fulda, Eegensburg, Eeichenau or Bremen, Corvei or IMagdeburg,had in the eighth,ninth or tenth before us, after and setting century, hit upon the plan of collecting Scandinavians.

the

the

on

tell me,

one

here

and

far different

a

Grammaticus, the stillextant

of Saxo

manner

tribe

What

of superstitions

beliefs and that

there

by

that

time

Let

their forefathers !

nothing more

was

plainlyshows

footmark

a

there

traditions of his

that

to

no

be had

;

recollections

such

reallyhave died out.^ And who will show me in Sweden, such a which tenaciously, longer and more clung to heathenism during the twelftli compositionas actuallyappeared in Denmark could not

century

for this fact,would

But

?

Sweden

thing impossiblein Saxo

to

are

only

not

what

the

me

placedbefore we

then

monument

the recent

declare such

a

eight books of the Norse logy, mytho-

first

truth,the

of

they show

because

in

people had to be I especially remark, that Saxo converts. of some prominent gods ; what righthave

the

scantier records of inland

faith of the

ancient

lightthe

infer from

to

welcome

most

all mention

suppresses

In

?

the doubters

for their intrinsic worth, but

altered

an

not

non-mention

Germany,

that

of many

deities in the far

they had

never

been

heard

of there ?

Then, apart

from

Saxo, we

religionpreserved for whither

it had

Iceland.

It

multitude

of

fled

as

us

it

in were

find the for

a

purer

remotest more

authorityfor corner

of

the Norse

the

North,

perfectsafety, namely, in "

preserved not only in the two Eddas, but in a Sagas of various shape,which, but for that emigration is

and Hildegimd was the tenth century the heroic tale of Walther iu \\Titten down was heathen aiid arelie of in Latin at St. Gall, poetry poetized at German a misprintfor deutsch I],probably Merseburg. [dcutlich, 1

As late

as

10

INTKODUCTION.

the

coming

to

Sweden

and

doubt

to cast

language. and

on

all

it

makes

genuinenessof the Norse mythology is as much as the genuinenessand independenceof the Norse it has

That

obscurer

an

perishedin Norway,

Denmark.

assail the

To

probably have

would

rescue,

handed

been

down

to

both

us

in

a

clearer

modern authoriti-es, shape,through older and more the easier to study it from many sides and mqre

historically. Just

little can

as

undertaken

collect and

to

of German

known

perceivethe kinshipand

mythology with

of the Norse I have

fail to

we

heathenism,

and

the rest of Teutonic forth

set

that

system of Norse clearness the Old

and

German

from

aloof

mythology. By such space, and to sharpen our

it ;

that

so

in

latter,where

far

faith,so

limitation vision

it stands

as

I

for

nexion con-

mythology.

all that

of exclusively

close

can

be

now

the

complete hope to gain criticism of

a

the Norse,

opposed to

or

need

we

substance

ourselves with -the only concern tendency it coincides with that of

or

inland

Germany. The antiquity, and Norse and affinity of the German originality mythologiesrest on the followinggrounds : 1. The undisputedand very close affinity the of speechbetween the now two demonstrated races, and irrefutably identityof form in their oldest poetry. It is impossible that nations speaking whose songs all stock,' languages which had sprung from the same the badge of an alliteration either unknown wore or quitedifferently in their should have differed materially appliedby their neighbours, to religiousbelief. Alliteration seems give place to christian rhyme, first in Upper Germany, and then in Saxony, precisely it had

because

been

existing.Without

the

characteristic of heathen

true

that

their

of form peculiarities

that

the

the

one

German

race

one

should

another.

otherwise

Saxon

and

Old

over superiority

liave in many

than

the

and

chief divinities of

from not

the

their

prejudiceto and

High

had

the two

in

marked

language;

German

the Old

dialects

Norse,

pointsits claims

have

to

the

and

as

the

their

quite

incredible

seem

other none,

been

is

still

poetrieshave

or

that

reallydifferent

differences

dialects have so

and

it would

gods and

should

were

their

it originalaffinity,

finish ; but

have

There

Norse

then

songs

no

doubt,

but

Gothic, Angloseveral

pointsof the faitliof inland Germany may distinction and individuality.

11

INTKODUCTIOxN'.

by all Teutonic jointpossession, worship. If we are relatingto religious

tongues, of many

2. The

4th

form

same

authorities of the

the Norse

faith with

the German are

the

in

by the Goths 8th, in exactlythe

used

century, by

and

and

0. muspilli,

Sax.

notions

thus

out:

with mudspelli,

A. Sax. ides, with the Eddie itis,

the

the

word

produce a Alamanni

the

in bear

to

in

of century, the affinity

13th

or

to

it continues

as

the Norse, and

breaks

anon

sense

12th

therebyvindicated. 3. The identityof mythic

ever

able

terms

antiquityof

the

the

latter,

nomenclature, which

and

O.H.G.

agreement of the

muspell,of the O.H.G. the A. Sax. brosingamene

the Eddie

dis,or of

conclusive evidence. brisingamen, affords perfectly in which both there and here the similar way 4. The precisely religious mythus tacks itself on to the heroic legend. As the the Eddie

with

Gothic, Fraukish we

in the

5. The

and

the connexion

run

of the veiled

into

another,

one

myths

also which

background.

minglingof

constellations.

intimate

all genealogies

Norse

scarcelydeny

can

stand

and

union

the

This

mythic element

is

an

uneffaced

with

names

vestigeof the

of

plants

primeval

worship and nature. religious 6. The gradual transformation of the gods into devils,of the customs. wise women into witches, of the worship into superstitious in disguised The names of the gods have found a last lurking-place There is some oaths, curses, protestations.^ analogy ejaculations, between this and the transfer of heathen myths from goddesses and gods to IVIaryand the saints,from elves to angels. Heathen festivals and

between

customs

were

transformed

into

christian,spots which

retained for sometimes alreadyconsecrated were lics, of the Cathochurches and courts of justice.The popularreligion in the adoration of saints,includes a good many particularly and often graceful and pleasingrelics of paganism (seeSuppL).

heathenism

had

which is found to this depositfrom god-myths, illday in various folk-tales,nursery-tales, curses, saws, games, understood of days and months, and idiomatic phrases. names 8. The doctrine undeniable intermixture of the old religious with the system of law ; for the latter,even after the adoptionof

7. The

^

Conf.

aedepol!

me

evident

our

'

donner

herole !

me

! ' the

! hammer castor

!

Sei-v.

'

lele ! lado !' the

"c. medius^lidius,'

Lat.

'

pol!

INTRODUCTION.

12

tlie

unravelling

In

with

part

overlook

the

the

Celts,

Slavs,

confirmation find

certain

old

forms

and

usages

Finnish

nations

the

Against of

historical and

is,

faithfully by

aversion

of

worth

the

of

of

facts, our

I

of

without

mythology

what

themselves, have

left

which is

general

a

not

task

to

be

of of view

attained

covered half-dis-

early

the

the

(see

;

a

more

substance

SuppL).

and

scorn

heathenism

of

object

My

distortions

securing

of

ness incomplete-

the

by

afterwards

remaining slow

the

in

mania

but

on

the

to

the

mean

the

and

very taken

damage

preserved.

been

collect

to

I

guarded

has

these

decadence.

solutions

that

the

High

course

done

mythologies,

all

of

on

frequently

sufficiently

am

nations

christians

so

with

the

and

astronomical

simply

fellow-labourers

enlist store

and

has

or

data,

light

duration

its

Greek

connexion

loose

introduced

in

and

metaphysical

foisting

to

which

Norse

the

throw

tonic Teu-

of

Slavic

the

of

with

Frankish,

superstitions

and

myths

adapted

error

and

Gothic,

heathenism

domestic

study

the

peculiarly

are

our

with

also

But

German.

by

Lithuanian

and

fruitful

(so

nationalities Old

would

scope

contact

with

afford

they

our

mere

those

Celtic

especially

wherever of

the

of

the

of

nations,

extension in

indispensable

appears

Finns,

This

languages

particularly

ones,

and

justification

the

of

ways)

many

it

neighbouring

of

Lithuanians

and

reason

relations,

mythologies

elucidation.

or

ample

complex

these

to

not

in

not

SuppL).

(see

of

would

faith,

new

and

to

solid and

IL

CHAPTER

GOD.

all Teutonic

In

varieties

are

is

there

Norse,

the

even

it lacks

Norse

Gothic

the

vowel

know

the

nom.

as

man,

fatar, pruodar,

them

company,

have

nowhere

of the

with also

other

of

names

424.

432)

need

any

such

heathen

down.^

form

deus

firmly

too

distinction.

The

masc.

noun,

connecting

cot

gen.

cotes,

bear

I

indeed

the

sanctity that

quent fre-

preserved

reason

M.

mans,

to

as

inviolate,than

Dut.

the

(1,486), and

god

(1, 1071).- Moreover,

God

and

article

(4,383.

394.

404.

proper

nouns

beings-reject every

are

and

existed, though

reg.

same

1, 180), the

a

likely that

more

ace.

genitivesirreg.,

the

having the

The

the

established

dcr got in

as

MS.

2,

260a.

is said

to

of

a

deity.

On

radical

the

arrived

drift of these

has

a

^

Sa.xo

does

3

The

Slav,

andbahts shall

and

not

to

"

inflect

ciMtor

speak

or

?

hugh is bhaj colere

minister. have

;

a

an

mere

word

Gqd

have

we

connected

with

not

the

to be this : The word, though used archaism, pointing to a time when irregularity diie to abtrition, the

yet

adj. as

Tlior

Uhland

;

with

perhaps

; conf. in ch, IX.

also

p. 20,

p. 198. the Sanskr. with note

the on

bhaga

obscure

word

boghat,

felicitas, bhakta

bahts dives.

in Of

the

a

the

Trans.

connected ;

the

immediately

seems

is this

;

word was really neuter having always been masc.

devotus,

it is not

remarks

form

neut.

of

meaning

certaintyf

at

The

masc,

they

;

oldest

dialects,

Gothic

the

three

same

its

here

irreg.genitives

expected

It is

occur.

vocative

divine

the

it,only with

it

worn

three

doulit

not

.preserved the

Lat.

the

perhaps

we

do

spelling cot (Gramm.

O.H.G.

^

have

met

had

use

should

(-s,-r) of

guffs w^ithout.

the has

I

had

name

with

O.H.G.

and

fateres

and

mannes

we

in O.H.G.

in

cot, 0. and

;

(hence

goten), yet

is formed

therein

Now,

M.H.G.

a

god

all the

sing,termination

sing,

gen.

fadrs, br6(5rs.

of

O.H.G.

god,

Though

masculine

as

dialectic

The

got, M.L.G.

make.

to

word

Fris.

with

always

God.

name

O.

M.H.G.

remark

not

agreeing

i,

general

gud,

the

use

do

; I

sing,cotan and

Dan.

grammatical

a

the

by

has

Being

Supreme

gu", A.S., O.S.,

Goth.

:

gocf ; Swed.

Norse

0.

called

been

consent

one

the

tongues

Goth,

6e6s, deus

GOD.

14

shows

the difference of vowel

god, O.Ii.G. cuot, M.H.G., guot,

A.S.

good,Goth, gods,O.N",goor,

first have

should

we

;

show

to

as an

intermediacy of the gradationsgida gad, and gada god, which God is called the other cases does take placein some ; and certainly

who

and

from O.N. distinguished ?). ; Goth. Gautos God has long been compared

Koza

O.H.G.

word

The

(Bopp,comp. a

gram., p.

then Sridatta),

address

and

one

God

as

with

samozazdani

first half

of

Cotadio, Cotascalh, Cotafrit, Cotahram, Cotalint,but

they are

the

one.

When

stand

for

a

so

that

we

forms

god,not

derivatives

a

the

man,

its

to

meaning j justas may

O.H.G.

definite

Being as a more the compound syllable,

last as

in

as

names,

Cotakisal, Cotaperaht,

anything as

can

only

Irmincot, Hellicot.

Ulphilasexchanges the

the tenuis in

741.

; Vuk

proper

many

also

Servians

of the Divine

generalnotion cot

infer

can

the

as

and Irmandio, Hiltiscalh,Sikufrit,

like

formed

well carry

In

not

'HXl6Soto";,

a compound, originally

been

! self-created God

bozhe the

cot forms

O.H.G.

The

have

must

apt meaning,

very

a

supposed,

datus, increatus,

se

Mitradatta "e6SoTo";,

word

Teutonic

our

Pers. Kliocld

been

has

be, as

qvadata (a

svadata, conf. Devadatta

Sanskr.

(A. S. Geatas,

the

with

Gotar),

,

Zend

of the

violent contraction

latter

35). If the

O.N.

Gautar

be

must

of the

name

(O.H.G. Kuzun,

Gutans

called themselves

Goths, who

national

the

from

removed

ll is still farther

Good.i

for

TH

a

D, which

plains ex-

Luke (god-fearing) guda-faurhts

; thus

ably though the dat. sing,is invariguSa.^ Likewise in speakingof many gods,which to Christians would idols,he spellsgtida,using it as a neuter, John 10, mean idols are meant The A.S. god has a neut. pi. godic,when 34-5. the O.H.G. and (cod.exon. 250,2. 254,9. 278,16.). In like manner M.H.G. god) is commonly neuter, and (false compound apcot,ajjtcot Tit. 1, 1 2, 25, gagudei(godliness)

forms

its

3254.

3302

pi.apcotir; can

be

whether

correct, is

;

the

M.H.G.

'

dcr

questionable ; we

aptgot have

'

in

taken

Geo. to

(Is 6 Oeos,I\raik 10, 18, Luke 18, 19, wliich inGothic ayados d jj.!] man is rendered 'ni livashuii ]nuSeigsalja ains GuS', but in A.S, nis nan god Ijuton God ana'. God is the giver of all good, and himself the highest him ro dyadoi/. y Thiis Plato names bonum. good, smnmum 2 In into D belore a vowel in inflection, Gothic the rule is to change TH of guS is -S. The haubi'S, fuS faSs, peculiarity -dis,-da, fadis, fada, as, ; that it retains TH throughout the sing.,guS, guSs,guSa,guS ; though in pi. 1

ovbeh

'

and

in derivatives

it falls under

rule asain. "

Teans.

15

GOD.

throughout, yet our pi. gutter itself usiug ahgottas a masc. since the_true God_js can only be explainedas originally^neuter. have no can plural; and the O.H.G. cota, M.H.G. gote one, and In Ulph. afgudsis only an adj., and contain so far a contradiction. 11, 26 ; eihwXa denotes impius Sk. 44, 22 ; afgudeiimpietas,Eom. 1 Cor. 5, 10. 10, 20. 28, or by he translates by galiuga(figmenta), 1 Cor. 10, 20 ; and elhtoXeiov by galiugestaOs,1 Cor. galiiicjaguda, 8, 10.

Another

3, 694

; Luther

expressiongotzeI

N.H.G.

has in Deut.

'

12, 3

die

have

discussed,Gramni,

gotzen ihrer goiter,making

demigod ^ (see the neut. goffidolum Suppl.). The O.N. language distinguished from the masc. gud'deus. Snorri 119 says of Sif it harfagragoS,' if a heathen would have said it. the fairhaired god ; I do not know from fear of desecrating and exclamations, our people, In curses In Er. Alberus

gotzerridolum.

fab. 23, the gotz is

a

'

the

God,

of

name

resort

potz tausend

! or,

kotz

but I cannot

trace

the

similar older

alteration of it-? poiz wetter!

some

! Mz

custom

back

Fr. dieu into

of the

! instead

wunder

tausend

of Gottes ;

speech. The to be Ueu, hlcu,guicu^seems to

ancient

our

(seeSuppl.).

Some that

change

to

of

heathen Thus

remarkable the

God

of the word

people^may

common

also

in have

older

our a

speech and

connexion

with

notions. it is thrown

(seeSuppl.). Poems welcome

uses

:

goteunde

^ a personal intensify pronoun have, by way of giving a hearty

in,as it were, in mir

]\I.H.G.

willekomen

to

; Trist. 504.

Frib. Trist. 497.

1 Writers of the 16-1 7th centuries use olgotzefor statue (Stielersays, from the Mount of the apostlesasleep on of Olives, allegorical representation has den olgotzen tragen for doing house 61 oil). Hans Sachs freqiiently The IV. 3, 37"^ 99^ O.H.G. drudgery,I. 5, 418'i 528^. III. 3, 24* 49^ coz, (Juvenal6, 343),which Graff 4, 154 would identifywith simpuvium Numae and belongsto giozan=fundere. a vessel, gotze,was 2 Such arise from two causes must not be abused, : a holy name a fear may that of softened down to dreaded the has be an devil, by or unholy name, e.g., animals its how the call formidable form people modifying ; see Chap.'XXXIII, (Dan. tordenveir preierto say donnerwetter by another name, and for Donner donnerwetzstein for Thursday),donnerwettstein donnerkeil, or 1), (wetterstein

an

'

'

=

wasche, dummer.

In Fornm.

sog.

10, 283

we

have

Oddiuer

for OSinn

;

haps per-

puqiosely changed into Mutesheer ; Phol into Falant, is worth considering. whether * Sangbieu (sangde Dieu), corbieu (corps dc D.) vertuldeu (vertude D.), morbleu (mort de D.),parbleu(par D.), vertuguieu,vertugoi (vertu de D.), niorguoi(mort de D.), "c. As earlyas Renart 18177, por la char bieu. So the Engl, cock's bones,'od's bones, 'od's wouuds, 'zouutls,"S:c. Conf. Weber Wuotansheer

metr.

rom.

3, 284.

(Woden's

host)

was

16

GOD.

gote suit

ir willekomen

welcome

to

dar

nacli

mir

und

mir,

rehte

Dietr.

4619.

1268.

1393.

unde

mir

wis

nu

;

Dietr.

shall be

got alrest, willekomen

wis

und

oueh

208.

406.

got

willekomen

sin

ouch

Eilh.

;

sit ouch

Nu

5200.

; Oswalt

unde

mir

wis

(ye

gote wilkomen^

sit willekomen

solt groz

1082.

305, 27.

got wilkomen

mir

du

2189.

; Lanz.

mir

niir

; Trist. 5186.

sit mir

128, 13.

; Dietr. 5803.

uncle

me)

; Parz.

got wilkomen

got wilkomen

and

willekomen

west

lande

iurem

country,

your

got ; Frauend.

Trist. 248. mir

God,

sin,

dem

mir

richen

got wilkomen

;

1163.

got

; Ls.

1,

Occasionallygote stands alone : diu naht si gote willekomen ; Iw. 7400, explainedin the note, p. 413, as 'devoted to God,'though it only means to-nightbe (thou)welcome '. Upper Germany has to this day retained the greeting'gottwilche, gottwillkem,gottikum, skolkuom' (Staid.1, 467. Schm. 2, 84). I do not find it in 514.

'

Romance on

Otto

ende

; but

poems I. and

tni.

Saxon-Latin

the

his brother

Supreme Being is

The

has

Heinrich

of the

song

10th

sid wilicomo

:

conceived

century

bethiu

goda

omnipresent,and

as

is

under expected,as much as the host himself,to take the new-comer his protection ; so the Sloveny say to the arrivingguest bogh th vsprimi,God receive you ! ^ and we to the parting guest God call it commending or committing We guide,keep, bless you ! I compare to God, M.H.G. with these one gote ergeben,Er. 3598. who the Hail ! called out to one arrives or departs(heill ver ]?u! also associated the names with which Stem. 67"'86''), of helpful are '

'

'

'

heill ]?udsyniom ser gods : heill ]?ufarir, well by (theaid of) the Asynior; Stem. allz Jjic lieilan biSr vera tyr vera ! Srem. In an

the

of

assurance

den

Trist. 4151.

has for its

1

f. d.

The

schatz

or

weiz

nu

nieman

Here ;

too

Svenska

Dmission

of and

the

got

visor

alone

2, 7.

between

the

thou

well,be

heill scaltu

Agnarr,

40.

ignorance:

comfortable

This

31*.

God

of the omniscient

name

weiz

daz wan

of

a

emphasizes

got unde

ich ;

(except)got

unde

of / with

God

combination

counterpartthe opprobriousone

XXXIII.

gud

the

knowledge

2308, 3.^

mill ; Nib.

utan

way

same

! fare thou

tJioiiwith

devil,ch.

enough : ingen vet min sorg in That we are fullyjustified is

two

datives

is archaic,conf. Zeitschr.

2, 190.

a.

! Frauend. 192, 20 ; conf. 177, 14. diu waltvogelltn dan got unde nieman ; Ecke das mac ein kleinez vogellin, und ich und niemen bevinde daz wan er getriuwe sin ; Walth. 40, 15. Birds play the spy on men's privacy. 2

3

Bilgewaz

hie haert

primi,gralvaVenus

uns

anders

96.

wol

17

GOD.

by

is shown

remarkable

a

kunna

engan know

and

OSinn

save

ok

to

Amis

1889, 3.

ik

die

beide got u. in ; Parz.

the side of the

Deity : got

hugSa

which

secrets

can

none

Not

is named

the Evil One

tiuvcl loben ; Iw.

den

;

Nib. sane

diit et de

O.Fr.,jel te pardoinsde

noch

w?r

neic si im

280, 5.

Wh.

378, 25.

his

whispered them,

got ; Iw. 4635, i.e.no

der tii'vclnoch

beschirmet

ek

:

daz

as:

Sometimes

245.

; ]\Iones untersuch.

mi

time,

1,487. 95^ Fornald. siig.

38"-^

in

Also

gote; Iw. 6013.

unde

heathen

sog. 1, 380

has

he

whomsoever

to the

geloube gote unde leit ; himile iu unde klage ich unser ffotevon landr. 11. 16. 37. klagegode unde iu; Eichtsteig

989.

messe

By

Offinn.

is at once revealed,Sa^m. divinity are phrasessuch quiteparallel

as

in Fornald.

passage

mik

nema

far back

speech so

of

these modes referring

by in

1273.

protectshim.

one

passionsto God ; Ages attribute human is He often picturedin a state of complacencyand joy especially and againin the contrary state of wrath and vengeance. (seeSuppl.), and happily is favourable to the creation of eminent The former of the Middle

Poems

endowed

men

(in amiable

worhte

dich als ebene do

freudcnwas, ime ze

freuden

er

Troj.19922. Misc.

maz;

frouwe, an So

formet

ze

werdc,^ do

sin so

he

when

1^

Perci-

made

scnftcsmuotes. do er do got der was iii froiden, vil

muot

;

reinem

er

geschuofdie

1, 24^

got si zer werlde brahte,do

Wigal. 92S2. wibe

reinen fruht,wan

got der

was

tugent,wlinne, schoene

vil ivol an

libe ;

milte,der si beide schuof nach lobe ; gczicrdc got selb i^i richen freudcnwas, do er ir lipals ebene ich weiz daz got in froiden was, do er niht, 2, 186. got

was

dir vergaz

vostre

; MS.

muote

schuof

troubadour

a

form, training "

(soevenlymeted);MS. 1, 22\ got in grossen created wine) ; Altd. bl. 1, 413. dich schuof {i.e.,

stuont

1, 201*.

MS.

er

gar lool

gemuot,do

"

zuJit,do'r Parzivalen

suczen

maz

hohem

in

was

was

trim

einer

an

148, 26.

geschuofso

got der

was

got der was reine ein wip ; MS. 1, 17^

Parz.

val); er

got

:

cors

sings:

waz

man

belha

amoros;

ze

sol schouweu.

lobe

domna, de

cor

liayn.1, 117.^

y entendia

It is

an

Ls. 1, 35.

Dieus, quau

equallyheathen

gavairthi peace. creative God rejoicingin his -work,the M.H.G. poets especially lac der gotes iliz ; Parz. 88, 15. den henden and zeal : an attribute dilujence 5. fliz Parz. den 140, got het sinen Ilizgar ze wnnsche gotes ; jach,er triiege ich 4130. wol an si geleit woen got selbe worhte dich niit siner got; Wigal. licher hant ; Wigal. 9723. zware got der hat geleitsine kunst und sine kraft, So in disen loblichen lip; Iw. 1685. sine meisterschalt sinen tliz und an 1

-

The To

Gotliic

=

the

2

18

GOD.

sentiment, tliat imputes

to

God

a

propensity to

gaze

at

human

do : got mohte selbe gcrne sehen die beauty,or to do whatever men selben juncfrouwen; Fragm. 22"'. gott moht in (him, i.e. the musician)gerne hoeren in sinen himelkceren; Trist. 7649. den slac scoUe got selbe haben gesehen(shouklhave that stroke) seen ; Eol.

198,

18. Karl

72

got selbe

.

moht

ez

sehen

gerne

; Trist. 6869.

ein

puneiz (diadem),daz in got selber mohte sehen ; Frauend. 84, 16. gestritendazz d'engelmohten hceren in den niun koeren ; Willeh. nach 230, 27. si mohte betwingen mite (might nigh compel durch si withal)eines engelsgedanc,daz er vil lihte cincn ivanc for her) ; Iw. 6500 from heaven himele taic (fail von (imitated by Ottocar 166"). icli weiz daz wol, daz sin got niclit vcrdrilzze ; MS. ir har gelichdem 2, 127^ golde,als ez got tailnschcn soldo; MS. 2 dat geinc (ging, 62^. sin swert went) an siner hant, dat got selve ? vrdchdc mere dey engele (woidd ask to know), we der ritter were machen muosten lachen, dat hey is sus kunde ; Haupts zeitschr, 3, of the attendant This hilarity 24. guardian-angels(ch.XXVIII) be thought of in connexion valklirs must with the laughingof or In Ilartmann's Erec, when Enite's white hands ghosts(ch.XXXI). daz got liicn 355 : und a horse, it says groomed (begiengen) wiere, This view

of

a

expressedin Ullar hylliok On an

in

rite,icli wain,

erde

the

angry

will

be

The

idea

blithe sympathizing, the

subst.

allra

other

Irnldi,O.N.

goSa ;

hand,

ob

er

solJien marstcdlcr

recurs

rt"/^y

rcid' varS

several

graciousgod,is particularly 47^^. hylU : OSins hylli; Sam.

Sa^m. 45^^.

of the

times

in the Edda

];er Asabragr; Sasm. ];aFreyja oc fnasaSi ;

er

hccte.

and

primitivesensuous avenging deity (seeSuppL), the most treated of presentlyin ch. VIII, under

J^erOSinn, 228''.

genuocte da mite,

and

of representation strikingexample

Donar, thunder.^

elsewhere

85^

OSinn

Soim.

71^

"

:

rci"r

er

o/racTr; Siem. she

was

wroth,

fere muser, fist Dex de sa main iiue, por nature tout le mont i chief trere s'ele la voloit contrefere, nen a no porroit Dex, ; porroituser, que ja s'ilsen voloit pener, mi porroit, ce cuit,assener, que ja une telle feist,por peine Clirestien;

que

jaia

il i meist

(see SuppL).

liominircc deum, Liv. "2, 9. deos iratos liabeam ! dii immortales Tacitus Rose. 16. And this Cic. on ibus irasci et succensere consvieverunt, pro ira irati Germ. Hist. the Germans 5. of an : propitiine dei, dii, % very subject 1

Piacula

infensiBatavis dii,Hist. 5, 25. And in the Mid. Ages : tu odium Dei crebresccnhabeas ! Vita Meinwerci, cap. 13 " 95. omniumque sanctorum diversis calamitatibus in ot cottidie Dei tibus jayijamque justojudicio populo in vel Deus oflensus quibus placaii quid esset esset, flagellis quo posset operibus; Pertz 2, 547. 26.

....

19

GOD.

as the panted, guSin o-eid' ordin

snorted

and

or

his beard.

ira)is announced

(deorum deos); Fornald.

wolf in Iieinli.XLII

angry

; Fornm.

2, 29.

sog.

352. ; Egilss.

231.

go5a grcmi go5 (offendere

rjrcmia

at

out spirtles

imo

god cWohjan; HeL 157, 19. than wirdid in waldand : grani, mahtig modag; HeL 41, 16 (elsewhere ein zornec diu Sffilde, or the world, earth,is gram), got in daz gebot 2,

sog.

(badethem),daz ich

717

daz

; Reinh.

got wil

975.

daz

4.

845,

riime

anclen

got! (God

6, 2, in forbiddingSunday labour, says iracnndiam

:

sinen

verviieren sinen

rue

The talis

quia

hie ist

43, 28.

riuwe ! Trist. 11704.

got immer

ez

ir her ; Parz.

mit

got roeche da selbe

daz

wsene

vengeance); Gudr. 12131.

was

hie suohten

uns

geschehengotes rdche Osw.

69.

zorn

;

(wreak his it); Trist. Lex Bajuv. vitanda

causa

provocat,et exinde

flagellamurin the expressions were coarse frugibuset penuriam patimur. How abuse An that putteth God stillused in the 17th century ' on his mcltlc,and maketh him to hold strict and pitiless inquisition, that verilyhe shall,for saving of his honour, smite thereinto vnth his fists ; and offended to run again: itpon the sjKnrs of an in the Mid. Ages called gotc hide, was jealousGod "} A wicked man form of imprecationwas One loathed by God. to consigna man ad

Deuni

est, quae

"

"

"

hatred

to God's

goteshaz !

in

uz

:

off)balde in goteshaz ! ein boeswiht

devil, "c.) daher

the

goteslioz ; Altd.

haben

2, 47.

the MLG.

But, what in

ace.

der

var

hebe dich der

so

1

-

3, 212.

w.

which

sunnen

varet

hen

an

1799.

does

Hartmann Serious

not on

haz

varn,

haz

!

ir suit farn

Unprinted

Er. 93.

nu

ziuhe

deserve

hc(z hill xarn to

have

the

'

in '

in

von

a

and haz

so

perfect tens heigh-

!

der

Parz.

sunnm

haz; Eracl.

375, 26. on

3196.^

46. Riiediger

mir

sunnen

shine

manner

gotes haz,'or has

of

; Frauend. sun

like

svnncn

poems

Wiggert

Eeinaert

the sun,

si hiezen in strichen in der

sunnen

I

godeshaz In

him

A

man

kindly.

Niirnb. 1080, p. 158, 180. benedictions, called 'der gotesslac,' stroke. or distress is habitually

illness

ich

miieze

so

strichen

der

hat der gotes

(al.foul weather,

6104.

Iw.

;

substitutes for God

haz !

hicz in dev

gotes

colouring ;

sunnen

Helmbr.

cursed

gesendet beide

prepos.

the heathenish

1100.

mich

109, 12.

inch hat rehtfe goteshaz

'

in another parallel

haz !

Frauend.

(sheer

goteshaz alsam

er

without

247, 26.

hin !

den

vart

nu

gewinnen goteshaz; Eoth 611. godsatliebbe ! Huyd. op St. 2, 350. deserves notice,this fornmla particular

mueze

nu

Trist. 14579.

; Kl. 518.

bestanden

Jmz

mir

von

liz strtchet

Trist. 5449.

20

GOD.

Gizericli

Vandal

The where

Vand.

it to,

shall drive

they

that God

stepsinto his ship,and leaves it to the winds

is angry

or

with, ej)' ov"i

what

people he shall fall 6 6eo^ copjiarai. Procop.de hello among

1, 5.

Such

hostile attitude breeds

then

and

now

rebellious spiritin

a

promethean defiance and threats,or even takes a violent practical turn 4, 94 says of (seeSuppl.). Herodotus koI Tr/ao? ^povWjv re koI oi avroi the Thracians : ovtoc "pj]iKe"i deM. If tod avco darpaTrrjvto^"6ovt""; ovpavov, wrreiXevat Trpot tov the god denied the assistance prayed for,his statue was flung into in water, or In the beaten. the river by the people,immersed the incident of we repeatedlycome Carolingianromances upon Charles threatening the Deity,that if he deny his aid,he will throw the churches with all their prieststo his altars,and make down men,

which

cease

from

So dame

breaks

land

the

Breide

holy relics ;

in

out

Orendel

battle,has the houses

to

the

the vintagefailed,

the

river.^

statue

of Urban would

Arcadians

; Eol.

gods

only anger

not

bath

a

or

squills (Theocr.7,

chase

the

If

with

their Pan

scourge

their

the

246, 30.

into

thrown

was

bootless from

when ((TKiX\.ai,";), they returned 106). The Greeks imputed to

break

after losingthe actually,

gods pulled down

of his

1211, 1428, "c.

the altar and

uncover

Marsilies

; and

2395

; e.g. Ferabr.

Franks

threatens

too

The

the

of

and

hate,

but envy, love of mischief,vipueai,^.

(seeSuppl.), In our modern speech: der liche, liebste, gnddige^grosse, gute,allmdchtige.In our older tongue : herre herro the godo ; Hel. Gute frau,276. got der guote ; Eeinh. 1296. Epithets

3.

78,

1309.

90,

of

Hel.

den

gesach; ^

When

again ; -

Here

dwells

himel

von

riJceo

Christ; Hel. 1,

Morolt

list 114.^

1793,

:

If God

got von

Trist. 2492.

3.

can

got mich heilac; Wesso-

bmii,

we

can

build

p. 16.

is,there liebe Gott

peoplesay

riki

der riche

3526.

Cot edmahtico,cot

"

2.

der rMe

114,22.

,

hebamme, God

thie

drohtin ; Hel.

our lightningstrikes,

der

gnmdeger trehtin;Eeinh.

143, 7.

;

got der riclie;Nib.

4971.

V.d. wibe

Ettners

Where

riU

richen got

godo

God:

rieh

195,9.

himele; Eoth. durch

the

fro min

6.

Freq. the

"

god;

ie

God

is grace !

And,

peace ; of a solemn di'ive den lieben Gott

and to

sjiotit is said from

a

:

person's

in his sanctum. to disturb a solitary (Lessing1, 243),means, OHG. rtlilii dives,potens, also beatus ; and dives is near akin to Diviis, as Dis, Ditis springsout of divit. From the Slav. 6%/us derived boghut(dives), with Ops, the Lilh. hagotas; compare ops, in-ops (Russ. u-boghiy),opulentus

room

^

Bona

Dea.

Conf.

Diefenb.

celt. 1, 196.

21

GOD.

mahtig drohtm ; Hel. 2,2. frea celmildig ; Csedm. manno wealdend; Thorpe's anal. 83. se cclmihtiga 1,9. 10,1. Geb. vil milter Christ ; Cod. pal. miltisto (largissimus) ; Wessobr. The AS. has freq. ece 350, 56. : dryhten,ieternus ; Caedm. 246, Also : witiggod, sapiens; Beow. 3382. 3555. 4655. 11. Beow. Cffidm. 182, 24. 1364, 2105. witigdryhten; Beow. 3101. 3679. Waltant got; Ctedm. 179, 8. witigwuldorcyning; Ca3dm. 242, 30. Hild. waldindingergot; Eoth. 213. 523. 1009. 2332. 4031. Gebct.

brunn.

"

"

ivaltant Krist

9,

OV.

:

Gudr.

; Csedm.

(AS.)wealdend

heofnes

4.

feeder

]?eodawealdend.

17, 15.

2243.

wealdend; Beow.

wuldres

25.

25, 91.

wealdend; Cffidm.

alwealda; Beow.

(OS.)

630.

waldand

waldand

drolitin

god.3,17. This epithet is not found 1, 19. The notion of wielding',dominari,regere, is further in the Edda. apphed to the Supreme Being in the phrasees ivaltcn,Parz. 568, 1. ! M. T"nt. godwouds ! 13225. So ouv gottivalt's En. 7299. 10165. Huyd. op St. 2, 548. Our ace. in das wait Gott ! is a blunder ; 1/^ called the Agxicola596. Praet. weltb. 2, 50. God is occasionally ; Hel.

waldand

4,5. Q,Q.

5, 20.

aloivaldo 4,8.

8, 2. 69, 23. '

'

'

"

Old

:

lebtnoch, i.e.the

dev alte Gott

MHG.

popul.'der alte Yater'. Montenegro 101), bogh is named

In

4401.

The (sweetheart).

Servian

a

stari

MS.

', the old blood2, 214'' der alte friedel

century poets sometimes Geo. 90, 401 216, 5. 434, 23.

MHG.

diu

hohste

134, 7. 150, 14. and

the

men,

25, 91.

"

that God

OHG.

them, and

of

the

use

6.

487, 20.

zi waltanteru

the

hcnti, the all-

time

same

Lat.

which

; with

hant, Parz. 484,

The

saw

(Vuk 2, 244.

song

krvnik

God is at 'all-wielding' all-remembering seeing, all-knowing, ; hence OV.

A.S. eald metod.

ever.

13th

epithetaltisdmus,Wh. may be compared the Wh.

'

Frauenlob

in

shedder, killer ; and

as

66, 20. der aide got ; Pioth.

got sin alt gemiiete; Wh.

hat

568, 8.

same

it is said of fortunate

unfortunate, that God forgotthem

:

N. Boeth.

145. (MHG.) (OHG.) kesah tih kot ! 0 te felicem ! gesachin got!=happy he! Altd. bl. 1, 347. so mir got crgaz ; vergezzen ; Nib. 2256, 3. wie gar Troj.kr. 14072. so hat got min iuwer got vergaz (how utterlyGod forgotyou) ; Iw. 6254. got min heete sin vergezzen ; Trist. 9243. genaxlevergaz ; Ecke 209. got =

licher trehtin,wie vergaeze d^ ie min

examples,see got iemer you

in his

Gramm.

sclwnwe

sight!

!

so

?

Trist. 12483.

For other

guards: daz 4, 175." God, by regarding, Iw.

794.

0.

Engl.God

you

see

!

God

si

keep

.

22

GOD.

substantive

Among

several vvliicliGod lias in comare epitliets mon with earthlyrulers (seeSuppl.): Gothic frdiijaOS. frdho, I shall treat of more fro, AS. fred ; which name fullyby and by. "

OHG.

"

truhtin,MHG.

drottinn.

OHG.

"

of God, is the

trehtin,OS. drohtin,AS. dryhtcn,ON". MHG. which Jieriro, Jierrc, however, when used

contracted

never

Romance

into her, any

domnus, don.

than

more

Dominus

into

Conspicuous above all is the name Father (seeSuppl.).In the Edda, alfod'r. Sn. (Siem.46'' 88* 154^ 3. 11. 17),herfa"ir,herjafad'ir, valfa"irare appliedto OSinn as and created the father of all gods,men things. Such compounds not found in the other dialects, ish are they may have sounded heathenfeederalwealda, Beow. 630, and the ; though the AS. could use idea of God

Father

as

The

heathens.

to

well

as

matercula to

more

nowhere

seen

s65

all appearance,

meotod, metod, Csedm.

AS.

"

i. 3, 6.

AS. God.

appliedto

father Goth,

is

ttotl';, ttoctl'^, Lith.

14. eald

223,

fadr

metod, Beow.

3222. OS. metod, Hel. 4, 13. 15, 17. 66, 19,

metod, Beow.

expressionwhich

an

christians than

0. grandfather,

=

is with lord,as pater irary'jp fa]?s

with

pats. The

To

hereafter.

say

connected

1883.

altfatar

OHG.

the

coupled togetherZei*? Tran^p, esp. in the voc. Zev the Romans Jupiter, Diespiter, Dispiter,Mars pater,^ Terra Atj/jl^ttjp, AajnaTrjp, mater, so the Lettons bestow goddess the epithet mahtc, mahviina^=mafer, every 244. Bergmann 142),on which we shall have (Biittner

almost

on

familiar to

more

Greeks

"TTciTep, and as

became

743. 1883, I have

Beow. ealdfteder, As the

"

likewise

in

appears

the

Edda,

Ssem.

miotu"r

signifyCreator,as verballyit bears the sense of moderator, finitor. The full meaning of metod will not be mensor, have exact a more disclosed,till we knowledge of the relation the Goth, mitan between (tomete) and maitan (tocut),the OHG. 241,^seems

226^

and

mezan

being no

meizan

105, the miotuSr

Eornald.

too, the

; in

of shifting

OISI".miotucfr

The

'

to

wolfs

the

HeimSallar,' and

poets

use

441,

'manna

mezzan

(Wunsch's) gewalt

sin ^

Jane

to

with

head

sog. p.

pater !

(d

consonant

appears

Cato

Cato conjuring-spell,

ir

134 160

;

and

metere, besides

t),the quantityis

for

also sector,messor

be

which the

Heimdall sword

is

'

was

mans

there

inverted.

; in Snorri

killed

miotuSr

is

104.

called

'

;

so

in

(seeSuppl.). In MHG. of exquisite : do symmetry in creating bilde mciz ; Troj. 1962C. got selb in miotuSr'

but what ?

metiri

Lat.

can

mean Di.-^sunapiter

able in the remark-

2;;

GOD.

riclieiifixiudoiiwas, 7.e: rehte

laugemczzcn,

nie uach

voUeni

got der

was

kunde

wer

do

maz, mezzen

create

25. '

MS.

got het

throws

in

ze

is

er

der

wunsclie

in

er '

to

do

ir

lipals si

an

weder

do frijiden,

so

chcnc

; Miyc.

maz

cbcne maz,

daz

er

2, 18G.

an

si

er

dicli als cbcne

Tit. 130. 1. anders denne gemezzen, werke ilber mich gesaz, Parz. 518, 21.

thing as giezen to cast,

the

same

(Troj.19805), or 1, 195^ 2, 226'') ; and gcgozzcn

in

ein

'

uf ir vel,ir mlindei

rot

und

ein

bilde '

schaj^en (Walth. 45,

24,

wiz

'

uns

bilde

mould

Suchenwirt

1, 22''

got

so

therefore

154".

1,

; MS.

maz

sol

werlte

zer

des nocli des vergaz ; MS.

er

154

ir kel

it says '

:

; which

lighton the Gothic tribal name significant Gduts, A.S. Gcdt OHG. K6z (seeSuppl.). AS. scippcnd,creator, OHG. sccfo, Wh. of 1, 3. NHG. scephio,MHG. scJicpfa-re, schopfer.Some these names be strung together, can or they can be intensified by composition: drohtin god, Hel. 2. 13. wcddand fro min, Hel. 148, 14. 153, 8. frcd dryhten, Beow. 62. 186. CiL^dm. 2, 9. 108, lif-frcd, 18. 195, 3. 240, 33. Beow. 4. The earthlycuning with a prefixcan be used of God : ivuldorcyning, king of glory,Ctedm. 10, 32. hcvancuning,Hel. 3, 12, 18. 4, 14. 5, 11. and synonymously with these, rodora loeard,Ccedm. 11, 2. or the epic amplification, irmin-got a

"

"

obana

a"

AcwTie,Hild. got von

himele,Mb.

2090,4. 2114, 1. 2132,

1.

2136, 1. Of

such

epicformulas (seeSuppl.),beautiful specimens,all of the Eomance one tenour, can be cited from the poets, especially : his creative they are mostly borrowed from God's dwelling-place, and truth : Dios aquel,que powder, his omnipotence,omniscience esta el seint eel en alto,Cid 800. 2352. 2465. qui la amont maint Ben, 26018. qui maint el firmament, Berte (abides), sizet unde nideriu sihet,N. ps. 112, 5. 129. 149. der hoho qui siet et de loing mire, Ben. 11687. haut qui haut siet et loins "

voit,Berte 44, sitzt,Melander

181.

Guitecl.

Jocoseria

2, 139.

1, 439.

cot

der

liber

der blauen

almahtico, dii

himil

decke inti

Wessobr. Geb. eel gaworahtos(wroughtestheaven and earth), a creat, Ferabr. 775. scnhor,qui lo nion (|uitot le mont forma, Berte 143. que fezit nueyt e dia,Ferabr. 3997. per aycelsenhor que fetz eel e rozada (skyand dew), Ferabr. 2994. 4412. qui fist ciel et Berte 28. QQ". 111. 139. 171. 188. Aimon 876. qui feis mer rousee, et onde, Meon des hant 3, 460. salee,Berte 67. qui fist et mer la nue, Berte daz mer gesalzenhat, Parz. 514, 15. qui fait courre

erda

24

GOD,

183

lo6.

17780.

1GG58.

erde

18,

qui

fait toner, Een.

qui li soleus raie,Berte 13. 81. der himel und or mergriezenzelt (countsthe sea-sands, pebbles).

par

gebotund

Mar.

celui

Zeu";).par {ve(})e\r]jepeTa die

der der sterne

zal weiz, Wh.

466, 30.

der die sterne

hat

Parz. 629, 20. der uns gezalt, (moon's)schin, Wh. gap des manen der 476, 1. qui fait croitre et les vins et les blez,Ferabr. 163^ niir ze lebene geriet(planned). Nib. 2091, 4. Kl. 484, der mir ze lebene gebot (bade),Eoth. 215, 517. 4552. der uns daz leben gebot.Mar. 24. (M. Dut.) bi den here die mi ghebot (Gramiu. 4, 134), die mi ghewrochte, Elegast 345. 451. 996. qui tot baillier (oversee), 35. Berte a a qui tot a a garder,Berte 7. totz the nos a manjutgier,Ferabr. 308. 694. 1727. que cunnies forwardot, Hel. 152, 5. tos homes qui sor puet et vaut, Meon 3. 4, 5. dominus qui omnia potest,Docum. of 1264 in Wenk no.

151.

wider

wunder

hat

den

264, 25.

der durch

30, 29.

der

der

weinen

unde

A.

vermac,

gewalt,Parz. 43,

Parz. 7 9. takes), der beidiu krump Parz.

nieman

sleht

der

9. und

Heinr.

git unde

der

1355. nimt

aller

(givesand

lachen

Wh. 258, 19. geschuof, gescuof(both crooked and plain),

sihet alle

Diut. 3, 52. getougen (secrets), elliu herzen siht,Frid. 355. der in diu herze siht,Wh. ane

der ie daz guote

geriet(ayethe good devised), Greg.2993. ther suntiloso man 0. iii. 21, 4. dera nie voller genaden (sinless), menti zeran ne (tear,waste),Er. 2490. qui onques (nunquam mentitus),Berte 82. 96. 120. 146. Mdon 3, 8. icil dieu qui ne mik mer ment, et qui fist tot quanque er skop serre, Een. 19338. ok

ollu rseSr,Fornm.

solina hefSi Landn.

If,in

sog. 1, 3.

skapat,ibid. 1, 242.

sa

het

oUu

er a

rseSr,ibid. 8, 107.

J^ann sem

solina

er

skapaSi,

p. 139. of the

and phrasesdescripepithets tive of God, unmistakable traces of Heathenism predominate,while others have barelyan inklingof it,the followingexpressionsare still more with the heathen of indisputablyconnected way thinking. In the Norse mythology,the notion of a Deus, Divus, if not of the uppermost and eldest,yet of a secondaryrank, which succeeded to power later,is expressedby the word as, pi.ccsir (see Suppl.).^ Landds (Egilss. and~tryit Thor, the pp. 365-6) is patrium numen, chief god of the North, is designated, though as and allmdttki as is given to OSinn (Landn.4, 7). dsmcrjuiis divine power : tha vex some

precedingnames,

/

25

GOD.

asmcgin halfu, Sn.

honum

must

name

at

26.

time have

one

asmegin,Sn. 65. universal,extendingover

been

Upper ans, pi. gas, pi.

Saxony, under such forms as : Goth. OHG. OIST. anseis, cnsi,AS. 6s, pi. es (conf.our gans, with hansa). It continued goess, AS. gos, pi.ges ; and hose and

Germany

Goth. Ansila, OHG. Anso : part of proper names Anshelm, Anshilt, Anspald,Ansnut conespond in sense "c. Cotaliilt,

; AS.

Osweald, Oslaf,Osdasg,Osred

Asdis, Asgautr, Aslaug, Asmundr, 41-2, cms

denotes

"c.

which beam, 8ok6";,

is also

the

OHG.

Cotahelm,

to

; ON.

in

Now

"

;

form

to

=

a

the

But

fa'raz i

Asbiorn,^

UlphilasLu, 2,

meaning of the ON", as, whether because the mighty gods were thought of as joist, rafter and ceiling of the sky, or that the notions of jugum and used mountain-ridgewere associated with them, for as is especially of jugum terrse,mountain-ridge. Pan. bierg-aas (dettias sliding Landn. 3, 17). But here we have some beam, portcullis, other strikingpassages and proofs to weigh. An AS. poem couples the shots of auses and of together esa gescot and ylfa gescot,' a

one

=

'

'

'

elves,jaculum divorum

geniorum,justas

et

alfar,Sa^m. 8" 71'*82--'83^

potiti per

magna

vincebant, non would

be

in like

manner

victoria, jam "What

anseis)vocavere.

dethroned.

into

merge from

And

proceres

the

elder

an

can race

does sesir and

says, cap. 13

est

be

plainer?

of

heroes,and

dynasty

here the well-known

of

Turn

:

quasi qui

suos

liomines,sed scmidcos,id

puros

distance

same

loca

Jornandes

the Edda

gods

statement

Gothi, fortuna

(which

anscs

The

lesir

Norse

the

much

at

they

have

of Suetonius

and

whom

or a:si, Hesychius,^that the Etruscans called the gods assures may fairlybe called to mind, without actuallymaintainingthe affinity of the Etruscan or Tyrrhenian race with the ancient German, between as is the likeness striking rvpf)T)v6"i, rvpcnjvo^i and the ON. durs.^ OHG. Ipnvs, when of this analogy, The significance however, is heightened,

Ursus

has the for wliich the Waltharius divinns,Asbinia (ursa divina), conf. Reiiih. fuchs p. ccxcv. For Asketill, hybrid O.spirn,prop. Anspirn ; 1

end

see Oscytel, -

cesar,

Suet. id

of ch. III.

Octavian.

est

Hesych. s.v.

alaoi

97.

cap.

reliqna pars 6(o\

e vno

futnrumque, ut

Csesaris nomine, tcov

inter deos

Etrusca

referretur, qnod linyua detis vocaretur.

Tvpprjviov. Conf. Lanzi

2, 483-4

;

also Dio

Cass. 56, 29. ^

have

Unfortunately l"ursmeans

durs

anything to

rather

hostile and

a giant,and do with the rvparjvoi, would dieaded people,"Tkaks.

a

demon,

which, if they

imply that

these

were

a

26

GOD.

and perhaps also the Roman religion, and the Greek, supposed a circle of twelve superiorbeings closely of clii consentes or complices bound togetherand known by the name Iwpt and hond, (see SuppL),exactlyas the Edda uses the expressions (Srem.24"^ 89". literally meaning vincula, for those high numina Sn. 176. 204),and also the sing, hapt and hand for an individual god cannot 93'').Though hapthandun in the Merseburg poem (Sffim. the same to mean with certaintybe taken thing (the compound it is possiblethat dens here to denote mere seems bodilychains), ans a yoke,is the and 82o"iare referable to Sew I bind ; that same we

that tlie Etruscan

observe

'

'

thiug as disregardthe same

the

'

brace

and

'

band

of all

fact that tivelve is likewise

"esir; conf. Ssem. 3^

things;

neither

can

of the

the number

we

Norse

'

]?viliSi of the set,kindred. be added in support. In the other appellations Some may consilium. earliest periodof our language,the neut. ragin meant Now the pluralof this,as used in the Edda, denotes in a special the manner pluralityof the gods (see SuppL). Begin are the that consult together, and direct the world ; and the expressions powers hoU regin(kind,merciful gods), bliS regin,^ uppregin,ginregin this technical meaning. Ragnahave entirely (superspotestates) the rokr (Goth,ragineriqvis ? dimness, darkness of gods) signifies Ssem. end of the world, the settingof the divine luminaries. 89'' has "rognirok regin" coupledtogether, rognir(cf.196")being used to distinguishthe individual ragincis (raguneis?),masc. These OK reginwould be Goth, ragina,as the hopt and bond are heathen conception The same Gothic hafta and banda, all neut. '

:

eesir or

"

^r^rt^tgiscapu, reganogi^ac^w, Hel. 79, 13. 103, the decree and counsel of the gods, 3, equivalentto fatum, destiny, Hel. 103, 7, from ivurd,fatum. and synonymous with tr^wWgiscapu, have We And Hel. 6Q, 19. 147, 11. seen again in ^^dorfogiscapu, that metod likewise is a name for the Su]Dreme Being,which the

peeps

out

christian

^

The

in the

OS.

poet of the Heliand

blithe,happy gods ; when

has

ventured

to

retain from

the

peoplesteppedalong in statelygorgeous hugSn at (psir vseri j^ar appeared: menn

attire,men thought that gods had komnir,' Landn. 3, 10. The Vols, saga

hygg ec at says of SigmrS : 'Ipat in Parz. So of the gods. her fari einn af got^mtim,' I think that here rides one ir verjach,si ne gesachen nie helt so wiinneclicli, 36, 18 : alda wip nnd man c.

26

'

'

they saw gate im solten sin gelkh (declared, must

be

like

XV),

of whom

never

a

hero

The is there for my more reason the Nib. 84, 4 says : der dort su MrUclun

him).

so

gods Siegfried(cli.

winsome,

note

on '

their

gat (seeSuppL).

27

GOD.

heatlicn

T"nt those gen.

pluralsregano, metodo againpoint of the bindinggods. to the plurality The collection of Augustine's letters contains (cap.178),in the altercatio with Pascentius, a Gothic or perhaps a Vandal formula sihora armcn, the meaning of which is simply /cypte eXerjcrov} Even if it be an interpolation, and written in the fifth or sixth century, instead

poetry.

of at the end

that sihora should

of the

fourth,it is nevertheless

remarkaljle

be

employed in it for God and Lord. Ulphilas would have said : fniujaarmai. The inf. armen, if not a mistake for arme, time there might do duty as an imperative; at the same is a Finn, and Esth. word armo misericordia. But signifying gratia, sihora,it seems, can only be explainedas Teutonic, and must have been alreadyin heathen times an epithetof God derived from his victorious might (see Suppl.).Goth, sigis, ON, sign, sigr,OHG. AS. OSinn is sigc victoria,triumphus. styled sigrgo",sigtijr, Hel. sigfd"iLr sigidrohtin, ; and the Christian poets transfer to God 47,

13.

Cfedm. 125,6. sigidryhtcn,

114, 19.

33, 21.

48, 20.

Beow. 3544. vigsigor, Beow. 3108.^ elsewhere sigoradryhtcn, sigmetod, sigoraiccaldcnd, sigorafrcd, sigoracyning.It is even sigoragod, sible posthat from

that

in Teutonic

ancient and

sihora

the

sprang

title

sira,sire still

languages.^ as dwelling gods beingrepresentedas superiand njjjjrcgin, in the on high, sky,uphimin,up on the mountain height(as,ans), it was natural that individual gods should have certain particular mountains and abodes assignedthem. current

Eomance

The

for God generalnames and gods,we have obtained results which compel us to accept an intimate connexion between in our ceptions expressions language and conheathenism. and God,' the graciThe me ous proper to our and the angry God, the froho (lord) and the father, the behold- ^ the images of ans, fastening, band, ing,creating, measuring,casting,

Thus, from

a

mere

consideration

of the

'

^

also pray 'juma sirlaga,' and the Tchuvashes 'tora The God have sanil. i.e., riiss. sirlag,' gesch. ?, 359. mercy ; G. J. Mijllors ' Morduins when have it thunders pashangiiiPorguini pas,' say mercy, god The

Tclieremisses

Porguini ; Georgi description 1, 64. ""' den sighat got in siner hant,MS. 2,16". * Gott. anz. Diez however 1833,pp. 471-2. 1,41.

raises

doubts,Roman,

gram.

28

and

GOD.

ragin,

all

into

collectively, again, cultus.

but

lead

I

wish

both the

path

first

to

individually,

and

be

I

to

determine

trod. the

with

shall nature

all

take

the

up

and

more

all

the

bearings

weight threads of

tlie

III.

CHAPTER

WORSHIP.

The

them, with

And

gifts.

Peayer.

there

at

we

John

the

exact

dat.

of

enemy's do

whether the

vleizn

of

act

of

knee.

As

is not

giwitan, AS.

at

head,

Verehrung,

Cor.

1

a

with abire

means

; could

Now

Paul.

Diac.

let

compare

holy, for

icth ; but only a heilac,O.S. has A\ith

the

few

which

of the

the

O.H.G.

subst.

ivih,

documents

hereafter.

more

bending anda-

ana

use

FrSn

OS.

fied signi-

twice

1, 8

the

uses

ON",

vita

is adoration, the

word, On

denotes

the

the

gods

rest

connexion

holy

or

cerns con-

vtilis, O.H.G.

is Goth,

this

merely

is not

iron

from

comes

heilagr.

irpoa-

An

word.

(as reverentia word

Teutonic

hdlig, O.N.

only helag, A.S.

a

or

spells,erroneously, I O.H.G.

The

prob. aiza.

oldest

us

veit, and

ehren, to honour, but also verehren, revereri cultus) ; A.S. urur'dian, O.S. giu-erthSn. All that is

accompanied,

also have

inveitan

onr

them

surrender.

of

hand,

of the

sense

quished van-

a

suppliant prostrationlike the

only

Greek

of

driusands

:

if

the

used

was

the

of

14, 25

quotes under ira, Goth.

doubted,

inveitan

to, approaching ?

Biorn

be

token

in

this word

using of

for

once

in

irpoa-Kweivis ground

15, 19.

; and

instead

ace,

motion

is vindicare.

O.H.G.

an

the

a

guS;

variance

Fraveitan

by

gesture

read,

gewitan,

inclinare,^which 1

the

we

merely ffoing up accedere.

caught, may

with

equivalent

5, 6.

14, 25

Cor.

1

songs,

what

(=antlitz),inveitiS

Kvvi]ai";

Mk.

9, 18.

8, 2.

fallingto

by

bowing

a

was

by Ulpliilas

Goth,

the

TrpoaKuveco

was

popular

know

not

up

there

correspondence

a

upon

12, 20.

'irpoaKvvr]at";

Greek

;Mod.

In

We

For

invariably followed

it is

because

offered

prayer

employed

(see Suppl.). Whether

9, 15

sense

a

for prayer,

word

come

Matt.

9, 38.

Mk. dcrird^ofxaL,

the

once

phraseology again.

4, 7-8.

occasion

was

consider

we

is inveita, invait, invitum. Lu.

is

(see Suppl).

adoration,

Norse

Sacrifice

for with

connexion

permanent

a

up

Sacrifice.

his reverence^

expressed

man

kept

wherever

When

"

express

the

and

Prayer

were

also for sacrifice

of

which

by

gods (see Suppl.),and

the

to

actions

simplest

in

the

preferring of will sense

of

dominicus. ^

Cleasl)y-Vigfussongives

fine,'or

under

vita

'

to

wit.'

"

no

meaning

Trans.

like

inelinare, either

under

vita

'to

30

WORSHIP.

think,vita. honorem

it is derived

From

veita

peragere ;

vcita

veita

vaitjan?); (CJotli.

tiSir,sacra

lieiSr,

i^eragere ; veitsla,epulum,

Gotli. vaitislo ? ^ The both

Goth.

in

Uda

secular

a

and

a

2)etaiind pittan;

but

with

person

fallan 1.

of the

ace.

joh

MHG.

whom ii.

T.

so

diu

an

4,86-9. 97.

my

anbeten

heton

heto-man

3.

nach

me

gote

sin

adore,are The

bedon

minun

te

one

OS. bed6)i

is not

I

translates

beado

adorare

Jiehen,when flehen, Aegid. 30. MHG.

Tiirl. Wh.

also express

can

the prep, bilde

Our

beten, ibid. 98,

Gramm. of

8 ; and

by

ask, bcten

badi kXuhSwv

of

by

which prosterni, jacere,

bed,

a

prep.

again also

and

AS.

"

sense

from

2, 25, that bidjanoriginally

goten vleheu, Parz. 21,

71''; but in the

pray,

this of itself would

to humble by ge-cdff-medan,i.e., it signifies supplicare, governs

den

but

ace,

15.

after God

must

bitten

followed

In

68.

(seeSuppl.):

an

ca^des, strages.^The

=

tual spiri-

a

another, as bitte request is

barma, Hel. 33, 7.

'the old badu, AS.

nidar-

T. 46, 2. 60,

11,25.

anehet,she

min

distinct from

in my conjectured contained the physicalnotion the only explanationof Goth,

suggestwhat

ii. 14, 63.

cultores,0. II. 14,

146,

(objectofj adoration,Ben.

gebetprayer.. :

But

OHG.

petSn adorare,construed

iii.

always followed by abgot,Barl. 72, 4. an ein

si iemer

muoz

be

34, 1, 2,

a

O.i. 17, 62.

:

find hetcn

I

biiten

is

jietais derived

petota inan, Diut. 1, 513'\ orare,

te

from

0. Z)e;;on,

miA

used

hidjan precari,rogare, orare, are with The sense. same spiritual

preces,

Test,

New

The

oneself. the

6.

Wh.

demulcere, solari,the

dat.

of

:

gote

126, 30. ace,

Parz.

(seeSuppL).^ It is the Goth Mdihan, from N. I only know An OHG. flehon vovere fovere, consolari. and he spellsit flehon: ten (ace. quem) wir fiecap. 8, Bth. 178, We zu hotou. but'gott anflehen'.The Goth. gott flclicn,' say aihtron begging rather than TrpocraiTelv 7rpoaev-)(ea6ai,, expresses OHG. diccan, OS., thiggian,is both asking or praying. The is invariably while AS. picgan,ON., piggja, precariand impetrare, 119, 23. 421, 25.

Nib.

499,

8

'

"

1

Bopp, Comp.

invoco. ^ Wliat

gram.

tlieZend p. 128, identifies inveita with

nivaedliayemi

the Slav, moliti rogare, molitise orare, Sloven, moliti still means Boh. modliti se, porrigere, Pruss. oratio. madia, conf. conf. Lith. meldziu rogo, inf. melsti, and malda door to oratio. is next Goth, maj^ljanloqui,maj^leinsloquela,which ^ Iw. 3315 vlcgetegot ; Lut in the oldest MS. vlehete gote. was

physicalmeaning of Pol. modUc si^? The

the

'31

PRAYER,

that asking has passed over into effectual so impetrare,accipere, asking,getting(seeSuppl.). Another expressionfor prayer is peculiarto the Norse and AS. dialects,and foreignto all the rest : dST. hd)i or been,Swed. Dan. hotie, Ion, AS. hen, gen. bene f.,Credm. 152, 26, in Chaucer Engl. bensian from hena the Icel. boon; it, supplicare.Lastly supplex, like the Lat. colere is used alike of Dun. dyrkc,which Swed. (hjrlca, to be a recent to seems worship and of tillage, upstart,unknown the ON. language.

On

the form

and

of heathen

manner

prayer

we

lack

tion informa-

that it was merely conjecture accompanied by a lookingup to heaven, bendingof the body (ofwhich bidjangave a hint), folding of hands, bowing of knees, uncovering of the head. These gestures that the human grow out of a crude childlike noti.n of antiquity, ; I

suppliantpresents and submits himself to the mighty god, his victim (seeSuppl.). Precari dsos ccclumconqueror, as a defenceless 10. is attested by Tacitus himself. Germ. Genuflecque snspicere the supplicareof the Eomans flexo tere is in Gothic knussjan, was customs of the Fallingdown and bowing were corpore adorare. clirislians too ; thus

in

Hel.

47,

6.

48, 16. 144, 24

we

have

:

te

hntgan. 58, 12 : te drohtine hnigan. 176, 8 : te bedu fdlan. In the S61arlio3 is the remarkable 145, 3 : gihneg an kniobeda. 126" ; ec laut,to her (the sun) I bowed, Sam. : henni expression

Ijedu

from

inclinare.

liUa

falla

a

kue

ok

luta, Vilk.

saga

cap.

6.

nu

kongsdottirsinn Icgg,ok mrelti,ok sir i loptiff tqyp, (stroked leg,and spoke,and looks up to the sky),Vilk, saga cap. 61,

sirauk her So

the saga

of

St. Olaf

tells how

the

men

bowed

before the

statue

J?viskrimsli,Fornm. sog. 4, 247. felltil iardar fyrir likneski (fell to earth before the likeness).Fornm. sog. 2, 108. The Langobards are stated in the Dial. Gregorii]\I.3, 28 to have In the adored s%d)inissiscervicibus a divinelyhonoured goat'shead. Middle Ages people continued to boiv to lifeless objects,by way of blessingthem, such as a loved country, the road they had traversed, of Thor, hitu

day.^ Latin writers of the time, as Lambert, express urgent used not only to entreaty by iKdibusprovolvi ; the attitude was

or

the

1

Dem

clem wege stigenigen, Iw. 5837. nigen, Parz. 375, 26. dem lande nigen, Tri.st.11532. nigen in elliu lant,Iw. nigen in daz lant,Wigid. 4018. 7755.

in

tuon, Iw,

die werlt

nigen, Fraiuend.

^57 (seeSuppl,).

103, 10,

den

stigen iind wegen

segen

32

WORSHIP.

God, but Morolt

to all whom

41^

uf ir

that

fuoz, MS.

fuoz,MS.

Greg.355.

wished

hie viel sie uf sinen

uf den

unz

one

1, 155\ buten

1, 54^

neigim nider uf die

fell peoj)le

be reverenced Hel. 33, 7.

:

wilt fallan te minun

fotun, bedos

ze

(bowed

God, Koniginh.hs. 72 hiti

Uncovering the

An

ouch

These

at the

tal

uf den

nise ich ir

0, Boh.

to the

feet,of

him

who

song

has

; but

the

:

was

to

fiiezen

sie Idanieti

same

vuoz,

barma,

te minun

ground)gein sinen '

nige

passages show

bohu,' to

has also the

celo prede bohy,'to beat one's brow

lo

fuoz,

before her),und (fall (bowed) weiuende Uf sinen

hant,Dietr. 55^

bow

se

Iw. 8130.

vuoz,

sich

463, 2}

Teutonic

neig im

valle flir si

nieder,Wh. '

:

before the feet,and

sich bot

before

to hono^^r

un-

before God.^

head

from of old a token was (seeSuppl.)certainly of respect with our shown to ancestors, which, like bowing, was at least deityas well as to kings and chiefs. Perhaps the priests, those of the Goths, formed an exceptionto this,as their name pileati is thus accounted for by Jornandes, quia opertis capitibustiaris litabant,while the rest of the people stood uncovered. In a

survival of heathenish further

harvest-customs

established,ch. VII.

we

In

shall find this

ing uncover-

Nicolai

Magni de Gow registrum superstitionum(of 1415) it is said : Insuper hodie novilunium inveniuntur homines, qui cum prime viderint Jlcxis gcnibus adorant vel depositocaputiovel piilco,inclinato capite honorant aUoquendo et suscipiendo.^An AS. legend of CuSberht relates

how

that

saint

was

wont

to

go

down

to

the

sea

at

tians ChrisKarl 14''. The fuazi,O. III. 10, 27. an sine fiieze, Berth. 10. Karl lOi"*. venie Parz. called it 460, fallen, Ages lution Ksrclu-. 2958. 3055. 173. Kneeling and kissingthe ground, to obtain absoder den mit 21. lac E arl. venie da uf siner maz langen er : 366, (lay), anger Morolt. 28''. Troj. Trist. 2095. venien 1, 23^. venie, Frib. suochen,MS. Pez. bibl. ascet. 8, 440. gie terrae 9300. osculationibus, quas venias appellant, siniu kirchen und banekte ze glidermit venien und gebet, (prostrated ?)ze gote ^

Cod.

Fial in sine in the Mid.

kolocz. 180.

was beatingof the forehead in presentinga petition, tchelo-bitnaya, Hehnold Conf. vultibus Russia Catherine II. in pronis adorare, by prohil:)ited ^

The

1, 38.

practice, may be inserted here : Dietm. Merseb. elevato a capitepileoalloquiturseniorem, p. 824 (an. 1012). in I. Odofredus inclinat Ruodlieb 93. sublata cxjdare honeste, 2, surgens loco Or hie de secundo colligimusargumentum, signori, digest, postulando: magistratudebet ei revereri,quod est contra quod aliquisquando veniet coram 3

What

else I have

collected

about

this

extraherent sibi capellumvel birretum Deo, non Ferrarienses, qui,si essent coram in capite Pillcus de capite, tlexis genibus postularent. nee est, Isengrimus 1139. la 261. den Meon oster 4, huot, Ms H. 3, 330. gelUpfet chape (in saluting), sin zSch durch in huot sinen er abenam, hiemit eret er also, Wigal. 1436. er uf do hUbscheit den Imot gezogenlichen stuont er geswinde abe,Troj.1775.

33

TEAYEK.

briny breakers,to singhia with palms prayers, and afterwards to kneel doivn on tlie shingles, stretched out to the firmament.^ Liftingtip and foldingof the to a master, particularly to a also jjractised hands (see Suppl.)was to his neck

and standingup niglit,

3, 78

In Ls.

feudal lord.

in the

have

we

'

bat mit

zertdnen

armen,'prayed

The Old Bavarian stapfsakcn(denialof outspread arms. was accompaniedby elevation of the hands, EA. 927 indebtedness) (see Suppl.). It is not impossiblethat the christian converts in praying. In a manuscript, retained some heathen customs bably proof the 12th century, the prayers are to be accompaniedby den tihirdin herza in modum curious actions: so miz (measure) some demo nahile,unde miz denne von zuo crucis,unde von dem hrustlejffile eime rippe unz daz andire, unde an sprichalsus. Again : so miz die rehtun denne hant von deme lengistin vingireunz an daz resti gire. deme dumin deme minnisten vinunde miz denne von zuo (wrist), called der vane des almehtigin One prayer was gotis'; (flag) with

'

nine

women

ninth '

daz

has

the

read

to

ir lih nict

that her

read

to

are

the others

not

all to

are

psalm die

more

body touch

it nine

the

stand

Sundays,

Domini

est

'

so

ez

morginet' ;

terra,in such

a

the

posture

unde ellehogin

diu

chnic,'

ground,except at the elbows till the lightedcandle has

and

knees;

erde,wan

die

burnt

out

;

Diut. 2, 292-3. "We

uviliudon

any definite meaning to the Gothic aviliud from ; it is formed ev'^apiareiv %api9, which

cannot

an

and

there

Suppl.). The

liuS cantus, gratiae ; does it contain something heathenish about it ? (See careful collecting; of prayer deserve more the help of the gods,mostly contain the

0. Sax. alat, olat

resembles was

attach

now

moreover

old forms

the Norse, which

invoke

ah er daz er uf trunc von fin,daz nam gimmen unci von golcle gnuoc, ein scliajicl Ls. ini sin 35. zucket er was 18635. dem houptesin,Troj. er gereit, he-piKiU, 3, Kolocz. 101. Festus houbt den huot liez vliegeniind spracli, daz er von dem id est dicuntur Saturno lucem facere sacrificantes, capitadetegere ; explains: again : Saturno fitsacrificiuni ca^jite aperto; conf. Macrob. Sat. 1, 8. Serv. in

Virg. 3, 407. i niht to sse, and standan he wolde on W.TBs gewunod IpSdt on j^am gan siSSan his and his cneowu oiS his sealtum gebedii, singende swnran, brinime, toheofenlicmu rodere; Thorpe's on J^aniceosle gebygde,astrchtumhandl)redum fair the but to rescue have it honiih 2. 138. 7G-7. thought [I analecta,pp. had inadvertently saint from a perilouspositionin "which the German placed to into the sea him by making him "wade up to his neck, and kneel doum saint de his In the O.Fr. ". Kicolas, jcu Tervagant Trans.] sing prayers "

"

has to be

approached

on

bare elbows and

knees ;

3

Legrand fabl. 1, 343.

34

WORSHIP.

verb

with the

propitiumesse: bi(5 ec Ottari oil goS dvga (I Ot. pray all,"c.),SnBm. 120''. biSjaJ?a disir duga, Seem. 195*. to help,conf. Gramm. 4, 687. There is beauty in the Duga means in ON. biSjom herjafoSri hugom sitja(rogemus deum prayer: animis sedere nostris), Ssem. 113*,justas Christians pray the Holy Ghost to descend : in herzen unsen sdzi,0. iv. 5, 30 (seeSuppL). duga

Christians

at prayer

lifted up their so

sense

confession

or

(Bingham

arms

read in the Kristinbalkr

we

Mta

looked

lib. xi. cap.

of the-old

the

toward

Uast,and

7, ed. hal. 3, 273); and

Gulathinglaw:

'

ver

skulum

austr, oc biSjatil ens

bow must we helga Krists ars ok friSar,' east,and pray the holy Christ for plentyand peace (conf. Syntagma orientalem de baptismo p. 65) ; in the Waltharius 1159 : contra

prostratus corpore ic stande ; and

partem

precatur ; in AS.

formulas

:

edstiveard

Troj.9298. 9642 : keret inch gen orient. The looked Northheathens, on the contrary,in praying and sacrificing, VM7'ds : horfa (turn)i nord'r,Fornm. leit (looked) i sog. 11, 134. norffr,Seem. 94^ beten gegen mitternacht, Keiserspergomeiss 49^ looked upon the North was And by the christians as the unblessed heathen quarter,on which I have given details in EA. 808 ; it was unlucky to make a throw toward the north,EA. 57 ; in the Lombard the northern tract is styled nulla ora,'EA. 544. boundary-treaties to explaina passage in the Eoman These oppositeviews must serve and the wolf heathenly, de Eenart, where the fox prays christianlg, in

'

Eeinh. As

fuchs p. xli.^ the

expressionsfor askingand

for

be

the

a identical, prayer

peopleit was

thoughtto

was

uttered

by

nu

unt

daz so

the effectual,

more

so

munde

manegem

Wigal. 4458. genade niht versagen. die juncvrouwen baten alle got, ist er so gnsedecunt so guot so er

reine

gemuot,

niemer

kunde stiezen

manegem

betelichiu dine

1

more

:

got enwolde stn

obtaining, pp. 30, 31, are

At the abrenuntiatio

caperata), expressinganger

one

and

munde Iw.

versaoen.

had

to face the

hatred

;

but

5351.

sunset,with wrinkled

the confession to heaven ; Bingham at

raised the sunrise,Arith eyes and hands Conf. Joh. Olavii synt. de baptismo, 13.14. pp. 64-5.

brow

(fronts

of faith,to face lib. xi. caj). 7. "

35

SACKIFICE.

in so

wes

of

syt mit vlize daden,

he id in dem

von

der

royt,

munde

rosenroten

dinge versagen.

vrouwen

helfensingen,MS.

so

inkunde

nummer

bedelicher Ged.

de munde

(tothe nuns) waron si god baden,

sperwere,

1, 57". 2, 42^

Cod.

berol. 184, 54^

Hence

:

novelle 61.^

Conf. cento

into introduced opfer,a sacrifice,was German offcrre.'^ being derived from the Lat. offcro. by Christianity, The AS. very properlyhas only the verb offrian and its derivative there proceeded In OHG., from ojpfaron, ojiforon offrung(oblatio). ^ and from Germany MHG. also a subst. oipfar, ophern and cypher ; Sacrifice.

"

word

The

to have nations, ON". spreadto neighbouring expressionseems Lett, uppuris,Esth. ohiver,Fin. Lith. apjoiera, Swed. Dan. offer, offr, Sloven, ofer. Everywhere the original 2ihri,Boh. ofera, Pol. ojlara. heathen terms disappeared(seeSuppl.). to for the notion The oldest term, and one universallyspread, if the hloian (we do not know was worship (God) by sacrifice,' Goth. pret.was bdiblot or blotaida) ; I incline to attach to it the full sense of the Gk. Oveiv'^ (see Suppl.). Ulphilas saw as yet no objectionto translating by it ae^eadai and XaTpevecv,Mk. 7, 7.

the

'

branded in the Mid. Ages likewise,by strong was Mock-piety,hj-pocrisy, abezzen (eat the feet off),Ls. 3, 421. Fragm. wil gate die fiieze : er phraseology Mones 28". anz. 3, 22. imserm Herrgottdie fiiessabbeissen wollen (biteoff), 1

Schmeller

saints' feet off

(pray the

wollen

2, 231. den heiligendie fiissabbeten

(fiiszler), herrgottfisler 2, So the Ital. mangiaparadiso, 10 ehen, p. 62. 1, 93. heiligenfresserin, Fr. mangeur de crucetix,Boh. Pol. liciobrazek (lickerof saints).A sham

them),

Holer 1. 4, 17. herrgottbeisser, Siniplic.

48.

Schmid

saint is

termed indifferently

Mones tevipelriune, tempeltrete, kapeltrete,

p. 123. 137 (seeSuppl.). Not from operari, which

in that

-

Komance operare,

sense

was

;

the

same

to the

church, the

Fr. ofrecer,

languages likewise using obrar, ouvrer

xxnknown

schausp.

It. offerire, Sp. adheres technical sense and Fr. oublie, Sp. oblea,

to

never offrir, ofrenda, offerta,

oblata come the perhapsthe MHG. offrande. From iV)rmed the and offerta unless it is from eulogia, are oblei, oblagia. From offre derivation from ferre, Wei. offryd,Ir. oifrion, aifrion,offrail.Lastly, the is confirmed offerre, by the German phrase ein opferbringen,darbringen.' ^ Ophar, opfcrcould hardlybe the Goth. ai))r bwpov,in which neither the Ir. iodbairt, vowel nor the consonant The Wei. ubert,Gael, iobairt, agrees. (sacrificiixm) probablyl)elongalso to offerta. * uses When Sozomen hist. eccl. 6, 37 in a narrative of Athanaric ivpoaKwelv Ka\ dvfiv, the Gothic would be inveitan juh blutan. '

'36

WORSHIP.

37; he

Lii. 2,

it with

construes

an

of the

ace.

person:

iDlotan

colere,with apparentlyno thought fraujanis to him simply Deiim of a bloody sacrifice. For Xarpeia Eom. 12, 1, he puts Uotinassus, and for d6o"T"/3/]"; John 9, 31 gxxWostreis.The latter presupposes a hlostr (cultus, of which subst, the S is explained in oblatio), Ushldteins {iTapdK\r}cnq) 2 Cor. 8, 4 impliesa verb Gramm. 2, 208. the AS. Uotan uses usblotjanto implore. Ccedmon pret. bleot, pret.onbleot, of the Jewish

onUotan

with

of

ace.

In

onbleot

iElfred's Orosius

lac ]?fet have

we

it Uetsian,later

from

dat. of person

thing and

173, 5. ficare)

and follows them sacrifice,

Gode

the

blotan

:

Uotan

to bless. blessian,

pret.blotte.

The

OHG.

and pliezand pluozta,appears only in glosses,

victimare,immolare, Gl. Hrab. No

258'\ be

case-construction

inferred

from

found, but

Gl.

382.

emni.

^; pluostarhUsidolium, Gl.

102

ibid. 405. sacrificator, phcostrari of

more

heathen

a

worship ;

with

universal

use

it

look, and

the

their conversion

not

an

968".

of the

ace.

A

at that time

thingmay

subst.

pluostar

no

soon

used

of christian

die out.

doubt

But

its

remaining,that

Goths, Alamanni, Saxons, before

The Christianity.

blotaGi,takes, like the Gothic,

an

thus, Gragas 2, 170, in the formula

ON.

ace.

verb hloia,pret.blet and

of the

of the

kirkior

Edda:

Diut. 1, 245,

T. 56, 4. jun.209. 402. emm. fanum, ^j/oasAils is plainthat here the word has

leaves

among

(aswidely as)kristnir menn (fanacolunt);and in the

libare, litare,

411. Gl.

for it

words

heathendom

vogue

to

It

was

thing,the

in Norse

equally in

Avas

966"

I derive

pluozan,pret.

renders

partic. kaplozaniuimmolata.

sacrificium,Uuostar, Is. 95,

959'' 960^

is

(filiumsacriDeo) 177, 21.

sunu

hostiam (obtulit

same

up

object worshipped;

trygdamCd:sva

soekia,heiSnir

Thor

hlota,mik

menu

viSa

hof

sem

hlota

hlota,hlota"i 06in.

always the meaning is sacrificio veneand ON. the verb the idea brings out more and AS. more that of the thing. But

Seem. Ill'', 113",141", 165^-: So that in Goth,

rari. of

the

person,

in

the O.Dan,

even

^

1, 166"

version of the OT.

Gl. Hrab.

954^*

hlothe

immolare, Woc^Amadh

:

'

'

a

uses

is incomplete Laclia, plostar, ; in Gl. Ker. 45. Diut. it stands : bacha sacriticat,ploastar or jiloazit, ; so that it is zepar plozit bacha Or perthe subst. to translate only the Lat. verb, not {j^aKxri). haps for and the is non better reading is bachat bacchatur, meaning

The

meant

OHG.

'

sacriticat '. ^

Landn.

1,2:

blotaCi

hrafna

jn-ia, worshippedthree

ravens,

who

were

that cow.s be show him the road ; so, in Sasm. 141% a l)ird demands told occasionally and we sacriticed to him ; the victim itself is ON. hlot, are : Landn. feck at bloti, ak bloti niiklu,offered a sacrifice, a great sacrifice, 2, 29.

going to

SACRIFICE.

37

"

ed. pp. 171. 182. 215. 2-1'J.

holocaustum, Molbech's lihamina.blotelsd

Uplandslag,at the very beginningof the churchwith dat. of person, implying balkr has : senginskal affgiiSum hlotcc, I do not know.^ true derivation of the word an ace. of the thing. The the disagreeing it is not to be looked for in bloS sanguis, At all events as of the two Gothic words plainlyshow; equally consonants another ; pluozan and pluot from one divergentare the OHG. besides,the worship so designatedwas not necessarily bloody. A Also the O.Swed.

"

remarkable

in the Livonian

passage

the Sameits

rhyming chronicle

(Schamaits, Samogits): ir hluotcldii der warf sin loz nach

hant

zuo

ein

Here, no a

term

tells of

4683

which

had

ir alden

Uiiotete alles mite

is sacrificed.

penetrated from

it understanding

blotkarl,heathen

site,

quek.

animal

doubt, an

er

hant

zuo

I

fancy the poet retained

Scandinavia

out with-

to Lithuania

himself ; for bluotkirl is

priest;

the

term

is

merely the O.Swed. foreignto the Lithuanian

language.^ A

few

of these

more

(see SuppL). "

generalterms for sacrifice must antheiz Diut. 1, (hostia, victima),

OHG.

258. 278''; and

as

Diut. 1, 246. 258."

verbs, both OHG.

aiitheizon and

msaken

inheizan

be added 240^

246,

(immolare),

Gl. Hrab. 968^ (litare),

insaket

pirn

ibid. 959" 960*, to which add the Bavarian (delibor), stapfsaken, liA. 927 ; just so the AS. onseegan, Cod. exon. 171, 32. 257, 23. to fibre (devote as Cisdm. fiber 172, 30. onsecgcm sacrifice), tifer onsecge, Ps. 65, 12. lac onsecge 90, 29. 108, 17. onscegde, Cod. 15.

exon.

Cod.

Ca^dm. 254, 19. 257, 29; lac onscegde, exon.

168,

28.

onscegdnes(oblatio). As with the prefix and-, so Hrab. 960*, which (delibor), "

107,

Csedm. gild onscegde, inheizan is

and

113,

172, 11.

onseegan

apparently the OHG, would yielda Goth,

21.

are

formed

ineihan anddllcan

and

pini ; it is

^

Letter for letter it agrees ^vitli (fiXoiSda) I lightup, burn, which is also expressed in 6{jco and the Lat. sulUo ; Imt, if the idea of bumt-olfering was contained in blotan,it must have got obscured very early. originally -Even in AlIIG. the word have already become to seems extinct; it survive

still in tenns in referringto place,as blot:.graben, 6/o";.'garten conf. the Hessen, phrase ^blotzcn miissen,'to have to fork out (sacrifice) money. An old knife or sword also is called blotz (seeSuppL). may

38

"VVOKSHIP.

.

ireihan,that

has misread

Graff 1, 128

immolare, libare Graff (2,1015) seems

later neihhan

a

think

I

ineihhan,which

this OHG.

from

(Gramm. 2, 810),as neben from inebeu ; by aphseresis To Graff 1, 127. this place also conf. eichon vindicare), (dicare, (libare, immolare),Diut. 1, 245. 248. 'pifelahan belongs the OHG. denotes All this strictly dedication, consecration only the on-saying,' of the offering ; and it follows from the terminologyat least

to have

risen

'

"

that

selected

particularobjectswere

Thus

is elsewhere

antheiz

inthcizan

In

the

also the

; hence

vovere

sense

same

AS.

sacrifice.^

solemn

promise,

has

onsecgan

determinative

to have

seems (offerre)

hmdan

lac Icbcodan, Ciedm.

early,AS.

votum,

vow,

a

for

to it.

added

substantives

simply

beforehand

173,

9.

ON.

been

in

use

hodn

(oblatio). I derive Muds AS. this biudan (mensa),ON. hioffr (discus), leod (mensa,lanx),OHG. plot,from its having originally signified the altar. the holy table of offerings, The Goth, fidlafalijan (with dat. of pers.)prop, to please,give is used for Xarpeveiv,Lu. 4, 8 (seeSuppL). In Mk. 1, satisfaction,

very From

"

44. Lu.

5, 14

athairan

is used adferre,Trpoa^ipeiv,

of sacrifice ; and

in oblatio ; so Wolfram bring by itself means Parz. 45, 1 says : si hrahtcn opfervil ir goten,and Tundgr. II. 25 : It is remarkable that the Goth, salj'an, ein lam zopphere hrdhtc. is intransitive and which elsewhere means divertere, manere [put

in

the

AS.

subst.

"

up,

lodge,John

1, 39. 40]

is in

Lu.

Mk.

1, 9.

Ovfitdvand

14,

12.

1 Cor.

10,

for hunsla saljan, transitively which John 16, 2 stands for Xarpelav Trpoaipepeiv, brings it up to and AS. sellan,ON. selja, the meaning of OHG. tradere,to hand included a personal because the solemn presentation over, possibly (obire)is occasionally appliedto approach. The OHG. ingangan Diut, 1, 272\ Lacomblet afgodahegangan, worship : piganc (ritus), its many Gildan, Jceltan,among meanings,has also to do 1, 11.

20. 28

used

dueLv,and

"

with that

worship and our

sacrifice ; it

guildstook their

3, 11. 6,

1. that

caustum,

Credm.

to

So the O.Boh.

promise or

devote

name.

from

175, 6, 177, 18.

5.

AS.

gildonsecgan,

(God's)geld,Hel. holohvjnegicld,

172,

Beda idololatria, deofolgield,

ohiecati obiet an

the old sacrificialbanquets

OS. waldandes

geld lestian,Hel. 16,

is a gield, 60, 5. offering

1

was

11.

3, 30.

Abel's Cod.

(Koniginh.lis. 72) is strictly opferverheissen,

offering.

39

SACRIFICE.

Cod. exon. 243, 23. OHG. hse^engield, offerWarn. 2906. : gote ir gdt bringent, heida,n]ceU sacrilegiurn dbiu blostar iro ghelstro, Is. 382. sacrificium,Is. 395. nncffJielstar, "

251, 24.

29.

245,

exon.

Peculiar

tbe

to

dialect is the

AS.

Idc,neut., often

generalterm

containingtbe notion of sacrifice : lac gode,CcX"lm. 177, 26. onbl^ot ]78et drybtne Idc brohton,60, 2. Idc onsregde, 107, 21. 113, 15. ongan Idc, Idc bebeodan, 173, 9. rendered

90,

definite

more

by

(seeSuppl.). Tbe

19

verbs

word

seems

to be of the

root

same

as

the

(Indus,modus), ON. leikr, at firstthe dance and play that accompanieda and to have signified then graduallythe giftitself.^ That there was playing sacrifice, and singingat sacrifices is shown by the passages quoted further Goth.

laiks

masc.

OHG. (saltatio),

leih

of Bremen, Gregory'sdialoguesand Adam I regardas more definite (seeSuppl.), The followingexpressions of firstfruitsat Ulph. in Eom. 11, 16 renders d7rapxv"the offering which I derive not from skapan, delibatio, a sacrifice, by ufarskafts, on, from

from

but

skaban

(shave) radere,

were dirapxal'

since

the

first

of hair off the victim's forehead,Odyss. 14, 422. 3, 446. clippings have passedfrom its must If we explainit from skapan,this word The Goth, vitod into that of facere,immolare. meaning of creare icizot (Graff1, 1112. is lex, the OHG. Fundgr. 1, 398^) both lex the latter alone ; justas the Fris. vitat invariably and eucharistia, zakon in Serv. has both meanings [but in Euss. only that of lex]. "Ulph. translates dvaia by Goth, hunsl, Matt. 9, 13. Mk. 9, 49. Lu. 2, 24 ; then againXarpeiav Trpoa^epetvin John 10, 2 by hunsla "

to the reference is expressly

where saljan,

is called

1, 11.

hunslastniSs,]\latt. 5, 23-4. Lu. AS.

Christian

killing.And

and

sacrament,

denotes

the

being applied to a eucharist, hilsdgong the

the

partakingof it,Msc/fa^t the sacred vessel of sacrifice ; conf. 260, 5 hiisdhtu halegu for the sacred vessels of Jerusalem. the

hihl

OK

in

never christian,

neither

can

I guess

in

a

the

heathen the

root

Norw. sense.

of the

sponding corre-

of

Engl, hoiisd,allows

husd,

dvo-iaaWjptov

But

Swed.

laws

No

hunsal

is found

"

wise Like-

is used

and

word.

CiTedni.

in

in

a

OHG.;

Twice, however, Ulph.

to offer ; Sloven, dar, -what is laid before,prilozhiti Sci-v. frilCg offering, the darina, daritva Swpov. [Euss. clarii sviatiiye Soipa "lepameans it be to not Slavic, eeenis eucharist.] The Sloven aldov,bloodless oflering, zhrtva 0. Slav, (Kopitar's in by resembles Huns,', aldozat. evaia is rendered in^Russ. zhertva zhariti to roast,burn I or zlu-ati devour, 1

=

=

Glagol.72"=), zhera glutton?].

by

[fr.

40

WORSHIP.

Ovata

renders

by sducfs, pi,saudeis,Mk. 12, 33. thought of the sacrifice as that of an

suppose he and boiled ; the root

seems

to be siuSan

to

Rom.

12, 1.

animal

seethe,and

I sup-

slaughtered the ON.

has

probablybecause its flesh is boiled.^ In Eph. 5, 2 we have hu7isl jah sdud' side by side,for irpocr^opavkoI Ovaiav,and in Skeir. 37, 8 gasaljandssik hunsl jah sauS. The OHG. zepar is of hostia,victima, Hymn. 10, 2. 12, 2. 21, also a sacrifice in the sense could 5. Gl. Hrab. 965^ Diut. 240'^ 272'' (seeSuppl). We match of it with a Goth, tihr,if we might venture on such an emendation the unique dihr Scopov, Matt. 5, 23 (conf. Gramm. 1, 63). My conjecture German that our ungeziefer(vermin),formerlyungezihcr,in and the O.Er. atoivre also belong to this root, has good reasons its favour. To this day in Franconia and Thuringia, ziefer, gezicfcr but not only designatepoultry, sometimes include even (insects) sauffr

a

ram,

'

'

"

goats and swine

228).

"Wliat

cannot

even

(Reinwaldhenneb.

seems

be

172, 31. 175,

to make

restricted to

id. 1, 49. 2, 52. conf. Schm. view

againstmy animals

at

is,that

all,Ceedm.

the

4,

A.S. tihcr

90, 29. 108, 5.

Cod. ^igoxtifer, of the contrary,in 60, 9 it is Cain's offering exon. 257, 30 ; on in distinction from Abel's gield; and in grainthat is called titer, ^Ifr. gl.62^^ we find wmtifer,libatio. But this might be a later confusion ; or our ungezieiev to weeds,and consequently may have extended include anything fit for sacrifice in zepar itself would there is also to be considered the plantsand trees.^ Meanwhile ON. a tafn,victima and esca ferarum. Lastly,I will mention heathen : forn, term peculiarto the ON. language,and certainly fern, victima, hostia,fdrna, immolare, or instead of it fornfcera, conf. Fornm. time,according sog. 1, 97 2, 76. this forna at the same to Biorn,meaning elevare, tollere. AS. forn porcus, porcaster (?). 3.

204, 6. 301,

1.

203, ^igntiher,

12.

"

^

Rom.

bodies a Krwigr.sauS' was scarcelya happy if sauSs combination, conveyed the notion of something boiled ! Can nothing ' be made of s6t5jan satiare sootlie (Milton's the soothest shepherd ' sweetest, Goth. sutista).PGrimm's law of change in mutes has many exceptions: pater father fseder vater (4 stages instead of 3, so mater) ; sessel a settle, and sattel

12, 1. 'present your

=

saddle,both

from sit sat ; treu true, but trinken drink, "c. Titur. 5198, ungezihere stands for monster can ; but what in Lanz. 5028 vor grozem ungezibele1 nibele 1 a

"

^

^

Caidm.

depends on

ungeziheUmean

tid gewat ofer tiher sceacan : ^pa, seo middangeardes. This meaning Thorpe himself did not rightlyseize,I understand passed on over (God's)giftof this earth. The inf. sceacan (elabi) gewat ; so in Judith anal. 140, 5 : gewiton on fleam sceacan, began still more freq.gewiton gangan.

passage, whose thus : As time to flee ; and

Trans.

9, 2

41

SACKIFICE.

If tlio 6 did

fom

vetus,

sorcerer,

canus antiquiis, prisons,

the

glossesfor

same

apphed by

then be the term the

former olden time, and would

there

be

the

that

actual

an

the

with

would

so

an

sacrifices of

heathen

christians to

easilyglideinto

kinshipconceivable

(zauber,magic),and

zoupar

it identify

adj.fom furnic fornccskiasorcery, and the OHG. the use (Graff3, 628) ; and in particular, would illustration of baccha pluostar. Fom could

hinder,we

not

sorcery,

z'eparand

between

additional

link

nay,

between

the

knowing as we do that the verbs wihan and [AS. gearwian to prepare, perhaps zouivan garaican, Goth, veihan to consecrate, and taujan to bring about]are applicable OHG. to both, though our karo, haraiui victima,Graff 4, 241 notions of sacrifice and

sorcery,

than what is made (Germ, gar, AS. gearw, yare) expresses no more ready,made holy,consecrated."^ We shall besides have to separate and census, Mid. Lat. votum more exactlythe ideas vow and sacrifice, is,as it were, a closelyas they border on one another : the vow privatesacrifice. at its ancient language had a varietyof words Here then our be supposed that they stood for different command, and it may

tilings ; but matter

is,to difficulty

the

unravel

what

the

differences in the

were.

Sacrifice rested

that human supposition intercourse takes place between

on

the

food is

agreeable

gods and men. gods,that and he really The god is invited to eat his share of the sacrifice, enjoysit. Not tilllater is a separate divine food placedbefore him : (seeSuppl.). The motive of sacrifices was everywhere the same to to the gods for their kindnesses, or either to render thanks to be or to be kept gracious, appease their anger ; the gods were

to

the

the two gracious again. Hence When and si?i-offerings.2 (!/ia7i/j-oirerings

main

made

a

meal

kinds was

of

sacrifice :

eaten, a head of

from accord, to Benfey 2, 307 process, comes Skr. kratu sacrifice, or vitula,Virg. eel. 3. 77) and operarlwere kri facerc , and in Latin, facere. (agnis, Bu'ot. peBdnv of used of the sacred act of sacrifice ; so in Grk, pi^^iv e'pSfti/, Od. 17, ivoric and is our t he ivirken, fpSeti/ epyeiv, iinppj^fiv , olfering liecatomb, dvcria. for so AtlienaJUS Oveiv, as dpuais 211. 403, 8pqv Biieiv, 5, pi(eiv,8pav, heisterbac. for (Ciesar. consecrare also uses The Catluilic conficcre, im-JioTc 1

The

"

=

priest

' 10, 16 the alicpiidi)lusnovi facere in Burcard of Worms compare of the victim. the slaughtering and p. 193'=. The Lat. cujcresignified generally offerings; but as these were conciliatory strictly, "'"7ui-opl'er, latter the as used I have expression, identical witli sin-offerings,

9, 27)

'

;

-

.S/f"rf-opfer,

short and

familiar.

"

Tiians.

42

WORSHIP.

the enemy killed, of the cattle conquered(seeSuppl),a firstling born, or grainharvested,tlie gift-bestowing god had a first rightto

game

a

part

(the

of the

food,drink,produce, the spoilsof

idea

same

grounded).

If

which

on

the

on

tithes to

contrary

the

church

famine,

a

war

a

or

of the chase

afterwards

were

failure

of

a

crops,

a pestilencehad set in among people,they hastened to present have by their propitiatory gifts(see Suppl.). These sin-offerings nature occasional and fitful character,while those performed to an the propitious recurringfestivals. deity readily pass into periodically There is a third speciesof sacrifice, by which one seeks to know the aid of the god to whom and to secure the issue of an enterprise,

could also be presented (seeSuppl.). Divination however without sacrifices. Besides these three, there were special practised births, sacrifices for particularoccasions,such as coronations,, also for the most part coupled weddings and funerals,which were it is

with

solemn

As

oftener

banquets. favour more the gods show cheerful than oppressed by

than

anger,

and

their sins and

men'

as

errors,

are

thank-

the more the earliest and commonest, sin-offerings were offerings in the world of plantscan be laid and impressive. Whatever rare before the gods is gay, innocent,but also less imposing and effective than an animal sacrifice. The streaming blood, the life spiltout Animal to have seems a stronger binding and atoning power. sacrifices while

are

natural

the husbandman

The

to

the

will offer up

great anniversaries assemblies

and

warrior,the of

assizes.^

grainand

the In

hunter, the

heathen

herdsman,

flowers. coincide

with

the' Ynglinga saga cap. 8

pular po-

they

thus : J?askyldibiota i moti vetri (towardswinter)til specified at sumri, J?at it J^riSja at miSjum vetri biota til groSrar, ars, enn var (forvictory). In the Olafs helga saga cap. 104 (Fornm. sigrblot (itis their custom) at hafa blot sog. 4, 237) en jjater siSr ]?eirra haustum (autumn) ok fagna ];a vetri, annat blot hafa ]?eirat a sumari at sumri, ];a fagna ];eir ; conf. ed. miSjum vetri,en hit ]?riSja offered to sacrifice was holm. cap. 115 (seeSuppl.). The Autumn winter the winter, and til ars ubertate) welcome (pro annonae ; the Midare

.

sacrifice til welcome

the summer,

groSrar(pro feracitate) ; the Summer and til sigrs(provictoria).Halfdan 1

RA.

245.

745. 821-5.

one

to

the Old

43

SACRIFICE.

long duration of his life and But the great generalblot held at Upsal every kingdom, Sn. 190. Fornm. winter included sacrifices til ars ok friSar ok sigrs,' sog. 4, sometimes til arbotar The formula 154. runs (year'sincrease), til friSar ok vetrarfars goSs (good wintertime). In a striking or held

sacrifice for the

greatmidwinter

a

'

'

'

'

great national sacrifices are of cattle, food and drink offerings

Gutalagh,p. 108,

of the

passage

the

from the smaller distinguished : firi J?ann tima hult oc oc a a lengi eptirsi];antro];umenu vi ok staf-gar|7a, a oc hauga, oc haij^ingu]?blotajm J?air synum dydrum sinum, oc fdcjyimi]? riiati oc tnundgcdi,jjatgier]?uJ^air sinni. Land alt hafj^i sir hoystu hlotan mi]?fulki, eptirvantro ellar hafjn liuer Jjrijjiungr sir. En smeri ]?ing hafjju mindri hlotan med, Jilepimati oc haita siipnautar: ])iet mungati, sum allir saman.' s%i]yu J^air with their numerous Midsummer-fires, Uaster-Jlrcs, Mayday-fires, such ceremonies, carry us back to heathen sacrifices ; especially customs as rubbmg the sacred flame,running throughthe glowing flowers into the fire, embers, throv/ing large baking and distributing loaves or cakes,and the circular dance. Dances passed into plays '

and

dramatic

representations (see ch. XIII, drawing the ship,ch. the witch-dances, ch. XXXIV).. Afzelius XXIII, and 1, 3 describes a sacrificial play still performed in parts of Gothland, acted by young fellows in disguise, who blacken and rouge their faces (seech. XVII, sub fine). One, wrajDt in fur,sits in a chair as the

victim,holdingin his mouth

which

reach

bristles :

far

as

The

is offering

with with

the

have

boar

laurel and

of straw-stalks the

and

VI) ; the

a

victorygained over

in documents

name

of the

Wiirdtwein

of the Mid.

gemcinwoche or

dipl.magimt.

conf. Hofers

ostr. wb.

25

or.

(Ecc.fr.

Michael's

on

intended

also

1

the

Ages

Another

1, 59) ; Zisa's day

was

celebrated

all

through."In

on

to

in

the

534

"

1, and

(seech.

stills bears

(see ch. XIII, Zisa),

chronicle

28th; so that the holdingof addition

Oct.

on

Scheffers Haltaus

the

sacrificed

was

high festival

week

III-V. praef.

1, 306.

Yule, which

Thuringiansin

common

sow-

(ch.XXXIII).

orange

this

of

(ch.X),just as

rosemary

rue, rosemary

fine,

cut

appearance

sacrificed at

great sacrificialfeast of the ancient Saxons

is traced to

be

and

ears

this is meant

by

England is decked devil's

his

as

bunch

a

a

placesit

142.'

p. on

Sept.

Sept.29, St. nmst harvcst-ofering on

the great

festivals, they

when specialoccasions, particularly

famine

or

44

WOESHIP.

disease

rife ; sometimes

was

3, 4;

for

or

blotinn

favour

dauSr

var

for

longlife :

with (thockasaeld)

when (sacrificed

kamban', Landn.

'

1, 14. 3, 16.

biota til langlifl,' Landn, the

This

epithetJcamhan

man's

jnchim^ida funus, r^Iid.

Dut. hiitiban comere,

to Andr.

Human

blotted

er

body

; I connect

refer to

must

it with Diut.

the

2, 207*.

OHG. conf.

4.

from

are Sacrifices

human

by

their nature

heinous

great disaster,some

some

'

dead) fiir thokkasaeld,ok kallaGr

the sacrifice of the dead

note

people: Grimr,

blood.

crime

AVith

and

originexpiative ; only be purged and

can

all nations

of

antiquitythey old-established custom an evidences were place it ; the following beyond a doubt for Germany (seeSuppl.). Tac. Germ. 9 : Deorum out

^

maxime

Mercurium

colunt,cui certis diebus Jmmanis

litare fas habent.

puUice

Germ.

39

tempore in silvam

stato

:

liostiis

quoque

(in the

coeunt,

celebrant barbari people'sname) horrenda primordia. Tac. Ann. 1, CI : lucis propinquisbarccnturiones apud quas tribunos ac primorum ordinum arae,

caesoque

ritus barae

Tac. Ann.

mactaverant.

Cattis exitiosius

perum,

Mercurio

sacravere,

danUir.

homine

13, 57

bellum

sed

:

fuit,quia victores diversam

equi,viri, cuncta

voto

quo

Isidori chron.

Goth., aera

446

:

Italiam corum) unus Eadagaisus diis promittenssangwincm Christianorum .

Jornandes

Hermunduris

.

.

Martem

cap. 5: quem

Gothi

aciem

Marti

victa

occidioni

ac

(regum Gothi-

quorum

belli feritate suis

pros-

aggreditur,

litare,si vinceret.

asperrimaplacavere victimae ejus mortcs fuere caidorum, opinantesbellorcultura,nam um praesulem aptius humani sanguinis effusione placandum.^ Orosius he calls a Scythian,but 7, 37 of Eadagaisus,whom makes him lead Goths to est barbaris Italy: qui (ut mos dcvovcrat.^ hujusmodi generis) sanguinem diis suis proimiare ^

Lasaulx

die

siilmopferder

semper

Griechen

u.

Eomer, Wurzburg

1841,

pp.

8"13. -

and TTji avTo)

Conf.

C?es. de

B. Gall. 6, 17 on the on

Procop. de B. Goth. 3, 14 unavTcov drjjjLiovpyov aaTpanris [iuas re Ka\ Upela anavTa.

6i'ii/aTosfir], T] voam Qvaiav dtafPvycocri, dvovaiv

onep

Kvpiov .

ciXovcxi, rj es ro)

6"o

worship of

povov

.

.

and avTov

aX\

Mars

Antes

:

the Gauls ; among Bebv yih yap i'vatov

vopl^ovatvflvai,Kal dvovcriv eVetSai/ avrols

iv

tvoctlv

6 iJStj

TvoKepov KaditTTCipevois, eTrayyeWovraiptv,

rjv

de avTiKa '^v)(^rjs TTOirjcrav, 8ia(pvy6i/T"s o'iourai ti)vacorrjpiav Bvaias avrols t^s Si) ravrr^s

avrt

/cat

VTrea^ovTO,

the

Slavens

rrji

fcovrjcrOai. ^

oruiu

Of ,

him .

ubique, qnod

Avigustine says, in Romae

.

a

.

sacriliciisnon

.

.

sermo

Jovi

desisteret.

105, cap. lO : Rhadagaysus rex Gothquotidie,nuutialjaturc|ue sacrijlcahat

45

teAuniFiuE.

2, 15 of the Thulites,i.e. Scandinavians

bello Goth.

Trocopiusde Se

lepeicov

KciXkiaTOV to crcpicrt,

XoiTov

eVel Oeov Heriili dvd

ir

"7roi7](Tatvro

ttoXvv

tovtov

pwrov.

Franks

2, 25, of the ah^eadyconverted

ol ^pdyyot,tt he Tri"i"ye(pvpa"; eirtka^ofjievoi, ov"i7rep evTavOa

TotOcov,

Twv

Ka"i

i^

rd a-cofxara

Tov

irorajxbvdupoOivia

ol /Sdp^apoi yap

Tovv.

ovroi,

Sidonius decimum

quemque

Saxon.

9

:

daemonibus

paganorum, 42

qui fanum

:

captorum

violavit ; the remained Dietmar

heathens of the

longer.

What

.

Graecus

Avar

de

necare.

to heathens

cruciarias

poenas,

partib.

Frisionum, additio sap. tit.

Frisians

diis,quorum '

crimina

allowed

paganissua

to

sell slaves, and

for sacrifice. Tlie

(a) Suevis pccudismore

Cimbri,and

Epist.Bonif 25 (ed. agi in partibus illis

immolandum

ad

tempia

Laubachi,'who

trans

relates of the

Strabo

inter alia Wlirdtw.): hoc quoque dixisti,quod quidam ex fidelibus vemtndcnt were mancipia; masters

christians sold them

remeaturis

de Capitul.

will be cited later.

Northmen,

est

mos

immolatur

effregerit law affected only the .

t^?

et in hostiam, more sacrificaverit

Lex

oUulerit. .

epptir-

/xavreia'i irocovfievoi.

aequales et

per

diabolo

quishominem

si

avrcDv

XP^I^^^"^dvdpcoircov

re

ritu hoc tristiquod superstitioso

plus ob

/cat

re

:

yvvai-

Kau

re

9

a

7ro\e/j,ov

re

ocTia

ovx

8

koX

of the Po

rd iroWd Xpiariavolyeyov6Te"i,

ra? lepevovre'?, ravrj] ApoUinaris8, 6 of the Saxons:

dWa

Kol

1

rov

Ovaiaiq ho^T]^"^v\dcraovaL,

'KaXai.d^

a

ta-

Ibid.

iSoKet eivat.

lepevov

evpov

Sr]

ofiiXov, o"?

their passage

at

So p

av

Ibid. 2, 14, of tlie

avToU

oaiov

Se

rcov

"Apet Ovovaiv,

ra"

yap

deojv voixl^ovTe"i

rwa

6uaiai"; IXdaKeaOai,

(ov

p(07r

6"i iariu, ovrrep

pcoir

niytarov elvai. vo/mi^oucrt

avTov

:

dv6

ivayl^ovai.

koI

lepelairavra ivSeXex^cTT^^TO,

6vovai

:

litatus

captiveprince (ch.XIII, the

goddessZisa).^For evidences of human sacrifice among the Norse, Miiller's sagabibl. 2, 560. 3, 93. As a rule,the victims were see captiveenemies, purchasedslaves or great criminals ; the sacrifice of

women

and

of the Greek

children

by Sta^aT7]pLa ; -

the Franks

on

crossinga

the firstfruits of war,

the

river reminds first prisoner

Litlinanians : draconc:^" ."'ituDaniae cap. 24, of the homines, litcmt vivos etiam volucribus, qiiibus quos a mercatoribus adorant cum in mactilam iie omnino corpore habeant. probates, emunt, diligenter the bridge,the firstto first to cross 2 Hence the Iblk-tales, in onr own Avhich meant, falls a with his life, tlie the new country, pays enter bnihlingor et quantosad of thcHiins properant, : Jornandes Scythiam sacrifice. cap. 25, Vidorine. Utavere habuere, Scytharum cwuitie priusin iwjressu 1

Adam

of Bremen

de

46

WORSHIP.

taken,was

supposed to bring luck. In folk-tales we find traces of the immolation of children ; they are killed as a cure for leprosy, they are walled up in basements (oh.XXXV, XXXVI, end) ; and feature that particularly a pointsto a primitivesacrificial rite is, that

toys and victuals

handed

are

in to the

is

completed. Among the Greeks and fell amid noise and flute-playing, that and

the tears of children

immoletur

daughters, nay, of the gods ; Worm mon.

and to

son

sacrificed oiine

Yngl. saga

after the

one

sons

cap, 29.

And

Romans

the

likewise the victims

their cries

stifled with

Extraordinaryevents

'.

kings'sons up his

are

while the roofing-in child,

might be drowned,

caresses,

'

might demand kings themselves. dan, 285. King other to OSin

Swedes

in

flebilishostia

ne

the

death

Thoro Oen

for his

of

offers

the

Old

long life ;

grievousfamine, when

a

other

offered up their great sacrifices proved unavailing, Domaldi; ibid. cap. 18.

oion

king

Animal

but sometimes were mainly thank-offerings, sacrifices also expiatory, and as such they not seldom, by way of mitigation, took the placeof a previoushuman sacrifice. I will now quote the conccssis animalihcs evidences (seeSuppl.). Herculem et Martem with animals suitable for the purpose placant,Tac, Germ. 9 ; i.e., as (Hist.5, 4), concessum meaning sacrum againstprofanum ; and only those animals were whose flesh could be eaten suitable, It would have been unbecoming to offer food to the god, by men. '

'

which time

the

sacrificer liimself would

these

sacrifices appear

have

be

disdained.

At

the

same

also

banquets; an appointed beast is placedbefore the god,the rest is portionof the slaughtered cut in the assembly. The people consumed up, distributed and thus became and the god is regarded partakersin the holy offering, with them at their meal fices as feasting (seeSuppl.). At great sacrithe kings were expectedto taste each kind of food,and down and dwarfs had their portionset to late times the house-spirits aside for them by the superstitious people. Quadragintarustici a immolatitias comedere compellebantur, Langobardiscapti carnes to

"

than that the no more Greg.M. dial, 3, 27 ; which means Langobardspermittedor expectedthe captivechristians their sacrificialfeast.^ ^

I do

not

'. expecting "

know

Trans.

how

These

'immolatitiae

can comjiellere

be

down

to

to

share

'hostiae im-

carnes' and

softened

heathen

*

permittingor

47

SACRIFICE.

molatitiae, quas stulti homines

juxta ecclesias ritu pagano faciuut also mentioned in Bonifacii epist. 25 and 55, ed. Wlirdtw. In tlie earliest period,the Horse to have been the seems

are

favourite

animal

introduction

of

for sacrifice ; there

its flesh Christianity

nothingin the

was

converts, and

their not

as

'

of the

ways

doubt

no

that

slaughterof

horses

eatingof horseflesh ; conf Nialss. cap. 106, Northmen reviled the Swedes hross-ceturnar ; as Fagrsk.p. 63.

King Hakon,

whom

time

Boniface

ed. (Ei^ist.

(hrossa-sldirj The

Fornm.

Wlirdtw.

25.

Catti.

87

As

kuI l3oa^,

aXXa

ed i7n6etd^ov(TL,

cuttingo^

of the

bonn.

28, 5.

"

head, which

consecrated

by way of approaching the scene fastened to the stems Tac.

antefixa ora, horses,which

[xvpLa k

arra

ann.

of

par

Here

fiovPT

the

with

overthrow,

had

were

no

:

'iTrirovi

the

Cacina, horses

saw

on

heads

trtincis arlorum

other than

seized in the battle and

to their

horseflesh.

the rest,but

When

god.

the

142),i

overlook

not

(equorum artus,simul

1, 61),these

as

(beheading),

"";

must

consumed

to

Varus's

o

we

not

was

eminence

of trees

the Germans

a

late

Serr. 121.

Thuringiansare strictly enjoined to abstain from Agathias bears witness to the practiceof the Alamanni Kab

sog. 2,

learn that the Her-

we

the

re

Christian

subjectssuspectedof skyldieta hrossasldtr ;'Saga

sacrificed the horses of the defeated

of

new

his

called upon 'at hann was Christianity, Hak. g6(5acap. 18. From Tac. ami. 13, 57 munduri

the

There

offensive to the

so

the

309.

before

eaten. universally

was

heathen

the

givingup

is

the Eoman offered up

gods^(seeSuppl). A similar immolati diis eqid ahscissum meets in Saxo gram. p. 75 ; in the North they fixed it on us cainit' the neidstange(niSstong, stake of envy) which gave the power to bewitch an Egilss.p. 389. In a Hessian kindermarchen enemy, but no longerunderstood, (no.89) we have surviving, a reminiscence ^

'

Inter cetera

afjrestemcahallum

comedere caliquantos adjunxisti, plerosque lieri sinas. And deiiiceps nequaciuam inprimisde volatiUbus, id est graculiset cornicnlis atque ciconiis, cavendae sunt ab quae omnino christianorum. etiani et fibri et leporeset cqui silvatici luulto esu et doviesticum. hoc

,

aniplius

vitandi.

Af^^ain, Hieronymus adv. Jov.

niatae, Quadi,Vandali delectantur.

Otto

Nik

et

et

innumerabiles

lib. 2 (ed. basil. 1553. 2, 75) Saraliae gentes equai-inn et vulpium carnibus "

frising. 6, 10 audiat, quod Pecenati (thewild Peschen;ere, Falones vocantur qui (the Vahven, Nib. 1279, 2. Tit. ininmndis carnibiLs, ut^jote cquiniset catinis usque hodie .

1280, 2) 4097), Orudis vescuiitur.

et

Rol.

hi

of the heathen : sie ezzent diu ros. horseflesh eating (see Suppl.). in that passage of Jornandes about Mars : huic

98, 20

Witches

also

are

charged with ""'

bantur

Also

exuviae.

truncis

suspende-

48

of

WORSHIP.

tlie

of

mysterious meaning

suspended Iwrscs

a

Norse

the heatlien

horse-sacrifices among

But

"

on

tion further informa-

have

we

head}

peculiarvahie. The St. Olaf s saga, cap. 113 (ed.holm. 2, ok stign,at j^arvseri drepitnaut 181),says: ]?atfylgSiok }?eirri slain neat and the sayingthat there were liross til arbotar (followed of the end at the very liorse for harvest-boot).A tail-piece Hervararsagamentions a similar sacrifice offered by the apostate at the election of king Svein (secondhalf of 11th century): Swedes til ok hoggviti sundr, ok sJcipt var ]?aframleidt hross eitt a J?ingit, hluttre ; kostuSu bloSinu ]?aallir Sviar kristni ok ids, en rio]?U(5u led forward ahorse into the Thing,and hewed liofust blot ; then was with the blood and they reddened in sunder, and divided for eating, Dietmar of Merseburg's Tornald. sog. 1, 512. "c. the blot-tree, Danish) sacrificial rite, (strictly descriptionof the great Norse of

however

which

extinct

was

a

hundred

time, torted dis-

legendwiseand exaggerated

circumstances

evidentlycontains

his

before

years

quia ego de hostiis (ISTorthmannorum) in his mira audivi, haec indiscussa praeterirenolo, est unus nomine, in pago qui partibuslocus, caput istius regni,Lederun ; he

says

dicitur,ubi

Selon^

tempus

:

Sed

post

et ibi diis suismet

canibus

et

mense

annos

novcm

theophaniam

nos

quo

venerunt, cum

1, 9

domini

Ixxxx,

et

Januario, post

celebramus,

con-

omnes

ix. homines, et totidem

oblatis,immolant, gallispro accipitribus

hoc

pro

cqms,

certo,

praedixi, putantes hos eisdem erga inferos servituros,et commissa bene rex noster (Heinrich1. crimina apud eosdem placaturos. quam an. 931) fecit,qui eos a tam execrando ritu prohibuit! A grand able festive sacrifice, coming once in nine years, and costinga considerJust in this there is nothing incredible. of animals number there was lived on, when hecatomb nothing like that as the name here the legend was so number likelyto keep to a highsacrificed, victims perhaps it sounding number; the horror of the human the reason in bodily. But threw allegedfor the animal sacrifice

ut

"

"

is

evidently wide

1

her

Franks,

mark

the

7, 5) ('ej-iist.

tlie Great

Gregory with

of

'

ut

de

; it mixes

admonishes

animalium

up

what

Branichild

cajntibussacrilicia

done

was

to

take

cautions pre-

non sacrilega

exhibeant.' "

Leire

Selond,ON. Lederun, the Sax.

Selon

for

; conf. Goth,

Siclundr, afterwards

dat. of Ledera, ON. tahernacuhim. hleijjra

Sioland, Seeland, HleiSra,

afterwards

land. t.e., Zea-

Lethra,

49

SACRIFICE.

witli what

funerals ^

at

and

of nobles

the bodies

done

was

rich

expiation. It

for that

men

followed

were

only

was

in death

and by domestic and hunting animals, so that by bondsmen Suppose 99 they might have their services in the other world. have been sacrificed to say prisonersof war, intended to have been cannot the gods,the animals specified

to

will

we

men,

chase with

a

ambiguous

eisdem

stands

making

refers to homines

named

or

legendhas

alone

added

on.^

of Bremen's

How

beasts

of the

So whether

the

that of all the victims and

hounds

cocks

story looks by the side

Dietmar's

shall Upsal sacrifice,

the

on

any

whom

(aseosdem just after somethinginadmissible

sacrificed ; men,

were

gods,to

diis

there is either way latter), the new year'sfestival I believe

the horses

of Adam

or

of them.

use

for the

asserted. At

the

to their

view

of the

use

horses slaughtered

apart and

set

ever

one

no

yet for the

enemies, nor

those

escort

be considered

on

p. 53.

Among and most

that of the sacrifices,

all animal solemn.

Slavic and Finnish

Our

have

ancestors

liorse

this in

nations,with Persians

common

and

preeminent

was

Indians

with several :

with all of

sacred animal.^ passedfor a specially from Agathias Sacrifice of Oxen (see SuppL). The passage koX ^oaq) proves the Alamannic re (iTTTrof? custom, and that from A letter to Saint Boniface the Olafssaga (nmct ok hross)the Norse. 82, Wiirdtw.)speaksof ungodly priestsqui tauros et liircos (Epist. diis paganorum immolabant.' And from Gregory the Great one ad Mellitum 10, 76 and in Beda's hist. eccl. 1, 30) affirms (Epist. of the Angles : hovcs solent in sacrificiodaemonum multos occidere. the horse

them

'

^

With

and

servants Sigiirt5r conf. RA. well,

and

hawks

are

burnt,Ssem.

225^ ; elsewhere

horses

morbo dogs Asvitiis, consumptus, cum caneetequo mandatur terreno Saxo antro as misinterprets, though the ; gram. p. 91, who dead man fed upon them : nee contentus equi vel canis esu, p. 92. ^ ' Pro accipitribus that used. in default of hawks, cocks were means, Some have taken it,as though dogs and cocks were sacrificed to deified birds of But the ' pro ' is immistakable. prey. ^ Conf. Bopp'sNalas and Damajanti,p. 42, 268. The Hyperboreanssacrificed as

344.

'

asses

metam.

20.

to

Apollo ; The

Pindar

same

In a Mod. Greek poem .'similaroft'ering to seems

fr. 187. Anton. Liberal, Buckh inscr. I, 807. 809. Delphi; corp. w. Tadupov,Xvkov koI aXcoTroCy 8u]yT]ais 429-434, a be spoken of ; and Hagek's bohm. chrou. p. 62 gives Slavs. That, I suppose, is why the Silesians are

was

Pyth.

done

instance among the called ass-eaters (Zeitvertreiber 1668,

an

same

10.

Callimach.

at

p. 153) ; and if the Gottingorsreceive the be very old in Germany itself (see

nickname, these popularjokesmust

Suppl.). 4

50

The

WORSHIP.

Hack

and hlack cow, which

ox

hold to be killed for the house-

not

are

Val. they sacred sacrificial beasts? (Superst.887), were Suplit,a free peasant on the Samland coast (Samogitiaor SemiI will add sacrificed a Hack hull with strange ceremonies.^ galia), During a famine in Sweden under a few examples from the Norse. Sviar blot stor at Uppsolum, it king Domaldi : ]?aeflSo (instituted) proving ; and the oxen yxmim fyrstahaust (autumn) blotuSu j^eir insufficient, they graduallywent up to higher and higher kinds ; Yngl. saga, c. 18. ]7a gekk hann til hofs (temple) Freyss, ok leiddi jjagatuxan gamlan (an old ox), ok maelti sva : Freyr,nu bra sva viS, at hann qvaS vi3, gef ek ]?eruxa ]?enna ; en uxanum "

'

'

(dealtthe

ok fell niSr dauSr

9.

At

gamall,var (thenwas

];atkallat led forth

saga p. 214-8. The Greek a

Sacrifice of

"

Cotvs,Sa^m.

(asthe cKarofji^r}

too

of neat, but

very

soon

conf, Kormaks-

Fornm.

sog.

This

other.

; else

Franks

between so

set

seems

why 700

the

on

nmjcdissacrivus

relic of the

a

the term and

apart for holy

3, 193.^

den.

there

(17

must

higher

a

votivus than

any

on

sacrifices of the heathen

True, there is

sacrivus ?

600

use

ancient

or

at

of other beasts also.

Boars, Pigs (see SuppL). In the Salic Law, tit. 2,

compositionis set

138.

2,

oxen) consisted

; Holzmann

hundred

a

506.

100

shows,

name

sacrificesof

had

141.

blot-neat,

called

old,it was

and

victoryhad),Egilss. p.

who

largenumber

Indians

The

foe:

bull mickle

a

that should he hew

first of

groan

J?avar leiddr fram grdc^ungrmikill ok hlotnaut,]?atskyldi sa hoggva er sigrhefSi

vanquished his

that had

a

Islend. sog. 2, 348. conf. Vigaglumssaga,cap. duel the victor slew a hull with the same weapons

formal

a

blow, that he gave

a

dead);

fell down

and

such

ox

and

have

15

no

sol.) ; but

been

a

vast

ence differ-

of animals in

great number

price per head did not need to be high. selected immediatelyafter birth,and marked, Probably they were In then and reared with the rest till the time of sacrificing.

heathen

times, so

that

the

"

Frankish

and

Alamannic

documents

there

often

occurs

the

word

for agnus, occasionally but sometimes usuallyfor porcellus, friscin^, limited sense of porcinusand agninus;the word may by in the more

Berlin, monatsclir. 1802. 8, 225. conf. Lucas David 1, 118-122. the butchers at a set time of and of districts France, In many Germany decked with flowers and ribbons, the streets a fattedox the year lead through Holland In and collect and they call fife, drink-money. accompaniedby drum while butcher %valks in his a horns, the ox hdder, and hang gildedapples on old relic sacriiicialrite. of this some seems a front with the axe (beil).All 1 2

51

SACRIFICE.

lives only in natus, new-l)orn,^but it now originexpress recens How to explainthen, of porcellus(frischling). the sense are we the that this OHG. friscingin several writers translates precisely Lat. liostia, victima, holocaustum (ISTotker cap. 8, ps. 15, 4, 26, 6. 33, 1. 39, 8. 41, 10. 43, 12. 22. 50, 21. 115, 17. osterfriscing, ps. 20, i.e.lamb unblemished 3. lamp unkawemmit kakepan erdu friscing, given to earth a sacrifice, Hymn 7, 10),except as a reminiscence of ? The Jewish paschallamb would not suggest it, heathenism for in the idea of porcellus was predominant. In the North, the friscing sacrifice; offered to Freyr,was a periodical expiatoryboar, sdnargoltr, to modern and Sweden has continued down times the practice in the shape of a boar. of baking loaves and cakes on Yule-eve This golden-bristled boar has left his track in inland Germany too. Christmas on Accordingto popular belief in Thuringia,^whoever will get sightof a young abstains from all food till suppertime, eve ing brought up last at the evengoldenpig,i.e. in olden times it was banquet. A Lauterbach ordinance (weisthum)of 1589 decreed (3, 369), that unto a court holden the day of the Three-kings, therefore in Yule time, the holders of farm-steads (hiibner) should furnish a clean goldferch while (gold-hog) gelded yet under doubt slaughtered led round milk ; it was the benches, and no afterwards.^ So among the Welsh, the swine offered to the gods its

"

sub

Ducange

1

v.

Eccard

2

Grati" 3, 833. beitr. zur Gutgesells

Fr.

blet 1, 327. p. 138. ^ This

passage those of Vinkbuch

from

2, 677.

or.

Sclimeller

gesch.des

the Lauterb.

ordin.

I

can

now

match

in the Alamann country. It says 1, 436 7 schilling a swine worth pick out in the convent pfennig,and begins,let it into the convent crewyard,-where it must be fare and

I.

denkm.

Dorows

Lacom-

2, 55.

wtb. 1, 619. deutschen alterthums, Meiningen 1834,

by

another

from

; the provost shall soon as harvest as

allowed

generous there it is left tillthe Thursday after St. Adolf's half to the it is slaughteredand divided, half to the farm-bailiff, and cheese to bread the same day there is also a distribution of

free access

day, when parish; on the parish. fi.xed by the "

to the

The

corn

and a half shillingstallies with the seven the ordinary ordin.,and is a high one, far exceeding an 1827, pp. 336-7); it was arrangement longcontinued

price of

Lauterb.

;

seven

value (conf GiJtt. anz. and often employed in these ordinances,and one well suited to a beast selected is doled out for sacrifice. The like that of Vinkbuch, Lauterbach goldferch, alter it (3,370) ; and consumed at a festive meal ; the assize itself is named

has been forgottenor suppressed. St. too. in other parts of Germany 30 Adolf was his day falls on (Conr.v. a bishopof Straszburg, August 29 or Dankr. namenb. p. 117),and the assize therefore in the beginningof September. at

Vinkbuch

the

Assuredly such

Swine and

as

heathenish

assize-feasts

slaughteredfor the both of these by turns

are

name

were

only

held

household are

when

winter

sets

in,in Nov.

there called schlachtmoivat,

or

Dec.

;

might lingeriu

52

WOESEIP.

became

destined

one

for the

King'stable. Anglo-Saxons,and (Freyr)we have to

'

eoforirenheard of the the worship of Froho and by. The Greeks stands very

Nerthus

sacrificed swine

near

It is the 'sivin of its exact treat

more

to Demeter

ealgylden,

relation to in detail

who (Ceres),

by as

NiorSr,Freyr and Freyja,

to

came Rams, Goats (seeSuppl.). As friscing "

victima,so

to mean

Goth. sauSs,seems for animal to have sacrifice, converselya name for the animal sau"r=^Qi\\Qv. itself, given rise to the OjST. name therefore not rare, though it is seldom of sacrifice was This species expresslymentioned, probably as being of small value. Only the goGa cap. 16 informs us : ];arvar oc drepinn (killed) saga Hakonar Small denotes principally hross. allskonar small, ok sva {firj\a) generallythe small beasts of the flock as opposed sheep,also more alls konar (omnis generis) is here and horses,and as to oxen sacrifice of he-goats to include goats. The added, it seems (hircos) '

'

.

spoken of in the above-quotedEpist.Bonif. 82. In the Swedish the water-sprite, teach any one to play before it wiU superstition, folkv. 2, the harp,requiresthe sacrifice of a llach lamb ; Svenska of she-goats 128. being sacrificed ; Gregory the Great speaksonce of their gods, he says the Langobards offer to the devil,i.e.,io one

is

caput

dedicantes reared

hoc

ei,

; Dial.

3, 28.

caprae,

aloft,and

the

per

circuitum This head

people bowed

nefando

currentes, carmine of

a

she-goat(orhe-goat?) was

before

it.

The

halloiclng of a (Luc.David 1,

he-goatamong the ancient Prussians is well known 87, 98). The Slavonian god Triglav is represented with three goats'heads (Hanka's zbjrka 23). If that Langobardic carmen could judge more had been preserved, nefandum we exactlyof the it with from the report of the holy father,who viewed rite than '

'

hostile eyes. About

other sacrificial beasts

we

cannot

be

for certain,

of Diet-

dogs and hawks and cocks, hardly any but the last are to be depended on (seeSup^^l.).But even then, what of domestic poultry, and christian Jewish a fowls, geese, pigeons? The dove was mar's

this also

a

tWtmoneS. sends which It is which often

reference to heathen The

common

man

sacrifices ; at

AS.

for Xov.

is

expressly feast, and yearly slaughtering gets up neighbours (conf.maiichli,Stalder 2, 525), his

an

name

a

to his distribution of flesh. of the common sacrifice and survival be a may solemn in Sei-via the that remarkable too, at burning of the badnyak, and ivhole swine is roasted, the is exactlylike a yule-log(ch.XX, Fires), Vuk's 103-4. with it a sucking fig along Montenegro,pji. ;

meat

and

sausages

SACRIFICE.

06

Asklepios,and in Touraine a of a white cock used to be sacrificed to St. Christopherfor the cure doubtless only bad finger(Henri Estienne cap. 38, 6). Of game, the Greeks sacrifice,

fit to eat

those

a

uneatable and

fit to

to

sacrifice, stags,roes, wild boars,but

never

ghostlybeing,and kind of worship. Yet one might suppose that for expiation justas slaves beasts,equallywith men, might be offered, the burnt and falcons followed hounds body of their of Bremen's first of all placeAdam must Here we tion descrip-

bears,wolves receive

were

offered cocks

also

master.

or

themselves

foxes,who

possess

a

account

great sacrifice at Upsalaby the side of Dietmar's of that at Hlethra (seep. 48) : Solet quoque post novevi

annos

communis

(4,27) of

the

"

ad quam celebrari,

ceremoniis

quod

animante

jam

induerunt

Sacrificium

redimunt.

se

masculinum

est,

novem

est. mos sanguinedeos tales placari in lucum qui proximus est templo. arbores ejusex ut singulae gentilibus,

divinae

credantur.

quorum

corpora

orum

Ibi etiam

mixtim

christianitatem

ab

illis

itaque tale est : ex omni capitaofferuntur ; quorum Corpora autem suspenduntur Is

enim

morte

lucus

tam

sacer

est

vel tabo immolatorum

hominibus, qui pendent cum narravit mihi quidam christian-

canes,

suspensa

vidisse.

scptuagintaduo

se

solennitas

; reges et populi, praestatur immunitas dona ad Ubsolam transmittunt,et, quod omni

crudelius est, illiqui

poena

provinciarum

nulli

singulisua

et

omnes

Sveoniae

omnium

Ceterum

naeniae,

quae

in

sunt et inhonestae, ejusmodiritibus libatoriis fieri solent,multiplices ideoquemelius reticendae. The number nine is prominent in this sacrificialfeast,exactlyas in the Danish ; but here also all Swedish of legend. First, the heads of victims in the spirit is conceived the Franks and Langobards; the essential thingagain, as among seem "

then the

dogs come

but at the up wolves

same or

in

support of those Hlethra

time remind

dogs by

us

of the old

the side of

*

hounds

and

custom judicial criminals (RA. 685-6).

hawks,'

of

hanging That only

is in livingcreature is here to be sacrificed, accord with an episode in the Eeinardus,which was sti"ilcing composed less than a century after Adam, and in its groundwork At the wedding of a king, might well be contemporary with him. the males of all quadrupedsand birds were to have been slaughtered, It looks to me their escape. but the cock and gander had made like a legend of the olden time, which stillcirculated in the ll-12lh a even centuries, and which nursery-tale(No. 27, the Town-

the

viale

sex

of every

54

WOKSHIP.

musicians)knows animals

somethingof.^ Anyhow,

times

male

to be in

seem

one

of every

not

come

up

for sacrifice.^ As for killincr specialdemand koL aWa species(and even Agathias's arra /xvpia does it would to that), be such a stupendous affair, that its

actual execution have

in heathen

existed

could

never

have

been

conceivable

; it

only

can

in

popular tradition. It is something like the old Mirror of Saxony and that of Swabia assuringus that every living creature at deed of a present rapine,whether oxen, horses,cats, dogs,fowls,geese, swine or men, had to be beheaded, as well as the actual delinquent(inreal fact,only when his property) they were f like the Edda or exacted of all animals relatinghow oaths were and all beings were and plants, The creatures requiredto weep. belongingto a man, his domestic animals, have to suffer with him in

of

case

Next the

cremation,sacrifice or punishment. to the kind, stress was undoubtedlylaid

animal,

on

the colour of

tvJiite

White being considered the most favourable. horses are often spoken of (Tac.Germ. 10. Weisth. 3, 301. 311. 831),even so far back as the Persians (Herod.1, 189). The friscing of sacrifice was probably of a spotlesswhite ; and in later lawrecords snoiv-whitc pigs are pronounced inviolable.* The Votiaks

sacrificed the

a

red

old German of

the Tcheremisses stallion, law

dun

or

for witchcraft sacrifices^;

also, animals

demanded requisite.The water-sprite have

a

Saxo

Gram.

p. 16

says;

that

mean

hlack

beasts ?

Hack

lamb

often

pied cattle were tithes,this might have

fines and

and

hlack

cat

a

We

some

may

under

requiredin connexion

particularhue

a

ment paywith were

lamb, and the huldres

hlack

offered up

divinam

rem "

of

tohite. When

a

to them

facere

(Asb.1. 159). fnrvis hostiis ; does that

suppose

cattle

were

Or will any one trace this incident in the Reynard to the words of the in Matt. Vnlgate 22, 4 : tauri mei et altilia occisa sunt, venite ad nuptias; which describe the preparationsfor the wedding-feast ? merely Any liint 1

about ^

males The

is

just what

Greeks

the passage lacks. animals to god?., female to

ofiered male

white

male lamb to Helios a (sun), a hlack eive Lithuanians sacrificed to their earthgod Zemiennik animalia ; Haupt'szeitschr. 1, 141. ^ *

cum

goddesses,II. 3, 103 : lamb to Ge (earth). Tiie domestica utriusquesexus

zeitschr. fiirdeutsches recht 5, 17, 18. RA. 261. 594. Weisth. 3, 41. 46. 69. conf. Virg. Aen. 8, 82 foetu concolor albo sus ; and the Umbrian : trif apruf rufru ute

Reyscher and

Wilda

Aufrecht und Kirchh. apros rubros aut piceos), s RA. 587. 667. Weisth. 1, 498. 3, 430. gods ; Tettau and Temme preuss. sag. 42.

umbr. White

2, si^rachd. animals

:

Candida

fciu (tres

278-9.

hateful

to

the

55

SACEIFICE,

garlandedand adorned cows, gold-horned requires in Mansfeld a

a

sacrifice.

for

Saem. 141*

coal-black

with

ox

;

A

of village

and in the

white

a

and

star

the

in

passage

Edda

Fienstadt

white

feet,and

cations imposed as dues.^ There are indihe-goatwith gildedhorns were led round were that the animals,before being slaughtered, circle of

the

within

perhaps,as

in the service

Greeks

e.g.,that

colts and

formal

at

of

of landmarks.

On

a

information laid down

bullocks

procedure in

the actual

except its life

from

the

on

had

ox

Norse

a

are

land,or

explainthe pp. 51, 52

"

the give them (seeSuppl.). Probably

Romans,

death^

the

transfer of

law-records removers

and

currere, to

also that the victim should

of man,

For such

waggon.

^^e?' circuituni

to going voluntarily

to be taken

had

care

the

among of

appearance

"

I

is how

that

assembly

and benches,

the

leading round

the

not

have

been used

drawn

never

plough or

requiredin our ancient the ploughing to death

sacrifice, we

have

authorities.

scarcelyany

While

sacrificial stone, all the

the

animal

streaming blood

caught either in a hollow dug for the purpose, or in vessels. With this gore they smeared the sacred vessels and utensils,and sprinkledthe participants.^ Apparently divination of the blood,perhaps a part of it was was performed by means (ON. hlaut)was

mixed

with

ale

mead, and drunk. do not (hX^wibollar, hloibollar)

bowls

nations

In

or

seem

the to

North have

the bloodbeen

large;

had

big cauldrons made for the purpose (seeSuppl.). Swedes taunted by Olafr Tryggvason with sitting at home were hlotlickingtheir sacrificial pots, at sitjaheima ok sleikja

some

The and

'

holla

Fornm. sina,'

in Strabo Tal"s

3, 382

:

jvvai^lvavrcjv

lepeiai 1

7, 2

sog. 2, 309. e^o? 8e ri rwv

A

cauldron

of the Cimbri

is noticed

BLrjyovvTaL Klfi/Spcov tocovtov,

on

irapriKoXovOovv 7rpo/jidvTet" eViTreTTope^aTrr/Sa? \ev)(eliJiove"i, Kapiraalva'^ TroXAor/at^e?,

Neue

mitth.

des

avarpaTevovcraLf;

thiiv. siiclis.vereins

V. 2, 131, conf. II. 10, 292.

Od.

:

8 av iyoipi^co^ovv tJvlv, evpvfJLfrconov, vtto ijvoi/'tto) u8fJ.r]TT]i), ^vyoi/'jyayev dui'jp iyuipf^co, TTjv Toi )(^pvaov Kfpacriv 7rfpt.)(evas. ^ Oc eingii neiiia skylditortyna hvurki I'ene monnuni, shoiald they kill (tortima0 Eyrb. saga, ix 10. And none o"oi

"

unless of itself it ran

man, ^

sialft gengi i hurt. neither

beast

nor

a-tilt.

Saga Hakonar g6?a,cap. 16. Eyrb. saga p. 10. rauS horgin,reddened Fornald. stalla lata rioSa bloSi,1, 454. 527. (stone)altar, sog. 1, 413. Stem. 114'^ rioiSutiihbloSinu hl6ttre, Fornald. sog. 1, 512. the Grk ai/xa r" conf. E.xod. 8. ^o"}i(o 24, TTfpixffiv. the

56

WORSHIP.

ovv Totf 'yvfivoTroSe'i

irr^jjiivaL, ^ojcrfia ')(CLkKovv e^ovaat, hia

T0t9

Tov

avroii"i rjr^ov

al)(jiaXu)-

"

avv^VTcov^t(f"7]peL"; arparoTTeSov Karaare-^aaai8' e'cKoai, et;^oy eVl ')(^a\Kovv, d/Kpopecov p arr) p '

"

oaov

a

k

X e y3t; t o 9 ava^dOpav, tjv dva/3d"Ta(jjfidvTt'?) uTre/OTrerr/? tov etc he tov fierecopiadevra' eKaarov eXaifiOTo/xeL 7rpo-)(^eofievovaL/u,aTO"i Tcvd eiroiovvTo} Another cauldron of TOV fxavTe'iav et? Kparrjpa,

Se

the

of St. Cohimban

Suevi, in the Life

nationes

Suevorum

etenim

inibi vicinae

moraretur, et inter habitatores illius

cum

; quo

Sunt

:

reperiteos sacrificium profanum litare velle, progrederetur, vocant, quod vigintiet sex quod vulgo cwpam vasque magnum, cerevisia plenum in medio habemodios amplius minusve capiebat, bant positum. Ad quod vir Dei accessit et sciscitatur, quid de illo loci

Illi aiunt

fieri vellent ?

expresslytold

that the blood is

of

that the cauldron

victim

a

it may have meant incomplete, Usually the cauldron served

it never

roasted.

was

of the (eyp-eiv) this

From

who

it ; unless

ale,and

in later times

to

cook, i.e.boil,the victim's flesh ; 4,

61

describes

great cauldron

the

my

108 ; the be

may

not

the narrative

of

the conjecture,

the

boiling Scythians.

ram

was

a

took part in the sacrifice sudiiautar

sodden),Gutalag p.

of witches

2, 26). Here

filled with

was

Herodotus

sacrifice in

(from

only a drink-offering.

seething, accordingto

smips,and those of the

Thus

Bened.

ann.

with

mixed

was

Mercurium

quem

Bobbiensis,vita Columb.

7tli cent. Mabillon

the firsthalf of the are

Wodano,

suo

Jonas se velle litare. alii,

vocant

we

deo

:

the boilings,

connected

with

(partakers

cauldrons this.^

called

and

The

pots

bution distri-

of the

piecesamong the people was probablyundertaken by held there and then in a priest great holidaysthe feast^ was ; on the assembly,on other occasions each person might doubtless take ^

'

They

say the Cimbri

had

this custom, that their

women

marching with

gray-haired,wliite-robed, accompanied by priestess-proplietesses, the shoulder,wearing a brazen girdle,and scarf buckled over in hand, and having in the camp, sword the prisoners bare-footed ; these met 30 crowned amphorsB (180 gals); them, led them to a brass hasin as large as the and they had a ladder,which the priestess mounted, and standing over handed With the blood that gushed basin, cut the throat of each as he was up. into the basin, they made a prophecy.'

them

were

with

a

linen

trolds too, a kind of elves,have a wpiper kettle in the Norw. saga, Faye 11 ; the christians long believed in a Saturni dolium, and in a large Meon cauldron in hell (chaudiere, 3, 284-5). ^ They also ate the strong broth and the fat swimming at the top. The heathen his refusingthe flesh,drecka sot^itand eta offer their king Hakon, on ^

The

Jlotit ; Saga Hakonar

goSa cap.

18.

conf. Forum,

sog. 10, 381.

57

SACKIFICE.

his share home

with

him.

That

priestsand people reallyate the of passages (conf.above, p. 46). The food,appears from a number in Epist.Bonif. cap. 25 7, 405 adopt the statement Capitularies (an.732) of a Christian presbyterJovi mactans, et immolatitias carnes vescens,'only alteringit to diis mactanti,et immolatitiis '

'

carnibus allowed consume

vescenti'.

We

to offer small a

part of them

et ad honorem offerre,

It

that privatepersons were suppose giftsto the gods on particular occasions,and may

; this the

daemonum

Christians called

'

more

gentilium

de part.Sax. 20. comedere,'Capit.

is

likelyalso,that certain nobler parts of the animal assignedto the gods,the head, liver, heart,tongue} The head skin them

of

were

suspended on

and

in honour

trees

of

(seeSuppL).

Whole ashes

slaughtered game

were

on

where lurntofferings, the pileof wood, do not

Goth, allhrunsts

]\Ik

so the 6\o/cavT(o/na,

the

animal

seem

to

converted

was

have

been

in

merely to translate N. ps. 64, 2 ; and alhrandopher,

OHG.

The

use.

is made

12, 33

into

the

Gk.

the AS.

onhred" rommes bloSe, Coedm. 175, 6. 177, 18 is meant hryncgield to express in the Jewish sense.^ purelya burntoffering Neither were used ; the sweet incense of the incense-offerings christians was a new Ulphilasretains the thing to the heathen. 0. Gk. tliymiama Lu. 1, 10. 11 ; and our weih-rauch (holy-reek), Dan. rogelseare Hel. 3, 22, and the OK Sax. wiroc reykelsi, formed accordingto christian notions (seeSuppL).

While

the

sacrifice of

a

slain animal

is

sociable,more

more

by the collective nation or community ; fruit or flowers,milk or honey is what any household, individual may give. These Fruit-offerings therefore or an even are and paltry; historyscarcely mentions more solitary them, but they have lingered the longerand more in popular customs steadfastly (seeSuppL). universal,and

When

usually offered

the husbandman

for the standing ^

is

god

who

cuts his corn,

blessed

the

he leaves

a

clump

harvest,and he adorns

of

ears

it with

Koi Koikla (tongueand entrail.-^) yXo}(T(Ta lepetovSianeTTpayfifvov, Phitarcli, 1. Od. 3, 332. 341. conf. De yXayacrasrdfiveivand eV irvpl/iiuXXeti/, in sacriliciis, Nitzsch ad Horn. Od. 1, 207. usu In the folk-tales, ever wholinguae has to kill a man or beast,is told to bring in proof the tongue or heart, apparentlyas being eminent portions. aiav.2}dliti obiet,to kindle an offering, Koniginh.hs, 98.

Phoc.

-

58

WORSHIP.

-"

ribbons.

To

this

day, at

a

in Holstein,five fruit-gathering

or

six

applesare left hangingon each tree,and then the next crop will thrive. More striking will be given later, ing in treatexamples of this custom of individual gods. But, just as tame and eatable animals available for sacrifice, were especially so are (frugiferae fruit-trees of formal transfer Tac. Germ. and and at a arbores, grains; 10), land,boughs covered with leaves,applesor nuts are used as earnest of the bargain. The MHG. poet (Fundgr.II, 25) describes Cain's wolte sie oppheren mit sacrifice in the words : eine garb er nam, er cheren joch mit agcnen'a sheaf he took,he would offer it with ears and eke with spikes: a formula expressingat once the upper part beard and and the whole stalk (spica)as well. or ear (arista), Under this head we also put the crowningof the divine image,of a the sacred tree or a sacrificed animal with foliageor floioers ; not '

faintest trace

of this appears

in the Norse

sagas, and

as

littlein

our

survivingfolk-tales I can bring forward a few things. On Ascension day the girlsin more than one part of Germany twine garlandsof white and red flowers, the cattle in the and hang them up in the dwellingroomor over stable,where they remain tillreplacedby fresh ones the next year.^ At the villageof Questenberg in the Ilarz, on the third day in oldest documents.

Whitsuntide, the overlooks fasten to

the it

From

later times

lads

whole

carry

and

oak

an

and, when district,

the

up

castle-hill which

they have

it

upright, trees plaitedtogether, the qucste{i.e. garland) set

largegarland of branches of and as big as a cartwheel. They all shout hangs,'and then they dance round the tree on the hill top both tree and garland are renewed year.^ ISIot far from the every mountain in Hesse with a cavern Meisner stands a high precipice of the Hollow Stone. opening under it,which goes by the name a

'

-

Into this

cavern

every

Easter

Monday

the

the

youths and

neighbouringvillagescarry nosegays, and then will venture No one coolingwater. down, unless he with hunch

him.^

The

lands

some

examples, which

1

Bragnr VI. 1, 126.

2

Otmars to

volkssagen, pp.

can

128-9.

draw has

^

Wigands

Wigands

archiv 6, 317, archiv 6, 318.

flowers

townships have to pay a valley)every year for rent.* In heathen a easilybe multiplied,

What

of the custom is told of tlie origin

be fiction.

*

of

some

Hessian

of the of mayflov)ers (lilies

all these

seems

in

maidens

Casselsches

wochenbl.

1815,p. 928*'.

59

MINNE-DRINKING.

to have

practiceseems offerings.^

transferred

been

to

christian festivals and

at a iDanquetto primitiveand widespread custom set aside a part of the food for tlie household gods,and particularly and Hulda, the gods were to place a dish of 'broth before Berhta The drinker,before taking also invited to share the festive drink. out of his vessel for the god or housewould pour some any himself, of it the Lithuanians,when they drank beer,spiltsome as sprite, the ground for their earth-goddess Zemynele.^ Compare with on this the Norwegian sagas of Thor, who appears at weddings when invited,and takes up and empties huge casks of ale. I will now ot the Suevic ale-fuh (cupa)in Jonas to that account turn more once (see p. 56),and use it to explain the heathen practiceof viinneHere drinking,which is far from being extinct under Christianity. As

it

a

was

"

also both

and

name

custom

Teutonic

all the

to

common

appear

races.

The

Gothic

I think pret.munda) signified (pi.munum, pret.gamunda) I bethink me, I remember.

man

(pi.gamunum,

gaman

the

From minnon

same

minion

=

lansuase

have

we

the

is derived

verb

the

remember

to

amare, same

man,

minna

OHG. a

loved and

munum,

=

one.

amor

amor,

ON.

the

In

also minni

recordari,but the secondary meaning of

minna

minia

;

memoria, never

was

developed. It

was

customary

to

honour

an

absent

deceased

or

the

one

by

banquet, and

the of him at assembly or making mention this goblet,this draught was draininga goblet to his memory: called in ON. crfi or againminni (erfi funeral feast). dryckja, At grand sacrifices and banquets the god or the gods were Sa^m. 119'' minnis-ol (ale), remembered, and their minni drunk: furo ol),minnis-\\orn,minnis-ixxM (cupful), (opposed to ominnis minni hvert (theygave many minni morg, ok skyldihorn dreckia 1 each had to drink a horn to the m.).um golfganga at a m., and minniol signod' 206. 253. minnom a.som, Olafs helga. oUum, Egilss. "

=

^

and

Beside

in

cattle and

special cases,

as

grain?other even

valuables

in christian

were

offered to

times voyagers at gift; in Swedish

sea

gods particular e.g., would

vow

offra en to their church silver sliip as a votive folk-songs, blankaste malm of metal), Arvidss. 2, 11(5 ; en giyta af (of (vessel (jrytaaf malm silver)AhlqvistsOhind II. 1, 214 ; also articles of clothing,e.g. red shoes. ' like the Gk. aivivba, of no technical term In the Teut. languages I know a

Lat. libo,for drink-offerings (seeSiippL). Xfi'/So),

60

WORSHIP.

(ed.holm.)113. signa is the German crate, segnen to bless,conseOSins full,MarSar signa full OSni, Thor. full,Freysfall drecka, Saga Hakonar goSa cap. 16.18. In the Herrau5s-sagacap. At the burial of a 11, Thor's,OSin's and Freya'sminne is drunk. toast king there was brought up a goblet called Bragafull(funeral saga

cup),before which emptied it,Yngl. Stem. called

stood

up,

cap. 40 ; other

saga

Fornald.

146^

one

every

sog.

1, 162. 7,148.

The

Krists

:

193^

custom, but drank

hragarfuU, also gobletwas conversion

After

of

the minne

minni, Michaels

and

have

The

1, 345, 417. 515.

vow,

Christ,

minni, Fornm.

sog.

of sog. 10, 1781, St. Martin demands be proposedinstead of those of Thor, OSin, and

In the Fornm.

Olaf that his minni the other

the

solemn

a

passages

minnisvcig (swig,draught),Sa3m.

they did not give up Mary, and the saints

took

ases.

other

races

the

from

littleweaned

just as

were

practice ;

lated had changed its meaning, it is transonly where the term minne instead of memoria ;^ notablyas earlyas in by the Lat. amor Liutprand,hist. 6, 7 (MuratoriII. 1, 473),and Liutpr.hist. Ott. 12: vinum bibere. diaboli in aniorcm Liutpr.antapod.2, 70 : amoris heati bibito. Liutpr.leg.65 : potas in amo^x mei causa salutisque gelist; Here the Baptistis meant, not the EvanJohannis prsecursoris. the in the Fel. Faber but evagat.1, 148 it is distinctly

latter.

In

Eckehard

nioris est,osculato et

casus

2, 84:

S. Galli, Pertz

epoto,laetabundi

discedunt.

amoreque, In

ut

the Rudlieb

2, 162:

post poscitvinum nos participat quando vale

In the so-called Liber the

In

Gerdrudis

amove,

tres, postremo basia

quod haustum fingens, benedixit.

gemit et occultus,accordingto dixit post

nos

the Munchen

MS.,

at

of a scuffle : description ictum, hujus ad edictum nullus plus percutit sed per clamorem 13th a the Peregrinus,

poscunt Gertrudis cent. Latin

et

rogat ut potent sanctae

ut

possent omni

poem,

amorem. v.

Gertrudis

335

(Leyser2114) :

amove,

frui. prosperitate

Von dem gelouben 1001 says of the institution of poem to Christians : the Lord's Supper, whose cup is also a drink of remembrance Lout. mit dem wine, imde scgentedarinne ein vil guote mmne. den cof nam er lovingcuf, Tliom's Ai.ecd. 82. 1

The

12th

cent,

61

MINXE-DRINKIXG.

neig im

Erelc's departure: der wirt

At

do

im

cr

gewinne

heiles

ze

Gertrude

sant

fuoz,ze hand

den

an

Er. champion 'tranc sant Johannes segcn,' killingEtzel's child,says, Nib. 1897, 3 :

armed

while

iz

wir

trinken

nn

trinkt imd

wan

The

Hagene,

8651.

win, geltenskiincges

niht

anders

mac

unde

die minne

truog

Tninnc,Er. 4015.

gesin Ezeln geltet

win

; Helbl.

14. 86.

G, 160.

gcltcnrecalls the meaning it had acquiredin with sacrificing connexion 2,40. si do zucten di suert ; conf. Schm. eine minne unde scancten (drew their swords and poured out a m.), minne in Hoffm. Herz. Ernst schenken, fundgr. 1, 230, 35. Johannis minne sant Berthold 276-7. geben, Oswald 611. 1127. 1225 thing that was afterwards (seeSuppl.). No doubt the same in our older speech schenken einen ehrenwein called ; for even shown to higher and loved denoted verehrung,reverence era, ere Here

word

the very

'

'

beings. that had particular and Gertrude. drunk in honour of them, John tlie evangelist minne drunk is said to have John poisoned wine without hurt, hence to him drink consecrated a prevented all danger of poisoning.

Ages then,it

In the Mid.

revered

Gertrude seems a

to have

John

been

peacemaker,and

rector scholarum

above

saints in

two

was

all saints,and

linked with

his.

in the Latinarius

she is invoked

But

therefore her memory

she

of

metricus

also esteemed

was

Andreas

certain

a

as

:

0

cudis pia Gerdrudis,quae paciscommoda bellaqueconcludis,nos caeli mergitoludis ! to prayed her daily, dass sie ilim schueffe herbergguot,' find him lodging good; and in a MS. of the 15th cent, we are informed : aliquidicunt,quod quando anima egressa est,tunc prima

A

clerk

nocte

'

angelis,sed remarkable of

whom,

more,

tertia nocte statement

as

well

she

as

minne travellers and I know

beata

pernoctabitcum

of

no

as

was

used

vadit

will be of Hulda

John's)than

nocte

sicut diffinitum further

found and

on

est to

especiallyto as

testimony

to

that

in

arch-

cum

de

be

the

drunk

passages

Gertrude's

This

ea.

apply to Freya,

Eerhta, Gertrude reminds

represented spinning.Both

lovers of peace, older

Gerdrude, secunda

John's

us

and

the trude's Ger-

by partingfriends, quoted have shown.

minne

(whichpresupposes

Paidlieb ; in later centuries

we

find

62

WORSHIP.

tliem

plenty of

Johans

sant

der

:

Anigb. 33*^.

varn

sant

setz

Johans

sant

Johannes

trinken

sant

3103.

diz ist sancte

segen

trinken, Anshelm

segen, Ls.

ich daht

3, 336. t/(?/^.a?^s

sant

an

(to fare) mit sant Gertr'Ade minne, Johans ze blirgenmir, daz du komest

bl. 413.

Altd.

mir

scliier,Hatzl.

lierwider

trinken,

.,

txvak"n, Ls. 2, 262.

scgen

2, 264.

minne, Ls.

gesunt

brahte

Johans

sant

und

Johannes

minne, Cod.

Gertrude

sant

scgen

191''.

scheiden

minne, Cod. pal,364,

158.

segen, Fischart

Johans

3, 416.

kolocz.

72.

lande, Morolt.

dem

von

namen

S. Johans kl. gescli.

2, 262.^ Simpliciss.

99^

then,whom

Suevi

Those

Columban

were approaching,

was

bably pro-

the saint blew

drinking Wuotan's minne ; Jonas relates how vessel to pieces and spoilttheir pleasure : manifesto the whole in eo vase fuisse occultatum, qui per prodiaholum datnr intelligi, So by Liutprand's fanum litatorem caperetanimas sacrificantium. heathen a is drunk, we god to devil,whose minne may suppose have been meant, priggjasdlda 61 OSni (givethree tuns of (jcfa ale to

gefa Thor ok 0(5ni 61, ok signa sog. 2, 16. Thors ok OGins, ibid. 3, 191. drecka minni ibid. 1, 280.

OSinn),Fornm.

fidlasum,

signof Thor's hammer, christians used the for the blessing cross (segnung)of the cup ; conf. poculum signare, Walthar. 225, precisely the Norse sig7ia full. a as religiousrite,apparentlyexists to Minne-drinking,even this day in some parts of Germany. At Otbergen,a villageof Hildesheim, on Dec. 27 every year a chalice of wine is hallowed by As

the as

the North

made

and priest, Johannis

the

handed

segen

the

congregationin is not

(blessing) ; it

places. In dricka

to

Sweden

and

eldhorgsskcd,drinkinga

done

Norway

toast

in

the church any

find at

we

to drink

of the

bouring neigh-

Candlemas

Swed. (seeSuperst.Z:;,

a

122).

S. Johannis vulgo Johannistrunk, Lips. 1675. Schmeller minn und trunk. Scheffers HaUans p. 165. Oberlin s. vb. Johannis Gertrude On archiv 189. Ledeburs 2, 1830, 171-6. 2,593. Hannov. mag. Hoffni. horae bidr. 392-411. belg. Clignett's espec, Huyd. op St. 2, 343-5. Hanka's Bohem. glosses79'' 132* Antiqvariske annaler 1, 313. 2, 41-8. ment, render Johannis amor (holym.). And in that Slovenic docuby suxitd mma 1

Thomasius

de

poculo

the conf. xliii) is Freysinger MS. (Kopitar'sGlagolitaxxxyii, i obieti nashe tchesti ich im i piyem, : da klanyamse, i modlimse, bibamus et oblieis et honores eorum et precemur im nesem (utgenutiecttmius old tchest is honor, Ti^rj, cultus, our era ; but gationesnostras illis feramus); and in Servian in of used the a sense minne, I also find slava (fame, glory) In slave bozhye to the glory of God. wine drunk is za 1 no. 94) (Vuk, song of Ukko bowl mentioned Ukkon an the Finnish mythology is malja, ; malja vel sanitatem. in memoriam Swed. skal,strictly scutella, potatio the combination

'

'

=

63

MINNE-DRINKING.

Now

Suevic

that

cnpa

filledwith

cauldron, like that which the sacrificial Augustus.^ Of the Scythian cauldron

beer

(p.75)

Cimbri

sent

hallowed

a

was

to the emperor

have

alreadyspoken, know what part the cauldron plays in the Hymisp. 75 ; and we qviSa and at the god'sjudgment on the seizure of the cauldron (by from Thor giant Hymir). Nor ought we to overlook the ON. names Ashctill,Thorhctill (abbrev.Thorkel) AS. Oscytcl proper (Kemble 2, 302) ; they point

to

we

kettles consecrated

to

the

as

and

to Tlior.

Our

will gain both by the knowledge of heathen antiquities study of these drinkingusages which have lasted into later times, and also of the shapesgiven to laked meeds, which either retained the actual forms of ancient idols, or were accompaniedby sacrificial observances. A cakes and bread-rolls might historyof German contain some unexpected disclosures. Thus the Indicul. superstit. 26

simidacra

names

de consparsa

farina.

of figures

Baked

animals

reverenced,or the representedanimals that were attributes of a god.^ From a striking passage in the Fridthiofssaga (fornald. sog. 2, 86) it appears that the heathen at a disa blot halced imagesofgods and smeared them with oil : satu konur viS eldinn ok bokuSu meS dukum,' women smurSu ok J?erSu goSin,en sumar anointed them with sat by the fire and baked the gods,while some the fat fault a baked Baldr falls into the fire, cloths. By Fri(5]?iof's down. blazes up, and the house is burnt According to Voetius de the day of Paul's conversion they placeda 3, 122 on superstit. baking,and figureof straw before the hearth on which they were to

seem

have

'

if it

broughta fine brightday,they anointed it they kicked it from the hearth,smeared

threw

with

wise butter ; other-

it with

dirt,and

it in the water.

explain in popularofferings and rites, of animals as the colour (p.54),leadingthe boar round the shape (p. 51), flowers (p. 58), minne-drinking(p. 59), even of cakes, is a reminiscence of the sacrifices of heathenism (see Much

therefore that is not

easy

to

Suppl.).

^

sacred cauldron -

than

2f/3n(TTa)8S)povrov tney had, Strabo VII.

ra eneii-^av

Baking in the

in the

North

cochelins lor New

shape of alone,

Year's

see

a

most

2.

have been much boar must in below, Fn'j's boar ; even

day, Mem.

Xe^rjra,tlie

Upmrarov Trap'avroi^

de I'ac.celt. 4,

429.

more

France

widely spread

they baked

WORSHIP.

64 Beside heatlien

of

about one

remains

to

divine

images.

The

at

brought was divinity

be

cultus

spot,but

essential

sacrifices,one

and

prayers

times

various

to bestow

out

:

not

the

its presence

on

the

carryinfj

solemn remain

to

of

feature

rooted to the entire

(seech. XIV). So Nerthus rode in state (invehebatur Berecynthia(ch.XIII), so Fro travelled out populis),and carried round the sacred in spring, plough was so the sacred ship, Gothic god rode in its (ch.XIII Isis).The figureof the unknown the Summer or May, carrying-out (ch.VI). Fetcliing-in waggon of the

compass

and

Death,

and

Winter

land

founded

are

on

Holda, Berhta

similai"view.

a

beingsall make their circuit at stated seasons, to the march of the joy and the christian's terror ; even Frau be host may so interpreted(conf.ch. XXXI.

the like

heathen's Wuotan's

Gaudeu).

When

Fro

had

ceased

to

with

appear, Dietrich

(boar)and Dietrich Bern still showed the sonargoltr or (atonement-boar)was

themselves

conveyed

the ber

(ch.X. XXXI), to

the

heroes'

banquet (ch. X), and the boar led round the benches (p.51), Among public legal observances,the progress of a newly elected king along the highways,the solemn lustration of roads,the beating in olden times gods'images and can of bounds, at which priests kind of thing. After hardlyhave been wanting,are all the same the church permanentlysanctioned such processions, the conversion, and saints' images were carried,particularly except that the Madonna when

had set in, so as to war or drought,bad crops, pestilence rain (ch.XX), fertility of soil,healingand victory; sacred carried to help in puttingout a fire. The Indicul. even

bringback images were paganiar.XXVIII which Vita

feria amUtu

tells

'

de simulacra

quod per

camjyos

portant'on

importantpassage from the manuscript secunda Marcsvidis (not Maresvidis): statuimus ut annuatim pentecostes patronum ecclesiae in parochiisvestris lo7i(/o et domos lustrantes,et pro gcntilitio vestras circumfcrentes Eccard

1, 437 givesan

lacrymiset varia devotione vos ipsosmactetis et ad curti et in hac refectionem eleemosynam comportetis, pauperum solennisetis,ut cantibus et pernoctantes super reliquiasvigiliis determinatum a vobis amhitum pialustratione commane praedicto amlarvali

in

Confido honore debito reportetis. cum plentes ad monasterium de patronihujus misericordia,quod sic ah ea gyrade terrae autem The ccssent. et variae aeris inclementiae semina liberius proveniant, Koman

ambarvalia

were

and of fields, purifications

sacrifices were

65

PROCESSIONS.

offered

of

at

hounds

have

terminus

and

roads

been the

budding

the

very

as

with

the

during

similar

Wends

corn

publicus

loud

to

late

;

period

them.

On

the

as

cries

the

;

15th

Giesebrecht

May of the

lirocession German

1, 87

the

heathenism

Gabel-heath

century

and

in

walked

riding must

burg Mecklenround

the

CHAPTER

IV.

TEMPLES.

In

inquiries on

our

the

sacred

dwelling-places of

will be safest to

begin,as before, with expressionswhich

christian

temple

terms

Gothic

The

alhs

16)

iep6v(Mk. 11,

and

John

18, 10. 19, 45. it

would

be

several

such

alhai.

Once

hus

the

thing, when

43

fratres tamen, or

a

ut

alhs.

A

without

any

statues,

in

ascribed

to

1

Unless

it

holec, which naked and

seems name

with

has

the

been

Goth

of

of

the

alhais,

simple Why

razn.

the

templum

and

va6"i

earlier ;

deos

sed

christian found

were

in

namely

Tacitus,

ostenditur

a

numini,

Aids

nomen

pi.

heroic

sacred

grove

abode

of alcus is not

alcis is either

falx),which

of

wood,

adduced,

This

"

of or

Ut

name

the

A

point, for it

hardly

can

notable

[or alca akKr)]. to

itself the

worshipped,

was

divinity that some

even

;

perfectlycorresponds

brothers ; the

the

;

interpretationeromana

vis

Ea

of

pair

sacred

dat.

were

is rendered name

even

venerantur.

them^ it is the

is here

Numen

the

peregrinae superstitionisvestigium.

Gothic

to

lepov;

antiquae religionislucus

(as falcis

6,

anomaly

heathen

memorant.

juvenes

of alx

gen.

for

Cor.

?

use

ornatu,

nullum

simulacra,

the

to

the

appears

muliebri

Pollucemque

Castorem

the

word

Naharvalos

praesidetsacerdos

nom.,

heathen

same

apud

:

equally

for christian

Possibly the Germ.

apply

To

alhs, dat. alh, instead

domus, which

to

2

of

2, 27. 46. 4, 9.

10, 23).

word, for it shares

of

disdain

quite inoffensive

8, 20. 59.

its gen.

them.

notions

9. 21.

Lu.

49.

18, 20, gudhiisstands

sense

the

14,

1,

it

the

preceded

Christian

Lu.

29.

27. 12, 35.

IG.

7, 14. 28.

only, John

Ulphilas

should

11.

forming

nouns,

Jewish-

14, 58. 15,

time-hallowed

a

has

never

nulla

Mk.

gods,

supplanted by

were

the

translates

fem.

5. 51.

(Matt. 27,

mo?

church, and

and

the

is called tree

be

alx.

in it.^

Wendicliolz, Boliem. strictlya bald

means

golec, Russ. gholiak. Besides, the Naharvali the other can scarcely have been Slavs. ^ refer to the place. The convinced that numen I am not plain sense can have), and the the divinity has that virtue to be : (which the Gemini Alcis,'or 'of Alx,' or if dat. pi.,'the Alcae, Alci '. May not Alcis be conn, aX| ; uXkw oKkt] strength,safeguard,and the dat. ciKkI pointing to a nom. wretch,

I defend

beggar boy, Lygian nations a

Pol.

'

*

;

or

even

Caesar's

alces and

Pausanias's

aXfcai

elks % "

Trans.

67

TEMPLES.

Four

five centuries

or

the

to Ulphilas,

after

tribes of

Upper

ish Germany their word alah must have had an old-fashioned heathensound, but we know it was stillthere,preservedin composition of placesand persons with proper names (seeSuppl.): Alaholf,

Alahtac, Alahhilt,Alahgund,Alahtrut

; Alahstat

in pago

Hassorum

(a.d.834), Schannat trad. fuld. no. 404. Alahdorp in Mulahgowe Alahstat,Alahdorf may have (a.d.856),ibid. no. 476. The names been borne by many placeswhere a heathen temple,a hallowed place of the king stood. For, not only the fanum, but of justice, or a house the folk-mote,and the royalresidence were regardedas consecrated, Ages, as frono (setapart to the or, in the language of the Mid. fro,lord), Alstidi, a king'spfalz(palatium)in Thuringia often in OHG. in Dietmar mentioned of Merseburg,was nom. alahsteti, alahstat.

the Saxons, who

Among

were

converted

the word later,

kept itself alive longer. The poet of the Heliaud uses alah masc. exactlyas Ulphilasdoes alhs (3,20. 22. 6,2. 14,9. 32,14. 115,9. htis loo, 8. 130, 15. 129, 22. 130, 19. 157, 16),seldomer goclcs ulh hCiligne Caxlm. 202, 22 alhn (1. 18, or, that helaga M%s 3, 19. =holy temple); 258, 11 calhstcde (palatium,aedes regia). In for eolhstedas', Andr. 1042 I would read ealde ealhstcdas (delubra) '

'

conf. the proper

in Kemble

1, 288. 296 and

Ealh-

quasistone-hard,rock-hard,which possiblyleads us to primary meaning of the word.^ The word is wanting in OiST.

hcard

the

Ealhstdn

names

'

1, 292

documents.,else it must Of

another

example,the

had

primitiveword OHG.

ivih

(templum),Hel. 3, 129, 23.

have

130, 17.

the form

the

air,gen. als.

Gothic

fragments furnish

(nemus),Diut. 1, 492*

15. 17. 19.

154, 22.

14,8.115,4. 169,

wih

; 0. Sax. vAh

119,17.

no

masc.

127,10.

1 ;

friduwih,Hel. 15, 19 ; AS. Csedm. 228, 12. : wiges (idoli), Caedm. colere), 228, 24. conf.

wiges,or weoh weos, also masc. Jjisnewig wurSigean (hoc idolum wigweorSing (cultusidolorum),Beow. 350. weohweorSing Cod. Csedm. 227,5. weobedd exon. 253, 14. wihgild(cultus idol.), (ara), for weolibedd,wihbedd, Ccedm. for weohas. 127, 8. weos (idola), Cod. a

sliortvowel

462, the 1

south

same

There of

The

341, 28."

exon.

; and

in

England,as

spiteof

the

to be true

seems

is however

alternation of i and

a

noun

Cracknor

reasons

eo

Hard, the "c."

name

urged in Gramm. 1, which in the sing., as

I have

of the ON", vc,

Hard,

in the AS. indicates

of many

Tkans.

in landing-places

the

68

TEMPLES.

Ve,denotes

but has

particular god ;

double

namely,a masc. pi., vear dii,idola,and a neut. ve loca sacra. Gutalag 6, 108. Ill : haita a liult ej^a lucos aut tumulos,, hauga,a vi ejjastafgar]?a (invocare idola aut loca paliscircumsepta) a a liult, hauga,vi oc staf; trua in loco sacro). In that case i vi (stat have gar];a we ; han standr between nemus, here,as in alah,a term alternating templum, fanum, its root beingdoubtless the Gothic veiha (Ihallow), idolum, numen, one

vaili,vaihum, OHG.

wihu, weih, wihum,

adj.veihs sacer, OHG. appliedto sacrifices

the was

wih and

; and

we

from saw

which on

also

p. 41 that

In Lappish,vi M^orsliip.

comes

wihan

is said

to

silva.

mean

Still

is

decisive

more

for Diut.

thus

full,runs

wih.'

Jiaruc,edo

for

and

1, 495^

:

So

of

liand the notion

'

heathen

word,

which

becomes

of

inquiry. The OHG. glossesboth for fanum, Hrab.

course

the

for

959^

Hrab.

delubrum,

third

a

specially important to our pi.haruga,stands in masc,

in

a

nemus,

lucus, Dint.

1,

Hrab.

969%

Jun.

492^

The

last

flanzota, edo plantavit=:/t"?^si;

nemus

that

haruc, like will,includes and

templum, fanum,

It is remarkable

on

the

on

Jiaruc 96 o^.

212.

gloss, (or)

the

one

other that of wood,

the Lex

Eipuar.has preserved, to designatea place of evidently from heathen times, harahus a wood (RA. 794. 903), AS. Jicarg judgment, wliich was originally pL heargas(fanum),Beda 2, 13. 3, 30. Orosius 3, 9, p. 109. masc, heargtviBf(fanitabulatum),Beow. 349. set hcarge,Kemble, 1, 282. ON. horgr masc, pi.horgar(delubrum,at times idolum,simulacrum) Sffim. 36^ 42^ 91^ 114^ 141^ ; especially worth notice is Siem. 114*^ : bloSi steinom, griotat gleriorSit,roSit i nyio nauta hoj^grhlaSinn with neat's (h.pavenwith stones, gritmade smooth, reddened anew is coupledwith hof (fanum,tectum),36=^ Iidrg/^ blood). Sometimes and 141% in which case the former is the holy placeamidst woods Fornm. rocks, the built temple,aula ; conf. liamarr ok liorgrl sog. To both expressions 5, 239. belongsthe notion of the placeas well lucus.^

grove,

that

'

"^

Gk

And

in

was /3a)/x6y,

likewise ara,

place liaraga

one

=

Goth,

Goth,

the

nium.

with 'Ad

the

heathen

term

for altar,

table

a (p. 38) ; fiot,AS. heoA, strictly fdti, AS. hed,hedd (lectus,p. 30) gets to mean distorted into AS. wihbed,weohbed, weobed,afterwards Graff pulvinar templi), kotapetti (gods'-bed, lectus,

hiuds, OHG.

areola,fanum, conf. ;

Elsewhere

hadi, OHG.

OHG. loeofed(ara, altare),

3, 51

arae.

Brunhild's bed and the like,also the Lat. lectistercompare altare S. Kiliani,quod vulgo lectus dicitur,'Lang reg. 1, 239. 255

which

(A.D. 1160-5)

;

(seeSuppl.).

69

GPtOVES.

that of tlicnunien

as

unconnected

with

and

The

Gk

23, 148.

Lastly,synonymous AS.

image itself(seeSupj)!.). Hariic

the 0. Lat.

hanispex,anispex. grove, II. 8, 48.

the

haruga, amga,

with

haruc

is the OHG.

betoken

or

Ssem.

109=^;harri (nemus) 86'^ 87^

the

j^rtrawc

themo

pi.arae, here stands Temple then

[^" a

(al. za

built and

walled

and

1, 255.

arbor,a sacred

OX.

harr

What

figureto

we

ourselves

house, resolves itself, the farther back

as

we

"o

holy place untouched and hand, embowered by human in by self-growntrees. There dwells the deity, his veiling in rustling foliageof the boughs ; there is the spot where

into

a

shut form

the hunter herdsmen

has to

present

his horses and

What

a

oxen

good

the game

and

writer of the second

Celts,will hold KeXroi

to him

he

has

and killed,

the

rams.

century

of the Teutonic

says

and

on

the cultus of the

all the kindred

cre^ovat fxev Ala, a"ya\ixa Se ALo"i

nations

:

Spy?, vy^rfkrj Lasicz. 46 : 1, 142). Compare deos nemora incolere persuasum liabent (Samogitae).Habitarunt di quoque sylvas(Haupts zeitschr. 1, 138). I am not maintainingthat this forest-worship exhausts all the of deity and its dwellinghad formed conceptionsour ancestors Here and there a god may place; it was only the principalone. haunt a mountain-top,a cave of the rock, a river ; but the grand where generalworship of the peoplehas its seat in the grovc^ And nocould it have found a worthier (seeSuppl.). of the all that there was At a time when rude beginningswere must mind have been roused to a higher builder's art, the human Maximus

by

the

sightof loftytrees

feel inside the stunted

long afterwards

1

To

KekrcKov

8, ed. Eeiske Tyrius(diss.

devotion

structures

the architecture

the Lat. lucus would

under

reared

an

sky,than

by unskilful

peculiarto

corresponda

open

Goth,

the

liands.

Teutons

liuhs, and

it could ^ When

reached

its

this is confirmed

Icdh. The En",d. lea, ley has acquired the meaning by of meadow, fiehl ; also the Slav, lug,Boh. lutz,is at once glade,and grove, sacred to gods (see meadows Not only the wood, but wooded meadow. were the

OHG.

Suppl.).

Wi,

AS.

u,

(arbor),

ad

aras sacrificati^de za qui Dint. we) ploazit, 1, 150; ara, or rather for templum (seeSuppL).

also ivood.

means

the sacred

means

j^aro, gen. parawes,

lucus^

bearwe, Kemble.

tree ; tet

also

whence sacrifice,

II. 20, 184. re'/xei'o? rdf^ov,

grove

demo

however

re/iew?

hcaro,gen. bearwes, which a

bull of

seems

70

TEMPLES.

did perfection,

it not

in itsboldest creations stillaim

reproducing

at

Would not the abortion of soaring trees of the forest ? miserablycarved or chiselled images lag far behind the form of the god which the youthfulimaginationof antiquitypicturedto itself, the

throned under

and

bowery summit

the

on

the

itself filled with that

influence of

of

nearness

forest life had

a

word

afterwards

a

furnished

tudine

Germ.

the

first on

Semnones

;

found

man

The

the

denoted

ceterum

mighty being

whole

first

a

cohibere

nee

ac

illud Stato

and forest,

the Germans

speciem adsimulare

Litcos

secretum adpellant

of

39,

deities.

sweep

'

name,

:

of

the

march-fellowships ; marJca, the

oris

arbitrantur.

coelestium

nominibus

9

humani

in uUam

deos, neque

Germ.

Tacitus.

by

soul

to the forest-cultus of

earliest testimonies

The

'

the

In

tree ?

sovran

from

their

they took boundary.

which

from

sacred

a

the primeval forests,

nation, is attested by the

our

que

of

shade^

the

of

are

parietibus ex magni-

consccrant,deorum-

nemora

sola reverentia

quod

in

vident.^

silvcim

auguriis ejusdem sanguinis

tempore

omnes priscafonnidinc sacram^ nisi coiiunt. est et alia luco reverentia. nemo populilegationibus vinculo ligatusingreditur, ut minor et potestatem numinis prae se ferens. licitum : si forte prolapsusest, attolli et insurgerebaud

et

patrum

humum

per

evolvuntur.*

cap. 40

:

insula

in

est

oceani

castum

Waldes

hleo,hlea (umbra, iimbracuUim) Hel. 33, 22. 73, 23. AS. hleo, liwa, Graff 2, 296, MHG. lie,liewe. 2 Euodolf of Fuld (f 863; has incorporatedthe whole passage, with a few in his treatise De translatione Alexandri alterations, (Pertz 2, 675), perhaps ^

,

ON.

OHG. hlie,

from

intermediate

some

In his

day Germany

Tacitus's

source.

possessed

no

masters

words

must

who

could

be taken as they stand. build temples or chisel

the

the dwelling of the gods, and a sacred symbol did grove was instead of a statue. that the divinity Moser " 30 takes the passage to mean, to the whole nation was not to give one trict discommon so as worshippedunseen, the advantage of possessing the temple ; but that sejsarategods did have statues

;

so

their

This view is too political, and also ill-suited to the isolation images made. of tribes in those times. No doubt, a regionwhich included a god'shill would and sacredness,as spots like Ehetra and Loreto did renowoi acquirethe more from containingthe Slavic sanctuary or a Madonna that did not : prevent the same

worship

compare ita vocant

what

from he says

montem

obtainingseats

elsewhere.

With

in Hist. 2, 78 : est Judaeam deo deumque, nee simulacrum

the

words

Tacitus

of

inter aut

Syriamque Carmelus, templum, sic tradidere

majores,ara

tantuni et reverentia ; and in Dial, de Orat. 12 : nemora luci et secretum not ipsum. In Tacitus secretum secessus, seclusion, ^ This hexameter it is the author's own. is not a quotation, * Whoever is engaged in a holy office, and stands in the presence ;=

of the his

god, must

privilege.So

he

not

who

stumble, and if he falls in

holy

combat

sinks

to

to

the the

vero

and

ground, he earth,may

et

arcanum.

cincts preforfeits

not

set

GROVES.

dicatumque

nemus,

Naharvalos

apud numini

in

veliiculum

eo

connect

12

detractae lucis in

:

nationes

conpertum fectos ;

in

:

ostenditur .

:

et effigies

vocant,

Ann.

1,

not

61

:

.

signa(i.e.

inde

that

this

.

:

apud was

grove

et. mox

hccum,

extracta

posterum

cona

secrated con-

propinquisharharac arae, apud 2, 25 : propinquo hico defossam praesidioservari. Hist. 4, 14 :

legionisaquilam modico Civilis primoresgentis in sacrum be matched by others expressionscan .

4, 73

Eomanorum

appear Incis

convenisse

Ann.

sacram.

pugna

; conf.

mactaverant

:

pugnae,

in

A^'arianae

.

later,Cons. Stilich. 1, 288

centuries

43

proelium ferunt ; with

locum

silvaiii Herculi

it does

though

tribunos

Arminio

transfugis,nongentos

a

one.^ quas

ab

Baduhennae

quern

cap.

depromptae silvis imagines,ut cuique genti inire proeliummos est, Caesar transgressus Visurgim indicio perfugae

cognoscit delectum alias

cap 7

j^assage in Hist. 4, 22

a

lucisqueferarum 2,

contectum.

lucus antiquae religionis

effigiata signa)quaedam

Ann.

veste

Aids, nulla simulacra,

nomen

which

71

These

vocatos.

nemus

from

Claudian

three

:

proculHercyniae per vasta silentia silvae venari tuto liceat, ^ucosquevetusta truces, et robora numinis instar religione harbarici nostrae feriant impune bipennes. Ut

De

bello Get. 545

:

Hortantcs nee

his adde

volucres,sed clara

'

pure

could have

had

natureno

worship that

eye

Non

palam

Alarice,moras

omnes,

rumpe It is not

deos.

for the

we

'

mores

somnia vox

! are

nobis,

edita luco est

told of here ; but Tacitus if their most

Germanorum,'

essential feature had

Gods dwell in these escapedhim. in human images (simulacra, form)are mentioned by name set up, no temple walls are But sacred vessels reared.^ himself

liis legs, but must

:

'

groves as

and

;

no

being altars

finish the

fighton his knees,Danske viser 1, 115 ; if overturned, must not be set upright placesa stranger's carriage, What is fabled of an idol called Sompar at Gorlitz (neue again, RA. 554. lausitz. luonatsschr. 1805, p. 1-18)has evidentlybeen spun out of this passage in Tac. ; the Semnones are placed in the Lausitz country, as they had been in who only puts a king Schwab previouslyby Aveutiu (Fnuikf.1580, p. 27*^), the placeof Sompar. so

on

in certain

1

adds

Badulumna,

perhaps the

Badvinna, Patimna

name

of

a

place,like

Arduenna.

zeitschr. 9, 241). 2 Brissonius de regno Pcrs. 2, 28 ; ' Persae diis suis nulla nulla simulacra ' ; after Herodot. constituuntj 1, 131.

Miillenhoff

(Haupts

templa vel

altaria

72

TEMPLES.

stand in the the

heads forest,

boughs

of

trees.

of animals

There

(feramm imagines)hang on worship is performed and

divine

sacrifice offered, there is the folk-mote sacred

and

reminiscence

and

the

assize, everywhere a

of

not here antiquity. Have we alah, ivih,faro, liaruc faithfully How could such portrayed? technical terms, unless they described an organized national have sprung up in the language, worship presidedover by priests,

and

awe

lived ?

During this custom

endured,

will

I

centuries,down

many

here

of

to the introduction

veneratingdeityin

insert the

detailed

of

Christianity,

sacred woods

narrative

and

given by

trees.

Wilibald

(t 786) in the Vita Bonifacii (CanisiusII. 1, 242. Pertz 2, 348) of the holy oak of Geismar Fritzlar in Hesse).^ (on the Edder, near The

falls between

event

facius)

ad obsessas

ante

...

Carli ducis

725 and

the years ea

731.

Hessorum

Is

metas

(Boni-

autem cum

consensu

Charles

Martel)rediit. tum vero Hessorum jam multi catholica fide subditi ac septiformis spiritus gratiaconfirmati animo manus impositionem acceperunt, et alii quidem, nondum intemeratae fidei documenta confortati, integrepercipererenuerunt, alii vero alii etiam Unguis et faucibus clanculo, aperte sacrificabant, alii vero praestigia auspiciaet divinationes, atque incantationes occulte,alii quidem manifeste exercebant, alii quippe auspicia et ritus incoluerunt, alii auguriaintendebant, diversosquesacrificandi sanior inerat, omni etiam, quibus mens abjectagentilitatis proof {i.e.

phanation-enihil consilio arhorcm orum

servis

vocabtdo Dei

constantia

secum

horum

commiserunt.

quorum

consultu

atque

quandam mirae magnitudinis, qii"e priscoPaganrobur Jovis,in loco,qui dicitur Gaesmere, appellatur astantibus,succidere arborem

cumque

succidisset, magna

mentis

quippe aderat deoriim intra se diligensuoriim copiaPaganorum, qui et inimicum modicum tissime devotabant, sed ad quidem arbore praecisa flatu immcnsa roboris divino confestim moles, desuper exagitata, palmitum confracto culmine, corruit,et quasi superinutus solatio in quatuor etiam partes disruptaest, et quatuor ingentismagnitudinis aequalilongitudinetrunci,absque fratrum labore astantium vice Pagani etiam versa apparuerunt. quo viso prius devotantes benedictionem Domino, pristinaabjecta maledictione, credentes 1

confortatus

tentavit.

A

shorter account

of the

same

in the annalist Saxo, p. 133.

/6

GROVES.

Tunc

reddiclerunt.

autem

sauctitatis antistes consilio inito

summae

arboris materia ^)oratorium constmxit, supradictae From dedicavit. that time illudque in lionore S. Petri apostoli the had in this place a seat in Hesse ; hard by was Christianity id genticaput,' of the nation, 'Mattium ancient capital (Marburg), Tac. Ann. 1, 06 ; which continued in the ]\Iid.Ages to be the chief

fratribus

cum

of

seat

According to Landau,

government. of it stood

built out

unsimilar

Not

some

are

the church

the oak and

site of St. Peter's church

the

on

at Fritzlar.

(seeSuppl.).

regionis w^ell wooded

whole

The

ex

in

contained

passages

the

Vita

S.

w^orshipof the northern audivit Bened, 2. p. 714, 715, 718) : Amandus Acta Franks: sec. Gandavum, cujus loci habitatores iniesse, cui vocabulum pagum ut irretivit, quitas diaboli eo circumquaque laqueisvehementer relicto deo, arhores et ligna pro deo colerent, incolae terrae illius, Amandi

monasteria

adorarent.

idola

atque fana vel

wood

the

(f 674),on

and

"

fana destruebantur, statim

Ubi

ecclesias construebat.

aut

tree

"

Amandus

belvacense

in pago

pervenitad quendam locum, cui praedicaret, fluvium vocabulum est Eossonto respondit juxtaAronnam ei ipsacoecitas evenisset,nisi quod ilia, quod non ob aliani causam auguria vel idola semper coluerat. insuper ostendit ei locum, in adorare consueverat, scilicet arhorem, quae quo praedictum idolum ' dcdicata erat daemoni nunc igituraccipesecurim et banc nefandam arhorem quantociussuccidere festina'. dum

domini

verbum

,

.

.

Amonsj

Saxons

the

and

.

.

.

Frisians the veneration

of groves

lasted

longer.At the beginningof the 11th century, bishopUnwan all such woods cut down Adam. Brem. 2, 33) had of Bremen (conf. inhabitants of his diocese : lucos in episcopatu "among the remoter much

in

suo,

sione

regionisillius quibus paludicolae

falsa christianitatis

cap- 22.

Of the

veteri

immolahant, succidit; Vita in the Old

holy tree

errore

Saxon

IrminsM

cum

profes-

IMeinwerci, I will treat

Saxony and Westphalia have until quite recent times preservedvestigesof Iwhj oaks, to which the peoplepaid a half heathen half christian homage. Tims, Easter of Minden, on in the principality Sunday, the young people used with loud cries of joy to dance a reigen(rig, of both sexes in

ch. W.

1

to be or

Otlier MS.

Several

have

of, tliought

follows.

as

'

districts of Low^er

mole

such

a

'

'

or

metallo

thing would

'. have

A

tlie oak is not brazen image on alluded to in what precedes

been

74

TEMPLES.

circular

dance)round

old oak}

an

Wormeln, Paderborn, stands of Wormeln

and

a

In

thicket

a

which

Jiolyoak, to

Calenberg still make

solemn

a

of village

the

near

the inhabitants

processionevery

year.2 I

inclined to trace

am

Hobj

Wood

likelythat

from

itselfwould not

to be

forests themselves the

and

which

EA.

the

can

Mid.

Ages;

appear

to

have

sprung

out

taken

the

the

have

holy wood

forests too

there

from

on

the

rule,there is

a

be

name

It is not

wood, the wood

forests,as

the

to

a

of

name

explained by

contrary, these

the

heathen

of

the cultus

place of common

groves,

of the

use

used to be sanctuaries

for criminals,

886-9.

old

An

in

of

first withdrew

In such

in such

Still less

found.

king'srightseems

people.

and

holy ;

royal ban-forests

the

the proper

situated

christian church

a

be named

church

a

heathenism

to

nearlyall parts of Germany.

in

common

so

back

account

Notteln

in the

wounded

Saxon

name

given to

year had

of

a

battle between

779

Franks

(Pertz 2, 377) informs

Saxons

and

us, that

a

at

badly

himself

secretly conveyed from his castle into a cum merore se in castrum holywood : Hie vero (Luibertus) magno recepit.Ex quo post aliquotdies mulier egrotum humeris clam in portavit.Vulnera sylvam Sytheri, sacra, nocte quae fuit tlicgatlwn lamentatione ibidem lavans, exterrita clamore effugit.Ubi multa animam expiravit.The strange expressionthegathonis explained for the highestdivinity (summus by t' a'yaOov(thegood),a name et princepsomnium deorum),which the chronicler borrowed from Macrobius's somn. Scip. 1, 2, and may have chosen purposely,to heathen avoid naming a well-known god (see Suppl). Sytheri, Sunderi (southern), of the wood, seems to be the same as the name a

in Franconia on

The

forests in

(Hofersurk.

the sacred soil ? forest

or

called Dat

more

p.

than

308).

one

Did

did he wish

hilligeholt

district, e.g. a Sundernhart this heathen

hope for

ing heal-

to die there ?

is mentioned

by

a

document

In the county of Hoya there Mtinst. beitr. 3, 638. Kindlinger's stood a Heiligcn-loh (Pertz 2, 362). A long list of Alsatian allude to the holy forest near in Schopflin documsnts Hagenau; no. in comitatu nominate foresto heiligenforst 218 (a.d.1065) : cum 238 no. Gerhardi comitis in pago Nortcowe. (1106):in sylva

in

1

2

Weddigen'swestphal.mag. 3, 712. beitrage2, 121. Spilckers

75

GEOVES.

273

(1143): praedium Loubacli in sacro nemore situm. utantur 297 (1158): silva. no. 317 pascuis in sacra no. 402 (1215): in sacra silva. no. 800 (1292) no. (1175): in silva sacra, in hcilirjeyiforst. in konigesbriicken conventum 829 no. (1304) nostrum et imperii dictum 851 nemus no. heiligvorst. (1310) in foresta nostra^ quae dicitur der hcilige forst,pascere et pccora 1076 (1356): porcos tempore glaudium nutriendos in tcnere. no. silva sacra. The alternating words forst,silva, nemus/ are enough of the well-known of the term. the significance The name to show Drcieich (Drieichahi) is probablyto be explainedby the heathen worship of three oaks ; a royal ban-forest existed there a long time, and its charter (I,498) is one of the most primitive. The express allusion to Thuringiaand Saxony is remarkable in that seems to have the followinglines of a poem been composed no. JipAligeforst.

'

1200, Eeinh. F. 302

after the year

soon

tree, and exclaims

I

hangen^

har ode borst ;

habe

a

see

fruit

vm^stc hciligcn noch ze Sachscn ze Diiringen niht gewahsen enkunde

In

bezzer obez uf rise.

Better fruit

allusion is

chase,hung

up

based

more

a

on

the trees

on

read

'

Thus, Altd.

in Ls.

da sint

^

bough.

on

firstfruits of the

animals, or ?

after-influence.

an

frone

'

; and

it is said of

storyis

Either the

In

Alex.

5193

we

From to

the notion

of

sinL'le tree.

a

forest Festus

a

demon,

There

heiligeninne.

a

have

we

sat

on

a

tree ;

and

in

hollow tree:

a

are

saints in there,

That

people'sprayers (seeSuppl.).

temple the

divine transition is easy to payinj^ liistisdelibratiLs (staffwith

die hoerent aller liute bet.^

honours

could not grow

sacred wood

2, 575, misfortune, like

3, 161

w.

holy forest Thuringianor of Saxony

There

a

bristles ;

and again, inklingsnow tible sacrifices offered to sacred trees,yet of a lastingindestructrees. and the fancy that ghostlybeings haunt particular

der edelc wait

awe,

of

or

heard not the poet have or original, may of heathenish doingsgoing on in his own day ? (seeSuppl.). Tliuringians of the Mid. Ages the sacredness of the poems

forests still exerts

if not of

a

ancient

Saxons and among in other And ancient

goat on

any

Of

sacrificed

surely to

somewhere

tell from

a

hanging,

it has hair

That

in einem

The

sees

:

ich sihe ein obez ez

; the wolf

has

:

hear

delubrum

all

76

TEMPLES.

forest cultus

immistakably does this North, protectedby the longer duration described by Dietmar sacrifice at Ledera Still

its

island which, from

in the

the

bore

more

of

name

Scclundr,sea-grove,

The

Scandinavia.

in like

Swedes

The

of heathenism.

great

(seep. 48) was performed magnificentbeech- woods,

now

even

the

prevailin

and

was

the finest grove

their festival

solemnized

manner

in all

of Bremen Upsala ; Adam says of the sacrificed: Corpora suspenduntur in lucum animals qui proximus lucus est gentibus,ut tam sacer singulae est templo ; is enim of sacrifice in

a

near

grove

arlores

ejus ex

HloSr

HeiSreksson

morte

vel tabo immolatorum we

are

told

the

in

divinae

Of

credantur.

Hervararsaga cap.

16

born with and horse in the arms (fornald. sog. 1, 491), that he was wood (a mork hinni helgu). In the grove Glasislundr a bird Jiolij sits on the boughs and demands a temple and gold-horned sacrifices, The sacred trees of the Edda, Yggdrasiland Ssem. 140-1. cows, M'Wiamei"r, Ssem. 109% hardlyneed reminding of.

Lastly,the agreement of the Slav, Prussian, Finnish and Celtic and tends to confirm it. paganisms throws lightujjon our own, of Merseburg (Pertz5, 812) affirms of the heathen Dietmar temple at Eiedegost ; quam undique sylvaab incolis intacta et venerabilis circumdat (ibid. 816) he relates how his ancestor Wibert magna; about

the

bure

accolis td deum

nunquam

violatum,

in

Eomano

rooted up

ab

dictum,

antique

1008

year

eo

ecclesiam

a

grove in

omnibus

radicitus

construxit.

of the

Slavs

:

litcum

lw7ioratum,et eruens,

Zutibure

sancto

ab

Zutiaevo

martyri

is for Sveti bor

=

of holy forest,from bor (fir), pine-barren ; a Merseburg document 1012 ecclesia in Scutibure,' Zeitschr. f. an already mentions a An OIST. saga (Fornm. sog. 11, 382) names archivkunde, 1, 162, Helmold hlotlundr (sacrificial 1, 1 grove) at Straela,called Boku, cetera hodie profectointer illos,cum says of the Slavs ; usque '

Names trees givento particular pro deo. Gna. It is ON. are same names Hlin, worthy of goddesses,e.g. christian that heathen into the idea of divine has trees notice, figureson crept doubters I refer rooted the tree so was deeply worship among peo^^le. legends, forest the the in of of which tree a to Tyi-oleseimage story grew grace, up

bark

peeledoff)qiiem

at

the

time

venerabantur of

(Deutschesageu, no. 348). In Carinthiayou find iladonna figuresfixed on the to be the trees in gloomy groves (Sartorisreise 2, 165). Of like import seem wonderful of maidens inside hollow trees,or perchedon the descriptions sitting de la infantina, Eomance ch. 3. no. see boughs (Marienkind,hausmarchen in the wood, ]\Iar.legend,177. XVI.). Madonna Many oaks with Madonnas in Normandy, Bosquet 196-7.

77

GROVES.

omnia

sint

comraunia

ac

fontium,quos

in

the

Sloven,

gay,

kaheius, Lex the

A song polluichristiauorum accessu. {hain,Boh. hai, p. 72 speaks of the grove gaj; conf. gains,gahajus.Lex Eoth. 324,

autumaut

Koniginhof MS.

liag,Pol.

hicorum

accessus nostris,solus proliibetur

cum

Bajuv.21, G)

holy sparrow.^

a meadow especially

the

thick nnderwood

with

scared

christians

sallo,Finn, snlo

Esth.

The

which

from

a

means

; the national

away

holy wood, god Thara-

(ad.ann. 1219): in confinio in quo et silva 2y^dchcrrima, Wironiae dicebant indigenae erat mons deum Osiliensium natum qui Tharapila-vocatur, et de magnum of a bird ? (seeSuppl.). loco illo in Osiliam volasse, in the form described

is ])ila

the

by Henry

Letton

"

To

Prussians,Romove^N^'s, the

the Old

and

a

of the

seat

No

witli cloths.

beast

be

to

The

by

unconsecrated to be

slain.

There

were

Constantius

which IKcirtrec

as

in the the

As 5th

contains

middle

to

to

be

sacred

set foot in

not injured,

in

groves

a

other

Burgundians But

(b.378, d. 448) written narrative of a a striking

of Auxerre

century, there is

tradition.

it of German

such

many

473

early as

stood

by the heathen.* beginningof the

bough

Autisiodorensis

S. Germani

Vita

a

oak hung liohj

a

allowed

was

person

felled,not

images on

Lithuania.^

and

Prussia

parts of

there stood their

tree

forest,no

the

gods ;

spot in the land,

sacred

most

did

not

if the

even

not

and enter

likelyto

be

was

honoured

Gaul a

tillthe

mixture

in

it story is purely Celtic,

place here, because it shows how widely the custom prevailedof hanging the heads of sacrificial beasts on trees.^ Eo 400) territorium Autisiodorensis urbis visitatione tempore (before Cui mos erat tirunculorum potius propriagubernabat Germanus. is dare, christianae religioni industriis indulgere, operam quam ferarum copiam insidiis atque artis ergo assidue venatui invigilans arhor pirus in streuuitate frequentissime capiebat. Erat autem

deserves

a

in groves and trees of the Bohemians roZ; conf. and sacred a nroczysJco, 109.3, Pelzel 1, 76. The grove fatum ; roshtcha is from rosli,rasti Russ. roshtclia,grove [rootrek role fari, glow]. On threat of hostile invasion,they cut rods (wicie)from the grove, '

Brzetislav burnt

the heathen

down

Poles

called =

=

and

sent '-

ner

on ^

them

round

to

summon

their

neighbours.

'furupidin Formn. sog. 11, 385; but on Castren 329. 597. Joh. Voigts gesch.Preussens 1, 595 BoUand. Acta sanctor. July 31, p. 202 ; conf.

Conf.

Mickiewicz 1, oG. Slav nations conf. Schief-

"

* ^

Huic

Legenda aurea, cap. 102. (Marti) praedacprimordiavovebantur,huic truncis suspendebantur

Jurnandes exuviae,

cap. 5.

78

TEMPLES.

itrhe media, amcenitate

: ad gratissima cujusramusculos ferarum ab eo deprehensarum capitapro admiratione venationis niniiae dependchant. Quern Celebris ejusdem civitatis Amator episcopushis desine, quaeso, vir honoratorum : frequens compellebateloquiis haec jocularia, spleiididissime, Paganisvero quae Christianis ofFensa, '

imitanda

hoc opus

sunt, exercere.

idololatriae cultura est,non

chris-

tianse

Et licet hoc indesinenter vir deo elegantissimae disciplinae.' nullo modo admonenti dignusperageret,iile tamen se adquiescere

voluit aut obedire. vir autem

batur, nt

solum

non

etiam

et

aures

Gennani

domini

consuetudine

a

atque iterum eum hortamale arrepta discederet, verum

iterum

ipsam arhorem, ne Christianis offendiculum esset,radicitus exstirparet sed ille nullatenus aurem voluit placidamapplicare In hujus ergo persuasionis admonenti. tempore quodam die Gerurbe in praediasui jurisdiscessit. tunc beatus Amator manus ex arhorem caudicibus abopportunitatemopperienssacrilcffam cum scidit,et ne aliquaejus incredulis esset memoria igni concremandam illico deputavit. oscilla^) vero, tanquam trophaeacujusquae dam certaminis umbram ostentabant,longiusa civitatis dependentia terminis projicipraecipit. Protinus fama gressus suos ad vero suasionibus

retorquens,dictis

beatissimo A

poem

ferocem

exaggerans

religionis, cujusjam

animuni

fuerat ritu

incendit,atque iram suis

effecit,ita

atque

oblitus

ut

sanctae

mortem insignitus,

munere

viro minitaret. of Herricus

composed

about

876

givesa

fuller

tion descrip-

of the idolatrous j)eartree :

altoqueet lato stabat gratissima quondam urbe jpirus omni ; media, populo spectabilis non quia pendentum flavebat honore pirorum, frondis : nee quia perpetuae vernabat munere ^

Virg.Georg.

2, 388

:

(Bacche) oscilla tibiqiie

ex

alta

suspenduutmollia

that are hung up, but real heads In the story,however, it is not masks of beasts; are the ferarum images ? imagines in Tac, Hist. 4, 22 necessarily Does osciUa mean oscillantia ? It appears that when they hung up the caj^ita conf. Isengr.645. Reinardus heads, they propped open the moiith with a stick, 3, 293 (see Suppl.). Nailing birds of prey to the gate of a burg or barn is well to this day. known, and is practised Hanging up horses' heads was mentioned

pinu.

there hung a wolf tells ns, in OSin's mansion 1 simulacra and insignia these mere eagle; were the gate: Ad set up an Witechind when over the eagle sacrificing, Saxons, says, Victoriae construentes orientalem ; this eagle portam ponuntaquilam,aramque the threshold is also A dog hung up over to have been her emblem. seems mentioned, Lex. Alam. 102.

The Grimnismal 10 p. 47. outside the door,and over that an on

79

BUILDINGS.

deprensarum passim capitaoMo, ferai^m arhoris ohscoenae patuiishaercntia ramis praebebantvano plausum spectaculavulgo. ramalia ccrvi horrebant illic trepidi frendentis ap)ri, fera spicula, et dirum denies, sed

acribus exitium

meditantes

forte molossis.

qiioque sic variis arbos induta tropaeis fundebat rudibus lascivi semina risustunc

ft

the

not

was

laughterof in the

priests ; they saw and dimmed,

Thus

far

forests and At

have

rate degene-

sacrifices.^

dwelt

worship of

the christian

that offended

practicea performance,however

of heathen

we

that the oldest

the multitude

the

on

ancestors

our

which

evidences

go to prove -connected with sacred

was

trees.

the

same

time it cannot

times there

were

temples built

be

doubted, that

in the earliest

even

singledeities,and perhaps rude In the lapseof .centuries the old forest and been supersededby the structure populationsand less with others. In for

images set up inside them. worship may have declined of temples,more with some indefinite or incomplete, statements fact,we come a good many so across that it is impossibleto gather from them with any certainty whether the expressionsused betoken the ancient cultus or one departingfrom it. The of the

to weighty and significant passages relating to be the following subjectseem : (seeSuppl.) most

Tac. Germ. Mother

40

describes

Earth

; when

goddessround

among

satiatam

conversatione

the the

the

sacred

priestin people,he

mortalium

grove

and

festival time restores

her

the has

to her

this

part

worship of carried

the

sanctuary:

deani

temploreddit. Tac. ann. 1, 51 : Caesar avidas legiones, latior populatio quo foret,quatuor in cuneos dispertit, quinquagintamillium spatium ferro

""

flammisquepervastat ; St. Benedict

found

non

sexus,

non

aetas

miserationem

at Montecassino vetustissinmm fanuni, in quo ex stulto rusticano populo Apollo colebatur, gentiliuma circumquaque enini in cultuni daemoniorum luci succreverant, in quilius adluic eodem tempore infideliuni insana multitudo sacrificiissaciile^'is insudaliat. Greg. Ma".,'. dialogi These were 2, 8. not German heathens,but it proves the custom to have been the more universal. more antiqiio

80

TEMPLES,

illis gentibus profana simul et sacrcij et celehcrrimum templum, quod Tanfanae^vocabant, solo aequantur. The nation to and the Marsi which this temple belonged were perhaps some neighbouringones (seeSuppL). Vita S. Eugendi abbatis Jurensis ("tcirc. 510),auctore monacho Condatescensi (inActis sanctor. BoUand. Jan. 1, p. ipsiusdiscipulo 50, and in Mabillon, acta Ben. sec. 1, p. 570) : Sanctus igitur beatonim famulus Christi Eugendus, sicut et patrum Eomani ita etiam natalibus ac provincia Lupiciniin religione discipulus, extitit indigcnaatque concivis. ortus nempe est hand longe a vico cui vetusta paffanitasob celebritateni clausuramque fortissimam siiperstitiosissimi templiGallica linguaIsarnodori,id est,ferrei ostii indidit nomen in loco,dchihris ex nunc : parte jam quo quoque attulit:

dirutis,sacratissime

micant

colis ;

pater sanctissimae

inibi

atque

coelestis regni culmina

dicata Christi-

prolisjudiciojDontificali presbyteriidignitatesacerdos. If

plebisquetestimonio extitit in born about the middle of the 5th century, and his Eugendus was father alreadywas cluirch which had been a priestof the christian the site of the heathen erected on temple,heathenism can at the latest have lingeredthere only in the earlier half of that century, at whose commencement the West Goths passedthroughItalyinto Gallica lingua here seems Gaul. to be the German spoken by the of invadingnations,in contradistinction to the Eomana ; the name still more the placeis almost pure Gothic,eisarnadai'iri, exactlyit Goths either "West or might be Burgundian, Isarnodori.^ Had that had penetrated Alamanns some Burgundians,or perhaps even so far,founded the temple in the fastnesses and defiles of the Jura?^ and of the Tlie name is \vell suited to the strengthof the position which the christians in part retained (seeSuppl.). building, A Constitutio 554 Childeberti I of about (Pertz3, 1) contains de agro suo, ut quicunque admoniti the following : Praecipientes, dedicata vel idola daemoni ubicumque fuerint simidacra construda 1

foimd inscription

An

in

but supj)osedby Neapolitanterritory,

Orelli

'

(Gudii inscript. by Ligorius,has Tamfanae sacrum Geiman, and formed like p. 188) ; tlieword is certainly (Eavenna), "c. Hludana, Sigana (Sequana),Liutana (Lugdunum), Eabana not far removed, Ir. iaran, Wei. haiarn, Yet the Celtic forms also are iron gate, Armor, uarn (ferrum); Ir. doras,Wei. dor (porta): haearndor 2053

to

have been made Iv. 11, de Wal

'

iintiq. p. "

=

"luotedin ^

Davies's

Frontier

nations

;

Brit.

mountains

Ritters erdkunde

Mythol. pp. 120, held

sacred

560.

and

made

placesof

1, aufl. 2, 79. vol. 2, p. 903.

sacrifice

by

some

8]

BUILDINGS.

ab

hommibus, factum

destruentibus

statim

non

datis prohibuerint,

vel sacerdotibus haec abjecerint aliter discedant nou fidejussoribus

nisi in nostris obtutil:"uspraesententur. S,

Vita

Eadegundis(t 587) the

contemporary iter

Baudonivia

nun

wife of

Clotaire, composed by

(acta Bened,

ageret (Eadegundis)seculari pompa

sec.

se

a

1, p. 327) : Dum

comitante,interjecta

terrae ac spatio, longinquitate fanuiiiquod a Francis colebatur in itinere beatae reginaequantum miliario uno proximum erat. hoc ilia audiens jussit famulis fanuin igne comburi, iniquum judicans

coeli contemni

Deum

audientes omni

universa

Franci

conabantur

fremitu

diabolica

et

machinamenta

multitudo

cum

defendere.

sancta

venerari.

Hoc

giadiiset fustibus vel vero reginaimmobilis

in pectore gestans,equum et Christum sedebat perseverans quem movit in antea {i.e. non ulterius) antequam et fanum perureretur firmarent. The situation of ipsa orante inter se populi pacem the temple she destroyedI do not venture to determine;Eadegund that was journeyingfrom Thuringiato France,and somewhere on et

line,not far

the

from

Greg.Tur.

vitae

Ehine, the fanum 6

be looked

may

for.

Eunte

in rege (Theoderico) et ipse(S.Gallus)simul abiit. erat autem ibi

Agrippinam urbem, fanum diversis ornamentis in refertum, quo barbaris (1. quoddam Barbarus) cibo potuque replebaopima lihamina exhibens usque ad vomitum ibi et simulacra tur. ut deum adorans,membra, secundum quod dolor in ubi S. attigisset, sculpebat ligno. quod unumquemque Gallus

audivit,statim illuc

igne,cum

censoque

applicatet usque

patrum

nullus

succendit.

at

conscendere,auctorem

:

cum

ex

tantum

illi videntes

fumum

the

one

ad

dehd)ri

coelum

incendii quaerunt,

inventumque evain fugam versus aulae se quae acta fuerant Paganis

ginatisgiadiis prosequuntur ; ille vero regiaecondidit. verum postquam rex blandis eos sermonibus minantibus recognovit, is distinct from

clerico

properat,acstultis Paganis adesset,ad fanum uno

who

appears later ; he died about 553, and by the

lenivit.

in Alamannia

king

is meant

This Gallus

half

a

century

Theoderic

I of

Austrasia. Vita

S.

Senonensis

(Duchesne 1, 562. Bouquet 3, 491) : Pex Chlotarius virum Dei Lupum episcopumretrusit in pago quodam Neustriae nuncupante Vinemaco (leVimeu), traditum duci pagano duci terrae), nomine Bosoni Landegisilo {i.e. (no doubt a Frank) ille direxit in villa quae dicitur Andesagina super fluvium quem Lupi

6

TEMPLES.

82 ubi

Auciam,

decurionihus

templa fanatica a

erant

Aiicia

614.) Andesagina is Anseuiie,

cidta.

called

afterwards

was

(a.D. la

Bresle,Briselle. Beda, hist. eccl. 2, 13, relates

how

king

NorthumLrian

the

Eadwine, baptized627, slain 633, resolved after

mature

consultation

and was especially understandingto adopt Christianity, his chief heathen in his ancient faith by Coifi (Coefi) made to waver suorum priesthimself: Cumque a praefatopontificesacrorum cum septisquihus erant cirquaereret,quis aras et fana idolorum : ego. cumdata quis enim ea, primus profanaredeberet ? respondit ad exemplum omnium aptiusquam quae per stultitiam colui,nunc

wdth

of

men

ipse per sapientiammihi Accinctus

a

insanire.

eum

donatam

nee

destruam

? .

in

et

manu

.

.

ascendens

improper things for a idola. quod aspiciensvulgus aestiut appropinquabatad distulit ille. mox

regis (allthree priest), pergebat ad

heathen

vero

gladioaccepit lanceam

ergo

emissarium

mabat

Deo

unlawful

and

fanum, profanareillud,injectain eo lancea quam tenebat,multumsociis destruere ac veri Dei cultus,jussit que gavisusde agnitione locus suis. ostenditur autem omnibus septis succendere fanum cum non ille quondam idolorum longe ab Eboraco ad orientem ultra hodie Godmundinga ham, ubi et vocatur Dorowentionem amuem pontifexipse,inspiranteDeo vero, polluitac destruxit eas, quas ipsesacra verat, aras.^ S. Bertuffi Bobbiensis

Vita

(t 640)

Acta

in

Bened.

2, p.

sec.

ubi Iriae fluvio adjacentem accessit, quandam viUam fanum quoddam ariorihus consitum videns allatum ignem ei admovit, in modum piraelignis.Id vero cernentes fani cultores congestis et ictibus conMeroveum apprehensum diuque fustibus caesum Iria runs The into iUud demergere conantur. in fiuvium tusum 164

:

Ad

.

"

the Po

; the event

219,

220

Alemanniae

:

vita S. GaUi

ad

(f 640)

(S. Columbanus fiuvium, qui Lindimacus

Venerunt

superioratendentes ambulantes

Lombards.

among

Strabonis

Walafridi p.

occurs

et

in

actis Bened.

Gallus)infra partes

vocatur,

juxta quem

pervenerunt Turicinum.

venissent

ad

caput lacus

2

sec.

cumque in locum ipsius,

ad inhabitandum. dicitur,placuitHlis loci qualitas

per

ad littus

qui Tucconia

porro

homines

hj wigbed (seep. 67),fana by heargas, and the other time by getymbro. idola by deofolgild, septa once by hegas(hedges), for the The spear hurled at the hearggave signal its demolition. iThe

A. S. translation

renders

arae

83

BUILDINGS.

crudeles

simulacra colentes, inipii, et et divinationes idola sacrificiis venerantes, observantes aiiguria multa contraria cultui divino superstitiosa sectantes. sunt quae docebant homines Sancti igitur inter illos liabitare, cum coepissent adorare Patrem et custodire et Filium et Spiritum sanctum, eos fidei veritatem. zelo Beatus quoque Gallus sancti viri discipulus armatus pietatis igni sucfana, in quibus dacmoniis sacrificahant, ibidem

commanentes

cendit

et

follows

erant

invenit

quaecumque

et

oblata

demersit

in

lacum.

"

Here

important passage which will be quoted further on ; it : cumque ejusdem templisolemnitas ageretur. says expressly Jonae Bobbiensis vita S. Colunibani (-f615) cap. 17. in act. Bened. 2, 12. 13 : Cumque jam multorum societate monachorum ut densaretur, coepitcogitare, potiorem locum in eadem eremo inconstrueret. {i.e. Vosago saltu)quaereret,quo monasterium olim fuisse cultum, a supra venitquecastrum firmissimomunimine dicto loco distans plus minus octo niillibus, priscatempora quem Luxovium ibiqueaquae calidae cultu eximio constrununcuj^abant, ibi imaginum lapidearum densitas vicina saltus ctae habebantur. densabat,^quas ctdfu miserahili rihique profano vetusta Paganorutii This Burgundian place then (Luxeuil in tempora honorabant. an

"

Frauche

Comte, with

adorned their

Had

statues.

worship with

own

old

Vesoul) contained

near

the

these ?

is

castrum

same

thermae

settlers connected

Burcfundian The

Eoman

spoken

of

in the Vita S. Castrum

Agili Eesbacensis

(f 650),in

intra vasta

namque

eremi

Acta

Ben.

dirutum, quod hujus

[qu.lux

2, p. 317

:

Vosagus dicitur,

septa, quae

iwoxoXjfanaticorumcnltui olim dedicatum, sed tunc saltus

sec.

incolae,quamquam

ad

solum

usque

ignotopraesagio,

is then built A church ?] nominavere. cohicrunt the heathen site : ut, ubi olim prophano ritu veteres on et erigerentur arae vexilla,habitaculum fana, ibi Christi figerentur Deo militautium,quo adversus aerias potestatesdimicareut superni Eegis tirones. p. 319 : Ingressique(Agilus cum Eustasio)hujus itineris viam, juvante Christo,Warascos accelerant, praedicatori qui agrestiumfanis decepti, quos vulgifaunos vocant, gentiliurn

Luxovium

^

The

nniltitiule of statues made

supplyan

ace.

evidentlymeans foHis buxi.

ovium

"

the

adjoiningwood

thicker ?

Must

we

not

speciem after imag. lapid.1 [vicinasaltus densabat So in Ovid: densae '"crowded the adjoining part of the wood

copiam

or

.

Traxs.]

84

TEMPLES,

virus

Fotini seducti,in perfidiamdevenerant,

errore

quoqiie

infecti, quos,

Christi fecere Vita

matri depulso,

errore

ecclesiae reconciliatos

veros

servos.

S. Willibrordi

Pervenit

Bonosi

seu

in confinio

(f 789),in

Fresonum

deo

et

Fosite

Acta

Bened.

Danorum

ad

sec.

3,

609

p.

:

quandam insulam, Fositesland appel-

accolis terrae

suo quodam latur,quia iu ea ejusdem dei fana fuere constructa. Qui locus a ut nil iu eo vel animalium liabebatur, paganis tanta veneratione ibi pascentium vel aliarum quarumlibetrerum gentiliumquisquam liaurire tangere audebat, nee etiam a fonte qui ibi ebulliebat aquam a

quae

nisi tacens Vita

ab

praesumebat. S. WiUehadi

ut (f 793),in Pertz 2, 381 : Unde contigit, in morem quidam discipulorumejus,divino coni]3uncti ardore,/rt.?ia et ad nihilum, gentiliumcircumquaquc ercdct coepissentevertere facto barbari, qui adliuc forte prout poterant, redigere ; quo furore nimio succensi,irruerunt super eos repente cum perstiterant, impetu, volentes eos funditus iuterimere, ibique Dei famulum fustibus caesum multis admodum plagisaffecere. This happened in the Frisian pagus Thrianta (Drente)before 779. of the 9th cent.) Vita Ludgeri(beginning 1,8 : (InFrisia) Paganos clestruere deluhra iilum ut coram asperrimos niitigavit,sua in fanis aurum oculis paterentur. Inventum et argentum pluriraum in aerarium Albricus regisintulit,accipienset ipse praecipiente Carolo portionem ex illo. Couf. the passage cited p. 45 from the "

.

.

.

"

Frisionum.

Lex

Folcuini locus

intra

terminos

pagi,quem

gentilitas fanum Marti is Famars

In

in

all

'

the upon

are

from

not

was

would

the

any

notices

5th, 6th, 7th, and

mere

8th

to

have

been

ubi

6, 55

:

Est

sicperstitiosa

dixeruut.

"

This

which

Germanicus

grove, but a real building, called the destruction of it a next

centuries,as

and Alamanns, Anglo-Saxons, often

Tanfana

of heathen

castra, templa,fana among

ticus)seems

a

loco

Pertz

Valenciennes.

hardly have ground '. During the

Tacitus

without

14

a.d.

a

Martinse

sacravcrat,Fanum

Hainault, not far

in

to levelling

we

veteres,

the sanctuary of probability

demolished otherwise

(circ. 980),in

gesta abb. Lobiensium

three

or

four

centuries In

temples in Germany. I

have

shown,

we

come

Burgundians,Franks, Lombards, Frisians. By fanum {whence fanaunderstood a buildingof smaller

85

BUILDINGS.

xxxi. by templum one of larger; the Indiculus superstit. that i.e. fanis (see Suppl.).I admit casulis (huts),

extent, and 4 has

'

:

'

de

heathen had been

temples be intended,they might be left standing; in which case there is in their midst

communities that

they themselves

the

exercise

of

had

their

keep

to

taken

of both kinds

cases hypothesis,

can

doubt.

If the Tanfana

suppose

the

after the

had

allowed

twofold

a

certain

cultus,or

for buildings

there

may

to

for either

pronounce

So much

co-existed.

all of them

that leave

be built

Alamann, the Saxon

what

was

to have

done

in the

;

doubt, some

no still,

were

have

the Germans

for in

us

by Germans, and

we

the Frisian

done in the first century,is stillmore

temples;and been

for

of irruption

temple could

of the

same

room

possessionof Eoman

authorities ; but it is not

the doubtful

which

ones

up the Eoman-Gallic

Gauls; it is difficult therefore

heathen

Roman

German

religion^(see Suj^pl.).No thorough the of the state of religion made among

own

has yet been investigation Gauls immediatelybefore and side by side with the converts

any

nation

German

the dominant

: that hj'^pothesis

whether

it doubtful

cited leave

authorities

of the

some

likely

2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

in earlytimes have been named in a variety must Temijles AS. OS. ON", liof, of ways OHG. : (see Suppl.) aula, atrium f" OHG. halla,templum (Hymn. 24, 8),AS. heal,ON. holt (conf. hallr, Goth, hallus) lapis, sal,ON. salr,AS. sele,OS. sell,aula ;" ;" OHG. AS. reccd,domus, basilica (C?edm.145, 11. 150, 16. 219, 23), OS* rakml (Hel.114, 17. 130, 20. 144, 4. 155, 20),an obscure word not Built

in the

found

^

As

the

other

vulgartook

to associate with

(t 1135) in Deuz, which

Roman

his account had been

thoughtit was In the emperor

built

by

dialects ;" OHG.

piitapur,delubrum

(Diut. 1,

fortificationsfor devil's dikes, it

Eoman

was

natural

castella the notion of idolatry.Eupertus Tuitiensis that levelled such a castcllum of the fire of 1128 at

adapted Julius

to

christian

worship,informs

Caesar, others

Constantius

and

us

that

some

Constantine.

by Otto's time, St. Mary appears by night to archbishopHeribert: Tuitiense castrum ibique praecipe, petens, locum in eodem mundari Deo Sanctis constitue, ut, ubi quondam mihique et omnibus

'

surge, et monastcrium habitavit peccatiun et cultus daemoniivi, ibi of the like,in the Vita sanctorum,'with more fanum ut Cologne above, p. 81.

jnstitia regnet Heriberti

et

cap. 15.

memoria

Conf.

the

The asylum that atrium and temple offered within their precinctsis in OHG. vrone gric^astui^r, frUhof, OS. vrUhoh, Hel. 151, 2, 9. MHG. conf. with frei, vuthof.Nib. 1795. 2 ; not at all oiu- friedhof [but conn, free], Goth, freidjan,OS. fridon fparcere). That the constitution of the Old German still ibr the most sanctuaries was part heathenish,is discussed in EA. -

ON.

886-92.

86

TEMPLES.

minores ecclesiae 195=^)^;to which were afterwards added petah'ds, AS. cyrice.The MHG. (Gl.sletst. 21, 32) and cUrililid, poets like to use heteh'ds of a heathen temple as opposed to a christian church (En. 2695. Barl. 339, 11.28. 342,6. Athis D 93. Herb. 952. Wigal. "

Pass. 356, 73.

8308.

Tit.

3329),so

1, 326. 3,

125),much

as

allow

to

Protestants

a

395.

T.

15,4. 193,2.209,1.

in

M.

Nethl. bedehus

Catholics in their

the

church,

own

countries

(Maerl. do not

but

only a bethaus,praying-house (seeSuppL). 0. iv. 33, 33 has the periphrase gotesMis, and ii. 4, 52 drulitines /wis. Notker no scrupleof translating cap. 17 makes the Lat. fanis by chilechon,just as bishop does duty for heathen retained.Is. 382. priestas well. In the earliest times templewas The

hut

which

Diut. 1, 195.^

pictureto ourselves under the term fanum most or pirr(A.S.bur, bower) was likelyconstructed of logs and twigsround the sacred tree ; a wooden temple of the goddess With Zisa will find a place in ch. XIII. halla and some other are names w^e compelledto think rather of a stone building. all the christian teachers We to the see eager to lay the axe sacred trees of the heathen,and fire under their temples. It would almost seem that the poor people'sconsent never was asked,and the rising smoke the first thing that announced the to them was broken power of their gods. But on a closer study of the details in the less high-flownnarratives, it comes out that the heathen Avere not so tame and simple,nor the christians so reckless. Boniface resolved on hewing down the Thunder-oak after takingcounsel with the alreadyconverted Hessians, and in their presence. So too the on Thuringianprincessmight not have dared to sit so immovable her palfreyand give the order to fire the Prankish temple,had not her escort been numerous enough to make head againstthe lieathen. That these did make armed resistance, from Eadegund's an appears burnt down, ut inter se populi pacem request, after the fane was we

are

to

firmarent. In

erected

of the

most

cases

the site of the

on

^ Actiim Schannat no.

in

it is

expresslystated that a heathen tree or temple.^ In

church this way

was

the

illo

betap4re(the church at Fulda) publice,Trad. Fuld. ed. in bedebur,Lacombl. Erhard 412 (a.d. 1162). in bedebure, no. p. 148 (A.D.1121). bctbur,Meyer Ziirch. ortsn. 917. ubi fana destruxerat Sulp. Severus (ed. Amst. 1665), p. 458 : Nam 193.

"

statim (Martiniis),

7, 52, p.

859

ibi aut ecdesias ant monasteria

(speakingof Bishop Reinbern

construcbat. Dietniar of Merseb. Slav, territory, a.d. 1015)

on

:

87

TEMPLES.

the

At

in

the

temple

Either

these

church,

art to

still

sacrifice

of and

have

We

with

regard

The in

results

are

whether

groves,

temples

in

stone,

in

the

heathen

the

partly

services,

but

for

room

into

have bind

the

understood

firmly

and

in

miglit I

these

ing build-

them

also

a

new

the

of

opinion

and

XVI.

temple.

make

must

sucli

X.

Nomas'

inferences

important

VI.

chaps.

grave-mounds

Scandinavia,

some

old

this

of

only

not

places

Friesland be

drawn

exclude

from

investigation.

present

my

which

the

to

of

they

yet

almost

certainly

worked

high

forth hence-

the

remains,

to

were

any

masses

preserved

from

Saxony,

form

Germans,

evidence

ground

halls

and

to

considerable

arrange

together.

walls

heathen

the

the

believe

but

of

reason

in

and

Baldrshaga,

with

slow

be

may

among

i

their

or

We

building.

baer

place,

where

conf.

;

conld

(see Suppl.).

their

North,

plentifully

levelled

were

the

or

the

the

God

true

perceive

in

more

Sigtun,

at

christian

how

and

the

monuments

but

proper,

existed,

temples

here

we

heathen

of

Germany

of

they

from

departed

not

presence

time

same

absence

entire

the

from

flowed

and

consulted,

were

had

sacredness

old

the

that

thinking

of

habits

people's

were

these

on

:

the

earliest

mountain

afterwards

or

in

pleasant

there

and

built,

of

seat

also

heathen

worship

mead

there

;

the

were

was

the

first of

tribunals

nation.

the

idolorura

Fana

lapidibus

destruens

sacro

chrismate

plantationem .

.

fluirch,

incendit,

et

penmctis, ednxit."

et

On

.

see

Massmann's

Eradius

476.

daemonibus

mare

aqua the

puryans conversion

cultum,

immissis

benedicta,

novam

of

the

Pantheon

quatiior Domino into

a

V.

CHAPTEK PKIESTS.

The service from the In

venerandus

also used

for

this

meaning,

the

Mk.

22.

19,6.

That

these

the

gocfi,Nialss. the

faint

additional from

word

the

though vestige

117.

96.

cap.

An

(sacerdotium). of

found

the

alhs

OHG.

and

sinista

remarkable

high priest of

in

the

priestswith

the

decidedly

haruc

and

1, 514V paro,

the

Strictlythe Evangelist ; For

of

as

our

ut

alah

appeared, dis-

is

as

Ulphilas^ associates

of

standing, priest),a us,

the

sacerdos

est

perpetu-

connexion

The

in EA.

that

Nam

sinisto:

reges.

OHG.

ance disappear-

tribunus

sinistus, et

vocatur

the

which

28, 5 informs

discussed are

the

267-8

(seeSuppl.). for

names

of

a

]3riest

Diut. 1, 150% (being derived jjarawar-i, words for temple given on p. 68-9, and

and

^

sense

have

heathen

^

the

by

called

was

nuUis

nobility I

in

go"ord

unobjectionable. Only

Now

MarcelL

apud Burgundies

discriminibus

lianigari,Diut. from

Amm.

Burgundians

m,axivius

us,2 obnoxius

found

elder, man {'Trpea/Surepo';,

sentence

More

accordance

the

2, 206.

sog.

cotinc "

omnium

from

dialects, just

other had

in

appears

is

argument

the

Goths

Eornm.

glossed,Diut. 1, 187 (Goth, gudiggs ?). gudja

18, 19.

go"i (pontifex),liofsgo"i (fani antistes),Egilss. 754.

OK

Freys

Jo.

1.

1.

1, 9. (see Suppl.).

expressions follows

heathen

were

27,

8, 4,

gudjinon (lepareueiv),

33. MklO, w/"7^^wf?/'a(dp;!^i6/3ei'9) Lu. gudjinassus {leparela)

1, 8.

Lu.

20,

1, 5.

Lu.

14, 61.

The

excellent.

Matt. gudja (t'epeu?,

is in Goth,

man

only latelyacquired

being simply able,

vrum

11, 27.

10, 34.

63.

2,

guS (deus)is formed

has

froinm

; our

MHG.

God-serving, pious

a

derived

one

then gagudci (pietas, euae^eia). adj.gaguch (godly,pius,eva-e^ij"i), I find pius translated OHG. and MHG., strictlyreverens, erJiafi,

hut

of

is

10)

Goth.

the

immediate

the

to

Germ.

Tac.

From

deity itself.

of

name

is called

who

one

deity (minister deorum,

of

the

for

general term

most

the. translator

perpetuity attaching

had

no

to sin- in

choice.

"

Trans.

composition,

see

Gramm.

554-5. *

Ir. and

If haruc Gael,

meant cam,

wood

or

cairn, and

rock, and cairneac

harugari priest,they 77^. priest.O'Brien

are

very

like

the

89

PRIESTS.

confirmingwhat I have maintained, that these two terms were synonymous). They can hardlyhave been coined by the glossist the Lat. aruspex, they must liave existed in our ancient to interpret speech. A priestwho sacrificed was named loluostrari (seep. 36). "

The

fact that cotinc could

close connexion

between

bear

the

of tribunus

sense

shows

the

tlie offices of

priestand judge, "which peculiarto the High Germ,

in a term clearly dialect : eiva, ea signified not only the secular,but the divine law, these being closelyconnected in the olden times, and equally out

comes

stillmore

sacred ; hence AS.

Goth, se-lareow, se-gleaw,

K. 55=^ in

law-

eoiuart,ewart

56%^ Gl. Hrab.

ward, administrator

vitodafasteis, one

974^ N. ps. 50, 9.

O.I. 4, 2, 18. 72.

of

learned

eioarto

law, vojjLVKO'i, in the

of the weak

law, decl.

gotesevmrto I. 4, 23. and as late as the 12th 21. and, without the least reference to the

century ewarte, Mar. Jewish office,but quite synonymous ewarte, Eeinh.

1705.

Wh.

of Saracen

der baruc

und

with

priest:

die eicartcn

der

heilige

sin,Parz. 13, 25.

priests(see Suppl.). The very similar EA. 781. eosago, esago stood for judex,legislator, The poet of the Heliand uses the expression* wihes ward (templi custos)150, 24; to avoid the heathen as well as a foreignterm, he the gierodomail adopts periphrases: (geehrte, honoured),3, 19. the frodo man fruot,prudens) 3, 21. 7, 7. frodgumo (gumo, (frot, 6, 12, which sounds lilvcgudja homo) 5, 23. 6, 2. godcund gumo in which Wolfram above, but may convey the peculiarsense uses In the Eomance der guote man'} expressions prudeTishomo, bonus homo (prudhomme, bonhomme) there lurks a reference to the ancient jurisprudence.Once Ulphilasrenders apxiepev^ by auhumists veiha,John 18, 13, but never Upev"i by veiha. in foreignwords there came With Christianity (seeSuppl.). The Anglo-Saxonsadopted the Lat. sacerdos in abbreviated form : translates Beda's pontifexand sacerdj,pi. sacerdas ; and Alfred and summus pontificum(bothof them heathen),2, 13 by hisco]) T. and 0. use in the same sense caldorhiscop. hisgof, hiscof(from 217, 23

'

"

1

Parz.

457,2. 458, 25. 460, 19. 476,23. 487, 23.

The

godo gumo,

0. ii.12,21. 49 of Nicodemus

Hel. 4, 16

Lanis said of John ; ther giiato man, ; in Uhich's 4620 abbot is styledder guote man, 4013. 4639. conf. 3857, ewarte, 4026 an zelot, i.e. frouve (v.infra), originally priester.But with this is connected diu r/uote bona socia,so that in the good man also there peeps out something heathenisli. In the great Apologue, the cricket is a clergyman,and is called heretical.

(Ken. 8 125)preuchmsand

Frobert

=

Fruotbert

(seeSuppl.).

90

PRIESTS,

0. I. 4, 4. episcopus),

27. 47; and

the

Hel.

'priester (frompresbyter, the idea of elder and following

on,

to be the names imdijyfaffe (papa) came Fr. prcstrc,pretre ; prcost,Engl, priest,

with

generallyused; AS. Veldek, presterrhymes

most

in

bell. Gall. 6, 21, says Cffisar,

druides

habent

qui rebus

the statement what

C"esar is all He

superior),

mester. En. 9002.

Wlien

"

150, 24 hiscop.Later

had

need Tacitus

did

there

more

the

his

'

than

non

The review

German of

us

of the German

6, 16

studere

to make

a

as

sacrificiisstudent, as

and priests

them

'

sacrificiis must

and

dicting contra-

sacrifices. the Gauls.

the

they did

not

to

in the comiexion

of sacrifices.

Germans

; but

Neque

excessivelyaddicted

as

sparinguse

the

Germans:

mistake, or

a

between

contrast

latter

As

little

elaboratelyfinished want for priests or

own.

as priests,

their

down

set

prevail among Druid-systemof the Gauls sacrifices of their

praesint, neque

be

alongdrawing a

sacrifices ; and no

not

tells

described

mean

divinis

of the

we

have

titles, were

alreadygatheredfrom in

a

cursory

of the

worship gods employed and is entrusted judging the people. In campaigns,discipline to them the w^hole war alone,not to the generals, being carried on it were in the presence of the deity: Ceterum animadas neque vincire nee vertere neque verberare quidem nisi sacerdotibus perducis jussu,sed velut deo missum, non nee quasi in poenam, adesse- bellantibus credunt. Germ. 7 (seeSuppL). imperante,quem it is they that The succeedingwords also refer to the priests, must take the et signa from the sacred grove and carry them efligies the

in

'

'

into

battle.

We

learn

from

cap.

10, that

the

sacerdos

civitatis

for the it is done by rods,whenever nation. If the occasion be not a public one, the paterfamilias himself can direct the matter, and the priest need not be called in : far the limitation of the priestly a remarkable power, and a signhow rightsof the freeman extended in strictly privatelife ; on the same I suppose, that in very tions transacprinciple, early times covenant could be settled between the intervention the parties, without of the judge (RA. 201). Again, when the chvination was by the the neighing of the white steeds maintained state,priests by accompaniedthe sacred car, and accredited the transaction. The^^ncs^ alone may touch the car of Nerthus, by him her approaching and lead? is perceived, he attends her full of reverence, presence

superintendsthe

divination

"

91

TEIESTS.

lier back

at

but

German

Ann.

Segimund,the

1, 57 calls sacerdos, had

been

of

son

not

a

Ubiorum), and after tearing priest(apud aram had fled to his home. ruperat), chaplet(vittas

a

the alien

up

Tae.

whom

Seo-estes

sanctuary,cap. 40.

last to her

Eoman

priestsgive us anythingbut a completeview of their functions (seeSuppL). On them doubtless also the performance of public prayers, the slayingof devolved victims, the consecration of the kings and of corpses, perhaps of other duties. of oaths, and many marriagestoo, the administering hear nothing at their insigniaand gradations, we Of their attire, Tacitus cap. 43 speaks of a sacerdos muliebri ornatu, but all ; once formed a separate,possibly givesno details. No doubt the priests a hereditaryorder,though not so powerful and influential as in there were Gaul. higher Probably,beside that sacerdos civitatis, the Cattian, i.e. and lower ones. Only one is cited by name, Xdrrav who with rwv Hessian, Libes in Strabo (Ai^t]"; lepeiK;), in the pompa of other German prisonerswas dragged to Eome still have Of him Tacitus (so far as we Germanicus. him) is is worthy of notice,that the Gothic silent.^ Jornandes's statement in distinction from the rest of the people, termed pileati were priests and that during sacrifice they had the head covered the capillati, with a hat ; conf. EA. 271 (seeSuppl.). OSinn is called SiShottr, few

Tkese

incidental

notices

of

broadhat. The

of Christito the introduction anity, succeedingperiod,down the condition of the on scarcelyyieldsany information in continental Germany ; their existence we infer from priesthood that of templesand sacrifices. A fact of some importancehas been preservedby Beda, Hist. eccl. 2, 13 : a heathen priestof the Anglo-

Saxons enim

forbidden

was

to carry arms

licuerat, pontificemsacrorum

in equa

equitare.Can

which, it is true, christian mounted

can

this be

clergymen, when and

to ride

or

vel

male

a

horse

:

Non

ferre,vel praetcrquam have any connexion with the regulation equallyexplainedfrom the Bible, that riding about the country, should be

colts,not

arma

horses

(KA. 86-88)? Festus also flamini diali non : Uquo licebat, ne, si longiusdigrederetur,sacra neglegerentur(see Suppl). The transmission of such customs, which have impressed themselves on the habits of

remarks

1

Libes

on

asses

vehi

might be Leip, Leb, O.N. Leifr,Goth.

Laibs

?

A

var.

lect. has Ai/3us.

92

PEIESTS.

I shall try elsewhere quite admissible. in detail, tudes attihow to show a good deal in the gesturesand of priestly prescribedfor certain legaltransactions savours at sacrifice and prayer (seeSuppl.). It is not unlikely, ceremony heathen turned into christian ones, that it sacred places were as also thought desirable amongst a newly converted was people to their former attract religion. prieststo the service of the new cultivated portion of the people,the most the most They were capableof comprehending the christian doctrine and recommending From it to their countrymen. the ranks of the heathen priesthood would therefore proceed both the bitterest foes and the warmest of innovation.^ The collection of the Letters of Boniface partizans has a passage lamenting the confusion of christian and heathen rites,into which foolish or reckless and guiltypriestshad suffered to fall.^ This might have been done in blameless ignorthemselves ance from deliberate purpose, but scarcely or by any men except such as were previouslyfamiliar with heathenism. delineated in Even is but very imperfectly the ;N"orse priesthood A the Eddas and sagas. noteworthy passage in the Ynglingasaga regardsthe Ases altogetheras colonists from Asia, cap. 2 which the makes and their residence Asgard as a great placeof sacrifice, raSa twelve principal Ases sacrificial : skylduJjeir priests(hofgoGar) 1 milli (they had to advise about manna fyrirbio bum ok domum diar sacrifices and dooms) ; and it adds, that they had been named and drottnar (domini). This representation, though it be but (divi) the of Snorri's, the high estimation in which shows a conjecture order stood, so that gods themselves were placed at the priestly need not therefore confound head of sacrifices and judgments. But we diar and drottnar with real human priests. would life,

to

seem

have

been

Just as the Catholic clergyfurnished as well the props as the opponents of Reformation. the The notable example of a heathen priestabjuringhis ancient faith,and even puttingforth his hand to destroy the temple he had once held This priestwas an English,not sacred,has been quoted from Beda on p. 82. of more a British exactly one, though Beda, evidentlyfor the mere purpose -1

his station,designateshim

marking cuimhi,

by

a

Jamieson, supplement sub.

see

in Gaelic

even proper name, thumbria should

have

;

and

adopted

it is

the

Gaefic word

Coifi

(choibi, choibhidh, coivie,archdruid). Coifi is not a incredible that Eadwine king of Norv.

British

and religion,

maintained

a

British

priest. 2

Ed. Wurdtw.

qui tauros tuorum.

dixissent

.

.

non,

.

:

Pro

ut scripsisti, itaquepresbyteris, sacrilegis

sacrificia mordiis paganorum immolabant, manducantes modo vero incognitum esse, utrum baptizantestrinitatem "c. Connect with this the presbyterJovi mactans, Ep. 25.

hircos

et

an

82. Serr. 140

"

93

PRIESTS.

T must

draw

attention to the

fact,that certain

men

who

stood

gods by services and veneration,and priestsfirstof all,are entitled /mwfZs of the,gods^(seeSuppl.). Hence such names AS. Fredtvinc, as Frcysvinr, Bregowinefor heroes and kings (seech. X, Frowin). According to Eyrbygg.pp. 6, 8, 16, 26, Eolfr was a Thors vinr ; he had a hof of that god on a meadow, and was fore thereto

nearer

named

the

Thorrolfr,he dedicated

to him

his

Steinn and named

son

again dedicated his son Grimr to the god and him named meant the was Thorgrimr; by this dedicating(gefa), to Landn. appointingto the office of goGior priest. And (according Here the 2, 23) Hallstein gave his son as goSi to Thorr. we see office running on through several generations priestly (seeSuppl.). Also II. 10, 527. However, Odysseus is also called All ^t'Xo?,

liim

Thorsteinn,who

ddavdroKTi AloXo'i "})l\o";

OeoiaL,Od. 10, 2

he is ra/uLLTj'idv6/j,(ov, director of

; but

winds, therefore

then in Od. 10, 21 a

priest.

How

encroached the office in the North on deeply the priestly administration of justice, need not be insisted on here ; in their character the jDriests to have exercised a good deal of seem judicial control over the people,whereas little is said of their political influence at the courts of kings; on this pointit is enough to read the Nialssaga. In Iceland, even under the Judges Christianity, retained the name and several of the functions of heathen godar, time Gragas 1, 109-113. 130. 165. Convents, and at the same of old sanctuaries (seep. 85,note) state-farmers, especially occupiers apparentlycontinue in the Mid. Ages to have peculiarprivileges, which I shall enlarge in treating of weisthiimer. on They have the keeping of the county cauldron, or weightsand measures, and above to which all,the hrood-animals, everywhere gTeat favour is shown (seeSuppl.). The goSiis also called a hlotmad'r (sacrificulus), hliotr (Egilssaga need not be priests denoted p. 209), but all blotmenn ; the word rather any participant in sacrifices, and afterwards, christians, among in general. It tallies with the heathen in Tacitus the passage about the paterfamilias, that any iarl or hersir (baron)might perform sacrifice, though he was not a priest. Saxo Gramm. p. 176 1

The

MHG,

poets still bestow

on

hermits

and

warrior). In the Eenner frhmt, gotes degen (J^egn, heiligergoteskneht (cniht,servant). [See however passim in the lives of saints].

monks

the epithets gotes 24587, St. Jost is called

'serviis

dei,famulus

dei'

94

PEIESTS.

after liis

diruit,vidimarios baptism: Delubra mean proscripsit, flaminium abrogavit. By victimarii he must He the j)riests. tells us on blotmenn, by flamens p. 104, that at the great Upsala sacrifices there were enacted effoeniinati corporum mimorum mollia nolarum ac crepitacula motus, scenicique plausus, ; has also something to tell of choruses and dances Greek antiquity relates of Harald

of

priests. On the clothingof

ISTorse

there

Was

information.

any

the

a

I have priests,

connexion

not

them

between

across

come

and

the

Bragi the god of song has nothing to do with sacrifices ; thought a sacred hallowed thing: OSinn poeticart was spoke in verse, he and his Iwfgo"arare styledliod'asmi"ir (songsmiths),Yngl. saga cap. 6. Can sMlcL (poeta,but neut.)be the Diut. 1, 183. ? Gl. ker. 69, the rare OHG. as sgalto(sacer) same

poets ? yet the

of christian minstrels

Even

scaldo.

is

another

thing and

also

down

come

conversion to

us

one

about

skalds.

heathen

Poetry borders

is vates closelyon divination,the Eoman soothsayer,and soothsayingwas certainlya

so

songster and

alike

told,that

has

after the

soon

Amm.

function. priestly

Marcell.

14,

mentions

9

Alamannian

and Agathias2, 6 fiavrei'; or 'x^prjafMoXoyot 'AXaixavviKoL auspices, ring Ulphilasavoids using a Gothic word for the frequentlyoccurand he for the fern. invariablyputs praiifetus, 7rpo(jii]T7]^, Lu. 2, 36 ; why not veitagaand veitago? The praufeteis, irpo^rjTL'i OHG. and AS. versions are bolder for once, and givewizago, vAtcga} when ? the priest, Was a veitaga conductingauguriesand auspices, and for is sjmmad'r(spae-man), conf, inveitan,p. 29. The ON. term A.S. witegestre).Such diviners woman, prophetessspdkona(spaeMimir and Gripir. In old French they are devi7i were poems which to mean occasionallycomes divinatores), poets : (divini, 4, 145. uns ce dient li devins,qui de voir dire est esprovez, Meon devin,Een. 7383 ; so Tristr. 1229 : li contor dient (seeSuppl.).

We

have

now

antiquity.The "

a

wife

1

erroneous

of speak of the prophetessesand priestesses mundium (wardship)in which a daughter,a sister, to

stood, appears

The

). is

is

witegian).

become

oui'

verb

in the old heathen

ei in

our

MHG. weissager,

weissagen,MHG.

time

not

to

have

excluded

Avissagefor wizege ; equally (OHG. wizagon,AS.

wissagen, Iw. 3097

PRIESTESSES.

tliem from

such holy offices,

necne

ita dicere

95

from a or sacrificing (seeSuppl.), good deal of influence over the people. Tacitus,after tellingus how mightilythe German women wrought upon the valour of their for greater securitydemanded noble warriors,and that the Eomans from particular maidens nations,adds : Inesse quin etiam sanctum et providum (feminis) putant^,ncc aut consilia earum aspernantur, And aut rcsponsa 1. 50 before Caesar negiigunt. : Quod that, apud Germanos consuetudo sortihns et ea esset,ut matres fam. eorum vaticinationibus declararent, utrum proelium committi ex usu esset, ; eas

:

non

as

fas

esse

Germanos

superare,, si ante

lunam

proeliocontendissent (seeSuppl.). While historyhas not preservedthe name of one German vates, has it those of several prophetesses.Tac. Germ. 8 : Vidimus sub divo Vespasiano Veledam (as a prisonerin his triumph)diu apud Hist. 4, 61 : Ea virgo nationis plerosquenum.inis loco habitam. Bructerae, late imiKritalat,vetere apud Germanos more, quo et arbitrantur plerasquefeminarum/a^idJz'cas, augescentesuperstitions Veledae auctoritas adolevit ; nam dcas. Tuncque prosperas Germanis et excidium res legionum praedixerat.In 4, 65, when the peopleof Cologne were making an alliance with the Tencteri habebimus Civilem et Veledam they made the offer : Arbitrum Sic lenitis Tencteris, ad Civilem apud quos pacta sancientur. legati missi cum et Veledam voluntate Agrippinensium donis,cuncta ex coram adire, alloquique Veledam perpetravere. Sed negatum. Arcebantur venerationis inesset. aspectu, quo plus Ipsa edita in turrc ; delectus e propinquisconsulta responsacjitcut internuntius numinis portabat. 5, 22 : Praetoriam triremem flumine Luppia Veledae traxere. donum 5, 25 ; Veledam propinquosque monebat. Her captivity was probablyrelated in the lost chaptersof the fifth This Velcda book.2 had been precededby others : Sed et oKm Auriniam (hardlya translation of any Teutonic name, such as the ON. have Gullveig,gold-cup; some guessed Aliruna, Olrun, adulatione Albruna) et complures alias venerati sunt, non nee novam

'

'

tamquam

facerent

dcas. Germ.

1 A ^\^l(lforce of phantasy, and themselves preeminentlyin women.

Statius

-

two

silv. I. 4, 90

as syllables short,which

thinks

8.

the

A

state called

Captivaeque

:

seems

more

later one,

named

Ganna, is

have clairvoyance,

shown

Veledae ; he scans the first preces than Dio's BeX^Sa. Zeuss 436

correct

Vilida. Graff has a n. prop. Wallodu BeXe'Sa,BtXtSa I would 1, 800. Ka/ftf^rtmarca in Jornandescap. suggest the Gothic fern, name 48, and the Thur-

ingiauname

=

of

a

place JFalada

in Pertz I. 308.

96

PRIESTS.

cited

by

Dio

consulted eventura

a

Cassius,67, 5 ;i and habentem

'

woman

in the

narraret,' Greg. Tur.

to Mentz

of

out

5,

14

(Pertz1, 365).- As our prophetessespredict the Tacitus Ann. 14, 32 speaks of Feminae But

in furore have

we

the

(inAimoin

much

later

Alamannia, is noticed

847

anno

turbatae

Cassandra

Gunthcramnus

end

of

British

example

3, 22

erant

quae

she

is mulier

still, TMota, who

in the Annals

of

had

Fulda,

foretold the fall of

the

Troy, (v,infra) ; and

world

druidesses

adesse cxitium

sublimest

577

spiritum pldtonis,ut ei

i.e.irvdoivhaaa). One phytonissa, come

year

in these

canebant

before

us

in the

; conf.

words

:

14, 30.

Voluspa (see

Suppl.). Those

barefooted Cimbrian in Strabo (v. grayhaired, priestesses linen doublet,begirtwith brazen supra, p. 55) in white robe and the prisonersof war and prophesying from clasps,slaughtering ^

nane, in 265. 2

(al.Tavva) rrapdevosfiera

Vavva

conf. the

masc. a

Gannascus

name

Lothr.

urk., as hxte

T7]u

in Ann. as

709, Don

which Hubertus Traditions, Palatine,according to his

Bf\rj8aviv rrj lifXriKr}deia^ovcra, 19 ; the fern. Ganna, dat. GanCalmet, ed. 1728, torn. 1. preuves p.

11, 18.

Thomas

of

Luttich,privatesecretaryto the Timgris et Ebnronibiis 1541, professes to have received fi'om an antiquary Joan. Berger out of an old book vetustissimis characteribus descripto), and which he givesin his treatise (libello De Heidelbergaeantiquitatibus, relate as follows : Quo tempore Velleda virgo in Bruchteris imperitabat,vetula quaedam, cui nomen Jettha,eum coUem, ubi nunc est arx nunc nomen Heidelbergensis et Jetthae collis etiam liabet,inhabitabat,vetustissim unique ^:"/iamtm incolebat,cujusfragmentaadhuc Fridericus factus elector egregiam domura comes palatiniis nuper vidimus,dum aulam Haec mulier vaticiniis inclyta, construxit, quam et novam ajjpellant. venerabilior in hominum volentibus raro conforet, prodiens, conspectum quo silium ab ea petere,de fenestra, 'prodeunte viiltu, non respondebat.Et inter cetera colli a fatis esse datum, ut futuris ut inconditis versibus canebat, suo praedixit, recensebat, inhabitaretur et templis temporibus regiisviris,quos nominatim celeberrimis ornaretur, Sed ut tandem fabulosae antiquitati valedicamus, lubet adscribere quae is liber de infelici morte Egressa ipsiusJetthae continebat. deambulatione ut recrearetur, quondam amoenissimo tempore plumum, progrediebatur juxta montes, donee intra convallem pervenit in locum, quo montes declinant et multis locis scaturiebant pulcherrimi fontes,quibus vehementer ilia coepitdelectari, illis bibebat,cmn et assidens ex ecce lupa famelica cum catulis e silva prorupit,quae conspectam mulierem nequicquam divos invocanfonti tem dilaniat et frustatim discerpsit, nomen dedit,vocaturque casu suo quae omnibus amoenitatem loci notus. hodiernum in diem ob quippe fons lujwrum in this may be genuine It is scarcely worth while tryingto settle how much Elector

tradition, and

how

of the glorification on

the

hill Avould

much new

book

the erudition

palaceat

seem

of the 16th

Heidelberg (

been her rock, and

to

have

De

=

copied

century foisted in, to the the very mndow Veleda's tower, though

Heidberg) ; from

has a high tower (Vols, saga, cap. 20, nine virginsat Maniklata the rock, with 1) on 24, instead of Hcida her knees (Siem. 110. 111). If the enchantress's name were of the ON. echo be and would the an it suit better, Jettha, locality perhaps Heidr.

Brynhild

too resides upon

25 ; conf.

MenglotS,OHG.

97

PRIESTESSES.

their blood in the sacrificialcauldron, appear

as

witches by frightful

togetherwith divination they oftice. Their minutelydescribed apparel, we exercise the priestly the priests. may suppose, resembled that of While in Tac. Germ. 40 it is a 'priestthat attends the goddess, and guidesthe team of kine in her car ; in the North conversely, have handmaids we waitingupon gods. From a remarkable story which the in the Olaf Tryggv. saga (Fornm. sog. 2, 73 seq.), at all christian composer we evidentlypresents in an odious light, events gatherthat in Sweden a virginattended the car of Freyr on hona the people: Frey var its travels among fengintil J?ionosto and taken a woman young ung ok friS (intoFrey's service was is and she is called hona Freys. Otherwise a priestess fair), called gyffja, to goSi, corresponding hofgoSi; ^ see TuriSr Iwfgycfja, JjorlauggySja, Landn. 1, 21. hofgySja,Islend. sog. 1, 205. Steinvor and FridgerSr, 1, 99. 3, 268. Sagabibl. But the Norse authorities likewise dwell less on the priestly it seems, functions of women, than on their higher gift, of as 121. divination: Perita anguriifemina, Saxo Gram. A''aldamarr la i rekkju, at hun miok gamla ok orvasa, sva konungr atti moSur en margir heiSnir menn ]70var hun framsyn af Fitons anda, sem that she lay in bed, so (King V. had a mother very old and feeble, of Python,like many and there was she seized by a spirit heathen whicli Fornm. to be a term Of like importseems folk), sog. 1, 76. borders on the notion of a higherand supernatural being,as in the of Veleda ; and that is dis (nympha,numen). It may be not case that the spakona in several instances bears the proper accidental, Tliordis (Vatnsd.p. 186 seq. Fornm. Islend. sog. name sog. 1, 2.55. Kormakkss. 1, 140. ; dis however, a very earlyword, p. 204 seq.) which I at one time connected with the Gothic filudeisei (astutia, OS. idis,AS. itis, dolus),appears to be no other than our OHG. ides (femina,nympha). As famous and as widelyspreadwas the term volva^ which first denotes any magic-wieldingsoothsayeress (Vatnsd.p. 44. Fornm. sog. 3, 214. Fornald. sog. 2, 165-6. 50G), and is afterwards attached to a particular mythic Volva,of whom of the oldest Eddie songs, the Vuluspd,treats. Either volu one the side of the

IMaid ;

Bructerian

"

"

^

Can

fonte)be

our

the

gothe,goth for godmother (taufpathin, gotte, susccptrixe sur\ival of

an

old

heathen

vir;^in. baptized "^

The

Slavic volkhv magus.

"

Trans.

7

term

'} Murolt

3184

has

saci'O

godeof

the

98

PRIESTS.

here

stands asserted

which

different

the

in

one

the

also

that

11,

134-7.

and

the

of

and

of

(numen)

to

(Ssem.

(conf.

Sagabibl.

cii'cle.

and all

whom

in the

of

cap.

a

and

89,

their

also

I

cave.

"

2, 108.

be

100.

paid,

the

to

guess

3,

were

even

not

are

the

of

(canicula)

honours

name

excluded

their

godhood,

virginity

(see

beside

e.g.

but

sog.

divine

valkyrs,

priestly,

(Fornm.

lucorum)

Nialss.

the

in

there ch.

XVI

Suppl.). shall

We have

other

we

the

had

of

to

these

besides),

names

feature

marked

to

return

set

priesthood.

our

forth

'

gleg

who,

mythology, their

'

and in

with

(and

women

with

accordance

trespass

connexion

'

wise

'

on

the

a

not

name

Hyndla

"

dwells

but

(nympha

accorded, So

3, 155).

Ir-pa

the

118^)

in

Thorhiorg,

"

conf.

and

wolves,

on

horgabruSr was

4^,

Edda

is

or

derived

upon

Hei"r

be

may

Walawa

only

come

we

4).

Vala

OHG.

being

ranSa

3,

form

an

above,

Hafn.

Thorger"r

172),

somewhat

resides

and

142.

this

rides

that

virgins

title

guS

from

Here

Orvarodssaga

older

correspond

Eiriks

Ssem.

the

of

Walada

saga

the

in

volva

prophetess

a

the

claim woiild

the

(Edda

Vala

the

of

only

them

of

In

the

or

suggests

way.

little

the

is

each

to

;

Wala,

volvu,

for

a

they

deeply

superhuman.

sacrifice,

divination

CHAPTEE

VL

GODS.

I

Now, real

gods

think,

branches

of

and

retained

have

them,

far

so

evidence

the

for

terms

between

all there

Above

priesthood. the

Old

Goths,

similarityextends in

sacred

offered, priestsconducted

enjoyed The

their

and

decisive.

When

the

language, then,

same

and

the

not

without, they always have

the

Teutonic

and

should

it be

for

As we

have

demanding

in song

people, and

collect and

arrange

or

themselves victims

:

were '

women

that

born

it,and

from

influences

worship. gods,

nations, spread in

over

; how

common

?

the

genuineness of All

criticism

denying alive

lies before unfold

left to

are

acknowledge

that

principalgods

now.

story

they

nation

a

anians, Celts, Slavs, Lithu-

Slav

The

their

of

of belief and

populations

with

as

violent

to

between

midway

out

which

long

itself

is of

language divisions

so

kind

same

proofs of

sets

and

exposed

in Teutondom

otherwise

identity

customs

animal

several

worship.

reallygot past

up

sequence.

them

regions,have

that itself,

entire

of

settled

practise a

"widelydistant

lies

race

all

Finns,

this

of

sameness

the

are

The

And

the

to

authority. by

nature

ffisir, biota, horgr,

divinations, wise

and

sacrifices

turies cen-

many

'

furnished

own

and

analogy

meanings,

and

human

proof and

of

same

the

to

divine

one

chain

slightlyvarying

remains,

Norse the

all but

sufficient

speak

words

earliest

the

the

Saxons.

the

beyond

groves

and

with

and

Franks

Alamanns,

of

unmistakable

an

the

:

and

but

the

deity,

most

rate

any

allows or

forth

shines

long before,

known

at

for

name

the

worship, sacrifice,temples

of

dialects

other

all,or

;

All

time.

general

same

terminology

Norse the

older, of

goSi were

notions

heathen

oldest

documents

the

completed, show

the

same

present day

deficiency of

the

as

be

to

the

it to

the

have

language

our

in

Germany

for

inquiry, whether

the

for

fully prepared

are

claimed

be

can

we

our

the

and

or

Norse

mythology,

cripplesand

doubting

what

hilates anni-

is treasured

propagated amongst eyes.

materials

Criticism in

their

can

an

but

historical

100

GODS.

only questionthat can ftirlybe raised,is : Whether hold good for the rest the gods of the North, no longer disputable, To of Teutondom ? say yea to the questionas a whole, seems, from the foregoingresults of our inquiry,altogetherreasonable the

Then

almost

and

A

necessary, if it knew

negativeanswer,

the circle of Norse

maintain, that to all

common

and

Germany,

annihilated

but

by

what

about, Avould try to

was

formerly

gods,in substance, were the earlier conversion

But

here.

it

a

were

guished extin-

exceptionsand assertion,and materially

multitude

of

would greatlylimit the survivingvestiges out of the remainder. alter what might be made In the meanwhile a denial has been attemptedof quiteanother never kind, and the opinion upheld, that those divinities have existed at all in Germany proper, and that its earliest inhabitants knew nothingbetter than a gross worshipof nature without gods. This view, drawing a fundamental German distinction between and Scandinavian heathenism, and misapprehending all the clues infallible which discover themselves to unprejudicedinquiry as stress evidence of the unityof two branches of a nation,laysspecial the nature of the heathen faith,dating on upon a few statements about

from

the

part proceedfrom

lipsof

the

themselves

concern

century and

sixth

christians,who

zealous

to understand

or

for the

These

onwards.

did not

most at all

faithfully portray the paganism rather to set up a warning was

whose purpose they were assailing, mination. againstthe grosser manifestations of its cultus as a detestable aboIt will be desirable to glanceover the principal passages in their

uniformity and one-sidedness.

Agathias(i*before 582),himself a newly converted Greek, who he had from coloured reports what could only know christianly heard

about

the

distant

worship as opposed to Kol

peWpa TTora/xMV

thus

Alamanns,

the Frankish

:

exhibits

SiuSpare

yap

the Alamannic rtva

IXdaKovTat,

koX (f)dpa'y"ya";, Kai rovTOi"; \d(f)ov"i wairep foUow the words Then quoted on p. 47 about

koX

28, 4. BpMvre'i their equine sacrifices. oaia

But

his

contrast

to

the

Franks

breaks

down

at

once,

when

account of thc7n from the lipsof exactlythe same their first historian Gregory : Sed haec generatiofanaticis semper cultibus visa est obsequium praebuisse, Deum, nee prorsus agnovere sibiquesilvarum atque aquarum, avium bestiarumque et alioruui we

hear almost

101

GODS.

finxere quoque elementorum sacrificiadelibare consueti.

(^ginhard)in

2, 10.

Greg.Tur.

eisque

Einliard Similarly,

"

Caroli cap. 7, about the Saxons : Sicut onmes incolentes nationes et natura feroces et cidtui

contrarii. dediti,nostraeque religion!

daemonum

colere

Vita

Gerraaniam

fere

formas,ipsasqueut deum

"

Ruodolf

of

Fuld,

quoting Tacitus and Einhard, adds (Pertz 2, 676): Nam exhibebant ;^and venerationem frondosis arboribus fontibusque after

mentions

the

Irminsfd, which

Suppl.). Lastly,Helmold de religionenisi nomen apud

habetur

eos

shall deal

1, 47 affirms

"

lucoruui et fontiuni

I

of the

.

.

.

destruens,"c.' sacrilegos in exactly the Conceived

Holsteiners

(see Nihil

:

;

nam

superstitionummultiplexerror

Vicelinus .

then

hereafter

christianitatis habentes

tantum

ceterarumque .

with

et

.

lucos

et

onmes

ritus

heathenish

arbores II.

586,

anno

the

of prohibitions

rites in decrees of councils

and idolatrous

Concil. Autissiod.

spiritare

same

can.

3

:

Non

in laws.

and

licet inter sentes

aut

ad

exsolvere ; conf. Concil. Turon. Leges Liutpr.6, 30 : Simili modo et qui ad

sacrivos vel ad fontes vota

566,

anno

can.

22.

"

sanctivam, sacrivam)vocant, sanguinum (al. atque ad fontanas adoraverit. Capit.de partibusSax. 20 : Si quis ad fontes aut arbores vel lucos votum fecerit,aut aliquidmore comederit. And tlie gentiliumobtulerit et ad honorem daemonum converters, the christian clergy,had for centuries to pour out their wrath againstthe almost ineradicable folly. It is sufficient merely of Caesarius episcopus Arelatensis (f 542) to allude to the sermons kalendarum contra Contra sacrilegos et aruspices, quoque paganActa Bened. issimos ritus,coutraque augures lignicolas, fonticolas,' arborem,

quam

rustici

"

"

'

sec.

1, p.

668.

All these truth.

passages

That

German

contain,not heathenism

an was

untruth, yet destitute

not

the whole

of

not gods,they canthey all date from

possiblyprove; for one thing,because periodswhen heatlienism no longerhad free and undisturbed sway, wellbut had been hotly assailed by the new doctrine,and was The generalexercise of it had ceased,isolated nigh overmastered. cherished it timidlyin usages kept up by stealth ; at the partizans in simplicity or error tinued conchristians who time there were same ceremonies to practise by the side of christian superstitious Such ones. doings,not yet extinct here and there among the ^

Adain

of Bremen

againcopiesRuodolf,Pertz 9, 286.

102

GODS.

from all regulatingguidance people,but withdrawn by heathen priests, could not fail soon to become and to vulgarized, of the older as mere faith,which faith we have no dregs an appear As do not fail to recognise in the we rightto measure by them. common

devils and

witches

of

more

Just

so

modern

times the

higherpurer fancies of antiquitydisguised, justas littleought we to feel any scrupleabout in questionto the untroubled fountracingback the pagan practices tainhead of the olden time. Prohibitions and preachings kept strictly to the practical side of the matter, and their very purpose to put was these last hateful remnants down of the false religion.A sentence in Cnut's AS. laws (Schmid 1, 50) shows, that fountain and tree worship does not exclude adoration of the gods themselves : man HseGenscipe biS,Jjsetman deofolgildweorSige,J?ait is, ]?a3t oSSe monan, weorSigehaeSene godas,and sunnan fyreo55e floSwsestfmas oSSe ter, wyllas oGCe tenigescynnes wudutreowa; conf 1, 366.

Homil.

239, that

he

abolished

it is said of

the heathen

Olaf the Saint,rornm, sacrifices and

(many other) blotskaparskrimsl,

onnur

ok tre ok oil

skoga,votn But

we

can

conceive

onnur

bseSi hamra

blot,baeSi meiri ok

of another

reason

gods :

sog.

Ok

ok

5,

morg

horga,

minni.

too, why

on

such

sions occa-

are passedover in gods,perhaps stillunforgotten, their names silence : christian priests avoided uttering or describing their worship minutely. It was thought advisable to include them aU under the generaltitle of demons devils,and utterlyuproot or their influence by laying an interdict on whatever yet remained of their worship. The Merseburg poems show how, by way of still able to transmit the names of certain gods were exception, in formulas of conjuring. themselves and decay have no in its debasement Pictures of heathenism rightto be placedon a level with the report of it given by Tacitus

the heathen

it was yet in the fulness eightcenturies before,when of its strength. If the adoration of trees and rivers stilllingering to the existence in the habits of the peopleno longerbears witness of gods,is it not loudlyenougliproclaimedin those imperfectand tells he expressly defective sketches by a Ptoman stranger ? When of the god of a deus terra editus,of heroes and descendants us

from

five to

of the god who rules in war (velutdeo imperante), (pluresdco ortos), ferred the peopletransof gods (deorum nominibus) which of the names who cannot begina divination to sacred groves, of the priest

103

GODS.

himself deos)and who regards invokingthe gods (precatus deorum),of a regnatoromnium of the gods (niinistros a servant as deos in aspectu,Hist. 5, dens,of the gods of Germany (Germaniae were the captured signa Eomana 17),of the diis patriisto whom between penetrates hung up (Ann. 1, 59); when he distinguishes dii deos or dii penatcs (Ann. 2, 10. U, 16),communes Germaniae

without

guishes distinhe even dii (Germ. 18) ; when (Hist.4, 64),and conjugalcs names, individual gods,and tries to suit them with Eoman Eomana) a Mars, Mercurius, and actuallynames (interpretatione the German Pollux,Isis,nay, has preserved

Hercules,Castor and

deus terra editus and of his son, and of

of the appellations

goddess,

time the possibleto deny when is it possible, we worshippedveritable gods ? How the of the language, know all the rest that we account

Germans take into

the liberty,

and

manners,

in

that,sunk

that at that

is it

; how

the terra mater

notion

a

a

the

virtues of the Germani, to maintain

stolid fetishism,they cast

themselves

down

logsand puddles,and paid to them their simpleadoration ? the Germans who more knew The opinion of C?esar,^ ficially superbe cannot and fiftyyears later, than Tacitus a hundred our He to contrast wants the truth. allowed to derogatefrom before

with

ancestors

Gauls, with

the

he

whom

had

had

more

familiar

and the moon, of the sun, fire, personifications he limits the sum total of their gods,will hardlybear even to which and moon Eomana'. If in the placeof sun a forced interpretatio we put Apollo and Diana,they at once contradict that deeplyrooted which conceives of the of the Teutonic way of thinking, ])eculiarity sun as as a female,and of the moon a male being,which could not have escaped the observation of the Eoman, if it had penetrated deeper. And Vulcan, similar to the Norse Loki, but one of those the

; but

converse

'

divinities of whom

there is least trace

to

be

found

in the rest

of

less foundation than the equallyvisible Teutondom, had certainly and helpfuldeities of the nourishingearth,and of the quickening, water. fish-teeming, ship-sustaining

statements

of the

^

more

Dporum

as

a

half-true

detailed

nimiero

can

only look

upon

Caesar's

which, in the face roughcastopinion, testimonyof Tacitus,hardlyavails to cast a and

solos ducimt, quos eernuiit, et quorum opibusaperte et Lunam fania lie quideiii acceperuiit. reliquos ; and Tenchtheri this B.G. 4, 7 where the Uisiiietes iinis Suevis concedere,quibus no dii quideia imiiwrtales eos

juvantur,Solan et Vulcaiuim li.G. G, 21. Compare witli say to Cjesar : Sese pares esse possint.

I

104

GODS.

doubt

other

on

gods,much

less to prove

a

bare

elements

worship of

the Germani.

among

of individual

earlyexistence

for the

that vouch

All the accounts

and time to their great number at the same gods,necessarily testify When their mutual relationship. Procopiusascribes a ttoXu? Oewv to the Heruli,this great host must also be good for the o/xiXo'i and for know the fewest particulars, we Goths, justthose of whom all the Germans together.Jornandes would have us believe that the Goths the first to make Diceneus was acquaintedwith gods, nobilissimos prudentiores eis tunc viros,quos cap. 11 : Elegitex '

'

numina instruens quaedam et sacella venerari suasit ; theologian! the ruler who here evidentlywe see promoted the service of particular gods. But that Jornandes himself credited his Goths et Unde with unmistakablynative gods,is plain from cap. 10 : illiqui piivocabantur, subito patefactis sacerdotes Gothorum aliqui, portiscum citharis et vestibus candidis obviam sunt Qg\Q?"^\patcrnis modulantes. Macedones ut sibi propitii voce supplici repellerent d'iis, alien to the have been totally The fact here mentioned even may real Goths, but anyhow we gatherfrom it the opinionof Jornandes. And if we also want evidence about a race lying quite at the oppositeextremityof Germany, one that clung with great fidelity to

their old-established

it in the

have

faith,we

Lex

Frisionum,

: subjectis the penaltyon temple-breakers Immolatur diis quorum templa violavit. arrived at the followingresult.' In the first have now We rested mainly upon of the Germans century of our era the religion

addit. tit.13, where

thousand

gods; a

or

the

twelve

section of the race, which fathers

for

a

new

one,

the

hundred the

was

old

years

the northern

later,among

exchange the faith of its gods is preservedthe most

last to

system of

tradition to either perfectly.Linked by language and unbroken extremityof heathenism, both its first appearance in historyand its fall,stands central Germany from the fifth to the ninth century. During this period the figuresof the heathen gods,in the feeble them by the reports of recent converts, and hostile lightthrown upon but stillalways as gods. before us faded and indistinct, come I must German

^

gods,no

Grk.

Ukneski

here

Tacitus

repeat, that

image ^

signum, (iyaXfia, (seeSuppl.); can the

moulded

statue

Sloven,

;

in

knows human

no

simulacrum

he

had

manaUhho,

ON.

shape ;

Gotli. manleika, OHG.

malik, idol,have sprung

what

of

from

manleika?

105

IMAGES.

stated

in cap. 43, case generallyin cap. 9, ho asserts of a particular and have no ground for disbelieving his assertion. The existwe ence of real statues at that time in Germany, at least in the parts best known to them, would hardlyhave escapedthe researches of the Romans. He knows of nothingbut signa and foTvias, apparently used in worship as symbols, carved and coloured,which were and on certain occasions carried about ; probably they contained

reference

some

The

model

betokened

the

to whom

taken

of

god

the ferarum The

of

absence

attributes

was

consecrated

imagines on further

veste

; and

trees

of the

liburnae

modura

the formac sailing,

vehiculum

will be discussed

The

and

boat,signuniin

a

the boar

SuppL).

the nature

to

aprorum

figuratum(cap.9), (cap.45) the god

in the like

and

coutectum

at

several deities.

sense

are

to

certain sacrifices of

the

goddess

be

(see

Earth

on.

of statues

and

the impotence temples,considering of all artistic skill at the period,is a favourable feature of the German cultus,and pleasingto contemplate. But it by no means follows that in the people's fancy the gods were destitute of a form like the human this,gods invested with all liuman ; without would with man, and be attributes, brought into daily contact German If there was simply inconceivable. poetry then in any which I would sooner assert than existence, deny, how should the poets have depictedtheir god but ^vith a human aspect ? Attempts to fashion images of gods,and if not to carve them of wood out and paint them, or quite or stone, at least to draw roughlyto bake them of dough (p.C3),might nevertheless be made at any period, the earliest ; it is possible too, that the interior even

parts of Germany, less accessible

to

the

Eomans,

concealed

here

turies, temples,statues and pictures.In the succeedingcenhowever, when images also,to fill templeswere multiplied, with the greatestprobability their spaces, may be assumed. The terminology, except where the words simulacra, imagines, of several for doubt, are employed,makes which leave no room use

and

there

which Thumb? finger,also Tliumbkin, Tom may have to do with idol little, s-mall].Other [In the Slavic languages,mal OHG. terms are avard; piladi, pilidi(bild)ethgiesor imago in general; in the !Mid. Ages they said, lor making or forming (p. 23), cin hilde giezcn,eine ence scha-ne junclrouwen enjiezen, Cod. Vindob. 211, without 428, num. any referbUde mezzen, to metal-casting Troj. 19(526,mezzen, IMisc. 2, IttO. On ; em the Lith. halwrnum, idolum, statua, conf. Pott de ling.Litth. 2, 51, Russ. of affeL;tion). bolvdn,Hung, hulcany; Russ. humlr,idol,both lit.and tig.(object Bohem.

malik, the

little

=

lOG

GODS.

meaning varies,passingfrom that of temple to that of image,justas we saw the meaning of grove mixed up with that of alah originally that word rock or meant If,as is possible, numen. like haruc and ivih,melt into the stone (p.67), it might easily, terms

whose

sense

of

fanurn,idolum.

statue, of ara,

and

altar

In

this way

the

signifyboth fana and idola or statuae, Diut. 1, 497^ 513'' 515^ 533^ justas our gotze is at the false god and his image and his temple (see above, p. 15. once had a similar ambiguity, must have Gramm. 3, 69-1). Idolum from and delubrum, fanum wdiere it is not expresslydistinguished templum. In generalphrases such as idola colere,idola adorare, that images are be sure cannot idola destruere,we meant, for just truere often and with the same as meaning we have adorare fana,desLook fana. at the followingphrases taken from OHG. abcut wihero stetio,fana excelsorum, Diut. 1, 515\ : ahcuti glosses Diut. ], 213^ steininu zeihan in heilogem stetim, fana in excelsis, OHG.

ahcut,ahcuti

(Abgott,false god)

1, 49 7^

inti ahcuti,titulos et statuas, Diut. inti

haruga,aras

et statuas

Lacombl.

arch. 1, 11.

gana,

idols, pp. Emmerammi

(Acta

Saxonum,

(Aribo,bishop Lebuini,written

of

by

in the 8th

Freisingenin Hucbald

suis vota

the

Inservire

years

statues

In

ac

few

instances

find the

we

falsegods The

of the

ancient

simulacra .

colitis.

vita

cultibus

sacrificia

putatis,quosque be meant must (seeSuppL).

a

evidence

764-783).

idolorum

S.

genti

te

.

venerando

esse

tradidero

918-976, says

for

vita

Aribonis

century served many

.

deos

:

simulacra

existit' is undeniable

between

solvens

*

afgoda began-

uses

in

statement

cultor

(Pertz 2, 361-2):

numinihus

often

Sept. 6, 483)

tot idolorum

quae

Gram,

The

sanct.

that the heatlien Saxons

Saxons

Saxo

249, 320-1-5-7=

inti manalihun

altara

lucos, Diut. 1, 513^

et "

does

.

Here,

no

.

.

quae

doubt,

nobler

designationdeus still Cumque idem rex (Eadwine

employed,as it had been by Tacitus : in 625) gratias Beda 2, 9. ageretdiis suis pro nata sibi filia, of gods ; The followingpassages testify to visible representations to describe to them, and we are content they do not condescend pick up hints by the way. The very earliest evidence takes us alreadyinto the latter half of the 4th

century, but it is

Hist. eccl. 6, among

Goths

of the most

the manifold

37, mentions

the heathen

one

:

remarkable.

dangersthat

Wliile the barbarians

were

Sozomen,

beset

Ulphilas

yet heathens

107

IMA.GES.

(ert

eWrjvi.Kco'i6pT](TK"v6vT(ov) eX\7]viK(oihere

^ap^dpcov

Twv

"

(toworship)is presently 6pr)aK6vetv described more minutely,when the persecutionof the Christians by Athanaric is related Athanaric, liavingset the statue (evidently of the Gothic {^oavoue0' apfiafid^rj'i deity)on a umggon eo-Too?), ordered it to be carried round to the dwellingsof those suspected down and sacrifice {irpoaKvof Christianity ; if they refused to fall velv Kol 6v"Lv), to be fired over their heads. their houses were By covered is this the understood not is a carriage exactly dppbd[ia^a ; the goddess, herself unseen, vcMculum veste contectum, in which was Is it not the vagn in which carried about (Tac.Germ. 40) ? Freyr in and his priestess holy days he journeyed round among sat, when the Swedish people (Fornm. sog. 2, 74-5)? The people used to the fields, by which fertility carry about covered images of gods over in heathen

means

fashion,and

"

was

bestowed

them.'^

upon

Even

the harrdsclien in

our

poems

of

Ages, with Saracen gods in them, and the carroccio of the cence to be nothingbut a late reminiscities (EA. 263-5)seem Lombard The Eoman, of these primitive gods'-waggonsof heathenism. such carriages. not without Greek and Indian gods too were What Gregory of Tours tells us (2,29-31) of the baptism of Chlodovich (Clovis)and the events that preceded it,is evidently I take to be touched up, and the speechesof the queen especially fictitious; yet he would hardlyhave put them in her mouth, if it had no gods or statues at all. that the Franks known were generally the Mid.

speaks thus to her husband, whom (Clotilda) dii prepossess in favour of baptism : Nihil sunt

Chrothild to

qui neque hqnde aut

sibi neque

aliis

poterunt subvenire

; sunt

she quos

enim

is trying

colitis, aut

ex

nomina vero, quae lignoaut ex metallo aliquoscidpti, dii. Here she homines eis indidistis, bringsup Satiirnns fuere,non ex

and

with JiijAtcr,

and

then

:

Quid

from classical mythology; arguments drawn Mars Mcrcuriusi^iwepotuere ? qui potius sunt

magicisartibus praeditiquam divini numinis potontiam habuere. et omnia Sed ille magis coli debet qui coelum et terram, mare quae Scd "c. haec extantibus in eis sunt, verbo ex non cum procreavit, regisanimus movebatur, regina diceret,nullatenus ad credendum ac nostrorum sed diccbat : Dcorum jussionecuncta crcantur j)ro1 vita De simulacro quod percanipos snperstit. portant (Indie, cap. 28) ; one rusticis liaec Gallonini essut consne9 S. Martini 252) : Quia (Suiius 6, cap. cii'tiulo,simulacra (kiemomim, candido teda vdamine, niisera per agros sues

cumierre

dementia.

108

GODS.

(leunt;deus nee

de deorum

When

nihil posse manifestatur,et quodmagis est, German esse probatur(that sounds enough!).

vester

vero

gcnere

little boy dies

their

remarks

Chlodovich

in

Si

:

receivingchristian baptism,

after

soon

nomine

deorum

meorum

fuisset

puer

quia in nomine dei vestri non potuit. So detailed a report of est, vivere omuino baptizatus hundred Chlodovich's heathenism, scarcely a years after the event, would be absurd, if of a well instructed priest, and from the mouth of it. When truth at the bottom there were once no Gregory had of gods in the placeof the Frankish (inwhich put his Latin names as he simply followed the views and fashion of his time),he would dicatus, vixisset

utique;

autem,

nunc

"

a

of

matter

course

it is not

; and

myths

Latin

those

to surround

on

go

be

to

with

names

the appropriate

overlooked, that

the

four

days of the week, the very kind it was which quite customary to identifywith native gods. I think myself entitled therefore,to quote the passage as proving at the Franks (seeSuppL). least the existence of images of gods among the earlypart of the Vtli incident from The narrative of an deities named

century Trcs

ergo

imagines

ibi colebat, quibus So

credebat.

the

says

oratorium

uavicula

Egresside

Post

adierunt.

.

.

.

S. Galli (Pertz 2,

Vita

in his Vita

Sti'abo

by Walafrid

mundi

Creatori

quam

(8th)century.

of the next

course

magis

A

in

honore

orationem,

7)

written

(actaBened.

S. Galli

S. Aureliae per

cum

:

reddenda

vota

detailed account

more

612

gentilitas superstitiosa

dcauratas

et

aereas

in

of Constance

the Lake

at Bregenz on idolatry

of

seat

a

upon

St. Gallus

and

Columban

Alamannia.

concerns

came

the

gods of

all

are

gyrum

sec.

the

in is

given 2. p. 233) :

constructum

oculis cuncta

lustrassent, placuitillis qualitaset situs locorum, deinde

oratione

sibi fecerunt. Eepererunt praemissacirca oratorium mansiunculas deauratas parietiafjixas^ in templo ires imaginesaereas quas autem populus,dimisso altaris sacri cultu, adorabat, et ohlatis sacrificiis dicere consuevit : isti sunt dii veteres et antiquihujus loci tutores, quorum

solatio et

promiscuisexus

honorem, 1

et nostra

etiam

verum

So then, in

a

churcli

et

ad

in praesens. ageretur,venit multitude

perdurantusque

ejusdem templi solemnitas

Cumque minima

nos

aetatis,non videndos

tantum

.

peregrines, quos

non

cognoverant

old heathen gods' imageshad stillattached wlio ^vere people, couf. Ledebur's of this practice,

conciliate the

.

propter festivitatis

reallychristian,these

heen let into the wall,probaLly several later instances There are to tliem ? Thiir. mitth. VI. 2, 13 (see iSuppl.). archiv. 14, 363. 378. to

.

109

IMAGES.

.

.

(Columbani) Gallus

abbatis

venerandi

Jussu

advenisse.

.

et in conspectu coepitviam veritatis ostendere populo, in frustacomminucns omnium simulacra, et lapidibus jiroarripiens

is

His visis nonnulli

lacum.

in jccit

in

oratory built

of St.

honour

sunt

ad dominum.

christian

lieatlien and

of

strange jumble

a

conversi

.

.

.

worship.

Aurelia,three heathen

Here

"

In

statues

an

still

againstthe wall,to which the people continue to sacrifice, the christian altar: to them, these are stilltheir without going near the images has knocked old tutelary deities. After the evangelist them into Lake thrown to piecesand Constance, a part of these to Christianity. heathen turn placesthan one Probably in more the earliest christian communities degenerated in like manner, owing to the preponderance of the heathen multitude and the supinenessof the clergy. A doubt may be raised,however, as to whether by these heathen gods are to be understood Alamannish, or gods ? Eomau paganism in a district of the old possiblyRoman Helvetia is quiteconceivable, and dii tutores loci sounds almost like be remembered, that the very thing. On the other hand it must stand

Alamanns

had been

worshipthan

settled here for three

any

other

hardlybe at that time the popularone. That the neighbouringLake of Zurich^ (supra, p. 56) in his older biography of the two saints,

theirs could

sacrifice to Woden

on

by Jonas altogetherGerman. Lastly,the to be jointly worshipped stands

mentioned was

and centuries,

of

association

three

vinities di-

prominent feature in the Eomans dedicated a temple to domestic heathenism our ; when their images were not several deities, placed side by side,but in Eatpert (Casus S. Galli,Pertz 2, 61) separate celiac (chapels)." the

have

to

seems

subsequentone est ad

quae

lumque

ab

the

confounded at

out

events, that

two

Bregenz:Tucconiam

ubi caput lacus Turicini, demonum

a

L.

on

Zurich,and

(toTuggen) advenerunt, vellent, popu-

consistere

cum

(nam

adhuc

idolis

immolahant), ct in lacum vicinuvi demergcnte, vana confringcnte populus in iram conversus. sanctos exinde pepulerunt. Inde iter agentes pervenerunt ad castrum quod Arbona nuncupatur, juxta errore

revocare

(Jallo idola

.

^

Moiie Curionsly,

worship at of the

.

(Gesch. des hcid. 1, 171-5) tries

'J'liK'^'cn upon

the

Heruli,who

had

never

to

put tliis W(jdenof there,instead

been heard

Ahunanns, because

But

this means of distant ones. order

.

to

convert

the district lies

Jonas says : Sunt inibi vicinae naliones Suevoruin. tliose settled thereabouts ; there was occasion to speak no simply Columban in to himself, was stavingin a placenot ai,'reenl)le tlie heathen

inhabitants

; and

infrapartes Alamanniae, where

too, by Wal'atVid's description intra would do just as well.

110

GODS.

potamicum,ibiquea Willimaro presbytero honorifice suscepti, gaudio permanserunt. Qui a Sanctis interrogatus, septem dies cum

lacum

si sciret locum

in solitudine

illorum

ostendit

proposito congruum,

nomine jocundissimum ad inhabitandum Brigantium. Ibique reperientestemplum olim christianae religioni dedicatum, demomim autem et consenunc imaginihiis pollutum,mundando in pristinum restituerunt statum, atque pro crando statuis quas ibidem collocaverunt. sanctae Aureliae reliquias ejecerunt, By this also the temple is first of all christian, and account afterwards therefore not an old Eoman occupied by the heathen (Alamanns),

eis locum

"

one.

That

Woden

to

pieces, may

broken

s

statue

almost

was

one

be inferred from

beer-sacrifice offered to him.

the

only the

vague

words

of those idola

vana

Jonas's

cantilena Eatpert's

that

were

account

of

S. Galli

has

:

Castra de

Turegum adnavigantTucconium, Decent fidem gentem, Jovcm linquuntardentem. This the peopleapostatized, Jupiteron fire,from whom may very but well be Donar his statue is not alluded to. (Thunar,Thor), IV. quotes Jovis According to Arx (on Pertz 2, 61),Eckehardus find the passage ; conf. p. 122 et Neptuni idola,'but I cannot Ermoldus Nigelluson Neptune. It is plainthat the three statues have to do with the idolatryon L. Constance, not with that on L. Zurich ; and if Mercury,Jupiterand Neptune stood there together, deities. the firsttwo at all events may be easilyappliedto German about Neptune. But I think In ch. VII, I will impartmy conjecture tres imagines have a better we may conclude from all this,that our claim to a German origin,than those imagines lapideaeof the '

Luxovian

forest,cited

on

p. 83^

by Gregoryof Tours on statues of Diana in the Treves country, and of Mercury and Mars in the soiith of Gaul, though they exchide all thought of German deities, yet offer strikingcomparisons. Hist. 8, 15 : estis monte territorium Trevericae urbis expetii,et in quo Deinde nunc hie Dianae habitaculum,quod cernitis, propriolabore construxi ; reperitamen simulacrum,quod populus hie incredulus quasi deum adorahat. columnam, etiam in qua cum grandi cruciatu sine ullo pedum stabam tegmine. statui, multitudo vicinarum civitatiun confluere coepit, A^'erum ubi ad me praedicabam nihil esse Dianam, nihil simulacra, nihilquequae eis videbatur exerceri jugiter, cantica cultura : indigna etiam esse ipsa,quae inter poculaluxuriasqueprofluas fecit ac terram, dignum sed potius deo omnipotenti,qui coelum proferebant, etiam sit sacrificium laudis impendere. orabam saepius,ut simulacro dominus miseriFlexit domini diruto discutere. dignaretur populum ab hoc errore 1

Two

narratives

.

in verba cordia menteiu suam rusticam, ut inclinaret aurem convocatis relictis idolis dominum aequeretur, (et) tunc simulacrum hoc immensum, quod elidere propria virtute

.

.

oris mei, ut scilicet

quibusdam ex eis non poteram, cum

Ill

BIAGES.

authorityfor images of gods among the Saxons is the of Corvei (1,12),where famous he relates passage in Widekind their victoryover the Thuringianson the E. Unstrut 530), (circ. Mane ad ut majorum memoria autem orientalem facto, prodit : vidoriae portam (of castle Schidungen) ponunt aquilam,aramque errorem construentes, secundum paternum, sacra sua propriaveneratione venerati sunt, nomine cohimnarum imitantes Martem, effigie Graeci Herculem, loco Solem appellantAjJoIlinem.This quem than one importantwitness will have to be called up againin more The

chief

'

*

"

connexion. To

Corvei

the

1145, where

annals, at year

the

Eresburg is century hand (Pertz

spoken of,the followingis added by a 12th 5, 8 note): Hec eadem Eresburg est corruptovocabulo dicta,quam et Julius Cesar Eomano imperio subegit,quando et Arispolis habuit ab eo qui Aris Greca nomen designationeac 3Iars ipse Duobus dictus est Latino famine. siquidem idolis hec dedita fuit, id est Aris, qui urhis mcniis insertus, quasidominator dominantium, et Ermis, qui et Mcrcurius mercimoniis insistentibus colebatur in forensibus. on

statue

of Mars

to have

seems

stood

the town-wall. That

to

Accordingto this,a

"

be

the Frisian

sufficient evidence.

84) mentions hands

templescontained

on

the

It is true, the passage

only fana dei ; sacred

images of gods,there

we

are

fountain,not

about

told that Wilibrord that he

demolished

seems

Fosite

(p.

laid violent any

image.

adjutoriopossem eruere reliqiiasigillorum(tliesniallor ; jam enim faciliora autem multis figures)quae erant, ipse confregeram. Convenientibus eorura

ad hanc

Dianae

statuam,missis funibus traliere coeperunt,sed nihil labor eorimi proficere poterat. Then came prayers ; egressusque post orationem ad operarios

crum veni,adprehensumquefunem ut prime ictu trahere coepimus,protinussimularuit in terram, confradumque cum malleis ferreis m pulveremredegi. So to the ground, whose structive images went contemplationwe should think very inThis Diana now. and Gallic was probably a mixture of Roman of a Diana arduiiina (Bouquet 2, 319). The worship ; there are inscriptions second passage stands in Mirac. 2, 5 : Erat autem baud procul a cellula, constrnxerat sepulchrum,martyris (Juliani Arvernensis)haec matrona quam cjrande delubrum,ubi in columna altissima siinulachrum (in vico Brivatensi), Martis Mercuriiqne colebatur. Cumque delubri illiusfesta a gentilibusagerentur mortui thura mortuis medio e vulgo commoventur ac deferrent, pueri duo in The scandalum, nudutociueunus gladio alterum appetit trucidandum. lioy to the saint's cell, and is saved. runs vellet Quarta autem die,cum gentilitas iterum diis exhibere liljamina, the christian priests offer a fervent jirayer to the the heathens terrified : Kecedente are martyr, a violent thunderstorm arises, autem coluerant confringentes!, in statuas tempestate, gentilesbaptizati, quas lacnm vico amnitjue proximum projecerunt.Soon after this, the Burgundians settled in tlie district. The statues broken d(n\n,crushed to powder, and tlimg into the lake,every bit the same as in that story of Ratpert's. "

"

GODS.

112 On

(Pertz2, 339),in describing this under (circ.716), uses King Eedbod Francorum ecclesiarum Christi, quae prius Bonifacii

the otiier hand, the Vita

the

reaction

heathen

language: Jam pars subjectaerat imperio,vastata

erat

destructa,idolorum

ac

quoque

if it renovata. And lugubriter here is equivalentto deorum, the should be thought that idolorum esse : Insanum Vita Willehadi definitely (Pertz2, 380) says more fanis

exstructis delubrorum

cultura

et vanum

a

lapidibusauxilium

dedita

nimium

Quo

stridebant

dentibus

profanum longiusvivere,imo dcos

contra

invidissimos

suos

simulacris

a

in

eum,

et surdis

mutis

fera

audito,gens

solatium.

subsidii sperare

et

petere

et

idololatriis

dicentes, non

debere

sacrilegia proferrepraesumsisseteloquia. The esse

reum

mortis, qui tam

"

belongsto the middle of the 8th century, and the narrator not hundred are a Anskar years later ; still we (f 865) comes I ilourishes. And his words in looking upon as warranted mere what is have that we a rightto take for empty phrases, not sure am written till 839 : not was said in a Vita S. Goari (f 649),which in Eipuaria),simulacrorum Coepit gentilibusper circuitum (i.e. idolorum verbum cultui deditis et vana superstitionis deceptis, salutis annuntiare (Acta Bened. sec. 2, p. 282), Such biographies event

are

usuallybased Frisians

The

on

are

older memorials. in

every

the

sense

pointof

consideringthe multifarious adjoiningnations, nothing can be

Scandinavians these two

transition

intercourse

;

with

the

between

natural

more

to

than

to

their

neighbours the habit of temple and image worship. Even Fosete's temple in HeligolandI can hardlyimagine destitute of images. them out of wood in carvingfigures or Some chiselling facility should have expected from those is no more than we out of stone in Tacitus, and the art might go on improving up signaand effigies and other implements that we to a certain stage. Stone weapons find in barrows testifyto a not unskilful handling of difficult materials. That not a singleimage of a Teutonic god has escaped that the Frisians also had

suppose

the destructive

surpriseus "Why, even and

term

less than in the

time

the total

North, where

their destruction

all the

of

hand

occurred

in

and

common

the zeal of the

disappearanceof

the heathen

temples.

of

images was

greater,

the

much

number

there is not later,

Lethrian, all the Upsalianidols

in

the Norse

was

christians,need

are

clean gone.

one

The

preserved; technical

shurdgo^ (Fornm. sog. 2, 73-5),from

skera

113

IMAGES.

skurd (sculptura) referred to, it is (sculpere), ; in the two passages likueski af Freyr. Biorn from idolum, sculptile, gives sJcdrgoff, because it had to be placed under skur, subgrundium (penthouse), the OHG. it were as skurguta (Graff ; with which cover, in sheds But there is no distinct proof of an to agree. ON, 6, 536) seems skurgoS. Dietmar's account is silent about the gods'images at Lethra ^ ; of those at Upsal (cap.233),the in Adam of Bremen's description remarkable most as thing is,that three statues are specified, they Nunc in that temple of the Alamanns de superstitione were : Sveonum

pauca

Ubsola

dicemus.

Nohilissinium

ilia gens templum habet, Sictona civitate (Sigtiin)

non dicitur,

longepositum a In hoc templo,quod totum vel Birka. auro ex paratum est,statuas trium deorum veneratur Thor populus,ita ut potentissimuseorum in medio solium habeat triclinio. Hinc et inde locum possident Wodau The further description et Fricco. have nothing to do w-e with here, but there occurs it also the term the m scidpere ; as whole decorated with gold,he ex auro temple was paratum, i.e., of tlie gods above all as might doubtless have described the figures those in Alamannia et deaiiratae. Saxo as were aereae gilded, j\ist Septentrionis p. 13 tells of a golden statue of Othin ; Cujus numen cultu prosequicupientes, effigiemipsiuscmreo reges propensiore indicem maxima suae complexisivmlacro,statnam dignationis cum religionissimulatione Byzantium transmiserunt, cujus etiani confertissimo brachiorum lineamenta armillarum pondere perstringebant.The whole passage, with its continuation,is not only but contraryto the genuine mytlis; we unhistorical, can only see of the gods taken by Saxo and his period,and in it the view inasmuch as consonant golden and bedizened images of gods were quod

"

with

such

view, we

may

infer that there

still lived in his time

of such

figures(seeSuppL).

describingHerold's

(Harald's)interview

recollection

mentions

4, 444

Ermoldus with

a

in Nigellus,

King

Charles,

of (Pertz2, 509-10) the gods images(sculpta) the heathen, and that he was said to have had ploughshares, kettles and water-buckets forgedof that metal. According to the to Nialssagacap. 89, in a Norwegian temple (goSahus)there were three figures be seen again,those of Thor and the two half-goddesses size,and adorned with armlets ; ThorgerSrand Irpa,of human ^

On

seq.

discovered figures of recently

'

Wudan. Odin,'v. infra,

114

GODS.

probably Thor sat of Thor portraitures in Norway.^ One but

159, and

Thor

and

cap.

Fornm.

middle

to have

temple of

in

on

been which

his

in

in vogue, at least

those most

skurdgoS were

many

is descriljed all,

1, 295. 302-6;

Altogetherthe

car.

in Fornm.

2, 44

sog.

read:

we

2, 153

Thorr

shipped, wor-

and sat

i

hann mikill ok allr gidlihiXinn ok var tignaSr, et argento confectus) ; conf. Olafs helga saga, ed. of Thor is described ; 118-9, where a largestandingfigure Isl. Freyr gioiraf silfri, sog. 4, 245, ed. Christ, p. 26.

1, 134.

sog.

the

seem

most

his statue

midju ok var silfri(ex auro Holm.

hi

mest

Landn.

3, 2.

One

man

carried

a

statuette

of Thor

in his pocket,so Thors af tonn gert) (likneski Fornm. when christians, to worship him as secretly, livingamong the Thor's figurewas carved on ondvegis -pillars, sog. 2, 57. of ships, 2, 12 ; and on the prows Eyrbygg. p. 8. Landnamab. with A figureof ThorgerSrholgabriiSr, Fornm. rings sog. 2, 324. Fornm. of gold round the arm, to which people kneel, sog. 2, 108.^

carved

in whalebone

Magnnsen, bidragtil norclisk archaeologie, pp. 113-159. The fignre of ThorgerSr is another thing to notice in this passage. off its arm, and the snatch tried a to when lent its hand some one ring up, then brought a man goddesswas not disposedto let him have it. Tlie same shed his knees and fell on laid it at the figure's lot of money, tears,then feet, The the let which the now at and figure more once ring, grasped rose go. up I it 103. as a the tokl in is genuine regard same Foereyingasaga, cap. 23, p. like others which afterwards passed into christian tiait of heathen antiq^uity, than one iolk-tales of the Mid. Ages (seeSuppl.).Of more image of grace we its shoe its it or a told that off footas a giftto those are dropt a ringoff finger its shoes to Christ A of (Nicolai a poor man before it. who prayed figure gave saint's its and ed. Werhiuft" a image gold slippers abbatis peregrinatio, p. 20), A figureof Henneb. des Archiv. 71). 584. vereins, 7", pp. (Mones anz. 7, bends her and as a to that is finger signthat presented it, Mary acceptsa ring The two Maerl. recueil 296-7. 2, 214). she will keep it (Meon nouv. 2, ent differhave at one and bottom, Meon in Maerlant,though very Virgin-stories of ball pulls the at a game man In the latter, a young turns given them. and puts it on the hand of a Madonna ; in the former,the ring off his finger, his and at the Colosseum ring on the fingerof a Rome, puts youth is boxing in hold the man to his Both now the which bends heathen statue, figmes finger. afilicted the an makes French youth bring the O. c-ngagement. But poem oil the the takes the heathen the ring Mary one, image of Mary to bear on 13142. 13265. it to the youth. Conf. Kaiserchr. and restores other figure, relates Scott's minstr. "Forduni 407 chronicon 136), 2, Scoti (W. 13323. 1, playingat ball slipshis tliis fable as an event of the 11th century : a nobleman and of broken statue only gets it back with the Venus, ring on the fingerof a understands who Palumbus magic. We see the story had help of a priest evid. a in its origin['wndeutsch,' Teutonic old it is spreadat an earlytime, but hands her her in the infant of lap slipfor itrdeutsch].Even in a painting Mary, turn s tatues fol. 341 Cod. 63). Similarly, pal. a casket to give to a suppliant, to "protect, laugh,weep, eat and walk ; the face aivaij, stretch out the arm they speaJc, 78. itself 262),another beginsto eat tluis a figureof Christ turns away (Ls. 3, to away and grow bigger (Kinderm. legendenno. 9), weep, to beckon,to run 1

Finn

2

There

115

IMAGES.

af

(Frcyr markaSr Frcy'sstatue of silver, carried abuiit in

a

tells of Jonisvikingasaga which

were

a

in

waggon

Sweden, Fornm.

temple on

a

gods,Fornm.

Imndred

Vatnsd. silfri),

Gautlaud sog.

11, 40

p. 44. 50

sog. 2, 73-7.

"

The

(I.of Gothland),in densitas ; trulya '

(seep. 83). Saxo Gram. 327 mentions oaktree in oak ? or an simulacrum a qucrcii factum, carved worshippedas divine ? (seeSuppl). two figuresside by side are Not only three,but occasionally and those of Wuota7i and Donar or of Mars mentioned, particularly Merciirius,as w^e see from the passages cited. Figures of Freyr in Miiller's and Thor together,and of Frigg and Freyja,occur such joint Names of placesalso often indicate 1, 92. sagabibl. the Donnerseiche (Thor's worship of two divinities, e.g. in Hesse oak) stood close by the Wodansberg ; and explorerswould do well to attend to the point. of the statues,nor their descripBut noitlier the allegednumber tions for what historical do in the sagas can they ; pass prove is, there were. that statues They appear mostly to have been hewn out of wood, some perhapswere painted,clothed,and overlaid with also to be met with, silver or gold; but no doubt stone images were .^ of copper or ivory and smaller ones for the mention of a peculiarterm I have put off until now of heathen idols connect accounts striking statue, with which some as imaginuni,'

has

Jonas

it

themselves.

irmansidi, pyramides,Mons. 360. irmansid, colossus, aveirUn, irmansiUt, pyramides. Doc. 203^ Bias. 86. colossus est irminsiM, altissima columna, Florent. 987^^, OHG.

glosseshave

the

Gl. Schletst. 18, 1. 28, 1. to

judge by

the synonym

word

The

literal

meaning

seems

to be

statue,

avard, which in Gl. Jun. 226 is used

for

(Deutsche Scaqen, no. 347. Tettaus,preuss. sagen, pp. 211-5-8). In Eeinbot's Georg tlie idol Apollois floggedwith rods by a child,and forced to walk away of the god Perun, Avhom, according to monk (3258-69),which reminds one Nestor,Vladimir the Apostoliccaused to be scourgedwith rods. In an Indian Antiquity story I find a statue that eats the food set before it,Poller 2, 302-3. then did not regard these images altogetheras lumps of dead matter, but as penetratedl)ythe life of the divinity. The Greeks too have stories of statues shake the lance, fall on their kness,close their eyes {KaTajj-vaeis), that move, bleed and sweat, which may have been suggestedby the attitudes of ancient I of the hand, bending a finger, images ; but of a statue making a movement in images of gods have nowhere the position of the arms as read,significant those whom held to be. over That the gods themselves x^ 'P" vneptxovcnv was as they wish to protect,occurs earlyus in Homer. 1

Finn

Maynusen

ibid. 132-7.

116

GODS.

imago. It was not yet extinct in the 12th century, as the beginning from two placesin the Kaiserchronik, near appears of them ; it is said of and very likelythere are more of the poem, Mercury (Massmann 129) : uf einir ynnensule Upon an yrmensul Stood an idol huge, stuont ein abgot ungehiure, Him den hiezen sie ir koufman. tlieycalled their and

statua

"

merchant.

Again

of Julius

"

On

sluon-en. uf einir yrmensul sie in

Magus yrmensul er steic.

lif eine

lantvolc

daz

im

allesamt

the

where chapter, Grail

as

Further, in

yrmensulhe climbed,

an

aU bowed.

land-folk to him

The

a

the

of

Frankish

Charles

destroyeda Heresburg^

chief seat

seul

inneren

annals

Great

the

stated, that

'

MS.

Hanover

(Hahn 6151),the

text

On

neic.

described, instead

are

yrm.

god. Nay, in Wolfram's Titurel,last of the (christian) temple of the great pillars

is,worshipped him

That

an

begruoben. (Massm. 4432) :"

24"

of Simon

And

untrulyslew, they buried him.

him

Eomans

ungetruweliche

in

Eomere

(Massm. 624) :

Csesar

in

'

of

printed

the

reads irmensdl correctly

more

ad

ann.

his

it is

772

of

conquest

repeatedly

not superstition,

of their heathen

Saxons

the

far from

Westphalia,and that it was called Irin insul. Ann. et conquisivit Karolus perrexitin Saxoniam Petav. : Domnus rex Erisburgo,et pervenitad locum qui dicitur Ermensul, et succendit ea

loca

in

(Pertz 1, 16).

Ann.

Lauresh.

:

Fuit

Carlus hostiliter

rex

Irminsul

(Pertz Hirin the Chron. Moissiac, except the spelling 1, 30). The same minsul (Pertz 1, 295),and in Ann. Quedlinb.,"c. (Pertz 5, 37). Saxonorum idolum combussit, quod Karolus Ann. Juvavenses : in Saxonia, et destruxit

eorum /a?iM?/i

quod vocatur

(Pertz1, 88). Einhardi Fuld. annales : Karolus Saxet idolum bello aggressus, Eresburgum castrum Saxoniam cepit, onum quod vocabatur Irminsul destruit (Pertz1, 348). Ann. EatisEresburc et Irminsul (Pertz1, bon. : Carolus in Saxonia conquesivit

dicebant

92).Ann. fanum et 1

Now

incline

us

Irminsul

Lauriss.: Karlus lucum

eovum.

in Saxonia

famosum

castrum

Irminsul

Stadtbergen,conf. the extract to puslithe pillar (seule)some

forest ; Clostermeier Eggesterstein, pp. 26-7 Saracho 735. 350. Conf. Massmann's Saxonico

from

subvertit Dietmar miles

;

(Pertz1, 117).

but

strong

into

deeper Eresburg,Horohus Eggesterst. p. 34.

15 :

Aeresburg expugnat,

the

in pago

reasons

Osning Hessi

117

GODS.

prima vice, et ipsum ad Ermensul cepit, usque pervenit, Aeresburgum castrum et argentum quod ibi repperitabstulit. fanum destruxit,et aurum loco ubi Et fuit siccitas magna, ita ut aqua deficeret in supradicto Ermeimd stabat,"c. (Pertz1, 150). Einhardi Ann. : Ferro et igni idoluvi quod Irmincuncta depopulatus, Aeresburgum castrum cepit, Ann.

Lauriss.

:

pen-exitpartibusSaxoniae

hide

Et

in Ann. (Pertz1, 151); repeated Ormensul (Pertz1,220, 557).^ and Cliron. Piegin.,with spelling Tilian., ion Dietmar of Merseburg(Pertz5, 744) further tells us, in connexAnd Sed exercitus captaurbe (Eresburcli) ingressus, with later events: juvenem praefatumusque in ecclesiam S. Petri,ubi priusah antiqids Irminsul colehatur,bello defatigatumdepulit. Taking all these Irminsul passes tions gradathrough the very same passages together, now unfolded in ch. IV, and signifies of meaning we fanum, vast that be doubted, idolum itself. It can scarcely now lucus,now of that region: what if Osning^ the name w^oodlands extended over in which the pillarstood, betokened a liolythe mountain-forest Charles was supposed to loood ? The gold and silver hoard,which

sul

a

evertit

vocabatur

Saxonibus

"

have

seized

of Fuld

the heathen

on

Ptuodolf

legendaryembellishment.^ the Irminsul

into detail about

more

goes

statement

well be

there,may

Saxons, that

'

; after his

arboribus

frondosis

general fonti-

Truncum (p.101),he goes on: sub divo liyninon magnitudinisin altum erectum parvae quoque quod Latine appellantes, colebant,patria eum lingua Irminsul dicitur universalis columna, quasi sustinens omnia (Pertz2, 67G),

busque

1

venerationem

Poeta

Saxo

'

exhibebant

1, 65 (Bouquet 5, 1.37):

quod vocitaliant Irminsul,cujusfactura simulque columna Non operisparvifuerat,pariterquedecoris. Gens

eadein

coluit simulacrum

tain (p. 25), which denoted a god,and also a mounwould be Ansninc, Ensninc. G. the name But, beside this ; in High (Pertz 2, 447), there stood also a mons Theotmelli, i.e. Detmold Osnengi near silva Osning not far from Osnabriick (Mdser urk. no 2),and a third in Eipuaria to have exthe Lower Rhine (Lacomblet no 310. 34.'}.354),which tended seems on in towards the Ardennes far as Aachen (Aix la Chap.),mentioned as 2

6s is the Sax. form

for

cms

Vilkinasagacap. 40 ; and accordingto Barsch on itself was 110, and llattemerS,602% the Ardennes charter above, the forest there By the Osnabruck modelled

on

the

Osning of

(ad similitudinem

Aachen

tinentis).That Osning is met meaning [than that of a mere

with in several

Schannat's called

illustr. Eiflia,

1,

Osninka, Oseninch.

been to have appears even foresti Aquisgranum per-

places, speaksfor

a

more

general

it is like as, ans, and fairguni, proper the sacred mountain and forest. Ledebur takes the Teutoburgiensissaltus to be Osning. OA'?iabrtick, nearlyrelated. (bridgeof the ases) seems ylsvicl^ruggi 3

Is this

(Saxo Gram.

Ermen-pillarhoard 106.

Keinh.

name]

an

;

allusion to the

fuchs CLII.)

legendof

Ermenrich's

hoard

I

118

GODS.

(seeSuppl.). Here

was

great wooden

shipped pillarerected,and woruniversal all-sustaining signifies

a

sky,its name when take we pillar. This interpretation appears faultless, the meaning is intensified by in which it other words with In the Hildebrands lied,irmingotis the compositionwith irmin. god,the god of all,not a peculiarone, agreeingin sense supreme the (whole)people'sgod,formed with thiodgod, by another strengthening under

the open

elevated Hel. 33, 18. 52, 12. 99, 6. irminman, an prefix, expressionfor man, Hel. 38, 24. 107, 13. 152, 11. irminthiod, the human

87, 13 and

Hel.

race,

In

Hildebr.^

in

the

same

I

way

compounded with irman, irmin (Gramm. 2, explainproper names immmilis the great,high,divinelyhonoured 448). And irmanslXl, dedicated to any one statue ; that it was god,is not to be found in has eormcncgn the AS. itself In like manner the term (genus Cod. Exon. 333, 3. eormcngrv.nd (terra), humanum), Beow. 309. in an Beow. 1711. (and singularly adj.form : ofer ealne yrmcnne 243, 13). eormenstri)nd(progenies).ON. grund. Cod. Exon. iormungandr (anguis maximus), iormunrehr iommngrund (terra), (taurusmaximus). Erom all this may be gatheredthe high mythic "

"

of the Teutonic

branches

; for

race

diffusion

their

and appellations,

these

antiquityof

neither to

the

all

among

Goths

they

can

Ermanaricus king's name (Airmanareiks,ON. lormunrekr) shows ; and beyond a doubt the Hcvmunduri (Gramm. 2, 175),the H being are properlyErmunduri

have

been

often

strange,

all such forms.

prefixedto whatever

Now

iormun,

eormen,

famous

their

as

which

to

probablemeaning of

be the

may

evident,that the Irman-piUar had to be felt down

Greek

whom

themselves The

time, one

connexion, which

some

irman,

thing is continued

Mercury or Hermes, to period(p.ll6),with which were antiquityraised similar posts and pillars, to

a

late

called Hermae,

Saxons

irmansUl, irminsul

a

from

the

the

name

known

have

may

Upper Germany, a

due

in

I shall return

the word

8th

which

to the

Teutonic

one.

this ; the Eranks, in century, connected with

about

more

notion general

pillar.Probably Euodolf

suggestsour

13th of

associated

a

heathen

with

his

image truncus

set up

on

lignithe

the Lat. armus, is with transposition Slav, ramo, Bohem. ramenso, Sloven, the in shoulder compound and both arm and means ; OHG. aram, this irman like intensifies pouitto it ; doe^ exactly ramen-velik,valde magnus, worth is too considering Arminius ; conf. and % arm irman between an affinity 1

The

Schaftarik

1, 427.

ll'J

IMAGES.

of a thoiiglit

and

choice

hallowed

(with,or without, a hewn into shape by the hand god'simage ?),rather than of a pillar of man the worshipping sub divo,with the ; this fits in too with word lucus used by some of the chroniclers, and with the simplicity of the earliest forest-worship. As the image melts into the notion of tree,so does the tree pass into that of image ; and our Wesiphalian Irmen-pillarmost naturallysuggests the idea of that Thor's-oak in Hesse ; the evangelists converted both of them into tree-stem

.

churches

of St. Peter.

I

intimate

suspect an

connexion

between

the

and the Boland-pillars erected in the later Mid. Irman-pillars in ISTorth Germany ; there were in Sweden ThorsAges, especially and among the Anglo-SaxonsJEthelstdn-jnllars pillars, (Lappenberg remains There to be of 1, 376). a sacred post given an account yet in

Neustria,as contained

in

the Vita Walarici

(t622),said to have been composed erat magmis, ripam ipsiusfluminis slips

abbatis

Leuconeusis

in the 8tli century

Et

juxta divcrsis imaginibus figurahis, immissus, qui nimio cultu morem

atque ibi in terram magna virtute Walaricus gentilium a rusticis colebatur. thrown

down

:

et

his

quidem

the

causes

rusticis habitantibus

:

log to

in locis

be non

stuporem omnibus

praebuit. Sed armis et fustibus, undique illiscertatim concurrentibus cum iudigne hoc ferentes invicem, ut injuriamdei sui vindicarent (Acta Bened. called Augusta (bourgd' Angst, sec. 2, pp. 84-5). The place was the town of Eu), and a church was built on the spot. near l)arvum

tam

I think

moerorem

I have

quam

now

et

shown, that in ancient Germany there were It will further be needful to consider,how

gods and statues. of gods with antiquitywent to work in identifying foreignnames with foreign. German, and converselyGerman The Romans in their descriptions cared a great deal more to make themselves understood than, partially by a free translation, by preservingbarbarous vocables,to do a service to posterity.At the same time they did not go arbitrarily to work, but evidently with

care.

Caesar's

Sol, Luna

least ; but Tacitus

seems

and never

Vulcan to

are use

perhaps

the

names

what

satisfies us

of Roman

deities,

except advisedlyand with reflection. Of the gods,he names only Mercury and Mars (Germ. 9. Ann. 13, 57. Hist. 4, 64) ; of deified heroes,Hercules,Castor and Pollux (Germ. 9, 43) ; of goddesses,

120

GODS.

Isis

(Germ. 9),the the mater

terra

by her German

mater

(Germ.40),

name

(Germ. 45). Incompatibledeities,such as compared. What strikes us most, is Apollo or Bacchus, are never the absence of Jupiter, and the distinction given to Mercury,who with the Eomans, a mere but a deityof the second rank was god and

of

deum

here

merchants, but

maxime

colunt

Mercurium

while

Mars

stands

Hercules

and

:

the

out

to him

foremost

alone do human themselves

content

all:

of

Deorum

sacrifices fall,

with

beasts.

This

prominence of Merciiry is probably to be explainedby the fact, that this god was worshippedby the Gauls likewise as their chief the most and was frequentlyportrayed(deum maxime divinity, Mercurium colunt,hujus sunt plurima simulacra,Caes. B. Gall. 6, 17) ;^ and that the looks of the Eomans, when directed towards it may have Gaul in the foreground Germany, still saw ; besides, in before them been Gallic informants that set the German divinity the Gaulish of Mars too and this light. Observe juxtaposition Tacitus names the German Mercurius in statues (p.lll), as precisely ones together(Ann. 13, 57). The omission of Jupiteris obviously accounted for,by his worship yieldingthe precedenceto that of Mercury in those nations which Tacitus knew best : we shall see, as we

go on, that the northern

reserved their Hercules

of

Woden,

Baldr

highestveneration

I shall express

understand

and

by and

and

the

my

remoter

for the

views

is hard Dioscuri,

if we

HermoSr

branches

on

the

contrary Isis and

thunder-god. On

further

Whom

on.

to guess ; most

we

are

likelytwo

to

sons

of the Edda, the brothers go by the statements would be the most fitting.

to German gods became adaptationof classical names universally spread,and is preservedwith strict unanimity by the Latin writers of the succeedingcenturies ; once set in circulation, it remained and intelligible for long ages. current but one The Gothic historian names fashion, god after the Roman and that is Mars : Quern Gothi semper asperrimaplacaverecultura (Jornandescap, 5),with which the Scythian Ares, so early as in Herodotus 4, 62-3,may be compared.

This

Paulus express Gwodan *

1, 58.

Diaconus

winds

up

his

account

(1,9): Wodan sane, dixerunt,ipseest qui apud Eomanos

announcemtnt

Als. Schopflin, Conf.

ill.1, 435-60

Hummel,

Oberrhein,pp. 48,

98.

of

Wodan

quern

with

the

adjecta litera

Mercurius

dicitur,et

; esp. on a faniuii of Mercury at Ebermiinster bibl. deutscli. alterth. p. 229. Creuzer,altrom. cultiu-aiu

121

GODS. .

ab

Germaniae

universis

Jonas of Bobbio, in that

older countryman

Alamanns, declares

Illi aiunt,deo

:

se velle litare ; alii,

vocant

deus

gentibusut

Just

of the

account

sacrificing

glossinserted by

a

his

so

Mcrcurium

Vodano, quem

suo

which,

upon

adoratirr.

another

vocatur, Latini : Qui apud eos Vuotant correctly Martem ilium appellant autem greatly ; though otherwise Woden resembles Mars (v.infra). and Gregory of Tours (supra, p.l07)makes Saturn and Jiqnfcr, Chlodovich the heathen again 3Iars Mcrciwufsqnethe gods whom hand

less

says

adored.

1, 34 he expresses himself

In

vatus, Gabalitanae

of Corvei

Mais

and

the

Ill);and that little addition to couplestogetherthe Greek and Latin

p.

and

Ermis

Mcrcurii

com-

Corvei

Annals

denominations

(seep.lll)

Aris

and

Mars,

JMercurius.

Indiculus

The

immolare

.

rege (inthe third cent.).WideHercules as gods of the Saxons (see

Alamannorum

names

.

Pri-

generalterms:

more

daemoniis

episcopus. =

Chroco

pellitura kind

urbis

in

vel Jovis^ ; under

sacris 8: De up, under feriis quae faciunt Jovi vel

reckons

paganiarum 20

De

:

is Tacitus is silent, of whom thunder-god, Wiliunderstand in other quarters unforgotten we can ; and now bald's narrative of the robur Jovis (seep. 72),and in Bonifac. 25 (a.d. (seeSuppl.). epist. 723)the presbyterJovi mactans Mcrcurio.

So

that

the

Paris, ed. W. Matthaei Watts, operum books w^hich of some Paris 1644, pp. 25-6, there is an old account said to have been discovered in layingthe foundation of a church are In

the

Additamenta

(StAlbans)in

at Verlamacestre

contained

of them

burnt.

One

civium

Varlamacestrensium,

Fliochum

dcum

the tenth

invocationes

'

to have

been

et ritus idololatrarum

quibus comperit,quod specialiter

in

solis invocarunt

century, and

et

coluerunt,secundario

vero

curium, Mcr-

videlicet mercatorum, angliceappellatum,deum fere omnes negotiatores quia cives et compatriotae et institores fuerunt.' Evidentlythe narrator has added somewhat Voden

.

his

ovit of

would

erudition ; the

own

have

given us Passages which Diana,

far

will be

of

times

(supra, p. 110).

1

Had

these been

and Mercury first,

Roman

after.

.

invocations

welcome

more

and

rites themselves

information.

goddess by speak of a German is mentioned a given later. JS'cptune

appear

name

.

to

gods,Jupiterwould

have certainly

been

the few

named

122

GODS.

the

Eoman

Mercurius

instead; yet

103),he

Othin,

for

Othinus

uses

instead

once,

is

never

(pp.41,

Thor

Jovialis;Mars

who Tyr,.

for

not

Othin,

or

usual

his

of

malleus

and

Jupiter, p. 236,

has

to stand

seems

gods, he

of

names

Latin,avoids applying

in

writes

Grammaticus, though he

Saxo

p. 36

on

alluded

never

to

in

the idols of the Normanni, says 4, 9 Mgellus,citing (Pertz2, 501),that for God (theFather)they worshippedNeptune, and for Christ Jupiter; I suppose OSin, Neptune must here mean Ermoldus

Saxo.

; the

JupiterThor

and

recur

names

same

453-5.

100.

4, 69.

beginningof the 14th century, still Frisians worshipped Mercury (1,16. that the heathen remembers 17); I cannot indicate the Latin authorityfrom which no doubt he Melis-Stoke, as late

the

as

this.^

drew

suppositionbe allowed,and

If the

and

almost

the six

a

necessary

one,

that,from and

transfer of the above-mentioned

to

deities of Gaul

domestic

gods to

there

succeedingones, eiglit

or

all the

educated

;

and

obtain

we

a

both

justifiable the first century and during went on an uninterrupted it

seems

few

similar Latin and

Germany, this alone

by

a

familiar

was

solution

the

of

names

of

a

yet been satisfactorily phenomenon that has never half Europe of the heathen explained: the early diffusion over of the days of the week. nomenclature These a are names piece of evidence favourable to German heathenism, and not to be disregarded. From to me to stand thus.^ The matter Egypt, through seems in which of seven the Alexandrians, the week days (e^So/ia?),

remarkable

"

Asia

Western

the

but

was

Under

of 'dies Saturni' Then

3, 18.

of the

Julius

Caesar

in connection

tjXiov rjfiepa

in A^poScTr]^ rjfiepa

and

Justin

in

Clem.

Our

MHG.

heads

about Saracen too. their appearance ^ here use I can more

useful

names

of

handb.

gods,among

whom

Dio

Cassius

Romans,

apparently

the week

earliest mention

sabbath,TibuU. 1, 67.

apolog.1, 7, 12.

The

37, 18, about

'Epfiov

institution the

they only trouble Jupiter and Apollo Mars, Jovinus, Saturnus.

information

;

it is true

close

tlieir make

In Rol. 97, 7 are named only the beginning,not the conclusion,which would be the on of a learned paper by Julius Hare investigation, Nov." Idelers Conf. of the week 1831). Mus., (Philolog.

for my the days der chronol. 2, 177-180, and

zodiacales, p.

Mart,

the

among

the

occurs

Alex, strom.

such

poets impart no

days of

the Jewish

with

fullycarried out, not long before 1

into vogue

ancient,came

planetarynomenclature

till later.

not

very

99.

Letronne,observations

sur

les representations

previouslyhad a week of had adopted from Christianity it could not easilyguard the of days either (seeSuppl). had

Eomans

century.^ The

of the 2nd

days,nundinae=noveudinae.

nine

againstthe

church But

and

the hebdomas,

the Jews

idolatrous

from

passed on

now

names

the institution of the week, had

togetherwith

these names, Eome

to

!-"-"

WEEK.

THE

OF

GODS

and

Gaul

Germany,

than

sooner

the

planetary have lasted to this day (mostlyin a very abridged form), names solis they except for the first day and the seventh : instead of dies chose dies dominica (Lord'sday). It. domenica, Sp. domingo, Fr. the Jewish sahbahim, It. dimanche ; and for dies Saturni they kept sabbati dies). But the sabbato, Sp. sabado,Fr. samedi (=sabdedi, christian

heathen

of

names

longafter :

Ecce

dominicum

diem

countries the

In all the Eomance

did. religion

these

even

barbaries

dies solis adest,sic enim

enim

consueta

popularuse

in

continued

days

two

vocitare

est, Greg.Tur. 3, 15.

of days is denied Unliappilya knowledge of the Gothic names in Ulphilas, The sahhate dags,sabbato dags,which alone occurs us. have justseen, against a planetary designation as we proves nothing, of the remaining six or five days. A sunnons dags,a menins I dags may be guessed; the other four,for us the most im]Dortant, would have been of to suggest. Their preservation do not venture the very highestvalue to our inquiry. Old I. sunwAn High Germ. dag, 0. v. 5, 22. Gl. bias. TG'^. II. mdnin Lacombl. arch. 1, 6. tac (without authority,for manitag,manotag in Graff 2,795.5, 358 have no reference ; manetag in Notker, ps. 47, 1). III. dies Martis,prob. Ziuivcs tac among Alamanns; in the lltli cent. Cks dac, Gl. bias. 70^;^ prob.different IV. dies INIercurii, Bavarians and Lombards. perhaps still among abstract Wuotancs tac ? our term, diu mittawccha alreadyin N. ps. "

"

"

"

93, and mittwocha,Gl. bias. 7G^. "

V. dies

Gl. bias. 76^ tac, N. ps. 80, 1. c/o?i?rstac,

tac, Toniris

Jovis,Donares Burcard

von

195*^:

Worms

quintam feriani in honorem Jovis honorati. VI. dies Veneris,Fria dag,0. V. 4, 6. Frijetag,T. 211, 1." VII. at last,like the Romance and Gothic, avoidingthe heathenish T. 68, dies Saturni,samlaziag, 1. N. 91, 1.^ samiztag,N. 88, 40. dband, our sonnabend, sunnun "

1

An

old

hexameter

at

the

end

of

the

editions

of

Aiisoniiis

Mercurio,barbam Jove,Cypridecrines (nailson Wednesday, heard hair on Fri(hiy). 2 Cies for and SG'^ writes gicinibere Zies,as the same glossist ' hiambazolus n. prop, in Karajan.

on

:

Ungnes

Thursday,

cinnum.

124

GODS.

alreadyin

0.

4, 9, prob.abbreviation

of

sunnundages aband, feria solis cannot have been meant ante dominicam, for vespera [conf. Engl.Whitsun-eve]; and occasionally, correspondingto tlie Eomdies

ance

Mid. the

v.

dominica, frontaQ,N. Gerim.

High

days of

the week of

remains

"

are

Would

any

not

easilyto

MHG.

our

ps. 23.

Dunrestac, Berth.

73^

in

picked out It

(Parz.452, Neither

of the

is true,

tac

498,

22.

(Donerstag,

128), speltDuristag in

former, by

a

remarkable

Hofer

dant abun-

sunnen

16. mcentac

do Donrestac

of

names

a

Semi-

57),and Dornstagin one of Fritac {Parz. 448, 7. 470, 1495, Useners femgerichtenp. 131 ; nor Berth. 134), Vricgtag,Uolrich 1. Walth. 36, 31. 73^ nor yet dbcnt (Trist. samztac 3880)." (Parz. 439, 2. Berth. 138),sunnen the third and fourth days. The But uncertainty hangs about urk.

Germ.

Low

of 1300

be

literature ?

(suntacin Berth. 118) and mdntac Amis 1648)^admit of no doubt. Uolrich

believe,that the

one

p.

was variation,

in

Bavaria

named

Eritac,

quite certain,eritagin Adelung's vat. hss. 2, 189. ergetag in Berth. 122 ; see examples collected from urkunden, Schm. 1, 96-7),in Swabia on the contrary Zicstac,for have Both of these forms,which Ziewestac. nothing to do with each other,live to this day in the speech of the common people:

Erdac

form

(the true

not

idrta, irita,Vicentino-Germ.

Bav. ierte,Austr.

corta, ortd, Alem.

The insertion of zinstag. zistig, zienstig, zeinstig, ziestig, zinstag, zicstag,

broughtin quite irrelevant to the form In central Germany seems diestag, notions. ticstag in the Pdion),whence rectly corour dicnstag(less predominate (dicstik for the ie); the spelling there is good reason dingdinstag, in stag,as if from ding,thing,judicium,is false ; dinstagoccurs seen Gaupps magdeb. recht p. 272. The fovnth day I have never in our modern dialects, after the god,either in MHG. or named be justified as the gwontig cited in the note can unless indeed tion standingfor Gwuotenstag, Wuotenstag; everywhere that abstrac-

the

liquidhas corruptedthe word,

and

"

'

midweek

'

has

carried all before

it,but it has itself become

mentig,_ze Staid. 2, 470 ought perhaps to be zue 248b has Tobler gwontig, has giienti, gueiiti, mantage ; yet 1, 146 Urk. which no. for iirk. 19 and guonti, P, Zellwegers guentig, Haltaus 1)6 supported by to seems 'an has tag,' which gutem In called so? ]\Iondav after Lent this Or is iahrzeitb. 1

Zuemtig for Monday, 490

only

he

particular

resemblance have ' guotem tag.' The Cod. pal. 372, 103 (ann. 13S2) wo of this good day to the Westphalian Gudensdag (Woden's day) is purely accidental.

the

GODS

OF

THE

125

WEEK.

unintelligible by beingchanged into a masculine mitiwocJi, Berth. 24, mdktig,Staid. 2, 194, conf. the Gothl. miijkadag, viittich, is found in the Cod. zaringobad. Almqv. 442=^),an der mitkun' fern., 140 (a.d.1261). So even for the fifth day, the numeric name no. Schwa2Mnztac (Berth.128. Ottoc. 144^ Griitzer urk. of 1338. has made Schm. its 1, 322), or pliingstag, benspiegel, p, 196. into some districts of Upper Germany through Grseco-Slavic way influences,irefiirrr], petek,piatek, patek,though by these the Slavs mean Friday (seeSuppl.). High New Germ. I. sonntag. II. montag. III. Dienstag. V. IV. mittwoch. Bonnerstag. VI. Freitag. VII. samstag, almost

'

"

sonnaiend. Old

Saxon.

The

"

OS.

names

wanting, but

are

must

have

pointsfrom the OHG., as the derived dialects prove. We Wodanes dag for pretty safelyassume may the fourth day of the week, for in Westphalia it is still called Godenstag,Gonslag,Gaunstag,Gunstag,at Aix Goucsdag,in Lower Rhen. urkunden Gudestag,Gunther, 3, 585. 611 (a.d.1380-7), Gudenstag,Kindlingerhorigk.p. 577-8 (a.d.1448). The third day the fifth Thunaresdag,the sixth Friundag. was probablyTiwesdag,

differed in

essential

some

"

The

most

after dies

unlike

would

doubtless

? Saturni, Sdteresdag

be

the

conf. the

seventh,was

SaiterWestph. Saterstag,

Giinter 3, 502 (a.d.1365). In Sachsensp.2, 6Q staig, for sunavend Saiersdach (seeSuppl.). Mid. op

Dutch.

St. 3, 389.

2, 140.

I. sondach, Maerl.

"

maendach, Maerl.

2, 159.

one

MS.

II. mancndach,

reads

Huyd.

2, 139.

III. Disendach, Maerl.

al. Dicendach,Dissendach,Cannaert

strafrecht, pp. 124, 481

apparentlycorruptedfrom V.

it formed

Donresdach,Maerl.

Vrindaglm,

Maerl.

Tisdach.

2, 144.

2, 143.

Wocnsdach, ]\Iaerl.2, 143.

Vridach, Maerl. 2, 159.

VI.

VII.

157.

120-3. 157-9. 276. 3, 197. 343.

IV.

Saterdach, Maerl.

also sonnacM, Maerl.

gen.

2, 114.

2, 164. 3,240.

(seeSuppl.). merly zondag. II. mdndag. III. dingsdag,fordinsdag,Disseiidag.IV. Woensdag, Belg. Goensdag. V. Donderdag. VI. Vridag. VII. Zaterdag. New

Dutch.

Old

Frislvn.

Wernsdci.

Saterdei New

V.

I.

"

I. sonnadei.

"

II.

Thmiresdei, Tornsdei.

for (references Frislvn.

"

all these forms

Tysdei. IV. Fredei. VII. VI. Frigendci, in Pdchthofen).

monadei.

I. s?ic?/?i,abbrev. from

III.

sinnedey,sendei,senned

126

GODS.

the final

in sneyn, no doubt, as in OFris. Frigendei, old gen. sing,in the weak decl. II. moandey. III.

Fred); (conf. a

relic of the

n

Tycsdcy. IV. Wdnsdey. V. Tongersdey. VI. Fred, abbrev. from Fredey. VII. sniuwn, snioun, abbrev. from sinnejuwn Sun(day)Conf. tegenwoordigestaat Friesland Wasvan even. 1, 121. Halbertsma senbergh'sbidraghen 2, 56. naoogst p. 281-2 (see Suppl.). =

North IV.

Frisian.

Winsdei.

V,

Anglo-Saxon.

I, sennendei.

"

I.

"

Wodenes

daeg. IV. Frigedseg.

VII.

Korse.

VI.

Tilrsdei.

Wodnes

Scetrcs

Fridei.

dseg.

sonnan or

II. monncndci.

II.

sennin

Tirsdei.

(i7i=:eYen').

deeg.

monan

dseg. V.

Sceternes

or

VII.

III.

TImnores

III. Thoes

dreg.

VI.

doeg.

I.

sunnudagr} II. mdnadagr. III. Tyrsdagr, Tysdagr. IV. Offinsdagr.V. Thorsdagr. VI. Friadagr,Frcyjudagr. VII. laugardagr. I. sondag. Swedish. II. mandag. III. Tisdag, whence Finn, tystai. IV. even Onsdag. V. Tliorsdag.VI. Frcdag VII. lordag. I. sondag. II. mandag. Danish. III. Tirsdag. IV. Ows^a"7. V. Torsdag. VI. Frcdag. VII. lovcrdag(seeSuppl.). Old

"

"

"

We

see, it is

only in

depart from the bath-day because

names means

Yet

even

here there may

9th

century

devil's bath ?

be

conf. ch,

day

people bathed

Salhatum

:

seventh

Saxon, Frisian

that

and

the

Scandinavian

Dutch the

at

connexion

some

the battle of

on

singularverse

the

; a

:

laugardagr

of the

end

Latin poem

Fontenay (Bouquet 7, 301) illud

non

XII, Saturn.

fuit,sed Saturni

[The

Germ,

week. of the

has

dolium

the ;

for carnage

a

is

blutbad,blood-bath.] Even

if the Germans

days

seven

^

This

from

the

from four

the earliest times knew

j)hasesof

the

lunar

the

week

of

change,^yet

the

ON.

sol is used rather than in other cases as sunnudagr is noticea])le, to have been formed by the christian teachers in imitasunna tion ; sunnudagr seems of the other Teutonic languages. The Swed. and Dan. sondag (insteadof soldag)must have been taken bodilyfrom a Plattdeutsch form. To the Lat. word vix,gen. vicis (chauge,turn)corresponds, without the usual consonant-change, the Gothic viko,OHG. and wehsal, both referwecha able to the verb veilia, wichu vaik, OHG. (I giveway), because change is a givingway [inGerman, der wechsel ist ein weichen ']. Ulph. has viko only Lu. 1, 8, where evrrjra^eir^s ((firjixeplas is translated in vikon kimjis ; it once, is evidently than rd^ishere,it expresses at the same time a part something more of the gen. i(^r]fiepiai, therefore lit. in vice generis',which the Vulg. renders "

'

'

'

'

127

WEEK.

THE

OF

GODS

naming of the days and tlie order in wiiich they stand is manifestly there On the contrary supposition, an importationfrom abroad. Teutonic out

variation

been

have

would

god

preparedto

seems

details ; and

in

Saturn,for whom

stand sponsor, would

no

been left

have

in the cold.

be

it would

But

no

less absurd

to attribute the

introduction

of

As

they the heatlien Eomans, into vogue they could just came among and Germans Gauls well among heathen considering as ; nay, the three nations, a rapid the lively intercourse between had the Jewish week, natural.^ diffusion is altogether Christianity offence to it,but were which were and it tolerated names a frequent dislodged. alreadytoo deeply rooted, and could only be partially of Gregory reveal the utter aversion of the clergy, Those words which comes out still more tagma plainlyin the language (publ.in SynIcelandic bishop in 1107, who de baptismo,p. 190) of an with tliem in Iceland, and replacedthem by actuallydid away

the week

and

numeric

mere

the

How

names.

suffered hateful

of the

names

days

should

of idols to

names

to

the

Christians.

the christian teachers

be handed

over

ever

to their

have recent

dailyuse, unless they had alreadybeen longestablished people? And in Germany, how should the Latin gods

for

converts

the among have been allowed to

to

get translated into German

ones,

as

if on

easy reach of the people,had familiar with them for centuries ?

put them

pose pur-

they

within

not

alreadybeen ed of these translations is fullyestablishAgain,the high antiquity by their exact accordance with the terminologyused in the first to turn German as gods into Roman. as soon centuries, peoplecame In days' names opinion,the introduction of the seven my by

'in ordine

vicis '.

Now

whether

viko

expressedto

the Goths

the alternation

of the moon's quarters,we do not know for certain ; I incline to believe ON. weha, woclia, AS. wice, wnce, it,as the OHG. vika, Swed. vecka, Dan. sonant-change meaning of septimana. The very absence of connge, are all limited to the one that remarkable word. It is pointsto a high antiquityin the the Javanese

vt(ku

means

a

(Ilumb. Kawispr. 1, 196).

of time, the year Finn, wijkko is more

section

fallinginto likelyto

30

vukus

have been I remark

The than from so far back as the Gothic. from the Norse of sections of time must be inferred further,that an observance liythe Germani from the mere fact that certi dies were fixed for the sacrifices to Mercury, Tac.

borrowed

Germ.

9.

I\Iainz 2, 27 seq. (Knpfert 4, no 7) describes a Fuchs, gesch.von round altar, piob. of the 3rd or -Ith century, on which are carved the the .seven week (1 Saturn, 2 Apollo,3 Diana, 4 Mars, 5 Mercury, U gods of 7 Venus),and in an 8lh placea genius. Jupiter, ^

Roman

Jos.

128

GODS.

amongst it may dom. Our

us

not

be

placedat latest in the fourth or fiftlicentury taken placesimultaneously in all parts of Teuton-

must

have

forefathers,caught

ascribe the

originof

the

in

a

natural

;

delusion,began early to

to the native gods of days'names of Malmesbury, relatingthe arrival of their fatherland. William in Britain,says of Hengist and the Saxons Horsa, that they were seven

"

from

the

noblest

Erant

enim

abnepotes illius barbararum antiquissimiVoden, de quo omnium gentium pene esse regium genus lineam trahit,quemque gentes Anglorum deum uxori ei quartum diem septimanae,et sextum delirantes, ejus Freae sacrilegio (Savile1601. p. perpetuo ad hoc tempus consecraverunt 6. ed. 1587, 9). More circumstantially, Geoffreyof Monmouth (lib. Hengist say to Vortigern: Ingressi sumus maria, p. 43) makes tuum duce Mcrcurio petivimus. Ad nomen itaque Merregnum curii erecto vultu rex inquirit cui cujusmodireligionemhaberent? Hengistus: deos patrios Saturnum, atque ceteros, qui mundum Mcrcurmm gubernant,colimus,maxime (asin Tac. 9.),quem Woden linguanostra appellamus. Huic veteres nostri dicaverunt quartam Wodenesdiem nomen septimanaeferiam,quae usque in hodiernum dai de nomine ipsiussortita est. Post ilium colimus deam inter ceteras de potentissimam,cui et dicaverunt sextam feriam, quam As Matthew nomine of Westminster ejusFredcd vocaraus. (Flores, ed. 1601, p. 82) varies in some also be details,his words may inserted here : Cumque tandem in praesentiaregis (Vortigerni) essent constituti,quaesivit ab eis,quam fidem, quam religionem cui ? coluissent dcos patres eornm Hengistus: patrios, scilicet Saturnum, Jovcm atque ceteros, qui mundum gubernant,colimus, maxime autem Voden Me^rurium, quem linguanostra appellamus. nostri veteres Huic patres dedicaverunt quartam feriam septimanae, in hunc diem hodiernum Vodencsdayappellatur.Post ilium quae deam inter ceteras colimus vocabulo Fream, cujus potentissimam, vocabulo est Friday appellamus. Prea ut volunt quidani idem quod Venus, et dicitur Preu, quasiProa a frodos [A-frod-ite from froth ?] quod est spuma secundum maris, de qua nata est Venus idem dies appellaturdies Veneris. fabulas, unde Anglo-Saxon and at the jumbling of foreign legend then, unconcerned homespun fable, has no doubt at all about the high antiquityof the names its people. among sprung

ancestry:

"

"

=

"

129

GODS.

Saxo

Grammaticus,

of the Norse

and

it is derived

nomenclature,that

but that these Othin

critical, expresses his opinion(p.103)

more

not

are

Thor, after

the

same

the native

gods, by proves

Tliis he

fifth days of the week

Mercury and Jupiter. For Thor, who being Othin's son, cannot possiblybe identified with Jupiter, neither can the Norse is Mercury's father; consequently, Othin, with the Eoman The Thor's father, son. Mercury,who is Jupiter's is certainly discrepancy strong,but all that it can prove is,that at Othin and Mercury began to be placedon the same the time when pedestal, JMercurywas thought of as a Celtic divinity, probably with attributes differing from his classical Saxo namesake. widely and is quiterightin what he means, his remark confirms the early ^ heathen originof these names of days ; yet upon occasion,as we after all by the oversaw on powering p. 122,he lets himself be carried away of Thor and Jupiter(seeSuppl.). identity The variations too in the names of the seven days among the that they various Teutonic races deserve all attention ; we perceive that not adopted altogether were nor so retained,but cut-and-dry, named,

are

national

as

after

ideas still exercised

heathenism

of

Wednesday

and

sank

soon

in

Latin

the Latin.

as

the fourth and

whom

from

Friesland

and

But

what

when

day ;

the

how

indistinct ? how

that from

the

naming

later

the- old

names

of

Bavarians

when

come

we

to

time, (christian) god that does duty for Mars had the christian clergy, came supposing

idea of the heathen

them

The

Upper Germany they to us, especially significant

arisen at

could it have

alreadybecome

is

and

is the deviation of the Alamanns the third

caused

Saxony

them.

over

live on, while in

Saturdayto

into oblivion.

control

some

a

later

ever proceeded,

had

to sanction

such

a

? divergence

The know

nations the

planetarynames Greeks,^not because they were became acquaintedwith Latin not

1 -

Conf. Pet. Er. Miiller om Indian nations also

The

us, the

that lie behind of

Slavs,the Lithuanians,do like the

days,they simply count

converted

later,but

culture later. The

79. their days of the week

because

Finns

and

they Lapps

Saxo, p. name

after

planets ; and

remarking here,that Wednesday is in Sanskrit Budhuvaras, have identified Buddha with Woden. In Budhunld/ramei,because some distinct from of and is the ruler of the son B udhas, quite reality Mercury moon, ind. bibl. 2. 177). the prophetBuddhas (Schlegel's

it seems Tamil

worth

9

130

do

GODS.

this

point;Byzantium

and

had

it

over

had

of

(see SuppL). nothing on

do

decided

Byzantium

influence

no

part only

a

again mostly

of

influence christianizing

the

Even

the Esthonians

count, while

not

and

Lithuanians

over

the Slavs.

in their

These

Finns,

counting

from

day day after rest, consequentlyTuesis their second, and Thursday their fourth,^altogether deviating which makes the Latin and Icelandic reckoning, Monday second

and

Thursday

begin with Monday,

that

and

as

fifth.

Up.

the first

means Friday, piatek(fifth) Thursday. Wednesday they pfinztag(fifth)

the

Hence

Germ,

middle, sreda,sereda,srida

call have

acted

our

upon

worth

findingout,

when

from

which serrada),

Lith.

nomenclature

keski

for what

and

first introduced

the Slav

(whence

German

High

week, (halfkeskivnjcko

have

Slavic

the abstract

; the

the

reason

High

be

well

German

and

and

sreda

mittewoche

names

too

It would

medium).

may

Finns

have kept German and the Eomance while the Low (Boh. sti-eda), in Llineburg Alone of Slavs, the Wends and Mercury. to Woden them with show of naming after a god; dies Jovis was trace a Peren, Perun, thunder-god: apparently a mere Perendan, from of the

imitation

German,

in all the other

as

days they

with

agree

the rest of the Slavs.^ The

dealingwith with

the and

Donar,

Germany

and

her

gods,we are Mercurius greatest probability, 3Iars as Ziu. The gods of

into German

translated

is,that,in Latin

considerations

result of these

nett

are

an

experiment on

warranted as

the

in

Wuotan,

days

Tacitus's

of '

records

interpreting, as Jiqnte^the

week

interpretatio

Eomana'.

^

(but O.Sl. ne-delia, noE.g. in Kussian : 1, voskresenie,resurrection cloing). 2, po-nedel'nik, day after-no-work. day. 4, 3, vtdrnik, second sereda, middle. 6, chetverg,fourth day. 6, piatnitsa,fifth day. 7, subbota, sabbath. '^

Venus

Trans.

"

It is and

Slav

striking,that in 0. are quoted in

Saturn

deities that have

any be of the number

of those

been that

Bohem.

(Hanka glossaries

the order identified

of their with

days

Latin

54. 165)

of the week ones

are

Mercury, ;

almost

and sure

that to

And whilst of the Slav preside over the week. to Mars to gods, Svatovit answers (Ziu),Eadigast to Mercury (Wuotan), Perun Jupiter(Donar), iafZa (goldendame, zolotababa,in Hanusch 241, ^o^) to Venus of the planets are construed (Fria),and perhaps Sitivrat to Saturn ; the names Mars Smrto-nos otherwise, (letifer), quite by Mercury by Dobro-pan (good lord, rather bonorum or dator),Jupiter-by Krcde-moc (rex potens),Venus by Ctitd venerandus ? Saturn Hlado-kt caritatem 1), (cupitor by (famelicus,or annonae afferens). Respecting Sitivrat I give details at the end of eh. XII.

CHAPTEE

the highest,

have

right to

a

Gothic

dialect

Wuotan, man

a

have

word

honoured, universally divinity,

supreme

assume,

all Teutonic

among called

been

which

(ODINN).

WODAN

WUOTAN,

The

VII.

also appears,

The

2, 146, 152. Saxons

propensityof

their dialect

even

when

Saxo

Othinus,in the Faroe

Up

followed

in the Grisons

to which

the

country

name

very

caught the earlytime, and

i}

isles "

and

Vut

term

retained

drop

to

a

The

in

this

the g

to

Norse

is

form

Alamanns

it to

this

day

a

Woatan

prefixed, from 6

modify

O"inn, in Ouvan.

ace.

infer the extent

may

Upper Germany

from

of

Weda

final n, and

we

the

Guodan, the Old

or

Ouvin, gen. Ouvans, from

in

name

158. 161.

the Frisians

Woden,

an

diffused

was

dialect has a

by

the

Westphaliaagainwith

in

Guodan, Gudan, the Amrlo-Saxons

not

Wddan

Longobards spelt it

Wuodan, Wddan, but

128.

we

called in OHG.

was

as though rarely,

Witotan,Trad. Fuld. 1, 149. 2, 101-5-8.

:

the

; he

Vodans

would

races,

as

or

the Eomance

"

Burgundians

in the

sense

of

of

idol,

false

god, 1 Cor. 8, 4.- (seeSuppl.). It can scarcelybe doubted that the

from

the verb

OHG.

word

ivuot, ON",

woatan

is immediately derived

vacfa, od',signifyingmeare,

but not identical with Lat. vadere, as impetu ferri, the latter has the a long,and is more likelyconnected with OS. the subst. wuot watan comes (our gavitan, AS. gewitan. From ingenium, wuth, fury),as /ieVo?and animus properlymean mens, and then also impetuosity, wildness ; the ON. o"r has kept to the

transmeare,

^

A

cum

Frisian

god

Wains

has

simply been invented from (Richth. p. 1142), where

the

gen. Werns

in

the

pkinly Warnsdei, Wedens, Wodens, an r being put for d to avoid collision with Wern. And the the succeedingsd ; it will be hard to find anywhere a noni. without Frisians Frisians Winsdei, present West say Wansdey, the North Wernsdei

compound stands

such

for

r. *

Conradis

worterb.

263.

Christmann, pp.

30

"

32.

132

WODAN.

meaning

of

sensus.^

According to this,Wuotan, Ocfinn would be the all-powerful, being,qui omnia all-penetrating permeat ; as Lucan says of Jupiter: Est quodcunque vides,quothe spirit-god^ raoveris, cunque ; conf. Virg. Georg. 4, 221 : Deum ire per omnes terras,and Eel. 3, 60 : Jovis omnia plena. In the is to bestir oneself,to swarm, popularlanguageof Bavaria,wudcln thrive,Schm. 4, 203 (seeSuppL). grow luxuriantly, How have got obscured or early this originalmeaning may it is extinguished, impossibleto say. Together with the meaning of wise and mighty god, that of the wild,restless, vehement, must also have prevailed, in the heathen time. The christians were even the better pleased, that they could bringthe bad sense into prominence out of the name itself. In the oldest glosses, is wotan put for tyrannus, herus malus, Diut. 1, 276\ gl.Ker. 270 ; so wucterich, wiltcrich (Gramm. 2, 516) is used later on, and down to the present day, conf. ein ungestiiemer wiieterich,Ben. 431 ; as in Mar. 217.

one

Herod's

mens

or

of murder

messengers

wiieterich e, O.i. 19, 18

are

king

himself

sense

unprinted poem of the 13th century says the host led apparentlyfor the wiitende heer,'^

her

gotewuoto. The

form

wuotunc

'

; an

'

'

Wuotan

; and

Wuotunc

Trad, patav. no.

19.

is likewise

The former

fiendish,bloodthirsty being,and

a

man's

name

divinitywas appears

to

in

differ in

to

not

seems

as

Wiietunges it were by

OHG., Wodunc,

degradedinto live

the

names

yet

as

a

evil,

an

form

of

or protestation people, cursingin exclamations of the Low German in 0 ! Firmenich as Woudan, Woudan Westphalia: 1, 257, 260 ; and in Mecklenburg : Wod, Wod ! (seeSuppI). Proofs of the general extension of Woden's worship present themselves,for one thing,in the passages collected in the preceding chapter on Mcrcurius,and again in the testimonies of Jonas of Bobbio (pp.56 and 121) and Paulus Diaconus, and in the Abre-

nuntiatio,which of

concurrence

liitherto been If

1

we

A

are

word

deserves to be studied a

number

of

more

and lastly in closely,

isolated facts,which

I

believe

in brief the attributes of this

god,he

the

have

overlooked. to

sum

that has

up

been

is the

Goth, vopisdulcis,2 Cor. 2, fullyexplained, must 36, 3. 140, 7, AS. u-e"e, either l^e regarded as wholly unconnected,or its meaning be harmonized. Finn Magnusen comes to the same Lex. myth. 621. 636. conclusion, 3 The in the Mid. Ages, in a 'furious host' or 'wild so belief, common Trans. hunt,'is described in ch. XXXI.

15, OHG.

never

wuodi, Diut. 2, 304% OS. wuothi, Hel.

-

"

13:^

woDAN.

bestows shape and creative and formativepmvcr, who all-pervading from whom and all things, proceedsthe giftof song beauty on men whom and victory, at the same of war on and the management of the soil, time depends the fertility nay wishing,and all highest Saem. giftsand blessings,

113^'^

the heathen

.

.

fancy Wuotan

is not

wise, only the world-ruling, and battles.^ ingeniousgod, he is above all the arrancjer of wars Adam of Bremen cap. 233, ed. 1595 says of the Norse god : Wodau, id est fortior,bella gerit,hominique ministrat virtutem contra Wodanem inimicos sculpunt(Sveones) armatum, sicut nostri Martem his sculperesolent. To the fortior,fortis,would answer of Svi"r,i.e.the strong,masterful, swift (OS.suith) ON", name : but Pertz 3, 379) all the MSS. fortior is,no doubt, a false reading, (conf. which agrees with the conclusion arrived read 'Wodan, id est /"ror,' To him, says the Edda, belong all the nobles who/a// in at above. and to Thor the common battle (Seem.77^). folk,but this seems added merely to depreciatethe latter ; in another passage (Seem. oxiA 42^),Freya shares i\\Q, fallenwith OSinn; he is named valfa"ir choice ; her,host). Od'inn vildi J'iggja at hlutmann herfa"ir(val, falli at hanga or herinom, Fornald. sog. 3, 31. Eidem prostratorum muneris loco dedicaturum manes Saxo p. se pollicetur (Haraldus), Othinus armipotens, 146. ordinandi p. 37, auctor aciei corniculatae, traditor et repertor,pp. 138-9, 146. When agminisdisciplinae old, he teaches arrayingof battle,p. 17, the hamalt at fyll-ja, svinfjlkja, Fornald. sog. 1, 380 ; he teaches how to bringdown with pebbles sword will not wound, ibid. p. 157 (seeSuppl.). those whom need not be surprisedthen to find him confounded We with Ziu or Tyr, the special god of war, or Mereurius coupledwith Mars (pp.107, 111),or a glosson Jonas of Bobbio, who had rightly with Mercury (p.121),correcting identified him him thus : Qui apud eos (Alamannos) Vuotant (part.pres. of wuotan) vocatur, Martem Latini autem ilium appellant. Are Adam's words also, sicut nostri Martem sculperesolent,'to be so taken that nostri To

.

'

Got waldes an der sigehiir ! Wh. hende fiiege in got ! 425, 24. sigehafte Dietr. 84". OSinn, when he sejit the peopleforth to war, laid his hands on their heads and blessed, to Yngl. ace. cap. 2, gaf J^eim bianac ; Ir. beannact,beannugad, beandacht,Gael, beanuachd, Wei. bianoch (Villemarque,essai LIX) benedictio, prob. all I'rom the Lat. word ? conf. Fr. benir,Ir. beannaigini. 1

=

134

WODAN.

should

Saxones

mean

?

He, it is true, may

have

those

meant

mythology. acquaintedwith Eoman legend preservedby Paulus Especiallydoes the remarkable who dispenses to whom Diaconus 1, 8 show that it is Wodan victory, siliora (p.27) therefore,above all other gods, that antique name rightfully belongs,as well as in the Eddas the epithetsSigtyr(god of victory), Saem. 68^ ; of victory), Seem. 248% Sn. 94, Sigfoffr (father Beow. AS. vigsifjor 3107, sigmetod(creatorof (victorin battle), ridiBeow, 3554 (seeSuppl.): Eefert hoc loco antiquitas victory), ad Wodan, victoriam Wandali culam fabulam, quod accedentes de Winilis postulaverint, se illisvictoriam daturum, illequeresponderit, Tunc accessisse Gambaram quos primum oriente sole conspexisset. Frcamad Fream, uxorem Wodan, et Winilis victoriam postidasse, "

dedisse, Winilorum

consilium

que

similitudinem

mulieres

solutos

crines erga

primo cum videndas viris adessent, seseque a Wodan paritere regione,qua solitus adspicere, collocaerat orientem ille per fenestram versus Wodan oriente rent ; atque ita factum fuisse. Quas cum conspiceret subjunxisse, sole,dixisse : qui sunt isti Langobardi? tunc Fream faciem

ut

ad barbae

quibus

Wodan

tribuerat,victoriam

nomen

concessisse.

victoriam

dropsthe victoria

enim

componerent

remark

:

Haec

Here risu

potiusministratur ; and then the name Longobard : Certum

condonaret, sicque Winihs

deacon

Paul, as

dignasunt, et adtributa

potestatiest

non

7?ia?tcque

adds tamen

a

more

est

a

good

tian, chris-

pro nihilo habenda

hominum,

sed

e

:

coelo

of interpretation Longobardos ab intactae exact

primitus Winili dicti fuerint,ita postmodum appellatos.Nam juxta illorum linguam langlongam, Wodan bart barbam adjectalitera Givodan significat. sane, quem dixerunt,et ah universis Germaniae gentihusut deus adoratur,qui circa haec tempora, sed longe anterius,nee in Germania, sed in non Graecia fuisse perhibetur.'The whole fable bears the stamp of high antiquity ; it has even been related by others before Paul, and with variations, as in the Hist. Francor. epitomata, which has for its author,though not Frewriter of the seventh Chuni degar,yet some century. Here ferro barbae

1

Paul

cum longitudine,

Godfrey of Diac.

Godam

or

unheard-of in Paid.

with Votam '

Viterbo the

sets

Toclacus

2, 305) has the legend out of Wodan, Feria for Frea. word of the Germ, thinking got (deus). The

ed. Struve (inPistorius, names corrupted,Godam him

'

for

historiographushas evidentlysprung

out

of

'

hoc loco

'

135

WODAN.

(Huns)

bardi) Danubium

transeuntes

fuissent

At

praesumeret ?

introire

ad capitis

maxillas

simulantes

"

Chunis

a

quare

conati

terminos gens eorum suis praecipiunt, comam

hostium

circa maxillas

(Lango-

comperti,eis bellum

ligare, quo potiusvirorum

multitudinem

comae

Cum

:

illi mulieribus

mentum

et

plurimam

mulierum

erant

of Vandals

Chunis, a Interrogati

inferre.

sunt

instead

named

are

habitum

ostenderent,eo quod ad instar barbae

et mentum

desuper utraeque plmlangaevox dixisse : hi deum fertur eorum fuisse ! quod ab his gentibus sunt Langobardi Wodanum Wisodano, a mere (al. locutum, quem fanatici nominant claTunc Langobardicum for Wuodano). or reader's error copyist's conccdcrd victoriam,in hoc praelio massent, qui instituerat nomen, MSS. Chunos superant. (Bouquet2,406 ; accordingto Pertz,all tli.e valde

longae:

'

fertur '

read

this account, Frea

In

Wodano.)

is heard

the voice of the god,givingthe name, It

with

it up on

who for any one felt himself gift.^Wodan

a

to follow

name,

to confer the

victory In this

name.

people,in dressingup their had thought of nothing but swellingthe apparent men, the reader,that remind I need scarcely of their warriors.

as

numbers

Lombard

of the mythical interpretation

this

a

national

new

a

up

bound

;

of fortune,for the

consisted the favour wives

found

had

he

those for whom

nowhere

are

in the air.

bestowed

the custom

was

her advice

and

name

is

a

false one,

Ages.^ There is one feature in the legendthat must not escape more the on notice. Wodan from his heavenlydwellingloolis doum our tions. earth through a window, which exactlyagrees with ON. descripwhich he on OSinn has a throne named sitting fflicfshicdf, in the Mid.

for aU the credit it found

can

the

survey

men

:

]?arer

world, and

whole

einn staSr

there

then high-seat,

on

Sn. 10. wist,"c.),

oc

allan heim, Sn. 21.

Jxier hlustar

Lata fylgjanafni,Sfcm. nafnfesti (name-feast), Sn. 151. 1

2,

143.

Gram. 2

OSinn

194.

Vocabuli

among goes on )?aerOSiun settiz

HliSscialf heitir, oc

er

of Jjari hasoeti,oc }?a sd hann J?a er hann sa (there is a stead sat

all that

hear

saw

alia

heima,

that

]?aser ]?visoeti,

OSinn (listens)

142*.

150\

Fornm.

Fornm.

when

luti, 0.

all countries, and

over

AllfoSr sitr i

vissi aUa

hight,and

H.

he

oc

hann

oj 89^. HliSscialfo i,Sjem.

203. gefa at sog. 3, 182. Islend. 203. 133. sog. 3,

sog. 2, 51. additione

largitionemmuneris

commendare,

Saxo

71.

Otto Longobardi a longisbarbis vocitati, himself

was

named

LdiigbarSr.

fris. de

gest.Frid. 2,

13.

But

136

WODAN.

wanted

Loki

When

to

his whereabouts, Sn.

hide,it

was

Sometimes

69.

imaginedsitting by his side,and then ok OSinn ok Friggsdto i HliSscialfo, The

to

proem

this seat that OSinn

from

the Grimnismal

bears

espied

Frigg,his consort, is prospect : enjoysthe same

also she sd

alia,Ssem,

heima

urn

strong resemblance

a

39.

to the

legend in Paul ; for,just as Frea pulls her favourites the Winili so resolve, Frigg bringsto through,in oppositionto Wodan's own ever, OSinn favoured. Sensuous paganism,howgriefGeirroSr,whom all thingsdepend the god-likeattribute of overseemg makes of a particularchair, and as the the positionor structure on giftforsakes the god when he does not occupy the seat, others can enjoy the privilegeby taking his place. This was the case when Freyr spiedthe beautiful GerSr away down in lotunheim ; Freyr The heima alia,Ssem. 81. Sn. 39. sctsc i HliSskialf,oc sd um hafffi to mean word door-bench, from hli3 seems literally hlid'scialf Csedm. and skiaK (scamnum), AS. scylfe, (ostium,conf. Engl,lid), the languagein which the 79, 4. Engl, shelf (seeSuppl). Mark of Christ : sohta imo thena helagon OS. poet describes the Ascension half Godes, endi thanan stol,sititimo thar an thea suidron (right) waldandeo all gisihit Crist,so huat so (whatso)thius werold (seeth) "

behabet,Hel. 176, 4"7, conf. Ceedm. 265, 16.

sky,from which God looks on the earth,is not yet extinct among our people. The sittingon the The right hand is in the Bible, but not the looking down. formulas 'qui haut siet et de loing mire, qui haut siet et in point, for men loins voit (supra,p. 23) are not cases everywhere have thought of the Deity as throned on high and Zeus also sits on Ida, and looks on at mortal seeingfar around. Helios, the even as men fieSiav, ; he rules from Ida's top,"ISijdev But II. 3, 277. and discerns all things, a eye of the sun, surveys whom St. Peter marcheu tells us of a mortal man, widely-circulated admitted into heaven, and who, led on ended by curiosity, by chair which look into the the down 07ie can Lord, from, climbing of This idea

of

a

seat

in the

'

and

see

all that is done

steal two

He

earth.

sees

a

washerwoman

in his anger seizes the footstool of the and hurls it stands before the chair (al.a chair's leg),

at the thief.^ 1

the whole

lady'sveils,and

Lord, which down

on

Kindermarchen

no.

To such 35.

lengthshas

the ancient fable travelled.

First in Bebel, ed. 1, Tub.

gartengesellscliaft cap. 109, ed. 1556 p. 106, ed. 1590, pp. 98-9 (here a golden settle).Moserrf

1590

p. 85. vermischte

1506, p. 6. Frey's Rollwagenbiichlein schriften

1, 332. 2,

137

WODAN.

it be alluded to in tlieMHG.

Can

Der der

Amgb.

hat

erkorn,

den himel

nu

bi

uns geiselt

3^ ?

poem,

habe ;

uuser

ich viirhte sere, unt

wirt

im

zorn,

her abe.^ wirft er uns slegel to earth out In a Servian song (Vuk 4, 9) the angelsdescend of hence window) God's window (odBozhiegprozora ; pro-zor (out-look, of zora reminds and of one (dawn),prozorie(morning twilight), at earlymorn Wodan lookingtoward the sunrise. The dawn is,so God looks into the to speak,the openingin heaven, through which den

world.

Also, what

Diac. 1, 20 tells of the

Paulus

(supra, p. 18),whereby their

enemies,I

the Herulian

inclined to trace

am

res^jcxit ; and

coelitus ira

coeiestisDomini rogn ok OSinn

! wrathful

501

ySr OSinn,

:

er

grainr

see

warriors

Conf. the

smitten

were

Egilssagap.

305:

before

reiffr

gods and 0.,;and Fornald. is 0. with

angry

the Lord

up to "VVuotan : Tanta super eos Vae tibi,misera Herulia, quae

again:

flecteris ira!

of

anger

se

sog. 1,

you.

Victorywas in the eyes of our forefathers the firstand highest not of gifts, but they regarded Wuotan merely as dispenserof victory; I have to show next, that in the widest sense he represented the god to whose has to look for every to them bounty man other distinction, who has the givingof all superior blessings ; and this

in

also Hermes

sense

(Mercury)was

idcov, giver of SctiTcop to

that the

guess

things,and

good

Gihika,

name

the

to

Greeks

I have

eminently pre-

ventured

the KijncJw originally signified

to us-.

same

H. Sachs (1563)v. 381. ed. 1842, 4, 5, 39. According to Greek and 0. have cliair tha the gods Norse notions, : a throne or reginoil a rokstola gengengo God's throne, the the Bible heaven is : goS, S;eni. 1''. Compare in ginheilog 235.

Matt. 5, 34-5 ; and Hel. 45, 11. 12 (seeSuppl.). earth his footstool, 1 Also MS. MS. 2, 6'': niit 2, 254'' : ze hus wirf ich den slegeldir. einem

er sleijel

zuo

dem

kinde

warf.

This

cuchjel-throicing resembles,

throw, and the ancestors, the hammer's The cudgel thrown (Grail'6, 773). slaga is malleus, sledge-hanimev the obscure thunderbolt and heaven can hardly be other than a ;

what

meant

OHG. from

so

much

to

our

wJioso astray should ride,that fihide,' proverb, swer irre rite daz der den sler/el he the s. might fiml,Parz. 180, 10,.may refer to a thunder-stone (seecli.VIII, Donar)which jwintsto hidden treasure and bringsdeliverance,and which only those can lightupon, who have accidentallylost tlieir way in a wood ; for '

which

reason

of

stone -

under calls trunks of trees,from document slegelsurkiinde und zil,' slegcl's

Wolfram

luck,

'

Haupts zeitschr. 1, 573.

Lasicz. 47

names

a

Latanus

which and

peeps out the mark (aim).

donator

bonorum.

138

WODAN.

total of

the fulness of all well-beingand blessedness, in our ancient languageto have been expressedby a graces, seems singleword, whose meaning has since been narrowed down ; it was tvunsch (wish). This word is probablyderived from wunja, named perfectionin whatever wunnja, our wonne, bliss ; wunisc, wunsc, The

sum

kind, what

should

we

Ideal.

call the

Thus, Er. 1699

'

der wunsch

daz mir des garwe,'wish was in her complete; Iw. 3991 niht gebrast,' wunsches nought of wish was wanting ; Iw. 6468 such store as wish can wibe gert,' der rat, des der wunsch an in niht vergaz,' in wife ; Gerh. 1754! der got wunsches an crave God whom nought of wish forgot(leftout); Parz. 742, 15 der dir ist der wunsch wirt in beiden wunsch gegeben'; ; Trist. 3710 der wunsch edlem obze,'the pick of noble fruit ; Frauend. 87 von of the earth ; rich in all gifts erden wunsches Parz. 250, 25 riche,' Avas

ir

an

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

iiberwal';Trist. 4696. 4746

235, 24, 'erden wunsches worten,

von

'

bluomen

von

in perfectsatisfaction. i.e., treasures

Parz.

22

'

wurzel

unde

1374

'

in dem

der wunsch

wunsche

sweben,'

magic wand, by whose impact wishing-rod; conf. wunschiligerta,

And

acquired,was

are

235,

; Trist.

'

the

a

ris des

wunsches,' root and spray

of '

(secondary)meaning of desiringand longing for attached would to have but accidentally these perfections seem itself to the wunsc, ON. osk (seeSuppl.). of 06inn, appears Osci,Ssem. 46^ Among other Eddie names Sn. 3, 24, i.e. he who makes men partakersof wunsch, of the highestgift. Osk, gen. Oskar, a woman's name, Fornm. sog. 1,246. Eyrbyggja saga cap. 7. Laxd. p. 12. fore to be connected with this,and thereto me Another thingseems to be a relic of the heathen : the fact that our poets of religion a the 13th century personifywunsch, and representit as mighty found in proof of this are creative being. Instances chieflyin The

wish.

Hartmann, Got

'

and

Eudolf

erloubte

Conrad

:

WimscJie liber

dem

er

lib unde

meistert nach swa

von

deheinem desn

to

gave

Wish

full leave,

in, daz

him, God

About

ouch

body and mind fashioned accordingto that he

sin

sim

werde.

uf der erde

man

gebrastim

ze

loben

geschiht, to

niht ;

der Wicnsch hat in

Of whatsoever

so gemeistert

earth,

praiseworthyfalls, lacked him nought ;

man,

any

thereof Wish

upon

his worth,

had him

fashioned

so,

139

WODAN.

daz

sin

er

wande

kinde

ze

nihts

er

im

an

tliathe

vrS,

vergaz

:

kunder, baz. geschaffet, Greg. 1091-1100.

hetn

er

luas

for he

he had

glad of liim for child, nought in him forgot: him shapen,if he could, was

better.

a child won They say that never Wunsche glich. a body so wholly equal to Wish Ex. 330. (or,exactlylike Wish).

sagt daz nie kint gewan

man

ein

gar dem

lipso

also

was

und

(dazphert)gestalt, (der werltwise man)

ez

ob

er

danne von

dem

daz

ez

den

So

wrought (tlie horse), (thewright)had had

it

was

that if he

gewalt

Wunsche

the command

hmte,

belibe st^ete

that

from

work) (liis

Wish, should

be

left

unaltered, swes

er

und

darzuo

swenne

daz

volbra^hte,

erz

sinem

von

er

dar abe

also

was

daz

er

ez

dar

and

he

when

he

and

givalte

He

missezaeme,

volkomen abe

niht

hete

geno-

ein bar.

"

perfectwas have

alse groz als umb

take away therein mislilvcd him, it

that he therefrom

men so

great

Him,

should

whatever so

set it before

at his discretion

therefrom im

attemptedthereon, had completedit,

that he should

noeme

daran

swaz

whatever

fiirsich stalte

erz

und

gedsehte,

noughtwould

taken as

a

hair.

Er. 7375-87. als was

ez

ein wunschldnt

Enite der da

der Wmisch

an was

was

gehot(bade). Er. 8213. (was a child of wish).

des Witnschcs

Ex. 8277,

kint,

ir nilites vergaz. Er. 8934. ir har und ir lich (lyke, lych,body)

gar dem

Wunsche

gelich(like).Iw. 1333. diz was ir (zuht,schoene,jugent)und gar der rat (all an the store) des der Wunsch Iw. 6468. (orwunsch ?)an wibe gert (desires.) wande sie nie gesahen (forthey never had seen) riter gestalt zwene (two knightsfashioned) so gar in Wunsches gewalt so

an

dem

libe und

der Wimsch

an

vluochct

den

siten

(manners). Iw. im so. Iw. 7066. (curses)

6913.

140

WODAN.

gevluochet. Hartm. biichl. 2, 113. schcene und wol gevar (forgefarwet, coloured), er was rehte,als in der Wunsch erkos (chose). Gerh. 771. to them) des begunde jehen (acknowledge), mill herze in (ihnen, in wsere des Wunsches fiiz(zeal, care)bereit, Gerh. 1599. der Wunsch

mil- hat

mit kiusche

der Wunsch

der

an

sine sileze lebcnde

kroene schoiie

alien frouwen

ob

Wimsches

des

mit

1660,

Gerh.

fruht.

ich ir schoene

daz

har

Gerh.

krone.

1668.

vloz

ein regen uz dem wolken der uf des Wimsches ouwe

goz

Gerh.

2307. (?). Gerh. 2526. lobe (praise) des Wunsches hronc. an ich begunde daz geschach (was accomplished), swes ie niinen werken der Wunsch jach (everto my works said yea) so

heizen

regen

als ich wolte

des wunsches

als ich wiinschen

und

nach

Wunsches

des

Wttnsch

der

Gerh.

solte.

lere

2945.

(lore).Gerh.

4500.

siner hende

mit

(change,fault)hete si getwagen (cleansed).Troj.1212. hat ane der Wunsch lougen (withoutlying,undeniably) ir sine kmftj an erzeiget wandel

vor

siner Jcilnste meisterschaft

und

mit vlize

an

der

Wunsch

hat

der

Wunsch

der

flizcsdenne Troj.19620.

me

so

daz

fur sie

er

evinced in her). Troj.7569. (carefully of fault).Troj.3154. vri (free in gemachetwandels laid out, spent) hete an si geleit (gelegt, uf elliu wip (more pains than on any woman).

ir bewert

leben

wibes

niemer

baz

gesdwpfenwolde

(better) ;

(measured), gewcdtir bilde maz model. -siemanec leit (legte) er an Troj.19627

do sin do

hsete sin der Wtinsch

und

wolde

er

und

bilden

schepfcnalso

als Helena er

miieste

wan

er

min

klaren

sinen

niemer

wip,

lip treit

frouwe

brechen

kunde

gesworn,

ein schoener

eit

(forhe

bears) (tragt, (eid,oath) could

never),

141

WODAN.

unci solte Uldcn

(were he

iemer

fruht.

wunneclicher (jcschcpfen hat

ez

ze

niender.

vergezzen

Engelh.579.

geleit.Engelh.4703.

der hete niht

gespart

ir die sine

an er

si der Wunsch

an

Wunsch

der

telle der Wunsch

sinem

daz haete

shape for ever), Troj.19526-32. to

mcisterscliaft, beste hraft fiizan sie geleit.Der

hete sine

mit ganzem Other

werlde

Ion. 84.

too (not, however.Wolfram poets personify

nor

Gotfried):

der zweier kurtesie sich si

ze

ware

Wimsche

dem

niender

ir schoene

an

uz

was

daz ir der Wunsch der Wunsch in

was

het

mohte

wen

gedahte. Wigal. 9281. in ir gewalt. sich gcneigct 8735.

ib. 7906.

erlangen,

da der Wunsch der Wunsch

ibid. 904.

ib. 10592.

bereit.

amic. da

geweten,

getreten. Wigal. 9246. wol schin,

der Wunsch

des Wunsches

het

inne

ib. 10612.

was.

het si gemachetso, 1338.

(Pf.1343). des Wuoischcs ougenweicle (food for the eye) sit ir und miner sfelden spil(are ye, and the play of my delight). 1068. (Pf.1072). Wigal. 8760. Amur si schepfetuz des Wunsches water). Martina, 259. hcilctwdgc (lioly

imd

ist ir

ze

vrS.

kinde

Amur

im groz, lane unde wiz, Turl. Wh. der het sich der Wunsch gesellct.

(diuhant) ist zuo

38=*.

ib. 137^ (herestood)der Wunsch. vliz. Tyrol E, 3. wol des Wunsches dar an lit (therein lieth) si ist des Wunsches mark or aim). Ms. 1, 84^ hostez zil (highest hie stuont

sie ist der

Wunsch

sie ist des

Wunsches

ist niht

so

an

blic. MsH. des si

Wwischcs

Wunsches

2, 100^.

3, 493^

blucte sint

tragedes Wunsches

des

Ms.

(one of W.'s household). Ms. 1, 6^ ingesinde uf ir zehen (from her crown to her toes) minneclichen widen wan (save,but)des Wunsches

ir scheitel

von

uf erde.

krdnc

entsprungen in

hildc.

Ms.

tragen. Docen

mine

herzen.

1, 191^ misc. 2, 186.

Fragm. 45^

142

WODAN.

sie hat des er

was

daz

und der da

so

gewalt. Amgb. 31^

Wimsches

gar des

hint,

Wunschcs

blint, before)siner schoene waren gein (against, bi clarem velle (complexion) doch menlich gestalt ; im niht gebrechenliez (letnought be lacking) Wunsch hint den stolzen hiez (should call 's Wtinsches man von alle

man

statelyone). Lohengr.ed. followingis

The

yr

an

in

Wunsch

ein amie

the earliest

but

outside the bounds

of MHG.

:

vlytgeleit.Haupts zeitschr. 3, 221. is there a Wensch have no personification ; nor poems in Wolfdietrich 970 : the Nibelungen or Gudrun ; but

W'lmsches

des

Eiickert str. 625.

yst Wensches

Dutch

Mid.

the

There

!

instances ;

more

many

in the Entekrist

of is found

I know

one

be

must

the

from

century (Hoffm.fundgr.2, 107):

12th

mit Wunschis sie der segniti

Wish's

gewalte

With

alte.

Tlie old

might blessed her.

man

art, provided with hands, power, looks, diligence, thinks, blossom, fruit ; he creates, shapes,produces master-pieces, bows, swears, curses, is glad and angry, adoptsas child,handmaid, friend : all such pretty-well stock phrases would scarcelyhave if did not sprung up and lived in a poetry,in a language, they We

Wish

see

earlier times had a higherbeing,of whom a basis indeed nearlyall the personifications In the majority to me to rest. of by MHG. use poets seem in the place of God examples we might fairly put the name

relate to unconsciously livelier image; on such made of

our

of Wish, describe gegozzen, of

God,

or

that

the MS.

a

of Wish

joyous or 1, 226^

p. 23 ; and

in the the

; der

phrasesquoted on God

angry Wunsch

be in

doubt, whether

ir bilde,as is

gebieten,to command,

to say

God

or

The

Wunsch At

Wish:

times

mezzen

just as

'gramr

er

zlirnet

the

17-8,which hat

freudenvoll

:

maz

appliedto the one as to the other,p. 24. 'der p. 137, might be rendered in MHG, iu,'meaning, the world is sick of you.

pp.

sie Got is said

technically ySr OSinn,' iu,fluochet

poet seems

in the first passage

to

from

Gregor,Wish is subordinated,as a being of the second rank, so to speak,as a servant or messenger, to the superiorgod; the latter has in other to give him leave to assume his creative function, which hair are he does of his own cases might. Again, when body,figure, of Homer's said to be 'like Wish,' it exactly reminds us KOfiav

143

WODAN.

II, 17, 51; and Xdpire'i, the Gratiae,creatresses XapkeaaLv ofjLolat, of grace and beauty,play preciselythe part of our Wish, even down to the circumstance,that in addition to the personalmeaning, abstract %a/3t9, gratia, there is an is a wish.^ Piiterich of as there Eeicherzhausen (Haupts zeitschr. 6, 48) speaks of die ivuntsclics ir fiieze have been fiiesse of a princess ; the older phrase would deni Wunsche waren gelich'. It is a genuine bit of German heathenism this creative facultyreside in a god,and not, to make '

'

'

after the Greek

fashion,in

features too,that and

aue

heilwac

female

a

point back

to

be matched

can

and

meads

creature

as

in

child ; here Woden's

a

before or paterfamilias, patriarcli like

appearance also used

in

mean

him

exclaim

(would suit

christian sense,

a

in

be called Wish's

marvellous

children

'

God

the

by

worn

'

as

scene

make

men

; and

wunschkint

their '

is

for,child.^ Hereinen sun verlorn,er

ich han

God

been '

sense,

For the Norse

wish-maidens

which

child);

a

as

has doubtless

child '.

and

:

heathen

a

that

in his rejoices

upon

created

Wish's

adopted,i.e.wished

an

Hecuba

Himself,' but

to

might

makes

of

sense

gote ze kinde

gezseme

whom

by

comes

other

brunno, or the

all,Wish

domestics children,friends,

in the

bort 13330

self

are

eld.

and

by Phol's ouwa gods ; Wish's crovm of

there

heathen

native

our

holywellsof other kings. And, most remarkable

gods and

And

personage.

he

was

to take joleased so lovely,he

OSinn

in his train

does not

too

has these

(seeSuppl.)^

Wunsco, oughtby rightsto correspondan OHG. Wunscjo,(weak deck),which I am not able to produce even as a be proved man's name (seeSuppl.).^A ]\IHG. Wtinsche cannot To the ON.

1

In many and

Wolfram

preferthe When

Oshi

placesit is doubtful,whetlier Gotfiied, who

abstract

abstain

from

while interpretation,

read in Parz. 102, 30 goal,beyond all that one could we

:

si

was

icish

tlie poet meant distinct

Hartmann gar ob dem

or

Wish.

In

I always personification, admits of both by turn's. zil (over wish's wunsches

wish),the phraseborders close upon the above(thehighest that Wish ever created) ; and it is but a step from mines wunschesparadis,' MS. 2, 126% to des ' Wunsches '. ouwe or So, da ist wunsch, und niender breste (hereis paradis liez im niht 'der Wunsch one's wish, and nothing wanting),'MS. 1, SS'' left him W. gebrechen,' nothing lacking(seeSuppl.). 2 The Germ, an-wiinschen verballytranslates the Lat. ad-opto. Trans. 3 Tluit Wish and very was boldly,by the christian poets,is personified, in heathen lliat believed he in as a person, even was ever abundantlyproved, scholars German I believe clear. f ar from some to times,is, Ihinldiig, my Trans. mare's the notion little better than nest. a as regard "* The dictus de ( later : Johannes does occur der) Wunsch, Ch. name wochenOberhess. the In 1324 I. des mittli. thiir. ann. vereius (Neue 4,()5), is who Wunsch I Joh. read of blatt,Marburg 1830, p. 420, a probablyalive at si ist des quoted,_'

'

hustez zil

Wunsches

'

'

'

'

=

"

"

=

this moment.

144

WODAN.

(Straszb. MS.), both the metre idea may and the strong gen. in -es forbidding. But the whole in the earliest times have taken far stronger root in South Germany tells next than in Scandinavia,since the Edda to nothing of Oski,

from

Troj.3154. 7569.

while

poetry as late

our

Wunsch.

That

it

19726

19620.

foreignto

not

was

century has

the ] 5th

as

North

the

much

so

of

to say

either,is plainly

Wunschdfrauen,wish-women; by the Oshmcyjar with our stone connected Wunschelrute, Oskasteinn,a philosopher's MHG. and Mercury'sstaff;by Oskabyrr, Wunschivint, wishing-rod, fair wind ; all of which ; by Oshabiorn,wish-bear, a sea-monster Osk will be discussed more fullyby and by. A fem. proper name in a few places; what if the unaccountable occurs Oskopnir,Saem. 188% were reallyto be explainedas Osk-opnir? Opnir,Ofnir,we to grow Both word and meaning seem know, are epithetsof OSinn. in relevancyto our indeed, that mythology it is a stumbling-block the simple wusc furnish no the AS. remains contribution, even (optare)in votum) seeming to be rare, and only wyscan (optio,

proved by

the

=

,

common

use

yet

;

mythic

the

among

to make

of another

Anglo-Saxons too well extinct,though previously

in 91^

related

52,

18.

wiges

which

62,

46^

it

once

again the speaks of

quoted instances

; I have

be added

now

from

dtegredwoma 179, 24;

10 ;

277,

5 ; wintres

woma

only mentions

Edda

the

the Cod.

exon.

hHdewoma

292,

22

:

to

woma

and :

in

wom,

El. pp. xxx, heofonwoma

250, 32. 282,

in this

a

this Omi

Now

AS.

in Andr.

Omi

and

Oski

for OSinn.

more

fragor,as

sonus,

omr,

may

woma

which

Omi

uses

to

clamor, sonitus

xxxi,to

Ssem.

in

though cursorily, stands

it,their oldest poetry is stilldimly conscious

of Wuotan,

name

breath,and

for

up

with

meet

we

to the

; and

it were lord of Wish as WiXscfred, have merely become this being may known (seeSuppl.). a

But

heroes of Deira

last,the

15 ;

ing mean-

impetus,fragor,furor,is self-evident,and we see ourselves led up to the thought which antiquityconnected with tions evolved the abstracWuotan himself : out of this livinggod were wunsch woma wuot (impetus,fragor).The (ideal), (furor), of

hiemis

god grace-bestowing

gracious and

who stormful,the terror-striking, even

so

the ON.

has

The

AS.

for terror. wuomo

and

Wuomo

both woma are

an

was

sends

caUed

the

at

other

times

a

thrill

through nature;

Yggr standingfor OSinn, Woma is no longer found as alike unknown. Thorpe

and

yggr

an

; in

OHG.

renders

the

145

WODAN.

'

heofonwoman

'

above

in

local

a

the passages correctly ; in both liowever imagine Onii,Woma may if

Indras, whose of

rush is heard

battle,and the tramp of

by

sense

'heaven's corners,' I doubt

coeli

We fragoresare meant. like the Hindu an as air-god, in the sky at break of day,in the din the furious host (seeSuppl.). '

'

arrive at Indra's heaven,^ as the souls of slain warriors Precisely the victory-dispensing takes up the heroes god of our ancestors that fall in fight, into his fellowship, into his army, into his heavenly dwelling. Probably it has been the belief of all good tliat after death they would be admitted to a closer commen, munion witli deity. Dying is therefore,even accordingto the christian view, called goiuff to God, turning home to God : in AS. Ca?dm. 104,31. Or seeking, 2360. metodsceaft seon, Beow. visiting God: OS. god suokian, Hel. 174:,26 ; fadar suohion,Hel. 143, 23; Hel. 85, 21. 17, 17. ujjodashem,lioht odar, sinlif, godesriki siLokian, 14.

63,

137,

Herodotus

16.

176, 5.

In

4, 94, said levat

a

like

the

sense

Thracians,ace.

to

ZdX/jio^iv (Fe/SeXei^Lv) Smfiova, which Zalmoxis Zamolxes is held by Jornandes or to be a deified king of the Goths (Getae). In the Novth, faring to Off inn, being guest with Offinn,visitingOffinn, meant simply to die,Fornald. with faringto was sog. 1, 118. 422-3. 2, 366. and synonymous Valholl,beingguest at Valholl,ib. 1, 106. Among the christians, these were turned into curses til O"ins ! Offins eigiJ?ik! : far p4 OSin's have thee (see Suppl). Here is shown the inversion may of the kindly being,with whom fain would one dwell, into an evil one,2whose abode inspires fear and dread. Further on, we shall in exhibit more detail the way in which Wuotan was pictured drivingthroughthe air at the head of the furious (wtitende) host named after him. Valholl (aulaoptionis) and Valkyrjaobviously notion of wish and choice (Germ, wahl, Scotch wale). express the irapa

'

'

Of

the

god,which 1

of figureand peculiarities are brought out in such

Bopp'sNalas,p.

outward bold

of this appearance relief in the northern

264.

2

So Wuotan's of itself degenerates name into the sense of hwy (wut) and has instances of it. In he anger ; the Edda pricked Brynhild with revenge the sleei)ing-thorn, S:em. 194% and she says : OSinn ])\\veldr,er ek eigi nmttak He breeds enmit5^and strife : einn vehh- OSinn bregSa bhmnstofom. ollu bolvi,jpviatmeS sifjungom sakrunar bar, S;cm. 165''. ininiicitias Othinus Sa.\o gram. p. 142, as christians serit, the seeds say of the devil,that he sows of discord, gremi OCins,Sa^m. 151^ (seeSuppl.).

le

146

WODAN.

Grimnir

1

but

is

hrokum, green heldumaffr,cloaked fountain,he

Sfem. 4%

cloak

oculo ; p.

sencx

ortus

came

had

yfirser,

a sa

obligedto

hat and

Germany,

wide mantle:

1 hekhi

grmnni ok

breeks, Fornald. sog. 1, 324.

When

he

leave

one

desired

to

of his eyes

drink

of

in pawn,

altera Saxo, p. 12, he a.^-pearsas cprcndaevus, ocello ; p. 138, contentus uno 37, armipotens, semper

So in the

Sagas : kom ]?armaSr ok hafSi hatt siSan ; einsynn ok aatgdapr, orSspakr, old man, word-wise,one-eyed and sad-eyed, an very

ocidis,hispidoamictu.

gamall,miok and

blue

1, 325.

man, was

and

in

us

In

15.^

Sn.

orhus

there

left among

traces

hroad

hldm

Mimi's

few

he wears a one-eyed, feldi hldm, blue cloak, Stem. 40. OSinn

Norse

The

found

have

myths, I

maSr

hann hafir lieklu flekkdtta sog. 2, 138. hann at beini, berfcettr ok hafSi knytt linbrokum

hat, Fornm.

wide

var

ok einsynn, Fornald. sog. 1,120. (veryhigh),ok eldiligr ]9akom maSr 1 bardagann meS sid'an hatt ok heldu Ud^ hann hafSi Odinn eitt avga, ok geir (spear)i hendi, ib. 1, 145. J^ettamun einspnn,ib. 1, 95. sa gamli verit hafa, ok at visu var maSrinn mikinn meS si"im hetti, ib. 5,250. meS hctti Hangatyss hann mann cidari Odiniana incedere, Othinus, Vigagl.saga, p. 168. ganga, cum cultu Saxo 44. An Eddie Gram. OS ohnubens, ne proderetur, inleo, him Siffhottr, broad-hatted,Saem. 46^ and one song alreadynames sog. 2, 25-6 ; conf. Mlillers saga merely Hottr, hatted, Fornald. it not for the name Were given him in the sagabibl.3, 142. the intention of the Grimnismal, I should have supposed it was else that, christians to degrade the old god by mean or clothing, trying to conceal himself from wrapt in his mantle, he was Have christians. we a right here to bring in the pileatiof A saga in Saxo, p. 12, tells prettily, old how the Mind ? Jornandes god takes up a proteg^in his cloak,and carries him through the air, but Hading, peeping through a hole in the garment, observes that As for that heklumad'r the sea-waves. the horse is steppingover har miok

var

of the head

hat

with

of the wild

its rim

turned

host, who

can

up, he at

once

is

our

be

Hakolberend turned

into

at the a

Gothic

Ace. to the fountain, Kulin in Hofer 1, 290. look m"o not look into running water, because you religion, popiilar you must the God's eye, Tol)ler's Appenzel p. 369'' ; neither must stars with point at you for fear of stickingthem into the angels' eyes. your fingers, 2 There Molbech is a Swed. miirchen of Greymantle(grakappan), 14, who, like Mary in German tales,takes one up to heaven and forbids the openingof a 3, 407. lock,Kinderm. ^

Conf.

Tritas

in

the

WODAN.

that hakuls

147 for

is found in 2 Tim. (f)e\6vr]"i iv. 13. Iduna Swedish folk-tales pictureOdin as bald-headed, 10, In the ancient poetry he is Harharffr,Sidgrani,Sidskcggr, 231. all in allusion to his thick growth of hair and beard. The name

Ilahdahairands,

now

"

I have

Eedbeard sog. 2, 239

and

257 the Grani

"

understood

elsewhere

of

Thor,

but

in

Fornald.

Rau"grani are expresslyOSinn

(see

Suppl.). The

Norse

GiXngnirby the lance sword

myth

sword

or

Stem.

name,

of

Mars,

wonderful

a

Sn. 72 ; which

196. not

he hacks

breaks, when

with

OSinn

arms

the

at

staff of

I

whom

over

on

a

with

par

Mercury. Sigmund's

spear, Vols, saga cap. 11, victories with, Ssem. 165. A

5, 250 says

reyrspiota(gavehim the reeden spear)t hond, ok )?at honum skyldi hann yfirliS Styrbiarnar, All the enemies

put

OSinn's

lie lends this spear to heroes to win remarkable sog. passage in the Fornm.

alia !

(geir),

S'pcar

the spear

:

seldi honum

ok baS hann ma^la

:

05in

he shoots shall

skiota

ySr fly,are a

the

victory. So too the spiotiat fornom si" til Eyrbyggja saga p. 228 : }?askaut Stein];6rr heilla ser yfirflock Snorra ; where, it is true, nothingis said of the the enemy over being the god's. Saim. 5% of OSinn spear launched skaut (seeSuppl.). himself : fieigSi ok 1 folk um doomed

to

To

the

which,

as

death, and the shooter

god

of

combative

wolves

the upon named are

Sachs

5,499),we (i.

pounce

victoryare

obtains

attached

courageous

ivolves and

two

animals, follow

two

the

ravens,

fight,and

The and El. xxvi. xxvii. fallen corpses, Andr. Gcri and FrcJci, Sn. 42 ; and so late as in Hans read in

a

schwank, that the Lord God has chosen

wolves for his hounds, that

are they are his cattle. The two ravens Hvginn and Muninn, from hugr (animus,cogitatio)and munr (mens) ; they are not only brave,but cunning and wise,they sit on the shoidders of OSinn, and whisper in his ear whatever they see and hear,Sa^m. 42'' 88^ Sn. 42. 56. 322. To the Greek Apollo too the wolf and raven informed sacred ;^ his messenger the raven were him when Koronis and Aristeas accompanied him was unfaithful, Herod. 4, 15 ; a raven is perched aloft on the mantle of as a raven, Mithras the sun-god. The Gospels representthe Holy Ghost as a

^

Delio sine

In

Marc.

Cap. 1, 11, the words: transl. by Notker are coiistiterunt,

albisze. ralena unde wizegfogela, instead of ravens haukar OtJins Saem. :

vero 'augiirales

37

To

:

to

warcn

Ot5inn

167^.

hawks

alitcs ante

garo are

ze

curriini

Apollinisreito

sometimes

given

148

WODAN.

Christ at his

descendingupon

dove

him,

upon

Krist

sih

er

dove

:

this

an

ctt' avrov,

ejxeivev

sat im

but

0. i. 25, 24;

Hel.

32

1, 1

30,

'in

:

of the

(our Lord's shoulder). Is

ahslu

drohtines

uses

John

eum,

super

thoughts? None of the Fathers have this in the Mid. Ages there is talk enough about shoulders ;^ and the dove, though frequently

echo of heathen

circumstance, doves

but

restingon

contrasted

with

appliedto

the

it.

mansit

gisidalta,' says icppan

baptism,Lu. 3, 22, and resting

the Evil

Oswald's

his

flies to

Oswald

talks to it,95-6, and

Oswalt

p. 67

wolf, the christians be put in the

nevertheless

one),may

raveii

the

(which,like

raven

and

shoulder

kneels before it,854.

arm,

Conf.

placeof

749.

942.

Ziugerle,

(seeSuppl.).^

is figureof the bearded old man, Wuotan answering or water-god, apparentlyto be regardedas a water-sprite of the earlier which of Mptunus some well to the Latin name he is Hnikar, Hnihuffr, him writers put upon (p.122). In OK that

under

Now

the two

Mkarr, Nilcuz,and the hesitation between Sn. 3 arise AS.

in

'

'

"

"

Nikuz

Nicor, and alone.

On

to

Gregor.Nyssen. encom. saw

;

these I shall have "

preaching,Ephraem in his mouth. wisdom

Nichus

OHG.

water-sprites (seeSuppl.) 1

which

may expresslymade optional Nikarr e"a (or)Nikuz of old dialects. Nikarr correspondsto the from the diversity are

be ON. of

forms

on

the

more

shoulder rujlii

to say, when

epithetof

Another

that Ei)hraemirelates, his

initial Hn

a

when

OSinn

seems

to

treating is equally

Basil the Great was put words of

^vhite dove,which read in Pauh Ave

Great Diac, vita p. dove sat xuhite of hist vision a Ezekiel, was 14, that when times which at his he, beak in then its his and mouth, put head,and now u'pon of narrative a the down conf. his stvlus to the writer,got nothing for ; put 226-7. also 1. 229 tine AugusMyst. ; p. poet of the 12th cent.,Hoffm. fundgr.2, and Thomas are portrayedwith a white dove perchedon their he

Gregory expounding

the

the

Aquinas hoveringover their heads. A nursery-tale(Kinderm. no. 33) makes and tell him in his ear all that he has to doves settle on the pope'sshoulder, A white dove descends singingon the head of St. Devy, and instructs him,

shoulders two

Of

do. Buhez

make ravens

There

are

p"

other occasions the dove flies And 117. on Paris 1837, will trace the story of No one the will of heaven. known is coincidence striking(seeSuppl.l to these doves, stillthe and in Denmark found Sweden, said to have been lately,

Nonn.

santez

down to Wuotan's -

or

rather strange reportsare well-founded, ought to be made known without delay. A ploughman at Boeslund in Zealand the lids is carved Odin, filled with ashes ; on turned golden urns up two wolves at his feet ; and the two his shoulders, on standingup, with two ravens the discovered near Kunstbl. 1843, no. 19, p. 80^. Gold coins also were the with Odin ravens which represents villageof Gomminga in Oeland, one of Kunstbl. his shoulder ; the reverse has ruues 1844, no. 13, p. 52". on

of Odin, which, if some representations

,

149

WODAN.

noticeable for its double As

46'' has Biblindi.

Sn. 3 ; Bijii"leSa Bijlindi, motus, aer, (Germ, beben) signifies

form

bif

:

Sicm. aqua,

lindi,ON. quaking element, and the AS. \vSq is lenis,OHG. AS. BifliSe, linr (forlinnr) BeofliSe,OHG. Pepalindi, might be ; an for tlie of the air,a very apt name by the soft movement suggested all-penetrating god ; but these forms, if they gave rise to the Norse Wuotan's dominion term, are no longer found in AS. or OHG. how it is that he the water both over the air and over explains, and comes walks on the waves, rushing on the gale. It is 05inn the

"

that sends wind wind

the

Fornm. ships,

says, Do

poets use

Greg. 615

ing good sail-

sande

in

other

wunschivint

in the

same

sense

;

:

(tothem)

den vil rehten But

a

is from Ssem. 16o^,i.c^Oskahyrr ; \"yrv oshahjrr, It is in strikingaccord purran, to rise,be lifted up.

this,that the MHG.

Hartmann

sog. 2, 16, hence

is called

byrja,OHG. with

to

der slieze Krist

wunschwint

attributes of

Wuotan

(seeSuppl.) point

more

to

Hermes

and

Apollo. He resembles the latter,in as much as from him proceed illness is the stroke contagiousdiseases and their cure ; any severe The Gauls also of God, and Apollo'sarrows scatter ])estilence. diseases (Apollinem morbos imagined that Apollo drove away Caes. B. G. 6, 17) ; and Wodan's magic alone can cure depellere, The raven the god'sshoulder exactlyfits Balder's lamed horse. on plainlythe circumstance that OSinn invented Apollo,and stillmore the poeticart,and Saga is his divine daughter, justas the Greek Muses, though daughtersof Zeus, are under Apollo'sprotection, and in his train. On the other hand, writing and the alphabet Tlie Egyptianpriests not invented by Apollo, but by Hermes. were de myst. of all inventions at the head (lamblich. placed Hermes "

Aegypt. 8, 1),and Theuth or Thoth is said to have first discovered letters (Plato's Phaedr. 1, 96, Bekker) while,ace. to Hygin. fab. of cranes. In tbe learnt them by watching the flight 143, Hermes read (Thorpe's anal, AS. dialoguebetween Saturn and Solomon, we bocstafas sette?' 'ic the secge, hwa aerost p. 100): 'saga me, Mercurius se dialogue,entitled Adrian and gyqcmd'. Another Epictus(MS. Brit. mus. Arund. no. 351. fol. 39) asks: 'quisprimus of is either a corruption which fecit literas ? and answers Seitli," Theuth, or the Scth of the Bible. Just so the Eddie Palnatals ]?attr to OSinn, if we to ascribe the first teachingof runes seems may so ,

'

'

150

WODAN.

the interpret

words

:

nam

ec

uj'ip riXnar,Ssem. 28^

them ofreist, ]?aGrofhiigSiHroptr, i.e.,

thought out,

Srem.

idrottir kendi

hann

attributes to de

195^

Also rlXnum

meS

read

Snorri,Yngl. cap. 7 ok lio"um.

Mercury the invention

of

denariis

sicut

OSinn

ofreS,Jjfer Jjser

quasi jocaridicuntur, quod legimus,primum cliahohis hoc per

out,

allar

:

Hincmar

out,

J^essar

of Eheims

: sicut dice-playing

omnino

cut

diabolicum

isti qui

est,et,

Mercuriuw

unde prodidit, inventor illius dicitur,1, 656. et Mercurius Conf. Schol. to Odyss. Our 23, 198, and MS. 2, 124^ : der tiuvel schuof das wiirfelspil. folk-tales know something about this,they always make the devil to this play at cards,and entice others to play (seeSuppl.).^When Wish's staff,recals Mercury's i.e.. we add, that the wishing-rod, the occupacaduceus,and the wish-wives,t.e.,osknieyjar, valkyrior, tion of the Psychopompos ; we fairly recognisean echo of the may in the epithetTrismcgistos Gallic^ or Germanic (Lactantius ]\lercury Hermes in Ausonius),which later i. 6, 3. vi, 25, 10. ter maximus and

poets, Romance

German,

in

the

12tli and

13th

centuries^

Tervigant, deity Termagant Tervcigan, and Mercury are described as Hermes Terviant. Moreover, when dator bonorum, and the Slavs again call the same god Dobro-pan that the (p.130, note),as if mercis domains ; it is worth noticing, Misnere Amgb. 42% in enumerating all the planets,singlesout Mercury to invoke in the words : jSTu hilf mir, daz mir s^lde kum noch ich wider uf der wache! schin er mir ze geliicke, so sselden phat (pfad). Just so I find Odin invoked in Swedish lar popuAsagrim ! Svenska fornsangor1, 11. songs : Hielp nu, Oden hielpmig Othin ! 1, 69. To this god first and foremost the people in distress ; I suppose turned when he is called Asagrim, because

transferred

to

a

the Ases

amons

^

Eeuscli,sagen

2

In

Saracen

he bore

the

name

of

Grimnir

?

des preiiss. Samlands, no. 11. 29. of the Old British mythology there appears a Gwydion ah Don, G. son Brit. r esearches Davies (Celtic myth. p. 118, 204, 263-4, Don, whom pp. 168, 174. practised Avriting, 353, 429, 504, 541) identities with Hermes ; he invented named caer Gwydion, G.'s magic, and Inult the rainbow ; the milky way was castle

(Owen, Gwydion seems

name or

sub v.). The of kin near

British

antiquariessay nothing Wodan.

of Woden, yet So the Irish

Givodan to the above the Engl. Wednesday modelled on for dies Mercurii, dia Geden,whether (seeSuppl.). not, leads lis to the form Goden, Gwoden 3 Even of the present time speak of a groszmachtige Mercurius, nursery-tales

Kinderm. "*

have

no.

This to

=

99. 2, 86.

Termagan, Termagant

do with

tlie Irish tormac

occurs

in especially

augmentum,

0.

tormacaim

Engl,poems, augere.

and

may

151

WODAN".

of the then

of

Herald

takes

gods among

his

up

that significance,

without

It is therefore not

in whose

men,

also the hovels

ivanderings

he

especially by parallelled

lodging,are

and

now

those

of

guise,of God and St. Pdcr. Our olden times tell of Wuotan's wanderings,his waggon, his know that in the p. 128). We way, his retinue (duce ]\Iercurio, stars forming the Bear in the northern very earliest ages the seven sky were thoughtof as a four-wheeled waggon, its polebeing formed : by the three stars that hang downwards II, 18, 487. KoXeovaiv. "ApKTov6\ rjv Koi d/jia^av i7rii{\i](nv So in OHG. Od. 5, 273. : ursa glosses ivagen, Jun. 304 ; in MHG. lb. 1. 772, 26. himclwagcn,Walth. 54, 3.^ hcrwagen Wackern. The clearest explanationis givenby Notker cap. 64 : Selbiu ursa Offinn

Hcenir, or,

and

in christian

"

ist

pi demo

norde

mannelichemo

zeichenhaftiu

fone

dien

siben

glaten sternon, die aller der liut wagc7i heizet,unde nah einemo gloccunjoclie^ gescafiensint,unde ebenmichel sint,ane (except) des mittelosten.

The

Anglo-Saxonscalled

Jyisl(waggon'sthill,pole),or

the constellation

simply pisl,but

carles

quoted in Lye, the Engl, charles wain, Dan. harlwagn. Is carl here equivalentto lord,as we in the

same

christian

legend?

appears

to have

ivagan,

after the

evidence heure

borne

transference

a

And

concerns

in heathen

highestgod MS.

us

as

late

elsewhere

1470

dar

I have

nowhere

of

name

Dutch

king

of

dat

Wtwkmes

language has

ende

:

dit teekin

staet ; het sevenstarre

1, 24.

Huydec. proeven

:

famous

here, the constellation

The

as

also is

karlsvogn,Swed. have herrenwagen

the

times the full

of heaven.

of

to

(the constell.) ourse,

Woonswaghcn, up

de

is te

poeten in

segghene

Arcturus, dat wy ofde

met

Wocnswaglicn; with plaustrum

only vagn d himnum. It is a question, whether the great open highway in heaven to which of sacredness,and people long attached a peculiarsense the older fancy of a perhapsallowed this to eclipse milky way districts called Wuotancs (caerGwydion, p. 150) was not in some of a place, luec or strdza. (way or street).Wodcncsurg,as the name stood its ground in Lower Saxony,in the case of a villagenear Magdeburg, Ch. ad ann. 973 in Zeitschr. fiir archivk. 2, 349 ; an Mercurii,nor

with

a

But, what

heetend

Woenswaghcn. conf.

is it

or

of this in

fablen

heeten

?

sense

wccn

wmnes

an

ON.

OSins

vagn

;

"

'

'

"

1 2

Septentrion, que Crossbeam,such

nos as

char d del bells

de Eon. apelon; Roman are (glocken) suspendedon; conf.

ans, as, p. 125.

152

WODAN.

older doc. of 937 is said to have Neu. mitth. des thiir.vereins Dietm.

Merseb.

2, 14

sivege, Heinricus

p. 750.

Wiggert in the Watancsweg (conf. praedium in Wocleneswegc,

VI. 2, 22). Annal.

Saxo

272. Johannes

de

Wden-

urk. p. 74 Wodcnsiveghe(Lenz.)Brandenb. (anno 1301). later, Wutenswege,GodenscMvege,

de

(anno 1273), 161 Gero ex familia arch. 2, 165, 170. conf. Ledebur n. Gutensivegen, Meibom Ann. Magdeb. in chron. Marienthal. 3, Wodcnswcgiorum., here the lustration der Iwningesstratc,EA. I would mention 263. 69 ; in the Uplandslag vidherb, balkr 23, 7 the highway is called But we shall have to raise like the heavenly wain above. harlsveg, a

by and by, whether Wodensweg.

the

doubt

all in

Plainer,and mountains, which

more

in

to

the

notion

purpose,

heathen

times

of way,

appear were

via, is contained

the

names

at

of certain

to the service of

sacred

now Othenshcrg, Onsherg, Sigt^shergi,Ssem. 248^ in Schonen. the Danish I. of Samsoe on Godesberg ; Odeoisherg Glinther 1,211 (anno Bonn, in docs, of Mid. Ages Gudenesberg, near 1131), 1, 274 (anno 1143), 2, 345 (anno 1265) ; and before that, So early as Lacomblet 97. 117, annis 947, 974 m Wodenesberg, Caesarius heisterb. 8, 46 the two forms are put together : Gudinsvel,ut alii dicunt, Wudinsberg. Near the holy oak in Hesse, b'erg still so which Boniface brought down, there stood a Witodenesberg, in a doc. of 1154 named (Schminke beschr, von Cassel,p. 30, conf. Wenk 3, 79),later Vdenesberg,Gudensberg; this hill is not to be confounded with Gudensberg by Erkshausen, district Eotenburg with a Gudcnbcrgby wochenbl. 1830, p. 1296), nor (Niederhess.

the

god.

At

2, 64. GudenOberelsungenand Zierenberg(ib.p. 1219. Eommel of this name hurgby Landau, p. 212) ; so that three mountains silva in Lower montem Hesse alone ; conf. Vodinberg,cum occur '

eidem

monti

attinente,'doc. of

1265

in

Wenk

II, no.

174.

In

a

Wodenesbergis named notes in a doc. of 1130, Wedekind's 1, 367 ; acurtis Wddcnesbergin of 973, Falke tradit. corb. 534. a doc. Gotansberg(anno 1275), Mabillon's vocatas. Langs reg. 3, 471 : vineas duas gotansbcrge in loco ubi mons the following acta Bened. sec. 5, p. 208 contain : Wdnesberch dicunt Wonesberth Wodanesberg) a radicibus (1. quem said to be situate in pagus Gandavensis, but more astra petit,' rectly corComes Mt. Ardenghen between Boulogne and St. Omer. in Lorraine (Don Cahnet, tome 2, Wadanimontis, aft. Vaudemont different

neighbourhood,a

Henricus

comes

de

'

=

153

WODAN.

to be the same, and to mean WodariiL.),seems Wodnes A mons} heorgin the Sax. Chron. (Ingram pp. 27. 62), later Wodnesboroiigli, Wanshorough in Wiltshire ; the corruption alreadyin Ethelwerd p. 835 : facta ruina magna ex utraque parte in loco qui dicitur Wodnesbyrg for Wodnesberg ; but Florence,ed.

preiives XLVIII.

'

'

1592,

225, has

p.

'

Wodncsbeorh,id

Wodeni

est mons

Wodnes-

'.^ A

heorgin Lappenberg'smap near the Bearucwudu, conf. Wodncsbiiry, Wodnesdyke,Wddanesfddin Lappenb. engl.gesch.1, 131. 258. 354. To this

add, that about the Hessian

must

we

goes that

King

Charles lies prisonedin

the Saxons, and

over

opened

but he will yet

army, at the

well

a

it,that

in the

forth of the

come

Gudensberg the story he there won a victory wood

for his

thirsting

mountain, he and his host,

appointedtime. The mythus of a victorious army piningfor is alreadyappliedto King Carl by the Frankish water annalists when (Pertz1, 150. 348),at "the very moment they bringout the destruction of the Irminsul ; but lieyond a doubt it is older and heathen:

Saxo

Gram.

has it of the victorious Balder.

42

The

ment agree-

of such

legendswith fixed points in the ancient cultus cannot but heightenand confirm their significance. A peoplewhose faith is falling to pieces, will save here and there a fragment of and it,by fixingit on a new unpersecutedobjectof veneration. After such be

not

afraid to claim

such annalists, Other arium

instances

numerous

names

as

a

mo7is

of ancient Mercurii

Woden-hills,one

when

mentioned

need

in Latin

Fredegar. occur,

Lulli, in Wenk

besides II.

those

12,

of mountains.

The

brevi-

place in Thuringia : Wudancs/msun,'and again Wotencshusun (conf.Schannat no. 105) ; in Oldenburg there is a Wodensholt,now Godensholt,

'in

84.

cited in

a

land-book

Wodensholte

Tideke

of

no.

names

1428, Ehrentraut

Tammen

a

Fries, arch. 1, 445

'

:

to

'

schillinge (W6; Wothenower denover ?),seat of a Brandenburgfamily,Hofers urk. p. 270, anno 1334 ; not far from Bergen op Zoom and the Scheldt,towards Antwerp, stands to this day a Woensdrccht, if Wodani as trajectum. Wocnsd

1

=

Wodenssele, Wodani

gut

x

aula,lies

near

Eindhoven

on

the

"VVe know

of Graisivaudan, a valleynear Grenoble in Dauphine, for the Titurel has Graswaldane for connecting it ; but there is no around " the god.

"which with -

town

Our

stands both correctlyfor hurh,byrig, present -borough, -burj-, castle, for the lost beorg,beorh,mountain incorrectly (Germ, i/. . v

(Germ, burg),and

berg)."Trans.

154

WODAN.

Dommel

in N. Brabant

Taxandria,p. 23,

a

;

remarkable

passage

pointed out to amplius supersunt aperte Cymbricorum was

forte culti erant, indita honoris

in

eis dictum Martem

a

hebdomadis

speak

of

in

alias

eer

docui,et

esse

Wolf:

Imo

ubi pagis aliquot,

Mercurii

Roysel. Uti enim lionorem

Gramaye's

Woen

omnes

in

Woensel,

Mercurium

sciunt,ita Roy

sanguineocognominatum ostendunt illi qui tertiam feriam Eoydach indigitant In due time I shall lie in the neighbourhood of Eersel and Eoysel,which colore

Woensel, and all This Woensel p. 158.

J. W.

by

deorum

nominatim

nomina,

Martis JSersel,-

me

it in

on

in

of them

is like

the

the

N. Brabant

district of

OSinssalr, Othansale, Onsala

Wunstorp,Wunsdorf,

a

and

convent

small

town

Oirschot. named

on

in Lower

Wodcnstorpin a doc of 1179, Ealke Near tradit. corb. 770. Windbergen in the Ditmar country, an of Wodcnslag,Wonslag. Near open space in a wood bears the name in Schleswig are the villagesof Wonsbcke, Wonski, Hadersleben Woyc7isformerlyWodensycn, An AS. doc. of 862 (Kemble 2, 73) the name Wonstoc contains in a boundary-settlement Wodencsstoc, and at the same time betrays the influence of tlie Wodani stipes, god on ancient delimitation. Wuotan, Hermes, Mercury, all seem Saxony, stands unmutilated

as

=

to be divinities of measurement

spanne,

Woenslct, p. 160

and

demarcation

; conf. Woedcns-

(seeSuppl.).

denotingthe waggon and the mountain of the in Lower Germany, where heathenism old god,have survived chiefly of the people in custom itself longest maintained ; a remarkable It is usual to Lower way. Saxony at harvest-time pointsthe same in afield to Woden for his horse. leave a clump of standing corn the best of steed Sleipnir, rides the eight-footed OSinn in the Edda ver"r (food)is a all horses, Sffim. 46=^ 93^. Sn. 18. 45. Q"5. Bleipnis for hay,Yngl. saga cap. 21 : other poetic name sagas speak of a in tall white hm^se,by which the god of victorymight be recognised rooted out the has not battles (seeSuppl.). Christianity entirely than for the Saxon harmless practicefor the Norse any more peasant. In Schonen and Blekingen it continued for a long time for reapers to leave on the field a giftfor Odens to be the custom The usage in Mecklenburg is thus described by Gryse : horses} As

these names,

Geyers schwed. gesch.1, 110. orig.1, 123. In the Hogmmssocken, Odini lamellae, of which the Oeland, are some largestones named Odi7is fiisor, 1

155

WOUAN.

de (at harvest-tide) meiers (mowers) dem god korn angeropen afgade Woden umme de roggenarne geendet,heft (invokedfor good corn),denn wenn (each)veldes einen kleinen ord men up den lesten platzeins idem unde humpel korns unafgemeietstan laten,datslilve baven (b'oben, unde geschortet, drevoldigento samende a-b'ove)an den aren besprenget(earsfestooned togetherthree times, and sprinkled). hade (theirhats)vam her getreden, Alle meiers sin darumme c?'C (v.supra, p. 32), unde ere seisen (scythes)na der Tcoppegenamcn dem kornbusehe siilven wode [mode ?]unde geschrenke(encircling)

Ja,

hebbeii

heidendom

im

nnd upgerichet,

hebben

also angeropen

unde

tor

tid der

andern

noch

solker

men) (-leuteu, Woden

orden

dissen

an

tor tid

der

arne

rossc

nu

voder,

dorn,

jar beter

gebruk im afgodischer

welker

averall

gebeden:

distil unde

tom

sempliklud

dremal

WodendiXvel

den

dincm ^Yodc,hale (fetch) nu

arne

dar

korn

!

denn ok

gebleven. Daher

Pawestom

gewanet, bi etliken ackerliiden

heiden

in

gebruk avergelovischer gesporetwerd, und

ok

anropinge des

oft desiilve helsche

hunter),sonderliken im winter, des nachtes let.^ up dem velde mit sinen jagethundensik horen from who has heard the same David Franck (Meklenb.1, 56-7), old people, quotes the rhyme thus : hellish

jcger(thesame

story is told,that Odin, in turning his horse

out

to graze,

took

the hit off him

tlie stone into ; the weight of the bit sjijlit Another memorial. w hich two set a s a were is,that Oden story upriglit pieces, In where not to tie his horse up. and knew about to tightan adversary, was it with his sword,and tied his horse fast the hurry he ran to the stone, pierced through the hole. But the horse broke loose,the stone burst in piecesand and

laid it

on

a

huge

block

of stone

the deep bog named rolled away, and from this arose Hogrumstrask ; people Abrah. Ahkpiist, could reach the bottom. tied polestogether, but never There is a pictureof the stones Oelands historia, Calmar 1822. 1, 37. 2, 212. is also a och Brimius,no. xviii. In the Hcigbysockenof Oeland in Liliengren

have

the on which,ace. to the folk-tale, Odinssten, granitenamed Ahltheir swords used whet to to ; marching battle, the special importance of Odin's horse in quist2, 79. These legends confirm the Gautrekssagap. 40 quote from the Clavis his mythus. Verelii notae on I do not (juite i lielgbunden,'which runici Odin heter hesta srna : computi

smooth

warriors

block

of

old,when

of

'

In the Fornm.

understand. and

rides away

by

sog. 9, 55-G enormous

has his horse shod Sweden, where a war

OSinn

leapsto

at

(seeSuppl.). ^ dorch Nicolaum Spegeldes antichristischen pawestdoms(popery), With the verses E sheet iiii''. Eost. 1593. in 4, predigem Rostock, him, conf. the formula thistleand

in weisthiimer

thorn the next.

:

Let

it lie fallow

one

a

smith's, black-

breaks

out

Grysen, by

cited

year, and

bear

156

WODAN.

Wode, Wode, hal dinen

rosse

distel

nu

voder,

nu

dorn,

un

acliter jar beter korn ! He

at tlie squires' mansions, when

adds, that

there is Wodel-hccr

served

out

to

the

mowers

the ; no

rye

is all cut,

one

weeds

flax

Wodenstag,lest Woden's horse should tramplethe seeds ; from leave any flax on Christmas to Twelfth-daythey will not spin,nor Wode is galloping and to the question the distaff, why ? they answer, We across. are expresslytold,this wild hunter Wode xidiQS,a tuhite fine meadows Near Siituna in Yestergotlandare Jwrse} some the god's horses called Onsdngarne (Odens angar, ings),in which said to have grazed, Afzelius 1, 4. In S. Germany they tell of are Mone the lord of the castle's grazinggray (orwhite), anz. 3, 259 ; v. heer'. I have been told,that in the neighbourhood infra,the wutende of Kloppenburg in Oldenburg,the harvesters leave a on

a

'

bunch

of corn-stalks uncut

dance round

and the field,

on

There

it.

formerly. in Schaumburg I find thus described :^ the peoplego A custom but it is in parties of twelve,sixteen or twenty scythes, out to mow so managed, that on the last day of harvest they all finish at the leave a stripstandingwhich they can cut down same time,or some at a stroke the last thing,or they merely pass their scythesover At the last left to mow. the stubble,pretendingthere is stillsome stroke of the scythethey raise their implements aloft, plantthem and beat the blades three times with the strop. Each upright, the field a little of the drink he has,whether on beer,brandy, spills be

may

a

rhyme

it still, no

over

sung

there

doubt

was

their hats,beat their milk,then drinks himself,while they wave scythesthree times, and cry aloud Wold, Wold, Wold ! and the or

knock

women

march

They

all the crumbs home

was

in use, which

thus

:

of

out

their baskets

shoutingand singing. Fiftyyears has

died

now

ago

a

song

first stropheran

whose

out, but

stubble.

the

on

Wold, W6ld, W6ld! havenhiine

jiimm 1

Mussaus

meklenb.

weit wat

hei dal

van

volkssagenno.

schiit,

haven

siit.

5 ; in Liscli meklenb.

is

speltWavxl, and a note is made, that on the froho,lord ; conf. infra,fru Gane and fru Gaiiden * 34. By Miinchhaiisen in Bragur VI. 1, 21 "

Elbe

jahrb.2, 133

Wod, they say //it'i

in the

'

wutende

heer ',

it

i.e.

157

WODAN.

kruken

Vulle

nig barn

lieiis

and

hay

brought in down

the

fourth

his horse.

(p.135) ;

Schaumburg as

bringbad

crops of

hats and Such

cry

has

the

fire

on

of

lake

full

'

:

strophe may have wiiat happens,ever the

almost

old

belief

off the

in

god that

it,and

to

us

!

too

to me

name

after when

Waudcn,

as

Steinhude, the

autumn

go every

reveal

lads from

harvest,to

it blazes

and

the

hill named

a

high,wave

their

the

time.

(seeSuppl.).

the

generosityof

olden

keep all his increase to himself ; he gratefully a portionto the gods,who will in future also protecthis Avarice increased when ceased. Ears of corn sacrificing

leaves crops. set

no

wish

second

with

'

old

standingfor the

to understand

giant knows

grows

Waiiden, Waudcn

customs

the

left

theosophically. of Wod, a corruption by the rhyme, seems contraction from waldand (v.supra, p. 21).

On

:

corn

gives us

jDronouncedthe

of Steinhude village lighta Heidenhligel,

are

will

sixth line touches

the

ne'er

man

follows

; and

was

sees,'accords

chair

and

'

line

Heaven's

heaven

is born

related

he '

Wold, though excused Wode^ rather than a

Man

year

there libation,

from

Wuotan's

A

next

the

shocks hath

and

ne'er

un

corn.

crocks

'

: (grows)manigerlei wert nig old.

omitted,the

Probably,beside venerated being,as

he

liei,

ivdld, Wdld!

Wdld, be

hat

sangen

holte wiisst

upen

If the ceremony

un

to

apart and

offered here

to

AVuotan,

as

elsewhere

kind

to

and elves, e.g.,to the brownies of Scotland (seeSuppl.to spirits Elves,pixy-hoarding). the not Wuotan It was that bestowed on fertility exclusively fields ; Donar, and

his mother

the

Earth, stood in stillcloser

nexion con-

agriculture.We shall see that goddessput in the place in exactlysimilar harvest-ceremonies. of Wuotan In what countries the worship of the god endured the longest, of places which are compounded may be learnt from the names with

his

with

name,

because

the

site

was

sacred

to

It is very

him.

unlikelythat they should be due to men bearingthe same the god,instead of to the god himself ; Wuotan, OSinn,

name as

a

as

man's

Conf. Dutch Olid,goud for old, gold ; so Woade, which approximates the form Wode. Have the latter in * Thcodericud de IVodestede ' Scheldt's we mantissa p. 433, anno 1205. 1

'^

] 58

WODAN.

does

name,

occur,

but

not

often ; and

tlie meaning of the

second

compounds, and their reappearance in various regions, are altogetherin favour of their being attributable to the god. From Lower 151)Wodenesv.ieg, Germany and Hesse, I have cited (j). WodeneshoU, WodeneshAsun,and on the Jutish border Wodencsberg, Wonsild ; from the Netherlands Woensdrecht ; in Upper Germany such names hardly show themselves at all.^ In England we find : Sandwich Woodneshoro' in Kent, near : Wcdnesbury and Wednesin Cheshire, called Wodncs/leld fieldin Staffordsliire ; IVcdncsham half of the

p. 848.^

in Ethelwerd

and

the

their number

heathenism

Scandinavia, where Denmark

But

Gothland

is

more

considerable

preservedlonger: and portionof Sweden they occur was

in

if in more

than in Norway and Sweden frequently proper, I infer from this a The chief preponderanceof Odin-worship in South Scandinavia. in the I. of Funen town (Fion)was named Odinsve (Fornm. sog. 11, 230. also O"insey(ib. 266. 281) from ve, a sanctuary ; sometimes later again Odcnsc, and in 352) from cy, island,meadow ; and Waldemar's

Liber censualis^ 530. 5-42 Othdnso,

In Lower

Norway,

ed. Havn. 4, 348. OSinsey(Ileimskr, In Jutland, Othdnshylld(-huld,grace, 398), aft. called Onso. Wald. lib. cens. 519), aft. Onsild. Othdnslef (Othini reliquiae, In Halland, Othd7isdle (-saal, ib. 526),now Onslev. hall, leavings, close to

Frederikstad,a second

in (Tuneld's geogr. 2, 492. 504) ; as well as in Brabant, Woenssele Woensel Old Norway an Odhinssalr (conf. ?). In Schonen, Othdnslidrd (Wald. lib. cens. 528) ; OthensMlrat (Bring 2, 62. 138. 142),*now Onsjo (Tuneld 2, 397) ; Onslunda (-grove, Tuneld 39) ; 2, 449) ; Othensvara (Bring 2, 46-7, Othenvara

ib.

533), now

Onsala

(Bring 2, 48),from vara, foedus, and tro, fides ? In Smaland, OdensvalakuU (Tuneld 2, 146) and Odcnsjo(2,109. 147. Odenfors (Tuneld2, 72). Sjoborgforsok p. 61). In Ostergotland, Odenshulla (2,284) and Odcnskdlla (2,264), a In Vestergotland, Onsdker (-acre, medicinal spring; Odensaker, 2, 204. 253). In field, Othenstrdo

(now Biebeslieim below GernsOdenshergin tlie Mark of Bibelnheim Climels reg. Ruperti p. 204 ; of 1403. is named in doc. a Darmstadt) the form Wodensberg would look more trustworthybe an If numbers object,I fancy the English contribution might be swelled by lookingup in a gazetteer the names beginning with Wans-, Wens-, Wadden-, Weddin-, Wad-, Wed-, Wood-, Wam-, Wem-, Worn-." Trans. ^ torn. 7. Langebek script, * Sven Bring,monuinenta Scanensia,vol 2, Lond. goth.1748. 1

An

in

heim

"

159

WODAN.

Odensvi

Westmanland,

of Fliuen

Odinsve

(1,

; and

conf. Gran, p.

266.

Saxon

Lower

our

Wodeneswege may have be explainedby the old

(notwith weg, via),and ivih,templuni (seep. 67). This becomes iviff, to do with

as

there

tins

vc

in the Cod.

occurs

worhte

Woden rume

I.e.,Woden

341,

exon.

roderas

christian

resolved into

had

writer

weohas

weoh, and

Wodenesweoh

daneswih, and the ON.

:

alwealda

with

contrasts

is

the

heathen

the

them

greater wih

as easilyjustified,

contracted the

into

OS.

Also in

OSinsve.

omnipotensamplos

his recollection

in

exactlyfit

would

sentence

;

assignedto Woden, and of God. The plur.weos

creations

credible,

more

the remarkable

28

tucos, wuldor

sanctuaries

AS.

the

Deus creavit fana (idola), construxit,

coelos ; the

427)/ like tlie

weos

:

so

Wodanesweg

Westmanland,

is

that

an

W6-

=

Odensjo

an

(Grau p. 502). In Upland, Odensala (Tuneld 1, 56) ; Odensfors (1, 144) ; Onsike (1,144). In Nerike, OdcnshacTce (1, 240), (see Suppl.). It seemed

needful

here

to

group there

the

most

these

importantof

and no doubt others wdiicli have are together, many or escapedme f in their very multitude,as well as the similarity identityof their structure,lies the full proof of their significance. and explained Few, or isolated,they might have been suspected, otherwise ; taken together, they are incontestable evidence of the wide diffusion of Odin's worship. names

and

Herbs

god. In plant,but

plantsdo

not

to

seem

have

Brun's

54, icodcsterne beitr.j). ought first to see it in a

we

and

Danes

inquieta,lacustris

however

call

a

been

is

named

given as

the

distincter form.

small waterfowl

after this of

name

The

a

landers Ice-

minima, (tringa

natans) Offmshani, Odenshane, Odcns fugl^ which fitsin with the belief,brought out on p. 147, in birds consecrated An OHG. to him. gloss(Haupts altd. bl. 2, 212) supplies fulica (seeSuppl.). a doubtful-looking vtinsivaluwe, Even a part of the human body was named after the god : the ^ rima 2

Olof Grau, I. 3, 41. There are

et

ofver beskrifning in Finn

Wastiuanland.

Wasteras

1754. conf.

Dybeck

Magnusen's lex. niytli.648 ; Imt I do not agree the Germ, H. Odeuwald. whicli lack nanu'8 Odenheim, including the HG. form Wuotan and the -s of the genitive; nor the Finn. Odenpii, which rather bear's head. means with

him

in

some

160

WODAN.

the space between the Greeks which

thumb

and

the

Xt^a?,

name

when forefinger called

was

Wocnslet. Wocdcnsspanne,Woede7ispanne, and and even worshipped as thumbkin the god of play,and were was lucky men

running

Netherlands

thumb

Pollux

sacred,

was

AVodan

pollex;

=

said to

have

the game

superstition lyingat

the bottom

of

(seeSuppl.). I started with

that

Teutonic

races,

recognisehim

must

we

assuming

to all the

common

Wuotan of

The

the

out,

await further disclosures about

must

the

its purport,and

the name, it

We

their thumb.

on

in

stretched

intellectual

gods ;

tlierefore the

and

universal

succeeded

and

the

"

out

most

all the other

above

they speak

of the

mention

first of

make

to

one.

the relics

gleaningfrom is being Wuotan

writers, when

Latin

the supreme

in

always prompted

cultus, are

German

and

the most

have

we

as

worship of this divinitywas foreignto none, justbecause

religionan idea of his he shines god of our antiquity,

old

the

far

so

"

as

the

Mercury. We

only the Norsemen, but the Saxons, ThurinLangobardsworshippedthis deity; why should

that not

know

and

gians,Alamanns

Franks, Goths, and the At was

of

the

time

same

there

his service ?

from

plain indications

are

that his

of

names

nor places,

there.

him

of

Thor,

Danes. one

never

The

Wodan

names

the

him, and to have

seems

An

among

the

first to

in predominated

addition

kristnaSi

to

to the St. Olaf

return

to

images

Sweden. saga,

though

a

intending

Got-

;

about the strikingstatement overthrew. introduction of Christianity

furnishes

the

preserved and

only Saxo Gram, does so in an of Bremen, though he (p.113) ; Adam but the second place Upsala gods,assigns the worship of Freyr Later Thor. still,

of OSinn

altogethermythical way

times mention

several

sagas

Swedes than

to him

its

; neither

of the week, have

less devoted

been

ON.

day

Scandinavians, the

the

Among

maintahied

than in the North

sooner

that of the fourth

to have

Norwegians seem landers and

extinct

became

worship

In the South

always and everywhere the dominant one. of Wish Germany, although the personification not

ground, Wuotan

to

be excluded

rest

it from

riki allt,oil J^etta

time

blot braut

made

at

to

hann

will

time:

later time,

gods whom

heathen I

a

'

the

quote

it here,

Olafr

konungr

niSr ok

oil

goS,sem

161

WODAN.

Od'in Saxa

ok EngilsmannagO(5,

Thor ok

GoSorm

goS,ok

Svla

Frey all this kingdom,broke down Englishmen'sgod,()5in the This need

be

not

taken

Dana

go5,ok goS ; '

SkioM

Skanimgagoc5,

i.e.king 0. christened

all sacrifices and

all gods,as Thor

Saxons'

god,"c.,Fornm. but it seems to strictly,

too

the still abiding recollections of

the old

national

the

sog. 5, 239.

"

to express

nie

gods : as the Woden, to all

preferredFreyr,so probably did the Saxons doubtless a Norweother deities. Why, I wonder, did the writer, gian, omit the favourite god of his own countrymen ? To them he who, like other ought to have given Thor, instead of to the English, Swedes

votaries of Woden.

Saxons, were

it must

Meanwhile 8th

be

not

century document,

overlooked,that in the Abrenuntiatio,

purely Saxon, yet Low German, 0. Frankish and perhaps Ripuarian,Thunar is named before Vuodan, and Saxnot occupiesthe third place. From this it follows at all an

worshipof

events, that the

that supposing their statues of

them, stood

Thor

did at

the three

godsare

placedside by

were

the middle

in

in those regions; prevailed claims to the highestplaceby

Thunar

also

Wuodan's

still vindicate

we

may

not

side? that

? as,

Wodan

Upsala,with

in the order in which

here named

Wuodan,

accordingto

and Fricco

as

Adam

the of

greatest Bremen,

each side of him.

on

named tivo of these gods are together, sagas, when The Laxdailasaga, usuallyprecedesOSinn. p. 174, says of

In the ON. Thorr Kiartan

:

eiga meira traust ]?ykist in his strengthand trust

hann

At

(putmore Thorr er enn J?arsem repeatedin Fornm. sog. 2, 34.

vapnum 7) heldr

parents made

a

before

vow

dauGadags ];ionaTJior serve,

Fornm. "c.),

that Thorr dedicated

Thorr, and

was

O"inn.

Odlii

The

At

(thisman

sa

same

relates how

maSr

shall

ok

conf. pp. 6, passage is

weapons,

Again,Eyvindr

his birth:

afli sinu

skal

until

his

alt til

death-day

But it does not follow from this, sog. 2, 161.^ thouglitthe greatest,for Eyvindr was actually

to OSinn.

Eirekr

ok

ok

undir

to

In

Fornm.

sog.

5, 249, Styrbiornsacrifices to

Oc5inn,but the former

is beaten.

Thorr

tok

^ in Wheloc's Bedap. 495, So in an AS. homily De temporibusAnticliristi, swiSe' ; and before li,'vSeue hciiai^ eiimnerated ' Tlior and EotStven, men \c ' Erculus ent and se that, J^ehi mterne god (Hercules^igas) ApoUinis (Apollo), leton'. of and the Norse not of The preacherwas the Greek deities, thinking the Saxon, or he vould And in other cases, have said Thunor and Woden. where distinctly Norse gods are meant, AS. writers use the Norse form of name. F. ]\lagnusen3 lex. p. 919.

are

11

162

WODAN.

fra Haraldi, cnn jolaveizlu

10, 178.

In

Offinn, the

to

fra

popular assembly

the

cvip is drunk

tok

Offinn

second

Halfdani, Fornm.

Thrandheim, Thorr, ibid. 1, 35.

at

to

sog.

the

first

In

the

acts of Bruno as fight,Othin under the name charioteer to the Danish king Harald,and to the latter's destruction; side there fightdescendants of Frcyr,Saxo Gram. the Swedish on to placeOSinn above Thorr. 144-7. Yet tlieEddie HarbarzlioS seems in the A contrast between OSinn and Thorr is brought out strongly But, since Thorr is repreGautrekssagaquotedbelow, ch. XXVIII. sented

famous

Bravalla

OSin's

as

as

son,

often resolve into

a

rejuvenescenceof him,

the

two

must

another.^

one

If the three

mightiestgods are O"inn, Tlior,Frcyr,Sn. edda 131.

named,

foremost

I find OSinn

:

Accordingto Fornm. sog. 1, 16, casks of ale to Freyr,if a fair wind to Thorr or O"inn, if it bringthem

and three money voyagers vow shall carry them to Sweden, but to Iceland

home

It is

a

(seeSuppl.). different thing,when

the third f Thricli,

OSinn

in ON.

is

documents

styled

he appears not by the side of Thorr the side of Hdr and lafnhdr (thehigh and the in that

case

Freyr,but by OHG. even-high or co-equal, epan hoh) as the Third High^ (see As we Sn. 7. Yngl. saga 52. Stem. 46*. might imagine, Suppl.), the grade varies : at other times he is Tvcggi(duplexor secundus). Again, in a different relation he appears with his brothers Vili and

and

Ve, Sn. 7 ;

with

Sffim. 180.

Sn.

and

Hoenir

135;

all this rests

peculiarto the North, we leave the trilogyOffinn,Vili, Vc, we the

that

OHG. and

impetus

with

1

When

on

must

%oillo expresses

is called Thundr

side.

one

not

in the

myths, which,

older

upon

and the Gothic spiritus,^ valjan,eligere;whence

OSinn

not

Yet, with

omit

to

to

=

it is easy

songs of the

her birth from

his head

votum,

to

conceive

Edda,

S"Tm.

and

281^ 47^

so be equivalent l^undlorica. But him hml the saw

AS. l)unian, tonare, and

-

by

but

here,

nected convelle,is closely viljan,

Donar

than

as

respectto

mention

only voluntas,

be derived from a lost l^ynja from ; it is true, they explainJmndr as loricatus, and we Wuotan, as Voma, is the noise of the rushingair, cudgel,as Thorr does the hammer. from which As Zeus also is rplros, Tpiroyivetais more this may

and Loki

with Hmnir or Lo"r, Seem. 3^^,

easilyexplained

(seeSuppl.).

Altanus : Woden. Altanus, like Summanus, an of a wind, might epithetof Jove, the Altissimus ; else Altanus, as the name ' '. wiitende heer also have to do with the storm of the * The Greek fiivoswould be well adaptedto unite the meaningsof courage, *

iElfric's

glosses56%

fury (mut, wut),wish,will,thought.

1G3

WODAN.

liow Wuotau, Wish believe, the

Suppl.). With

and

largitor opum

wela, OS. welo, OHG.

should

Will

wolo, welo

may

touch

one

another

also be connected

the

(see AS.

opes, felicitas

[weal,wealth], and Wela conies (conf. up several times almost as a personification infra Seelde, Gramm. 4, 752),like the Lat. goddessOps (conf. note); the Norse gods. In the case of Ve, gen. there is also a Vali among the

vea,

sense

may

waver

veiha.Holy Ghost),and the teeth

of

story in

the

identityof wife of any

between

=

wiho,

wih, idolum.

Friggher intrigueswith Yngl. saga cap. 3, from

tlie three

In

Ve which

(Goth.Alima

sanctus

Seem. 63, Loki

casts

sa

in

and

Vili ; this refers to

we

clearlygather the

that Frigg could be considered so brothers,

the

of them.^

one

Lastly,a principalproof of the deeply-rootedworship of this being interwoven with the old divinityis furnished by Wodan's which I shall examine Saxon genealogies, minutelyin the Appendix.^ him To Wodan Here see are we invariablyin the centre. his sons and of heroes and kings; among traced up all the races In partihis ancestors, several have divine honours paid them. alroad a long time,duringwhich his this story, OSinn was Othin travel of it is note, that Saxo also makes worthy ; fill his place,p. 13 ; this Mithothin's to foreign lands,and Milhothin position But Saxo,p. 45, representsOthin as once throws lighton that of Vili and Ve. 1

Accordingto

brothers

act

for him

and puts exile, god are implied

Oiler in his in the Norse

The

distant

journeys by-names GdngratSr,Gungleri,Vegtamr, and Vitf/uridl, and in Saxo 45 viator indefcssus.It is not to be overlooked, residence in Greece (qui non of Wodan's Diac. 1, 9 knows that even Paulus sed longe between of the war circa haec tempora Langobards and Vandals while Saxo sed fuisse Graecia in in removes anterius,nee perhibetur; Germania, him to Byzantium, and Snorri to Tyrkland). In the passage in Paul. Diac. : 'Wodan dixerunt,ipseest qui apud Romanos sane, quern adjectalitera G wodan Mercurius dicitur,et ab universis Germaniae gentibus ut deus adoratur,qui in Germania, sed in Graecia circa haec tempora, sed longe anterius,nee non fuisse perhibetur it has been proposed to refer the second qui to Mercurius then and the harmony of zeitschr. 1, 2G4), instead of Wodan (Ad. Schmidt this account with Snorri and Saxo would disappear.But Paul is dealingwith the absurdityof the Langobardic legend related in 1, 8, whose unhistoric basis between he lays bare, by pointingout that Wodan at the time of the occurrence the Wandali and Winili,had not ruled in Germany, biit in Greece ; which is the main point here. The notion that Mercury should be confined to Greece, has wider bearings, and would shock the heathen faith not only of the Germans but of the Romans. The heathen as gods were supposed to be omnij^resent, admitted to exist in fact that Woden-hills be seen were by the mere may the country ; so that the community of this god to various spots all over raised no difficulty. Germans, Greeks and Romans In the meanwhile, This Appendix forms part of the third volume. the substance of these pedigrees, readers may be glad to see for themselves the Appendix, and placed at the end of this which I have extracted from more

an

of the

place(see Suppl.).

"

"

'

'

"

-

chapter. TiiANa. "

'

164

WODAN.

there appear ciilar,

century his

of

himself

yet rooted

not

was

Balder

sons,

as

Hercmod progenitors, of the son a god,or is regarded more as

Wodan

into

merge

a

the

these

a

who

in the 8th in the line

; and

Germany

Gedt, the latter expresslypronounced

god,in

these

legends,wliile

of all noble

head

higherpoint of in fact OSinn

being,as

one

Ssem. 93^ 95*^ ; conf. infra In

and

to see, that from

easilycome

of N.W.

out

Saxnot

that

and

But

races.

view

Wodan

both

we

Geat

and

is called 'alda Gautr'

Goz, Koz.

which genealogies,

in

than

more

direction

one

are

visiblyinterwoven with the oldest epic poetry of our nation, the gods,heroes and kings are mixed up together. As heroes become deified,so can gods also come pearances, up again as heroes ; amid such reapthe order of succession of the individual links varies [in different tables]. Each pedigreeends with real historical kings: but to reckon back from these,and by the number of human generationsto get at the date of mythical heroes and gods, is preposterous. The earliest Anglo-Saxon kings that are historically certain fall into the fifth,sixth or seventh century ; count four,eightor twelve generations third

Woden,

to

up

fourth century.

or

assumption of

our

Woden

the firstnotices

far

his

reach

must

Such

given us

calculations

do

can

by

the

shake

adoration

of

beyond Mercury'sworship in

times, a long of

Eomans

the

nothingto

The

earlier existence.

immemorial

to

up

farther than

back

him

push

cannot

you

way

Germania. is

There

one

the Germans

by

reflection to

more

to their Wuotan

which

the

high place assigned

lead fairly

may

us.

Monotheism

thing so necessary, so natural, that almost all heathens, amidst their motley throng of deities,have consciouslyor unconsciously ended by acknowledging a supreme god,who has alreadyin him the attributes of all the rest,so that these are only to be regarded is

as

a

emanations

This to

explainshow

this,now

supreme

he

Donar added

the

power.

him, renovations, rejuvenescencesof characteristics

certain

to that

accordingto but

from

particular god,and why

difference of nation, Thus

Wuotan

our

stands

higher than (Thunor,Thorr) is to the one,

had

to

be

these a

to

comes

weaker

;

now assigned,

of them,

another be

Hermes

invested and

with

Mercury,

contrariwise,the German

Zeus

subtracted

or

one

resembles two

to be

come

him.

from

or

Jupiter", what the other ;

as

was

for Ziu

165

WODAN.

(Tiw,Tyr),he hardly does

administer

than

more

of Wuotan's

one

highestgod of the ing Greeks and Eomans god-phenomena keep meetso all these : and The Hellenic Hermes is picturedas another. and crossing one Teutonic Wuotan hinn gamli a a youth,the : OSinn as patriarch (theold).Yngl. saga cap. 15, like the old god' on p. 21. Ziu and Froho are mere emanations of Wuotan (seeSuppl.). offices, yet

is identical in

the first and

with

name

'

Genealogies

Anglo-Saxon

of

Kings.

DescendingSeries. Kent.

Eastanglia.

Essex.

Mercia.

Woden

Woden

Woden

Woden

Wecta Witta

Casere

Saxneat

Wihtlaeg

Titmon

Gesecg

Wsermimd

Trigel

Andsecg

Offa

Hrothniund

Sweppa

Angeltheow Eomser

Wihtgils Hengest (d.489) Eoric

(Oesc)

Hrippa

Sigelugel

Octa

Quichelm

Bedeca

Icel

Eormenric

Uffa

Offa

Cnebba

iEthelbeorlit

(567) Tidel

iEscwine

Riedwald

(527)

Cynewald

(d. 617) Sledda

Eorpwald (632)

Creoda

Sa3l)eorht

Wibba

(604)

Penda

Deira.

Bernicia.

Wessex.

(d.656)

Lindesfaran.

Woden

Woden

Woden

Woden

Wffigdseg

Bseldseg

Baeldieg

Winta

Sigegar

Brand

Brand

Cretta

Swiei'diieg

Beonoc

Fridhogar

Queldgils

Sigegeat

Aloe

Freawiue

Ceadbed

Sa;bald

Angenwit

Wig

Bubba

Gewis Esla

Bedeca

Elesa

Eanferth

Sajfugel

Ingwi

Westerl'alcna

Esa

Wilgisl

Eoppa Ida (d.560)

Uscfrea.

Cerdic

Yffe

Biscop (d. 534)

Eatta

Cynrio

^Ue

(d.588)

Ceawlin

Accordingto royal

this,Woden elsewhere he lines);

Weldegms, Withlegius ^lercian

kings,and

Ealdfritli

et

the West

had has

seven

sons

(Bfeldfeg being common

only three, e.g. Wil.

Beklegius,from Saxon

and

whom

Northumbrian

descended.

Malm. the

p.

Kentish

17

to two :

tres

filii,

kings, the

were kingsrespectively

AscendingSeries. Woden

Finn

tndhuwald Freawine

Godwulf

Fndliuwulf

Geat (Frealaf) Tietwa

Beaw

(Folcwald)Sceldwa

Hathra Hwala

(Itermod) (Hathra)

Heremod Itermon

(Sceaf) Bedwig (Hwala) (Herem6d)Sceaf (Bedwig) otliers eight, others sixteen, links, stopping

Some accounts contain only four either at Fridhuwulf, at Geat, or at Sceaf. Sceaf is the oldest heathen name but alter the conversion the line was connected with Noah, and so with Adam

"

'

CHAPTEE

DONAE, The

god

known

who

rules

VIII.

THUNAE,

over

clouds

(THOEE). and

rain,who

makes

himself

in the

flash and the rolling lightning's thunder, whose sky and alightson the earth with deadly aim,

cleaves the

designatedin

ancient

our

Thunoi\

Tliiinar,AS.

speech by

OiST. Tlwrr}

called in OX. which

]?ruma,or duna, both perhaps adopted from a

was

the Goths

the

word

Donar

The

natural

fem,

like the

Finnic

bolt was

OS. itself, is

phenomenon Gothic

language.

To

J?eihv6, the

god

Thunrs. The Swed, give the name in Harpestreng stillkeeps the which tordon,Dan. torden (tonitru), and form that thordyn,thordun, is compounded of the god's name Thorduna ? (see Suppl.). In exactlythe same duna, ON. same usM the Swed. term (tonitru, fulmenj,in the Westgothl. Laws way from or driving, asikkia,^has arisen out of asaka, the god'swaggon In Gothland they as, deus, divus, and aka, vehere, vehi, Swed. aka. for

say

would, I suppose,

thunder

Thorsakan, Thor's

driving;

and

OJST. reid'

the

reiSaronly vehiculum, but tonitru, and reiSarslag, rumbling ]?ruma,are thunderclap and lightning. For, a waggon and as as near possibleto the rattling a vaulted over space comes not signifies

crashingof thunder. it spread among many elvai,Hesychius sub. thunder

is to this

The

comparison

nations v.

:

BoKel

eXaai^povra.

is

natural, that

so

o^vi^^ In

"^ov

Zito?

Carniola

day gotta fahren. [To the Eussian

the

we

find

/Spovrr) rollingof rj

peasant it

is

driving his chariot, or else grinduig his corn.] is more his appellationof AsaJ"6rr, in the Edda, beside Thorr minutely described by Oku];6rr,i.e. Waggon-thorr (Sn. 25) ; his is drawn by two he-goats(Sn.26). Other gods have their waggon

the

prophet

Ilia

dialects,durstag for donrstag,Engl. Thursday, for donnern (Schm. 1, 390). In Thorr it is not ER, but and Bav. doren, daren abbrev. of NR. that is an ; i.e. only the first R (the second being flectional), 1

N

So

even

in

High

German

before R, much suffers syncope Conf. Onsike (Odin'sdrive -

as

in the M.

?)supra,

Dut.

p. 159.

ere,

mire, for

enre

minre.

1G7

THUNAR.

OSinn too, especially

and

Freyr (seepp. 107, 151),but Thorr is distinctively thought of as the god who drives ; he never appears is he supposed to own horse : either he like OSinn, nor a riding, are drives,or he walks on foot. We expresslytold : Thorr gengr til domsius, ok veSr ar,'walks wades the rivers to judgment, and still say, when it thunders : (Sn. 18).^ The people in Sweden godguhhenaker, the good old (fellow)is takinga drive,Ihre 096. 740. 926. good father,drives (see gofarakar,goffarkor, the gaffer, Suppl.). They no longerliked to utter the god'sreal name, or they wished to extol his fatherlygoodness(v.supra, p. 21, the old god, TkorsDan. vor gamlefader). The Norwegian calls the lightning -warmth, Faye p. 6. varmc, Thunder, lightningand rain,above all other natural phenomena, proceed directlyfrom God, are looked upon as his doing, his ^ racket is kept up, When business (seeSuppl.). a great noise and a common expressionis : you could not hear the Lord thunder for the uproar ; in France : le bruit est si fort,qu'on n'entend pas Dieu de Eenart 11898 As earlyas the Roman tonncr. : waggons

'

29143

:

Ogier 10915

:

noise si grant

Font

une

quen

ni oist pas

And

2, 38

in the

tonant.

duel si grant, Et commeuQa un que len ui oist Dieu tonant.

poins deterdent,lor

Lor

ni oissiez nis

Garin

Dieu

:

Eoman

Nes

Dieu

de

ame

tonnant

Dieu ni

batant,

toiumt.

possiezoir.

Maugis (Lyon 1599,

p.

64) :

De

la noyse

Ion pas

ouy Dieu tonner. ascribed to an is especially

neust quilsfaisoyent

vont

paumes

and

avenging god ; and in this attribute of anger and punishment again Donar resembles Wuotan (pp.18, 142). In a thunderstorm the peoplesay God is angry ; in Westphalia: tise to their children : the gracioiis Strodtm. osnabr. 104) ; in Franconia : God is out Itergot kift (chides, But

1

to

thunder

Scarcelycontrailicted by

rei3,a

wa^^gon

;

H16riit)i

his

seems

surname

to

me

angry

HldrritFi ; this I'iSiprobablypoints to come by assimilation from hloSriSi,

goddess HloSyn. of the Host, said : I A peasant, being reqnestedto kneel at a procession I be there,'twas only yesterday heard him thunder don't believe the Lord can apophthegmata, Amst. 1643, p. 277. ; Weidners up in heaven ch.

conf.

-

XIll,

the

1G8

THUNAE.

in Bavaria

scolding;

there

1, 462). In Eckstrom's

(-daddy)greint(Schm.

der Ummdtatl

:

of the

in honour

poem

of Honstein

county

1592, cii^it is said: Gott der herr dass The

nicht mit

er

sentiment

same

warlich

muss

(must be reallykind),

sein

from

schlegtdrein.^

donner

the

among

appears

nations.

Finn

and

Letton

wezzajskahjas,wezzajs tehws barrahs (the old father has 150. With Stender lett. gramm. started to his feet,he chides), dievaitis (godkin,dear god) the Lithuanians dievas (god) and associate chieflythe idea of the thunderer : dievaitis grauja!

Lettic

:

dievaitis

ji

Esthonian

numusse.

this Donar

with

Now

Gallic Taranis

which

war,' Joh. Christ. Petris

wages

whose

the

of

is handed

name

one

down

to

taran

for

the

connect directly

may

fits in

Germani

all the Celtic tongues retain the word with

essa

(seeSuppl.).

2, 108

Ehstland

scolds,''heaven

Lord

'The

116.

hliab,wanna

beitr. 8, growls),Eosenpliinters

father

waljan,miirrisep (the old

issa

wanna

:

the significantly in Lucan

us

1, 440

;

thunder, Irish toran,

ON.

Thorr, if

form

one

likely But an old sub v.)=. Taranis. (Forcellini gives us also Tanarus inscription for Thursday, dia Tonlain The Irish name (dia ordain,diardaoin) was perhapsborrowed from a Teutonic one (seeSuppl.). there God So in the Latin Jupiter (literally, father,Diespiter)

thinks

assimilation from

an

the

rn

more

is predominatesthe idea of the thunderer ; in the poets Tonans Martial vi. 10, 9. 13, 7. Ovid Heroid. to Jupiter{e.g., equivalent Fasti

9, 7.

Latin

and

2,

Claudian's

1, 170.

Metam.

69.

poets of the Mid. Ages

are

not

at all

Stilicho 2, 439) ;

unwillingto apply

de deo 1, 1. satisfact. (c.r7.,Dracontius Fortunat. Yen. 149. expressionsin the 258). And p. 212-9. lingua vulgariscoincide with this : celui qui fait toner, qui fait Jovi tonanti,in Gruter 21, la nue courre (p.23-4). An inscription, is 6. The Greek Zeus who sends thunder and lightning{Kepavv6";) the

to the christian

name

Zeu?

styledKepavveco";.

And

II. 15, 379.2

"Tu7ro9,

God

I\. 8, 75. 170.

eKTvire,

because

he

sends them

17, 595. down

from

Jio^ the

and songs : Ach gott vop made up of the firstlines of hymns poem der zeit, ist gewislieh an einen ^s himmel sieh darein,iind werfe donnerstein, ! schrein mansetodt sonst werden zerschmettert dass schwelgereiund iippigkeit 1

In

a

wir bald 2 One Tonans

aus

and

tiefer noth.

might Donar

be

tempted

; it

to

belongsmore

connect

the

Jupiterwith Zrjv (v.inira,Zio).

Etruscan

immediately to

Tina

=

169

TIIUNAE.

the

also bears

heightof heaven, he

name

aKpw;,

is

and

.

pictured

on dwelling on the mountain-top (aKpi";).Zeus is enthroned of Greece Olympus, on Atlios,Lycaeus,Casius,and other mountains

Asia Minor.

and

And

I

here

god is conceived far as Diespiter,

as

and

A

the

thundering Jupiter and

as

it is in close connexion

For

Tliorr himself

Atli,i.e.grandfather. high mountain, along which, from

with

the

this,

parts such

in many

also received

Etzcl,Altvatcr,Grossvatcr}

as

called

tatl.

sacred to him

that the mountains names

lay stress on the fact,that emphaticallya fatherlyone,

must

was

earliest

likewise

times, the

Italyhas lain, in the chain between the Graian and in the early Pennine Alps,what we now call the St. Bernard, was Jovis. This name Mid. Ages named occurs mons frequentlyin the Prankish annals (Pertz1, 150. 295. 453. 498. 512. 570. 606. 2, 82), 1, 25, who designates in Otto fris.de gest.Frid. 2, 24, in Eadevicus Jovis ; in AS. writers 7nunt Jofes modo it via Julii Caesaris, mons road to

main

muntgiow ; in our Kaiserchroand the worship carry us back to inhabitants of the Alps worshipped

(Lye sub. v.),in ^Ifr. Boet. p. nik 88^^ nionte job. The name "

; the

the time of the Komans a

deus, or

Fenimis

a

Pcnina

dea

150

i^eque montibus jugi ejus norunt :

his ab transitu

nomen inditum, Veragri,incolae in summo vertice -peninum sacratum sed al3 eo (al.deo) quem montani Quamvis legatura poenina dea adpellant ; Livy 31, 38. quae ibi colitur Alpes ipsasvocari ; Servius on Virg.Aen. 10, 13. the St Bernard An found on (Jac.Spon miscellanea inscription antiq.Lugd. 1685, p. 85) says expressly: Lucius Lucilius deo

ullo

Poenorum

Pcnino

dedit ; from

donum

opt.max.

which

it follows,that this

god

Jupiter. Conf. Jupiterapenniin Hesych. [Kapa Micali storia 131-5. occurs Zev^; Kapaco^ head, and so does the Celtic ^^f?i.,hen]. The classic writers names mons Jovis,and the tabula Antonini use only the

understood

was

nus, means never sumnms

to be no

and

Penninus

7th centuries Jovis

mons

other than

the Penni seems

lucus ; but to

have

between

taken

the

the 4th

and

placeof these,

blatt. 1, 288. Haupta the lather thnnders. isainen panee zeitschr. 1,26. Finnish: (Kenval.118-'), of the gods and is a surname To the Finns nl-ko signifies proavus, senex, thunderitself denotes the Ukko of also But Wainasnoinen and Ilniarinen. and touitrus both is aviis Swedish (see Lapps aija god (v. iui'ra).Among the 1

Zeitschr.

Suppl.).

des

hess.

vereins

2, 139-142.

Altd.

170

THUNAB.

perhaps with

reference German

Gallic

or

to the

god'sname.

even

mountains

had

which

sense

then

that German

Eemember

far off

not

to the old

much

[not so

as] to

Eoman,

to be

come

isarnodori

the

attached the Jura

on

(p.80).^

Germany itself we may with perfectsafetyascribe to the worship of the native deity. Every knows the Donnersberg(mont Tonnerre)in the Ehine palatinate one Such

on

of the old

the borders

and

Kaiserslautern

in

mountains

of

names

Worms,

county of Falkenstein, between

Kreuznach

; it stands

as

in Thoneresberg

a

doc.

probat.p. 9. Another Thuneresberg situate on the Diemel, in Westphalia,not far from Warburg, and and Welda, is surrounded by the villagesof Wormeln, Germete first mentioned in a doc. of 1100, Schaten mon. paderb. 1, 649 ; in the Mid. Ages it was still the seat of a great popularassize, hist, wormat.

of 869, Schannat

ad due, no doubt, to the sacredness of the spot : comes originally Thunercsberhc (anno 1123),Wigands feme 222. comitia de Dionrisberg(1105),Wigands arch. I. 1, 56. a judicionostro Thonresberch stands the in the vicinity of this mountain (1239),ib. 58. Precisely '

'

holyoak in Hesse

mentioned is

birge in

72-4,just as the roh/r

Joris

by Geismar

Wuotansberg,p. 152. To all appearance the tAvo worshipped close to one another. The Kniillge-

be

includes

Hesse

Donnei'buhcl

p.

a

near

deities could

on

Donnerkaute.

a

(doc.of 1303,

Joh.

In

the Bernerland

is

a

Miiller 1, 619),called Tonrbiil in

Donnersbergs are One in the Eegensburg in other parts of to be found of Tuniesberg, country is given in a doc. of 882 under the name de Donnersperch A Sifridus marschalcus 60. Eied, cod. dipl.num. JustingersBerner

is named

m

1

This

mons

more

33, pars 1, p.

289

;

4, 94 (in1194),but Duonesberc, 4, 528

Tunniesberg11, 432.

and

Probably Germany.

doc. of 1300, MB.

a

Donersperg,MB.

Mid.

chron. p. 50.

Jovis must

be

In

the

Thiiringerwald,

from distinguished Rome

Otto

de

(in1153),

between

gaudii,by

mons

frising1.

Otto

an

Steui-

which

the

2, 22 ; the Kaiserchr. of the 12- 13th poems

: height near In Romance verbally mendelberc. is the French battle-cry, generallywith the addition of St centuries,monjoie 365. S. Denis ! Ferabras monjoieerrseigne Denis, e.g. monjoya, monjoya sant Joinville declares in his 11th dissertation 108. on Denis ! Garin Ducange diminutive of mont, since in other passages monjoie inadmissible as a mere that we so (Roquefort2, 207)it denotes any placeof joy and bliss,a paradise, have been mountains of there must can fairlykeep to the literal sense ; and that than one in more this name monjoie itself region. It is quitepossible from earlier monjove (mons Jovis),that with the god'shill there an came associated itself the idea of a mansion of bliss (see Sup pi.).

88^

Ages

meant

translates

a

it

c.

171

THUNAR.

bach "

is Oberhof,at the 'rennsteig'

and

A

eih,a rohur Jovis,was

Donarcs

endless

an

the

to

in

abundance

forests.

the German

of Thorr

:

Thors

Jdint

in

East

bearingthe Wildegren's (conf. rocks

and

lack mountains

does Scandinavia

Neither name

(seeSuppl.).

sacred specially

tree

a

of these there grew

and lightning,

of

god

Donershauk

a

Gothland

tidskr. 4, 189. in Gothland, Molbech Ostergotland1, 17); Tliorsborg From Norway, where this god was pre-eminentlyhonoured, I have nevertheless south-west

of

heard corner

rise,Thorshala

The

none.

the summer tempests mostly sky,whence Svearikes hafder 1, 268). (-hole, cave, Geijer's

Milleschau

Near

calls the

Vermland

in

of the

in

Slavs

of the

the Thunder-mountains

And

peasant

are

stands

Bohemia

a

not

to

be

Hromolan,

looked. over-

from

tains One of the steepestmounhrom, thunder,in other dialects grom. SI. germnik, in the StyrianAlps (seeSuppl.)is Grwiming, i.e.,

gr"mnik,thunder-hill (Sloven,gr'mi,it thunders, Serv. gi'mi, far from it is a not Ptuss. grom gremit, ^pe/jiet) quasi^pojxo^ ; and OSl.

Donnershach}

rivulet named words

the

to express

The

phenomenon

Penln, Pol. Piorun, Boh. Pcraun to have

seems

died out

at an

then

Slavs and

the

have

god: the the

f- among

two

different

latter is in OSl.

Southern

Slavs

earlier time, though it is stillfound

it in

289) traces the places. Dobrowsky (inst. word to the verb peru, ferio, meaning rather pello, quatio [general have contributed and this tolerably to push], apt signification may I think it has dropt a out of its genuine form.^ to twist the word k : the Lithuanian,Lettish and OPrussian thundergodis Perkunas, of places are pounded comnames Pehrhons, Pcrhunos, and a great many with it. Lith.,Perkunas grauja (P. thunders),Perkunas musza (P. strikes, ferit) sperr (the lightning ; Lett.,Pehrkons seldom is now applied strikes, see Suppl.). The Slav, perun flash. Procopius(de of the lightning's it is used chiefly personally, derivatives and

Bello Goth. eva

Tov

of

names

3, 14)

ri]^aa

t

p

says

of the Sclaveni

and

airdvTWV airi]"; Sr]ixLovp"yov

abriss

Antes: Kvpiov

deov fj,ev "yaf} /xovov

avTov

Steiermark von pp. 66, 67, 70, 81. strela (P.'s bolt) for perunova ; say Parom, and ixiromova 259, 260. phrasesabout Parom, from Kollar,in Hanusuh 3 to 1 Still nearer be connected with Mif,'ht Kepawus perun irfpawos borne Indra as to be the Sansk. would Perun seem by Farjanyas,a name A hymn to fertilizing rain,thunder-cloud, thunder. Jupiterpluvius,literally, in Eosen's Vedae this rain-s^od specimen p. 23. Coui'. Hitzig PhiUst. 296, and ^

Kindermann,

'

The

Slovaks

=

Holtzmauul, 112,

118.

172

THUNAR.

vo/xi^oucTiv eivaty

Again, the

oak

boundaries

by

Ovovaiv

Kat

consecrated

was

^6a";

avrut

to

re

lepecacnrdvra.

kol

Perun, and old documents

define

duha, as far as P.'s oak); and the (do perunova Eomans called the the SLCovnjuglans, Jovis glans, the ".e.j"oviglans, fi'uitof the fatherly god. Lightning is supposed to strike oaks by preference(seeSuppL). PcrJcun suggeststhat thundergod Now of the Morduins, Porguini worthy of note, a Gotliic word also, (p.27), and, what is more used which (Igrant), as was by Ulphilas, alreadystriptof all personificati The neut. noun fairguni (Gramm. 2, 175. 453) mountain.^ What if it were means once especiallythe opos, of the god (see Thunder-mountain, and a lost Fairguns the name Suppl.)? Or, startingwith fairguniwith its simple meaning of unaltered,may we not put into that masc. mons Fairgunsor Fai'rof the abovegimeis,and consequentlyinto Perkunas, the sense mentioned

it

uKpio^,

he of the mountain

top

?

a

surname fitting

for

thundergod. Fergunna, ending like Patunna, p. 71, signifies 805 (Pettz1, 308) not ill the Chron. moissiac. anno any particular (erzgebirge) Virgunnia (Virspot, but the metal-mountains ; and of wooded mountains gundia,Virgunda,conf. Zeuss p. 10) the tract and Ellwangen. Wolfram, Wh. Ansbach between 390, 2, says of his walt-swenden und (wood-wasting?): der Swarzwalt Virgunt cede ligen.Black da von Forest and V. must lie waste miiesen thereby. In the compounds, without which it would have perished AS. firgenmay the OHG. either bear the simple altogether, mrgnn, of mountainous, woody, or conceal the name of a god. Be that sense find fairguni, as it may, we virgun,firgenconnected with divinelyhonoured beings,as appears plainlyfrom the ON". Fiorgyn,gen. Thor's mother, the goddess which in the Edda means Fiorgynjar, the

"

Earth

:

Thorr

Jar"ar

burr, Seem. 70^ 68^ Offioisson,

Ssem.

73^ 74^

Fiorgynn,gen. Fiorgyns,Fiorgvins, appears In all Sn. 118. Seem. of 63^ the OSin's wife father 10, as Frigg, not divide these words we take fairg, must as the root,and firg, fiorg them as fair-guni, fir-gun, fior-gyn.Now itis true that allthe Anzeis, all the Aesir are enthroned mountains on (p.25),and Firgun might than one of them; but that we have a right have been used of more and Ms mother, is shewn for Donar to claim it specially by Perun, And

beside her, a male

1

1 Cor.

Matt.

13, 2.

8, 1. Mk

5, 5. 11. 9, 2. 11, 1.

in Bairgahei(17opeivrj)

Lu.

3, 5. 4, 29. 9, 37. 19, 29. 37.

Lu. 1, 39, 65 ;

never

the

simple bairgs.

THUNAE.

173

by the meaning of mount presently

and

be confirmed Perkun, and v"-ill lies in the word

which

rock

Zeus is called

so is ivdKpLo";, Td, fxdrepavrov

As

hamar.

daughterPallas aKpia,and his mother opearepa to his Philoct. 389) ; the myth transfers from him Ai6"; (Sophocl. have mother and daughter. Of Donar's another our very miirchen thingsto tell (Pentam. 5, 4) ; and beyond a doubt, the stories of the devil and his bath and his grandmotherare but a vulgarization of heathen notions about the thundergod. Lasicz 47 tells us : Perhis

ac

deinde pulverolentumbalneo excipit,

just matertera, and

It is

die emittit.

solem

atque tonitrui quae

fulminis

est

mater

tete

cuna

lotum

nitidum

et

mater, tliat is

not

fessum

postera

by

meant

elsewhere.

teta

Christian has handed

tempest,whom

ioi the

drives to heaven

who

business

thunderer's

the

over

certain Asiatic nations

the Slav and

mythology among

the

to

chariot

a

prophetElijah, and horses of

songs 2, 1. 2, 2 he is and thunder (munya and called gromovnik Iliya}lightning expressly In

Jivereceive,2 Kings 2, 11.

hand, and

grom) are given into

his

clouds of heaven,

that

so

This last agrees with

conf. Lu.

4, 25, Jam.

poem,

5, 17

0. iii.12, 13

Quedent

rain fall

no

the

ther thiz lant

so

we

have

appearance current

to note a

sis ther

Udri

gromom,

liutin,

filu suilro.'^

the end

in

of the

christ's the story of Anti-

world, which

was

pointsof Ages (and whose striking mythus of Surtr and Muspellsheim I shall again occupiesthe place of the northern

Helias speak of later), overcomes thundergod. Thorr nine paces scarcelymoved

1

hisparta,

Mid.

throughout the

breath, and

the

in

is.taken

mdro,

so

then

is,that especially

little before

agreement with the ON.

venomous

Kings 17, 1. 18, 41-5,

tharta,then himil

thuanffta si ciwaro harto what

he shuts up the the earth (see

:

ther iu ni liaz in notin rcgonon

But

on

view

same

giwaro,Helias

sum

men

the O.T. too, 1 and

;

sinful

to

they let

SuppL). OHG.

the Servian

great serpent, but

the

it,when

from

sinks to

gromovitIliyaI

the

he

is touched

ground dead, Sn.

smite

with

has

he

73.

thunder, tlnmderer

by In

its the

Elias,

1,77. 2

Grccj. tur., pref.to bk

2

et cum pluviasciim voluit abstulit,

:

Meminerit

(lector)sub Ilehac tempore, qui "c. terris infudit,

libuit areutibus

174

THUNAE.

OHG.

poem

54, Antichrist and the devil Muspilli48 in the fight: wounded also is grievously

of

fall,but Elias

"

Doh

wanit

daz Elias so

sar

daz

des vilu in demo Eliascs

do indeed

gotmanno^

wige arwartit

:

pluot

in erda kitriufit, so

inprinnantdie

perga ;

his blood

and the drippingon the earth sets the mountains on fire, ^Yithout Judgment-day is heralded by other signs as well. knowing in their completenessthe notions of the devil,Antichrist, Elias

and

Enoch, which

century,2 we

current

were

about

the

7th

or

8th

fullyappreciatethis analogybetween Elias of the heathens. and the Donar There was nothing in christian tradition to warrant the suppositionof Elias receivinga wound, and

that

a

cannot

deadly one.

by the worship Elias

fact that

The even

comparison becomes half-christian

races

still

more

suggestive in the Caucasus

The Ossetes think a man lucky god of thunder. him to who is struck hy lightning, they believe Ilia has taken dance around himself ; survivors raise a cry of joy,and sing and form the body, the people flock together, a ring for dancing,and sing: 0 Ellai,Ellai,eldaer tchoppei! (0 Elias, Elias,lord of the rocky summits). By the cairn over the grave they set up a longpole which is their usual manner supportingthe skin of a black he-goat, of sacrificing to Elias (seeSuppl.). They implore Elias to make them.^ Olearius their fields fruitful, and keep the liail away from alreadyhad put it upon record,that the Circassians on the Caspian sacrificed a goat on Ellas s clay,and stretched the skin on a pole storm thunderthat in with prayers.* Even the Muhammadans, a praying of Ilya.^ the name be averted,name may Now, the Servian songs put by the side of Elias the Virgin invoked that in the Mid. Ages was Mary ; and it was she especially in the Liege for rain. The chroniclers mention a rain-procession as

a

Gotman, a divine, a priest] Conf. supra, pp. 88-9. that Elias The Eabbinical legend likewise assumes 851. malignant Sammael ; Eisenmenger 2, 696. 1

2

the

3

travels Klaproth's

*

Erman's

^

Ad.

in the Caucasus

archiv flirRussland

Olearius

2, 606.

1841, 429.

reiseschr. 1647, pp. 522-3.

601.

will retiu-n and

sluy

175

THUNAR.

country about the year 1240

and ;^ three times did priests (nudis pedibus et in laneis),but all in vain,

peoplemarch round because in calling upon

or

1244

all the saints

the Mother they had forgotten of God ; so, when the saintly choir laid the petitionbefore God, salve regina was Mary apposed. In a new processiona solemn tanta inundatio pluviae serenum tempus ante fuisset, sung : Et cum facta est,ut fere onines qui in processioneaderant, hac illacque dispergerentur.With the Lithuanians, the holy goddess (dievaite sventa) is a rain-goddess.Heathendom probablyaddressed the for rain to the thundergod,instead of to Elias and Mary.^ petition in ON. legend, Yet I cannot call to mind a singlepassage, even ashed for ; rain when it was where Thorr is said to have bestowed are we only told that he sends stormy weather when he is angry, take Olafs Tryggv.saga 1, 302-6 (seeSuppL). But we fairly may and Jupiter (who are into account resemblance to Zeus his general and the preII. 12, 25 : ve Zev"; crwe^e?), veTto";,p)luvius, expressly valence '

'

of votis imbrem

vocare

nations neighbouring

all the

among

(seeSuppL). for description procession by Petronius cap. 44, of a Eoman with that given above from the Mid. Ages : rain, agrees closely mentistolatae ibant nudis pedibusin clivum, passiscapillis, Antea bus puris, et Joveiii aquam exorabant ; itaque statini urceatim (in aut tunc aut nunquam, et omnes ridebant,uvidi bucketfuls) pluebat, the M. Antoninus 5, 7) has preserved tanquam mures. (et?eavrov for rain : beautifullysimple prayer of the Athenians evxv Si Zei),Kara Ad-qvaCwv,vcrov, vaov. tt}?apovpa^ tt}?AOrjvaiwv ^I'Xe A

'

Kal

TOiv

irehlwv thus

(seeSuppl.). Accordingto Lasicz,the Lithuanian Pcrcune

prayer

ran

emend

dievu),melsu

in

meum

:

agrum

tibi banc ego vero said to have been

apsaugokmus

!

devaite niemuski

succidiam :

To

all this I will add

Aegidius

an

vallis cap. 135 aureae 1244 ad ann. (Pistorius3, 263). magu. Other saints also grant rain in Pertz 6, 512'". blS^ ; the body of St -

old

te, Percune,

Prussian

Old

The

dabo.

(so I

dirvu

mana

neve

(more simply,strike not),

immittas

Dievas Ferkunos, absolo

Esthonian,as Gutslaff^ heard 1

Cohibe

tavi,paltimiessu.

calamitatem

und

a

! spare us,

mus

extended

more

formula

peasant say

it

as

2, 267-8). (Chapeauville

is

Lith.

=

in petition

late

as

Chron.

the

belg. .

answer

Lupus

m prayer, as St Slansuetus carried about at Sens m lOJi,

to

Conl'. infra,Kain-making. Pert/, 1, 106-7. 3 Joh. unterricht kurzer beiicht und Gutslatf,

von

der

ialsch heilig ge-

176

THUNAR.

17th century

'

:

Dear

that hatli two

ox

Thunder

horns

and

(woda Picker),we

four

cloven

offer to

hoofs,we

would

thee

pray

an

thee

ploughing and sowing,that our straw be copper-red,our grain be golden-yellow.Push elsewhither^ all the thicJchlack clouds, But unto over us great fens, high forests,and wildernesses. and svjeet rain. ploughersand sowers give a fruitful season Holy Thunder (pohaPicken),guard ovir seedfield,that it bear good straw below, good ears above, and good grainwithin.' Picker or Picken for

our

would the

Esthonian

in modern

Finnic

be

called

Pitkne, which

conies

near

piilcdinen thunder,perhaps even Thunder ; Hiipel's Esth. Diet, however gives both pikkcnne and pikne simply as The Einns thunder usuallygive their thundergod (impersonal). that Ukko the name of Turris as well, only, the Esthonians evidentlyfrom the Norse Thorr (seeSuppl.).^ of the land and As the fertility depends on thunderstorms of agriand Zeus appear the oldest divinity as rains, Pitkdinen cultural to whose look for the nations, bounty they thrivingof their cornfields and fruits (seeSuppl.). Adam butes of Bremen too attrithunder and lightningto Tlior expresslyin connexion with dominion weather and fruits : Thor, inquiunt, in aere, over praesidet et frugcsguhernat. qui tonitrua et fulmina,ventos imbresque,serena Here then the worship of Thor coincides with that of Wuotan, to whom likewise the reapers paidhomage (pp.154 7),as on the other hand Thor as well as OSinn guidesthe events of war, and receives his share of the spoils (p.133). To the Norse mind indeed,Thor's his peaceful victories and his battles wdth the giantshave thrown to Wuotan's Nevertheless office quite into the shade. mightiest =

"

son,

kunos, to

we

is Earth

mother

whose

must, if

only for

his

clears up

Agriculture.^ He

nandten

and herself,

baclie in Liefland

Wohhanda.

is also named

who

lineagesake, allow the atmosphere,he

Dorpt. 1644,

pp.

a

Per-

direct relation

sends

362-4.

fertilizing

Even

in his

; it is

given,corrected, language of the prayer was hard to understand heft 5, p. 157. beitr., mythol. p. 17, and Rosenpliinter's ^ with Wuotan), the highest Ukko is,next to Yumala (whom I connect the Finnish god. Pitkainen literally means long,tall,higlione. 2 Uhland to the heart of the ON. in his essay on Thorr, has penetrated worked out the thought,that the very conflict of the myths, and ingeniously the business of bringingland itself signifies summer-god with the winter-giants, force of the thiuiderbolt under that the crushing rock-splitting cultivation, of the Hrungnir soil. the This is most hard expounded stony happily prepares time

the

in Peterson's Finn,

and

Orvandill

saj/as

:

in

some

of the others it

seems

not

to

answer

so

well.

177

THUNAR.

the nutritious acorn. Thor's supj^lies of cornfields. drunk to the prosperity niinni was doubt represented, like Zeus The German no thundergod was A Danish and Jupiter, with a long heard. rhyme still calls him Thor med sit langeskidg'(F.Magnusen's lex. 957). But the ON. more narrowly as red-learded,of sagas everywhere define him the in allusion to the fiery : when course phenomenon of lightning god is angry, he blows in his red beard,and thunder pealsthrough

showers,and his sacred

tree

'

the clouds.

In the Fornm.

sog.

2,

182

10, 329

and

he is

tall,

a

youth : Mikill vexti (ingrowth),ok ungligr, ra%i"maSr to see),ok rau"skcggja"r (fair ; in 5, 249

handsome, red-bearded friSr synum

his red beard : Landsmenn in distress invoked skeggja3r.Men hit rmicfa skegg, raS (adoptedthe plan) at heita J^etta toko ]?at 2, ReiSr his beard: in wrath, he shakes 183. When var }7a, sccgg he then,beard he took at dyja (wroth was at hrista, scur nam nam More hair to tossing), Sam. 70^ to bristling, general is the : let sigabrynnar ofan fyriraugun (letsink the brows over ]3lirase His divine rage (asmoSr) is often mentioned his eyes),Sn. 50. : is the story of Thorr varS reiGr, Sn. 52. Especiallyinteresting half broken Tlior's meeting with King Olaf 1, 303 ; his power seems the christians doctrine ; when by this time, givingway to the new a follower ap]jroach,

of Thorr

him

exhorts

to

brave resistance

a

:

them thy thou against pvijt];u i mot ];eimskeggroddJ?ina(raise beard's voice). J;a gengu J^eir ut, ok hies Thorr fast i kampana, ok (then went they out, and Th. blew hard into Jjajtti skcggraiistlna andviSri moti his beard,and raised his beard's voice),kom ]3a]?egar there came at ekki matti vi5 halda (inmiediately konungi sva styrkt, ill-weather againstthe king so strong,that he might not hold out, in ie.,atsea). This red beard of the thunderer is stillremembered "

and

curses,

with

thunder

that among

And

to

that)is to

this

day an

Der

1

ancient

any

a

of the North

;

ians.'^ Frisof the

(seeSuppL).

languagesdistinguishthree 123

ion connex-

Thorr holtaporr,

fox

to his red fur

geizhalzauf Silt,Flensburg1809, p.

visible

(letred-haired regiir!'

exclamation

the Icelanders call

when

it is probablyin allusion holt,2

The

folk,without

ideas: 'diis niadhiirct donner

Norse see

the Frisian

acts

2nd

ed.

in the

natural

Sonderburg 1833,

]). ii;3. -

Nucleus

lat. in

usuin

scholae scliallioltinae.Hafniae

12

1738,p.

2088.

178

THUNAR.

/Spovri], i\asli,fulgu7% aaTpairrj, the sound, tonitnts, and the stroke,fulmen, Kepavv6"i (seeSuppL). which was we name blitz, The lightning's expressedin onr flash, hlic,Iw. older speech both by the simpleplih,Graff 3, 244, MHG. derived from 049. Wirral. 7284, and by plechazunffa (coruscatio), Diut. 1, 222-4; of j;/ccAe7i (fulgere), plechazan/a frequentative the

phenomenon:

Diut. 1, 222. Pleccatcshem,Pertz 2, 383, plcchunga, has Uil'ze (fulgur) Blexen : of a place, now ; the MHG. MS. sint mit gewaltein siner pflege, und die donerslege supposes Again lohazan (micare,coruscare),Goth, lauhatjan,pre-

used

they also the

name

die Uihzni

2^ 166^

"

the

while {aaTpa-m')),

his Idnhmuni

forms

the

From

lohen, Goth, lauhan.

a

from

Saxon

Goth

the

root

same

blic made

a

(jubar,fulgur),ON. liomi, Swed. (fulgur).AS. Icoma Dan. hjn. A Prussian folk-tale has an expressivephrase Ijungeld, i.e.the for the lightning He with the Uue whip chases the devil,' held speciallysacred, and people giants;for a hhie flame was swear by it, North Pris. donners hlosJcen (bluesheen) help ! in hlau feuer! was Hansens geizhalsp 123; and Schiirtlin's curse llicsmo

"

'

:

'

'

(seeSuppL). (fragor)from often

MHG.

krache

I connect

teuhaus

kr.

jen..57;

1

the

While

reht als der

5 ; and

with

a

crash),

378, 11. Wh.

wilde

as

dunrslac

389, von

der

105.

notion

of

fulmen

the

we

call thunder grom, possess

grummel,Strodtm.

(seeSuppl.). only compounds, except

hrom

nudari ; I reinemlier pleckan,plahta (patere, writing plechazan, the sky, of used when 4890 which, ; blecken, blacte,Wigal.

open, heaven 125 li'ditning ; conf. Lohengr. p. akin If is this plechan erblecket. :

capreh

chlafondodoner, K Cap. 114 ; stet gcspanncn, Apollon.879. ; der doner (strepo), the Gothic peiJvvdfem. with the Finnic teuhaan the noisy, mean tumultus),so that it would (strepitus,

MHG. l.leak), means

104,

to burst (strictly

rizen

uproarious.Some L. Germ, dialects Osnabr. 77, agreeingwith the Slav, For

Parz.

fern, for thunder, Parz.

Ecke gcrizzen, heizet toner chlaflcih

der

duz,

find wolkenriz

kam

himel

doner

der

with

Wartb. gegenH;:;,

18 ;

gap

is synonymous

krachen also

its command

at

the Gl. hrab. 963'',for which prelihan (frangere), krachen, has Mac, Troj.12231. 14693, and krach from

mit : (crepare)

we

have

would

OHG.

dona)% the

Beside

clouds

:

still say of forked opens, as we relit alsani des himniels bliz von to

plih (fulgur), we

must

suppose

and doner two

sheet sicli

verbs

and plehhan plah,the second derived from the first. Ulav. bksic, plihhanpleih, Euss. molniya, god's messenger, lightning-flash. blisk,but Boh. bozhi posel, fem. (seeSuppL). iServ. munya,

179

THUNAR.

when

is used

simpledonner

the

sense

sluoc alse ein doner,

:

der scliiir (shower,storm)erslagen, MS.

liiure hat

]ioth. 1747.

in that

3,

Uitzschlag. OHG. Uig-scuz(-shot, commonly donnerschlag, Barl. 2, 26. 253, 27, N. cap. 13; MHG. Uickcschoz, fulgurumjactiis), 228*

;

and

Uicschoz,Martina

Iw. G51; ter rcslac,

scuz

N. Bth. donerstrdlon,

tien

mit

erscozen

Parz. 104, 1; do7i205=^;fiurin doncrstrdlc, tero fiurentun donerstrdlo (ardentis fulminis),

MHG.

donnerstrahl. hlitzstrahl, is called lightning GO

Sn. vUli-cldr,

.thathe shoots. shot

der

the

from

der liz dem

sky :

schure,'there it

high),unless

'

gewahsen

as

in ON.

so

(a heart

snellet, Troj.7073.

stone

throws

Donar

of the Hint in

made

ein doncrstein ! Ms.

H. 3, 202^

Swed.

ksk-vigg(-wedge);

and

in

"We

the

203.

ein

vlins

thunder),Wh. 33, 83. call it

there popular belief,

von

castle

(flint)

vlinse ime

von

now

Krjka

enkieme

er

(intothe

sehmverstein,Suchenw.

mich

doners

there

ein lierze daz

being pfUe,

wedge-shaped

geworfen dar

thrown

him,

weapon

arrows

from

imitated

storm, Ecke

the

of

notion

the

merely

nie stein

9, 32.

Bit. 10332. schilrestein,

some

donre

wart

from

has

smites

judge

never

was

came

wsere

751,

red hair ascribed to

that

Teutonic

true ez

he who

150) was

35.

Wolfram donrestrtden.

von

1, 553, and

412, Schm.

waggon,

here I

; the

Aiof, tela Jovis stones

a

Nantlieiz

von

,

donerslac,Geo.

lightenshas

who

god

But

{loildcr ffU

Turnei

u-etterstrahl

(seeSup pi.).

thunders

lie who

wilder

Eab. icild fire,

the So tlien, as and

175; MHG.

18.

donrc

12, 16. so

slahe

donnevkeil,

darts out

of

which buries itself togetherwith the flash a black iccdgc, is high.'^But every church-tower in the earth as deep as the liighest to the surface,and time it thunders again,it begins to rise nearer in find it above ground. Any house after seven may years you is proof againstdamage by lightning which it is preserved, ; when Such stones are is coming on, it beginsto sweat.^ a thunder-storm also called donnerdxie (-axes) donnerhammer, alhschossc donnersteine, Swed. Thors strahlsteine, Engl,thunder -holts, teufelsfinger (elfshots), ch. XXXVII),^ and stone Dan. tordcnhile, tordenstraale (v.infra, viggc, the cloud

,

hammers Saxo

Gram.

^

Tliis

knives

and

p. 236

-

in

Inusitati

ancient

tombs

bear the

ponderismalleos,quos

Weddigens

instead of seven. ^ The Grk

far as a liare can westfiiL mag. 3, 713.

name

as

for the stone

same

Jovialcs

name. voca-

curses, "c. e.g. May tlie thunder strike in a hundred years ! Wigands arcliiv 2, 320, has nine vears

depthis variously expressedin

into the earth

you

:

found

run

is /SfXe/xvtVT;? a missile.

180

THUNAR.

cupiens priscavirorum religionecultos ; usitata reruin similitudine comtonitruorum causas enim antiquitas cieri credebat, malleos,quibus coeli fragores ingentiaere prehendere, was complexa fuerat (seeSuppL). To Jupitertoo the silex (flins) From the mention held by those takingan oath. sacred,and it was infer a connexion of the elf-sprites of elf-shots above, I would service they seem in whose to be employed. with the thundergod, hammer The Norse mythology providesTliorr with a wonderful which he hurls at the Miolnir named (mauler,tudes, contundens), bant,

,

.

.

.

.

.

'

'

67^ 68^

Sam.

hammer,

67^

57^

giants,Seem.

68^ ; it is also called pru"hamar, strong and has the property of returninginto the

after being thrown, Sn. 132, As this hammer god'shand of itself, kemr a lopt,Sn. 16),the giantsknow the air (erhann tlirough files it,lightningand thunder precede the throwing of it : J?vinaest sa hann (next saw he, giant Hrungnir; cldingaroc heyrSiprumur reiddi liamarin oc storar,sa hann J^aThor i asmoSi, for hann akaflega, This is obviouslythe crushingthunderbolt, Sn. 109. oc Jcastaffi,

lightningand thunder,which was nevertheless perhaps that ; hence god's permanent weapon

after

descends

which

regarded as the risingof the bolt out of the earth. Saxo, p. 41, represents it as a in a battle that Bother without a handle, but informs club (clava) us had

with

Thor

the

Eddie

Icnoched

clavae ; tliis agrees with it of the hammer, when

off the manubium

narrative of the

manufacture

handle

short

(at It was heldr skamt), Sn. 131. forged by cunning var forskeptit their masterpiece. In dwarfs,^and in spiteof that defect,it was Saxo p. 163, Thor is armed with a torrida chabjhs.^It is noticeable, was

accounted

how

Frauenlob

der smit as

uz a

Oberlande

blessed with

the

of the cross, and

^

As

Zeus's

it,Ssem.

signof the hammer,^ stroke of

a

lightningwas

by

about

too

God

schoz.

The

mer, ham-

the bodies

Sn. 49. 66 ;

christians did with

as

lightningwas

the Curetes

74^

Father:

the

sacred,brides and

considered

consecrated with

was

in mine

sinen hamer

warf

divine tool,was were

himself

2,214^ expresses

MS.

of the dead

the

fault in it that

a

the

long regardedin

men

sign the

Cyclopes.

or

gotten, had not been forhammer of the statue a dorper evidence, e.g. seems proved by pretty with the giants (ch.XVIII, quotationfrom Fergut). in connexion mentioned wields ajieryaxe (ch.XXV, Musand Saturn,Thunor And in the AS. Solomon ^

^

That

in ancient to be

In the Old

of property.

statues

Germ,

of the

thundergod

the

late

law, the throwingof a

hammer

ratifies the

acquisition

181

THUNAR.

Mid.

Ages as

with

his hammer

a

hallows

dead

But

most

(see Supph).

Sn. 49

"

extension

the wide

undertaking. Thorv bones, and makes them alive again, important of all,as vouching for to any

happy initiatoryomen

of

and

one

the

heathen

same

faith,appears

to

heimt

Edda, the Hamars

(hammer's whose action is motived by Thor's homing, mallei recuperatio),^ and buried eightmiles underground: hammer beingstolen by a giant, for iorS nedan,' ek hefi HlorriSa hamar umtolginn Citta rostom the popular This unmistakably hangs togetherwith Stem. 71^ me

in the

that beautiful poem

'

belief I have

quoted,that

the thunderbolt

dives into the earth and

again,mounting At bottom it were Thrymr, ]?ursadrottinn, a mile as every year. hammer who has only got his own lord of the durses or giants, older nature-god, identical with Thorr, being an back again,seems in whose keeping the thunder had been before the coming of the takes

or

seven

nine

years

get

The }7ruma,tonitru. is in the same case as aes tinniens) (seeSuppl.). Another proof that this myth of of

the

and

Scandinavia

rest

itself. Hamar

hammer

the word

the

to

up

surface

which bo derived from must by his name, (which Biorn explains compound Jjrumketill

this is shown

ases;

to

J?6rketiIL

the better-known

as

thundergod is a jointpossession Teutondom, is suppliedby in the first placea hard

the of

means

secondly the tool fasliioned out of it ; the ON. hamarr stillkeeps both mennings,rupes and malleus (and sahs,seax is particularly againis a stone knife,the Lat. saxum). Such a name with which the mountain-godDonar, well-suited for an instrument the god'shammer Now as achieves all his deeds. our 'Fairguneis,' strike tlmnder sXrikQ you' and 'hammer strikes dead, and the curses thing,there sprang up in some parts,especially you' meant the same stone

rock,^and

or

'

of Lower

Gemany,

of the

word

Hamer

!

1

No

i

after the fall of the

Hamar vor

den

other lav of the

poetry of the Noiih

in

the

Hamer Edila

of Death

sense

! shows

god Donar,

de

Hamcr

or

sla !

a

personification

Devil '

are

'

:

dat die de

phrases still

intergrown with the people's Swedish, Danish and Norwegian songs,

itself

so

its plotsurvives in folk-songof Hildeas our relation to that in the Edda Thor no longer appears as a ancient poesy. does to our brand god, but as Thorkar (Thorkarl)or Thord af Hafsgaard,who is robbed of hi.s Arvidsson 1. 3. golden hammer, conf. Iduna 8, 122. Nyerups udvalg 2, 18S. remarkable the Also Schade's beskrivelse over oen Mors, Aalborg 1811, p. 93. legendof Thor me(^ tuvgum hamri in Faye'snorske sagn. Arendal 1833, p. 5, where also he loses and seeks his hammer. /lam. 2 Slav, kamen Lith. ahnu ; /cam gen. akmens gen. kamnia, stone ; which

;

Lear the same and Alebrand

=

182

THUNAR.

current

Duvcl, that

the

among but

which,

strikes

with

hanuner.

the

stood for the ancient

of which

peoplein Denmark protestedby Thore gud. The common

have

It must

been

titles of the

and

two

same

back

way

to the '

:

at

55^

god

is

en

de Hamcr Hem-

und

teujd!

also both

(seeSuppL).

earlier stage that

an

Saviour, and

certain attributes

Judeo-christian

legends,were the myth of Leviathan particularly

some

god,and

transferred to the heathen

dat

evil spirit.Consider ; donner

names

for

god. By gammel Tlwr, old Thor, the the devil; in Sweden mean they long Lithuanians worshipped an enormous

weltbuch

Seb. Frankes

hammer,

traced

all,Schiitze 2, 96.

them

the signified

couple the

which

curses

tlie

In

know

merlein,meister Hdmmerkin, the

be

a rascally kerl,' impudent cheats

all ! the devil may

se

only

Ilamer

exchange

can

you

all,can

and

one

Ha7ner, en hamerskcn kennt

which

in people,

lornmngandr. As Christ by his death overmastered the monster the miGgarSsserpent (Barl.78, 39 to 79, 14),so Thorr overcomes orni (-worm,snake that encircles the world),and similar epithets between the resemblance are given to both.'^ Taking into account to

signof the surprisingthat

the

and

the

newly

present to their

minds

that

of the

converted

hammer,

; and

so

a

connexion

it need

should

Germans

the lord of thunder

Christ stillhave

of

name

cross

and with

the

not

under

giverof

seem

the rain

the Mother

Mary

(p.174) could be the more easilyestablished. The earliest troubadour Christ (Diez p. 15. Raynouard 4, 83) actuallynames still as the lord of thunder, Jliesus del tro. A in the Pentamerone 5, 4 personifies Neapolitan fairy-tale thunder and lightning {truonee lampe) as a beautiful youth,brother who and of seven of a wicked old mother son spinningvirgins, knows ing assertno higher oath than pe truone e lampe '. Without of

God

'

external connexion

any 1

the

wtb. 2, 575.

Brem.

hammer,

or

a

between

this tradition and

the

German

dat di de hamer

great hammer

richtsh. 1, 673. 2, 79. 299. 382. bksted, cursed, "c. verteufelt,

sla ! Strodtm. p. 80, conf. Schm. 2, 192. strike you ! Abeles kihistl. imordn. 4, 3. Geverhamert diir, kolt, Schiitze 2,96 verdonnert, =

How

deeply the worship of the god had taken ineradicable is proved by these abnost the people, root among curses, once ! donnerwetter ! heiligesgewitter(holy thunderstorm) solemn : donner protestations christian ! And, adding the symbol : kreuz donnerwetter ! Then, bim ! dummer : disguised (by the) dummer, potz dummer euphemistically hammer auch ! Slutz 1,123. 2, 161-2. 3, 56. bim dummer 3, 51. bim dumstig, dunnstig! as in Hesse : donnerstag! bim /tamer .' In Flanders : bi Vids morkel hamer! 2

Willem's Finn

vloeken, p.

Magnusen

12.

lex. 48 4-5.

183

THUNAR.

discover in it the

one,^we a

hostile and

fiendish

idea of

same

god of

kind

a

and

beneficent,not

thunder.

lucanus or fire-beetle, which we call stag-beetle largebeetle, many districts of South Geris in some taurus (ch.XXI, beetles), named donncrgu(/c,donnerpuiype(gueg,guegi, don7ier"jue(j,

The cervus,

For he also bears the

to thunder.

the oak-trees,

he likes to live in

perhapsbecause beetle),

sacred

tree

eichochs,Swed. ekoxe (oak-

name

thunder

-z'.e. kindler),^ againfeuerschroter,iurbuter (fire-beeter, whicli indicates his relation to haus-brenner (-burner), or and lightning.It is a saying,that on his horns he carries

redhot

coals into

ox);but borner

then

in

belief mentioned

it

sets

definite is the

alight;more

Aberglaube,p. xcvi,that lightningwill In Swed.

this beetle is carried.

which

into

house

roof,and

a

a

strike

a

beetle is still

horntroll

(seeSuppl.). noted : to be specially the following are plants, Among the donnerbart, stonecrop or houseleek, sempervivum tectoruni, stroke^ : which, planted on the roof,protectsfrom the lightning's vocatur harba Jovis vulgarimore (Macer Floridus 741),Fr. Joubarbc a shaggy tangled (conf. Append, p. Iviii);the donnerbescn (-besom), named

herbs and

"

ascribes the generation growth on boughs,of which superstition the called donnerJcraut, to lightning alpruthe; ; otherwise fumaria bulbosa; the donncrdistd, eryngsedum; the donncrjhifj, The South Slavs burdock. ium campestre; the Dan. tordcnskreppe, call our caU the iris perunik,Perun's flower, while the Lettons

nest-like

"

"

"

"

"

^

How

the

comes

side of tuono

l and

Ital. to have

the Provenral

a a

(Neap,truono, Span, trueno)by

trono Irons

with

the

meaning %

same

Has

the

the R

10, from our donar, or stillbetter from the Goth, drunjus,sonus, Rom. .sliptin 18 (conf. dronen, 'cymbal'sdroning sound' of Dryden) ] or did the Lat. thronva forclist nicht, wanns tonnert, eiu thunder? of sky and pass into the sense del tro Jhesus troubadour's 181'^. The himmel fallen ? Garg. tron werd vom '

'

'

'

lord of the tirmament. Chaucer. and lyresbeete,' sacritice,

might then simplymean *

-

I wol dou

bytel. "

3

A

Hence

beetle itself ] AS.

Trans.

Provencaltroubadour,quoted by Raynouard sub

quel erba tenon pro li vilan sobra lur maiso. is a Superst.60), the hatdhorn,albaspina,

v.

barbajol, says

: e

da-

(hauswurzcl,

Beside this hauswurz

safeguardagainst lightning(Mem.

del' acad. celt. 2, 212), as the laurel was among tohite vine planted round a house; conf. brennessel laid upon on coals, lightedcandles,a tire made

the

ancient

Romans,

or

the

hranchc^ ; ^palni (Superst.3;3()) the

hearth,are

good

ibr

a

crossbilltoo is a protector Braunschw. anz. thunderstorm,' 17G0, p. 1392. ] but hammer of the or the cross sign (Superst. 335) ; because his beak forms XXI, the nest-making redbreast or redstart appears to attract lightning(ch. redbreast 629. 704) was he, because of his red plumage, sacred to The

;

Superst.

the redbearded

;

god 1 (seeSuppl.).

184

THUNAR.

hedericli

Perunika (ground-ivy?hedge-mustard?) pehrJcones;

like Iris,a woman's to

the Thunderer Jovis

magna

robore

Dodona

stood

Troy the

lieechoften named A

5, 693. 7, 60.

oak above

(pp.67, 72): quercics

antiquo the

The

name.

all trees

is also,

dedicated

was

Jovi

Phaedr. 3, 17 ; placuit, At Virg. Georg. 3, 332.

quercus,

Spv^ v^lkoixo^J/.o?,Od. 14, 327. 19, 297, but in the Iliad:

kind particular

grmik is quercetum,

(tonitrus), grmiti or

no

doubt

of in

at

zJto? alyio-x^oco ^7770?v-\lr7]\7]

oak

close

is in

Servian

connexion

grmlieti(tonare).The

grm, wdth

is

acorn

and groin

spoken

of

above, p. 177.

Apparently some

of the

have snipe (scolopaxgallinago) with this subject: donncrziegc(-goat),donnerstagspfcrd to do (Thursdayhorse), himmelsziege (capella coelestis) ; because he seems But he is also the ivcathcrhird, to bleat or whinny in the sky ? betokens storm. an stormbird,rainbird,and his flight approachingthunderDan. Icel. hrossagaukr, Swed. horsgjok, horsegowk myreliest, or cuckoo, from his neighing;the first time he is heard in the year, their fate (Biorn sub v.); evidently he prognosticates to men fancies clingto the bird. His Lettish name pehrhona superstitious kasa,pehrhona ahsis (thunder's she-goatand he-goat)agrees exactly with

the

names

German.

In

Lithuanian

too, Mielcke

1, 294. 2, 271

is another name ozhys as heaven's goat, for which tagspfcrd donnerstikkutis. Kannes, pantheum p. 439, thinks the name be not to the bird ; this would belongsto the goat itself, welcome, if it can be made good. Some confirmation is found in the AS. firgengcct (capri(ibex, chamois),and firginhucca rupicapra, virguncornus),to which would correspondan OHG. virgungeiz, pocch ; so that in these the analogy of fairgunito Donar holds

givesPerhuno "

good. The wild creature that leapsover rocks would better become the god of rocks than the tame goat. In the Edda, Thorr has these,and the weather: between he-goatsyoked to his thunder-car fowl described by turns as goat and horse (always a car-drawing half-obscured link of connexion (see beast),there might exist some Suppl.). It of

both he and

sentative reprealso,that the devil, the modern significant created goats, the thunder god,has the credit of having is

she ; and

as

Thorr

puts

away

the bones

they have been picked,that he may bring them (Sn. 49. 50),iso the Swiss shepherds believe that after

1

The

myth

of the

of his

goats

to life

again

the

againby goatsbroughtto life slaughtered

goat has

hammer-coiise-

185

THUNAT?.

Did

her, she

devil in

somethingof the smack especially

was

made

by him,

and

her feet

origin,and are not eaten, Tobler 214^ arid shetlmndergod in particularhave hc-goats of their

the German

Etruscan or f/oatssacrificed to him (supra,p. 52) ? The Old Roman the placewhere lightning hidental (from bidens, lamb) signifies had killed

struck and and Jupiter, 54). If the

the

a

man

man's

:

there

body

was

a

lamb

not

had

burned,

to

but

be

sacrificed to

buried

(Plin.2,

offer exactlythe same way and elevate the hide on the body killed by lightning, a goat over a the more likelyby a great deal that pole(supra, p. 174),it becomes of the Langobards was intended for no other than the goat-offering Donar. For hanging tip hides was a Langobardishrite,and was be shown. In other occasions also,as will presently on practised considered sacred to God ; are Carinthia,cattle struck by lightning the poorest,dares to eat of them reise 2, no (Sartoris one, not even 158). Other names of placescompounded with that of the thundergod, besides the numerous Donnersbergsalreadycited,are forthcoming in Germany. Near Oldenburglies a villagenamed Donnerschwee, Ossetes and

Circassians in

and of tlie hoar Ssehrimnir (Sn. 42) beingboiled and eaten every day oration, in more than one to re-appear coming whole again every evening,seems shape. In Wolf's Wodana, p. xxviii,the following passage on witches in is quoted from Ferrara Barthol. de Spina (t 1546), quaestiode strigibus : Dicunt etiam, quod postquam comederunt aliquem pinguem bovem vel aliquam et consunipserunt seu cophinuin panibus evacuarunt vegetem, vino vel arcani ea aurea vorantes, doniina \\\v\iiercutit virgaquam manugestat ea vasavel locu, et statim ut priusplena sunt vini vel panis ac si nihil iude fuisset assumptum. Similiter congeri jubetossa morttii bovis su-percorixmi ejusextensnm, ipsumque per revolvens virgaquepercutierts, vivuni bovem reddit ut quatuor partes super ossa The diabolical witches' meal jubet ad locum suum. prius,ac reducendum also told in legends, we are very well matches that of the thundergod. But that the saint, after eatingup a cock, reanimated it out of the bones ; and so a deception earlyas parson Amis, we find the belief made use of in playing-off had been eaten,threw (1.969 seq.). Folk-tales relate how a magician,after a Jisli the bones into water, and the fish came alive again. As with these eatable and

creatures, so in other tales there been

of

myth

Demeter

and remaining lame marrow, and St Adalljert (Temme p. the

eighthFinnish

dismembered have to

occurs

pieces: in the marchen Zeus and Tantalus,where (Ovid 6, 406) reminds us

cut to

body, and chopped off

been

imply

Morske

rune,

a

belief in

the reanimation Machandelbom

of persons

who

have

(juniper-tree) ; in the of Pelops being devoured tlie shoulder by of the he-goat's leg-bonebeing splitfor the he came to life again ; in the myth of Osiris vom

after conf. 1)S.

3;J);

Lemminkaimen's

no.

62, and

mother

Ezekiel

all gathei-s

.37.

Then

the limbs

in of his

makes them live again. "The fasteningof heads that their trunks,in Waltharius 11 f)? (conf. p. 93) seems in their reanimation,and agrees with a circumstance to

eventyr pp. 199, 201.

18G

THUNAR.

(Kohlihandb. von formerlyDonerswe,^ Donnerswehe, Donnerswede reminds us of OSinsve,Wodeneswege (p.151), Oldenb. 2, 55),which leaves us and equally in doubt whether to understand wih a The Norwegian folk-tale tells us of an temple,or weg a way. Donnersrcut is to be actual Thors vej(way, Faye p. 5). A village towards Bohemia, a Donnersted in Thedingfound in Franconia in AS. hausen bailiwick, Brunswick, a Thunresfeld[Tliurfield] dinavia, 2, 115. 195, 272, "c. "c." Many in Scandocuments, Kemble Torslunde (Thorslundr,grove),Tosingo e.g.,in Denmark, (gurges)in a (Thors engi,ing)f several in Sweden, Tors mase Broocman in Gothland, 1, 15, TJiorshorg boundary-deedof Ostergotland, Thorsbiorg(mountain)and Thorshofn Gutalag p. 107. 260. (wood,a (haven)in Norway, Fornm. sog. 4, 12. 843 ; Thorsmork holy one ? ),Nialss. cap. 149. 150.^ Thors ncs (nose,cape),Sreni. 155^ and Eyrb. saga cap. 4 (see Suppl.). Thors bra (Thorsbrii, leads us to bridge)in Schonen, like the Norwegian Thor's-way, which that prevalentbelief in devil's bridges and other buildings, of accounting for peculiarlyshaped rocks, is the popular way and steep mountain paths: only God or the devil could precipices have

As noble

man's

a

family on

mach.

5, 144. Germ,

High

any no.

them

burst

464

has

Trad. fuld.

so.

name,

in its

Donar

the Ehine

a

and

I take

which

AlUhonar,

name-formations

Bonner

compounds Carolingiandoc. in

Donarad, which 2, 23

named

was

Its derivatives

dialect ;

simple form

is rarelyfound

is the

ON.

Lorheim, Sieb-

von

not

are

to be the ON.

; one

the

common

Cod.

Thorffr

in

lauresh. ; and

the

Thordlfr inverted.

frequentin the North, where the service of the (OHG. god prevailed so long : Thorarr in Donarari ? ),Thorir,Thord'r,Thorhallr, Thordlfr(OS. Thunerulf Calend. merseb. Septemb.),Thoroddr, and the feminines Thorn, 2, 336), Thorhxtla, Thorun, Thorarna (formedlike diorna, Gramm. Thordis,"c. I cannot see why the editors of the FornIVidi'hildr, manna names as Thorgeirr,Thorhiorn, sogur deprivesuch proper Such

^

'

to

of register

are

far

more

Donersice,dar heft cle herscup den

Landtithe),' tegeiiden(teind,

1428.

in Suhm, krit. hist. 2, 651. specified Iceland,when they consecrated a district to Thorr,named Donnersmark it Thorsmork,Landn. From 5, 2. ed. nova (Zschotcir p. 343. Silesian in the of the family of Henkel tokely) Hungarian county Zips,comes von

^

Others

^

The

settlers in

Donnersmark.

Walacli.

manura

:

die Donnersmarkf.

187

THUNAR.

"c. of tlieir Thorvaldr, Thorfinnr,Thorgcrff)', Thorsieinn,Tlioihdill, the abstract

; it is not

vowel l()ii"^

audacia, that they are compounded J^or, witli,and the Nialssaga,e.g. cap. 65, spellsIVw/'geiiT, The frequent name ^/idrkatla. Thorketill,abbrev. Thorkell,Dan, Torkild,AS. Turketulus, Thurkytel (Kemble 2, 286, 349. v. suprn, a kettle,a vessel,of the thundergod,resembles \". 63),if it signifies sacrificial cauldron Wuotan's (p.56). The HymisqviSa singsof to brew ale with, and Thorr fetchinga huge cauldron for the ases "

wearing Hans

man

it

his

on

(ans,as

is very like the strong ? ) in the nursery-tale clapping the church bell

head, Saem. 57

; which

in with Donar couplingof Alp (elf) and Thoralfr is worthy of notice,for alpgcschoss Albthonar (elf-shot) for the for the thunderbolt,and Alpruthe (elf-rod) is a synonym ? see p. 183]. An intimate relation must donnerkraut [donnerbesen the gods and the elves (p.180),though on the part subsist between of the latter a subordinate one (seeSuppl.).^

his head

on

for

a

It is observable

by

different

cap.

that in different In

names.

but in Asa]?6rr,'

The

"

lays of

Lokaglepsaand

Hamarsheimt

the

Edda

HarbardslioS

Thorr he is

'

goes

Thorr,

Vingjwrr,HlorriSi' (yetThorr as well), in Alvismtll always Ving};6rr,' in HymisqviSa 'Veorr,HlorriSi,' not the periphrases to mention (curruum dominus), Sifjar verr, vagna verr Illorriffl was touched upon in p. 167, note. OSins sonr. Vingthurr if derive from ala the they Wing-thunder, winged one. ; as Vfengr, ? This appears to be far from certain, aiira quatiens where as he is elsecalled fostri Vingnis,Sn. 101, and in the genealogies this Especiallyimportant is Vingnir appears by the side of him. Veorr, which outside of HymisqviSa is only found once, Sa3m. 9^, and never except in the nom. sing.; it belongs doubtless to ve, a wih, and so betokens holy consecrated being,distinct from the '

'

gen. Vea

Ve,

Wihar

on

p. 163

; the

OHG.

form

must

have

been

Wihor,

?

(seeSuppl.). As OSinn was represented journeyingabroad,to the Eastern land i (p. 163), so is Thorr engaged in eastward travels : Thorr var Saem. 59, a austrvega 68* ; for or austrvegi, 75 ; ec var austrvegi, austr, 78*'^; anstrforomJjinomscaltu aldregi segjaseggjom fra,68*. slew the giants In these journeyshe fought with and haim : var 1

the

To

sons

the Bori;\t Mongols

beyond

have of tlieIvjldninfj

danced."

L. Baikal, Trans. "

in fairy-rings

f^rass

are

"where

THUNAR.

188

f((rinni anstcrvcgat berjatroll,Sn. ancient

the

and

at

nations

Teutonic

other heroes

that

with

too, Sn.

Asia ; this

190.

363

faringeast-ways

'

; e.g.,the

expresslyplaced in that eastern gum), Sn. 193 ; and lotunheim, the

tliis againpointsto

unforgotten connexion

still

time

And

46.

'

of the

is told

of

Skilfingaris region (siikynsloS er i austrverace

world

of

of the

the

giants,was

there

situated. Tlwrr

was

of all the

considered,next

gods ;

the

Edda

to

OSinn, the mightiestand strongest him

makes

OSin's

son,

therein

differing

from the Eoman view, which takes Jupiterto be Mercury's entirely it is true, Thorr does appear of ancestor as an father; in pedigrees, is usuallynamed Thorr OSinn. immediatelyafter OSinn, sometimes feared more than before him, possiblyhe was OSinn (see SuppL). In ^axo Gramm., Eegner confesses : Se, Thor deo excepto, nullam monstrigenaevirtutis potentiam expavere, cujus (sc.Thor) virium magnitudini nihil humanarum divinarumque rerum digna He conferri. national the is true the of possitaequalitate god Norwegians, landds (patrium numen), Egilss. p. 365-6, and when stands alone, it means indeed ass him, e.g.,Saem. 70=^, as especially the very meaning of ans (jugum mentis) agrees with that of Fairin the most numerous guneis. His temples and statues were Norway and Sweden, and dsmcgin, divine strength,is understood the heathen Hence religionin generalis so chieflyof him. frequentlyexpressedby the simple Thor biota, Srem. 113^, het d Thor, Landn. 2, 12. d Thor, Landn. 1,12, truffi (believed) (called) He assignsto emigrants their new place of abode : Thorr visaffb honum (shewed him),Landn. 3, 7 3, 12. From the Landnamabok could quote many we things about the worship of Thorr: ]?ar

stendr

enn

Thors

steinn, 2,

12.

til fretta

ganga

viS

Thor, 3, 12.

worshipped most, and Freyr next, which agrees with the Thorvi"r and Freyvi"roccurringin one names familyline 2, 6 ; function? viSr is wood, does it here mean tree, and imply a priestly of a plant,ch. but Tyvi"r is the name OSinviSr does not occur, that hallows a mark, a marriage, It is Thor's hammer XXXVII. I show in find plainlystated on the stones. and the runes, as we Thorr

is

ch. XXXIII devil some

of the of the

how

under

Thorr

christians,and

clumsy boorish

the giants likewise

were

it is nature

turned

aspects passed into

various not

of

surprisingif

the

giant in

into fiends.

The

he

the

acquired

the process, for

foe

and

pursuer

ISO

THUNAR.

of all giantsin the time of the Ases, he himself to the christians ; he throws

for

stones

a

lubber

appeareda with

wager

giants(conf.

ThrymsqviSa, he eats and a giant,and the Norwegian folk-tale him take up cask after cask of ale at the wedding,Fay e p. 4; makes afdrecka conf. the proverb: mundi (outdrink). enginn Asathor the good-naturedold giantThrymr is by his very name Conversely, ch. XVIII). The delightfulstory of the hobergsa Donar (conf. far and wide in known of the mountain, giant)was gubbe (oldman invites him to stand godfatherto his child, the North : a poor man but he refuses to come on hearingthat TJwr or Tordenveir is also a handsome a ch. XVIII) ; he sends however bidden guest (conf. JMolbech's eventyr no. 62, F. Magn. Afzelius 2, 1 58. present (conf. there appears in the structure p. 935). In spiteof all divergences, of this fable a certain similarity to that of GossipDeath, ch. XXVII, for death also is a devil,and consequentlya giant; conf. Miillenof the old tales which That is why some hoff,schl. hoist, p. 289. stillstood their ground in the christian times try to saddle him him with all that is odious, and to make out a diabolic being of a Finnr kind than OGinn; conf, Gautrekssagap. 13. M'orse drags it the burns statue to King Olafr, splitsand of Thorr up, then mixes the ashes in furmety and gives it to dogs to devour ; 'tis in XVIII). But even drinks immoderately like

eh.

the

Eddie

*

meet

that hounds

2, 163. relates

This is on

eat a

Thorr,

calumny, the

the contrary that

(seeSuppl.), Several wolves

and

his

who

goats,transform

Edda

M65i

revived

own

and

sagas,

Wuotan

did

sons

eat,'Fornm. sucli

thing,it

knows

of

Magni

outlived their

like that into the

no

the

of

good God,

sog.

father

creation of and

Donar

into the devil

From

the

time

they became acquainted with the Homan theogony, the writers identifythe German thundergod with but Jupiter. Not only is dies Jovis called in AS. Thunresd?eg, Latona Jovis mater is Thunrcs modur and is translated capitoliuni Thorshoi by the Icelanders. Gram. p. 23() Saxo Conversely, means by his 'Jupiter the Teutonic Thor,the Jupiterardens above Donar As for that Thorr devouringhis (p.110) ; did that mean children,it seems [a mere importation,aggravated by] a downconfusion of Jupiterwith his fatlier Saturn, just as the Norse riglit Tlie genealogymade Thorr an ancestor of OSinn. presbyterJovi ,

'

"^

'

190

THUNAR.

mactans/ have

and

been

the

'

'

sacra

dealt with

and

above, p.

feriae Jovis

'

'

(inIndicul. pagan,)

121.

Letzner

Caroli magni, Hildesh. 1G03, (hist. cap. Saturday after Laetare, year by year, cometh

The

cathedral-close

of

Hildesheim

farmer

a

18

end) relates: the

to

thereunto

little

speciallyappointed,

and

bringethhco logsof a fathom long,and therewith two lesser logspointedin the manner of skittles. The two greater he in the planteth ground one againstthe other,and a-top of them the skittles. Soon there come of lads hastilytogetheraU manner and youth of the meaner sort,and with stones or staves do peltthe skittles down from the logs; other do set the same and up again, the peltingbeginnetha-new, stood By these skittles are to be underthe devilish gods of the heathen, that were thrown down by the Saxon-folk when they became christian. Here

the

have been

must

the

farmer's

times

of the

names

gods

Jupiterthen, as

dues

at

are

we

Hildesheim

Under Jupitergeld.

but suppressed,^

find it

there

this

one

afterwards.^

was

down

occurs

to

of them

Among our

own

the

villageof GrossenAlgermissenhad to pay 12 g. grosch.4 pfen.yearlyto the sexton of the cathedral ", an Algermissenfarmer had every year to bringto the cathedral close an eight-cornered log,a foot thick and four feet long,hidden in a sack. The schoolboysdressed it in a cloak and crown, and attacked the Japitcr as they then called it,by a

first from

throwingstones last

it.

they burnt

and disorder,

was

This

more

name

side,then

one

from

was popularfestivity

than

the other,and

often

attended

interdicted, picketswere

once

at

with set

to

prohibitioninto effect; at length the royal treasury remitted the Jupiter's geld. Possiblythe villageof Algermissen anity, the penaltyof the due at the introduction of Christihad incurred the peltingof Was to the old religion.^ by its attachment the

carry

chron.,Hamb. 1590, cap. 18, Letzner thinks it was the god refers to MS. accounts He by Con. Foutanus, a Helmersof the 13th century. ^ Hiklesheim A registerdi-awn up at the end of the 14th century or ' laetare sunnabends vor so beginn.of the 15th cent, says : De abgotter(idols), 1

In the Corbel

of the Irmensul. haus Benedictine

'

(Letzn.

sonnab.

imch

von laet.')

(forwhich) ihm eine hofe (chantry?),iind wie solches von

davor

hausniann von Algermissengesetzet, sankmeisterie landes gehort zur nicht gesetzt worden, gehort hausmann

einem

(hufe,hide)

dem landesblatter 1833, p. 30. Hannoversche Cantori de liove landes.' 3 Liintzel Hannov. farmers' burdens in Hildesheim 1830, p. 205. on mag. ' article On the in an Protocols of 1742-3 Stoning of Jupiter,' 1833, p. 693. Hannov.

ubi landesbl.,

supra.

191

THUNAR,

logs to express contempt ? In Swit;^erland the well-known throwingof stones on the water is called Heidcn werfen,heathenpelting; otherwise : den Herrgott losen,vater nnd mutter losen,' ransoming ? Tobler 174*^ (seeSuppl.). releasing, that this Jupiter I do not pretendto think it at all established, the

'

be traced back to the TImnar

can

of the Old

is

The custom

Saxons.

of the last century, and clear evidence by protocols but even Letzner's account, of it before that time is not forthcoming; of the people, it does, suggests a very primitive as practice differing if Jupiter has nothing to do with it. which is worth noting, even

only vouched

The

for

definite date

Germany in

and

of

'

laetare

'

reminds

Death,' of which

'drivingout

which

Death

is likewise

set

skittle represent the sacred hammer

?

unmistakable

universal in

of the custom

one

up

I shall treat to

hereafter,

pelted. Did

be

the

worship paid to the thunder-god is the specialobservance of Thursday, which extinct not was It is spoken of in quite the people till quite recent times. among diem of the Mid. Ages : Jovis in otio nuUus early documents faciunt Jovi vel 'de feriisquae observet,'Aberglaube p. xxx. Jovis honorasti, Mercurio,' p. xxxii. quintam feriam in honorem On Thursday evening one neither spin nor hew ; must p. xxxvii. An

relic of the

'

Superst.,Swed. think

55.

110.

Thursday holier

and

517.

Germ.

703.

The

Esthonians

Sunday.^ What punishment overtook the transgressor, which, may be gatheredfrom another superstition, it is true, substituted the hallowed day of Christ for that of Donar : He that shall work on TrinitySunday (thenext after Pentecost), shall wear or anything sewed or knitted (on that day), shall be stricken by thunder ; Scheffer's Haltaus,p. 225 (seeSuppl.). in the 8tli century,if If Jupiterhad these lionours paid him of 743 thought it needful expresslyto enjoin an the Capitulare ec than

'

forsacho

Thunarc,' and

uneradicated a

a

long time

stillearlier time

and

of their

one

much

he

was

that

related to his service remained

after ; it cannot

held

by

our

well be

doubted,

forefathers to be

a

that

real

at

god,

greatest.

him with Wuotan, though the latter is more compare intellectual and elevated,Donar has the advantage of a sturdy If

we

material

which strength,

^

Etwas

was

the very

iibcr die

thing to

Elisten, pp.

recommend

13-4.

him

to

192

the

THUNAR.

his

retained

god.

veneration

peculiar

But

oftener

memory

only

a

of

part

of

the

certain and Greek

races

;

than

longer Zeus

is

oaths,

prayers,

that

included

of in

any

him.

curses

other

IX.

CHAPTER

The

ON",

Martis, Tysdagr,has the

for dies

name

TYR).

(TIW,

ZIO,

of tlie

name

for it. The AS. god Tyr (gen. Tys, ace. Tj) to account of the Tiwesdsegand OHG. Ziestac scarcelyhave the simplename god left to keep them company, but it may be safelyinferred from Eddie

have

it must

been

in

AS.

Tiio} in OHG.

them

:

letter

Tl,ZiiL,will be discussed further

Gothic

The

on.

Zio.

The

runic for the

name

accordingto all analogy and then the god himself can it would be Tivisdags, only have been Zio make called Tilts. These forms, Tiu-s, Tiw, Trj-r, a series like of the week

day

the similar If the of Zio

is nowhere

to be found

;

dio J?iu-s, J?eow(]?iw), ]?y-r, puer, idea of our thundergodhad somewhat

lands

=

us

in

a

measureless

expanse. with us

cognate [Aryan] languagesconfront belongingto the root div, which, while

servus. narrow

The a

limits,that non-Teutonic

multitude

of terms

enablingus to make up a fuller formula div, tiv,zio,yield the meanings brightness, sky, '. Of Sanskrit words, dyaus (coelum) stands the closest day, god and German to the Greek Zeu?, Tins. gods'names '

To the there

digammated and correspondsalso the

older Latin

Greek.

Gothic.

Zev"i

Tius

Zev

Tiu

Alfa, Ala

Tiu

Aif6";,Aio";

Tivis

AlFi.,All

Tiva

form

of the Greek

obliquecases

Jovcm, Jovis,Jovi, for which

we

It might have been TeoAV,from the analogyof l^eowto ]j"!t.Lye quotes, without references : ?'""/, The Epinal dies Martis. Mars, Tiiges-vel Tiis-daeg, ^

glosseslironghtto lightl)y]\Ione actuallyfurnish,no. Mars ; also Oeliler p. 351 145),Tiirj, jnsculuni,for briw ; and we may at

.

520 (Anzeiger18.38, p. The change of letters is like that of briig, least infer from it,that the vowel is long,

13

194

zio.

must

assume

a

Ju, Jus, though it has survived

nom.

the

in

only

Jupiter Jus pater,Zeu9 irarrip. For, the initial in of the to be a mere Jus, Jovis [pronouncej as y] seems softening fuller dj in Djus,Djovis,wliich has preserveditself in Dijovis, just older Jey? which was an as Zeu9 presupposes actuallypreservedin compound

=

the ^olic idea

the

dialect. the

of

Latin

and

likewise contain

words

the

a personificationof heavenly god, i.e.,

is the vault of

Dium, divum

Ovpavov

Greek

These

heaven, and Zeus is the

heaven,

of

son

sky.

Zev"; aWepi vaiwv ovpduio";, (seeSuppl.). But apart from 'dyaus, Zeus and Jupiter,' the three common nouns devas (Sansk.), 6e6"iand deus express the general notion of a divinity ; they are related to the firstthree,yet distinct from them. The Lat, deus might seem to our to come nearest Tins,Zio ; but vio^,

its u, like the therefore

o

not 6e6";, belongsto the flexion,

in

to

answers

the

a

to the

Nevertheless

in devas.^

deus

because from devus, and 6e6"i from 6eF6"i, sprung is accounted for by the instead of S in the Greek word

digamma

devas,whose

differ from Lith. dievas

deus

e

for

Sifo?)and

devatas

But

divus

(deus). This

to confirm

serves

of their

the shortness

(=ai) grew by to it.^

nearer

comes

but rather S/io?, divitis (p.20) to and

the initial. In

on

out

guna

too

must

6

the very

have

the

root, and

reaction e

of

they both

of i,so

that the

8409 (notfrom adjectives correspondto devas as dives approximationbetween divus the

the origin of deus

out

of devus

or

divus

helpfulto us is the fact that has a plur.tivar meaning gods or heroes.Stem. 30^ 41^ ; the Edda rikir tivar (conf.rich god, p. 20), Sam. 72^ Qo'^; valtivar,52=^ ; This tivar,though not 189* 248=^ ; the sing,is not in use. sigtivar, related to it as Sto?,6e6"i, immediatelyrelated to Tyr, yet seems Oelo'iare to Zeu? ; its i is established by the fact that the ON. obtain by the side of dialect contracts a short iv into y ; thus we tiv a tiv,in Sanskrit by the side of div a dev, and in Latin by the with

short i (see Suppl.)^,Still more

side of deus

a

divus,these beingstrengthenedor

guna

forms

of the

in Zeitschr. f.cl.alt. 2, 231, has rightly pointedout, that Zio can Kiilin, deus and deos ; but he to not and to related Zevs, dyaus only immediately related to these last also. be must it have that admitted to mediately ought the root of Zeus, had aheady been shown That div was by 0. Miiiler in Gott. 1

be

1834, pp. 79o-6.

anz. ^

3

Conf.

iroifiriv,and

kiemas

ku/xtj

hinted on p. 26, 8'iosdeus were have arisen hrst out of the divine

If,as

must

piemu

haims. conn,

with

the notion Se'co,

band, which

ing of bind-

is hardlyconceivable.

195

zio.

If the earthborn div, tiv (splendcre).'^

root

of

nation, stands

Tuisco, the ancestral

p. 72 has

(asZeuss

for acutelysuggested) Tivisco,Tiusco,it shews on its very face the meaning of a divine heavenlybeing,leavingit an open questionwhether we will choose it of Wuotan to understand or any other god, barringalways Tius it is derived (seeSuppl.). himself,from whom The lightof day is a notion that borders on that of heaven, and with personification it was likewise honoured as a god : Lucetiuni lucis esse causam Jovem credebant ; Festus appellabant, quod eum To begin with, dies (conf. sub V. interdiu,dio) is itself connected with deus and divus ; Jupiter was called Diespiter, ic.,dieipater, the word in the sing,fluctuates dies. Then for the old gen. was the masc. and fem. genders;and as the masc. between Ju, Dju with the suffix n, is shaped into the fem. forms Juno for Jovino,Djovino, for day, diena, is fem.,while the and Diana, justso the Lith. name

god

our

den,dzien,dan, is

Slav,

sky

for

Crreek

or

day

taken Aia

Creteuses

:

The

masc.

Teutonic

this root, but

from ttjv

tongues have

word

no

point to one in (callthe day Zeus),ipsi

we

rj^iepav vocant

can

Diespitrem appellant,ut diei patreni ; Macrob. Sat. 1, 15. The poeticand Doric forms Zrjva,Zrjvoq,Zrjvi,and Zava, Zav6";,Zavl, for Aia, Ato^, Au, correspondto the above formations f and the Etruscans called Jupiter Tina, i.e.Dina ; 0. Miiller 2, 43 (seeSuppl.). Eomani

quoque

derivative

A

from

the

with

root

same

another

present itselfin the ON. tivor (deus? ),^Ssem. Cod. (tiir. with

I connect

the

OHG.

the Lat. dccus,decor, decorus. to

other intensify

Ciedm.

143, 7

tir,127,

10 ;

seems

tir,gen.

to

tires

and OS. tir, 331, 18 gloria, tireas; splendor), gen. tiras,

exon.

which

6^,AS.

suffix

words

; aisctir wera

:

and zieri (splendiilus), ziori,ziari, The

AS.

poets use

the wcfrd tir

tirmetod

summus (deus gloriae, virorum),124, 27 (hastagloriosa

tirwine, Boiith.

metr.

25, 41

;

tirfruma, Cod.

only deus),

; jcsca

exon.

13,

72, 1 ; tireadig(felicissimus) tirmeahtig(potentissimus), Ccedm. 64, 2. 189, 19; 189, 13. 192, 16; tirfa^st (firmissimus), 21

;

1

Somelimcp!,thoiighrarely,we

find another

ON.

dlar,S;eni.

91'". Sn.

17G.

Yngl. saga

than with 5Ior. cap. 2 ; it agrees with 6e6i more ^ We know to what shifts Socrates is driven in tryingto explainthe forms Z^i/a and At'a (Plato'sCratylus p. 29, Bekker) ; 6e6s he derives from dtlv,

(p.32).

currere *

Or

7X'par ]

must

wc

read it

and tivor,

connect

it with

the AS.

tifer, tiber,OHG.

196

zio.

much

in the

Now

when

OIIG. irman is prefixed. way as the AS. eormen, in the OaST. writings, meets similar prefixt'" us e.g.

same a

Sn. 29, it tyspakr(sapientissimus), tyhraustr(fortissimus), between the afiinity tir and Ty-r.

These entitle

intricate to

us

claim

placeshim on Eepresentedin the which

etymologieswere a sphere for the a

Edda

level with as

to

may

and

inferior to

seem

reallyfall

two

war

:

Teutonic

the

the

avoided

be

they god Zio, Tiw, Tyr, loftiest deities of antiquity. not

Oc5in's son, he

in power and moment ; but both are directors of as

him

confirms

into one,

battle,and

the

much inas-

fame

of

victoryproceedsfrom each of them alike. For the olden time and not content with Wuotan resolved all gloryinto military glory, and Zio,it felt the need of a third war-god Hadu tions ; the finer distincin their cultus

OSinn

are

hidden

from

us

now.

"

It is not

to be

looked, over-

is often named

Sigtyr,Hroptatyr,Gautatyr, quasi haugatyr,farmatyr (Seem.30. 47. 248^ Sn. 94-6),bodvartyr, and that even Thorr, pugnae deus, geirtyr(Fornm. sog. 9, 515-8); has been handed to whom as Jupiter'slightning over, appears EeiGartyr, Eeidityr(Sn.94),i.e.god of the waggon.^ In all these generalsense which terms, we see that iyr bears that more poetical the higherones. it suitable for all divinities, makes Tyr especially Zeus. Add moreover, identical with has a perfect rightto a name in a specialdegree accorded, not that the epithetof father was but to victory's Diespiter, patron MarspitcrPonly to Jupiter, Further, this loftypositionis claimed for Zio by the oldest 3Iars is singledout as a chief god that have reached us. accounts that

this set of words. It occurs I do not reckon Angant^r among frequently, the Hervararsaga and in Sajm. 114* 119'' 9^; this last passage calls as Priggjarangantfr '. The true form is douLtless Anganjrtjr, appears from the OHG. Angandeo (Trad. fuld. 1, 67),and the AS. Ongenpeow,OngenJ^io (Beow. 4770. 4945-67. 5843-97. 5917-67) ; -tyr would have been in AS. -teow, in ^

both

in 0'5'inn

'

OHG.

-zio.

Graff

though .spelling,

gives an

Agandeo

the Trad, wizenb. no. which add the ace.

1, 132. 5, 87, which woman's 20 have a

seems

to

be

a

mis-

Agathiu (for Agathien, Agacien (Walthar.629). The name

Anganthiu), to meaning of angan, ongen, is doubtful; angan illrarbrudhar' is said to be but Biurn interprets it pedisequa,and O'Sinn might deliciae malae mulieris,' in the Edda are fitlybe called Friggaepedisequus. That some proper names corrupt,is plainfrom Hamdir, wliich ought everywhere to be Hamjiyr, OHG. Hamdie (Schaunat no. 576. Cod. huiresh. 2529), MHG. llamadio, Hamideo I am nor sure Hamjnr (MsH 3, 213'').This much of,that neither Anganj^^^r is almost always compounded with genitivesin a contain a tCr,which can sense. figurative '

'

2

Gellius 5, 12.

107

zio.

nations,and mentioned

of all tlie Germanic

by

side with

cury. Mer-

Tacitus,in Hist. 4, 64, p. 44.^ deis, et pracright out : Communibus

The

evidence

is collected

the

Tencteri

say

makes

side

on

have

occasion to

apply the highestplace usuallybelongs, the passage to Wuotan, to whom The stillclearer races as particular may have assignedthat to Zio. the testimonyof Procopius 12, 15 to the worship of Ares among eVct 6eov avrov : dwellers in the North,^ wliich says expressly elvai,ought to be compared with the statements vofil^ovan fieyiaTov sacrifices the Gothic Mars ; in both placeshuman of Jornandes on and therefore Zeuss, p. 22, is for understandingit the subject, are of

again,because

Wuotan

sacrificed ; but the

anent

35

he does

not

the Mars

'

him

to

before '

no

says

alone, "

that on

Llercury. And

were

men

the

V6, 57, where

'

contrary, viri

'

were

Jornandes,

in

Virg.Aen. 3, thinkingof the generalone, intimately

pater of the Getae have been the Goths, must

Gradivus

of

Tacitus

him

say

stands mentioned

identifies the with

to

we

Ann, offering,

Hermundurian

also slain,Mars who

gratesagimus ;

Marti

cipuo deorum

specialgod of war, not of a higherand more All in and nature. another in name one as they interpenetrate the Scythian and Alanic legendsof the favour of this view are will be examined war-sword, which by and by : if the Getic, Scythian and Gothic traditions meet anywhere, it is on this of il/ars-worship. Neither we tion representacan disregardWidukind's at a later time (Pertz5, 423) of the Saxon Mars set up on high. Donar and Wuotan, with whom at other times he is combined to retire in a significant trilogy, appear, like Jupiterand Mercury, the glossist But it is quiteconceivable how before him. quoted on Wuotan glideeasily by Mars, and Widukind p. 133 could render if he had in his particularly irmanmind the analogyof those prefixes (ofwliich he is speaking) while they recogniseOSin's influence and tir-. The OlST. writers, who is emof Ttjr, and victory, war on speak no less distinctly

Mars

from

to

Hermes,

Wodan, i.e.,

milide nostronuu passaj,'ein Floras 2, 4: 'nlox Ariovisto duce vovere dc torquilius tum Jupiter votuiii,nam pnieda Marti suo toniuem : intercepit eoruni uureum speaks of the hisubiian Gaids, tiopaeum Jovi Flaminius erexit,' But these CJalli B.C. 225. who beaten in the consulship of Flaminius were of their leader is both in other respects very like Germani, and the name are that of the kSuevic (Swabian) king in Caesar. includes eovAtrat (men of Thule) is their generic name, but he expressly the from he rightly them the Tavrol,whom regardsas a dilierent people among TotSoi,conf. Gott. auz. 1828, p. 553. 1

-

A

198

zio.

Sn. 105, and again: phaticallytheir Vigagucf(deus proeliorum), hann ok lianu rcecfr niioc sigri diarfastr ok best liugaSr, er i orostom, Sn. 29 (seeSuppl.).

No

doubt

Wuotan

and

Wuotan to

there Donar

Zio, was

or

his credit the

Ehine, which to

was

hallowed

to

Zio,as well

as

to

; the

which only difficulty is,to know god, meant by a particular name. May we place of the abbey of Siegburg in the Lower name founded

was

assize of the

ancient

mountains

were

have

1064 held?

peoplewas been but

christian conqueror,

in

called

Mons

on

a

From

mountain

that

time

Michaelis

sancti

the

where

the

tain moun-

after the

the

could not be dislodged, \\"Bi\i"i\Sigebcrg it was only distorted into Siegburg or are we to explainthe name by the river Sieg,which flows through the district ? The ON. (OS. Sigu-tiwis-berag ?),Saem. 348^ might belongto OSinn Sigtysberg Weimar has in section 38 a Tisdorf,and in to Tyr. The or map both in Lower districts on the Elbe. section 48 a Zieshcrg, Saxon there are is Tyhierg A place in Zealand, about which folk-tales, (Thiele2, 20) ; also in Zealand are Tisvdde (Ti'swell),Tysting ; in In Tiislunde. Sweden Jutland, Tystathe, : Tistad, Tishy, Tisjo, Tyved. Zierbergin Bavaria (Cirberg,Zirberc,MB. 11, 71-3-5-6) "}

and form

which with

Hesse

Zierenbergin Lower (see Suppl.). The Abbo

even

de

mons

be may Martis

bell. Par. 2, 196

the Gallic Mars, whom

some

derived at

from

Paris

collateral

(Montmartre),of

mention, has

makes

take to be

the

do

to

Belus, others Hesus.

Martis (yetconf. Waitz's rightthan the Parisian mons Salic law, p. 52), we assignto Zio the fanum Martis, now may in Hainault Famars (p. 84),accordingto Herm. Mliller the Old Frankish Dishargum (or Disbargus)in termino Toringorum of Greg.tur. 2,9, Chlodio's castellum. Dis- would be a Latinized form of Tis Tives,perhaps recalling Diespiter Dispiter, ; there is no Gallic word like it looking towards Mars, and the district is thorouglilyPrankish,with Liphtinaeclose by, where we have Saxnot and Wodan. As for Eresberg and named by the side of Thunar in Mersberg (3 or 4 pp. on),I have compared the oldest documents Seibertz: no. 11 (anno962) givesus Eresburg;no. 25 (1030)already berg; EresEresburg; no. 51 (1150)mons Mersburg ; 1, 98 (1043) mons 70 (1176) mons Eresberch ; no. 85 (1184)Heresburg ; no. With

far better

'

'

=

1

Dociim.

in

Lacomblet,no.

203-4.

199

zio.

(1219

153

no.

Mersberch

; no.

167

Martis; no. 186 (1229) (1228) mons and Martis 189 Mersberg. no. (1230) mons the learned name, Mersberg the popular,and was used by turns, and castellum are oldest. As mons

(1222) Eresberch; mons Heresberg; Martis

Mons

Martis;

(1201) mons

115

no.

179

no.

Eresberg the 2, 11 and Dietmar 2, 1 berg and burg are equallyright. Widukind spellHercshurg and Eresburch, when they describe the taking of the place in 938. According to the Ann. Corb. (Pertz5, 8),they and Mercury). sacred to both Ares and Hermes (]\Iars are I daresay of plantsalso confess the god : ON. Tyfifiola, The names after the Lat. viola Martis, march-violet;Tyrhialm (aconitum), otherwise Thorhialm, Thorhat (helmet,hat),conf. Germ, sturmhut, with magic power, whose eisenhut,Dan. troldhat,a herb endowed helmet-like shape might suggesteither of those warlike godsTyr and (daphne mezereum), Thorr; Tyvi"r,Tf"wood, Dan. Tyvcd,Tysvccl beautiful poisonthe mezereon, a in the Helsing.dial, tis,tisthast,

(seeSuppl.).

flower

vouch for placesand plantssufficiently stress the wide-spreadworship of the god,we must lay particular for the third day of the week, which on one thing,that the name is what we started with,bears livingwitness to him at this moment, and England (ON".Tysdagr,Swed. Tisdag, not only in Scandinavia the common but among Dan. Tirsdag,AS. Tiwesdseg), people in versal unibeside our diestik, and Switzerland Swabia Tiestag, (Ziestag, Dienstag);Schm. 4, 214 bringsall the forms together. And of Zio- worship there is yet one more testimonyto the high antiquity in Swabia, which gloss we gather from an old "Wessobrunn may these

While

'

Cyuvari

7, 375 and

Suapa,'MB.

=

like expressing,

colentes,warian

that so depairevetv, But

is not

that

and

the Suevi all

of the

nature

Zioivari

habitare

colore, both

Lat.

]\Iartem and

"Apr]o"i. OepdirovTe'i

are

further

:

I take to

Diut. 2, 370 ; which

does,pp. 146-9, but

Teutonoari,as Zeuss

be not

name

of

names

and

war-godawait

weighty

disclosures

the

of the Pauiic

at the hands

us

on

alphabet. that each

It is known these but to

names

vary

more

or

less

they are mostly very bestow

Z aspirate

the

which

name

has

separaterune

accordingto

ancient

dorn

closes the

on

The

tac

alphabetthe

name

on

that

OHG.

T,

and itself,

to

name

the nations

words.

D, and

a

runes

them,

use

having

requirefor

of Zio.

their

In the ON.

200

zio.

AS.

and

dag alphabets,

Tito for T,

]7ornfor ]", places; occasionally

T/jrand

stood for D,

three words, only in different being the same list of runes Whenever Tir or Tis. a the Anglo-Saxons wrote keeps thorn for Th, and dag for D, it is sure to have Ti for T (as in the St Gall cod. and the Cod. Isidori paris. bruxell.) ; so it is 260 and the Brussels 9565, except that dorn is improperlyput for thorn,and tag for dag, but Ti stands correctlyoppositeT. The Paris cod. 5239 has dhron (dhorn), tac, Ziu, that of Salzburgdhorn, Ti, daeg : everywhere the form Ziu shows the High Germ, acceptaand the form Ti (once,in Cod. vatic. Christinae 338, speltTu, 'tion,

perh,Tii)the archaic

more

than

still more

in

between

Vienna

Goth. conjectural

we

Tins.

be taken How

comes

as

proofsof the it that

OSinn, the inventor

of

no

Ziu

follows may what

But

the

in

kept

o

on.

go

cod. 140

alterations of this divine may

has

and

u

the Gothic

uses

u

and dialect,

OHG.

as

the

The

of Zio, which

light,

in its true

alphabetwhich

to our

o

; this relation

is that an

the

of the

regularprogress dio,servus

Germ., the Saxon.

Low

name

for letters,

in the

rune

has taken

writingitself ?

extent

its K

'

name

the

analogy of perhaps be seen the

is very

able, remark-

as

of from

T in near

able the unavoid-

of the various

runes

antiquityand

with

pace

Tyz is given to Tyz comes very

As well the retention name

to be

seems

races,

Zio-worship. Wuotan

or

reiS,rad,'i.e., waggon,

=

at least be referred to the god of the Thunder-car indirectly ; to and F according one signifies Freyr. Anyhow, interpretation 'T=Tyr' appears to have been a supremely honoured symbol,and of this god to have been specially sacred : in scratching the name of Tyr had to be twice of victoryon the sword, the name the runes The shape of the rune ^ has an obvious inserted, Ssem. 194^ when to the old-established symbol of the planetMars resemblance AS. poem the runes an on set upright'^,and expresslysays : tir biS idcna sum (tiris one of the tokens, is a certain sign); where againthe derivative form tir is employed to explainthe the simple Tiw Ti. or Occasionallythe poets speak of tire tacnian,'to mark

may

'

(El,753. Jud. 137, 18),and 'tires to tacne,'as mark of tir decore insignire, in gloria, (Beow. 3306) ; we may expound it as gloriaesignum,'and still think of the heathen symbol of the god, pretty much as we saw it done at the solemn blessingof the alewith

tir

'

cups

(seeSuppl.).^ 1

Conf. note

to Elene

155-6.

201

EOR.

Thus

far

here the

otlier. But

no

between in lists,

two

addition

barbs added

dealt with tlie runic

have

we

to

and

^

And

Aer.

of

some

the two

there

Tir

names

It is evident for

names

of the selfsame

names

^ Tir,we the

come

attached

for tac, find

similar to it.^

with

arrow

Then

two

the OHG.

for that very

symbol ^^ them Zio,others again Uo, Uor, give the name AS. alphabetsthat actuallyset down by ^ are and Ear, though Tir had alreadybeen given to ^ a

use

.

then, that Tir and

god,and

one

a

upon

Ear

name

after using ^ alphabets, to which

alphabetscome

same

Tyr,Tiw, Zio,and out with tinction a sharp disgod. First,in the AS.

name

several races, both

both

must

German

Low

Ear

and

"

Zio and

have

been

Eo, Ear current

"

were

among

two

the

High.

regardsLow Germany is found both in the rune of Ear name occurringin Anglo-Saxon, and in the remarkable Ereshurg,Aereshurgbeing given to a notable seat of pagan worship in a district of Westphalia,in the immediate neighbourhoodof the Irmansul EresScr^(asSieg(v.supra, p. 116). That it was strictly burg was originally Sigberg, p. 198),follows both from the Latin Martis, and from its later name Mersberg^whose renderingvions in initial M could be explainedby the contraction of the words it may be an imitation of the Latin dem or Aresberge,'^ Eresberge, phalia.* district of WestThere was a downrightMarshergin another name. and yet This Eresberc then is a Ziesherc, a Sig-tiwes-berg, t' more closelyan Areopagus,Mars' hill,Apeioira'yo^, irerpa irdyo'i Evidence

as

'

(Aeschyl.Eum. 'Apeco"i

690). the Still more plainly are High German especially races, for the Bavarian (jMarcomannic)pointed to by that singularname third day of the week, Ertag,lertag, Eritag,Ercldag,Erichtag, Irtag,

which

answers

to the rune

Eor, and

up

to this moment

lives to part

Tyrolesefrom the Swabians and Swiss (who,as former Ziowari, stick to Ziestag); alongthe boundaryalso have run must line of these races formerlythe frontier between Eor-worshipand Zio-worship. True, the compound Ertac lacks off the Bavarians, Austrians

1

sound

In

one

Cod.

poem,

exon.

and

481, 18, the

rune

contains

simply the

vowel

ea.

Mersberg stands in the pagus Hessi saxonicus (registr. II. 143. 268. p. 42, 735) ; conf. Wigands archiv I. 1, 36-7. 3 So then once, "c.]. the in dem nonce : Motgers Otgers hove [and, * In to the pagus Marstem, (close the Wcser, near J^Iarshem,Marsem Marklu),reg. Sarachonis 42, 727.

This Sarachonis 2

Eresburg =

or

=

202

zio.

been

so

fortunate

is

for the

names

must

as

to hunt

up

in Ziestac, and preserved an

centuries ; nevertheless

the 13-14th

we

which

ending -s genitive

the

OHG.

an

suppose

for the

and

day

rune

I have

not

Erestac^ in the older records of the coincidence should

of the double

be conclusive

Erestac, to match

the

here,and

Eresberg. One (Erde according

imagine that in Ertag the Earth But meant. to the forms given at the beginningof ch. XIII) was the ancient way of thinkingplaced the earth in the centre of the therefore have the planets; she cannot given world, not among there is no such day found in any to a day of the week, and name To bear and Freyjainto the earth. nation, unless we turn Venus of a place Eersel,quoted there is that name this Ertag company, its personifiin which neither era honor, nor cation p. 154 from Gramaye, Era (ch.XVI, XXIX) is to be thoughtof,but solelya god that Ertac and Erdag occur It is worth noticing, as of the week. led to

might be

"

men's

names

;

also,that the Taxandrian

off the

Tisbergor something far more director of wars,

the "'Apr)"i

of

son

Have

of this obscure

sense

The

root

the

of description

hint,it runs

thus

was

but

a

littleway

(seeSuppl.). Xow "

comes

important. As Zio is identical with Zeus as with at a glance that Eor, Er, Ear, is one see we had given the rank of Zeus ; and as the Germans

highestgod.

of the

in Hainault

Fanmars

Wuotan, Tyr and

to their

Zeus

Eersel

we

Eor rune

Eor consequently any

means

now

appears

left of

as

the

gettingat

son

the

? in the AS.

poem

givesonly a slight

:

Ear

biS

egleeorla gehwilcum,

]?onnefeestliceflsesc onginneS hrsew

colian,hrusan

ceosan

gebeddan. blseda gedreosaS, gewitaS,wera geswicaS; wynna caro fit importunus hominum incipit Ear cuicumque, quum i.e., eligereconjugem. tunc pallidumquecorpus terram refrigescere, The enim gloriaedilabuntur, gaudia evanescunt, foedera cessant. is of death coming on, and earthlyjoys droppingoff; description ail-some) (egle, but who can that be,that at such a time is burdensome blac to

?

to men

The

be of no use can arista, spica, death approachingdissolution,a personified

ordinarymeaning of

here ; I suppose

that

car,

Schm. 1, passage from Keisersbergquoted by * dies aeris.' from derivation apparentlyto favour tlie ^

In

a

97,

it is

speltEristag,

EOR,

is to be of

understood,from whicli

203

CHERU.

SAXNOT,

transition to the

a

is ^poTo\ot'y6";, fiLai(})6vo"; "Apr]";

battles,the

itself is used abstractly by the Greeks "Apr]'i is for furor justas our Wuotan pestilence,

for

destructive

conceive.^

to

easy

god

destruction, murder,

and

belli

impetus,^and

conf. ']\Iars bellum,exitus pugnae, furor bellicus, in Gl. Hrab. 969'^;as converselythe OHG. =cafeht,'gcfecht, fight,

the Latin

for

Mars

wij pugna, bellum (Graff1, 740) seems personalgod of war. Wicgch quoque Nigellus(Pertz2, 468),and he is said

to occasionally

Mars

*

carry

off,as Hild

does (Bellona)

Hildebr. lied ; in AS. Cod. them p.

all away

literal whirlwind,on so

=

the storm

mean

it is either Zio

'

ziu

(we

of war, which

Ziu, bearing tlie

still say,

or

have

a

Zio

wig fornom.

;

the old Cod.

913, sangall. which write zui), or possiblythe

sometimes

are

female

synonymous to

fornam,

wic

battle snatched

the IMars trux, saevus,

relation

same

war

business to

no

mythicalnames

himself,or

dat inan

:

2155

glossin

Ermoldus

says

fornam, Beow.

not

we

remarkable

A

?

193, has 'turbines

may

Do

291, 11.

exon.

est

the

farneman, AS. forniman,

to

elsewhere

ealle

wig

:

denote

'

diu

as

bestowed;

personification to dio (ancilla)

(servus). in another

overbold as some stringof explanations, of them As Eresburg is justas often speltHcrcsburg may seem. we fairly bringin the Goth, hairus, by the Frankish annalists, may AS. heor, OS. heru, ON. Morr, ensis,cardo, although the names of the rune and the day of the week always appear without the words aspirate.For in Greek we alreadyhave the two unaspirated Here

comes

and ''ApT]"i these

pointto

nuntiatio

ensifer Greek

^

The

aop,

been

Then

but

Sahsnot

another,and

one

again the

famous

Abre-

Woden, Saxnot, of

gods, Thunar,

littleinferior to the other two

is word

the need

of any transition, Ear in old age'. Transl.

for word Zio the

might at

gladiiconsors, or

name

once

Uor of

the

and

Saxnedt

be Ares

:

*

war

"

notions

of

of

war.

god

insensate, 6y

were

have

with

compare

else but [Germ, genoss, sharer] ; who Ai'tsP The AS. genealogies preserve

Or, without

stormful

heathen

three can

to

of the sword.

holiness.

and

is burdensome -

god

names

in power

too,

a

the third

whom

sword, weapon,

aop,

nvriva

and raving (wiitcn) Homer

insanire

calls Ares oi'Sfdepia-ra, II. 5, 761.

are

suitable to the and

0ovpns the wild, But

naiverai

is said of

blustering the ("tcj)p(cv other gods

Zeus (8, .300)and Dionysos or Bacchus particularly (6, l;-i2). ^ One swords might think of Fro, Freyr (ch.X), but of course glittering attributed to more than one god ; thus Poseidon (Ke])tune)wields a Sfivov II. 14, 38 j, and Apollo is called xpvo-"iopos, 5, 5(J9. Id, 250.

204

as

zio.

the

Tyr

of

O'Sinn,and

of

son

the

further,as

wielded

it is in

Woden, and

the

was

But

of

son

the sword

their race,

of I

so

nay

identical

Hcru

from

whom

Eor,

old national

also

and

them,

were

at

the

tires

all

'

eru,

this

After

of the

meaning heru

'

'

was

er,'I think

we

Esiis

(Lucan 1, 440), planetarysignof

or

by the consequentlythat

tacen,' and

after Chcru,

teaches that

time

same

the

us

iron is indicated

state,that the metal '

it,that

Zeus

named

to

opens

'

Mars, the AS.

of

be derived.^

can

name

pronounced cheru,'and last of bringin the Gallic war-god Hesus

firstof all may

with

their

and

name,

son

facts,which

of

weighty consonance

the

Ares

with

(seeSuppL). Saxons so were called,either because they stone (saxum),or placed this god at the head of Tacitus, a people the Chcruscans think

synonymous, =

perfectaccordance

the

rune

of Zio

pictureof a sword with its handle, or of a cally emphatispear.2 The Scythianand Alanic legendsdwell stillmore their agreement with Teutonic ways the god'ssword, and on of thinkingmay safelybe assumed, as Mars was equallyprominent in the faith of the Scythiansand that of the Goths. well with matches of the sword The impressive personification and to my that of the hammer, thinkingeach confirms the other. into the Both of two of the greatestgods pass over idea and name instrument by which they displaytheir might. Herodotus 4, 62 informs us, that the Scythians worshipped and

Eor

be

may

semblance

the

under

Ares

the

elevated which was {aKLvuKT)^), ['three furlongsin length and Orj

TOVTOV

eKciaTOLao-

ojKOV

Tov

tovt''

Kol

31,

Marcellinus

2 says

u

K

earc

t V

of

symbol

or

d tov

on

breadth, K

(J

r] "}

of the Alani

:

less in

but

ihr)fjeo"i

"A prjos Nee

sword

stack of brushwood

enormous

an

iron

ancient

an

height']:

I'Bpvrac dp-)(abo"i

ajakixa.

to

eVl

Ammianus

templum apud

eos

visitur

cerni usquam tugurium quidem culmo tectum ut ritu huvii figiturnudus, eumque potest,sed glacUusbarharico circumcircant praesulem,verecundius Martem, regionum quas he had And colunt. previouslyasserted of the Quadi also, a people,17, 12 (a.d.358):Eductis mucroniUts,quos decidedlyGerman aut

delubrura,

ne

fro

numiwibus

co/^w^i{, juravere se permansuros

1

with

a 2

AS.

The

suffix -Rk would

hardly fit with

in fide.

the material

sense

Perhaps all

of heru, far better

personalHeru.

Does

arwi^

is to arwe,

the ON. or, Ren. orrar, author overlook, or deliberately reject, % Among the forms for Tuesday occur Erigtag,Ergetag; erge Trans. "c. to niorwen, serge to sorwe, morgen

the arrow as

"

205

zio.

tlie Teutonic

nations

weapon/ just as

the

prisciscoluisse

acinacem

.

hastam,

Iiomanos

the

13, 79.

Juvenal

frameam,

with a touching of by their weapons, did per Martis Scythians and Eomans So Arnobius 6, 11 : Ridetis temporibus Marte Scythiae nationes, pro

swore

ut

Varronis

indicant

.

.

; this

Musae

franaea and

Scythian sword.^ Jornandes, followingPriscus 201, 17, tells of the Scythiansword, liow it came into the hands of Attila, cap. 35 : Qui (Attila), hasta

of

is

Eomans

the

the

altogetherlike

quamvis hujus esset naturae ut semper confideret,addebat ei tamen confidentiam gladiusMartis inventus, apud Scytharum reges semper habitus.

Quern Priscus

historicus

occasione

tali refert

buculam

pastor,inquiens,quidam gregisunam

quum

claudicantem

detectum,

conspiceret

heifer

(noticedone

tanti walking lame),nee causam vulneris iuveniret, sollicitus vestigia cruoris insequitur, tandemque venit ad gladiura, quern depascensherbas bucula incaute calcaverat, elfossumqueprotinusad Attilam defert. Quo ille munere gratuut erat latus, magnanimus, arbitratur se totius mundi principem

constitutum, et liellorum.

But

"

far-famed

some

Solomon of

of

per

Martis

the

gladiuvi potestatem sibi concessam

sword

northern

degeneratedinto swords.

Lambert

Hungary's mother, made

Bavaria,that from

the younger

a

it

unlucky one,

that relates,

present

this Otto's hands

Dedi, margrave

an

esse

of it to

a

queen,

Otto, duke

by way of loan to to Henry IV.,and lastly by his horse, and by

came

Dedi's son, then

Lupoid of Mersburg,who, being thrown the same sword buried at Mertenefeld. It w^as transpierced, questionwhether these local names Mersburg and Mertenefeld to

liave any

reference to the sword

of Alba

duke

of Mars.

like

A

great while

is

a

can

after,the

is said to have

dug it out of the earth againafter the battle of Mtihlberg (Deutscheheldensage see p. 311). We through what lengthenedperiodspopular tradition could go on nourishing itself on this world-old worship (seeSuppl.). With the word "ApT)"i the Lat. Mars to have nothingto appears contraction of do, being a Mavors, and the indispensable initial being even reduplicatedin Mamers ; so the fancied connexion between In

Eresburgand Marsbergwill the Old

Eomau

worship of

not

]\Iars a

1 Conf. RA. 896 ; and so late as Wigal. G517 des swer,'Sword, on thy it. poiiuuelI swear Juro per Dianam et Martem, Plaut. Mil. -

hold.

prominent placeis given

:

'

Swert, uf

glor.5, 21.

dinem

knopfeich

206

zio.

to the to

legendof Pious,a the babes

nurse

him,

identified with

Mars.

of the

That

a

shown

later.

helped in

our

Eomulus

Mars, his progenitor ;

to

year

is to

deity who may perhaps be say, the Anglo-Saxons called hesitation

without

Beda

Hreffcmonad', which

March

; certain features

will be

as

it after

also named

ancestors

who Saturn, a wood-spirit

Romulus

and

the third month

consecrated our

Eemus

to recall

seem antiquities

of

son

traces

to

a

might explain it by a god from hroS gloria, would These Hre"uJ. fama, OX. come names hruod, OFrank. chrod, which helped to form many hroSr,OHG. ancient words, e.g. OHG. Hruodgang, Hruodhilt, OFrank. Chrodogoddess HreSe; possiblyother

gang,

Chrodhild

shininggod as

HroSr

or

; did

of fame

HroeSi

races

Hruodo, Chrodo

express

Edda

of

V-

The

knows

no

to certain

the

races

epithetfor Tyr

such

(seeSuppl.).

To these discoveries

have

been

guided simply of the greatestgods of our of one by the several survivingnames have scarcely olden time,to whose attributes and surroundings we now we apply to him in tlie fairly may any other clue left. But main, wliat the poetry of other nations supplies.Zio is sure to but have been valiant and fond of war, like Ares, lavish of glory, stern

and

267); he

and

raves '

and

II. 5, 289. 20, 78. 22, ^'Aprja,

of

the

Servian follow be

againmust

phrase makes

and

like Zeus

rages

wolves, who

these creatures Greek

we conjectures

aaai {aiixaroQ bloodthirsty

blood-shedder ravens

or

them

song, him

Wuotan,

he

oIwvol

and

Kvves,

is that

gladdens the

to fields of

assignedmore

he

'old

hearts

of

battle,although

to Wuotan

(p.147); the

(birdsand dogs),and

the suspiciousand discredited to rescue for it in the 15th century, tliere is authority ; whatever in the earlier Mid. Ages. Bothe's Sassenchronik none (Leibn.3, 286) relates under the year 780, that King Charles, during his conquest of the East Saxons, overthrew on the Hartesburgan idol similarto Saturn, which the most If such an had reallyhappened, it would event people called Krodo. of the likely have been mentioned by the annalists, like the overthrow ^

In this connexion

legend of

a

b^axon

one

mitjht try

divinityKrodo

if other things For all that,the tradition need not be groundless, only correspond. Unfortunatelythe form Crodo for Chrodo, Hrodo, [likeCatti,alterw. Chatti,Hatti,Hessen] is rather too ancient,and I can find no support for it in the Saxon speech. A doc. of 1284 (Langs reg. 4, 247) dictus Krode,and a song in Nithart's MsH. 3, 208'' a Krotolf, a Walt herus has_ which however has no business to remind of Hruodolf, Ruodolf,being not us from krote,a toad, to but a nickname, and so to be derived a proper name, which be referred many of places, must names Krotenpful,"c., which have been mistakenly ascribed to the idol. The true form for Upper Germany would not tolerate a Kr, but only Hr or R (seeSuppl.).

Irniansul. would Rodo

207

zio.

the fields of the

where slain,

17,

II. 13, 233. fieXir-ndpa,

255.

hold

18, 179.

revel,are called

kvvwv

were Battle-songs

also

the

praisesof Zio, and perhaps war-dances II. 7, 241), from which executed I derive the (fieXirea-daL "Aprj'i, and widely prevalentcustom of the solemn sword-dance, persistent The Edda nowhere exactlythe thingfor the god of the sword. lays particularstress on the sword of war, it knows nothingof but it sets Sahsnot,indeed its sverSas is another god, HeiniSallr Tyr before us as onc-handcd, because the wolf,within whose jaws he laid his right hand whence as a pledge,bit it off at the joint, be

to

sure

tuned

the hounds

to

-^

the

wrist

called

was

incident must

have

iiltliSr, wolf-lith,Sa^m.

been

of the OlSr. exposition

einhendr of

trace

well-known

The

; conf. Sn. 105.

Asa

unless it,^

we

letter T

says, under

him, for

Tyr legend has

of Teutonic

rest

This

:

er no

for it in AValther's onehandcdness,

to look

are

characteristic of

and

likewise

runes

Sn. 35-6.

65^

mighty wielder of hosts '. I preferto that the reason adopt the happy explanation,^ why Tyr appears onc-handcd is,because he can only givevictoryto one part of the combatants, as Iladu, another god who dispensesthe fortune of and

find

in

war,

and

Plutos

his

the

name

and

'

Eortuna

the

among

and

Greeks

Eomans,

are

(see painted blind, because they deal out their giftsat random Suppl.). Now, as victorywas esteemed the highestof all fortune, the god of victoryshares to the full the prominent characteristics and fickleness. of luck in general, And a remoter period partiality of

nation may

our

Amongst

the

have

used

train of

bore upon this.^ certain there appear Mars

which

names

and

Ares

mythic beingswho personifythe notions and ^6l3o^ (II. 4, 440. 11, 317. 15, 119) ^

Conf.

2

Cod.

Apolloxp^t^aopos pal. 361,

horror.

of fear and

to the Latin

answer

above,p. 203, note. Julian,that he

65'* tells of

was

forced

to

Ae2/jL0"; Fallor

piit his hand

niuiit den Mercury's und die im clemniete hant, valant darinne uobte sich der e r (devil), dar, not mohte loose). irlosen sich niht im daz (could sie get er so vaste, gehabete limb, Woens-let,p. 160. Besides,the wolfs limb has a likeness to the Wuotan's

into

the

^

mouth

of

Wackernagel's,in

statue

the Schweiz.

:

mus.

Die

hant

stiez

er

im

in

1, 107.

II. of victory{v'lkt] eTepaXKrjs, changei'ulness of Arcs, an 339) epithet by 16, 6, ; vUrj eVajueijSfrai ai/S/KK, all-transionning A certain many-shaped and 5, 831. 88!). "AX\o7rp6aa\\os Vilandcrs (Ls. 1, almost the 369-92),Baldwith name a exactly being, same, visil)le indeed no has bk Sachs Jlaldander 537. c. andcrst, 1, Simpliciss. 6, 9), (H. of a god. The have been the name with the god of war, but it may connexion of a place in the Tyrol,Villandera of this Vilandcrs to the name similarity lirixen near (Velunutris,Vuluuuturusa, ucc. to Steub. p. 79. 178) Ls merely *

The

8, 171.

accidental.

Greek

362

epos expresses

the

208

zio.

Favor

and

with in

the

burst

hs.

of

Om.i

Voma,

witness

Zio.

Thorr

and

they

;

called

was

is

fear

fear

Be2/io";, pallor, (f)6/3o";,

of

the

anafiel

him,

a

the

with

Lat.

Tyr

is

is

not

OSinn

war-god.

as

found,

all-golden, to

the

described

HymisqviSa

a

but Ssera.

this

in

whose

immortal

ein

Gr.

105

Sn.

with

of

the

beauty have

must son

a

a

is indicated

by

been

a

(see Suppl.).

sense,' ceo'i

10

before

paura,

peur

invasit),

eum

im

5

was

fled

forhta

; so

verre

far

from

(see Suppl.).

But

was

so

Ililta, comparable

of

His

our

like

54,

Eris, who

giants.

of

")(\wpov

fem.

ps.

female

son

in

vividly

(terror

fear

and

Enyo

as

the

N.

280,

and

When

more

sorge

sper,

it, Wh.

the

kinsman

53%

niht

it

into

diu

again

embodiments

ana,

MHG.

conf.

the

Wuotan

17, 67

ongeat

mih

get acquainted and

and

war

;

Bellona

bring

broga

cham

also

upon

they

yet

deprives

masculine

strakh,

se

reach

not

shall

we

on,

Ipn,hine

2, 4

but

by passing

erreichen

could

spear

further

T.

mohte

sie

;

tras,

forhta

inan,

ubar

entriten,

to

OHG.

2583.

seizes

(Kouiginh.

designate

gigantum.

Iliad

press

borders

between

terror

the

in

off;

pavor,

AS.

Eomance.

Beow.

iotna,

weakened

was

pavor

This

'surprises, seizes, shakes,

far

not

(neut.) aipel, pale

and

6tti

(terror)

them,

cry

servants,

was

leaps.

Strakh

which

or

provided

suddenly

loud

a

Ares,

of

is

chase

bands,

terms

there

community

he

and

spectral.

sons

steeds

he

throats

120),

companions,

the

which

(tremor)

their

119,

the

Aeschylus

of

out

and

ghostly (pp.

in

enemy's

of

out

are

his

to

the

on

harness

Tras

songs,

Yggr

not

personification

us,

and

squeeze

phraseology

modern

(13, 299),

shades

and

.god himself, bear

son

forest

104)

that

Bohemian

necks

84.

former

two

(/xeXadpov tectum),

old

out

their

on

his

dwelling

a

So

called

is

'^o^os

the

it is

;

OSinn, mother,

the

is

really

but

one

the

in

whose

name

epithet all-gullin,

giant's daughter,

who

bore

X.

CHAPTEE

(FEEYR).

FRO,

god that stands next in power and glory,is in the Norse to even mythology Frcijr(Landn.4, 7) ; with the Swedes he seems of itself proclaimshow have occupied the third place. His name the other Teutonic races, a widely his worship prevailedamong in christian sacred enough to he given to the Supreme Being even name have been a broad pregnant sense times. There must underlying The

the

god,and or

to

:

the

While

equally fit for

the

of individuality

comprehensivenotion of dominion, whether the particular nations it signified god,to some

pretty deity in general,

soverain

with

it

for the

secular

the

the

made

word, which

proper

the

Zio, Zeus, the

names

of other heathen

names

and christians,

Gothic

a

the ear; this

harshlyon

one

much

as

gods became

Vodans

Thunrs

or

sacred others

found, connected

we

deus, 6eo"i.

generalterm

more

one

an

abomination

would

have

to

grated

primitiveguj?itself, offence,and signifyby turns

like expression,

the

long time without the heavenly lord and an earthlyone. It is true, the names do not correspondquiteexactly. The ON. Freyr gen. Freys,which Saxo gives quite correctlyin its Danish wise the Swed. likeform as Fro gen. Fros (whence Froso, Fro's island), could

remain

yet

Fro, ought

a

to be

in Gothic

Fraus

Fravis,^instead of which,

or

translating Ulphilasshows /raiya gen. fniujins, KvpLo^; form the other hand, the ON. dialect lacks both the weak on (Freyi, Freyja),and the meaning of lord. The remaining languages all huld with the Gothic. frouwo In OHG. the full form was already every

of

page

lost,the writers preferring truhtin;it is only in the 'fro min ! (0.i. 5, o5. ii. 14, 27. v. 7, 35. Ludw. '

^

Frey

=

Fravi,as

liey

"

luivi

(hay),mey

"c.

14

=

inavi

form

of address

bed)

(maid),ey

=

that

avi

the

(isle),

210

FRO.

word

for

divine

earthlylord was preserved, justas that antique sihora and sire (p.27) lasted longestin addresses. In the Heliand the word is used in addressing, it is always in the shortened too, when form fro min ! 123, 13. 140, 23. fr6 min the godo ! 131, 6. 134, 15. 138, 1. 7. waldand fro min ! 153, 8. drohtin fro min ! 15, 3 ; but in other cases we do find the complete/"'d/io gen. frohon 3, 24 ; frdho 119, 14, gen. frahon 122, 9, fraon 3, 24. 5, 23 ; froio a

Still the OS.

poet uses the word seldomer than the with drohtin and herro,and he always puts a possessive

21.

93, 1, 107, synonyms

it,never

or

mari drohtin, riki drohtin,craftagdrohtin, adjective(lilce

an

liob

still less does he make herro), compounds with it (likesigiThe AS. drohtin): all symptoms that the word was freezing up. fredjgen. frean (forfreaan,freawan)has a wider sweep, it not only admits adjectives Csedm. 1, 9. 10, 1),but also forms (frea?elmihtig, Csedm. 135, 4. aldorfreii 218, 29. folcfrea compounds: agendfrea, combines with dryhten : freadryhten, Crodm. 54, 111, 7 ; and even But 29, gen. freahdrihtnes,Beow. 1585, dat. freodryhtne5150. now by the side of our OHG. fro there is found a rigid(indecl.) frono,which, placedbefore or after substantives, impartsthe notion of lordly, high and holy; out of this was graduallydeveloped a and flexible adj.of like meaning /ro?i, more again an adj.fronisc (pulcher,mundus, inclytus,arcanus),OS. fronish,frdnish. In and even MHG. modern German have a good many we compounds in the above sense, while/ro7t7zc?i,/rd'A?ie is witli vron, as also the adj. "

to do

service to one's lord,to dedicate.

The

Frisian

butes dialect contri-

difrdn,dominions, and/rawa, minister publicus. The added in all these derivatives can be explainedby the Gothio, frdujlnon -n as dorninari,though there was probably no Gothic fraujinisks, fronisc and

not

seems

frono

had

set

to have

been

formed

till after the contraction

fro

in.

frduja does not present to us the simple Eom. 7, 2), stem, I look for it in a lost adj.fravis (likenavis v"Kp6"i, MHG. the same the OHG. as /ro gen. frouwes, OS. /ra gen. fralies, mitis, laetus, frolic, "c.],and signifying froh [frohlich, vro, and our the same dialects derive frouwi, gaudium,frouwan, blandus ; whence "c. (seeSuppl.). laetum reddere, frouwida, laetitia, that a god Frauja,Frouwo, Fraho was I do not mean to assert and as distinctlyworshipped by the Goths, Alamanns, Franks Saxons in the first centuries of our long after in era, as Freyr was But

even

the Gothic

211

FRO.

possiblethat the form frauja already Travis of the more vividlyconcrete generalization

Scandinavia, harboured

it is

even

=

a

therefore

Freyr,and

less offensive

seemed

the christians.

to

But

higherbeing is unmistakable, and the compounds to hang about in the Mid. ages there still seems of old sacredness;this with won a sense somethingweird, unearthly, and the earlydisappearance for the rare account occurrence may for the grammaticalimmobility of of the OHCt. fro,and even words, the reference

in both

frono

; it is

echo

though an

as

to

a

be stilldetected

could

of heathenism

in them. A

worship of

proper names The Goths we

and

Fro

of later times

even

the

use

Frduja

as

of lord

sense

the

from

even

by especially poeticepithets,

hardly attribute

can

be inferred

may

a

the

man's

of certain

use

Anglo-Saxons. name,

simply :

an

to which

envoy

from

king Hadafus to Charles the Great is called Froia (Pertz1, 184. in a Frcvnlo occurs OHG. 2, 223),perhaps Froila (Fraujila) ; an AS. The in document genealogiescontain Neugart no. 162. elsewhere is often found (Beda 138, 19. 153, WlXscfred;the name the god or lord of wishing (p.144). suitable to Woden 5),and seems Equally to the point is the poeticfredivine(fredwinefolca)in it is a mere Beow. 4708. 4853. 4871, where epithetof divine or godloved

heroes

and

Fred2cine, whom OHG.

Saxo

documents

juvav.p. 302,

kings.

the

But

Gram,

likewise

calls Frowinus

have

the

Cod. lauresh. 712, but

Frioivini

the distinguished families,e.rj., one

been

kej)tup

times.

Froivin

722),and

of the Von

What

is

produce its

(better Frowinus) name

proper

noble

till modern

pedigreecan

Wessex

;

(Trad.

in several

Huttens,

it has

remarkable, the Edda

Freys vinr (Saera. 219^),like the AS. fredwine, only uncompounded : SigurSris Frey's friend and protege, or perhaps Here againfred, his votary and servant, in the way shown on p. 93. have merely the generalmeaning of lord,any lord. fro,freyr,cannot who boast their descent The Swedish heroes in the Bravalla fight, uses

from

of

a

hero

Fro,

are

in Saxo, p. 144, called Fro

which dei necessarii,

is

the AS. and ON. poetries, exactlyour Freysvinar. In the same way the expression and consequently the myths, have in common freyr, fred Ingwina (gen.pi.),Beow. 2638, Ingvinar (gen. sing.) Ssem, 65^ Ingifreyr obs. bor. spec. 6,p. 43), Ingunnar /?'cyr, (Thorlac. dominus,' by which is to be understood a hero or god,not juiiior is called OSin's son, Sn. as Thorlacius, Yngvi/rt-y?p. 68, supposes. '

FRO.

212 I

211=*.

shall

back

come

mysteriouscombination speak of the hero Ingo.

of two

this

to

to The mythicalnames, when I come skalds append this freyrto other names and to common nouns, fiornis in Kormakssaga,pp. 104 122, freyr,myv^\freyr'mean in the heightenedgeneralsense which than hero or man more

ON. e.g.,

'

All

made

that I have

o-od,will receive

out

thus

there

does not

Eoman

appear

it

in

the

for him

room

no

was

on

each

the

series of

there

; if

way

when and

the

fern.

idea

to

come

we

sister

of the

are

amine ex-

made

for the other.

gods of

the week, because translate

must

we

and

name

stand

can

same

we

p. 317.

lightand confirmation sister Freyja. The brother

alike in all their attributes,and

Fro

far

the

new

divine

his

In

lady, Kormakss.

frau,woman,

freyjameans

t^r.

irmin, tir and

in the words

noticed

no

him

by

a

scarcelybe any other than that of Liher,whose Libera is extremely like that of Fro with Frowa association with (Freyr with Freyja). As Liber and Libera are devoted to the name,

service of Ceres with Nerthus,

can

or

Demeter, Fro

Fro's

fruitfulness.

and

deeds

performs no

of

has

; horse

war

in

close

union

middle

placebetween that of a being who bringsabout but Wuotan's creative quality, he givesaway, when and sword

lord and

He

stand

Frowa to hold

godhead seems

the notion of the supreme love

and

a

longingfor the fair GerSr, as is sung in one of the Snorri says, rain and sunsliine are most glorious lays of the Edda. and of AVuotan in the giftof Freyr (aselsewhere Donar, pp. 157. drs oc of the soil and iov peace {til 175) ; he is invoked for fertility revered Swedes Sn. 28 ; conf. Yngl. saga cap. 12). The fricfar, of their chief gods,and Adam of Bremen him one as says that at (seeSuppL). Upsal his statue stood by those of Thor and Wodan and Thorr is he OSinn named next to Also in Stem. 85^ (asabragr) calls him Fricco^ which is precisely parallel as the third god. Adam of the two Freyja and Frigg, goddessesto the frequent confusion But he paintshim as a which I shall deal with at a future time. consumed

with

o^od of peace

and

love:

Tertius

est

largiens mortalibus, cujus etiam

1

Which

fiUd. 386.

occurs

elsewhere

as

a

man's

Fricco, pacem simulaclnaim

name,

voluptatemque fingunt inycnti

e.g.,Friccheo in

Schannat,Trad.

213

FRO.

offcrunt)Fricconi. celebrandae sunt, (sacrificia ;^ si niiptiae priajjo there is the story,harmonizingwith this,though related from Then god'sdetriment, of the christian pointof view and to the heathen Freys statue being carried round the country in a waf/r/on, and of This progress Fornm. his beautiful young priestess, sog. 2, 73-8. he shall drbot' when skal gera monnum takes place, ]?aer hann for men make year'sboot ; the people flock to meet the car, and look clears up and men the weather then bring their offerings, those which Saxo,p.15, names The offerings are for a fruitful year. oxen (Vigagl. Frohlut ; live animals w^ere particularly presented, to seems Islend. sog. 2, 348),which explain why saga, p. 56. for an ox, Sn. 221^; in the poeticnames Freyr is reckoned among '

like

manner,

called

horses

Frcyfaxi and

victims

fell to

him

w^ere

consecrated

accounted in

to

him, such

holy,Vatnsd. Gram.

Saxo

Sweden,

p. 140 42.

a

; and

one

was

human

Freyr possessed lightedup

bristles

'

golden with the speed of a horse and drew the the nightlike day,who ran It is therefore in Frey'sworship that the 66. 132. deity's car, Sn cakes in the shape atonevient-boar is sacrificed (p.51) f in Sweden And here we come of a hoar are baked on Yule-eve. upon a good outside of done to the god,even relics of the service once many whence dimin. We hear of the clean gold-liog Scandinavia. {-ferch, and Thuringia of the Wetterau farrow)in the popular customs a

hoar

named

whose Gulliribursti,

'

"

(p. 51).

In

the

Mid.

Dutch

poem

of Lantslot

ende

Sandrin,

v.

knightsays to his maiden : ic heb u liever dan en everswtn, I hold you dearer than a boaral waert van Jlnengoudeglicwraclitl it of fine gold y- wrought ; were swine, all were they still in the habit of making gold jewels in the shape of boars ? at least the not of such a thingwas remembrance yet lost. Fro and his boar in a superstition of Gelderland,which also have had a hand may however puts a famous hero in the placeof the god : Derh met den 374,

'

a

friofr I would identifythe ON. friof semen, priapns TTpiairos hmks The Bremensis conf. seed. stutement of Aduimis (Jotli. fraiv, ; the festivals xxii. xxiii to since Wolf in Ids Wodana xxi. better, brought light This ters and images of Priapns or Ters at a late period in the Netherlands. the Herbort is of 4054 is the AS. tmrs, OHG. and name uttering shy zers, of tlie nations Xerses. so anti([uity, Phallus-worship, widely spread among 1

With

foecimdus

of the generative have arisen out of an innocent veneration i)rinciph', After all is said, later age, conscious of its sins,prudishly avoided. a there is an in Phol too and the avoidance of his name inklingof the same (ch.XI), though I do not venture exactlyto identifyhim with (fxiWos. ^ II, 19, 197. '2ol. Not only Demeter, but Zeus received loar-ojj'erings,

must

which

214 leer

FRO.

Derrick (Theoderic,

with

doors, else the

within

unfit for use.^

them

boar

In the

sallied out, and

Berhta

his round

boar)goes

on

Christmas-

careful to get all implements of Imsbandry

night,and peopleare

eve

the

will same

looked

them

trample Christmas

dame

season,

the

after

about, and

and ploiiffhs

make

Holda

or

spindles,

instead of Fro. motherly goddesses instead of the god, Frouwa charms With this again are connected the formae aprorum worn as ritus habitusque Aestyans, who yet have the by the remote 45 says, these Tacitus Germ. Suevorum'. figuresrepresent the deum,' of a female Fro, i.e.,oi Freyja; and, worship of the 'mater Edda the what is conclusive on this point, (Sajm.114=^)assignsthe Gullinlursti to Freyja,though elsewhere he belongsto Freyr (see mention of these Suppl.). Anglo-Saxon poetry, above all,makes When Constantine these gold swine. in a vision sees hoar-hadges, his sleep, he is said to be eoforcumUebejjeaht(aprisigno tectus), El. 76 ; it must the have been fastened as an auspiciousomen over of Elenc's head of the bed. Afterwards again,in the description statelyprogress to the east : "a3rwa?s on eorle eSgesyne grimhelm manig, cenlic eoforcumbul (tuncin duce apparuithorrida cassis,exThe poet is describing of cellens apriforma).El. 260. a decoration the king's is the helmet's crest, and the old heathen time, cumbul '

"

adorned

helmet

appears to be passages in Beowulf

with

image

of

a

boar.

Several

beyond a doubt: eoforlic gehrodengolde,fah and fyrheardferhwearde

place the

scionon ofer hleor beran

the

matter

videbantur comptam, (apriformam supra genas gerere auro 605 het vitam tuebatur), ])"inberan ; quae varia igneque durata heaSosteapne helm (jussitafferri aprum, capitis eofor hedfodsegn, 4300 ; swin ofer helme signum, galeam in pugna prominentem), 2574; swin ealgylden, eoforirenheard (sus aureus, (sussupra galea), a helmet placed on the funeral aper instar ferri durus),2216, i.e., (= OHG. Fropileas a costlyjewel; helm befongen Fredwrdsomm hine fyrndagum worhte smiS, besette s%oi7iswa wsepna reisanum), bitan ne meahtan brond ne beadomecas hine siSJ^an no licum, Jjffit sicut earn olim fabricaverat armorum (galeaornata Frohonis signis, laedere "faber,circumdederat earn apri formis, ne gladiusensesve heold

2905 possent),

eam

1

in

Staring,in

the

;

as

a

sacred divine

symbol,it was

journalMnemosyne, Leyden Dordrecht mythulogie,

Westendorp'sNoordsche

1, 323 ; 1830. p. 495.

1829.

to

protect in

quotedthence

215

FRO.

The OHG. the foe.^ affright eofor,aper),placed by Eimrhelm (eber, battle and

Such

meaning. appro2)riate

and

ornaments

to

even

christian

and long continue obliterated,

side of Frohelm

28^,18)acquiresthus

patav.no. 20; MB.

in the Trad,

occur

the

Epurhelm,

name

proper

boar-crests

might

still

heroes, after the memory to be

a

(both special

serve

of Fro

as was

wrought simply as jewels(see

Suppl.). Some other traces of boar consecration have lasted still of the boar-voiv I have in England. The custom later,especially As even festive at the present day on explainedin RA. 900-1. "

occasions

boar's head

wild

a

is

in the

show-dish,they used

seen

Mid.

among

Ages

the

other it up

serve

'

a

times, even

a

virtuous

live boar makes

hero

chops its head Christmas day, carry laudes

Reddens a

link of

that

man

Domino

a

at

Arthur's over

it,it is

the firstslice.

carve

in the

its appearance

Table

At

hall,and

;

only

other a

bold

they exhibit a hoars head on solemnly round, singing:Caput apridefero, (seeSuppl.). Those Aestyans may prove

off. it

can

as

banquets, it about and play all hoars head garnished

to

garnishedwith laurel and rosemary, to carry of pranks with it : Where stood a manner ballad about With bayes and rosemarye,' says one when three strokes have been given with a rod the knife of

dishes

At

between fellowship

Oxford

the Germanic

nations

and

the Finnish

that the Tcherkass noticing, sians) (Circasworship a god of woods and hunting,Mesitch by name, who of the other gods bristles} To most rides a wild hoar ivith (/olden animals are sacred,to Fro the daring dauntless boar, as well tame befits a god of the chase. Perhaps also a huge hoar with white tusks,^who in Slavic legend rises foaming out of a lake,is that of a kindred deity.

and

Asiatic

; it is

well worth

virtue,which Freyr a sivord of surpassing Stem. 82. could put itself into motion againstthe brood of giants, in straits, His givingit away when proved his ruin afterwards ; it of his death, when at the Ragnarokr he held to be the cause was and had with missed to stand Surtr (swart), his singlecombat The

"

so

On

Edda

this

attributes to

of Tacitus about the Aestyans agrees (juotingin full : Aestyorum gentes. ]\Iatreni deum Suevorum. venerantur :

point again,the

exactly,that it

seems

quibus ritus habitusque formas insignesuperstitionis, *

3

.

.

.

.

.

gestant ; id pro armis omniumque tutela aprorum inter hostes praestut. Trans. Kusshxnds Erman's archiv fur wissenschaltl. kunde 1842, heft 1, p. 118. Od. 19. XtvKco 405, 41G. 11. AfvKov avs uSupti, II, odovra, deae cultorem

securum

statement

wortli

etiam

"

216

FRO.

trustyblade. Sn. 73.

this sword

also afloat about on

the

Wodan, Fricco took

it

strengthof Saxnot '

or

'

the Eddie

Add

to

'

=

to

appear

Adam

have

it would

f- and

placedthe

we

beside

Freyr, Fricco

possessor.

There

been not

seem

well-known

of

other

traditions

if far-fetched,

of trilogy

Bremen's

'

Wodan,

the

be

to

this,tliat the Edda

same never

as

Sahsnot

mentions

Thunar,

Thor

OSinn, Asabragr,Freyr/^that is to Fro

'

and

say, if we

the

sword-

the sword

of

in favour of Sahsnoz Tyr. Nevertheless there are stronger reasons of Wuotan, whereas a son being Zio : this for one, that he was of NiorSr, though some genealogiesto be presently Freyr comes mentioned bringhim into connexion with Woden. of NiorSr, the For the brilliant Freyr, the beneficent son dwarfs had constructed wonderful a shipSkiSblaSnir,which could fold up like a cloth,Sam. 45^ Sn. 48. Yngl. saga cap. 7 (see Suppl.).3 Besides the Swedes, the Thrtendir in Norway were devoted to Freyr above all other gods, Fornm. Occasionally sog. 10, 312. of his are named, as ThorSr Freysgoffi(ofthe lOtli century), priests

Landn.

4, 10

and

Nialss. cap. 96

;

Flosi appears

to have

succeeded

cited in Landn. are FreysgycFlingar The Vigaglumssagacap. 19 mentions 4, 13. Freys liofat Upsala, and cap. 26 his statue at Thvera in Iceland,though only in a nightvision : he is picturedsitting a on chair,giving short and surly that Glumr, who to his supplicants, ok reiSuliga) so answers (stutt in cap. 9 had sacrificed an old ox to him, now on awaking from his his service. In the Landn. 3, 2 and Vatnsd. pp. dream neglected which told of a Freyr giorr af silfri 44. 50 we are (made of silver), In the Verlauffs used in drawing lots ; conf note, p. 362. was Landn. 4, 7 is preservedthe usual formula for an oath : Hialpimer sva Freyr ok JVidrcFr ok hinn almdttki as (sohelp me F. and N". and Thorr rather that almightyas)I by which last is to be understood his father in the

office; other

wrought by Galant himself Floberge (Garin ], 263. 2, 30-8) ; (Wielant,Wayland), has L^itter the no though onr hiter Fhxmberge seems reading it. have from fro-bergende to Frobergeniiglit very well be either a mere sprung of the god Fro's sword ; conf. the reminiscence a or (lord-protecting) weapon, There are townships called in word-formations 2, 486. quoted in my Gramm. OHG. Helidberga,Marahaberga (horse-stable). The ON. has no Freybiorg know I that of,though it has Thorbibrg fem.,and Thorbergr niasc. 2 Also in Sn. 131, OiSinn,Thorr, Freyr are speakersof doom. translatas.' 3 humeris plicatiles Pliny N. H. 5, 9 mentions Ethiopian' naves ^

In old French

poetry I find and

a

famous

named Frobergeor discoverable sense,

sword

217

KIKDU.

Egilssagap. 3G5, Frcijr,Niorffr and the likewise mentioned laiidds (Thorr) are together. In tlie same The ok Niordr are againplaced side by side. Egilss. p. G72, Fi'cyr story of the Brisinga-men(-monile; append,to Sn. 354) says, OSinn to be sacrificialgods. Hallhad appointedboth Freyr and Morcfr frec5rsang (Fornm. sog. 2, 53, conf. 12, 49) : the

tlian OSinn, for in '

Frcyja,fiarcSloet ek

]\Ier skyliFreyr oc

vi5 Grimni

liknist grom

aSul

ok Thorr

gramr

XiarSar, rammi

enn

!

That

Freyr in these passages should be brought forward with Freyja and NiorCr,is easy to understand (seeSuppL). Of Niur"r German our mythology would have nothingto tell, mentions than Saxo Gram, ever him by that name, had any more that happy touch of a goddess jS'eiihns, not Tacitus put in for us whose identitywith the god is as obvious as that of Fro with Frouwa.

The

for

both

Gothic

form

would

Nairpus

do

for

either

or

considered the son possiblyFravijawas of the goddess NairJ)us, as Freyr is of the god NiorSr, and in in her car, publishing the circuit which the goddess makes peace that and fertility to mortals,we of Freyr or of his can recognise father XiorSr. ings According to Yngl. saga cap. 11, these very blessbelieved to proceed from also : NiorSr were auSigT seni NiorSr a (richas N.) was proverbialsaying for a wealtliyman,

even

sexes

;

'

'

Vatnsd. for

he

would

Snorri,in Formali

p. 202.

instructed be

nearer

mankind

the mark

with

Dionysus or Liber, or

laid

on

Saturn,

vine-dressingand

to think even

with

of him

with

and

Noah,

husbandry ; it Freyr in connexion

if any

stress

is to be

'

As being in Noatun. freyr was affixed of heroes (p.211-2),I find geirniorffr to other names used for a hero in general,Siem. 266^ ; conf. geirmimir,geirniflungr, "c. The itselfis hard to explain; is it akin to north,AS. norS,ON". name In Sa3m. 109^ there is niarSlas for sera ? norSr, Goth. naur])s I have met with no Nirdu, Nerd, Nird among ? firma,or pensilis OHG. with in the AS. NeorS a nor names, writings. proper Irminon's polyptych22 2** has Narthildis (seeSuppl.). Niorffr appears have to been oc greatlyhonoured : hofum no horgum hann raiSr hundmorgum, Siem. 30=^ ; esj)ecially, doubt, that lived the sea The Edda coast. makes him on people among rule

over

NiorS's

in

10, identifies him

abode

'

he loves wind, sea and fire,

in Tacitus bathes in the lake

waters

(Sn.27) ;

from

and

lakes,as Nertlius

the

mountains

of the

218

FRO.

midland

he

too, from

their

the view

of the elder

longs to be away where the swans sing on the cool shore ; a water-plant, of Niar"ar the spongiamarina, bears the name to elsewhere was vdttr,NiorS's glove,which very likelypassed on his daughter Freyja,and of orchis kinds to Mary, for some so hand-shaped root, are called Mary's hand, lady-hand, god'shand (Dan.gudshaand). As Dionysus stands outside the ring of the twelve Olympian gods,so MorSr, Freyr and Freyja seem by rightsnot to have been the reckoned marshalled Ases, though they are among among them in Sn. 27-8. Vanir, and therefore,accordingto They were did

AsgarS, so in

the

Ases

Edda, different from Vanir

in

; as

these dwelt

the Alfar in

Vanaheim,

Alfheim, the

Freyr is called Vaningi, Sa;m. Vanir and wise, Saim. 36* were regarded as intelligent into intimate entered the Asen, fellowship with Alfs and lotuns always remained opposed to them. lotnar

fancied Vanir

lotunheim.

that for

Alfs

the

Slav;

and

and

stand

lotuns

building chieflyon

1 to find the

of

attempt

an

the Tanais

86^. ; and

while Some

Celtic races,

for

in

in

The

they the have

and

the

the

Yngl.

in

Tanaqvisl (or Vanaby inference an actual boundary-line qvisl!),they have drawn Aesir and Vanir Germani and Slavi in the regions between sure formerly occupied by them (see Suppl.). And enough a is to this day called in Finnish Eussian Wenailainen, in Esth. the name of the Wends Wennelane might be dragged in, ; even though the Vandili of Tacitus point the other way. Granting that saga

cap.

name

=

there may

be

for

foundation

some

these

views, still

to

mind

my

conceptionsof Aesir, Vanir, Alfar in the Edda are sketched on too mythical for any historical meaning to be a ground altogether Ases and Vanir, got out of them ; as regardsthe contrast between the

I

am

aware

of

essential difference

no

gods ; and, whatever Froiiwa, Freyja answers

stress

all follow

that

Frouwa

Germanic

deities than

Liber,

he

as

universal better clues

is

Fro,

on

veneration

representedin we

to

our

of

the

it may a

Donar,

we

are

though

even or

is silent

Tacitus

Jupiter,yet

scanty

of

the

several

be

Perun

have, Frauja, Fro, Freyr

that, consideringthe

cultus

rightto lay on the fact that Slavic goddess Priye,it does not at and Nerthus in a less degree were

rest.

Perkunas

the

in

;

appears

information

so

on

the German

entitled to the

Gothic

we

have

assume

a

is fai'rguni also,to judge by what so firmly established, about

our

219

FRO.

German no antiquities, nations

some

have

may

that is not

even

race

be

can

denied

worshipped

liim

sliare in

a

than

more

liini, tliougli

others;and

easy to ascertain,except in Scandinavia.^

worthy of notice,that the AS. and ON. genealogiesbrino' Fred into kinshipwitli Wuden, making Finn the father of a Frealaf of them insert two more and him again of Woden (P'riGleifr), ; some and links, FriSuwulf FriSuwald, so that the complete pedigree in stands thus : Finn, Fri"uwulf, Frcdldf,Fri"awald, Wdclen (or, old the place of Frealaf, our acquaintance Freawine). Here all the same are thing,a evidentlyFriSuwulf,Frealaf,FriSuwald mere expansion of the simple Fred. This follows even from a quite different OX. Burr genealogy,Fornald. sog. 2, 12, which makes (= Finn; conf. Eask, afh. 1, 107-8) the immediate progenitorof OSinn, and him of Freyr,NiorSr and a second Freyr. The double and FriSuwald, as the Freyr correspondsto the AS. FriSuwulf here expressingglad, free and fair are words of kin to one near the same AS. another. Lastly,when genealogiesby turns call is supportedby Finn's father Godwulf and Folcimld,this last name tlie 'Fin Folcwalding'(-ing son) of Cod. exon. 320, 10 and of be to Frea and his Beow. 2172, where again the reference must (Siem.87% conf. 10=^)designatesFreyr folcvcddi race, for the Edda It is

=

'

this

(al.folcvaldr) goSa'. Now i.e.the dominator, princeps, pass into

a

OSinn, there

On

name.

proper

will

same

be

more

comparison of NiorSr Poseidon justification, evidently Snorri's

as

the to

folkvaldi

means

frea,fr6,and

seems,

linkingof Freyr and say with

in

ch.

(Neptune)the

than

like it,to

NiorSr

with

(see Suppl.). If

XV

Kronos

other

no

(Saturn)have son

of Kronos

any

would

sea-god; and IloaeiScov might be Gotli. faj^s), Lith. pats, Sansk. patis, which referred to iroacs (lord, Fro. the same as means Only then both Fro and Nirdu would againbelong to the eldest race of gods. nearer

come

"

Wh.

to

our

Teutonic

Miiller,Nibehingensagepp. 136"148,

wishes

to extend

the Siieves and

the Vanir

Germans, and to draw a Goths, not to the western the worshipof Freyr and distinction between tliat of "Wiiotan,wliicli to me I give up the point,that Nior^r and Nerthus looks very dou\)tful. As little can brother and sister, and jointparents of Freyr and Freyja ; this is grounded were not only on of Snorri in the Yngl. saga cap. 4, where a later re])resentuti(jn yet the female NidrS is nowhere named, as Tacitus converselyknows only a female thiuni vi(5 svstor Nerthus and no god of that name tSu'm. 65" : ; but also on with thy sister begattest thcu such brood, though here again gaztu slikan niog,'

gods only to

'

the sister is left muiamed.

CHAPTEE

XI.

PALTAR

The

form a

happily for

witli variations

and

:

The

god-myth.

us

been

there is

Edda

sets

also

handed

better

no

beautiful in

ingeniousand

of the most

Balder, one

of

Edda, has

the

in

myth

(BALDER).

down

a

later

fluctuations

example of

the pure

forth,how

in

blameless

deity

to by the blind HoSr, and must go down the nether world, bewailed by all ; nothing can fetch him back, and In Saxo, all is pitched the true wife follows him in death. Nanna both wooing and rival suitors, Hother in a lower key : Balder are to procure the favoured a one Nanna, and Hother magic manages

is struck

with

Mistiltein

of

has wavered

war

enemy

is vulnerable

Ions;between

them, Hother

alone his

sword, by which

; when

the

fortune

is at last victorious

Hel, glad at the near prospect of slaysthe demigod, to whom But here the grand possessing him, shews herself beforehand. funeral pileis prepared for Gelder, a companion of Balder, of whom The worship of in the Edda knows the account nothing whatever. the god is attested chiefly v, Eornald. by the Fri5']?iofssaga, sog. 2, 63 seq. (seeSuppl.). and

Baldr, gen.

Baldrs, reajDpears in the OHG.

proper

Paltar

name

611) ;^ and in the AS. Icaldor,haldor, a lord, prince, signifying king,and seemingly used only with a gen. baldor, Caidm. 163, 4. pi.before it : gumena wigeua baldor, Jud. (inMeichelbeck

no.

132, 47.

bealdor, Beow.

sinca

princeps)is the

used

5, 307. 1

aro

said

of

even

a

4852.

exon.

maiden.

bealdor

winia

5130.

276,18 mtegSa bealdor I know

of

only a

few

It

is

(virginum examples

brynju, Ssem. 272^ and herbaldr 218'' are in general; atgeirsbaldr (lanceaevir),Fornm. a hero sog. This conversion from to a noun name a proper appellative

ON.

for

460.

that in the Cod.

remarkable

in

450.

:

Graff 1, 432

baldur

stands for Paltaro,and is a compoiuul of name nnsujiportedby analogy ; in tlie ninth and tenth not always find Epiu-aro yet curtailed,and we Epurar.

tliinks this

(aar,aquila),bnt

centuries, weak

t

this is

forms

are

never (.eberaar, boar-eagle),

221

PALTAR.

exactlyreminds us is already extinct likewise

have

to

knuwn

with

by

the Goth,

out

in

the ON. OHG.

that

so

ballr. As It: the

a

forms

Gothic

in both

appear

close connexion

have

to

1" by

have

assumed.^ no

ON.

paid, is represented

11 and in

even

connexion

the OHG.

rule,the Gothic Id

a

seems

Baldrs,gen.

as

Paltar with

Id in both cases, and

after all. Paltar,is possible

forms

OHG.

ld.2

Gothic, ON. and

in the

same

guage;^ lan-

between

On

Balder's wife Nanna

probable:

Gothic

strictness appear

will sometimes

root

a

Paltar proper name early; heathen songs in OHG. may our

prose,

bal|7s (bold,audax),nor

the OS. and AS. have

OHG.

the OTsT.ty*r. As bealdor

(princeps), fairlybe may

would

Id and

ON.

But

with

AS.

princeps. Such

baldrs

Baldrs

Baldr

nor

died =

Ualdris,and

iVu,fred,and fniuja,

in

paltar

a

This

of

and Baldrs,* bal]9s paid and mythologicalgrounds it is even

is also the bold

one,

from

nenna

to

she would dare ; in Gothic have been Nanjjo from in nan];jan, Naiuld from gi-nendan. The OHG. Baldr of the Edda not may himself by bold deeds, but in Saxo he lightsmost distinguish neither of these naiTatives pretends to give a valiantly ; and of his life. Perhaps the Gothic Bedtime complete account (Jornandes 5, 29) traced their originto a divine Bal];sor Baldrs (see Suppl.). Yet even this meaning of the bold god or hero migiitbe a later one : the Lith. laltas and Lett, halts signify the white, the baltas exactly good ; and by the doctrine of consonant-change, and OHG. to the Goth. bal];s answers paid. Add to this,that the AS. genealogies call Woden's not son Bealdor,Baldor,but Bceldceg, Beldcg,which would lead us to expect an OHG. Paltac,a form that '

'

I confess

I have

other proper

nowhere

compounded

names

Paltar, Balilr.^, 420. 448 no. (Scliannat 1

Paldheri

is the ^

same

read.

as

be

must

j, Faldheri Paldachar

kept

But

both

with

and da,'g

distinct

no.

tac

the

:

kalds

)

kaldr

}-but -Jvillr

OHG.

chalt

OHG,

compound

plentyof

Adaltac, Baldhcri

35), AS. Baldhere. 18).

(Trad,patav. no. hull:)S ( vilJKds

Goth.

Conf. Gothic

from

(Trad, patav.

ON.

j

dialects have

This

gi-d}?.

hollr

guU.

( wikli

h.dd aklis,also aldrs ; Goth,

kokk

and a^rs al]-"an faljmnand OHG. into d, and d into t, any d put for faklan,afterwards faltan. As k def,'ent'rates k, or t for d, mai'ks a kiter form : the Goth, fadr stands for fakr,as we see byof 1000 years, must fieder,modor,' after a usur2)ation have pater [the AS. the truer given jdaceto father,mother' again]. In the ON. vakki pret.oUi, must we regardtlie 11 as older than tlie Id, in spiteof tke Goth, valdan and OHG. waltan [soTnewould preferto call valda an archaism]. 3

'

'

"*

Ualdr

may

be related to

as bal]?,

tir to

ty, ajid zior

to

no.

222

PALTAR.

; Alptac,Ingatac,Kertac, Helmtac, Hruodtac, Eegintac,Sigitac OS. Alacdag,Alfdag (Albdag, Pertz 1, 286),Hildidag,Liuddag, the ON", has the Osdag, Wulfdag ; AS. Wegdieg, Swefdieg; even name Svipdagr. Now, either Bteldsegsimply stands for Bealdor, with it (ase.^r., and is synonymous Sigitac Eegintac with Eeginari, else we must with Sigar, recognisein the word dcc(j, Sigheri)^ ; or

found another root such as we dag, tac itself a personification, undergoing(p.1 94-5) in the words div, divan,dina, dies ; and both to alike would express a shiningone, a white one, a god. Prefixing this the Slavic Uel, hel,we have no need to take Bsldeegas standing light-god, for Bealdor or anythingelse,Bcd-dmg itself is white-god, he that shines as sky and lightand day, the kindlyBiUhogh,Belhogh of the Slav system (seeSuppL). It is in perfectaccord with that the AS. tale of ancestry assigns of Bsel-dseg, this explanation to him

Brond, of whom

son

a

is

the Edda

silent,brond, brand, ON.

therefore,as regards brandr, signifying jubar,fax, titio. Bcneldteg would agree with Berhta,the brightgoddess. his name, to consider

have

We

a

few

circumstances

more

this

bearingon

point.Baldr's beauty is thus described in Sn. 26: Hann ersva /a-^rr er sva hvitt,at ",litum ok hiartr svd at lysiraf homwi, oc eittgras er allra grasa hvitast oc eptirmattu iafnat er tilBaldrs hrdr,]7at ];ar marka bans fegurSba38i a hari ok liki ; he is so fair of countenance '

'

he shines of

brightthat

and

thou

mayest

plant,named

Baldrsbrd

after the

cotula,stillcalled Barhro

anthemis

a

grass

so

white that it

Baldr's brows, it is of all grasses whitest, and thereby in hair and mark his fairness both body. This

with

is evened

himself,there is

god'swhite in

eyebrow,^is either

the

Sweden, Balsenshro,Ballensbm

Barhrograsin Denmark, or the matricaria maritima in Iceland (seeSuppl.).^ name inodora, whi^h retains the original the Ottingen country a In there is a Baldursbcrg,in Skane ; Balder7i,and in the Vorarlberg,east of Bregenz,Baldcrschivang be taken from of placesdemand caution, as they may such names in

Schonen, and

Baldar

men,

several

or

nom.

withhold

the

heavenly abode of the god pi. (Sa^m.41'',Sn. 21-7), i.e. broad

But

more.

Brei"ablih,

Baldheri, I therefore the

mention was

of

called

splendors,

and Regin-frtc.Trans. hardly analogous: Bseld-opr/ and Hera, ocfipusKvavia. dark Zeus brows ot the emphasizes white-browed Diana. Conf. XevKocppvtand Artemis XevKo(f)pvvT], ' the camomile of Germ, ochsenauge (ox-eye). : rindsauge, names kuhauge, Dalecarl. hvitet-oja(white eye), in Buhuslan (white girl). hvita-piga 1

The

2

Homer

cases

are

"

223

HADU.

which

reference to tlie streaks

have

may

Eoeskild, is said to

far from

Letlira,not

near

of the

milky have

way

borne

;

a

the

place name

expressionre-appears in a poem of the but to twelfth century, though not in reference to a dwelling-place, steeds and heroes advancing over the battlefield a host of snow-white This

of Brcdehlick}

:

brahte

Do

very

Pietheriches

lant, Eoth.

hreither Uiclcin uber liber die

bluot

blood flow If

had

a

over

BaMa-g

Uiclce

and

Brond

definite form from

its

own

even

381, 16

in '

:

daz

did the rotgevar,' the shiningsilks ? the worship of Balder

almeistic

or field,

reveal to

Wh.

lossam

us

over

that

outside

of

Scandinavia,we

the

generaldiffusion of all the most essential enteringinto the main plotof the myth there,that proper names known this myth as a whole was to all Teutons. The goddesslid, to the Gothic impersonal as will be more fullyshown in ch. XIII, answers noun halja,OHG. hella. Hoffr (ace.Ho(5,gen. HaSar, dat. strength(Sn. 31), HeSi),picturedas a blind god of tremendous malice dischargesthe fatal arrow without who at Baldr,is called in Saxo, and impliesa Goth. Hapus, AS. Hcaffo,OHG. Hotherus may

conclude

of

the

In

2635.

floz, si \vurdn

paths of

the

dusint

zvencik

vane

Hadu, OFrank.

Chado, of which

have

we

stillundoubted

traces

in

and

poeticcompounds. OHG. Hadupraht,Hadufuns, Hadupald, Hadufrid, Hadumar, Hadupurc, Hadulint, Haduwic in Tacitus (Hedwig),"c.,forms which abut close on the Catumerus (Hadumar, Hadamar). In AS. poetry are still found the terms heaSorinc Credm. 103, 4 Beow. 737. 4927 ; (viregregius, nobilis), heaSowelm Coedm. 21, 14. 147, 8. Beow. 164. (belliimpetus,fervor), Beow. 2919. 3211. 3334; heaSowa^d 5633; heaSoswat (sudorbellicus), Beow. 78 ; heaSubyrne (lorica Cod. exon. bellica), (vestisbellica), 297, 7 ; heaSosigeland heaSogleam (egregiumjubar).Cod. exon. 1862. 438, 6; heaSolac 486, 17 and (pugnae Indus), Beow. Beow. 1090. 3943 ; heaSogrim (atrocissimus), 5378 ; heaSosioc Beow. 5504 ; heaSosteap Beow. 2490. (pugna vulneratus), (celsus), In these words, except where 4301. the meaning is merely intensified, idea is plainlythat of battle and strife, the prevailing and tlie god or hero must have been thought of and honoured as a warrior.

proper

names

Therefore

Ilapus, Hoffr, as

phenomena out

at

of

random

war

; and

he

good hap "

well was

and

Suhm.

as

Wuotan

and

Zio, expressed

imagined blind, because he dealt ill (p.207). Then, beside Ho5r, we "

crit. lii.st. 2, 63,

224

PALTAR.

history; he is

interweavinghimself dispatchedto Hel, to

back

underworld.

Hcrmodr

have

names

his

as

whereas in the

he and

in the North same

the

of XiorSr.

son

Balder

alike

hero, named

kinship with the by the side of Sigmundr

lends

and

3417, but

still in

helm

Kemb.

(Graff 2,

often 170.

214.

the

discovery; it

there

When,

the

says

renowned

the

in

of offspring

in

appears

7, 373.

809-22-30-34.

Eied.

are

tale to

a

1795.

perhaps that

to whom 113=^,

MB.

;

well

as

Beow.

is

; he

races

in Ssem.

from

06inn

for the father

taken

story,

OSinn

the

name;

occurs

very

Neugart 21

no.

tell of

the revelations of the

no.

anno

him

(see

ilerseburg

we

unknown

name

new

a

ancestors, and

of a divine Balder in fullyassured now mythus, and again a long-forgotten emerges

only are

not

but

Germany,

valuable

more

Sceaf are

old

story has

nor

song

brother

Hcrimuot, Hcrimaot,

782,

annis

260.

neither

much

So

in OHG.

anno

his beloved

title-deeds also contain

AS.

; and

699

244.

821), but Suppl.).

with

hauberk.

1, 232. 141

the

later Heremod

A

Balder's

Woden's

among or

of

alreadyforgotten ; the

he is

(p.219) Freyr

saw

we

way

demand

Saxo

Sceldwa

either

son

In

Hereinod'

genealogyplacesits

AS.

as

the

from

thread

the

in

even

lay,Phol

ridino- in the forest,one

to the North.

Wodan

(Balder)and

foot of Balder's

foal, demo '

were

one

Balderes

day

volon,'

joint,whereupon the heavenly habitants bestowed their best pains on settingit right again,but neither Sinngund and Sunna, nor yet Frua and Folia could do any good, could conjure and heal the limb the wizard himself only Wodan wrenched

was

out

of

(seeSuppl.). The

whole

incident

legends.

Norse

before

the

tenth

Yet

is

what

as was

little known told in

a

to

the

Edda

as

to other

spellin Thuringia found substance lurking

heathen

century is still in its

the country folk of Scotland to conjuringformulas known Denmark and Dislocation), except that they (conf.ch. XXXIII, apply to Jesus what the heathen believed of Balder and Wodan. It is somewhat odd, that Cato (Dere rust. 160) should give,likewise Old Eoman for a dislocated limb, an or perhaps Sabine form of in which to us, but a god is evidently spellwhich is unintelligible fiet. Harundinem si quod est,hac cantione sanum invoked: Luxum diffinde,et prende tibi viridem pedes IV aut V longam, mediam in

duo

homines

teneant

ad

coxendices.

Incipe

cantare

in

alio

S.F.

IIERIMUOT.

motas

"What

coeant.

a

follows is

meaning the

full

earth.

the

informed

moment

of this ;

us

our

! usque Dissunapiter

must

his

on

think of him

detention

duiii

purpose.

checked

and

we

stoppage and

day,whose on

nothingto

of Balder,lamed

horse

The

astataries

claries dardaries

vaeta

225

PHOL.

as

journey, acquires the god of lightor

give rise to

serious mischief

Probablythe story in its context could have it was foreignto the jjurpose of the conjuring-

spell. The proj)er

of

names

place;

second

and

four

the

what

be

discussed

here is,that Balder

us

concerns

hitherto

goddesseswill

unheard-of

name,

Phol.

in their

is called

by

eye for our of the unnoticed noticing The

often merely wants opening:a antiquities of such a god being brought to has resulted in clear footprints of places. hand, in several names In

Bavaria

document

a

was

Passau, which

miles from in

there

drawn

up

a

a

ten PJiolesamva,Fholesouioa,

or

oar

twelve

the Traditiones

pataviensesfirst mention 774 and 788 (MB. vol. 28, pars

between

and afterwards many of the same later ones district: 2.3), it is the present village of Pfalsau. Its composition with anc quite fitsin with the supposition of an old heathen worship.The gods were not only on mountains, but on eas' inclosed by brooks W'orsliipped and rivers, where fertilemeadows yieldedpasture,and forests shade.

2, p. 21, no.

'

Such

the

was

castum

of Nerthus

nemus

in

an

Oceani, such

msitZa

.

Fosetesland

.with its willows

and

of which well-springs,

more

presently.Baldrshagi(Balderipascuum),mentioned in the FriSwhich none enclosed sanctuary (griSastaSr), an was might J?iofssaga, able damage. I find also that convents, for which time-hallowed venersites were often situated in eas were preferred, ; and of one the very word is used : in der megde ouioe^in the maids' nunnery with several eas us ea (Diut. 1, 357).^ The ON. mythology supplies named after the loftiest gods: OSinsey(Odensee)in Fiineu,another (Onsoe)in Norway, Fornm. sog. 12, 33, and Thorse?/,7,234. O'Sinsc// in the Kattegat, "c.,"c. We do not know 9, 17 ; Hlessc?/(Lassoe) is equally but Pholesouwa any OIIG. AVuotanesouwa, Donaresouwa, "

*

'

'

to the

point. Very similar

must

have

been

PJiolcsjnant (MB. 9, 404

circ.1138.

called ounu of Chienisee was So tlie Old Bavarian convent (]MB. 28% lO.'J a nd the nunnery herren there 'der afterwards the and wcrd,' monastery 890), a loerd'. Stat ' zo gottes ouwe' in Lisch. mekl. jb.7, 227, from 'der nunnen 242. Demantin Bertholds Crane. to fragment belonging 1

an.

15

226

PALTAR.

Pfalzpointon the Altmiihl, 1290), now in a considerable forest. Piunt Eichstadt and Kipfenberg, between crated enclosed field or garden;^ and if an ea could be consean means to a god,so could a field. Graff 3, 342 has a place called which, to judge by the circumstances, may with like Yra-wimpiunt, be assignedto the goddessFrouwa; no doubt it also belongs reason 5, Pfalspiunt,

to Bavaria In

399

anno

(seeSuppl.). Traditions

Fulda

the

remarkable

passage

:

(Schannatp. 291, no. 85)

Widerolt

tradidit

comes

occurs

this

Bonifacio

sancto

Thurin provincia habuit in Pholesbrunnen quicquid proprietatis ingiae. To this Pholesbrunno, the villageof Plmlsborn has the first claun, lymg not far from the Saale, equidistantfrom the towns Apolda, Dornburg and Suiza, and speltin Mid. Age documents Falsanother village, Phulsborn and Pfolczborn ; there is however hrunn

Falsbronn,

or

on

Eberach

Ptauhe

the

Steigerwald. Now Ffoleshrunnoall divinity(and that, Balder),as there Baldebrunno has been produced from PJiine

and Palatinate,^

it has been

corrected into Baldershrunno Baldershain

f. d. (Zeitschr.

Norse

the

dioec. Fuld.

mythus heat

also Baldersbrunnen

are

Eifel mts, and

the

shown

well

as

of

p.

that the form the

ought to

Baldenhain

modern

244,

anno

977

fountain

the be to

Klingen

formerly Baldersteti,

(seeSuppl.). From we

learn that Balder

the in

for his

languishingarmy : beneficio liquoris opportuni laticcs terram humi altius rimatus recrearet,novos aperuit, quorum sitibundum hianti passim ore captabat. erumpentes scatebras agmen Eorundem vestigia sempiternafirmata vocabulo, quamquam pristina admodum n ondum exolevisse creduntur. desierit, scaturigo prorsus This spot is the present Baldershrdnd Eoeskild (noteto JMiiller's near old German be the same Saxo, p. 120). But the legend may as legends,which at a later time placed to king Charles's account (p. had told of 117, and infra,Furious host) that which heathendom of

opened

a

:

from

alt. 2, 256) ; and Bellstadt in the

Balder,as givenby Saxo,

battle

Franconian

plainlysuggests a

more

was Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

district of Schannat

as

the

the

in

a

Victor Balderus, ut afflictum siti militem

1

locum

Salzburg doc.

A cum

duobus

of the

tenth

cent., in Kleinniayrn p.

Alsat. dipl.no. 748, anno 1285 Schopflin's trad. 1203 of corb. doc. (Falke Westphal. p. 566) names Balderi. which might mean palus,campus 2

A

Conf.

196

:

Curtilem

quod piimti dicimus. pratis, :

in villa Baldeburne. a

placeBalderbroc,

227

PHOL.

Balder

; in that

fountain,whence But

the

Heinricus

the still survivingname

case

the

myth

of

name

Phol

MB.

12, 56.

itself

proved a

Balder

emerges anew.^ is established more firmly still. A

Fliolingfrequentlyappears in the Altacli records

de

GO ; this

of

part 11, a Eapoto de PhoUngcn,Fhaling,in

13th century, MB.

the

of

has

placeis

the left bank

on

of the Danube

below

of Altacli. the two I doubt if the convents between Straubingen, Pollingin other records (and there are several Pollingsin the Ammer is wanting word, as the aspirate country)can be the same Gotha is and the liquiddoubled. Pfullendorf or Follendorf near

in docs, of the 14th

century Phulsdorf. A Pholcnheim in Schannat, Not the lit. coll. 1, 48. 53. far from Scharzfeld,between

Vind. Harz

and

mts

Thuringia, is

Folde, called in

old village named

an

Pholidi (Gramm. earlyrecords and writingsPolldi,Palidi, PalitJii, 2, 248),the seat of a well-known convent, which again may have been

founded

with

the

on

god

gatherfrom

can

the

site of

a

heathen

be established

it the true value

sanctuary. If

in this case,

we

a

at the

connexion same

time

of the

in his name. varyingconsonant Of Phol so many crowd upon us, that we should interpretations be puzzledif they could all be made good. The Chaldaic hd or hcd to have been a mere title pertainingto several gods : bel:= seems The Finnish palo means the Uranus, bel=Jupiter,bel=rMars. fire, ON. hdl,AS. hael rogus, and the Slav, ydlitito burn, with which Lat. Pales and the Palilia. connect Of 2J^iaUus have already we first make of the sounds in our native sure spoken. We must for a divinityof whom names as nothing but the yet we know bare name (seeSuppl.). On the questionas to the sense of the word I set aside the notion one might stumble on, that it is merely itself, form of Paltar,Balder,for sucli forms invariably a fondling preserve the initial of the complete name should expect Palzo,Balzo, ; we but not

Phol.2

Greek

Nor

does the OHG.

Ph

seem

here to be

equivalent

tradition tells of Herakles

and Zeus : (jyaa-l rhv 'UpaKXea8i\l/(i nore irarpX67rtSel|at aiir^fiiKpav \ifiaba. 6 be fii] 6e\av avibu"K" fiiKpav \i[3uba,fjv6ea(Tdp(vos 6 avTuv KnTaTpv^eadaL,pl'^asKepavvov els to ifkovaiuiTepov HpaKXfjs KOL o"Ka\//'as iivoirjcTe (Scholiain 11.20, 74). (fiepeadai This sprin,^' be si-t ]"ythe side of was Scamander, and the Xt/Sa? 'HpaKXijos may Pf(jlesljruniio as well as Pt'olesouwa, both mead and ea ; and Xi[:in8tou bcinj,' 1

Karaxivra

ev^aadai

to

Au

does not the Grecian deniirjod's pyre kindled on Oeta snjrgcstthat of Balder ? So I explain the proper name Folz from Folbreht, Folrat, Folmar, and the like ; it therefore stands apart from Phol. the sweep[The Suppl. ([tialities -

injTassertion in the text ; ApoUu, PuUux, foal,"c.]

it also takes

notice

of

several

other

as solutions,

228

PALTAR.

to the

he

ordinaryF

which

correspondsto the Saxon

F, but rather

to

which, answering to the Saxon tenuis P, represents aspirate Old-Aryan media B. But we know that a Saxon initial P=:OHG. an

an

Ph

is found

almost

exclusivelyin foreignwords^ (porta, phorta; it that for follows putti, phuzi ; peda,pheit); Phol, in case tlie Sax. form Pol is reallymade either look for such a foreign must out, we in which the law of consonant-change P, or as a rare exception, does assert itself, I incline to this last hypothesis, Old- Aryan B. an and connect Phol and Pol (wdiose well have sprung o may very from a) with the Celtic Bcal, Beul, Bel, Bdcnus, a divinity of light or the adj.biel,bel fire,the Slav. BiUhogh,Belhogh (white-god), Lith. baltas, which (albus),

last with

its extension

T makes

it probable

that

Baeldsegand Baldr are of the same root, but have not undergone consonant-change.Phol and Paltar therefore are in their beginningone, but reveal to us two divergenthistorical developments of the

mythology So

far

same.

as

we

can

chiefly by

ancient

nomenclature

to have

1

a

races.^

the

god was worshipped under the name Thuringiansand Bavarians, i.e.accordingto and the Hermunduri Marcoriianni, yet they

also known

his other

is,reallyhorrowed words, no change (likethat stands only one stage instead makes

Germ,

as

in

Pultar

name

Balder, while

or

in which palace, port,paternal, anil therefore tirth,father),

of two

in advance

Latin

oi

Such

"c.

in the

see, the

That

Germ,

unimportant difference

not

of the several Teutonic

of Phol

seem

word, and

the Low the

High

I'forte, Pfalz,

:

words stand outside the rule of consonant-change. Trans. I have thus far gone on the assumption that Phol and Balder in the is strongly divine being,which Merseberg spelldesignateone and the same and Baldishagi, supportedby the anak\gyI have pointedout between Pholesouwa Pholesbrunno and Baldrsbrunnr have been very familiar ; and his cultiis must "

^

to

the

people,for

the ])oem to be able to name fear of being misunderstood.

without

him

different

by

in

names

cession, suc-

might suppose by the that Phol there would be and Balder were different gods, and two names, of who be Phol meant left for the question, ? If room can by plenty possibly could here all and is almost PH which is contrary to analogy, VV^, represent V of places; then PH, PF in all those names put out of court by the persistent the in which ON. we Saxo, p. 45, Ullr,Ollerus might try (likenil,OHG. wolla, Else

one

=

wool) would made 93*

a

in OHG. endi Wodan that ' Wol so J-FoZ, alliteration. connected with Ullr was And perfect be

is called

would

have

'

Ullar

sib seti,'

to

be

Baldr,who

the

Ooinnj' in Stem.

the gen. invariablysingleL

U., Ulli cognatus (see SuppL).

that is contradicted

ok

(UUr

But

by Wolles,and The same in Pholes. is conclusive againstWackernagel'sproposalto reason take Fol for the god of fulness and plenty,by the side of the goddess Folia ; I Pilnitis ; v. think the weak form Folio would be demanded for it by an OHG. internal does the Haupts zeitschr. 2, 190. Still more consistencyof the song itself named

to

requirethe identityof at the

and beginning,

Phol no

and

Balder

;

it would

further notice to be taken

be odd

for Phol

of liim.

to be

229

rosiTE.

the Saxons and "Westphalian.s, among Baldaj, Bccldwg prevailed Now tlie noun. as and the AS. bealdor had passed into a common Zio, we ouglitto find Bavarian p]or stood opposed to the Alamannic whether

out

the

and

Phol

races

a

to

Nanna,

and

Edda

The

the Edda.

Forscti,who

who

silver,and

(as Baldr himself mildest god, whose

eloquentand passedamong gods and men (Stem.42^ disputedmatters about him (seeSuppl.). most

This Forseti is well entitled

god Fosite,concerningwhom century gives us

ninth

to some

valuable

Ases

like his father dwelt

had

kliz)built

been

verdicts

for tlie wisest of

Sn. 31.

the

cites among

OHG. nitor,splendor, shining hall Glitnir (glit, and

the Alamanns

west Germany we are transportedto the northto the Balder cultus,and again closely appertaining

name

of Baldr

unknown

manner

eastern

linkingitselfwith son

like

akin to them.^

most

Lastly,from by

in

was

we

of

a

gold

called the wisest,

final,Sn. 27)

are

judges;he

103), and

in

a

settled all

told

are

no

more

compared with the Frisian biographiescomposed in the

be

information.

The

vita

sancti

(f 739),written by the famous Alcuin (f 804), relates iter agebat, follows,cap. 10 : Cum as ergo plus verbi Dei praedicator ad quamdam insulam, et Danorum pervenitin confinio Fresonum Fosite ab accolis terrae Fositesland appellaquae a quodam deo suo qui locus a tur, quia in ea ejusdem dei fana fuere constructa.

Wilibrordi

paganisin tanta veneratione habebatur, ut nil in ea, vel animalium ibi pascentium,vel aliarum quarumlibetrerum, gentiliumquiscpunu hauriic tangcre audebat, nee etiam el f ante qui ibi ebulliebat aquam vir Dei tempestate jactatus est, nisi taccns praesumebat. Quo cum ibidem mansit sepositistempestatibus aliquot dies, quousque stultam sed parvipendens opportunum naviganditempus adveniret. 1

The

inquiry,how

far these

names

reach

back

into

antiquity,is far

from

the P/((/liecke (-ditch), exhausted yet. 1 have called attention to the P/'oZgraben of then the raising used elsewhere ; (-hedge,-fence),for which devil's dyke is Ilerodias in others to the is ascribed in some devil, the whirlwind parts to Eastern Hesse in others again to Pfol. [meaning H.'s daughter the dancer], on

the

"\Verra has

for the whirlwind, very queer'name Pulhineke Eichsleld the neighbouring '

a

in Boil- ; and shyness and reluctance or

beginning with is

BuU-

pronounced with

Kidduwitz (Miinchner gel. anz. 1842, p. 7Gli). A the name contains district (."3, L'o///,sperg family ortlinance of the same 327) jecture (Polesberc0, Pfoylsperg. The spellingPull,Boil,would agree witli the conhazarded

leads back

I do

not

connect

with

this the idol Bid in the Scliniid's westerw. id.

i.e.beilstein. to bilstein,

Bielstein holkcker for spectre,bugbear (seeSuppl.). hixa 'polkcktr,

Harz, for 145

but "above,

230

PALTAR.

regisanimiim, qui violatores

vel fcrocissimurn loci illius religionem, illius atrocissima

sacrorum

in

fonte

eo

animalia

invocatione

cum

in

cibaria suis

Quod pagani intuentes, arbitrabantur veloci

perire; quos regi tamen stupore perterriti,

ctiam

retulerunt.

morte

furore

nimio

Qui

tribus

vicihus

sors, Deo

suis cadere

vero

sortcs

defendente

potuit;

nee

Eadbodo

suos,

nisi

tantum

unus

ex

vivi

Dei

dies

tres

per

semper

damnatorum

nunquam

Dei

servum

pati, factum

viderant

sacerdotem

in

et cogitabat,

super

verti,vel

cernebant

mali

quod

mittehat, et

more

suo

nil

succensus

ulcisci

injuriasclcorum

siiorum

baptizavit.sed et mactare praecepit.

vel in furorem

eos

cum

homines

solebat ; tres

Trinitatis

sanctae

pascentiain

terra

ea

damnare

morte

aut

aliquem

ex

sociis sorte monstratus

feared king Pippin the Frank, est." Eadbod martyrio coronatus had left Wilibrord unhurt.^ What let the evangelistgo and time after by another priest, unfinished, was accomplishedsome the vita sancti Liudgeri,composed by Altfrid (-f849), tells of as destruere, the year 785 : Ipse vero studuit/a?ia (Liudgerus) ....

et

omnes

erroris

doctrinae derivare flumina, et consilio ab fretavit in confinio Fresonum

curavit

sordes.

abluere pristini

atque

quoque

ulterius

imperatoreaccepto,trans-

Danorum

ad

quandam insulam,

dei sui falsi Fosde Fosctcslant est appellata quae a nomine ad eandem autem Pervenientes insulam, destruxerunt omnia

....

dem

Fosetis

fabricaverunt

fana,

quae

illic fuere

habitatores

ecclesias,cumque

eos imbueret, baptizavit

cum

constructa,

invocatione

terrae

sanctae

et

pro

ejus-

eis Christi

illius fide Christi

Trinitatis in fonte,

in quo Willibrordus sanctus prius homines tres qui ibi ebulliebat, nisi a prius haurire aquam baptizaverat, quo etiam fonte nemo had the work tacens praesumebat (Pertz2, 410). Altfrid evidently of Prom that time the island took the name of Alcuin by him. helegland,Helgoland,which it bears to this day; here also the in the interest of Christianity, careful to conserve, were evangelists "

ol alreadyattachingto the fiite. Adam (Pertz 9, 3G9),describe, Bremen, in his treatise De situ Daniae the island thus : Ordinavit episcopum) in Pinni (archiepiscopus (1.captum) a piratis (Fiihnen)Eilbertum, quem tradunt conversum latet Farriam insulam, quae in ostio fluminis Albiae longo secessu in ea fecisse in oceano, constructoque monasterio primum reperisse Hadeloam sita est. habitabilem. haec insula contra cujus longithe

sense

of

sacredness

^

Acta

sanctor.

Bene

J.,sec.

3. pars 1, p. 609.

231

FOSITE.

latitiido quatuor; liomincs stramine panditur, est Sermo piratas,si fragmentisquenavium pro igne utuntur. nautulcrint,aut mox inch vd minimam pcrissc quando 2^'"'acdam redisse indcmpnem ; quapropter nullum fragio,aut occisos ah aliquo, ciivi Solent hercmitis ibi vivcntihus decimas praedarum offerre magna vix

tudo

milliaria

VIII

devotione.

et

nullain,scopulis

unicuin, arborem

habet

nutrix, coUem

pecudum

volucrum

ditissima frug-iim,

feracissima

enim

est

nullo aditu nisi uno, ubi et aqua dulcis (the asperrimis, locus vcnerahilis omnibus springwhence they drew water in silence), unde nomen accepitut Heiligeland piratis, nautis,praecipuevero includitur

Fresiam

aliae insulae contra The

"

the passage, and

emend

time In

(seeSuppl.). island lying between an

might expect to be

It would

find

different

a

stranger still

god.

he omits

have

natural

is

who

Fusite

and

if the

Eddie

Saxony,we to all three.

common

unknown

were

may

in the heathen

accounted

was

we

Forscti

to a

were

the

totally

would

have

amongst the Frisians.

died out There

many

the customs

expecteda mention of this Saxo Gram., who is quitesilent about it ; others,and in his day Fosite's name may

It is true, one

from deityin particular

but then

god

heathen

must

we

times,

christian

memo-

time, either

or Helgoland,

Denmark, Friesland

strange if the Frisian

; and

Norsemen

first

et

sunt tarn

earum

Farrianis.' By piratis

a

of vikings even holy the placewas

how

ourselves

assure

'

and

mariners

of these

Daniam, sed nulla

isle of Folir with

read

appellari

et Fresonum.

Farria,appearinghere for the

name

confoundingthe

from

arose

et

Fosetisland

Willebrordi

sita est in confinio Danorum

dicimus, quae rabilis.

sancti

vita

in

hanc

dicatur.

some

in the

case

the

discrepancybetween of two

nations

:

ON.

two

names,

Forscti gen.

as

was

Forscta,Fris.

is,that from Forsite Fosite gen. Fosites. The simplestsupposition arose by assimilation Fossite,Fosite,or that the II dropt out, as in OHG.

mosar

for

morsar,

Germ,

Low

mosar;

in

so

the

Frisian

forste,primus. Angeln, accordingto Hagerup p. 20, fost,foste In Besides, there is hardly any other way of explainingFosite. translatable into OHG. ON. forsctiis praeses, princeps, apparently for the god who presidesover judgment,and name a fitting forasizo, the Gothic fauragaggjabears almost arranges all disputes. The attached later writings, in much I also find,even same sense, which More completeAS. word to our predecessor). vorgdnger (now =

=

232

PALTAE.

would

genealogies

perhaps

name

Forscta

a

Forsete

or

Baeldseg's

as

son.^

Forseti, we

infer

may

isles

Fosite

and

grazed

son

which,

marked Vestae'

of

programm

easily

find

Helgoland,

their

into

instead

of

men's

in

side

by

god-giants

as

of

-at,

The

on

Fora-sizo

becomes

fors

[a whirling

the

whirlpool,

sacred father

spring

the

with

connexion

OS.

Eider

'

stream, a

would

Nentiger

force

Fossegrimm tally. (for

so

and

we

in

must

'

ch.

Lassoe, be

I in

feel

inclined

Cmnbld], ch.

(conf.

Again,

the

must

read

Dan. XVII.

of

l)ut to

be

=

it to

assume

with those OHG.

QHG.

hold

as

their known

were

Ecke-Oegir

As

meaning

to

Fasat

form

can

light.

explain

gives

appendix

Ecke

Fosite

Nichus),

Mentiger)

could

several

are

Fasolt

its

fos, and

Heldenbuch for

the

and

might

go,

Wiebel's

The

there

Storm)

so

let

In

and

da;mon

a

templuin

'

Fosteland

brothers. ;

a

conf.

7.

cap.

Fasat

to

found

are

and

and

Fosete.

XX.

as

not

and

dubious,

so

Abentrot

water,

that

Fosta,

which

1692),

Foste

mistake

a

(conf.

god

styled

are

-id,

-ad,

(Plon,

it.^

near

Phoseta, in

768,

year

about

be

Foseta,

Suiberti

mind

not

tlie

The

Abentrot

in

of

his

of

island

Helgoland,

Cimbrien

Vita

my

Fasolt

i'^orse^i

'

flocks

other

goddess

loved

god

Hercules-pillars,

the

some

of

maps

;

spurious

on

a

1842.

need

and

into

Major's

struck

Now

wind

in

Vasat,

and

side.

worshipped

was

the

Fasolt

fix

the the

of

If

worship.

that

where

point,

worship

Phosetae

up

has

usual

the

Hanib.

Ecke,

the

names

ground

a

way

thought

Heldenbuch,

vel

made

were

iiber

Another

2

the

692,

iu

Vesta

Fostae

templum

'

Baldrshagi

case

Fosete

Roman

Balder's

of

extent

might

we

turned

the

to

a

perhaps

Tacitus,

have

her

a

is

is

so

writers

the and

Helgoland

following

approximate

of

proof

a

Pholesouwa

and

;

Later

1

from

eas,'

'

are

Helgoland.

in

as

For-seti, from

For.'-eti a

Fosite'

which three

of

daemon

brotliers

Nandgerj

and

s

CHAPTER

XIL

OTHEEGODS.

the

gods treated perfectdistinctness be pointed out m Norse mythology enumerates races, the addition

In

to

track will be harder a

they

great extent

are

those

all

others,whose

altogether.To

die out

itself has

the North

wliom

of

series of

not

with

could

of the Teutonic

most

or

a

if it does

to pursue,

far,who

of thus

little or

to tell in later times.

nothin"

1.

(Heimdall.)

in the later

spellingHeimdallr, though no longer in Saxo, is, like Baldr, a mentioned bright and gracious god : hvitastr asa (whitestof ases, Siem. 72^),^sverSas hvita, Sa?m. 90^ hviti as, Sn. 104 ; he guards the heavenly bridge(therainbow), and heim in the first dwells in Himinhiorj (the heavenly hills).The akin to seems part of his name ; ]iallr agrees in sound with himinn Swed. tall,Swiss dale, Engl, deal (Staid.1, J^oll, (pinus), gen. ])allar also means a river, 259, conf. Sclim. 2, G03-4 on mantala),but ]?oll Heim"allr,

Sn.

or

43, and Ereyja bears

All this remains

Sn. 37. 154. Teutonic

other

the

tongues

dark

; Himclhcrc

2, 10

in the h'shcrr/

Fulda

to us.

MardoU, gen. Mardallar, No

proper

HeimSallr;

to

answers

41^ 92*') the common or hiorg (Sffim. connect Yngl. saga cap. 39), we can Himiliiibcrg(mons coelius)havmted Pertz

of

by-name

the

country, Schannat

frauend.

Buchon.

(Soem.148*

of other

names

in the by sj)irits,

in Lichtenstein's

Himiii-

with

but

himinfioll

noun

in the

name

vita

199, 10

vet.

hills :

Galli,

S. ;

a

a

Iluni-

33 G ; several in

Vanir aiyrir,' vol fram, sem this passaf^e says further,' vissi hann liter. ' he Ibreknew well, like other Vanir,' his wisdoni is merely likened to of that he was that of the Vanir (Graium. 4, 456 on ander), it is not meant one ' and otiieiasserted Greeks in Homer, T rojans' n ever anywhere [so them, a thin",' 1

When

'

means

why, what

'

and

Trojans as weU'].

heimskastr

the MHG.

The

Fornald.

allra asa,'heimskr

poets mean

by tump.

so^.

1, 373

calls him, I know

usuallysignifyingignorant,

a

not

greenhorn,

234

OTHER

GODS.

(Kuclienb.anal. 11, 137) near Ibaand Waldkappel (Niederh. and 1834 pp. 106, 2183); a Himmelsherg in Vestgotlaud, wochenbl. At the same time, allegedto be Heimdall's,in Halland. one, Himinvdnrjar,Stem. 150% tlie OS. hebanwang, hebeneswang, a paradise(v.ch. XXV), tlie AS. Heofcnfcldcoelestis campus, Beda deserve some some individual, general, p. 158, and tbe like names, about the god. to be studied,but yieldas yet no safe conclusion almost of the fairy-tale : he is Other points about him savour Seem. 118^"^ of nine mothers, giantesses, out to be the son made less sleep than a bird, sees a Sn. 106. Laxd. p. 392 ; he wants miles off by nightor day, and hears the grass grow on the hundred ground and the wool on the sheep'sback (Sn.30).^ His horse is hence the and he himself has golden teeth,^ Gulltoppr,gold-tuft, Ilesse

Heimdali

are

sacred

be of

and

a

HallinskiSa,'

tennur

of remark, that

HallinskiSi

for the ram,

names

and

Sn. 221.

small

of the

warder

high antiquity(seeSuppl.).

at the very

Now and

the

*

gods (vorSr goSa,Ssem. 41), w4nds a powerful horn, Giallarlwrn,which is kept under the Voluspa imparts, tree, Ssem. 5^ 8^ Sn. 72-3. What

Heimdali

must

worthy

quoted among

watchman

As

a

It is

sog. 1, 52.

Fornm.

Hallinski"i,

and

Gullintanni

by-names

called

are

of that

outset

all created

poem,

mcgir Heim"allar,

sons

beings great children of the god ;

or

in the creation of the hand appears therefore to have had a exalted part than is world, and of men, and to have played a more afterwards. to him sided As, in addition to Wuotan, Zio pre-

he

assigned over

to have

seems

A

arrangement who ffallr,

been of

song

a

Fro

divided

of mankind

much

in

to

seems

from

an

connect 1

me

I

have

to

have

older form, which with

Conf.

KM.

under

the world

its origin beingdifficultto it

classes

the MHG.

ventured

to this heathen

to trace

As for the

name

idis,by

one,

Bigr,

aphseresis

determine, but would precisely in ON.

an

n

before

g

or

k often

3, 125.

Li diente cV oro, Pentam. 3, 1. ok gullslitr a, Fornald. sog. 1, 366. 3 Zeitscliriftf. d. alt. 2, 257"267. 2

Heim-

Mgr (seeSuppl.). prevalentin the last

like dis from

I cannot

Irinc,as

same

first

of

name

explainotherwise,^ sprung,

the

proceedfrom the

the

makes

Edda

the

tradition,very

later German

few centuries,which

in

faculty

HeimSallr.

and

OSinn

between

creative

the

so fruitfulness,

over

suggestivedesign

traverses

is

There

and

war,

Of

a

certain Haraldr

Conf. ch. XIX.

:

tennr

voru

miklor

HKIMDATL,

235

BKAGI.

and, as will be shown stiiigastack,]?ackaJjanki), drops out (conf. to a Swedish answers Eriksgata.^ later,Iringesstraza, Iringeswee The shininggalaxywould suit extremelywell the god who descends from

heaven

earth,and whose

to

Norwegian

of

names

hill a Heimdallslmirj,

in the ON.

mentioned

placesbear

witness

Guldbrandsdalen

in

lake

dallarvattn, a

habitation

in

Nummedalen

borders to

on

Bifrost.

his cultus

:

Hcim-

and (GuSbrandsdalr), (Naumudalr); neither is

sagas.

2.

(Bragi,Bkego.)

general god, one would like to see a more vested the gift veneration of the ON. Bragi revived,in whom was of poetry and eloquence. He is called the best of all skalds,Soem. and poetry itself is 46^ Sn. 45, frumsmiSr bragar (auctorpoeseos), or was hragarivll given hragrp' In honour of him the i"Va^afull between bragi gen. braga,and (p.60) ; the form appears to waver bragr gen. bragar,at all events the latter stands in the phrase vir facundus, praestans,in asa hragr deorum hragr karla princeps Thorr (Stem.85^ Sn. 21 1% but Bragi 211^),and even femina praestantissima (Soem.218^).^ hragrqvenna Then distinct from the god, a poet and king of old renown, Above

other

any

'

'

'

'

=

=

'

'

himself

bore

the

name

of

Bragi

hiim

gamli, and

his descendants

styledBragningar. A minstrel was picturedto the mind as old and long-bearded, siSskeggiand skeggbragi,Sn. 105, which recalls OSinn with his long beard, the inventor of poetry (p. 146) and Bragi is even said to be OSin's son, Sn. 105 (seeSuppl.). In the AS. poems there occurs, always in the nom. the sing., in the sense term of rex or princeps: bregostolin hrcgoor hrcogo, Beow. 4u87 and Andr. 209 is thronus regius;bregoweardin Cajdm. 140, 26. 166, 13 is princeps.*Now, as gen. pluralsare attached to

were

,

1 Der in Swedish

old Nick to mean come ganimel Erih,gamiiielErlce (oldE.),has now conf. ; supra p. 124, on Erchtag. ^ Sa'm. 113'', of Otiiun : gel'r hann brag skaldom (dat carmen poetis). ^ Does the Engl, hrag,Cierm. 'prahlen (gloriari) not explain everything? Showy high-llown speech would apply equally to boasting and to poetry. Then, for the other meaning, the boast,glory,master-piece(of men, gods, cither go back to the more we can angels,bears),' women, primitivesense i n (gloria) prangen, priink,pi-add,bright,or still keep to brag. Beauty is nature's bmg, and must be shewn,'.says Comus." Trans. "" In Beda 4, 23 (Stevens, p. 304) a woman's name Bregosiiid, BregoswiS ; in Kemble and 1, 133-4 (anno 762),5, 46 (anno 5,48 (anno 749) Bregesici"estdn, '

'

747), 5,

59

clarissimus.

(anno 798)

a

man's

name

Bregowine.

In

Beow.

3847

bregorofis

236

OTHER

GODS.

brcgo engla,Cifdm. 12, 7. 60, 4. 62, 3 ; brego Dena, Beow. 3905 ; gimiena 8i8 ; ho"leSa brego,Beow. brego,Aiidr. 61 ; beorna Cod. exon. 457, 3) ; there brego moncynnes, brego,Andr. 305 (conf. instructive analogy to the above-mentioned bragr up an grows karla,'and to the genitivessimilarlyconnected with the divine names Tyr, Fred and Bealdor (pp.196, 211, 220). The AS. hrego to pointto a veiled divinity, though the forms and equallyseems vowel-relations do not exactlyharmonize.^ to hunt Their disagi-eementrather provokes one up the root under which they could be reconciled : a verb brigabrag would but not the Saxon and Frisian languages, The suit the purpose. Scandinavian or High German, possess an unexplained term for cerebrum : AS. bregen (likeregen pluvia,therefore better written than bra^gen), so Engl,brain,Fris. brein. Low Sax. bregen; I think cleverness,eloquence, it answers the notions to understanding, it :

*

'

and is connected imitation,'

with

Now -(ppovo";. (pp"v6"i, (l"pr']v, -^pcop,

also mos, gestus, and braga bragr,beside poesis,means has OIIG. referre aliquem gestu, imitari. nothinglike eftir einum as Prako, Brago,Briigo. it,nor any such proper name faint trace of the god the Saxons a But, as we detected among the

'

ON.

'

god's son,

or

we

of

document

lay some

may

stress

Buniackcr

1006

his wife

and

dwelt

ISunn

in

fact that in of

an

OS.

place,v. Bragi pref.v. (see Suppl.).Now

occurs

Llinzel's Hildesheim, p. 124, conf.

the

on

the

as

name

Brunnakr, Sn. 121% and

a

she is called

Sk. sedis ornatrix, as Brunnakerinae beckjargei'Sr,' it (Spec. 6, pp. 65-6). A well or spring, Thorlacius interprets time a suits a god of poetry ; at the same than one for more reason, is so natural that it might arise without any like springfield name

'

Brunnakrs

'

'

reference

to

Bragi Ocgir,and

gods.

appears

to

have

stood

in

pretty close relation

some

to

analogybetween them could be established,which then other grounds, is unsupported hitherto on however by the and side of brigabrag the root bragabrog would presentitself, OHG. the AS. broga (terror), pruoko,bruogo,be akin to it. The be seen of Bragi with Oegir may connexion by Bragi appearing and Oegisdrecka, by his sittingnext to prominentlyin the poem he brings him with Oegir in Sn. 80, so that in intimate converse called Bragarwd'ur, thence stories of the gods, which out are '

as

an

'

'

'

Iri8h breitlieam,brethemb (judex)is said to be Trans, of Irish acad. 14, 1(57. brelion,' 1

'

if

The

pronouncedalmost

It is with

of Bragi. speeclies

237

OIT.IR.

UOKI,

AKI,

no dcniht,that tliese great propriety,

him Oegiroften interrupts Gangleridoes Har when holding forth

witli

narratives,duringwhich

(8n.93), as of the

Edda,

of the

put in the mouth

were

in

questions

the

first part

patron of poetry.

(Oegir,Hler). Fifel, Geofon.

3. Aki, Uoki

Oegir,an older god of the giantkind, not ranked among the Ases, but holding peaceableintercourse with them, bears the The root of the terrible, the awful. name aga 6g had given birth ancient speech:Goth, agis06/3o9, to plentyof derivatives in our 6g This

'

'

AS. egesa horror,OHG. OHG, aki,eki,AS. akiso,egiso, "f)o^eo/j,at, can only be ege (ege? awe) terror,ON", oegjaterror! esse, which To the proper name with oe, not te. Oegirwould correspond spelt OHG. Goth. ()geis, AS. I^ge, a Uogi,instead of which I can only Oago. But oegiralso signifies lay my hand on the weak form Uorjo, the sun the sea itself: sol gengr i ceginn, goes into the sea, sets ; pelagus is like the Goth, mari-siiivs ; the AS. eagor and cegi-sior I attach weight to egor (mare) is related to ege, as sigorto sige.

agreement

the

Lat. oceanus,

dum)

seems

Goth,

ahva

The

whence 'f2Keav6"iand 'fljijv, co/ceai/o'?,

Greek

Oceanus

borrowed, but

was

cognate, being related

not

to

(mare placi-

aequor

aequus,

not

to

and

sense

and

aqua

(seeSupi)l.).i As

presence.

OSinn

Orni

awakened

element

boisterous

immediate and

the

of

tlie

and

"Woden

Yggr, so

awe, was

the AS.

the

of

also called "VVoma

poets

use

the

god's (p.144), a

terms

woma,

bruga and egesa almost synonymously for ghostlyand divine therefore a xxxii). Oegirwas plienomena(Andr.and El. pp. xxx and is in keeping with the notions of fear highlyappropriate name, and horror developedon p. 207-8. confirmed is strikingly This interpretation by other mythical helmet, whose conceptions.The Edda tells us of a fear-inspiring at sia, Sn. 137 ; oil qvikvendi brwSast is Oegishialmr : er name he lay on the and then Faihir when did HreiCmar such a one wear, sweg,

"

gold Seem.

and

seemed

the

(tobe)

188=^;vera

Oe"/\vis also i but I know epiilator 1

thouL^h the

gyniingboth

OHG. cura

terrible to

more

undir

all that looked

GUmir, Sn. Gymir, Spem. 59. ON. other meaning of the .yaunir

goiinia,

and

OS.

nuptiae.

goma

him,

bera OegishialmyUr Oegishialmi,

125.

called no

upon

means

both

ciua

than

and

183 ciira,

possilily attentio,

cpulae,the

AS.

238

OTHER

einum,

GODS.

inspirewith fear or reverence, Laxd. saga, p. 130. Islend. scig. 2, 155 ; ek bar Oegisliialni yfiralia folki,Fornald. sog. i augum, ibid. 1,406, denotes that terrible 1, 162 ; hafa Oegisliialm piercinglook of the eyes, which others cannot stand, and the i anga, was famous basilisk-glance, ormr somethingsimilar.^ Now I find

to

means

a

clear trace

of

this Norse

; in Schannat

Egihelm (Trad.fuld. 1, 97 i.e.Ar/ihelni, identical with which

I

unable

am

to

helmet

in the no.

man's

OHG.

126, p. 286

the

name

Eggihelm), Uogihelm,

form strengthened-vowel produce. But in the Eckenlied itself Ecke's

Ortnit's and Dietrich's, costlymagic helmet, and elsewhere even called Hildcgrim,Hildcgrin; and the ON. grima mask are or helmet (in fc'o3m.51^ a name for night)has now turned up in a Fulda gloss, Dronke scenici crimiln a sing. p. 15 : presupposes krimd understand KHmJiilt larva,persona, galea; so we can now of a Walkurie armed with the helmet of (Gramra.1, 188) the name in another gloss is rendered daemon terror,and ailso why by The AS. egcsgrimeis equallya mask, and in El. 260 cgisgrimolt. the helmet that frightens by its figureof a boar is called a grim1 venture helm. to guess, that the wolf in our ancient apologue was imaginedwearing such a helmet of dread,and hence his name of Isangrim,iron-mask,Eeinh. ccxlii (seeSuppl.). Nor have we to the end of fancies variously yet come playinginto one another : the god'sor hero's helmet awakened his shield as terror,so must and sword ; and it looks significant, that a terrific sword fashioned in the two by dwarfs should likewise be named forms,viz. in the in Veldek's Eneit Uokcsahs (not a letter may VilkinasagaEclcisax, in the EckenUed Eckcn Ecken we sahs, as Hildegrinwas alter), helm, Eckes helm. In the Greek atVtVI do not look for any verbal but this shield of Zev^ affinity, alymxo^ (H. 15, 310. 17, 593), wielded at times by Athena (2,447. 5, 738) and Apollo (15,229. 361. 318. 24, 20), spreads dismay around, like Oegishialmr, rendered Hildegrim and Eckisahs ; Pluto's helmet too, which be called to mind, That ancient god of sea, Oceanus invisible, may and Oegir (see Suppl.), whose hall glittered with gold,Saem. 59,^ '

'

=

'

'

"

1

Fornm.

sog. 9, 513 : our cc, and

to confirm

goes

ibr the latter

;

conf.

mor

gekk

alvaldr

unci

with y Ygishiahni. The spelling only stand for the former,not

refute fe, as an y can and the deriv. myri

In the greatfeast which

=

he gave

moeri, Gramm.

1, 473.

(sialft gods,the ale came up ofitself barsc J^arol, f^iem. 59),as Hephaistus's tripodsran avrondroiin and out of the 6eiou dycbva, II. 18, 376. Even so Freyr had a sword cr siaJft vegiz(tliat swings Saan. 82*, and Thor's Miolnir comes back of itself everytimeit is thrown. itself), -

to the

AKI,

would

of

name

have

UOKI,

all others

from

him.

been

Aki

supi:)Ose that in the

the

wear

From or

OEGIR,

all

Uohi ; Ecke

a

As

hereafter.

more

and

and

can

find,his

239

HLER.

helmet glittering

which in

name

takes OHG.

its

must

it

brothers

the Greek

Fasolt

Okeanos

and has

to we

is

Abentrot, of whom rivers

given him

for

expect to

Oegir has by Ean nine daughters, the Edda to waters and waves. We apj)lies might find that similar relations to the seagod were of old

ascribed

our

sons

whose

female And

the daughters,

GEOFON,

requiresno great boldness of our heroic legend,a giantall over, heathen god. Ecke's mythical nature

of the precipitate confirmed by that of iiis see

we

FIFEL,

names

to

own

rivers

[and stillbear there is

one

Norse

also,most

feminine such

local

of which

were

conceived

of

as

names]. name

in which

he may be clearly the Saxons from the

recognised. The Eider, a river which divides annalists in the eighth and Northmen, is called by the Frankish ninth centuries Egidora,Agadora, Acgidora (Pertz 1, 355-70-86. 2, 620-31); -Helmold 1, 12. 50 spellsEgdora. The ON. writers more plainlywrite Ocgisdyr(Fornm. sog. 11, 28. 31, conf. Geogr.of ocean's door, sea-outlet, a Northman, ed. by Werlauff p. 15), i.e., of the awful. collateral sense here with a ostium, perhaps even in Iceland,Landn. 5, Again, a place called Oegisdyris mentioned latus oceani. also find 3, 1 an Further,it 2, where we Oegissid'a, out that by the AS. name 321, 8 and Fl/cldorin Cod. exon. comes

of Merseb. ad.ann. 975, p. 760 is Wieglesdorin Dietmar the Eider again,stillthe aforesaid Oegisdyr meant ; while a various reading in Dietmar agrees with the annalist Saxo ad ann. 975 in Egidor. Now, seeing that elsewhere giving Heggedor=z'E^^gQ"OT, the AS. poems Fifelstredm,Fifelwreg(Boeth.26, 51. El. 237) use for the ocean, and Fifelcynnescard (Beow. 208) for the land of the Flfcland its corruptionWicgclto be we ocean-sprites, may suppose of Oegir. another and an obsolete name OS. Gelan, a being hold good of the AS. Geofon, The same may who is manifest from the ON. Gefjun, whose godhead is sufficiently the Asynior,though she bore sons to reckoned a giant. among Gehan however The Saxon a was god ; the Heliand shows only the 90, 7. 131, 22, but the AS. poets, in compound Gebenesstrom addition to Geofenes begang,Beow. 721, Geofenes staS, Ca^dm. 215, Csedm. 79, 34,geofonflod. 8, and the less personal geofonhus(navis), in Cod. exon. 193, 21, have also a Geofon standing independently

by

the

240

OTHER

the

Cfficlm. 206, 6, and

nom.,

OHG.

is

Kepan

Stiihlin 1, 598 for the and

and

to look

of

read

and

ice

been

older

the

fitti 3 we

I have

Forniotr. has

would

in

come

hib-ernus ?] Ij^lFoov,

some

which

names

are

synonymous Fornald. sog.

Noregr (Sn.369. syni,hett einn Hler, er vcr kollum call Oegir), annarr Logi,JnidjiKari

his

Liissoe in the

a

named

Cattegat.

(Forniotr).

nothingmore

left

was dwelling-place

notable

tell

to trace

of

but his (see Suppl.), himself

behind

; he

Oegir to the circle of Ases, being one of the these demigods or giants,and proving that even

less than

demonic

of nature

personified powers Teutonic

(p.137)

Kari). Hler, gen. Hies, appears from this to have in use the giants, by which Oegir is name, among

this Hler

belongseven older

Gibika

take

:

4.

father

to

giants.

spoken of in Sn. 79, and after which now Hles-cy(Sicm.78'^ 159^ 243'^),

Of

An

though

whether

not

%iaji^ fem.

3378.

names,

Fundinn

the

In

Ocgi (onehightHler, whom afh. 1, 95 (liask,

Greek

itself furnishes

Forniotr

:

the

to

snow

Oegir.

2, 17) we

proper

I know

Gebencsvnlare.

away

the North

with

in

even

giban to give,in which case relation to Neptune (pp.122, 148)

the notion And

found,

nowhere

givesa

Wuotan's or

gifen geotende,Beow.

the verb

root

here ;

GODS.

races

must

borne

also have

outside of Scandinavia.

Forniotr

among

sway

is to be

the

explained,

the ancient primus occupans, but rather as forn-iotr, lotr (Rask,afhand. 1, 78), a particularly apt expressionfor those witli iotunn AS. eoton, as will and itself, closelyconnected giants, not

be

as

for-niutr

shown

further

Now

on.

in

AS.

the

Liber

medicinalis, from

80 gives insufficient extracts, there is Wanley, pp. 176 a plant of healingvirtue spoken of according to Lye's dictionary of (twice apparently,from the various spelling)by the name of Forneoti manus). As none Foriictcs folme {i.e. Forneotcs folnic, be a remnant must the ON. writingsallude to this herb,its name the giantmay of the Saxon own mythology. In OHG. people's which

have

"

been

remember

called

how,

Firnez,

in Beow.

and

the

plant

1662, Grendel

has

Firnezes torn

folma.

off the

hand

We of

a

and presents it as tacen of his victory, justas Tristan water-sprite, chops off the giantUrgan'shand, and takes it with him to certify The the deed, 16055-65-85. amputation of the huge giant-hand been fitly ancient myth, and to have therefore part of an seems

retained in the

of

name

led

If these last allusions have

as

and us

Evil

a

one

walls. the beneficent

from

away

have here we malignantspirits, of the Edda reprethe teaching transit to the onlygod whom sents wicked and malevolent,though it stillreckons him among

deities rather to hurtful demons easy

is also

vegetable ; there than one legendthe

broad-leaved

a

and in more plantcalled deviVs-liancl, leaves the printof his hand on rocks

an

241

SATURN'.

GRENDEL,

LOKI,

and

the Ases. 5. as Lofji,

three

have

we

(LoKi,Grendel), Saturn. was

seen,

Hler, Logi,Kari

brothers

second

a

son

of

the whole

on

Forniotr,and to

seem

the

represent

(Sn.54. GO) placesLogi by the side of Lohi, a beingfrom the giantprovince beside a kinsman and companion of the gods. This is no mere play from different t he same words, the two reallysignify tiling upon Logi the natural force of fire,and Loki, with a pointsof view of the sense of the sound, a shifting : of the burly giant shifting be compared The two has been made a sly seducingvillain. may and the Hephajstus (Vulcan) of the Greeks ; to the Prometheus water, fire and

air

as

N"ow

elements.

strikingnarrative

a

,

Okeanos mixed most

was

up. of

a

In

we ill,

friend and kinsman

Loki, sa see

of the former.

But

the two

get

flestu iUu raeSr

er

also the

giant demon

(Sn.4G),who devises the sets who, like Hephaestus, of Hephsestusand the us

reminds gods a-laughing ; his limping of Prometheus's,for Loki is put lame fire (N". Cap. 76),his chaining in chains like his son Fenrir. As Hephaestusforgesthe net for Ares and Aphrodite, Loki too prepares a net (Sn.69),in which he salient of all is the analogybetw^een is caught himself. Most Hephaestusbeinghurled down from Olympus by Zeus (II.1,591-3) and the devil beingcast out of heaven into hell by God (ch.XXXIII, though the Edda neither relates such a fall of Loki, nor sets Devil), him forth as a cunning smith and master of dwarfs probably the stories of Loki and Logi were fuller once. Loki's former much fellowshipwith OSinn is clearlyseen, both from Srem. 61^ and from the juxtaposition of three creative deities on their travels, the

,

Ocfinn,Hcenir,Locfr,Ssem. 3% instead of which w^e have also Offhm, Hmnir, Lohi,Sasm. 180, or in a different order O"inn, Loki,Hcenir, Sn. 80. 135

I do not venture to 162). Tliis trilogy of Hler, Logi,Kari above, strikingly OSinn as OSinn U avi/ioio ; and though from the creating

(conf.supra,

with identify to corresponds

that the

p.

16

242

GODS.

OTHER

blood and

colour

with (6S),

sense

from as spirit(ond), the connexion (laok litr),

and

proceedbreath

is not

water

in

in Goth.

either to be

Locho,

OHG.

with

seems

and

Lauha

the

of the

one

mythology,and with But the without leavinga trace. that gradation of sounds ought

OHG.

Loho,

loss of his

or

Luka

in Goth. to

name

of the later devil.

againpurely in the character

is

of the Norse

Germany he has vanished fire-godtoo, who accordingto

lis

of

(blaze, glow) come Hoenir,who imparts

clear: this Hcenir

so

unmanageablephenomena

most

Lod'r

have

He

and

come

lasted

up

longer

myths everywhere show how nearlyLoki the 7, 43) has proved ^s approachesLogi the giant. Thorlacius (spec. and that in the phrase Loki fer yfirakra (passesover the fields), Locke dricker vand in the Danish (drinkswater),fire and the burning sun are meant, just as we say the sun is drawing water, two clouds. he shines through in bright streaks between when Loka daun (Lokii odor) is Icelandic for the ignisfatuus exhaling brimstone (Lokii incendium) for Sirius ; 44) ; Lokah^enna (ibid. Loka spcenir are chips for firing.In the north of Jutland,a weed very noxious to cattle (polytrichumcomm.) is called Lokkens havre, in

Scandinavia,and

'

'

'

'

and sows

there

is

a

proverb

'

Nu

Lokken

saaer

sin

havre,'now

his oats, i.e., the devil his tares ; the Danish

fatua,others make

it the

Locke

lexicon translates

rhinanthus

crista

galli. When the fire crackles, they say Lokje smacks his children,' Faye Molbech's Dial. lex. p. 330 says, the Jutland phrase Lokke p. 6. what is equivalent Lokke driver idag havre idag (to-day),' or saaer is spoken of vapours that med sine geder (drivesout his goats),' When birds drop hang about the ground in the heat of the sun. their feathers in moulting time, people say they gaae i Lokkis arri L.'s harrow ?) ; 'at hore paa Lockens eventyr (pass under to listen to lies or idle tales (P.Syv's gamle (adventures)means danske ordsprog2, 72), According to Sjoborg's Nomenklatur, there Lokchall. All of them is in Yestergotlanda giant's grave named conceptionswell deservingnotice,which lingerto this day among ficent the common people,and in which Loki is by turns taken for a beneand for a hurtful being,for sun, fire, giantor devil. Exactly is in Germany ascribed to the devil,and the sort of harm the same flame (seeSuppl.). kindlygod of lightis thoughtof as a devastating

Lokeshavre

avena

'

'

'

'

'

'

On

this

identitybetween

Logi

and

Lold

rests another

vestige

of

is found

da?mon, which

tlie Xorse

243

SxVTUKN.

GKEXDEL,

LOKI,

the

among

other

Teutonic

liuhan

Loki will apparently ^hicere), conf. claudus fall to the root lukan lame); the ON", lok (claudere, consummatio, and loka repagulum,because a bolt or finis, means odious devilish spirit, an bar closes. In Beowulf we come a upon thyrs(Beow. 846) named Grcndel,and his mother, Grendeles modor An AS. and giant's mother. devil's mother a veritable (4232-74), of 931 in Kemble a document place called 2, 172 mentions the AS. grindel,OHG. Grcndlcs mere (Grendelipalus). Now MHG. repagulum,pessulus; so the name h'intil, grintclis precisely races.

If

Grendel

seems

Logi

related to

Gervase

demon

named

stillin

use

Grant.

same

remarkable,that

It is very

doubt

meaning heightenedno

vectis infernalis, a hell-bar,

as

way

Loki

to

in like bolt and

Englishfire-

an

Germans

we

have

expressionfor a diabolic being,its by compositionwith' hell';hdllric(jel

third synonymous

a

the

(obex)in grindel

which shuts one grindis a grating, of Tilbury(inLeibn. 1, 980) tells of

loka ; the ON. bar.

from

comes

devil hell-brand,

the devil's

or

own

; a

the devil's grandmother; or hag is styledhollriegel and Hugo von alreadyused this hcUcrigd Langenstein(Martina4^^) bolted Now of abuse. hell was as a term imagined as beingtightly and barred ; when Christ,says Fundgr. 1, 178, went down to Hades in the strengthof a lion,he made die grintclbrechen'. Lastly, drcmil (pessulus, Graff 5,531) with the OHG. connect even we may shrewish

old

'

the ON.

trami

tremill,which

or

clathri,cancelli

seems,

in tlie Swedish

and

song

of

As

Thus

!

'

85"' ;

Stem.

of the epitliet this is the Thrymr of the Edda, dremil with which our for jn-ami, is

Torkar, troUtram

exactlyaccord.

more

J?ikskulo

gneypa

that trami stands

might guess

would

tramar

stole the hanmier.

devil who one

'

:

and also,it

both cacodaemon

mean

from

several

an

sides

we

see

the

mythicalnotions that prevailedon this subjectjoininghands, and be of high antiquity.Foersom the merging of Logi into Loki must that the devil is conceived of in (on Jutl. superstit. p. 32) alleges, is tied down. the polewith which a load the form of a liissetra, i.e., Beside

the as, Snorri

Loki

as a king whose UtfjarffaloJci,

Thorr

;

rests

one

was

himself,Sn.

Loki 1

it

'

Tliorlacius's

mainly

probablyof

on

54

of

an

Oegir,each

another and

who

before

power that

household

seq.^ Saxo,

theory,of

to

arts

his

the antithesis of

Hler

sets

in

the

ns

deceive outdid whole

in the even

the

Edda,

godlike other

of his work

supplantedby the Aso:=i, nature-worsliip of Lo^'ito Loki, and an Okul^urr to Asaf^orr, standing for thunder,tire, pair respectively

older

244

OTHEE

once

never '

the

names

monster, who

in

dwells

he

: a

brooks

the adventurous

him .paints

as

thingsof this giganticsemi-divine

a

distant land, is invoked

gods,and grants his

other

Lold, tells wonderful

Eddie

163-6

Ugarthilocus,' pp.

GODS.

aid.

A

valiant

in

like

storm

a

Thorkill,

hero,named

all this is but

: journey to Ugarthilocus

legendaryvariation of the visit which, in Snorri,Thorr pays to that Thorkill plucksout one UtgarSaloki. Still it is worth noticing, of Ugarthilocus's hairs,and takes it home with him huge spear-like the uttermost borders of the were (Saxo 165-6). The titgarcPar habitable world, where antiquityfixed the abode of giantsand hell monsters, i.e., the

of

notion

and

;

here

bar,closingup

also

it

as

have

may

been

the

were

present that that

to

entrance

ghostsand demons. also a Saxon Loico and Whether in very earlytimes there was Alamannic Lohlio,or only a Grcndil and Krentil ; what is of an To capital importance is the agreement in tlie myths themselves. Our what cited above, I will here add something more. was

inaccessiljle regionof

nursery

made

-tales have

us

the incident of the haii

familiar with

plucked off the devil as he lay asleepin his grandmother'slap (Kinderm. 29). The correspondingNorwegian tale makes three but while he sleeps, not feathers be pulledout of the dragon'stail, after he is dead.

punishment of his misdeeds, is put in chains, like but he is to be released who brought fire to men;

in

Loki, Prometheus

the

again at

himself in

end

of the

One

birth,pursues the

second

a

world.

of his children,Fcnrir} i.e., in the

moon

shapeof

a

ivolf,

According to Sn, 12. 13, an old in the forest gave birth to these giantsin wolfskin girdles, giantess the miglitiest of them being Mdnagarmr (lunaecanis)who is to devour the moon place,while Skoll chases the sun, ; but in another Hati, Ilru"vitnis sonr Probably tliere (Stem.45^^) dogs the moon. fuller legends about written them were never were all, which down ; an old Scotch story is stillremembered about the tayl of threatens

and

to

swallow

her.

'

To

water.

the

elder series must be added what natiire-godcan

(world-snake). But None?

And

his

was

being not

one

of the

earth,and

Sif=

have

OiSiin

primeval ones

the

taken 1

'

"c.

mi'(5garL"sormr phxce of? [Quoted from

the

Suppl.,vol. iii.] ^

Goth.

pannifer'? the

Cloth,

Fanareis But

?

OHG.

standard, in the unrighteous "

this?]

Fanari, Feniri ?

early Norse does not seem fano (flag).[Has the fana, OHG. the

war

can

to

it be

have

fox

our

the word

holding

up

fahnentrager, answering his tail

of beasts against birds,anything to do . o o .

as

to a

with

245

SA-TURN.

GRENDEL,

LOKI,

(seeSuppl.). But the popular and that from the earliest belief seems to have extended generally, still say, when Germany, and beyond it. We times, all over disturbances arise,the devil is broke loose/as baneful and perilous in the North they used to say Lohi er or bondum (ch.XXIII). In the Life of Goz von Berlichingen, where everyp. 201 : the devil was

the

and

wolfe

the

warldis

end'

'

'

'

'

'

large ;

at

disorder i.e., geworden,' from

threatened ironical

phrase:

threats would

of the

future

a

safe Dieu

'

and

'

:

do

was

prevailed.Of

violence

de duvcl los any

who

one

distance,the folk in Burgundy used

garde la

popularsong as

1, 298

des

lune

the time

the

loups! '^ meaning, such

be fulfilledtillthe end of the world ; in the

not

the French

way

chronik

in Detmar's

same

IV. expresses the far end the wolf's teeth shall get at the

Henry

on

when

la lune avec les dcnts.^ Fischart jusqu'a ce que Ton j:"?"c?i?ic dcs mons,' and most in several placesspeaks of this ivoJ/ fullyin his Aller practikgrossmutter : derhalben dorft ihr nicht mehr fiir ihn betten,dass ihn Gott vor den vMfcn wolle hchutcn,denn sie werden ihn diss jahr nicht erhaschen (need not pray for the moon, ^ In several placesthere circulate they won't get her this year). the people rhymes about the twelve hours, the last two among zwolfe die ^volfc, elfe kommen um um : being thus distinguished bricht das gcivolhe' the wolves, at 12 bursts the vault, at 11 come moon

:

'

'

'

'

death i.e., behef

in

out

too too

Can

the

there be

appearingof the wolf or and the burstingof heaven's

the world if a

of the vault.

echo in this of the old

an

wolves vault ?

pieceof the wick gets half detached and is fast,they say a wolf (aswell as thief) is like the wolf devouringthe sun or moon. *

have

moon

been

a

at the destruction

In

a

makes

of

lightedcandle, it burn

away '

in the candle ; this

Eclipsesof sun or nations ; the incipient

heathen many orb marks of the luminous

terror to

for them the obscuration increasing when the gaping jaws of the wolf threaten to devour it, moment and they think by loud cries to bring it succour (ch.XXII, Eclipses). The breaking loose of the wolf and the ultimate enlargemento( Loki from his chains,who at the time of the Ragnarokr will war accord with the release the gods,is in striking againstand overcome Zeus is then to be overthrown. of the chained Prometheus, by whom and

1

to the Lanionnaye, glossaire

noei

bourguignon,Dijon 1776, p.

Ps. 72, 7 : donee auferetur luna. think of the fable of the in this connexion the well to eat up the moon, which he takes fur a cheese I 2

3

242.

Conf.

May

we

wo^f who

goes

down

246

OTHER

The

formula,

'

GODS.

Loki ver"'r lauss

'

riufaz

tillthe gods regin, be destroyed), answers exactlyto the Greek irplvav eV heafiwv XaX-ciadr] (Aesch.Prom. 176. 770. 991) ; the writhingsof UpofiT^devq the earth to quake (Siem. 69. Sn. 70),just the fettered Loki make in the case of Prometheus a-ea-aXevrai as ')(9(siv (Aesch. 1081). noblest sympathy, while the Only the Greek Titan excites our Edda

iinz

presents Loki

Loki

was

named

as

fair in

a

(=imz

hateful monster.

form, evil in disposition a giant, ; his father,

and (boatman ?),his mother Lcmfey (]eaf-ea) Ndl (needle mio ok auSJjreiflig, ; thin and insinuating, 355),all of them words translate into OHG. to as Farpozo (remex), easy found. such nowhere He is names are Loupouwa, Nadala, though but called Farbauta never always after his mother, Loki sonr, Laufeyjar sonr (Sffim.07'' 72^ 73^),which had its originin but held its ground even in prose (Sn.64) and in the alliteration, Locke Loje,Loke Lovmand, Loke Lejemand of the later folk-songs. This Laufey (Swed. Lofo)is firstof all the name of a place, which and here again there is doubtless reference to an was personified, element. By his wife Slgyn Loki had a son Nari or Narvi, and by the aforesaid Fcnrir,the serpent a giantess Angrloda three children, and a daughterHd. It is worthy of notice, that he Idrm.unrjandr himself is also called Loirir(aiirius), of his brothers Heland one was

Farhauti

hlindi,which

is likewise

a

name

of 05inn.

justthrow out these mythology,in the hope of

mostly foreign to our German for them future inquiry. enlisting

names,

Once

again

brought forward

we

turn

must

among

the

our

gods of

of isolated

facts

I

attention the week

to

a

name

already

(pp.125-6),for

almost

which

place The High German native antiquities. week leaves two days, our in the middle and at the end, not named after gods. But one one sambaztag for Saturday,as well as mittwoch for Wuotanstag,was a wdiich the church had achieved or gladlyaccepted sheer innovation, called after The first six days were for those two days at all events. the sun, the moon, and Fria : what god was Zio, Wuotan, Donar entitled to have the naming of the seventh day ? Four German deities were available for Mars, Mercury,Jupiter, Venus, but how ? Saturn be put into German The Mid. Ages wxnt to on was explainingthe seventh day by the Poman god : our Kaiserchronik, a

in

rare

concurrence

seems

to

secure

a

which

247

SATUEN.

LOKI, GRENDEL,

sixth

for the third, fourth,fifth and

even

days

names

gods,but only Mars, Mercury,Jupiter,Venus, itselfthus clumsily: German

An

Tlien

dem

sameztage sa eiuez heizet rotunda, ein herez betehus, daz was

Is

got hiez Saturmls,

The

der

darnach

That

iz aller tiuvel "re.

was

a

the

on

no

expresses

Saturday

thingnamed rotunda a lofty was temple, god was named Saturnus,

Thereafter

all devils'

it to

was

honour. Here

worship of

the

pantheonbuilt

gods or devils,which Boniface converted into Frisians,Dutch of St. Mary. The Anglo-Saxons, English, the god'svery have left to the 'dies Saturni Saxons

church

'

Low

and

the

of all the

in honour a

with

is connected

Saturn

or Saturday,Saterdei,Saterdnch, Saiernesdieg, Scvtcresday the Irish have adopted dia Satuirn or Satarn ; and even Satersdag, whereas the French samedi. Span, sabado,Ital. sabato,agrees with not only of idea,as in our High Germ, samstag. Here is identity,

name:

the

ant-change gods,but of name, and the absence of consonto betray downright borrowing: or may the

of the other

case

seems

have

resemblance have

been

neither sadere a

a

been

in imitation

modified

Satarnes-

nor

of

the

Sazarnestac

a

genuine German

a

foreignone

can

be found

(OHG. sazari,conf. saza, MHG. laga,lage is lying in wait); and

insidiator

means

in wait, as sitting

remarkable, a

more

and accidental,

document

of

Edward

the

name

In

?

OHG in AS.

; but

insidiae,

saze

M'hat is still

Confessor

(chart,

of antiq.rot. M. no. 1. Kemble 4, 157) suppliesus with the name a placeScctercsbijrig, quiteon a par with Woduesbyrig ; further,the hahnenfuss, Engl,crowfoot,was in AS. sdtorld(Te our plantgallicrus, OHG. ON. leiSi, it were Saturni taedium leidi).^I as (-loathing, call to mind, that even the ancient Franks spoke of Saturnus (p.88) as a heathen god,and of Saturni dolium, though that may have referred to the The

last

planetarygod (seeSuppl.). for the sabbath brings us to

mere

'

name

'

the

ON",

laugar-

Saturn and Solomon, In the AS. are preservedvarious dialoguesbetween continental Solomon Marculf in and Germany, but similar to those between cliristian and, apart from their more settingor dressingup, not unlike anticiue Edda between Oi^'inn and Vafl'ruSthe the questionsand discourses carried on in and between Har and Gangleri. Here also the Alviss, nir,between Vingj'orr 1

name

Saturn

paganism.

seems

to

make

for my

point,and

to

designatea god

of Teutonic

248

OTHER

GODS.

by wliicli in later times no dagr,Swed. logerdag,Dan. loverdag, doubt washing or bathing day was meant, as the equivalent have Jjvottdagrshows; but originally Zo^adagr,LoJcadagvmay been in use/ and Logi,Loki might answer to the Latin Saturnus,^ as the idea of devil which lay in Loki was popularlytransferred to the Jewish Satan and [what seemed to be the same thing]the heathen Saturn, and We

might

Locki

ON", is likewise

in

take

seducer,tempter, trapper.

into consideration

by-name of OSinn in Sa3m. 46% Sa"r or perhaps SaSr, though I preferto take the first form as equivalent to Sannr (true)and Sanngetall, But that AS. Scetcrcshjrig from the middle of the 11th century recalls the burg on the Harz mts, built (according to irresistibly hitherto despised accounts of the 15th our century in Bothe's even

'

'

to the Sachsenchronik)

people

common

touched

upon

Saturn,which

Krodo 206

p.

Hruodo, Chrodo

older

idol

called

in

a

;

this

to

Saturn,it is added, the we

add

may

the

(HreSe,HreSemonaS),for

name

which

an

conjectured.^We are told of an image of this Saturn or Krodo, which representedthe idol as a man standingon a great fish,holding a pot of flowers in his righthand, and

wheel

a

with

the

erect

not sickle,

Here

of the

Bohemian

a

tenth

1

Conf. Finn

2

I suppose

a

brazen

Hanka

is called

Kirt),in

the

furnished

was

(seeSuppl.).* conceptionsappear to overlap.

'

among it ; but at all describing

14*^ and

Eadihost

second,Picus

Widukind

Saturni

simidacrum

century, without

glossesin

Saturn

left;the Eoman

wheel

mentions

Mercurius first, of

in his

Slav

some

(Pertz5, 463) Slavs

was

17^ .carry vnuk

Saturni

Kirtov

In

farther.

us

the Old the

'

(Eadigastgrandson filius is glossed ztracec '

lex. Magniisen,

pp. 1041-2, dagens tider p. 7. Homer's in his mind constant ejDithet, Kpovos Kronos. TBAJfs. wily,crooked-counselled dyKv\ofj.T]Tr]s 3 To Hrudo be referred those names might now Boysel (laterspelling the author

had

"

Reusel) and documents is

There

Koydach

an

Hroddag Hruodo,

Gramaye,

who

understands

them

of Mars

;

day of the week is (Graff5, 362),and

ancient meant.

OS. corb. " 424, ed. Wigand ; these may be related to as Baldag to Balder,and the contraction Roydag, Rodag would for Hrodsuith. If Roydag should turn out to be the seventli

is found

Hrodo be like Roswith

day

in

first place it beyond doubt,which actual Hruodtac,a man's name in OHG.

must

an

in Trad.

of the week, it would be a strong testimonyto the worship of Chrodo ; i^' the third,we have to add, that the third month also was sacred to called Hre S'emona^ by the Anglo-Saxons. was

it remain Mars, and

The Kaiserchr. 3750 says, to Saturn we offer quicksilver now ; whereas Saturn's symbol signifies lead. In J\Iegenberi:j, Saturn is called Satjdr. The Saxon Saturn reference to that god '. (Extracted is supportedby Hengest's *

from

'

Suppl.,vol. iii.)

GEENDEL,

LOKI,

is

for

name

and

in

give

kingdom

the

up

Saturn

namely

Saturn, Hruodo.

Sitivrat

know

the

whether

krt,

Pol.

into

the

other

and

wheel-turner, both rested

the

Vishnu is

the

represented

still

are

from

more

who he =

Hardly Edw.

hath

Varuuas,

of

than

with

veracious Ouranos.'

wheel

that

flowers

but

Slavo-Teutonic

the

his

All

to

suffice

ancient

myth,

which

spell

saved

neck,

by

Vishnu

and

;

;

Sitivrat

is

to

put

hand

Krodo's

these

they

Boh.

kolo-vrat,

as

fish

not

sito-vrat,

of

deluge

about

and

prefer

an

a

for

do

identified

on

hand.^

;

with

in

of

son

I

;

same

great

a

stands

fourth

Krodo

have

him

Krodo

our

and

round,

Krodo

insecure

and

ing hold-

coincidences establish

starts

up

the thus

quarter.

where

Crete,

to

of

in

of

his

the

move

who

fish,

in

almost

=

;

name

meaning

mythologists

wreaths

a

one

Moore's

corresponds that

Slav

a

and

meagre

antiquity

2

of

(chakra)

high

^

form

wearing

wheel

(sito)

Sati/dvrata,

Hindu in

a

sieve

sieve-turning.

on

with

and

solution

a

be

should

subordinate

sit

to

Jupiter,

connected I

the

making

another

and

be

to

be

is

to

mole.^

the

would

afford

(kolo)

wheel

it

that

so

is

i.e., the

Sitivrat

name

sieve-turner,

word

krot,

Picus

Saturn

glance

Zeus,

learnt

is

Stracec=ricus

of

as

Saturn

20^

Sitivrat

first

son

seems

confirm

third

a

that

the

is the

have

certainly

Slavic

in

(ZTt/fo?)

we

Kirt

at

us

Hermes.

son

which

Euss.

kret,

his

and

see

Picus

Sitivrat

Kirt,

not

(p. loOn.)

treat

to

beside

but

;

myths

and

leads

249

-

son);

does

which

Mercury

Greek

fact

Who

Saturn,

Eadigast=

?

satur

Sitivrat's

Sitivrat.

called

again

Slavic

(woodi^ecker,

zin'

Sitivratov

SATUKX.

ruled

Kronos

Hindu

Pantheon,

Saturn,

is

the

(fulfilled)

(Quoted

Lend.

Indian vows;

from

and

1810,

Zeus

Satyavrata, so

was

tab.

I'd

vol.

23."

i.e.,accordintj

Dhritavrata,

Suppl.,

born. and

ill.)

he

that

hath

*

to

Sitivrat, Kulin,

kept-vows

CHAPTEE

XIII.

GODDESSES.

of our inquiry could aim at treatingof gods, the course goddesses^ it seems separating the several i^ersonalities ; the there and all at one view, because advisable to take by themselves will come out is a common idea underlying them, which more clearlyby that method. They are thought of chieflyas divine In

who

mothers

travel

round

and

visit

the

houses,from whom

human

occupationsand arts of housekeepingand husbandry: spinning,weaving,tending the hearth,sowing and reaping. These labours bring with them and quiet in the land, and the peace of them abides in charming traditions even more lastingly memory learns the

race

that of

than as

from battles,

hold themselves

women

But

and

wars

as

other hand of

some

most

names

peace or

well

goddessesas

aloof.

goddesses also take kindlyto

favour

1.

which

agriculture ; and

and

offices between

the

war,

so

do

gods on

there arises

an

the

change inter-

sexes.

Gaue, Firgunia, Hluodana. Erda, iSTiRDU,

languages the Earth is regarded as female,and ing (incontrast to the father sky encirlingher) as the breeding,teemmother: Goth, airpa, OHG. erada, erda,AS. eor"e, fruit-bearing hitmus ON. from epa^e); Lat. terra, tcllus, iord",Gr. epa (inferred Slav, zeme, ziemia, zemlia, Lith. zieme, Gr. %a/A^ (?whence mother Zema ala, "yala,jP]: the subjoinedin Arjfnjrrjp, 'XCLfxa^e), form erda (alsoherda)is mate, indicates tlie goddess. The air]?a, itself a derivative ; the simplerOHG. eov (inthe Wessobr. jjrayer : noli ufhimil, earth nor for solum, ero heaven) and hero (in a gloss, In

almost

all

=

'

'

MHG. gutin gen. giitinno, 65'^ MS. 15812. 246-7. 2, giitinne, ; AS. but Mones also weak gl.4185 Proser])i(jydenpi.gydena, gydene pi. gydenan, to gidenan (1.togydenan,additional iiani goddess); ON. gy(^ja(which might be dea or sacerdos fern.), better tisynja (seeSuppl.). OHG.

1

in

Notker

Trist. 4807. (jotinne, =

lias

only

the

Earl.

strong form

seklomer

4, 999) might be

Graff

solum, Graff 4, 102G)

=

molta, AS. molde, ON.

mukla, OHG.

Goth,

fern, still.^ The

(likeherd

masc.

251

IILUODAXA.

FIKGUNIA,

GAUE,

NIRDU,

EKDA,

or

mold,

of soil,dust ; equallyimpersonalis only the material sense tlie OS. folda,AS. folde,ON. fold,conf. feld,field,i^inn. peldo Hung, fold (terra).But the ON. lOrd' appears in the (campus), wife and daughter of OSinn, and motlier of Thorr ilesh,at once contain

39.

her

liindr,another

was

97^),called

91=^ 95^

OHG.

is the

name

terrae,and

to

rind

the AS.

hruse

is not

neither in lorS

But

in the

found

of Vali

(Siem.

coarselypainted;

more

cortex, hence

=

Distinct from

crusta

her

soli vel

is closely related. As (terra) North, neither is the mythical

Germany (seeSuppL).

in

meaning

Saxo, and

rinta, AS.

crusta

this literal sense

in

mother

OSinn, and

M'ife of

Rinda

burr.

called larSar

is often

123),who

(8n. 11.

nor

in

Piindr has

the Edda

brought out

in

is this more maternal character ; nowhere specially purely and simply expressedthan in the very oldest account we that Tacitus possess of the goddess. It is not to all the Germani Reudigni, imputesthe worshipof Nerthus, only to the Langobardi(?), Aviones, Angli,Varini, Eudoses, Suardones and A^uithones (Germ. nisi quod in commune 40): Nee quicquam notabile in singulis, clear relief her

est Terrain

Nerthum^ id

intervenire

colunt,eamque

matrem

rebus

Est in insula oceani castum arbitrantur. hominum, invehi populis, uni dicatumque in eo vehiculum, veste contectum, attingere nemus, dcam intelligit, penetrali vectamque veneratione prosequitui\Laeti tunc hdus multa cum dies, feniinis adventu festa loca, quaecunque hospitioquedignatur. Non bella ferrum : pax et quies sumunt omne arma ineunt, non ; clausum

sacerdoti

tunc

tantuni

tunc

tantum

mortalium

vestes, et, si credere

ministrant,quos

Servi 1

The

-

velis,numcn statim

and

hero

idem

remind

idem

donee

sacerdos

satia-

templo reddat. Mox TcMculum ijisumsccrcto lacii ahluiinr. lacus

one

haurit.^

of the

name

Arcanus

hinc

buted Eor, Cheru, attri-

(supra,i)p. 203-4). has nehcrtum have this reading,one (Massmann in anzeiger,18.34,p. 216); I sliouUl preferNertus to Nerthus,

no

other

German

MSS.

A'uithones. seem

not air]ia, ^

dcam

:

Mones

liecause

might

ero

amata

and

The

Aufsess

forms

two

Mars

to

More

nota,

conversatione

tam et

Is adesse

concessum.

The than in

As

coUated

words

in Tacitus

have

TH,

except Gothini

and

in herda tlie asj)irate

for the conjecturalHerthus, though plead for it,tlie termination -us is againstit,the Gotliic having Nerth. S])eIIs air]nis.Besides, Aventiu ahcady (Frankf.1.580,p. 19'') assisted at the secret bathing. lake swall""\vs the slaves wlio had this incident turns ployed emonce up, of jmtting to death the servants dug the river out of its bed fur any secret Avork ; as those who to

252

GODDESSES.

quid sit illuJ,quod sanctaque ignorantia,

terror

tanturn

perituri

videut

(seeSuppl.).^ This beautiful description agrees notices of the worship of a godhead to it

with

what

whom

find in other

we

and

peace

fruitfuhiess

Freyr,son of Niorffr,whose round tire country in spring, with the people curtained car went all praying and holding feasts (p.213); but Freyr is altogether the goddessNerthus. like his father,and he againlike his namesake fixed for certain The harvest-truces,plough-truces, spring-truces, and seasons implements of husbandry, have struck deep roots in and Donar law and land-usages.Wuotan also make German our In

attributed.

were

in their

their appearance

kindly rain

and

crops

whose

Sweden

wains, and on

p.

invoked

are

the

107, anent

for increase to the

of

car

withholds,I have hinted

Sozomen

name

;

was

a

Gothic

god

at Nerthus.

interchangeof male and female deities is,luckilyfor us as god by the prayers and rhymes to Wuotan here,set in a clear light, have quotedabove (p.155 seq.), of harvest,which we beingin other Low to a goddess. When districts handed German over straight of the the cottagers,we told,are mowing rye, they let some are stalks stand, tie flowers among them, and when they have finished take hold of the ears work, assemble round the clump left standing, The

of rye, and

shout three times

over

:

Lady Gaue, keep you

Gaue, haltet ju fauer,

Fni

This year

den wagen. dat ander jarup der kare ! ^ diit

jarup

Next

the waggon,

on

year

fodder,

some

on

the wheelbarrow.

promised him for the next year, to receive notice of a falling off in the quantity Dame Gaue seems I see of the giftpresented. In both the shyness of the cases heathen christians at retaining sacrifice : as far as words go, the a old gods are to think no great thingsof themselves in future. Wliereas

had

better fodder

Hameln, it was

the district about

In

in

Wode

bindingsheaves

Alaric's funeral

passedone

over,

(Jornand. cap. 29),or

or

the custom, when left

those who

a

reaper

anythingstandingin

have

hidden

a

the

treasure,Landn.

Suppl.). (.see Speaking of Nerthus, we ought to notice Ptolemy'sNertereans,though he places them in a very different localityfrom that occupiedby the races who 5,

12

1

Nerthus

revere 2 '

Braunschw.

they

anz.

1751, p.

mistake for ' hal call this harvest-custom

haltet

'

in Tacitus.

a

'

and

900.

Hannov.

something

a barn. building

gel.anz.

else

'/] In

Arch,

the

1751, p. 662 [isnot Altenburg country

des henneb.

vereins 2, 91.

ERDA,

253

IILUODANA.

FIRGUNIxV,

GAUE,

NIKDU,

sclioll diit del gaucfnie{pT, to jeerat him by callingout: field, '^ defnt Gaucn) hebben (is that for dame G.) ? '

Prignitzthey say fru Godc, and call the buncli of ears dame Code's i.e., left standing in each field vergodendcelsstrxiss, contraction for frau [as in Vcr is a common portion biinch,^ jungfer]; but a dialect which says fauer instead of foer,foder,will be no other This Guode can equallyliave Gaue for Gode, Guodc. fru by the older fro,/ro Woden than Gwode, AVode ; and,explaining or Gaunsdag for Wonsdag, p, 125) will denote a lord fro Gaue (conf. of prayer and god, not a goddess,so that the form completely In the

those addressed

coincides with

to

"Wuotan,

the

and

fruh Wod

joined sub-

preferthe notion of a female which, later at all events, was undoubtedly divinity, Got attached to the term fru,we miglitperhaps bringin the OK (Sn, 358. Fornald. sog. 2, 17), a mythic maiden, after whom of The Greek Fala or Fi]is,I consider, out February was named. tiie questionhere. to fields that have In an AS. formulary for restoring fertility in the note

been

bewitched,there

'

ercc, erce, ercc,

her

mother

(seeSuppl.). If

p. 156

on

corpan modor be

to

seems

!

'

by

meant;

which

not

the earth

firstis

but herself,

however, the expressionis still

in there lie disguised

enigmatical.Can

addresses ; the

remarkable

two

occur

one

erce

a

proper

name

Ercc gen.

adj.erchau, simplex,genuinus, ? it would to write Uorce ? ought correct surelybe more germanus it to suggest the lady Urchc, Hcrkja,Herche,Helche renowned in heroic legend? The distinct traces in Low Saxon districts of a our Harkc In Jessen, divine dame, Hcrkc or by name, are significant. the Elster,not far from Wittenberg, a little town on they relate of will be shown, holds good of as frau Herke what in other places, In the Mark she is called frau Harkc, Freke, Berhta and Holda. is said to fly through the country between and Christmas and dispensingeartlily Twelfth-day, goods in abundance ; by Epiphany the maids have to finish spinningtheir flax,else frau Harke gives Ercan, connected

1

prayer

ITannov. of the

anz. ;to1.

"-.

XXII

the

OHC.

1751, p.

heatlieu

72G.

j\rore

their Litluiaiiiaiis, of the ale on the ground :

llieyspiltsome riinku darbus

with

!

to

blooming Earth, bless

Knhns markische '/^[^'^^^'the cry of the dwarfs

:

'

plensingto

the

par

is the

short

when in eartli-gocUIes^s,

drinking? pukylek niusu Zcmenyle ziedekle,

the work

sagen, pp. 337. de gaue fru is uu

of

our

hands.

372, prof.p. vii. dot

(dead)'.

Conf. in ch.

254

GODDESSES.

good scratchingor soils their distaff (see Suppl.).iIn find in current ; we of the name was earlier times a simplerform Persona Gobelinus (Meibom 1, 235) the followingaccount, which Hera colebatur a therefore reaches back beyond 1418 : Quodautem Saxonibus, videtur ex eo quod quidam vulgaresrecitant se audivisse ab antiquis, prout et ego audivi,quod inter festum nativitatis Christ i ad festum epiphaniaeDomini doniina Hera volat per aera, quoniam Junoni aer deputabatur. Et quod Juno quandoque apud gentiles

tliem

a

et tintinnabulis alis, appellabaturet depingebaturcum Hera sen corrupto dicebant vulgares praedictotempore : vrowe illam sibi conferre rerum et credebant Here de vlughet, nomine vro

Hera

Have

temporalium abundantiam. "Epa,Hero meaning earth also contains

Urce

AS. Herke

be of

must

second

The

we

? and

the

does

here stillextant

the old Ero,

"Hpa belong to

it ?

then

same,

the

even

If the

form

diminutive

high antiquity.

address

in the

AS. ritual is

same

a

call to the earth

:

(whole)be thou earth,mother in Tacitus. terra mater of men ; which agrees with the expression The widely extended worship of the teeming nourishingearth fathers, foreour doubt would no among give rise to a varietyof names just as the service of Gaia and her daughter Eliea mixed the itself up with that of Ops mater, Ceres and Cybele.^ To me between the cultus of Nerthus and that of the Phrygian resemblance

'

hal

thu

wes

1

/oleic, firamoJor

'

hale

gods appears well worthy of notice. of the magna 641 describes the peregrination lion-drawn ear through the lands of the earth : of

mother

Quo

insigniper

magnas horrifice fertur divinae matris nunc

Ergo

primum

quom

tacita mortaleis

munificat aere

magnas

atque

deum

mater

"

in her

praeditaterras imago

.

.

.

invecta per urbeis muta

argento sternunt

2, 597

Lucretius

iter

salute, omne

viarum,

stipeditantes,ninguntquerosarum largifica umbrantes floribus,

The it

liomans a

as

1

pp. 371-2 "

C

called the A^I. kal.

feast,Ovid. fast. 4, 337

Adalb.

Kulm

; conf. mater =

Ops quod nunc

in the

comitumque

matrem

Apr. lavatio

catervam.

matris

deum, and kept

:

forscluuigen1, 123-4, and

Markisclie

Mark,

sagen

Singulariamagdeburg.1740. 12, 768. terra

mater

;

Ceres

=

fruges,antiqnisenim Geres,quod gerit

ed. 0. Miiller p. 25. G ; Varro de ling,lat., also to lead to yrjixtjttjp(seeSuppl. seems ). ATjurjTTjp

Her

Greek

tion appella-

ERDA,

NIRDU,

FIRGUNIA,

GAUE,

lubricus influit Alnio,

Est locus,illTiberin qua et

nomen

perdital) amue

magno

illicpurpurea canus Almonis dominam

Ammian.

Marcell. 23, 3

diem

ante

minor

lavit

sacraque

p. 355) : Ad Callinicum, ubi matri deorum pompae celebrantur undis ablui simulacrum Almonis

Eomae

"

IS-t

:

scio

plantasante carpentum

togatosmatris Idacac sacris.

proceres

essedo

Lapisnigellusevehendus muliebris

oris clausus argento

dum

quem

aquis.

(Paris1681,

annales, et carpentum qvo vchitur perhibetur. Conf. Prudentius, liymn.10, Nudare

;

sacerdos

veste

cum

kal. quo

sextum

255

ULUODAN.V.

Almonis

praeeundo ducitis

ad lavacrum

pedes remotis

calceis

atterentes

usque

sedefc,

rivulum. pervenitis

way Nerthus, after she has travelled round the country, is bathed in the sacred lake in her waggon ; and I find it noted, that the Indian Bhavani, wife of Shiva, is likewise driven

Exactly in

round

the

same

her

and feast-day, Csee Suppl.).^ on

Nerthus's

Eiigen,in Schwarze

'

island

the middle

and that when service,

^

Gregor. Turon. some PlirygianCtjhele '

Ferunt

sancti

was

etiam

has

adored,that he

by

was

a

weary

maiden

glor.conf. cap. 77 compares Gallic goddess,whose worship he

or

suarum,

was

misero

adfuit supradictusSimplicius episcopus,hand dt'ferrent, ante hoc dmulachrum, gemitumque ccmtantes atque psallentes

droivncd with

confounds

describes

(Augustoduno)simulachruvi fuisse Symphoriani passionisdeclarat historia. et vinearum

maintained

was

of her, she

de

salvatione agrorum

the Brahmans

been

in hac iirbe

martyris

carpento,pro

What

secret lahe

supposed to mean there is actually a lake, called the is told as a legend,that there in

ocean

of which

devil

a

'

the

Burgsee.

see, or

ancient times the in his

in

bathed in

as

follows

the :

"

sicnt Berecynthiae, Hanc

cum

in

more gentilitatis

procul adspiciens pro stultitia plebis

emittens ait : illumina Domine, oculos hiijuspopuli,ut quaeso, nihil est ! et facto signocrucis contra Bereeynthiae cognoscat, c^uiasimulachrum in terram ruit. Ac detixa solo animalia,quae plaustrum protinussimulachrum hoc ([uo vehebatur trahebant,moveri non poterant. Stupet vulgus innumerum, conclamat et dcam hwsdm onniis caterva vidimne, animalia ; immolantur ad

Deum

sed verl)i'rantur,

moveri

non

possunt.

Tunc

de ([uadringenti

ilia stulta

est ulla

viri conjuncti simul ajunt : deitatis, si pi'ocedere ; certe eiigaturspontc,jubeatque boves,qui telluri sunt stabiliti, immolantes et unum Tunc accedentes, moveri necpiit, nihil est deitatis in ea. nullatenus de pecorihus, viderent deam moveri, relicto suam cum posse ad unitatem conversi ecclesiae, gentilitatis errore, inquisitoqueantistite loci, sunt baptismate consecrati.' magnitudinem. sancto cognoscentes veri Dei Compare the Legenda aurea cap. 117, v"-here a festuni Veneris is mentioned.

multitudine

ad invicem

si virtus

256

GODDESSES.

in

out

have

lake/ must

the black

satiated with

in

account

of the

the But

in its favour

f and the Danish claim

good a goddess. as

are

no

the

lake with

the Baltic

in

erewhile

have

sacred

the

her

the scale

local features to turn

islands

been

have

to

perversionmaybe, when the goddess,

disappearin

other

attendants.

the

as

makes

Tacitus, who of men,

converse

there

arisen,gross

at least

of the

seat

that demand earth-goddess, the Old Norse, partlyto be gathered from : pai-tly investigation both the In Eomans. Skaldskaparmal,p. 178, she is named Fiorgyn and Hlod'yn. treated already,p. 172 ; if by the side Of Fiorgyn I have neuter a of this goddess there could stand a god Fiorgynn and have

We

passes

confirms

a

side of the

for the

names

more

fairguni,if

noun

common

time

yet

idea of Thor's

the

mother

the

at

same

and thundergod,it exactlyparallels female Nertlius (Goth. Nair]?us, by the gen. Nair]?aus) Nior"r masculine (Nerthus), just as Treyja goes with into that

of the

Freyr. If it was not wrong god Fairguneis,Lithuanian

to

Perkunas

infer from

mythology

has

mountain-

a

equally

goddess

a

Ferkunatele.

Hlo"yn safelyinfer 56

Thorr

is derived a

lanuuase

same

way

as

Fiorgyn,so

Hluodunia. Hlopunja and OHO. Hlo"ynjar^ which is son of mogr 1, 469 says : i Hloc^ynjarshaut.

Gotli,

is called

Fornald.

and

in the

sog.

Mod'

is

'

a

hearth,^ the goddess's

name

that In

we

may

Voluspa again;

earth In

the

therefore

ON".

means

herd (p.251),beside solum and our OHG. fireplace; focus, arula,fornacula, the hearth terra, also denotes precisely or a paternal Lar, so habitation, beingto us the very basis of a human

of protectress

the

also speak,correspondingto the mother earth. The Eomans name worshipped a goddessof earth and of fire under the common is still more But what of Fornax, dea fornacalis.'^ importantto us, Low lihenish ground a stone, first kept at discovered on there was the remarkable : Cleve and afterwards at Xanten, with inscription to

^

132. Deutf^^c'Iie sngen, num. * cle Hertha gift in Pomerania Of Hertlia a proverb is said to be current : und fass and Hall. lit. fiillt schiin imd z. 1823, p. 375). allg. (barn vessel),' gras, the un-Saxon betraysthe But rhyme of gras with fass (forfat) sufficiently rule of the farmer : workmanship. It is clumsilymade up after the well-known ^

'

und fass ' (seeSuppl.). fiilltscheunen hlaSan hluS, struere,Gramm. later, strues, ara, from 2, 10, num. Ovid. fast. 2, 513. kiihl und

Mai 3 *

nass

83.

257

ISIS.

VERVS.

C. TIBEEIVS

SACRVM

HLUDANAE

DEAE

Hliodana

answers goddess,but her name and Sk. Thorlacius has the to that of the Xorse divinity, perfectly and learnedly of the merit of havingrecognised proved the identity of I see striking evidence of the oneness In this inscription two.^ Norse and German mythology. Thorlacius,not without reason, with tlie name Might not Hldrri"i, Arjra)and Latona. compares Hlod'riffi/ be explained as an epithetof Thorr the son of II16c5yn,

is neither

lioman

a

a

nor

Celtic

Neiialennia.

2, Tanfana.

goddess stands wrapt in tliicker darkness, whom calls Tanfana, and a stone Tamfana (TAMinscription and of her name, the sure are SACEUM, p. 80). We

Another Tacitus FAXAE

termination

is tlie

-ana

as

same

in Illudana

Bertana, Eapana, IMadana.

names,

it any

with

locked up

insightinto

sure

from

the

other

and

fern, proper

of

the

word,

of significance

her

being,are

The

sense

and

us.

Belgian or Frisian dea of like import*^ several inscriptions Nehalennia,about whose name all doubt ; but the word has also given rise to forced and remove In other inscriptions found the on interpretations. unsatisfying lower part of the Ehine there occur compounds, whose termination the same word to contain -nchahus,dat. pluralsfem.)seems (-nehis, forms that the first half of Nehalennia ; their plural number to indicate nymphs rather than a goddess,yet there also appears hangs about them the notion of a mother [see ch. Xyi, the We

also allude

must

brieflyto

the

Walacliuriun). 3. The

account

because farther,

in

Tacitus

it can

of

(Isis). the

be linked with

goddess Isis

carries

livingtraditions

of

us a

much cultus

in the Mid. that stilllingered

tlie

worship of

I'ars Suevorum

Ages. Immediatelyafter mentioning Hercules, and Mars, he adds (cap.9) : j\Iercurius, et Isidi sacrificat. Unde et origoperegrine causa

Coiif. Fiedler, Iior. sjjec.3, Ilafn. 1782. gesch.nndalt. des nnteru Anti"[. in his Gotfr. .'^'chiitze, 8teiner's cod. l^heiii 632. inscr. 'J2(3. no. 1 , Germanieiis, of but could De the dea value the Hludana, stone, Lips. 1748, perceived essay 1

not

discern the -

Montfaucon

of bearings ant.

I'acad. celt. 1, 199"245.

the matter.

Vrcdii hist. expl. 2, 443. Mone, heidenth. 2, 346.

17

Flandr.

1, xliv. Mem.

de

258

GODDESSES.

in modnm lihurnae comperi,nisi quod signuinipsuni, figuratum, docet advectam religionem. The importationfrom abroad can Ids, seeingthat Mercury, hardly consist in the name that have sounded must Mars, Hercules, names equally unlooked foreignwas the symbol, German, raised no difficulty ; what the figure of a skip,reminding the writer of the Eoman navigium

parum

sacro,

Isidis.

springhad set in, and the sea, untraversed duringwinter, used the Greeks and Eomans to hold a was once more navigable, done and present a shipto Isis. Tliis was solemn procession, on the fifth of March (III non. Mart.),and the day is marked in the evidence kalendarium rusticum as Isidis navigium} The principal who writers later is found in Apuleius and Lactantius,^two are When

than

Tacitus,but the

older date. of

back

to

walking by

coins Isis appears

Alexandrian

On

reached

have

must

custom

much

a

the

side

Pharus, unfurlinga sail. that

Say

from how

Greece, to Eome,

worship of Isis had penetratedto tliat in the first century, or to imagine, we race inhabiting conveyed to one particular

Egypt are

before,it had got itself the heart

of

the same,

and

have

It must

?

Germany

the

perhaps long established

been

similar

a

cultus,not

amongst other Germans

as

well. I will here draw

time, which 1133,

year

in

added, and with

it halted,there

ever

1

strange custom with

connected

be

of

a

about

to

river to

Maestricht, where and

Tongres,Looz

mast so

and on,

sail

where every-

it. Wherepeopleassemblingand escorting shouts,songs of triumph and dancing -were joj/ful

of

Gesner, script,rei rust., ed. Lips. 1773.

1, 8SG

;

so

also in tlie Culend.

-

lenitis maris

the

About

this.

and in the C'al.lanibec. (Graeviithes. 8, 98). vallense, Apiileiimet. \\h. 11 (Ruhnken p. 764-5): Diem, qui dies sedatis liibernis nascetur, aeterna mihi nuncupavit religio ; quo et

later

much

a shipwas built,set (inEipuaria), who the countryby men were yoked

(Aix),then the

a

Inda

near

up

crowds

to

me

drawn

it,first to Aachen

were

to

forest

a

wheels,and

upon to

appears

attention to

ista nocte

ex

tempestatibus dedicantcs lluctibus, navigabilijam pelagorudem procellosis

libant primitiascommeatus debeljis operiri profana mente ; nam carinam

mei meo

Id sacrum sacerdotes. sacerdos in mouitu

sollicita

nee

ipso procinctu

de.xtra sistro (Egyptian timbrel) coliaerentem gestabit continuare pompam Incontauter meam, coronam. ergo dimotis turl)ulis alacer sacerdotis deosculabunvelut manum volentia fretus ; et de proximo dementer belluae istius corio te dus rosis decerptis, pessimae mihique detestabilis dudum in lastis,quo habetur dies Lactantius, instit. 1, 27 : Certus protinusexue.

pompae

Iddis

roseam

manu

naviyium celebratur, quae

res

docet illam

non

tranasse, sed

navigasse.

250

ISIS.

round

notified to

ship was out

shipkept

the

have

chronicon

a

the towns, which

detailed,yet

abbatiae

importanceI Est

till far into the

night. The approachof the opened their gates and went

it.

to meet

We

up

genus

not

complete,reportof

S. Trudonis, lib. xi.,which

will here

insert,from

Pertz

mercenariorum, quorum

12, 309

officium

on

it in

account

Eodulfi of

its

seq.: est

ex

lino et lana

superbum super alios mercenarios vulgo et procacitatemet superbiam humiliandam reputatur,ad quorum quidam rusticus ex propriam injuriam de eis ulciscendam pauper technam. Inda^ banc diabolicam villa nomine Accepta excogitavit fiducia et a levibus hominibus auxilio,qui gaudentjocis a judicibus in proxima silva navem et novitatibus, composuit,et earn rotis obtinuit quoque vehihilem super terram a effecit, supposiiis affi.gens humeris Inda Aquisut injectis ex funihus fextorum potestatibus, traheretur.^ sexiis utriiisque grandi Aquis suscepta cum granum textoribus hominum nihilominus a Trajectum [Maesprocessione: tricht]est provecta,ibi emendata, malo veloqueinsignitaTungris abbas [Tongres]est inducta, de Tungris Los [Looz]. Audiens (sancti Trudonis)^ Rodulfus navim illam infaustooviine covipadam studio nostro hvjusmodi gcniilitatis malaque solutam alite cum ut ejus oppido adventare,praesago spirituhominibus praedicabat, sub hac luditicatione susceptioneabstinerent,quia malignispiritiis in ea traherentur, in proximoque seditio per earn nioveretur, undo caedes, incendia rapinaeque fierent,et humanus sanguis multus funderetur. ista declamantem onmibus diebus, quibus Quem loci morabatur, oppidani mcdignorum spirituum illud sinndacrum nostri audire noluerunt,sed eo studio et gaudio excipientes, quo fori sui dedicaverunt, in medio perituriTrojani fatalem equum scvtentinm "iTithm[\\Q proscriptionis accipiuntvillae textores, qui ad profanashujus simulacri excuhias venirent tardiorcs. Pape ! Quia vidit unquam in rationalibus tantam (ut ita liceat latinisare) animalibus brutitatem ? quis tantam in renatis in Christo gentditexere

^

telas,hoc

procax

et

Indon

in the Jiilich country, afterwards Cornehniunster, not far from conf. Pertz 394. 4SS. 514. 299. 489. 592. 2, ; 1, This of shipsl)eing built in a wood and carried on men's shoulders reminds ' of Saxo Gram. one humeris traveeta Alpes'(PlinyN.H. p. 93, and of the Ari^^o 3, 18 ; their beintf set on ^v]leels, of Nestor's story about Olen'; conf. the ship of Fro above. [An inadvertence on the author's part : the ship is not ' carried,' ' but drawn by rojjes thrown over the weavers' shoulders '.] Aix

-

^

St. Tron

between

Liei/e and

Louvain.

260

GODDESSES.

?

tatcm

Cogebant stipareomni

navim

sententia

textores, proscriptionis

iiocte

et

die

ei excubias nocte solicitasque continuare. et die fuit,quod non Mirumque cogebant eos ante navim solent regione, esse Ncptuno hostias immolare, de cujusnaves sed Neptunus eas Marti reservabat,quod postea niultipliciter tum facarmaturae

gcncre,

est.

Textores

judicem

super

eos

detrudebant, cum

eos

et

interim

occulto sed

praecordiali gemitu Deum justum vindicem invocabant, qui ad banc ignominiam juxta rectam \'itam antiquorum Christianorum

virorum apostolicorum die

et

manuum

operantes, unde

laboribus

suarum

alerentur

et

viverent,nocte

vestirentur,liberisquesuis

idipsum providerent. Quaerebant et conquerebanturad invicem illis magis quam unde aliis mercenariis haec lacrymabiliter, inter Cbristianos alia plura ignominia et vis contumeliosa, cum niultum officia suo essent nullum tamen cum aspernabiliora, de dicerent aspernabilo, Christianus posset se sine peccato quo conducere, illudque solum

vitabile et

ignobilequod immunditiam peccaticontraberet animae, meliorque sit rusticus textor et exactor urbanus orphanorum et spoliatorA'iduarum jjauper, quam et nobilis judex. Cumque liaec et eorum similia secum, ut dixi, lacrymabiliter conquererentur, concrepabantante illud,nescio cujus potiusdicam, Bacchi an Veneris,Neptuni sive Martis, sed ut verius omnium dicam ante malvjnorum spirituum execrabile domicilium Christianae musicorum, turpiacantica et religion! genera diversorum Sancitum ut j^radcjindignaconcineniium. qiioqiie erat ajiidicibus, navi appropinquarent, tcxtores,quicumque ad tactum pignus de collo nisi se ad libitum redimerent. eorum ercptunitcxtoribus relinquerent, Sed

quid faciam

stillaret de

?

esset

loquarne an

labiis meis

sileam ?

utinam

mendacii spiritus

fugitivaadhuc luce diei imminente luna matronariim ccdervae abjectofemineo pudore audientes strepialiae de stratis suis exiliehcmt, tum hvjus vanitatis,passis capillis clamide circumdatae, clwrosquedutrntum seminudae, aliae simplice Videres cerdibus circa navim se admiscebant. impudentcrirruinpcndo animas ibi aliquandomille bominum sexus utriusque p)rodigiosum ft

infaustum celcusma

sub

:

usque

vero

execrabilis ilia cborea

cum

inconditarum

quae

tunc

sexus

ad

rumpebatur,emisso

uterque

bac

videres agere, nostrum

contingit graviterluere.

celebrare.

noctis medium

Istis tam

ingenticlaviore

illacquebaccbando

est tacere

nefandis

et

Quando vo-

ferebatur ;

dellere,quibns modo

factis

plus quam

duo-

20 1

ISIS.

decim

supradictoritu celebratis,confercbaut

diclus

dc deducmda

quid agerent amodo Qui sanioris

Deuni

sibi pro

et

stulta

nitebatur.

videiunt

facta

isto vcl illo modo coecitas

quorundam

susccptam fuisse

earn

hortahantur conjiciebant,

liis futura

aut (combureretur)

qui

his quae

pro

huic

oppidiiiii

navi.

se

consilii,et

evant

lebant, timentes

a

simul

de

salubri

do-

audierant,

et

comhuratitr

ut

medio

tolleretur ; consilio contumeliose

sed re-

ISIam

malijui sjnritus, qui in ilia fcrcbanfur,disseniinaverant in populo,quod locus ille et inhabitantes prohroso nomine ampliusnotarcntur, apud quos rcmansisse inveniretur. Deducendam igiturearn ad villain,quae juxta nos est, Leugues decreLovaniensis

Interea

verunt.

dominus

illius ridicido,instructusque a

audiens

viris terrae religiosis monstro, gratiam suam

vitando

et terrae

mandat

commonefaciens oppidanisnostris,

illam

inter

quae

mata

illos et

viciniae

cum

quo

in

luderent.

inde

committerent, pacem diciam

reformata

erat

se

et

de

suae

illo

et amicitiam

Immiliter,ut pacem sacranientis

confir-

Quod

praedictamin

si ultra

hoc

mandatura

et ipsevininfringerent ferro et igne exsequeretur. Id ipsum mandaverat dominis, qui et homines ejus fuerant manuatim, et

eos

Durachiensibus

sacramentis interpositis

et

obsidibus

jam tertio fecisset, spretus est

cum

eos

navis

et inde praecipue illud diaholi ludihrium iufringerent, inferrent ; quod si ludum suae dicerent,quaererent esse

non

aliuni

arcendo

suae

de dacmoiiioso

Durachiensibus

dominis.

lebat

mittere

eum

datis sibi confoederati. tam

ab

oppidanisnostris

propter peccata inhal)itantium

Xam

Hoc quam vo-

Loignem et anna Ad lianc igitmjdchciamfatmtatem vaniensium. adjunxitse dominus Gislebertus (advocatusabbatiae S. Trudonis) contra generis sui illam nobilitatem, trahendamque decrevit navcm tcrream usque nostro villam, quod et fecit malo Leugues ultra Durachiensem omni omine multitudine et ingeuti cum oppidanorum nostrorum dehacchantium vociferatione. Leuguenses,oppidanis nostris pruDominus

dentiores

Lovaniensis

et

clauserunt

suas

super

locum

domini

mandatis

infaustiominis

et

nostrum

monstnim

obsequentes, portas inirare

non

'pcr-

miserunt. Lovaniensis

contemptum suis nee

autem

nolens

esse

mandatorum et suarum prccum inultum, diem constituit comitibus tanquam

dominus

hominibus, qui neque ad tertium

ad

venire voluerunt.

primum, Eduxit

neque

ad

ergo

contra

secundum, eos

sed

et contra

262

GODDESSES.

multorum

nos

multitudinis

exercitum

armatorum

tain

peditum

militum. Nostro firmius igituroppido seposito, tanquam quam munito et bellicosorum hominum pleiio, primum impetum in Duraclnenses

fecit, quibus viriliter resistentibus castellum, nescio obsedit,sed inter Leugues et

possetnon

cum

vit.

sequentidie

Durachium

quare,

pernocta-

exercitum

Cumque applicaredisponeretet ex enim habebat quatuor partibusassultum faceret, ingentem multitudinem, supervenitAdelbero Lletensium primiceriusfiliorum Lovaniensis doniini avunculus, cujus interventu,quia comitissa Duracastellum erat chiensis erat soror sancti ejus,et Duracliiense ab dominus Lamberti, Lovaniensis impugnatione cessavit et ab obsidione se amovit, promissoei quod Durachienses paulo post ei Et cum educerentur. ista et alia de dominis ad justitiamsuam et inter dominos nostra tractarentur, pediteset milites per omnia molendina se diffuderunt,villas nostras, ecclesias, circumjacentia occurrebant combustioni et quaecumque et perditioni tradentes, recedentes vero quae longe a nobis fuerant prout cuiqueadjacebaut inter

se

diviserunt.

is put in an Obviously,throughout the narrative everything odious light; but the proceedingderives its full significance from this very fact,that it was and so utterlyrepugnant to the clergy, sinful and that they tried in every it as to a way suppress heathenish On the other hand, the secular power pieceof work. it ; it rested with had authorized the procession, and was protecting to grant admission to the approachtlie several townships,whether ing have to ruled that it would ship,and the popularfeelingseems be shabby not to forward it on its way. Mere dancing and singing, common as they must have been on with the peopleof that time, could all sorts of occasions not have so exasperatedthe clergy. They call the ship ' malignorum and diaboli ludibrium,'take for granted it spirituumsimulacrum knocked and was together infausto omine gentilitatis studio,' that it may that maligni spiritus travel inside it,nay, well be '

'

'

'

'

'

'

called

a

of Neptune shi]3

or

Mars,

of Bacchus

or

Venus

"

burn

it,or

make

Probably survived

some

the

circumscribed I

peopleof

common

recollections of

though checked and entirelyuprooted.

they must

with it somehow.

away

among

;

^

consider

an

ancient for this

that

heathen

region there still worship,which,

had centuries,

never

yet

ship, travellingabout

been

the

2G3

ISIS.

country, welcomed festive song and

goddesswhom broughtpeace

by streaming multitudes,and dance, to be the

of the

car

Tacitus identifies with

god,or

Isis,and

who

honoured

with

ratlier of that

(like Nerthus)

and

As the car was to mortals. covered uj), fertility of the ship seems to the interior to have been so entrance denied to men an image of the divinityinside. ; there need not have been Her it was the people had name long ago forgotten, only the learned monks that stillfancied somethingabout Neptune or Mars, Bacchus Venus : but to the externals of the old festivity the or l")eople's apjDctite kept returningfrom time to time. How should in the wood that pauper rusticus at Inden have lightedon the in his mind thoughtof buildinga ship,had there not been floating recollections of former processions, in neighbourperhaps of some ing '

'

districts ? It is

worthy

of note, that the weavers,

a

craft in the

Netherlands,but

hateful

compelledto

draw

ropes tied to their

guard

it ; in

coming

too

shipby

return, they could

it,and fine

near

Piodulf does after it had

the

or

the

to

and

arrogant herd,were

numerous common

shoulders,and

to

keep the rest of the people from take pledgesfrom those who did so.^

at last of the terrea navis,' say what became that circuit ; it is enough for him to relate, how,

not

made

'

for it and refused, heats and quarrels reception beingdemanded could only be cooled in open This proves arose, which the war. interest taken by contemporaries, warm fanned as it was to a flame for or againstthe festival by the secular and the clerical party.

on

a

There

traces

are

to be

beginningof springin which

had

other

found

of similar

at the ship-proccssiom in Swabia, partsofGermany, especially

then become

Suppl.).A

minute

the seat of those very Suevi of Tacitus (see of the town-council of Ulm, dated St. Nicholas'

1530, contains this prohibition:Item, there shall none, by day night,trick or disguise him, nor put on any carnival raiment, '

eve, nor

shall

moreover

with

on shi2)s plough ahont

1

to

seems

have

been

the

more

the

plough and of draivingthe widely spread,having

Doe.^ the antlior

imply that the favour of the peasantry,as oiiposedto relic of the worship of Earth i likely that this was a that the processionwas that of the German Isis ; Tacitus

makes iutizaiis,

Supposing nowhere ]"eace and Carl "

Iccephim from the going about of pain of 1 gulden ',2 The custom

it

even

tells

us

what

the

functions

Trans. fertility'. trchwiib. stadtewesen Jager,

of this Isis were,

or

that

she

"

des MA.

(]\Iid. Ages),1, 525.

'brought

264;

GODDESSES.

performedin honour of the divinityfrom fruitful year and the thrivingof crops was looked for. it was fires. ship-procession, accompanied by dances and bondoubt

no originally

W-hom

a

Like

the

Sebast.

been

Frank,

ol'^ of

p.

his Weltbuch

On

'

:

the

Ehine,

the young men do gatherall the places, and 'put them in a plough,and draw dance-maidens their piper, who sitteth on the plough piping, into the water ; in other parts they draw 2^.fiery plough kindled with a fire very artificialmade thereon, and

Franconia

divers other

until it fall to wrack.' how

'

Enoch

Wiedemann's

evil-minded Shrove-Tuesday

On

it such

yoking

to

behind

them

damsels

lads drove

did not

as

chronik

pay

Hof

von

tells

'ploughabout,

a

; others

ransom

went

and sawdust.' sprinklingchopped straw (Siichs. provinz.bl. 8, 347.) Pfeiffer,chron. lips,lib, 2, " 53 : Mos erat antiquitusLipsiae,ut liberalibus (feastof Liber or Bacchus, i.e., circum carnival)personatijuvenes per vicos oppidi aratriim ducerent,puellasobvias per lasciviam ad illius jugum accedere '

etiam

repugnantes cogerent,hoc veluti ludicro

ab iis quae

similar

and wish

at

the

innuptae ad eum more processions,

present

shij)over

heathen

to shew

the

idea,which

details will be

that the

country after

mansissent

diem

usque

seem

drivingof both

to

expetentes

poenam

'}

On

these

given hereafter;I only and that of the j^lough rest

on

the

old-

same

the

tianity dislodgementof the gods by Chriscould only maintain itself in unintelligible of the customs festation people,and so by degreesevaporate : namely, on the visible maniwho of a beneficent benign divinityamong men, where everyit of in with demonstrations when approached springtime joy, and loose the rivers released from ice,so that the soil was again In this w^ay tl:e and navigationcould begin anew.^ agriculture 1

maids

Scheffer's who

Haltaus, 202.

Hans

had not taken onen, were this day, in the churches

Sachs

also relates I. 5, 508%

how

the

forced into the

j)lough(see Sujipl.). bited villagesof Holstein, largelyinhawhich in springtime, when by seamen, there hang littleshi'ps, navigation in custom re-opens, are decorated with ribbons and flowers : qnite the Roman of Isis (p.258). We also find at times silver shipshung up in churches, the case -

To

of

some

in case of a safe arrival home ; voyagers in stress of weather have vowed old instance of this I will borrow from the Vita Godehardi Hildesiensis : an Fuit tunc temporisin Trajectensi episcopatuvir quidam arti mercatoriae dedi-

which

transiret ; hie tus, qui frequentermare medio mari deprehenditur, ab omnibus

quodam tempore maxima tempestate in conclamatur,et nil nisi ultimus vitae timetur. tinito aliquantotempore auxilium Tandem terminus beati Godehardi si evaderent,devoverunt. Hos in implorabant,et argenteam navim delaturos, ecclesia nostra navim argenteam deferentes postea vidimus (in King Lothair's chi dice,una e : E nave vo farfare, time). In a storm at sea, sailors take vows 'poiportarlain Vienna al gran barone ; Buovo d'Antona The 5, 32. Lapps at

HOLDA,

Sueves

of Tacitus's time

her ship by carryingto take

women

the

in

weavers

mother

part

in her

stand fairly

have The

about.

in the

honour

forcingof to

seems

looked

once

punished the

for Dame

done

to tlicir

A^enus, Holda

indicate

and

; in

that the

kindly on

backward

goddess

unmarried

festival is like the constraint

Eipuaria,and

progi-ess at

and ivedloclc,

and

must

265

HOLLE.

this

sense

young

put the

bond she

upon

divine of love

might

Frecke.

ship not only to Isis,but to Athene. her sacred peploswas At the Panathenoea conveyed by ship to the it was mast to whose suspended as a sail,was Acropolis: the sliip, ground moved the Kerameikos, and on built on dry land by an underand all round it, mechanism, first to the temple of Demeter to the citadel. The past the Pelasgianto the Pythian,and lastly peoplefollowed in solemnlyordered procession.^ Greeks

The

We

must

not

dedicated

omit

to

a

mention, that Aventin, after

transforming

frau Eiscii,and making iron (eisen)take of her worship,and in from its name her, expands the account addition to the little ship,states further,that on the death of her to the father (Hercules)she travelled through all countries,came German king Schwab, and staid for a time with him ; that she grinding, taughthim the forgingof iron,the sowing of seed,reaping, kneadingand baking,the cultivation of flax and hemp, spinning, weaving and needle work, and that the people esteemed her a holy woman.2 We shall in due time investigate her a goddessZisa, and the Tacitean

claims

to

a

Isis into

connexion

a

with

4. Can

the

name

under

Isis.

Holda, Holle.

which

the

Suevi

worshipped that goddess

oflFerto their jauloherra small shijis smeared with reindeer's blood,and yiile-tide han;? them on trees ; Hogstrom, elterretninger om Lapland,p. 511. These votive giftsto saints fill the placeof older ones of the heathen time to gods, tlie voyagers as to Helgohuid continued long to respect Fosete's sanctuary too were (p. 231). Now, as silver ylovrjhs placedin churches,and later in the Mid. Ages were demanded even as dues, these shipsand idoughstogether lend a welcome support to the ancient worshipof a maternal deity (see Suppl.). 1

Philostr. de vitis sophist, lib. 2 cap. 1, ed. Paris. 1608, p. 549. le Maire de Beiges in his Illustrations de Gaulle,Paris,1548,bk. 3 p. .xxviii : ' Au temps du([uel(Hercules Allemannus) la deesse Isis,ri)yne veint en Alh-maigne et montra rude peuple I'usaige de mouldre la au *| farine et faire du pain.' J. le Maire finished his work in 151'J,Aventin not till 1522 ; did they lioth boirow iiom the out in spuriousBerosus that came the 15th century ? Hunibald makes a queen Camhra, who may be compared Mith the Langobardic Gambara, introduce the arts of and -

So Jean

%'.ypt",

building, sowing

weaving (seeSuppl.).

263

GODDESSES.

wliom

identified with

the Eomans

Isis

at least

not

may

"

of her

one

Holda ? have been The has a purely name secondary names Teutonic meaning,and is firmlygrounded in the livingtraditions of our peopleto this day. Holda is the kind, benignant,merciful goddess or lady,from Goth. hul]?s(Luke 18, 13 ; root, liil}?an hold (propitius), hal]? "

hollr ; to bend, bow), ON. hul];un, Hulpo. For the oppositenotion

Ulphilasemploys which

from

I infer

both a

the of

Gothic

of it would

form

be

malignant diabolic being,

a

the fem. unhtdpo

and

the

hulpa by the side of hulpd :

masc.

one

unlmdjja, mation confir-

more

running through the idea of these divinities. It is true, such a by-name could be shared by several genius by gods or spirits.Notker in the Capella81 renders verus in lioldo '. And holde (fem.and masc.) MHG. min ware parlance, and commonly used for ghostlybeings. been known have must Ovid's Metamorphoses, Albrecht of Halberstadt, in translating ivazzcrholde uses (gen.-en) for nympli ; rhyme has protectedthe from words exact corruptionin Wikram's poeticparaphrase.^In the largelyexpanded Low version of the Ship of Fools German find the followingpassage 1519 ; 96^) we (Narragonia,Eostock Mannich which lovet (beis wanting in the HG, text : narre und der gudcn kollcn (bonorum geniorum) an lieveth) vogelgeschrei, is the MHG. iinholde (fem.), frequentoccurrence gunst '. Of more unhold of a dark, malign, yet modern our (masc), in the sense of

the

double

sex

'

'

mighty being. The Holda

restricted example of the more furnished by Burchard, bp.of Worms, p.

earliest is

of the

use

name

194=" : ^ Credidisti

1 Frankf. rh. solden ; 176* wazzereiner wazzerliolclen, 1631 ; 4, ITl'' von holde,rh. solde. quoted p. 257, we might by a If,in the inscription deae Hludanae welcome be even this would more substitute Huldanae, slight transposition ancient evidence for be the most than the analogy to ON. HloSyn, it would female she alreadyis by the Goth. unJmlpo and the OHG. as Hulda, supported name Holda, a rare one, yet forthcomingin Schannat, trad. fuld. no. 445 ; also hrst appeared Schutze's treatise De dea Hludana Holdasind in Graif 4, 915. Lips. 1741 ; and when Wolf (inWodana, p. 50) mentions a Dutch one De dea this can be no other than a very Hiddea, Trajecti1746, if that be reallythe title, Hulda which occurs in tempting conjectureby Cannegieterfounded on our weak OHG. woidd mean our form, Holdun, A Latin dative Hiddanae Eccard. in Latin docs, inflected Bertanae, AS. Holdan, justas Berta, Hildegarda are Bertana, Hildegardanae ; though there may also have sprung up a nom. '

'

-

'

lead us too would So the dat. Tanfanae Tanfa, and cut short all the attempts to make ON. man's an the Latin fanum. Tan/a su;7Pests

Huldana. nom. or

to at out name

'

all events of -fana a or Dan])r,

a

German

Celtic word the

OHG,

267

IIOLLE.

UOLDA,

quod quaedam adiabolo aliquafemina sit,quae hoc facere possit, deceptaese affirmant necessario et ex praecepto facere debere,id ut

est

stultitia

vulgaris

quara

equitaredebere

noctibus consortio '

turba in siniilitudinem

daemonum

cum

super

annumeratam

nnholda'

dea,'who

paganorum

The

univ. 633.

placeof

in the

the

usual

in

se

Burchard

more

is named

in other passages

certis

lectio

varia

remarkable

the Cod. vindob.

word

here put the German

transformata,

(al. vnholdain)vocat, quasdam bestias,et in eorum

esse.

from

is taken

Holdam

mulierum

like

a

'

has

Diana and

sense

[A still earlier notice of Holda is found in Walafrid Strabo,see Suppl.] In popular legends and (Hulda, fraa Holda nursery-tales, frau Holl)appears as a superior being,who manifests a Holle/ Ilulle, kind cross and helpful dispositiontowards men, and is never in the

connexion.

same

she

except when the German

a

appear to the Hessians

far

as

native of the

the

crosses

up to the frontier of

Austria,North IJavaria, that

have and the

these oral traditions

Thuringians(thatWorms

Saxony

from

of so

bishop

is found

as

Franconia,^in

in northern

mts

Thuringia she

Swabia, Switzerland,

Saxony. and

Holle

time, dame

same

Westerwald,* and Lower

affairs. None

household

cherished

Ehon

Voigtland,^ past the

Wetterau

the

At

Hesse).

in

disorder

races

as extensively was

notices

Friesland

do not

know

her

by

name.

From

what

tradition has

still preservedfor us,^we

followingcharacteristics. Frau the shy,begirdling the earth :

Holle is when

it

gather the

a beingof as represented she is making her snows,

TH or [/has become ch in sachte, arise yet further possithere would bilities, nichte, achter, rnehtliar or ruchbar, ""c.], to the OHG. would masc. Tancha female correspond name a (grata) e.(j. Dancho Gibicho, Haupt'szeitschr. 1, (gratus)Gratf 5, IGi) ; conf. Dank rat of Iluldaaa, and confess that Hludana I am not convinced 573 may also the weight of maintain and be explained as Hli'tda (clara, ; praeclara) itself, the of gute use these however, the scale. Among turn other argmiients must holl of and regin (Sa^m. GO^) holden and hollar Vivttir (Siem. 240'')for spirits, for gods,is es])ecially worthy of notice. In ON. the adj.hollr had undergone Hiddr retained OHG. assimilation (Goth. hul])s, hold), while the proper name looks very huldr occultus,celatus, the explanation the old form ; for to me dubious. ' Holle from Hulda, as FoUe from FuhUi,

danipli ; granted a change of

root

F into CH

=

"

=:

"

Ueichenfels p. 152. id. 1, C8. 2, 62. idiot. 73. 341. Westerwald.

Jul. Schmidt's

'

Keinwald, Henneb.

""

Schmidt's

^

Kinderm.

chronica

no.

24.

Deutsrche

1, IGJ-C (seeSuppl.),

sagen,

2, 174.

Schmeller

uos.

4

"

8.

Falkenstein's

Thur.

2GS

GODDESSES,

rain Zeus

ascribed

the Greeks

:

Jio?

:

357 ;

so

fly.^ Slie stirs up snow, as the productionof snow and

the feathers of it

bed, and

II. 5, 91. 11, 493 o/x/3po9,

that Holda

before

conies

us

well

as as

a

as

does

Donar

rain to their

II.19, Ato'i, vi."^dhe"i

goddessof

no

rank."^

mean

comparisonof snowflakes to feathers is very old ; the Scythians pronounced the regionsnorth of them inaccessible,because they filled witli feathers (Herod.4, 7. conf. 31). Holda then must were be able to move througlithe air,like dame Herke. the lake and fountain; at the hour of noon She loves to haunt she may be seen, a fair white lady,hathing in the flood and Mortals, disappearing;a trait in wiiich she resembles Nerthus. her dwelling,pass through the well ; conf. the name to reach The

wazzerholde?

; when

met

resemblance

is, that she drives

linchpinput in it by picked up the chips, they were

had

She

waggon.

of

point

Another

he

a

progress,

wdiich,like

between

Christmas

of Herke

those

and

a

peasant whom

gold.* Her

Berhta, is made

and

Twelfth-day,when

in

about

a

she

annual to

fall

the

supernaturalhas mentioned by their

sway,^and wild beasts like the wolf are not Not otherwise does Derk with to the land. bringsfertility names, the boar,'that Freyrof the Netherlands (p.214),appear to go his time Holda, like rounds and look after the ploughs. At the same '

Wuotau,

can

also ride

on

the winds, clothed in terror,and

god, belongs to the fancy,that witches ride in the

'

1

Dame

Holle

Scotland, when

shakes

the

her

wiitende

heer'.

Holla's

company

From

The

men

o' the

p. 283. East are

the

arose

XXXIV, (cli.

bed, Modejoiirn.1816,

first flakes fall :

this

she, like

snow-

They say in pyking their

sending their feathers here awa' there awa'. In Prussian Samland, when it snows : The angels shake their little bed ; the flakes are the downbut feathers, drop past,and get down to our earth. many ^ here also As other attriljutes of Holda have passed to Mary, we may whose dame feast was into the ad notre Maria aux nives, bring neiges, comparison held on Aug. 6 ; on that day the lace-makers of Brussels pray to her,that their In a folk-songof Bretagne : Notre dame work may keep as white as snow. de ! Marie, sur votre trone neige (Barzasbreiz 1, 27). May not the otherwise Hildesheim legend of Hillesnee (DS. no. 436) have arisen out of unintelligible and

geese,

a

Holde ^

sne

If the

? name

in the

brunnenhold

Marchenbuch

of Allj. Ludw.

Grimm

1,

a signifies fountain-sprite.[Newborn genuine piece HolWs j^ond; Siippl.] babes are fetched by the nurse out oH dame * A Reichenfels p. 152. similar legend in Jul. Schmidt's s This I suppose the christian sentiment must be a purely heathen view. that expressedby Marcellus i. 1 : in Hamlet was no spiritdares stir abroad,

221

is

a

of tradition,it

'

the

nightsare wholesome,

"c. '. "

Trans.

HOLD

Wives) ; it Hesse

and

already known

was

the

2C9

A, HOLLE. to

BurcharJ, and

Westerwald, HoUc-ridinfj,to

ride

now

with

in

Upper

Holle, is

furious host,' equivalentto a witches' ride.^ Into the same adopted the souls accordingto a wide-spreadpopular belief,were of infantsdi/ingunhcq^tizcd having been cliristian'd, they ; not remained to or heathen, and fell to heathen gods, to Wuotan '

llulda. The

Ilulda, instead

step is,that

of her

divine

shape, of an the appearance assumes vglijold ^voman, long-nosed,bigand thick-matted hair. He's had a jaunt toothed,with bristling with whose hair sticks up in tangled Holle,'they say of a man disorder ; so cliildrcn are frightened with her or her equallyhideous train :2 'hush, there's Hidle-hdz (-bruin), Hidlc-popd (-bogie) well as Hersche, Harsche, Hescheklas, as coming.' IIolle-2xicr, is among the names Euprecht,Eupper (ch.XVII, house-sprites';, given to the muffled servitor who goes about in Holle's train at the next

'

of the

time

she is

solstice.

depictedas

difference of dark

winter

and

In

old witch

an

story,her kind and

dreadful

nurs3ry-tale (Marchen no. 24) with long teeth ; accordingto the graciousaspect is exchanged for a a

one.

Again,Holla is set before us as a spinning-wife ; the cultivation of flax is assignedto her. Industrious maids she presents with and spins their reels full for them over spindles, night; a slothful distaff she sets on fire, soils it.^ The girlwhose or spinner's spindle she dropt into her fountain,she rewarded bountifully.When Estor's oljerh.

siib v. idiot., Eiasm. Alberus,fable 16 : (liesich forehten selir (were sore 1

-

*

Ea

kamen

ancli

zu

diesem

lieer Yiel weiber

Und afraid), trugen sicheliiin der hand, Frcm Hulda hat sie ansgesandt.' Lnther's Expos, of the Epistles, Basel 1 J22 fol. ' Here ()9''cometh dame Hulde : with the snout to botch-nose), np (potznase, wit, nature, and goeth about to gainsay her God and give him the lie,hangeth her old ragfairabout her, the straw-harness (stroharnss)then falls to work, ;

and

nature rebellingagainstGod scrapes it featlyon ]wv fiddle.' He compares to the heathenish Hulda with the frightful nose (Oberlin,sub v. potzniiinnchen),as she enters, mulUed up in straw and frippery, to the tiddle's playing. 3

Bruckner, Contril).

to the Franconia

a popular Henneberg idioticon, p. 9, mentions 'On the the HolLJnai : part high day comes and tlirows in reels; whoever (Hollefra, Hullefra), does not spin them full, she breaks their necks,' hA'ra Berlda and 'On Berhtolt and the the (conf. Devil). is she which Death reminds out' of 'Carrying in high day burnt,' one 'I'eutonic and Slav countries,and in Italy and Sawing the old woman Spain. By the addition of -frau after the name (conf.gaue fru, p. 253) v.e Cod. perceiveits originallyadjectivecharacter. pal. ^.35'': ich wen, kain schnsel in haiin ncken wart nie a Is hesslich als du bist,' I ween no crow scare-

belief in

that

of

'

'

'

on

a

distair

was

ever

as

U"lv

as

tiiou.

270

GODDESSES.

the land

enters

at

well

all the distaffs are Cliristmas,

stocked,and

standingfor her ; by Carnival, when she turns homeward, all and the staffsare now be finished off, kept out of spinningmust her sight(Superst. 683) ; if she finds everythingas it should be, her curse contrariwise and her blessing, she pronounces ; the so formulas good years ! and hairs, so many so many many oldworld sound. bad years ! have an Apparently hairs,so many left

'

'

'

'

been

thinsis have

two

during the

'

'

shows

at the same a

Tlie

w^ill come.^

Holla

In

the Khon

left in the diesse, or

be

the

implements holiday,which ought of

of her

mts,

also told,that

are

we

concealment

the sacredness

time

time of rest.^

when

one,

flax must

twelve-nights no

dame

to be

into

run

they

do

no

farm-work

on

drive the team anor Saturday,neither hoe, nor manure, field '. In the North too, from Yule-day to New-year'sday,neither Danish, 134; SuppL). wheel nor windlass must go round (seeSuperst., and of strict order in the of agriculture This superintendence such as we marks exactlythe office of a motherly deity, household of and Isis. Then her special care with in Nerthus got acquainted '

Hidlas

housewives, who Jiax and spinning (themain business of German after sword and are after spindleand distaff,^ men named as are to the ON. leads us directly Frigg,OSin's wife,whose being spear), and after whom of an a melts into the notion earth-goddess, constellation in the sky, Orion's belt, is called Friggja.r rockr, Friggae coins. Though Icelandic writingsdo not contain this the Swedish in use it has remained country-folk among name, called Friggerock).The constellation is however Mariroch Maridrocli,Dan. (Magnusen, gloss. 361. 376), the to old idea on christians having passed the same Mary the The Greeks put spindleand distaff in the hands heavenly mother. II. 20, 70) Aitemis (')(^pua7j\dKaTo"i, of several goddesses, especially and her mother Leto, but also Athene, Amphitriteand the Nereids.

(Ihre,sub

v.

All this fits in with

host),and 1

of

Holda, who

is

a

goddessof

the chase

(thewild

water-springs.

Braunsclnv.

aiiz.

86

1760, no.

;

the

dicsse is the bundle

of flax

on

the

dis-staff. -

This

makes

one

think

Gertrude.

of

good gel.Eussland). holds

same

'^

RA.

163-8.

of the 470.

Russian Women

The

almanacks peasants'

in

nibbling at the thread on a ought to be no sjnnningon her dav. The Strahls Friday (Kopitarsrec. von piatnitsa,

represent that saint by two as a signthat there spindle(vreteno), Carniola

are

little mice

c^alledin AS.

friSowebban,peace-weavers.

derive dame

might be tempted to

One

In

in the Old Testament.

2

271

HOLLE.

HOLUA,

Holda

Kings 22, U

and

from

character

a

2 Chron.

34,

22

we

prophetessrT^Sn Iluleddali,Huldah, for which Luther puts Hulda ; tlie Septuaginthas 'OxBd, the Vulgate Olda, but the Lat. Bible Viteb. 1529 (and probably others since) Hulda, read of

a

with

followingLuther, who, in

Several times had

prophetess among liis writings he bringsup the

instance

an

a

had

him

before

Holda

German

in his mind, thus

Jewish

the

domesticated

the

Ijack.^

two

or

page

put the

two

his

countrymen.

old heathen

I do not

know

life ;

if any

we one

together;but certainlythe

names

conceptionof a dame Holda was not first drawn from the stands of the Vulgate,which Olda there without special any of the name significance ; this is proved by the deep-rootedness in our language,by its general application[as adj.and com. and by the very ancient negative noun] to several kinds of spirits, whole

'

'

unholda. it

Were own,

should

we

Eddie

for

only

bid

Snorri

(Yngl.saga

seiSkona)named the 14th

Hidda,

c.

not

of

wife

mountain

a

and

notion

that.

as

later Icelandic

circumstantial

and

traditions with

answering to 17) speaks of a wise

OSinn, and

goddessesThorgerSr some are Norwegian

a

Norse

Holla

Hiddr, and

century gives

the

sucli

to a

16.

a

beloved

kinshipof

adieu

has

mythology

the

Irpa.^ Danish

Of

(volva, composed in

well-known

half-

weight perhaps

more

folk-tales

but

woman

saga

of the still

;

of the enchantress

account

mother

True, the

Holda

our

our

about

a

wood

or

Hulla, Huldra, Huldre, whom

they set forth,now and lovely, then againas old and gloomy. In a blue garment as young and white veil she visits the pasture-groundsof herdsmen, and minglesin the dances of men ; but her shape is disfigured by a tail, which she takes great pains to conceal. Some make her accounts beautiful in front and ugly behind. She loves music and song, lier lay has a doleful melody and is called Inddrcslaat. In the forests see

you head

Huldra

of

her

as

an

as

mistress

infants from or

queen

1

I believe Luther followed the he does in Jehova, Judn, tS:c. Trans. "

2

clothed

woman

in gray,

flock,milkpail in hand.

people'sunchristened alone, but

old

Muller's sa-abibl. 1, 3G3"

6.

She

tliem.

of the

marching at

is said

Often

she

to

carry

the off

appears,

not

who mountain-sprites,

are

the Hebrew, merely clroiiping

final

h, as

272

GODDESSES.

Iceland

liuldrefolh}In

called

of tins

they know

too

of IluldufdIJc,

point of agreement with the popularfaith of Germany, namely, that by the side of our silent also holden,i.e., a Holde there are dame friendlyspirits, dame subterranean Holde, so to speak, is the people,of whom princess(seeSuppl.). For this reason, if no other,it must be more from the ON. to explain the Norse correct name Hidla, Hiddra which is huld in Dan. and Swed., and hollr (lidus, fidelis, pi-opitius) the OiST.hulda (obscuritas) to the subterranean not from as referring of the abode mountain-sprites. In Swedish folk-songsI find Huldumemi

the

'

and

;

huldmoder, hulda

here

'

moder

another

find

we

one's real mother

said of

in the

same

(Sv. vis. 1, 2, 9); so that huld must (dear)moder word. It is likely that the German have quitethe meaning of our hulduiulk was term imported into the Icelandic tongue from the Danish or Norwegian. It is harder to explain the li inserted in the forms Haldra, Hiddrc ; did it spring out of the pluralform ? or result from composition? hollar Victtir) hulder (bouigenii, the The German Holda presidesover spinningand agriculture, and milking. Norse Hulle over cattle-grazing sense

kara

as

5.

A

being her

makes

similar to

leaves

or

the

off,in Swabia,

Austria.^

and

J"avaria

Holda,

Berchte.

preciselyin

appearance

Holda

where

Pkrahta,

those in

is called

She

under

same

Upper

Alsace,

in

another German

name,

regions

Switzerland,in

in OHG. frau Berchte,i.e.,

luminous, glorious(as Holda Feralita,the bright,^

produces the snow) : by the very meaning of the word a benign and glittering such ; as as rarelyrepresented gladdeningintluence,yet she is now she side is brought into prominence,and a rule, the awe-inspiring Hallager p. 48. Faye for Strom's and 10. 15. 25. 26. 36. 1813, p. 85. Frigge,nytaarsgave Villes Vilses Sillejord. Spydeberg 2, 419. p. 230. 1, 538-59.

Details to be found

1

pp. 39-43 8ondni6r

in Miiller's

passim. portion of Franconia

sagab.1, 367-8.

Asbiornsen, 2

A

there

all events the

at

Exposition of Berchte side by =*

side. celebrated

the

Among

is called

Mengl63

herself

betrothed

Svipdagr

appears

to

marvellous

Thnringia knows both Berchta and Holda, the two. is the boundary between Matthesius,in his dame Hulda and old gospelsfor feastdays, p. 22, names and

some

one

'su

in

a

in

of

is a Biort (Seem.Ill*), (111^),and the father of her

MengloS

sulbiarta

'

A MengloS in a later story (sun-bright, 112'''). a (Fornm. dream sog. 3, 222-3),and leaves him

Solbiartr

pairof gloves.

maidens

appears as a stories of dame

Berclda

in those

does

one

grim bugbear

christian view

had

to

the bad

of dame

273

iJERCHTE.

PERAIITA,

frightenchildren with. as meaning predominates,

Holda;

degraded Berchta

that

lower

In

the

the

good pojjular

is to

say, the than Holda. But

she

and some others (see with Herke, Freke evidentlyone Suppl.). out most their identity Where comes plainlyis in the fact that time,in the so-called twelfths' they all go their rounds at the same however has and Christmas a between New-year. Berchta which I never day assignedher at the end of that period, particular is

too

'

find named

after Holda.

And

less similar

no

are

their functions.

oversightof spinners;whatever spinningshe finds unfinished the last day of the year, she spoOs tional 512). Her festival has to be kept with a certain tradi(Superst. and fish. Thorr food,gi'uel says he has had sildr ok hafra has preand oats)for supper, Saem. 1b^ ; our. white ladij scribed (herrings for evermore, the country folk a dish of fish and oat-grits it is omitted whenever and is angry (Deutsche sagen, no. 267). The Thuringiansin the Saalfeld country wind up the last day of Berchta, like Holda, has

the year

the

with

dumplings and herrings.Fish and farinaceous food considered by christians the proper thingfor a fast.^ were The revenge taken by the wrathful Berclda, when she misses the sound : whoever has fish and dumplings,has a quaintand primitive partakenof other food on her day,she cuts his bellyopen, fills it for with chopped straw, and sews a ploughshare up the gash with iron chain needle and a an 525).^ by way of thread (Superst. Tlie Braunschw. anz. 17G0, p. 1302, says no leguminousplantsare to lie '. Either a when dame Holla is going ronnd in the ' twelve-nights to be understood of particular kinds of pulse. or niistake, ^ Holle. the same Almost is told iu the Voigtlandof the JVerre or dame Tlie W'erre, the holy eve of the high New-year, holds a strict inquiry on whether all the distaffs are spun off ; if they are not, she defiles the flax. And that evening you must of Hour and water on aat jwlse, a thick pap preparedin ^

eaten

omits peculiarway ; if any one it,she rips his body open, Jul. Schmidt, IVerra (from her 'gewirrt,'tiinglcd shaggy Reichenfels, p. i.;2. The name is found in Thoni. Reinesius, Lect. var., Altenbg 1640, p. 57:) (in the hair'/) critical notes Bachmann's Liber Kiranii.e.Audr. Kivinus on or IJhyakinus's, dum et refractariis Nostrates Kirini,Lips. 1G38) : hodie([uei)etulantioribus furibundam manducum aut hiante frendcntem ore dentibus, alii[uemcum silvescente coma, comitatu niaenafacie lurida, et cetero habitu terriljilem cum from duni IVerram iriterminantur. Reinesius (1587-16(37) came Gotha, but lived at Hof in the Voigtland. A werre is also a noisome chirpinginsect of IVcrre (i)iscordia the cricket kind (Popowitsch 620). In MHG. : 'siBJetdiu in ir samen her seed, Ms. 2, 251*^, conf. Troj.o85 (seeSuppl.) sows dai-,' ; and

a

18

274

GODDESSES.

the

And

threat

same

is lield out

in

other

districts also

(see

Suppl.). Borner's Folk-tales of the

Orlagau (betweenthe

Saale

and

the

details. At p, 153 : The Orle) furnish abundant night before Twelfthday,Perchtha always examines the spinning-roomsof the whole neighbourhood,slie brings the spinnersempty reels,with full within brief time, and if all she directions to spin them a very be delivered,she punishes them cannot demands by tanglingand occasion she cuts open befoulingthe flax. On the same any one's body,that has not eaten zemmcdc ^ that day,takes out any other food he has had, and fillsthe empty space with hay or straw wisps and bricks,and at last sews his body up again, usinga ploughshare for a needle,and for thread a rohm P. 159 : At Oppurg, the chain. same nightof the year, Perchtha found the spinning-roomfull of merrymaking guests,and in a toweringrage she handed in throughthe "

which twelve cm-ptyreels,

window an

she would

hour,when

passedafter

in fearful

another

empty reels,then the tow,

over

handed

back

come

garret,reached down

up to the the

were

so

full to the rim within

quarter

; one

when expectation, a

they spun

roll of tow, and two

of

a

full.

saucy

wrapped

Perchtha

had

girlran it round

of thread

they

came,

off with

she walked

their finished work, and

hour

an

thicknesses

three

or

that the reels looked

to her

over

to be spun

it,

in shakingher head, (Conf.the similar story of the white manikin Bader, p. 3G9). P. 167: At Langendembachlived an old spinningwife,who swiftlywound the thread all the winter through,and did and Twelfth day-eve,though son much leave off on not as so "

warned daugliter-in-law with

'.

you

shirts,I

must

pushedopen,

'

her

'

:

If Perchtha

'

her answer, Heyday ! was After spin them myself

Perchtha

looks into

lb. re^el (Wackernarrel's Selpliartes

it will go

comes, '

Perchtha

bringsme

while

the window

a

the room,

and

903), there

is

throws

some

hard no

is

empty

exhibited,together with

a Wirra, ' der sin herze mit weltZornli and bruoder Ergerli, lichen dingen also heworren hat (has so entangledhis lieartwith worldlythings), in mag '. And that notion of tangledthread and hair, which daz da nilit me after all be akin to this. On L. Zurich abont Bertha and Holda, may prevails she because she is called de Chlungere, puts chlungel(knots,Inmps) in the nn-

bruoder

bruoder

colonien in Piedmont, finished yarn of slothful maidens, Alb. Schott, Deutsche is often Berhta by St. represented Bohemia, In Bavaria and German p. 282. the Lufz cuts Frau Dec. 13. belly on open, Lucia, though her day comes Schmeller 2, 532. Jos. Bank, Bohmerwald, p. 137. Conf. the Lusse in Sweden,

Wieselgren. 386-7. 1

Made

evidently.

of flour and

milk

or

water, and

baked

in

a

pan

:

fastingfare,

275

BERCniE.

PERAHTA,

spoolsto her,wliich she must have back, spun full,in an hour's The spinnertook heart of grace, spun a few rounds on time. each spoolfor dear life,and threiv them, one and all,into the brook that to have been ran seems past the house (and by that, Perchtha to appeased). P. 173 : As a miner was returningfrom Bucha Konitz on Perchtha's night,she came up to him at the cross-roads, "

and

demanded

with

He

waggon.

threats,that he should

his

took

knife,cut the wedge

fitted it into Perchtha's

waggon, who picked them up, and

fallenchips. He every pocket in which

he

had

as

made

put

a

well

as

him

at home

icedgein he

could,and

present of the

a

he drew

put Perchtha's

182

gifts.P. "

:

in Kostriz

late

when

Perchtha's

drivingin

came

had

eve,

a

One pole of her waggon. suppliedhim with wood, carried P. 113 the at

home

several

Between

:

while

she

on

Perchtha's

be

ready late

of the heimchen

heimchen

had

underground

to

with

had

a

the

her

as

in the

peg

Perchtha

handy a

man

reward.

"

fruitful vale of

dwellingof

the

water

till

Perchtha

knife,and

let in, and

was

peg

a

put

Two

old ;

fields of men,

plough. At last the with her, and she determined to quitthe country ; the ferryman at Altar village received notice to eve in the night, and when he came to the Saale bank,

peoplefell out

his eyes

the

worked

had

men

to

in his shoe money in the Wilhelmsdorf

and

queen

command

called to them

of the the

little way,

a

piecesof

Bucha

Saale,Perchtha her

and

waggon,

but

gone

of

gold out

peasants of Jiidewein, after stoppingat the alehouse on

her

beheld

a

tall

dame stately

her

surrounded

children, by Vy^eeping

and

She stept into the craft,the demanding to be ferried over. littleones draggeda plough and a number of other tools in,loudly lamentingthat they had to leave that lovelyregion. Arrived at the

other

side,Perchtha

fetch the heimchen

bade

that had

the

been

boatman

left

cross

behind,which

once

and

more

under

compulsion been mending the plovgh, she pointed to the chii^s, and said to the ferryman, There, take that to reward thy trouble '. Grumbling,he pocketed three of the chips,and at home flung them on the window-shelf,and himself, ill at ease, into bed. In the morning,three gold-pieces lay where he had thrown the chips. The memory of Perchtha's passage is also he did.

She

in the

meantime

had

'

at preserved not

far

from at

Kaulsdorf Gera.

Colba

"

was

on

the

P. 126

:

coming

Saale,and Late home

one

from

at Kostriz

night,the Oppurg,

on

the

master

where

Elstcr, wright wheelhe

had

276

GODDESSES.

been on

the

; it was

to work

of the rivulet Orla

the bank

He

help me what help

mend

thee, so gave

wages

he would

When

he

he

and Three-kings(Twelfthday),

came

!

'

thou

Hast

'

cried to

she

Perchtha,her broken

upon

by weeping heimclien.

plough surrounded with

of the

eve

the

a

hatchet

terrified traveller.

could,but the fallenchips offered hita for touch : I have plentyof them at home,' says he. he

'

not

what

happened to him, and he pulledoff one incredulously,

got home, he told

had

while

of people shook their heads shoes, which something had got into,that hurt his foot,and rolled a brightnew passed,and one gold-piece.A twelvemonth

his

his men,

who

waited

night,and

; in

Perchtha '

seekest

What

stammered

he

when

out

same

she

is called the water

and

Kaulsdorf

between

Below

Eeichenbach.

when

fell in with

she

makeshift

only carried girlwalked over every

bit

a

at

'

:

anger,

I

due !

better

am '

:

and

and

with

fellow's shoulder.

The

near

the

Saal-house,

the forester's

and

there

had

countryman, who

Perchtha

lodgeof

rock

curiouslyshaped

and

met

infant train

cried in

thy

at Presswitz

waggon,

had

part of the brook which

a

far,that

of

near

along with

justbroken the axle, helped her out with a

paid in chips,which however he disdained, in his shoe. P. 133 : A spinninga piece home the Neidenberg during that night,she had from when in high spirits, of her spinning,and M^as

axle, and

and

done

drivinga

ivas

her

out

Perchtha's

on

master

continued thou

Possneck

-so

his

she

the

Gleitsch, a

the

Tischdorf,the story varies in the helmchen

she

into

hatchet

'

?

take

so

the way,

over

sandhill

the

on

this hour

out

with

came

answer,

an

dug her story is repeatednear

those words

at

tools this time,

provided with

she

while, on

here

thou

tale,set

Orla, just where

by the

little

a

tell the

him

heard

had

his

was

"

marching up the hill towards her, with a great troop sort and all children of one size,one set of of the heimchen-folk, another party loaded with them toilingto push a heavy j^lovgh, that they had no longer a farming-tools ; they loudlycomplained the spinnerbegan to laugh out At this singular home. procession loud, Perchtha enraged stept up to the giddy thing,Ueio tipon her, the spot. The and struck her blind on poor girlhad a trouble to Perchtha

find her

came

way

longerwork, year

was

knowing

into but

from

she village,

sat mournful

past and one

the

Perchtha

led

a

wretched

life,could

by the wayside begging. visited Altar

another, asked

an

alms

again,the of the

the

When

blind

high dame

no

one, as

not

she

swept by

Perclitha

;

277

BERGHTE.

PERAHTA,

Here : spoke graciously

I blew

last year

'

a

again'. With these immediatelybegan to words she blew into the maid's eyes, which legendis found in the so-called Sorge,near see again. The same the Orla. Neustadt Touching stories of the weeping children, on who tramp along in Perchtha's greattroop,will be given when we wiitende heer '. (SeeSuppl.). to treat minutely of the come others can be added traditions of Thuringia, To these significant tliem in

1 will blow

pairof lightsout, tliisyear

'

Bavaria

from

Trauen-

district about

In the mountain

Austria.

and

(Up. Bavaria, oppositeSalzburg)they tell tlie children on and of Epiphany,that if they are naughty,Berchc will come eve their bellies open. Greasy calces are baked that day, and stein

workmen

say

that dame

Berchc

s

your

grease

stomach

with

well

Bertha

cut

the

them,

glanceoff (Schm. 1, 19-4).Is

knifemay

she is called icild Bertha, iron

why

reason

must

you

the

so

that the

Crusius, Ann.

?

Suev. p. 2, lib. 8, cap. 7, p. 266, relates,as his explanationof the the city on originof the name, that Henry IV. bestowed privileges of Padua

:

armato Inde, in signalibertatis,

bello,Bertha

nominato.

Hinc

dictum

carrocio uti

puto,

ortum

coeperunt in

quo

terrentur '

In ! ^ inquietipueri, Schweig, oder die eiserne Bertha kommt Hildaherta and other places,Franconian Swabian, she is named and Holda and Berta), of the two names a combination (apparently the houses at Bildaherta ; with hair all shaggy she walks round night,and tears the bad boys to pieces(seeSuppl.).'^ Dame Preeht with the longnose is what Vintler calls her : and '

even

a

MIIG.

which

poem,

in

one

MS.

is entitled

*

daz

msere

von

Berchten mit der Stempen,'has in another the heading von nas' (Haupt'sAltd. bl. 1, 105). It is only from the former laiigen has a that I am able to extract what (with corrected spelling) bearingon our subject: der

nu

'

merket

rehfe-waz

nachwihennaht nacli dem

man

ezzen

er

sage

amzwelften

ebenwihe lieilgen

daz (gotgeb,

do

(ich)iu

uns

solt

Now

mark

arightwhat

^

nahte,

I you tell:

day, after the holy New-year'sday (God grant we prosper in it),

tage, after Christmas

gedihe), ze

:

when

the twelfth

they should

supper

of Cnisius p. 1, lib. 12, the mother Bertha cap. 6, p. 329, where JJcrteciola is meant. and The Lombards called a carrociuni Jlcrta (Ducangesub v.), perhaps the carriageof the travelling goddessor queen ? ^ Joacli. 129. Camerarius, chronol. p. 3 Even-holy, day, Schetfer's llaltaus, equally-holy p. 68. 1

Conf.

eat

Charles

Ni'cephori,

278

GODDESSES.

und

man

allez daz

do

spracher

iind '

whatso

geben wolde zeni gesinde

sin selbes kinde

zuo

then

fastdurch min bete, die Stempc niht entrctc!

daz kintlin do

sprach:'veterlin,waz ist daz, ? daz du die Slempen nennest er

the master

would

spake he to his fast

eat

that the

child

own

he said

give,

men :

(hard)to night,I pray, Stempe tread you not.'

child then

The

forhten az,

von

'

brought

they should eat,

to his

and

:

ezzet Mnte

daz iucli

to table

all that

solde,

ezzen

man

der wirt

swaz

and had

tische brahte

ze

ate

from

father,what

'

:

that thou

the

fear, is this

callest ?

Stempe

tell me, if thou it knowest.' sag mir, ob dus erkennest.' der vater sprach: 'daz sag ich dir. The father said : this tell I '

ez

wol

ez

ist so

daz ich dirz niht gesagen

daz

er

4/

den

:

that

Icumt

ez

und

trit in.' and

thingso

a

servants

done,

this, forgets

so

that he eats not

on

him

are

me,

gruesome tell it thee :

I cannot

for whoso

vergizzet, nicht fast izzct,

also children

Here

kan

raayestwell believe

there is

des

swer

wan

thou

geloubenmir, griuwelichgetan,

du solt

thee,

and treads him.'

it comes,

warned

by

fast,

of the

the master

brought on the table, and are of with threatened a trampling from Stcmj)e. This cognomen from stamping (step, have come Berchte must tap, thump, "c.),and perhaps it ought to be speltStempfe (German stampfen,to stamp) ; but in Bavaria there is a proper name Stcmpo (jMB.2, 280, anno to be 1130),not Stempho, and both stampen and stampfen seem correct for trampling and squeezing,Ital. stampare : she is the nighthag, similar to alp and schrat [old scratch ?]. Add to this, Holda is called the Trempc that in the Nordgau of Franconia,dame (Doderlein,Antiq. nordg. 41), i.e.,the trampling racketingone ; Stalder defines steps triimpelnas walking with short, measured fall and the Drut approacheswith soft foot(night-goblin) (tripping), is a heavy clumsy time, trampel,trampelthier, ; at the same

house

eat

to

Now,

woman.

all that

clean

up

as

is

added occasionally

S is

before

surelynot going too far,to connect Stempe Tamfana, Tanfana,p. 257 (seeSuppl.). Martin

1

His

of

Amberg

^

with

calls her FercJit mit

(mid. Ge-\vissensspiegel

of 14th

(Hoffni.pp. 335-6) ; conf. Schni. 4, 188. 65. lur deutsclie spr. 2, fi3 gesellsch. "

cent.)is 21U, and

an

the

initial

in

two

MSS.

it is

ancient

more

der eisncn

T,

nasen

at

tlie Jalirb. der

(with Vienna Berliner

PERAHTA,

279

BERCHTE.

for people leave meat and drink standing a downright sacrifice. her;which means of Salzburg there is kept up to this day,in In the mountains honour of the terrible Percktel,a so called Perchta-running, Perchta?]^ In the leapingat the time of the rauchniichte [incense-nights Pinzgau,from 100 to 300 young fellows (styledthe Berchtcn)will about in broad daylightin the oddest disguises, roam carryingcows' bells,and crackingwhips.^ In the Gastein valleythe procession, to 300 stout fellows, headed by from 50 or 100 goes hopping and from house to house, all tlirougii skipping from villageto village, land, the valley(Muchar, Gastein pp. 145-7). In the north of Switzeriron

nose),and

where

says that

in addition

Berchtli

to

Bechteli is in use, Bechtclis

the

softened

form

Bechtli

or

day is the 2nd (or,if New-year'sday

Saturday,the 3rd) of January,and is honoured by the young people in generalwith social merrymakings ; they call the hechteln. In the 16th century it was still the practicehcrclUeln, and press one another to to intercept custom at Zurich, for men called conductingto Berclitold (Staid. take wine ; this was 1, 150falls

on

a

'

'

6). There

was

thus

Bercht

masculine

Berchtolt,related

or

to

againthere arose in Swabia a new feminine, BrechtoUerin,Prcchtdlterin (Schniid, Schwab, wtb. 93). In Alsace the bechten was performed by prentices and journeymen running from one to another, house or room and keeping up a racket (seepassages in Oberlin,sub. v. Bechten). Cunrat of Dankrozheim says in his Namenbuch, composed 1435 :^

"Wuotan,

as

Berhta

a

darnauch die noch He

describes her

Berchtolt however

was

so

to Freke

komet

; and

die milde

hat ein gar gross as

the

from

this

Behte,

(great kindred). geslehte

mild, "racious

to

men,

not

as

the terrible.

legend the wliite mannikin, who brings spools to be filled with spinning (Mone's anz. 8, 179), exactlylike Berchta,p. 274 (seeSuppl.). other And kind benevolent as a being she appears in many which undoubtedlyreach far back into the Mid, Ages. descriptions, has altogether the same The wliitc lady,by her very name, meaning, is in

Swabian

is like the hexentusch in the Bohnierwald,which, rerchtcnspringen and men young p. 76-7 says, is performed at Whitsnntide, when and chase all the witches boys provide themselves with loud crackingwhips, out of houses,stables and barns. 2 Schm. Journev 1, 195. through Uiiper(iermany,p. 243. 3 Ad. Walt. Strobel's beitr., Strasb. 1827, p. 123. 1

This

Jos. Hank

280

GODDESSES.

This bright,light,white. peraht,berlit or brecht, signifies white lady usuallyattaches herself to particular families,but even of Berta,e.g., Eerta of Eosenberg. In then she keeps the name snow-white garments she shows herself by nightin princelyhouses, she rocks or dandles the babies,while their nurses sleep: she acts the old grandmotheror ayicestrcss of the family{seeSuppL). of that is a good deal in the fact,that several women There for

who

name,

in

famed

are

ghostlyBcrhta

our

national

stand traditions,

connected

they have been adopted out of the divine legendinto the heroic legend. In Italyand France, a far distant when past is expressedby the phrase: nel tempo ove BerHa Jilava,' B. span (Pentamerone. Liebrecht 2, 259), au tems que la reine of the spinningmatron.^ Bertlie filait the same idea still, Berta, : of the daughter king Flower and of Whiteflower, afterwards the mother wife of king Pippin and of the great hero Charles, and she who in the MLG. of Flos is called both Vredelitig poem Brehte (1555. 7825),does not belie her mythic origin.^ She is called Berlite viit demfuoze (foot), Flore 309; in French, Berthe au grand pied; and ace. to the Eeali di Frauza 6, 1 : Berta del gran un pie,perche ella aveva pie un poco maggior dell altro,e quello il pie destro,' had the rightfoot larger.The French poet Adenez era tries apparentlyto extenuate the deformityby making both her he calls her 'Berte as grans pies'(Parised. LII. 78. 104) ; feet large, with

the

;

'

'

'

'

so

the

Mid.

Dutch,

one

big foot

the

But ^

I

'

Baerte

is

more

met

breden

ten

genuine,as

may

Floris 39G6. voetc7i,' be

seen

by

the far

The Vita S. Berthae Avennaproihiceanother spinnrng Bertha. (conf.Flodoardus 4, 47) says (Acta Sanctor.,Maii p. histraret situs loci illiiLS, 114'^): Quae dum pervenit ad quendani hortum, in quo erat fons inirae pulcritudinis.Quern ut vidit Deo devota femina,minime concupivit,sed possessoribus ipsius praedii sic locuta est : 0 fratres,hunc fonteni praediivestri vendite mihi, et accepta digna jjecuniacedite usibus nostris. Cui sic aiunt : En praesto sunius, si tanien detur pretium a nobis taxatum. Sancta denariorum autem, videntibus qui aderant, librani unam doniini vero vendiac posuitsuper lapidem qui erat super os ejusdem fontis, Tunc sancta tores receperuut aes. tenebat manu mater, Deo plena,colo quani tnram sulci rigam facere,ora.ns dicens : Ostende ac fodere,et in moduni coeY"it da nobis ! Eevertens nobis, Domine, misericord iam tuam, et salutare tuum can

censis in dioecesi Remeusi

monasterium,

namque

colum ad

eadem

post

se

trahebat, tantaque abundantia

hominibus

sicut pertinentessufficeret, liuviolo ipsicomposuit, sancta mater quoque libra pro emptione tua data est. una 2 How firmlyshe is rooted,may be seen by her being the link that joins Carolingian legend to the Laiigobardic: she is mother of Carl, wife of

aquae

eam

sequebatur,ut

usus

omnes

hodie apparet. Nomen usque dicens : Libra vocaberis, quia the

Pippin the name

son

of Kother

(4789),and daughter of

again contains the notion of whiteness.

Flore and

BlancheHor,whose

a

hoof);

that

worked

at the

and

If

Berhta

'

in

in them

mentioned

as

than

mark

a

had

of her

Huldra the

time

same

we

old churches.^

on

treadle,and

the

"Stem]3eor Trempe. frau

in stone

lay aside (any more

cannot

Pedauque,regina peclcmicae,'

reine

foot,which

siuan-maidcns

his horse

'

'

a

carved

figurestands

whose

she

tradition of

ancient

more

281

BEKCHTE.

PERAHTA,

that

older and

higher nature the devil

her tail,or

foot spinning-woman'ssplayof the t.Mmpling dame of minuter descriptions

this

Germany, perhaps (seeSuppl.).

It is apparently

foot

would

also

be

explain her preciseconnexion with a or day of the year. It is either on Dec. 25 (diesnatalis), particular the star appeared to twelve days after Christmas, on Jan, 6, when It stillremains

for

to

us

Kings (magi),that

the Three

feast of the

of Christ under

manifestation

church

the christian

the

the

celebrates of

name

epiphania tiephaine,

(v.Ducange, sub v.),hdhphania or iheopkania(0. Fr. tiphagne). In an OHG. gloss(Emm. 394),theophaniais rendered giperahta naht, the bright night of the heavenly vision that of the Mid. appeared to the shepherds in the field.^ Documents perhtennaht Ages give dates in the dative case : perchtentag, zi demo perahtintaga, zi deru Perahtim naht); again, (forOHG. der berechtnaht,' M. Beham an (Mone, anz, 4, 451) ; ze perhden ahtodin tac nah der an nahten,'MB. 8, 540 (an.1302); imze till the eighthday after the Perht's (fern.) day,Fundgr. Perhtage,' MB. dem nehsten 110, 22 ; von 9, 138 (an.1317) ; an Berhtag,' dem Prehentag,' MB. 7,256 (an.1349); these and other contracted '

'

'

*

'

'

'

"

forms

are

cited with

references

in

Scheffer's Ilaltaus

p.

75, and

grow up a very easily FcrchtentdiC, Perchtomalit,the brightday becoming personification, Schm.

1, 194.^

Now

from

this there

might

Bright's, day. (Conradof Dankrotsheim, p. 123, Dec. 30.)* on puts his milde Belite down a week earlier, Either the entire fabulous Two hypothesespresentthemselves. ing, and by misunderstandexistence of a Perhta first arose accidentally out of such personification bright day ; or the analogyof the is true we it Now tacked on to a previously Perhta. was existing dame i.e., Bright's,

'

1

198

; -

AllJ.

w.

3, 47-8

;

Paris

too

connects

this

Pedauque

rci)ie re'hiuque, Michelet

1, 49G-8.

Luke 2, 0. The OIIG.

Maria

hist, de France 0. i. 12, 3. 4. Hel. 12, 8.

with

=

Berte, ill. iv.

2, 152.

182.

'ji/if7-m"rtc (Graff 5, 360) is Good parasceve distinct i'roin Prehentafj, Percht(;ntag. "* Dec. 28 is Innocents', 29 St. Thomas's, 31 St. Silvester's. 3

'

Friday,and

282

GODDESSES.

point out

cannot

earliest

at

or

down,

13th ; but

we

did

older authorities nalit

'

might

to

9th '

neither

decide

to

me

the

Perahta

can

therefore

the

Christmas I will

the

christian

and

here

above

all,her

the

matter

purely a product of

be

lead up

to

other

it ;

was on

heathen

a

yule,and

of

a

the

deity, whom

sacredness

the

which

features

togetherthe

group

Still the characteristics

calendar,there

at that very season peregrination with christians readilyconnected New-year.

her

century,

suppositionneed not break liunt up her personalname in century the expression'peraht^n

names contrary, both of these adjective

made

15tli or 14th

tlie first

in the

to identitywith Holda, seem If, independentlyof way.

who

the

developedinto Perahtdn naht '. of a mythical Berta, and specified

have

Holda, then

before

manage

even

:

have

we

Perhta

the

if

even

dame

a

of

unmistakably

light. They drive about in and navigation Earth, and promote agriculture ^uaggons, like mother from which there fall chipsof gold,is their men ; a plough, among sacred implement. This too is like the gods, that they appear and

Holda

make

Bertha

appear

in this

her giftsin at the vjindow. hands suddenly,and Berhta especially diligence Both have spinning and weaving at heart, they insist on and the keeping of festivals holy,on the transgressorgrim penalties found in their host, children are The souls of infaiit executed. are but night-hagsand as they likewise rule over elves and dAvarfs, also

enchantresses

in

follow

train

their

this

all

:

"

of

savours

heathenism.

remarkable, that the Italians

It is very

fairyBefana,a

that

: on (befania)

children,who

to

terror

day

the

and

women

too

have

has sprung children

a

out set

a

mis-shapen of epiphania of

doll made

and ugly,and brings presents. old rags in the window ; she is black Some daughter; Eanke's hist, zeitschr. 1,717. say, she is,Herod's di Befania Befania {Pulei'sMorg. 5, 42). Berni says : il di d' una vo porla per Befana alia fenestra,perche qualcun le dia different if twice over, in two be astonishing, It would ballestra '}

'

'

'

La

nations, a

the

in

name

with

the christian 1

name

Franc.

had

the

caused

invention

of

a

likelythat,both in Italy,and among the peoplehave sought to blend themselves of the day.

being;it is supernatural us, older traditions of

calendar more

Berni,rime

105.

Crxisca sub

v.

befana.

Abundia).

Diana.

(Herodias.

G.

283

ABUNDIA.

DIANA,

HERODIAS,

by Befana, will whose The better. illustrate this even story of Herod's daugliter, (lancingbrought about the beheading of John the Baptist,must have produced a peculiarly deep impressionin the earlypart of the Hcrodias,of whom

Ages, and poets lleligious

in

Mid.

Otfried

seems

of

account

came proposal

one

way

got mixed

to

the

in

about

roam

company

spirits.She is placed at the head of the furious witches' nightlyexpeditions, togetherwith Diana, with in

etiam

Illud

their stead.

omittendum,

non

post Satanam

retro

In

conversae,

seductae,credunt

matibus

se

Burcard

of Worms

et

host

10,

illusionibus

nocturnis profitentur

'

1

of

or

Holda

and read

we

:

mulieres

sceleratae

quod quaedam daemonum

devilish

evil and

with '

Perahta, or

fables,

with

up

and with relish (Hel.83-5); in full, subject to leave it out designedly. It was imagined,that on act malicious her thoughtlessrather than (for the from her revengeful mother),Hcrodias (thedaughter) treat

condemned

was

than

more

reminded

justbeen

have

we

phantas-

et

horis

cum

multitudine Herodiade et innumera dea vel cum paganorum mulierum spatia equitaresuper quasdam bestias,et multa terrarum

Diana

intempestae noctis silentio pertransire, ejusquejussionibusvdut dominae

ad

obedire, et certis noctibus

ejus

servitium

evocari.

"

Job. Salisberiensis

(f 1182) in Polycr.2, 17 : Quale est, quod nocvel praesidem noctis dominam, quandam, vel Herodiadem

tilucam

concilia et conventus

convivia, "c. mulier

Herodiade

as

"

asserunt

sen

Bensozia

Similar

to the

ceded, and

a

most

have

Amberg,

passedinto

and

this Herodias,

celebrari

(an. 1280) : Nulla

vel cum paganorum mulierum multitudine pro-

et innumera

statements

worship of so

^

varia

convocare,

"

those of ]\Iartin von

that

nocte

Angerius,episcopusConseranus nocturnis dea Diana equitarecum

de

fitcatur.

de

Vintler. one

third

respectablediffusion

such writings, worth noticing,

later It is

of the

whole

allowed.

ivorld is

Eatherius

(bishopof Verona, but a Frank, b. at Lobi near Cambray, d. 974) in his Praeloquia(Martene and Durand 9, 798. opp. edit. Ballerini pp. 20. 21) : Quis enim qui hodie in talibus usque ad pereorum, animae in tantum ditionem ut etiam eis,quas (Ball. decipiuntur, ^

Ducanp;e srib v. Diana spells Benzoria, but has the true meaning under r.ensozia itself ; it seems to mean bona socia,friendlypropitious being. Bona dea, Dio Cass. 37, 35. 45. Conf. ch. XXVIII, dobra sretia,bona Fortuna ; ch. XVI, good wife,under Wood-women.

284

GODDESSES.

quibus) ait Gen.^, Ilcrocliam illam baptistaeChristi interfectrideam proponant ; asserentes, tertiam tot ins cera, quasireginam imo fuerit propLetae mundi partem illi traditam : quasi haec merces infelices muliercum occisi, potiussint daemones, talibus praestigiis viros, quia perditissimos, culas, bisque niultum vituperabiliores de

"

tradition,that nardus

remarkable

and

full

decipientes.A

tacked

was

medieval

the

in the

Herodias,is contained

to

on

of

account

Ptei-

1, 11:39"1164: ubi Traecipue sidus celebrant, ope cujus,

testes,est data Eoma

defuerant

omnes

Petro,

traditaque injustoFharaildis virgolabor! ; sed sanctifaciunt qualiacunquevolunt. Ilac famosus fuisset Herodes erat felixque prole,sed infelix banc quoque laesit amor: thalamos liaec virgo, Baptistaesolius ardens, hoc demto

voverat

nuUius

esse

viri.

genitor, comperto prolisamore, insontem sanctum atrox, decapitavit Postulat afferri virgosibi tristis, et affert regiusin disco tempera trunca cliens. Mollibus allatum stringens caput ilia lacertis perfunditlacrimis,osculaqueaddere avet ; oscula captantenicaput anfugit atque resnjfflat, ilia per impluvium turbine flantis abit. Offensus

Ex

illo nimium per

non

eandem

coeli flabilisurget iter

vacuum

infestat

mortuus

ira Johannis

memor

miseram,

Lenit honor

vivus amarat,

nee

luctura,minuit

inirs hominum

:

penitusfata perissesinunt.

banc

tamen

''"

reverentia

poenam,

tertia servit herac.

moestae

Quercuhuset corylisa noctis parte secunda prima sedet. usque nigriad gallicarmina Nunc

ea

liabet Fharaildis,Herodias

nomen

nee saltria,

subiens

Conf. Aelfrici homiliae

1, 486.

as

mocsta

homage 1

hcra

she

Eallerini

cui

receives cannot

writer at the end

pars

Here

tertia

assuages

understand

subeunda

nee

hominum

her

pari.

have

Herodias

servit,the

bitter lot ;

this Gen.

of the hfth century ?

we

ante

only from

; is it Gennadius

described reverential

midnight

a (Massiliensis),

IIERODIAS, tillfirstcockcrow time

she floats

for a

she sits on

John, which

she charger,

it draws

he did not

would

4

does

nor

llerodias

of the

contents

tlie hazel-trees, She

; when

covered

leads Vercldr,' of

1213

dictus

century

a

Still more

his head

it with

kisses,but

haplessmaid is ever,^ Why she

hangs for century) called Fharaildis,is in Flanders

name

2-i

sanct.

Jun.) at

story : Herodias Pharaildis

the

on

:=frau Hilde (Bodmanns Eheing. alterth. and Verhildeburrj,'

in

or

the

all resemble

the

wife, and

f rem

there

doc. of

the

Dutch

in

Iliddc,as

94)

Fiisian

a

(Acta

contrary,M.

p.

not

tells of John

is Herod's

Elde

to ver

us

and

tears

anythingthat the church

Salome.

by love brought in on

is

at her ; the

saint of that

a

rest of her

inflamed

was

there she

(Acta

above

daughteris named

miles

air.

twelfth

(in the

Jan.);

Baptist and

'

empty

space, and

the life of

explainedby

doc.

and

fain have

into empty

afterwards

sanct.

oaks

return

235

ABUNDLV.

back, and beginsto blow hard

whirled was

the

through

DIANA,

a

occurs

the

a

14th

to the mythic Hildburg. FerhUdcma, evidentlyreferring

remarkable

M.

Dutch

for the

milky way, strasse or (street, highway). So that the poet of the Reinardus is entirelyin the right,when Herodias sets him thinking of Fharaildis,and she again of the milky way, the sidns in his first line. There is no doubt whatever, that quiteearlyin the Mid. Ages the christian mythus of Herodias got mixed up with our native Vroneklcnstract

heathen '

host

fables

and

frauen

=

:

seems

those

a

Hilde

notions

name

Ilulde

about

dame

Holda

and

the

*

furious

the

were nightlyjauntsof sorceresses graftedon it,the Jewish king'sdaughter had the part of a heathen goddess assigned her (Eatheriussays expressly imo dea),and her worship found :

adherents.

numerous

deity of night,the ^

and

This

of

reference

In

wild

to the

the

huntress

iurho

circle

same

;

moves

Diana, the lunar

Diana, Herodias

(the whirlwind

of his

and

Holda

looks mythical blast),

high antic^uity.Not only

did Ziu or Zio, once beci^nie with the a deity, christians a name for the wliirlwind. Pulloineken 203 have to too (and p. may do with I'hol,J).2:29) ; l)ut to tliisday such a wind for in Lower is accounted where Saxony (about Celle)by the dancing Hcroduis whirlingabout in the air. Elsethe raisingof it is ascribed to the de.vil, and offensive epithetsare hurled at him, as in the Saalfeld country : ' Schweinezahl there goes fahret,' ' swine-tail (Praetorius, Riibezahl 3, 120), and on the Khcin mts. : Siiuzagel,' tail (Schni. 4, 110), to shew contempt for tlie demon, and abate his fury sow-

(see Suppl.). I shall

bring in

scjme

other stories, when

treatingof

the "wind-

sprites. *

Gaude.

Canneart, strafrecht

153-5.

B^lg.raus.

6, 319.

Conf.

Vergodc for

fi-au

28G

GODDESSES.

stand

for

Eligius(Superst.A) ; C) has found (Superst. D, G)

:

that

statue

cultus

Diana's

'

a

decrees

later

in

be

to

life of

quod

rustici

the

I have

common

spoken

of of

diffusion

wide

in the life of St.

passage

a

The

hcra.

familiar to

Greg. Tur. 8, 15 strongesttestimony to the

seems

councils

of

daemonium,

was

by

writings(Superst.

and

domina

as

name

of Diana

the

But

the

the

many

mentions

that

vocant,' so

p. 110.

on

into

is denounced

Diana

in

passage

its way

Arelatensis

St. Caesarius

people;

the

Herodias,she appears

like

Dianavi

by side.

side

another,or

one

Kilian, the

Franciae (t 689) : Gozbertusdux utrum volens crebra apud se tractare Ejus quem inquisitione, vel Dianae potiuscultus praeferendusesset. praedicabat, (Kilianus) .habebatur veneratione Diana apud ilium in summa namque (Surius4, 133 ; Acta sanct. Bolland. 8 Jul. (p. 616). As it is Hesse and that frau Holda principallyin Thuringia,Franconia in the neighbourhood survives,it is not incredible that by Diana

apostleof

of

7th century,was

the

as

meant

no

other

she.

connexion of this Herodias Lastly,the retrospective of in the native with paganism,whether personages

nations,receives

Teutonic of

.

.

.

far back

Wiirzburg,so

than

Franks

the East

Ahundia

domina

a

dame

or

Celtic the

from

confirmation

welcome

a

or

legend French

supplied by

Hahonde,

Diana

or

Ages. A bishop of Paris, Guilielmus Alvernus (Guillaume d' Auvergne),who died 1248, speaksthus of Sic et daemon, Par. 1 674, fol. 1. 1036) : n}Tnphs and lamiae (opera. IMid.

the

of

authorities

'

qui praetextu mulieris,cum frequentare,et vocant Abundiam

abundantia,^ quam

pro

vetulae, penes

vocant

aut

potibus, quos imminutionem sint

escarum

eis in

obstructa, inde

seu

infaustas ^

The

et

on

nee

infortunatas

Romans

only appears

facere

escarum

discooperta et relinquantur.Si

nocte

daemones,

remansit,et

vasa vero

comedunt

et

tamen

domibus, dominas

quas a

quibus

solis

consumptionem si

potuum, maxime

poculorum

non

vasa

obstructa

operta vel clausa inveniunt

bibunt, propter quod

nee

satietatem

relinquunt,nee

Ahundantia personified neither templesnor coins,she had also

dominam

edere et bibere de escis

dominas

inveniunt, nee

in domibus eas

has

Dicunt

creditur et somniatur.

cellaria dicitur

praestaredicunt

etiam iste

et

satietate,et

a

eam

error

quas

domos

nocte

Satiam

eam

: hujusmodi frequentaverit

quas

et

aliis de

as

a

nee

abun-

superiorbeing,but

altars.

she

HERODIAS,

eis

dantiam on

p.

1066

The praestantes.' read

we

faciunt

spirituum,quas et frondosis matronaruni

et

aliae luditicationes

interdum

in

nemoribus

ornatu

locis anioenis

quibus apparent distillationes in et ipsorum diligenter tricatae,

cereis,ex

et comae collis equorum, vidisse fatentur,dicentes eos, qui talia se

hujusmodi

luminaribus

quae

et

malignoruni

ajiparcnt in similitudinc pucllarum aut muliebri et candido, interdum etiani in stabulis,

et

de

p. 1068, but

repeated on

arboribus,ubi

luminaribus

cum

like is

Sunt

'

:

287

ABUNDIA.

DIANA,

stillaverat.^

apparent in domibus, quas dominam

veram

De

dominas

Ahimdiam,

ceram

audies

esse, quae

illis vero

nocturnas,

comis

substantiis, et

principe7)i

quod domibus, quas bonorum abundantiam temporalium praestare putanfrequentant, aliter tibi sentiendum est, neque aliter quam quemadmotur, non dum de illis audivisti. Quapropter eo usque invaluit stultitia hovini et receptaculaciborum et insania minum vetularum, ut vasa obstruant neque et omnino claudant eis discoc perta relinquant, nee credunt suas eas adventuras, ea de noctibus,quibus ad domos cibos et potus quasi paratos inveniant ut et eos videlicet, causa sumant. absque difficultate apparitionis pro beneplacito de la rose (Meon 18622 The Eoman seq.)informs us: earum

vocant

qui les

cine

eo

pro

ainsinc deceit

sens

par les fantosmes, quilregoit, dont maintes gens par lor folie cuident errans

et

par nuit estries auecques dame Hahonde, estre

dient,que

par

le monde

tout

li tiers enfantde nacion de ceste condicion.

sunt

trois fois

qu'ilvont si

tons

cles

ains

semaine,

destinee les maine,

cum

et par ne

la

en

sen

ne

ces

ostex

barres entrent

ne

par

boutent,

se

redoutent, les

fendaces,

par chatieres et par crevaces, et so

partent des

et vont

avec

les

cors

les bonnes

ames

dames

par leus forains et par maisons, et le pruevent par tiex raisons : ^

Conf.

Deutsche

sagen,

no.

122.

288

GODDESSES.

les diversitcs

que

sunt

ne

ains

et par

ainsinc

dame

avcc

monde

Hahonde,

voles vielles le

cum

corent,"c.

sen

li tiers du

part,que

aille ainsinc si

qui laborent

ames

le monde

Dautre

18686.

lor

sunt

lor liz venues,

en

pas

veiies

pruevent

par les visions que truevent, dont convient il sans nule faille

As

the Reinardus

Eatlierius and

given up applied to A

one.

Habonde

dame

;

either

multitude

to

Herodias

made

unchristencd

the

pf heathen,

who

and

Ahundia

The

apparent. babes

remained

native

our

out

or

of

therefore

are

Folia,Ftdla enfans may

term

above, shut

is here

statement

same

and

Abundia

between

connexion

will presentlybe (fulness)

refer

represent a third part of the "World

the service of Herodias, the

to

as

i aille.

li mondes

trestous

que

to

the

great

christian

the

to divide the known long been the custom one clothed in white reminds world into three parts.^ The domina the bona socia'^of Holda the bona domina of Perahta the bright, or gracious,and Herodias haunting the oaks by night of the Old German benignant beings all, tree-worship.They are originally to and plentyto mankind whose ; hence presence bringsprosperity and set for a drink are or them, as to friendlyspirits gods,meat to sacrifice in the night season. seem Holda, Berhta and Werra kind of food,and look for it on their feast-day. love a particular

It

community.

had

7. Hruoda Thus

far

we

have

(Hrede).

(Eastre).

Ostara

got acquaintedwith

the

names

and

worship names by

different under honoured who were goddesses, tribes of Teutondom (N"erdu,Hludana, Tanfana, Holda, particular known to Berhta),and others resemblingthem have only become Diana, Herodias, Abundia) : of under foreignappellations (Isis, us

of several

all these

(so long

as

I

consider

Agitiirpars tertia nmncli. Ovid. Coripp. 1, 47 : peritAlrica ilaiuiuis, 1

still doubtful

met.

5, 372

tertia pars

;

the

of

connexion

fiimans tertia pars mundi Walvocatur, Europa

orbis

thar. 1. 2

Is tlie name

socia connected

with

tlie Satia in Guiliehnns

Alvernus

?

'

Erce

'

with

Herke) not

our

289

OSTARA.

HRUODA,

be found

is to

one

the

among

Anglo-

Saxons.

hand, the Anglo-Saxon historian tells

the other

On

but of whose liispeople,

existence not here

proof,that

clear

A

Germans.

expresslycalls

he

whom beings,

of two

names

a

as

the

us

goddessesof

ancient

is left amongst other

trace

well

as

there, heathenism

shape and varying name, in their characteristics and cultus correspondedto one but who in the of form should prevail another. more Why this multiplicity of the female deities than of the male, can be fairly explained, case crowded

with

think, by

the

was

I

divinities: their

they

divinities of various

greater respect paid too

were

names principal

chief

masculine

highly thought of,for penetratedall branches of the

and

famous to

not

the

to

have

too

nation. The

two

whom goddesses, without briefly,

cites very months named Saxon

luifh

name a

dca

after them,

(De temporum ratione cap. 1 3) merely to explainthe description,

Beda any are

from

and the first,

illorum

Rheda, cui

and

Hrede

taking its

Edstre, March the second

Aprilfrom

Rlicdmo-

'

:

nomiuatur.' illo sacrificabant,

in

"

apud eos Aprilis 'AntiquiAnglorum populi,gens mea mensis interpretatur, quondam a Esturmoiiath, qui nunc paschalis dca

illorum,quae

habuit ;

nomen (?),

minant,

Eostra

consueto

cujus nomine

a

he

nunc

-be uncritical to saddle

knows, with

at

a

in

OHG.

in the vocabularies

the

distance,and

tells

of days]f [lengthening

the

after

but it may

Oberlin

quotes, from Chorion's Strassb. 1044, p. 91, Rdmonat

less of it

us

goddesses. There is first of them is justified by

of these

of other

lenzinmanot, named

church, who

this father of

the invention

nothingimprobablein them, nay clear traces

paschaletempus cognovocabulo gaudia novae

^

everywhere keeps heathenism than

et cui in illo festa celebrantur

aniiquae ohscrvationis

solennitatis vocantes.' It would

vocabatur

.

.

.

have

tribes.

German the

Ehrenkranz for March

other der

;

and

is

lenzo, lengizo

season

borne

March

names

teutschen a

as

well.

sprach,

doc. of 1404

One MS. (Kolmesen opusc. p. 287 ; this ref. given in Rathlefs Hoya and Diepholz 3, IG) reads : Veteres Anglicanipopulivocant Estormonath paschalem sacrilii'ia idque a dea quadam cui Teutonici populi in pagani.snio monseni, fecerunt tempore mensis Aprilis, quae Eostra est appellata. '

2

Gramm.

2, 510.

Langez.Diut.

3, 88.

19

290

GODDESSES.

has

(Weisth. 1, 175) When

we

find in the In

Rcdtmonet, it is

Appeuzellerreimchronik

dem

kamen

do

der merzenmonat

an

ainem

morgen

do zundentz Rcdhnonct of

names

Retmonat

by

seems, to be

months,

p. 174

month.

:

Redimonet

die puren

here

clear for what

not

donet,

giengherzu fru

Eorschach the

an

;

displacementso

the month

before

March,

as

the

in

common

Chorion

uses

for

February as well. Von Arx explainsthe word and I think untenably,by a mountain. (p;itedifferently, Apart from I believe the AS. the Swiss term name was altogether, Hruod OHG. or Hruodd, and derived, reallyHred' or Hreffc fama ; so I said on p. 20G, from hruod that we as gloria, get the meaning of a shining and renownful goddess. The Trad. fuld. 2,

his

=

196, furnish

a

female

26, another

nom.

name

Hruada,

Hruadun, this

gen.

last

in

Hruadun, and

apparentlyformed

1, 42. 2, like

ON.

crudelis Fiorgyn and Hlodyn. The AS. adj.hreS or hreSe means in doubt (Ceedm. 136, 21. 198, 2),perhaps victoriosus ? I am about hreS, sigehreS, guShreS,Beow. 5146. 974. 1631 ; they waver between an adj. and a subst. sense, and in the last passage, wearS victoria is evidently meant. Beowulfe guShreS gifeSe,' the AS. Menologue, line 70, translates Martius When by reSe, this '

stand for hre"'e.

may

We

to this

Germans

is found

as

early as

which christian festival, bears in the oldest

of

day call Aprilostermonat, and ostarmdnoth Eginhart (temp. Car. Mag.). The great usuallyfalls in April or the end of March,

OHG.

remains

the

name

ostard gen.

-un

"}

it

plural,because two days (ostartagil, This Diut. Ostard,like 1, 266^) were kept at Easter. aostortaga, in the heathen have denoted the AS. Edstre, must a higher religion so firmly rooted, that the christian being,whose worship was and teachers tolerated the name, appliedit to one of their own have All the nations bordering on us grandest anniversaries." retained the Biblical 'pascha'; even Ulphilas writes paska, not is

mostly

in

found

T. 157, 1. 3. 5.

1

the

0. i. 22, 8.

iii. 6, 16.

tlieol.xiv. 17. -

Conf.

Ideler's

1, 516. chronologie

iv. 9, 8.

Hymn.

21, 4. Fragiii.

291

ziSA.

austro,though he

have

must

known

the word

^

;

the

Norse

tongue

importedits paskir,Svved. pask,Dan. paaske. The OIIG^. toward the rising adv. 6sta7' expresses movement sun (Gramm. 3, and AS. the ON", likewise eastor and Gotli. mistr, probablyan 205), has been pushed round In Latin the identical austcr to the austr. of In the Edda a male being,a spirit noonday quarter,the South. of Atistri, female one bears the name so a light, might have been called Aiistra ; the High German and Saxon tribes seem the on not Ostaro, contrary to have formed only an Ostard,Edstre (fem.), Eiistra (masc).- And that may be the reason why the Norsemen said paskirand not austrur : they had never worshippeda goddess Austra, or her cultus was alreadyextinct. of the therefore to have been the divinity Ostara,Eddre seems radiant dawn, of upspringinglight, that bringsjoy and a spectacle whose tion-day blessing,^ meaning could be easilyadapted to the resurrecof the christian's God. Bonfireswere lightedat Easter, the and accordingto a popularbelief of long standing, the moment rises on Easter he sun Sunday morning,he givesthree joyfulleaps, for joy (Superst.813). Water drawn Easter dances the on 775. morning is,like that at Christmas, holy and healing(Superst. to have 804) ; here also heathen notions seems graftedthemselves also has

on

great christian festivals.

Easter, at

tlie

of the rock

of

season

and

on

Maidens

clothed

returningspring,show

in

white, who

themselves

at

in clefts

of the ancient goddess mountains, are suggestive

(seeSuppL). 8. ZiSA. Beda's account

of Hrede

reaching back attention if only for its worshipped at Augsburg in a

statement

shall be

followed

by to the 11th century, and deserving great age, concerning a goddess Zisa and

Eastre*

the heathen

^ For oriens he chooses iirruns, the sun, not tliat he did not know

now

time.

risingand sinkingof sagqs, i.e., vistr (versus occidentem), root vis (repose,

for occiJens

stillness, evening). ^

Composite

proper

names

:

OstroOstroberht, Austroberta, Austregisil,

gotha (likeVisigotha,Vistrimund,Westeralap,Sundarolt, Nordberulit,

"c. "c.) Busijuelanguage ostnra means May, tlie budding leafingtime, from ostoa, leaf,foliage accidental ies?,niblanee. : a mere * I might introduce into the te,\t an AS. R'ccn, if I knew about any more her than what Lye'sglossaryquotes from Cod. Cot. 65, 87 : Iticcnne Diana. It is formed like ] inen (aucilla), "c. wylpen (bellouu), *

In

tlie

292

GODDESSES.

Tlie Cod.

Monach.

Lat. 2

(of 1135),and cent.)contain identic

IX. fol. 4:''(of 12-13th

the Cod. Emmeran. '

F.

Gallica

Excerpta ex

liistoria'.^ '

Dum

liec circa

bawariorum,

Vind.

Cod.

geruntur, in

rcnum

noricorum

(interlined

CII.

finibus grave vulnus pauwarioriini) romanus populus accepit.quippe germanorum gentes (interlined retias occupaverant, non suevi), longe ab alpibustractu pari que licus et amnes patentibuscampis,ubi duo rapidissimi [interlined wcrtlialia (CII vuerdalia)] in ipsis inter se conlluunt, noricis finibus terminis bawariorum et sicevorum) civitatem non (interlined quidem sed vallo fossaquecinxerant,quam muro appellabantzizarim (CII. colebant. cizarim)ex nomine dee cize,^ religiosissime quara cujus templum quoque ex lignisharharico ritu constrictum, postquam eo^ colonia

deducta

romanti

colli servavit.

collapsumnomen* ad

arcendas

jam

exacta

partem,

que

barbarorum

sola

a

vero,

cum

equitatuomni

qua

permansit, ac urbem

titus annius

pretor

(interlined meridianam oppidi (interlined erat,pretor ipse littoribus) ad

operosissimecommunivit.

castra

vetustate

kal. sextilibus

circumvenit.

continenti

barbarorum

tem

banc

excursiones

estate)exercitu

martia legione

cum

est, inviolatum

adventus

ad

occiden-

erat, dvar, hogudis regisfilius,

et auxiliaribus macedonum

copiisinter

fiumen

ct

amplo infelici temeritate extra fiumen minus romanis consedit. non pulchraindoles, (interlined loerihaha) instructa. die, igiturquinquagesimo nono disciplinis greets quam is dies dec cize (CII.de^ ciz^) apud larharos est,cum qua eo ventum formidinem ostentaret, celeberrimus,ludum et lasciviam magis quam barbarorum CII. svivorum)multitude, immanis suevorum, (interlined ex ex improvisocastra irrupit, proximis silvis repente erumpens loco

vallum

castris parum

oquitatum omnem, avarj' cum

in

et

quod

hostium

miserius

erat, auxilia

sociorum

vivus

potestatem regiobabitu

delevit.

venisset,[sed

The same their cominiuiication to Sclimeller's kindness. piece is in two Lat. CII (olim hist. prof.WrA) sec. forms Vienna : in the Cod. xi. ineuntis fol. 79. 80 ; and in the Cod. CCXXVI (olim univ. '237) sec. xii. CII has Jorn. De reb. get. and De regn. succ. In hoth it stands between interlinear glossesand marginalnotes MSS.) by a (exactlylike the Munich 1

found

I

owe

at

scarcely later hand, which historia '.

CCXXVI

also writes

adopts the

the

heading

'

Excerptum

ex

interlinears into the text,but otherwise pollueratcultura nefaria dudum

Gallica agrees.

margin: 'Quern male hunc tibi cv:a tulit '. gallnsmonticulum ' On margin ; 'postconditani urljem avrjnstnnia romanis'. * Marg. note : 'ut usque hodie ab incolis cizunbcrc nominetur'. ^ ct tumulatus 'ex cujus vocabulo, quia ibi inactatus Marg. note: chrikesaveron (CII chrekasaver) nomen accepit. grecus enim erat '. ^

On

est

29:5

ziSA.

apud larharos oppidani vero uoii que

reverentia

il)idem peciulis

?J more

iniuori fortuiia

baud

romaiii

sociis properaiiteinadoriuntur.

auxiliuni

pretorem in

luaiori virtute

sed

mactatur.^

segniter primis

caccus^ in

oppidanorurahahino^ et principes et incliiiata jam res oppidauoruui esset, ni pugnautes cadunt. auxiliuni ierre socii in altera ripajam victoria potiti. maturasseiit denique coadunatis viribus castra irrumpunt,pretorem, qui paulo duo

resistunt.

ut

Verres

delent.

cladis superesset,funditus

nuncius

ne

martiam), (interlined

divinam legionem-*

obtruncant.

resistentem

vi

pcrleih)frustra ceperat,romana (interlined

tumuluni

altiorem

solus

proximis paludibus sc mortem occultans^ honestam subterfugit.nee multo post sicilie cum se avaricia turpem mortem immani promeruit. nam proconsul militum

tribunus

in

transmisso

arnne

magistratuabdicaret,judiciocivium damnatus est.' and the interlined words The same fragment,only without suev. scrij^t. without marginaladditions,stands in Goldast's Eerum aliquotveteres, Ulm 1727 tbl. p. 3 under the rubric : Vellcii GalU Eomanos contra (conf. Haupts fragmentum de victoria Suevorum *

'

and

for Caccus

for loco '

the

It has

10,291).

zeitschr.

readings

Cams,' but agrees

'

dea

'

other

in the

and

Cisa'

'

Cisara,'

Further,

names.

I find the better reading apto. The parenthesis amjjlo, parum is wanting,so is the concludingsentence reverentia sed '

"

'

nam

damnatus

"

it all from

est

Wolfg.

Velleii excerpta

'

'

Lazius's

had

52, if this copy

ex

I should

'.

not

variations

some

Gallica historia

On

Hoc

too

heading

p.

runs

margin

with

promeruit.Lazius

bogudisdat regiaproles (CII grecus auar),pecudisde suevis

more

litatus.'

:

'

Prefectus haheno perpetuo montis

se

victum

nomine

liicquesepultuni notiticat.

habenonhcrch dedit,quera monti sepultusnomen dicunt.' rustici havenenbercli (CII havenonpercli) ^ nominari.' CII : 'a cujus nomine putamus ickingen. * ibi de hac On margin : perditalegione adhuc paicich nominatur.' Then in smaller but contemporaneous writing: oceisus

qui juxta montem

et

'

'

Indicat hie collis romanam

5

usque

On

nomine

cladeni

simnl periit. martia sulididit liunc rume jirepcs victoria ^^firo, sibimet hoc templum qui modo constituit.' ' latuit,lacui ueriase hue in hie quia paludibusadjacentibus margin : ([uo legiotota

nomen

dedit '.

:

also Cisara, but Cizi^,

; it has

concludes

; the

1501

terris

nomen

grecavar On

borrowed

margin.: '

2

'

had

libri xii. Franco!.

Eeip.Eom.

Habbino, Caccus, amplo,'and ^

believe that Goldast

294

GODDESSES.

says

:

'

historiam

nos

quam

in pervetusto codice '

autiquissimis scriptamreperimus ; known

hitherto,and

11-1 2th

probablyhave Either

one

the author had

been

The

that

one

other of

(orcontinuator)of

before

The

them.

been

be

pretty

Goldast

had

the sixth MS. in the

numerous

before

him

may

the oldest. the

or

have

copiesmust

centuries.

that would

Uteris

menibran.

them,

the

former

both

Otto

von

Freisincjen and

Auersberg chronicle tries to

connect

to have

seem

the

story with

Quintilius Varus

and after relating his overthrow, (insteadof Verres), adds (chron.3, 4) : Tradunt ibi Augustensesbanc caedem collem ex ossibus mortuorum factam, ostenduntquein argumentum in vulgariperUich (Mone, anz. 1, 256),eo quod compactum, quem hodie vocant, vicumque ex nomine Yari aplegioibi perierit, usque '. The Auersberg chronicler's account, though pellatum monstrant he almost verballyadopts the older fragment,I hold it needful to insert here, because the marginal glossesare curiously interwoven with the text, and referred to discovered inscriptions stone '} on vel Ehetiae. De Augusta Vindelicorum sicut ex scriptis veterum coUigiturhaec civitas tria nomina accepit. Germanorum quippe est pars geutes primum considentes in partibusEhetiae, quae nunc munito locotamen Sueviae, non longe ab alpibusin planitie, propter duorum concursum rapidorumfluminum, banc urbem construxerunt, '

'

et

muris

non

sed

fossatis

firmaverunt,et

eam

ex

deae

Zizae,

nominabant. colebant, Zlzerim eam religiosissime liujus deae ritu barbarico ex templum lignis constructum, etiam

quam

quoque

postquam

Eomani

incolere

eam

coeperunt, inviolatum

colli servavit,in collapsum nomen hi versus sunt : lapideexsculpti reperti at vetustate

male

quem

cultura polluerat

gallusmonticulum unde

nomine

in

praesens

ab

apud

banc

urbem

usque

minatur. Titus

cum

exercitu

in

incolis

praetor ad

Annius

nam

kal.

hunc

August!

idem

in

tulit.

monticulus deleti sunt

arcendas eam

j)ostmodum

nefaria dudum

tibi Ziza

Eomani

quo

permansit.

barbarorum

noZizcnherg

caede.

magna

excursiones

circundedit,ipseque

ad

dianam

meri-

oppidi partem, quae sola patebat,castra sua cum legione ad occidentem Martia communivit. ultra vero operosissime Avar Huvium, ubi Suevis aut barbaris aditus patebat, Bogudis regis 1

Chron.

Conradi

ursperg.

Argent. 1532, p.

308.

ed. 1609, p. 225.

295

ziSA.

filius

cum

omni

auxilio maccdonlco

et equitatii

nono die,quani eo ventum ({uiuquagesimo apud barbaros celeberrimus esset,ludum

cives

formidinem

ostentarunt.

igitur

is dies deae

est,cum

et lasciviam

etiam

tunc

conseJit.

Ziz^

magis

quam barbarorum

immanis

partibusSueviae illuc convenerat, de proximis silvis repente erumpens ex improviso castra irrupitet Avaris Avar exercitum delevit. ipsum quoque regio habitu iiidutum vivum pecoris mactaverunt. comprehendeutescrudeliter in modum in loco,ubi mactatus a quo est, vicus usque liodie appellatusest in quo hi versus sunt : Crieclicsavcron, reperti his nomen terris Bogudis dat regiaproles Graemes Avar, pecudisde Suevis more litatus. minori fortuna sed majori virtute praetorem non oppidani vero in auxilium sociis properantem invadunt, quibus Eomani hand segniterresistunt, in quo conflictu duo principesoppidanorum Habino et Caccus in primis pugnantes cadunt, et inclinata jam res esset auxilium ferre Suevi in altera oppidanorum, ni maturassent illorura principum autem ripa victoria jam potiti.de uominibus de

multitude, quae

interfectorum hinonc sunt

adhuc

exstant

loca denominata,

monticulum

vocant

Habinoberg,in se

perpetuo mentis Cacco

lii

versus

reperti

tiorem

nomine

frustra

legionemquedivinam, de hac

nominatur, ubi

vi resistentem

ceperat,romana ut

nuncius

nee

perditalegioneadhuc postniodum hi versus

martia

quo

solus Vcrres tribunus se

occultans

hucusque nomen tamen

non

caedem

est.

fuisse

honestam versus

simul

cum

cladem,

periit.

transmisso

mortem

in

proximispalulacui Vernse subterfugit,

:

lacui Vcrres quo

nomen

nam

cladis superesset,funditus

nomine

amne

niulto post Siciliae

promeruit. damnatus

militum

dedit. das

legiotota

obtruncant,

perlaich, quasi perditalegio, sunt : reperti

indicat hie collis romanam

dibus

atque sepultum notificat.

Gcgyincn denoniinari. denique coadunatis oppidaniscastra irrumpunt,et praetorem, qui paulo al-

tumulum

delent.

victum

dicunt

vero

Suevis et

hie

quo

:

Habino praefectus

a

rustici de Ha-

nam

se

propter hunc

eandem, quam

tu

latuisti.

tem proconsuleff'ectusturpem morabdicaret judiciocivium magistratu Verrcm tradunt Augustenses banc sub Augusto lactam quidam descri-

296

GODDESSES.

ilium

bunt, sed Varum

superbe et

more,

romano

nominant avare

his verbis erga

ea

:

subditos

ae

tempestate Varus, gereus

a

Germanis

deletus est. later writers

Some

91,

also mention

the tradition.

^

Augsburg

for the

his house

to

have

99

says

of the Swabians

Sie bawten zu

einen

(inhonour

eren

tempel gross darein of)Zise der abgottin,

heidnischen

anbetten

denselben

Die nach Der

zeiten

(afterheatlien ways)

(adoredin

those

days).

genennt (citygot named) auch Zisaris

the goddess), das was der pris. abgottin(after tempel als lang stund unversert (stooduninjured), alter

von

da

er

was

alter

von

der

von berg namen daruf gestandenwas

und

sitten

der

bis im und

ward

stat

in

:

die sie nach zu

"

rhyme a history of burgomasterPeter Egen the Young, who wished painted with illustrations from it. Cap. 2, foL

ecclesiastic,Klichlin,composed

an

1373

About

haist noch

hlit

der val beschert

(itsfall decreed), abgieng(asfrom age it passedaway), im empfieng(thehill took name), (whereon had stood)das werck, (hightstillto-day)der Zisciibcrclc.

Conf. Keller's Fastn. sp., p. 1361. Sigism.Meisterlin,in his Augsburg chronicle ^ (which is in print from the 8th chap, of bk 1), treats of this Cisa in

chaps.5-6 of bk 2. In the unprintedchap.4 of bk 1, he unmistakablyrefers to Klichlin, and againat the end of der gottin Cisa,die auch von chap.7 : das er auch melt (tells) genent wird Cizais,das sy geert habend (they honoured her) die doch aus Asia warend ; dawider seind die andern, die von Cysa nach schreibent, die sprechent,das sy die Vindelici habend schwebischen sitten angebettet.von der gottinwirst du hernach mer haben, ob got wil (buch 3. cap. 5. 6).' (SeeSuppl.) Hopeless contradictions lie on the face of that fragment. who lived in the year 494 of Eonie, Bogud, a Punic ship's-captain, 260 or B.C.,^is here turned into a Macedonian king ; and his son '

Avar

is made

years

after,or

Varus

do

1

-

2

contemporary of

even

occur

as

the

with

the

Ciceronian

still later Varus.

of Pompey contemporaries

Yet in Dio

Verres

of

Bogudes Cassius

Lat. 61 ; likewise sent me by Schmeller. IVIeisterlinwrote it in 1456, and died about Eom. Hist. 3, 677.

Niebuhr's

fol.

and

41, 42.

Cod. Monach.

Aitgsb.15'22

200

1-184.

297

zisA.

Titus Annius

"What

there is

consul of that

a

Velleius Paterculus But

all the

can

name

A.U.C.

never

have

I cannot praetor,'

'

601

and

written

it contains

rubbish

remarkable

the

by

meant

was

does

guess

626, or B.C. 153,

this sort of

thing.^

destroythe value

not

;

128.

of

The

comparativelypure Latinityis late as the twelfth not composed so enough to show that it was ^ inclined to place it in the Caroare century ; Lazius and Velser to whom of a foreigner, and it looks like the work lingianperiod, The glosses the Germans heathens and barbarians. confirm the are of the whole tradition with Augsburg and its local connexion neighbourhood; and not only the Latin verses, but the German forms werthaha (R.Wertach), cizunberc, habino,habinonberc,look too old for the 12th (Hepino),Habinolf, is an century. Habino the

authentic

story

OHG.

to

man's

us.

:

name

seem more Cagau would Geginen leads up to it. to this day: the eminence

founded

were

is unknown

vernacular, and of

Some

the

in

the

of the the

which

derived

Cacan,

me,

local

monastery

the

106-1; so

to

cpiotedare next city,

names

in the middle

house,is still called Peiiach,on of St. Pdcr

Cacus

preserved the senateand

churcli

'subdidit

verse

name

hunc

'

composed after that ? The name which the legend derives from periensor perdita pcrlcih, Gl. ker. 124. eikileihi, (phalanx), aigilaihi legio, suggests the OHG. find leih in a varietyof Diut. 1, 223 ; and in other compounds we (collem)Eomae

senses.^

praepes

victoria Pdro

was

Zisenberg and Havenenberg

names

are

no

longer heard,

1343, and

Kricgshaher are explanationof the may older and correcter form Criechesaveron,it is very plain that the of the place Criahhes (graeci) avani (imago,conf. pp. 86, 95, name proles)first suggested Graecus Avar,' as well as yet also avaro Habino '. The Auersberg chronicler's statement, Ildbmonberc the hero that the Latin verses carved in all those places, found were MB. 33^ Pfersen(Veris-se) well known villages.Whatever

108

wliile

an.

be the

'

'

be

must

We

1

rejected. find

then,tliat tradition,true

G. Jo. Vossius, De Marci Velseri rer.

to

her

wont, has

mixed

up

liist.Lat. 1, 24.

Augustuuar. lilni 8. 1594 fol. p. 45. * Henisch 293 berlach ab ursis in publica at Augsburg explains p. On the ibi altis,' done in other towns, e.fj.Bern. cavea a thing wliich was into view Perlach tower there was fi.ved a figureof St. Michael,which came Michaelmas-day ; in earlier times a wooden every time the clock struck on is said to have stood on the spot ; Fischart's templeof lais (p.294, ex lignis) 30'' : der ama/.onischeu fraw Eysen '. Augspurgcr japetisch geschichtkl. -

'

'

'

'

298

GODDESSES.

fact and

fiction ; the

greatpointis,that she bringsus tidingsof

a

and Ciza spelling, of the goddess from this name would be harder to explain. Now can we hardlyderive that of the town Cisara,supposingit to be a formed with of placesare derivative ; names never purely German

Suevic

goddess.

such

termination

a

Cisa

likelythat tlie goddess: and

more

the older and

seems

from

Cisara

male

better

female

or

proper names. Cisae ara, from the altar and

=

It

seems

temple

of

might corrupt Cisaram into Zizarim, most read that she was We Zizerim. devoutly (religiosissime) honoured by the Suevi, her anniversaryis a grand festival devoted defined as the and merrymaking, the day is precisely to games after Aug. 1, it fell therefore on Sept.28. At such a fifty-ninth season might be held a feast of the divinitywho had prosperedthe of harvest justgatheredin. On Sept.29 the christians kept one their grandestdays,that of St. Michael, who often had to rejDlace a heathen worthy of notice,that god of war and victory. It seems had their great feast of victoryabout the same the Saxons time, the With viz.,the beginningof October ; Widukind pp. 423-4. considered common-week the holi/ was first Sunday after Michaelmas der na in the Mid. Ages to begin; Scheffer's Haltaus,pp. 141-2. of a In the handing down hilligenmeinweken, Weisth. 3, 240. of the story preciseand doubtless genuine date,I feel the credibility later writers

confirmed. Now Isis

who

(p.257)

is Cisa ? in

One

Tacitus,whose

naturallythinks even

name

first of that

is not

unlike

Suevic

Cisa,Zisa,

an dropping of the initial, the Eoman omission which might be prompted to make by the if Zisa be totally But even of the Isis that he knew. similarity dififerentfrom Isis,she can with all the better rightbe placedby also was the side of our displayeda thoroughly Zio, in whom Swabian deity(p.199) ; nay, togetherwith our supposed feminine

make

if we

allowance

(p.203) there

Ziu

may

for the

have

been

mere

a

collateralform Zisa, so tliather

exactlycorrespondto the god'sZiewesberg,Zisberg for this guess, which (seeSuppl.). Shall I bring forward a reason for the ]\Iid.Dutch name shall be anything but far-fetched ? The (p.125),which third day of the week had the curious form Disendach to Tise at once of Tiscndach bringsus a corruption being of course Zisunhergwould

=

It is

Zisa. 1

DoAvn

Siieves^ at

a

a

matter

for further researches

to

demonstrate,^ but

the rivers Lefh and Wertach, in the niiilstof in the Riess between settled in the region, the Romans to be before even time suimosed

miKKA.

that three

299

FROUWA.

to the Suevi,is are Zio, Zisa and Isis, divinities, assigned

ah'eadyabundantlyclear, 8. Frikka

(Frigg).

(Freyja).

Frouwa

inquiry turns at length to the goddessesof the Norse religious unequivocaltraces are forthcomingin system, of whom Our

the rest of Teutondom. of these

Foremost sister of because

Friggtlie wife

are

Freyr, a pair easy of their similar

to

names.

of OSinn, and

confound I

to

mean

try

confounded

often

and

if

Freyja the

stricter etymology

a

and

keep them asunder. doubt the easier : it is motived no of Freyjaseems The name by the masculine Freyr (Gramm. 3, 335). Now as we recognised Freyr in the Gothic frauja(p.209), Freyja leads us to expect a of domina both in the generalsense Gothic fraujo, gen. fraujons, of a proper name FrcUijo.The mistress,and in the specialone in Ulphilas. To make notion of mistress, occurs lady,never up for it,our it very frequently, OHG. remains by fruwd, express and our modern froicd;the 'MUG. frouive,frou /ra?6have preserved the masc. while themselves fro has purely as common nouns, frau and vanished correspond altogether. In meaning, frouwe exactlyto herre,herr,and are used like it both in addressingand to the respective divided .otherwise.^ Our minnesiingersare as of frouwe (domina)and wip (femina),^ wip expressing superiority feel frau to the dignity; to this day we the sex, and frouwe more includes a good deal be nobler than weib, though the French femme It seems frau. of what is in our worthy of notice,that the poets part them

can

be looked for ; neither does the Slav mythology know thing,' anyall certain aliout (Boh. cic,cec, at a Ziza,allcfjedto he Ceres nianimosa be Cisa must forsooth our Pol. eye, Russ. titi, niannna), in sujtportof whom for the MHG. better to think of name Hanusch 278. It were wronged ; see the zeisig(zeis-chen, siskin)diu 'Jse. ein kleiniu ztse, Ms. 1, 191''. AVh. 275, 30 ; which can scarcelyhave arisen from cicindela (glow-worm, Graff 5, 711) ; the goddessand the form of has come connexion to lightbetween however, no

no

a

Slav

f^odsneed

bird,though

little

some

birds,the woodj^ecker,the titmouse,

held

were

sacred. Like our remains,like 1

fr6, the 0 Fr. dame (dominus) /raw.. The Span, keejisboth

our

The Romance donna. s icur sire, (p.27) and

tongues express

2

Walth.

'^".'^-9. frouwe

senora

48-9.

unde

masc.

now

doji and

lost ; dame doua, the

notion

by

senior,out sehor,i.e., seigneur, signore, have sprouted,but no Fr. feminine.

signora, !"pan. a

the

is

57.

Amgb.

IMs. 2, 182*' (seeSupjil.).

45'' 4^''.

\\\p, Parz. 302. 7

210^

two

(domina) Ital. only

other

of which

Docen

an

M'ords, Ital.

misc.

2,

300

GODDESSES.

harp on the connexion of fmu joy ; conf. Fridank 106, 5"8. The their

AS.

and

OS.

frouwo, tlieyhave

and freude froh glad (fro-lic)

Tit. 15, o5.

hinguages have

frea, fraho

masc.

with

is used

done

far

the very

freelythan

more

dialect has vrauive,

developed no fem. by its in addressing and vrouwe

1, 52.

297.

Eein.

356.

731. 803.

32-57-64,"c.),seldomer has

vrotL'W

1365.

side.

The

as

title

1655.

2129.

in other

its

extended

reverse

Eein positions, meaning even beyond

2291

the

:

while

the

OHG.

M.

Dutch St.

(Huyd. op 2288.

2510-

; the modern

limits of

our

frau. All

the above

in contrast

languagesappear

to the

OIST. wdiich

to

lack the fem.

proper

name,

Frcyjaalmost solelyas the and no freyja hera. Yet we find husfreyja wife, housegoddess's name, ScCm. 212^, and Snorri is still able to say that freyja is a that grand tignarnafn(name of honour) derived from the goddess,^ The ladies,rikiskonur, are frcyjar,Sn. 29. Yngl. saga c. 13. readingsfrur, fruvor here are corrupt,for the Icel. form frit has evidentlyslippedin from the Dan. frue,Swed. /rw, and these from ( ermany. The goddessshould be in Swed. Froa, Dan. Froe,which I have with ; the Swed. met never folk-songof Tlior's hammer has calls FreyjaFroijenborg Danish a one (the Dan. Fridlefsborg), alreadythe foreignFru. Saxo is silent about this goddess and her father altogether her Froa. doubt have named no ; he would Our Fruci has now at last presentedus with Merseburg poem of the goddess.^ Frowa, as the proper name Friyg gen. Friggjar, daughterof Fiorgynn and wife of OSinn, is kept strictly apart from Freyja,gen. Freyju: in the Vaf]?rudnismal and the beginningof the Grimnismal, O"lnn and Frigg are plainly and wife ; and as presented as husband Hroptr and Svafnir are of OSinn, also names Hroptr ok Frigg,Svafnir ok Frigg in Saem. possesses

=

1

=

'

'

Fraujo,and freyjafrom Freyja,a song of Frauenlob's, from a Frankish king JFijypeo.Is this an echo icq? come of a mythical Wippo, Wibba nation (geneal.of Mercia, end of ch. VII) l The explais as false as when the Edda derives vif i'rom vela, for all a woman's should have to assume two and a peace-weaver a weaver being practically ; we ^

Ettm.

As

from fiaiijo

p. 112

makes

roots, viban and veiban,side by side. The ON. proper 3, 250. 594. worthy of note, Fornald. sog. 2, 459. "

The

reasons

why

we

may

not

take

fnld

here for

Vefreyjais

name

a

mere

title

(and

also

so

a

for the u in the 5IS.,it looks to me quite plain,else Wackernagel's proposalto read Friia in T. 93, 3). Frua Frija,Friga,Fria,would be acceptable(friiu does occur

novm

com.)

are

set

forth in tlie Zeitschi-.f. d.

a.

2, 189.

As

=

and

Fria

are

alike welcome

and

suitable for my

explanation.

relation.

tlie same

01^ 9?^^ express

001

FKOUWA,

FRIKKA.

Gram., p. 13, has correcLly

Saxo

Frigga Othini conjux'. In prayers the two goddesseseven stand ok Frigrjok Frcyja, side by side : sva hialpither hollar va^ttir, ! far af hondom Sffim. fleirigO(5(more gods),sem Jju feldir mer So they do at the burning of Baldr's body, Sn. 66, conf. 37. 240^ has likewise And that Danish Friggc,Fru og Thor '. folk-song '

'

'

'

usuallyhas

ON.

The

kk, namely, where

gg where

suffix

a

i had

the AS. stood

has

OHG.

eg and

after g

k

or

cc

or

thus, ON.

:

ekki ; ON. AS. ecg, OHG. bryggja (ponsj,AS. brycge, (acies), OHG. hrukki. OHG. prukka ; ON. hryggr (dorsum),AS. lirycg, Frikka, Frikkia,even In the same we get an AS. Fricg,OHG. way from Frouivd than Friggfrom Freyja. farther away It is the confoundingof these two beingsthat will explainhow to put Fricco instead of Fro for Freyr(supra, of Bremen Adam came equally have said Fricca for Freyja. Fricco, p. 212) ; he would egg

Friccho, Friccolf And

it

now

in

were seems

unaccountable,why the called in

be

both

ON.

Frouwuntac,

never

but

use

as

proper

in OHG.

names

possibleto explain,what is otherwise sixth day of the week, dies Veneris, should in OHG. and also FriadnQr, Firj/Judagr i^rmtac, Frigciac,now Frcitag,in AS.

?), v. supra, pp. 123-6, and in Faroese Frigedxg (forFricgedteg Fngggjaded (Lyngbye532). : in the OHG. Among these forms the AS, presents no difficulty and ON. names we are puzzledby the absence of the guttural. I believe a solution is offered by that most important passage in Paulus

Diac. 1, 8 where

Wodan's

only mean Frigg,not Freyja,as grounding on Paulus, makes use auctore

is named

consort

Saxo

Gram,

of the

form

i^rea,which

too, while

Frig :

'

can

expressly

Paulo

teste

Frig dea '}

This

Langob. Frca accords with the OHG. Fria, I take it to be form of the name not only identical with Frigg,but the original ; it has less to do with Freyja and the AS. masc. frea. As an ON. bru (pons) stands related to bryggia,so will fri to frigg. The Its root is suggestedby Frea. Frea,Fria, Frija, Langob. Frea is =

1

The above

must

tins

means

Frea

to

AS.

chroniclers (p. 128) borrow With Frea we Frea from Paulus. the frea of the Laws of Liutpraiid(5,40 and 67, an.l

all connect

in assigning iuL^enua. Paulus therefore, uxor, doniina,not libera, Wodan his wife, has put lier in tlie pi as place of the Noi-se Friir"i. The ' substitution is ol'ten made heita a Forna Fornald. : thus, lus, when sog. 2, 25-6 has ok Hott it is a that should have been associated wbh shov Freuju (Ofiinn),' t^i'i.^'S Frigg .

-

..

as Ociinii,

is done

,,

in the Grimnisnial

(^seeiSuppI.).

302

GODDESSES.

sucli words

as

:

Goth,

OHG. freis,frijis (liber),

fri ; Goth,

frijon

take into account the OS. we (amare),OH(t. frion ; especially may Hel. 9, 21. 13, 16. neut. M 171, 21. 172, 1, the AS. (mulier), freolic cwen Ca3dra. 29, 28. freo (mulier), (pulcrafemina),Beow.

1275.

freolicu meowle. Cod.

freolic fcemne, Ctedm.

frech,ON.

12, 12.

479, 2, freolic wif,Beow.

exou.

54, 28.^

Now,

fri

and our (liber) (mulierformosa) and as

(protervus, impudens), fri friSr (pax)seem to be all related, ON. fric5r (formosus), the even forms betraythe shifting of the substantival.^ sense adjectival We gatherfrom all this,that the forms and even the meanings of the two names border closely another. the one on Frcyjameans gladsome, gladdening,sweet, gracious goddess,Frigg the free, beautiful,loveable ; to the former attaches the generalnotion of to the latter that of fri (woman). Holda, from hold frau (mistress), resemble (sweet,kind),and Berhta from berht (bright, beautiful) both. The Swedish calls them in naming Froijenborg, folk-song, her

'

den

frekr

1222.

vana

the beautiful solen,'

sun.

ceivable. conmytlis becomes the more for her Saxo, p. 13, relates how Frigga,to obtain gold more minutely told, and ornaments, violated conjugal fidelity; in the details, the tale about much Freyja in Sn. 356 differing On adventure. to be the same quite another ground appears 63. Yngl. however the like offence is imputed to Frigg too (Sffim. of Frcyjais spoken of,but in saga cap. 3). In Sn. 81 the valshamr 113-9 that of Frigg; the former is supportedby Sa3m. 70. The for the day of the week. Hence the variations in the name OHG. i^r^Ifftacought clearlyto be Friggjardagr in ON., and the in OHG. too the Hence ON. Freyjudagr should be Frouwuntac uncertaintyin the naming of a constellation and of several plants. Orion's belt,elsewhere named Jacob's staff and also spindle(coins is called by the Swedish peopleFriggerock (coinsFriggae, rfkaKarrj), noticed Hire, p. 6G3) or Frejcrock(Finn Magnusen 361*),as we before,or Frojas rock (Wieselgren. 383). The orchis odoratissima, are brewed, Icel. satyriumalbidum, a plantfrom which love-potions later otlierwise hionagras (herba conjugalis) Friggjargras, ; the

Hence

1

Conf.

182'' 258^ 386.

434. "

We

the

the

mingling of

MS. 1, SO"' 202*. 2, 42^ wiplich wip, Parz. 10, 17. Otl. 11, ywa'iKfs, drjXvrepai 1, ^59'' ; similarly wip, MsH.

MHG.

wibin

15, 422.

might

their

Hesiod

connect

scut.

Venus

4.

with

qiman ; the Wei. given would answer beine,Friday,from becm, ben (lady) =

the to

Venus

Goth,

qino, qens,

Gvenus =

AS.

for Venus cwen.

as

venire ; the

with Ir. dia

FRIKKA.

303

FROUWA.

thinking has substituted Mary for the heathen in ZeaLand speaks of the above goddess. And the labouringman of Maridrok, Marirolc. Several constellation also by the name kinds of fern, adiantum, polypodium,asplenium,are named lady's hair,maidenhair,Mariewjms,capillusVeneris,Icel. Freyjuhdr,Dan. Fruehaar, Venusstraa, Venusgrds,Norweg. Marigras,"c. Even if the Norse here have sprung out of Latin ones, they shownames how Venus translated both by Frigg and Freyja and Mary. was As for Mary, not only was the highestconceptionof beauty carried to her, (frio idiso sconiost,Hel. 61, 13. 62, 1),but over sconiosta, she was Conf. infra pre-eminentlyour lady,frau, domina, donna. In the nursery-tales Marienktilblem. she sots ladycovr, frauachxmli, the girls sewing and spinninglike Holda and Berhta, and Ilolda's the same as snow Mary's snow (p.268). appears to mean I pause, doubtingwith Before so close a contact of the two names which of them to connect the strong and incontestable similarity of in certain divine names the non-Teutonic [Aryan] languages. First of all,an OBoh. glossgivesPriye for Aphrodite; takinginto the OHG. account the Goth, frijon, friudil (lover), MHG. vriedel, and the Slav, priyatel(friend). Boh. pijtel, Pol. przyiaciel, it must have meant either Freyja the goddess of love and fruitfulness, or Friggthe divine mother and patroness of marriage. In Sanskrit also pri is to love,priyas a friend,Eamapriya dear-to-Lakshmi lotus,Yamapriya pleasing-to-Yama ficus indica,priyain names of gods husband or wife. Pott's forsch. 2, 424-7. Then |jnY/m'fc christian way

of

=

=

=

word, though next the

named

Terra mater, from

broad

of kin to and

whom

fruit

comes

223^); and the gloss. the earth being latus), prithus{TrXarin:

Wei. pridd (conf.

increase

and

Prithvi

earth,and matd

is the

wide,

terra, Bopp's

nevertheless

seems

with

connected

Fria,Friggand fridu.

Friggthe daughterof Fiorgynn(p.172),as consort god,^takes rank above all other goddesses: she knows men (Sa^m. 63^ Sn. 23. 64), is consulted by OSinn administers

1

Some

oaths, handmaids

of the AS.

fulfil her

genealogieshave

'

Wuden

best, she et

of the the

highest fates of

(Sasm. 3P), presidesover

so Frcdlaf ejusuxor,'

that

in the fits in with that Fridlcfsborg (OIIG. Frigg him of lien in But father. others Woden's Freahif make 300 Danish ; song, p. connexion the of confirmation i'VirVulaf and also fresh have i'^j-ifVuwulf, a we friS and the troddcss's name. between =

Frealaf

Froleip?)which

30 i

GODDESSES.

the

marriages,and her aid is imploredby

childless

(Fornald. sog. 1,

Friggjargras.We may remember those maidens yet unmarried (p.264) beingyoked to the plough of commands the goddesswhose they had too long defied. In some Hallamshire, parts of northern England, in Yorkshire,especially of the worship of Fricg. In the show remnants popular customs of the year, especially of Dent, at certain seasons neiglibourhood and perform old dances, autumn, the country folk hold a procession dance : the leadinggiantthey name Woden, called the giant's one in of the play consisting and his wife Frigga,the principalaction and clashed togetherabout the neck of a swords being swung two Still more remarkable is the clear boy without hurting him.^ Saxony, where to the common vestigeof the goddess in Lower peopleshe is fru Frehe^ and plays the very parts which we saw assignedto frau Holle (pp.267-8):a strongargument,by the way, for in Westphalia, of this latter. Then the divine nature legend may 117) ;

derive the

also

hionagrasis

hence

of the old convent

name

from Friclcenhorst, FrecJcenhorst,

shepherdFrickio,to whom a lightappearedin the night(likethe fall of snow by nightat Hildesheim, p. 268) on the spot where the church was to be built ; the name reallypointsto a sacred hurst or was whose site Christianity of FricJco masc, grove of Frecica fem., or a

perhaps eager 2, 265.

There

Kemble 1, 248. appropriate ; conf. Frmcinghyrst, far from Magdeburg not is a Vrckckvc, Frickslchen,

to

(seeSuppL). along with Frigg; the more been even prevalentand her worship seems to have important of the two, she is styled agatuz af Asynjum,'Sn. 28, and Yngl. saga cap. 4, to whom frequentsacrificeswere blotgySja,' sacrificed a boar to her, as elsewhere to Freyr, offered. HeiSrekr Freya

is the

goddessmost

honoured

after

or

'

'

honoured

and

her

above

all other

gods.^

She

was

wedded

to

a

of an ' old Yorkshirethe mouth at weddings ; of that weapon use for the sword '. I account man Heimreich's conf. 167-8, conf. RA. 426-7. 431 ; esp. tlie old Frisian custom pp. men In Swabia, as Lite as the 18th century, the bridesNordfries. cliron. 1, 53-4. ribbons before tlie bride ; and there carried hxrge swords with fluttering 1

is

a

Communicated

by

strikingsimihiritv ^Eccard

de

J. M.

Kemble, from by the ancient

in the Esthonian

o^g.^Germ. p.

398:

custom

Celebratur

M. 1 3). (Superst. in plebe Sa.xonica /rw Freke,

adscribunt. Holdae suae Sax ones munia tril^uuntur, ([uae superiores has justbeen unearthed againby Ad. Kuhn, namely in the Ukerin the Mittelmark to fru Harke mark, where she is called Fruike,and answers and fru Gode in the Prignitz. 3 By the editors of the Hervararsaga, ed. Verel. p. 138, ed. 1785 p. 124. into the notes as an unsupported Fornald. sog. 1, 493 the passage is banished cui eadem Fru

Freke

reading.

mrKKA.

305

FROUWA.

bnt he forsook her, (nota god,at least not an As),named OiJi-, the world, among all over and she sought him strange fjeoples, Sz/r(Sn.37) would perhapsbe Saurs in sheddingtears. Her name in the Syrithaof Gothic : Wilh. IMlillerhas detected the very same Saxo Gram. p. 125, who like^dse goes in search of Othar. Freyja's after them, and she herself is tears were golden,gold is named Sn. 37. 119. 133; in our fair in greeting (weeping), 'gratfagr,' pearlsand flowers are wept or laughedout, and dame nursery-tales But the oldest Holla bestows the giftof weeping such tears. drawn authorities make her warlike also ; in a waggon by two cats (as Thorr drives two goats)^she rides to the battlefield,riSr til and goes shares with OSinn in the slain (suprap. 133, conf. vigs,' Sn. 28. 57). She is called Sasm. 42^ eigandivalfalls (quae mistvess, of the chosen, in pugna),Sn. 119 ; valfre2/ja, sortitur caesos to be Nialss. p. 118, and of the valkyrsin general;this seems Berhta in strikingaccord with Holda or (as well as Wuotan) man

'

'

'

adoptingthe babes that die unchristened into their host,heathen FoUcgoddessesthe heathen souls. Freyja'sdwellingis named vdngr or FullTdngar,the plainson which the (dead?)folk troop the connexion of St. to credibility together ; this imparts new Gertrude,whose

minne

is

drunk, with

Frowa, for the souls of the

night(p.61). departedwere supposedto lodgewith Gertrude the first of much the seat-roomy,capacious hall is Sessrymnir, folk; Freyja's after death. dying women expect to find themselves in her company ThorgerSrin the Egilss., p. 103, refuses earthlynourishment, she thinks to feast with Freyja soon : ok engan ek mun (nattverS) fyrrenn at Freyju'. Yet love-songspleaseher too,and lovers do *

well to call upon her : henni likaSi vel mansongr, That the cat was Sn. 29. at heita til iista,' sacred '

wolf to Wuotan,

will

perhapsexplainwhy

and witches,and night-hags

is called

hana

a

er

gott

to

her,as the

this creature

is givento

donneraas,wetter

(-carrion). she When a bride goes to the wedding in fine weather,they say has fed the cat well,' not offended the favourite of the love-goddess. The meaning of a phrasein Walther 82, 17 is dark to me : weder Gerhart ritest gerner cine giddin'hatze,aid einen wunderlichen In Westphalia,however, the weasel was named Atzen ? froie, aas

'

'

'

Freyja has a waggon like Nertlms (mother of Freyr?),like Holda and Wuotan and Donar (pp.105-7,251-2-4,275) ; the kinglywaggon Freyr hinisili', is proper only to great exalted deities. 20 ^

306

GODDESSES.

I suppose means elsewhere was ghostly creature

Reinli. clxxii,which that

donna, donnola, fraulein, would

and these

titles

to

sure

called be

muhmlcin

connected

the first placeto

pointin

doubtless

frau, fraulein (froiken), as with our

(aunty), myths, goddess

turned into a worship. The Greeks said Galinthias was Ovid, metam. weasel or cat (yaXeTf), 9, 306 (seeSuppL). In so far as such comparisonsare allowable, Friffjwould stand line with Here the pronuba, Jupiter's or Juno, especially a on Isis who seeks spouse ; and Freyja with Venus,^ but also with Osiris. Frcyr and his sister Freyja are suggestiveof Liber and her mother Demeter Libera (Dionysusand Proserpina, or even ; of and the and moon). Mary could replacethe divine mother sun goddess of beauty; verballyFrigg agrees better with Libera, and in name to Adam of Bremen's Fricco,if he was god of love,answers Liber, in character to Freyr.

her

and

quoted from Paul Diac. is one of the clearest and the German most convincingtestimonies to the harmony between and Norse mythologies. An author of Charles the Great's time Wodan's wife Frca, and she is tells us that the Langobards named have drawn this from Norse He cannot called Frigy in the Edda, tradition,much less can his narrative through Saxo's intermediacy The

have

passage

become But

in

external

the

of the northern

source

favour

evidence.

of

Freyja too

The

Edda

we

makes

faith. possess her

the

a

weighty piece of of a costly owner

(Brisingorummonile) ; she is called Brisingamen How she acquired this eigandi Brisingamens,'Sn. 37. 119. cunninglystolen from her by jewel from the dwarfs, how it was In the 357. Sn. 354 Loki, is fullynarrated in a tale by itself, obs. 6, 41. 63) ; a lost (Thorl. poets therefore Loki is BrisingsJ?iofr foughtwith Loki for this lay of the Edda related how Heimdallr When Freyja pants with rage, the necklace ornament, Sn. 105. Ssem. 71^ starts from her breast (staukJ^atit micla men Brisinga), When back, dres:ics up in Freyja's garments, Thorr, to get his hammer named

necklace '

"

does

he

not

forgetto put

her

famous

necklace

on:

'hafi

in Switzerland (Aufsess.anz. 1832, 240-2 ; find precisely Venus we dame usnal the Uhland's volksl. p. iree. form collateral there offrei a frau Frene,and ace. to Staid. 1, 395 freinis the Verena be Vrene Hebel. from Vreneli is known A woman's name may 1

In

the

Tanhauser, as

snng

771), insteadof

martyr,

or

Veronica, v. Vrene,

Ben.

328.

:'"07

'

FRIKKA.

he) it mikla vicn (liave trinket is evidentlyknown

FltOUWA.

Brtsimja!

hann

the AS.

to

without

'

Ssem. 72.

Now

this very

poet of Beowulf

2399, he

"

allusion to

goddess; I would read Brisingamene,' and derive the word in generalfrom a verb nodis constringere, which is in MHG. brisen, breis (nodare, Gr. KevTelv to pierce), namely, it was a chain strung togetherof bored links. Yet conf. ch. XX, hrisingSt. John's fire : perhaps '!" The the dwarfs that forged it were called Brisinrjar jewel is so interwoven with the myth of Freyja, that from its mention closely in AS. poetry we may of the Saxon race safelyinfer the familiarity with the story itself; and if the Goths worshipped a goddess of a Breis igge mani.^ Fraujo,they too would doubtless know it

names

Brodnga

mene,

any

the

*

Conf. ch.

lar"ar

XX,

men,

Earth's

turf necklace,i.e.,

in

the

ON",

legallanguage. We

but feel it significant, that where

cannot

speaks of

ro

ayiov

helaghalsmeni came

(Matt. 7, 6), the

sacrum

Hel. 52, 7 (holynecklace),

him,

over

as

once

before

;

the

OS.

an

about

gospelsimply it

poet makes

old heathen

a

iscence remin-

doves

perching on only the swine,

shoulders

time,as he names (p.148). At the same not the dogs,it is possible that he meant halsmeni to be a mere of merigrioton,' amplification pearls. But this legend of the goddess's necklace gainsyet more in importance, when we placeit by the side of Greek myths. Brisinga is no other than Aphrodite's men 6piJio"i (Hymn to Venus 88),and the chain is her girdle, the Kearo"i which she wears ifia"i 7rot/c/Xo"f her bosom, and whose on witcherysubdues all gods and mortals. and How she loosens it off her neck {diroar7]6ea(piv) lends it to Hero her Zeus to charm with with, is told in a lay that teems As the ifxd"i is worn in turn world-old myths, II. 14, 214-8. by Here and by Aphrodite,the Norse fable gives the jewel now to for that to Freyja, Frigg and now gold of Frigg in Saxo is the Then there is another similarity same as Brisinga men. : the same narrative makes Freyjapossess a beautiful chamber, so strong that, '

'

'

when

^

the door is

Just

as

from

locked,no

one

can

enter

againsther will

Freyja proceededthe gonoral notion

serves necklace-wearing

to

describe

a

bcantii'ul wife

or

of

a

'

:

hun

freyjafrouwa,so

maiden.

In

Sanu.

1)7''

in a necklace)means menfjlotS (monili laeta,rejoicing simply femina, but in 108* 111" Menfjby^ is a proper name is (see p. 272 note); in 222* menslcdrjul used of Brynhildr. Women from their ornaments of are commonly named gold or preciousstones, Sn. 128 (seeSuppl.).

308

GODDESSES.

utti

eina skemmu,

ser

ef hurSin

menn,

var

er

at eingimatti Isest,

Su. (without)viljaFreyju,' Loki

bffiSi fogr ok

var

We

354.

nothingabout that,but (II.14, TOP

tokl the trick

are

;

^

by

an

which

Homer

of Here's

165-8) he knows

ol

]?atsegja

at

i skemmuna

komast

her of the necklace

after all got in,and robbed

"

sterk,sva

says

^aXa/io?,

eTeu^ev vio"i "^t'Xo9 crraO/jLolaiP 6upa"i eTTrjpcre

Se TrvKLva-i HcjjacaTO'i, kXtjISi KpviTTfi, TT)v S' ov ^"09

aX\.o"i avtpyev.

exactlyin accordance with that inaccessible the t/u.a9 is spoken of directly as apartment of Freyja,especially the curiously after ? Hephaistos(Vulcan),who built his mother lace contrived bedchamber, answers to the dwarfs who forgedthe neckfor Freyja. The identityof Frigg and Freyjawith Here and Aphroditemust after this mythus be as plainas day.

"What

can

be

more

10. FOLLA..

SiNDGUND.

Another

thing that betraysthe confusion of Friggwith Freyja to is,that the goddess Folld,now proved by the Merseburg poem mythology,is accordingto it a sister of Frua, belongto our German while the OjST.Falla again is handmaid to Frigg, though she takes rank and order among the Asynjor themselves (Sn. 36-7).^ Her office and duties are expressedin her name sufficiently fies ; she justiAhundia da7ne of the above-mentioned Hahonde or our reception into German mythology,and correspondsto the masculine god of the Lettons and Prussians adored. Pilnihcs,whom plentyPilnitis, and abundance Like dame Herke on prosperity p. 253, she bestowed on

her

mortals, to

out (eski),

It may

of which

be,

that

keepingwas giftswere FuUa

or

mother's

intrusted the divine showered Folia

upon at

was

chest

them.

the

time

same

thought

Lith. Pilnatis,masc), as another (Goth.fulli]?s, seburg heavenlybody, Orion, was referred to Frigg or Freyja: in the Mersister MS. she is immediately followed by Sannct with a Bindgund,whose name again suggests the path of a constellation. The Eddie Sol ranks with the Asynjor,but Sindgund (ON. Sinnof

as

1

the full-moon

He

bored

a

hole and

crept through

as

a

then fly,

as

a

flea he

incident

stung the

stillretained

: an sleepinggoddesstillshe shook off the ornament nursery-tales.Conf. the stingingflyat the forging,Sn. 131. 2 If read Fria for Frua, then Folia would stand nearer to her as we Norse, whether as attendant goddessor as sister. Yet, consideringthe of those goddesses' she may keep her placeby Frouwa too. names,

in

in the bility insta-

?)is unknown

gunnr

I shall

11.

SUXIA.

SllTIA.

GAUT.

to the

back

come

goddesses of the North

were

Wag

Sunia.

survivingproper names myths, we rarely from extant From

NANDA.

In cli.XXII.

Edda.

to these divinities

Sippia.

Gakt.

SAGA.

WARA.

on

'

the

may

tions constella-

(seeSuppl.). Saga.

a.

Nanda.

impersonalterms, gather that several

even

or

309

in earlier times

common

to

more more

the rest of

Teutoudom. named Gcr"r, she Frey's beloved, afterwards his wife, was the of the giantbreed,yet in Sn. 79 she is reckoned came among Asynjor. The Edda paintsher beautyby a charming trait : when Freyr looked from heaven, he saw her go into a house and close the of her arms door,and then air and water shone with the brightness much thwarted, and was (Ssem.81. Sn. 39). His wooing was of his faithful only brought to a happy issue by the dexterity servant

Slcirnir. The

form

of her

name

Oerffr,gen. GerSar, ace.

(Sicm.117''), pointsto a Goth. Gardi or Gardja,gen. Gardjos, in the ace. Gardja,and an OHG. Gart or Garta, which often occurs Liutkart,"c.,but no longer alone. compounds Hildigart,Irmiugart, The Latin forms llildegardis, Liudgardishave l^etter preservedthe the vowel-change in GerSr, terminal i,which have worked must to be cingens, ThorgcrSr, ValgerSr, HrimgerSr. The meaning seems municiis [Gurth?], Lat. Cinxia as a name of Juno (seeSuppl.). GerSi

OHG. sippa,AS. sib gen. sibbe, denote sihja, sippia, kindred; from these I infer a divinity Sihja, Sippia, peace, friendship, the wife of Thorr, for to the ON". Sif gen. Sifjar, Sib,corresponding sifi amicus (OHG. the ON", too has a pi.sifjar meaning cognatio, of the word, Sif sift genus, cognatio. By this sense sippio, sippo), would appear to be, like Frigg and Freyja,a goddess of loveliness and love ; as attributes of OSinn and Thor agree, their wives Frigg and Sif have also a common Sif in the Edda is called signification. the fair-haired,it harfagragoS,'and gold is Sifjarhaddr (Sifae peplum),because,when Loki cut off her hair,a new and finer crop afterwards forged of gold (Sn.119. 130). Also a herb,polywas trichum bears the name haddr Sifjar. Expositorssee in aureum, this the golden fruits of the Earth burnt up by fire and growing up (II.5, 500) ; and again,they liken Sif to Ceres,the ^avOt]Ai]fn]r't]p The

Goth,

'

with it agrees

the fact that the 0 Slav. Siva is

a

glosson

'Ceres dp.i

310

GODDESSES.

'

frumenti to be

Slav, zliivete

the

of

our

was

Zh, and V does

not

Thor's

not

mother,

simple Sifstandingfor

mythology.

seed-corn

Nowhere

Demeter,

to

threatens to

=

Sif,and

fuller details about

have

ought to in

find the

do

we

earth

The

r, B, P. 220

(Hanka'sglosses5* 6^^); only the S

bringfamme

amongst

whose

to

answer

his

earth.

these

are

is the

us

To

(Hynm

seems

the

wife,yet

Teut. in

Sn.

decide,we

ing wholly wantmystic relation

her

poignantgrieffor

mankind

on

in the word

to Cer. 305

"

daughter 315),nor

anythinglike it,recorded. language draws a subtle distinction between sunja and law, probatioveritatis) (Veritas) simjS (defensio, ; in OHG. sunnis means excusatio and impedimentum. The ON. law sunna, for excusatio, likewise has this si/n gen. synjar, defensio,negatio, time exhibits a personified impedimentum, but the Edda at the same and heathen who the of truth to a goddess was Si/7i, justice, class belongs Vor the accused (Sn.38). To the same and protected gen. Varar, goddessof plightedfaith and covenants, a dea foederis deified Tutela. The phrase vigja (Sn.37-8),justas the Eomans Gothic

The

'

Varar

saman

Tutelae

hcndi,'consecrare

(Saem.74^),is

manu

As in addition passages about Wish's hands, p. 140. with life, endowed abstract wish we a Wish so saw by the

the

the OHG.

wara

beside sunia

In the

a

same

foedus Sunid

way

there

invented.

I have

112),that

the

have

been

a

the

side of

goddess Wara,

and

(seeSujipL).

or

(saw,tale)is intensified into a heathen Wuotan ; like Zeus's daughterthe Muse,

sage

goddessSaga,daughterof she instructs mankind

may

to

like

in

that divine

argued in

a

frou Avcntiure

which

art

Wuotan

himself

separatetreatise (Kleineschr. 1, 83 of the Mid.

Ages

is

a

"

relic of the

same.

Nanna

the wife

of Baldr

would

be

in

Goth.

Nanjjo, OHG.

(p.221),but, except in ON, the simplefemale name is lost ; Procopius1,8 has Gotliic Qevhevdvda, ON. ThioSnanna (seeSuppl.). like Inferences these, from dying words to dead divinities, for they could be multiplied is not unprofitable, ; to attempt them the eye to look in fresh quarters [forconfirmation or coniiliarpen Nandd, AS. Aodc, the bold, courageous

EAIIANA.

The discoveryfrom futation]. betweeu

myths

My

survey

of

12. PtAHANA

(Ran).

of the

closed

correspondto

the

liarmony

a

guesses into demonstrations.^

our

gods

elsewhere

legend or

Hellia

with

(Hel).

Oegir and

Loki

to these sliallbe the last mentioned

iXoddessesakin To

raise

may

3 11

HELLIA.

Gcfjonthe

ON.

Old

; and

the

here.

Saxons

had, as

far

as

being,Gchan, Gcofon(sea,p. 239). With four giant oxen, accordingto Sn. 1, Gefjon ploughs Zealand and a lake arises, whose inward bend exactly out of the Swedish soil, coast of Zealand. fitsthe projecting She is described as a virgin, and all maidens who die virgins wait upon Her name her, Sn. 36. is called upon when F. Magn. oaths are taken : sver ek viS Gcfjon, of Freyja (Sn. 37 and Vigalex. 386 (seeSuppl.). Gefn,a name glumss.cap. 27) reminds one of Gefjon. Ran the wife of the seagodOegir,they liad nine daughters was in the Edda, and called Rdnar who are cited by name (orOegis) we

know,

dcctr}

not

female

a

Men

who

but

a

male

fall to

drowned

are

the share

: fara til Rdnar divinity to at Rdnar 2, 78 ; and sifja

itself attests her Fornald.

sog. Those

6, 376. ^

It

Fuoge 7534-40

almost

seems

or

who

drowned

were

if the

as

MHG.

she

is to get drowned be

drew

her

to

poets recogniseda female

similar plasticpower Gefiwge(fitness), directs me or apfiovia.Lachmann compages (conf.Iwein, p. 400) : in

to

the

So had

the master's out

und sin

da hi dem

(Couf.Er.

gesteine

1246

:

ein Gefuorjc

wundcr

miraculous

biilh

ther 64, 38 : Fr6 Unfuoge,ir habt And

65, 25

ware

landen im

an

of

thought

riding-gear

great wisdom

schulde

;

bat)." Parz. 121, 11

wirt,

Whoso

in the two

biit ;

Fitness

a

wonder

:

lands in him

thrives, bears ;

Fitness,her child,her darling."Conversely,Wal-

gesiget.

thou Unfitness,

Dame

hast

triumphed.

:

Swer Ungcfiioge swigen hieze mid sie abe den biirgenstieze !

Whoso and

bade

hurled

Indecorum

Sn. 124-9. Sit^m. 79^ 144'"- 153^' 180. sub v. Ran. Egilssagap. 616.

185.

hush,

lier strongholds. allegory. And tlie

her from

later and colder It is true, the prefixesge-, un-, argue a OIIG. be preferable, fem. form (ace.in -en) would in N. cap. 135 hifuogun,sotigenam (see Suppl.). as weak

2

personified in point.Er.

as

als in min

zwein

this

fru

a

each its proper place, him dame Fitness bade.

bat. Geviioge

in den

Wer

Wish,

he gave the ivory and withal the jewelry

stat, gevellige

als in diu

he is a

with

grozer wisheite ; gap dem helfenbeine

personage

to instances

turned

sog.

net, and

a

niasc.

So hete des meisters sin

er

in

of

at sea,

drowned, Fornm.

gepriievetditz gereite mit

Ran, which

of

Fuoga, gen. FuogCin,

Eyrbygg. saga

p.

274, and

dex in-

312

GODDESSES.

off,whence

carried them

the

neut. is explanationof her name : ran rapina,rsena rapere, spoliare(seeSuppl.). rahancn On the discoveryof the rare word in the (spoliare) Hildebr. lied 57, I build the supposition that other Teutonic lands had also a subst. rahan (rapina, spolium) and a goddess Baliana Tanfana, Hluodana),as well as an Uogi Oegir.i (conf. =

As so

we

from

may

like him

and

Oegir (through Forniot

passed from

we

by water,

Ean

dreadful

a

those

Hel

on

is

Hel, who

to

no

other

and

than

Logi)to Loki, Loki's daughter,

divinity.Ean receives the souls that die land, and Freyjathose that fall in battle.

Heljar shows itself in the other Teutonic less doubtfullythan Frigg and Freyja or any of the tongues even above-mentioned goddesses: Goth. Halja gen. Haljos,OHG. Hellia, Hdla gen. Helle ; only, the personal gen. Hellia, Hella, AS. Hdl of halja, notion has dropt away, and reduced itself to the local one hellia,hell,the nether world and placeof punishment. Originally evil being, she neither kills nor Hellia is not death nor any with torments ; she takes the souls of the departedand holds them inexorable grip. The idea of a placeevolved itself, as that of oegir The

lid

ON.

out

oceanus

of

gen.

Oegir,and without

heathen

converted

underworld, the abode this,from

done

because

any

of the

of

geban mare ado applied it

damned

perhaps also because with a heathen spirits explainedfrom Hellia

baptized Goths down notion already existed church

the

was

from

Geban the

to

not

under

sorry

to

christian

Northmen,

the

to

; the

nations have

; all Teutonic

first

the local

that

that

heathenism, lost

associate

hellia can be .^ Thus divinity more readilythan ostara from Ostara. even she is sister In the Edda, Hel is Loki's daughterby a giantess, She is halfblack and snake. to the wolf Fenrir and to a monstrous Sn. 33, colour half of human {bidhalf,en half meS horundar lit), after the

1

The

of the

manner

Trad,

(Rahan ?). An Hel has

and

patav. pp. OHG.

"

no

Rahana

at attinity

fiendish

pied people of 60-2 rests

assure

iis

a

of

a

Mid.

man's

Ages name

; in

other

Raan, Rhaan

slender foundation.

very all Avith ON. hella on

the

petra, hellir antrum,

as

the

petra shows (from hillan sonare, because a rock resounds) : a hole antrum, OHG. holi,more is that with our frequentin likelier connexion hulundi fem. in fact Goll.ic as a should hul, a which for Ave neut. expect hoi, therefore from the nether Avorld does and (both so for a cave is caverna, covers, not do and holle hole in vowels the (= halja) (= hull) hilan celare). Only, Goth,

hallus

blackness alone is made

her

passages

complexion of Fornald.

sog.

Fornm.

117.

Hel, Nialss.

sem

313

HELLIA.

RAII.VNA.

subjectof comparison: hldr 3, 188; conf. Hdjarshinn for

a

sog.

hue, Landnamab. deatlily

2, 59. 60 ;^ death is black

Nialss. cap. 96.

2, 19.

gloomy. ground,under and

dwelling

Her

root of the of the a deep down in the darkness fore in Niflheim, the innermost tree Yggdrasill, part of which is therethere her halls,Ssem. there is her court called Nifihel, (rann), (jb 44a 9j.a_ gjj_4_ |-{erplatteris named hungr, her knife sultr,

is

down

her,fara

to

sickness

those Hdjar, strictly

til

old age, not

or

those

hcl

vera,

be in

greed. The

who fight, disappearedin into

Hades, be dead, Fornald.

dead

only that have

fallen in

personalityhas pretty well sla,drepa,berjai hel,to smite

Her

insatiable

her

denote

to

terms

synonymous

hell,send

died

go of

people Valhalla, such phrases as i to Hades ; i hclju

sog. 1, 233.

Out

of this has

impersonaland distorted altogether term, Swed. ihjdl,Dan. ihiel,to death.^ These languages now express the notion of the nether world only by a compound, Swed. hclviti (suppliciuminfernale), the ON. Dan. Jiclvede, i.e., helvcte, hellewize. One who is drawing his last OIIG. MHG. hellmvizi, breath is said in ON. liggjamilli heims oc heljar(to lie betwixt from this world to the other.' home and hell), his way to be on Hcl is expresslyemphasized; of the Eddie The unpitying nature Sn. what she once has,she never givesback : haldi Hel }?vier hejir, 68 ; heJir nu Hel, Sa3m. 257% like the wolf in the apologue(Reinhart xxxvi),for she is of wolfish nature and extraction ; to the wolf on the other hand a hellish throat is attributed (seeSuppL). describe the way to the lower world, the Two laysin the Edda arisen in the modern

^

The

ancients

(Pans. 8, Demeter maid De

42.

at

also

an

painted Demeter, as

Miiller's P]umenides

the

wrathful

Mark earth-goddess,

168, conf. Archteol.

p. 509 the black her daughter Persephone, the fair sometimes even ^ Hor. Od. 2, 13 (Censorin. to the underworld : furva Proserpina,'

and Phigalia),

doomed

die nat.

O.

dialects

c.

8, G. 9, 27 and

17). Blade Aphrodite (Melanis)is spoken of by Pausanias by

Athenanis

bk.

13 ;

we

know

the

black Diana

of

2, 2.

Ephesus,

and

that in the I\lid.Ages black Madonnas both painted and carved, the were Holy Virgin appearingtlien as a sorrowinggoddess of earth or niglit; such at Loretto,Naples,Einsiedeln,Wurzburg (Altd.W. 2, 209. 28G), 'atOettingen with a child 2, 184),at Puy (Biisching's Nachr. 2, 312-333), (Goethe'sCorresp. Marseilles and elsewhere. I think it specially that the Erinnys or signilicant, Furia dwellingin Tartarus is also representedbotli as black and as half ivhite halfblack. 0 Swed. has more, correctly ihal (Fred, af Normandie 1299. iha"l,i.e., 13-56. 1400. In 1414). Ostgotalagen readinghas already ihiaill for p. 8, one ihad ; they no longergraspedthe meaning of the term. -

314

GODDESSES.

HelreiS

Lrynhildarand

ride

Sleipuirfor

on

tlie

sake

Baldr's

undertakes

.HermoSr afterwards

steed

same

in

wliich

says of herself

Sn.

the

and thrilling,

more

are

vala,who

the

Vegtamr^ and

between

the

latter,OSin's

the

prefigurethat

to

seems on

the incidents in the poem

But

in

VegtamsqviSa ;

65-7.

dialogue

:

(by snow),ok sleginregni, ek leingi, ok drifin doggo (by dew), dauS (dead)var This vala the sublimest is among things the Edda has to shew. to Hel herself. stand in close relationship nmst for Hel the Latin Proserpina, Saxo Gram. p. 43 very aptlyuses In the Danish popular her give notice of Balder's death. he makes ek snifin sniofi

var

is

Ijelief Hel

a

harbingerof

a

it was Originally

on.

postedover

the steed

other than

no

that

the dead

land, picking up

the

round

horse, that goes three-legged ; of this plague and pestilence

I

shall treat further the

which

on

country,

goddess

her due ; there

were

is

her

she made

journeys. the Anglo-Saxons retained sliow^s h)w A passage in Beowulf It says of the expiring the old meaning of the word. perfectly feorh l(i98 : Grendel alegde,lueSene sawle (vitam deposuit, hine Hel onfeng^the old-heathen goddess animam }7"er gentilem),

also

a

ivaggon

her,in

ascribed to

which

'

of possession

took

In a

Germany

him. the Mid.

too

Ages

the Orcus esuriens, i.e.,

voracious,hungry,insatiable Hell,an

devouring ogre

diu

diu daz

den himel

unde

ir doch

was

from

der erden. ne

she when personal, in the wolf ; pictures wide

a

mouth.

open

like the Hell

the chasm

(steepdescent) mouth

her

down^

heaven

werden,And yet to her

mac

ivirdet

ne

werdent

wan

arge

be-yawnethwith

zuo

niht

lebet,si

man-

ragingtyrant

who

ir munde

unde

her, like

to

he

gelich,

abgrunde

mit hegenit

der

still more

The

wuoterich

der Hellcn

was

ter

representher simply by

of Ctedmon

tobende

Der

und

Helle

gaping yaioningjaws ascribed

the MS.

der

'

gast. It sounds

sat,'Welsch.

niemer

al daz ferslinclet

diu Helle

sat,'N. Cap. 72.

niomer

has

'

:

conceptionof

the

stillcherished

to earth,

it cannot

hap

Vegtamr (way-tame, broken-in to the road,gnariis in other placesgangtamr (itineri as viae),son of Valtamr (assuetus caedibus), himself is GangraSr or OSinn but Sa^m. 265'', assuetus)is used of the horse, in minstrel Wechtam and the of reminds one holy priest Gangleri. Vegtamr 1

OSinn

calls himself

Hunibald. "

I have

supposedthat

'

unde

den

'

is a

slipfor

'

abe dem

'. "

Trans.

UAH

daz si iiner werde si ist daz daz weder '

that slie

vol ;

hoi, ungcsatliche noeh uie ne sprah : uu

diz ist des ih niht

mac'

ne

315

HELLIA.

ANA.

become

ever

full ;

she is the insatiable cavern, that neither '

now

this is what

nor

said

ever

I cannot

(manage).'

Old poems have frequentallusions to the Lampr. Alex. G671-80. hellaabgrund (chasm, abyss) and the doors of hell : helligruoba, "c. Gramm. 2, 458 ; der abgrunde tunc, der tiefen grunt, helliporta, Mart. 88^ 99". helle tunc (thedeep hell's dinge,darkness). Of

there

course

suggest much

of

Bible

are

that

texts

in the first instance

would

hell,Prov. 27,

of

the insatiableness

this,e.g.,about

(conf.Freidank Ixxiv),her being uncovered, Job 26, in to bear are 6, her opening her mouth, Isaiah 5, 14. But we aS?;?or infernus, with which mind, that all these have the masc. 20.

30, 16

the idea German of

a

the

of

Latin

language,true feminine

word.

throat,strength and

62),appear so world, that they different nations essential

The

to

the

how

observe

was obligedto make use idiosyncrasy, The images of a door, abyss, wide gaping invincibility (fortistanquam orcus, Petron.

to its

natural

cap.

and

also agrees,

Orcus

and

to the notion

necessary

keep recurringin

will

(seeSuppL). thingis,the image

of

a

similar

of

a

nether among

way

female greedy,unrestoring,

a

deity.^ the

But

higherwe

the less hellish and have

we

a

the

allowed

penetrate into

to

travels

(p.268),but goddess. In

and

about

is likewise

antiquities,

and

like Nerthus

bathes

called Kali

our

Of this Halja appear. her affinity to the Indian

godlikemay

more

particularly strong guarantee in who

Bhavani,

are

Holda

Mahahdli, the great

or

llach

sit in

judgment on and the black hue (kalaniger, souls. This office, the similar name her exceedinglylike Halja. And make conf. caligoand KekaLv6";) of the oldest and commonest conceptionsof our Halja is one she is

the underworld

supposed to

heathenism.

1

In the south

named idea a

of

where ITollanfl,

Hdvoeisluis.

I do not in the name,

contained

Helium

here

:

Inter Helium

know of

the it'any

ita

inter haec

Tac. also says 2, G

ore :

modicum immense

nonnne ore,

Conf.

suo

supra

sea, is

of Hell.

The

in

amnem

custodiens \). 198

on

place

a

confirm Romans

ostia,in appellantur

Rhenus, ah septentrionein lacus, ab occidente medio

the

in old documents

Hell-foot,foot

acFlevum,

falls into

Mouse forms

Mosam

alveiim,

quae se

Plin.

tlie have

effusus

spar^it, 4, 29.

Unjjisdijr (seeSuppl.).

CHAPTER

XIV.

CONDITION"

Now

that

divinities of

the several their

nature

allowed

:

of

way

appearances

to

i.e.,their

men,

follows

moreover,

that

to survey

foreign and

in other

be

must

we

especially this

of

sections

connectingpointsfor

find

human

gods in

animals

of

men,

a

many

this fact

on

;

shape,and only are

founded

incarnation, their twofold

or

and

mankind,

adoption into gods

however,

of

done

their

those

certain

concerning

loose.

clothed

intermarrying with

their

have

exceptionin

their

which

doing

can

be found

past,I will endeavour

frequent notice

more

have

All nations

both

in

;

mythology, than we it is the only way we that otherwise hangs

thread

by

distant

our

whole

a

take

to

Greek work

as

GODS.

collected all that could

have

we

OF

also

the

circle of

the

sex,

deification

of

the

It

gods.

begotten and born, experiencepain

are

death, that like subjectto sleep,sickness and even transact affairs,are men they speak a language, feel passions, The and clothed only armed, possess dwellings and utensils. and

are

sorrow,

difference

is,that

and

these attributes

to

states

there is attached

a

higher scale than the human, that all the advantages of the gods more slightor transient. are perfectand abiding,all their ills more This

appears

to

me

a

fundamental

allowed

heathen, that

they

unconditional

duration, but

of

All

men.

gods is

that is born

checked

eternal dominion itself not

by

a

fate

their

to

only

must

feature

gods

term

a

as

standing higher than

is liable at last to

only by singleincidents

general notion of a coming and and quite distinctly, expresses in the background: the day will

the

in

inevitable which come

when

Greek

Zeus's

their

this reveals

gods,but

ruin, which

tlie

and

they,so

And

the lives of

of the

exceedingthat omnipotence of

even

termination.

faith

unlimited

an

of life far

die,and

also

not

in the

in

the

the

Edda

system

reignshall

has end.

CONDITION

But

this

firmlylield opinion, and

only now 1 have

In

the Norse of

way

common

and

immortal

by

even

eternal.

They

are

therefore /Lta/cape? 1, 339. 599

have are

a

the

finds fStoics,^

ragnarokr, p. 245-6. the gods are thinking,

utterance

;

be

2, 814, n6dvaTo"i Zev^ in contrast

to mortal

14, 434

man.

;

They

immortales, while men cifi^poTot is explainedby the Sansk. amrita dix^poTo";

specialrightto

^poToimortales

supposed to

called Oeol alev iovre^,II. 1, 290.

2, 400, dddvaroi 494, aleijeverai and

317

GODS.

in the story of Prometheus, which then,particularly

compared to the

OF

the

name

immortalis,the negativeof mrita

mortalis

(conf Pers. merd, homo next and d/u,/3p6aco";, mortalis) neighbour to ; in fact both amrita contain a reference to the food,by partakingof which dp,^poro^, the gods keep up their immortality. They taste not the fruits of the earth,whereby the ^poroilive,ot dpovpr)"i Kapirov eSovaiv,II. 6, 142. thick mortal blood, With ySpoTo?again is connected ^p6To"; whereas in the veins of the gods flows Ixd^p (H. 5, 340. 416), a light thin liquid, in virtue of which to be called d^poToi they seem =

dfl^pOTOt. Indian

legendgives a full account of the way amrita,the elixir of immortality, brewed out of water clear of milk, the juiceof was f no Greek poem herbs,liquidgold and dissolved precious-stones tells us the ingredients of ambrosia, but it was an rpocj)/] dix^pocrcy-j and there divine drink a besides,fyXvKv veKrap, II. 1, was (food), 598, of a red colour 19, 38, its name being derived either from vtj KTaaOac, or

and

take

bread

and

195, and hence

better from

wine, the gods take ambrosia comes

Where

avertens.

necem

veK-rap

and

men

nectar, Od.

5,

the

at/xaOeolo, dfi^poTov oco^; tx^cop, 00

irep

re

peet jxaKapeacn

'^ap alrov eSovcr ,

ov

elai dvalfiove^

TOVveK

deoicnv

'rrivova aWoira Koi

dddvaroc

"

olvov

"

KaXiovrai. "II.

Theirs is

no

thick

according to (bloodless) agrees

nor

^

omncs Atfjiie

5, 330.

our seim,ON", seimr, slime), glutinousalfia(conf. the Indians do they sweat ; and this dvaifirov with the above explanationof d^poTo"i.The

cleos perdetmors pariter

et aliqiia

chaos.

Seneca

in Here,

1014. '^

Cleopatrahad costly pearlsmelted in her wine, and witli Indian cii.stoni princes; conf. Si;eton. Calig.^7.

it is said to be stilla

318

CONDITION

OF

GODS.

are passedon a/x^pocrto';, adjectives a/jb^poTOf, veKrdpeo'i a^poTo";, from the food to other divine things^(seeSuppl.). Plainlythen the gods were not immortal by their nature, they only acquiredand from the food and drink of men, secured this qualityby abstaining and feasting on heavenly fare. And hence the idea of death is not kept at a distance from them ; always nor as a matter of course

Kronos

born

to kill his new

used

children,no

doubt

before nectar

given them,^ and Zeus alone could be saved in which from him by being brought up secretly.Another way of certain gods is expressedis,that they fall a prey the mortality phone. to Hades, whose meaning borders on that of death, e.g., Perseand

had

ambrosia

If

belief in

a

the

the Greeks, and

among

final overthrow the

been

; with

eternityof the gods is only scattered hints are ancestors

our

immortal

gods being

dominant

introduced

retire into

the

one

of their

thought of

the contrary,the

on

to

seems

the

background. their death

is or eylifir : ]?aer regindq/ja,Spem. 37^,or more spoken of without disguise 36^ 40*^ 108^ of the One : regin riufaz (solvuntur), frequently finest and oldest myths describes the death of Balder,the burning into the lower world, like that of of his body, and his entrance in the Voluspa Q'', Proserpine; OSin's destined fall is mentioned

The

Edda

never

and odauSligir,

calls them

(bane),Sn. 73, where also Tliorr falls dead on the ground ; Hrungnir, a giant,threatens to slayall the gods (drepa time we Sn. 107. Yet at the same can point to clear guS oil), kinds of food and of life by particular traces of that prolongation the into Yalholl feast on admitted drink. While the einherjar nowdiere told of the Ases sharingin boiled flesh of a boar,we are that said expressly, such diet (Srom.36. 42. Sn. 42) ; it is even needs no food (onga vist ]?arf OSinn hann), and only drinks wine and drink); bseSi dryckr ok (vin er honum matr, both meat lani

OSins

with

the viands ViS

Freki.

eitt

Ssem. vivit),

semper 1

vin

set before

Both

miraculous

nectar

powers

and :

him

he

feeds his two

vapngofugrOSinn 42^ ;

aj

lifir can

ambrosia,like

poured

into the

the

nose

se

lifir(vinosolo

be rendered

Geri and

wolves

armipotens

'

semper

vescitur,

holy grailof the Mid. Ages, have a corpse, they prevent decay,II.

of

ott"hunger, II. 19, 347. 353. ^ infants As hiunan only be exposed before milk and honey have may Zeus first receives in the When EA. their conf. moistened lips, pp. 458-9. hands him he nectar in a Leto bore the whom him, son assembly of the gods child. his him for bowl he : by this act recognised goklen

19, 38

;

they ward

319

IMMORTALITY'.

or nutritur,'

'

immortalitatem be

would iimnortality

and nanciscitur,'

found

his

in

tlien the

partakingof

the

of his

cause

dently Evi-

wine.

of the Norse

gods is to the beer and ale (olr)of what to the wine of mortals. the nectar of the Greek gods was men, Other not so particularabout their language; ^ in passages are hall hav^e ale set before them, conf. ol Seem. 59 the gods at Oegir's giora,68^ ; Heimdall gladly drinks the good mead, 41^ ; verSar sumbl oc nema (cibum capere et symposium) 52, leaves the exact of the food undefined,but earthlyfare is often ascrijjed nature to words.'^ But may the gods in so many the costlyO"hroeris not drcckr, compounded of the divine Qvasir'sblood and honey, be this

wine

likened

to amrita

and

ambrosia

account

the creation of the wise

potus) ;

that

^

Dwarfs

and

giantsget hold of it first, amrita fell into the hands of the giants; at last the as gods take possessionof both. OShroeris dreckr confers the giftof and Saga,goddess : OSinn poesy, and by that very fact immortality of poeticart, have surelydrunk it out of goldengoblets, gladlyand must also take into evermore (um alia daga. Stem. 41^). We

Vanir, he his

making

formed

was

blood

the

at

into

drink

a

out

of

?

Qvasir (conf.Slav, kvas, convivium,

of their

for

between

covenant

a

gods

the Aesir

and

of spittle(hraki) ; the refining

seems

a

very

ancient

and

far-

reachingmyth. But beside this drink, we have also notices of a specialfood for gods : ISunn has in her keeping certain apjyles, by eatingof which the aging gods make themselves young again (er skulo abita,J^aer |?aueldaz,oc verSa ]?aallir ungir,Sn. 30''). go'Sin This reminds one of the applesof Paradise and the Hesperides, of the guarded goldenapplesin the Kindcrmiirchen 57, of the apples no. in the stories of Fortunatus

and

of

Merlin, on the eatingor

biting

of which

depend life,death and metamorphosis,as elsewhere on a draught of holy water. According to the Eddie view,the gods have it is true, of preservingperpetualfreshness and a means, youth, 1

even

As

Homer

too

makes

II. 20, 234, and Ganymede olvoxoeveiv,

of Hebe

it is

said,viKzap it^voxod 4, .3. '^ Zeus ",'0L'sto bancjuet{Kara ^aiTa) with

the Ethiopians, II. 1, 423 ; orav eVl dolvr)v Plato's Pha;dr. 247, as Tliurr does with tlie Norwegians 'Icoai, when ; even disguisedas a bride, he does not refuse the giants' dishes, Saeni. 73'' ; and the Ases boiled an ox on their journey,Sn. 80. ' In from rnjin'toambrosia. Sanskrit,siulha nectar is distinguished where Everythere is an eitgli in the l)Usiness : Garuda is called sudhahara, or amrita-

Trpos haira

Kai

harana,nectar-thief eaglethat Obinn

an

(see ch. XXXV

and

or

ambrosia-thief

(Pott,forsch. 2,4.'')1) ; it is in the shape of and Zeus his cupbearer Ganymede OShrajrir, and Poetry). Path-crossing

carries off

XXX,

320

CONDITION

GODS.

OF

ments regarded as subject to the encroachold of age, so that there are some always some yoinifi and is picturedeverywhere as an Odinn Wuotan or gods ; in particular, in the full old greybeard (conf.the old god, p. 21), Thorr as strengthof manhood. Balder as a blooming youth. The gods grow hdrir ok gamlir (lioar and old),Sn. 81, Freyr has at tannfe he is therefore imagined (tooth-fee) presentedhim at his teething,

but,

all that, tlieyare

for

'

'

as

growing

Zeus

Donar)

(likeour and

Ares and

increase

like

In

up.

as

decline

Poseidon

and

bloom

the

in

Uranos

manner

of

a

as

of

power,

being; gods with

long delayed,of (seeSuppL),

Kronos

and

Growth

youth.

old,

as

appear

mes aged,Apollo,Her-

middle

exclude

eternal,immutable, immortal however

and

the notion

of

age, a

the

strictly

and

the termination, mortality, such attributes, is a necessity

Epithetsexpressingthe power, the omnipotence,of the reigning A term peculiarto ON. poetry gods have been specified, pp. 21-2. Saem. 28^ 50^ ol'^ 52^ ^i?iheilog is ^t?iregin, goS 1^ ; it is of the

root

same

as

kinan, hiare,and

gina, OHG.

numina

denotes

ampla, late dominantia, conf. AS. ginne grund,Beow. 3101. Jud. firmissimus 176, 29. 131, 2. ginne rice, Ctedm. 15, 8. ginfgest, 211, 10. gin, oceani ginf?estengod, terrae dominus garsecges amplitudo 205, 3. Goth, The Homeric presses rajnzo)beautifullyexpela (= paSi(o";, of the gods ; whatever the power they do or undertake toil,while comes easy to them, their life glidesalong free from II. 6, mortal men labour and are heavy laden : deol pela ^coovre'i, her 138. Od. 4, 805. 5, 122. When Aphrodite wishes to remove S' i^ijpira^' the perilsof battle,tov favourite Alexander from

'AcfipoBlTr) pelafidX\

m

appliedto Apollo,when The

443.

wall

so

cr

r

e

^eo'?,II. 3, 381

he snatches

Hector

; the

away

laboriouslybuilt by the Greeks

same

from

words

Achilles 20,

he overturns

a sand-heap15, 362. With fidXa,as a boy at play would Athene breath {Trvoifj), p,d\a^Irv^aaa), blowing a little (?}/ca

away

Achilles the

from

Berhta

SuppL). XVII), The

on sons

spear

also blows

that

Hector

(p.276), and

had

the

thrown

are

a

20, 440

elves breathe

pela mere

turns

(see

(eh.

people. of

men

their full size and

gods slowly and gradually, strengthdirectlyafterhirth. No sooner grow

up

attain had

PRECOCITY.

STRENGTH.

321

SIZE.

to tpareivi'iv) presented nectar and ambrosia (a/j,/3poaiT)v out of his the newborn Kare/Spco^ cl/x^poTov, Apollo,than he leapt, the goddesses, sat down began to speak,and. swathiiigs, among he was, to roam unshorn as through the country (Hymn, in Ap. Eindr bore to OSinii ; Del. 123 133). Not unlike Vali, whom and unkempt, he unwashen when only one night old (einn?e.ttr),

Themis

"

Baldr's death sallies forth to avenge the coincidence of aKepaeKo/xr]^ with

HoSr, Sajui. 6^ 95^.

on

the Edda's

'

ne

hofuS

Here '

kembr

disregarded.Hermes, born at earlymorn, plays the mid-day,and at eve drives oxen away (Hymn, in Merc. 17

is not

be

to

lute at

Zeus, who

seq.).And

Kuretes, grew

exhibited

is often

a

as

child among

the

f^vla rapidly {Kap7ra\.Lix(o"i (^aloLfxa fievo"; Kai and in his first years had strengthenough to toIo avaKTo^;), rjv^ero enter the lists with Kronos (Hes.theog. 492). Tlie Norse mythology offers another example in Magni, Thor's son by the giantess he flung the giant three nightsold (]?rina2ttr), larnsaxa : when foot,under whose weight Thorr lay on the enormous Hriingni's ground,off his father,and said he would have beaten the said giant dead with his fist, Sn. 110 (seeSuppl.). The shapeof the gods is like the human (p.105),only vaster, often exceedingeven the gigantic. When Ares is felled to the his body covers seven ground by the stone which Athene flings, of 1\. 21, 407),a size land (eTrraS' eVecr^^e roods irekeOpa ireaoiv, the titan tliat wiih a slightaddition the Od. 11, 577 puts upon up

Here

I'ityos. When with

hand

one

that breaks ten

he

we

roars

put

some

drinks three

through a horn, the end good portionof this,he world

off

one

of its

many

the

devours

a

Edda, which

wedding one

of mead, Siem.

casks

of which

reaches

lifts the

snake

with

heads,arms

even

73^

the side

have ox

and

; another

to

do

eiglit time, a

encircles the whole he strikes three

deep

Again, Teutonic never imputing to its gods the legs;they are onlybestowed

Sn,

or

21

cry

the sea, he drinks

to

that

his hammer

in

A

is said of

same

(5,786). By

men fifty

at

or

earth

herself with the voice of

contents

of

valleysin the rocky mountain, mythology agrees with the Greek

deformityof

like that of nine

features in the

feet,and

(II.14, 272).

(14,147),and

(5,859); Here

: he especially

salmon, and

the other

with

only equalsthose

may

with Thorr

sea

oath, she grasps the

solemn

warriors in battle

Stentor,which of this

the

a

Poseidon's breast sounds

from

thousand

Ares when

and

takes

59,

60.

322

CONDITION

on

heroes

few

a

Such

eKaroyyetpe^.

Slav systems four

and

faces.

headed, as

the

Apollo

four-armed.^

hideous

figurewith

of

some

is

the

while

same,

Yet

Hecate

four

Porevit is said

too

has to

Khuvera, the

Indian

giantsare with

five heads

and

have a

been

three-

Laceda3monian of

god

and

Hindu Brahma

arms,

two-faced,and

was

Greek

in the

are

Janus

Eoman

GODS.

quite common with represented

the

heads, Svantovit

Rugevit seven

animals, as forms

Vishnu

:

OF

wealth, is

a

legsand eightteeth. Some of the Norse of but a deficiency gods,on the contrary,have not a superfluity, members OSinn is one-eyed,Tyr one-handed, HoGr : blind,and Logi or Loki was perhaps portrayed as lame or limping,like Hepha3stusand the devil. Hel alone has a dreadful shape,black and white ; the rest of the gods and goddesses, not exceptingLoki, to be imagined as of beautiful and noble figure are (seeSuppl.). In the Homeric perfecthuman shape,to which epos this ideally for gods Greek art also keeps true, is described in standingepithets ruder poetry has only a with w^hich our and especially goddesses, of these is signiand yet the similarity few to set in comparison, ficant. three divinities by two Some or epithetshave to serve turns, but

Thus

them. of

most

three

confined

are

Here

is XevKcoXevo^

Helen, II. 3, 121,^ the latter of

characteristic

individuals,as

to

or a

^ocotti,^; (theformer

Nereid

18, 40),Athene

of

used also

rf^avKw-

Thetis

for

Here), i^vKOfio'i (which again dpyvpoTre^a, Eos Demeter Iris aeXXo7ro9, iroh/jvefMO'i, poSoSdKTv\o";, ypvaoTTTepo';, 14, 326, just as Sif is (Ceres)^avd?]5, 500, and Ka\\nr\6/ca/jLo"; harfogr(p.309),in allusion to the yellow colour of the waving does

or

TTi?

the

As

corn.

KvavoxaiTi":,

called the

sea

rolls its dark

II. 14, 390.

same,

or

15, 174.

Kvavocppv;(a

waves,

Poseidon

20, 144. contrast

to

bears

the

name

Zeus

could either be

Baldr

brahvitr,brow-

'^alTai II. 1, 528, the belongdfji^pocnat, hair and locks of Wish (p.142),and because with his dark brows he makes or signs. This confirmatorylowering of the brows Karaveiecv Kvaverjacv eir nodding with the head (veveiv, cx^puaiII. of Zeus's will: Ke^aXfj 1, 527. 17, 209) is the regularexpression In refusing, ddavdroicri fieyicrrov reK/jLcop,II. 1, 524. Karavevaofxai, he draws the head back (dvavevei). Thor's indignantrage is shown the eyes (sigabryunar ofan fyrir by sinkingthe eyebrows over white

1

-

p.

222),because

to him

0. Mi'iller'sarchseol. p. 515. XevKcl) round Aphrodite throws her iri'jx^f

And

iEneas.

"

Tran3.

323

ANGER.

SUAPE.

50), displayinggloomy brows and shaking the beard. Obviously the two gods,Zeus and Donar, have identical gestures Sn.

angun,

ascribed

for

them

to

who gloweringdeities, tliis was

expressingfavour or anger. have the avengingthunder at

of Donar, p. 177, and

shown

their

is

Zeus

to

They

11. 15, 13),he S' virohpaIScov, louringlook {Beiva (1, 517. 4, 30),and next to him fj,ey oxdi]aa"i

the

are

command; the

given

above

grim

all is the

Poseidon

of the

by dingy locks (8, 208. 15, 184). Zeus again is distinguished 13, 3. 7. 14, 236. IG, 645), oaae beaming eyes {rpeirev "jiaet,voi his own which belongto none else save great-hearted daughter21, 415 ; Aphrodite has 3, 397, twinkling, ofijxaTa fiapfiaipovra, shimmeringeyes (seeSuppl.). Figuresof Greek divinities show a circle of rays and a nimbus has commonly a coins Mithras Indo-Grecian round the head ;^ on the with pointedrays,^in other representations circular nimbus wanting. Mao (deusLunus) has a halfmoon behind his rays are In what century shoulders ; Aesculapius too had rays about his head. saints ?

And

diadems

of

kings.

the honorati

also to take

have

we

cujus vertici

Marc.

Ammian.

flammeus

I suppose

sancti,which

goes off into the

sucli

gods

to radiant

nimbus,

a

with and

deorum

all events,

a

to

more

the

and

with

surrounded

be the OHG.

for

ro"a

riiota

is

flames

caput radiatum

rod,since virgaalso

radius,ON. geisli.A likening flagellum, of heaven

locks

do shine

would

at once

like rays.

suggest

It is in

nexion con-

settingsun that Tac. Germ. 45 brings in formas Around radios capitis. Thor's head was at put, latterly not. ad Saxon. Gram. p. 139). ringof stars (Stephanii a

story told

in the

Great's mouth

the purpose,

among

and

G alien restore,a beam

illumined the

idols,especially Perun, Podaga and

^

0. Miiller's archoeol. p. 481.

2

anz. Oottiiif,'. 1838, 229.

*

Tliis beam

beloved's mouth

Chnodomarius, Cap. 63 translates by houhctskhno (head-

I find the term

luminaries

blond

and

crowns

the

Accordingto Charles

of

sense

christian

of

16, 12 mentions

sun's head

to

the

into account

of the Sol auratus

radios capitis

heads

aptabatur. N.

torulus

sheen),and to portray the extremelynatural. In ON.

of the

the

halo,the aureole,first put round

the

was

What

Nemis, have

rays

of

seems

Slavic

certain figures, about

that shines is like the one Charles's mouth lightsup the gold inside (seech. XVI., Menni).

from and

Prilwitz

his head.^

out

came

their

into

Im

324

CONDITION

heads

; and

head

OF

GODS.

in

6, 12 is encircled with rays, so Hagenow, fig. is even the rune it stands for Eadegast. Did rays originally E when the highest conceptionof divine and lustrous beauty ? express There is nothingin the Homeric epos at all pointingthat way (see Suppl.). It is

a

of that insouciance

and

lightblood of the gods,that they are merry, and lavgh. Hence they are called bliS regin (p.26), as we find froh in the sense of graciousappliedto gods and kings,^and the spark of joy is conveyed from gods to men. Frauja,lord,is next of kin to froh glad (p.210). It is said of the Ases, tcitir varo, Saem. 2^ ; and of Heimdall, dreckr glaffrhinn go5a in svdso guS 33^ contains a similar notion. And In mioS 41^. this lightthe passages quoted (pp.17-8)on the blithe and cheer/til God importance: it is the old heathen notion still gather a new Zeus in divine repose sits on Olympus lurkingin poetry. When he is moved to mirth and looks down on (opucov men, cf)peva Tep-yjroII. then the blessed heart of him 20, 23), laughs {iyeXaa-aeSe /u,aL, hlo honum 01 "^l\ov rjTop, 21, 389) ; which is exactlythe Eddie laughed the mind in his hugr i briosti,hlo HlorriGa liugri briosti,' a

part

'

'

'

'

'

breast Thorr.

:

a

Seem. 238^ OS.

Andr.

454.

'

hlo

'

'

hugi

mnnde

Often

in

'

hlo

the

of Zeus

oneness

and

]?aAtla hugr i briosti,' hug,'with all her heart

109, 7.

2, 174. 203.

si liber ahsel

of the Cid:

in the song

:

fromod,' Hel.

ward

said subridcre ;

smielinden

mit

'

ollum

Brynhildr af ];a,

Later, in the EudHeb

speech is

his

of the essential

it is also said of heroes

But

22 0^

confirmation

fresh

Nibel.

AS.

'

mod

3, 17 the

423, 2 of

sah,'looked

sonrisose de la boca,'and

'

king

in

Brunhild:

her

over

ahloh,'

shoulder.

alegreera'.^

OvfiovXatvov,Hymn, in Cer. 435. Plalf in displeasureHere laughs with her lips,not her brows : 11. ovSe fiercoTrov evr' ocjipvai lavOrj, Kvaverjaiv ijeXaacre'y^etXeaiv, he is 15, 102 ; but Zeus feels joy in sending out his lightnings, ; conf.

IL 23, Idvdrj, 0v/j,o";

600

called T"p7TLKepavvo";

2, 781.

8,

2. 773.

20, 144.

So

Artemis

in arrows, Od. 11, 6, 428. 21, 480. (Diana)is lo-x^eaipa, rejoicing At the limping of Hephaestus, the assembly of gods bursts 198, into acr/Seo-To^ II. 1, 599 ; but a gentle yeXco^,uncontrolled laughter, is peculiarto Zeus, Here and smile (/MeiSai') Aj^hrodite, As ^

Andreas

^

Helbl.

mid

7, 518

Elene :

p. xxxvii. diu warheit des

truth lauglis at crlachet,

that.

beauty Aphrodite's

(II.4, smile-loving by ^iX.o/x/zetS/j's', expressed '

contrary by

the

Freyja'son

is

5, 375),so

10.

is

62^

PACE,

GAIT.

Ml Kill.

gnltfogT/fair

in

weeping (seeSuppl.). We

to consider

have

find

and

swifter.

in which

manner

visible to

become

the

the

gods put

of mortals.

eyes

gaitand step like the human, only far mightier II. usual expressionsare ^"} i/jLev,^Pi levui, /3f;,

theyhave

We

and

motion

in

themselves

the

next

a

The

1, 221, e^r) 14, 224, ^drr^v 1, 44. 2, 14. 14, 188. 24, 347, /S6^/?"ei 2, 48. 13, 18, 7rpoa"l3/]a6To o, 778, ^y^Tqv 14, 281, TToo-fc irpo^i^d'i gcnfjr, Sa^m.

SP

5%

1^

70'' 71^ gengengo

9% gek 100% gengo

Edda

in the

; and

13, 17, aire^i^aero2, 35 14, 292, KarelS/jaeTo

or

else /or

and than ire,proficisci, meaning no more the walker, S^em. 32. Sn. 24, i.e., called Gangleri, AS. poets use geiocit(evasit, abiit)or sidode of God

31^^ 53^ 75% this fara

OSinn

was

even

traveller ; the

returningto heaven, enormously the walk steps,II. 13, 20, or

of the

gods differs

the

sudden

225.

an

goes

sky.

ajjpcarance

But

94-5.

the common,

how

we

see

distance in three

immense

such

From

and

from

El.

Vishnu,

that of the Indian

earth, air and

traverses

next

118.

of Poseidon, who

in the instance

977.

Andr.

who

in

there

swiftness

disappearanceof

three paces

the

follows

gods;

for

Goth, hvairban, OHG. to have used speech seems Imerban, AS. hweorfan : (verti,ferri,rotari) hivcarf him to heofenum OGinn livarf];a,' lullig dryhten says Credm. IG, 8 ; and vanished. Stem. 47. Homer employs, to express the same thing, either the verb ataaw the adverbs or (impetu feror), KapiraXifxco'i Athene (as if ap7ra\ifxo)"; raptim) and Kpanrvco'i raptim. Thus Here or H. 2, 167. comes 4, 74. 19, 114. al^aGa, Od. 1, 102. 22, 187 ; Thetis,the dream, Atliene, Here, all a[)pear KapTrdXi'p.co' wliich

our

older

'

'

H. 1, 359. and he

Here

2, 17. 1G8.

in the

5, 8G8.

KpatTrvd, KpaLirvo)"^,

rises from

So Holda

'

his throne

and Berhta

to

19, 115.

II. 13, 18. look

on

suddcnUjstand

the

Od.

2, 40G

14. 292 ;

even

; Fuseidon

Zeus, when

15, 6. earth,arrrj dvai^a"i

at the window

(p.274).

IMuch

expressionused in Sa3m. 53''^ of Thorr and Tyr : foro driugom (ibanttractim,raptim,eXfcrjSov), for also Goth, driugris from driuga,Goth, driugan trahere,whence truht turba, agmen, ON. drauhts, OHG. drangr larva,phantasma, OHG. and vanishes because a gitroc fallacia, spectre appears time it means the rush and din quicklyin the air. At the same same

way

I understand

the

326

CONDITION

OF

GODS.

and omi above, from god'sapproach,the woma of which took a name OSinn (p. 144-5). The rapid movement the to a shootingstar, or likened descendinggods is sometimes of birds,II. 4, 75. 15, 93. 237 ; hence they often take even flight the form of some bird,as Tharapilathe Osilian god flew (p.77). in the shape of a apirr] (falcon Athene flies away ?),II. 19, 350, an she bird,Od. 1, 320, or a ^/pr]osprey, 3, 372 ; as a swallow 6pvi"; The perches (e^er'avat^acra)on the house's fiekaOpov22, 239. the gods are form for that of a bird,when exchange of the human being, departingand no longer need to conceal their wondrous OSin's taking his flightas a falcon,after he tallies exactlywith with Hei'Sreckr: had in the shape of Gestr conversed and quarrelled the

that betoken

i vols

viSbrast many

liki,Fornald.

sog. 1, 487 ; but

stories of the devil,who

at

assumes

in

it is also retained

departurethe body

of

a

in muscae est fly (exit tanquam corvus, egressus touch of the At other times, and this is the prettier similitudine). to whom they have appearedas his two, the gods allow the man of their divine equals,suddenly as they are going,to become aware neck or shoulder betraysthe god. When : heel, calf, proportions of them Poseidon leaves the two Ajaxes,one says, II. 13, 71 : ttoBwv i]Be Kvrjfiawv i-Xyca yap fieroTriade Se deoi irep. peV ejvcov air i6 vt o"; dpiyvcoToi, leaves Aeneas,Virg.1, 402 : So, when Venus

raven

or

a

"

Dixit, et

avcrtens

cervice refulsit

rosea

patuitdea. Ille ubi matrem agnovit,ta\ifugientemest voce secutus. the So, II. 3, 396, Alexander recognises et vera

incessu

6ed";irepiKaWea ceipi]v,

arrjOed6^ And

in

ON.

his dream

Fornald.

sog.

199.

koI

legend,Hallbiurn

figurein cap.

ifiepoevTa

3, 103

before ;

as

Holm., while

ed.

on

ofi/xaTa

awaking

it vanishes

is likewise the

/xap/xaipovra.

Fornm.

:

sees

sia }?ykist

said in sog.

Olaf

5, 38

shoulder

the a

herSar the

has

of

a

honum,

saint's sagr it: sia

svi,

Aen. 1 gekk ; conf. os humerosque deo similis, devil-stories: at the Evil one's This also lingersin our 589. of the 'L-xyia visible, departurehis cloven hoof suddenly becomes the ancient god. the motion As the incessus of Venus declared the goddess, (Jd/jLo)

mannsins

of Here

er

and

a

brutt

Athene

is likened

to that of timorous

doves,II. 5, 778,

VEHICLES.

FLIGHT.

of gliding

the

But

the

327

HORSES.

such immense

gods over

distances must

have

their departure as especially flying, was expresslypreparedfor by the assumptionof a bird's form. It several deities,Hermes is therefore easy to comprehend why two wliose and Athene, are provided witli peculiarsandals {jreZiXa), them and land with the speed of motive sea over power conveys Od. 1, 97. 5, 45 ; we are expresslytold that wind, II. 24, 341. them Hermes {irerero,II. 24, 345. Od. 5, 49) ; flew with at a later time adds art represents them as winged shoes, and plastic These winged sandals a pair of wings to the head of Hermes.^ then have a perfectrightto be placedside by side with the featherFreyja possessed,and which at Thor's shift(fiaSrhamr)which ; request she lent to Loki for his flightto lotunheim, Sa^m. 70=^'^ than confounded with Frigg (p.302), but as Freyja is more once other legends tell us that Loki flew off in the valsham Friggjar,' seemed

last like

first to

from

'

Sn.

I

113.

shall

back

come

their

connexion, but

another

unmistakable;as Loki gods to the giants,he is is

hann ",ttishijba, er

through air actual

Loki

as

she is

a

fire.

a

veritable

swallow

horses,and a

with the

sent

far

so

as

a

Greek

in

pedila

tlie from messenger Hermes, and Freyja's Sn.

Athene,

of

loptoh log' had

shoes

'Loki

132-7:

in which

he

ran

easy matter, in a myth, for the into sandals to glideinsensibly

an

hamr

a

coats

swan

the

to

with

one

or

or

bird's form

catches

GeirroSr

:

bird,Sn. 113, and

Athene

when

the

starts

flying to fly,

(seeSuppl.).

mighty gods pleasedthem, without content

is here

was

with

The

not

It

winged assumption of

investiture an

and

d

rann

resemblance

sandals

feather-shift suG;"reststhe

falcon

these

to

would

doubtless

wings these

even

gods cannot

or :

have

moved

whithersoever

it

sandals,but simple antiquitywas

the

human

do without

sensible difference is to be found

race

either.

them

between

used

the Greek

carriagesand On

this

and

point

German

mythologies. All the higherdivinities of the Greeks have a chariot and pair ascribed to them, as their kings and heroes in battle also fightin for the god of thunder chariots. An would at once be 6xni^(^ suggestedby the natural phenomenon itself; and the conceptionof also be very ancient. Tlie the sun-chariot driven by Helios must '

0. Miiller's archaeol. 559.

328

car

CONDITION

of Here, and

5, 720-76

;

steeds to

it in

it,mounts

II.

guides it,is gorgeouslydepictedin and

Demeter

likewise

so

GODS.

her

harnesses

Athene, and

with

company

she

how

OF

Kora

seated

appear

in

a

is drawn by rams,^as the Norse Thorr [by hecarriage.Hermes goats]. The Okeanides too have their vehicle,Aesch, Prom. 135. ancient of the most or But are Zeus, Apollo,Hermes never any gods imagined ridingon horseback ; it is Dionysos,belongingto a that first rides a panther,as Silenus does different order of deities, the ass, and godlikeheroes such as Perseus, Theseus, and above all, Okeanos bestrides a winged mounted horses. the Dioscuri are on worth Greek It seems remarking,that modern steed,Prom. 395.

legendrepresentseven Charon as mounted. In Teutonic mythology the riding of gods is a far commoner both Wuotan and Phol ride in thing. In the Merseburg poem forest,which

is not

for it is neither nor

that

Balder

at all inconsistent

conceivable drove

a

with

drove

Wuotan

that

the word

'

faran

Balder

while

carriage.Even

one-horse

used,

Hartmann

the '

;

rode, von

ridinga horse, and contented with Euit for his groom (p.18). Among those that ride in the Edda are OSinn and Baldr (who saddles his Sleipnir for himself, Sa^m. 93''), of ten other 18 are given the names HermoSr ; in Sfem. 44=^ and Sn. the Ases dailyride to council,one of them horses as well,on which of the rest are being Heimdall's Gulltoppr,Sn. 30. 66 ; the owners twelve Ases and only eleven horses not specified, but, as there were are named, it follows that each of those gods had his mount, except either drivingor walking (p. is invariablyintroduced Thorr, who 167),and when he gets Gullfaxi as spoilfrom Hrungnir,giveshim to his son Magni, Sn. 110. OSin's horse leapsa hedge seven away of the gods Even tlie women ells high,Eornm. sog. 10, 56. 175. Aue

still imaginesGod

the

valkyrs,like O'Sinn,ride through air and water,

are

mounted

Sn.

107, Ereyja and Hyndla

and

witches

:

are

on

a

boar

and

a

wolf, as enchantresses

imagined ridinga wolf, a he-goator steed Hrimfaxi, rimy-mane, as Day

(fem.) had a Skinfaxi,shiny-mane. At

the

same

time

carriagesare

mentioned

0. MuUer's

archosol. 563.

Night (masc.)had cat.

for especially drawn by cows, commonly found

too,

goddesses(p.107). The sacred car of Nerthus was Berhta and are of Ereyja by cats, Holda that drivingwaggons which they get mended, the fairies in 1

a

our

nursery-

VEHICLES.

world, Sicm.

nether

the

to

"wa"T"on

227.

in

The

Gothic

of

imafre

a

the gods, p. 107 ; among Thorr his car, while on

alluded to on was deity in a waggon Freyr is expresslydescribed as mounted drawn has a waggon by he-goats: on

Woden's

conf.

waggon,

p.

(seeSuppL).

151

When

consider, that waggons

we

is nowhere

horseback similar

heroes

From

considerable horse

antiquityto

Svantovit

with

Some

few

was

a

as

to

we

the story of also

of representations

coarser

transferred

Slavs

The

foal.

or

it

the

pretty early too,

done

been

have

oldest

the

to

proper

Frankish

equipage was ridingcrept in only graduallyin times.

were

kings,and that their riding on mentioned probable that originally ; it seems alone deemed suitable to the gods,and their

the kings also,especially

a

her

drives Brynliiklr

air in coaclies,and

the tlirougli

tales travel

329

iionsES.

later

gods,though

this must

venture

allow

may

Sleipnirand

generally

to

that of

furnished

a

l)alder's

god

their

to ride on.

horse

divinities made

use

of

a

ship,as

be

may

seen

by

the

ship and that of Isis,and Frey's SkiSblaSnir, the best of all ships.Stem. 45^ But whichever on earth,through air way the gods might move, and in water, their walk tread, their riding and driving is or representedas so vehement, that it produces a loud noise,and the is explained by it. The din of the elements driving of Zeus or stories of Athene's

Thorr

thunder

awakens

Poseidon's

beneath

tremble

the

in

clouds

tread, II. 13,

and

mountains

;

18 ;

forests

lets

Apollo

when

and bow clatter heightsof Olympus, arrows Se KXajyr] yiver'' dpyupeoio (eKXay^av)on his shoulder 1, 44, Betvr) In the lays the twang of his silver bow 1, 49. ^Lolo,dreadful was in exactly the is described this stirringup of nature of the Edda himself

same

while

way,

of

extinction '

from

down

reiS

framm

i

"c,

*

Skirnir bound

and

'

OHG.

notions, have

94^ ;

'

biorg brotnoSo,

flo Loki, fiaSrhamr

iorS bifaz

(quaked),enn

rode

brann

iorS

to

the earlier of

traces

0., earth's

it

:

\vay

OSins

loga,ok

rode, blazed,when dundi,' the wing-coat whirred, 70=*

crumbled, earth

garSar Gymis writhingof gods who

aUir for scialfa

The rage riding83\ produced equallytremendous came

owing writings, preserved no

OSinn, foldvegr dundi,' forth

lotunheima,' mountains

73=";

71=";

the AS.

heathen

thundered, Sa^m. sonr

the

and

effects

(p.24G).

'

when were

330

CONDITION

the

On

other

OF

GODS.

and hand, delightful

salutaryproductsof nature also traced to the mimediate influence of the gods. Flowers are springup where their feet have strayed; on the spot where Zeus claspedHere in his arms, shot up a thick growth of sweet herbs flowers,and glittering dewdrops trickled down, II. 14, 346

and

So, when

fruitful

shook

Of

thingthere

one so

occurs

205.

21,

the

the mist.

We

might

same

valkyrs who,

like the

the air ;

effect

whose

the

gods do take part Greek gods before with

with

the

II.

3, 381.

who

5, 776.

able

that

and

vily,favour to produce

18,

tarnkappes and helidhelms,

of

the

assumed

Fornald.

hail in

and

the

mist.

the

And

much

battle of Bravik, OSinn

the

In

the

shield their

clouds

againstcertain heroes, as

or

Ilion.

Gram., p. 146.

GeirroSr

Servian

as

same

the combatants, and

Saxo

their favourites

to scatter,chase a-Kehd^etv

reckoningour

into the

was

themselves

screen

take this into account, that

indeed

in battle,were

throw

or

mythology,thougli

our

or

enemy's eye,

it falls

(seeSuppL).

gods,to

themselves

contrary a^Xw

away,

heroes

the

manes

It is called rjept,KaXxrmeiv, rjepa xeti',a-)(\.vv or

and (T-ecpecv, ve(^o"i

beloved

in

trace

that

:

the

from

597.

549.

scarcelya

round

mist

a

to be withdrawn

are

is

in the Greek

often

shed sight,

from

bridle 32^

bit of Hrimfaxi's

the

nightlyfrom

it

valkyrs rode through the air,their horses' the deep vales below, Seem. 145'' ; or dew on

the

51.

"

figureof

sog. 1, 380.

of OSinn, Agnarr protege (fostri)

as

the

mingled

charioteer Bruni

a

Grimnismal

The

Norse

that

of

;

makes

Frigg,and

togetherconcerningthem, Saem. 39 ; in the Vols, saga cap. 42, OSinn suggeststhe plan for slayingthe sons of lonakr. The Greek gods also,when they drew nigh to counsel deities take counsel

the two

or

defend, appeared in

old man, but

not

behind

or

to

him

they

made

others.

In

the

form

of

themselves such

a

case

a

warrior,a herald,an

human

known

they

to

their hero

stand

himself,

before,heside

or

II. 2, 279. eyyvdi,Od. 1, 120. dyxoO,II. 2, 172. {Trapd,

irpoaeev4, 129. oindev 1, 197) ; Athene leads off 4, 52 ; by the hand through the battle,and wards the arrows Achilles 18, 204 ; Aphrodite the dreadful "egisround she throws shields Aeneas by holding her veil before him 5, 315; and other of the fray by protecting the midst removed from heroes are makes herself visible to Hippomenes alone, deities (p.320). Venus Now Ovid Met. 10, 650. they appear in friendlyguise,Od. 7, 201 3, 129. 4, 92. 5, 123.

seq. ; II.

clothed

now

20,

131

in terror

:

331

LAUGHTER.

SICKNESS.

SLEEP.

Be deol ^aiveadat ivapyeK, ")(a\e7rol

(seeSuppL).

in the sitting Iliad,14, 28G seq., relates ho\v"T7r^o"? (sleep),

The

powers song-birdon the boughs of a fir-tree on Mt. Ida, overthat the the highestof all the gods ; other passages show of the gods went to their beds every night,and partooklike men it be Still less can benefit of sleep,II. 1, 609. 2, 2. 24, G77. on doubted of the Norse gods,that they too sleptat night: Thorr

shape of

a

alone Sn. 50 ; of Heimdall night-lodging, And from is it said,that he needs less sleep than a bird, Sn. 30. maintained the gods follows again,what was of sleep this sway over above, that of death : Death is the brother of Sleep. Besides, the sick with love, and his gods fell a prey to diseases. Freyr was the pity of all the gods. awakened great hugsott (mind-sickness) OSinn, NiorSr and Freyr,accordingto the Yngl. saga 10. 11. 12, all sicknesses (sottdauSir). sink under Aphrodite and Ares receive wounds, II. 5, 330. 858 ; these are quicklyhealed [yetnot without medical aid]. A curious story tells how the Lord God, having

his

journeyslooks

for

out

fallen sick,descends

heaven

from

to earth

to

get cured,and

comes

to merryandrews receive commands that the Lord bursts out amuse so him, and one manages cleverly, laughingand finds himself rid of his distemper.^ Tliis may be very ancient ; for in the same way, sick daughtersof kings in nurseryis the made talcs are and so to laugh by beggars and fiddlers, goddessSkaSi in the Edda by Loki's jugglingtricks,when mourning lambe cheered the sorrowing the death of her father, Sn. 82. Demeter, and caused her, ttoWcL irapaaKOiTnovaa, fieiSfjaac jeXdaai dvfMov, Hymn, in Cer. 203 (seeSuppl.). re, Koi XXaov (ryelv to Arras

; there

minstrels

Important above antiquityand by our in

passages divine and

the

all

Iliad

liuman

and

are

own,

and

the of

the

for the

names

given by Greek the gods. Thus,

similar accounts, the

language of between Odyssey distinguish same object:

the

Se re Traz^re? BpLupeoivKokeovcTL deol,dvSpe"; Acyalcou. II. 1, 403. Bariecav KLK\rj(jKovaLv, rrjp ^Tot avSpe"i ov

^

377-8.

De

la veiine

de Dieu

i

Arras,in

Jubinal's

Nouveaii

recueil de

contcs

2,

332

CONDITION

Si

aOdvajot

re

OF

GODS.

Mupu'7]";.2, arjfjia 7ro\v(7Kup9/jLOio

813.

he ku/jllvSlv. 14, 291. 6eoi,civhpe^ KiK\y](TKOvai, ^aX/ci'Sa Se ^Kci/jiavSpov. 20, 74.^ deoi, ciphpe"i aavOov KoXeovai OP

Se fjLoiKv whole

A not

only

of

gods and

but

in

a

outset

very

not

stringof

whole it

comparingthe languages, Vanir, elves,dwarfs,giantsand

up with

of

but

men,

subterraneans, and that

Ocl. 10, 305.

is taken

in the Edda

song

OeoL

/.itv Kokiovcrc

in

a

proper

and

names

that

while

goS

and

words,

rare

objects.At

for the commonest

names

surprises us,

few

treated

ffisirare

the as

goS and giuregin. In in all: on examining these,it soon 13 strophesare given 78 terms (six)for each thingsimplycomes appears that the varietyof names of the richness of the Teutonic possiblybe tongue, and cannot later borrowings from Finnic, ascribed to old remnants or any or Celtic or Slavic languages. They are synonyms poeticnames, six or eightorders of beingsendowed which are distributed among

synonymous,

a

between

distinction is drawn

from not speech,accordingto the exigenciesof alliteration, I will or their belongingto the same class,such as poetical prose. for a cloud : illustrate this by quotingthe stropheon the names with

scy heitir meS

en

monnom,

scl),rvdnmeS

goSom,

Vanir, vindfiot llrvdn iotnar,alfar ve"rmcgin, kalla i heljoliidhn huliz. kalla

Everythinghere are

not

is

exhausted

Teutonic, and still the

by

a

long

way,

to

resources

say

of

our

language

nothing of what

it may

sky, still and connected with skuggiumbra, used in the Scandinavian dialects, and all appropriate The rest are AS. scuwa, scuwo. scua, OHG. pluviaeexpecintelligible periphrases.Scurvan [shower-weening] schauer ; urvan from skur imber, Germ, just the same, from tatio, literal meaning of Sanskr. the ur pluvia,with which compare abhra nubes, viz. aquam gerens.^ Vindfiot is apparentlynavigium venti,because the winds sail through the air on clouds. VeSrmegin borrowed

have

from

The

others.

only simple word

transposedis exactlythe OIlGr. maganwetar 1

Perhaps

we

ouglitalso

in as eV/KXr/o-is:

mere

't,

138.

"

turbo ; and

hifdmr

which is no jrepKvos 24, 316, 'Aarvdva^ 29. though 506, 22, (Od. 5, 273). have 2Kafidv8pios (6, 402) answering to it,as

to reckon

18, 487

this last passage happens to 3dv6os has ^Kanaudpos. Bopp, gloss,sanskr. 16=^209*.

in

is

aleros and

333

LANGUAGE.

elsewhere

Iiuliz appears

OS. lielith-lielm, tavnluilizhialmr, a

as

lielmet,grima, mask, which the Teutonic

course

for

Gr.

tongue could

cloud, beside those

ve(f)e\r] ; Goth,

one

\\Taps

taage; M.Dut.

Dan.

hoSma

nubes,

objectswhose

swerk

moln, Dan.

words, like sol and

nubes, OS.

4911. are

And

so

discussed mani

sunna,

mist

Of

cloud.

or

Lat. nebula.Or. nelial, mulm

; Sansk.

; OX.

]?okanebula, nimbus gisuerc, caligo, ; AS.

it is with

the

in the Alvisnial. and

megha,

wolchan, AS. wolcen,wliich

miluk, milk, to Slav, mleko

Beow. names

a

offer several other Avords to stand

Slav, mogla ; OHG. 6^i-)(\.r}, 6/jli)(\.7], as

like

six ; e.g.,nifl, OHG.

niilhrna,Swed.

is to Slav, oblako

in

other twelve Where

skin, or iord and

simple fold,are

named

together,one might attempt to refer them to different in themselves dialects : the periphrases show no reason (unless mythology found one for them),why they should be assignedin The whole particularto gods or men, giantsor dwarfs. poem before list of throws but us an acceptable brings pretty synonyms, the affinitiesof our no lighton primitive language. I'lato in the Cratylustries hard to understand that division of A dualityof Greek words into divine and human. proper names, like Briareos and Aigaion,reminds of the double forms Hler and us which last Sn. 6 attributes to the Oegir (p.240),Ymir and Oergelmir, would seem by Saam. 89'*' to be an Elvish Hrinijnirses ; ISunn do not hear of any other name for the goddess. In word, but we and the same Skamander, Batieia and IMyrinamight way Xanthus be of a thing in different dialects. More the different names for two birds,the 'xjaXid'^ or interestingare the doulile names KVfiLvBi"; (conf.Plin. 10, 10),and the alero^ and irepKvo^. Xa\Ki"i bird of prey, a hawk is supposed to signify some or owl, which does to the description not answer and the myth 6pvi,"; \iyvpd (piping), requiresa bird that in sweet and silverytones singsone to sleep, like the nightingale.ITep/ci'o? suits means dark-coloured,which the eagle; to imagine it the bird of the thundergod Perkun, would be too daring. Poetic periphrasesthere are these none among Greek The Greeks

words.

principalpoint seems and

Teutons

departingfrom common human speech. The with holdingconverse

in

agree usage

Greek the

be, that

to

the

popular beliefs

tracingobscure to

a

and

distinction between

scholiasts

Muses,

words

suppose

that

is initiated into the

of

those

divine

and

the

poet,

language of

334

CONDITION

gods,^and

wliere he finds

older,nobler, more

yeularepov)

But

to men.

less instructive

even

twofold

tlie four

than

the

lay. Evidently the opinionwas of

and

one

in age

the

same

died latterly

out

ancestors

traced

was

would

I maintained

Yanir

a

Teutonic

(to ekarTov,

five instances numerous

/xera-

in Homer

are

of the Norse

ones

firmlyheld,that the gods,though mortals, so far surpassedlivingmen still made

change.

of words

use

As

the line

which of

had

king's a stock, so the languageof gods kind as that of men, but riglit feeling such words had as graduallydisappeared a

as

have

we

seen,

goes

farther,and

beings beside the gods ; of denying the on p. 218 about the impossibility is confirmed by our origin, present inquiry. That for

other

yet

"

other nation, beside Greeks

any

or

ev"f"cDvov, Trpoyevia--

divine

Alvismal,

words particular

reserves

what

The

men.

among

to

up

the former

assignto

nomenclature,he ascribes the

more

suffered

or

to be of the same

held

was

with

race

that they dignity,

and

GODS.

euphonious (to Kpeirrov, gods,the later and meaner

the

ouofia)to

repov

a

OF

languageof gods,is

unknown

and to

Teutons, believed in

me,

and

the

a

agreement

separate of these

in Met. 11, 640 When Ovid significant. says : Phobetora mortale Hunc Icelon supcri, vulgus nominat, this is show imitated from the Greeks, as the very names" (see Suppl.). devaThe Indians trace nothing but their alphabet(devanagari, forefathers did the mystery of runes our as (p.149),to a writing), be connected of the symbol may with and the use divine origin, that of the sound itself;with the earliest signs, why should not be attributed to gods ? oldest expressionstoo the purest and

is the

two

more

,

(wingedwords)belong to heroes and other of the them well as to gods,else we strictly might interpret as with which the gods wield the giftof speeck and nimbleness

Homer's men

ease

"mepoevra

e-nea

language,the gods have customs in common They love song and play,take delightin hunting,war and the goddessesin ploughing, weaving,spinning;

with

Beside

and

keep servants summoned

^

cos

to the

messengers.

ra

tcop

causes

all the

banquets,

both

other

Bewv

irapa

6eois

"i"s {ovofxara),

fTri(TTaTai

Toav

be

the Ases

otSf rfjvrcov Xf'^fiy,

inro (xovcraiv KaraTrvfofifvos.

oii fiovov ra on fiei^ai ^ovcrdXT/TTToy tariv, iroirjTfjs ol dXX* 6eoi koi tlSivai, Xtyovai, yiXkeTai wcrTrep

of them

gods to

II. 8, 2. 20, 4),justas assembly [dyopi],

Koi ras fiov(TOTpa(f)ris

btaXeKTOv, olSf

Zeus

and

men.

oeStv

vtktov 6

dvOpuTrwvovofiara

iTray-

GRADES.

attend at

335

OFFICES.

93^),on the rokstola,and by the YggdraJ?ing(Soera. sill (Sxm. and 1^ 2^ 44"*), to counsel to judge. Hehe, youth,is to Here cupbearerof the gods and handmaid (II.5, 722),as FuUa is to Frigg(Sn.36) ; the youth Ganymede is cupbearertoo, and so is Beyla at the feast of the Ases (Stem.67^^);Skirnir is Frey's shoemaker (81)and messenger, Beyggvir and Beyla are also called liis servants (59). These services do no detriment to their own divine

the

Beside

nature.

Hermes, the goddess Iris

errands

on

goes

for the Greek

gods (seeSuppl.). Among the gods themselves there Kronos

of

sons

Zeus, the

allotted to

they

three tower

thing as brothers

Poseidon, hell

share

between

triad

spoken of

of

sons

is

sky

Hades, and the earth

to

them

(H. 15, 193).

Har, lafnhar p. 162.

on

Three

them, the

among

and

These

ThriSi in tlie

This is not

Donar, Ziu,'if only because

Wuotan, but

divided

all the rest,like

above

the religion, '

world

to

sea

supposed to

are

Norse

the

have

is a difference of rani:

the

the last two

same

are

not

"VVuotan, althoughthese pass for the three

mightiestgods. Then, togetherwith this triad,we become aware of a circle of twelve (p.26),a close circle from which some of the that into old and neiv gods, gods are excluded. Another division, does not by any means coincide with this : not only OSinn and his Ases, but also Zeus and his colleagues, as upstarts^to have appear supplantedolder gods of nature (seeSuppl.). All

the

Greek divinities,

assignedthem, which influence offices

of

'

connect

dominion, and have had

or

Teutonic

themselves

over,

it is

the

words

'

:

skal heita til,er

for,it is good

to pray

paganism

with

of certain protection

carried

with

are

Greek

and function offices

tlieir pictorial representation.In

on

shall i)ray

you

Norse, have

define their

each specified, hann or a after),'

looks

and

evident

or

that

the a

hann

for)'. Now, the

27

careful

these

ra-Sr

as

]\Iid. Ages

certain

fyrir(he til (tohim

any

remnants

were

sure

saints,to

healingof

marked 29

"

gott at heita

christian

some

classes

in

Sn.

a

whom

the

diseases

classification of

to

was

these

guardian saints accordingto the offices assigned them, on the of which strengtli they are good to pray to,^would be of advantage to our the animals antiquities.And dedicated to each Aesch.

Prom.

Bto'icrito'h veois, 955 vtov vloi Kpare'trf, 9G0 rovs viovs ol vtwrepoi 6eoL Conf. Otlr. Muller,n). 181. '"'Conf. Haupt's zeitschr. fiird. alt. 1, 143-4.

^

Giovs.

Eumen.

439

156. 748. 799

336

CONDITION

deified saint

(as once

OF

tlieywere

GODS.

gods)would

to

liave to be

sjDecified

too.

The

residence

favourite

of each

god is particularly pointedout in the Grtmuismal consecrated to the were especially ; mountains Teutonic, as to the Greek deities : Sigt^sberg, Himinbiorg, "c. to which Olympus was peculiarlythe house of Zeus (zJio?Sw/ia), the other gods assembled (II.1, 494) ; on the highestpeak of the sit apart {ccrep aXkwv 1, 498. 5, 753),lovingto take range he would alone (aTrdvevOe Oedv

counsel

(11,183. 336),whence as

did

05inn

wooded

dwellingsof size ; the

Samos

have

out

go

another the

to survey sat

Valholl

renowned

are

on

a

on

Ida

the Bilskirnir,

and

their

for

Bilskirnir has

and

once,

seat

doingsof men, height in the

doors,through any

540

at

had

Poseidon

Thorr,

is said to can

down

(13, 12).

and

Oijinn

einheriar

800 '

of

one

he looked

HliSscialf.

from

range

8, 10). He

enormous

one

of which

likewise 540

'

(seeSuppl.). floor] golfe [ON. golfr, If

now

take in

we

one

the

view

relations of

gods and

men,

we

points. As the created being is of its dependence on the creator,and filled with a childlike sense in its implorehis favour, so deity too delights prayers and offerings creations,and takes in them a fatherlyinterest. Man's longing fix their gaze on the earth,to heaven ; the gods goes forth towards The blessed gods do and direct the doings of mortals. watch with each other in their heavenly abodes,where feasts commune drawn to and revels go on as in earthlyfashion ; but they are more whose destinies enlist their liveliest sympathy. It is not true, men, Mart. what Cap. says 2, 9 : ipsi dicuntur dii,et caelites alias find

perhibentur

touch

and

they meet

.

.

nee

.

at

all

admodum

mortalium

eos

sollicitant, airaOehciweperhibentur. Not their

will known

down

themselves

Hindu

and

this head

heraldingpeace part

festivals ;

recur on

fruitfulness

at stated

the

fall of

^

specialname

a

or

seasons,

with

they resolve

Such

men.

firstthe

come

and

by

content

messengers,

to

appear

marked

mythology

Under

most

by signs and

appearance :

vota

curarum

making to come

is in

the

scensus avatdra, i.e.,de-

of deities car-proecssions

solemn war

and

and

are

mischief,which associated

with

for the

popular

heathenism, only motherly wise-women

sansk. Eopp'sgloss,

21^.

337

INCARNATION.

DWELLINGS.

through field or air. More there take placejourneysof and not at regularintervals, rarely, gods throughthe world,singlyor in twos or threes,to inspectthe Thus noticed. and punish the crimes they have of man, race Mercury and OSinn appeared on earth,or Heimdall to found the and three orders, and Thorr visited at weddings ; OSinn, Hoenir Loki the travelled in company God legend makes ; medieval the Saviour and St. Peter, or merely Father seek a lodging, or three angels (as the Servian song does, Vuk 4, no. 3). Most frequenthowever are the solitary a^ipearanccs of gods,who, invoked in to their favoured or uninvoked, suddenly bring succour ones every time of need ; the Greek epos is quitefull of this. Athene, the warriors, warning, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite mingle with advising, covering; and just as often do jNIaryand saints from heaven appear in christian legends. The Lithuanian also Perkunos walks on earth (seeSuppl.). But when they descend,they are not always visible; you may hear the car of the god rush by, and not get sightof him bodily; like ghosts the blessed gods flitpast the human eye unnoticed,till stillgo

their

the obstructive

by

the

make

mist

be removed

hair,only by him the

and

succouringdeities his eyes, that

mist from

a')(kvvS'

ride

heroes

rounds,and

was

from no

it.

Athene

other is she

visible to Diomed, on

them

before

'

seizes Achilles II, 1, 197 ; to

seen,

she

5, 127

has

'

taken

the

:

eXov, fjirplv oc^daXfioov eTrijev, koI avSpa. ev 6(f"p'' 'yi'yvoiaKrj'iijfxep 6eov rjhe

Just a

so

white

formed

rot

cm

Biarco,in Saxo steed and

by

elsewhere In

av

the

makes

another

way bodily,concealed

Gram., p. 37, is unable

aidingthe Swedes, tillhe arm

of

a

spiritseeingwoman:

the elfin race the

peeps

visible to when

gods, even

their divine

Othin

riding throughthe ring

to spy

a

the bleared

medium eyes

they showed nature, by assuming the

of

that man.

themselves form

of

a

human

of an animal. or Poseidon acquaintance, stept into the host,disguised as escorted Priam Kalchas, II. 13,45, Hermes as a Myrmidon warrior 24, 397, and Athene the young Telemachus as

Mentor,

In

the

appeared as the chariot-driver Bruno (p.330),or as a one-eyed old man. Metamorphosesof gods into animals in Teutonic mythologytake place only for a definite momentary purpose, to which the character of the animal supplies the key ; e.g.,O'iSinn takes the shape of a snake, to slipthrou",dia same

way

Othin

22

338

CONDITION

OF

GODS.

(Sn.86),and of an eagle,to fly away in haste (86),Loki that of a fly,in order to sting(131),or to creep through compassed by such a keyhole (356); no largerdesigns are ever bored

hole lie has

flies away

Athene

So, when

means.

as

a

the

bird, it expresses

departure. But into which Zeus transformed himself,can only be the swan bvill, or explained on the suppositionthat Leda too, and lo and Europa, he

whom

The the

nature

and

woomg,

were

her

divinityof

was

of animal

form

then

Dioscuri

the

of egg-birth

thought

would

of her

suddenness

the

of

as

swan-maidens

determined

be

best

be

can

by

the

kine.

or

mythus, and this way

in

understood

(see Suppl.). it legends,

Asiatic

the

In

conceived

deityare

deeply

the

successive

incarnations,the earlier

later

that

and

ones

Teutonic

of them

the

invested an

nearlyakin gods. I

think

extended

the

avatara are

ones

salvation

mankind.

of

; and

of Vishnu's

animal, it

of

bodies

was

in

ten

the

'

'

to

seriousness

in such

incarnation

that of the heroes

that

on

all these

other

to many

the Greek.

the

with

belief

although a

series of undeniable and

of

manifestations

(seeSuppl.). The Greek truly became man mythologies steer clear of all such notions ; in both to have too sensuouslyconceived story of the gods was he

their transformations

avatara,

the

the metempsychosis prevailed,

for eligible

were

even

for

season,

a

of

the doctrine

Wherever animals

flesh for

the

in

abides

me,

purely in comparison,and nowhere and down of India. The god comes

and

in those

profoundlythan

more

to

seems

Here,

lines of

research,which

as

in the

between

have the

of

duration

is in itself

being bodilydescended

pointsas well,I

resemblances

and

from

could

so

the

be

brought forward a Teutonic mythology

relation between

the

Greek

and

questionof borrowing or choice, ably) (and that inevitallowing room affinity, nothing but unconscious for considerable divergences.But who can fail to recognise, who invalidate,the surprisingsimilarityof opinionson the or immortalityof gods,their divine food,their growing up overnight, their anger their journeyings and transformations, their epithets, at in appearingand recognition and their mirth, their suddenness and horses,their performanceof all their use of carriages parting, their language,their servants and natural functions,their illnesses,

Teutonic

languages,there

is

no

CONDITION

messengers, further

offices and

analogy

in the

OF

dwellings?

339

GODS.

To

circumstance, that

conclude,I out

of the

think names

I

a

of living

gods,as Tyr, Freyr, Baldr, Bragi,Zeus, grew up the common close they bordered tyr, frauja,baldor, bragi, deus, or them

see

nouns

upon

(seeSuppL).

N

CHAPTEE

XT.

HEEOES.

and

God

Between

there

man

is

a

step

on

whicli

the

leads

one

to Being brought nearer strengthglorified.The older the epos, thingsof earth, and human the younger does it requiregods visible in the flesh ; even the more divine a heroes, in whom do without spark still burns, or cannot

into the other, where

who

Heroism and

partakereof

be

to

come

is

hero

a

immortal

deeds,and

of ranks

the

anything

but battle

fighting againstevil achieves honours. As in the gradation

divine

and

God

king and

the

between

stands

between

consist in

to

that in

man

attains

noble

hero

the

does

a

Divine

it.

made

be

not

must

victory:

the

see

we

From

man.

the

freeman,

nobles

so

forth

come

deov gods, r^pw? earlv ef uvOpwirov rt kol Koi 6eo"i, earl, iii^re avvaix^orepovearl a-vvOerov, o fxr)Tid dvOpcoTro'i predominates: 3),yet so that the human (Lucian in Dial, mortuor.

kings,from

'

ita tamen

heroes

ut

plus ab

habeat,'says Servius

liomine

Aen.

on

1, 200.

the pains,wounds, death,from which even not were exempt (p.318). gods,accordingto the view of antiquity, attains the half of deity,becomes a In the hero, man demigod, delov II. 12, 23 ; avhpwv i)pu)(Dv semideus v avSpcov, : rjfi t6 eo) yeva Jornandes Hes. "py. 159. dl KoXkoviai applies rjfjblOeoi, 7ew9, succumbs

hero

The

semidei Balder

to a

the

semidcum,

141

(supra p. 25), as

anses

in OJSr. writingswe

Cap.

to

renders

superum

arcano

meet

Saxo

semine

Gram,

pronounces

procreatum.

Otherwise

halfgoSnor halfas ;^ but N. heroesque by halhkota unde erdkota

with

hemithei

neither

'

'. (earthgods) Heroes who giants, a

human

are

distinct from

fillindeed

the gap

origin. Under

daemonic between

beings,such God

and

paganism,messengers

as

man,

of

angels,elves, but have

the

gods

not were

halfrisi are halpdurinc,halpwalah, similar, and the OHG. Hiklftroll, altwalah. to halpteni(ON. halfdan)as opposed altdurinc, 1

341

HEROES.

Jiulco-christiaii

godsthemselves ;'"the

angel is a

Eather

docmon.

througli strife and sorrow a placein heaven earns (seeSuppL). spiritual in of heroes is implied This human nature nearlyall the titles For tlie definite notion of a divine glorified hero, given to them. hcros from the Greek, though its the Latin languagehas borrowed vir (=Goth. vair ON", ver,^ AS. OHG. own wer, Lett, wihrs,Lith. wyras) in the sense of vir fortis (Tac.Germ. 3) so nearlyconies up heros. to the Sanskr. vira a means Heros, ""/p")?,which originally has been identified with rather too many mere things:hcrus, fighter, the

may

compared

be

hero

to

the christian saint,who

and dpert) virtus,so even "Hpr], 'HpaKXrj"i, "Apr]"; =

dims, OX.

ari"

ar,

nuntius, minister, might

come

that in

the Goth, too,

or

the

with the aforesaid vira look supposed digamma make a connexion of tlie held is a prolongation^ plausible.More undeniably,our Halidegastes(like simple ON", hair,AS. hajle vir : the name Leudogastes)is found so earlyas in Vopiscus; and a Goth, halips, be safelyinferred from the proper names OHG. halid,helid may Helidperaht,Helidcrim, Helidgund, Helidniu, Helidberga,'* though memorials furnish an it is only from the 12th century that our often actual hdit pi.helide ; the IMHG. helet,belt,pi.helde,occurs enough. Of the AS. hxled' I remark that it makes its pi. both Beow. hffileSas and heeleS {e.g., 103), the latter archaic like the Goth. men6}?s, whence we may infer that the Gothic also had a pi. and ]iaH];s, by a MHG.

OHG.

a

pi.helid

pi. held,Wh.

helidos,helithos

; in

well

as

as

44, 20.

helida,and this is confirmed OS.

In

I find

only

the

Heliand, helithcunni,helithocunni

the

pi.

mean

The ON. i\LDut. has helet pi. helde. simply genus humanum. Sn. 171) implies an older lioldr pi. holdar (Spem.114^ 115^ Goth. men6|?s) manuSr holuSr (like nothing ; it appears to mean in the firstpassage to be but miles, vir,and holdborit (hold-born) sometliinglower than hersborit,the holdar being free peasants, Dan. buendr. The Kelt, Swed. hjclte(OSwed. halad) show an anomalous t instead of d, and are perhaps to be traced to the =

At most, we servant ; but he

might

1

-

With

187) in 3

so

seems

tliis we far

as

earlv

MB. Helidiberga,

a

doubt

some

about

brightangel than

have

identifyeven

to

and

SIcirnir, Frey'smessenger a

hero. the

veorr

used

of Thorr

(p.

it stoxl for viorr.

Fortbildung In

more

shoukl

:

of the prolongations *

feel

thus

staff,stack,stall,stem, stare, "c.

root sta."

docs, the 28^ 33.

town

may

be

called

Trans. of

Heldburg

in

Tliuringiais already

called

342

HEROES.

German hair

rather in

and

the halijjs

from

transition

avoided

this

far from

vir

definingof

the

several

are

others

generalthat

herti,heard

N. ps. 9, 1 means line of heroes

hartungain Gothic

Haddingjar,and to one

as

the

be

to

which

to be

not

was

considered.

Notker,

in

Cap. 141 with : heroes, hcrtingasuggests the AS.

it be

it ; and

by

meant

are

from

derivation

130, whether

25.

Elene heardingas,

we

celo to conceal.

chit,hertingaaide chueniga'. This

taz

a

preferto see both in haljan occulere,defendere,tueri,the the and miles is easilymade ; even

principalterm,

here, there

If

avoids heleda,supplies us singularly

who

in

form.

ON. verb

to

tutor

Lat. celer is not Beside

the

than

'

particularline,or heroes

a

might put

we

with

up

the

as (hard),viri duri, fortes,exercitati, exercitatio. But as we actually find Azdingi,Astingi,and also an ON. of

Goth,

another, there is

zd, ON.

rt correspond

said for the Gothic

to be

more

rd, OHG.

dd, AS.

word

of transmission,and the forms having dropt an h in the course haddingr,bearding,hartinc being all one word.^ Now, if hazdiggs, find in the ON. haddr means a lock of hair (conf. may p. 309),we "c. a meaning suitable enough for a freeman haddingr,hazdiggs, cincinnatus capillatus, hero,that of crinitus,

and

meaning

that the

remarkable

tenth century.

No

to

is the other

us

it would

be

in the be stillsurviving

heros should

less valuable

; and

chucnig, always

term

chuning rex, as N. rather to be chuonig,derived either from spellsit ; it seems from its still fizus callidus), from or chuoni audax, fortis (asfizusig with terms Other a meaning immediately unexplained root.^ OHG. degan (miles,minister); bordering on that of hero are: AS. cempa, ON. kappi ; chempho (pugil), wigant (pugil) ; chamfio, with hatr odium, helium ; the ON. perhaps conn, hetja(bellator), which

connected

hardly be

can

with =

slmti,better

and

slia"i,AS.

sceaSa, scaSa, properlynocivus, then

ancient times,into that of heros ; scather heri

^

of the land,

was

a

even

polypt.Irminon

170^ has

in

borne

name

also Goth, harjis, (exercitus),

The

this

passing from

latro, and prEedator,

meant

a

proper

in meaning, honourable the Mid. Ages,Landscado, by noble families. That miles,is shown by OHG.

Ardingus standing

name

Hardingvis. Graff 4, 447 placeschuoni, as well as chunmc devouring root chan ; but as kruoni, AS. grene AS. growan, so may chuoni,AS. cene, from a lost vigere ? 2

.

and

chunni,

comes viridis, chuoan, AS.

j

under

from cowan

,,

the

for ,,

all-

kruoan, ? pollere

343

HEROES.

Grafif 4, 983, glosses,

and

by

The

einheri.

heri; conf. ch. XXV,

with

of individual

names

OHG.

a

wrekio, into that of of what

meaning have

we

words

for

to the

notion

OHG.

gotno

In Diut.

has the

is

rechr

ON. reclce,

man

a

far fighting

hero

simply can

keep (vir)and as

even

for

our

inann

AS.

home,

is the

reason

er

fra goSom

far

of

in

and

is,that

does now,

the

the LIHG.

other

many

(homo)

man

as

OS.

wrecca,

general.^ Similar developments

I

race

can

of

is descended

see,

words

;

the

very simplest adapted themselves the ON.

so

of this exaltation

Always in the first instance,as a god and kinship between epigoniof the gods,their line

of exsul,

sense

served to express the (homo),ON. gu7}ii 2, 314^, heros is glossedby gomo, and gumnar force as skatnar (seeSuppl.). same

Now, what

guma

the

from

shown

be hold

firm

a

in

hero

doubtless

to

of hero ;

a

hrecchio, ?tTc'cc7ao,

of the

peculiarway grown out profugus,advena, which predominates in in

reecho, had also

compounded

men

idea of lieros. in the Edda

of human a

man.

from

hah; the

relation of The the

?

nature

bodily

heroes

gods :

are

settir

komo, Sa;m. 114^

of ];)roofs mythology affords an abundance ; it is by virtue of all heroes being directly or indirectly produced by gods and goddessesin conjunctionwith man, that the oldest kingly families connect themselves with heaven. But evidentlymost of tliese mixed births proceed from Zeus, who places himself at the head of gods and men, and to whom all the glories of ancestors are traced. called Thus, by Leda he had Castor and Pollux,who were after him Dios-curi,Hercules by Alcmena, Perseus by Danae, Epaphusby lo,Pelasgusby Niobe, Minos and Sarpedon by Europa; other heroes touch him only through their forefathers : Agamemnon the son of Atreus,he of Pelops, he of Tantalus,and he of Zeus ; was Ajax was sprung from Telamon, he from Aeacus, he from Zeus and to proceedfrom Ares, Aegina. Next to Zeus, the most heroes seem Hermes and Poseidon : Meleager,Diomedes and Cycnus were sons of Ares, Autolycus and Cephalus of Hermes, while Theseus was a of Aegeus, and Nestor of Neleus, but both Aegeus and Neleus son Greek

^

Some

Slavic

expressionsfor hero are woi-tliyof notice : Kuss. vUiar., vitez; Russ. boghatyr,Pol. bohater,Boh. bohatyr, not either witli conn, the Pers. behddir, bogh deus, or boghat dives,but the same Turk, as bahadyr, Mongol, baghdtor, Hung, bdtor,Manju butura, and derivable from h\(dra lively, zeitschr. 4, 531 [Mongol,bayhd is force, aiid merry ; Schott in Erman's fiia, -tor,-tur an adj.sullix]. Serv.

344

HEROES.

children

Poseidon's

were

of Peleus

son

and

Aethra

by

for the

Acliilles

Tyro.

of Anchises

Thetis,Aeneas

as a standard examples serve legend(seeSuppl.).

and

and

conditions

Venus.^

of

our

Tacitus, followingancient lays,placesat the head its prime the

progenitorTuisco,who

author

Gaia and

the word

from

meaning

of the fuller

out

either

may

mean

being Tiv, whom Tiv

and

Tvisco whom but of

Tivisco then

the

lap

tiv,in which

be

to

the

is in

sense

myth

wdiile another

race

our

editum

Tuisco

god,as

a

'.

as

Now,

is to say,

as

sky

derivable

seems

found

of

station

makes

as

our

Donar

son

in

directly,

not

Zio is made

or

him

upon

a

son

the best part

Donar

Zeus.

Zeus,

name

Uranos

Tiv

takes

assignedto

Wuotan,

but

Uranos,

proceed from

much

of the office that the Greeks

well

of

Pontes, that

earth,so

w^e

and

through Kronos, pretty

of Earth

heroic

own

hero,but himself terra

and

These

(pp. 193-4) tlie primary sky ; and Tuisco, i.e., Tvisco, could easilyspring form Tivisco [asTuesday from Tiwesda^g]. Tvisco the actual offspring of another divine or coelestis, afterwards find appearing among the gods : we certain degree are to a and signifyone thing.

Greek

Wuotan,

of

a

denm

'

birth to Uranos

from

sprang

sea

him

expresslynames

of herself gave

is not

the

was

too

was

son

brought forth the great Hes. theog.129 Goth, fairgunja mountain-ranges(ovpea/xaKpd, and Donar and fairguneis himself was called mountain mikila), (pp. 169. 172),so that ovpav6"; w^ith ovpo"i 6po"i sky stands connected mountain, the idea of deus with that of ans (pp.25. 188). Gaia, round Tellus,Terra come againin our goddessesFiorgyn,lorS and Kindr of gods and goddesseshere cross one (p.251) ; so the names as

as

even

as

Gaia

=

another, but

in

a

similar direction.

This earth-born sound

Tvisco's

son

was

3Tannus, and

no

could

name

Teutonic,thougliNorse

once

resided in the

mythology has as littleto say (ON. Tyski ?). No doubt a deeper meaning word ; by the addition of the suffix -isk,as in

Tiv

Tivisco, there

arose

more

of him

as

of Tvisco

In the Eoman Silvia with Mars, and ^

out

of

legend,Eomulus through Aniulius later apotheosis of

mann

and

a

Eemiis witli Venus

mannisko

were

homo, the

connected

The

Eomulus

tlirongh

taken the omperors differs from the genuine from canonization does as primitive sainthood ; yet even the god in Augustus, being deified,passedin legend for a son of Apollo,whom the shapeof a dragon had by Atia ; Sueton. Octav. 91.

up to heaven. heroic,almost

;

and

=

was

345

iNGuio.

and

be

may

(liketiv

derived,have

the

tivisko)the

and

Sanskr.

the

side of

the

by

set

in

filtered down

to have

seem

and

whole

to the latter end

even

father of all

god,and

the

of

this forefather

of

Traditions

Teutonic

race

of the Mid.

Ages

in (Ettm.p. 112),the same read : we mythicalking Wippo is spoken of (seep. ;^00),

a

Mcnnor dem

der erste

diutische rede

the

not

Tacitus

same

(seeSuppl.).

(orby or

by the patriarchal progenitors.

nations

furnished

Eomans

threefold division

Iscaevones

Ingo,Isco,Hermino,

all the

of

Herminones^

and

is based

of whom

each

From

be

the three

from

so

descended

are

race.

may

though

name,

the

three,

the

of

names

those of their

inferred

Iscio. Irmino.

1. Inguio. The

the

of

branches

main

seven

Mannus,

of Mannus

sons five)

accounts

some

and

of Tvisco

come

language God

direct,as the proper

from

all Teutons

As

five

taken

named

was

known.

made

This is not

man

Dutch

whom

to

got tet

bekant.

similar,is

the first

Mennor

genant,

was

:

which

Frauenlob

of meister

poem

the

into

Germani on

the

admits

Ingaevones,

of three

names

being fixed

of

heroes, yet

on

authority.

surer

or Ingo,Tnrjuiohas kept his placelongestin T7ifj,

of the Saxon

and

tribes.

Scandinavian

spellInc, in AS. Lig,and in the Lay of Euncs : Ing

arrest

mid

secgum,

ofer wfieg

legend seems

wan

firstdwelt he went

then 1

Pro.ximi Cajdm. sigan.

the East

eastward

oceano

tur, Tac. Germ. ^

with

over

east

nemdon.

(conf.Beow.

Danes

the sca,^his wain

medii Ingaevones,

ring

aefter ran.

J?usHeardingas];onehrole Ing

still to

Eastdenum

oc5 he siSSan

gewat.

the

memory in alphabets OHG.

Eunic

echo of his

an

wyes

gesewen

wa'g

import,and manushya.

same

Manus

of the

]\Iannus liowever is the first hero,son men.

forms, tlie simple

both

self-conscious being (see p. 59) ; tliinking

ran

779. 1225. after.

Herniinones,ceteri

The

Istaevones

1650), wain

vocan-

2.

88, 8 says of the

raven

let out

of Noah's

ark

:

gewat ol'erwonue

345 is

HEROES.

distinctive mark

a

of ancient

being speciallyput

its

appears

voyage,

to

forward

indicate

also of heroes and

gods,but here

in connexion

feature

some

of

the

kings;

with

legend

sea-

a

that

is

(see Suppl.). Ing's residence in the east is in harmony with a pedigreeof the Ynglingsgiven in the strikingly Islendingabok(Isl.sog. 1, 19). Here at the head of all stands Yngvi Tyrkja konungr,'immediately succeeded by divine beings, NiorSr, Freyr,Fiolnir (a byname of OSinn), Svegdir,"c. In the called Tyrkja konungr (Sn. ^68) from his OSinn was same way residingat Byzantium (p.163 note).^ The Ynglinga saga on the other hand come Freyr, begins the line with NiorSr, after whom have the wain would Fiolnir and the rest; but of Freyr,whom suited exactly,it is stated that he had another name Yngvi or Yngvifreyr(p.211-2),and the whole race of Ynglingarwere named be more after him.^ exact, as is Ingingar or Ingvingar would and confirmed and AS. spelling, shown by a host of by the OHG. compounded with Ing or Ingo : Inguiomerus very ancient names (Ingimarus, Ingumar, or with asp. Hincmarus),Inguram,Ingimund, "c. Even writes Ingo,Ingimarus. Saxo Gram, Ingiburc,Inginolt, it may be formed from As for Ynglingar,standingfor Inglingar, the prolongationIngilin Ingelwin,Ingelram,Ingelbergaand the with confusion of the word Norse Ingellus,unless it is a mere AS. geongling,from the root ynglingr juvenis,OHG. jungilinc, has no business here at all (?). The main ung, June,geong, which pointis,that the first genealogy puts Ingvi before NiorSr, so that him while the other version makes he would be Frey'sgrandfather, with in Freyr,and even fuses his name be born again as it were frea Frey's,of which there lurks a trace likewise in the AS. Ingwina' (p. 211). This Ingwina ajjpears to be the gen. pi. of dominus Ingwinorum need not Ingwine, OHG. Inguwini,and refer to the god,any hero might be so called. But with necessarily unknown

to

us

'

"

"

*

'

*

perfectrightmay

Ingvi,Inguio be

an

the

of patriarch

a

race

that

Turkland, Saxo only as far as Byzantium. Trans. the ON. genealogieshave Yngvi, NiorSr, Freyr, the Old Swedish have tables in Geijer (hafder""118. 121. 475) give Inge,Neorch, Fro; some it of was Neorth. for Neorch, both Neoroch by Now, being corruptions (transposed Ingvifrerjr running Ingvi and Freyr into one, that the combination additional to make an he cut in two into AS. frea Ingwina) arose, or was OSin's link 1 The Skaldskaparmal in Sn. 211=^ calls Yngvifreyr son, and from 1

Snorri

sends him

to

"

^As

the enumeration of the twelve or that Yngvifreyrwas regardedas

thirteen Ases to equivalent

in Sn. the

21 !*"it cannot

simpleFreyr,

be doubted

INGUIO.

bears

the

of

name

347

HARTUNG.

Ingvingar

Ynglingar.

"="

And

then, what

the

genealogyis unable to carry farther up than to Ingvi,Tacitus kindlycompletes for us, by informingus that Inguio is the son of of two Mannus, and he of Tvisco; and his Ingacvonesare one either the OHG. or pi.Inguion (from sing.Inguio), things, Ingwini after the AS. Ingwine. Thus pieced out, the line of gods and heroes would run : Nerthus, Fravio Tvisco,Mannus, Ingvio, (or whatever shape the of a Roman). The Gothic Frauja would have taken in the mouth Norse

earth-born links

in Nerthus

before

NiorSr,now

the

god

hero, as

or

after ; and

east, and

to the

away

repeatsherself after three intermediate

Tvisco's mother

NiorSr

and

his

stands

Ingui

Vanir, who

those

to whom

Norse

a

have

been

and

Mannus

Tvisco

appears

moved held

Freyr were

son

mainly to belong(pp.218-9),would have a claim to count with the Ingaevones,although this and the same race with

now

to vindicate

as

one

tion associa-

their Teutonic

character. bonds

these

But

informed

us, that

received it from and

men

themselves

draw

that

bore

lug

them.

This

as generally,

on

the

among

Heardingas

saw

we

name

p.

either

must

342, or

a

AS.

lay had Hcardings,

yet tighter.The mean

-heroes

particular people. as king of the

Heldenbuch in our Hartiing is still remembered Hartnit Eeussen or probably as (Rus, Russians),the same is one of the AYolfing Eeussen Hertnit von ; in the Alphart he and his father Immune Hartunc heroes.^ (Rudlieb 17, 8) remain situated east of The Heardingas appear to be a nation dark to us. whom and Swedes, among the Danes Ing is said to have lived for this his sojourn is helped out both a time by the Turkish ; and '

'

'

'

kinfj YnG;ui and

the

Russian

Hartung.

Hartunc, Hearding, would

It has

correspond the

been

ON.

shown

that to

Haddingr.

form

beginning with OSinn 0'5inn being than three generations, arrives at FroSi in no more FroSi ; the series given in Saxo followed by Skioldr,FriSleifr, Gram, stands thus : Humbl, Dan, Lother, Skiold, Gram, Hading, But Frotho. Hading stands for Hadding, as is clear from the of duo Haddingi in Saxo p. 93, who are the Haddingjar spelling whereas

Now,

the

Danish

mentioned

1

Hemit

284).

=

heroes

'

'

often

line of

in the

Haixling

Edda; in the

it is said of

Swedish

him,

p. 12

tale of Dietrich

'

:

orientalium

(Iduna 10,

253-4.

348

HEROES.

debellato,Suetiam

robore

Eutheni in

; but

the mouth

which

is most

remarkable

this Danish

king

what of Edda

orientals

reversus,'which

is,that Saxo

and

his wife

again

are

p. 17-8 puts

Eegnilda a song (Sn.27-8).^ We

by Nior"r and Skaffi a accordinglytake Haddiug to be identical with NiorSr, i.e., may is further confirmed second birth of that god,which by FriSleifr have alreadyidentified with the simple Frea, we (= Frealaf,whom of line,exactlyas Freyr is a son p. 219) appearing in the same NiorSr, and Saxo Hadding offered a p. 16, that says expressly, of Freyr. Whether in Fro"i (OHG. Froblot, a sacrifice in honour in the

Fruoto, MHG.

is sung

Fruote),the

hero

Danish

of the

story,who

makes

ful, praisedas peacefuland blissto look for Freyr over are we again,is another question. In the god-hero of Tacitus then there lingers, stillrecognisable, Norse a god ; and the links I have produced must, if I mistake will not not, set the final seal on the reading Nerthus '. If we which admit the goddess into the ranks of a race alreadyhas a Terra mater standingat its very head, it is at all events no great

himself

three,and

into

whose

rule is

'

that

stretch to suppose

aod

or

hero who

There do

are

olden

flicker.

Formali

The

ourselves

Nay,

with

could

almost in

one

ffittmonnum'

him

her

name

succeeding links in

the

these Norse

of

myths

this

Yngvi, and puts

done

of the

one

subject,lightsthat time, but cannot lightit up,

with

see

formed

more

transferred

certain nations

the

of at

skim

Edda,

the head

deep

p.

of the

of

darkness

often die away

and

race.

probablyhave

which

tlie

to the

in

a

to our

dubious of

15, calls OGinn

father

Ynglingar:

again we

once

Tvisco. or identifyOSinn with Mannus interlacingand interchangeof members, we

entitled to

all this bear to

see

OSinn

manuscript.

But

in Fornald.

sog.

made the

2,

12

the

as

same

narrative carries

'

us

NiorSr, which

fra Fornioti

ok

is

bans

fartlier: at the top

Tyrkland,followed by Burr, Offinn, Freyr, Niorffr,Freyr, Fiolnir ; here tlien is a double Freyr,the had before ; first one the Yngvifreyrwe taking Yngvi's place,i.e., of his names but also a manifold O"inn, Fiolnir being one (Siiem. and i/iwr,names IQa 46^ 184*. Sn. 3). Burri closelyrelated to stands Burri, like

1

So Wh.

Muller

the

king

of

(Haupt's zeitschr. 3, 48-9) has justlypointedout,

that

visible (Sn. feet alone were of the muflied bridegroom,whose curiosiore attrectamariti libertas Saxo's with eligendi corporum 82),agrees SkaOi and that the flesh has healed over. here to find a\'ing SkaSi's choice

'

tione,'''but

fall into Eagnhild necessarily

one.

PORO.

INGUIO.

as

and

Burri

Sn. 7. 8

Folkvaldr,and

and

each other like Folkvaldi

forefathers of the three

as

of the rocks

licked out

first

is that

162). Now, Buri

by

or

man

and

Ikt

another

Borr

cited

OGinn, Vili,Ve

brothers

by (seep.

human

hence

the cow,

given in

the Buri

be

clearlyto

Uors, seem

349

ISCIO.

the

being,who was eristporo (erst-born),

Parv, Goth. might be OHG. from choose to adopt,anyhow it comes form we Barns or whatever tale,to denote bairan,a root evidentlywell chosen in a genealogical think of Byr too, Yet we first-created men.^ tlie first-born, may not Buri, Borr, O"inn the wish-wind (seeOskaljyrr, p. 144). Must be parallel, though under other names, to Tvisco,Mannus, Inguio ? Inguio has two brothers at his side,Iscio and Hermino, as OSinn should then see the reason has A^ili and Ve ; we wdiy the names an

Poro, Goth. Baura

OHG.

Tyski and

MaSr^

and

is

Tvisco intelligible. stone

; when

of

demigods may there

appear

emerges

from

other

Buri

and

become things would Buri is produced out of

heading the Ynglingar as find

may

Bon-

in that

a

confirmation

well

as

of the

Cheruscans,preeminentlyworshippers

Ingaevones. These gods and to be all running into one another,but always them the real supreme divinity, among

the

Wodan, formed

Edda, because

editus,'and

terra

Inguio the Ingaevones,we hypothesisthat Saxons and

the

several

OCinn

see

we

'

Borr

from

absent

are

their substitutes ;

are

;

flower

of the

AYuotan.

I go

expoundingTacitus.

on

conjecturethat Inguio'sor Isco,and Iscio, laid

on

the

not

Ingo'sbrother

Istio,Isto.

fact that

Everythingconfirms

sundry

is not

There ]\ISS.

must

even

of

so

have much

Tacitus

me

been

in the named

weight to be actuallyread

narrowly,whether the st be everywhere a matter of certainty in Pliny'sIstaevones ; and not that need even compel us to give up our sc ; Iscaevo was perhapsliable to be corruptedby the llomans themselves into Istaevo, Vistula creptin by the side of the truer Viscula (Weichscl).r"ut as what seem irrefragable proofs are the Bscio and Hisicion^ of Iscaevones

:

we

ought

to

examine

more

1 So Barn the second,and lotS in the ra.^siiial 10o% Burr is called the first, (conf.AS. eadcn) the tliird child of Fu5ir and Mouir. '^ ON. for man : sing. niaSr, nuinnis,nianni, niann ; pi. mcnn, nuunui, mbnnum, nienn. =" In Nennius and Sanniarte (]'p. 39. 40) have adopted the " 17, Stevenson

very

worst

reading Huilio.

350

HEEOES.

Nennius, in and

the

a

tradition of the Mid.

Isiocon^

in

If this will not

Mannisco

we

Gaelic poem

a

serve,

have

been

agree

with

givingthe

these two.

adoptedfrom Tacitus,

not

of the 11th

let internal

spellingwhich likewise occurs, Isco,as the explanation. Now would

Ages

evidence

in Tuisco

speak :

suffix -isc its due, and

is

and

Tuisto,a

proof against all attempt

third

For

century (seeSuppl.).

in the

name

Tvisco

and

at

genealogy,

same

Mannus

the

Norse

preservedin Ingvi; ought not his brother Iscio to be discoverable too ? I fancy I am his track in the Eddie Ashr, a name that is given to the on first-created man ash-tree. an again (Seem.3. Sn. 10),and means It seems this ash (let across strange enough,that we also come it of the tree or not) understand the Eunic interpretation among side by side with inc,ziu, er,'all heroes and gods ; and names, for the earth is Bskja,Sn. 220^. the ON. names And even among the vowel-changein the two forms of name, Iscio and Askr, holds equallygood of the suffix -isk,-ask. Here let me give vent to a daringfancy. In our languagethe relation of lineal descent is mainly expressed by two suffixes, and ISK. the offspring of man, and ING a son Manning means

legendsubstitutes

two

other names,

but

Inguio it

has

'

mannisko ancestors

almost

the

borrowed

were

I

same.

from

do

the

not

say

that

the

grammaticalform,

two

divine

stillless that

in the heroes' names. I leave the grammaticalform originated vital connexion of the two thingsunexplained, I simply indicate it. But if the Ingaevones living proximi oceano Saxon were races, which to this day are addicted to deriving with -ing, it may be remarked that Asciburg, of the Iscaevones who dwelt a sacred seat Of Askr, and the relation proximi Eheno,' stood on the Ehine.^ the

'

'

'

of

the

to

name

it remains

the tree, I shall treat in ch. XIX

;

of

vones the Iscae-

a added, that the Anglo-Saxons also knew hero Ocsc,and consequentlyOescingas. Zeuss, p. 73, gives the preferenceto the reading Istaevones,

to

be

connectingthem with the Astingi, Azdingi,whom I (p.342) took for Hazdingi,and identified with the ON. Haddingjar,AS. Heardingas, OHG. Izdaevones would Hertinga. The hypothesisof Istaevones AS. rd, OHG. rt, should in the time of requirethat the Goth, zd =

=

1 ^

name

by Leo in the zeitschr. f. d. alt. 2, 534. fort), Conf. Askitun (Ascha near Amberg), Askiprunno (Esclibornnear FrankAskipah (Eschbach, Eschenbach) in various parts ; Ascarih,a man's (seeSuppl.).

Pointed

out

351

IKMINO.

ISCIO.

the Ehine Germans even prevailed among ; I have never Artinga,Ertinga,nor of an ON. Addingar, yet heard of an OHG. ingeniousanyhow and Eddingar, According to this conjecture, worth examining further,the ancestral hero would be called Istio= Tacitus have

Erfo, ON.

Izdio,Izdvio, OHG. edda

term

founder of to both

a

The

race.

with

which

form agree, its Gothic would in itself an seem

proavia would

Izdo, Izdio proavus

erta.

Mdi,

fluctuation between

i and

Iscaevones interpretations,

apt '

for the

name

would and

Askinga

=

celebrated

being izd6,OHG.

a '

'

the

be

common

Istaevones

=

Artinga'. The

third

son

will occupy

of Mannus

us

longerthan

even

his

completesthe cycleof the three main posterity Herminones. The order of Germany : Ingaevones, Iscaevoncs, races in which they stand seems immaterial,in Tacitus it merely follows their geographical them to common position ; the initial vowel leads us to suppose of the ancestral alliterativejuxtaposition an The to heroes in German aspirategiven by the Eomans songs. no Herminones, as to Hermunduri, is strictly part of the German word, but is also very commonly retained by Latin writers of the Mid. Ages in proper names compounded with Irmin. In the name brothers.

Ermine's

of the historical Arminius

with

As the

Inguio and

otherwise

leaves it out.

Tacitus

Iscio,we

demonstrable

weak

the

assignto

must

form

hero's

name

Ermino, Goth.

Irmino}

supportedby the derivative Herminones, and even by the corruptions Hisicion,Armenon, Negno in Nennius (see Suppl.). Possibly the strong-formedIrman, Irmin, Armin may t But what far be root. more a separate occurs even frequentlyhan the simple word, is a host of compounds with irman-,irmin-,not and abstract : only proper names, but other expressionsconcrete OHG. Goth. Ermanaricus Irmanrih,AS. Eormenric, (Airmanareiks), Airmana

:

it is

'

*

ON. name

lormunrekr, where Hermundurus

;

the

OHG.

u

agrees

with

that

in

the national

Irmandegan,Irmandeo, Irmanperaht,

Irmanfrit, Irminolt,Irmandrut, Irmangart,Irmansuint,"c.

tion Atten-

of certain animals and plants: the by the names ON. a bull,the AS. lormungandr is a snake, and lormunrekr I also is said to be a mallow, which Eormenwyrt and Eormenleaf is claimed

1 Pertz 1. 200. 300. 2, 290. 463. Great's time is known well enough with in deeds.

481 now

;

the abbas

; and

a

Irmino

female

name

of

Charles

larmin

the

is met

Zo2

HEROES,

geormenwyrt, geormenleaf. Authorities for irmangot, irmandiot, OS. irminthiod,irminman, irmansul,"c.,"c.,have been find written

villa

given above, p. 118. A is named scaras sexaginta) silva

p. 32.

have

reference like

some

which

we

Irminlo,Lacombl.

deed

of

855, Bondam's

silva

charterbook,

1, 31.

those last named, irman seems compounds, especially but without distinct a general intensifying power, any hero (conf.Woeste, mittheil. p. 44) ; it is to a god or other words, especially got and diot, regin and megin, If it did contain find used in exactly the same way.

reference,Eormenleaf

such

a

(in ilia

these

In to

in

wood

Irmenlo, i.e., a

folme, Wuotanes

w^ould be

Gotadeo, Irmanrih

then

Irmandeo

wee.

Diotrih

Eormenes

and

leaf,like Torneotes

is much

the

same

as

the great irmangot means god, irmandiot the great people,iormungrund the great wide earth, than the great pillar, cannot the very sense mean more so irmansul caught by Eudolf in his translation universalis columna (p.117). This is all very true, but there is nothingto prevent Irmino or Irmin having had a personalreference in previouscenturies : have Zeus and Tyr,the common not noun we seen, side by side with If Siieteresdeeg deus and the prefixty-,tir- (p.195-6)? conf. p. 339. has got rubbed down to Saturday, Saterdach (p. 125),so may Eritac to Eormenes leaf, point to a former Erestac (p. 202), Eormenleaf Irmansul

Irmanessul

to

Donnersbiiliel Frankfurt

as

;

;

we

as

also

with

met

(p. 170), Woenlet

Woenslet, and

for

for

Donnerbiihel we

say

Erankenfurt

for

[Oxford for Oxenaford, "c.]. The more of the name the sense faded out, the more readilydid the genitive form the Goth. literal, drop away ; the OHG. godes hiis is more more abstract, gu];lius yet both are used, as the OS. regano giscapu and metodo regangiscapu, giscapu and metodgiscapu held their it suggests ground simultaneously.As for geormen eormen, Germanus (Gramm. 1, 11). =

It is true, Tacitus

Herminones war

;

yet his

famous

'

the

German

songs

expressedword that

about for word

worshipped it

that

lies latent

the

in

his

waged canitur adhuc barbaras applied apud gentes,' Varus, might easily arise through simply

apart from

destroyerof such misinterpreting

to

keeps the Hermino Arminius

accounts

the no

it must

with

more

have

reached

as

mythical

whom

hero.

than

been

'

the Granted

Homans

Eonian that

ear

of

irmansul

huge pillar,' yet to the people divine a image,standingfor

particular god.

a

one

of two

:

ways

either he

Thenar, Tin, or

Wodan,

here

But

quoted

p. Ill

on

this was, of the

one

was

three great divinities,

Widukind, himself

from

only choose

can

we

beingdistinct from them. all things, ponder the passage partly

some

nuist, above

we

who

discover

To

-353

IRMIN.

IRMIKO,

Saxon; it says, a suggestedMars, his a

worshipped,whose name god was set up the sun Hercules,and the place where he was pillar-statue or Apollo. After that,he continues : Ex hoc apparet,aestimationem illorum utcumcpie probabilem, qui Saxones originemduxisse vel Hermes dicitur, putant de Graecis,quia Hirmin graece Mars vel ad vituperationem quo vocabulo ad laudem usque hodie etiam that the god to whom this it follows, ignorantesutimur '. From sacrificed after their victory the Saxons the Thuringianswas over lieatlien

'

called

Hirmin, Irmin, and

in the lOth

century the

praise or blame to very characters.^ Apollo is brought in by in

affixed

built ad

was

called

that

up

meant, tlian of

this

The

orientalem

way

(Widuk. 1, that Wodan

desperate

Hercules, because

his

have

must

had

set up

been

pillarto

a

in their

Hirmin, Hermes

case

pillar been form

was

own

and

Widukind

their Irmin

on

or

Hirmines

the banks

would

sill.

of the

home. Mars sees

put togetherseems

are

in

it

a

confirmation

a

of the

from Alexander's being sprung army to We remember, first, Sachsensp.3, 45). ought translated Mars instead of Mercurius occasionally

the 2.

Irmines,Irmctnes

Saxons

of the (pp. 121. 133), and had all the appearance how easilyIrmin given him (p.133); then further,

this

the altar

"

perfectmuddle, though story about

very the monk, because

or

the native

Unstrut, as they did The

still

was

god ; no other idol can have the irminsul (pp.115 precisely 118),and the true

name

Saxons

of

portam, and

eminent

name

lead to

Hermes, and Ares

to

Mars,

Eoman

Mars

Hirmin

or

in

for the Irminsul

the Corvei Eres-burg (p.IIG). What annalist kept distinct (p. Ill),the two images of Ares and of has the But which Hermes, are confounded now, by Widukind. better claim to be Irmin, jl/a?'sor Mcreurijt On p. 197 I have pronounced rather in favour of Mars, as Mlillenholf too (Ilaupt7, be inclined to see 384) identifies Irmin with Ziu ; one might even

itself is connected

with

Much in Lower is a regulardevil, as we or : he say now irmin- likewise intensifies in a good or (p.182). The preti.x irniinthiob there may have been an inningod,inuinthiod,' '. regiutliiob 23

Saxony

^

'

bad * =

sense

hamer ;

like

meginthiob,

35'J:

HKROES.

in it the

and

of the

name

to dissect

by the

war-god brought into

Irman, Erman

forms

on

p. 202,

'

Eru, Heru,'

Ir-man, Er-man, though,to judge

Ermun,

Irmin, Eormen,

out

lormun, this is far from

pound being derivative indeed, yet simple,not comnever find, in place of Ertag,dies Martis, any such ; we form as Ermintac, Irminestac. On behalf of Mercury there would Irmansul of the name similarity yet striking speak the accidental,^ Hirmensul and to 'Epjxriq or prop, stake,pole,pillar(p. ep/za = and that it Hermes's was precisely image or head that used 118), that the Mid. Ages such to be set furtlier, up on ep/j^ara, and the to Mercury (p. 116). In Hirmin referred tlie irmen-pillars Saxons imaged as a tvarrior. appear to have worshippeda Wodan have Wodan If this view be well grounded,we wedging himself Irmin into the ancient line of heroes ; but the questionis,whether of the god,whether is not to be regardedas a second birth or son from this ancestral hero Irmino is not to be distinguished an even ? So from thiod, in Tacitus is from Arminius god Irmin, as Hermino Thiodo, Ilegino. It would be harder regin,were formed the names to show Ing and Ingo,Isc and Isco ; but I any such relation between will decide this point: which think I can suggestanother principle

the probable,

wlien

word

themselves

name

races

after

a

famous

ancestor, this may

be

a

purelydivine being. There are YnglinIngaevones, Iscaevones,Herminones, Oescingas, Scilfingas, there were as Niflungar,Volsungar,Skioldungar, gar (forIngingar), Heracleidae and Pelopidae,but no Wodeningas or Thunoringas, The Anglo-Saxons,with though a Wodening and a Kronides. Woden always appearingat their head, would surelyhave borne of Wodeningas, had it been the name customary to take name from the god, but from Nations do descend the god himself. demigod,but

deified man,

a

through the

medium

of

a

never

a

demigod,and

after him

they

selves. them-

name

highestgod would have been impious arrogance, and alien to human feeling. chief seat of a As Lower Westphalia,was Saxony, especially account the Irmin-worship, we put by the side of Widukind's may A

of Hirmin

national

a

few

name

other

taken

traces

from

the

of his name,

which

is not

even

yet

1 To the he Greek aspiratecorrespondsa Teutonic S, not H : o, 17 sa, so ; fVra sibun ; aXs salt. [Thereare exceptions: q, t], ol he,her,hig ; oXoy whole, hela ; e'Acohaul,holen]. A patronymic suffix is not necessary : the Gautos, Gevissi, Suapa take from Gauts,Gevis,Snap, divine heroes. name -

355

IRMIN.

StroJtmann extinct in that part of Germany, entirely he ment, the tbllowingphrases in Osnabriick : down (he thinks our Lord is called H., i.e.is never gott heet Herm '

use

herre gott

heet nich

Hcria,

he heet

leve herre,un

has

herrc

use

weet

noted

angry); wal

to-

unconcealed te-gripen(knows how to fall on) '. Here there seems a slightlonging for the mild rule of the old heathen god, in In contrast to the strictly judging and punishing christian God. in the districts of Paderborn, KavensSaxon Hesse (on the Dieniel), and the duchy of berg and Munster, in the bishopricof Minden Westphalia/ the peoplehave kept alive the rhyme :

Hcrmen, sla dermen, sla

sla trummen, pijjen,

de kaiser wil kummen met

hamer

wil Hcrmen

stangen,^ uphangen.

un

it were, to strike up his war-music, to as challenged, sound the catgut, j)ipeand drum nigh with ; but the foe draws and staves, and will hang up Hermen maces (seeSuppl.). It is not impossiblethat in these rude words, which have travelled down the long tradition of centuries,are preservedthe fragments of a lay that was Charles destroyedthe Irmensul. firstheard when They be of the cannot and the Eomans.^ elder Arminius so well interpreted and The striking the staves suggest the ceremony of carryingout

Hermen

is

the Summer. In

a

part of Hesse

Ermschwerd, which

that

lies on

the

Werra, is

a

villagenamed

in

is called Ermeswerder, early documents Armeswerd,* Ermencsioerde (Dronke'strad. fuld. p. 123),Ermcneswcrethe (Vita Meinwerci 1022. Leibn. 1, 551), Irmineswerid, an. insula Irmini,as other gods have their isles or eas. This interpretation of places. seems placedbeyond a doubt by other such names Leibn. scr. 1, 9 and Eccard, Fr. or. 1, 883, De orig.Germ. 397 =

1

The

Roinniiil's Hessen tunc

1. p. G6 is iriveu in Scluunann's

Variants

note.

Musical,

Westphalia(Minden 1830) zeitun;^lor

i. 4, 52.

183G.

mit stangeu und also means : staves); niit (wliicli prangeu tani,'cn (tongs). '^ This explanationhas of course been tried : some have put Hermann for Hermen, others aiUl a narrative verse, Avhich I do not suppose is found in the people'smouth : ' un Hcrmen shiug dermen, slaug pipen,slaug trummen, de fiirsten sind kummen met all eren liebt Varus uphangen '. niannen, * The is seen same in Ermensulen vowel-ciiange (deed of 1:298 in Baring's Clavis dipl. called Armcvseul. a now Weslplialianvilkige, p. -193 no. l.j), -

hamer

im

356

HEROES.

giveIrmineswagenfor I do

know

tlie constellation

arctus, plaustrum coeleste,

what

authority: this wain would Wuotanswagen, Donnerswagen, and even Ingswagen. not

of

Some

on

the

later AS,

and

several

0.

stand

beside

Engl, authorities,in

specifyingfour great highways that traverse England, name running from south to north of the amongst them Er^ningestrdc, island.^ But the pure AS. form we to have safelyassume may Eormenstrtet

been

Eormenes-strat,

or

another

as

of the

four ways,

in the Saxon Chron. (Ingr.190. Thorpe's occurs Wcetlingastrcct, Guthrun anal. p. 38),and in the Treaty of iElfred and (Thorpe,p. in Kemble andlang Wactlinga straet 2, 250 (an.944). G6), and ences. togetherwith Irmingsul,both without referLye has Irmingstrcct would lead to an OHG. The conjecturalEormenstnet '

'

Irmanstraza, and

Eormenesstra;t

to

Irmanesstraza,with

the

ings mean-

publicaand via Irmani. of our it is not unimportant to the course Now inquiry,tliat is at the same time of the four highways, Wcetlingastrffit, one translated to the sky, and gets to look quite mythical. A plain enough road,extendingfrom Dover to Cardigan,is the milky way it is travelled by the car of some heathen god. in the heavens, i.e., Chaucer 2, 427),describingthat part of the (House of Fame sky,says : Lo there,quod he, cast up thine eye, se yondir,lo,the galaxie, the whiche men clepethe milky way for it is wdiite,and some parfay ycallinit lian Watlingestrcte, via

that whan which

onis that

brente

with

the sunnis

hite

algatehis In

was

the

hete,

sonne

the

Phaeton, wolde

lede

fathirs carte

the

and

rede,

gie.

Complaint of Scotland, p. 90, it is said of the comet : it aperisoft in the quhyt circle callit circulus lacteus,the quhilk the marynaliscallis Vatlanstrcit '. In Douglas'sVirgil, p. 85 : IIII

'

clieminii

Watlingestrcte,Fcsse, Hickenildestrete,Ermingestrete Kob. of laws,p. 192; ; conf. Henry of Hunt. (Erningestreet), Oxf. 299 after the Glouc, (also Erning., 1742, p. preceding). Eaniilph ed. Oxon. p. 19G. Leland's Itinerary, Oxf. 1744. 6, 108" Higliden'sPolyclir., in App. chron. Gibson b'ax. p. 47. 140. Camden's Eritannia, ed. Gibson, Lond. Ixxix. In the Hist, to 1753, p. Lapj)enberg'.'s of Engl.,the direction map ^

Anc. (Thorjoe's

of the foui" roads is indicated.

357

iRuiN.

Of every that

tlic twynklingnotis he

stcrne

in the still hevin

move

cours

we

sc,

Arthurys house, and Hyades betaikning rane, the Home and the Charlewane, Watlingestretc, the feirs Orion with his goldinglave.

Wittlingais plainlya they came

to

gen.

give then-

pi.;

who

to an

name

the

Woetlingswere, and how earthlyand a heavenlystreet,

perhaps could still have told us, but he to harp at the Greek mythus. Phaethon, also the son of a prefers burnt a god,when he presumed to guide his father's sun-chariot, call the milky broad streak in the sky,and that is the track we view was, that Here, indignantat the The more conmion way. Herakles or being put to her breast,spilther bantlingHermes we

do

not

Chaucer

know.

along the sky,and

milk

other

among

nations

hence

instance

remarkable

traditions ; and almost

seem

that will

to have

brightphenomenon.

also,fancy and

earthlyand heavenly roads A

the

lost

run

of

into

fable have one

round

names

of

another.^

this is found

bringus sightof.

let the

JSTo doubt,

to

in

one

Irmin

of

our

national

again,whom

we

for the milhj way. other names brieflyquoting some tevno (via paleae); schevil (via stramiiiis) ; Syriac keshan rah kah Pers. Mod. (viastranieu (semitapaleae); hasare ende zamanegadc pitoh (viastraminis); Ethiop. trahentis) ; Copt,pimoit ; viae); Arab, again derb ettubenin (path of the chopped-strawcarriers) (stipida hartacol or hartacoyh Turk, samau uyhrisi(paleam rapiens,paleaefur); Armen. which a thief dropt in scattered chaff, run (paleaetur) ; all these names upon nahr al majerra is the Arabic his flight. ]\Iore simple majerra (tractus), of the Roman and the gods or to the gods; conception path of ((lumen tractus), also Troq.2Mth of souls,Turk, hadjiler path),hadji is a pilgrimto juli(pilgrims' is the christian term used in the ]\lid.Ages, and Medina. Mecca Very similar John of Genoa's Catholicon (13thcent.) ; galaxiasvia sancti Jacobi already in Slov. zesta v' Rim de saint Jaques,Jacobsstrasse, di Santiago,chemin camino (roadto Rome), irom the pilgrimagesto Galicia or Rome, which led to heaven [was there no thought of Jacob s ladder ?] This James's road too, or pilgrim's 185 and earth and in heaven on road,was at once ; in Lacomblet, docs. 184 ON. vetrarh,ant Jacobsiccch together with the via regia. a (an. lOjl) name (winterway). Welsh caer Gicydion(p. loO),and Arianrod (silverstreet? which near comes (birdway), Lith. paukszczitt Argentoratum). Finn, linnunrata tlitin the shape of'birds ; Hung. Hadakid''s, perhaps because souls and spirits because the Hungarians in nngrating from Asia followed kuttija(via belli), lit this constellation (see Suppl.). Vroneldenstraet (p. 285) and Pharaildis enough with fraa Holda and Herodias,whose airyvoyages easily intelligibly for their givinga name to the milky way, the more account so, as Wuotan, in the nightlyhunt, shows himself here also in the Welsli who joins Holda appellationcaer Givgdion. Even the fact of Diana being mixed up with that chase,and Juno with the milky way, is in keeping ; and gods or spirits sweep along the heavenlyroad as well as iu the heavenly hunt. ^

I

limit

myself

to

In Arabic

it is tarik al thihn Hebrew netibat thcben

'

'

358

HEROES.

Widukind

of Corvei

beautiful

first who

is the

trulyepicstory of

of old songs

out

the Saxons'

victoryover the Thuringians/which Euodolf before him (Pertz2, 674) had barely touched. being oppressedby Irmenfried,king of the Thuringians, to his aid : they Dieterich,king of the Franks, called the Saxons in his appeared,and fought valiantly. But he began to waver negotiateda treaty with the Franks, and the two inind,he secretly host. Saxon about to unite nations were againstthe formidable beforehand ; of the treachery, But the Saxons, becoming aware were gians, led by the aged Hathugat,they burst into the castle of the Thurinand applauded the and slow them all ; the Franks stood still, the

warlike

and

gives us

stratagem, returned

Dieterich's

to

fled,but, enticed by

Irmenfried

Saxons.

of the

renown

In

camp.

this

a

was

camp

staying Irmenfried's counsellor Iring, whose prudent plans had knelt Irmenfried previouslyrendered him great services. When before Dieterich,Iringstood by, and having been won by Dieterich, lord. After this deed of horror,the Fraukish king slew his own him

banished avenge lord's

body be

might sword

'

his sword, stabbed

master,'drew

my

that

over

of the Frank,

'

possumus

and faciens),

ferro

adds

Iringi nomine,

so

Widukind,

ita vocitant,lacteus

quem

for himself

waij

tantum

go, I will dead, laid his I

vanquishedin

the

escaped.

in

'

Dieterich

that

death,opened a

the victor iu

(viam

Before

but Iring said, sight,

his

from

'

Mirari

with

tamen

give their

via secta '

:

coeli circulus usque

in

Auersberg chronicler : famam coeli circulus Iringisnomine in Pertz sit vocatus (sitnotatus '

glossescollected by

Iringesuuec,'from

Iringesweg,

non

'

praesens

AS. confirmation,

In '

in

the

ut praevaluisse,

famam

Or, with the praesens sit notatus.' in tantum ut lacteus praevaluisse,

Iringesstrdza usque 8, 178).

life

via secta

'.

which

Junius and

Somner

Conf. via sexta

(Symb. 372) Lye

borrow

iringcsinicc, Haupts

XJnpubl.glossesof the Amplonian libr. at Erfurt have 'via secta: (10-llth cent. bL 14^^) luuaringesiiueg ; which luwaring agrees very remarkably with the later form Euring in Aventin 102^ 103^ Euringsstrass,

zeitschr. 5, 195.

'

1

in

Conf. the

Goldast's

but differing

Script,rer.

Suev.

likewise

old

version,from

3, where Swabians p^). Saxons. The Auersberg chron. (ed. Argent. 1609, pp. Eckehard,in Pertz 8, 176-8. 1

"

a

H. German

district,

ph\ceof the kind. 146-8) copies Widu-

take

the

IRMIN.

259

IllING.

2009, these heroes appear Nibelungeulied1285. 1965 akin conceived,and more again,they are the same, but differently ^ Irnvrit of Duringen and version in Goldast : to the n. German Irinc of Tenemarke, one a landgraf,the other a markgraf,both der klage (threnody) vassals of Etzel (Attila).The Lied von adds, that tlieyhad fallen under the ban of the empire,and fled to In the

Hunland

"

; here

pronounced on Irins is

not

Irmenfried

two

all

to

that Dieterich

century, however, murderer

of

fall before

the

traitor and

a

friends,and

sworn

are

both

a

Volker.

irresistible Hagene and Add

of the 13th

In the poems

counsellor,still less

the

banishment

of the

trace

a

Iring. a

:

see

we

this,that the Vilk.

cap. 360, though silent on him with Hogni, and makes

saga

tells of h'ung'slast combat Irnfried, is still called Iriingsver/gr sink againsta stone wall, which of the

memory with

The

hero.

Norse

(niurus) ; his German

veggr

redactor

confounded have

must

source

vegr

had

in

(via)

Iringcs vec,

'

in Widukind. cuttinghis way desire to draw : So now the road is paved to the conclusions we German legendknew of an Iringesivcc on earth and in heaven, so and so was did AS. legend of a double Wictlinga-stnet, the road

in allusion

to

Eome

to the

and

fancies about

'

St. James tcays

and

in

set

the

firmament

know,

vjains,we

are

as

pagan,

well. and

These indicate

The

Thuringian Inivrit, originallyTrmanfrit,it is reasonable to suppose, is the same as Irman, Irmi7i (conf. Sigfrit, and the Hcrmunduri Irman-duri are nected plainlyconSigmunt,Sigi), that Irman with the Durings (Thuringians) a : so assumes If this would in Thuringian tradition. but peculiarsignificance tell us of an Irmines wee, all would come riglit. of an Iringcs It does tell, ivec. however, in three or four places, god-myths.

=

The

Irinc

names

doubtless firsthas

1

As

a

Irmin, apart from

and

operatedin the long i^ and of

roots

heldens.

heirat and

into luwarinc, as (('Xl)anded 1(5-17th

the lay,have nothingin common; themselves they cannot have represented

shift from

both

alliteration which

ancient

alreadyquoted,Deutsch.

Or iu, as some liiratand hiurat,now ^

the

tiie OHG.

p. 117. fourth to

heurat;

or

the

tir and

fifth vowel-series

(like

tyr,p. 19G),so lurinc into iuwar) ; so in the

poss. pron. iur A few MSS.

read Hiring for seen a Iring,like Hirniin for Irmin, but 1 have never Heuring for Euring, or it miglithave suggesteda Haxon the rainbow is called the ring of as hcvenring, lieaven. old AS. name for Orion, EhuriYrung,EhirtSring, somehow An seems with the luwsring above. connected,es2)ecially cent.

Eirimj alternates

the

with

Euring.

360

HEROES.

another.

one

Now, either the legend has

and change places, uncommon a

well

as

a

transferred

man's

demigod grown Irniin.

name

the

two

friends

Iring,or Iring (not Fuld. 1, 79) is of himtoo, "?.^.,Trad. self

dim, who

Only,

Irmin's way

made

had

a

way

to

and

wain

of his own,

as

Irmin's

to have had the worship seems the deeper foundations,as image of the Irmansul sufficiently shows. As the name of a placeI find Iringcs MB. 'pure (burg), 7, 47. 157. 138. 231. Iringisperc (berg)29, 58. this I Up to Norse point have refrained from mentioningsome have a manifest reference to the eartlily traditions,which herofrom of old, for a new path. It had been the custom suming king,on asthe government, to travel the great highway across the country, confirming the people in their privileges (EA. 237-8). This is called in the 0. Swed. laws Eriksgaturidha,'ridingEric's road.i Sweden numbers Erik (ON. Eirikr), a host of kings named hut they are all quitehistorical, of them and to none be traced can of the Eriksgata. With this custom the royal name of Erik the Swedes from very earlytimes have associated the idea of a must god or deified king ; the vita Anskarii written by his pupil Eimit (Pertz 2, 711). When bert,has a remarkable the passage on was adoption of Christianity proposed to king Olef about 860, a of heathen sentiments man deorum, qui alleged, Se in conventu ipsam terram possiderecredebantur,et ab eis missum, ut haec regi et populisnunciaret diu habuisvobis propitios : Vos, inquam,^nos as

'

'

tis, et

terram

in adjutorio

incolatus

vestri

cum

multa

abundantia

nostro

vos prosperitate longo tempore tenuistis, quonobis sacrificia et vota debita nobis vestra que persolvistis, grataque fuerunt At et sacrificia solita et vota nunc obsequia. subtrahitis, alienum spontanea segniusoffertis,^ et, quod magis nobis displicet, deum intro ducitis. Si itaquenos vobis propitios habere super nos alterius vultis,sacrificia omissa augete et vota majora persolvite, dei culturam,qui contraria nobis docet, ne apud vos reciquoque piatiset ejus servitio ne intendatis. Porro, si etiam plures decs

pace

et

1 The venerable custom still prevcailed in the 15-16th cent. : 'statuta provincialium generose confirmavit et sigillavit in equitatuqui dicitur Eriksgata,' Diarium Vazstenense ad an. 1441 'Rex (ed. Benzel, Ups. 1721) p. 86. Christoferus Sueciae et Daciae equitatum fecit c[uidicitur Eriksgatasecundum iliid.ad an. 1442. Even Gustavus Vasa rode his Eriksgata. legespatriae,' For inquimixs, elsewliere for as inquit inquiunt. ^ Votum, what ah. individual offers,as opposedto the sacrificium presented -

publiclyand jointly; coi^ supra,

p. 57.

et dcsideratis,

habere

vestvum,

re"Tem

sit

de

unus

nos

nos

dcomm.'

nunicro

sulUcimus, Ericum, quondiuii nostrum asciscinms} ut collcijium

vobis

non

in

unanirnes

I have

"

3G1

IRING.

IKMIX.

transcribed

the wliole passage,

aptlyexpresses the attitude of the pagan party, and the the their religion : liikewarmness already prevailingtowards heathen priests thought of adding a fresh hero to their throng of because

it

to exclude all later gods.2 This seems mixed Eriksgata; probably there were

Himbert's

mind, traditions of

a

Erics up

from even

any

to the

claim

then,

at

least in

divine Erik.

god or divine liero I had at one time thought of Er (Mars), lies hidden in this Erik. because the form Erctag is met with a few times for Ertag (p.124), in Irinc,Eirikr,are in Er, and the long one but the short vowel with also meet off. Instead of Eriksgatawe us enough to warn of Riksgata,and this pointsdecidedlyto Hic/r,the earthlyname the god Heimdallr, who in the Edda walks the green roads (groenar It

can

doubtful

longerremain

no

now,

what

In the green of men. brautir)of earth,to beget the three races earthlyroads are mirrored the white and shiningpaths of heaven.^ Then the problem started on p. 234, whether the ON. form Bigr and syncope, now out of Iringr by aphoeresis finds a solution arose approachingto certainty.Heimdallr dwells in Himinbiorg on the the rainbow, which is the bridgeor path by quaking roost (Bifrost), which the gods descend from heaven to earth. The rainbow is the celestial ring,as the galaxy is the celestial road, and Heimdallr is Etgr = keeper of that road, Heimdallr Iring,walking the earth and translated to the skies ; now we compreliend, why there lived the nations many various tale of Eriksgcda,Iringesvjec, a among and was shifted now and to one Iringesstrdza, to the otlier now celestial phenomenon. Iring,through Inwaring,borders on Ehurof Orion ffrungthe old name (see Suppl.). And if our heroic Irmin with Iring, legend associates Irmenfrit,i.e., and Irmiu-street

alternates with

have existed Heimdallr: was

way

IrminsCd ^

So

=

well,Heimdallr

was

actuallynamed four

king

him go to meet '"^ Dahhnann 3

then in the god-myth also,there must Iring-street, and Iring pointsof contact between Irmin z=OSinn

roads

Ilakon '

:

a

after

branched

son

of

O'Sinn,and the Welsh

Gwydion, out

across

Woden. i.e., the

guesses it may Aitd. blatter 1, 372-3.

into the societyof fjods, ITennuSr met) heiSin goS ' (Hakonarmal). be the

milky the

country, Eriksgata

is admitted

siti Hakon

From

Upsul Erik (d.804).

and

Bragi

3G2

HEROES.

directions,four

in four

extended

such

English tradition,though it givesthe name titles on only one, and bestows other nriythic and of Iring, and both the di\'ine personality

of

to

nature

to be made

seem

likewise known

highwaysare

Ermingestretto Irniin

the

rest.

the

lapseinto

Of

hero-

out.

2. Maeso.

Gambaro.

Suapo,

expounded the primeval triad of Germanic to offer some conjectureson the sevenfold division. races, I have not so true to fact,his Vindili Pliny'squintuplearrangement seems Now

that

Tacitus's Vandilii,his Peucini

are

But

race.

Tacitus

exists neither

The

Marsi

in disappears, a

gen.

alliteration

country

hero Maiso, whom

Martis,nor

we

must

Marsus

with

and the

form

Weser, Tanfana mix

not

the

four other

as

of derivation.

mark

which

soon

sanctuary stood,lead up

with

the Eoman

(who

a

there

names

earlyrace

an

of Circe

son

a

of

leadingraces,

Vandilii,in whose

the weak

nor

Rhine

between

whose

and

founder

referable to any

not

his firstthree adds

to

IMarsi,Gambrivii, Suevi

the

to

I have

up

Mars

in like

manner

Italian people, Gellius 16, 11. to an gives name Pliny 7, 2. Augustine in Ps. 57). The Marsigni Marsingi,a Suevic people, Marso and origin. The proper name name acknowledged the same in Mabillon no. 18, in a deed of 692, also in the polypt. occurs Irminonis elsewhere. 163^ but seldom Mersihwrg and p. 158^ Pertz to 8, 537. 510, seem belong here, while some Jfa?'seburg, other names given above, p. 201, are open to doubt; I do not if a MHG. know is at all relevant : zuo phrase,obscure in itself, alien maoscn to go to all the varn,'MS. 1, 25% which may signify, man,' devils,expose oneself to every danger ; conf. einen marscn The Gothic marzjan (impedire, Crane 2865. might seem offendere) =

'

'

the

allied to

root, but

tliat would

liave

been

merrian,

merran

in OHG. The

of

name

the

strenuus, from

kambar

of

ancestress

hero Gambaro.

the

which

the

assign to

also is derived

Langobards.

And

I

Gambrivii

There

may

the have

the

gambar,

root

name

been

of

Gamhara, likewise

a

(insteadof Gabreta)

forest of Gambreta

.

is worth

Epur, names

considering.Gambara's AS.

two

sons

are

called Ibor

=

OHG.

Eofor,OJST. lofur,i.e.aper, boar, and Ajo : all the three

appear

to be

corrupt in

Saxo

Gram.

Ought we

to

for the

assume

363

SUAPO.

MARSO.

Suevi, OHG.

Suapa,an

hero Suevo, Suapo,and

eponymous

an perhaps connect with legend of ? mountain a Pliny 4, 13 placesin the land of the gens Ingaeimmensus' vonum, quae est prima Germaniae,'a certain 'Scvo mons Codanus to the Sinus Solinus,followinghim, says I'eaching ; and Scvo ipse ingens initium Germaniae 22, 1 : Mons facit, hunc Inguaeonestenent ; but Isidor (Orig.10, 2) makes out of it : dicti autem Suevi putantur a monte Suero, qui ab ortu initium Germaniae facit ', From this evidently is taken the account of the in the Lay of Anno 284: 'si sluogen iri immigrating Swaben gecelte(pitchedtheir tents)ane dem berge Sncho (so several read for Suedo), dannin wurdin si geheizin Suabo '} In the Low (German psalms 57, 17 mons coagulatusis rendered berg sueuot' which is perhaps to be explainedby the legend of the lebirmer Tacitus's mare [liver-sea, pigrum ? Germ. 45. Agr. 10]. It seems that in Sicm. 164-8 the Scfa fioll (fells, to the point, tains, mounmore

him

old '

'

.

.

.

'

'

'

Sevs) are mentioned

of the

in those very

one Helga-songs,

of

which

A singsof Svafalund,king Svafnirand the valkyr Scava. after s is frequently V dropped,and the readingsSevo, Suevo can thus be reconciled. Suapo then would be a counterpartto Etzel The AS. Swe2)pa,or rather Swtefand Fairguns (pp. 169, 172)? can hardly be brought in here. (licg, relation Vindili stand in the same Tacitus's Vandilii and Pliny's and Irmin, Angrivariiand Inguiones; to each other as Arminius from winding and wending, out of which both forms come so many is described under several names mythic meanings flow. Wuotan as the wender, wanderer [Germ, wandeln ambulare, mutare]. the of these national names, On IMarsi, slightfoundation

Gambrivii, Suevi

these with

connects

name,

even

and

Clear and of another

Mannus,

let alone

3.

\on

the other hand

on

hero

:

Fuisse

virorum

:

berge (seeSuppl.).

Swero, iiwevo

dem

285

the heroes

yet

as

to build.

themselves

of givingany particulars

definite

I'amous

Kaiserchr.

but

is unsafe

Tacitus

he does not

them.

(Hercules), (Ulysses). Alcis.

j"rimumque omnium '

Vandilii,it

sin

apud

fortium

liiez j:;ecelt

cr

the historian's notices

are

eos

et Hcrculem

ituri in

slalien do

memorant,

proeliacanunt, uf oiiiiiilifir dor

iSwcro sint t"ieallc gchcizeu Swabo.

Fur

Swlto

Germ.

heizit read

364

HEROES.

^lercuring cap. 9, after mentioning concessis animaliHerculem Martem ac

sacrifices in

Speaking of

3.

he immediatelyadds first,

:

before

placant,the demigod being purposelyput the coast of on Chapter 34 tells us of the ocean

Lus

Et

:

says

quidquid ubique magnificum

Hercules,sen

adiit

sed obstitit

in

oceanus

defuit audentia

Nee

consensimus.

ejus referre

simul

se

credere

and

the Weser

sacra,'between

Druso

inquiri. Mox actis

deorum

silva Hcrcjdl

'

a

in the land

Elbe

Germanico,

de

name

claritateni

est, in

visum

2, 12

Annals

The

scire.

quam

vulgavit,sive

Herculem

reverentius

tentavit,sanctiusqueac

nemo

in

atque

Frisians,then

the

fania

Ilerculis columnas

adhuc

superesse

Mars,

even

Cheruscans

of the

;

'

Novionear PeutingerTable puts a castra Herctdis something,it all points to (Nimwegen). All this means magus with that of the not unadvisedly, some demigod who is identified, deeds were Iiomans. accomplishedin countries Hercules, whose widely remote, is thouglitto have visited Germany also, and the '

the

while

pillarsat

Gaditanian Frisian the to

columnarum effigies suli (p.115) more Did tlie ? pillars

in the

does

columnae

such

to

the

had

as

pillars,

Of

the

pluralirmanimage several think

Herminones

and

Irman,

If

in

this

themselves,we he is

'

agree with

hero

was

never

Hercules must

to

mean

that

of

to

to

which

correct

seems

Cherusci

wa-ote

Herusci.

we

wish

to

apparentlyexclude cap.

see

it

one

and

not

his

gave

but

to

name.

be In

the

aspirateto and is indispensable, for

of the

Mercury

Wuotan 9, i.e.,

and

Herminones,

of the

he

German, silva

Herculis

spread far

sure

; in

'

in distinguished

supposinghim

it

Irmin,

Arminius

in

wanting,as

positionof

The

and

heroes, Roman

the two

race particular

the

German

a

therefore the Romans

whom

him

bore

name

of

names

indeed

not

worship of

confined

be

Was

in liisHermin

Roman

surely be presupposed.

may

the

is consecrated.

wood

irmansul, and

than

Hercules,whose

and

of sound

the

battle-song

slain to

are

the

in

plainlyon its face the in Herminones "Hpa, Hera ? was that why he retained the aspirate An ? and Hermunduri, and not in Arminius tion approxima-

Herakles root

the German

In

columnae.

not (pi.), exact

counterpart

something, by his speakingof Hirmin's

still knows

Widukind

a

victims first,

praiseof Hercules is sounded the highestgods, to him a

even

Europe have

of

side of it.

another

on

ocean

end

one

and

and

Donar, i.e., Jupiter (asZeuss

gi-eatgods Mars,

Zio.

And

from for

does, p. 25),I

HERCULES.

"see

other

no

than

ground

365

ULYSSES.

tliat the

Norse

Thorr, like Hercules,

performs iuuuniurable heroic deeds, hut these may equally be placedto the credit of Irmin, and Irniin and the thundergodhave Yet, in favour of 'Hercules' being Donai', nothing else in common. we ought perhaps to weigh the AS. sentences quoted on p. 161, note

also,that Herakles

;

I

had

thought

at

was

of

Thunar

of

son

time

one

Sahsnot,Seaxneat, whom side

a

that

the formula

and

Wodan

now

think

Zeus, and

foe to

giants.

might

stand

a

Hercules

of renunciation

for

exalts

by the the strength of on explainedby saxum

1

thought so Saxanus,'whose surname might be sahs. But the meet with this inscriptionsIn which we Hercules Saxanus extend of Germany, and beyond the bounds belong rather to the Eoman religion.Our Sahsnot has with more been assignedto Zio (p.203),with whom Hercules cannot justice '

;

Hercules

=

I

be connected. as

Hercules he

and

Jupiter's son,

was

have

must

the claims

been

the

Irmin

of Irrain

to have

seems

subjectof

are

the

better founded: been

Wodan's

(ituriin battle-songs

of those which Tacitus understood proeliacanunt),even minius (canitur adhuc); though they would have suited p. 207 (seeSuppl).

It is Ceterum

harder

a

et

in hunc

matter

Iflixcm

to form

opinion about

quidam opinanturlongo illo

delatum

oceanum

an

adisse

Germaniae

;

the

'

Ar-

of Mars

too,

'

Ulysses

et fabuloso

:

errore

terras, Asciburgium-

ab illo consti(piodin ripa Rheni situm hodieque incolitur, tutum nominatumque ; arani quin etiam Ulixi consecratam, adjecto Laertae patrisnomine, eodem loco olim repertam ; Tac. Germ. 3. In Odysseus people have seen OSinn, in AsciburgAsburg ; but if Woden stood for the god Mercury, it cannot here mean the hero, stillless can Askiburg be traced to the ases, a purely Norse form, which in these regionswould have been When Tacitus anscs. makes Ulixes the founder of Asciburg, nothing is simplerthan to suppose him to have been Tsco,Escio,Asko (p.350) ; and if it was Isco tliat set the Eomans blish thinkingof Ul-ixes,how it helpsto estaque,

the

sc

in

Iscaevones

!

suggestedLaertes, inasmuch mixed stone

the

up or

tree

in the creation

rock

as

of the

(see ch. XIX)

father of Isco may

have

\a6"i

people,and \ao"i stone, are first man (the origogentis)out of

; in the

and (ash),and hpu"i

the

Maiinus

same

ireTpt) stand

way

Asco

grew

togetherin

the

up

out

of

mytlms,

366

HEROES.

without

not

the

from

take them These

lint from

for the

Hadu

brothers

Gemini, however, them

\a6"i liotan,

to

come

of analogies

sense

seems

Xao"f,\aa";}

as

Eomana went interpretatio sound ; so, in dealingwith

of

than

root

same

The

As

meaning.

the

are

passage

about

to show

that alx referred to the

given

was

on

more

upon

Castor and

Phol

66, and

an

will

not

Baldr

=

hardest

very p.

Pollux,I

and

to

(seeSuppL). interpret ; the

attempt

made

was

placewhere the godliketwins were Our antiquityhas not satisfyme.

worshipped: I confess it does like plenty of hero brothers to show, but no twins with a name It occurs to me, that Alci, if this pluralof Alcus is the true form. of OSin's is Idlkr and jolk in tlie one names (Srem. 46'' 47''), dialect means Vermland home to us than a boy.^ This more comes the SamogiticAUjir (angelusest summorum deorum, Lasicz,p. 47), which towards the dictionaries offer nothing but alga,reward. Utterlyuntrustworthyis any comparison with the Slav deities Lei and as Polel,themselves yet unsupported by authority(see

Siippl.).^ 4. Beowulf, From

we

specimensin Tacitus we may conclude that had a pretty fullydevelopedHeroology ; and

the above

the Teutonic our

Sigfrit,Amalo, Ermenrich, Dietericii,"c.

races

ancient

stores

of native literature had

connexion

as

a

whole.

closer

much

might have gained a

As

it

is,we

thrown

its nature

of the later

kings

with

and

its

dry genealogies, touching only certain races, upon

datingfrom many centuries after,and namely the Goths, Langobards,Burgundians,but learn We may Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians. connexion

if

been stillaccessible to us,

insightinto

are

all

the ancient

gods

above from and

all,the them

the

heroes, but

myths. Yet we could be content, if and also been preservedof the Franks even other nations of continental Germany. the most The Anglo-Saxon genealogies seem important,and the not

livingdetails of such pedigreeshad

the

1

as

"

Ulixes

=

their

Pott 1, 222 explains Loki, Sn. 78. For Laertes,whose name Extr. from SuppL, conf. Ptolemy'sAaKi(3ovpyLov." people,

protectorof the

vol. ill. Stockh. 1840, p. 38.5\ spraklara, Icilas butterfly. akies lele pupilla,

2

Almqvist, Svcnsk

3

In Lith. lele h pupa,

Appendix gives families branch Zeus all

; it

gods.

was

full

[but sec

Woden,

from

out

proud feelingto

a

Prominent

themselves

were

in

them

among accounted

367

FROGER.

GOZ.

his

of

most

as

have sons

above, p. IG;")].All the the

one's root are

Saxnedt

Greek

do

from

in the

highestof who Bccldceg,

and

divine; but several other

names

can

the earliest heroes, e.g.,Sifjerjcdt and Wodclplace among Fredwine, Wiiscfred, gcuV-(bothakin to the Gothic Gduts), Scefvgd, fallen dim to us. are Cdscre,which in Westcrfalcna ; and many other AS. writings is used for cyning,^seems to be a mere and to have acquired the character of a proper name appellative, after the analogy of the Roman casar (?). All these genealogies of the god's sons and grandsons, give us barely the names never claim

a

those

of

their

ought like the very thingwe Some

mothers Greek

or ones

grandmothers; to give life to

and the

the

legend,which

is the relationship,

miss.

of the Norse

traditions

gain in value,by being taken with the genealogies.The Volsungasaga sets out with OGin's being the father of Sigi,but all particulars of the relationship withheld ; are Hcrir the son of Sigi is in the immediate keepingof the highest Another gods,and so on. time, on the contrary, we are informed, Sn. 84 wurcho

86, how

"

OSinn

?)became

under

the

name

of Bolvcrkr

(OIIG.Palo-

to the

giantBaugi,in order to get at the divine drink,which the giant'sbrother Suttungr kept,guarded by his daughter Gunnloo; l)L'tween her and the god took placesundry also 12*^ 23^'^ 24=', passages of love,dimly liintcd at by Saemund but we nowhere told what are heroes were begotten in the three nights that OSiim passed with the giant'sdaughter. Gunnloff not belongs to the race of giants, of men, which is also the case with Ger"r whom Freyr wooed, and perhaps with others,who are reckoned

not

servant

the

asynjor. The Greeks also held that from of gods with titans' daughtersmight spring a hero,or even a god (likeTyr, p. 208)." Only Saxo, p. m, and no other tells us of a Norwegian king and hero authority, Frogcrus,ut quidam ferunt,Otliino patre natus,'to whom the gods gave to be invincible in fight, unless his adversarycould grasp the dust from among

the union

'

1

OHG.

f. d. alt. 1, uTT),conf. wiietclii above, WuotUfjoz (Zeitschr. p. 132, 156 W'odel-beer, (seeSiippl.). p. In Boetli. ;}8, 1 Aganieinnon is stj-lcd ami Ulysses cyning [in the casore, Pref.,Ranlgot,Ealleric,Tlieodric are cyningas,the emperor always ca^ere] ; in a doc. in Kenible 2, 304 Eadred is 'cyning and casere '. and

-

"368

HEROES.

king Frotho by fraufl contrived to FreCegar in the Wessex do. Can this Frogerbe the AS. FreofSegCir, for father,Ba^klrcgfor grandfather, Brond had genealogy,who to The ON. table of lineageseems ? for great-grandfather Woden his adversary .^ According to the mix up FrioSegar with FroSi, liisfeet/wliicli the Danish

under

Yngl. saga c. 9, Norway traced of OSinn the son by Ska8i, her eldest line of kings to Scemingr, write Semingr,which means tlie wife of NiorSr ; some previously and would lead to FriSgeir again. SkaSi was daughter pacificator, calls the iotunn to Thiassi, and the SigurSardrapa (-killing) the

of the Edda, p. 1 5, and

Formali

afspringrThiassa,'(Th. progenies).The HerHringr spring from Gavti,and him from rauSssaga cap. 1 makes OSinn : this Gcvutr or Gauti (conf. Ing and Ingo,Irniin and Irmino),

SigurSr LaSaiarl

"

Gauts, OHG.

Goth.

belie his

too, confounded

Godwulf

Geat, whether

AS.

Koz,

of OCinn, cannot

ancestor son

'

by

surname,

divinity(conf. p. 367) ;

some

Folcwalda

with

son

or

and

his

(p.165, last

(Koza,Tavlooks mythical. It is from Gduts tliatthe Gautos table), roi)professedto be descended, these being other than the GuJ^ians the (Tac. Gothones, ForOot),but related to them nevertheless,for the

witli

genealogystarts

Gothic

of it.

head

at the

Gauts

same

"

Again,Sigrlamiis called OSin's son, Fornald. sog. 1, 413. But who Bous (gen.Boi),Othini ex Pdnda filius be in Saxo Gram. 46 ? can we are coming (see PossiblyBiar, Biaf, Beav = Beowulf, to whom Suppl.).^ '

'

Danes,

the Fornm.

161),and does

Skioldungar(Sn. 146); he been most nearlyrelated to the peopleof Schonen, as in sog. 5, 239 he is expresslycalled Skanunga go5 (see p. was probably worshipped as a god. In Saxo Gram, he

from

have

may

whom

lead,

toten

of

victory?

as

a

the

son

Humblus,

after

follows

but

has

Lother ; Skiold himself

A

all the

derived

are

the

take

not

1

of the

ancestral hero

OSinsson, Skioldr, is the famed

Another

whom

Gram,^ from

vanquished

had

come

Dan*

and

Hadding

to

present such dust (EA.

:

(Beda 2, 9 " 113). Haldunus Biarggrammus

111-2). 2

3

apud

The Saxo

AS. 122

Sueones

Frodheri

name

mentions

magni

one

Thor

stands yet farther away by Thurr

hero he^otten

existimatur. filius

And

I know

of

no

other

but this

one.

of the Danes, is called in the Don, in Saxo's view the true ancestor with and Dmifr, Saan. 106''. placedtogether Rigsmal iJanr, "*

^

Elsewhere

appellative gramr

Gramr denotes

is the

jimiier

king.

name

of

a

sword, while particular

the

genealogyplacesits Scild

the AS.

; but

Frotho

then

and

369

BEOWULF.

SCILD,

GEAT.

after

of OSinn. From makes tlieni both ancestors and singularly ^cectf, Gcdt, Beaio,Tcctiva, Scedfdescends Sccldwa, from him consecutively Wdden last. The ON. comes and after several more generations in the version of the lineageis in harmony with this ; and even which only beginswith Gduts, we may Gothic pedigree, suppose a the OHG. to whom names Skildva,Taitva to have preceded, Sktiufs, is so however correspond.None Scoup, Scilto,Zeizo would Sceldwa's son, the Anglo-Saxon Bcaiv,called by the as interesting Scandinavians Biar, Biaf,but in the livingAS. epos Beowulf. It "

is true, the remarkable

Beowulf,

younger

of that

poem

in whom

is about

name

his forefather's name

a

second

and

repeatsitself; but

the openinglines allude to the elder Beov/ulf,and call fortunately with Skioldr) his father Scild (Goth.Skildus,agreeing i.e., a Scefing, of and Beow of Scedf. Beaw is a corruption Beow, tion abbreviaan son that first opens to us a of Bcoundf: it is the complete name bee-wolf (OHG. PiawolfT), and wider horizon. Beowulf signifies for the woodpecker, that is a name a bird of gay plumage that hunts has many tale to tell.^ Strangeto after bees,of whom a antiquity pp. 206, 249) makes this Picus a say, the classical mythus (above,

Saturn,inasmuch

of

son

is succeeded

by

a

the

picusinto

=

that of

is into that of Gcdt and of

trustworthyand of Saturn

were

England,but

were

less known

taken a

another 1

to Roman

nearer

What

by

and

Can

into

Ares, the old Bohemian

Kirt and Radigost, as Beowulf Sitivrat,

If the groups

Woden.

to

as

differ in the details wholes

the Northmen,

and Beowulf

properlyto

never

have

(Picumnus) interwoven

sons

is the

more

less open to suspicion.And justas the footprints traceable from the Slavs to the Saxons and to

divine bird in Stracec

stood

Picus

combination, their agreement

their

and

see

of Kronos, Zeus, Hermes

race

Stracec

We

nourisher of Marss

him

makes

Hermes, or

and father of Faunus.

with Zeus who

it either identifies him

as

reach

seem

to

Scandinavia.

althoughno legend,

so

those of the

take

the

The

central Germans

actual

same

course,

need borrowing

place. deep hold this group of heroes had taken, is evidenced legend. Scedf{i.e., manipulus frumenti)takes his name

tlie

name

bnither Birolf,Pirolf,

in Upper Germany Pirolf (Frisch 1,

for the

Tlie Serbs call it Urosh, and Conf. the Finn, lu-os [withheros i],p. 341.

? Biterolf)

24

timliis

or

oriolus

galbnla,

stand for Bmcolf (or 161),possibly is a hero's name. curiouslythis a^^'ain

370

HEROES.

the

from

circumstance,that when

country he in the boat.

the Mid.

destined

was

to succour,

while

is full of

he

sheaf of

on a aslecjy^

and

similar story of the

a

the

conveyed to

was

Ehine

poetry of the Lower

The

Ages

boy

a

corn

Netherlands

in

sleeinng youth whom

shipto the afflicted land ; and this swanfrom the grave, as is picturedapproachingout of paradise, knight, iTg^mSjWhose divine, originis beyond question. Helias,Gerhart or Loherangrinof the thirteenth century is identical then with a Scof or Scoup of the seventh and eighth,different as the surroundings a

swan

"

in his

conducts

Beowulf appears to have transferred may have, been, for the song of to Scild what belongedof rightto his father Scedf. The beautiful the

story of

brothers,which to be

seem

which

the

is founded

swan

on

with

I connect

in

Schiltunc

between Sceldwa

the Tirol

hunc, Nib. 88, 3, pointsto

be

regardedas fall into

a3tt

Scef

the

the father of

makes

must

of

ancestor.

This

Skioldr,so

that

Either

one.

altered to

be

race

a

and

the or

Welfs

and

swan-

however

Swabians, to

Had

they been heroes and the gods would Skioldr belongs obviously name

Schil-

to corresponding Scilpungd,

the

Skelfir, Scilfe, Scilpiis

to

Skelfirthe Fornald. sog. 2, 9 the Shilfingaand Shioldinga

Scelf is here

confounded

with

Scelf,but the frequentoccurrence

Scef, or of the

alike to forbid

seem Sceaf, and its interpretation (from sheaf),

form

the

; both

Parzival,^as the

of whom Scil/ingar,

ON. Scilfingas,

AS.

of the

of the Franks antique lineage-legends are names mostly wanting. proper

"

name

that

originof

.

another tie preserved, many to light.2Further,to come the

the miraculous

this

(seeSuppl.). As the Skioldungardescend from Skioldr,so do the Giukungar from the Burgundian line Ghiki Gihika, Kipicho,with whom begins: if not a god himself (p.137),he is a divine hero that carries The Gibichensteine (-stones) to Wuotan. back very near over moreus =

bear witness of this

1

race

that

Umborwesende

to

him, and it is to the

two

eminent

most

Grimhildensteine,Brunhildensteine

?

Beow.

are

women

allotted.*

92.

and the swan-knightcarries them brought ship away is disclosed the b ut reason only in later legend: it was forbidden againat last, 1144-73. Parz. 825, 19. to inquireinto their origin, Conr.,Schwanritter Sceaf

^

The

^

Zeitschr. fiirdeut. alterth. 1,7. Brunehildestein,lectulus Brunihilde, Kriemhiltenstein,

*

that

'

(Heldensagep. 155) ; Krimhilte graben (Weisth.1, 48) ; in MB. 7. 498. noniinato (Juvaviap. 137) ; de Crinihilteperc,

loco

Cviemildespil Grimhiltaperg

Vote however

Frau been

noticed

much

so

precedes Gnndahari (Xibelungen)makes Edda

by

a

whole

Gemot

The

at all.

identical

(from

ger

in the

=

makes

Law

brother,and

no

has merely the

gais) and the

2, 46). But

(conf.Gramm.

Lex

Gunthere's younger

brothers,and Gisolher the young kinsman.

Burg. Gislahari epic generation,whilst our

ought,that

Giselhere

him

names

never

it

as

It has not

of the stock.^

ancestress

as

appears

371

SIGOFRID.

WELIS.

GIBIKA.

SCEAF.

of

mention

any

of his elder

name

Gisdher Norse

the

to

seem

Guttormr

be can

hardlybe a distortion of Godomar, for we meet with him outside of the legend,e.r/.,in Landn. 1, 18. 20, where the spellingGuSormr (Guntwurm) would lead us to identifyhim with Gunthere, and in Saxo Gram, are found several Guthormi (seeSuppl.). Then Hagano Waltharius from hagan (spinosus, the one-eyed,named 1421),is than heroic '}

'

more

deeperreachingroots must be allowed to the Welisungs ; their name bringsus to a divine Valis who has disappeared(conf, OHG. continuance of an the ON. Vali, p. 163),but the mere diffusion of the VolsungaWelisunc is a proof of the immemorial Wuotan, it goes on saga itself (seeSuppl.). How, beginningwith has been alluded to on to 8igi, Sigimunt,Sigifrit, Sintarfizilo, p. "With Sigfrit 367, and has alreadybeen treated of elsewhere.^ ON. stands connected Hialprekr. It is Hclfrich,Chilpericus, calls Sigfrit worthy of note, that the AS. Beowulf Sigemund,and flood Such of of OSinn besides.* a Signumdr is a surname Even

splendourfalls on triiles; his

in Siegfried

whole

has

the poems, evident

that

we

need

not

stick at

of the

superliuman: brought up by an elf Eegino,beloved by a valkyr Brunhild, the instructed in his destinyby the wise man Gripir,he wears helmet of invisibility, is vulnerable oidy on one spot in his body, as

Achilles

Nibelungs.

was

in the

heel,and

traces

he achieves

the rich hoard

His slavin*^of the dragon Eafnir reminds

zeitschr. 1, 21. of the whole examination zeitschv. 1,2 6. .s zeitschr. Ilaupts

1

Haupts

2

Laulinuinn's

^

nature

us

Nibelunglegend,p.

of the

of TIvdcDu^

22.

"

in Finn In the J Copenh. Cc ed. of the Edda, Sajm. 2, 889 Sigemon, and Celtic Mars ; lex. of the G43 Magn. Scgemon, is said to have been a name Marti 5 I suppose the ground of the inscriptt. in Gruter Grutcr Iviii. : on a Segomoni omnibus in civitate Se([uanorum ; and ii. 2 : Diis deabus sacrum "

'

"

*

...

Veturius

a

L.L. Securius

(al.Segomunus) pro se quisque (see Suppl.). the same, 4"'']p) I of f'ur grantinga change of tfi into /(as in tirjp, standingfor Greek J there are more examples: fnasu,blasu nvfi/a, (pXvo). 5

Ahnost

=

372

HEROES. .

whom the

Apollo overcame, and as Python guarded the Delphic oracle, dying Fafnir prophesies.^We must take into account LoSfdfnir

Saem.

Sinfiotli, who, when

24, 30.

boy,kneads

a

snakes

into the

dough,is comparable to the infant Hercules tested by serpents. the Prankish Through Siegfried Welisungs get linked to the Burgundian Gibichungs,and then both are called Nibelungs. attracted by the Ovida are and Among Gothic heroes we in Jornandes Cnivida as Offa and cap, 22, perhaps the same in

Cnehha

the Mercian

hue.

But

of far

more

consequence

is the

great Gothic

familyof Amals or Amalungs, many of whose names in the Jornandean genealogy seem corrupt. The head of them all and so obtain an allusion was Gapt,which I emend to Gaiit (Gauts), to the divine office of casting[giessen, ein-guss, in-got]and meting of a god (p.164),and is even a god,or son (pp.22. 142) ; he was imported into the Saxon lines as Gedi,Wodelgeat,Sigegeat(p.367). In this Gothic genealogy the weak forms Amala, Isarna, Ostrogotha,Ansila,confirm what we have observed in Tuisco, Inguio, Iscio, Irmino whom

the most

ricus and and

;

the

but

those

best

powerful branch

Theodcricus.

Herminones,

worth

of the nation

Ermanaricus there

noting

must

be

Amcda,

are

after

is named, Ei^manalinked

with

Irmino

is

altogethera closer tie between Goths and Saxons (Ingaevonesand Herminones) as opposed to the Franks and this shows itself even in the later epics. (Iscaevones), names Amongst the Amalungs occur compounded with many vulf,which reminds us of their side-branch,the Wiiltings ; if it be not too bold,I would Isarna connect even (Goth.Eisarna)with the four sons of Achiulf seem Isangrim. To me worthy of Of particularnotice : Ansila, Ediulf, Vuldulf, and Hermenrich. the last we Ansila the divine ; our have just spoken,and means is \yith.Ediulf and Viddidf. I find that Jornandes, present concern and Vulf; cap. 54, ascribes to the Scyriansalso two heroes Edica the Eugian Odoacer has a father EiicJio and a brother Aonulf ; and as

"

^

The

appears

epithetsveinn (Sw.

ah-eadyin

ch.'142-4

of

the

sven,

Fafnir's addiess Vilk.

saga.

The

'

Dan. sveinn same

svend) given to

the

Norse

Sigurd'r

ok sveinn ! ' and in the headingsto hei'o then is meant by the Sivard

Grani, folk-song,who, riding on (foitispner) of the Danish of accompanies to Askereia (seech. XXXI), and by Svend Fcldivgor Fiillincj He drank Muller's sagabibl.2, 417-9). the Danish folk-tale (Thiele2, 64-7. to him out of a horn handed by elvish beings,and therebyacquiredthe strength Swedish of twelve men. songs call him Hven Fdrlingor Foiling; Arvidsson snaresvtnd

1, 129.

415.

ETICIIO.

IRMANRIH.

legend

the

origin of the

the

on

373

DIETRICH.

Welfs

has

the proper

names

Etico

constantlyrecurring.Now, WeJf and catulus (huelf, welf is strictly whelp, OX. hvelpr),anddistinct from tells us of several strong courageous animals wolf ; natiiral history that are brought into the world blind ; the Langobardic and Swabian play upon dogs and wolves beingexposed; and genealogies till now been accounted as Odoacer, Otachcr (athingthat has never versions called Sipicho, ON. Bicki,and this means for)is in some I suspect a similar meaning in Edica,Eticho,Ediulf, dog (bitch), Odacar, which probably affords a solution of the fable about the and Hessen blind Schwaben : their lineage goes back to the blind In the genealogyEdiulf is described as brother to ErmenWelfs. Iscnhart,Irmeninul,

'

'

is counsellor to

rich,in later sagas Bicki has

brandslied

but

littleto say of Otacher.

too

; the

lormunrekr Then

Hilde-

Vuldulf

also

(perhaps Vuldr-ulf)will signifya gloriousbeaming wolf (see eclipsedall other Welisungs,so did Diefcrich Suppl.). As Siegfried all the Amalungs ; and where the epos sets them one againstthe other, each stands in his might, unconquered, unapproachable. "

Dieterieh's divine herohood his

fierybreath, and

213-4) at the head

his the

of

comes

in

out

than

more

taking the place of wild

host,as

feature,e.g.,

one

Wuotan

Dietriclibcrn

or or

Ero

(p.

Bernhard.

he can be to Donar, with whom fierybreath bringshim nearer in the compared in another point also : Dietericli is wounded forehead by an arrow, and a pieceof it is left inside him, for which The

he

reason

is called the deathless

did the half of

otherwise

;^ not

Hrungnir's hein (stone wedge) remain Groa's magic could not loosen it,it sticks

there still, and

aim

with

piecein

stir

(Sn. 109

in

tlielike stones, for it makes

images,and The

roots

in North certain

enhanced

renowned

and

This

111).^

"

race

relations

are

the

horn-like

in

stone

Thor's

was

and

none

as

shall

the

god'sforehead very likelyshown

their of no

godlikeappearance. the Billingsor Billungs, whose mythic stillflourishing was longerdiscoverable,

Germany in the 10-1 1th centuries. The Billingdied in 967, and another, above a

older,is mentioned.^

head,

The

Cod. Exon.

320, 7

firsthistorically liundred '

says

:

years

Billingweold

1 Simon Keza, chron. Hungaror. 1, 11. 12. Heinr. vou Miiglein (in Kwachic.li p. 8) ; conf. Deutsche lieldeiisage p. 164. Hence tlie proverb: seint losnar hein i hoftJi Thors. 3 Weilekin"rs Hermann duke of Saxony, Luneb. Conf. the 1817, p. 60. iles IJillinc, m i n coinca docs, of 961-8 in Hiifei-szeitschr. 2, 239. Billiiigus "

344,

and id the OHG.

form

in Zeuss,Trad, Billuiigius

wizenb.

pp. 274.

287. 305.

374

HEROES.

of kin

near

belongs therefore to to the Angles. There

he

Wernum/

has to this

the

stock of

was

a

Werina, who

were

BillingahseS (heath)near

In OHG. we Billingsgate. Billxmc (Ried nos. 14. 21-3, a.d. 808. 821-2). If find a man's name in the Edda, Ssem. occurs take into account, that a dwarf Billingr we 2* 23% a hero Pillunc in Rol. 175, 1, and Billunc and Nidunc coupled 14126-647, the name acquiresa respectable togetherin the Eenner degreeof importance(seeSuppl.).The derivative Billinc implies from which bili (lenitas, directly[and placiditas), a simple bil or formed the OHG. from our are names not Pilidrut, fair] adj.billig, Pilikart,Pilihelm ; to which add the almost personified Pilihilt, Billich (equity)in Trist. 9374. 10062. 17887. 18027, and the ON. goddessBil, Sn. 39 ; the II in Billung could be explainedthrough Biliung. Just as OSinn in Ssem. 46^ is called both Bileygr(mildeyed) and Baleygr(ofbaleful eye),so in Saxo Gram. 130 a BUvisus stands opposed to Bcilvisus (iniquus). (aequus)

London

Whalley, and

day

thus far,who

ascertained

In addition to the heroes

pedigreeof whole nations,and there is another class of more durability, a

have

We founded

on

few of them

Erentel,whom

isolated heroes

weight and only ; I can

rude

poem,

epic material,about a appendix to the Heldenbuch

king

a

somewhat

ancient

the

firstof all heroes that

part of

here.

still remaining very

form

derive

thence

the main

put forward

Tell, "c.

Mimi.

Wielant.

5. Okentil.

a

were

ever

He

born.

certainly Orcndcl

or

the

pronounces

suffers

shipwreckon

a

the fisherman Eisen^ earns voyage, takes shelter with a master seamless coat of his master, and afterwards wins frau Breide,the fairest of

women

:

tissue of the fable

whole

man

before

liim ;

even

the

the

puts

one

Trier

his father's

was

in mind

of the

The

name.

Odyssey :

the

shipwrecked bough

plank,digshimself a hole,holds a be compared to Ino's veil, seamless coat may swineherd,dame Breide's templarswould be

clingsto

the fisher to

and

king Eigcl of the

and angelsare sent often,like Zeus's messengers. Penelope'ssuitors, in German Yet many fashion, thingstake a different turn, more naked sword and incidents are added, such as the laying of a the newly married between couple,which the Greek story knows

nothingof. 1

Who

The

hero's

is also found

name

is found

in apparently

a

version

even

of the

in OHG.

documents

of

king Oswald.

Lay

:

BILLUNG.

375

OEENTIL.

Meiclielb. Gl; OrcntU,Trad. fuld. 2, 24 2, 109 (Scliannat Orcndil, 308) ; Orcndil a Bavarian count (an.843 in Eccard's Fr. or. 2,3G7)a

villageOrcndclsal,now

zeitsclir.7, 558. alluded

But

"

Orendensall,in Holieulolie, v. the

Edda

lias another

Haupts

wliich

myth,

was

in

Groa is busyspeakingof the stone in Thor's head. conning her magic spell,when Thorr, to requite her for the that in coming from cure, imparts the welcome approaching news, to

lotunheim

in

Orvandill he adds basket made

in

by and

he

has

carried

her

husband

the

bold

his

back, and he is sure to be home of token,that as Orvandil'stoe had stuck out on

got frozen,he broke

the

joy at

North

basket

a

way

of

star

a

the

it,which

it off and

flungit

at the

6rvandils-td. But

is called

tidingsforgother spell,so

the

;

of the

sky,and

Groa

in the

stone

soon

in

her

god'shead

Groa, the growing,the grass-green, is got loose,Sn. 110-1. Berhta it is only equivalentto Breide,i.e., (p.272) the bright, never

another have

part of his historythat is related here

set

out

his travels

on

forfeited the toe

which

Thorr

again,and

:

Orvandill

this second

on

must

adventure

sky,though what he had to do with the god we are not clearlytold. Beyond a doubt, the of the glittering name star-groupis referred to, when AS. glosses render and a hymn to the virgin jubar by earendel, Mary in Cod. Kxon." 7, 20 presents the following passage : Eala Earendel,englabeorhtast, ofer middangeard monnum sended, set

in the

'

'

.

and

s6i5fa?stasunnan

leoma

"

torlit ofer

tunglas, ]?utida gehwane of sylfuni l^esymle inlihtes ! orbem jubar,angelorum spleudidissime, super

i.e.,0

hominibus

tempore

misse, radie te

ex

the heathen

ipsoluces

name

!

stellas

solis,supra

vere

Mary

or

terrarum

lucide,qui omni

Christ is here addressed

of the constellation.

I

am

only

in doubt

under as

to

the

and interpretation orentd of the word ; an OHG. rightspelling OaST. aurvendill, impliesAS. earendel,and the two would demand start with ON. orvendill, then AS. earendel, eyrvendill ; but if we OHG.

erentil would

seem

contains compound certainly

preferable.The entil

=

wentil,^

latter The

Whence did Matthesius (in Frisch 2,439*)get his " JVendel and head bagpiper ? Can the word refer to the "

flute-playing demigod Mones

anz.

y, 124.

l

In

trials of

"Wendelis witches,

"

part of

the

firstpart should Pan

is the heathens' '

metamorphoses of the for the devil, a name

376

HEROES.

either

be

Now,

there

as

in

occurs

filius Gervenclili, and

with

of

reason :

the

Eigilis

OHG.

in

Trad.

a

I think

name.

another

of

abbot

an

tale in Saxo

a

(sagitta).

orvar

or, gen.

Gram., p. 48,

a

Horveudilus

Kerwentil

(Schm. 2, 334) Gerentil (Trad.fuld. 2, 106),and as geir(hasta) agrees better the second interpretation than with eyra (auris), or mand may comassent ;^ a sightof the completelegendwould our explainthe

and

too

ON",

else

or (auris),

earo

ora,

Orentil's father

old and

Fulda

obscure

died

who

name

name,

in 822

deserves

borne

attention

for instance

(Pertz1, 95.

356.

2,

by 366.

fuld. 1, 77-8.

122). In the Ehine-Moselle country are the Weisth. In AS. we find 2, 744 (see Suppl.).^ singularEigelstcine, the names Aeyhs burg (Aylesbury), Aeglcsford (Aylesford), Aegles I but shall back to Eigilpresently.PossiblyOrentil come Jjorp ; the thundergod'scompanion in expeditionsagainstgiants. was Can the story of Orentil's wanderings possiblybe so old amongst to look for that Ulysses are us, that in Orentil and Eigilof Trier we and Laertes whom Tacitus placeson Ehine our (p.365) ? The shew nothingin common.^ names Far-famed

heroes

legendis second of

whom

the

]\IHG. Witicho, from silvicola,

leads silva),

nature, with

Wieland

were

in age

whom

Witticli^whose

rich

celebrity.Vidigoia(Vidugauja) Goths already sang, OHG. Witugouivoas well as Witcgouwe and Witege,AS. Wudga, in either form to none

the

us

to

Goth, suppose

he takes

or

vidus, OHG. a

forest-god.Erau

a

and

being

wudu

passingtlie bounds

Wachilt,

refugein

witu, AS.

a

her lake.

(lignum, of human

mermaid, is his ancestress, At

the head

of the whole

is

after Vulcanus the Latin placed king Vilkinus,named as termination have had another shews, a god or demigod,who must and German and who begetswith the merwoman a gigantic name, son Vadi, AS. Wada (Cod.Exon. 323, 1),OHG. Wato, so named I he waded with his child because,like another Christopher, suppose his shoulder through the Grcenasund it is nine yards on where

race

^

And

so

Uhland

(On Tlior,p.

i;;powthof the crop, in Orvandill Saxo

he

47

the

seq.)expounds it : in sproutingof the blade.

**

The

The

mentions

Even

lie sees

the

the tale in

bringsin.

false spellingEichelstein (acorn-stone) has Mones legends, anz. 7, 368. 3 1 have make hardly the face to mention,that some father to Pan, our Wendel above. 2

Groa

stillimprinted M.Dutch

JVilant, JVedegeand

poem,

Mimminc,

De

kinderen

given the

van

rise to

spurions

Ulysses rightshifty Limburg,

likewise

Zealand, Falster and Moen) deep (l)etween iu Gudruu is identical with him; the AS. had

Ilelsingen.Old English poetry Wades

377

WIELANT.

WATE.

WITICIIO.

EIGIL.

Wada

much

is

placedtoward liim,that is

tell of

to

Wate

hero

; the Danish

place in could only is called Wade's gap ; Wffitlingestret Northumberland with ])e brought into connexion him, if such a spelling as Vadi carried could be made good. Now, that son, whom "\Va3dling through the sea to apprenticehim to those cunning smiths the lost

now

'

Chaucer

:

names

boot

and Guingelot,'

a

"

Volundr, Wielant,AS. Weland, Welond, ON. of all smiths,and wedded to a the Vilk. saga Vclint,master

dwarfs, was

alvitr. The

Hervor

maiden

ascribes to

Englishtradition tree,and

sailed

the air. with

His

every

a

boat

a

in

the

praisedon costlyjewel,Vilk.

his

a

his foot, he

of

his

took

;

of

through flight name coupled he

Witeche, the son cap. 24. and tongs in his scutcheon

saga

hammer

a

Wieland

of the trunk

out

all occasions,and

skill is

been

sinews

winged garment, and

by Baduhilt,bore

had

timbered

have

to

seems

Lamed

seas.

over

himself

forgedfor

he

tells how

the Vilk. saga

Wada,

swan-

boat, which

the

of

owner -rightful

in

but

in

lasted Ages his memory smiths,whose styledJVicland's houses,^and among set up or painted outside them ; the perhaps his likeness was host of hus Volundar translates the Latin labyrinth ON. ; a have in olden times been similar associations must generally of places: Welantes learn from the names as we diffused, gruoba .MB. WiclanMB. Wielantes 93 59 28^ 13, heim, (an.889) ; (pit), ; MB. iu dorf,MB. 29, 54 (an.1246); Wielantes tanna (firs), 28^ 188. 471 (an. 128U) ; Wielandes brunne, MB. 31, 41 (an.817). of such names The multiplication during long centuries does not

during the workshops were

of

honour

his father ;

'

'

of

admit

their

Vclandswrt Staid.

being derived

healingart.

credit of In

the

Stem. 270% any

boat,and '

Juxta

domiun

JVelandi

the

might be OHG. (lirregel,

artist

A

zeitsclir.2, 248. Ilaupts

in

fabri,Ch.

in Boeth. ad

I find also

and

Dan.

ann.

to

would

Wate, who

Gudrun-lay of

ofnar volundom

boekur

gorgeous coat of mail Welandes /Elfred geweorc.

"

The

Tradition

daphne cneorum. dexterityto Wittich

Wieland's

artificiose contexta, and

couf,

inhabitants.

WielandheQve. the

extend

also gets the

wielant,

human

from

is the valerian,and accordingto Icel. Velantswxt, (-wort),

2, 450

doubtless

904

IMid.

called

'

are a

the

stragula

volundr

is in hregil)

or

Beow.

2, 7 translates fidelis

1262

in

MB. IFUigofaber,

Lang's reg. 3, 181 7, 122.

:

378

HEROES.

Fabricii

'

wisan goldsmiSesban Welondes ]?aes : (metrically Welandes ban) ; evidently the idea of faber which lay in Fabricius brought to his mind the similar meaning of the Teutonic name, Wdand itself being a cunning smith in general. For the name viel (ars,rix^rj, OHG. list), appears to contain the ON", v^l ossa

'

=

Gramm. is

and

1, 462,

smiSvelar

meant

wil,Engl,wile,Fr. guile;the OHG. wiol,wiel (with vowel)is no longerto be found. But further,we must presuppose

broken

a

wielan,AS. welan

verb

lant,weland, exactlyforms

our

werdant, druoant, "c. ; Graff Wielant

under

heilant

rather

the root

whose (fabrefacere),

2,

the

led to

have

Volundr Fr.

a

Guilans

Athene, when and Volundr

she

(Heldens.42)

OHG.

and

and

his descendant

wings.

with

One

ON.

he fell from

on

Weland

As

offers

the

invented

various Icarus

son

AaihaXo^i

But

as

same

of calliditas and fraus,and

deformed

from

the

are

vel

skill-endowed

deceitful devil

Wielant, Wittich

As

lost wielan.

our

from has degenerated cunning and craft]

that surprising

Hephaestus is

lame,

does

the

^

is

our

ringsoaring

arts, a was

BaiSaXBal8a\o"i, work

of art,and

the list [like

Engl,

of scientia sense original has both meanings,it is not god and hero has proceeded its

group of V^'^ate, also ghostlybeingsand demigods

(p.241).

heroes, but

too

the later Erechtheus

are

wings his

whose

to

for

snare

Volundr

chariot,as

cunninglywrought,SatSaX/ia(likedyaXfia)a

SacMWeiv

seems

violence

; both

of him

Erichthonius

the clouds.

vala

development of an intrinsic finds an unexpected confirmation the Greek fables of Hephtestus,

Daedalus, who

"c.,and dance, building,

to that

the

This

"

the four-horse

invents

therefore

would

Wieldrud

name

than

seems

Veland

punished with lameness,Erichthonius

are

citing

to do

more

[rootval] since ; possiblyeven

to order weapons

comes

boat

a

no

of

error

so (Volundr to BoSvildr), Hephoestuslays a

Beadohild

when

part,wiewith wlgant,

pres.

par

the

it has

Galans

An

Dsedalus.

and

a

commits

OFr.

(nympha) is a kindred word ? the very thingfor a wise-woman. in the hero's name significance of in the strikingsimilarity Erichthonius

234

lant,with which

ON", form

on

name,

proper

(healer, saviour).The

to favour

eo?,

form

better

wll,or

and

fabriles ; the AS.

artes

The

whole

(see Suppl.). The

1

A

qtiere ;

Vilkinasaga bringsbefore

us

yet another smith, Mimir, by

reduplicationlike iraiTToKos,ttanrakoHs conf. Xaika^,nalfjia^, "c.

tortus,arduus,TratrrdXXet:/tor-

whom up

"

only is Velint instructed in He another smith's-apprentice. not

of the later poem Mimi OHG. an

as Mhnc Biterolf,

have

must

379

MBri.

WELAND.

grown

his art,but

is brought Sigfrit

is

in mentioned occasionally the old (Heldensage, pp. 146-8); even more deeply into our

language as well as legend: it has formed a diminutive Mimilo (MB. 28, 87-9,annis 983-5),and Mima, Mimidrilt,Miviihilt are women's names (Trad.fuld. 489. Cod. lauresh. 211) ; the old name in Westphalia was of Miinster J/imigardiford, il/i;?iigernefo in Kichthofen 1. 335 ; the conf. il/i??iigerdeford 2), (Indicesto Pertz J/midun Minden was (Pertz 1, 368),and originally AVestphalian Memleben proper

the

on

indicates

names

J/i7;iileba, The

Unstrut

111) may also be just as often,and

mythic being,to

a

related. in

several

Saxo, p. 40,^ interweaves

a

which

Memerolt

elder ZSTorse tradition

The

"

'

silvarum

(Morolt him

names

In

different connexions.

Mimingus, a

of these

great number

one

satyrus

place, '

and

jewels,into the myth of Balder and Hother, and this, to my thinking,throws fresh light on the however The Edda gives a higher vidugauja (wood-god)above. possessor

of

positionto

and

sword

a

its Mhnir:

he

has

a

fountain,in which

lie hidden ; drinkingof understanding and of men, wisest,most intelligent '

brunne

Wielandes

drink,but did

pledge,and accounts

not

hidden

for OSinn

'. To

wisdom

and

it every morning,he is the this again reminds of us

il/imisbrunnr

came

OGinn

and

desired

a

given one of his eyes in it in the fountain (Ssem.4^ Sn. 17) ; this being one-eyed (p.146). In the Yngl, sa-^a

receive

it till he had

cap. 4, the Ases send Mimir, their wisest man, send it back to the Ases. cut his head off and

to

the

But

Vanir, who

OGinn

spake

his

spellsover the head, that it decayed not, nor ceased to utter with it,whenever he needs speech; and 05inn holds conversation advice,conf. Yngl. saga cap. 7,and Siem. 8^ 195^. I do not exactly whom the Voluspa means know Siem. 8''; by Mhnis synir(sons), MimamQ\d,v Mimi 109=^ impliesa nom. be gen. Mima, and may distinct from Mimir (conf.Bragr and Bragi,p. 235). Mimir is no the Ases hold converse, of As, but an exalted being with whom wdioni they make older use, the sura-total of wisdom, possiblyan nature-god; later fables degradedhim into a wood-spriteor clever smith. His oneness with heroes tends to throw a divine splendour "

1

P. E. Muller's

ed.,p. 114, followingwliicli I have set aside the readiu"" in of Miiuringiis,spite the Danish song of Mimering tand.

380

HEllOES.

a folk-songhas not yet forgottenMimes (Arvidsson2, 316-7),and in Konga liiirad and Tingas socken in Sniakand there lies a Mimes sjo,inhabited accordingto the legend of the forms quoted ibid. p. 319. Perhaps some by neckar (nixies), have by rightsa short i, as have indisputablythe AS. mimor, meomor, gemimor (memoriternotus),mimerian (memoria tenere), mimeren Low German Brem. wtb. 3, 161, and our (day-dreaming), above ; so that we the Memerolt, ]\iemleben verb a might assume Then and the analogyof the Latin memor meima, maim, mimum. CJr. fjLi/x"o/xaL allows us to bring in the giant and centaur Mlfia^i, the wood-sprite i.e., again (seeSuppl.). According to the Edda (Soem.133),Volundr had two brothers and Egill, all three SlagfiSr synirFinnakonungs,'sons of a Finnish from Germany the saga transplantedto the North king,whereas

on

S^vedisll

tliem.

'

its Vilkinus

makes as on

a

king of

the gen. of Finni, and 219

p.

Vilkinaland.

identified with

explainedas

married

three

brothers

concerns

us

likewise

calls Velint's

here, took

Finna

can

that Finn

be taken

Folcwaldansunu

but is better Slagfinnr, ch. XVI, Walachuriun). All and that chiefly Egill,the one valkyrs, Olrun (Aliorima). The Vilk. saga, cap. 27, ok ]?ennakalla brother Eigill : younger

SlagfiSrmight seem wing, see (flapSlagfioSr

?

Or

=

"'

but the bride is not otherwise alluded to ; Eigil,'''this form Eigill Eigilon p. 376, not with the agrees with the OHG. been Eigli. would have OK dat. Agli,for the dat. of Eigill Egill, he famous archer ; at Mdung's command a Well, this Eigillwas the king littleson, and when shot an apple off the head of his own asked him what the other two arrows for,repliedthat they were menu

Olrunar

were

intended

for

him, in

case

the firsthad

hit the

child.

The

tale

daringsliot must have been extremelyrife in our remotest and always with features it turns places, antiquity, up in so many As the Vilkinasaga of its own. was importedinto Scandinavia in the 13th century, the story of Eigillwas certainlydiffused in of this

Lower

Harald

Saxo

But

centurv,

as

from

or

;

the

Grammaticus

told of Toko in

and

that Eigill,

in

king Toko

and Eafn Egil den traf^ EgillnsSagittarius,' of is from the incidents the story. Arrow merely guessed have been Orentil on does the contrary,Eigil's to seem son,

translates Peringskiold

61, but

named

12th

date.

Gormsson, with the addition, wanting

fende,'but this not

that

it in the

knew

Denmark

1

before

Germany

was

arrow.

'

'

TOKI.

EIGIL.

after the shot behaved

like

a

hero in the sea-storm.

rdlnatoki,but in

Saxo

Harald

making

the bow,

the shot from

not

fall at last

The

relate the

the lonisvikingasaga, particularly

too,

381

TELL.

IIEMIXG.

deeds

though they

of

Tiie

this with

agree

shaft,

Toki's

by

Icelanders

king's

hand is historical (a.d,992),the shot by the marksman's apple mythical,having gathered round the narrative out of

death the

which older tradition, in

the

10- 11th

centuries.

convert

a

heathen

have

been

Norwegian

saga

to

presume the

To

attached

it has (-j-lOoO),

Saint

must

we

itself another

an

in existence

of

Olaf

the

Olaf

wishing to skill againsthim in

way

EindriSi,essayedhis

man,

at

:

swimming, then shooting ; after a few successful shots,the king requiredthat EindriSi's boy should be placedat the be shot off his head without hurtingtlie butts,and a writing-tablet child. EindriSi declared himself willing, but also ready to avenge injury. Olaf sped the first shaft,and narrowly missed the any athletic arts,first

when tablet, the shot

(Fornm. sog. 2, 272). Just himself (HarSraSa,-f* 1066) measured and

bade

sister's-prayer, declined king Haraldr SigurSarson

EindriSi,at his mother's and

him

shoot

a

hazelnut

so

archer

againstan

off his Biorn's

head, and

Hemingr, Hemingr

Thattr af accomplished the feat (Midler'ssagabibl.3,.359, the legend Hemingi cap, 6, ed. Eeykjavik p. 55), Long afterwards, transferred to

was

a

Hemming Wolf,

in the Wilstermarsch into

the

1472, and the

sea. was

Hemming banished

king do the same paintingof Wewelsflet with

bow

of

the

Wolf

with

had

sided

Christian.

Harald, and

church

empties itself

Elbe

Gerhard

count

The

Hemming

in

folk-tale makesToko

as

represents the archer

unbent, in the distance

of WewelsHet

Wulfen,

von

Holstein,where

by king as

or

on

; a

an

old

meadow

apple on his head, the arrow through the middle of the apple,but the archer passes lias a second between his teeth,and betwixt him and the boy stands a wolf, perhaps to express that Hemming after his bold did the declared a wolf's head.^ Most answer was appropriately mythus rear its head on the emancipated soil of Switzerland : In 1307, it is said,Wilhelm Tell,compelled by Gessler,achieved the old master-shot, and made the courageous same speech; but the evidence

^

of chroniclers does not

Schleswigholst. prov.

berichte

Sclilo8wij,'liolst Raj,'enno. 66. "^ I suspect the genuineness of

a

boy

with

the

begin till toward the 16th century ,2 1798, vol. 2, p.

tlie verses,

allegedto

39

be

seq.

by

Mallenhof, lleinricli vou

382

HEROES.

the

shortlybefore unhistorical

first

of the

character

of

printededition there

event

Saxo, 1514.

Of

be the

cannot

the

sliglitest

mythic substratum of the Tell fable shews itselfin an Upper Ehine legendof the 15th century (inMalleus malef. pars 2 maleficis)which immediately preceded the cap. 16, de sagittariis firstwritten record of that of Tell : Fertur de ipso(PimcheroJ, quod artis sue cum experientiamcapere voluisquidam de optimatibus, et pro signo posuit, set, eidem prop7^iumfiliumparvuhtm ad metam sine super hir return pueri denarium, sibiquemandavit, ut denarmm dovibt.

The

sed

interitum; verbis

sui

in

seduceretur

collari

sagittamunam

'

occidissem,cum

a

mori

me

in the

above-mentioned

Cloudesle

Adam

; this

reminds first,

apple on 120

to

in the

Bell,Clym

last,whose

the head The

vindicassem

about

1420, and

and

of

sped Aegel'sskill arrow

seven

from

have

we

like the

William

an

old,and

the bow, and

of

of the

surname

king'spresence

years

also

the

ballad of the three

Clough, and

christian name,

of his son,

the story have "

German,

the

This shot

'.

century. Beside

Northumbrian

of Tell,offers in the

one

paces.

shew

sagittaaltera

cum

meam

part of the 15th

middle

narratives,Norse

English one men,

immisit,et alteram balistae

fuisset,subito

necesse

ut vel sic mortem tranfifixisscin, must have taken placesomewhere

merry

principisinductus,

tamen

hirreto

vos

got about

diabolum

per

'

viso,dum

? imposuisset

circa coUum

suo

facturum

se

excmsit. puerisine omni nocumento ille maleficum cur sagittamcollari interrogasset, respondit,'si deceptus per diabolum puerum

denarium

supponens

Old

maleficus id

autem

libentius abstinere,ne difiicultate assereret,

cum

Quo

Cum

sagittamamoveret.

hirreto per

to

set

an

shoot it off at

cleft the

apple.

to the archery would be known Anglo-Saxons; and if we may push Wada, Weland and Wudga far heathen to have an equal claim. time, Aegel seems up into our The whole myth shows signsof having deep and widely extended

I

suppose

HiJnenbere Zurich

that

of

1315,which

1807, p.

Carl

in

Zay

has made

known

in his book

on

Goldau,

41 :

telum crudele coruscat Dum pater in puerum Tellius ex jussu,saeve tyranne, tuo, fatalis arundo : non natmn, figit pomum, ultrix te, periture, altera mox petet. who, before the battle of Morgarten, shot a Hlinenberg is the same his arrow to the Swiss on (Joh. Midler 2, 37), hewas warning billet over silent himself. are therefore a bowman Justingerand Johann von Winterthur Etterlin (completed1507) Russ about Tell ; Melchior (f 1499) and Petermann the firstwho committed the story to writing. were H.

von

TELL.

tells us,

with partlyagrees even that Sarpedon,a hero of

when

child

It

roots.

a

to

stand

up

and

383

EIGIL.

-what Eustathius the blood

have

a

of

II. 12, 292

on

Zeus,

ring shot

off

made

was

his breast

of injuryto him, an action which entailed the acquisition the Lycian kingdom (seeSuppl.).^ from heroes" crumbs these specimens of particular the With richlyfurnished table of our antiquitiesI will content myself,as reflections of a more there are stillsome generalkind to be made. without

"

that saying,

I started with

refiningof human

and

in the heroic is contained

nature

into

an

exalting

however divine, originally

Now of some race. affinity god with the human and the son is a copy of the father as procreationis a repetition, our languagewith a profoundmeaning has avara (forwhich reason for child); so in every hero we for image and avaro may assume incarnation of the god,and a revival of at to a certain extent an least some of the qualities that distinguish the god. In this sense the hero appears as a sublimate in general, of man who, created but be like him. But since the after the image of God, cannot their gods,even amongst one another,reproduce themselves, i.e., has radiated of the primary force of a single out plurality be very One (p.164),it follows,that the originof heroes must and it must be a difficult similar to that of polytheismaltogether, in any particular between the full-bred to distinguish matter case divinityand the half-blood. If heroes,viewed on one side,are be also regarded as the other hand deified men, on they may to the same humanized thing,whether we say gods ; and it comes that the son or grandsonbegottenby the god has attained a semidivine nature, or that the god born againin him retains but a part We entitled to see in individual heroes of his pristine are power. continued a precipitate extension,in a offormer gods,and a mere which had alreadybranched divine essence wider circle, of the same of gods (seeSuppl.). out into a number the more This proposition can readilybe demonstrated from the themselves popular faiths of Greece and Germany, which commit and avatara, as in these to no systematicdoctrine of emanation founded

on

the

Similar legendsseem In a JIS. of the to live in the East. the representation of an containinga journey in Turkey, I saw 1

aim

at

a

child with

an

appleon

its head.

Cassel archer

library taking

384

HEROES.

of herohood the full-blooded animalism religions While the the more richlyfor that very reason. into the god,e.g.,Krishna in the end reabsorbed and

Greek

in

there remains

heroes

German

developed itself Indian becomes

heroes

Vishnu,

irreducible dross

an

are

of

into harmony with the brings them more of their story. Our hero-legend has this long historical ingredients tion, while had no consciousness remainingof such a thingas incarnaof human but has very largelythat of an apotheosis though which

humanism,

virtue. god-descended Herakles us

never

can

become

with

one

of those of his divine sire.

Zeus, yet his deeds remind

traits in Theseus

Some

allow

of his

the was being compared to Herakles, others to Apollo. Hermes of Zeus by Maia, Amphion by Antiope,and the two brothers, son the full and the half-bred,have something in common. I think, echoes of the divine nature In Teutonic hero-legend, still more be distinguished gods stood frequently ; the Greek can to the last,and heroes could be developedby the side of unshaken the Teutonic deities encountered But when Christianity, them. once there remained only one of two ways open to the fadingfigures of the heathen faith,either to pass into evil diabolic beings,or heroesThe Greek good ones conceived as human. a all belong to the floweringtime of paganism \ of the Teutonic and attenuation a poverty-stricken part at least might well seem could still dare to of the former gods,such as fainter reproduction into

dwindle

its face after the downfall

shew

of the heathen

system.

Christian

Ages guided matters into this channel ; unable the gods any to credit longer with godhood, where it did not the transform them into devils,it did into demigods. In the Edda he says, cap. 6 : a3sir are still veritable gods ; Jornandes too, when populi svA mortuum (Taunasem regem) Gothi inter numina the Mid.

opinionin

'

coluerunt

this

be

"

Taunasis

Gothic

gods,but the anses exalted into demigods; and

Gothic

were

heroes of

'

find that

thought,we

features,v. sunk

into

supra

mere

p.

Balder

and 226-7),

heroes.^

This

he in

or

Getic

"

that there

assumes

regards as only the Saxo, following

(who

exhibits

Hother, and

deminutio capitis

some

Othin of the

victorious same

line

Heraklean

himself, have

gods brought

read : ' Hengest et Horsa, hi nepotes p. 833 we ut deum honorantes, fnere JFoddan regisbarbarorum, quem post infanda dignitate huinanitas ut sive virtutis, victoriae saepe causa sacrificium obtulerunt pagani words were simihir "Wiu. quoted of Maliuesbury's credit hoc quod videt'. 1

In the

AS.

Etlielwerd

385

HEROES.

them

heroes, wliilc the heroes

to

nearer

deification ; how

much

mist of

Yet

legend!

gods is aliened of

reallyof heathen Among the which

himself in

a

in every

where

case

tliemselves

absolute

up

bodilydescent is the

there

in the the

from

ancient,and

more

to the

an

elder hero in

a

births,of

second

occur

given further on, and incarnations of gods. As

which a

shew

god

a

renews

younger.

giant brood, unitingthemselves

heroes, bring about various

to

got mixed

will be

hero, so does

Beings of the

have

must

hero, his herohood

heroes

fuller account

a

two

off from

origin.

certain resemblance

now

a

the

cut

were

now

gods

to

approximationsbetween

and

these

two.

in the

genealogyof Inguio,first OSinn, then NiorGr and Freyr interweave themselves : NiorSr and Hadding and Rigr,but in NiorSr and Heimdo Heimdall seem as identical, dall the god is made prominent,in Hadding and Rigr the hero. and connected with Wuotan and Zio, justas Ares Irmin appears Herakles approach each other,and Odysseus resembles Hermes. In Siegfried Baldr is conceived of as divine,Baildceg is as heroic. We

have

seen

how

he

also says ^ denm Albericus tr. font. 1, 23 eiise delirantes'. {utterA.D. 274) expresses himself thus : ' In hac generatione decima ab incarnatione Domini regnasse invenitur quidam Mercurius in Gottlandia insula, quae inter Daciam est et Russiam extra Romanum imperium, a quo Merciu-io, qui Woden dictus est,descendit genealogia Anglorinn et multoruni aliorum '. Much

u])ove, p.

in the

128

same

;

way

Snorri

tate

a

and IwfiSincii

in the

Yngl. saga

hermaf^r come worshipof the nations ; and Saxo as

ciun

Form.

13. 14

lepresentsOCinn

by policy secured the : a like o])iniou ea professes tempes"c. Jalsodin'nitatis titulo censeretur,' '

p. 12 tota, other idea

ditl'erent from falsified historylies at the bottom exist a real man there ever and king OSinn

very As

and

Asia, who

Otiiinus quidam, Europa he says p. 45. What could orthodox christians at that of tlie false god of their forefathers ? To idolatry they could not but wilful deceit or presumption,being unable to comprehend that something

conf. what time form

impute

from

little did

three),as

of heathenism.

(letalone

two

or

real Jupiter or of the hero nature Mercury. But the attinity with the divine is clearlydistinct from a deification arisingout of human a nd deceit. trusted Those who their inner strength(p. heathen, ]"ride mainly like the heroes Homeric irfrrmdoTfs were 6), (H- 12, 25(5), j'et far from ^ijj4"'' a

"

settingthemselves

up for gods. Similar to the stories of K'ebucadnrzar (er wolte selbe sin ein got, would himself be god, Parz. 102, 7. Barl. 60, 35),ol'Kosroes Eracl. the of Greek Salmonevs on (^lassmann (conf.N. Cap. 146),and p. 502), the RyzantineErarlius,was ]\lid.Age story of Imiiotans wiiester our Babilonie, '

der wolde selve wesen Nibelut ze Barise ' der machet got'(I\other 2568) himele imitated gnldin,selber wolt ergot sin '(Bit.299),just as Salmoneus the lightningand thunder of Zeus. Inielot and Nibelot here seem to mean the same thing,as do elsewhere Imelunge and Nibelunge (Hehlens. 162) ; I do not know what allusion there might be in it to a Nibelunc Amelunc or (see =

Suppl.). 25

3SC)

nu

HEEOES.

of Caldr

echo

and

Charles

regarded

As

badge

in

the

of Wuotan

and

Donar,

be

to

Siegfried

and

it legends,

of their

their heroic.

from

nature

hero.

the

features

of

or

for lack

Geat, Sceaf,Sceldwa, divine

their

of

some

and

giant

Thorr

of distinction I find in this,that the

of

names

gods

i.e., descriptive, indicatingfrom the first their ^ of half-godsand heroes this signito the names nature ficance ; \n\\ often be wanting,even when the human originalhas

themselves

in

are

for

between

are

separatetheir

is difficult to One

Eoland

and

new-births

as

Dietrich.

oscillates

Ecke

Freyr.

Even

Freyr,perhaps of OSinn, in Dietrich of

and

inmost

carried

his

name

simple,those

gods are

is

therefore

Donar

with

over

him.

of heroes

often

from

god

a

Then, the

his

appellationexpresses also decisive againstthat notion

rule,the

a

as

compound first,not

character.

visiblyderived.

or

deified

a

The

of

names

man

same

his

:

is

reason

having made his way out of into those of the gods. the ranks of men Demigods have the advantage of a certain familiarness to the it is people: bred in the midst of us, admitted to our fellowship, they to

whom

reverence,

they

:

standintT

As

it

and

prayers

oaths

preferto

facilitate intercourse

and

procure

jrod.

of Wuotan

natural

came

to

a

Eoman

address the

with

'

to swear

selves them-

higher-

mehercle

'

'

in the Mid. Ages edepol! the christians even saints than by God himself. more swore habitually by particular We are badly off for information as to the pointsin which the from divine Hero-worship of our forefathers shaped itself differently the Norse authorities have worship proper ; even nothing on the sacrifices to heroes differed from those subject. The Grecian offered to gods : a god had only the viscera and fat of the beast with content the mounting odour ; a presentedto him, and was ! ecastor

mecastor

deified

the

Thus of

hero

the

must

have

the

and Siehrinniir,

Ases

supra, p. 317. offered to

with

drink

shared

in

the

Are

to

infer from

we

gods and

to

food,

resemblances

Thus, their ^

to that

stature

Sometliinglike

the

is

feast the

Srem. this

consume.

the boiled

on

; it is never

Ases 36.

to

42.

Sn.

flesh said

42 ; conf.

difference in the sacrifices

a

demigods ? of the

enormous.

names

blood

and

into Valholl

Else, in the other conditions of many

flesh

very

einherjaradmitted

the boar

that

!

their

existence,we

can

perceive

gods. As

Ares

of tlie characters

covered

in the

seven

roods,

Beast-apologrie.

387

FIGUEK

the godlike When body of giganticmould. ^ SigurSrstrode through the full-grownfield of corn, the dew-shoe with the uprightears (Vols,saga sword was of his-seven-span even Ilcraklcs has

cap. 22.

also

a

Vilk. saga

cap.

166) ;

hair out

a

of his horse's tail

was

yards long (Nornag.saga cap. 8). One thing hardly to bo in an ancient found in Teutonic gods,many -handedness,does occur hero. Wudga and llama, Witege and Heime, are always named is said to have been by rightscalled Studas, together. This Heimo traditions however like his father ("whom name sOme Adelger, Heima,^ did he adopt its Madelger); not tillhe had slain the worm seven

"

(Vilk.saga cap. 17). To him are expresslyattributed three hands and four elhoivs, else tvjo hands with three elbows (Heldens. or 257. Eoseng.p. xx, conf. Ixxiv); the extra limbs are no exaggeration (Heldens.391),rather their omission is a toningdown, of the out with four hands original (Eoseng. story. And Asprian comes godlikehero of the North, has thire p. xii). StarkaSr, a famous pairs of arms, and Thor cuts four of his hands off (Saxo Gram., p. hands on 103) ; the Hervararsaga(Eafn p. 412, 513) bestows eiijlit to fightwith four swords at once : dtta handa, him, and the ability ginally Fornald. sog. 1, 412. 3, 37. In the Swedish folk-songof Alf, oriheathen, there is a hero Torgnejer(roaringlike thunder ?), of limbs ban hade otta bander (Arvidss.1, 12).^ Such cumulation is also a mark of the giantrace, and some of the heroes mentioned do overlapthese ; in the Servian songs I find a three headed hero Balatchko (Vuk 2, no. 6, line 608) ; Pegam too in the Carniolan is to be of members lay has three heads (tri glave). Deficiency is one-eyed,Tfv onefound in heroes as well as gods : OSinn handed, Loki (= Hephaestus?)lame, Hu'5r blind,and ViSar dumb;* name

'

"

1

Doggskor,S\v. doppsko,tlic heel

brushes

tlie dew

:

so

tlie AUunaiins

called

a

which slicatli, usually foot,that dragged through has something in it corn

sword'-s

of the

lame

toudregil. This ride through the highlymythic and suggestiveof a god. ^ Heimo worm originally, though used elsewhere of the appears to mean cricket or cicada (Reinh.cxxv),for which (little our worm) present heimchen Heimo A renowned also named is better suited. (Reinh. Karliiighero was maid, cciv). We lind again,that Madelger is in Morolt 3921 a dwarf,son of a merthe

dewy

grass,

and in Rol. 58, 17 a smith. of the North In the prophecies

Hertje (a.d.1400)the tradition of Wehe den minschen, de den such monstrosities is appliedto the future : de liide 4 arme leven,wen kriegenund 2 par scho over de vote dragen und 2 It 1819 ; 2, 311. hode ! Heimreichs chron.,Tondern up den kop hebben refer however to costume. merely may * (Joth. haihs,hanfs,halts, blinds,dumba. 3

Frisian

'

'

388

SO

HEROES.

One

thing

should the

by

reserved

brightrevelation,the

break

Saxo

In

(p. 373).

blind

Vermund

Mercia, and

Gram.,

; to

Accordingto the but figure,

'

vita

all at

continued

in

once

63, Uffo

Offas

is

lame

are

the

blind

and

dumb, and

aged Varmund assembly Offa began the

blind.

and

some of hand-

was

year, and

till his seventh

dumb

with

threatened

was

of

the line

dumb

he filii,'

father

his

Offain

double

Swabians

and

Hessians

about

suddenly

blind birth

placethe

even

may

should

it were,

as

this darkness

of

out

Ofae primi,Varmundi

till his thirtieth ; when war,

we

p.

Wie-

are

that

correspondsthe

him

of these

both

force

vulgar belief

the

of the Welfs, and

head

this

Under

forth.

defect,and

some

and

j^lenty. heroes, that their early years

peculiarto

seems

clouded

be

heroes there

dumb

of blind and

lame,

lant

one-handed, Gunthari

Hagaiio one-eyed,Walthari

is

speak. The Vinered (sowe

'

to

vita

must the hero was at firstcalled Offaesecundi' says,^ he emend blind, lame and deaf, but when Pineredus),and was named Offa secundus. into possession of all his senses, he was came some Exactlyso, in Stem. 142% HiorvarSr and Sigurlinnhave a tall handecki nafn festiz viS hann '. Only hann var ]?ogull, son, but of Hclgi,does he after a valkyrjahas greeted him by the name Starkaffr to that name. begin to speak,and is content to answer in his youth (Fornald.sog. 3, 36),and too was Hcdfdan was ]?ogull '

of the heroism stupid (Saxo,p. 134) ; just as slow was Dietleib in unfoldingitself (Vilk.saga cap. 91),and that of Iliyain take as Our nursery-tales the Eussian tales. up the character the hero-youth lives : aschenhrodcl,ashcfis(cinderel) dscherling, in the cattle-stall, inactive and despisedby the kitchen-hearth or I out of whose squalorhe emerges when the righttime comes. ingly do riot recollect any instance in Greek mythology of this exceed-

reckoned

favourite feature of Unborn

in

liustem

Eilhart, or Macduff. while

vows

his mother ^

Matth.

children, namely

usuallygrow

womb,

These

folk-lore.

our

heroes.

up

Ferdusi,as well the But

Russian

as

hero

Volsungr

remarkable

Paris,i:)p.8, 9.

she

died

vitae Offae

that have Such

Tristan Dobrunii

concerns

yet unborn, who, before

those

us

was

been the

cut

the

Nikititch, and who

after

secundi

are

old

story in Scotch

the

spoke

being cut out, had (Volsungas.cap. 2. 5). primiet

Persian

famous

according to

more,

of the

out

and

made kiss

time

to

An

obscure

printedafter

Watts's

AFFLICTED.

in Fafnismul

passage an

ohorinn; '

wesende

in

and

Ulfrun

one

in

4, 4 has

a

different

that Sceaf

intimate

to 2mJo7'-wesende,

Landnamabok

to designate also (Soem.187*) seems SigiirSr not the 'umboras difficult (Beow.92),may

I took

which

389

UNBORN.

Uni

an

sense

on

passed for

hinn

oborni

370, stand

p. an

unborn

for The

?

(m.),and

1,

10

an

also come into (f) ; for wise-women, prophetesses, the world the same way.^ Our Mid. Ages tell of an unborn hero Hoyer (Benecke'sWigalois,p. 452) ; in Hesse, Eeinhart of Dalwig known the unborn, being,after the ca^sarian as was operation, broughtto maturity in the stomachs of newly slaughteredswine.^

As

in oborna

the

early as

Infans

excisus

tenth

arvinae

et

indolis

involutus, bonae Purchardus

nominatur

ingcnitus,afterwards functae

matris

Petershus.

Eckhart

of

porci recens brevi

in

cum

St

of

p. 302, with

quod,

To

the

the

Gall.

si vita

remark

:

standard

ubi

us

:

incutesceret,

this

is the

One

Gebehardus,

mentioned

De

talibus

fuerit,felices

comes

informs

apparuisset, baptizaturet

(Pertz 2, 120) ; abbot

St. Gall

erutae,

Dietpurgaeutero excisus,is

testantur

such

century,

in

Burchardus de-

ex

in the Chron.

excisis

mundo

literae

habeantur.

be

ordinary applied,their extraof coming into the world givespresage of a higher manner and mysteriousdestiny. Not unlike is the Greek myth of Metis and Tritogeneia : the virgingoddess springsout of the forehead of Zeus. The phrase about HloSr being born %cUh helmet,sicord and horse (above,p. 76),is explainedby the Hervararsaga, p. 490, to common

cannot

'

'

the

that

mean,

arms

and

animals

which

the

accompany

hero

were

forgedand born at the time of his birth. Schroter's Finnish Eunes born ar7ned : this reminds of the us speak of a child that was about lucky children being born with hood and helmet superstition (seech. XXVIII). It was noticed about the gods (p.321), that Balder's brother, when scarcelyborn, when but one nightold,rushed to vengeance, unwashed Kerstin combs silk. whom

and

after his

combs

1 ^

for

This is like the

: the long gestation

hair,the

Another

equipped

uncombed.

new

born

version

makes

newborn

children

son

daughterknows her

his

give birth

born

of liten

and gets up directly at once to

two

how sons,

to one

sew

of

yellow locks, the other draws his sword, both swift revenge (Svenska fornsanger2, 254-6). Here

ITeiniroich's Nordfries. chr. 2, 341. Zeitscluilt I'iirHess, gesch.1, 97.

390

HEROES.

characteristic, A to be the same combing seem born child speaks; Norske new eventyr 1, 139. As the hirtli of beloved to their people by kings is announced the same holds good joyfulphenomena, and their death by terrible, Their of heroes. generosityfounds peace and prosperityin the land. FroSi's reignin Denmark was a periodof bliss ; in the year

combing

of

and

Ilakon's

about

election the

which

the

On

not

birds

beautiful songs

may

night that Ilelgiwas

streamed

bred

bore

trees

twice,

be

gleanedout of his saga, cap. 24. born, eaglescried,and holy waters

the mountains, Sam.

from

twice, and

149^.

of appearingwas Sigur"'swalk and manner impetuous,like that of a god ; when he first approached the burg of Brynhildr, and iorS dusaSi ok opphimin,'earth shook heaven, Ssem. 241^ ; and of Brynhild's laughing,as of that of the gods (p.324),we are told : hlo,boer allr dundi,' she laughed and all the castle dinned, Ssem. 208^ A divine strengthreveals itself in many deeds and Dietrich's fierybreath may of heroes. movements be suggestiveof ob sin atem Donar, or perhaps only of a di^agon : goebe fiur als *

'

*

eines wilden

trachen,'(Parz.13-7,18).

widely prevalentmark of the hero race is their being sticldcd hy leasts,or fed hy birds. A hind offers her milk to SigurSrwhen exposed, Vilk. saga 142 ; a she-wolfgives suck to the infant and Dieterich (likeEomulus liemus)togetherwith her four blind The same of Wolfdieterich. fellowship whelps, hence his name with whelps seems imputed to the beginningsof the Gotlis and A

8wabians,

as

to those

of the

llomans

also,that Bee-wolf, brought food to

come

The

know

Servian

Vuk

2,

the hero

101

lurked the

in

Milosh

; does

merihunsun, the

Swabians

that

zagiinsun

Latin

them

Kobilitch

that

assistance ; and

is how

of heroes helmet-insignia arise from though they may

heroes to transform 1

the

lighton

wolves, stags,bears, lions

and

certain

suckled

was

; in

appear

are

of

sons

but

the

Mars,

specialdevotees by

of a

OHG.

woodpecker

and

Zio

we

have

(p. 199).

(kobila),

marc

of abuse

term

offensive

meaning not only to sucklingsthat distress and danger also,swans, will join the heroes, to render in the scutcheons animal figures

(EA. 643) ? lupa.^ But it is

god-sent animals

ravens,

to the

as

throw

(p.373) ;

A

in many

other

cases

causes

themselves

Fils de truie ; Garin

like

to be

accounted

abilityof

too, e.g.,the

at will into

2, 229.

wolf

for,

or

swan.

301

ANIMALS.

BY

NURSED

winy,tlie swan's coat, betokens another supernatural qualitywhich heroes share with the gods (p.326),the power of flying. As Wieland ties on his swan-wings,the Greek Perseus has swan's

The

ivingcdshoes,talaria,Ov. met; 4, 6G7. 729, and the Servian Eelia is okrilie called krik'it (winged),being in possessionof krilo and A piece of the wing Vuk 2, 88. 90. 100. (wing and wing-cover), swan's foot, will at times betray the a remaining,or in women highernature. The superliuman quality of

In

234.

Kinderm.

the miirchen

Straparola4, 3

96.

their heads

helmets

and

the encircling sky. In some

head

; or

as by Siegfried's peculiarities,

scaly;

the mtirchen

have

the

his queen

heat,there

sultrysummer

then bore

a

of

son

shining on the

to

rays

the

set in

being disfiguredby

down

to

Clodio

be

us, must

the

animal

of

son

founded

Faramund

shore,to cool themselves

came

up

a

from

(sea-hog?)out of She bathing queen.

monster

overpowered the singularappearance, who

seized and

which

the waves,

the

to

head, fore-

horny skin, and others by a with hedgehogspikes. The legend

heroes

down

went

the

on

fkme

or

forehead,

his

handed Merovings,imperfectly something of the kind. AVhen

with

falls

reference

is

form

of the on

star

a

the

on

constellations

to

heroic

the

been

star

a

have

this may

:

(p.323),or

cases

had

i 23) : ormr spoken of,p.

Gram.

golden star

a

Dioscuri

The

3, 10.

Pentam.

with

born

are

sons

their eyes

of

out

heroes have

gods and

of

goldenteeth

The

cmga.

shines

micatus, Saxo

vibratus, oculorum

(luminum

heroes

therefore

was

named

the

peculiarity, Merovings.^ Theophanes expresslydeclares,that the Merovings all the kings of because called Kpicndraiand Tpi,-)(opa'xaTat, were his

Merovig, and

that house

among

vil daz an

derivation

have ^

p. 92i.

inherited

like (pax^'i),

backbone it is true

273, 29, where

they are

swine.

enumerated

iicathens, di helde

The

the

bristles down

had

stillfind in Rol.

We

descendants, who

some

von

gewis sit

Meres ir

des,

niht kuoners dem

rucke

of the

name

connexion

with

;

mac

sin

tragentsi

:

horsten

sum

sictn.

Can unknown. altogether the boar-worshipof Fro,

is

it possibly which

may

Fredegar'sepitome (Rotiquct2, 396),and Conradusi Ursperg., Arg. ICOi), Per contra,MullenhoU" m Haupt'.szeitschr. 6, 432.

392

HEROES.

been

5368

also has

hut

sin

:

was

ime

Franks

the

prevalent especially among

have

bevangen al

?

Lampr.

Alex.

mit swincs hiirstcn

(see

Suppl.). know heroes by, is their possessing to One principalmark A succeedingchapter horses,and conversingwith them. intelligent how heathendom will shew saw more something sacred and fully, often

divine in horses,and

endowed

with

them

and

consciousness

pensable indisBut to heroes they were destinyof men. and a necessary for ridingor driving, intimacysprang up fact of the horses having the two, as appears between by tlie mere The touchingconversation of Achilles given them. proper names and Balios (II. with his Xantlios 19, 400 421) finds a complete also in the beautiful Karling legend of Bayard ; compare parallel Wilhelm's dialoguewith Puzzdt (58, 21"59, 8), in the French with Bauccrd (Garin 2, 230-1),and Begon'swith the same original Baucent (p.230). In tlie Edda we have Skirnir talkingwith his murder, with Grani horse (Seem.82^); and GoSrun, after SigurS's the

with

sympathy

"

: (231'^)

drap i ImipnaSiGrani ]?a, mif^ht Grani

Well

mourn,

for the

hero

gras

hofc5i.

had

bestridden

him

ever

Hialprek'sstable (180),had ridden him through the flames (202^),and carried off the great treasure. Swedieli and Danish folk-songsbring in a sagacioussteed Black, conversation is carried on witli whom (Sv.vis. 2, 194. Sv. forns. he

since

led him

Danske

2, 257.

of

out

vis.

1, 323).

In

the

poems

the

Artus

on

horses

painted; but how naivelyin the Servian, attractively before his death when Mila shoes the steed (Vuk 1, 5),or Marko talks with his faithful Sharats (2,243 seq. Danitza 1, 109). In with his horse Mod. Greek songs there is a dialogueof Liakos (Fauriel1, 138),and similar ones in the Lithuanian dainos (lihesa Persian Eustem's (see fairysteed is well-known p. 224). The less

are

Suppl.).^ If many or

heroes

are

others Siegfried,

human.

1

A

Our

native

carried off in the bloom

attain

a

great

legendallows

age,

of

beyond

Hildebrand

the

limit

the years

Mongolian warrior's dying song lias : My poor cream-coloured trotter,you will get home Then tell my iiKjther, full fiiteen wounds pray : And tell my father,pray : 'shot through the back '

like Achilles life, of

the

of Nestor

alive. had was

he '. he,'"c.

"

Trans.

HORSES,

and strengtli,

undiminished

with

measured

out

life that

a

hundred liave

come

tlie Scandinavian

is

generations; the

several

is said to have

StarkaSr

numbered

near

five

In the genealogies that years, Fornald. sog. 1, 411. 442. to us, great length of life is given to the first down

ancestors, Kari

from

to

through

runs

GoSmuudr

divinelyhonoured

393

AGE.

as

Bil)le also.

it is in the

and

Hdlfdan gamli

Jokull, is as

said

have

to

Fornald.

many,

Snacrr

sug.

hinoi

attained

300

years,

MHG.

The

2, 8.

gamli, sprung poem

and of

and Sigelicr 400 2506) givesDidwart 503, Hugdidcrich 450, and Didmar years of life each, Wolfdielericli 340 ; Dietrich of Bern is the firstthat reaches only the ordinary killed when of Sigeher was young.^ The limit,Otnit the son three hundred Servian ]\larko was years old,almost like the giants of old. On the other hand, the life of heroes is enfeebled by union with goddessesand superhuman females. Examples will be given, is discussed ; the belief of the Greeks the valkyrs are when to Venus 190, expressed in a remarkable passage of the Hymn where Anchises, after he has embraced Aphrodite,fears that he shall lead a stricken life {afj,"V7]v6";) men : among Dietrich's ancestors

(18G9 "

eVel oare

fyiyveTac,

goddessdoes

The

conceal,that

not

that Zeus's thunderbolt

story of

The

^io6u\fxio"; avi)p Oeal'ievvd^erai aOavuTgcn. ov

age

him

will maim

and Staufenberger

will

the

on

come

if he boast

is sea-fairy

apace, and of her favours. him

founded

on

similar

notions. Another

thingin

which

the

condition

of heroes

gods is,that particularlocal haunts and Such abodes seem them. by preferenceto

dwellingsare

of

as

resembles

bear the

name

that

assigned of stone,

Gibichenstein,Brunhildenstein,Kriemhildenstein, Eigelstein,

Waskenstein

; which

points to

sacred

rocks

uninhabited

by

men,

These in the are undoubtedly genuine myths, that lose themselves (OIIG. deeps of time,however distorted and misplacedthey may be. Sicjeher or Siguhari)is plainly the ON. Sigarr,from wliom the Sij^dingar Siklingar take their name (hiughteris called Sigclint, Sigar'sdaughter Signy, ; Sigcher's Hildebut the two are identical. who in woman's clothingwoos Hugdieterich, burg,is one with Haghariyr (Sw. Habor, Dan. Ilafbur),who likewise succeeds in his suit for Sign;^ (Sw. Signil,Dan. Hignild), though liere the story has a disagree; but hug and hag, both from one root, tragicend, and the names who in the Ilelsupport each other. Sigcminne too, the wife ofWolfdieterich, of Hugdieterich,comes is the son denbuch to Signy. The near part about I

Hugdieterich in the Heldeubuch very

ancient.

is

throughoutuncommonly

sweet, and

tainly cer-

391

HEROES.

or

primeval,firmlyrooted worship. More rarelywe find castle hall connected with a hero (Iringes a few times burc, Orendelsal),

ea

and

and

a

hum, oftener

lies close to that of we

a

well connect

may

street ; now,

or

loay

conspicuouscolumn the

Herculis

'

the

which Eoland-joillars, parts of Germany where Charles occupiesWuotan's of the

'

the notion

to which

place in

those

northern

prevailedlatest. As king certain legends, that especially

furious host,'Eoland, the noblest hero is to

Donar

highway

a

the roads led uj),

in

just

upon

heathenism

exactlywhat vanquisher of

of

columnae,'the Irmansuli, with

come

we

almost

to him

as

of his court, who

Wuotan,

to

seems

is

replace

been have giants. yEthelstdn-pillars It is worthy of note, that,while Scandinavia mentioned, p. 119. be likened to the Irmen-pillars, offers nothingelse that can yet at there stood erected in the of Ostergotland, Skeningen,a town do stand, the figure of a marketplace,just where Eoland-pillars giant or hero, which the people called Thore lang (Thuro longus), This figure in former times.^ and at which idolatrywas practised likelyto belongto the heathen god than to any appears far more in the market hero or king ; and probably the column place of

the

divine

in

Bavais

Hainault, from

is said to have

which

been

which reared

branched

roads

seven

in honour

of

a

off,and

king Bavo, had

a

meaning (seeSuppl.). examined more According to a widely acceptedpopular belief, on Spiritingaway, certain heroes have minutely in ch. XXXII inhabited,into clefts sunk from the rocks and fortresses they once and are of the mountains, or into subterranean and caverns springs, in a seldom interrupted slumber, from which they there held \vi'apt That of need, and bring deliverance to the land. issue in times not here again, only Wuotan, Arminius, Dieterich and Siegfried, similar

Tell has

are

heroes

modern

but such

named,

settled

to the world

themselves

It

and up

in

of the

was

a

Norse

dissatisfied with a

hill: thus

the

in like haugr (Egilss. p. 7),and accompanied by twelve nobles, retires

Scherenzerwald, where 1

mans

no

one

could

even

mystic lightof myth which custom, for aged heroes, dead to shut order of things, new twelve

Herlaugr with

into the

and

Barbarossa

Charles, Frederick us

assure

may

them.

on

as

Eticho

manner

into

find

others

a

him

the

mountain

goes

Welf, in

the

again (Deutsche

De jure Sveon. vet.,p. 326. Stjernhook, Olaus Mac^nus 14, 15. beskrifn. 5iVer Ostergotland, Norrkoping17 GO. 1, 190.

Brooc-

305

ABODES.

sagen,

no.

Arthur

of

is

of

fond

number

ThriSi

three

heroic

that

happens,

So

Arpoxais

and

sword

having

second

tried

off.

into

The

Scythian

fallen seize

same

the

heroic

Hence,

is

one

them,

there

thing

occurs

then

4,

5)

:

when

gold in

the

the

Vili,

Ve,

mitrchen.

the

or

Har,

without

it

commonly of

faculty Leipoxais,

plough,

but

divine,

times

brothers

eldest

King

the

greatest

golden

burned, many

like

also

three

a

like liost.

appear

and

the

of

heaven, the

05in,

ascribed

story

tlieir

legend, as

together,

(Herod. from

Frederick, with

together,

third

Kolaxais

to

that

brothers

the

and

mountains

triads.

stand

the

to

in

success.

them

lastly,

running

and

lafnhar

in

abide

Britons, remarked

be

it

Be

the

Charles

Siegfried,

518).

yoke

son

tliird

and

and the

carried

CHAPTEE

XVI.

WISE

The men,

relation of

because

men

dies

with

family

W

to the

women

alone

The

reason

same

daughters; almost to

be

always in have

:

sword.

the

weaving But

in

of

the

side

regarded as and

woman

peace

:

a

sphere.

women

In

with

There

are

of the

claim

no

the bondman,

the

to

not

all,or

as

brides.

of

deified

immortals

in

of

names

in it at

therefore

heroes, whom

mixture

no

issues women

preceding

the

heavenly and earthly immortality,like

idle in

battle,busy

the

in the

assigned the occupation expressively

heroic labours

that which

another

mortals

sons.

house, the Anglo-Saxons very of

of

but

woman's

a

introduced

been

deified sons,

distaff establishes

the

To

marriage

have

named

not

of

the birth of the

placed by

chapterwe natures

the

nay,

hear

we

houses, while

either

that of

different from

tale of ancestry contains

only ; king'sdaughters are as they disappearagain as soon the

N.

very

famous

heroes

For

E

gods is

found

can

her.

0 M

suited

forfeit lieu of that

men.

here, is amply made

up

to them

of parts individuality effect in the story, they

distinct

given to heroes, which often falls without and lastinginfluence. of momentous have generalduties assignedthem of charming or awful A long range half-goddessesmediates and deity: their authorityis manifestlygreater,their between men than any reverence paid to heroes. There impressive, worship more women are not, strictly speaking,any heroines,but whatever among elevated and spiritual.Brunhild to heroes more answers appears towers

she

and the swan-maid Siegfried, herself (see Suppl.).

above

unites

above

the hero

to whom

mythologies also it is observable,that in the second rank of deities female beingspredominate,while the first is reserved have almost exclusivelyfor the male, but the divine heroes we I have on only in the third rank. p. 250 partly spoken of come In

other

accounted

for the longer

duration

of the tradition of several

goddesses

1597

WOMEN.

WISE

because more impressions endearing, abiding, the mind of the people. on tinguish than to disThere is no harder problem in these investigations, between goddessesand half-goddesses,Eveiy god'swife must ipsofacto pass for a real goddess; but then there are unmarried

by

its having left more

be shown to be either wife who cannot One goddesses; e.g.,Hel. a god,and who stands in a dependent relation to or daughter of higher divinities,is a half-goddess.Yet such a test will not always serve, where a mythology has been imperfectlypreserved ; stand higherthan half-gods, that half-goddesses for the very reason and the class of gi'eatgods is them the boundary-linebetween be disturbed,by particularraces line may hit. The harder to worship got the promoting divine beings of lower rank, whose thing them, to a higher; it is true the same among upper hand to

seems

The

but hero-worship,

in

occur

thus:

roughly defined

the

to

upper

be to

revealers.

men

It is

feature significant

a

selected

men,

are

view

presents

heaven

a

for

contrast

and

announce

the

German

way

a

may

well

good as be

even

virtues and

a

part

vices

both

as

bad

sense

of the

Jewish

same

and

christian

saints from ;

but

Greek To

messengers.

a destiny assume of woman, soothsayingand sorcery and it is peculiarly women's a gift, thing,that our languagepersonifies

nature

of

in

tendency to pay a higher respect and deference this has always been specially characteristic of Men

not

women,

and

God

female

deciees

If human

females.

of

commands

male

the thinking,

in the mouth as

the

Here

the

execute

gods employ

greater sacredness

heathenism, that

our

angels or prophets foretell,

:

Teutonic

of

in

this office.

and

in

often.

so

half-goddessesthen may gods they are handmaids,

of

functions

and

mission

not

general shews

to the

female

Teutonic

a

se.\,

nations.

deification

by their deeds, women by their wisdom : dcae' p. 95 (seeSu])pl.). Fatidicae, aiigescente superstitione This Germanic reverence for woman, already emphasized by is in old systems of law, especially Tacitus, markedly expressed our the Alanianniau and Eavarian, by doubling the compositionfor injury ;rtA.404) : the defenceless one therebyreceives protection earn

'

and

consecration,nay,

she

takes

woman

up

shew

man's

she

is to

weapons.

itself in the

forfeit the And

not

minne-songsof

privilegethe moment of only does a Avorsliip our

Mid.

Ages, but

in

a

398

WISE

remarkable

formula '

court-poems : 117.

!' Eab.

112

88, 27, to

Parz.

luillen (forthe beite

'

nu

reiner

'

durch (stay),

eret

an

an

'

;

her

to

ze

61 ; 'durch dim

wip,'in wip,'respect

elliu

wip

!

'

says

prayer ;

'

a

7132

minne

eren

frouwen vnlle si,'do

; *als

Laurin

woman

cdlc7i meiden

'

allez daz

(pure)

loillen aller

durch

mir

mir elliu

attention

liepiu

all that

q,]\.q frouwen

stn,' as

all

women

are

; .'tuon

will,Bit.

woman's

be

may

105.

sake)aller frouwcn)

Gudr. 1214, 3; 'ere und (do it in honour of),' ! is the injunctionon givinga sword, Trist. 5032 ivi'p

ez

elliu

3, 200=^; 'durch

Ecke

wille7i sclioencrwibe,'Ecke

957 ;

ensure

1542.

Morolf

Parz. 13, 16 ; 'ere

Erec

all women,

me

tuot

; 'durch

922-4

2834.

MsH.

; 'durch

of all women,

name

in

888.

magci (othermaids')ere' Gudr. 4863

andcr

in

855.

cries to another

hero

one

meide

the

Morolt

ere,'Ecke

frouwen

and in chivalryoccurringboth in folk-songs allcr fromven ere,'by all women's honour,

Eoseng. 2037.

174.

thus

durch

104

Wolfdiet.

of

WOMEN.

dear

to you,

Their

984.

worship was placed on a par with that of God : eret Got und diu wip,'Iw. 6054 ; durch Got und durch der ivihe Ion (guerdon)' Wh. 381, 21 ; 'wart so mit riterschaft getan, des Got sol danken und diu ivip,' God and the ladies requiteit, may '

'

Got

370, 5; 'dienen

und

alle

frouwen erm,' Ms. 2,99^; of Parzival it is even said : er getruwete ivihcn haz (better) dan Gote,' of speech,this faith,can These modes Parz. 370, 18. be traced up earlier age, as in 0. i. 5, 13 : do sprah er erlieho ubaral, to a much zi froiciinskal' ; and ni sit irbolganv)ibe' ye so man v. 8, 58: shall not bully a woman, Etzels hofhalt. 92-3 ; sprichwiben iibel

Wh.

'

'

'

'

mit

nihte

'

frau is the frau

and But

the po.-m

says name

weib

of

of the Stete ampten

goddess,conf, (see Suppl.). a

p. 299

286. on

The the

very

word

meanings

of

than that,when

the hero in stress of battle looked upon his love (OHG.trutin,trutinna, MHG. thouglit o/her,named triutinne), her

more

he

increased

of the and was sure thereby his strength, victory. We might even bring under this head the declaration of Tacitus : memoriae proditur, quasdam acies inclinatas jam et labantes et objectu a feminis restitutas constantia pectorum. From the precum poems of the 13th century I will quote the principal passages only: name,

und

als

er

dar

die schoenen daz half swenne

zuo

frowen

(holp)im mich

saeh

an

(on-saw,looked at)

Eniten, vaste

der muot

(fight hard). Er. 933. ermant (thethoughtof you mans),

striten

iwcr

su

ist

liaut

min (victorious) sigesoelic

:

iiiiune

(for)iwer guote

wand

399

WOMEN.

WISE

(nervemy senses), daz mir den vil langen tac (allthe long day) nilit -wider gewesen mac (noughtcan vex). Er. 8SC7. din da gcgcnicvrfic snz (who there present sat), baz (sheholp her man diu gehalf ir manne better). die steilcent mine

ob im

sinne

zwivel

dehein

(ifever

a

doubt) geschach,

(again)an sack, ir schosne gap im niwe kraft (strength), so daz er imzagehaft(undismayed) sine sterke wider gewan (hisstrengthregained) Er. 0171. als ein geruowet (rested) und vaht (foug4it) man. sin sckane wip der gedanc (thinking) an im den lip(life, der kreftigete body). Er. 9229. im diu muoze swenne geschach (opportunity) daz er die maget (maid)reht ersach, daz gap ir gesellen(toher fellow,lover) manlich ellen (elan). Parz. 409, 13. 410, 5. Gawane in sorgen (infear for him), sack er daz si umb in was nu alrest er niuwe kraft enpfant(felt).Lohengr.p. 54-5. minne nie verdroz (neverwearied), den Heiden (whenever)er

swenn

wider

si danne

Parz. 740, 7. herze in strite groz. sin was (therefore) doiken, welle (ifhe do not)an minne (cannotescape). Parz. 740, 15. mag er niht entwenken du dich,Parzival, sumest (whereforedelayest) du an die kiuschen liehtgemal (pure-oneso bright)

des ern sone wes

daz niht

ich mein dcniccst,

din

wip,

(save)hie den lip? Parz. 742, 27. der getouftenam (thechristian gained)an kreften zuo, im nilit ze fruo (none too soon), des was (thought), er ddht an Sin wip die kiiniginnc Parz. 743, 23. ir werden unt an (worthy)minne. wiltu behalten

swu ze

kom (after) ich (themoment

ich sider hant

so

helfe brahte.

ir minne

in not

I) an Parz.

(difiiculty), si

ddhtc,

768, 27.

both their bodies), lip (weary were daz sic (liad niuwan they not)ddhtcn an diu wip fallen).AU.bl. 1,340. bcdcsamt gelegen(bothtogether sie wffiren

miiede

was

ir beder

400

^'"'ISE

In the

de

inter

issue

to

name,

heathen, for their

et Flora it is said 31, 4 : riiyllide ipsas caedes/my beloved in the battle

Carmen

memoraf

WOMEN.

the

victorious.^

therefrom

gods too

were

at your

Snorri,in Yngl. saga

names.

um

hvar

Ille

breathes

sounds

side the moment

cap.

2, says

of

com-

me

my

altogether uttered

you

OiSinn

'

:

sva

var

urSu i nauSum staddir,a sia eSa }?eir iafnan fa af ]?vi Icdllu"ii|?eir a landi,];a a fro,' nafn bans, oc ]?6ttiz it also with his men, wherever so was they were in trouble,on sea and innnediately or were on land, then called they on his name, intolerable to the Ases, Hrungnir became gladdenedby it. When Sn. 108. Kraka, Tlior,}wi nsest kom Thorr i hollina,' pa nefna j^eir si suprema Erich: necessitatis semi-divine a being,admonished remedium celerius sui nuncvijationc violentia postularet, nominis et esse quaerendum, affirmans se divina partim virtute subnixam coelitus insitam numinis quasi cousortem gestarepotentiam,Saxo to the rescue of her chosen Gram., p. 72. So the valkyrjaconies his guardian, hero, when he calls out her name as if ; she is become sent by the gods to bringhim aid (seeSuppl.). oc

bans

This

'

menu,

sem

'

The

mission

of such

then

women

is to

and

announce

death

prepare

that to mortal men seen good or ill,victoryor ; and we the popular faith retained longestits connexion with fighting and like that of the heroes,rests on victory. Their own being itself, for the most human nature, they seem part to have sprung from

kingly and ancestors

heroic

is to be

office,they

must

have

families,and

presumedin

their

wisdom

and

have

admixture

probably an case

But

too.

to

of divine

perform their

supernatural powers

at

their

plications spiesout, nay, guides and arranges comAt of danger,advises in difficulty. in our destiny, warns and endowing, the birth of man they shew themselves predicting in perils of war givinghelp and grantingvictory. Therefore they ON. called wise toomcn, are spahi, spdkonor (conf.spakr,OHG. Nib. loisiu 1473. 3. 1483, 4 wip, prudens),Scot, spae wife,MHG.

command

:

their wisdom

(seeSuppl). 1.

But

1

in

an

(Dis).

older word, which

appears to

me

to

yield

the practice Philander of Sittewald 2,727,Soldatenl. p. 241, stillmentions one's grace and oneself to the loved of dan"^er 'of commending

,ime time

favour

I will firsttake

Itis, Ides

'.

401

iTis.

and in its generalness exactlythe meaningwe have justunravelled, to comprehend all the particular beingsto be studied more minutely OS. ides,pi.idisi, AS. ides,pi. by and by. The OIIG. itis pi.itisi, and can be used of maids or matrons, idesa,denotes femina in general, it seems in the rich or poor.^ Yet, like the Greek even vv/x^r}, earliest times to have been specially appliedto superhuman beings, who, beingconsidered lower than goddessesand higherthan earthly preciselythat middle rank which is here in women, occupy question. Tacitus informs us, that a famous battle-field on the IdisiaYiso called by the Cheruscans Weser was (soI emend Idismeadow not i.e., taviso), nympharum pratum, women's ; it matters whether the spot bore that name before the fightwith the Eomans, it afterwards (v.Haupt's zeitschr. 9, 248). There or only acquired at one under the lead of these time or another a victorywas won exalted dames. The Merseburg poem sets tlie idisi before us in fall action

Some

:

sum^

hapt heptidun,suma

suma

clubodun

cuniowidi

victor.

Here

also demanded

then

(on the

lezidun, ;

20132 : as we fighting), dez muoz must) ich he/teneinen haft (therefore dirre materie an minen danc (against an will), my ich I werde fiirhte sie lane. ze wan (for fear) Others letted the host (hinder, make late,Goth, hari latidedun) ; withs and others again grasped (clawed)at chains or wreaths, i.e., twigs with which to twist shackles,or to twine garlands for the

put

a

check

umbi

heri

read in Renner

their business

by the

very

was

objectof

the

to

bind

and

check,which

is

conjuring-spell ; in striking Norse valkyrs, mentioned

of two harmony with this are the names OHG. Hlancha, i.e., togetherin Stem. 45*, Hlock catena, and vinciens. But it must Herifezzara,exercitum Herfiotr OHG. have been as much in their power to set free and help on, as to shackle and hamper. Compounded with itis we have the female names no. (Meichelb. Itispuruc 162),Itisburg(Trad.fuld. Schannat 181),Idisburg(Lacombl.no. 87),and Itislant (Graff1, 159); which, like Ililtipurc, Sigipurc, Sigilant(MB. 14, 362),are proper to such of our olden time (seeSuppl.).^ women =

=

Freolici; meowle ides,Cofl. exon. 479,2. and idesa' are contrasted,ibid. 176, 5. 432, 2. * the local meaning coincides with the Here 1

=

26

'

Weras

and

idesa,'or 'eorlas

personal ; we

may

therefore

402

WOMEN.

WISE

But

obtain

we

the Norse

much

authorities.

fuller information It has

itis,AS. ides,is the

OHG.

been

same

as

as

to tlieirnature

overlooked the

hitherto,that the

dis

OK

from

pi.disir

;

similar

instances of

the Eigr for Iringon p. 234, and Sangrim, are aphseresis Singrim for Isangrim,Isingrim (Eeinh.ccviii).Any remaining Saem. doubt disappearson comparing the Eddie dis Skioldunga,' The Norse Beow. 2337. ides Scildinga/ the AS. 169* 209* with kind disir likewise sometimes are protectingbeings,sometimes An instance of Ssem. 185* 195* 254'^ 273*. hostile and hindering, '

'

the latter sort

is

found

in

the

disir

story of ThiSrandi, whom

deas interfecisse er destroyed, thann sagt at disir vaegi,' quem dicunt {Nialss. cap. 97),though the full narrative (Fornm. sog. 2, so Spddisir,nymphae 195) calls them simply konur, women; Vols, saga cap. 19, means as vaticinantes, spdkonur; justthe same in Alfs saga cap. allar disir dauSar enn and the phrase ecki eru in the most not dead are 15, means generalsense, all good spirits all spirits to you disir allar,' dauSar are dead, yet ; ySr munu But the Norse peoj)leworshipped them, and Fornald. sog. 2, 47. of disablot is very frequent, sacrifice : the mention offered them Egilss.cap. 44 p. 205; Vigagl.saga cap. 6 p. 30 ; 'biota kumla disir ^ deabus tumulatis sacrificare, Egilss.p. 207. This passage disir and ghosts,departed spirits, between implies a connexion whose portendssomething: 'honor hugSak daitffar reappearance 254*. at night,Saem. koma i nott,'dead w^omen, i.e., disir,come dwellingat Herjans dis (Seem.213^) is nympha Odini,a maiden Valholl in the service of OSinn; dis Skioldunga (Seem,169* 209*), both of divine maid sprung from the Skioldungstock,is an epithet ides Helminga, Sigrun and of Brynhild,conf. AS. ides Scyldinga, 1234. But Beow. Freyja herself is called Vanadis, nympha Vanorum, Sn. 37; and another goddess,SkaSi ondurdis (walking Several to oxid.\vcgu". is equivalent Sn. 28, which in wooden shoes), of women names are compounded with dis: Thordis, proper might have Hiordis, Asdis, Vigdis,Halldis, Ereydis (to which correspondedan OHG. Donaritis,"c.): they prove the pretty high '

'

'

'

in antiquityof the monosyllabicform dis,which even the orginalform invariablyalliterates with D. With

Edda

idis

the

Magaclaburffwith Idisaburg, Idisoburg,and Lslant with Itislant, not to be Idisberg, The Frank ish Dispargum on the contrary seems S aUc fanum Martis (Herm. Miiller, law, p. 33-4). Tiesberg,

compcare Itisolant. but

the

ITIS.

the

of

name

goddess

VELEUA.

Idunn

403

GANNA.

may

be j)0ssibly

Ganna.

Alarun.

connected

(see

Suppl.). 2. Veleda.

If,as the time

to

of

proper

mere

alreadycurrent in genericterm idis was as Tacitus,he givesus other more specific appellations though still a certain generalmeaning seems names,

I suppose,

belongto

them

the

His

too.

statements

about

Veleda, Ganna, and

already quoted in ch. V, where the connexion between pointed out, prophetessesand the priestlyoffice was and akin to the Norse Veleda appears to be almost an appellative, Volundr to the masc. Vala, Volva (p.97-8),or even (p.378),perhaps also to the name valkyrja.^She lives on a toioer,like Jetha (p.96) and Brynhildr(Vols,saga cap. 24). Treaties were ratified in but had to settle disputes her presence ; she not only prophesied, the people,and carry out plans. In Ssem. 4*^ 5* the Vala, among the famous after whom lay Voluspa is named, is also called Hei"r female names and Gidlveig Adalheid, Alpheid,"c.,are ; and as our formed with -heid, Finn Magnusen p. 416^ would derive Veleda however is nowhere found from a supposed Valaheid, which (see Suppl.). The description given of her is an attractive one : whereshe worked in the land this vala velspa (fatidica) ever came, visitations to witchery,she was believed to travel about and make of the houses. This til husa koma reminds us drepa d vett sem Stem. 63% as in other cases also vdhvr,'pulsareaedes sicut fatidicae, were prophesying,inspiringand boon-bestowing women always supposed to pass through the country,knocking at the houses of tliose whom they would bless. A-iirinia

I have

'

'

'

Ganna

if the (p.95-6) could be explainedwith more certainty, disclosed to us : a MHG. real meaning of its root ginnan were seducere; and in Siem. 21'' ginnen is secare, the ON", ginna allicere, of valas,'volo not warned the wheedling words to trust we are how the AS. poets shall see presently, vilmaili trui engi maSr ; we about Wyrd. similar expressions use and was Drusus had crossed the Weser When nearingthe Elbe, '

1

is called I fiufl lValader\c\v".in Trad. corb. p. 364, " 'J13 ; a wild woman diu iibel walledein' ; but this 514 'die wildo n-aldin' nuA 735 of valaudiune, .she-devil. a corruption

in Wolfdieteiich seems

'

404

WISE

in the laud

him

there met

of the Cheruscaiis

a

who (^vatv, avOpoiTiov

fiei^cov ?)Kara

ryvvrj Ti'i

WOMEN.

superhuman female, forbade

his farther

approachingend (Dio Cass. 55, 1). Species larharae humana mulieris, amplior,victorem tendere ultra,sermone have been Latino,prohibuit(Sueton.in Claudio 1).^ There may advance, and foretold

his

this,which

folk-tales about

German

Wise-women

of the

country'sneed,

and

fatherland,as

by

known

became

well

to the Eomans.

heroes,rose

as

up

in their

terrified the foe.

their appearance

(p.95) to have been famous in Germany before Veleda ; copyists easilyhave corruptedali into au,'and runa may into 'rinia': we should then have be Aliruna, though it would But anyhow we stillmore handy if Tacitus had written Alioruna. fail to recognisethe agreement (which many have noted) cannot with Jornandes cap. 24, who, in accounting for the originof the Huns, relates of the Gothic king Filimer : Eepperitin populo suo aliornmnas muliercs, quas patrio sermone (al. quasdam magas is habens alyrumnas,aliorunas,aliuruncas) ipsecognominat,easque longeque ab exercitu suo fugatas suspectas de medio sui proturbat, in solitudine coegiterrare. Quas silvestres homines, quos faunos Aurinia

is said

'

'

ficarios vocant, per

vagantes

eremum

dum

vidissent,et

earum

se

complexibusin coitu miscuissent,genus hoc ferocissimum edidere.' with -r-iin, of women formed -runa are (Gramm. 2, Many names Alariutn even offer,though sparingly, 517),and OHG. documents 3,416 (an.1140); 'Gosprecht der Alraumjn sun,' Aleruna, MB. MB.

27,

80

(an. l.')09).I have

seen

never

Elirun, the

form

we

that the OX. name significant, to a icisc-iooman ; and alruncv Olrun, Siem. 133-4, belongsprecisely of a propheticand alrauii,from its old sense (Graff2, 523),now has at lengthpassedinto that of the root (mandragora, diabolic spirit, should

1

A

expect

from

ali-.-

similar tale about

But

it is

Alexander

Severus

:

Midier

Druias

eunti exclamavit

credas ! ' Ael. speres, Attila at the passage of tlie Lech is Lampridiiisin Alex. Sev. cap. 60. And said to have been scared away by a rune-maiden callingout three times ' back, ' Of still more Attila ! Paul of Stetten's Erl. aus der gesch.Augsburgs, p. 25. 15 ON. is the of tradition in Saxo Gram. : an 'iladingum weight agreement p. Gallico sermone,

'

vadas, nee

victoriam

nee

te

niiliti tuo

(ourmythic Harding, Hartung) obvia femina hac voce compellat: Seu pede rura teras, seu ponto carbasa tendas, infestos patieredeos,totum(]^ueper orbem videbis. inimica tuis elementa propositis '^ It throws some light on the meaning of -run, that in AS. also hirgrAna or burgrunan stands for parcae and fiu'iae(Lye sub v., and Ul. epinal.617).

alarOn.

mandrake)

Wo

is cut.

the fountain

which

about

names,

of wliich he

out

405

norni.

turn

now

of tradition flows

to

other

some

freely(see

more

SuppL). 3. ISToRNi The

(Fatae).

subjectof an independentand profound Collectively they are called the nornir, and

three Fates

the

are

myth in the Edda. singly,JJr"r,Verffandi,SJculd,Stem. 4=^. Sn. 18. The term noni hitherto in any other dialect,^ has not been discovered {parca^l though undoubtedlyit belongs to a genuine Teutonic root, and is formed

; but

pi.norni

uorn,

(seeSuppl.).In the

horn, "c.,and would

like thorn, corn,

the three proper

of verbal

forms

which

auxiliaryby what

the

future

is, and

what

was,

time the very

same

on, must

have

know

it

shall

names

been

known

a

OHG.

longer

no

impossibleto

mistake

from

the

the pres.

past part,of skula,shall,the is formed.

tense

what

not foreignto any originally Vai'rSandei,Skulds, an Vaiirjjs, so

it is

names

the

and future,very aptlydesignated, the

Danish

in

or

nouns

word, and Shdd

same

and

been

: Urffr is taken adjectives (varS,urSum), to become, Verffandi is

pret.pi. of verSa part,of the

Swedish

even

have

be, Fate

or

the

Hence

we

have

past, present and each.^

presidingover

At

was prove that the doctrine of norns of the Teutonic nations. A Gothic

OHG. once

Wurt, as

Werdandi,

beings; personal

Scult, and in

the

OS.

Nurnherg (mons Noricus) has nothing to do with it,it is no very old either (in Bohmers town regest.firstin 1050, no. 1607 ; conf. MB. 29, 102). Nidda is a well called Nornborn, Nornhurn, In the tiekls at Dauernheim near when But I should like to see there is war. and its springis said to flow only which authenticated The AS. gen. pi.neorxena, the name by an old document. but breviatio abthe in has been neorxena proposed, only occurs paradisus, wong unheard and would the or be something nom. even of, sing,neorxe 1

V;

'

'

=

at variance

neorxu

with

with

paradise.May

OHG.

noran,

(ch.XXXV) older than '

MHG.

"] But any such

we

norn

trace

i besides,the norn

to

Parcac

niosan

are

nowhere

whose (sternutare),

found

connected

past part,is in

virtue there is in sneezing of the prophetic norn, because with nose] seems in this verb [con;i. the special meaning

generalmeaning, and its ON. dii effantur. esse quicciuid

form Fatum

hniosa

stands

opposed.

a faudo, colo,in fuso, digitisquefila ex : praderiium,quod in fuso jam nentis trahitur,/((i/(rnctum at"|ue involutum eM, praesens, quod inter digitos lana adhuc in v.m quae colo implicataest,et quod per digitosnentis ad i'usum Isidori etym. 8, 11 " 92, a est,' tanquam trajiciendum praesens ad praeteritum circulated the JNIid. in yet Ages (v. Gl. Jun. ."^98), pa.ssage pretty extensively borrowed of the classical. In " 93 from Teutonic the notion )io proof being Isidore adds: voluerunt, unam quae vitam homiius quas (parcas)tres esse -

Fatinih dicunt

loquendo. Tria autem i.e., fata finguutur lana torquentibus,propter trina tempora

in

'

ordiatur,alteram

quae

contexat,tertiam quae rumpat '.

igiturdictum

406

WISE

and

AS.

the

first

poetry

2, just

that

near, to

as

her ;

she

18.

lied

can

Again

163, 16.

'

Ill,

48,

'

is at

lay our

hendi,'92,

:

^

Fate, the

'

:

146,

death,stands

or

who

man

Heliand

is fallen

so

due

say just as concretely is at hand, is at the thiu Wurth uilhida thuo,' drew nigh then, Hel. '

Wurth 4.

of personality

the

says

the

with her hand

grasp

'

is at handun 2

the

fingeron

should

we

door '.

66,

:

dod

able to

are

thiu Wurdh

'

norn '

we

WOMEN.

ina Not

benam,' the death-goddesstook

so

livingis the term

as

or skihit,'

used

him

in the

away

Hildebr.

perhaps separately we ! wurt skihit,' because of abstract inanimate geschehen to happen is used more glossalso has umrt for fatum (Graff1, 992). things.An OHG. Far vivid are the AS. phrases: more me J^ajtWyrcl ^ gewaf/ 355 ; texuit,Cod. exon. Wi/rd oft nereS unfoegne parca hoc mihi eorl,Jjonnehis ellen deah,'parca saepe servat virum, donee virtus Beow. 1139 ; 'him ejusviget(ellantaoc, Hildeb.), wa^s Wt/jxIungemete neah, se J?one gomelan gretan sceolde,sccean sawlehord, sundur gedffilan lif wi(5 lice,' 4836 (so,' deaS ungemete neah 5453); him ita ei fatum swa non Wijrd ne gescraf,' decrevit, ordinavit, weivurt

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Beow.

5145.

El. 1047.

Wi/rd forsweop,'^swept

conf. Boeth. all away,

Beow.

beswiic,forleolc and

forlserde,' eos

Andr.

Wyrd sceSeS,'nos

The

613;

'us

seo

instances in Csedmon

ed. Eawl.

parca

p.

151;

5624; 'hie

seo

'

ealle

Wj/rd

decepit,allexit, seduxit, fatum

Andr. laedit,

1561.

less concrete, yet in 61, 12 the

Wyrd : 'wiilgrim,' bloodthirsty.Of the Wi/rd then are predicated OHG. scrifan (ordinare, OHG. gretan (excitare, cruozan), scripan),"* wefan (texere, OHG. beswican OHG. wepan), (decipere, pisuichan), forlsecan (fallere, OHG. forlseran (seducere,male farleichan), sceSan (nocere). She is paintedpowerful,but often informare), cruel and warlike (seeSuppL). We cannot in the same point way out a personal applicationof the other two names, though the is called

are

"

MHG. 'er hat den der hant,'Eeinh. 1480. Nib. 1480, 4. tot an 1806. Morolt. 29b. Dietp 29^ Pf. Chuonrat 3860. Karl 52\ 2 With is wearS, pi.wiirdon, D, not Th, because the pret. of weorSan which supports the derivation I'proposed ; so the OHG. Wurt, because werdan 1

has pret.pi.wartum. ^ So I read for the 'forsweof of the editions, conf. forswapen,Credm. 25, 9. ^ Conf. note to Elene similar of the MHG. and on a use 161, schr'ihen, p. Klausen in Zeitschr. fiir alterth. 1840 226 the Roman notion of the on p. Parcae keepinga uwitten record. N. Cap. 50. 55 renders the by hrievara, parca recorder. TertuUian,De anima cap. 39, informs us that on the last day of the first week of a child's life they used to pray to the fata Scribunda. Fleming 479 calls the three Fates ' des verhangnis schreiberinnen '.

407

WYRD.

NORNI.

in

continued Scult,AS. Scijld, skuld, scult,scyld,in the sense

third, Skuld, OHG. an

abstract fern,

had Christianity

AVhen alone

name

and sufficient,

found

was

the

banished

constant

of

tum.^ debitum, delic-

heathen

notions,one

that

even

soon

as

use

died

out,

to new fangledterms such as schicksal,verhangnis giving])lace and cumbrous unwieldy than the (destiny)and the like,far more the Scotch dialect The English and especially old simplewords. harboured the old word to have longest: we all know the seems weird-sisters in ]\Iacbeth,which Shakspearetook from Hollinshed ; they are also in Douglas'sVirgil80, 48, and the Complaynt of

other fabulous stories, (written1548) mentions, among stirs' (Leyden'sed. Edinb. 1801, p. 99) ; that of the Hire ivelrdsy the in Warner's Albions printed 1616) we have England (first More vjeirdelves,' probably meaning the Parcae of the ancients. the ive'ird lady of the woods,' who, when native apparentlyis asked for advice,prophesiesout of her cave, Percy'sEeliques 3, Scotland '

'

*

220-2.2 Even

in the

must

two, for the

fountain

than

the

after

her, Ur"arhrunnr^

three

the

other

and

'

of

been

by

Urd'ar

consequence is named

more

the sacred

ash

which

the hall from

it stands

beside

issue ; it is also

norns

have

North, Urd'r

word orc5,'

(Ssem.112*) '

grimmar ur"ir dira fata,is These three virginsallot to every used aldr ; shop i ardaga (yearhis term of life, sha'pamonnum man elsewhere I have (EA. 750) shown days),'Sn. 18. Ssem. 181^ office of of the term the technical pertinence shapa to the judicial chieflyspoken of, and Ssem. 216^. impersonally,

that is

once

'

"

'

the

norns,* to

1

Fornald.

whom

sog.

for the

same

1, 32 Hkuld,daughterof

reason

an

are

ascribed

domr

alfkoiia ; also in Saxo

Gram.

and

p.

n. prop. 31, Sciilda,

(weerd,weard). Chaucer alreadysubstitutes 2619). In Engl, 3, 733. Leg. of gd worn. fatalsustrin for weirdsysters (Troil. and furiae dictionaries we find wayward sistersexplained ; wardsisters by parcae and would but tvaijivard create means no imycapricious, was once diliicultv, vorn (Gramm. 2, 675). in which the warden ivarden, suggests the Dan. vorren, '^

Conf. Jamieson

sub

v.

weird

is the usual etym.] of it? [wa woe there be at the bottom and fays of the wives deserves attention, for the wayfaring and goddesses the Mid. muses at fountains, as Ages also appear haliitnally loved wells and of song haunted the same, and particular goddesses, esp. Holda, What

3

AS. form can Tliis brunnr

=

dame Hohla springs (p. 268). Altogether it is hard often to tell which resembles more, an ancient goddess or a wise-woman. * Conf AS. wyrda gcsMift,C;edm. 224, 6. wyrda gesceajm, Cod. exon. 420, term 25. OS. wunUKiiscapii, Hel. 113, 7 ; and the OHG. (decreta foti), scepalso iu MHG. a vates,was hetitd, schqtfe(Ottoc.119^')and schcpfcr ; the poet,

408

WISE

WOMEN.

dirae parcae gyi"r,SjBm. 273'' ; liotar nornir skopo oss langaJ?ra,' nobis longiim moerorem nornir 217'' ; creaverunt heita ]?8erer nauS sJcajm, nornir Skaklskaparmal p. 212.'* In the same sense Ssem. SS'', visa,' theygiveus to ivit judgment,and are ivise. Hence to stoli sat ek niu daga them, as to judges,a seat is given : a noma born 127^*. They approach every new child,and utter his doom ; '

'

'

'

'

at

birth,it is said Helgi's uott

in Saem. 149 i

var

:

boe,nornir

qvamo,

er : oSlingialdr um sJcopo Jjoer verSa, J?annbaSo fylkifroegstan ok BuSlunga beztan ]?yckja. af aflidrlogpdito, snero ]?cer ]7aer borgirbraut i Bralundi ; um. greiddogullinsimo, ])ceT ok und manasal miSjan/esto. ok austr vestr enda falo, ]?oer ];aratti lofSungrland a milli : bra niptNera a norSrvega einni fcsti. ey baS hon halda.

enteringthe castle at importantpassage tells us, that norns night spun for the hero the threads of his fate,and stretched the golden cord (pdttr daht,docht, s%mi)in the midst of heaven ; This

=

=

one

norn

hid

an

thread

of the

end

third fastened it northward; this third

one

threefold ends

western

All

action. of the

line

to

was

to

fall to

gathered from

be the

region between

the

a

is called 'sister of Neri'.^

number, though ^.not expresslystated,is

Their the

eastward, another westward,

the young

eastern

and

hero's lot ; did

she Hung a band northward, when gift, and bade it hold for aye ? (seeSuppl.). and fays,for the the regularthing in tales of norns It seems ized advantagespromised in precedingbenefactions to be partlyneutralby a succeedingone. travelled about in the The Nornagestssaga cap. 11 says; : There the third

norn

scuof,OS.

OHG.

diminish

this

scop, from

the

root.

same

The

AS.

word

metten

I connect varia lectio in Hel. 66,

with metod (creator,see (Rawlinson) p. 22). In ' the unkind has ' \"kgraman fates.;the ' metodo giscapu mettena,' ' to those 19. 67, 11 answer ivyrdagesceapu,'and the gen. plurals'metodo, ' .calls wyrda imply that not one creator,but several are spoken of. Vintler ' to dole man. out maids that them erteilen,' diernen,die dem menschen Bogth.

1

Conf.

niptNara, Egilssagap.

440.

p. 101

a

409

NOPiNI.

their wlio foretold to men spdJconui\ to '. People invited them aldr or orlcig fate, spaSu monnuni their houses, gave them good cheer and gifts. One day they came to Nornagest'sfather,the babe lay in the cradle,and two taperswere

land

volvur,'who

'

called

are

'

'

burninoassured or

him

of

happiness beyond '

off her seat and

cried 'I

cause

giftedhim, and

had

women

all otliers of his race, the in

yngsta nornin,'who

hin

pushed

fallen to the

crowd

the

rose gi'ound,

up

in

had anger,

third been and

onlylive tillthe lightedtaper beside eldest .volva quicklyseized the taper,put mother with the warning not to kindle it

that the child shall out '.

has burnt

it out, and

'

the first two

When

him.

over

youngest norn,

him

'

The

it to the

gave

who received from this the again till the last day of her son's life, of Norns-guest. Here volva,spdkona and norn are perfectly name before (p. 403) that the volur passed saw ; as we synonymous the nornir do the very through the land and knocked at the houses,'^ is attributed to the firsttwo norns, an A kind disposition same. to the .third. This evil one third,consequentlySktdd, is called of different ages therefore,Urd'7- being con'the youngest,' sidered theywere the Such oldest. tales of travelling giftingsorceresses .much in vogue all through the Mid. Ages (seeSuppl.).^ were ^

dame

I have

elsewhere

Aventiiire with, the ancient

is

shown

an

in detail, that the journeyinf:^ ]\Iuse hou.se-visiting and and featiue to a inspiring propheticnorn, agrees

conception;

see

^

a

NigellusWirekere, in his fable (exemplum): I bant

my

Kleine

schriften 1, 102. (comp.about

JSpeculumstultorum

tres hominum

curas

1200),relates

relevare sorores,

(^uas nosf (dales dicimiis esse elects. travel of nature. Two of the Thay throughthe land, to remedy the oversights soft-hearted and in rush and the to want first apsisters, impulsive, help at pearance of distress, but are restrained by the third and more intelligent one, whom First they fall as a they address as domina, and revere higher poMer. in with a Ijeautiful noble maiden, who has all good thingsat her command, and

yet complains ; she

is not. helped,for she can help herself. Then they find in the forest a modest maid laid up in bed, because sore feet and hips hinder her from walking ; she too obtains no help from the goddesses; excellently endowed in mind and body, she must bear her misfortune patiently.At last in the neighbourhood the sisters come ,Qf a town a upon poqr rough peasant lass :

Exiit in bivium

rustica,nil

ventrem

purgare inverecunda

puella

dea, elatis retro nimiumque rejectis, dellexo crure resedit humi, poplite reverens

vestibus

una manns foenum, panistenet altera frustum ; this one, at the suggestionof the thii'd sister, when .the first two .away, is heaped witli the giftsof fortune by the goddesses: Haec;mea multotiens genitrixnarrare solebat,

CUJU3me

certe non

meminisse

pudet.

have

tunicd

410

WISE

The

WOMEN.

Edda

(goSarok

expresslyteaches that there are good and though it names illar, grimmar, liotar),

and

had

norns

only three, of them tliat there are more from descended :. some are gods,others from Sasm. 187-8. elves, others from dwarfs, Sn.. 18. 19, Why be furnished with dogs ? should the norns Seem, 273^ grey noma, We description, see, throughout this Eddie things and persons else naud'r are or kept clearlyapart. Destiny itself is called orlog., aldr have to -manage (necessitas), (aevum) ; the norns it,espy it, it (seeSuppL). And decree it,pronounce the other dialects too had term OHG. MHG. urlouc : iirlac,AS. orlceg, possessedthe same OS. orlag, (Gramm. 2, 7. 87. 789. 790),, orlegi, aldarlagu(Heh 103, 8. 113, 11. 125, 15);^ it was only when tlie heathen goddesses had been cast off,that the meanings of the words to be concame founded, and the old flesh-and-blood wurt, wm-ff,ivyrdto pale into a mere impersonalurlac. In the same relation as norn to orlog, stands parca to fatum like qviSr from qveSa qvaS,quoth),and also alcra, (from fari, fioipa But when the parcae had to avarjKri (nauSr)or e'lfiapixevq. once vanished from the people's the Eomance imagination, language(by the reverse of that justnoticed amongst us) formed out a process of the abstract noun and personalone, out oifatum an Ital. a new Fr. fee.^ I do not know fata,Span, liada,Prov. fada (Eayn. sub v.), if this was of some female beings prompted by a faint remembrance in the

Celtic

faith,or the influence

of the

Germanic

norns.

But

these

fays,so called at first from their announcing destiny,soon to be ghostlywives in general, came our as altogetherthe same How idisi and volur.^ in Italy, current was very early the name is proved by Ausonius, who in his Gryphus ternarii numeri brings forward the tres Charites,tria Fata', and by Procopius,who '

like the AS. lage,ON. From log (lex); legan (tolay down, constituere), therefore urlac,fundamental law. The forms urlouc,urliugehave significantly ^

liugan,louc (celare). MHG. aimee ; lata,lee. Some poets say feie others Haujjt'szeitschr. 2, 182-3, /ewe (Gotfr.Conr.). (Hartni.Wolfr.),sine/eie, 3 OFr. call them, in addition to fees,divesses (Marie de Fr. 2, 385), poems Men eure'es duesses (Meon 4, 158. 165),duesse and fee (Wolf,lais 51) y.puceles (3, 419) ; sapaudes (wise-women, from (Meon 3, 418), franchespuceks senees de Fr. 2, 385. Enchanting beauty is ascribed to them all : sapere 1),Marie of H. Schreiber A book plus bela que fada,'Ferabras 2767 ; conf. 16434. of faythe lighton antiquities (Die feen in Europa, Freib. 1842) throws much wise-women's the remind of the us fays worship. Houses, castles and hills of In Irish, and Holla-hill,and of giant'shouses. towers, of the Venus-hill theu the is first a fays' house, faycommunity. siahrog, sighbrog,

been

twisted

"

'

Conf.

round

nata,

to the root

nee

;.

amata,

(De bello

mentions Ptoman

Forum

remark that

:

in norns,

ra

moirai,parcae the

2, 122) a buildingin tlie

rpia (fyara(supra p. 405, note) with 'Pco/xalot Koktlv?/j,o2pa"; Ta"; vevofxiKacn

yap

everywhere

the

number

the At

tlirce,

and

Eomance with

coincide

Eomans

1, 25, ed. Bonn.

therefore still neuter; but

About

they

called

ovtco

time

Goth.

411

FATAE.

NORNI.

the

fays(seeSuppl.).fays there is a multitude of stories,and popular beliefs of Germany. Pok|uetde

sings: Aissim en

fadero trcs serors aquellaora qu'ieusui natz,

que

Guilhdei.

totz

Poitou

temps fos

enamoratz,

:

Assi

sobr'un puegau. fuy de nueitz/c/f/a?'^; (sowas I giftedby night on a mount).

Marcabrus

:

Gentil vos

fas nada

adastret, quan

d'una

fada

bevitat esmerada,

Trc

Pentam. 1, 10. 4, 4 ; fatego past, laughing,and givegood gifts, the first fate bestow the last one curses 2, 8 ; Pervonto blessings, for three sleeping builds a bower fcde,and is then gifted1, 3 ; trc fate live down in a rocky hollow, and dower the children who descend 2, 3. 3, 10 ; fate appear at the birth of children,and lay them

on

their breast 5, 5 ; Cervantes

las siete fadasl Don

'

names

los siete castillos de

vaefadaron en brazos de una ama mia,'Eom. de la infantina ; there are seven fays in the are land, they are asked to stand godmothers,and seats of honour but the seventh w^as prepared at the table : six take their places, she now with good forgotten, appears, and while the others endow her malison things,she murmurs (La belle au bois dormant); in the German the

kindermarchen

thirteenth had

1

I do Accorclinf,'ly

thouglithe

Quix. 4,

Latin

verb

been

not

is of

50 ;

'

siete fadas

it is (Dornroschen) overlooked.

derive

fata

course

the

Sa

icomen,

famed

forest of

the

or cfxlns(speech),

from

same

in

twelve wise

word

as

(^arojspoken,

Conf. Ducange sub (/jj^/xi.

Fatuus and I'atua are also connected. Aghioph. 816. jb. 1843. 2,129 131 separates tlie three parcae dilferent adjuncts: the in sculpturesthey have from moirai weaving,the Grecian Roman the are represented -writing (p.406), jiarcae with horns of plenty. But almost everythingin the tria fata simply as women idises and norne, and with our doctrine of fays points to a common nature

V.

Fadus, and Lobeck's -

works

Lersch in the Bonner the three fata,because

of art fall into the background

"

before the fulness of literature.

412

WOMEN.

WISE

Brezeliande, by the

apparelshew bestows

and

begifta child,but calamity (San Marte, Leg.of Arthur themselves, and

Olger'sbirth

At

named

six In

Morgue.

vnse

ivomcn

the

Children

lime-tree,three wayfaring

a

future.

The

OFr.

falls asleepin

]nm

Burchard

In

off.

sisters

or

pareae,

with

mensas

cum

of

of Worms the

160).

; the last is

Limburg {Mones anzeiger a

meadow

beside

court

an

a

fountain

foretell the

approach,and

boat, and

a

for whom

v)ivcs

p. 157-8.

endow

and

Guillaume

of

romance

ho^v Eenoart

table

appear,

Ectrites falls asleepin

1835, 169),when and

faees in white is spiteful one

cle Barendon, dames

fontaine

describes

nez

and fays come carry still spoken of as three the house spread the

three

they are people of

three

platesand three knives ; lapidibusvel epulis in domo'.

the

conf .

In

the

'

praeparare

watches

of

the

and to children, wash them night the fatuae come lay them down by the fire (see Suppl.).In most of the tales there appear three fays,as well as three norns and three pareae ; occasionally and thirteen ; but they also come like that weirdlady seven singly, '

of

the

wood,'

and

with

proper

names

of

their

own.^

French

"^

La fata in Giierino meschino ^8; Morganda fatata,fata p. m. 22.3. 234 Morgana, Morghe la fee (Noiiv. Renart 4810); 'diu frouwe de la rosrhe bise (black rock),die gesach nieman, er scliiede dan vro, riche luide wise,'whom but he went none saw 1, 118=". glad, rich and wise, Ben. 144. MsH. away Monnier's Culte des espritsdans la Sequanie tells of a fee Arie in Francherewards diligent comte, who ap2"ears at country (esp. harvest) feasts, and and she makes the for fruit fall off the trees .children, spinnere; good and Berhta. distributes nuts and cakes to them at Christmas,just like Holda I believe her to be identical with the Welsh Arianrod,daughter of Don and arian contains sister of Gwydion in Croker 3, 195.; her name (Woden), the she used of it that is and is also so a shiningone, .milkyway. (argentum), of de la Halle A jeu composed in the latter half of the 13th centitry by Adam Arras in Tlieatre 55 Paris 1839, seq.)gives a (pubL fran^.au moyen p. age, fidl account of dame et sa compaignie. They ,are beautiful pretty Morgue dames w ho fixed time of the year seek a night's women at a (beles parees), that look dishes at where set the table for them ; men are on lodging a house, there must not word. Beside la on speak a Alorgue sage appear (p.76-7) two other fays,Arsile and Maglore,and the last,on sittingdown, notices that no h as been laid for while the others Icnife her, praise the beauty of theirs. in cries out Maglore prisa qviiestavli,ni avisa anger : 'Suije li pire? pen me seule faille'. Arsile tries to pacifyher, and says, it is fitting a coutel que toute that we those who have arranged this place so prettily. give a present to endows with one riches,Arsile .with the poeticart, but Maglore says ; Morgue "

De

mi

certes

bien doivent

Morgue however head, and on the

il nient,: falir a don bel, naront

puisquejaifali a coutel honni soit qui riens leur insistingon a gift,Maglore other a calamitous journey :

donra

1

bestows

on

one

fellow

a

bald

NORNI.

tradition

bringsto lighta

: the fays giant-maidens

heads

or

413

FATAE.

close connexion

blocks

enormous

cany

faysand

between

of stone

on

our

their

their aprons, while the free hand pliestlie spindle; doing the buildingpart had linished her fay who was

in

wlien the

bringany more, and these, though two miles off,lieard the cry and dropped their stones, which not buried themselves deep in the ground ; when the fays were goodThey were spinning,they carried four stones at once. natured,and took specialcare of the children whose fates they houses by the in and out of the neiglibours' foretold. They went chimney, so that one day the most careless one among them burnt all the fays of the and uttered a loud wail, at which lierself, could deceive them : running up. You never neighbourhood came a man once, when put his wife's clothes on and nursed the baby^ in and the fay walked said directly : non, tu n'es pointla belle \ ni ne vogues, ni ton fuseau n'enveloppes tu ne files, d'hier an soir, To punish him, she contented herself with making the applesthat were baking on the hearth shrink into peas. in Eomance Of such stories there are plenty; but nowhere or

task, she called

to her. sisters not

out

to

'

German

folk-tales do

meet,

we

as

far

as

I

it

the

the Greek

conceptionof twiningand fasteningthe cmd, or spinningand cuttingthe thread of life.Only one Ages, Marner, has

with

know,

Norse of

one

poet of the Mid,

2, 173^:

fldhtcnmir ein sell, scliepfer da bi diu dritte saz (thethird sat by) ; diu zerbrachz (brokeit) unheil. min : daz was

zwo

But

this

thread

Then

seems

borrowed

from

the Eoman

(rumpat, p. 406, note).

before

daybreak

Wonns

of

by day. fays to the a

cloth

all doubt.

Here three

breakingoff

makes

Ottokar

ains comperront cliier le coutel qu'ilouvlierent chi a metre. the fays departto a meadow, their

they shun to meet the eyes of men of these three close resemblance understands coutel of wrongly Burciiard of

view

we

see

nonis.

spread for

the

the

the

schcpferi

placeof meeting,for plainlyenough The

fay ; be

French

the

editor

passage in corruption of

the

If Maglore a mandragora is elsewhere called, a close be established with Alrune, Ohun. connexion Morgue is shortened from may the Breton for merwoman Morgan, which is (from nior, the sea, and gwen, Morgan with that splendens femina). One might be tempted to connect has the ON. morni stands for morgni ; but the norn inexplicaldenorn,'as the nothing to do with morning or the sea (see Su]"pl.). 1 II. Schreiber,Feen in Europa pp. 11. 12. 10. 17. Michclct 2, 17. removes

Mandaglore, Mandagloire,

'

as

the

414

WISE

WOMEN.

in good or evil. The banun impart all success (creating) in Hild. lied is hardlyto be explainedby the fastening of

festan

'

'

thread

a

of death. If

we

the

mythus with the Greek, its own In Homer independent way. that spinsthe thread for the newborn :

compare

taken

shape in Alaa} personified

aSTorse

what

'

thingsAisa

Od. 7, 197 other

Xlvut,ore iTrevrjcre for him

span

ol Alaa

makes

and

three

the Ad-)(eaL"i, "ATpoTTO'i, exalted of all.

But

KX(o6(ti

in

re

who

give to

almost

the

mortals

he

birth

the

Hesiod

{dair. 258)

combatants, KKwOm, them

names

djaOov re both

have

to

:

eldest and

most

as

a'lre/Bporotaiv "ArpoTTov,

SiSovaiv exeiv at

'.

span

of stature, but

Kal

Adyealv re

lyeLvo/iievoiai '

Theog. 218

in

re

beside

last small

her

But

"

unkind

goddesses stand

her thread '.

/3apelac fJ'^jrrjp jjllv T"Ke

Xivco, ore

the Kataklothes

it is the

II. 20, 127 ;

fn]T7]p.

associated with

KaTaK\co6e"i

lyeivo/xevcp vi]aavTO

M'hat Aisa

re/ce

fitv

birth with

spinners(two)are

aaaa

'

at

has

ol Alaa

aaaa

yeivo/xevq)

each

KaKov

good

re

and

"

ill;

'

and

in

is description given by Plato (De republ. 617 Steph. 508 Bekk.): The three whose knees the on daughters of ^AvdyKT](necessity), fioipai are turns spindle(drpaKro^) ; they sit clothed in white and garlanded, Lachesis ra rye'yovora, Klotho ra singingthe destiny, Atropos ovra, relation to past, present and future as ra fieXKovra : justthe same do not themselves the norns have, though the Greek proper names (formed like Av^m, GaWco, Arjro),Mop/xM, exj)ress it. Kkwddo Top"y(jii) spins (from Kkwhw spin,twine), Lachesis allots (from

w^ords

same

The

at 905.

most

the unturnable,cuts "Arpo7To";, Xa-xelv),

overlooked,that Hesiod while

with

AVurt

us

Latin

1

I think

the eldest

producesthe

most

not

be

the

mightiest, powerfulimpression.

the last,Atropos,as

distribute the offices of the parcae somewhat Apuleius (De mundo p. 280) : Clotlio ^9?-acsen?'is curam,

quia quod torquetur

ala-a is the OHG.

era,

our

ehre,for

aiza,aisa (as aistan is aestimare) :

is fair and meed.

up

It must

thread.

writers

as differently, temporis habet

Gothic

sets

the

detailed

what fitting,

If this

(seeSuppl.).

is any

era

one's due ; kut understand

etymologyholds,we

in

which

momenti digitis, we

should

expect

a

what honor, decus, dignitas, each his t o ex ala-av, dignitate, why frau Ere waa personified =

415

NOKNI.

est, quia quod

latum praesentisindicat spatia; Atropos practcriti

temporishabet perfectuniest,praetcriti^ futuri,quod etiain illis quae futura sunt finem quoted on (seeSuppl.). Isidore's opinionwas in fuso

nagestssaga bears

tell his fortune

birth three moirai

whose live

strikingresemblance

a

only tillthe billet then Altliaca

his mother here

exchange

the

Another

tale,that of the

ugly old

women,

desire

be

to

who

bidden

(Deutschesagen

to

come

to

three old

Elsewhere

tlirce

the

9)

no.

of the mountain, and

help,but marriage

introduces

under

Nor-

Meleager,at

Atropos destines

him

burnt

to out

two

;

tales

modern no.

spinners (no.14),depictsthem

44. as

longerto predict; they

no

and do

but foretell,

women

dederit

The

for death, Kinderm.

fates

or

of

of the fire.^ Our

it out

norns

p. 405.^

the liearth be

burning on

plucks

:

deus

suum

that

to

Lacliesis

speciem;

to not

maidens

their table is the

called cousins.

be

spin.^ A folk-tale spinningin a cave Evil one (I suppose

norn) chained up ; again we are told of the roof-beam on the not forget which a spinnirig ivifcsits at midnight.* We must describes a which norn as AS. term iveaving, Wyrd gcwdf (p.406) ; and when it is said in Beow. 1386 : ac him Dryhten largitusest successuum forgeafwigspeda gewiofu'(ei Dominus bellicorum phraseology,only texturas),this is quite heathen putting God in the place of Wyrd. Gottfried (Trist.4698), in Blicker of Steinach's purity of mind, expresses himself describing

the third

'

'

thus

:

ich wsene,

daz

haben

wunder

ze

und

infeinen gespunnen

in in ir hrunnen

haben

und gereinet geliutert ; *

I

ween

that

fays spun

him

as

a

wonder, and cleansed him

in their

fountain '. Saxo

Gram.

unmistakably he

p.

102

is

uses

the

Latin

describingnorns

words '

:

Mos

nympha, but antiquis, super

parca, erat

^ The still three

to Mercury 550-561 names Hymn individuallysome in nuud)er,winrjod maidens dwelling on Parnassus, besprinkledwith white meal, who prophesy when they have eaten food (ijSelni/ of honey. Otherwise t5a)Sr]v) they are called dptai. Apollodonis i. 8, 2.

other ^oipm. their heads fresh divine

-

3

54-5. *

Altd.

wl). 1, 107-8-9-10. Norske eventyr no. Miillenliotl's Schleswigh. s. p. 410. Pentamer. Jul. Schmidt, Reichenfels p. 140.

13.

4, 4.

Rob.

Chambci-s

p.

416

WISE

eventibus

liberorum

futuris

oracula

farcariim

consultare.

Quo

filii fortmiam

Olavi

Fridlevus

WOMEN.

exploraturus,nuncnpatis aedes precabundiis solenniter votis,deorum accedit,ubi introspecto sedes totidem saccllo^ iernas occiipari nt/vqjJiis cognoscit.Quanim aninii liberalem forniam, uberemqiie prima indulgentioris puero secunda beneficii loco humani favoris copiam erogabat. Eidem Tertia condonavit. liberalitatis excellentiam protervioris vero, studii femina, sororum indulgentiorem ingenii invideutiorisque donis officere cupiens, futuris aspernata consenstim, ideoque earum pueri moribus parsimoniaecrimen affixit.' Here they are called ritu

the third of

the

is

nymph

first two.

the

OK

authorities ; and

who

lessens the boons

else in

nowliere

again the The only

infant,but

the

to

come

found

I have

which sisters,

illnatured one,

is,that the

difference father seeks

out

their

do

norns

not

their dwelling,

temple (seeSuppl.).^ and the spindleof the faysgive us The weaving of the norns to recognisedomestic motherlydivinities ; and we have already remarked, that their appearingsuddenly,their haunting of weUs about frau Holda, and springsaccord with the notions of antiquity to spinning, who devote themselves and the like goddesses, Berhta and

bestow

boons

on

and

babes

chiklren.^

Celts

Among

especially,

consiilted. which their oracle was the birth of a child,lays the sheet imder it,and its fortune. And other occasions in life they say, determines on taipLaima with lemti connected ordained it doubt Laima Fate is no so closely ; leme,' ch. XVII, hills the She barefooted runs over (see (ordinare, disponere). from debt Dchlda is also mentioned There a (nursing-mother, Watersprites). ^

They

2

The

had

templethen, in

a

Lettish

Laima,

at

'

to

to trinityof jmrcae, and their spinning a thread,are unknown ;309. 272. dainos Stender's Ehesas Gramm. 264. conf. pp. ; p. Lithuanians do know a IVerjKya(spinner). The Ausland for 1839,

suckle).

the

Lettons

310.

The

"

A

seven dieves valditoycswere the her distaff a by men given spun foiu-th the the in third the second the the set wove woof, highestgod, up warp, the told tales to tempt the workers to leave off,for a cessation of labour spoilt sixth t he the added to to and exhorted them fifth life, length industry, web, the the garment and gave it to the most washed high cut the threads,the seventh

278

no.

has

god, and

pretty Lithuanian

a

goddesses,the

it became

legend :

The

the lives of

first one

of

out

winding-sheet. Of

the man's

the seven,

only i/ireespin or

weave. ^

three or

Not

a

Marys

few of

a

times Swiss

have

Holda

and

Berhta

I think niu'sery-rhyme

I

passedinto Mary can

;

and

recognisethe heathen

in the norns

idisi : rite, rite rosli, Bade stot e schlossli, ze ze es

Bade

stot

e

hus, glildi

liiegeddrei Mareie drus. spinntside,

die eint

ride,ride a-cock horse, at

Baden

stands

stands at Baden there look three the

one

a

little castle,

golden house, Marys out of it :

a

spinssilk,

KORNI.

the fatae wliich

more

run

we

beings.

In

them

higher in

to

Teutons

among

semi-divine

out

apt

seem

than

our

into

that

find this

of matres

sense

and

matronac}

to divine than to attachingmore respect the fays have something

idises and norns,

who

in lieu of it stand

warlike.

4. WALA.CHUEIUN the

Yet, as of asserts

norns

417

WALACHUKIUN.

fatae

are

closelybound

vaticination destiny, itselfall the

that stirred the

(VaLKYRJOR). witli fatum

the nouncing prothe kinship of the fays to the

"

Now

same.

up

there

was

"

sort of

no

destiny

of spirit

antiquitymore stronglythan the issue of that the same battles and wars : it is significant, urlac,urlouc and bellum also (Graff2, 96. Gramm. 2, 790), expresses both fatum and the idisi forward or hinder the fight. This their office we have to look into more narrowly. From Caesar (De B. Gall. 1, 50) we alreadylearn the practice sortihus et vaticinationibwi of the Germani, 'ut matresfamilias eorum tresses declararent,utrum proelium committi ex usu esset,necue '. Misselected for tlie of families practised augury, perhapswomen and godlikerepute like Veleda. purpose, of superior concerned themselves Let us bear in mind, which gods chiefly to themselves with the event of a battle : Offinn and Frcyja draw and all those who fall in fight, OSinn admits them to his heavenly abode (pp.133, 305). This hope,of becoming after death members of the divine community, pervades the religion of the heathen. the ON.

Now

valr,AS. wed, OHG.

the battle-field, to

gatherit in,was

seems

a

made

to

of the

sum

slain

denominated

:

to

take

carnage

possessionof

of the

this

val,

Idosa,kiesen,to choose ; this verb

generaltechnical term for the acceptanceof any sacrifice has the siges Jciir(choosing a higherbeing.^ But OSiun, who

(lieamTer schnatzelt chride, die drit schnit haberstrau. bhiiet nier Gott mis chindH an Schnatzeln

denotes the ival,

is,I suppose,

the other cards ? the third cuts oaten straw. God keep my childie too ! .

!

.

.

.

wind ? [snast -wick ? snood ? In the marchen of the Goo"eniaid, schnatzen is apparentlyto comb]. The .'seventhline sometiiiu's di dritte schneidt den faden (cutsthe thread). Conf. Vonbun runs : p. 6(". Firmenich Mannhardt The 2, ()G5^ 388. 392. in the pp. nursery-song Wunderhorn p. 70-1 has tlireespinningtocken,i.e.nymi"hs,fays. ^ Lersch in the Bonn 7.' Annual 1843, pp. 124 Chief passage, Stem. 141". Conf. Gramm. 4, 608, and AS. wig curou, C:v(\m. 193, 9; MHG. \Vh. 355, 15. sige kiesen, Iw. 7009,sig erkiesen, So, to

=

"

"

den

tot kiesen.

27

418 of

WOMEN.

WISE

is served victory, p. 133, note),

he sends out

in Valholl

by maidens, and

battle,to choose the slain,Sn. 39;

into every

them

'Idosa

er

ero,'Siem. 164^; vildi J?ikhiosa,Stem. 254^ such Hence a maiden, half divine,is called valkyrja ; and

liSnir

it is another has

welcome

most

retained the

same

very

coincidence, that

the

AS.

language to term wselcyrre) (wselcyrge, ivcelcyrie as bellona, erinnys,Alecto, Tisiphone,

English such Latin words The Cott. MS. Vitell. for parca and venefica. and employs it even this is translating A. 15 has a gloss wtelcyrigean eagan, gorgoneus': AS. one ; did the eyes of the wffilcyrigean idea into an the Greek I am instil horror like the Gorgons'heads? quitesafe in assuming would be the Gothic walachurid OHG. (walachurra) an ; valahusjo find a man's form. At the end of the Langobardiangenealogy we '

Walcaiisus}

name

Another

is ON. valmeyjar(battle-maids), valhjrjur

of the

name

which Hallager140^ says perhaps also the present Norw. valdoger, is guardian-spirit. hialmmeyjar, Again,they are called skialdmeyjar, because they go forth armed, under shield and helmet (vera und The of OSinn 4^ hialmi, Soem. 151^ 192^); nonnor Herjans,nuns und hialmi hvU 168^,/iv-i^ Edda bestows on the valkyrjathe epithets: solhiort, sunbright167^,liart(alba sub galea)145^ hiort 174'', litud' 142% hialnivitr 145=*, 157% gidlvariS167^, margidlin mser Helm alvitr 164% all descriptive of beauty or helmet-ornaments. much these helm and shield women as and shield distinguish as Ssem. 250% heroes, they ride on shield-service,under shield-roof, of and are called skialdmeyjaraldrstamar, or young shield-maidens 117. Atli's court. The (Herod.4, 110 legend of the Amazons similar yet to rest on Jorn. cap. 6.7.8. Paul. Diac. 1, 15) seems suffrcen (australis) different notions. A valkyrin Ssem. 167''is named of biort,solbiort ? Again at 151% disir apparentlyin the sense "

,

suSrcenar

1

Of

(seeSuppl.).^ valr,wal itself we

that it should

from

the

appliedto strages,and

its

the root in velja, so valjan (eligere), the notion of choosing,but being gettingblurred, it had to be helped out by a

might

first have sense

seek

contained

: Tit. 105, 4 has a striking juxtaposition '. It und ir ivelt kiusche siieze man magede Sigun diu is only in Dietr. 91'' and Rab. 536. 635. 811. 850. 923 that welreche occurs ; can walkiire ? it have any relationship to ^ in the vv^aggon with him, 03inn has Frigg,the valhjrjurand the ravens

second '

Sn. 66.

verb of the

meaning. sigehaftuf dem wal,da

For

same

valkyrjaI

Our

also find the

superbia,or skari agmen. skorAngr'(seeSuppl.j.

name

Brynhildr

shmhigr, derivable is called in Vols,

saga

either from cap. 24

'

skar mestr

VALKYRJA,

419

W^LCYRIE. 'i

One

name

(Stem.212. Vols, in OSin's

attractive particularly

is

cap.

saga

:

I

2),given them,

service,and OSinn I find

oskmeyjar,wish-maidens

is called

confirmation

think,because they are

Oski, Wunsc.

But

there

is

of my

opinionthat Wuotan in his identity of Wunsc with Mercury,for ]\Iercury bore the name which is like our carries the magic wand (caduceus), v:ishing-rod, will out OHG. come (-yerde,yard). The likeness vmnsciligerta from a closer inspection of the two rods,which is yet more distinctly something more

; but

to come

may

suppose

into the dress a

:

a

if Wuotan that of

the

and

Wunsc,

OSinn

OsJd

and

are

which thorn, the sleeping-thorn,

OSinn

tlie valkyrjaBrynhildr(Soem.192"^), was

wishing-thorn. It throws

Chrimhild,that rocks

are

the

lighton named

Chriemhildes^^7 (p.370),which

after them, does

of

nature

called

a

meaning

we

put

likewise

Brunhild

one

find

not

one,

and

spilstcin, so

well

spille(spindle, fusus). For other stones knnkel and in French fairy-tales have the name (distaff), quenouillc ^ Dornroschen dame ; a la bonne pricked her finger (thorn-rosekin) with the spindleand fell into a dead sleep, Brunhild did with as the wishing-thorn.Spindlesare an essential characteristic of all the of antiquityamong The wise-women Teutons, Celts and Greeks.^ walkiire is a wunsch-kint,Wunsches hint,pp. 139, 142 (seeSuppl.). from

spil(Indus)as

The

name

from

which wunsclielweib,

lasted down

to

a

late time, shall

of the produced hereafter; here I call up from the poem the connexion of valkyrswith fays a beingby whom Staufenberger is placedbeyond doubt. To the knightthere shews herself a maiden biort above), in wliitc apparel(the hvit and on a stone (line sitting 224) ; she has ivatched over him in danger and tvar from his yoidh about him she becomes his unseen (332 3G4) ; now up, she was love, and is with him ivhcnever he ivishcs for her (swenne du einest bi dir 474). By supernach mir, so bin ich endelichen wunschest human whither she lists ich she wil, da, moves (war swiftly power hat mir Got gegeben 497). Staufenberger, after bin ich,den umnsch being united to her in love, may do anythingexcept take a wedded wife,else he will die in three days.

be

"

'

er

wilnschf.e nach

bi im

1

H.

2

I

so

war

der frouwen

diu schcene

sin,

fin,'

Schreiber

pp. 20. 21. Sclireiber'3 derivation, pp. 65 (suprap. 257) from the root nere, neza

like also

Nehalennia

"

67, of to

spin.

tlie

name

Nehaea,

420

WISE

"VVlien he

resolves notwithstanding

he?' foot throughthe to

whose

WOMEN.

and floor,

this remarkable her

anotlier

on

he has to die

story, umnschwcih

lover

marriage,she drives ing (1016.1066). Accord-

or

ivunschclweih

is

one

by wishingit,whenever he her name' it were longsfor her, names as (p.398) : this is,thougli not a false, yet a later meaning substituted for the originalone, which had reference to the god of wishing,the divine Wish. Old Norse of these the nature legend \\ ill unfold to us more precisely presence

can

procure,

'

women.

In Valholl

the

to occupationof the oshneyjaror valkyrjiir was hand the drinking-hornto the gods and einherjar, and to furnish the table. Here out their peculiar relation to Frcgja, who comes chooses val like them, is called Valfrcyja(p.305),^ and pours out at the banquet of the Ases (atgildiAsa),Sn. 108. Exactly in the stol i rioSrinu (inthe niuriute, same on a way did Gondul, sitting drink out of a horn (Fornald. offer the comers clearing), sog. 1, 398. 400);and with this agree the deep draughtsof the modern folk-tale : dressed and garlandedmaiden from the Osenberg offers a beautifully the count of Oldenburg a draughtin a silver horn, while uttering predictions (Deutschesagen, no. 541). Svend Fallingdrank out of the horn handed him his on by elf-women, and in doing so, spiltsome horse, as in the preceding story (Thiele2, 67) ; I have touched whose (p.372) on the identityof Svend Fallingwith Siegfried, relation to the valkyr Brunhild out comes clearlyin the Danish in Arvidsson 2, 301, three mountainstory. In a Swedish folk-song '

'

maids

hold

harmony

are

silver tankards

out some

Norwegian

additional Danish

and

ones

in

their

traditions

in Thiele

ivhite

in

1, 49.55.

hands.

Faye

Quite in

p. 26-8-9.

30 ;

3,44 (seeSuppL).

valkyrs in war. but 'rac5a viguni' or Not 'sigri,' only 'kiosa val, kiosa feigS,'^ in and their of is placed therefore the deciding battle hands, victory, at riSa grund,' tSn. 39. 'gorvar They are said to be 'gorvar (alert) Still

more

to

the

purpose

is the

office of the

So, in a Faroese song, Valvfrygv(Finn Magn. lex. p. 805). and of death by OSinn The of souls at the moment taJdng possession to the me so deep-rooteda valkyrs,appears Freyja,or by their messengers in christian well find it featnre of oiir heathenism,that we may lingeringeven cribed for the and devils scramble of is Of tliis sort the traditions. soul,desangels 1235-44. hunted has which Schmeller in the poem Muspilli, up, Georg Meon 6(l'-2" 86, and 1, 239. 4, 114-5 ; and a strikingpassage in the Morolt I think of tracingthis idea to the Epistle Will any one shall quote in ch. XVII. of Enoch ? of Jude 9, or the apocryphalBook ^ "

"\VALACUURIUN.

Sffiin.4^ at riSa til go5]7ioSar,'

421

SKULD.

Eooted

in their

being is an

tible irresis-

this warlike

occupation; hence the Edda expresses their most cliaracteristic passionby the verb '}?ra'(desiderant), Sffim. 88^ 134^* : it or ])xivSo(desiderabant) fystoz (cnpiebant), is their own longing,strivingand wisliingthat has swung itself round into that wishing for them. Usually nine valkyrjurride out Stem. 142, 162 ; their lances,helmets and shields glitter together, 15 1\ in the story of T'aiSrandi (sec This nineness is also found first in white raiment, then nine nine disir appear p. 402),to whom longingfor

'

'

others

in

black.

thirteen of

'

'

Sa?m.

them:

44-5, and

after

him

Sn.

39,

enumerate

Hrist, Mist, Skeggdld,Skugul, Hildr, Thriid'r,

Hlock, Herfiotr, Gall, Geirahod' (al.Geirolul), liandgricF, RddgrOT, Saem. 4'' only six: Skuld, Skogul, Giinnr, Hildr, Reginleif ; but three as Gondul, Geirskogul}The j)rose of Sn. 39 distinguishes val-choosers and mistresses of victory: Gud'r,Bota and strictly Skuld 'norn en yngzta'. The celebrated battle-weavingsong of the Nialssaganames the following : Hildr, Hiorprimul, Sangriffr (1. Gondol, Skogol, EangriSr), Svipid,Gunnr, Gondid; the Hakonarmal: the Krakumal Geirskogol; (ed.Eafn, p. 121) only Hlock and Hildr. of extraordinary Several of these names value and immediate are of the remainder and not one to our investigation, ought to be left out of sightin future study (seeSuppl.). of norns and Skuld, for instance : we gatlierfrom it the affinity time the distinction between them. A valkyrs,and at the same dis can be both and valkyr,but the functions are norn separate, and usuallythe persons. The norns have to pronounce the fatum, they sit on their chairs,or they roam through the country among their threads. Nowhere is it said that they ride. mortals,fastening The valkyrs ride to war, decide the issue of the fighting, and conduct the fallen to heaven ; their ridingis like that of heroes and gods (pp.327. 392), mention is made of their horses : skalf Mistar

(tremuitMistae

marr

(aureo shake

equo

vecta

falls

tillationes in comis the

name

^

virgo),145''; M'hen

themselves, dew

hail fertilizing

on

Mist, which

803).

dripsfrom trees

'

means

skalds

156^

;

steeds into

manes

with 145''''',

elsewhere in the

the

their

et collis equorum

Unpublishedpassages

lex. p.

equus),Sa^m.

which

wa?'gullinnicer of the valkyrs the valleys, and

compare

of the wise-women

nust, may

supply 29

or

30

have

names

the

'

des-

(p.287); indicated (Finn Ma-^n.

422

WISE

WOMEN.

like

but phenomenon. Of the norns, none UrSr and (p.405) can be a valkyrjatoo : were too aged or too dignified as for the work of war breaking,of the thread (ifsuch an idea can a

North)better Two

become

other

the maiden

valkyrs,Hloch

above

and (p.401) as idisi, the Kormakssaga there

In

practisedin

Skidd VerSandi

be

in

the

?

have Hcrfiotr, restrainers as interpreted occurs

the

detected

arms

Hlokk

youngest

imagined cutting,

? did

and

also

the

been

claimed

of the

fight.

Hlakkar, for

gen.

bellona. Tkruffr

Hildr, Gunnr, because

their

well,and

turns personality

made

find

bellum

'

and

899. as

;

other

the

hildr

hefir

Teutonic

2962

;

elsewhere

ealle fornam Wurd

GticT nimeS we

have

'

5069

AS.

hild

Ifdd ;

that

Gunnr

and

as

of

(=:Gu6r) of bellona

nobis

guff

fuisti, still

we

nime

GticT

deaS

gifmec

2154, guSdeaS fornam

tongues

argues

bellona verit,'

])u oss

closely,

more

(pugna,proelium);

gunnr

Conversely,beside the personalHild and Gild': gifmec

Beow.

OS.

:

hildr

164^

a

2240

in

up

studied

walachuriun presence there of some sisterhood. Even in ONorse, ITildr and

into got generalized

Seem.

be

to

the

the whole

was

deserve

(ifH. take me), fornam (carriedoff)

nimeS,' Beow.

4494, Wyrd

fornam

farnimid, Hel. Ill, 11), swylt fornam

889, wig

2411

(conf.

2872, Wyrd

for-

'

5009. And other (suprap. 406) ; conf. Ililde grap as beings that do us good or harm are by turns aroused and quieted, it is said picturesquely: Hildi vekja (bellonamexcitare), Seem. 160^ The 246=^; elsewhere merely vig vekja (bellum excitare)105*. valkyrs,like OSinn (p.147),are accompanied by eaglesand ravens, who and the waging of war is poetically alighton the battlefield,^ Ssem. expressedas ala gogl gunna^ sysf.ra(avesalere sororum belli), 160^ The forms in OHG. Hiltia and Gundia were (Gudea),both found in the Hild. lied 6, 60, though alreadyas mere common have -hilt, nouns names ; compositeproper -gunt.^ The legend of Hildr, who goes to the val at night,and by her magic wakes the fallen warriors into life again, is preservedboth in the Edda (Sn, '

sweop

164-5) and Hilde? 1

also in the OHG.

Lastly,Thru"r,

"

Andr.

and

poem

which

El. p. xxvi. xxvii.

of

Gudrun, where

likewise Conf.

sinks into

Luke

17, 37

:

she is called

a

mere

ottou

to

apj^ellaawfia,

tKf'i

(TvvaxSrjcrovTaLol aeroi. kol

-

The

suited to *

burg.

Trad, a

fuld.,in

valkyr,of

Deutsche

Scliannat

Themarhilt

heldensagep.

no.

443, have

preservedthe

name,

well

(fromdemar, crepusculum).

327 seq. Conf. supra j).285,

on

Hilde

and

Hikl-

UILD.

tive

prii"r virgo,and

in

GUND.

OHG.

423

DRUD.

occurs

in

a

great

many

female

Wolcliandrud, Himildriul, Elfrida], Alpdrud [^lfj?ry5, {e.g.

names

Pliddrut, Plihdmt

=

Plectrud, Kerdrud

=

Gertrude, Mimidriid,

Sigidrud,which naturallysuggest ghostly beings),has assumed the generalmeaning of witch, sorceress, hobgoblin.^ Hans Sachs alte trute for old witch,and noisy children are several times uses ! ^ so that here quietedwith the words : hush, the d^^ut will come she exactly fills the place of frau Holla or Berhta, and can the more AS. woodbe the ancient valkyr. An appropriately maiden, named Dhryd',comes up in the Vita Offae secundi (supra, to France, where she had been sentenced p. 388) : she is from the shore of death for her crimes,exposed in a ship,and cast on the maiden Mercia. Here Offa saw passingfair,and married her, She is called 9^ Drida, but she soon committed new transgi-essions. 9^ Petronilla, 15^ Qvendrida (i.e.,cwen ThryS ; conf. Kemble's preface to Beow. xxxvi, and Bilckstrom 1, 220 (seeSuppL). pp. XXXV, have been many Beside the valkyrsnamed, there must others, '

'

'

'

and

the

lovers

or

second

section

wives

of heroes.

of

the Such

Ssemundaredda are

names

several

as

Kara, SigrUn, Svava, Sigrlinn,

Seem. 142^ 145^ 157, expresslycalled valkyrjur, of human It also comes 169. 194. out, that they were origin, being daughters of kings,Svava of Eylimi, Sigrlinnof Svafnir, of BuSli ; Svava was Sigrun of Hogni, Kara of Halfdan, Sigrdrifa the lover of Helgi HiorvarSsson,Sigrlinnof HiorvarSr,Sigrun of Helgi Hundingsbani,Kara of Helgi HaddingskaSi,and Sigrdrifa, of SigurSr. Grimhildr who other than Brynhildr, is no (helmetmaiden, p. 238),and above all Brynhildr,Prunhilt, whose very betokens the mail-clad Hildr,is superhuman: her inaccessible name hall stands on a mountain, like those of Veleda and Jetha (pp.95she herself,bound where by a scMldhurg (skialdborg), 6) ; it was who Sigrdrifa,

are

spell, sleptunder her shield,till SigurSr released her. Then she before her death she prophesied to him, Ssem. 194^ and encircled with Jlickering Her hall was prophesiesagain,224. 226^ Sn. 139 (seeSuppL),as was sal hennar vafrlogi,' fiame, oc var um monili laetabunda), also that of Menglocf(OHG. Maniklata, i.e., another valkyr: salr er slunginner visom vafrloga (Seem.110*,conf. the

'

1

Some

peoplethink Gerdrut,Gerdraut,an

(Kinderm.43). gesch.des groteskekom. Flogel, p. ^

23.

unchristian

name.

Frau

Trmle

424

WOMEN.

WISE

this

Before 107'^''').

MengloS,

sacrifice is offered to

Vebiorg shialdmccr

them

Fornald.

in

finds at

Dietrich

Babehilt,whom

all

appears

virginskneel, sit,and (111^);conf, ch. XXXVI.

nine

sog.

1, 384.

sing; Then

And

vro

fountain, asleep(as Sigurd found

a

Brynhild),and who giveshim healing salves,and foretells his fate norns or valkyrs. (Ecke 151 160),must also be reckoned among lover their favourites, as The valkyrsbestowed Staufenberger's on did on him (p.419), victoryand protectionin battle (SigrunhlifSi honom opt siSan i orrostom, Soem. 142^); this relation is technically they hide their heroes' ships(Svava expressedby vcrja(tueri134''); 145=^'^, Sigrun 153^). The above-mentioned Hildr too, the daughter "

of

:

that but

brother, by which

her

valkyragain,for

sisters,and

meant

higher beings are

these

fraternize with

other times

is not

a

it is

maids a

sister by

everywhere

proteges (Arvidsson2,

their

songs folk-

her 8000

with

skoldmo

of

memory

modern

into

even

captivity ; at

from

her betrothed

rescues a

1, 189, Kerstin

in Arvidsson

redeems

filtered down

has

shield-maidens

these

The

betrothed.

HeSin's

king Hogni (Hagene),was

sister

birth, called

120-1-2.

medieval in our poetry,the Nyerup 4, 38-9). Now those women need only be uttered whose name to victory, nerves sightof whom be formed and can to one's side as quicklyas a wish to bringthem of this kind (seeSuppL). are evidentlyshield-women accomplished, of valkyrsmortal maidens into his band OSinn then admitted of

kinglyrace,

heroes ; but

that

deified

yet I do

not

suppose

the oldest and

from

gods Helgi were Helgi,Sam.

elves.

or

looked

standingby the side of the deified of such lineage, that all valkyrswere

women

most

It

famous

were,

noting,that

Kara

second hirth of Svava

and

is also worth as

upon

a

like the norns,

descended and the

her elder

VolundarqviSa tliree other valkyrs cdvitr, svanhvit,Rervor make their appearance together: Jllad'gud'r and OlrlXn,the first two being daughtersof king LoSver, the third live and Egill, Volundr to SlagfiSr, of Kiar ; they unite themselves to pursue at vitjaviga,' with them seven years, and then escape, 148^

169.

In

the

'

their old trade of

war

again.

the whole, it

On

with heroes half-goddesses to an the heroes came : parties example teaches Staufenberger's

turned

these

grew

scant

of

life.Stem.

assuming that promotion to

169\ the

out

early

seems

to detrimentally

death

or

of

the union

other

both

harm,

as

Sigrun varS skammlif,' she Perhaps we should be rightin valkyrs office took placeunder an ;

and

'

425

WALACHURIUN.

again reminds one of the Amazons. for lettinghis 03inn was At all events, when angry with Sigrdrifa she should be given in he decreed that now favourite fall in battle,"^ Snem. 194:^ HlaSguSr,Hervbr marriage,qvaS liana giptazscyldo,' and against had been carried off by the men forcibly and Olrun are descriptive. their will (see Suppl.).^All these female names bellona discussed on IllaSguSris literally Olriin was p. 404. which virginity}

oblitration of

'

to the

battles,the adj.alvitr

swan-shape.

Saxo

much

of

likewise

Gram.

22-3

seer

a

of

and

to

the has

Scanhvita, who

another

names

hosts

to

svanhvit

giftof prophecy,and

valkyr,is

the

Gunnvor, alludes

kindred

like the

straf^is;Hervor,

and presents a spirits, for Slagfi"r (seep. 380),

As to seal their covenant. llegner I preferto explainit not as Slagfiunr, though he is called a son of the Finnakonungr,but as Slagjioffr alatus,pennatus,which goes his lover, and is supported by the OHG. better with Svanhvit

sword

to

=

word

slagifedara, peuna. little we

How

totallyfrom

entitled to

are

separate the

another, is taught by the tale

one

and

nonis

of

valhjrs

these

three

valkyrs as prevalenceamong three and sisterly of the number well as norns companionship,nor which better fits a Hervor's having the epithetalvitr (omniscia), than a valkyr; it is said of all three,that they sat on the norn all-witting one sea-beach spinningcostlyfiax,nay, of the same that (who is repeatedlycalled iXnga,as Skuld is in other places), about to orlog drygja'to dree a weird, Ssem. 133'' 134^. she was Not

also.

maidens

to

mention

the

'

'

'

Oracuh Gallici antistites, numinis pei-petua 3, 8 : Pompon. Mela traduntur. Gallicenas esse nuniero novem vocant, putantqiie sanctae, virginitate maria ac ventos concitare,seque in quae velint ingeniissingularibuspraedita-s et animalia sunt, scire ventura vertere, sanare quae apud alios insanabilia consulereut in id ut deditas e t tantum nisi se sed non navigantibus, praedicare, of these nine sooth-telling gallicenae Q '. The similarity [I.profectis profectas conf. Tzschucke, read Galli Cenas, others Barrigenas, Some is unmistakable. '

1

Not. above ^

and

1(53. crit. pp. 159 N.B. againstOeiin's "

*

the On iLS

will,who

could

therefore be outwitted

:.

destinystood

god.

wise-women as represented for will be similar it reasons actuallywriting; p. 406

we

saw

acquainted with writing, that valkyrsembroider

paint. The Vols, saga cap. 24 says of Ijrynhild: huu sat i einui skemmu aJirar konur, hun sinu kuuni meira hagleik enn viC meyjar sinar,hun lagtJi h afSi '. in And ok sauma^i borSa me5' gulli, a er stormerki, Sigurt^r giort ]7au the this lines of her. I beside to this chamber a, place opening Sigurt)comes '

and

Swedish

song

:

Sven

Farlingban

rider tilljungfrunsgard,

stickude pa silket del hvita. this hero is identical with iSigurO". som

And

^

426

WOMEN.

WISE

The

of battle is

award

part of destiny;

only norns, but valkyrs also were imaginedspinning and weaving. This is placed in the clearest lightby the fearfully excitingpoem in cap. 158 of one

not

Nialssaga. Through a crevice in the rock DorruSr sees women human for heads them sit singingover a serve tech,at which and arrows weights,entrails for warp and weft, swords for spools, in their weird for a comb as : they describe themselves song for the spectatorDorruSr.^ intended and their web as valkyrjur, their steeds,and six of At length they tear up their work, mount them ride to the south, six to the north. Compare with this the iveavingWyrd of the AS. poet (p. 415). The parting of the that ride in oppositedirections,is like into two bands maidens those nine in white and nine in black,who came cession ridingup in sucthe

(p.421).

by side ; with equal aptness a valkyrsand Krjpe"i (withoutany comparisoncan be drawn between the likeness is only an apparent one) : for no doubt verbal affinity, the battlefield in bloody garments, the K7JP too might be seen on tendingthe wounded, dragging away the dead. A Kijpis allotted I have

to the child as

whom the

he

as

of Hector

or

blood, just as a

he

of the

Hesiod

Achilles.^

contend /C7}pe? the wounded

fresh confirmation moirai

claws

their

of a possession prominence the

two

put

ascribes talons and

The

into

Zeus

her talons round

each throws

; Achilles

it is born

white-toothed

dingy

(p.414) :

soon

/xotpai, side

might choose, and

death

the

and

set norns

shape.

in

249 254) makes (scut. the fallen warriors, over "

man,

to drink

eager

The

his

to the moirai

and

valkyrs. wings of the thriai, point to later view [Hesiod'sJ brings

identityof

and keres, the

lird's

between Krjp""; the balance,to decide two

thirst for blood

a

of the

had

norns

sinister side of the keres.

5. Swan-maidens. But

we

have

now

to

make

out

a

new

aspect of the valkyrs.

they travel through air and water, riSa lopt ok to swim, in to fly and 142^ 159^; theirs is the power Stem. log,' tlie body of a sivan, they love to assume other words, they can We

are

'

told that

' if vef Darra"ar,'' even understand vindiim,vindum So at least we may ' vef the web of of out darraGar,' a and the whole story first arose the name dart,conf. AS. deoreS (jaculum). We know that the Sturlungasagacontains a

1

similar narrative.

very -

II. 8, 70. 9, 411.

18, 535"540.

22, 210. 23, 79. 24, 82.

427

SWAN-MAIDENS.

the

the sea-shore ; and

lingeron

considered

was

swan

of

bird

a

the sat on augury} Tlie VolundarqviSa relates : Tliree women by shore,spinningjiax,and had their dlptarhamir (swan-shifts) could moment : flyaway again as swans they them, so that any '

meyjar Jingo'and

has

tlie

even

'

hvilaz

at

settuz

dro). In (svanfiaSrar Kara, who 2, 375-6),the same

feathers

;

of them

one

the

and swan's wears (swanwhite), Hromundarsaga (Fornald.sog.

the

Edda

of svanhvit

surname

'

ScEvarstroud

a

second

a

was

says

birth

in

(fiolkyngiskoiia svxin-sMft, ance and hovers above the hero,singing.^By her assisti alftarham), Helgi had always conquered,but it happened in one fight, off liis hewed too high in the air,and his sword that he swung lover's foot, she fell to the ground,aud his luck was spent. In 'sonum Saxo Gram., p, 100, Fridlevus hears up in the air at niglit who prophesyto him, and drop olorum trium clangentium,' superne the it. Brynhildr is like the swan on on a girdlewith runes time, (Fornald. wave sog. 1, 186) : the simile betrays at the same of changing into the bird. that she had reallythe power Many the Norse still live among tales of swan-ivivcs people. A young three swans saw man alighton the shore, lay their white bird-shifts of

Svava, appears

as

enchantress

an

'

'

in the then

He

into beautiful grass, turn take their shifts again,and

of the

her knees

youngest ; she fell on

it,but he took her home

with

him,

after.

open

On

2, 143-5.

on

every year eldest two

hurtlingin

year the third 1

St. John's

the

Es schwant

to

night.

watch

air,which son

in

mir, it swans

me

Two

seven

them

and

"

he

into

undenialile,for

we

I liave

a

question.

A.

trampled down

was

lie set his

midnight they heard a

deep sleep.

three

saw

;

swan-hero

in succession

years

the held ; at

sent

watched,

hand, the

he set

maidens

boding.

also .say In tlie same mir (so schwansfcdern' grow) alreadyin Zesen's ' svanfiaSrar dro (wore) '. ^ Kat'n has chosen the reading Lara.

Vjird seems

When

asks the forbidden

whatever

field,in which

sons

her.

married

other

the

she

forsakes his wife the moment a

him, and begged for

kept concealed hand, than she Jleivout as a simii died soon window, and the sorrowing husband

Afzelius

peasant had

swans.

the garment

abstracted

before

and

shape of

the

her the shift he had

gone by,he shewed years were had it in her she no sooner

throughthe

time, and

in the water,

bathe

in

fly away

another

wait for them

lay in

maidens, and

sense

The :

Simson).

The

come

reference wachsen Conf. the

es

a

next

flying, to

the

(there Eddie

428

WISE

WOMFN.

wings asido, and then danced up and down the jumped up, fetched the wings away, and laid them under

^vlio laid their

field.

He

the stone

tired,they

they were

declared,if one should

he

whicli

on

have

When

sat.

of them

him, and

to

came

the

would

maidens asked

stay and

be his

danced

had

for their

till

wings ;

wife, the other

he

two

their

this point the story takes a wings back. From turn, which is less within the provinceof the swan-wife myth ; but it is worth noting,that one of the maidens offers her lover a drink out of a golden'pitcher, of water exactlyas elfins and wish-wives do 49. elsewhere (pp.420, 326). Molbech no. These to have been long known must lovelyswan-maidens German tradition. When they bathe in the coolingflood,they lay the swan-shift down on the bank the swan-ring, ; who takes it from them, has them in his power.^ Though we are not expresslytold whose merioomcn garments Hagene took so, yet the three prophetic such ; it is said (Nib.1476, 1) by way of simile away, are precisely

again: sie swebten

die

sam

uf vogele

der fluot.

only two of them (theDanish story only epicnames but one and Sigelint^ of them begins one),the 2visiu wip, Hadburc described as wnnderlich,' to prophesy,and their garments are 1478, 3. The myth of Volundr we meet with again in an OHG. : three doves flyto a poem, which puts doves in the placeof swans fountain,but when they touch the ground they turn into maidens, their clothes,and will not give them up till one Wielant removes It is true, our

'

of them

consents

take

to

widely diffused,young them,

which

turns

him

men

them

for her

throw into

husband.

the

siuans?

In

shift,ring When

tlie

other tales or

chain

as

over

resumption of

completely,the hero retains a of this detail lies in its of the high antiquity connexion with the heroic legendof Scoup or Sceaf (p.370) ; and into modern it has found its way Especiallyimporpedigrees.*

human

shape cannot sivan-wing ; evidence

be

effected

vol. 3 : The stolen veil. I suppose, from this Sigelint 22, 28 ; Snmerl. has Graff 145 48 a nd fel cigelinde 6, 53, draconis, cigelinta ; in Schni. 214. see 3, Sigel, feiglander sigeline ; 3 Kinderm. Adalb. Kuhn Deutsche 49. no. p. 164, the sagen 2, 292-5. 1

Miisteus,Volksmarchen

2

There

is a (conf.23, 19) has

named, jilant

swan-chain. "* who carry a Conf. Deutsche sagen no. 540 : 'the Schwanrings of Plesse,' no. A doc. of 1441 (Wolf'sNorten sivan's wing and ring on their scutcheon. ecclesiae decretorum Johannes doctor, decanus a Swaneflngel, 48) names the phrase:'to tear In a pamphlet of 1617 occurs majoris Hildesemensis. the

ringand

mask

off this

pseudonym '.

429

SWAN-MAIDENS.

placingin

tant,as

is the walktireii,

^vives to 128

:

in the

river,he crept

hand,

then

chain

:

'

dor

away

There

escape.

(on

iininie

forest

of

account

in

them

about

wild

took

and

up

could not

she

a

relation of these

exact

statement

a

hunting in

nobleman

A

lightthe

clear

a

saw

bathing

gold chain peculiarvirtue

the

was

sulche

it) werden

bl. 1

Altd.

maiden

a

swan-

her

on

in this frowen

genant'. He married her, and she had seven wilnschelwyhere children at a birth,they all had gold ringsabout their necks,i.e., of assuming a swan-shape. Swanlike their mother, the power children then are ivish-children. In Gudrun, the propheticangel of in the shape of a wild bird singing, the sea-wave i.e., comes over Lohengrin a talkingsivan escorts the hero in passed current for the (-road) ship; in AS. poetry swanrdd of and alpiz, alpt (cygnus)is aldn to the name selfet, itself, ghostlyalp,self (seeSuppL).

a

in

and

sivan,

his sea

the

"

tell of

hear

"We

a

swims

that

sivan

moimtain, holding a ring in his bill : to

comes

end.^

an

in

a

hollow

lets it fall,the

if he

UrSarbrunnr

the

On

the lake

on

itself two

earth are

swans

is (Sn. 20); another story of a soothsayingswan A young communicated by Kuhn, p. 67, from the Mittelmark. is implied in the familiar Westman metamorphosedinto a swan

maintained

phaliannursery-rhyme: swane,

swane,

bistu

wannehr

Another, of Achen, says

in Ssefugel

name

noh

wel met

we

the

:

krane, wisse schwane,

krune

And

pek up de nesen, ? kriegerwesen (wasta warrior)

the

?

Engeland fahre

AS.

to indicate

seems genealogies

a

swan-hero.

fairly suggest queen, may spinner Eerhta, the goose-footed'^ swan-maidens 'gallicenaewere able (p.280).3 If those prophetic The

'

1

Gottschalk's

Sagen,Halle 1814, p.

227.

but also a Druitlic ; as it goes Pythagorean synihol, resembles a pair of gooseand of elfs foot, elf's cross, goblin-foot, by the name and elvish beings are again brought togetherin feet or swan-feet,semi-divine is next door to a swan-maiden, and Staufenthis emblem ; the valkyr ThruS -

The

pentagram

lover berger's 3

The

was

likewise

beautiful

had

a

such

a

foot.

story of the Good

Woman,

publ.in Haupt in which

as shewing yet another way 350, is very acceptable of\he Karlings. The linkedVith the hero-legend got

two

love and brought up in mutual one day at paskellourie, also are lor these identical with Flore and Blanchejteur,

zeitschr. 2,

fairybeing

children

(77 "

not

s

this

87),are

born

on

clearly

real names,

but

430 to too

WISE

animal

assume

what

seem

to have

shapes they pleased, why, then about swan-metamorphosisin

known

that in French

times, so

e.g.,in Meon

3, 412

WOMEN.

we fay-legends

la fontaine

qui de

du

Desire

a

;

3, 419.

arbre mises

une

de la fontaine

bout

bien

stolen,and

haut.

en

la

418.

eurees

the

fees:

lor chemises

tout

desoz

orent

were

omissions

et senses,

biaute sembloient

lor robes

shifts

early

very

baignoient

se

trois j)uccles preuz

The

Celts

:

en

puceles senees

supply the

may

the

maidens

knightespiesin the forest a wimple (sans guimple). The wimple the

plus

detained.

In

swan-maiden of

the

413-5.

niestre

the Lai without

du

her

white-robed

fay

to the swan-shift.

answers

6. Wood-Wives. We in the and

have

: depthof the forest

under

this character

sacred forest in the

that the

seen

the

on

escort

would

dwell

in the

tower

placedon

opens

with

appear

seek

the

they are

they suggest

further reflections.

trees, the

a

among

Did

gods

of

not

?

old

throned

their train and

Was The

The

sat

the Gothic

? wood-sprites

rock, that is,in the woods

the words

the

as

:

lakes

likewise wood-wives,

wise-women

haunts.

same

woodland

poolsand

on

it is because

their favourite abode

seems

groves,

wish-wives

not

aliorunas Veleda's

VolundarqviSa

:

meyjar flugosunnan invented

Myrhvicfigognom,

in fairy-tale fashion,to suit the white. Berhta marries Pepin, and bright, Garin le Loherain,Pepin'swife is said to be in question she is the unnamed story now Barria (Robert of Berry),spoken of simply

of their daughter Berhta,the givesbirth to Charlemagne; in the of Moriane, but in the Blanchefleur daughter of count Kuprecht of diu guote frouive(162. 1130), diu as guote (1575),la bone dame (3022), conf. bonadea, bonasocia,p. ii83 ; her husband, who steps into the placeof the childless last king (Merovingian),is Karelman that can suit herself is Berte,already (3020),and the only name contained in that of her father Iluodbert. The children of this pair are and Kwrle der merre in the '. The events Pippin der kleine (little) (greater) middle part of the story are quite other (more fully unfolded, if not more pleasing)than those told of Flore and Blanchefleur ; but we plainlyperceive how on the new Karling race in the freshness of its bloom were graftedolder heathen myths of the swan-wife, of the good wife (p.253), of the mild woman (p. 280),of the bona socia (p. 283\ and of the bonne dame (p. 287) ; Conf. Sommer's pref.to Flore xxvi. xxvii. xxxii. '

'

'

name

431

WOOD-WIVES.

maids

south

flew from

they tarried could

they Almost

through murky wood to tlie seashore,there : years, till they grew homesick meyjar fystoza myrkvan vicf, no longer,and returned to the sombre wood.

seven

resist

all swan-maidens

those of the Swedish

years agree with As

with

met

are

forest. The

seven

p. 427.^ of

names

valkyrs,and

our

of the wise-women

epicstill calls one OHG. siguwip,AS.

I believe that the Sigelint, a generaldesignation was sigrvif, can municated produce an AS. spell com-

ON. sigewif,

of all wise- women, me

the

story on

Sigriln, Sigrdrifa, Sigrlinnare

to

in

for which

by

Kemble

I :

sitte ge

sigewif, sigaSto eorSan ! nsefre ge wilde (1. wille)tu unida fleogan! beo ge swa gemyndige mines godes, and eScles.^ biS manna-gehwylc metes swa Like

they are invited to the house with promise of gifts. will consider a passage m Saxo, where he is On this point we is,he unmistakably speaking of valkyrs,though, as his manner norns,

avoids the vernacular which

In

term.

altogetherdiffers so

his account

much

from

Hother

and

Balder,

of the Edda, he

says,

nebulae

perductus in quoddam silvcstrinm virginum conclave incidit,a quibus proprio essent nomine salutatus,quaenam perquirit.Illae suis ductihis hellorum maxime fortunam gubernaritestantur : saepe aiospiciisque enim se nemini consincxias proeliis subsidiis intercsse, clandestinisquc quippe conciliare prospera, ad versa optatosamicis praeberesuccessus: After bestowingtheir advice infligere posse pro libitu memorabant. with their house on him, the maidens (aedes,conclave)vanish before Mother's eyes (seeSuppl.). Further on, p. 42 : At Hotherus locorum devia j^ervagatus, extrema insuetumque mortalibus nemvs forte xirginibus habitatum : easdem reperit ignotis emensus, spccum insecabili veste esse constabat,quae eum quondam donaverant. counsel, and are called ityinpliac? They now give him more

p.

39

:

Hotherus

inter

venandum

that

of

'

'

1

In

the

Wallacliian

taken

crowns -

from

Sedete

3

Balder

Three

marchen

i'ortnnae

otJier nymphs

with

also mentioned

201, three

wood-wives

bathing have

tlieir

them.

bellonae, descendite

estote

memores

errore

meae,

ad

([uam

terram, nolite in silvam est honiinum

voLire ! Tain

cibi atf^ne patriae. quililiet

alter,and prepare enchanted food appear directly of snakes, p. 43. A '"feminasilvestris et immanis spittle by Saxo p. 125.

the

lor '

ia

432

WISE

This that

war,

modern

no

seems

dwelt

distorted

view, to imagine the maids

of

in OSin's

heavenly company, that traversed air and haunting the woodlaiid cave ; therefore feaxo was and to placetheir chamber, their cave, silvcstres,

flood,as likewise

rightto

WOMEN.

call them

in the forest.

The

older stagesof

in which

languagesupply some

our

similar

expressions,

I

elvish not of mere recognisethe idea of wise wood-iuives, wood-S]3rites. They are called ivildiu ivip,and the Trad, fuld., of ivildero iviho '. Burcard p. 544, speak of a place ad domum mentions Worms, p. 198*^, agrestes feminas quas silvaticas vocant, et eis dicunt quando voluerint ostendunt se suis amatoribus, et cum et item quando voluerint abscondunt se oblectasse, se et evanescunt'. to express This the notion of wish-life. quando voluerint seems Meister Alexander, a poet of the 13th century, sings (str.139, nu gent si viir in (go they before him) liber gras in p. 143^): ivildcr ivihe wiete (weeds)'. So: 'von einem loilden wihe ist Wate has learnt to be) physician, Gudr. 2117; 'das wilde arzet,'is {i.e. In the Gl. monst. Ecke 189. 335, wildaz vAjJ stands frduivclinl '

'

'

'

'

for

lamia, and

333

ivildiu

tvi2J for

ululae,funereal

birds,death-

and klagemuttcr, bodingwives, stillcalled in later times klagcfrmtcn, resemblingthe propheticBerhta (p.280). In groves, on trees,there clothed in white (pp.287-8), appeared dorninac,niatronae, jpuellae life from the more elvish tree-wife or dryad,whose distinguishable The Vicentina Germans is bound worship up with that of the tree. and Christmas Twelfthday: the a chiefly between wood-tvife, and throio it in the fireto propitiate women spin flax from the distaff, her of

bunches frau

Gaue,

:

^

are

corn

to

so

standingat

left

this

day

high mountain, and woman's chairs) ; there

the

schtan

noch

afterwards,being remained

in

it

on

is

sitters.

of human di

Frankenwald

and

they leave

three

an

The

a

stone, dcr ivelle fra

raell warn,' while

the persecuted,

custody at 1

man

ran

sacfcn

the

no

150.

of

rock,

loild

folklived

stones

away,

until

Dauernheim Duiil-sche

the

(thewild gcstoil

the

impression on people say

stands

in the Wetterau

and Dauernheim

Leidhecken

Between

wei

for Wuotan

harvest-time

fieldfor the hohiveihel (wood-wives, of older higherworship. lieichenfels, p. 147),a remnant

Jul. Schmidt's

'

the

three

the

hcmdfulsof flax lying on

limbs

in

As

Berhta.

and

Holda

bit like

she is every

the

were

as

there

stillsoft ;

wife and

they died.

the

child

Folk-songs

WOOD-WIVES.

make

the huntsman

her:

'whither

in the wood wild

433

MENNI.

start

dark-brown

a

maid, and hail

beast?'

(Wunderhorn 2, 154),but his did not take to the bride, justas iu the tale of the swanmother find a more children. We pleasingdescriptionin the Spanish ballad De la infantina (Silvap. 259) : a huntsman stands under a

loftyoak En

away,

:

una

rama

cabellos de *

siete

the

refuses

todo

facias(7 fays)me los siete

knight her

forest at

alta viera estar

cabeza

su

andasse

que

But

mas

sola

first to

wants

When

consent.

night,rauhe

off the hero to her

aquel roble

fadaron

anos

Ms

infantina,

una

en en

cobrian

brazos de esta

:

una

montina

'.

take his mother's Wolfdieterich up, the

comes

mia,

ama

sits

and opinion, by a fire in

shaggywoman,

and

she the

carries

where she is a queen and lives on country,^ a high rock : at length, bathing in the jungbrunnen,she laysaside her hairy covering, and is named Sigcminne, the fairest above aU lands '.2 Synonymous with 'wildaz wip' the glosses have holzmnoja she who wails or moos in the wood (lamiaand ulula), ; holzfroive AM. bl. Doc. 219^) 335. 2, 195; holzruna (lamia) (Gl. mons. of that Gotliic aliorumna,AS. meaning the same, but suggestive and the OK burgrune, SigrUn (seeSuppl.).^ own

'

"

7. Menni, Merimanni. One have

generalname

been

with

menni,

the ON.

man

for

minni

beingsmust

; it is connected

but (virgo),

it

occurs

from with

only in

(neut),pi.merimanniu, translates sirena tier,in Hoffm. fundgr.19, 18),meriminni,

diu 333.

In

the

13th

century poets,

meynvip, merfrouwe,yet Diut. 1, 38.

(couldnob 1

211

such

Called

also to

wildez

or

earlytimes man (homo), and manni compounds : meriscylla(Eeda umbe

GI. Doc. 225=^

merminnc

wip

:

very

is '

diu

mons.

equivalent to

wise

merminne,'

gottinneoder merminnc, die sterben niht enmohten Eneit. 8860. In the Wigamur 112. 200. 227 seq., die),' '

Troje,conf. (seeSuppl.).

Ecke

81 ; and

Deutsche Elsentroje,

heldensage198.

2

In t]je Wolfdietr. (Dresd. MS. 290"7), hoelve goddesses go to a fetch the hero to them, and tend him him for a ; the loveliest wants These beingsare more wise-women than elfins. ^

As

the XaptTfs (Graces) and fays spin and weave, wilder wtbe henden geworht,'Ulr. Lanz. 4826 avral,II. 5, 338 (seeSuppl.). KdfjLov also

:

'mit

so

mountain, husband.

do the wild

; ninXos

ov

women

xapim

434

WISE

wip,who dwells in a hollow rock of the sea, termed indifferently merivip168. 338, mcrfrouiuc 134, and

there appears is

and

merminne

wildez

a

AS.

350.

three

Those

WOMEN.

wism

1479, 1

1475, 1.

Beow. M. 3037. mereivif, wip of the Nibelungen are they foretell and forewarn

;

would

names

of itself

put them

on

a

Dutch

maerminne.

also called ; their

merwip vidual having indi-

with

par

the Norse

omits the poem valkyrs: Hadhurc, Sigelint.The third,whose name (p.428),is addressed by Hague as 'aller wiseste wip!' 1483, 4. Wittich's ancestress (p.376) is named frouwe Wdchilt,as if Wave-

Hilde, she

is

merminne^ and

a

also has

Murolt rules

bekande

man

the sea, in

by

an

merminne

poet had

had

a

under

noch

given,but

ElsaM

that of her

and is

son

her

10,000 %mmarried

women

(dern

gezoc), they dwell on a mountain volent ever-bloomingland. In the ApoUonius,a beneis queen of the sea 5160. 5294) ; here the (lines

in his mind

have

must

has

lives in mount

974.

"

giveswise advice to Morolt; Mor. 40''41^ 196 seq.) Lanzelet (lines is said to be wis

in Ulrich's

(5751.6182), she

who

is not

name

she likewise

merminne

keiniu

merminne

a

dwarfs ; her

over

Madelger,and The

aunt

an

sooth to the hero, Eab. 964

says

mannes

siren in the classical sense,

a

before

merminne

they

but the Germans

heard

ever

of sirens.

The

(Danske viser 1, 118. 125). Norse legend for us a precisely has preserved male being, the taciturn corresponding who is fished propheticmarmennill (al.marmendill, marbendill), to be let go into it again; Halfssaga lip out of the sea, and requires 7 (Fornald.scig.2, 31"33), and Isl. sog. 1, 03 (Landn. 2, 5).i c. marmennils him coral is named From smi"i,he cunninglywrought At a later time the word merfeiwas it in the sea. used in Germany: whom he found that lover of Staufenberger, and the in the forest, Eair tradition Melusina of ancient a (possiblyeven Gaul),are the that had previously been called mcrimcnni? precisely fairybeing

Danish

name

is maremind

But, similar

"

to the

merminne, there

also

was

a

waltminne,which

equally stands for lamia in old glosses(Diut. 3, 276). Sigcminne,whether the baptizedEauch-els, Wolfdieterich's lover with perfectrightbe (p.433),or the wife of Hugdieterich,^ may

word

Marmennill

1

is

extremely like

first to

prophesy,Od. 4,

current

of

2

and

Yet

even 3

our

Baklander

385

There

merfeineoccurs already in merfetn,MS. 2, 63^

Deutsche

heldensagepp.

Greek

may Vilander,p. 172

seq.

and

the

Proteus,who have

is also reluctant at Proteus-like stories

(seeSuppL).

Diut. 1, 38;

185. 200-1.

been

sub v.), wazzerfeine (Oberl.

MENXI.

regardedas

loaltminne

a

I find scclcona used of the and

who

this array

wildaz wip such being,

or

as

minni

be

can

found

in the a

wood,

tugurium

(seeSuppl.).

of authorities it is

mcnni,

Vilkinns

Gram., p. 15, speaks of

Saxo

silvestrisimmanisque feminae

By

whom

woman

Vadi.

him

bore

In the Vilk. saga cap. 17

merminne}

or

435

MERIMANNI.

proved

thought of

was

placedat

the

that the satisfaction,

to

as

a

higher, superhuman

side of the Scandinavian

norn

valhjr. But in the scanty remains of our tradition the names stand wofuUy bare, finer distinctions are inevitablylost,and in between than one more gods,demigods, place the boundary-lines and valkyrs elves and giantscross one another. Equallywith norns have goddesses spinning and weaving, as (pp.413-9. 425), we shall see by and as we giantesses, Holda, Berhta,Freyja,and even and

Among

the

figuresin

the

Greek

and

Teutonic

we mythologies, and nornir, fiolpao

and idist, the placedside by side the vv/x(f)at, several isolated names the Kr]pe^ and valkyrior.But NUr} or compared in the same way, as for instance, and 'Evvdo or Bellona some Sigrun or Sigrdrifa, "Ept"?

have

and

Gunnr.

Eris, like Iris,is

sent

forth

on

an

might

be

Victoria with with

errand

a

by

Hildr Zeus

I often find these (II.11, 3),as Skogul or Gondul by OSiun, Grecian figuresin attendance on individual gods : in II. 5, 333 ^Euvco with ^Evvco gocs wltli Athene ; in 5, 592 ttotvl iTToX.L'TTopOo'i ^

A Leyden parclim.IMS. of the 13th century contains the of Charles the Great : Aquisgranidicitur Ays (Aix),et dicitur

followinglegend qnod Karolus

eo

fatatam,sive quandam fatam, que alio nomine consuetudineia et ad banc (1.dryas)appellutur, vivebat ad earn habebat et earn et ita erat, quod ipso accedente cognoscebat, dum ipsa,ipsoKarolo recedente moriebatur. quadam vice ad ipsani Contigit, accessisset et cum radius solis intra vit os ejus,et tunc Karolus ea delectaretur, vidit granum auri linguae ejusalfixum, quod fecit abscindi,et contingenti(1.in mortua continenti) est,nee postea revixit. The grainof gold,on which the spell of the city: later tradition to explain the name (Petrarcha hung, is evidently it a ring, of instead has fara. 1, 3. Aretin's legend of Charlem. epist. 89) p. tenebat

nimpha

ibi

quandam mulierem vel dea vel adriades

of the corpse, and throws the mouth the king,and that is why he then attracts of the tlie town made further mention is no his favourite residence. There Frankish maiden's fairyexistence. It w;x.s a popular belief (appliedto the mermaid or about the union of a wild-woman king and graduallydistorted)

which archbishopTurpin removes into a lake near Aachen ; this Jake

from

Charles's ancestress Not very ditlerently was Berhta,as above (p. 430),made into a 'good woman,' i.e.a fay. [The similarity in the heroic line : Pejjin of names of Herstal,Charles Martel,Pepin the Little, magne's CharleBerhta was Charles the Great,seems it doubtful whether to have made with

we

a

cjiristian hero.

saw

mother

or

his

great-grandmother.]

436

WISE

WOMEN.

4, 440 and 5, 518 "Epc^dfiorov fie/xavta with Ares, who is and the also followed by Ae2fio"; ^6/3o^ (p.207-8). And lastly, Ares;

in

nearlyallied ; and there was supposed to be a special wood-wives stand particular to our Charis of victory. Still nearer Theocritus 5, 17 names those whom classes of nymphs, especially those Seivai deal called vvfjic^at or Xiixvdha^ aKolfirjroi, Ta9 vv^t^a';, The 13, 44. gracefulmyth of swan- wives appears dypoLcoTa!,"; Charites

indeed

are

it in

have

to the Greeks

to be unknown

with

common

Romans, while

and

the Celts ; yet

a

Teutons

we

of it remains

trace

in the

(p.338),and in the swan's propheticsong, Nalus too the gold-bedizened swan as in the Indian (hansa anser, speech(Bopp'sed. pp. 6. 7). goose)finds human story of

and

Zeus

Leda

=

developed any idea of goddessesof fate.^ The beautiful fiction of the vila is peculiar to Servian mythology : that she is a being half fay,half elf,whose resembles name even of the vala. The relation of valkyrsto christian heroes is suggested by the fraternalbond between the vila and Marko (Vuk 2, 98. 232. Danitza for 1826, p. 108),as also by the vilas appearingsingly, having proper names, and prophesying. In some thingsthey come the German elfins of our next nearer chapter: they live on hills, elfenm. Ixxxii), love the song and the round dance (Ir. they mount ustrielila ga vila,' fatal arrows at men : up in the air and discharge The

Slavs

have

not

'

vila has

the

shot

him

with

her

shaft.

Their

cry in the wood

is

woodpecker hacking,and is expressedby the his mother word 'kliktati'. The vila has a rightto the child whom in heedless language (diavoye odniyo!)has consignedto the devil (Vuk no. 394),as in similar cases the wolf or bear fetches him away. Vile te odnele! (vilae te auferant) is a curse (Vuks sprichw.p. 36); 'kad dot'u vile k otchim' (quandovilae ante oculos veniunt)signifies the moment of extreme distress and danger (ibid. 117). The vila like the sound

rides Norse

^

the

a

old stag,and

seven-year

enchantresses

The

Bohem,

Eussians

in lichoplezi mermaids. The When the -

cures

of the

him.

bridles him

with

snakes,like the

(seeSuppl.).^ translates parca, but it simply means judge (fem.) : the word must at least notice the parka. We like the sirens and Glosses 21% who said to be three, are

sudice

even

adopt

Hanka's

Bulgarian

samodiva

samovUa cries to his or

correspondsto

the

Servian

wounded Pomak 'sister' samodiva, she comes The samodivy carry off children ; and mischief wrought

vila. and

by

the

437

WOMEN.

WISE

Like the Fates,they begiftthe elements,by storms, "c.,is ascribed to them. him a shirt,another visit the infant newborn Jesus, one sews : three samodivy stories about Some for him. trims and the third a knits him a band, cap three finds swan-maids. of resemble those the samodivy them closely Stoyan b ut takes the the of those two their restores eldest, removes clothes, bathing, her first christens St. John her. and marries youngest (Mariyka)home, her without But she cannot do the her to dance as samodivy. child,and asks the in bathes she flies 'samodivski drekhi,'Stoyan produces them, away, Trans. her mominstvo and mominski recovers (virginity). fountain, "

End

A.

KING

of

AND

Vol.

CO.,

I.

ABERDEEN.

This compilation © Phoenix E-Books UK

TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY. JACOB GRIMM.

TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY BY

JACOB GRIMM. TE AN SLATED FROM THE FOUETH EDITION.

NOTES AND APPENDIX

JAMES STEVEN STALLYBRASS,

VOL.

II.

LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1883.

Butler & Tanner. The Seltvood Printing Works, Frome, and Loudon.

;

CHAPTER

XVII.

WIGHTS AND ELVES. Apart from deified and semi-divine natures there stands a whole order of other beings distinguished mainly by the fact Jthat,

while those have issued from

men

or seek

human

these form a separate community, one might say a

fellowship,

kingdom of

and are only induced by accident or stress of circumThey have in them some admixture of the superhuman, which appi'oximates them to gods they have power to hurt man and to help him, at the same time they stand in awe of him, being no match for him in bodily strength. Their figure is much below the stature of man, or else mis-shapen. They almost all have the faculty of makiug themtheir own,

stances to have dealings with men.

selves invisible. 1

And

here again the females are of a broader

and nobler cast, with attributes resembling those of goddesses and wise-women ; the male spirits are more distinctly marked off, both from gods and from heroes. 3

The two most general designations for them form the title of this chapter they are what we should call spirits nowadays. But the word spirit (geist, ghost), 3 like the Greek hal^wv, is too comprehensive; it would include, for instance, the halfgoddesses discussed in the preceding chapter. The Lat. genius would more nearly hit the mark (see Suppl.). ;

its

The term wiht seems remarkable in more than one respect, for variable gender and for the abstract meanings developed from

so have the gods (p. 325), goddesses (p. 2G8) and wise-women (p. 419). Celtic tradition, which runs particularly rich on this subject, I draw from the following works: Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, 1

But

2

by Crofton Croker, Lond. 1825 2nd ed., parts 1, 2, 3, Lond. 1828. The Fairy Mythology, by Th. Keightley, vols. 1, 2, Lond. 1828. Barzas-Breiz, chants populates de la Bretagne, par Th. de la Villemarque, 2< ed., 2 vol., Paris 1840. 3 OHG. keist, AS. g&st, OS. gist (see root in Gramm. 2, 46); Goth, ahma, OHG. atum for ahadum, conn, with Goth, aha (mens), ahjan (meminisse, cogitare), as maji (homo), manniska, and manni, miuni belong to munan, minnen (pp. 5 J. ;

j

(

314.433).

VOL.

II.

*89

B

—

;

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

440

hardly ever uses

by

vaihts, gen. vaiht&is, is feminine,

The Gothic

it.

in a concrete sense

it

and much

it 7rpay/j,a,

ovSev (Gramm.

3,

at other times

a spirit regarded as female; and in diro TravTos

ubilaizo

vaihte

word

it

is

5,

22 the sentence

rendered

af

:

pi.

'

:

allamma ab omni

vaihteis ubilos

'

of

The other Teutonic tongues

and make a substantive of the *

to intensify

negative, and even let

a negative,

denoted to the Goths

Thess.

the use of the

;

suggests the notion of spirits.

equally use the

and Ulphilas he translates

where the Vulg. has

afhabaih izvis,

specie mala abstinete vos itself

1

irovripov tnrkyeaQe

e'lSovs

1, 1

This, however, does not exclude the

having

possibility of vaihts

Luke

when combined with

oftener,

734).

8.

in

;

swallow up at last the proper particle

but in all of them it retains its personal meaning The OHG. writers waver between the neut. and masc. the Gothic fem. is unknown to them. Otfried has a neut. wiht, with x

of negation too.

;

the collective

pi.

wihtir,-

and likewise a neut.

armu

implies a sing, wihti; thus, ii.

16,

117; krumbu wihti,

creatures/

so that loiht

pi.

wihtir, iv. C, 23;

wihti,

which

armu

wihti,

9, 5; meaning ' poor, crooked (derivable from wihan facere, creare) iii.

seems altogether synonymous with being, creature, person, and can be used of men or spirits ' in demo mere sint wunderlichiu In MHG. ivihtir, diu heizent sirenae/ Hoffm. Fundgr. 19, 17. :

sometimes neut.:

unreinez wiht,

triigehaftez wiht, Barl. 367, 11

times masc.

boeser

:

iviht,

;

Diut.

vil

1,

13;

tumbez wiht,

Barl. 220, 15

Athis H. 28; 11, 21;

some-

unrehter bossewiht,

;

MS.

147% Geo. 3508; kleiner wiht, Altd. bl. 1, 254; der wiht, Geo. 3513-36; der tumbe wiht, Fragm. 42* ; and often of indeterminable gender: boese wild, Trist. 8417; helle wiht, Geo. 3531 but either way as much applicable to men as to spirits. 2,

;

Ghostly wights are the Casina,

5,

ii.

and use

it

'

minuti

dii

of the Eomans (Plaut. we make wield masc,

'

Mod. Germ,

In

24).

slightingly of a pitiful hapless being, fellow,

with a qualifying epithet:

'

often

elender wicht, bosewicht (villain)/

If the diminutive form be added, which intensifies the notion of littleness, it

1

Aught

=

can only be used of spirits a-wiht,

any wight or whit

;

naught

wichtlein, wichtelmann

:

=

3 ;

n'a-wiht,no wight, no whit.

Trans. -

So

3

In Hesse wicht elmnnner

:

thiu

diufilir,

iii.

is

hy the

side of ther diufal, iii. 14, 108. the expression in vogue, except on the Diemel in

14, 53,

Saxon Hesse, where they say 'gute holden.'

:;

411

WIGHTS.

MUG.

diu wihtel,1

kleinez

Ls.

wihtelin,

wihtelin penates Gl. Florian.

MS.

1,

157 a

bcesez wihtel, Elfenm. cxviii.

;

wihtelen vel helbe

;

The dernea

ivihti,

the devil himself; letha

children

in

:

'

elbe), lernures, dsemones,

tliie

demo'

15; wreda

70,

ivihti,

is

{I.e.

92, 2

occulti genii, in Hel. 31, 20.

are deceitful demonic beings, as

Lower Saxony wield

OHG.

378, 380, Wolfdietr. 783, 799;

1,

;

:

quite in a

said,

the Miinster country

'

104, iviidi

good

dat wicht

'

of girls, about Osnabriick the sing, wicht only

means

19

In

70, 1.

sense, of little liolds

especially

of girls,

the pi.

and boys; 'innocent wichte' are spoken of in The Mid. Nethl. has a neut. wicht like the Sastrow, 1, 351. H. German: quade ivicltt, clene wicht (child). Huyd. op St. 3, 6. 370; arern wild, Reink. 1027; so the Mod. Dutch wicht, pi. arm wicht, aardig wicht, in a kindly sense. The AS. wichteren language agrees with the Gothic as to the fern, gender wild, gen. wihte, nom. pi. wihta; later ivuld, wuhte, wuhta; seo wiht, Cod. Exon. 418, 8. 419, 3. 5. 420, 4. 10. The meaning can be

wichter of girls

:

:

concrete:

either

Casdra.

310,

yfel

10;

wild

scewild

(phantasma), leas (animal marinum),

entirely abstract = thing, affair.

wiht

Beda,

(diabolus), 1,

or

1;

The Engl, wight has the sense

The ON. vcett and vcettr, which are likewise fern., have preserved in. its integrity the notion of a demonic spiritual b allar vcettir, genii quicunque, Sa3tn. 93 ; being (Saam. I45 a ) b hollar vcettir, genii benigni, Ssem. 240 ; ragveettir or meinvcettir, of our wicht.

:

genii

noxii, 2

landvcettir,

genii

tutelares,

Fornm.

sog.

3,

105.

In the Faroes they say: 'fear tu tear ' Lyngbye, p. 548. The Danish til mainvittis (go to the devil) meinvette an evil spirit, spirit, wood-nymph, is female a a vette Isl.

sog.

1,

198, etc.

!

yet will not kuow, Smites himself with his own hand His wisdom lvalue no more than a play That they call the little wights He lets us witness much of wonder, er hit una sehouwen wunders vil, "Who governs them. der ir ha waltet. The passage shows that in the 13th cent, there was a kind of puppet-show in which ghostly beings were set before the eyes of spectators. 'Der ir waltet,' he thai wields them, means the showman who puts the figures in motion. A full confirrihtet zu mit den sniieren (strinj mation in the Wachtelmare, line 40: tatermanne Another passage on the wihtel-spil in Haupt's Zeitschr. 2, GO spilt mit dem wihtelin hi' dem tisch umb guoten win.' 2 Bib'rn supposes a masc. (fern. ?) meinvattr and a neut. meinvcetti ; no doubt nevertheless I call attention to the Zendic mainyus, daemon, Biein is noxa, malum and agramainyus, daemon malus. 1

Whoso knows,

Swer weiz und

clocli niht wizzen wil, der slaet sich rnit sin selbes hant des wlsheit aht ich zeime spil, daz man din wihtel hat genannt

;

'

'

'

'

:

!

'

;

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

4-4-2

The Swedish tongue, in addition to vlitt (genius) and a synonymous neut. vdttr, lias a wild formed after the German, Neither is the abstract sense wanting in any of Ihre, p. 1075.

Thiele 3, 98.

these dialects.

This transition of the meaning of wight into that of thing on the one hand, and of devil on the other, agrees with some other also address little children as phenomena of language.

We

and the child in the marchen (No. 105) cries to the ' ding, eat Wicht, ding, wint, teufel, the crumbs too lizard clinch help a denial. 0. French all to 731. valant (Gramm. 3, 736) bonce 7*es = boni Mid. Latin 30085. males choses, mali genii, Ren. '

thing,'

!

:

genii, Vine. Bellov. hi. 3,

We and

'

27 (see Suppl.).

once perceive a more decided colouring in the

at

MHG.

AS.

alp (genius),

celf,

ON.

dlfr

;

OHG. may OHG.

a Goth, albs

Together with this masc, the had a neut. alp, pi. elpir, as we know the MHG. may had a pi. elber; and from the MHG. dat. fern, elbe (MS. 1, 50 b ) we must certainly infer a nom. diu elbe, OHG. alpia, elpia, Goth. safely

be conjectured.

also 'have

albi, gen. albjos, for

otherwise such a derivative could not occur.

suffix, there was no doubt an OHG. form selected by Albrecht of Halber1 stadt, and still appearing in his poem as remodelled by Wikram; AS. elfen, gen. elfenne. Of the nom. pi. masc. I can only feel sure in the ON., where it is cllfar, and would imply a Goth, albus, OHG. alpa, MHG. albe, AS. selfas; on the other hand an

Formed by elpmna,

a

still

MHG.

commoner

elbinne, the

elpi (Goth, albeis) is suggested by the MHG. pi. elbe (Amgb. 2 b , unless this comes from the fern, elbe above) and by the AS. pi. ylfe, gen. pi. ylfa (Beow. 223). 2 The Engl, forms

OHG.

1

I

Wikram

6, 9 fed. 1631, p. 11* 199b). The first passage, in all the editions (ed. 1545, p. 3 a ), has a faulty reading: ' auch viel ewinnen und

1, 9.

have compared

rhyming with zweyen.' Albrecht surely wrote vil elbinnen und feien.' can mak j nothing of freien but at best a very daring allusion to Frigg and Frea (p. 301) and froie' = fraulein, as the weasel is called in Reinh. clxxii., can have nothing to say here. 2 Taking AS. y [as a modified a, a, ea,~] as in yldra, ylfet, yrfe, OHG. eldiro, At the same time, as y can also be a modified o (orf, yrfe = pecus), or elpiz, erpi. a modified it (wulf, wylfen), I will not pass over a MHG. ulf, pi. illve, which seems to mean much the same as alp, and may be akin to an AS. ylf: von den iilven entbunden werden,' MS. 1, 81* Ulfheit ein suht ob alien siihten,' MS. 2, 135 s 'der sich iilfet in der jugent,' Helbi. 2,426; and conf. the olp quoted from H. Shakspeare occasionally couples elves and goblins with similar beings called Sachs. ouphes (Nares sub v.). It speaks for the identity of the two forms, that one Swedish folk-song (Arwidsson 2, 278) has Ulfver where another (2, 276) has Elfver. freyen,'

I

'

'

'

,

;

'

'

'

;

'

;

;

443

ELVES. the Swed.

elf, elves,

elv, pi. elve,

elf,

masc. elfvar (fem.

pi.

honer, elleskudt, ellevild

the word alp

still

elfvor), the

Dan.

compounds ellefulli, ellchave undergone assimilation. With us

are quite in rule

;

the Dan.

survives in the sense of night-hag, night-mare,

which our writers of the last century introduced the Engl, elf, a form untrue to our dialect before that, we find everywhere the correct pi. elbe or elben. 1 H. Sachs uses dip in addition to

;

:

b conf. (i. du dolp 5, 525 ), and olperisch (iv. 3, 95°) ijlpern and olpetriitsch, alberdriitsch, drelpetriitsch (Schm. 1,48) elpentrotsch and tolpentrotsch, trilpentrisch (Schmidts Swab. diet. and in Hersfeld, hilpentrisch. The words mean an awkward 162) silly fellow, one whom the elves have been at, and the same thing In Gloss. Jan. is expressed by the simple elbisch, Fundgr. 365. 340 we read elvesce weltte, elvish wights. '

du

;

olp

!

;

!

;

On

the nature of Elves I resort for advice to the

ON.

authori-

been remarked already (p. 25), that the Elder Edda several times couples cesir and alfar together, as though they were a compendium of all higher beings, and that the AS. es and ylfe stand together in exactly the same way. ties,

before

all

It has

others.

This apparently concedes more of divinity to elves than to men.

Sometimes there come

in,

as a third

83 b ), a race distinct from the relations with

sesir,

member, the vanir

(Seeni.

but admitted to certain

them by marriage and by covenants.

The Hrafna-

AlfoSr orkar (works), alfar skilja, galdr opens with the words a vanir vita," Seem. 88 ; Allfather, i.e. the as, has power, alfar have skill (understanding), and vanir knowledge. The Alvismal :

enumerates the dissimilar

names given

to

heavenly

elements and plants by various languages (supra,

doing

so,

it

mentions

aisir,

alfar, vanir,

bodies,

p. 332)

;

in

and in addition also

menu, ginregin, iutnar, dvergar and denizens of hel (hades). Here the most remarkable point for us is, that alfar and dvergar The same distinction is made (dwarfs) are two different things. between dvergar and between alfar and dvergar, Sasm. 8 b b between three kinds of norns, the as-kungar, dockalfar, Sasm. 92 alf-kungar and dcetr Dvalins, Sasm. 188% namely, those descended from ases, from elves and from dwarfs; and our MHGr. poets, as we see by Wikram's Albrecht, 6, 9, continued to separate elbe gotf,

;

;

1

Besold. sub

v. elbe

;

Ettner's

Hebamme,

p. 910,

alpen or elben.

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

444

from gctwerc} Some kinship however seems to exist between them, if only because among proper names of dwarfs we find an Loki, elsewhere called an as, Alfr and a Vinddlfr, Seem. 2. 3.

and reckoned among addressed as

less is

called

'

alfa

Stem.

princeps,

but really of iotun origin, is nevertheSaem. 110 b ; nay, Vulundr, a godlike hero,

ases,

alfr,

alforum socius, and

lio'Si/

135

a

b

'

I

-

alforum

visi dlfa/

'

explain this not

historically

(by a

makes Wielant king Elberick's companion and fellow smith in Mount Gloggensachsen (otherwise Gougelsahs, Caucasus?). Thus we see the word alfr shrink and stretch by turns. Now what is the true meaning of the word albs, alp = genius ? One is tempted indeed to compare the Lat. albas, which according Finnish descent), but mythically

to

Festus the Sabines called

agrees

alpus

«\.o?

;

likewise

then albs meant

when

first

dlfar

of

all

leprosy)

(vitiligo,

better with the law of consonant-change.

still

so that,

German legend

:

Probably

a light-coloured, white, good spirit, 3

and dvergar are contrasted, the one

This exactly agrees with

the white spirits, the other the black.

the great beauty and brightness of of creatures getting, as

we

shall

and confounded, recourse was had

signifies

But the two classes good deal mixed up composition, and the elves

alfar.

see,

to

a

proper were named liosdlfar. 3

The above-named dockalfar part, Avhich is not found in the

prose. liosdlfar

He

says, p. 21

(light elves),

:

(genii obscnri) require a counter-

Eddie songs, but

it

is

in Snorri's

'In Alfheim dwells the nation of the

down

the

in

earth

dwell the dockalfar

(dark elves), the two unlike one another in their look and their

powers, liosdlfar brighter than the sun, dockalfar blacker than pitch/ The liosdlfar occupy the third space of heaven, Sn. 22.

Another name which never occurs in the lays, and which at sight seems synonymous with dockalfar, is svartdlfar (black

first

Norway popular belief keeps alfer and drerfje apart, Faye p. 49. The word appears in the name of the snowclad mountains (alpes, see Snppl.), and that of the clear river (Albis, Elbe), while the ON. elf elfa, Swed. elf, Dan. elv = fiuvius, is still merely appellative the ghostly elvish swan (OHG. alpiz, MHG. elbez, AS. aelfet, ON. alpt, p. 429) can be explained both by its colour and its 1

In

2

;

watery abode likewise the Slav, labud, lebed, from Labe. 3 Vanir also may contain the notion of white, bright consider the ON. vcenn (ptdcher), the Ir. ban (albus), ben, bean (femina), Lat. Venus, Goth, qino, AS. circn. To this add, that the Ir. banshi, ban-sighe denotes an elvish being usually regarded as female, a fay. The same is expressed by sia, sir/he alone, which is said to mean ;

;

properly the twilight, the hour of spirits (see Suppl.).

; :

445

ELVES. elves)

and these Snorri evidently takes

1

;

dvergar, for his dvergar dwell in

This

13G).

is,

be the same as (Sn. 34. 130.

for one thing, at variance with the separation

and dvergar

of dlfar

to

Svartulfaheiin,

in

the lays, and more particularly with

the difference implied between doclcdlfar and dvergar in Saem. That language of poetry, which everywhere else im92 b 1 88a .

such precise information about the old

parts

inclined to set aside here as vague

nexion with

this,

faith,

and general.

I

am

not

Nor, in con-

ought we to overlook the ndir, the deadly pale

b named by the side of the dvergar, Saem. 92 though again among the dvergar themselves occur the proper

or dead ghosts

,

names Nar and Nainn.

Some have seen, in this antithesis of light and black elves, the same Dualism that other mythologies set up between spirits good and bad, friendly and hostile, heavenly and hellish, between angels But ought we not rather to assume of light and of darkness. three kinds of Norse genii, liosdlfar, dochdlfar, svartdlfar ? No doubt I am thereby pronouncing Snorri's statement fallacious dodkalfar eru svartari en bik (pitch).-' DiJdcr ~ seems to me not so much downright black, as dim, dingy not niger, but obscurus, fuscus, aquilus. In ON. the adj. iarpr, AS. eorp, fuscus, seems to be used of dwarfs, Haupt's Zeitschr. 3, 152 and the female name

'

;

;

In that case the identity of dwarfs (p. and blade elves would hold good, and at the same time the Old Eddie distinction between dwarfs and dark elves be justified. Such a Trilogy still wants decisive proof but some facts can be brought in support of it. Pomeranian legend, to begin with, seems positively to divide subterraneans into white, brown, and Irpa

98)

is

akin to

it.

;

elsewhere popular belief contents itself with picturing in gray clothing, in gray or brown cap-of-darkness

3

blade

;

dwarfs

Scotch tradition in particular has

its

brownies, spirits of

brown

But here dockalfar rather than svartalfar (see Suppl.). I have yet another name to bring in, which, as applied to such I have not mot with it outside spirits, is not in extensive use. hue,

i.e.

gives the liosalfar another name Jivit&lfar (white in the old writings. s Conf. OHG. tunchal, MHG. tunkel (our dunkel), Nethl. donker. 3 E. M. Arndt's Marchen und Jugenderinnerungen, Berl. 1818, p. 150. In Phil. von Steinau'8 Volkssagen, Zeitz 1838, pp. 291-3, the same traditions are given, but only white and black (not brown) dwarfs are distinguished. 1

elves)

Thorlac. spec.

;

I

7,

p. 1G",

have not found the word

;

-

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

446

There the small of the Vogtland and a part of East Thuringia. elvish beings that travel especially in the train of Berchta, are

and the name is considered and nobler than querx or erdmannchen (Borner p. 52). It is hardly to be explained by any resemblance to chirping crickets, which are also called heinichen, OHG. heimili (Graff 4, 953) still less by heim (domus), for these wights are not home-sprites besides, the correct spelling seems to be heinchen (domestici) called the heimclten (supra, p. 276)

;

finer

;

(Variscia

may connect

101), so that one

2,

Hein/ the name for (winding-sheet, Strodtmann

death,

with

it

'

Friend

and the Low Sax. heinenMeed

This notion of departed spirits, who appear in the furious host ' in the retinue of former gods, and continue to lead a life of their own, may go to support those nair of the Edda; the pale hue may belong to them, and the gray, brown, black to the coarser but otherwise similar 84)

p.

1

'

dwarfs. Such is my conjecture. In a hero-lay founded on thoroughly German legend, that of Morolt, there appear precisely three troops of spirits,

who

take charge of the fallen in battle

b and of their souls a white, a pale, and a black troop (p. 28 ), which is explained to mean angels, kinsmen of the combatants coming up from hades, and devils.-' No such warlike part is ever played by the Norse alfar, not they, but the valkyrs have to do with battles but the traditions may long have become tangled together, and the offices confounded. 3 The liosdlfar and svartdlfar are in themselves sufficiently like the christian angels and devils ; :

l

;

the pale troop i iorcFu,'

'

uz

tier helle

'

are the dochdlfar that dwell

ni&ri

nay, the very same that in the Alvismal are not expressly

named, but designated by the words this

'

way

liosalfar live

:

the heathen

e

i heljo.'

Or

I can put

in heaven, dockalfar (and nair

hades, svartalfar in Svartdlfaheim, which

?)

is

it

in

in hel,

never

used in the same sense as hel (see Suppl.). The dusky elves are souls of dead men, as the younger poet supposed, or are we to separate dockalfar

and

nair

?

Both have

their

abode in the

realms of hades, as the light ones have in those of heaven.

no other elves has the Edda so

much

to tell as of the

Of

black,

l *' Heinenkleei is not conn, with Friend Hein, but means a hiinen'kleed XVIII.) couf. also the hiinuerskes, and perhaps the haunken, or aunken in the Westph. sgonaunken.' Extr. from Suppl. - The different races of elves contending for a corpse (Ir. Elfenm. 68).

(ch.

;

—

ELVES, DWARFS.

who have more

447

mankind svartalfar are named in and dockalfar but fitfully. One thing we must not let go the identity of svartalfar and

abundance,

dealings with,

;

liosalfar

:

dvergar.

AS. dweorg, OHG.

Dvergr, Goth, dvairgs?

our

MHG.

tuerc,

tverc,

answer to the Lat. nanus, Gr. vdvvos (dwarf, puppet), nano, Span, enano, Portug. anao, Prov. nan, nant, Fr. nain,

ziverg, 1

Ital.

Mid. Nethl. also naen, Ferg. 2243-46-53-82.

3086-97; or Gr. wvyficuo?.

OHG. and MHG. Nib. 98,

frequently use the neut. form gituerc, getwerc,

335, 3.

1.

14242. 14515. daz Getwerc

is

der twerk

MS.

wilde

2,

Wigal. 6080. 6591.

15*.

Ecke

getwerc,

81. 82.

used as a masc. in Eilhart 2881-7. in

3146-50, and nane,

Beside the masc. forms just given,

Altd.

Wh. bl.

1 ,

Trist.

57, 25.

253-6-8

;

Can Oeovpyos (performing

Hoffm. fundgr. 237.

miraculous deeds, what the MHG. would call wunderasre) have anything to do with it ? As to meaning, the dwarfs resemble all the Idasan Dactyls of the ancients, the Cabeiri and Trdraucoi :

or most of the dvergar in the 48.

130. 354).

This seems

Edda the

are cunning smiths (Sn. 34.

simplest explanation of their

black suoty appearance, like that of the cyclopes.

are placed in caves and mountains fore

lie in

:

Their forges

Svartdtfalieimr

a mountainous region, not in the abyss of

must therehell.

And

our German folk-tales everywhere speak of the dwarfs as forging in the mountains: 'vongolde wirkent si diu spcehen were ' says

Wartburg War of the getwerc Sinnels in Palakers, whereas and elfins have rather the business of weaving attributed to them. Thus, while dwarfs border on the smith-heroes and smiththe

elves

gods (Wielant, Vulcan), the functions of elves approach those of and good- wives (see Suppl.). 2 If there be any truth in this view of the matter, one can easily conceive how it might get altered and confused in the popular fays

belief of a later time,

when

the

new

christian notions of angel

and devil had been introduced. At bottom all elves, even the light ones, have some devil-like qualities, e.g. their loving to 1 In Lausitz and E. Thuringia querx, in Thiiringerwald querlich. Jac. von Konigshofeii, p. 89, has qucrch. In Lower Saxony sometimes tuarm, for twarg. 2 In Bretagne the korr, pi. korred answers to our elf, the kurrigan to our elfin and she too is described like a fay she sits by the fountain, combing her hair, and whoever catches her doing so, must marry her at once, or die in three days (Yillemarque 1, 17). The 'Welsh cater means a giant. ;

:

;

'

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

448 teaze

men

but they are not therefore

;

black elves in particular,

i.e.

devils,

not even the black

appears even that to these mountain spirits, who in various

ones, but often good-natured beings.

It

man, a distinct reverence was paid, of which lasted down to recent of this is found in the Kormaksevidence The clearest times. the elves, like the altar of a god, hill of saga pp. 216-8. The is to be reddened with the blood of a slaughtered bull, and of ways came

into contact with

a species of worship, traces

the animal's flesh a feast prepared for the elves

he San skamt

graSung

i

brott, er dlfar biia

]?ann, er

Kormakr drap

( :

H611 eiun er

(cave that elves dwell in)

i

K. slew), skaltu

(bull that

rioSa bl6S grabamgsins a hulinn titan, en gera

;

ok (make fa,

dlfum veizlu batna/ An actual With this I connect the superstitious custom of cooking dlfablot. food for angels, and setting it for them (Superst. no. 896). So there is a table covered and a pot of food placed for home-smiths and kobolds (Dent, sagen, no. 37. 38. 71) ; meat and drink for the elves a feast)

domina Abundia

man

ok

af slatrinu,

(supra, p. 286)

;

]?er

money

or bread deposited in

the caves of subterraneans, in going past (Neocorus

named

1,

262. 560).

gods alpranlie, solanum dulpericlymen., alpfranke, alfsranke, alpkraut (lonicera There are plants

after elves as well as after

cam.), otherwise called geissblatt, in trullbar;

Denmark

dweorges dwosle, pulegium

spell dwostle,

322 a

;

dvergeriis, ace. to

the spartium scoparium.

A latrina

:

troldbiir, in

Sweden

(Lye), Mone's authorities Molbech's Dial. Lex. p. 86,

was

called alfreh,

lit.

genios

fugans, Eyrb. saga, cap. 4 (see Suppl.).

Whereas man grows but

slowly, not attaining his full stature

and then living seventy years, and a giant can be as old as the hills the dwarf is already grown up in the third year of his life, and a greybeard in the seventh 2 the Elf-king is commonly described as old and white-bearded.

till

after his fifteenth year,

;

The Old

Pruss. and Litli. parstuk (thumbkin) also has food placed for him, The Lett, behrstuhki is said to mean a child's doll, Bergm. 145. Emp. Ludwig the Bavarian (1347) writes contemptuously to Markgraf Carl of Becollige, quia nondum venit bora, ut pigmei de Judea (1. India) statura Moravia cubica evolantes fortitudine gnauica (1. gnanica, i.e. nanica) terras gygantium detrahere debeant in ruinas, et ut pigmei, id est homines bicubitales, qui in anno tercio crescunt ad perfectam quantitatem et in septimo anno senescunt et moriuntur, imperent gygantibus.' Pelzel's Carl IV. 1 urk. p. 40. Conf. Bohmer's Font. Yet this description does not look to me quite German the more 2, 570. 1, 227. the dwarfs are regarded as elves, there is accorded to them, and especially to elfins (as to the Greek oreads), a higher and semi-divine age conf. the stories of changelings quoted further on. Laurin, ace. to the poems, was more than 400 years old. 1

conf. Lasicz 54. 2

:

'

;

;

—

;

ELVES, DWARFS.

449

Accounts of the creation of dwarfs will be presented in chap. but they only seem to refer to the earthly form of the

XIX.

;

black elves, not of the light.

The leading ing

features of elvish nature

seem

to

be the follow-

:

Man's body holds a medium between those of the giant and. the elf; an elf comes as much short of human size as a giant towers above it. All elves are imagined, as small and. tiny, but the light ones as well-formed, and. symmetrical, the black as ugly

and misshapen. The former are radiant with exquisite beauty, and wear shining garments: the AS. celfsciene, Ca3dm. 109, 23. 165, 11, sheen as an elf, bright as angels, the ON. ' MS sem alfkona/

fair as

In Rudlieb of

xvii.

elfin,

express the height of female loveliness.

27 a dwarf, on being caught,

the cave, she immediately appears,

sed et auro vesteque compta/

kunnigt

i

'

Fornald. sog.

um

ollum fornum frasognum

out

calls his wife

parva, nimis pulchra,

387 has

1,

'

:

bat er

)>at fulk, er alfar hetu,

miklu friSara enn onnur mankind/ The Engl, elves are slender and. puny Falstaff (1 Henry IV. i. 4) calls Prince 1 Henry you starveling, you elfskin The dwarf adds to his at bat var

:

'

'

!

repulsive hue an ill-shaped, body, a humped, back, and. coarse

clothing

;

when

elves and. dwarfs

came

to be

mixed up together,

the graceful figure of the one was transferred

to

the

other,

sometimes the dwarfs expressly retain the blade or grey complexion: ' svart i synen/ p. 457; 'a little black mannikin/ Kinderm. no. 92; 'grey mannikin/ Biisching's Woch. nachr. 1,

yet

98.

Their very height

is

occasionally specified

the stature of a four years' child/

now they

attain

be measured by the span or thumb: 'kiime drier

smaller,

to

spannen

lane, gar eislich getan?

Deut. sag. no. 42; a

thumb

now

:

they appear a great deal

little

Elfenm. cxvi. c

wight,

long, Altd. bl. 2, 151;

'

relit als

;

em

two spans high,

dumelle lane/ a

ein kleinez weglin

(1.

wihtttn)

1 In Denmark popular belief lectures the ellekone as young and captivating to look at in front, but bollow at the back like a kneading-trough (Tbiele 1, 118) which reminds one of Dame Werlt in poems. 2 Whether the OHO. pusilin is said of a dwarf as Graff supposes (3, 352 conf.

MHG.

;

Swed. pyssling), or merely of a child, like the Lat. pusus, pusio, is a question. The Mid. Age gave to its angels these small dimensions of elves and dwarfs Ein :

'

iegelich enr/el schinet also gestalter als ein kint in jaren vieren (years t) in der jugende,' Tit. 5895 (Hahn) 'juncliche gemalet als ein kint daz d.-i vtinf jdr (5 year) alt ist,' Berth. 184. Laurin is taken for the angel Michael; Elberich (Otnit, Ettm. 21) and Antilois (Ulr. Alex.) are compared to a child of four. ;

;

;

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

450

dumeln lane,' Ls. 1, 378. In one Danish lay, the smallest trold no bigger than an ant, D.V. 1, 176. Hence in fairy tales daumling (thumbling, petit poucet) indicates a dwarfish figure; the 8cifCTv\o,

mag

triegen

rhyme

selbe), Altd. bl. 1, 261

;

elbe tricgent,

Amgb.

2

b ;

din elber

beduhte daz in triige ein alp, Ir. elfenm. Reinh. 5367, conf. Horae lvii. ; alfs ghedroch, Elegast 51, 775. a In our Belg. 6, 218-9; alfsche droeh, Eeinaert (prose lxxii. ). triegent,

1

made

Herbort 5

b

;

in

Fornm. sog. 2, 141 says of Eyvindr the sorcerer them a mist, darkness, hul in hiahnr, Fornald. :

for

'

gun-Si p-eim hulitkhialm,' sog. 3, 219

;

hujUhSttr

1,

See Rafn's Index sub v. dulgerfi. 2 A weighty addition to the arguments for the identity of Wuotan and Mercury conf. p. 419 on the vrishing-rod. 9.

2, 20.

;

464

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

elder speech gitroc, getroc, dgetroc,

denotes trickery

abegetroc,

especially diabolic, proceeding from evil spirits

To the same

740-1). 1

applied to elves

:

is

called a getwas (fantasma)

So, of the morbid oppression said quite indifferently, either '

hinaht

Fundgr.

mar/

der

ritert

709.

:

felt in '

and a monster.

and dreaming,

sleep

it is

the devil has shaken thee, ridden

dich satanas (Satan shakes thee to-night)/

170; or else the

1,

2,

elbischez getwas, elbischez as, elbischez ungehiure,

as the devil himself

thee/

(Gramm.

some other disparaging epithets

effect are

elf,

the nightmare 2

:

'dich hat geriten

'ein alp zonmet dich (bridles thee)/

Holle entangles one's spinning or hair tangled hair, 3 and as stubbly hair

is

(p.

And

as

Dame

2G9), as she herself has

called Hollenzopf ;

4

so the

up the hair of men or the manes and tails of horses, in knots, or chews them through: alpzopf, drutenzopf, wichtelzopf, weichselzopf (of which more hereafter), in Lower Saxony mahrenlocke, elfklatte (Brem. wortb. 1, 302), Dan. marelok, Engl, elfloclcs (Nares sub v.), elvish knots, and in Shakspeare to elf means to mat: 'elf all my hair in knots/ K. Lear ii. 3. nightelf, the nightmare, rolls

Here

will

when

the white

:

in those

'

comae equorum diligenter tricatae,' their midnight rounds (supra, p. named aihvaras likewise mats the

women make

The Lithuanian

287). hair

come

elf

aitwars yo plaukus suzindo, suwele (has drawn his hair to-

gether).

Lasicz 51 has

:

aitwaros, incubus qui post sepes habitat

(from twora sepes, and ais pone).

Some

parts of

Lower Saxony

name

of selkensteert,

give to the wichtelzopf (plica polonica) the

selkin's tail (Brem. wortb. 4, 749), sellentost (Hufeland's Journal 11. 43),

which I take to mean

tuft of the goodfellow,

homesprite

Daz analutte des

sih pergenten tmgetievcles, N. Bth. 44; gidrog pbantasma, ne dragu ic enic drugi 24; gedroq, Hel. 89, 22 tievels qetroc, Karl 62 a thing,' Hel. 8, 10. The dwarf Elberich (Ortn. 3, 27. 5, 105) is called ein trilgewiz conf. infra, bilwiz. 2 Our nachtmar I cannot produce either in OHG. or MHG. Lye gives AS. mcere fascce incubus, epbialtes, but I do not understand fascce. Nearly akin is the Pol. mora, Boh. mura, elf and evening butterfly, sphinx. In the Mark they say both alb and mahre, Adalb. Kuhn, p. 374. French cauchevwre, cochemar, also chaucheville, chauchi vieilli (Mem. des Antiq. 4. 399; J. J. Champollion Figeac patois, p. 125) Ital. pesaruole, Span, pesadilla, O. Fr. appesart; these from caucher (calcare), and pesar (to weigh down). 3 In Kinderm. 3, 44, Holle gets her terrible hair combed out, which had not been combed for a year. A girl, whom she has gifted, combs pearls and precious stones out of her own hair. * Hess. Hollezaul (for -zagel, tail), Hollezopp, Schmidt's Westerw. idiot. 341. Adelung has Iwllenzopf, plica polonica, Pol. koltun, Boh. koltaun.' 1

0.

iii.

8,

'

;

;

'

'

'

;

'

'

;

:

'

;

ELVES, DWARFS. In Thuringia

(gesellchen). 1

465

saelloclce, Prtetorius's

Weltbesclir. 1,

40. 293 (see Suppl.).

The Edda nowhere represents either alfar or dvergar as mounted, poems of the Mid. Ages make both Elberich and Laurin come riding. Heinrich von Ofterdingen bestows on them a steed als ein geiz (goat)/ and Ulrich's Alexander gives the dwarf king Antilois a pony the size of a roe, 2 while Altd. bl. 2, 151 without more ado mounts the wihtel on a white roe. Antilois is whilst our

f

richly dressed, bells tinkle on his bridle-reins he is angry with Alexander for spoiling his flower-garden, as Laurin is with DietThe Welsh stories also in Crofton Croker 3, rich and Wittich. ;

they were very diminutive persons riding four abreast, and mounted on small white horses no bigger than dogs ' (see

306 say

:

'

Suppl.).

All dwarfs and elves are thievish.

dwarfs

is

an

Aljriofr,

Seem. 2 b

;

dvergr, in Vilk. saga cap. 16, 40.

Among

Eddie names of

more

correctly Alfrikr

Alpris, is

called

'

hinn mikli stelari'

288 (Halm 4105), a notorious thief, who steal the eggs from under birds, is Elbegast (corrupted into In our Low German legends they lay their Elegast, Algast). Other thefts of dwarfs plans especially against the pea-fields?

and can

in the Titurel

i

27,

Ogonczyk Zakrzewski,

in his Hist, of plica polonica (Vienna, 1830), observes,

accomplished with superstitious ceremonies. In Podlachia the In the Skawina district about elftult is solemnly cut off at Easter time and buried. Cracow, it is partially cropped with redbot shears, a piece of copper money tied that

its

cure also

is

up in it, and thrown into tbe ruins of an old castle in which evil spirits lodge but whoever does this must not look round, but hasten home as fast as he can. Superstitious formulas for the cure of plica are given by Zakrzewski, p. 20, out of an Old Boh. MS. of 1325. 2 Wackeruagel's Basel MSS. p. 28. * Deut. sagen, nos 152, 155 to which I will here add two communicated by Ifr. Yor nioh langer tid gai Schambach. The first is from Jiibnde, near Gottingen Diise plegten up et feld to gan, un den liien do arftea et to Jiine noch twarge. (leuten die crbsen) weg to stelen, wat se iim sau lichter konnen, da se nnsichtbar woren dor (durch) eue kappe, dei se uppeu koppe barren (hatten). Sau woren nu ok de twarge enen manne iimmer up sin grat arftenstiicke egan, un richteden one velen schaen darup an. Diit duerde sau lange, bet hei up den infal kam, de twarge to fengen. Hei tog alsau an hellen middage en sel (seil) rings iim dat feld. As nu de twarge unner den sel dorkrupen wollen, fellen onen de kappen af, se seiten nu De twarge, dei sau efongen woren, alle in blaten koppen, un woren eichtbar. geiwen one vele gaue wore, dat he dat sel wcgnomen mogde, un versproken ene mette (miethe) geld davor to gewen, hei solle mant vm- twmu nupgange weer (wieder) an diise Btee komen. En ander man segde one awer, hei mogde nioh gegen sunnenupgang, sundern scbon iim tw5lwe hengan, denn da wore de dag ok schon Davon Diit de" he, und richtig woren de twarge da met ener mette geld. anegan, Epitome :— Dwarfs ai heiten de liie, dei dei mette geld ekregen barren, Mettens. One man Jiihnde preyed on the pea-fields wore caps which made them invisible. Dwarfs, creeping under it, brushed at high noon stretched a cord round his field. ;

;

:

;

;

!

466

WIGHTS AND ELVES.

are collected in Elfenm. xcii.

and blooming maids away with maidens

is

to

xciii.,

treated

and

their longing for children

Dwarf-kings run

of, p. civ. cv.

their mountains

:

Laurin with the

fair

Goldemar or Volmar with a king's daughter (Deut. heldensag. 174, Haupt's Zeitschr. 6, 522-3); the Swed. folk-lay 'Den bergtagna' (-taken) tells of a virgin, who spends eight years with a mountain-king, and brings him seven sons and a daughter, before she sees her home again. 1 The following Similt

(Sindhilt

?),

their caps off, became visible artel were caught promised him money, if he came there again before sunrise. A friend advised him to go as early as 12, for even then the day (of the dwarfs?) was begun. He did so, and got his meed.] The second story is from Dorste in Osterode bailiwick En buere harre arften buten stan, dei woren one iimmer utefreten. Da word den bueren esegt, hei solle hengan un slaen met weenrauen (weidenruten) drupe riim, sau sleugde gewis einen ;

:

de kappe

af.

Da geng he ok hen met

sinnen ganzen

liien,

un funk ok enen twarg,

dei sie (sagte) tau one, wenn he one wier las Ian (wieder los lassen) wolle, sau wolle one enn wagen vul geld gewen, hei moste awer vor sunnenupgange komen. Da leit ne de buere las, un de twarg sie one, wo sine bvile wore. Do ging de buere henn un frang enn, wunnir dat denn die sunne upginge? Dei sie tau one, dei ginge glocke twolwe up. Da spanne ok sinen wagen an, un tug hen. Asse (as he) vor de hiilen kam, do juchen se drinne un sungen :

Dat

ist

gaut, dat de buerken dat nich weit,

dat de sunne iim twolwe

up

geit

Asse sek awer melle, wesden se one en afgefillet perd, dat solle mee (mit) nomen, wier (weiter) konnen se one nits gewen. Da was de buere argerlich, awer hei wolle doch fleisch vor sine hunne mee nomen, da haude en grat stiicke af, un laud et upen wagen. Asser mee na hus kam, da was alles schire gold. Da wollet andere noch nae langen, awer da was hiile un perd verswunnen. [Epitome A farmer, finding his peas eaten, was advised to beat all round with willow twigs, sure to knock a dwarf's cap off. Caught a dwarf, who promised a waggon full of money if he'd come to his cave before sunrise. Asked a man when sunrise was ? At twelve.' Tis well the poor Went to the cave, heard shouting and singing peasant but little knows that twelve is the time when the sun up goes Is shown a skinned horse, he may take that Gets angry, yet cuts a great piece off for his dogs. When he got home, it was all sheer gold. Went for the rest cave and horse were gone.] The remarkable trysting-time before sunrise seems to be explained by the dwarfkind's shyness of daylight, which appears even in the Edda, Sa?m. 51b they avoid the sun, they have in their caves a different light and different time from those of men. In Norse legends re-appears the trick of engaging a trold in conversation till the sun is risen when he looks round and sees the sun, he splits in two Asbiornsen and Moe, p. 186. [The marchen of Kumpelstilzchen includes the dwarfs' song, 'Tis well,' etc., the splitting in two, and the kidnapping presently to be men:

—

'

'

:

'

!

'

!

;

;

:

;

'

tioned.] 1 But she-dwarfs also marry men Odman (Bahuslan, p. 78-9, conf. Afzelius 2, Beors foraldrar i 157) relates quite seriously, and specifying the people's names: ;

Hogen

hvars farfar var i Lurssockn, some bodde i Fuglekarr i Svarteborgssockn en skott, ok bodde vid et berg, ther fick nan se mitt pa dagen sitjande en vacker piga pa en sten, ther med at ianga henne, kastade han stal emellan berget ok henne, hvarpa hennes far gasmade eller log in i berget, ok opnade bergets dorr, tilfragandes honom, om han vill ha bans dotter? Hvilket han med ja besvarade, ok efter lion var helt naken, tog han sina klader ok holgde ofver henne, ok lat cbristna henne. Vid aftradet sade hennes far til honom nar tu skalt ha brollup, skalt tu laga til 12 tunnor 61 ok baka en hop brod ok kiott efter 4 stutar, ok kiora til jordlwgen eller berget, ther jag haller til, ok nar brudskiinken skall utdelas, skall jag val ge min ;

:

'

'

—

:

ELVES, DWARFS. legend from Dorste near Osterode,

it

467

be seen, transfers to

will

dwarfs what the Kinderrmirchen No. 46 relates of a sorcerer

Et was enmal en maken twarge un neiment mee.

:

nan arberen egan, da keirnen de Da se na orerhiilen keimen, da verleifde sek de eine twarg in se, un da solle se one ok frien, awer iest (erst) wollen de twarge de andern twarge taur hochtit bidden, underdes anreien.

solle dat

Awer

int holt

rnaken in huse

alles reine

maken un

taur hochtit

dat niaken, dat wolle den twarg nich frien, da

wollet weglopen, awer dat se't nich glik merken, tug et sin teug an, un da sach et ne tunne vul hunig, un da sach et ok ne tunne vul feddern, un da krup et ok rinder, un da et wedder ruter karu, was et gans vul feddern, un da leip et weg un steig upn hoagen boam. Da keirnen de twarge derbunder (darunter) vorbi, un da se't seichen, meinen se, et wore en vugel, da reipen se't an un seen

ut

un tug dat ne strawisch

da krup

et rinder (hinein),

'

' 1

Wohen, woher du sckoiiue feddervugel Ek kome ut der twarges hillc.'

Wat maket

'Dei '

steit

Juchhei

!

de schoane junge brut

metn bessen un keret dat

?

'

?

'

hus.'

sau wil wie ok hen/

Und

da se hen keirnen, seen se taur brut ( guen niorgen/ an seen noch mehr dertau awer da se nich antwure, sleuchten se'r hinder de aren, un da fell se hen 1 (see Suppl.). ;

hvilket ok skedde. Ty nar de andre gafvo, lyfte han up tacket ok kastade ensa star penningeposse ther igenom, at biinken sa nar gidt af, ok sade thervid ther ar min ekiiuk ok sade ytterligare nar tu skal ha tin hemmagifta, skaltu kiora med hiistar hit til berget ok fa tin andel.' Ta han sedermera efter bans begiiran kom tit, fik han kopparkattlar, then ene storre an then andre, tils then yttersta storate kattelen blef upfyld med andra mindre item brandcreatur, som voro hielmeta, af hvilkeu f;irg ok creaturslag, som tiro stora ok frodiga, the an ha qvar pa rik, i Tanums gall beliiget. Thenne mannen Reors far i Foglekarsten beniimd, atiade en hop barn med thenna sin saledes fi-an berget afhiimtade hnstru, bland hvilka var namnemannen Reor pa Hogen so bar Ola Stenson i stora Rijk varit Reors systerpou, hvilken i forledit ar med doden afgik. [Epitome Reor's fatbers dwelt, etc. One, an archer, lived near a hill, saw one day at noon v. fine