THE RELIGION OF THE NORTHMEN
The religion of the ancient Norwegians was of the same origin as
that of all other Germanic nations, and, as it is the basis of their
national life, a brief outline of it will be necessary in these pages.
In the beginning of time there were two worlds: in the South was
Muspelheim, luminous and flaming, with Surt as a ruler; in the North
was Niflheim, cold and dark, with the spring Hvergelmer, where the
dragon Nidhugger dwells. Between these worlds was the yawning abyss
Ginungagap. From the spring Hvergelmer ran icy streams into the
Ginungagap. The hoarfrost from these streams was met by sparks from
Muspelheim, and by the power of the heat the vapors were given life in
the form of the Yotun or giant Ymer and the cow Audhumbla, on
whose milk he lives. From Ymer descends the evil race of Yotuns or
frost-giants. As the cow licked the briny hoarfrost, the large,
handsome and powerful Bure came into being. His son was Bur, who
married a daughter of a Yotun and became the father of Odin, Vile, and
Ve. Odin became the father of the kind and fair Aesir, the gods who
rule heaven and earth.
Bur's sons killed Ymer, and in his blood the whole race of Yotuns
drowned except one couple, from whom new races of Yotuns or giants
descended. Bur's sons dragged the body of Ymer into the middle of
Ginungagap. Out of the trunk of the body they made the earth, and of
his blood the sea. His bones became mountains, and of his hair they
made trees. From the skull they made the heavens, which they elevated
high above the earth and decorated with sparks from Muspelheim. But
his brain was scattered in the air and became clouds. Around the earth
they let the deep waters flow, and on the distant shores the escaped
Yotuns took up their abode in Yotunheim and in Utgard. For protection
against them the kind gods made from Ymer's eyebrows the fortification
Midgard as a defense for the inner earth. But from heaven to earth
they suspended the quivering bridge called Bifrost, or the rainbow.
The Yotun woman Night, black and dark as her race, met Delling (the
Dawn) of the Aesir race, and with him became the mother of Day, who
was bright and fair as his father. Odin placed mother and son in the
heavens, and bade them each in turn ride over the earth. Night rides
ahead with her horse Hrimfaxe, from whose foaming bit the earth is
every morning covered with dew. Day follows with his horse Skinfaxe,
whose radiant mane spreads light and air over the earth.
A great number of maggots were bred in Ymer's body, and they became
gnomes or dwarfs, little beings whom the gods gave human sense
and appearance. They lived within the mountains, and were skilful
metal-workers, but they could not endure the light of day. Four
dwarfs, the East, West, North, and South, were placed by the gods to
carry the arch of heaven.
As yet there were no human beings on earth. Then, one day, the three
gods, Odin, Keener and Lodur, were walking on the shore of the sea,
where they found two trees, and from them they made the first man and
the first woman, Ask and Embla (ash and elm). Odin gave them life,
Hoener reason, Lodur blood and fair complexion. The gods gave them
Midgard for a home, and from them the whole human race is descended.
The evergreen ash tree Ygdrasil is the finest of all trees. It
shoots up from three roots. One of them is in the well Hvergelmer in
Niflheim, and on this the dragon Nidhugger is gnawing. The other root
is in Yotunheim, in the wise Yotun Mimer's fountain. One of Odin's
eyes, which he pledged for a drink at this fountain, is kept here.
Whoever drinks of this fountain becomes wise. The third root is in
heaven, at the Urdar well, where the gods hold their Thing or court.
To this place they ride daily over the bridge Bifrost. Here also
the three Norns abide, the maidens Urd, Verdande, and Skuld (past,
present, and future). They pour water from the well over the roots of
the tree. The Norns distribute life and govern fate, and nothing can
change their decision.
The dwelling in heaven of the Aesir or gods is called Asgard. In its
middle was the field of Ida, the gathering-place of the gods, with
Odin's throne, Lidskialv, from which he views the whole world. Odin is
the highest and the oldest of the gods, and all the others honor him
as their father. Odin's hall is Valhalla. The ceiling of this hall
is made of spears, it is covered with shields, and its benches are
ornamented with coats of mail. To this place Odin invites all who have
fallen in battle, and he is therefore called Valfather, _i.e._, the
father of the fallen. The invited fallen heroes are called Einherier;
their sport and pastime is to go out every day and fight and kill each
other; but toward evening they awake to life again and ride home as
friends to Valhalla, where they feast on pork of the barrow Saerimmer,
and where Odin's maidens, the Valkyrias, fill their horns with mead.
These Valkyrias were sent by Odin to all battles on earth, where they
selected those who were to be slain and afterward become the honored
guests at Valhalla. At Odin's side sit the two wolves, Gere and Freke,
and on his shoulders the ravens, Hugin and Munin. These ravens fly
forth every morning and return with tidings from all parts of the
world. Odin's horse is the swift, gray, eight-footed Sleipner. When he
rides to battle he wears a golden helmet, a beautiful coat of mail,
and carries the spear Gungner, which never fails. Odin is also the god
of wisdom and poesy; in the morning of time he deposited one of his
eyes in pledge for a drink of Mimer's fountain of wisdom, and he drank
Suttung's mead in order to gain the gift of poesy. He has also taught
men the art of writing Runes and all secret arts.
Thor, the son of Odin, is the strongest of all the gods. His dwelling
is called Thrudvang. He rides across the heavens in a cart drawn by
two rams. He is always at war with the Yotuns or evil giants, and in
battle with them he uses his great hammer, Mjolner, which he hurls at
the heads of his enemies. The earth trembles under the wheels of his
cart, and men call the noise thunder. Thor's wife is Sif, whose hair
is of gold.
Balder is a son of Odin and Frigg. He is so fair that his countenance
emits beams of brightness. He is wise and gentle, and is therefore
loved by all. His dwelling is Breidablik, where nothing impure exists.
Nanna is his wife.
Njord comes from the race of the wise Vanir. He rules the wind, can
calm the seas and stop fire, and he distributes wealth among men. His
aid is invoked for success in navigation and fishing. His wife is
Skade, daughter of a Yotun, and his dwelling is Noatun by the sea.
Frey, the son of Njord, rules rain and sunshine and the productiveness
of the soil, and his aid is needed to get good crops, peace and
wealth. His dwelling is Alfheim. He sails in the magnificent ship
Skibladner, which was built for him by the dwarfs. His wife is the
Yotun daughter Gerd, but in order to get her he had to give away his
good sword, so that he will be unarmed in the coming final battle of
the gods.
Tyr, Odin's son, is the god of courage and victory, whom brave men
call upon in battle. He has only one hand, for the Fenris-Wolf bit off
his right hand.
Brage, the long-bearded, is the god of eloquence and poetry. His wife
is Idun, who has in her keeping the apples of which the gods eat to
preserve their eternal youth. Heimdal, the white god with teeth of
gold, was in the beginning of time born by nine Yotun maidens, all
sisters. He is the watchman of the gods. He is more wakeful than
birds. He can see a hundred miles off, and he can hear the grass grow.
His dwelling is Himinbjorg, which is situated where the Bifrost bridge
reaches heaven. When he blows his Gjallar-horn, it is heard throughout
the world. Among the other gods were Haad, son of Odin, blind but
strong; the silent and strong Vidar; Vale, the archer; Ull, the fast
ski-runner, and Forsete, the son of Balder, who settles disputes
between gods and men. Among the goddesses (or _asynier_), Frigg,
Odin's wife, is the foremost. She knows the fate of everybody and
shields many from danger. Her dwelling is Fensal. Next comes Freya,
the goddess of love. She is the daughter of Njord and sister of Frey.
She is also called Vanadis, or the goddess of the Vanir. She was
married to Odd, and by him had a daughter Noss. But Odd left her, and
Freya weeps in her longing for him, and her tears are red gold. When
she travels, her wagon is drawn by two cats. The name of her dwelling
is Folkvang. There were also a number of other goddesses, who were in
the service of either Frigg or Freya.
Aeger, the ruler of the turbulent and stormy sea, is a Yotun, but he
is a friend of the gods. When they visit him his hall is lighted with
shining gold. His wife is Ran, and their daughters are the waves.
In the beginning there was peace among gods and men. But the arrival
of the Yotun women in Asgard undermined the happiness of the gods, and
in heaven and on earth a struggle commenced which must last until
both are destroyed. The Yotuns continually attack the inhabitants of
Asgard, and it is only the mighty Thor who can hold them at bay. It is
the evil Loke, who is the worst enemy of gods and men. He belongs to
the Yotun race, but was early adopted among the gods. He was fair in
looks, but wily and evil in spirit. He had three evil children--the
Fenris-Wolf, the Midgard-Serpent, and Hel. The gods knew that this
offspring of Loke would cause trouble; therefore they tied the
Fenris-Wolf, threw the serpent into the sea, and hurled Hel down into
Niflheim, where she became the ruler of the dead. All who die from
sickness or age are sent to her awful dwelling, Helheim. This is the
origin of the saying, "Whom the gods love die young."
The greatest sorrow which Loke caused the whole world was that by
deceit he caused the death of the lovely god, Balder. Then the gods
took an awful revenge. They tied him to three stones, and over his
head they fastened a venomous serpent, whose poison was always to drip
upon his face. Loke's faithful wife, Sigyn, placed herself at his side
and held a cup under the poisonous drip; but whenever the cup is full
and she goes to empty it, the poison drips into Loke's face, and then
he writhes in agony so that the whole world trembles. This is the
cause of earthquakes.
There will come a time when these gods and the world shall perish in
_Ragnarokk_, which means the perdition of the gods. They will have
many warnings. Corruption and wickedness will be common in the world.
For three years there will be winter without sun. The sun and the moon
will be swallowed up by the wolves of the Yotuns, and the bright
stars will disappear. The earth will tremble and the mountains will
collapse, and all chains and ties are sundered. The Fenris-Wolf and
Loke get loose, and the Midgard-Serpent leaves the ocean. The ship
Naglfar carries the army of the Yotuns across the sea under the
leadership of the Yotun _Rym_, and Loke advances at the head of the
hosts from the abode of Hel. The heavens split, and the sons of Muspel
come riding ahead, led by their chief Surt. As the hosts are rushing
across the Bifrost, the bridge breaks with them. All are hastening
to the great battlefield, the plains of _Vigrid_, which is a hundred
miles wide. Now Heimdal arises and blows his Gjallar-horn, all the
gods are assembled, the ash Ygdrasil trembles, and everything in
heaven and on earth is filled with terror. Gods and Einherier (the
fallen heroes) arm themselves for battle. In the front rides Odin with
his golden helmet and beaming coat of mail and carrying his spear,
Gungner. He meets the Fenris-Wolf, who swallows him, but Vidar
avenges his father and kills the wolf. Thor crushes the head of the
Midgard-Serpent, but is stifled to death by its venom. Frey is felled
by Surt, and Loke and Heimdal kill each other. Finally Surt hurls his
fire over the world, gods and men die, and the shriveling earth sinks
into the abyss.
But the world shall rise again and the dead come to life. From above
comes the all-powerful one, he who rules everything, and whose name no
one dares utter. All those who were virtuous and pure of heart will
gather in _Gimle_ in everlasting happiness, while the evil ones will
go to Naastrand at the well Hvergelmer to be tortured by Nidhugger. A
new earth, green and beautiful, shall rise from the ocean. The gods
awake to new life and join _Vidar_ and _Vale_, and the sons of Thor,
Mode and Magne, who have survived the great destruction and who have
been given their father's hammer, because there is to be no more war.
All the gods assemble on the field of Ida, where Asgard was located.
And from _Liv_ and _Livthraser_, who hid themselves in Ygdrasil during
the burning of the world, a new human race shall descend.[d]