kVN 0\v PI. o OLuJ Sl \SJ 3 1924 098 820 842 a Cornell University B Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924098820842 In compliance with current copyright law, Cornell University Library produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z3 9.48-1 992 to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. 2004 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY TALES AND TRADITIONS NORTHERN ANCESTORS. 6 \ ,ff^ ^ •.*" ^^^ ■^r.^ i WODAN'S WILD HUNT. Tales and Traditions of our Northern Ancestors. ADAPTED FROM THE WORK OF DR. W. WAGNER, BY M. W. MACDOWALL, AND EDITED BY W. S. W. ANSON. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. SECOND EDITION. LONDON : W. SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW. 1882. //CORNELL^ UNIVERSITY! V LIBRARY i^/: -n A,, tf 3 Butler &: Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. PREFACE. A COMPLETE and popular English account of the ■*■ ^ religious beliefs and superstitious customs of the old Norsemen, suited to our younger readers, has hitherto been left unwritten. The editor feels sure that our elder children can easily be brought to take a beneficial interest in a subject of such great intrinsic worth to all of us, and has therefore brought out the accompanying book. Our old ancestors were a hardy, conservative race, and tenaciously held by the treasured relics of their former be- liefs and customs long after they had been shattered by the onset of Christianity. They retained their primitive Odinic belief as late as a.d. 800, and we therefore possess it in a very complete state, far more so than any other European system of mythology. We English have to this day in- herited this conservative trait of their character, and are still continually in every-day life coming across new and viii PREFACE. unexpected remnants of our earliest beliefs. Paragraphs in the newspapers, containing reports of police trials, etc., very frequently bring forward new and as yet undiscovered superstitions, which clearly hark back to the once popular and all-extensive faith of the North. Who would think, for instance, that in the time-old May- day festivals, we should discover traces of the oldest cele- brations of the triumph of the Summer Odin over the Winter Odin, or that through the baby rhymes and nursery sayings of to-day, we should be able to trace the common creed of a nation of thousands of years ago ? To him un- used to this kind of research, such things will appear im- possible ; but we think our book will considerably extend the sceptic's line of vision, if indeed it does not convert him to an ardent student in the field he has before made light of. With regard to the translation of the passages quoted from the Old Norse, Icelandic, etc., the original metres, alliterative poems, etc., have been imitated as accurately as possible, though it must be confessed that in one or two places the effect appears somewhat weak and laboured, a result that might have been anticipated, and one which it is hoped the reader will overlook. With reference to the orthography adopted : in most cases the proper names have been anglicized in form. PREFACE. according to established rules, as far as has been possible. Let us take a few instances : — The Icelandic nominatival rhas always been dropped, as in the words Ragnarokr, Thrymr, etc. In the case of reduplicated letters, the last has been eliminated, unless an alteration in sound would have been thereby occasioned, e.g., Jotun has been adopted instead of Jotun», Gunlod instead of Gun«ldd, etc. W has been throughout used in place of V, since scholars have pretty generally decided that it more nearly represents the original pronunciation than the English V ; thus we spell Walhalla, Wiking, Walkyries, etc. Many words have -heim affixed to them : -heim means abode, dwelling, and is the same word as the English home ; as instances, Nifelheim, the dark home ; Jotunheim, the home of the Jotuns, giants, etc. The suffix -gard appended to a word means />iace (Eng- lish yard, ward, gard-en), and is found in such words as Asgard, the place of the Ases, the gods ; Midgard, the middle place, the earth ; Utgard, the out or lower place. W. S. W. ANSON. October \st, i8So. ^ ^ ■ — ^T- yr ^^_^ ■ — ■ ^ — PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THE rapid exhaustion of the first edition of this work has called for its immediate reprint ; and the book is therefore issued in its second edition with but very slight alterations. We have to thank our kind reviewers for their favour- able critiques of our work, and to hope that they will ex- tend it to Dr. Wagner's new volume, which we are about to bring out, forming a continuation of the present work, and dealing with the Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages, of the Teutonic and Carlovingian cycles. The two books together will, we believe, constitute a fairly complete treatise of the mythical and traditional lore of the Ger- manic race. W.S.W. A. April, 1882. CONTENTS, INTRODUCTION. PAGE Myths and stories of the gods, 3 — The gods, their worlds and deeds, 4 — Odin, Wodan, Wuotan, 5 — Frigg, or Freya, and her handmaids, 6 — Thor or Thunar, 6 — Tyr, Tius or Zio, 9 — Heru, Cheru or Saxnot, 9 — Heim- dal or Riger, 10 — Bragi and Iduna, 10 — The Wanes, Niorder, Freyer, Freya, 10 — Fate, Noms, Hel, Walkyries, 10— Ogir and his com- panions, II — Loki, II — The other gods, 12 — The Golden Age, 12 — Sin, 13 — Iduna's departure, 13 — Baldur's death, 14 — Ogir's banquet, 15 — Loki inchains, 15— Ragnarok, 16 — Lay of the Norse gods and heroes, 18 i PART FIRST. Legends and Myths. Creation of the world, 22 — Day and Night, 24 — Two first human beings, 25 — ^AUfather, 25— Yggdrasil, the World- Ash, 26 — The divine kingdom, 31— Influence of Christianity, 32 — The Runic language, 33 . . .22 PART SECOND. The Gods, Their Worlds and Deeds. The Norns, 36 — Dwarfs and Elves, 38 — Giants, 42 — Worlds and heavenly palaces, 47 36 CONTENTS. PART THIRD. Opponents of the Gods. PAGE Loki and his kindred, 53 — The giants, 55— Muspel and his sons, 56— Surtur, 57 SI PART FOURTH. King Gylphi and the Ases. Gefion, 53 — Gylphi in Asgard, 62 58 PART FIFTH. Odin, Father of the Gods and of the Ases. i. VVodan, according to the oldest conceptions, 71 — The myths of the Wild Hunt and of the Raging Host, 72 — The sleeping heroes, 78 — The higher conception of Wodan, 81 — Odin at Geirod's Palace, 83 — Odin, the dis- coverer of the Runes, and god of poetry and of wisdom, 86 — The draught of inspiration ; Odin's visit to Gunlod ; Journey to Wafthrud- nir, 88 — Odin's descendants, 94. ii. Frigg and her maidens, 96 — Other goddesses related to Frigg, 102. iii. Holda, Ostara, 107 — Berchta, 115 — The White Lady, 116. iv. Thor,Thunar (Thunder), 121 — Thor's deeds and journeys ; Making ofMiolnir, 125 — Journey to Utgard, 129 — Duel with Hrungnir, 137 — Journey to Hymir, 141 — Journey to Thrymheim to get back Miolnir, 142 — Journey to Geirod's-gard, 147 — The Harbard Lay, iji. V. Irmin, 151. vi. Tyr or Zio, 155. vii. Heru or Cheru, Saxnot, i5i. viii. Heimdal, Riger, 166. ix. Bragi and Iduna, 172 — Giant Thiassi steals Iduna, 174. X. Uller, 177 66 PART SIXTH. The Wanes. xi. Niorder and Skadi, 183. xii. Freyer or Fro, 189 — The wonderful Quern Stones, 191 — Skirnir's Journey to Gerda, 199 — Young Swendal, 204. CONTENTS. xiii PAGE xiii. Freya, Frea or Frouwa, 206 — Freya and the young huntsman, 206 — Rerir and his love Helga, 209 — Swipdager returns to Menglada's Castle, 212 181 PART SEVENTH. Fate, 217— Legend of Starkad, 219— King Fridleif, 222— The Norns, 222 — Hel, 225— The Walkyries, 227 — Legend of King Kraki, 227 — Dises, 233 — Mandrake root, 234 217 PART EIGHTH. Ogir and His Followers. Legend of the Lake Maiden, 236 — Legend of the Loreley, 241 — The Water- Neck, 245 236 PART NINTH. LoKi AND His Race. The giant SkrymsU and the peasant, 247 — Loki's progeny, 250 — Loki's race, 25' 247 PART TENTH. The Other Ases. Widar, 252— Hermodur the Swift, 254— Wali or Ali, Skeaf, 256— Legend of King Skeaf, 257 — Baldur and Hodur, 259— Forseti, 264 . . . 252 PART ELEVENTH. Signs of the Approaching Destruction of the World. The Golden Age, 26J — Sin, 266— Iduna's departure, 270 . , . . 265 PART TWELFTH. Baldur's Death. How Wala was conjured up, 273 — Loki visits Frigg in the dress of an old woman, 276— Death of Baldur, 278 — Hermodur sent to the realm of the shades, 282 — Wali appears at Walhalla, and avenges Baldur, 285 . 273 CONTENTS. PART THIRTEENTH. LoKi's Condemnation. PAGE Ogir's banquet, 287 — Loki reviles the gods, 289— Loki flees, is captured and put in chains, 290 — The faithful Sigyn, 294 ...... 287 PART FOURTEENTH. Ragnarok, thf Twclight of the Gods. The Fimbul-Winter, 296— The Last Battle, 298— Surtur flings his fire-brands over the nine worlds, 301 — Renewal of the World, 301 — Lif and Lifthra- sir, 302— The Field of Ida, 305— The Lay of Wala, 309 ... 296 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, PAGE Frontispiece . ' , . , facing title. Frigga engaged in hunting 7 Ancient Hindu idea of the world 17 Statue after Prof. Engelhard 19 Day 24 Night 25 The Ash Yggdrasil 27 A Northern landscape 36 Elves 38 Rocks in the Riesengebirge 44 The sleeping giant 45 Surtur with his flaming sword 51 Gylphi beholding Asgard 62 Odin between two fires in Geirod's palace 85 Odin's visit to Gunlod 91 Frigg and her maidens 97 Hilde, one of the Walkyries 105 Holda, the kind protectress 1 1 1 Thor and Loki's journey in women's clothes 125 Skrymir attacked by Thor, when asleep 133 Chaining of the Fenris Wolf 153 Tyr, the Sword-God 159 Bragi and Heimdal receiving the warriors in Walhalla . .172 UUer the Bowman 179 Niorder and Skadi on their way to Noatun 187 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Skimir conjures Gerda to follow him 199 Walkyries conducting the fallen heroes to Walhalla . . .216 Walkyries leading the warriors on to battle . . .' . .217 Fingal's Cave 236 Ogir and Ran 243 Freya among the Dwarfs 265 Ogir's banquet 287 Loki in chains 292 Ragnarok, the Last Battle 299 Freya in her chariot 303 INTRODUCTION. JUST as in the olden time, Odin, the thoughtful god, gave his eye in pledge to the wise giant, Mimir, at Mimir's Well, for a draught of primeval wisdom, so men, longing for knowledge and loving the history of old Germany, sought for the great goddess Saga with untiring diligence, until at length they found her. She dwelt in a house of crystal beneath the cool flowing river. The eager enquirers went to her, and asked her to tell them about the olden times, and about the vanished races which had once ruled, suffered, fought and conquered, in the north of Europe. They found the goddess sunk in dreamy thought, while Odin's ravens fluttered around her, and whispered to her of the past and of the future. She rose from her throne, startled by the numerous questions addressed to her. She pointed to the scrolls which were lying scattered around her, as she said : "Are ye come at last to seek intelligence of the wisdom and deeds of your ancestors .' I have written on these scrolls all that the people of that distant land thought and believed, and that which they held to be eternal truth. I went with these mighty races to their new homes, and have faithfully chronicled their struggles and attainments, their deeds, sufferings and victories, their gods and their heroes. No one has inquired for these documents in the long years that are past ; so the storms of time and the glowing flames of Surtur have caused ASGARD AND THE GODS. the loss and destruction of many of them. Seek out and gather together such as remain. Ye will find much wisdom hidden there- in, when ye can read the writing and understand the meaning of the pictures." The men sought out and collected as many of the scrolls as they were able. They arranged them in order, but found, as Saga had told them, that very many were lost, and others only existed as fragments. In addition to that, the runic writing on the documents was hard to read, and the true meaning of the faded pictures un- certain. Nevertheless, they allowed no difficulties to terrify them, but courageously pursued their work of investigation. Soon they discovered other records, or fragments of records, which they had supposed to have been lost. What the storms of time had scattered in different directions, what ignorance had cast aside as worthless, they brought to the light of day, often from hidden dusty corners and from the cottages of the poor. They arranged their discoveries in proper order, learnt to read the mystic signs on the documents, and the veil fell away before their increased knowledge. The old Germanic world, with its secrets and wonders, and the views of its ancient people regarding their gods and heroes, which were for- merly lost in the darkness of the past, were now visible in the light of the present. We intend to give, in the following pages, the treasures that were thus rescued from oblivion, and to interweave with them many scraps of information which are rapidly dying out and being forgotten. We have endeavoured to make the book as interesting as possible, to induce both the young and the old to examine of what Teutonic genius was capable in the early dawn of its history, a history which in modern times has shown its descend- ants crowned with immortal laurels on many a blood-red field of battle. The religious conceptions of the most famous nations of antiquity are connected with the beginnings of civilization amongst the Germanic races. If we unflinchingly follow out the traces of a INTRODUCTION. common origin, in spite of the difficulties in our way, we shall often find that the gods of the heathen Asgard, and the tales about them, though apparently dissimilar, really have their basis in the cus- toms and opinions held in the country in which they all had their birth, and that in their early stages they were more or less con- nected. Although in Central Asia, on the banks of the Indus, in the Land of the Pyramids, in the Greek and Italian peninsulas, and even in the North, whither Kelts, Teutons and Slavs wan- dered, the religious conceptions of the people have taken dif- ferent forms, yet their common origin is still perceptible. We point out this connection between the stories of the gods, and the deep thought contained in them, and their importance, in order that the reader may see that it is not a magic world of erratic fancy which is opened out before him, but that, according to Germanic intuition. Life and Nature formed the basis of the exist- ence and action of these divinities. Before we proceed to study each individual deity in his fulness and imposing grandeur, let us, for the better understanding of the subject, rapidly pass their dis- tinguishing characteristics in review. The Myths and Stories of the Gods of Norse antiquity come first in order. We shall see, as our work goes on, that their origin is to be found in the early home of the Aryan races in the far East, when the spirit of man in the childhood of the world bowed down before those phenomena of surrounding nature which exercised a decisive influence on the struggles and life of humanity. Our ancestors, like all other primitive folk, believed firmly in the personality of these phenomena. All occurrences in the external world, the causes of which were unknown, and all facts of men- tal perception gradually assumed a human form in the mind of the people. During their wanderings these were as yet vague ; but after their settlement in their new home they got further developed by wise seers and bards into typical forms ; and then, as ASGARD AND THE GODS. time went on, increased in number, until at length they faded away as the old faith died out, or was thrust aside by a new religion. Besides this, we find that many mythical figures arose from the Teutons being brought in contact with other nations ; others again, and these the greater number, were due to the idiosyncrasies and characteristics of the Germanic race, and to the climate and mode of life pursued in their new home. Next come the myths about the creation of the world, the gods and their deeds. The Gods, their Worlds and Deeds In the abyss of im- measurable^ space the ice streams, Eliwagar, roll their blocks of ice ; the heat from the South creates life in the frozen waters, and the I giant Ymir, the blustering, boisterous, erratic, untamed power of I Nature, comes into being. At the same time as the clay-giant, arises the cow, Audumla. She licks the salt-rock, and then the divine Buri is born. His grandsons, Odin, Wili, and We, conquer and kill the raging Ymir, and create the world out of his body. The giant's children are all d rowned in his blood, except Bergelmirj who_ I saves hi mself in a boat, and b ecomej the father of the giants. The flood is here described, and the giants are to the northern mind what Ahriman, the Principle of Evil, was to the Iranian. The gods point out to the sun and moon, .day and night, the courses they must follow in chariots drawn by swift horses, after having com- pleted which they are allowed to sink into the sea to rest. The deities created the first men out of trees — Ask (the ash), and Embia (the alder). Odin gave them life and soul, Honir endowed them with intellect, and Lodur with blood and colour. In the dark caverns of the earth the Black-Dwarfs, or Elves of Darkness, creep about and m a ke artistic utens ils for the divine . ^sir. the Ases, by whom they were crea ted. The Elves of Light on the contrary, have their dwelling-place in the heavenly realms. The latter are pure and good, while the former are often wily and treacherous, but still are not bad enough to be the companions of INTRODUCTION. the wicked giants (known as the Jotuns), who continually fight against both g ods and man. As we learn from the myths which follow, two horrible monsters are allied with these giants, and they are to help to decide the Last Battle. They are the Fenris-Wolf and the Midgard-Snake, which latter, lying at the bottom of the sea, encircles the earth (the dwelling-place of the living) ; and they are abetted by direful Hel, the goddess-queen of the country of the dead._ Hidden or chained in the depths out of sight, these monsters await their time. In like manner dark Surtur, with his flaming sword, and the fiery sons of Muspel, lie in ambush in the hot south country. They are preparing themselves for the decisive battle, when heaven and earth, gods and man, are all to pass away. Odin; Wodan, Wuotan. — The scene changes; the separate figures of the gods stand out in their characteristic forms as northern imagination and Germanic poets have created them in the likeness of their heroes. First of these is Wodan, the Odin of Southern Germany, th e god of battles, armed with his war-spear Gungnir, the death-giving lightning-flash, and followed by the Walkyries, the choosers of the dead, who consecrate the fallen heroes with a kiss, and bear them away to the halls of the gods, where they enjoy the feasts of the blessed. In the very earliest times all Germanic races prayed^to Wodan for victory, as we shall see further on. He it is who rushes through the air in the midst of the howling storm, with his tumultuous host, the Wild Hunt, fol- lowing after him. In the arms of Gunlod he quafis Odrorir, the draught of inspiration, and shares it with the seers and bards, and with those warriors who, for the sake of freedom and fatherland, have thrown themselves into the fiery death of battle. Trusting in his wisdom, he goes to Wafthrudnir, to take part in that contest in which the fighting consists of the clash of intellect against intellect in enigmatical speech, and he is victorious in this dangerous combat. ASGARD AND THE GODS. Later, he invents the Runes, through which he gains the power of understanding, penetrating and ruling all things. Thus he becomes the Spirit of Nature, — he becomes Allfather. Frigga, or Freya, and her Handmaids Next to Odin appears Frigga, the^mother of the gods, seated on her throne Hlidskialf Amongst the Germans she was looked upon as the same as Frea, the northern Freya, and was worshipped as the all-nourishing mother Earth. Three divine maidens form the household of the goddess ; her favourite attendant Fulla or Plenty, helps her to dress, and carries her jewel-case after her ; the undaunted horse- woman Gna, bears her orders to all parts of the nine worlds ; and the faithful Hlyn protects her votaries. Frigga holds council with her husband regarding the fate of the world, or sits in her hall Fensal, with her handmaids, and spins golden thread with which to reward the diligence of men. In later traditions she is sometimes represented as a cunning housewife gaining all her ends by craft ; but in the old legends she is uniformly represented under the names of Holda and Berchta, as the benefactress of man- kind. She furthers agriculture, law and order, apportions the fields, consecrates the land-marks, keeps and takes care of the souls of unborn children in her lovely gardens under the streams andjakes, and takes back there the souls of those who die young, that their mothers may cease to weep. As Holda or Dame Gode, she appears as a mighty huntress, devoted to the noble pur- suit of the chase. The maidens of the northern Freya are called Siofna, the lady of sighs ; Lofna, whose work it is to bring lovers together in spite of every obstacle ; and the wise Wara, who listens to the desire of each human heart, and avenges every breach of faith. Thor or Thunar, whose turn it now is to be described, is the ideal of the German peasant, as untiring at work as in eating and drinking ; open-hearted, therefore^ often deceived, but when made FRIGGAj^ENGAGED IN HUNTING. INTRODUCTION. aware of the deception that has been practised on him, terrible in his wrath, and overthrowing his opponent with fierce and mighty- blows. He receives Miolnir, the storm-hammer, from the dwarfs who made it for him : he c onquers Alwis, the all-wise, in a battle of w ords. The giant Hrungnir pays for his temerity in challenging him to fight, with a broken head. When deceived by Utgard-Loki's magic, it is only want of opportunity, not of power, that prevents him taking vengeance. When he goes to the ice-giant Hymir to get the cauldron for brewing the beer for the feasts of the gods, he appears in all the fulness of his god-like power. Enveloped in Freya's bridal raiment, he gets back the stolen hammer from the mountain-giant Thrym, destroys the whole race of giants in Thrym- heim, and makes the place over to his hard-working peasantry to till. He does the same at Geirodsgard after having overthrown the wily Geirod. Although not to be withstood in his anger, he is yet mild and gracious when with his hammer he is fixing the land- marks, sanctifying the marriage bond, or consecrating the funeral- pile. Then he is the god who blesses law and order and every pious custom. For this reason he was deeply reverenced in all German and Scandinavian lands, and it is only the later skalds, as is seen in the Harbard lay, that make his glory less than that of the hero-god Odin. Tyr, Tius, or Zio. — And now, tall and slender as a pine, brave Tyr comes forward. He has only one hand ; for when the terrible Fenris-Wolf grew so powerful that he even threatened the gods themselves in Asgard, Tyr ventured to chain him up with bonds that could not be unloosed, and in so doing lost his hand. He bears a swo rd as his proper bad ge, f or he is the god of war. The German people held him in high honour under the name of Tius or Zio. Heru, Cheru or Saxnot. — Another naked sword flashes on the wooded heights in the land of the Cherusci ; it is the weapon of 1° ASGARD AND THE GODS. the sword-god Heru, Cheru or Saxnot, who some think is no other than Tyr. Of this weapon Saga tells us that it causes the de- struction of its possessor, should he be unworthy of owning it ; but that in the hand of a hero it brings victory and sovereignty. Heimdal or Riger. — The third sword-god is known as Heimdal or Riger ; he always appears with his sword girded to his side, and is the watchman stationed at the Bridge Bifrost to protect Asgard. He lives on his heavenly hill near the bridge, and drinks sweet mead all day. The faintest sounds are heard by him, and his piercing gaze penetrates even rocks and forests to the farthest distance. Then aga in he goes out into the world of men, and makes laws and ordinances. He blesses the human race, and keeps clear and visible the line of demarcation between the differ- ent classes. Brag! and Iduna.'— Heimdal is born of nine mothers, the wave- maidens, and Bragi also, the god of poetry, rises upon the waves from the depths of the sea. Nature receives him with rejoicing, and the blooming Iduna marries the divine bard. She accompanies him to Asgard, where she gives the gods every morning the apples_ of e ternal youth. The Wanes, Niorder, Freyer, Freya — The Wanes are probably a race of gods who were worshipped by the earlier inhabitants of Germany and Scandinavia. Their war with the gods points back to the battles fought between these people and the invading Germanic races. At the conclusion of peace, the Prince of men, Niorder, his son bright Freyer, and his daughter Freya, are given as hostages to the gods, who on their side give up Mimir and Honir to the Wanes. These Wanes rise to high_ honour and receive wide-spread adoration. Fate, Norns, Hel, Walkyries — Orlog, Fate, a Po wer im possible to avoid or gainsay, rules oyer gods andjnen ; it is impersonal, and bestows its gifts blindly. Out of the dense darkness surrounding INTRODUCTION. it on every side, it also comes forth in visible shape as Regin, and guides and rules all things, and sometimes in the form of the gods, determines the life and actions of mortals. The Norns come out of the unkno wn di stance enveloped in a dark veil, to the Ash. Yggdras il. They sprinkle it daily with water from the Fountain of Urd, that it may not wither, but remain green and fresh and strong. Urd, the eldest of the three sisters, gazes thoughtfully into the Past, Werdandi into the Present, and Skuld into the Future, which is either rich in h ope o r dark with tears. Thus they make known the decrees of Orlog, or Fate; for out of the past and present the events and actions of the future are born. Da rk inscrutable Hel holds s way dee p down in Helheim and Nif elheim. According to most ancient tradition she was once the earth-mother who watches over life and growth, and who finally calls the weary pilgrim home to her through the land of death. In the poems of the skalds she becomes the dark, terrible Queen of the Realm of Shades, who brought death into the world. She has, however, no power over the course of battles where brave men struggle for the honour of victory. There O din's W is h-maidens, the Walkyries, rule and determine the fate of the combatants. Armed with helmet and shield, they ride on white cloud horses to choose their warriors as the Father of the gods has commanded them. They consecrate the fallen heroes with the kiss of death, and bear them away to Walhalla to the feast of the Einheriar. Ogir and his companions. ^^Ogir or Hler moves about on the stormy seas accompanied by his wife Ran. Ogir is of the race of giants, but lives in friendly alliance with the gods. His comrades are the Mumel-king, the wonderful player, and the nixies, necks, and water-sprites. ^ _ -^ Loki, the father of terrible Hel, the Fenris-Wolf and Midgard- Snake ; Loki, the crafty god who is ever devising evil, now steals forward that we may observe his corrupt practices and his real 12 ASGARD AND THE GODS. character. In primeval times he was Odin's brother by blood, the god_oflife-givirig^warmthLand_ in particular of the indispensable household fire. As a destructive conflagration arises from a hidden spark which gradually increases in strength and volume, until at last it bursts out furiously and consumes the house and all that it contains, thus, as we shall show later on, the conception of Loki was developed in the minds of these old races, until he was at last held to be the corrupt er of the gods, the principle of evil. The other Gods. — As regards the other gods, the silent Widar, son of Odin, first appears, armed with a sword and wearing iron shoes. Joyfully he hears the prophecy of the Norns, that he should on a future day avenge his father by killing the destroying wolf, and that he would afterwards live for ever in blissful peace in the renewed world. Then comes Hermodur, the swift messenger of the gods, who fulfils his office at a sign from Odin. Another avenger, the blooming Wali, is received with acclamation when he enters the halls of Odin, for he is the son of Odin and the northern Rinda, is chosen to avenge bright Baldur the well-be- loved, and to give the deadly blow which shall send dark Hodur down to the realms of Hel. So th e story brings us to Baldur, the giver o f all g ood, and to Hodur, who rules over the darkness. The myth tells us how both fought for the sake of the lovely Nanna, and how the former received his death wound by magic art. His son Forseti, who resembles his father in holiness and righteousness, is the upholder of eternal law. The myth shows him to us seated on a throne teaching the Northern Frisians the benefits of law, and surrounded by his twelve judges, all of whom are somewhat like him both in face and form. The Golden Age.— From this brief glance at the individual gods we pass on to the description of the events which concern these divinities as a whole, and which lead up to the epic poems in which they figure. The golden age, the time of innocence, is next INTRODUCTION. 13 to be described, when the lust for gold was as yet unknown, when the gods played with golden disks, and no passion disturbed the rapture of mere existence. All this lasts till Gullweig (Gold- ore), the bewitching enchantress, comes, who, thrice cast into the fire, arises each time more beautiful than before, and fills the souls of gods and men with unappeasable longing. Then the Norns, the Past, Present and Future, enter into being, and the blessed peace of childhood's dreams passes away, and sin comes into existence with all its evil consequences. Sin. — The poems of the skalds give another account of the way in which sin makes its first appearance. The gods wish to have a strong wall of fortification round their Asgard, to pro- tect it against the assaults of the Jotuns, the giants. Acting on Loki's advice, they swear by a holy oath to give the sun and moon, and even Freya herself, the goddess of grace and beauty, to an unknown builder, on condition that he finishes the wall in the course of one winter. The master-builder turns out to be a Hrimthurse (Frost-giant), who, with the help of his horse, seems about to finish the high wall of ice, the sides of which are as smooth as polished steel, within the allotted time. If the bar- gain were to hold good, darkness would envelop the world, and sweetness and love would disappear from life ; so the gods com- mand Loki, as he values his head, to tell them what to do. He outwits the giant by means of treachery and magic, and Thor pays the master-builder in blows of his hammer. Thus the gods break their oath, and inexpiable guilt re sts upori them. Iduna's departure. — Evil portents precede the coming horrors. Iduna, the distributor of the apples of immortal youth, sinks from her bright home amid the boughs of the Ash Yggdrasil, into the gloomy depths below. She can only weep when the messengers ask her the meaning of her leaving them. Bragi remains with her, for with youth, games and song also pass away. 14 ASGARD AND THE GODS. Baldur's death The day of judgment approaches, and new signs bear witness of its coming. Baldur, the holy one, who alone is w ithout sin, has terrible dreams. Hel appears to him in his sleep, and signs to him to come to her. Odin rides through the dark valleys which lead to the realm of shades, that he may enquire of the dead what the future will bring forth. His incanta- tions call the long deceased Wala out of her grave, and she foretells what he has already feared, Baldur's death. Whereupon Frigga, who is much troubled in spirit, entreats all creatures and all lifeless t hings to sw ear that they^will not injure the Well-beloved. But she overlooks one, the weak mistletoe-bough. Crafty Loki discovers this omission. When the gods in boisterous play throw their weapons at Baldur, all of which turn aside from striking his holy body, Loki gives blind Hodur the fatal bough, which he has made into a dart. He guides the direction of the blow, and the murder is committed — Baldur lies stabbed to the heart on the bloodstained sward. Peace a nd joy, righteousness and holiness disappear with him. For this reason the gods and men, and even the dwarfs who fear the light, the elves in their caverns, and the malicious race of giants weep for him. They all assemble round his funeral pile. Two corpses are stretched on the litter ; for Nanna, Baldur's beau- tiful bride, has died of a broken heart. When the sunny-hearted god of light dies, the flowers must also wither. At Odin's com- mand Hermodur rides along the road leading to Hel's dominions, to entreat the terrible goddess to permit the return of the Well- beloved. He finds Baldur and Nanna seated at a table on which are placed cups of mead, but they leave the foaming draught un- touched ; they sit there as silent and sad as the other flitting shades, which glide past them like misty phantoms. The dreadful queen of the realm of the dead is seated on her throne, grave and silent. This is her reply to Hermodur's message : " If every crea- ture weeps for the Beloved he shall return to the upper world, INTRODUCTION. ij otherwise he must remain in his place." The messenger of the gods brings back this answer. Every creature weeps for her son at Frigga's entreaty ; but one giantess alone, dwelling in an obscure cleft in a rock, refrains from weeping, and so Baldur remains in Hel's possession. But vengeance has yet to be executed on the god who lives in darkness, and that duty is fulfilled by Wall, who kills strong Hodur with his darts. Wall is the god of spring, who destroys dark gloomy winter ; he is the risen Baldur. dgir's banquet. — The northern poems, apparently to break the course of these tragic events, now lead us to Ogir's palace , where the gods are assembled to hold a joyous feast after a long period of mourning. The hall is brilliantly lighted by the golden radiance of the treasures of the deep, and the tankards are full of foaming beer or mead ; but the bard no longer sings to the music of the harp. Instead of that, Loki forces his way into the assembly ; he does not now hide his wickedness under the cloak of hypocrisy, but openly boasts of what he has done. As the evil- doer amongst men does not become a villain or a hardened criminal all at once, but gradually ascends the ladder of wicked- ness step by step until he reaches the summit, so it is with Loki ; at first his actions are beneficial and good, then he begins to give bad advice ; after that he plots against the general peace, steals a costly treasure, and pitilessly works to bring about murder. At last he shows his diabolical nature without disguise, when, throwing aside the veil of hypocrisy, he hurls invectives at the gods, and openly acknowledges his horrible deeds of wickedness. The appearance of Thor forces him to take flight, and he barely escapes the dread hammer of the god. Loki in chains. — The murderer of Baldur, the blasphemer of_ t he gods, can n ot r emain un punis hed. In vain he conceals himself in a solitary house on a distant mountain, in vain he takes the form of a salmon and hides himself under a waterfall, for the i6 ASGARD AND THE GODS. avengers catch him in a peculiar net which he had formerly in- vented for the destruction of others. The37_bind him to the sharp ledge of a rock with the sinews of his son, which are changed into iron chains. A snake drops poison upon his face, making him yell with pain, and the earth quakes with his convulsive tremblings. His faithful wife Sigyn catches the poison in a cup ; but still it drops upon him whenever the vessel is full. Ragnarok. — The destroyer lies in chains on the sharp ledge of rock ; but he is not bound for ever. When the salutary bonds of law are broken, when discipline and morality, uprightness and the fear of God vanish, destruction comes upon states and nations. This is what is to happen at the time of which the legend now tells us. Nothing good or holy is respected. Falsehood, perjury, fratricidal wars, earthquakes, Fimbul- Winter (such severe winter as was never known before), are to be the signs that the end of the world is near. | The sun and moon will be extinguished by their pursuers, the stars fall from the heavens, Yggdrasil will tremble, all chains be broken, and Loki and his dread sons be freed. Then the fiery sons of Muspel with dark Surtur at their head come from the South, and the giants from the East ; the last battle shall be fought on the field of Wigrid. There the enemy's forces are drawn up in battle array, and thither Odin goes to meet them with his host of gods, and his band of Einheriar. And now the moun- tains fall down, the abyss yawns showing the very realms of Hel, the heavens split open and are lost in chaos, the chief warriors, the strong, are all slain in that deadly fight. Surtur, terrible to look upon, raises himself to the very sky ; he flings his fiery darts upon the earth, and the universe is all burnt up. Our forefathers' conceptions as to the last battle, the single combats of the strong, the burning of the world, are all to be learnt from ancient tradi- tions, as we find them described in the poems of the skalds. The Renewal of the World. — The myth compensates for the INTRODUCTION. 17 tragic end of the divine drama by concluding with a description of the renewal of the world. The earth rises green and blooming out of its ruin, as soon as it has been thoroughly purged from sin, refined and restored by fire. The gods assemble on the plains of Ida, the gods Widar and Wall are there, with Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor, who bring with them their father's Miolnir, a weapon no longer used for striking, but only for consecrating what is right and holy. They are joined by Baldur and Hodur, who A^■CIENT HINDU IDEA OF THE WORLD. From the drawing of a Bra/tmiti. are now reconciled, and united in brotherly love. Human beings are also to be found there, Lif and Lifthrasir, who, hidden in Hoddmimir's wood, dreamed the dreams of childhood, while the horrors of the last battle were taking place, and who, beings pure and innocent and free from sinful desires, are permitted to enter the world where peace now reigns. We have thought it requisite, for the better understanding of our 1 8 ASGARD AND THE GODS. history, to throw a cursory glance over t^ whole , of , t|ie great / drama, which describes to us the creation, prime, fall, destruction, I and restoration of the world and the gods. The separate parts of the drama are not always connected with one another ; they have grown up gradually in the course of centuries, and therefore are not calculated to fit into each other. Sometimes, indeed, they are in complete opposition to each other ; yet in spite of this, one fundamental idea runs through all myths : we find in all that sin causes univer sal destruction, and that theworld, purified by fire, ri ses again more beaut iful and gloriousjtlianbefore. We have classified the myths as much as possible in accordance with this leading idea, and have also added their interpretations. A good many parts of the Edda have, most likely, arisen in the land of the Cherusci, in Osning or Asening, and have been founded on songs in honour of the gods and heroes worshipped there. Moreover, it is an undoubted fact that the Northern skalds trans- lated those songs, changing partially their form, and incorporating them with their own poems, so that the whole gained a northern colouring. LAY OF THE NORSE GODS AND HEROES. Step out of the misty veil Which darkly winds round thee ; Step out of the olden days, Thou great Divinity ! Across thy mental vision Passes the godly host, That Bragi's melodies Made Asgard's proudest boast. AFTER PROF. ENGELHARD's STATUE. (See accompanying verses). INTRODUCTION. There rise the sounds of music From harp strings sweet and clear, Wonderfully enchanting To the receiving ear. Thou wast it, thou hast carried Sagas of northern fame, Did'st boldly strike the harp strings Of old skalds ; just the same Thou spann'st the bridge of Bifrost, The pathway of the gods ; — O name the mighty heroes, Draw pictures of the gods ! Let the reader now follow us into the world of Germanic gods, giants, dwarfs, apd heroes. These fairy tales are not senseless stories written for the amusement of the idle ; they embody tlie profound religion of our forefathers, which excited them to brave deeds, inspired them with strength and courage enough to shatter the Roman Empire, and to set up a new order of things in its stead. But when four hundred years after their dreadful battles against Germanicus, the Teutons victoriously entered their new country, the old faith had already faded, and they exchanged without difficulty their hero-god for St. Martin or the archangel Michael, and their Thunar for St. Peter or St. Oswald. The Saxons alone, in whose land the much revered holy places were to be found, clung to their gods, and when they were afterwards conquered by Charles the Great, some of them fled the country, carried their old religion to their northern brothers, and preserved it, until, at the time of the Wiking wars, it lost its glory in Scandinavia, and fell before the preaching of the Cross. PART FIRST. LEGENDS AND MYTHS. T N the beginning was a great abyss ; neither day nor night -^ existed ; the abyss was Ginnungagap, the yawning gulf, without beginning, without end. Allfather, the Uncreated, the Unseen, dwelt in the depth of the abyss and willed, and what he willed came into being. Towards the north, in immeasurable space where dwell darkness and icy cold, arose Nifelheim (the Home of the Mists), and to the south was Muspelheim (the Home of Brightness), fiery, glowing with intense heat The spring Hwergelmir (the seething cauldron) sprang into life in Nifelheim, and out of it flowed twelve and more infernal streams (Eliwagar) with their ice-cold waters. The dreadful cold soon froze the waters, and blocks of ice rolled over and under each other through the boundless gulf towards the south and Muspelheim. In the air above, the storms roared from Nifelheim, rooting up the icebergs ; while from the Home of Brightness rays of beneficent heat poured forth over Ginnungagap, and when the great blocks of ice began to melt under the influence of this warmth, and drops of water to form and run down their sides, then it was that life first showed itself, and there arose a monster, the giant Ymir, or Qrgelmir (seething clay). LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 23 terrible to look upon. From him are descended the Hrimthurses or Frost-giants. The warm rays awakened more life in the waters. The cow Audumla, the nourisher, came into being ; from her flowed four streams of milk which fed the dreadful Ymir and his children, the Hrimthurses. But she had nothing to graze on except the salt of the ice-rocks, which she licked. On the first day after she had licked the rock, a head of hair was visible ; on the second day, the whole head ; and on the third, the rest of the body, beautiful and glorious of limb. This was now Buri (the Producer), who had a son named Bor (born), and Bor married Bestla, daughter of the Hrimthurses, by whom he had three sons, Odin (spirit). Will (will) and We (holy). After this, war was made on the violent Ymir, and the sons of Bor slew him, and flung his great body into Ginnungagap, which was filled with it. But the blood of the monster flowed out cover- ing all things, so that there was a great flood (Deluge) in which the Hrimthurses were drowned. One of them alone, the wise Ber- gelmir, saved himself and his wife from destruction by taking refuge in a cunningly made boat, and he became the father of the race of giants. This is the northern version of the story of Noah. Space was now void and drear, as we learn from an ancient German lay : — " I regarded among men as the greatest of wonders, That the earth was not, nor yet the firmament, Nor was there yet a tree, nor mountain, nor even sunshine, Nor moon so radiant, nor ever a mighty sea." The new rulers, who called themselves Ases, i.e., pillars and supports of the world, did not like this state of things at all. So they began to create as Allfather willed that they should. They made the earth of Ymir's body, the sea of his sweat, the hills 24 ASGARD AND THE GODS. of his bones, and the trees of his curly hair. Of his skull they made the firmament, and of his brain the clouds which float below. Then, out of the giant's eyebrows the gods formed Mid- gard (Middle-garden), the dwelling-place of the children of men, who as yet unborn slept in the lap of time. Darkness reigned throughout space ; only a few fiery sparks from Muspelheim wandered aimlessly through the air; the sun did not know her place, nor the moon his* course, nor did the stars know where they were to stand. But the gods collected the sparks. made them into stars and fastened them in the firmament. They created the chariot of the sun, harnessed to it the horse Arwaker (Early-waker), which was driven by the maiden Sol ; she was rapidly followed by the shining moon drawn by the horse Alswider (All-swift), bridled and managed by the beautiful boy Mani, Mother Night talked lovingly to Mani as she preceded him on her dark horse Hrimfaxi (Frost-mane), whilst her son Day followed her with his bright Skinfaxi (Shining-mane). * In German the sun is feminine, tlie moon masculine. LEGENDS AND MY2HS. Creatures of all sorts crept like maggots in and out of Ymir's body and bones. The gods therefore consulted together as to what was best to be done, and they thought that their wisest course would be to change these creatures into a useful people. So they at once changed them into Dwarfs and Trolls, who were gifted with a wonderful knowledge of minerals and stones of all kinds, and an extraordinary power of working in metals. One class of dwarfs was of dark complexion, cunning and treacherous ; the other was fair, good and useful to gods and men. Three mighty gods once left the place where the Thing or council was held ; they were Odin, Honir or Hahnir (the Bright One) and Lodur. While wandering over the face of the earth, which was green with grass and with the juicy leek, they found two human forms lying near the shore, Ask (the ash), and Embla (the alder), both of whom were without power or sense, motionless, colourless. Odin gave them souls ; Honir, motion and the senses ; and Lodur, blood and blooming complexions. From these two are descended all the numerous races of men. Allfather dwelt in the deep and willed, and what he willed came =6 ASGARD AND THE GODS to pass. Then the ash Yggdrasil grew up, the tree of the universe, of time and of life. The boughs stretched out into heaven ; its highest point, Larad (peace-giver) overshadowed Walhalla, the hall of the heroes. Its three roots reached down to dark Hel, to Jotun- heim the land ot the Hrimthurses, and to Midgard the dwelling- place of the children of men. The World-tree was ever-green, for the fateful Norns sprinkled it daily with the water of life from the fountain of Urd which flowed in Midgard. But the goat Heidrun, from whom was obtained the mead that nourished the heroes, and the stag Eikthyrnir browsed upon the leaf-buds, and upon the bark of the tree, while the roots down below are gnawed by the dragon Nidhogg and innummerable worms : still the ash could not wither until the Last Battle should be fought, where life, time and the world were all to pass away. So the eagle sang its song of Creation and Destruction on the highest branch of the tree. This is what a skald, a Northern bard, related to the warriors who were resting from the fatigue of fighting, by tables of mead. He and his comrades, intoxicated with the divine mead of enthu- siasm, used to tell these stories to the listening people. The myths were founded on the belief of the Norse people regarding the creation of the world, gods and men, and as such we find them preserved in the Songs of the Edda. At the same time the cata- strophe is hinted at by which, in the opinion of these races, the great world-drama was to end. It is true that many unlovely and even coarse ideas are to be found mixed up with the rest, and that they cannot be compared with the beautiful fancies of Hellenic poetry ; but the drama as a whole is grand and philosophical, and had its birth in that heroic spirit which forced the Teutons and Northern Wikings out into their battles of life or death. We have also the idea ot Allfather, the unquestionable original cause of all things, though he is scarcely more than mentioned in the poems. This idea came more prominently forward in later times, but could not grow THE ASH YGGDRASIL. LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 29 to its full proportions, because the preaching of the Gospel soon afterwards did away with the old faith. Whilst struggling against the horrors of a northern climate and sending out armies into distant land, the Teutons fixed their eyes on certain aspects of nature, and could not rise to distinct conceptions of the Eternal. Still this idea lay originally at the foundation of the Northern religion, and the kindred Aryan race in India developed and exhibited it in a wonderful and poetical manner. Neither in the one case nor in the other, did the myths arise complete and perfect in the minds of these kindred people in the form in which we read them in the ancient documents. They needed a long time, a long period of development, before they appeared as regular myths or mythical tales. We must try to make clear to ourselves the process of the formation and develop- ment of the myth. Nations, like individuals, have their childhood, youth, prime and old ^e. In their childhood they cannot look upon the inexplicable facts and manifestations of the forces of nature, and on those of their own soul, otherwise than under certain forms. Nature, on which they feel themselves dependent, seems to them a Personality possessed of thought, will and per- ception. Nature is the Divinity they worship ; she is the Self- existent Power of the Indian Aryans, the Eros of the Hellenes in their earliest home by the Acherusian Lake, and the Allfather who dwelt less clearly in the mind of the Germanic races. Amongst the Greeks the first departure from their earliest religious con- ceptions was the deification of Gaia, the all-nourishing earth ; amongst the Hindus and Teutons, it was that of the shining firma- ment with its stars, its moon, its life-giving sun and its clouds with their refreshing rains. The vague notion of a deity who created and ruled over all things had its rise in the impression made upon the human mind by the unity of nature, but was soon overcome by that produced 3° ASGARD AND THE GODS. by certain particular aspects of nature. Tlie sun, moon and stars, clouds and mists, storms and tempests, appeared to be higher powers, and took distinct forms in the imagination of man. The sun was regarded now as a fiery bird which flew across the sky, BOW as a horse and now as a chariot and horses ; the clouds were cows from whose udders the fruitful rain poured down, or nursing mothers, or heavenly streams and lakes ; the storm-wind appeared as a gigantic eagle that stirred the air by the flapping of his great wings. As the phenomena of nature seemed to resemble animals either in outward form or in action, they were represented under the figure of animals. The beast which does not think, and which yet acts in accordance with some incomprehensible impulse, appears to be something extraordinary, something divine. After riper consideration, it was discovered that man alone was gifted with the higher mental powers. It was therefore acknow- ledged that the figure of an animal was an improper representation of a divine being. Thus in inverted relation to that described in Holy Writ, when " God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him," men now made the gods in their own likeness, but at the same time regarded them as greater, more beautiful and more ideal than themselves. The monotheistic idea of Allfather, which formed the basis of the Germanic religion, soon gave place to that of a trilogy, consisting at first of Odin, Wili and We, and afterwards of Odin, Honir and Lodur. From these proceed the twelve gods of heaven, and they again are associated with many other divinities. Polytheism has its origin in a variety of causes. The primarj' reason for it is to be found in the numerous qualities attributed to each one god, and also in his varying spheres of action. Hence the many additional names bestowed upon him. In course of time his identity with nature is forgotten, and people grow accustomed to accept his attributes as so many separate personalities. Thus, LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 3' for instance, the powerful storm-god Wodan, the Northern Odin, was regarded as the highest god, the king of heaven. He it was who inspired both warlike and poetical enthusiasm. But still, the dispossessed king of heaven, Tyr, was worshipped as the god of war, while the art of poetry was placed under the protection of the divine Bragi, who was unknown in earlier times. Freya, the god- dess of beauty and love, was essentially the same as the goddess of Earth, yet the German Nerthus and the Northern Jord and Rinda were honoured as such ; from Freya was also derived Frigg, the queen of heaven, who was raised to the position of Odin's lawful wife. Another cause of the increase of the number of divinities is attributable to the vast extent of country over which the great Germanic race was spread, viz., over Germany, Scan- dinavia, and far away to the east amongst the Russian steppes. The numerous tribes into which the race was divided was another circumstance in favour of polytheism. These tribes preserved their language and their faith as a whole, but each had its own distinc- tive peculiarities and its own particular tribal god. They were sometimes communicated to other tribes, and in times of war the conquerors either dethroned the gods of the vanquished or else accepted them in addition to their own. The divine kingdom as described in the legends of the gods and heroes. — After the gods, the giants and the dwarfs had become personalities capable of free action ; they were supposed to have stood in human relation to each other. They were given family ties and were finally brought under the laws of a divine kingdom. As people had now forgotten that the origin of the gods was to be found in the phenomena of nature, other motives for their fate and actions had to be sought, and thus the myth was added to, was made of wider significance, and its former meaning completely altered. During the centuries that were necessary to bring about this 32 ASGARD AND THE GODS. development, there had been many changes in the fortunes of the Germanic tribes. They had destroyed the Roman empire, and had made their dwelling amongst its ruins. After that the proud victors bent their heads beneath the Cross, and accepted the Christian faith. Then the teaching of the Cross gradually made its way into Germany, the home of these warlike tribes ; the messengers who brought it endeavoured to root out all relics of heathenism, and when preaching was of no avail, the power of the already converted ruler was brought into play. Thus was the old religion expunged from Germany proper. Still remnants of it are to be found in popular customs and traditions, and in a few fragmentary writings which suffice to show us the connection between the religion of our fathers and that preserved in the northern mythology. It was different in the north, in Scandinavia. The preachers of the Gospel did not make their way there until much later. In that land the warlike chieftains dwelt in their towers and castles surrounded by their retainers, drinking sweet mead and beer, or the foreign wine they had brought home from their campaigns. There the victorious warriors delighted to tell of their adventurous voyages and Wiking raids, of battles with ice-giants, with winds and waves, and with the men of the south. There the skalds sang their lays in honour of the gods and heroes, and formed the myths into an artistic whole, a world-drama, which a happy chance has preserved to us. How this was done we shall now proceed to show. In the tenth century Harald Harfager (fair hair) was ac- knowledged King of the whole realm of Norway. Many of the Jarls and Princes, who had formerly been independent rulers, were too proud to bear the yoke of the conqueror, and set out in search of other homes. The brave Rollo and his followers conquered Normandy and Brittany in France, others of the emigrants settled LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 33 in the Shetland and Faroe islands, while others again under Ingulf and Horleif landed on the inhospitable coasts of Iceland, and cultivated and peopled the island as far as its severe climate would permit. These people carried with them from their native land the old songs of the skalds, which the fathers sang to their sons, and ' the sons again to their sons, passing them on to each new genera- tion as a most precious heritage. It is true that Christianity was introduced into Iceland towards the end of the tenth century, but before that time the people had preserved the songs of their fore- fathers, first by means of very imperfect runes, and then by the use of letters which had been brought to them from other lands, besides which the Christian priests, who were mostly Icelanders, were far from wishing to destroy the old tales. Many of them went so far as to listen to the songs of the people and afterwards write them down, and thus these treasures were saved from oblivion both in Iceland and in the Faroe islands. It is believed that the learned Icelander, Sasmund the Wise (a.D. 1056-1133), compiled the Elder Edda, the first collection of these old songs, partly from oral tradi- tion and partly from imperfect runic writings which had been copied in Latin characters. This collection, which is called Saemund's Edda after its supposed compiler, contains first in the Woluspa (Song of Wala) the mythical account given by the northern imagi- nation of the creation of the world, of giants, of gods, of dwarfs, and of men ; then there is a description of the Last Battle and of the destruction and renewal of the world ; after that come songs about the adventures and journeys of the individual gods, and lastly ^ others are given in honour of the Heroes, especially the Niflungs, Sigurd the slayer of the dragon Fafnir, and so on. The Younger Edda, a collection of the same kind, is supposed to have been compiled by Bishop Snorri Sturlason (a.D. 1178-1241), and for that reason generally goes by the name of the Snorra-Edda. It is for the most part written in prose, and serves as a commentary on D 34 ASGARD AND THE GODS. the Elder Edda, but was originally meant more particularly for the instruction of the Icelandic skalds. The Runic language and characters The word r^na really means " secret " ; runes are therefore " mysterious signs requiring an interpretation." The shape of the letters leads to the supposi- tion that they were formed in imitation of the Phoenician alphabet. It is clear that the runes were, from various causes, regarded even in Germany proper as full of mystery and endowed with super- natural power. After Ulphilas made a new alphabet for the Goths in the fourth century by ingeniously uniting the form of the Greek letters to that of a runic alphabet consisting of twenty-five letters which was nearly related to that of the Anglo-Saxons ; the runes gradually died out more and more, and as Christianity spread, the Roman alphabet was introduced in place of the oici Germanic letters. The runes appear to have served less as a mode of writing than as a help to the memory ; they were principally used to note down a train of thought, to preserve wise sayings and prophecies, and the remembrance of particular deeds and memorable occurrences. Tacitus informs us that it was also customary to cut beech twigs into small pieces and then throw them on a cloth which had been previously spread out for the purpose, and afterwards to read future events by means of the signs accidentally formed by the bits of wood as they lay on the cloth. The heroic lays of the old time have died out, and the runes have with few exceptions been rooted out of our fatherland by priestly zeal which looked upon them as magical. Our knowledge of the full-toned, powerful language of our ancestors is therefore very imperfect. But we know that it belonged to the great Aryan branch, and was thus related to the noblest of the Aryan lan- guages, the Sanscrit or holy tongue, and was rich in inflexions. LEGENDS AND MYTHS. 35 In the Chinese and Indo-Chinese languages the ancient poverty of expression is still to be found, and even at the present day we find in them monosyllabic roots placed next to each other with hardly a connecting link ; in the Turanian language of Central Asia the people have endeavoured to express the association of their ideas by the use of suffixes, but these suffixes are in them- selves complete words, and thus the combination is as distinctly visible as the separate strokes of the brush in a bad painting. The language ot the Teutonic race had already got beyond that point before the different tribes set out on their wanderings in search of a new home. The added words had fused with the others, and were capable of expressing an unbroken current of thought. The language had been developed by means of the Sagas and songs which had been handed down amongst the people from generation to generation. THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. THE NORNS. ' I "HE three fatal sisters played -*- a prominent part in many German tales. They used to watch over springs of water, and to appear by the cradle of many a royal infant to give it presents. On such occasions two of them were generally friendly to the child, while the third prophesied evil concerning it. Sometimes the Norns were supposed to be one, and then they were called 36 ■ THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 37 Urd ; but they were oftener looked upon as many, especially as the twelve Urds. In the pretty story of the "Sleeping Beauty" thirteen fairies appear. The king invited twelve of them to the birthday feast given in honour of his little daughter. Eleven had endowed the child with intelligence, beauty, wealth, and other good gifts, when suddenly a thirteenth fairy entered unbidden and or- dained that the princess should die early of the prick of a spindle. The twelfth now came forward and took some of the bitterness out of the terrible prophecy by saying that the girl should not die, but should fall into a sleep of a hundred years' duration, out of which she should at last awake when the right hour for setting her free should strike. This hour came when a young hero forced his way through the thorn hedge that surrounded her, and awoke the sleeper with a kiss of love. Urd or Wurd is also connected with Hel, the goddess of death : for the Past, being dead, falls into the nether world. Hel herself appears in the story as the Norn who span the irrefragable thread of fate, and in the German version of the tale in which the fatal sisters appear, she was the bad fairy whose name. Held, betrays her identity with the goddess. The origin of the Norns is wrapped in mystery; while the dwarfs, who are at times somewhat difficult to distinguish from the elves, were, as we have seen, created by the gods. 38 ASGARD AND THE GODS. «ii^^'f^ 1 DWARFS AND ELVES. Three kinds of dwarfs existed in northern mythology, Mod- sognir's folk, Durin's band, and Dwalin's confederacy of Lofar's race. Lofar is perhaps the same as Loki, the fire-god, for all the dwarfs needed his help in their subterranean labours. In the old German poems we often find descriptions of dwarf-kings, who ruled over underground realms, and the Norse nations regarded Modsognir's and Durin's people as especially great and powerful, more, however, from their THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 39 miraculous strength and knowledge of magic than from their having rule over any definite territory. The ideas respecting these deformed and gobhn-like creatures, some writers state, are con- nected with the appearance of the Phoenicians in the North. Wherever these roving merchants went, they always endeavoured to get at the raw products of the countries they visited. They fished for the purple mussel on the shores of Greece and Asia Minor ; they dug for gold in the rich auriferous veins they found in Lemnos, where a volcanic mountain was looked upon as the forge of Hephaestos, and also in the island of Thasos, and in the Pangean mountains. They mined for silver in Spain, in which country old shafts and passages, mining implements and even vaulted underground chapels have been discovered. In Ireland they dug for silver, in England for the much esteemed tin-ore, and in the North also, they undoubtedly worked in the mines, and had furnaces and smithies above ground for smelting and forging the minerals they obtained. It was very natural that a barbarous people should imagine the existence of the Kobolds, when they heard the noise of working and hammering, and saw the sooty figures of what seemed to be a short, weakly race emerging from the earth. They regarded the strangers as mighty and powerful, because their minds were deeply impressed by their magical surroundings, and by the excellent weapons, beautiful ornaments, and delicately fashioned works of art they made in their flaming furnaces. The shrewd craftsmen must often have brought disaster upon the simple-minded barbarians by their deceit and cunning, and the dwarfs were therefore considered false and treacherous, and every one was warned against their malice. These features, however, might with equal probability apply to the former inhabitants of the country who had been dispossessed by the Germanic invaders, perhaps even better than to the Phoe- nicians. These people were of a much weaker race than their 40 ASGARD AND THE GODS. conquerors ; they took refuge in lake-dwellings or in subterranean caverns, hid in the mines they themselves had made, forged utensils of all sorts, and often over-reached their invaders by the sharpness of their wits. Poetry created out of these dwellers in holes and caves of the rock those fantastic beings called Dwarfs and Black-Elves, because they were black and grimy, and because they rummaged in the dark places of the earth, did smith's work, were learned in the black art, and treacherous. The gloomy world in which they lived was called the Home of the Black-Elves. In Germany they were known under the same name, but slightly altered in form. Their ruler in the middle ages was King Goldemar, whose brother Alberich or Elberich, and the sly, thievish Elbegast, were even more celebrated in poetry than he. In England, these are represented by the light airy elves, who danced their rounds on the hill-sides and in the valleys, but who love best to haunt lonely green woodlands and groves, and here King Oberon and Queen Titania had their invisible palaces and gardens, to which men sometimes found the way, and of which they related the wonders to believing multitudes after their return. Whoever has a touch of poetry in his soul, and is in the habit of wandering through the woods in the still summer evening, can even now-a-days see the mist-like forms of the little people danc- ing merrily in the openings of the wood or by the banks of the murmuring brook. Equally celebrated in tales. and legends is Number Nip, the mighty king of the Riesengebirge, of whose power many strange tales were told ; until at last modern enlightenment forced him to retreat into his underground realm. The Light-Elves were different from the Black-Elves. They lived in the Home of the Light-Elves, were fair and good, and somewhat resembled the elves, but were not so airy or ethereal THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 41 as the spirits of the later fairy-world. There are no myths about these kindly beings, which is a clear proof that the difference between the Black and Light-Elves was originally unknown. The elves were popularly believed to be spirit-like beings, who were deeply versed in magic lore, and who had charge of the growth of plants. Some of them lived under the earth and others in the water; they often entered into friendly alliance with mortals, and demanded their help in many of their difficulties, handsomely rewarding all who assisted them. They were not always ugly to look upon ; indeed, their beauty was sometimes extraordinary, and whenever they showed themselves amongst men, they used to wear splendid ornaments of gold and precious stones. If ever any one of mortal birth approached them, while they were dancing their rounds at midnight in the light of the full moon, they would draw him within their circle, and he never re- turned again to his people. The dwarfs and elves possessed rings by means of which they discovered and gained for themselves the treasures of the earth ; they gave their friends magic rings which brought good-luck to the owner as long as they were carefully preserved; but the loss of them was attended with unspeakable misery. A Polish count once received a ring of this kind from a tiny mannikin, whom he had allowed to celebrate his marriage festivities in the state rooms of his castle. With this jewel on his finger he was lucky in all his undertakings ; his estates prospered ; his wealth became enormous. His son enjoyed the same good for- tune, and his grandson also, who both uiherited the talisman in turn. The last heir gained a prince's coronet and fought with distinction in the Polish army. He accidentally lost the ring while at play, and could never recover it, although he offered thousands of sovereigns for its restoration. From that moment his luck forsook him : locusts devoured his harvest ; earthquakes destroyed 42 ASGARD AND THE GODS. his castles. It even seemed as if the disasters of his native land were connected with his, for the Russians now made good their entrance into the country, and when Suwarrow stormed Praga, the unhappy prince received a sabre-cut over one of his eyes. When somewhat recovered, but quite disfigured by his wound and almost in as wretched plight as a beggar, he reached his ancestral castle, and there he was crushed to death under the falling building on the very first night. Exactly a hundred years had elapsed since that fateful hour in which his ancestor had placed his halls at the disposal of the underground spirit ! Besides these rings, the dwarfs and wights, like the elves, had other valuable possessions, such as hoods of darkness, by means of which the mannikins became invisible, and girdles that made the wearer supremely beautiful. This was the reason why so many noble knights were over- mastered by love for beautiful elf-women ; but the marriages which were thus contracted had always a sad ending, because the natures of husband and wife were too dissimilar, and because there can be no real bond between men and spirits. For the elves were also regarded as the souls of the dead, and it was therefore impossible that any alliance formed by them with the living could be happy. GIANTS. To the traveller passing through some desolate valley in the dusk or in a fog, the rocks jutting out from amongst the woods or ravines at his side seem to take strange, fantastic shapes. Not less spectral than these is the uncertain outline of the mountain tops, and especially of the bare granite or basaltic horns of rock which are scattered in great number over the face of the earth. In the old time, when man was more susceptible to impressions made by the life and working of nature, when he peopled the wilderness THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 43 with the creatures of his own fancy, those dead stones appeared to him as living beings, moving about busily in the grey mist, endowed in the dusk or moonlight with magic powers and approaching him as giants and monsters, but which were once more turned into stone as soon as they were touched by the first rays of the morning light. These figures grew far more monstrous, far more weird in the great Alpine ranges and in Scandinavia. There the peaks, the ridges, and the ravines are covered with eternal ice and snow ; there the swollen, destructive mountain-torrents, growing glaciers, falling rocks and thundering avalanches, were regarded as the work of the infernal powers, the rime and frost-giants of northern legends. These evil beings are also to be found in the lower ranges of mountains. The Riesengebirge owe their name to them, while the Harz mountains were haunted by the Harz spirit and other demons. Nearly related to these were the spirits of the storms and tempests, who came out of their dwellings in the clefts of the hills, massed up the storm-clouds, and spread destruction over the fields. The raging sea also was sometimes regarded as a giant, sometimes as a huge snake which encircled Midgard. As a snake they likewise personified those waters, which, breaking down the artificial breast-work man had built for their restraint, dashed and roared over the fruitful plains, engulfing towns, villages and their inhabitants in their course. The giant Logi (Flame), with his children and kindred, finally made themselves known as the authors of every great conflagration, when they might be seen in the midst of the flames, their heads crowned with chaplets of fire. These demons were all enemies of man, they strove to hinder his work and to destroy what he had made. For the elements are hostile To the work of human hand. — Schiller, 44 ASGARD AND THE GODS. Men therefore sought to propitiate them in ancient times by offering them sacrifices, and consecrating altars and holy places to them, until the moral powers, the gods, rose and fought against them and their worship, but did not succeed in rooting them out of the minds of the people. In the Greek myth, the rude destruc- tive powers of nature, which were personified in the Titans and Giants, were completely overcome and abandoned ; but in the ROCKS IN THE RIESENGEBIRGE. North, where these forces are more wild and terrible, the struggle lasted until the Fire-giant Surtur, together with the sons of Muspel, set out for the Last Battle to destroy gods, men and worlds, and make place for a better order of things. The legends of the giants and dragons were developed gradually, like all myths. At first natural objects were looked upon as identical with these strange beings, then the rocks and chasms THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 45 became their dwelling-places, and finally they were regarded as distinct personalities, and had their own kingdom of Jotunheim. They showed themselves now in this place, now in that, and met gods and heroes in peace and in war. Perhaps they were not originally held to be wicked and altogether hostile, for springs and brooks flowed out of the earth for the refreshment of man and beast. They watered the fields so that they bore rich harvests ; storms purified the air ; the sea was an open roadway for ships, and the household fire, or the spirit which dwelt in it, was the THE SLEEPING GIANT. most cheering companion of the Northman during his long winter evenings. But the thinking, ordering gods took their place, and then they only appeared as the wild unbridled forces of nature, against which man had to strive with the help of the heavenly powers. In the North the giants were called Jotuns, signifying the voracious ones, and perhaps connected with the name of a German tribe, the Jiiten, that chased the aborigines out of Jut- land. They were also called Thurses, i.e. the thirsty, the great 46 ASGARD AND THE GODS. drinkers. In Germany the giants were named Hiinen, after their old enemies, the Huns. In Westphalia the gigantic grave-mounds and sacrificial places belonging to heathen times, that are to be found by the Weser and Elbe, are designated Huns' beds ; and in the same way we recognise the Huns' rings. These are circular stone-walls, intended to enclose holy objects and con- secrated spots of ground, in like manner as the dwellings of the gods are described in the Edda as surrounded by a fence or hedge. Here in conclusion let us relate a myth made up of two kindred stories put together. We can still recognise the natural phe- nomena in the names. From the first giant, Ymir, were descended three mighty sons : Kari (air, storm), Hler (sea), and Logi (fire). Kari was the father of a numerous race, and his most powerful descendant, Frosti, ruled over a great empire in the far north. Now Frosti often made raids and incursions into neighbouring states, and on one occasion he went to Finland, where King Snar (snow) reigned. There he saw the king's daughter, fair Mioll (shining snow), and at once fell in love with her. But the haughty monarch refused him the hand of the maiden. He therefore sent a message to her secretly to tell her : " Frosti loves thee, and will share his throne with thee." To which she replied : " I love him also, and will await his coming by the sea-shore." Frosti appeared at the appointed time and took his bride in his strong arms. Meanwhile the plot had been dis- covered ; Snar's fighting men lay in ambush to attack the lovers, and shot innumerable arrows at the bold warrior. But Frosti laughed at them all ; the arrows fell from his silver armour like blunted needles, his storm horse broke through the ranks of the enemy and bore the lovers safely over the sea and over mountains and valleys to their Northern realm. THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 47 WORLDS AND HEAVENLY PALACES. " Nine homes I know, and branches nine, Growing from out the stalwart tree Down in the deep abyss." This is the saying of Wala the prophetess, who sang of the creation, of the gods, and of the destruction of the world. She describes the Ash Yggdrasil as if the homes or worlds grew out of it like branches. Still the nine worlds are never enumerated in succession or in their full number, but are only to be dis- tinguished by their characteristics. In the centre of the universe the gods placed Midgard, the dwelling-place of man, and poured the sea all round it like a snake. They fortified it against the assaults of the sea and the inroads of the giants, by building a wall for its defence. The giants lived far away by the sea-shore in Jotunheim or Utgard, the giants' world. Above the earth was Wanaheim, the home of the wise shining Wanes, whom we shall describe further on. The Home of the Black-Elves was to be found under the earth, perhaps in those gloomy vales that led to the river which separated the realm of the dead from that of the living. This kingdom of the dead, Helheim, surrounded the Northern Mist- world, Nifelheim. To the south was Muspelheim, where Surtur ruled with his flaming sword, and where the sons of Muspel lived. Over Mid- gard in the sunny aether was the Home of the Light-Elves, the friends of gods and men. Over the earth also, but higher than the Home of the Light-Elves, the gods founded their strong king- dom of Asgard, which shone with gold and precious stones, and where eternal spring reigned. The broad river Ifing divided the home of the gods from that of the Jotuns, but was not sufficient protection against the incursions of the giants, who were learned in magic. 48 ASGARD AND THE GODS. The gods built themselves castles in Asgard, and halls that shone with gold. It is recorded that there were twelve such heavenly palaces, but the poems differ from each other in de- scribing them. High above Asgard was HHdskialf (swaying gate), the throne of Odin, whence the all-ruling Father looked down upon the worlds and watched the doings of men, elves and giants. The palaces of the Ases were ; Bilskirnir, the dwelling of Thor, 540 stories high and situated in his province of Thrudheim ; Ydalir (yew- vale), where Uller, the brave bowman, lived ; Walaskialf, the silver halls of Wall ; Sokwabek, the dwelling of Saga (goddess of history), of which the Edda tells us : " Cool waters always flow over it, and in it Odin and Saga drink day after day out of golden beakers." In this palace the holy goddess Saga lived, and sang of the deeds of gods and heroes. She sang to the sound of the murmuring waters, until the flames of Surtur destroyed the nine homes and all the holy places. Then she rose and joined the faithful, who had escaped fire and sword, and fled with them to the North, to the inhabitants of Scandinavia. To these she sang in another tongue of the deeds of the Germanic heroes. But her songs did not pass away without leaving a trace behind ; some of them are probably preserved in the Edda, and remain a treasure of poetry which can never be lost. The fifth palace was called Gladsheim (shining-home) ; it be- longed to the Father of the gods, and contained Walhalla, the hall of the blessed heroes, with its 500 doors. The whole shining building was enclosed within the grove Glasir of golden foliage. Thrymheim (thunder-home), where Skadi, daughter of the mur- dured giant Thiassi, lived, was originally supposed to be in Jotunheim, but the poems place it in Asgard. Breidablick (wide out-look) was the dwelling of glorious Baldur, and in it no evil could be done. Heimdal, the watchman of the THE GODS, THEIR WORLDS AND DEEDS. 49 gods, lived in Himinbiorg (Heaven-hall), and there the blessed god drank sweet mead. Folkwang, the ninth castle, belonged to the mighty Freya. It was there that she brought her share of the fallen heroes from the field of battle. In Glitnir dwelt Forseti, the righteous, whose part it was to act as umpire, and smooth avvay all quarrels. Noatun was the castle of Nibrder, the prince of men and protector of wealth and ships. Saga recognised as the twelfth heavenly palace Landwidi (broad-land), the dwelling of the silent Widar, son of Odin, who avenged his father's death in the Last Battle. It is enough to say here regarding the mythological signification of these heavenly castles, that it is very probable that they were meant for the twelve constellations of the zodiac. For amongst these palaces none were allotted to the warrior god Tyr, nor do they count amongst their number Wingolf, the hall of the god- desses, or Fensal, the palace of Queen Frigga. According to this hypothesis the deities who possessed these twelve palaces were gods of the months. For instance, Uller, who lived at Ydalir, was the god of archery, and used to glide over the silvery ice-ways on skates. He ruled, in his quality of protector of the chase, when the sun passed over the constellation of Saggitarius in winter. Frey or Freya was called after him in the myth, and to him the gods gave, as a gift on his cutting his first tooth, the Home of the Light-Elves, which lies in the sun and is not to be found amongst the dwellings of Asgard. The sun-god was also reborn at the time of the winter solstice, as Day was in the North. The Yule-feast was therefore celebrated in honour of the growing light with banquets and wine ; Frey's boar was then sacrificed, and the drinking-horn was passed down the rows of guests. Wall's palace was, the story tells, covered with silver. By this the constellation of Aquarius was meant ; when the sun passes over that part of the heavens where this E so ASGARD AND THE GODS. constellation rules, it is a splendid sight in the far North to see the silvery sheen of the snow that covers the mountains and valleys. We refrain from further discussion of this theme, for these are only hypotheses, and myths of deeper meaning are awaiting us. EURTUR WITH HIS FLAMING SWORD. PART THIRD. OPPONENTS OF THE GODS. ' I ""HE holy gods dwelt peace- -*- fully in their golden palaces and rejoiced in their power. The Walkyries, choosers of the dead, messengers of Odin, rode about in splendid armour on their white horses. They bore the hero-spirits they had taken from bloody battle-fields back with them to Asgard. On reaching the grove Glasir, they dismounted from their horses, and led the heroes under the shade of its golden foliage to Walhalla. There \xl W.'^^yp ASGARD AND THE GODS. the mists of death passed from the eyes of the warriors ; they recognised the hall intended for them on seeing Odin's coat of arms, the wolf and the eagle. They saw the roof made of the shafts of spears covered with shields, and the seats spread with soft chain-mail. Weapons flashed as they entered, and foaming goblets were emptied in their honour by the great band of heroes, who had reached the halls of blessedness before them. And they drank of the sweet mead provided for them by the goat Heidrun, and feasted on the roasted flesh of the boar Sahrimnir, which was restored to life every evening, that it might again furnish a repast for the heroes on the following day. The ruling gods sat on twelve thrones, and highest amongst them was Odin in all his glory, his spear Gungnir in his right hand, and his golden helmet on his head. He was not now terrible to look upon, as when he led armies on to battle or when he hurled the death-spear over their ranks ; a gentle smile lighted up his face, for he rejoiced in the arrival of the noble warriors. Two pet wolves played at his feet and fawned upon him, when he threw them the food provided for himself at the board. For he needed no food to eat ; for him it was sufficient to drink of the blood-red wine, which refreshed and strengthened his mind. Then great Odin rose from the board, walked through the hall, and went to his throne Hlidskialf, all Asgard trembling beneath his tread. He seated himself, and gazed thoughtfully over the worlds. Far away in the distance gleamed Muspelheim, where dark Surtur, flame-girdled, and holding his fiery sword in his hand, watched his opportunity as yet in vain ; in Midgard were the mortal men ; in the depths below, the Dwarfs toiled and laboured. The mighty god's two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory), flew quickly up to him ; they perched one on his right shoulder and the other on his left, and whispered in his ears the secrets they had heard during their flight through the OPPONENTS OF THE GODS. S3 worlds. Anxiously the monarch turned his gaze towards Jotun- heim, for things were going on there which threatened the general peace. LOKI AND HIS KINDRED. In the grey twilight enveloping the giants' world, the king recognised his old comrade Loki, with whom he had sworn brotherhood at the beginning of time. Loki had set up house in Jotunheim and had married the dreadful giantess Angurboda (bringer of anguish). They had three children, all horrible monsters : the Wolf Fenris, the Snake Jormungander, and terrible Hel, at the sight of whom all living creatures stiffened in death. One side of her face was of corpse-like pallor, and the other was dark as the grave. The young wolf was not less appalling to look upon, when he opened wide his blood-red jaws to devour the food his father offered him; nor the snake which wound itself round Angurboda as though desirous of crushing her to death in its coils. Allfather turned away from the horrible sight with a shudder of disgust, and saw his bright son Hermodur standing before him. Pointing down at Jotunheim, he desired him to bear his com- mands to the gods, that they should at once go and bring him the brood of giants. In obedience to the king's orders, the powerful gods at once arose, and with brave Tyr at their head, crossed the bridge Bifrost and the river Ifing, and so reached the inhospitable land of the Hrimthurses. Loki was beautiful like all the gods, but his heart was full of guile. They found hiin in the court-yard of his castle. He went on playing with his monstrous progeny, and took no notice of the messengers, until they approached quite close to him, and made known the commands of Odin. He would have refused to obey, but strong Tyr shook his fist threateningly, upon which he gave 54 ASGARD AND THE GODS. way, and followed them to Asgard, accompanied by his children. He was immediately brought before the king's throne. Terrible Hel grew visibly more gigantic, lightnings flashed from her deep- set eyes, and she stretched out her arms as though she wished to destroy the great Father. At the same moment Jormungander reared her head in the air, till she resembled a twisted column, gnashed her jaws and emitted a venomous foam, before which the very gods shrank back. But the king seized both monsters in his powerful arms, and flung them far out of Asgard into immeasur- able space. Hel sank nine days' journey past the bogs, morasses, and rocks of ice in Nifelheim, past the river GioU and down into the king- dom of Helheim, which was allotted to her, and where she hence- forth ruled over the dead. But the Snake fell into the ocean that flows round Midgard. Hidden in its depths, and unseen by gods and men, she was to grow, until, after having twisted herself into innumerable coils, her ugly head should touch- the tip of her tail. Then, at last, when the twilight of the gods (the judgment of the gods) should come to pass, she was again to rise, and help to bring about the destruction of the worlds. When the Wolf saw his playfellows flung out of Asgard, he began to howl so loiid, that his voice was heard over in Jotunheim. Yet he did not venture to resist, and great Tyr bore him away from before the face of the angry Father, away from the heavenly towers, to where the hills of Asgard slope towards Midgard ; there he brought him food every day. Odin still remained on Hlidskialf, thinking of all, caring for all. The gods stood silently around him ; but Loki slipped out of the circle unnoticed, and went out to plan more mischief Then the king pointed towards the south, where the sons of Muspel were moving about in the fiery heat like flashes of lightning, and where the dark giant Surtur was pointing his flaming sword up at the OPPONENTS OF THE CODS. Si heavenly palaces. " Gird on your armour," said Allfather, " keep your swords drawn, ye faithful ones, for the day approaches when the heavens shall fall and the Destroyer shall come up from the South across Bifrost with his fiery hosts. The spirit of prophecy has come upon me, and I foresee that the monsters, whose power we have broken for the present, will one day join the Destroyer and fight against us. Up, brave ones ! Watch lest any sin defile the purity of the holy towers, for thus only can we ward off the hour of our destruction." Having said this, great Odin went on before his loyal subjects to Walhalla. Meanwhile the wicked race of giants remained hostile to the gods. They brooded over schemes for avenging the murder of their ancestor, Ymir. The warlike Hrungnir awaited his oppor- tunity in Jotunheim ; Thrym, who was hard as his native rocks, Thiassi and Geirod, who dwelt in proud castles, and other giants besides, were all armed for the fight, and often made onslaughts upon the hated gods. But Heimdal watched over the safety of Asgard, and strong Thor was always ready to go out and fight the monsters. This myth reveals to us in its deeper meaning, the ideas of these northern races respecting the struggle between good and evil in the world, the eternal warfare waged by the kingdom of light against the kingdom of darkness, by the mild beneficent powers of nature against those that are hurtful and destructive. The terrors of the long dark winter, or the dreadful snow-storms, of the wild mountain ranges with their glaciers, and of the tempes- tuous ocean, appeared in the imagination of the people to take the form of pernicious monsters intended to bring about the destruc- tion of the world. Thus Hel, the secret, healing goddess, who was originally the all-nourishing Mother Earth, became the goddess of death, a hideous monster the very sight of whom caused death ; S6 ASGARD AND THE GODS. the stormy sea, which according to the northern' idea encircled the round earth, was transformed to the Midgard-Snake ; the uni- versal destruction which was to come at the end of days was typified in the all-devourer, the Fenris-Wolf, who was to devour the Father of the world himself. It is striking, that Loki, who in earliertimes was looked upon as a beneficent being, as the god of fire, of the warming domestic hearth, is accounted one of the powers of evil in the foregoing legend, and that he grows even more diabolical in the later poems, in spite of the fact that fire is absolutely indispensable to the North-man. The first divine trilogy given us was that of the sons of Bor, i.e. Odin, Will and We ; and these correspond to the elements, air, water and fire. The last of the three gave the newly created human beings blood and blooming complexion ; he was therefore a beneficent god. Nevertheless he was also represented as a giant in the trilogy Kari, Ogir, and Logi, another form of air, sea and fire. That he belonged to the race of giants is proved from further evidence, by which it appears that his father was the giant Far- bauti (oarsman), and his mother the giantess Laufey (leafy isle), the former of whom was perhaps the giant who saved himself from the flood in a boat, and the latter, the island to which he rowed. At the beginning Loki was a helpful and a great god, as the pretty Faroe-island song of the Peasant and the Giant shows. He was not regarded as the principle of evil, until he had been com- pletely separated from the element to which he belonged, and had been developed into an independent personality. The idea of the destructive power of fire was equally connected with the giant Muspel; buthe never showed himself as an active agent of harm. His sons, the flames, alone threatened evil in Glow-heim or Muspel- heim, and finally mustered in great force for the Last Battle on the field of Wigrid. Their leader, however, was not Muspel, but OPPONENTS OF THE GODS. 57 dark Surtur (black smoke), out of which flashed a tongue of flame, like a shining sword. That these ideas were common to all the Germanic races is shown by some Bavarian and Saxon manuscripts of the 8th and 9th centuries, which contain the mysterious word Muspel, as will be seen from the following translations : " Muspel's (world-fire's) power passes over man." "Muspel creeps in stealthily and sud- denly, like a thief in the darkness of night," " Then will a friend be of no profit to his friend because of Muspel, for even the broad ocean will be burnt up," viz. at the Last Day. This struggle was an eternal one ; it went on and on without being decided. But if the Aryans believed Ormuzd to be pure and spotless, the gods certainly were not so ; they were neither sinless nor immortal. Like the Grecian Herakles, they fought against harmful monsters ; they were victorious over them to a certain extent, but not entirely ; they sinned, and at last, like the Greek hero who burnt himself to death, they passed away in the universal fire that burnt up the world. These conceptions are peculiar to the Germanic races ; it is possible, however, that they brought the seeds of their grand poems from the common home of the Aryans, then developed and polished them in their own peculiar way, when settled in the land they had colonized, and when surrounded by the influences of a chmate and country favourable in some points and disadvantageous in others. PART FOURTH, KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. I. GEFION. /^NCE upon a time when, as tradition informs us, Swithiod ^-^ (Sweden) still lay hidden under the sea, yawning chasms suddenly opened in the depths below, and swallowed up the waters until the land appeared. As soon as it was dry, the fowls of heaven brought there the seeds of all kinds of trees, grass and herbs. Then the face of the country grew green, and flowers sprang up and adorned it, so that it was brilliant to look upon, as the carpet in a king's banqueting hall. Animals of all sorts were there also, some of which were useful and serviceable to man, while others dwelt shyly hidden away in remote places ; and besides these there were wild beasts, such as bears, lynxes, and grim voracious wolves. Men afterwards settled down in Sweden, tilled the land and began to trade ; they spread themselves out over the country as they grew more numerous, and built villages, towns, and proud castles for the nobles. They were a warlike race. They fought against the wild beasts that lived in the forests, and against the marauding Jotuns and Trolls of the mountains. They were a free people and chose out the bravest of their heroes to be their leaders, Jarls and Princes, who protected the country from the inroads of 53 KING GYLPHl AND THE ASES. 59 any enemies who might venture to disturb the diligent husband- men in their toil. The mightiest of the Jarls was called King, and lived in the town of Sigthuna. No w K in g Gylphi once ruled ov er this people, who were greater in po wer, righteousnes s and wisdom t han any of the other nation s t hat dwelt in Midgard. Neither hostile armies nor robbers dared to cross the borders of the kingdom, and it was said that even the wild beasts refrained from harming any of the people, so much did they hold their chief in awe. Thus Gylphi ruled in undis- turbed peace, and had abundant leisure to indulge his thi rst after the hi^est knowledge and wisdom. He knew about the stars in the heavens ; he visited the dwarfs in the interior of the earth, from whom he learned how to discover veins of gold and how to work metals into household utensils, weapons and shining orna- ments. Moreover, he understood the art of using magic runes, by means of which he was able to get rid of snakes, to conjure up the spirits of the dead from their graves, and to change his form so as to escape recognition. He often feasted with his warriors, and together they drank mead and foaming ale. During these entertainments, skalds were always present to delight him and his heroes by the melody of their harps, and by their songs ; for he loved music above all things, and would rather have gone without food than it. The king once thrust his frothing cup from him impatiently, for the skalds who used to make his feasts pleasant to him had not come. Suddenly the sound of harp-playing was heard without ; so sweet that all hearts were filled with longing, and the chords vibrated as powerfully as if twelve skalds had assembled to tune their strings. The door opened, and a tall female figure entered the hall ; she was gentle and beautiful to look upon, and like a goddess in her bearing. Approaching the king she touched the harp-strings, and sang : 6o ASGARD AND THE GODS. In gruesome grave no knowledge grows ; Yet the king shall ken what things must come. High up to Heaven I raise my hymn, And louder and louder I let it sound. My wistful eyes watch Walkyries Wafting the warriors by weirdly kiss, From blood-stained field to blessed rest. Where night and death are never known. And I see here in the lofty hall The hosts of heroes who with their lord Shall wander to Walhall, the battle won, And meet the maidens' melodious hail. They soar in silence on wingfed steeds. Alighting on grave-grounds, green with pines, And singing lays of the light and love That e'er abide in Odin's Home. Gloomy and sad the song began, like a voice from the grave ; but the music grew, deeper and fuller as it went on to praise the fate of glorious warriors, and then again it sank soft and low as the whisper of the wind on a warm spring day, which tells of nature's resurrection. Once more the figure repeated : " That e'er abide in Odin's Home," and as she did so, the notes of her harp were so sweet and thrilling, that the hearts of all the heroes present were filled with rapture, and they thought they saw the warrior-maidens who were to bear them to Walhalla. Deep silence reigned in the hall ; but as soon as the intoxication of the sounds, which had held their senses in thraldom, gradually passed off, the king rose from his seat, and said : " Speak, fair maiden, tell me thy name, and what guerdon thou askest for the song with which thou hast delighted us. Be it even to the half of Swithiod, it shall be thine, and this I swear by my kingly word." " Gefion, the Giver," she replied, " is what I was called by Ases KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 6i and Jotuns, when I was young. If thou, indeed, desirest to reward me, I shall only ask thee to give me as much land as I can plough round with my four bulls in a day and a night." Gylphi was surprised that the maiden did not ask for a larger gift, and at oncefa.nted her^request. She took her departure, and soon afterwards returned, bringing with her four bulls, the like of which had never been seen in Swithiod before, so huge and well- formed were they. They were, in sooth, like moving mountains, and their white foreheads shone with the lustre of the full moon. They were harnessed to a plough with a hundred shares, which cut down into the lowest depths of the earth, and tore the soil away from its foundations. The bulls walked on dragging the ploughed land with them ; they waded into the sea with it, and Gefion, who drove them, grew before the eyes of the astonished king and people until she was so tall that the great waves, high as they were, reached only to her waist, and seemed to be but sport- ing with her knees. She went on without stopping day and night, and then at length the land she had taken away with her rested in a shallow place. She fastened it down firmly there, and called it Zealand (sea-land). Having done this, she stepped upon it followed by the four bulls, which at once raised themselves up, and touched by her lAagic spells were changed into four strong youths, for they were her sons by a giant. The beautiful island soon flourished under her care. Wooded hills, green pastures and rich corn-fields provided the numerous population of Zealand not only with food, but also with all the pleasures and comforts of life. Hledra, a splendid royal residence, was next built, and there Gefion lived, and exercised undisputed sway over her subjects. She married a man named Skiold, and became the mother of a long line of renowned kings. 62 ASGARD AND THE GODS. GYLPHI IN ASGARD. Now Gylphi heard of all these events in his town of Sigthuna, and he was filled with wonder how such things could be. He saw Lake Loger (now Maelar), which had taken the place of the land the bulls had dragged away with their plough. He heard from travellers that the promontories of Zealand running out into the sea had the same form as the bays of Lake Maelar in his own country. He knew that Gefion was of the race of the Ases, and he puzzled day and night over how they had come to be so power- ful. He enquired of the skalds and wise men of his kingdom, KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 63 he consulted his runic signs ; but he gained no information from any of these regarding that which he wished to find out. As his longing after wisdom gave him no rest, he determined to set off on a journey in search of the land where the mighty Ases lived, even though the attempt to find it might cost him his life. His heart was set on making his way into Asgard that he might learn from its inhabitants of the creation and the end of the world, of the Ases' power and their mode of government, and of the fate of mankind, that he might afterwards make all these things known to mortal men. King Gylphi was learned in magic. He took the unpretentious form of a common traveller, and called himself Gangleri (weary wanderer). He walked on a long way through Midgard, until he at length reached a palace, the height and circumference of which he could not measure. When he entered the doorway, he saw a vast hall before him, whose length his eye could not pierce. He perceived other mansions to the right hand and to the left, each of which was crowned with turrets that shone like gold in the sunlight. There was a tree there also, whose top rose to the immeasurable skies, and whose branches seemed to spread out over the whole world. A man, playing with seven knives, was standing at the entrance of the palace. He threw them up into the air and caught them again so that they seemed to form a shining circle. He asked the traveller what he wanted ; Gylphi answered that his name was Gangleri, that he wished to have a night's lodging and to be admitted to the presence of the lord of the palace. "He is our king," replied the door-keeper; "follow me, and thou shalt see his face." Having said this, he preceded the traveller up the hall. There they saw many noble warriors assembled, who were amusing themselves, wassailing, playing and wrestling. Three 64 ASGARD AND THE GODS. men of venerable aspect were seated on thrones, one of which was higher than the other two, watching the games. "The first of these chieftains is Har (High)," said the guide, " the other is Jafenhar (Equally high), and the last is Thridi (the Third)." While he was still speaking, Har turned to the new-comer, and said : " Dost thou need food, stranger ; if so, thou wilt find abundant store in Har's hospitable hall. Sit down, and share oui meal." Gangleri replied : " Higher than food and foaming beakers do I prize wisdom, which lifts the mind above earthly things. So I would fain find a wise man, who can answer my questions." "Ask," said the chieftain, "and thou shalt be answered. But beware thy head, for it is forfeited if thou provest thyself unwise." Gangleri drew nearer to the thrones, and began : " Who is the highest and the oldest of the gods, and what are his works and deeds that are niost worthy of man's admiration } " Har answered: "AUfather is his name in our tongue, but all the nations of the earth give him a different name, each in their own way. He is the highest and mightiest at all times, and rules over all things, the smallest as well as the greatest." Jafenhar went on : " He created heaven and earth, the sea and the air, and everything that lives and moves therein. He alone is the greatest Ruler." "The greatest and most glorious of his works," said Thridi, " was the creation of man, whose spirit, given by him, will live on, and will not die even when the body containing it is turned to dust. The good will live with him for ever in the place that is called Gimil, or Wingolf The wicked shall also live, but they will descend to Hel, or even to Nifelhel deep down below in the ninth world." After that, Gangleri asked many more questions regarding the KING GYLPHI AND THE ASES. 65 creation and the end of the world, about the gods and their works, and about all the riddles of life, and he received answers and ex- planations. But when he still went on enquiring further, the great hall suddenly burst with a terrible, loud crash, and in another moment everything had vanished. Gylphi found himself alone on a wide, desolate plain, where neither palace, tree nor shrub were to be seen. He set out at once on his homeward journey, and at last reached his own realm. There he related what he had seen and heard, and wise skalds sang of the marvellous things he had told them, and so knowledge grew and spread from land to land and from generation to generation, and did not die out of the memory of the people. We see from this, what idea the Northern people had formed of the way in which the divine revelation was made. The con- ception of Allfather and his works appears to us to be the most remarkable part of this story, and fully confirms what we have before said on this subject. PART FIFTH. ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. " I ""HE prophetess Wola sat before the entrance of her cave, and -*- thought over the fate of the world. Her prophetic power enabled her to pierce bounds that are impenetrable to the human eye. She saw what was going on near her, what was taking place at a distance. She watched the labours and battles, the patient endurance and the victories of nations, and heroes. She saw how Allfather ruled the world, how he kept the giants in submission, how he flung the spear of death over the armies, and afterwards sent his Walkyries to bring to his hall those heroes who had fallen victoriously. Let us now turn our attention to what was revealed to her penetrating sight. Mother Night was driving in her dark chariot on her accustomed course above Midgard, bringing peaceful slumber to all creatures. The bright boy, Mani (Moon), followed quickly in her steps, and the gloomy mountains were bathed in the light he shed around. Down below in the valley, the maiden, Selke, was wandering beside a stream, which playfully rippled and murmured at the feet of its mistress, and then flowed on quickly, and dashing over the stones that barred its course, flung itself into the depth below. But Selke saw nothing of all this ; her eyes were fixed on the fountain from out of which the brook flowed, for there sat a woman wondrously beauteous of countenance, with long shining golden hair, looking down into the clear water in which her form was mirrored. After awhile she rose, and went higher up the ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 67 steep side of the mountain to the place where grew the healing herbs that the goddess needed for the cure of wounds and sores. While employed in this peaceful task, the rocky door leading into the interior of the mountain suddenly opened, and a mon- strous giant came out from it No sooner did the fiend sight the lovely maiden than he rushed towards her with a wild yell. She fled, while he pursued her, as higher and higher she cUmbed, until at length she reached the summit of a lofty rock, which hung over the edge of a great abyss. The hunt-cry from the distance now fell upon her ear, and the baying of hounds, and she knew who was coming to her assistance ; but her pursuer drew nearer and nearer, and his icy talons almost grasped her neck ; boldly she ventured the tremendous leap — the ground was reached in safety. The mark of her foot is still to be seen on the rock, and the truth of this assertion can be verified by any one who chooses to go and look at the Maiden's Leap in the Selkethal (Harz Mountains). The giant saw her take the fearful spring, and, surprised, he hesitated for a moment ; but soon regaining courage, he rushed on and took the mighty leap after her. But, like a flash of light- ning, and accompanied by loud peals of thunder, a shining spear came flying through the air, and the monster fell with a crash dead into the deep abyss. The storm rose ; it howled through the wood, and Wodan's raging host, the Wild Hunt, rushed past. The great god's nightly following was composed of armed men, armed women and children, hounds and ravens and eagles; and he, the King, preceded them all on horseback ; together they stormed over the trembling fields and through the dark quaking forests. Ancient pines were broken down, rocks fell, and the mountains shook to their foundations, for the Father of Victory was on his way to a great battle. The King had far to go, and his horse had lost a shoe, which 68 ASGARD AND THE GODS. forced him to halt for a time. Master Olaf, the smith of Heligo- land, was still in his smithy at work in the midnight hour. A storm was howling round the house, and the sea was beating on the shore, when suddenly he heard a loud knocking at his gate. " Open quick and shoe my horse ; I have a long journey to make, and daybreak approaches." Master Olaf opened the door cautiously, and saw a stately rider standing beside a giant horse. His armour, shield, and helmet were black, a broad sword was hanging at his side, his horse shook its mane, champing the bit and pawing the ground impatiently. "Whither art thou going at this time of night, and in such haste } " asked the smith. " I left Norderney yesterday. It is a clear night, and I have no time to lose, as I must be in Norway before daybreak." " If thou hadst wings, I could believe thee," laughed the smith. " My horse is swift as the wind. But see, a star pales here and there ; so make thee haste, good smith." Master Olaf tried on the shoe. It was too small, but, lo ! it gradually grew and grew, until it had fastened itself round the hoof. The smith was awe-struck, but the rider mounted, and as he did so his sword rattled in its sheath. " Good-night, Master Olaf," he cried. " Thou hast shod Odin's horse right well, and now I hasten to the battle." The horse gallopped on over sea and land. A light shone round Odin's head and twelve eagles flew after him swiftly, but could not overtake him. He now began to sing in magic words of the stream of time, and the spirit that works in it, of birth, and of the passage to eternity. And all the time the storm-wind roared, and the waves dashed upon the shore, a harp-like accompaniment to the song. He who has ever heard that music straightway forgets his home and his cravings for the hearth. The sailor on the foaming water, the traveller in the valley and the shady grove. ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 69 each feels it strangely stirring his soul, each longs to go out at once to Odin. The warriors were gathered together in the green-wood, armed for the combat ; the brave sons of King Eric of the bloody axe, who had lately fallen in battle, were there, and Hakon, too, his brother, the powerful king of Norway. All at once they heard sweet soft sounds in the air, like the sighing of the wind and the whisper of green leaves. Quickly the sounds grew louder, and the storm wind roared through the trees and over the assembled host. " Odin is coming," cried the warriors, " he is choosing his Einheriar." And then the Father of Battles came with his following ; he came in the storm that he might rule the combat. He halted high up above the armies in a grey sea of clouds. He called the Walkyries, Gondul and Skogul, before him, and bade them so to lead the chances of the fight, that the bravest should be victorious, and should then be received into the ranks of the Einheriar. He flung his spear over the contending heroes, and immediately the blast of horns and loud war-cries were heard. A cloud of arrows hissed through the air ; javelins and heavy battle-axes broke through helmet and shield ; swords were crossed in single combat ; blood streamed from innumerable wounds, reddened the armour of the men-at-arms and trickled down upon the flowers that carpeted the crimson ground. Foremost in the battle was King Hakon fighting with sword and spear. As he cut his way through the enemy's ranks over the fallen men, he heard the Walkyries talking beside him. They were in the midst of the strife, mounted on their white horses, holding their bright shields in front of them, and leaning upon their spears. " The army of the gods is waxing great," said Gondul, " for the Ases are preparing to welcome Hakon with a goodly train of followers to the glorious home." 70 ASGARD AND THE GODS. The King heard it, and asked : " Is it just that ye should reward me with death, instead of the victory for which I am striving with my might ? " Skogul answered : " We have decreed that thine enemies should give way before thee. Thou shalt win the battle, and then take thy part in the feast of the Einheriar. We will now ride on before thee, and announce that thou art coming to look upon the face of the Father of Victory himself." When King Hakon ascended to Asgard from the field of glory, Hermodur, the swift, and Bragi, the divine singer, went out to meet him, and said : " Thou shalt have the peace of the Einheriar ; receive therefore the draught prepared for the heroes of the Ases."' Hereupon the king's helmet and coat of mail were taken off, but he retained his sword and spear, that he might enter the presence of the Father of Victory with his arms in his hands. This was how the Northern skalds sang of the God of Battles, of the choosers of the dead, and of the fate of heroes. Is it then to be wondered at, that the princes and nobles of those races should have gone forth joyously on their bold Wiking raids, and that they should have esteemed a glorious death on the field of battle far better than to sink to inglorious rest at home .■• The German bards also sang after this fashion of their heroes ; hence the struggle against Rome which lasted four hundred years, and the Germanic raids upon Britain, Gaul, Italy, Spain, and even upon far Africa. The War-god sang his storm-song in their ears ; they heard the voices of the Walkyries through the din of the battle; they saw the gates of Walhalla open before them, and the Einheriar signing to them to approach. Therefore the day of battle was in their eyes either a feast of victory, or of entrance into the verdant home of the heroes. In the foregoing tale, the events of which have been derived from German and Norse sagas and lays, we have seen the chief ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 7t god of the North as leader of the Wild Hunt, conqueror of the earth-born giant, god of the storm and ruler of the battle ; but we must try to get a still deeper insight into his nature. Wodan, Odin in the North, according to the oldest concep- tions. — Wodan was the highest and holiest god of the Germanic races. His name is connected with the German word Wuth, and used to be both spelt and pronounced Wuotan, which word did not then mean rage or wrath, as Wuth does now, but came from the Old-German watan, impf. wuot, i,e., to penetrate, to force one's way- through anything, to conquer all opposition. The modern German waten, and the English wade, are derived from the old word, though considerably restricted in meaning. Wuotan was there- fore the all-penetrating, all-conquering Spirit of Nature. The Longobards, by a letter-change, called him Gwodan ; the Franks, Godan or Gudan ; the Saxons, Wode ; and the Frisians, Woda. The Scandinavians called him Odin, from which the mythological name Odo was derived. He was known under the names of Muot (courage) and Wold by the South Germans. But everywhere he was regarded as the same great god, and was worshipped as such by the whole Germanic race. When man had freed himself from the power of the impressions made upon him by nature as a whole, he began to have a more distinct consciousness of certain manifestations of the forces of nature, and after that to pay them divine honours. He then regarded the storm which tore through the forests with irresistible violence, which blew down the cottages of the peasants, and wrecked vessels out at sea, as the ruler of all things, as the god whose anger must be appeased by prayers and sacrifices. At first he was worshipped under the form of a horse or of an eagle, as these were types of strength and swiftness. But when the mastery of the human race over the animal world was better understood, the god was endowed with a human form. He was described 72 ASGARD AND THE GODS. in the legends and stories, now as a mighty traveller who studied and tried the dispositions of men, and now as an old man with bald head, or with thick hair and a beatd which gained him in the North the name of Hrossharsgrani (horse-hair bearded). He had usually only one eye, for the heavens have but one sun, Wodan's eye. He wore a broad-brimmed hat pulled down low over his forehead, which represented the clouds that encircle the sun, and a blue mantle with golden spangles, i.e., the starry heavens. These attributes again prove him to have been the Spirit of Nature. In the completely developed myth regarding him in the Edda, he was described as being of grand heroic form, with a golden helmet on his head, and wearing a shining breast-plate of chain-mail. His golden ring Draupnir was on his arm, and his spear Gungnir in his right hand. Thus attired, he advanced to attack the Fenris-Wolf, when the Twilight of the Gods was beginning to fall ; thus attired, he sat on his throne Hlidskialf, wrapped in the folds of his mantle, and governed gods and men. There are many tales and traditions about Wodan in his original form of storm-god. They are to be found in Germany, England, France, and Scandinavia, which shows how wide-spread the worship of him was. Chief amongst the stories referring to the old Teutonic god are those of the Wild Hunt, and of the Raging Host. The Myths of the Wild Hunt and of the Raging Host.— These myths have their origin in the belief that the supreme One takes the souls of the dead to himself, carries them through the air with him, and makes them his followers on his journeys by night. As the Romans regarded Mercury as the leader of the dead, they thought that the Teutons also honoured him as the highest god. The soul was looked upon as aerial, because it was invisible like air. It was held that when a dying man had drawn his last breath, his soul passed out of him into the invisible element. Thus ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 73 the Hebrews had the same word to express spirit and breath, and the old Caledonians, as Ossian's poems prove, heard the moans and loving words of their dead friends in the whisper of the breeze, in the soft murmur of the waves ; they felt that the invisible was near them, when a solitary star sent down its rays to them through the dusk of the evening. The idea of a god has no place in these poems. The Teutons, on the contrary, believed that it was the god himsel f who bore the spirits of the dead up into his kingdom. The traditions of the Wcensjager, the Wild Huntsman, Wuotan's or the Raging Host, have their origin in heathen times, as their names show, although they have undergone considerable modifica- tions in many respects since then. They arose from the impres- sion made upon the people by phenomena that they could not understand, and which they consequently supposed were caused by some divinity. Every noise sounds strange and mysterious on a quiet night. The solitary traveller passing through forests or over heaths or mountains, when the light of the moon and stars was obscured by drifting clouds, heard the voices of spirits in the hooting of owls, in the creaking of branches, and in the roaring, whistling, and howling of the tempest, and his excited imagination made him think that he saw forms, which became the more distinct the more his superstitious fancy was drawn upon. Forest- rangers, solitary dwellers in remote places, especially charcoal- burners, who often spend long stretches of time without seeing a human being, tell strange stories even now-a-days. These tales are founded on the ancient beliefs of the race, are repeated by one man to another, and detached fragments of the old faith are still preserved by tradition. In Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Ho lstein, Wode is said to be out hunting whenever th e stormy winds blow through the woods. In Western Hanover it is said to be the Woejager, in Saterland 74 ASGARD AND THE GODS. the Woinjager, and in other places, the Wild Huntsman that haunts the woods. He is supposed to ride on a white horse, to wear a broad-brimmed hat slouched over his forehead, and a wide cloak (the starry heavens) wrapped round his shoulders. This cloak has gained him the name of Hakel-barend (Mantel-wearing) in West- phalia. Indeed, the story has even been transferred from the divine to the human. It was said that Hans von Hakelberg, chief huntsman of the Duke of Brunswick, and an enthusiastic sportsman, liked hunting better than going to church, and used to devote his Sundays as well as week-days to this amusement, for which reason he was condemned to hunt for ever and ever with the storm. His grave is shown near the Klopperkrug, an inn not far from Goslar, and a picture of both him and his hounds is carved on the headstone of the grave. His burial place is also pointed out in the SoUinger wood, near Uslar. Wode seldom hunted alone. He was generally surrounded by a large pack of hounds, and accompanied by a number of hunts- men, who all rushed on driven by the storm, shouting and holloa- ing, in pursuit of a spectral boar or wild horse. He was also said to chase a spectral woman with snow-white breast, whom he could only catch once in seven years, and whom he bound across his saddle when he had at length succeeded in overtaking her. In Southern Germany it was a moss-woman or wood-maiden, a kind of dryad or wood-nymph, whom the Wild Huntsman pursued, and whom he bound to his horse in the same way as the other, when once he had caught her. Perhaps this story represents the autumnal wind blowing the leaves off the trees. When the people heard the Wild Huntsman approaching them they threw themselves upon their face on the ground, as otherwise they would have been in danger of being carried off by the hunts- men. The story tells us that this was the fate of a ploughman ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 75 who was caught up by them and taken away to a hot country where black men lived. He did not come home again until many years afterwards. Whoever joined in the holloa of the wild huntsmen was given a stag's leg which became a lump of gold ; but whoever imitated the shout jeeringly had a horse's leg thrown to him, which gave out a pestiferous smell and stuck to the scoffer. A little dog was sometimes left on the hearth of a house through which the Wild Huntsman had gone. It immediately began to whine and howl miserably, so as to disturb the whole household. The people had then to get up and brew some beer in egg-shells, whereupon the creature would exclaim : " Although I am as old as the Bohemian Forest, I never saw such a thing in my life before." Then it would jump up, rush off and vanish. But if this charm was not applied, the people of the house were obliged to feed the creature well, and let it lie upon the hearth for a whole year, until Wode returned and took it away with him. The Wild Hunt generally went on in the sacred season, between Christmas and Twelfth Night. When its shouts were particularly loud and distinct, it was said that it was to be a fruitful year. At the time of the summer solstice, and when day and night become of equal length, the Wild Hunt again passed in the wind and rain, for Wodan was also lord of the rain, and used to ride on his cloud- horse, so that plentiful rains might refresh the earth. The traditions of the Raging Host much resemble those of the Wild Hunt. They are stories about the army of the dead under the leadership of Wodan. People thought they could distinguish men, women and children as the host passed them at night Those who had lately died were often seen in it, and sometimes the death of others was foretold by it. " Walther von Milene ! " cried out voices in that terrible army, and Walther, a celebrated warrior, was soon afterwards killed in battle. In this instance the story reminds us of Wish-father, the 76 ASGARD AND THE GODS. chooser of the dead, who called the Einheriar to his Walhalla ; and still more is this the case, when the Raging Host is described as rushing past like a troop of armed men, when knights and men-at- arms were seen in shining or even fiery armour, and mounted upon black horses, from whose nostrils shot forth sparks of flame. Then it was said that the war-cries of the combatants, the clash of arms and trampling of horses' feet, could be heard above the din of the storm. Wodan has long since died out of the minds of the people, yet his character and actions are clearly shown in tradition, and his name also appears in proverbial sayings, charms, and invocations. Seventy years ago the Mecklenburg farmers, after the harvest was brought home, used to give their labourers Wodel-beer, a feast at which there was plenty to eat and drink. The people poured out some of the beer upon the harvest field, drank some themselves, and then danced round the last remaining sheaf of corn, swinging their hats and singing : "W61d! W61d! W61d ! havenhune weit wat schiit, jumm hei dal van haven sut. Vulle kruken un sangen hat hei, upen holte wasst manigerlei : hei is nig barn un wert nig old. W61d! W61d! W61d!"* "Wold! Wold! Wold! The Heaven-Giant knows what happens here ; From Heaven downvifards he does peer. He has full pitchers and cans. In the wood grows many a thing. He ne'er was child, and ne'er grows old, Wold ! Wold ! Wold !" In Hesse and in Lippe-Schaumburg the harvesters stick a , * Grimm's "Teutonic Mythology," translated by J. S. Stallybrass, vol. i. p. ij6. (London : Sonnenschein & Allen.) ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 77 bunch of flowers into the last sheaf, and beat their scythes to- gether, exclaiming, Waul ; in Steinhude they dance round a bon- fire they have lighted on a hill-top, and shout, Waude. In many parts of Bavaria they dance round a straw figure called Oanswald or Oswald (Ase Wodan). But the people have now quite forgotten the Ase and think only of St. Oswald. In these instances the god appears in his highest form as the god of heaven, the giver of good harvests. The Aargau riddle shows him as lord of the starry heavens, who raises the dead up to his bright mansions above : — " Der Muot mit dem Breithuot Hat mehr Gaste, als der Wald Tannenaste." " Muot with the broad hat Has more guests than the wood has fir-twigs.'' In England the Wild Hunt is called Herlething, from a mythi- cal king Herla, who was once invited by a dwarf to attend his marriage. He followed his entertainer into a mountain, and three hundred years elapsed before he and his attendants returned to the world. Amongst other parting gifts the dwarf gave him a beautiful dog, which the head huntsman was desired to take before him on his horse. At the same time every one was warned not to dismount until the dog jumped down. Several of the king's fol- lowers disregarded this, and got down from their horses ; but no sooner did they touch the ground than they crumbled away to dust. The dog is still sitting on the saddle bow, and the Wild Hunt is still going on. In the time of Henry II. it was said to have shown itself in a meadow in full daylight. The blowing of the horns and shouts of the hunters drew the people of the neighbourhood to the place. They recognised some of their dead friends among the huntsmen, but when they spoke to them, the whole train rose in the air, and vanished in the river Wye. 78 ASGARD AND THE GODS. In France, in Wales, and in Scotland, King Arthur is the leader of the Wild Hunt. In France, the Wild Hunt, or Raging Host, is called Mesnie Hellequin, the last word of which is evidently de- rived from Hal (kingdom of the dead), for the leader of the hunt is called the Hel-huntsman. According to other traditions, Charles the Great, Charlemagne, rides in front of the band, while strong Roland carries the banner. We recognise, moreover, the Raging Host (/'ar;«/«/«mai-^) under the name of Ckasse de Cain (Cain's Hunt), or Chasse d'H&ode (Hunt of Herodias, who caused the murder of John the Baptist). Perhaps, however, H6rode really means Hrodso (glory-bearer), one of the names by which Odin was known. Equally famous is k grand veneur de Fontainebleaii, (the great Huntsman of Fontainebleau), whose shouts were heard beside the royal palace the day before Henry IV. was murdered by Ravaillac. The Raging Host also passed over the heavens twice, darkening the sun, before the Revolution broke out. The populace everywhere believes that its appearance is the fore- shadowing of pestilence, or war, or of some other great misfortune. THE SLEEPING HEROES. The legend of the Wild Huntsman has, as we have seen from the foregoing, been applied to human beings, and circumstance and place have been added to the tale. There was not always an infernal element clinging to the appearance of the Hunt, for emperors, kings, and celebrated heroes were amongst the repre- sentatives of the Father of the Gods. In Lausitz, Dieterbernet — in Altenburg, Berndietrich, the great Ostrogothic king Theoderick of Bern (Verona) was supposed to rush through the air, and vanish in the mountains. In the same way, according to the Northern myth, the Summer Odin, who brought green leaves and flowers, and ripened the golden ears of corn, used to wander away through ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 79 dark roads in Autumn, and then a false Odin came, and seating himself on the other's throne, sent snowstorms over the wintry earth. Or, as another tale has it, the good god passed the period during which the imposter reigned, sunk in a deep enchanted sleep within a mountain. But no sooner did Spring return, than he rose again in his power, drove the intruder from his throne, and once more scattered his blessings over gods and men. These conceptions of Allfather, derived Irom natural phenomena, were so deeply impressed in the mind and very being of the Teutonic race, that they personified them by applying to their early kings and heroes the attributes of Odin. King Henry the Fowler, whose victories over the Slavs, Danes and Hungarians restored the power of the German empire, is supposed to be lying sunk in magic sleep in the Siidemer hill near Goslar. Amongst other sleeping heroes is Frederick Barbarossa, the story of whose death in the East is believed by no one, and who was and is still said to lie slumbering in Kyfihauser. There are a number of traditions about the ruins of Kyfifhauser and the great Hohenstaufe, who still lives in the memory of his people. The high castle-hill rises sheer above the green fields away over in Thuringia. On its western side, a tower is still in existence. It stands eighty feet high, although with broken walls, and overlooks the wood and piles of stone below. On solemn oc- casions the emperor is supposed to lead his processions thence, and afterwards to dine there with his followers. According to the legend, the weary old emperor sleeps his " long sleep " in an under- ground chamber of the castle, with the companions of his travels. Christian of Mayence, Rainald of Cologne, Otto of Wittelsbach, the ancestor of the royal house of Bavaria, and many others besides, Barbarossa's beard has grown round and through the stone table, casks of good old wine, treasures of gold, silver and precious stones are lying about in heaps, and a magic radiance lights up the So ASGARD AND THE GODS. high vaulted hall ; that this is the case is proved by many for- tunate eye-witnesses, who at different times have been permitted to enter the room. One of these was a herdsman, who left his cattle browsing amongst the ruins, and went to gather flowers for his sweetheart. He found a strange blue blossom, and no sooner had he put it in his nosegay than his eyes were opened, and he per- ceived an iron door that he had never seen before. It opened at his touch ; he went down a flight of stairs and entered the lighted banqueting hall. There he saw the heroes and their imperial leader sitting round the table, all sound asleep in their chairs. Barbarossa was awakened by the noise. " Are the ravens still flying round the battlements ? " he asked, looking up. The herdsman said that they were, and the emperor went on : " Then I must sleep for another hundred years." After that he invited the youth to help himself to as much as he liked of the treasures he saw before him, and not to forget the best. The herdsman filled his pockets as he was told. When he got out into the open air once more, the door shut behind him with a crash, and he could never find it again, for he had forgotten the best thing, the little blue flower. So the emperor is still sleeping with his heroes in his favourite palace. But the time will come when the empire is in greatest need of him, when the ravens will no longer fly round the battlements ; then he will arise in all his might, will break the magic bonds that hold him, and sword in hand fight a great and bloody battle against the enemies of his country upon the Walser Field or on the Rhine. Then he will hang his shield on a withered pear-tree, which will immediately begin to sprout again, and blossom and bear fruit :' the glorious old times of the German Empire will return, bringing with them unity and peace in their train. ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 8 1 THE HIGHER CONCEPTION OF WODAN (ODIN). Wodan, the giver of victory. Ambri and Assi the Winilers, stood fully armed before the warlike Vandals. Their victory or servitude would be decided by the coming battle. " Give us the victory, Father of Battles," prayed the princes of the Vandals, as they offered up sacrifices to Wodan. And the god answered : " To them will be given the victory who come first before me on the morning of the day of battle." On the other hand Ibor and Ajo, dukes of the Winilers, went by the counsel of their wise woman, Mother Gambara, into the holy place of Freya, Wodan's wife, and entreated her to aid them. "Well," said the Queen of Heaven, "let your women go' out ere daybreak dressed in armour like the men, their hair combed down over their cheeks and chins, let them take up a position towards the east, and I will give ye a glorious victory." The dukes did as she commanded. As soon as the first rosy tints of dawn appeared in the sky, Freya wakened the great Ruler, and pointed eastwards towards the armed host. " Ha ! " said the god in astonishment, " what long-bearded warriors are these .' " "Thou hast named them," answered the queen, "so now do thou give them the victory ." And thus the Winilers gained great glory, and were henceforth known by the name of Long Beards (Longobards). As in the Northern myths, the Longobards also held great Wodan to be the giver of victory. But above all other qualities, he was the god who blessed mankind, and brought joy and pros- perity to his people. In the heathen times many games and processions were held in G St ASGARD AND THE GObs. his honour, of which traces still remain in the customs and beliefs of the people. In many districts, for instance, the battle of the false Odin, who usurped the throne for the seven winter months, Vvith the true Odin, who brought blessings and summer into the world, was celebrated by a mimic fight, succeeded by sacrifices and feasting. This lasted for centuries, and was continued until quite recent times in the festivals of the first of May. A May Count or May King was chosen, and he was generally the best runner or rider, or the bravest in the parish. He was dressed in green and adorned with garlands of may and other flowers. He then hid himself in the wood ; the village lads went out to seek him there, and when they had found him, they put him on horseback, and led him with shouts and songs of joy through the village. The May King was allowed to choose a queen to share his honours at the dance and at the feast. In other places the most modest and diligent of the girls was chosen as Queen of May, and led into the village with the King, which was intended to commemorate the marriage of the Summer Odin with the Earth, whose youth was renewed by the genial Spring. It was at one time a regular practice to have a May-ride in Sweden, at which the May Count, decked in flowers and blossoms, had to fight against Winter, who was wrapped up in furs. May won the victory after a burlesque hand-to-hand engagement. Odin, the good and beneficent god, was also called Oski, i.e., "wish" in Norse, a word that is related to the German Wottne (rapture) : he was the source of all joy and rapture. ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 83 ODIN AT GEIROD'S PALACE. King Hraudung had two handsome sons, Geirod and Agnar, the one ten and the other eight years old. The boys one day went out in a boat to fish. But the wind rose to a storm, and carried them far away from the mainland to a lonely islet, where the boat struck and broke in pieces. The boys managed to reach the shore in safety, and found there a cottager and his wife, who took compassion on them and gave them shelter. The woman took great care of the younger brother Agnar throughout the winter, while her husband taught Geirod the use of arms and gave him much wise counsel. That winter the children both grew wonde rfully tall and stro ng, and this was not surprising , for their guardians had been Odin_and his_wife_Frigg. When spring re- turned, the boys received a good boat and a favourable wind from their protectors, so that they soon reached their native land. But Geirod sprang on shore first, shoved the boat out to sea again, and cried, " Sail thou away, Agnar, into the evil spirits' power ! " The great waves, as though in obedience to the cruel boy's behest, carried the boat and Agnar far away to other shores. Geirod hastened joyfully up to the palace, where he found his father on his death-bed. He succeeded to the kingdom, and ruled over all his father's subjects and those he had gained for himself by force of arms and gold. Odin and Frigg were once sitting on their thrones at Hlidskialf gazing down at the world of mortal men and at their works. "Seest'thou," said the Ruler, "how Geirod, my pupil, has gained royal honours for himself? Agnar has married a giantess in a foreign land, and now that he has returned home, is living in his brother's palace poor and despised." " Still Geirod is only a base creature, who hoards gold and treats his guests cruelly instead of 84 ASCARD AND THE CODS. showing, them hospitality," replied the thoughtful goddess. Then Allfather determined to prove his favourite, and to reward him if all were well, but to punish him should he find that the accusa- tion was just. He, therefore, in the guise of a traveller from a far country, started for Geirod's palace. A broad-brimmed hat, drawn well down over his brows, shaded his face, and a blue cloak was wrapped around his shoulders. But the King had been warned by Frigg of a wicked enchanter, so he had the stranger seized and brought before his Judgment-seat. To all the questions asked him, the prisoner would only reply that his name was Grimnir, and disdained to give further informa- tion about himself Whereupon the king got into a passion, and commanded that the obstinate fellow should be chained to a chair between two fires upon which fresh fuel was to be continually thrown, so that the pain he suffered might induce him to speak out. The stranger remained there for eight nights, suffering bitter agony, without having had a bite or a sup the whole time, and now the flames were beginning to lick the seam of his mantle. Secretly Agnar, the disinherited, gave him a full horn of beer, which he emptied eagerly to the last drop. Then he began to sing, at first low and softly, but afterwards louder and louder, so that the halls of the castle echoed again, and crowds assembled without to listen to the strain. He sang of the mansions of the blessed gods, of the joys of Walhalla, of the Ash Yggdrasil, of those that dwelt within it, and of its roots in the depths of the worlds. The halls trembled, the strong walls shook as he sang of Odin's deeds, and of him whom Odin's favour had raised on high, but who was now delivered over to the sword because he had drunk of the cup of madness. " Already," he said, " I see my favourite's sword stained with his blood. Now thou seest Odin himself. Arise if thou canst 1 " And Grimnir arose, the chains fell from his ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 85 hands, the flames played harmlessly about his garments ; he stood there in all his Ase's strength, his head surrounded by rays of heavenly light. Geirod had at first half drawn his sword in anger ; but now, when he tried to descend from his throne in haste to ODIN BETWEEN TWO FIRES IN CEIROD's PALACE. attempt to propitiate the god, it slipped quite out of its sheath, he tripped over it and fell upon it, so that its blade drank in his heart's blood. After his death, Agnar ruled over the kingdom, and by the favour of Odin his reign was long and glorious. 86 ASGARD AND THE GODS. ODIN, THE DISCOVERER OF THE RUNES, AND GOD OF POETRY AND WISDOM. Odin's power and wisdom and knowledge are described in the Edda and in many of the lays of the skalds. He went to Mimir, /the wise Jotun, who sat by the fountain of primeval wisdom, drank daily of the water and increased his knowledge thereby. The Jotun refused to allow the god to drink of his fountain, unless he first pledged him one of his eyes. Allfather did as he requested him, in order that he might create all things out of the depth of knowledge, and from that day forward Mimir drank daily of the crystal stream out of Allfather's pledge. Other accounts make out that the water was drawn out of Heimdal's Giallarhorn. Both accounts are given in the Northern poems. The myth from which they came shows us the meaning that lay at their foundation. Mimir, a word related to the Latin memor, incmini, signifies memory ; that it was known to the Germans is indicated by the similar sounds of the names of the Mumling, a stream in the Odenwald, and of Lake Mumel in the Black Forest, where the fairies lived. Mimir drew the highest knowledge from the foun- tain, because the world was born of water ; hence, primeval wisdom was to be found in that mysterious element. The eye of the god of heaven is the sun, which enlightens and penetrates all things ; his other eye is the moon, whose reflection gazes out of the deep, and which at last, when setting, sinks into the ocean. It also appears like the crescent-shaped horn with which the Jotun drew the draught of wisdom. According to other poems, Mimir was killed, but his head, which still remained near the fountain, prophesied future events. Before the Twilight of the Gods came to pass, Odin used to ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 87 whisper mysterious things with him about the Destruction and Renewal of the world. At one time when the god was standing with his golden helmet on, by the side of the holy fountain on the high hill, and learning the runic signs from Mimir's head, he discovered the Hugruncs (spirit-runes). As we have already shown, these runes were not exactly used as formulae for writing connected sentences. They were only the accented letters used in Northern and Old-German poems ; that is to say, they were letters of similar sound used for alliterative purposes. The following examples are some of those that remain to us from olden time : hearth and home ; wind and weather ; hand and heart. They were intended as a help to the memory when learning and singing the lays. Odin gained power over all things by me ans of the runes, through which he was abl e to make all bend to h is will, and to obtain authority over the forces of nature. He knew runic songs that were effectual in battle, in discord, and in time of anxiety. They blunted the weapons of an opponent, broke the chains of noble prisoners, stopped the deadly arrow in its flight, turned the arms of the enemy against themselves, and calmed the fury of angry heroes. When a bark was in danger 9n the stormy sea, the great god stilled the tempest and the angry waves by his song, and brought the ship safe to port. When he sang his magic strain, warriors hastened to his assistance and he returned unhurt out of the battle. At his command a man would arise from the dead even after he had been strangled. He knew a song that gave strength to the Ases, success to the elves, and even more wisdom to himself J another that gave him the love of woman so that her heart was his for ever more. But his highest, holiest song was never sung to woman of mortal birth, but was kept for the Queen of Heaven alone, when he was sitting peacefully by her side. 88 ASGARD AND THE GODS. THE DRAUGHT OF INSPIRATION. ODIN'S VISIT TO GUNLOD. JOURNEY TO WAFTHRUDNIR. Kwasir, a man whom the Ases and Wanes had created amongst them, and whom they had inspired with their own spirit, was loved by gods and men for his wisdom and goodness. He travelled through all lands, teaching and benefiting the people. Wherever he went he tamed down the wild passions of all men, and taught them better and purer manners and customs. The evil race of Dwarfs alone, they that burrowed in the earth in search of treasures, cared nought for the love, although they enivied the wisdom of Kwasir. Fjalar and Galar, brothers of this people, invited him one day to a feast, and then murdered him treacherously with many wounds. They caught his blood in three vessels, the kettle Odrorir (inspiration), and the bowls Son (expia- tion) and Boden (offering). They mixed rum-honey with it, and made it into mead, which gave all who drank of it the gift of song and of eloquence that won every heart. As the wicked deed of the Dwarfs had brought them such good luck, they invited the rich giant Gilling and his wife to visit them, and took the former out fishing with them. Then they upset the boat in the surf under great over-hanging rocks, so that Gilling was drowned, while they, being good swimmers, righted the boat again, and rowed to land. When the giantess heard the sad fate of her husband, she wept and moaned, and refused to be comforted. The Dwarfs offered to take her to the rock on which the body had been washed. But as she was leaving the house, Galar threw a mill-stone from above down upon her head, so that she also was killed. Now Suttung, son of the murdered giant's brother, heard of the evil deed, and set out to avenge it. He seized the Dwarfs and made ready to ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 89 bind them to a solitary rock out in the sea, that they might die there of hunger. They begged for mercy, promising to give him the wonderful mead concocted out of Kwasir's blood, in atonement for, what they had done. The giant accepted the expiation offered tilm ; he took the three vessels containing the liquor to a hollow mountain that belonged to him, and set his daughter Gunlod to keep guard over the magic drink. Odin, the God of Spirit, was told of all these things by his ravins Hugin and Munin. He determined to get possession of the Draught of Inspiration at any cost to himself, that it might no longer be kept uselessly hidden away by the giant in the interior of the earth, but might refresh gods and heroes, so that wisdom and poetry might delight the world. He therefore, in the guise of a simple traveller, started for Jotunheim. He came to a field where nine uncouth fellows were mowing hay. He offered to sharpen their scythes for them, and make them cut as well as the best swords. The men were pleased with his offer, so he pulled a whet-stone out of his pocket, and whetted and sharpened the scythes. When he at last returned them to the mowers, they found that they could work much quicker and better than before, and each wanted to have the whet-stone for himself. So the traveller threw it amongst them, and they struggled and fought for it with their scythes, until at length they all lay dead on the ground. The traveller went on his way till he came to the master of the estate, the Jotun Baugi, a brother of Suttung, who received him hospitably. In the evening the giant complained that his farm- servants were all killed, and that his splendid crop of hay could not be harvested. Then Bolwerker (Evil-doer), as the traveller called himself, offered to do nine men's work if his host would get him a draught of Suttung's mead. " If thou wilt serve me faithfully," answered the Jotun, " I will 90 ASGARD AND THE GODS. try to fulfil thy desire ; but I will not hide from thee that my brother is very chary of giving a drop of it away." Bolwerker was satisfied with this promise, and worked as hard as the nine farm-servants for the whole summer. When winter came, Bangi, true to his promise, drove to his brother's dwelling with the traveller, and asked for a draught of the mead. But Suttung declared that the vagabond should not have a single drop. " We must now try what cunning will do," said Bolwerker ; " for I must and shall taste that mead, and I know many enchantments that will help me to what I want. Here is the mountain in which the mead is hidden, and here is my good auger, Rati, which can easily make its way through the hardest wall of rock. Take it and bore a hole with it, no matter how small." The Jotun bored as hard as he could. He soon thought that he had made a hole right through the rock, but Bolwerker blew into it and the dust came out into the open air. The second time they tried, it blew into the mountain, and Bolwerker, changing himself into a worm, wriggled through the hole so quickly that treacherous Bangi, who stabbed at him with the auger, could not reach him. When he had got into the cave, the Ase stood before the bloom- ing maiden Gunlod, in all his divine beauty and wrapped in his starry mantle. She nodded her acquiescence when he asked her for shelter and for three draughts of the inspiring mead. Three days he spent in the crystal mansion, and drank three draughts of the mead, in which he emptied Odrorir, Son and Boden He was intoxicated with love, with mead, and with poetry. Then he took the form of an eagle, and flew with rhythmical motion to the divine heights, even as the skald raises himself to the dwellings of the immortals on the wings of the song that is born of love, of wine, and inspiration. But Suttung heard the flap of the wings and knew who.had robbed him of his mead. His eagle-dress was ODIn's visit 10 GUNLOD. ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 93 at hand, he therefore threw it round his great shoulders, and flew so quickly after the Ase that he almost came up with him. The gods watched the wild chase with anxiety. They got cups ready to receive the delicious beverage. When Odin with difficulty reached the safe precincts of holy Asgard, he poured the mead into the goblets prepared for it. Since that time AUfather has given the gods the Draught of Inspiration, nor has he denied drops of Odrorir to mortal men when they felt themselves impelled to sing to the harp of the deeds of the gods and of earthly heroes. Odin possessed knowledge of all past, present, and future events, since he had drunk of the fountain of Mimir and of Odrorir. He therefore determined to attempt a contest with Wafthrudnir, the wisest of the Jotuns, in which the conquered was to lose his head. In vain Frigg strove, in her fear, to dissuade him from the perilous undertaking ; he set out boldly on his way and entered the giant's hall as a poor traveller called Gangrader. Stopping on the threshold of the banqueting hall, he said, " My name is Gangrader, I have come a long way ; and now I ask thee to grant me hospitality and to let me strive with thee in wise talk." Wafthrudnir answered him : " Why dost thou stand upon the threshold, instead of seating thyself in the room.' Thou shalt never leave my hall unless thou hast the victory over me in wisdom. We must lay head against head on the chance ; come forward then and try thy luck." He now proceeded to question his guest about the horses that carried Day and Night across the sky, the river that divided Asgard from Jotunheim, and the field where the Last Battle was to be fought. When Gangrader had shown his knowledge of all these things, the giant oifered him a seat by his side, and in his turn answered his guest's questions as to the origin of earth and heaven, the creation of the gods, how Niorder had come to them 9i ASGARD AND THE GODS. from the wise Wanes, what the Einheriar did in Odin's halls, what was the origin of the Norns, who was to rule over the heritage of the Ases after the world had been burnt up, and what was to be the end of the Father of the gods. After Wafthrudnir had answered all of these questions, Gang- rader asked : " I discovered much. I sought to find out the meaning of many things, and questioned many creatures. What did Odin whisper in the ear of his son befoi'e he ascended the funeral pile .' " Recognising the Father of the gods by this question, the conquered Jotun exclaimed : " Who can tell what thou didst whisper of old in the ear of thy son } I have called down my fate upon my own head, when I dared to enter on a strife of knowledge with Odin. Allfather, thou wilt ever be the wisest." The poet does not tell us whether the visitor demanded the head of the conquered Jotun. Nor does he mention the word that Odin whispered to his son before he went down to the realms of Hel ; but the context leads us to suppose that it was the word Resurrection, the word which pointed to the higher, holier life, to which Baldur, the god of goodness, should be born again, when a new and purer world should have arisen from the ashes of the old, sin-laden world. ODIN, FATHER OF THE ASES. ODIN'S DECENDANTS. From later poems Odin appears not only as Ruler of the world, and Father of all Divine beings, who gradually as time went on became more and more subordinate to him, but also as progenitor of kings and heroic races, such as the kings of the Anglo-Saxons and Franks, as well as of the rulers of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ODIN, FATHER OF THE GODS AND OF THE ASES. 95 According to the Edda, Odin had three sons, Wegdegg, the East Saxon; Beldegg (Baldur or Phol), the West Saxon (Westphalian) ; and Sigi, to whom Franconia was given ; and three others, Skiold, Saming, and Yngwi, who were made kings of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Other sagas show that Wals, Sigmund, and Sigurd, the hero of the Niflung Lay, were descended from Sigi, while Brand and Heingest or Hengist, Horsa and Swipdager were de- scended from Beldegg. The Anglo-Saxon genealogical tables make out that Voden (Wodan) and Frealaf (Freya) had seven sons, who were the founders of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Others, on the contrary, only show three sons here also, which makes them more in agreement with the northern genealogies. According to the higher ideas regarding him, Odin was the father of gods and men ; the latter were created by him, while the former were his direct or indirect descendants. His son by Jbrd (the Earth) was strong Thor, father of Magni and Modi (Strength and Courage) ; by Frigg he had Baldur and Hodur ; by Rinda, Wall, who afterwards became the avenger of Baldur ; and by the nine mothers, the mysterious watchman Heimdal. Besides these, there were the poet-god Bragi ; the divine messenger, Hermodur ; the brave archer, UUer ; and even the god of heaven, Tyr, who otherwise received the highest honours. Related to him were Forseti, son of Baldur, and Widar, who were to rule over the new world of holiness and innocence. Thus he was the Father of the Ases. OiLthe_other.hand, Honir, whQ_gavj2_to_iiewIy- created-man- senses and life, and Loki, who gave him blood and blooming complexions, were Odin's brothers or C£mrades injprimeval times. Great Niorder, his bright son Freyer and his daughter Freya belonged to another divine race, that of the Wanes ; they were first brought into Asgard as hostages, but were received into the ranks of the Ases. 96 ASGARD AND THE GODS. FRIGG AND HER MAIDENS. After the birth of Thor, whose mother was Jord (the Earth), daughter of the giantess Fiorgyn, Odin left the dark Earth-goddess and married bright Frigg, a younger daughter of Fiorgyn ; hence- forth she shared his throne Hlidskialf, his divine wisdom and his power, becoming the joy and .delight of his heart, and the mother of the Ases. She ruled with him over the fate of mortals and granted her votaries good fortune and victory, often bringing about her ends by woman's cunning. Just as in Hellas a feast was held each year in commemoration of the marriage of Zeus and Hera, so did the old Teutons in like manner hold festivity to celebrate the union of Odin and Freya. Freya's palace was called Fensaler, that is, the hall of the sea. It probably got this name from the dwellers on the coast, who looked upon Frigg as the ruler of the sea and protector of ships. A soothing twilight always reigned, and it was adorned with pearls and gold and silver. And the goddess would bring all lovers, and husbands and wives who had been separated by an early death, to this peaceful palace, where they were reunited for ever. This belief of the old Teutons shows us that they regarded love in its truest and highest aspect, and built their hopes on being reunited after death to the objects of their affections. What we learn from the Latin annals of Armin and Thusnelda, of the high position of women as seers of future events, proves to us that noble women were always treated even by rude, fighting men, with respect and reverence ; while the romance of love is clearly shown in the Northern myth of Brynhild, who threw herself upon the burning pyre in order that she might be reunited to her beloved Sigurd. In her gorgeous palace Frigg sits spinning, on her golden distaff, •» ^/^ '-- fc4* ^*' "^i ;', ■ '1 €• 1 1 I'liii ■ III FRIGG AND HER MAIDENS. H FRIGG. 99 the silken threads, which she afterwards bestows om the most worthy housewives. The goddess' spinning-wheel was visible to man every night, for it was that shining, starry zone which we in our ignorance now point out as the Belt of Orion, but which to our ancestors was the Heaven-queen's spinning-wheel. The goddess had three friends and attendants always beside her, and with these she used to hold council on human affairs, in the hall of the moon. FuUa or Volla was the first of Frigg's attendant-goddesses, and chief of the maidens ; according to Teutonic belief she was jjsq^ the sister of the Queen of Heayen. She wore a golden circlet round her head, and beneath it her long hair floated over her shoulders. Her offi ce was to tak e ch arge of the Queen's jewels, a nd to clo the her royal mispress. She listened to the prayers of sorrowful mortals, repeated them to Frigg, and advised her how best to give help. Hlin, the second of Frigg's maidens, was the protector^ of all who w ere in danger and _pf _those^_who_ called upon her for help injigur of need. The messenger of the Queen of Heaven was Gna, who rode, swift as the wind, on a horse with golden trappings, over land and sea, and through the clouds that floated in the air, to bring her mistress news of the fate of mortal men, Once as Gna was hovering over Hunaland, she saw King Rerir, a descendant of Sigi and of the race of Odin, sitting on the side of a hill. She heard him praying for a child, that his family might not be blotted out of memory ; for both he and his wife were advanced in years, and they had got no child to carry on their noble race. She told the goddess of the prayer of the king, who had often presented fine fruit as a sacrifice to the heavenly powers. Frigg smilingly gave her an apple which would ensure the fulfiU ment of the king's desire. Gna quickly remounted her horse Hoof-flinger, and hastened over land and sea, and over the country ASGARD AND THE GODS. of the wise Wanes, who gazed up at the bold rider in astonish- ment, and asked : " What flies up there, so quickly driving past ? " Her answer from the clouds, as rushing by : " I fly not, nor do drive, but hurry fast Hoof-flinger swift through cloud and mist and sky." King Rerir was still seated on the hillside under the shade of a fir-tree, when the divine messenger came down to earth at the skirt of the wood close to where he sat. She took the form of a hooded-crow, and flew up into the fir-tree. She heard the prince mourning over the sad fate that had befallen him, that his family would die out with him, and then she let the apple fall into his lap. At first he gazed at the fruit in amazement, but soon he understood the meaning of the divine gift, took it home with him and gave it to his spouse to eat. Meanwhile Gna guid ed her noble horse rapidly along the st ar-lit road^tq^sgard, and told her mistress joyously of the success of her mission. In due time the Queen of Hunaland had a son, the great Wolsing, from whom the whole family took its name. He was the father of brave Sigmund, the favourite of Odin, and he in his turn of Sigurd, the fame of whose glory was spread over every Northern and Teutonic land. When the Queen of Heaven heard of the success that had accom- panied her divine gift, she herself decided to be the bearer of the news to the assembled gods and heroes, and determined to appear in her most glorious array. Fulla spread out all the Queen's jewels until they shone like stars, yet Frigg was not satisfied. Then Fulla pointed to Odin's statue of pure gold, that stood in the hall of the temple. She thought a worthy ornament might be made for the goddess out of that gold, if the skilful artificers who had made such a marvellous likeness of the Father of the gods could FRIGG. loi only be won over. The artists were bribed with rich presents and they at last cut away some of the gold from a place that was covered by the folds of the floating mantle, so that the theft could not easily be discovered. They then made the Queen a necklace of incomparable beauty. When Frigg entered the as- sembly and seated herself on the throne beside Odin, she at once made known to all present how she had saved a noble family from extinction. Every one gazed at her beauty in amazement, and the Father of the gods felt his heart filled anew with love for his queen. A short time afterwards Odin went to the hall of the temple in which his statue was placed. His penetrating eye at once discovered the theft that no one else had noticed, and his wrath was immediately kindled. He sent for the goldsmiths, and as they confessed nothing, he ordered them to be executed. Then he commanded that the statue should be placed above the high gate of the temple, and prepared magic runes that should give it sense and speech, and thus enable it to accuse the perpetrator of the deed. The Goddess-queen was greatly alarmed at all these pre- parations. She feared the anger of her lord, and still more the shame of her deed being proclaimed in the presence of the ruling Ases. Now there happened to be in the Queen's household a serving demon of low rank, but bold and daring, who had already ventured to show his admiration for his mistress. Fulla went to him and assured him that the Queen was touched by his devotion, upon which the demon declared himself willing to run any risks for her sake. He made the temple watchmen fall into a deep sleep, tore down the statue from above the door, and dashed it in pieces, so that it could no longer speak or complain. Odin saw what he was doing and guessed the reason. He raised Gungnir, the spear of death, ready to fling at all who had ASGARD AND THE GODS. been concerned in the evil deed. But his love for Frigg triumphed over all else ; he determined on another punishment. He withdrew from gods and men ; he disappeared into distant regions, and with him went every blessing from heaven and earth. A false Odin took his place, who let loose the storms of winter and the Ice-giants over field and meadow. Every green leaf withered, thick clouds hid the golden sun and the light of the moon and stars ; the earth, lakes and rivers were frozen by the raging cold which threatened to destroy all forms of life. Every creature longed for the return of the god of blessing, and at length he came back. Thunder and lightning made known his approach. The usurper fled before the true Odin ; and shrubs and herbs of all kinds sprouted anew over the face of the earth, which was now made young again by the warmth of spring. In the foregoing tale, we have endeavoured as much as possible to make a connected narrative out of the confused, and now and then contradictory, myths regarding Frigg and her handmaids. We will only add that the myth which completes it, dates from a time when the gods had paled in the eyes of the people, and had become less exalted in character than of old. There are many versions of it differing from one another, and it serves here to show the difference *