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formal establishment of Christianity in the country , are pre- 
served religious and other ideas of a most remote antiquity, 
and which belonged in their origin to the archaic period of the 
undivided Arvans. 
* 
9. The Norse Divinities. 
In accordance with the principle adopted on a former occa- 
sion,* I will next tabulate the Norse divinities, and notice the 
meaning of their names. The following are the principal per- 
sonifications or divine personages of the Eddaic faith :f — 
Baldr. “The White-shiner”; Anglo-Sax., Baldag; the 
Slavonic Byel-bog. The bright summer and day-god, father of 
Forseti, “First-sitter,” the god of justice, which here as else- 
where is connected with the sun. Son of Odhinn and Frigga, 
and husband of Nanna, the flower-goddess, who (like Istar 
and Persephone) descended with him to the Under-world ; he 
was accidentally slain by Hodhr. 
Bragi. “ The Brilliant.” The god of poetry and eloquence, 
son of Odhinn, and husband of Iduna. Cf. Eng., brag. 
Frpyia. “ The Lady.” Goddess of love, and sister (female- 
reflection) of Freyr; mistress of Friday, dies Veneris. A 
variant phase of Frigga. 
Freyr. “ The Lord.” Cf. Gk., Kurios. A beneficent sun- 
god, presiding over rain, sunshine, the eartli-fruits, and wealth; 
is united with Gerdha, the earth-girding sea. 
Frigga. “The Fruitful.” Cf. Lat ,,frugis. Wife of Odhinn, 
and queen of the gods ; the fruitful, cultivated earth. 
Heimdallr. “ Enlightener-of-the-worlds ” (Bunsen). An 
ancient sun-god and light-giver, dwelling in Himinbiorg, 
“ Mons Coelius,” riding the steed Gulltopp, “ Gold-mane,” 
lord of the rainbow-bridge, Bif-rost, “the trembling road,” 
sentinel of heaven and possessor of the Gjallarhorn, “ the 
blast-horn,” i.e. } thunder, the sound of which echoes through 
space, whilst its point sticks in Niflheimr, “ Nephele-home,” 
the ninth and lowest world. He hears and sees all things, 
and in his exalted character closely corresponds with the Vedic 
Agni. 
Hermodhr, “ Courage-of-hosts.'” The messenger of the gods. 
* Vide Zoroaster , sec. 19. 
t Vide Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology (vol. i., translated by Jas. S. 
Stallybrass, 1880) ; Simrock, Handbuch der Deutschen Mythologie ; Thorpe, 
Northern Mythology ; Bunsen, God in History , vol. ii. ; Sir G. W. Cox, 
Mythology of the Aryan Nations ; Anderson, Norse Mythology ; Tiele, Out- 
lines of the History of Religion , cap. iv., sec. 5. 
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