REMARKS ON THE NINTH FABLE.

(A)" In a city named Alfheim."] Alfheim fignifies, in Gothic, the Abode of the Genii, that is, of the Fairies of the male fex. We may obferve, that they are of different characters, Good and Bad; for there is no probability, that any one good quality could be afcribed to creatures blacker than pitch. It is needlefs to obferve, that all the Gothic and' Celtic nations have had these Genii. The romances of Chivalry are full of allufions to this imaginary fyftem. The fame opiThe fame opinions prevailed among the Perfians. In many places of High Germany, the people have still a notion, that these Genii come by night, and lay themselves on thofe they find fleeping on their backs; and thus produce, that kind of fuffocation which we call the Night Mare. (See Keyfler. Antiq. Sept. p. 500.) In the fame manper they accounted for thofe luxurious and immodeft illufions, fo common in dreams; hence

*

are derived the fables of Incubules and Sucubuses; and that general opinion that there were Genii or Sylphs of both fexes, who did not difdain the embraces of mortals.

With one fingle fiction, fo fruitful as this, they might have run through the whole world of nature, and not have left a fingle phænomenon unaccounted for. To do this there was only occafion for Good and Bad Genii, as we have seen above. With regard to the Bad, they were particularly dreaded at the hour of noon; and in fome places they still make it a point of duty to keep company at that hour with women in childbed, for fear the Demon of Noon should attack them, if left alone. This f perftition hath prevailed no lefs in France, than elsewhere ; (See elsewhere; though it came from the east. St. Bafil recommends us to pray to God some time before noon, to avert this danger. The Celtes with the fame view, offered facrifices,

Vid. Keyfler. Antiq. Sept. p. 500. curious paffage from an ancient SCALD, P. 501, 502.

THE TENTH FABLE.

G

Of the Gods to be believed in.

ANGLER goes on, and afks, Who are the Gods, whom men ought to acknowledge? Har answers, There are twelve Gods, whom you ought to serve. Jafnhar adds, Nor are the Goddeffes less facred. Thridi proceeds, The first and mosft ancient of the Gods is ODIN. He governs all things. And although the Gods are powerful, yet they all serve him, as children do their father (A). His spouse FRIGGA forefees the deftinies of men, but fhe never reveals what is to come, as appears from that conversation in verfe which Odin one day held with Loke. "Senfeless "Loke, why wilt thou pry into the fates?

Frigga alone knoweth what is to come, "but the never discloseth it to any perfon." Odin is called the Universal Father, because he is the Father of all the Gods. He is alfo called the Father of Battles, because

he

he adopts for his children all those who are

flain with their swords in their hands. He affigns them for their place of refidence, the palaces of Valhall and Vingolf, and beftows upon them the title of Heroes (B). He has a great many other names, as Hanga-Gud, &c. [Here forty-fix names are enumerated.]

A great many names indeed! fays Gangler: furely that man must be very learned who knows them all diftinctly, and can tell upon what occafions they were given. Har replies, It requires, no doubt, a tolerable memory, to recollect readily all these names. But I will intimate to you however, in a few words, what principally contributed to confer them upon him: it was the great variety of languages (B): for each people being defirous to adore him, and addrefs their vows to him, they have been obliged to tranflate his name each into his own language. Some of his other names have been owing to adventures, which have happened to him in his travels, and which are related in the ancient hiftories. Nor can you ever pafs for a man of learning, if you are not able to give an account of all thefe wonderful adventures.

RE

REMARKS ON THE TENTH FABLE.

(A)" As children do "their father."] I am obliged to return again to Odin. There is nothing in all Pagan antiquity more express than this paffage, with regard to the fupremacy of ONE GOD. The name of As, or LORD, is again afcribed to him in this place. The Gauls, in like manner, called him alfo Es, or with a Latin termination Efus: for several manuscript copies of Lucan, who speak of this God, give the word Efus, without the afpirate +. I have faid elsewhere, that Suetonius pofitively afferts the fame thing of the Etrufcans. The Roman authors have often called him the Mars of the Celtic people; because, as the EDDA clearly fhows here, he was the fame with the God of War. Wherefore, (although the learned Abbé Banier has maintained the contrary)

this Efus, whose name occurs in the monuments of the cathedral of Paris, is, at one and the fame time, the Supreme God, and, to fpeak with the EDDA, the Father of Battles; as P. Pezron had advanced. (See La Mythol. & les Fables expliq. T. II. p. 650, &c. Ed. Quarto.) Monf. Pelloutier, in my opinion, hath proved, beyond all doubt, that the Supreme God of the Celtes, Efus, Teut or Odin, was the God of War. (See Hift. des Celtes, T. II. c. 7.) It is to no purpose to object, that the Father of Gods and Men could not at the fame time be called the Father of Combats, without manifest contradiction; for the EDDA eftablishes this to be the fact too ftrongly to be difputed. Befides, contradictions do not always hinder an opinion from being received. Various

† Vid. Keyfl. Antiq. p. 139, &c. 187.-The paffage referred to i

Lucan, is this.

Et quibus immitis placatur fanguine cafo
Tentates; borrenfque feris altaribus HESUS.
Pharfal. L. I.

T.