_The Origin of the Anglo-Saxons--Derivation of the Word Saxon--The
Goths and Vandals--Overthrow of the Roman Empire--The Mythology of the
Ancient Scandinavians--Baldur--Their Early Literature_.
As the question, "What became of the Ten Tribes?" still remains to the
world an unanswered historical enigma, so also is the question
unanswered, "Whence originated the vast hosts of so-called barbarians
who, descending from the frigid regions of Scandinavia, filled Europe
with new races, new laws, new ideas, new languages and new
institutions?" Some have traced a connection between the loss of the
one people and the advent of the other, and one author of repute--Mr.
Sharon Turner--extensively quoted in this connection, claims that the
original home of the Anglo-Saxons was in the very country where Israel
is historically lost, and further states that these people commenced
their migration therefrom about the same time as the tribes of Jacob
must have taken their journey northward.
Mr. Turner, in his valuable history of the Anglo-Saxons, while
discussing the Teutonic descent of many of the nations of modern
Europe, says:
"It is peculiarly interesting to us, because, from its branches, not
only our own immediate ancestors, but also those of the most
celebrated nations of modern Europe have unquestionably descended. The
Anglo-Saxons, Lowland Scotch, Normans, Danes, Norwegians, Swedes,
Germans, Dutch, Belgians, Lombards and Franks have all sprung from
that great fountain of the human race, which we have distinguished by
the terms, Scythian, German or Gothic. The first appearance of the
Scythian tribes in Europe, may be placed, according to Strabo and
Homer, about the eighth, or according to Herodotus, in the seventh
century before the Christian era. The first scenes of their civil
existence, and of their progressive power were in Asia to the east of
the Araxes. Here they multiplied and extended their territorial limits
for some centuries, unknown to Europe." With regard to the Saxons, Mr.
Turner writes, "They were a German or Teutonic, that is a Gothic or
Scythian tribe; and of the various Scythian nations which have been
recorded, the Sakai or Sacae are the people from whom the descent of
the Saxons may be inferred, with the least violation of probability.
They were so celebrated that the Persians called all the Scythians by
the name of Sacae. * * * That some of the divisions of this people
were really called Sakasuna (from which we have our word Saxon or
Sacson) is obvious from Pliny; for he says that the Sakai who settled
in Armenia were named Sacassani which is Saka-suna, spelt by a person
who was unacquainted with the meaning of the combined words; and the
name Sacasina, which they gave to that part of Armenia they occupied,
is nearly the same sound as Saxonia. It is also important to remark,
that Ptolemy mentions a Scythian people sprung from the Sakai, who
resided near the Baltic Sea, by the name of Saxones."
Mr. Turner was not advocating the Israelitish ancestry of the Saxons,
hence those who believe in that theory put the greater stress on his
two most important statements: that the forefathers of this race dwelt
in the region east of the Araxes, the exact spot to which Israel was
carried captive, and that they began to spread out therefrom some six
or seven hundred years before Christ, answering to the very period
that the children of Jacob dwelt captives in that country. One author
has assumed a very unique derivation for the word Saxon. He says: "We
suppose it is derived from Isaac, by which, we find from Amos, this
house of Israel had begun to denominate itself, just before the
captivity. It was usual to contract the commencement of the name,
especially when they combined it with any other word, or when it came
to be familiarly applied. Saxon is, literally or fully expressed, the
son of Isaac." Just as Dickson in modern English was abbreviated to
Dixon.[A] Such abbreviations, we may remark in passing, in familiar
talk are also common with our neighbors, the Shoshones, also a remnant
of the seed of Jacob, One writer on this portion of the subject sees
in this explanation of the word Saxon a fulfillment of the promise
made to our father Abraham, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," and
goes as far as to advance the argument that Cossack is another
expression of this same idea, or that a Don Cossack is literally and
truly a son of Isaac, of the tribe of Dan.
[Footnote A: It is claimed by some that the word Brahmin is an
abbreviation of Abraham in fact that the god Brahma is the patriarch
himself deified.]
The ferocity of the northern races, who overthrew the Roman empire, is
thought by some to argue against their Israelitish origin. But we must
recollect that the pictures of the Goths and Vandals, which have been
handed down to us, were painted by their enemies. Nor would the
argument, however true, have any weight with us were the rest proven.
If they were of Israel they had been wandering, fighting and
colonizing for a thousand years since they left Palestine before they
overwhelmed Rome. And as far as ferocity is concerned they cannot
equal the seed of Joseph on this continent, who but three hundred
years after the fullness of the gospel was proclaimed to their fathers
by the crucified Redeemer, committed atrocities that no Goth or Vandal
ever exceeded. A very pretty theory has been advocated in connection
with this portion of their history, to the effect that as the Roman
empire was used by the Lord to destroy the house of Judah and slay
millions of that devoted race, so the Lord chose a portion of the
house of Israel (unknown to both themselves and their enemies) to
destroy the Gentile rulers of the world who had slain and scattered
their brother's house.
The mythology of the northern races of Europe may also be noticed in
connection with these inquiries. Those learned in the mythologies of
ancient Rome and Greece say that it bears no likeness to them: its
peculiarities would rather tend to the idea that it was of Persian
origin (British Encyclopaedia). Some of the early Christian fathers
fancied they discovered a great resemblance between one of their
deities, named Baldur or Balder, and our Savior.[B] This god is
represented as the son of Odin and Frigga, youthful, beautiful and
benignant, the dispenser of kindness, the bringer of joy and
blessings, who loves to dwell with men, and whom all men love. But he
is killed by the wicked. (The manner of his death is surrounded with
mythological nonsense.) All men mourn the loss of their friend, and
search through the world for some remedy to bring him to life; but in
vain; stern death has taken him away to the realms of the dead, and he
cannot come back. His wife Nanna, that she may not be separated from
him, has gone to dwell with him there. At last Frigga, his mother,
sends a messenger to obtain his release. He leaps the gate of the
gloomy world, sees Baldur, and speaks with him, but no, Baldur cannot
be released, here he must remain, and his wife Nanna must dwell with
him forever.
[Footnote B: "The early Saxons." American S. S. Union, Philadelphia.]
From some of the details not here inserted, we incline somewhat to the
opinion that the above narration is a confused tradition of the way
death was brought into the world through the transgression of Adam and
Eve, rather than that it bears relation to the life of the Savior.
We draw attention to the way Baldur's death was brought about. The
tradition runs (American Cyclopædia), Baldur having long been troubled
by dreams and evil omens, indicating danger to his life, his mother
traveled through the whole universe, eliciting from every created
thing a promise not to injure the god. But she neglected to ask it
from the apparently harmless mistletoe. Loki, the most deceitful among
the gods, an enemy of Baldur, noticed this omission, and cut from the
mistletoe a piece for the point of a dart. The other gods, surrounding
Baldur, made proof of his invulnerability in sport, by casting at him
their weapons, with stones, etc.; but nothing injured him. Loki
approached and induced the blind god Hodur to throw the dart he had
made from the forgotten mistletoe. Baldur was pierced by it and
killed. In this tradition Loki takes the place of Satan, Hodur
typifies the serpent, and the mistletoe the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. It is also noticeable that they represent, in this
tradition, that man could do nothing, of himself, to overcome the
power of death.
The very earliest literature of the Scandinavian people, preserved on
the island of Iceland, adds many testimonies to the Scandinavians'
Israelitish origin. On this point, the Encyclopaedia Britannica says:
"On entering on these ancient books, we are immediately struck with
the corroborative evidence which they furnish of the eastern origin of
the Goths, the fathers of the Scandinavians. As all languages, so all
mythologies run in lines, which converge in one common center, * * *
Central Asia. And little as we might expect it, no sooner do we open
the ancient religious books of Scandinavia than we are carried back
thither. Our northern people are a people of eastern origin. Odin [C]
and his Asar, are Asiatics, declare themselves to be from the great
Svithiod, a country which appears to have been the present Circassia,
lying between the Black and Caspian Seas. The whole of their memoirs
abounded with the proofs of it. They brought with them abundant
eastern customs, those of burning the dead, and burying under mounds.
They practiced polygamy, looked back with imperishable affection to
the great Svithiod, to the primitive district of Asgord and the city
of Gudahem, or the home of the gods. They transferred a religion
bearing the primal features of those of Persia, India and Greece, to
the snowy mountains of Scandinavia." In reading the above we were
strongly impressed with the geographical idea there expressed. Without
any great stretch of the imagination we could easily consider the
traditions regarding the great Svithiod, to refer to Media, the
primitive district of Asgord, to be the dim remembrance of their first
home in the land of promise, and Gudahem, the home of the gods, to be
Jerusalem, the city of the great King. The parallel we consider to be
very significant.
[Footnote C: Rev. A. B. Grimaldi, M. A., states; "The Saxon kings
traced themselves back to Odin, who was traced back in his descent
from David, as may be seen in a very ancient MSS. in the Herald's
College, London, and in Sharon Turner."]