48 MYTHOLOGY AND COSMOGONY. 



"The Asar went to their feast, and the twelve Asar who 

 were to be judges sat down in the highseats : their names 

 were Thor, Njord, Frey, Tyr, Heimdall, Bragi, Vidar, Vali, 

 Ull, Hcenir, Forseti, Loki " (Later Edda). 



The following extract from the Later Edda gives us the 

 names of the principal goddesses, with their leading charac- 

 teristics. 



" Gangleri said : ' Who are the Asynjar ? ' Har answered : 

 'Frigg is the highest; she has a very splendid house called 

 Fensalir. The second is Saga, who lives at Sokkvabekk, a 

 large place. The third is Eir ; she is the most skilled 

 healer ( = physician). The fourth is Gefjon, who is a maiden, 

 and those who die as maidens wait upon her. The fifth is 

 Fulla ; she is also a maiden with loose hair, and wears a golden 

 band round her head ; she carries the ashen box of Frigg 

 and takes care of her shoe-clothes ( = shoes and stockings), 

 and partakes in her secret counsels. Freyja is ,next in 

 rank to Frigg ; she is married to a man called Od, their 

 daughter is Hnoss ; she is so beautiful that fine and costly 

 things are called after her hnoss. Od went far off and left 

 Freyja weeping, and her tears are red gold. She has many 

 names ; that is because she called herself by different names 

 when she went among foreign nations in search of Od ; 

 she is called Mardoll, Horn, Gefn, and Syr. She owns the 

 Brisinga necklace. She is called Vanadis (dis (goddess) of 

 the Vanir). The seventh is Sjofn ; she applies herself much 

 to turning the minds of men to love, both males and females ; 

 from her name a loving mind is called sjafm. Lofn is so 

 mild and good to invoke that she gets Allfodr (Odin) or Frigg 

 to allow the marriages of men, male and female, though they 

 have been forbidden or flatly refused ; from her name is lof 

 (leave), and that which is lofat (= praised) by men. Var 

 listens to the oaths of men and the private agreements which 

 men and women make between themselves ; these are called 

 vdrar, and she punishes those who break them. Vor is wise 

 and asks many questions, so that nothing can be hidden from 

 her ; when a woman knows a thing she is vor ( = aware) of 

 it. Syn guards the door of the hall (Valhalla) and shuts 

 it to those who are not to enter ; therefore when some one 

 denies a thing he is said to put down syn ( =- negation, refuse). 

 Hlin has to guard the men whom Frigg wishes to save from 

 danger. Snotra is wise and of good manners ; a wise man or 

 woman is called snotr from her name. Gna, Frigg sends into 

 various worlds on her errands ; she has a horse which runs 



