THE EIGHTH FABLE.

Of the Holy City, or Refidence of the Gods..

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ANGLER demanded: Which is the capital of the Gods, or the fa-. cred city? Har anfwers, It is under the Afh Ydrafil; where the Gods affemble eve-> ry day, and adminifter juftice (A). But, fays Gangler, What is there remarkable with regard to that place? That Afh, fays Jafnhar, is the greatest and best of all trees. Its branches extend themselves over the whole world, and reach above the heavens. It hath three roots, extremely dif tant from each other: the one of them is among the Gods; the other among the Giants, in that very place where the abyss was formerly; the third covers Niflheim, or Hell; and under this root is the fountain Vergelmer, whence flow the infernal rivers: this root is gnawed upon below by the monftrous ferpent Nidhoger. Under that root, which stretches out towards the land VOL. II.

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of the Giants, is alfo a celebrated fpring, in which are concealed Wisdom and Prudence. He who has poffeffion of it is named Mimis; he is full of wisdom, be cause he drinks thereof every morning. One day the Univerfal Father came and begged to drink a cup of this water; but he was obliged to leave in pledge for it one of his eyes, according as it is faid in the VOLUSPA: "Where haft thou concealed "thine eye, ODIN ? I know where; " even in the .limpid fountain of Mimis. Every morning does Mimis pour Hydromel (or Mead) upon the pledge he "received from the Univerfal Father. Do you, or do you not, understand this? (B)." The third root of the Afh is in heaven, and under it lies the holy fountain of TIME-PAST. 'Tis here that the

Gods fit in judgment. Every day they ride hither on horseback, paffing over the Rainbow, which is the bridge of the Gods. These are the names of the horfes of the Gods: Sleipner is the best of them; he hath eight feet, and he belongs to Odin. The others are Glader, Gyller, &c. The horfe of the God Balder, was burnt along with his mafter. As for Thor, he goes on foot to the tribunal of the Gods, and fords the rivers Kormt, Gormt, &c. All thefe is he obliged to cross every day on

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foot, in his way to the Afh Ydrafil; for the Bridge of the Gods is all on fire. How comes it to pass, interrupted Gangler, that the Bridge Bifroft is on fire? That, fays Har, which you fee red in the Rainbow, is the fire which burns in heaven: for the Giants of the mountains would climb up to heaven by that Bridge, if it were easy for every one to walk over it.

There are in heaven a great many pleafant cities, and none without a divine garrifon. Near the fountain, which is under the Ash, stands a very beautiful city, wherein dwell three virgins, named Urda, or the PAST; Verdandi, or the PRESENT; and Skulda, or the FUTURE. These are they who difpenfe the ages of men; they are called Nornies, that is, Fairies *, or Destinies. But there are indeed a great many others, befides thefe, who affift at the birth of every child, to determine his fate. Some are of celeftial origin; others defcend from the Genii; and others from the Dwarfs as it is faid in these verses, "There are Nornies of different originals: "fome proceed from the Gods, fome from "the Genii, and others from the Dwarfs." -Then, says Gangler, if these Nornies dif

*Nornir, Il. is rather Fates, or Deftinies, Parca. I have therefore chose to retain the original word in fome of the following paffages rather than render it FAIRIES, after M, Mallet.

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penfe the deftinies of men, they are very unequal in their diftribution; for fome are fortunate and wealthy, others acquire neither riches nor honours; fome come to a good old age, while others die in their prime of life. Har anfwers, The Nornies, who are sprung of a good origin, are good themselves, and difpenfe good destinies: but those men to whom misfortunes happen, ought to ascribe them to the evil Nornies or Fairies (c). Gangler proceeds, and defires to know fomething more concerning the Ash. Har replied, What I have farther to add concerning it is, that there is an eagle perched upon its branches, who knows a multitude of things: but he hath between his eyes a fparrow-hawk. A fquirrel runs up and down the Afh, fowing misunderftanding between the eagle and the ferpent, which lies concealed at its root. Four ftags run across the branches of the tree, and devour its rind. There are so many ferpents in the fountain whence spring the rivers of hell, that no tongue can recount them, as it is faid in thefe verses. "The

large Afh fuffers more than man would "believe. A ftag eats and spoils it above; "it rots on the fides; while a ferpent 66 gnaws and corrodes it below." And alfo in thefe, "Under the great Afh are many ferpents, &c." They relate befides, that the Fairies or Deftinies who refide near the foun

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fountain of the PAST, draw up water thence, with which they bedew the Ath, to prevent its branches from growing withered and decayed. Of fo purifying a nature is that water, that whatever it touches becomes as white as the film withinfide an egg. There are upon this fubject very ancient verfes, to this effect, "The great " and facred Afh is befprinkled with a "white water, whence comes the dew "which falls into the valleys, and which "fprings from the fountain of PAST"TIME." Men call this the Honey-dew, and it is the food of bees. There are allo in this fountain two fwans, which have produced all the birds of that fpecies.

• REMARKS ON THE EIGHTH FABLE:

(A)" Adminifter juftice." We see in the preceeding fable, that the Gods affemble together in the open air, in a valley: Here is their principal refidence, under an AfhTree. In this, as in other things, the Gods are made to conform themselves to the manners of men. The ancient Gothic and' Celtic nations for a long time had no other place of rendezvous, than fome

† Vid. Keysl. Antiq. Sept.

tree remarkable for its fize and age! The states of Eaft Friezeland, even fo late as the thirteenth century, affembled under three large oaks which grew near Aurich; and it is not more than three centuries ago, that most of the German princes held their conferences under trees +. The averfion thefe people had for inclofed places; the fear of putting themselves into the power of a perfidious p. 78, 79, 80... T. E 3

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