CHAPTER V. 



MYTHOLOGY AND COSMOGONY continued. 



Norse Cosmogony Midgard, Asgard, and Mannheim The Asar and Vanir 

 Thor and Tyr The Goddesses The Apples of Youth. 



WHERE the mythical Odin ends in the Voluspa, if there is any 

 ending to him, is impossible to tell ; it appears that he came 

 and built an earthly Midgard, 1 according to the writer of the 

 Later Edda who gives the tradition and belief of the people 

 in his day. 



Odin himself was originally a Jotun, and it would appear 

 from the mythological literature of the North that, for some 

 reason, he wished to found a new religion, and desired to 

 proclaim himself chief and spiritual ruler over several, if not 

 all the tribes before mentioned ; this claim, from the account 

 of the fights which took place, must have been hotly con- 

 tested. In the history of the birth of every nation, something 

 similar has taken place, and these struggles are always 

 described with wonderful and often supernatural accompani- 

 ments. We are led to believe that a devoted band of followers 

 attached themselves to Odin's cause, and gradually others 

 joined him ; thus forming a community over which he was the 

 leader. To protect themselves from their enemies, among 

 whom, according to the Ecldas, were included Jotnar and 

 Thursar, &c., the Asar erected a wall round their country, and 

 called the whole enclosed land Midgard. 



In the centre of Midarard, Odin built for himself, his family, 



i 7 



chiefs, and councillors, Asgard, 2 called also Asaheim (home of 

 the Asar), and Godheim (home of the gods). As, in the 

 Northern language, afterwards denoted one of the gods, who 



1 Midgard midr, middle ; gardr l yard, 

 enclosed space ; also, courtyard and pre- 

 mises ; a house in a village or town ; a 

 stronghold; a fence or wall ; a collection 

 of houses, a farm. 



- Asgard in olden times meant a place 



surrounded by walls, and also a collec- 

 tion of houses enclosed by a fence, hence 

 the modern name in Scandinavia of gard 

 for farm. The residence of the gods is 

 also called by this name in the Edda. 



