by that Bridge, if it were eafy for every one to walk over it. : There are in heaven a great many pleafant cities, and none without a divine garrison. Near the fountain, which is under the Afh, ftands a very beautiful city, wherein dwell three virgins, named Urda, or the PAST; Verdandi, or the PRESENT; and Sskulda, or the FUTURE. These are they who difpenfe the ages of men; they are called Nornies, that is, Fairies *, or Deftinies. But there are indeed a great many others, befides thefe, who affift at the birth of every child, to determine his fate. Some are of celeftial origin; others defcend from the Genii; and others from the Dwarfs as it is faid in thefe verfes, "There are “Nornies of different originals: fome proceed from "the Gods, fome from the Genii, and others from "the Dwarfs." Then, fays Gangler, if thefe Nornies difpenfe the deftinies of men, they are very unequal in their diftribution; for fome are fortunate and wealthy, others acquire neither riches nor honours; fome come to a good old age, while others die in their prime of life. Har anfweis, The Nornies, who are sprung of a good origin, are good themselves, and dispense good deftinies: but thofe men to whom misfortunes happen, ought to afcribe them to the evil Nornies or Fairies (C.) Gangler proceeds, and defires to know fomething more concerning the Afh. Har replied, What I have farther to add concerning it is, that there is an eagle perched upon its branches, who knows a multitude of things: but he hath between his eyes a fparrow-hawk. A fquirrel runs up and down the Afh, fowing misunderstanding between the eagle and the ferpent, which lies concealed at its root. Four * Nornir, Il. is rather Fates, or Deftinies, Parcae.. I have therefore chofe to retain the original word in fome of the following paffages, res ther than render it FAIRIES, after M. Mallet. T. Four ftags run across the branches of the tree, and devour its rind. There are fo many ferpents in the fountain whence fpring the rivers of hell, that no tongue can recount them, as it is faid in these verses. "The large Ash suffers more than one would believe, "Aftag eats and spoils it above; it rots on the "fides; while a ferpent gnaws and corrodes it be"low." And alfo in thefe, "Under the great Ash "are many ferpents, &c." They relate befides, that the Fairies or Deftinies who refide near the fountain of the PAST, draw up water thence, with which they bedew the Ash, to prevent its branches from growing withered and decayed. Of fo purifying a nature is that water, that whatever it touches becomes as white as the film withinfide an egg. There are upon this fubject very ancient verfes, to this effect, "The great and facred Ash is befprinkled with a white water, "whence comes the dew which falls into the valleys, "and which springs from the fountain of PAST"TIME." Men call this the Honey-dew, and it is the food of bees. There are alfo in this fountain two fwans, which have produced all the birds of that fpecies. REMARKS ON THE EIGHTH FABLE. (4) "Adminifter justice. "] We fee in the preceeding fable, that the Gods affemble together in the open air, in a valley: Here is their principal refidence, under an Afh-Tree. In this, as in other things, the Gods are made to conform themselves to the manners of men. The ancient Gothic and' Celtic nations for a long time had no other place of rendezvous, than fome tree remarkable for its fize and age. The states of Eaft Frieze- * land, even fo late as the thirteenth century, affembled under three large oaks which grew near Au fairly own, the whole is unintel ligible. One of the tranflators of the EDDA will have Minis to be Minos ; I am no more warranted by reafon to oppose him in this, than he was to entertain such a conceit. tich; and it is not more than three centuries ago, that most of the German princes held their conferences under trees t. The averfion these people had for inclosed places; the fear of putting them felves into the power of a perfidious chieftain, who, fortified in his castle, was stronger than the laws and magistrates: and lastly, that ancient impreffion, not even yet worn entirely out, with which their religion had inspired them in favour of trees; these are probably the causes of the fingular cuftom here alluded to in the EDDA. (B) "Do you, or do you not "understand this?"] To this I can only answer in the negative. This whole description is moft certainly allegorical. We meet in it indeed with fome glimmering rays of light, but they are fo tranfient and fo broken, that one may (c) "The evil Fairies."] Here we have a compleat theory of Fairyifm. In this paffage of the EDDA we have the bud and germ (as it were) of what the ancient romances *and popular fuperstitions have fo widely branched, and applied to fuch a variety of things. All the Celtic and Gothic' tribes have had a great veneration for the Fairies, or Deftinies; and not without reason, fince every man's fate or fortune was in their hands. The romances inform us, that there were two kinds of them, the Good and Bad ; but they diftinguifh them no farther. The three principal, according ↑ Vid. Keyfl. Antiq, Sept. p. 78, 79, 80. Τ. * The romances in which the FAIRIES and DESTINIES are used as fynonymous, are not those of Gothic origin, but rather the Oriental tales and fables. The FAIRIES of our own northern ancestors, are properly what are called throughout this work the DWARFS: whereas our author applies the word Fees (FAIRIES) in nearly the fame fenfe as the Latin Nymphae and Parcae; and perhaps this may be the fenfe in which it is generally used by his countrymen. The Nornae, however, of the Edda, feem to be evidently the fame with the Weird Sifters, fo famous in Gothic History and Romance. See Bartholin. Cauf Contempt. Mort. p. 610. Junii Etymol. Ang. (Verb. WERDE.) 糖 ing to the Edda, are the PRESENT, the PAST, and the FUTURE; a circumftance which is wanting in the Greek fable of the Parcae, and which is in itself not badly imagined. The Romans, who enlarged their heaven, and increased the number of their Gods, in proportion as they extended their empire; having adopted thefe northdivinities, confecrated to them divers monuments, fome of which have been recovered. Thefe monuments agree very well with the EDDA . They almost always prefent to view three females: the oracles thefe pronounced had rendered them fa ern * mous. They were especially reforted to at the birth of a child. In many places there were caverns, where the people fancied they might enjoy the pleasure of their prefence, and hear them fpeak. Some places in France retain fill the name of the FAIRIES OVEN, the FAIRIES WELL, &c. Saxo, the Grammarian, speaks of a chapel, where king Fridleif went to confult them about his fon Olaus, and he adds, that he faw three young women fitting there. Sax. 1. 6. This fuperftition, fo general throughout Euroye, hath prevailed almost as long as that relating to witches * Fr. Celtiques. We fee, in the and forcerers. procefs or trial of the famous MAID OF ORLEANS, that she was accused of going often to a certain oak in a folitary place, to confult the FAIRIES (Fr. Fees.) Thefe Fairies were, I believe, as to their origin, deified prophetesfes. The Celtic and Teutonie' women had a peculiar talent for improving all forts of superstition; and turning every thing into omens. Those who had moft diftinguifhed themselves in this art, were deified, and became Goddeffes after their deceafe; and as they had predicted the fate of men on earth, were believed ftill to do it in heaven. This error is very ancient. In the time of Vefpafian, there was, according to Tacitus, a female named Felleda, half a Prophetess, and half a Fairy, who, from the top of a tower where the lived reclufe, exercised far and near, a power equal to that of kings. Latè imperitabat are the words of the hiftorian. The most illuftrious warriors undertook nothing without her advice, and always confecrated to her a part of the booty. V. Tacit. Hift. 1. 4 & 5. In general, one may obferve, that the worship paid to women, hath always had here in Europe great Vid. Key. Ant. p. 33, 270, 396, 446. ad advantage over that which was directed to men. The religious respect which was here paid to the Fairies or Deftinies, is of all the doctrines of the ancient religion, that which hath longest prevailed. These fabulous divi nities have furvived all the Gods and Genii, both of the Celts and Romans, and though at last banifhed every where elfe, have found a kind of afylum in our romances. Fr. La Religion Celtique. To the instances given by our author (in Note a) of the Gothic nations affembling under Trees, may be added the following in our own country, viz. The Wapentake of SKIRE-AKE in the Weft-riding of Yorkshire, is thought to have taken its name from a remarkable Oak, to which the inhabitants repaired upon public occasions, as at a general Convention of the Diftri, &c. See Thorefby's Ducat. Leod. p. 84, 150. So Berkshire is thought to have been denominated from BEROKE, a bare, or difbarked Oak, to which, upon particular emergencies, the inhabitants were wont, in ancient times, to refort and confult about public matters. Camb. Brit. (by Gibson, 1 Ed. p. 137.)- -The Tranflator of this Book knows a Manor in Shropshire, where the ManorCourt is held to this day under a very aged Afh-tree: there the Steward calls over the Copy-holders, and forms a Jury; and then adjourns the Court to a neighbouring inn, for the dispatch of business. G THE NINTH FABLE. Of the Cities which are in Heaven. ANGLER fays to Har, You tell me very wonderful things; but what are the holy cities to be feen in heaven? Har replies, There are many VOL. II. F other |