CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



thither: it was not till the nth century that it 

 took root in those countries ; and remnants of 

 the old heathen worship continued for centuries 

 later. The Norwegians who settled in Iceland in 

 the Qth century carried with them their reli- 

 gion ; there the Sagas or metrical legends of 

 their gods were handed down by tradition till the 

 1 2th century, when, it is believed, they were 

 collected and committed to writing by Saemund 

 Sigfusson, surnamed Frodi, an Icelandic priest. 

 This collection forms the older of the two books 

 called the Eddas. The newer Edda is a sort of 

 systematic treatise or handbook of old Norse 

 mythology and poetry, compiled in the beginning 

 of the 1 3th century, by an Icelander of the name 

 of Snorri Sturluson. It is chiefly from these 

 two books that we derive our knowledge of the 

 Scandinavian religion. There is every reason to 

 believe that the same system of belief and wor- 

 ship was common to the Scandinavians and to 

 the Teutonic nations of Germany. Beyond a few 

 incidental notices in the classic writers, we have 

 no written account of the religion of pagan 

 Germany. It had yielded to Christianity before 

 any native literature had sprung up ; but from the 

 traces of it that have been gathered from names 

 and other remnants that long survived in popular 

 traditions and usages and in some cases even 

 yet survive in the very midst of Christianity, it 

 is clear that the Teutonic tribes worshipped the 

 same gods, and with substantially the same 

 ritual as the Scandinavians. Beyond their own 

 inherent interest, therefore, the Eddas become 

 important in the eyes of all that speak the Eng- 

 lish language, as the chief record the Bible, as it 

 were of the religion of their ancestors. 



The following is an outline of the contents of 

 the Eddas : 



Cosmogony. In the beginning of time, there 

 was neither earth nor heaven ; only a yawning 

 gulf (Ginnungagap). In the north of this lay 

 Niflheim (Mist-home), ice-cold and dark; in the 

 south, Muspelheim, glowing with light and heat. 

 In Niflheim, sprung up rivers, which, turning to 

 ice, along with layer upon layer of hoar-frost from 

 the frozen mist, filled up Ginnungagap. Sparks 

 from the warm south fell upon this ice j it melted ; 

 life stirred in the drops, and there sprung up a 

 giant man, Ymir, who was wicked, as were all his 

 descendants, the Hrimthursar or Rime-giants. 

 After Ymir there sprung from the melted ice the 

 cow Audhumbla, the four rivers of milk from 

 whose udder nourished Ymir, while the cow sup- 

 ported herself by licking salt. Out of the blocks of 

 salt she licked a man, a hero, great in stature, 

 and beautiful, called Bur, whose son, Bor, had, by 

 a wife of giant race, three sons Odin, Wile, and 

 We. These slew the giant Ymir ; and the stream 

 arising from his blood drowned the whole race 

 of the Hrimthursar, except one who escaped with 

 his wife, and became the progenitor of the new 

 race of giants, the Jotuns. Out of Ymir's flesh 

 was formed the earth ; his blood became the sea ; 

 his bones, the mountains ; his hair, the trees ; 

 his skull, the heaven ; his brain, the clouds ; and 

 his eyebrows were formed by the gods into a 

 wall round about Mitgard (the habitable earth), 

 as a protection against the giants, who now had 

 their abode on the outer verge of the earth. By 

 Earth, daughter of Night, Odin had a son, Thor. 

 Odin and his children for he had several besides 



434 



Thor were called .<Esir (from As, a lord or god). 

 In the centre of Mitgard, the gods built them- 

 selves a splendid abode, Asgard (city of the lords 

 or gods). They also provided for the lighting of 

 the earth by means of the sun and moon, created 

 day and night, and distinguished the seasons. 



As yet, Mitgard was uninhabited ; then the 

 gods formed two human beings, Ask (ash) and 

 Embla (elm). Odin gave them life, Wile gave 

 them reason, and We gave them form and speech. 

 Mitgard, as their dwelling, was called Manheim. 

 Besides the four worlds or helms (homes) already 

 named Muspelheim, Niflheim, Godheim (Asgard), 

 and Manheim there were five others : Vanaheim, 

 occupying the space between the vault of heaven 

 and the earth, the abode of the Vanir, a race of 

 gods, hostile at first to the JEsir, but afterwards 

 reconciled to them ; Alfheim and Svartalfheim, 

 the homes of the light elves and of the dark elves 

 or dwarfs the former friendly, the latter hostile 

 to the human race ; Jotunheim, the abode of the 

 giants ; and Helheim, the home of Hel or Death 

 the infernal world. Thus, as in other cosmog- 

 onies, the earth arises out of the conflict of the 

 two elements of fire and water. 



Connected in some way with the name of the 

 first man, Ask, is the famous ash-tree, Yggdrasil. 

 It spread its branches over the whole earth, and 

 as high as heaven. In the branches sat an eagle, 

 and between his eyes a hawk ; four stags also 

 ran about among the branches, and devoured the 

 leaves. One root went down to Niflheim, and 

 was continually gnawed by the dragon Nidhogg ; 

 and a squirrel ran up and down the stem, seeking 

 to make mischief between the dragon and the 

 eagle. A second root stretched to the land of 

 the giants, where Mimir's well was ; a third 

 reached to the abodes of men and the gods, and 

 under it sat the three Norns or Fates, who watered 

 the tree. They were named Urd (Past), Verdandi 

 (Present), and Skulld (Future). Here was the 

 judgment-seat of the gods, where they daily re- 

 paired. This tree is thought to represent the 

 universe in its progression and vicissitudes the 

 course of time. 



As yet, there had been peace in the world ; but 

 now the gods began to have their trials. A series 

 of contests ensued with the gods of the race of 

 the Vanir, a breach was made in the wall of 

 Asgard, and the yEsir had to compound matters, 

 giving Hcenir, one of their number, to the Vanir, 

 and receiving the Van-god Njord, with his two 

 children, Freyr and Freyjd, into their own ranks. 

 Endless were the battles with the giants, and 

 in these contests the great champion of the 

 gods was Thor, who struck down the giants 

 with his powerful hammer, Miollnir (the Mauler 

 or Smasher). 



The number of the gods was twelve, and of the 

 goddesses as many. It is not always, however, 

 the same names that make up the lists ; semi- 

 divine beings are sometimes admitted, to the 

 exclusion of some of the usual divinities ; but the 

 number twelve seems to have been considered 

 essential. The more important of the gods are 

 Odin, Thor, Baldur, Njord, Freyr, Tyr, and Loki. 

 Odin or Woden, is the chief divinity, the ' father 

 of the gods,' All-father, the ruler of heaven and 

 earth, who rides through the world on the eight- 

 footed steed, Sleipnir. Thor is the god of thunder, 

 which is caused by his chariot as it rolls along 





