Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/687

SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 6ia SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. ■ethical, from tlip character of the gods is rcHected in their worshipers. There is no piety, nor is there nuicli faith beyoiul the assurance that the gods are likely to take a haiiil in the affairs of men. Neither go<is nor men are always acting rightfully, nor are accursed deeds always avenged. Hence the gloomy idea of the so-called tionis (q.v. ). Over and ahove the natural se- quence of either divine or human events, and above right and wrong, there is a higher in- exorable law which dominates over goils and men alike. Hence, too, the power of gods and men is often dependent, not upon their inner quality, but rather upon external conditions, or upon the possession of sundry magical objects. Odin's throne Hlidhskjalf enables him, or any one else Avho may happen to sit on it, to .see all the world, and Thor's strength depends upon his hammer. The gods called Jvsir (q.v.) fasten the hell wolf Fenrir (see Fenrir; Ragx.rok) with the fetter Gleipnir, made out of the sound caused by the footfall of cats, of the beards of women, the roots of mountains, the breath of fish, and the spittle of birds. The Edda furnishes an account of creation, and of the Scandinavian Olympus, which presents a fair average of Teutonic ideas on these sub- jects. The first and eldest of the gods is Odin, the All-Father, who lives from all ages, rules over all his realm, heaven and earth, and man. All the righteous sliall live and be with himself in Walhalla (q.v.) ; but the wicked fare to He! and thence into Niflheim (q.v.) or Xitlhel, be- neath in the ninth world. At first neither heaven nor earth existed, only a yawning abyss. Then the giants made a citadel for the gods called Asgard (q.v.), to which the gods ascended by the rainbow bridge called Bifrost (q.v.). There Odin sits in his high scat. His wife is Frigg, and their offspring are the .Esir (q.v.). Odin's first son is Thor (q.v.) , the strongest of the gods. He has a hammer, called JljoUnir, a strength- belt, and iron gloves that he may hold his hammer's haft. Balder is Odin's second son, fair and beautiful, and praised by all. Tyr (q.v.) is daring and stanch, while Bragi (q.v.) is famous for. wisdom, clever in speech and song-craft. Among others who are good and great are Hcimdallr (see Ragkarok), Hoenir, Vidh- arr, and Vali. Loki (q.v.), fair of face, ill in temper, and fickle of mood, is called the back- biter of the -Esir, the speaker of evil speech and shame of all gods and men, whom he constantly deceives. The highest seat of the gods is at the ash-tree Yggdrasil (q.v.). One of the three roots of this 'world-tree' goes to heaven to the -Esir. A second reaches to the winter giants. Under that root is the spring of Mimir (q.v.), Odin's uncle. There, once upon a time, came Odin, and begged a drink. His wisdom was exhausted, and the end of things seemed near. Jlimir asked for the eye of Odin as a pledge, which the god sacrificed. The third root reaches to lowest hell. A fair hall stands under the ash by the spring, and out of it come the three norns 'Has-been' {UriUir), •Being' (Vcrdhaiidi) , and 'Will-be' {Ski(Id), and grave on a shield the destiny of men. • The heroes that have fallen in battle, from the beginning of the world, go to Odin in Wal- halla. Odin's 'battle-maidens,' the walkyries. protect his favorites, and grant them victory. But, when their day has come, the walkyries. Vol. XVII.— 40. wiio have hitherto been invisible, reveal them- selves, and conduct the fallen heroes to Walhalla. There they eat of the Mesh of the boar Soehrim- nir every day and drink the mead from the goat lleidhrun. I'>very day the heroes ])ut on their armor and light with each other for their sport. .•t evening they ride home to Walhalla and sit ilown to drink. But an uncertain future throws its shadow even over the citadel of the gods, for no one knows when the enemies of the .Ksir will break their bonds and eause the downfall of the world. 8ee Raonaruk. Only a small stock of the Teutonic divinities can be traced with certainly to the Imlo-tier- manic period. In Scandinavian tivur, a collec- tive designation of the gods, and in the name 7'.i/, Old High German Zio, we have the shining sky- god of the prehistoric myth, rellecte<l by Sanskrit devas, Litliuanian di'ras. Old Irish dia. "god.' Lat. dUiis, 'divine.' The direct equation of 7'i/r, Zio, with Vcdic Dyaus pilar, Greek Zeiij ttottjp, Lat. Jujiitrr (q.v.), has been qiic-tioncd, but there is no doubt that Tyr, /.in, is the prehistoric sky and day god. The Scaiulinavian ./v'.sir. (ierman Asen, another generic designation of the gods, points with great certainty, through .Sanskrit asu, 'life, spirit,' Avestan amhtt, 'lord.' to the Asura-Alnini. the highest generic name for Imlo-lranian divinities. Odin or Wulait may not be severed from the Vedie storm god ^ I'llii, 'Wind.' Slight phonetic obscurities notwith- standing, the Scandinavian god and goddess Fjuryynn and Fjorgyn are identical with the Lithuanian Perkunas, Vedic I'arjunya (q.v.) , 'god of thunder.' Less certain, though probable, is the connection of the words for elf (. glo- Saxon celfr, Scandinavian aJfr) with the rhliu (see RiBHUS) of the Veda. Both types of divini- ties are famed for skill rather than strength ; they are probably divinities of light, connected with the fashioning of the seasons and the year. In the common Teutonic ])eriod three mighty gods and one goddess were worshi])ed. Tyr. Odin, Thor, and Frigg. Four days of the week, Tues- day, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, were consecrated to them. Tyr, the ancient sky god, became a war god and lost his early importance. Wodanaz (Scandinavian Odin) was originally a storm god. In the belief of the (Jermans he figures as the leader of the 'Furious Host,' or 'Wild Hunt.' The souls of the dead are thought to sweep with him through the air, so he be- comes the leader of the souls and god of the dead. He develops also into a god of war. and finally in the Scandinavian North into the head of Wal- halla, creator, orderer of the world, and god of wisdom. Each day he lets fly his two ravens, Huginn and llunin (thought and memory); when they return they alight upon his shoulders, and tell him of all that comes to pass and all that is to be. The most popular god of Seandinavia is Thor. His mother is Fjorgyn, a female personification of thunder, and he is himself thunder personified. He is surnamed Hlorridhi. 'roarer;' his hair and beard are red. typifying the lightning, and he wields the hanmier Mjollnir, which returns of itself to the hand of the god after crushing his enemies. In many myths he is the chief de- fender of the heavenly citadel -sgard against the attacks of the giants. He is a popular god in distinction from the more aristocratic Odin, being simple and rough, passionate, and de-