52 



ODIN OF THE NOETII. 



were much mixed together ; the Eisar got wives from Mann- 

 heimar, and some of them married their daughters there " 

 (Hervarar Saga, ch. i.). 



The account given in the Hervarar Saga agrees with that in 

 the Ynglinga Saga, which is important not only as giving an 

 idea of the conception the people of the North had of our 

 world, but as describing the names of the lands and countries 

 mentioned in the earlier Eddas and Sagas. 



" The round of the world on which men dwell is much cut 

 by the sea ; lai'ge seas stretch from the outer sea round the 

 earth into the land. It is known that a sea runs from Njorva- 

 sund (Straits of Gibraltar) all the way up to Jorsalaland (the 

 land of Jerusalem). From it a long bay runs north-east, 

 called the Black Sea, which separates the three parts of the 

 world ; the part east of it is called Asia, but the one west of it 

 is called Europa by some, and Enea by others. North of the 

 Black Sea is the great or the cold Sweden ; some say that 

 Sweden is no smaller than Serklaud (the laud of Saracens) 

 the great ; some say she is as large as Blaland (the land 

 of the blue (black) men) the great. The northern part of 

 Swede-n is uninhabited, 011 account of frost and cold, as the 

 southern part of Blaland is on account of the sun's burning 

 heat. In Sweden there are many large herads (districts). 



There are also many kinds of people and many tongues : there 

 are Asar, Dvergar, and Blamenn (blue (black) men), and many 

 kinds of strange people ; there are beasts and dragons wonder- 

 fully large. From the north, in mountains which are beyond 

 all settlements, a river springs that flows through Sweden ; its 

 right name is Tanais ; it was in old times called Tanakvisl, 1 

 or Vana-kvisl ; it flows into the Black Sea. The land round 

 Vanakvisl was then called Vanaland or Vauaheim (home or 

 world of the Vanir). This river 2 separates the two-thirds of 

 the world; east of it is Asia, and West of it is Europa" 

 (Ynglinga Saga, 1). 



" A large mountain ridge runs from north-east to south- 

 west ; it separates Sweden the Great 3 from other lands. 

 South of the mountain, not far off, is Tyrkland ; there 

 Odin owned a great deal of land. At that time the chiefs 



1 Kvisl a forked river, one of the 

 forks where they unite it also means a 

 branch of a tree. 



Vana-kvisl means the river of the 

 Vanir ; it is supposed now that it was 

 the river Don which flows into the Sea 



of Azow, but it is doubtful. 



2 This was probably the river Don, 

 which is near the Ural Mountains. 



3 Svithjod the Great seems to be 

 Russia Norway, Sweden, perhaps Den- 

 mark and the shores of the Baltic. 



