^34 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



by Niorder. They have, befides, Thor, or T'heu- 

 tates, the God of War, armed with a club, which 

 he darts from the upper regions of the air; they 

 give him gloves of iron, and a belt, which re- 

 doubles his fury when it is girded around him. 

 57r, equally cruel ; the lilcnt Vidar^ who wears 

 fhoes of confiderable thicknefs, by means of which 

 he can walk through the air, and upon the water, 

 without making any noife j Hemdal^ with the gol- 

 den tooth, who fees day and night : he can hear 

 the flighteft found, even that which the grafs or 

 the wool makes as they grow : Oiiller^ the God of 

 the Ice, Qiod with ikates ; Loke , who had three 

 children by the giantefs Angherbode : the meffenger 

 of grief, namely, the wolf Fenris, the ferpent of 

 Midgardy and the mercilefs Hela. Hela is death. 

 They fay, that his palace is mifery ; his table, fa- 

 mine ; his door, the precipice ; his porch, lan- 

 guor; and his bed, confumption. They have, 

 befides, feveial other Gods, whofe exploits are as 

 ferocious as their names, Herian^ Rijîindi, Svidur, 

 Svidrer, Sa/Jk; which, tranflated, mean the war- 

 rior, the thunderer, the deftroyer, the incendiary, 

 the father of carnage. The Druids honour thefe 

 Divinities, (ii) with funereal ceremonies, lamen- 

 table ditties, and human facrifices. This horrible 

 mode of worfhip gives them fo much power over 

 the terrified fpirits of the Gauls, that they prefide 

 in all their counfels, and decide upon all their af- 

 fairs. 



