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supreme God was famous throughout the circumjacent countries; and it was Odin that performed the functions of it in chief, assisted by twelve other Pontiffs (Diar or Drottar, a kind of Druids) who also
Modern relations make mention also of a nation of Ases or Osses seated in the same country; and there is reason to believe, that the city of As-hof derived its name from the same source; this word signifies in the Gothic language, the same as Asgard, or Asburg. [Vid. Bayer. in Act. Academ. Petropol. Tom. 9. p. 387. & Dalin. S. R. Hist. T. 1. p. 101, & seqq.] But notwithstanding all this, it is still doutbtful whether Odin and his companions came so far. Snorro is probably the author of this conjecture founded on the similitude of names. The most eminent chronicles, the poets, and tradition it is likely, said only, that Odin came from the country of the Ases: Now As in the Scythian language signifies a Lord, a God, and this name was in use among many Celtic nations. See Sueton. Aug. c. 97. As-gard then signifies the court or abode of God, and the resemblance of this name may have deceived Snorro. The learned Eccard in his Treatise of the Origin of the Germans, thinks that Odin came from some neighbouring country of Germany, where we find many names of places which are compounded of the word As, and it is possible that he may have sojourned there a long time, and formed establishments; though he or his nation came originally from some country of Scythia. [Thus far our author in his second Edition: in his first edit. he had observed that there was a striking resemblance between several customs of the Georgians, as described by Chardin, and those of certain Cantons of
