MYTHOLOGY AND COSMOGONY. 



And burnt her 

 In the hall of Har ;' 

 Thrice they burnt 

 The thrice-born one, 

 Yet still she lives. 



Then all the gods went 

 To their judgment seats, 

 The most holy gods, 

 And counselled about 

 Whether the Asar should 

 Tribute pay, 2 



Or if all the gods 

 Should have a feast. 



Odin had hurled the spear 

 And shot at the host ; 

 That was moreover the first 

 Fight in the world. 

 Broken was the timber wall 

 Of the Asa-burgh ; 

 The war- ex posed plains 

 The Vanir trampled on. 



A fight is also mentioned in the Yngliuga Saga which seems 

 to be the same as the one referred to in Voluspa. 



" Odin went with a host against the Vanir, but they with- 

 stood him well and defended their land. Asar and Vanir got 

 the victory by turns ; each waged war in the other's land and 

 plundered. When they became tired of this they appointed 

 a meeting for agreement between themselves, and made peace 

 and gave each other hostages. The Vanir gave their foremost 

 men, Njorcl the wealthy and his son Frey, and the Asar gave 

 a man called Hrenir, and said he was well fitted to be a chief. 

 He was a tall and very handsome man. The Asar sent with 

 him a man called Mimir, who was very wise ; in exchange for 

 him the Vanir gave one, who was the wisest among them, 

 called Kvasir. When Hoenir came to Vanaheim he was at 

 once made chief ; Mimir taught him everything. And when 

 Hoanir was at the Things or meetings, and Mimir was not 

 near, and some difficult cases were taken to him, he always 

 gave the same answer, ' Let others say what is to be done.' 

 Then the Vanir suspected that the Asar had deceived them in 

 the exchange of men. They took Mimir and beheaded him, 

 and sent his head to the Asar. Odin took the head and 

 besmeared it with the juice of plants, so that it could not rot. 

 He sang charms over it, and by spells made it so powerful that 

 it spoke with him, and told him many unknown things " 

 (Ynglinga, c. 4). 



= draught, also strength. It may be 

 a metaphor for the thirst of gold being 

 the root of evil, and the cause of the 

 first fight and manslaying in the world, 

 as the thirst is never dying. 



1 Har - Odin. 



2 Here evidently the reference is to 

 the war between the Vanir and the Asar. 



This shows that they had been defeated. 

 Feast means sacrifice, which was always 

 followed by the feast ; this would imply 

 that they wanted to make a sacrifice for 

 peace or victory. 



3 A stockade made like Danavirki or 

 other stiongholds in the north. 



