MYTHOLOGY AND COSMOGONY—_continued_.
Norse Cosmogony—Midgard, Asgard, and Mannheim—The Asar and
Vanir—Thor and Tyr—The Goddesses—The Apples of Youth.
Where the mythical Odin ends in the Völuspa, if there is any ending to
him, is impossible to tell; it appears that he came and built an earthly
_Midgard_,[70] according to the writer of the Later Edda who gives the
tradition and belief of the people in his day.
Odin himself was originally a Jötun, and it would appear from the
mythological literature of the North that, for some reason, he wished to
found a new religion, and desired to proclaim himself chief and
spiritual ruler over several, if not all the tribes before mentioned;
this claim, from the account of the fights which took place, must have
been hotly contested. In the history of the birth of every nation,
something similar has taken place, and these struggles are always
described with wonderful and often supernatural accompaniments. We are
led to believe that a devoted band of followers attached themselves to
Odin’s cause, and gradually others joined him; thus forming a community
over which he was the leader. To protect themselves from their enemies,
among whom, according to the Eddas, were included Jötnar and Thursar,
&c., the Asar erected a wall round their country, and called the whole
enclosed land Midgard.
In the centre of Midgard, Odin built for himself, his family, chiefs,
and councillors, _Asgard_,[71] called also Asaheim (home of the Asar),
and Godheim (home of the gods). _As_, in the Northern language,
afterwards denoted one of the gods, who in course of time were also
deified, and to whom, as well as to Odin, sacrifices were offered.
Within the walls of Midgard, which encircled Asgard, was _Mannheim_,[72]
where Odin’s adherents dwelt, and hence the name of their country.
“They gave them clothes and names; the men they called Ash, and the
women Embla. From them all mankind is descended, and a dwelling-place
was given them under Midgard. In the next place the sons of Bör made for
themselves, in the middle of the world, a burgh which is called Asgard,
and which we call Troja (there dwelt the gods of their race), and thence
resulted many tidings and adventures, both on earth and in the sky. In
Asgard is a place called Hlidskjalf, and when Odin seats himself there
in the high seat he sees all over the whole world, and what every man is
doing, and he knew all things that he saw. His wife was Frigg, and she
was the daughter of Fjorgvin, and from their offspring are descended the
race which we call _Asar_, who inhabited Asgard the ancient, the realm
that surrounds it, and all that race are known to be gods, and for that
reason Odin is called Allfather” (Later Edda).
After Midgard had been built for the sons of men, there is a golden age
on the _Ida-völl_ (plain of movement). Altars and hearths were raised by
the Asar, showing that work is conducive to happiness.
The Asar met,
Who raised on the Idavoll
Altars and high temples;
They laid hearths,
They wrought wealth,
They shaped tongs,
And made tools.
They played chess on the grass-plot;
They were cheerful;
They did not lack
Anything of gold
Until three
Very mighty
Thurs maidens came (Nornir)
From Jotunheim.
Then followed a great battle between the Asar and their neighbours, the
Vanir. The Asar seem to have been at first defeated, but afterwards made
peace. This fight is the most obscure part of the whole of Völuspa.
That fight remembers she
First in the world,
When they pierced
Gullveig[73] with spears,
And burnt her
In the hall of Hár;[74]
Thrice they burnt
The thrice-born one,
Yet still she lives.
Then all the gods went
To their judgment seats,
The most holy gods,
And counselled about
Whether the Asar should
Tribute pay,[75]
Or if all the gods
Should have a feast.
Odin had hurled the spear
And shot at the host;
That was moreover the first
Fight in the world.
Broken was the timber wall[76]
Of the Asa-burgh;
The war-exposed plains
The Vanir trampled on.
A fight is also mentioned in the Ynglinga Saga which seems to be the
same as the one referred to in Völuspa.
“Odin went with a host against the Vanir, but they withstood him well
and defended their land. Asar and Vanir got the victory by turns; each
waged war in the other’s land and plundered. When they became tired of
this they appointed a meeting for agreement between themselves, and made
peace and gave each other hostages. The Vanir gave their foremost men,
Njörd the wealthy and his son Frey, and the Asar gave a man called
Hœnir, and said he was well fitted to be a chief. He was a tall and very
handsome man. The Asar sent with him a man called Mimir, who was very
wise; in exchange for him the Vanir gave one, who was the wisest among
them, called Kvasir. When Hœnir came to Vanaheim he was at once made
chief; Mimir taught him everything. And when Hœnir was at the Things or
meetings, and Mimir was not near, and some difficult cases were taken to
him, he always gave the same answer, ‘Let others say what is to be
done.’ Then the Vanir suspected that the Asar had deceived them in the
exchange of men. They took Mimir and beheaded him, and sent his head to
the Asar. Odin took the head and besmeared it with the juice of plants,
so that it could not rot. He sang charms over it, and by spells made it
so powerful that it spoke with him, and told him many unknown things”
(Ynglinga, c. 4).
Thór was one of the greatest of the Norse gods after Odin; indeed, these
with Frey formed a sort of triad.
“Thór is the foremost of them (the gods); he is called Asa-Thór or
Öku-Thór. He is the strongest of all gods and men. His realm is
Thrúdvángar (= plains of strength), and his hall is called Bilskirnir;
in it there are 540 rooms. It is the largest house built by men. (See
Grimnismal.) Thór owns two he-goats, which are called Tanngnjóst
(tooth-gnasher) and Tanngrísnir (tooth-gnasher), and a chariot (reid),
on which he drives and the he-goats draw it. Therefore he is called
Oku-Thór (= the driving Thór). He also owns three costly things. One of
them is the hammer Mjolnir which the Hrim Thursar and Berg Risar know
when it is aloft, and that is not strange, for he has broken many a head
of their fathers or kinsmen. The next best of his costly things is the
belt of strength. When he girds himself with it his Asa-strength
doubles. He owns a third thing, which is worth much, iron-gloves,
without which he cannot hold the handle of the hammer. No man is so wise
that he may reckon up all his great feats, but I can tell thee so many
tales of him that the hours will be whiled away before I have told all
that I know.”
“Hár said: ‘Furthermore there is an As called Týr. He is the boldest and
most daring and has much power over victory in battles. It is useful for
valiant men to make vows to him. It is a saying that the one surpassing
others in valour and fearing nothing is Tý-brave. He is so wise that the
wisest man is called Tý-wise. One of the proofs of his daring is this.
When the Asar persuaded the Fenriswolf to allow them to tie it with the
chain Gleipnir, it did not believe that they would untie it till they
laid Týr’s hand into its mouth as a pledge. When they would not untie it
then it bit off his hand at the place now called Wolf-joint (wrist). He
is therefore onehanded and said not to be the reconciler of men.’”
(Later Edda, Gylfaginning, 21).
The Later Edda differs from the Grimnismal in giving the number of gods
or Asar which it mentions. When Gylfi asks how many Asar there are he is
told twelve, and the names of Odin, Höd, and Baldr are omitted from the
list. Only a few of these gods seem to have been of sufficient
prominence to have had sacrifices offered to them, as is seen in the
chapter on Religion, and we cannot depend on the Later Edda for reliable
information concerning them.
“The Asar went to their feast, and the twelve Asar who were to be judges
sat down in the high-seats: their names were—Thór, Njörd, Frey, Týr,
Heimdall, Bragi, Vidar, Vali, Ull, Hœnir, Forseti, Loki” (Later Edda).
The following extract from the Later Edda gives us the names of the
principal goddesses, with their leading characteristics.
“Gangleri said: ‘Who are the Asynjar?’ Har answered: ‘Frigg is the
highest; she has a very splendid house called _Fensalir_. The second is
Sága, who lives at Sökkvabekk, a large place. The third is Eir; she is
the most skilled healer (= physician). The fourth is Gefjon, who is a
maiden, and those who die as maidens wait upon her. The fifth is Fulla;
she is also a maiden with loose hair, and wears a golden band round her
head; she carries the ashen box of Frigg and takes care of her
shoe-clothes (= shoes and stockings), and partakes in her secret
counsels. Freyja is next in rank to Frigg; she is married to a man
called Ód, their daughter is Hnoss; she is so beautiful that fine and
costly things are called after her—hnoss. Ód went far off and left
Freyja weeping, and her tears are red gold. She has many names; that is
because she called herself by different names when she went among
foreign nations in search of Ód; she is called Mardöll, Hörn, Gefn, and
Sýr. She owns the _Brisinga_ necklace. She is called _Vanadis_ (dis
(goddess) of the Vanir). The seventh is Sjöfn; she applies herself much
to turning the minds of men to love, both males and females; from her
name a loving mind is called _sjafni_. Lofn is so mild and good to
invoke that she gets Allfödr (Odin) or Frigg to allow the marriages of
men, male and female, though they have been forbidden or flatly refused;
from her name is lof (leave), and that which is lofat (= praised) by
men. Vár listens to the oaths of men and the private agreements which
men and women make between themselves; these are called _várar_, and she
punishes those who break them. Vör is wise and asks many questions, so
that nothing can be hidden from her; when a woman knows a thing she is
_vör_ (= aware) of it. Syn guards the door of the hall (Valhalla) and
shuts it to those who are not to enter; therefore when some one denies a
thing he is said to put down _syn_ (= negation, refuse). Hlin has to
guard the men whom Frigg wishes to save from danger. Snotra is wise and
of good manners; a wise man or woman is called _snotr_ from her name.
Gna, Frigg sends into various worlds on her errands; she has a horse
which runs on air and water, called _Hófhvarfnir_ (= hoof-turner)”
(‘Later Edda,’ Gylfaginning, 35).
The gods, it would seem, had it in their power, if not to secure
everlasting life, at least to retain perpetual youth, unlike poor
Tithonus of the well-known Greek myth. It may not be inappropriate to
continue here the legend relating to this. Idun, the wife of Bragi, who
was celebrated for his wisdom and eloquence, kept in a box the apples
which when the gods felt old age approaching they ate in order that they
might keep their youth till Ragnarök.
“Odin, Loki and Hœnir went from home over mountains and uninhabited
land, and it was not easy for them to get food. When they came down into
a valley they saw a herd of oxen, took one of them and prepared it for
the fire. When they thought it was cooked they took it off, but it was
not cooked. A second time, after waiting a little, they took it off, and
it was not cooked. They considered what might be the cause of this. Then
they heard a voice in the tree above them which said that he who sat
there caused this. They looked up, and a large eagle sat there. The
eagle said: ‘If you will give me my fill of the ox, it shall be cooked.’
They assented, and the bird came slowly down from the tree, sat down on
the hearth, and at once gobbled up the four shoulder-pieces of the ox.
Loki got angry, took a large pole, raised it, and with all his strength
struck the eagle. At the blow the eagle flew into the air. The pole
adhered to its body, and the hands of Loki to one end of it. The eagle
flew so that Loki’s feet touched the rocks, the stone-heaps and the
trees. He thought his hands would be torn from his shoulders. He
shouted, eagerly asking the eagle to spare him, but it answered that
Loki would never get loose unless he swore to make Idun leave Asgard
with her apples. Loki promised this, got loose and went to his
companions, and no more tidings are told about their journey till they
reached home. At the appointed time Loki enticed Idun to go to a wood
out of Asgard by saying he had found apples which she would prefer to
her own, and asked her to take her own apples with her to compare them.
Thjassi Jötun then came in an eagle’s shape and took Idun and flew away
to his abode in Thrymheim. The Asar were much grieved at the
disappearance of Idun, and soon became grey-haired and old. They held a
_Thing_ and asked each other for news of Idun. The last seen of her was
when she walked out of Asgard with Loki. He was brought to the _Thing_
and threatened with death or torture. He got afraid and said he would
fetch Idun from Jötunheim, if Freyja would lend him the hawk-skin which
she owned. When he got it he flew north to Jötunheim, and one day came
to Thjassi Jötun, who was sea-fishing. Idun was alone at home. Loki
changed her into a nut, held her in his claws and flew as fast as he
could. When the Asar saw the hawk flying with the nut and the eagle
pursuing they went to the Asgard-wall and carried thither bundles of
plane-shavings. When the hawk flew into the burgh it came down at the
wall. The Asar set fire to the plane-shavings, but the eagle could not
stop when it lost the hawk, and the fire caught its feathers and stopped
it. The Asar were near, and slew Thjassi inside the Asgard-wall, which
is a very famous deed. Skadi, his daughter, took helmet and brynja and a
complete war-dress, and went to Asgard to avenge her father. The Asar
offered her reconciliation and _wergild_,[77] and first that she might
choose a husband from among them, not seeing more than their feet. She
saw a pair of very beautiful feet, and said: ‘This one I choose; few
things can be ugly in Baldr.’ But it was Njörd of Nóatún.” (Later Edda,
Bragarœdur, c. 56.)