the EDDA. As for GYLFE, Snorro informs us in the beginning of his larger Chronicle, that this prince, who governed Sweden before the arrival of Odin and his Afiatics, was obliged to yield to the fupernatural power, which those intruders employed against him, and to refign his kingdom up to them. This gave rife to the fuppofition that Gylfe was willing to make trial himfelf of the skill and fagacity of these new-comers, by propofing to them a variety of captious queftions. In the history of ancient Scandinavia, as well as that of all the eaftern countries, we often fee thefe contests or trials of fkill between kings and princes, in which the victory is always affigned to him who could give an answer to every queftion, and affign a caufe (true or falfe) for every phoeno menon. This was called Science or Wisdom; words originally fynonimous in all languages, but at prefent fo cafily diftinguifhed. It will be neceffary here, to refer the reader to the account of Odin's arrival in the north, given in the former volume, (chap. II, III, &c.) for his more readily understanding this and the following chap ters. 66 (A) He refolved to go to Afgard."] Odin and his companions came from ASGARD: A word which fignifies the "a bode of Lords or Gods." Some words are difficult to be understood, becaufe we cannot discover any meaning in them. Here on the contrary, the difficulty lies in the variety or multiplicity of fignifications. The word As in the ancient languages of Europe,' generally fignified Lord or God, but in the EDDA, and other Icelandic writings, it fignifies alfo Afiatics; and we know not in which of these fenfes the name is given to Odin and his companions. Eccard, in his treatise De Origine Germanorum, pag. 41. pretends that this word was never used in the laft fenfe, and that the arrival of Odin from Afia was a meer fiction, founded on the refemblance of founds; Fr. Dans toutes les Branches de la langue Celtique. 3 ΟΙ or that he certainly came from Vandalia, at prefent Pomerania. I refer the reader to the work itself, for the reafons on which this conjecture is founded; which would deserve the preference for its fimplicity, if a uniform and ancient tradition did not place the original country of the Scandinavians in the neighbourhood of the Tanais. See Vol. I. c. IV, &c. (B)" By their inchant"ments."] It should be remembered that the author of the EDDA was a Chriftian: On this account he is unwilling to allow Odin the honour of having performed real miracles. It was believed, indeed, in our author's time, that it was impoffible to do fupernatural things, but that yet there was an art of perfuading others that they saw them done. The fame opinion ftill prevails among many of our contemporaries. [This note is only in the firft edit. of the orig.] (c) "Diodolfe thus "describes it."] Diodolfe, or Thiodolfe, was a celebrated ancientSCALD, who compofed a long poem, containing the hiftory of more than thirty princes of Norway. We fee in the text SNORRO'S care to quote almost always his authorities for whatever he relates: This will appear throughout his work. He has perfued the fame method in his great Chronicle, where we find every fact confirmed by a fragment of fonie old hiftorical poem. This fhows, at the fame time, both the great erudition of this hiftorian, and the amazing quantity of fuch kind of verses that fubfifted in his time. In like manner among the Gauls, their ancient poems were fo numerous, that the young people found fufficient employment for feveral years in committing them to memory. (D) Three thrones and on each fat "a man."] In the MS. copy of the EDDA preferved at Upfal, there is a representation or drawing (very rudely done, as may be fuppofed) of these three thrones, and of the three perfons fitting on B 3 them. (E)" He who fits on the highest throne."] Is it Odin, or some one of his court that fills this throne? This it is not eafy to decide. It appears to me, however, that throughout this whole preamble, the ODIN here fpoke of, is only the prince, the conqueror of the north, and not ODIN the father and ruler of the Gods S. Gangler had betaken himself to Odin's court, while that prince was fubduing Sweden. He found therefore at Af gard, only his vicegerents, that ruled in his absence. The names that are given them, perhaps allude to their rank and employments. Upon this fuppofition, there will be nothing in the relation but what is natural and easy. But I must here repeat it, that we must expect to fee, throughout this Mythology, ŎDIN the conqueror of the north, eve ry where confounded with ÓDIN the fupreme Deity: Whose name was ufurped by the other, at the fame time that he came to eftablifh his worship in Scandinavia. JUPITER, the king of Crete, and the fovereign lord of Heaven and Earth; ZOROASTER, the founder of the worship of the Magi, and the God to whom that worship was addreffed; ZAMOLXIS, the high-priest of the Thracians, and the fupreme God of that peo ple, have not been more conftantly confounded, than thefe two ODINS. The reader may find it engraven on a copper-plate in Bartholini Caufa contemptæ à Danis mortis, &c. pag. 473. 4to. T. 5 The reader will remember the diftinétion made in pag. 60, 88, 89, &c. of the preceding volume. THE THE FIRST FABLE. Questions of Gangler. ANGLER thus began his discourse. G Who is the fupreme or firft of the Gods? Har answers: We call him here ALFADER, or the univerfal father; but in the ancient Afgard, he hath twelve names (A). Gangler afks; Who is this God? What is his power? and what hath he done to difplay his glory (B)? Har replies; He lives for ever; he governs all his kingdom; and directs the great things as well as the fmall. Jafnhar adds: He hath formed the heaven, the earth, and the air. Thridi proceeds, He hath done more; he hath made man, and given him a fpirit or foul, which fhall live, even after the body fhall have mouldered away. And then all the juft fhall dwell with him in a place * Goranfon tranflates this, Ubi eft hic deus? HUAR ES SA GUD? Where is this God? Which is doubtless the true meaning. T. 2 Gangler named Gimle (or Vingolf, the palace of friendship:) But wicked men fhall go to HELA, or death, and from thence to Nifheim, or the abode of the wicked, which is below in the ninth world. then asked, how this God was employed before he made the heaven and the earth? Har replied, He was then with the Giants (c). But, fays Gangler, With what did he begin? or what was the beginning of things? Hear, replied Har, what is faid in the poem of the VOLUSPA. "At the beginning of time, when nothing was "yet formed, neither fhore, nor fea, nor "foundations beneath; the earth was no "where to be found below, nor the hea ven above: All was one vaft abyss (D), "without plant or verdure." Jafnhar added, Many winters before the earth was made, Niflheim (E) or Hell was formed, and in the middle of it is a fountain named Hvergelmer. From this fountain run the following rivers, Anguish, the Enemy of Joy, the Abode of Death, Perdition, the Gulph, the Tempeft, the Whirlwind, the Bellowing and Howling, the Abyss. That which is called the Roaring runs near the grates of the Abode of Death. RE |
