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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[April, 



to the h.>t, and cheering the dark hour of death by visions of the 

 Walhalla, to which they were come to conduct him. 



These beautiful and warlike maidens play an important part in the 

 paradise of heroes, and have been accordingly introduced by Klenza 

 in the building under consideration. Their name, Walkyriae from 

 two Icelandic words, signifies choosers of the slain, as Walhalla means 

 the hall of the slain. Their office was to receive the souls of those 

 warriors who were deemed by Odin worthy of immortal reward, and 

 conduct them to his palace of Walhalla. Led by his beautiful guide, 

 the shade of the hero passes over the bridge of the gods, the rainbow, 

 called Bifrost, which is guarded by the sentinel Heimdal, and they 

 enter the celestial city Asgard, surrounded by ever blooming trees, and 

 full of gold and silver palaces, the mansions of the gods of the Edda. 

 Above this city lies Gladsheim: and here, surrounded by a grove 

 whose trees bear golden leaves and fruit, is situated the promised 

 Walhalla. The hero and his guide approach the western gate, upon 

 which the magic bolt Walgrind, which excludes all unconsecrated 

 souls, falls, and his future residence lies before the hero in all its 

 glittering splendour: gold and silver, brightly polished shields, 

 armour, and weapons, and all the paraphernalia of barbarous warfare, 

 appears on all sides. The Einheriar,— the name given to the future 

 inhabitant of this glorious abode, — upon his entrance, is presented by 

 his guardian Walkyria with his installation cup of mead, Iduna, the 

 goddess of youth, offers him the apples of immortality, and he is at 

 once recognised by his former companions in arms, who have gone to 

 Walhalla before him, with loud shouts of greeting, — "Welcome, 

 Einheriar! enjoy peace and drink mead for ever with the gods!" 

 the future life of these heroes, notwithstanding this reception, is 

 neither an idle or peaceable one. Fighting was an indispensable 

 amusement with our forefathers even in the abodes of bliss. Fight- 

 ing was their business and pleasure upon earth, and, according to all 

 savage ideas of a future state, they expected to repeat agaiu their 

 earthly pleasures in heaven. Hence arose the custom among the 

 Scandinavians when a chief fell gloriously in battle, to burn with him 

 upon the pyre his armour, sword, and war horse, and whatever else 

 he held most dear. His dependents and friends frequently made it a 

 point of honor to die with their leader, and attend on his shade in the 

 palace of Odin. In the tomb of King Chilperic were found his arms 

 and the bones of the horse on which he supposed he should be pre- 

 sented to the warrior god in Walhalla. A singular instance of this 

 custom has been recently discovered upon opening three tumuli near 

 East Ilsley in Berkshire. In the graves were found skeletons of 

 gigantic persons, together with warlike weapons, rude articles of 

 military equipments, and the bones of animals, probably horses. 

 These persons had evideutly fallen in battle, the skulls being frac- 

 tured, and an iron javelin head being firmly fixed in one of the hip 

 bones. 



The pastimes in Walhalla were therefore in accordance with this 

 superstition. In the morning, at the crowing of the golden cock 

 Fialar, the heroes arise with one accord, buckle on their armour and 

 weapons, mount their war steeds, and sallv out of the 54U gates of the 

 Walhalla. 



" Fiinfuundert Thiireu und noch vierzig 



Glanb'ich dass in Walhall sind: — 



Alle Einheriar iii Odin's Gehege 



Hanen sich jeden Tag ; 



Tod kiesen sie und reiten vorn Kanipf, 



Trinken Bier mil den Asen und speisen Sahrimner, 



Und silken eiutrachtig zusammeu." 



—Riih's Edda. 

 They ride to a mighty plain called Odinstun, and here they fight 

 together with all the fury of their mortal days, performing miracles 

 of bravery until the god Heimdal sounds his horn, upon which their 

 wounds are miraeuloMsly healed, and they return amicablv to the 

 banquet m Walhalla, the bravest of the day being rewarded "with the 

 most dist.nguished places at the board. Their food consists of 

 swine's flesh, from the hog Sahrimner, which is never consumed, and 

 mead, or hydromel, is supplied by the beautiful Walkvriae, whose 



duty it is to attend upon them, the gods and Odin himself being pre- 

 sent at the banquet. 



It should be observed, that warriors of mean birth, and slaves, 

 though dying bravely and in battle, were not admitted to the mansion 

 of Odin; but were received into the palace of Thor, in Bilskirner : 

 noble women were assigned a residence in Folkvang, the palace of 

 the goddess Freia. The nnwarlike, and those who had the misfor- 

 tune to live all the days of their lives, — a calamity which the Scandi- 

 navians avoided by voluntarily destroying themselves, — were con- 

 demned to an abode in Niflheim, the icy domain of the infernal 

 goddess Hela, from whose name is derived our word hell. 



These are the principal features of that portion of the northern 

 mythology which has furnished an appropriate name for a mouumeut 

 to the honor of the illustrious sons of Germany. It might be wished 

 that the architecture of this splendid building had shared in the spirit 

 of nationality of which in all other respects it is so characteristic; or 

 at least that it had been more original in design. But as far as 

 regards the exterior, it can claim the merit only of being an excellent 

 restoration of the Parthenon: the architect lias made more than 

 ample atonement for rejecting the mythology of the Greeks by most 

 scrupulously following their architectural model. For this want of 

 invention he seems quite willing to hold himself responsible, by stating 

 that, though the Grecian Doric order was recommended, he was left 

 to the free exercise of his judgment in every other respct. I am, 

 notwithstanding, inclined to suspect that the hint given to the com- 

 peting architects in the original instructions — to the effect, that an 

 imitation of some approved model of antiquity would be preferred to 

 a less beautiful, though more original invention — influenced him more 

 than he chooses to coufess. 



The enormous substructure of masonry and large "step-like 

 plinths" upon which the temple is elevated appears to be an injudi- 

 cious arrangement : it has the effect of making the principal object, 

 the building itself, appear insignificant compared with its subordinate 

 pedestal. The effect must not be judged, however, from a geome- 

 trical elevation ; for it must be remembered that the building stands 

 upon a considerable eminence, and that the consequent forshorten- 

 iiig, when seen from below, must in a great measure obviate this 

 objection. 



The arrangement of the interior is very skilful, and in many 

 respects original. The task of introducing a method of roofing 

 unknown to the Greeks, but designed in the spirit of their architec- 

 ture, was a difficult one, and is well overcome. The roof is of cast 

 iron, of which the construction is visible, leaving open spaces glazed 

 for the admission of light, and by means of sculpture rendered highly 

 ornamental. 



The division of the hall by the projecting masses, or wings, which 

 originate in the necessary support of the roof, is a disposition which 

 produces animation and a play of light and shade, and also increases 

 the apparent extent of the building. These wings boldly projecting 

 from the side walls, break the monotony of the simple parallelogram 

 form of the plan, and always conceal a portion of the busts which 

 occupy the lower range of walls, and which, from their great number 

 and similarity, would otherwise have become wearisome. The upper 

 portion of the side walls is visible the entire length, interrupted only 

 by the beautiful Walkyren caryatides which form the principal orna- 

 ment of the interior, and upon which the eye of the spectator first 

 rests. 



The temple, exclusive of the substructure, incloses a space of 

 234 ft. in length and 107 ft. in breadth, surrounded by 52 Doric 

 columns 31 ft. high and 5 ft. 10 in. diameter. The internal length, 

 including the opisthodomus, is 171 ft., the breadth 92 ft., and the 

 greatest height 53 ft. 5 in. Height of the lower order, 28ft. 5 in. ; 

 the upper order, 17ft. 5 in.; and the caryatides, 10ft. 5 in.; — height 

 of the temple outside to the summit of the pediment, 61ft. The sub- 

 structure is 106ft high, 23tift. in breadth, and 425ft. in depth. From 

 the level of the Danube to the summit of the temple is 304 ft. 



The following description is abridged from the work published by 

 the architect, Leo von Klenze: — 



