most rational forms of its erroneous theory; and, though inferior in taste and imagination, displays on the whole a vigour and an improvement of mind beyond the classical mythology. The Edda, though wilder, has better theology than much of Ovid's Metamorphoses. It is remarkable, that the Northmen venerated three principal supreme deities connected with each other by relationship. Odin, whom they called All-father, or the Universal Parent; Freya, his wife; and their son Thor. Idols of these three were placed in their celebrated temple at Upsal. 47 Of these the Danes, like the Anglo-Saxons, paid the highest honours to Odin; the Norwegians and Icelanders to Thor; and the Swedes to Freya. 48 In the system of the Northmen's religion, we see the great principles of the ancient theism, mingled with the additions of allegory, polytheism, and idolatry. Odin's first name is the All-father, though many others were subjoined to this in the process of time. He is described in the Edda as the First of the Gods; "He lives for ever: he governs all his kingdom, both the small parts and the great: he made heaven, and the earth, and the air: he made man, and gave him a spirit which shall live even after the body shall have vanished. Then the just and the well-deserving shall dwell with him in a place called Gimle; but bad men shall go to Hela."49 In other parts it adds: "When the All-Father sits on his supreme throne, he surveys with his eyes all the world and the manners of all men.' "950 "Odin is the first and the most ancient: he governs all things; and though the rest of the gods are powerful, yet they serve him as children their father. He is called All-father, because he is the father of all the gods."51 Thor is represented as the son of Odin and Freya, and the Earth is called Odin's daughter. 52 They had some remarkable traditions preserved in their ancient Voluspa. One, that the earth and heavens were preceded by a state of non-entity. 53 Another, that at a 47 Ad Brem. 48 Mallet, Nort. Antiq. vol. i. p. 97. So in the Edda Gangler is represented as beholding three thrones, each above the other. The lowest was called the lofty one; the second his equal; the highest was named "the third." Suppl. Nor. Ant. vol. ii. p. 282. 49 Edda, Hist. Prim. p. 283. See the twelve names given to Odin, p. 285. and forty-six in p. 305. 50 Edda, Hist. Sext. p. 292. 52 Edda, p. 292. 51 Edda, Hist. Duod. p. 305. 53 The words of the Voluspa are: "At the beginning of time there was nothing: neither land, nor sea, nor foundations below. The earth was nowhere to be found: CHAP. III. СНАР. III. destined period the earth and all the universe would be "Snow will rush from all the quarters of the world. Three winters without a summer will be followed by three others, and then wars will pervade the whole world. Brother, father, son, will perish by each other's hands. The wolf will devour the sun; another, the moon. The stars will fall from heaven. The earth trembles. Mountains and trees are torn up. The sea rushes over the earth. Midgard the great serpent hastens over it. The ship made of the nails of dead men floats. The giant Hrymer is its pilot. The wolf Fenris opens his enormous mouth; the lower jaw touching the earth; the upper, the heavens. The serpent breathes poison over heaven, and the sons of Muspell ride forward: Surtur leads them. Before him, behind him, a glowing fire spreads. His sword radiates like the sun. From their course the bridge of heaven is broken. They move towards a plain, and Fenris and Midgard follow. There Loke and Hrymer meet them with all the infernal genii. The hosts of the sons of Muspell glitter round. Heimdal sounds vehemently his tremendous trumpet to awaken the gods. Odin consults. The ash Ygdrasil trembles. Every thing in heaven and earth is in fear. The gods and heroes arm. Odin, with his golden helmet, moves against Fenris. Thor assails Midgard. Frey falls beaten down by Surtur. The dog Garmer attacks Tyr, and both perish. Thor kills the serpent, but dies also. And the wolf devours Odin. Vidar seizes the monster's jaws, and at last renders them asunder. Loke and Heimdal slay each other. Surtur then darts his flames over all the earth, and the whole universe is consumed."58 These traditions correspond with the idea mentioned in the nor the heaven above. There was an infinite abyss, and grass nowhere." Edda, Hist. Prim. p. 284. 54 The Edda thus describes him: "First of all was Muspells-heim. It is lucid, glowing, and impervious to strangers. There Surtur rules, and sits in the extremity of the earth. He holds a flaming sword, and will come at the end of the world and conquer all the gods and burn the unwise." Edda, p. 286. The most ancient and oracular Voluspa speaks of this period. See it annexed to the Appendix. Its latter part alludes to these incidents. 55 Edda, p. 347. 56 See the Voluspa in the last stanza. 57 The same events are mentioned in the Vafthrudnismal, Edd. Sem. p. 28-33. 58 Edda, last chapter, p. 347-350. It then proceeds to describe the new world. beginning of this work, that the barbaric nations of Europe have sprung from the branches of more civilised states. Allegory, disturbed imagination, mysticism, and perverted reasoning, have added to these traditions many wild and absurd tales, whose meaning we cannot penetrate. The formation of Nifl-heim, or hell, from whose rivers came frozen vapours; and Muspeil-heim, or the world of fire, from which lightning and flames issued. The gelid vapours melting from the heat into drops: one of these becoming the giant Ymer 59, and another, the cow Edumla, to nourish him; who by licking off the rocks their salt and hoar frost, became a beautiful being from whose son Bore, their Odin, and the gods proceeded 60; while from the feet of the wicked Ymer sprang the Giants of the Frost. The sons of Bore slaying Ymer, and so much blood issuing from his wounds as to drown all the families of the Giants of the Frost, excepting one who was preserved in his bark. 61 The recreation of the earth from the flesh of Ymer; his perspiration becoming the seas; his bones the mountains; his hair the vegetable races; his brains the clouds; and his head the heavens. 62 All these display that mixture of reasoning to account for the origin of things; of violent allegory to express its deductions; of confused tradition, and distorting fancy, which the mythologies of all nations have retained. We have already remarked, that the general term used by the Anglo-Saxons to express the deity in the abstract was God, which also implied the Good. This identity of phrase carries the imagination to those primeval times, when the Divine Being was best known to his creatures by his gracious attributes, was the object of their love, and was adored for his beneficence. But when they departed from the pure belief of the first eras, and bent their religion to suit their habits, new reasonings, and their wishes; then systems arose, attempting to account for the production of things, without his preceding eternity or even agency, and to describe his own origination and destruction. Hence the Northmen cosmogonists taught the rising of the world of frost from the north, and of the world of fire from the south; a formation by their united agency of a race of evil beings through Ymer, and of deities through the cow Edumla; a warfare between the divine and the wicked race; the death of Ymer; the fabrication of the earth and heaven out of his body; and 50 Edda, Hist. Tert. p. 288. 61 Edda, Hist. Quin. p. 290. He was called Bergelmer. 62 The ancient verse, quoted in Edda, p. 291. Edda, Hist. Quart. p. 289. CHAP. III. CHAP. the final coming of the powers of the world of fire to destroy all things, and even the deities themselves. The mixture of materialism, atheism, and superstition visible in these notions, shows the divergency of the human mind from its first great truths, and its struggles to substitute its own phantoms and perverted reasonings instead. All polytheism and mythology seem to be an attempted compromise between scepticism and superstition: the natural process of the mind beginning to know, resolved to question, unattending to its ignorance, and solving its doubts by its fancies, or concealing them by its allegories; and shaping its faith to suit its inclinations. The most formidable feature of the ancient religion of the Anglo-Saxons, as of all the Teutonic nations, was its separation from the pure and benevolent virtues of life, and its indissoluble union with war and violence. It condemned the faithless and the perjured; but it represented their Supreme Deity as the father of combats and slaughter, because those were his favourite children who fell in the field of battle. To them he assigned the heavenly Valhall and Vingolfa, and promised to salute them after their death as his heroes. 63 This tenet sanctified all the horrors of war, and connected all the hopes, energies, and passions of humanity with its continual prosecution. As the nation advanced in its active intellect, it began to be dissatisfied with its mythology. Many indications exist of this spreading alienation 64, which prepared the Northern mind for the reception of the nobler truths of Christianity, though at first averse from them. 63 Edda, Hist. Duod. p. 304. 64 Bartholin has collected some instances which are worth the attention of those who study the history of human nature. One warrior says, that he trusted more to his strength and his arms than to Thor and Odin. Another exclaims: "I believe not in images and dæmons. I have travelled over many places, and have met giants and monsters, but they never conquered me. Therefore I have hitherto trusted to my own strength and courage." To a Christian who interrogated him, one of these fighters boasted, that he knew no religion, but relied on his own powers. For the same reason a father and his sons refused to sacrifice to the idols. When the king of Norway asked Gaukathor of what religion he was, he answered, "I am neither Christian nor heathen; neither I nor my companions have any other religion than to trust to ourselves and our good fortune, which seem to be quite sufficient for us." Many others are recorded to have given similar answers; despising their idols, yet not favouring Christianity. Another is mentioned as taking rather a middle path. "I do not wish to revile the gods; but Freya seems to me to be of no importance. Neither she nor Odin are any thing to us." See Bartholin de Caus. p. 79.-81. CHAP. IV. On the Menology and Literature of the PAGAN Saxons. IN their computation of time, our ancestors reckoned by nights instead of days, and by winters instead of years. Their months were governed by the revolution of the moon. They began their year from the day which we celebrate as Christmas-day1, and that night they called Moedrenech, or mother night, from the worship or ceremonies, as Bede imagines, in which, unsleeping, they spent it. In the common years, they appropriated three lunar months to each of the four seasons. When their year of thirteen months occurred, they added the superfluous month to their summer season, and by that circumstance had then three months of the name of Lida, which occasioned these years of thirteen months to be called Tp-Lidi. The names of their months were these: Liuli, or æftepa Leola, answering to our January. Sol monach Rehd monath February. СНАР. IV. They divided the year into two principal parts, summer and winter. The six months of the longer days were applied to the summer portion, the remainder to winter. Their winter season began at their month pýntýn fýlleth, or October. The full moon in this month was the era or the commencement of this season, and the words pyntyp fylleth were meant to express the winter full moon. The Francs began the year in the autumnal season; for Alcuin writes to Charlemagne: "I wonder why your youths begin the legitimate year from the month of September." Oper. p. 1496. |