to himself. Here he learned fo many new circumstances concerning the functions of the feveral Gods, and the worship to be paid them in order to fecure their fa

vour, that he thought he had dif covered the mystery, and was now in a condition to cope with his rival.

THE FOURTEENTH FABLE.

Of the God Tyr.

AR anfwered, There is the God TYR, who is

intrepid of all the Gods.

'Tis he who difpenfes victories in war; and therefore warriors do well to pay their addreffes to him. It hath become proverbial to fay, of a man who furpaffes others in valour, that he is as BRAVE AS TYR. Let me give you a proof of his intrepidity. The Gods one day would fain have perfuaded the wolf FENRIS, their enemy, to permit himself to be chained up; but he, fearing left they should never afterwards unloose him, perfifted in his refusal, till Tyr put his hand, by way of pledge, into the mouth of this monfter. The Gods not judging it proper to redeem the pledge by unchaining the wolf, he bit off the God's hand, fevering it at that part, which has been ever fince called Uflithr or' THE WOLF'S JOINT. From that time this God hath had but one hand. His remarkable prudence has given occafion to this form of expreffion, fuch a one is "fagacious as Tyr:" but it is believed, that he does not love to fee men live in peace.

There is another God, named BRAGE, who is celebrated for his wifdom, eloquence and majestic air.

H

He

He is not only eminently skilled in poetry, but the art itfelf is called from his name Brager, and the most diftinguished poets receive their names from him. His wife is called Iduna. She keeps in a box certain apples, which the Gods tafte of, whenever they feel old age approaching; for thefe apples have the virtue of restoring youth to all who eat them: it is by this means that the Gods will fubfift till the darknefs of the last times. Hereupon Gangler cried out, Certainly the Gods have committed a great treasure to the guardianship and good faith of Iduna. Har fmiling, fays to him, And hence it happened, that they once ran the greatest risk in the world; as I fhall have occafion to tell you, when you have learnt the names of the other Gods.

REMARKS ON THE FOURTEENTH FABLE,

TYR was fome inferior divinity, who prefided particularly over battles. I do not believe that mention is made of him any where elfe except in the EDDA and other Icelandic monuments. And yet it is certain that this God hath been adored by all the northern nations; since in all the different dialects of this people, the name of the third day of the week, which the Romans confecrated to Mars (Dies Martis) hath been formed from the name of Tyr. This day is called Tyrfdag in Dan

other

'

境

TUESDAY, (See Vol. I. pag. 83.). Tacitus, here, as almost every where elfe, perfectly agrees with our monuments. He renders the name TYR, by that of Mars, and makes him a fubaltern, and inferior divinity to the God ODIN, whom he defcribes under the name of Mercury.

As to the God BRAGE, we know, nothing more of him than what we learn from the EDDA; and yet the Gauls had likewise a God of eloquence, named by the Romans Hercules Ogmius; but whether he was the fame with Brage does not

21

ifh and Swedish: and in mo- appear. The apples of Iduna are

dialects by a fomewhat fofter

dulation, Thifdag, Diflag, Tufdag, a very agreeable fiction.

In this

part

part of the ftory we again difcover the favourite system of the Celtes, refpecting the infenfible and con

T

tinual decay of nature, and of the Gods, who were united to it, and depended upon it.

THE FIFTEENTH FABLE.

Of Heimdall, and fome other Gods.

HERE is another very facred and powerful Deity, who is called HEIMDALL. He is the fon of nine Virgins, who are fifters. He is likewife called the "God with the Golden Teeth," becaufe his teeth are of that metal. He dwells at the end of the bridge Bifrost, or the RAINBOW, in a castle called the Celestial Fort." He is the fentinel or watchman of the Gods. The poft affigned him is to abide at the entry into him, to prevent the Giants from forcing their way over the bridge. He fleeps lefs than a bird; and fees by night, as well as by day, more than a hundred leagues around him. So acute is his ear, that he hears the grais growing on the earth, and tha wool on the fheep's doth the fmalleft found efcape him. Befides all this, he hath a trumpet, which is heard through all the worlds. This God is celebrated in the following verses :"The CELESTIAL FORT is the caftle where Heim"dall refideth, that facred guardian of heaven, who "drinketh divine hydromel in the fecure and tranquil palaces of the Gods."

66

Among the Gods we reckon alfo HODER, who is blind, but extremely ftrong. Both God and Men would be very glad if they never had occasion to pro

nounce

nounce his name *; yet Gods and Men will long preferve the remembrance of the deeds performed by his hands. The ninth God is the filent VIDAR, who wears very thick fhoes, but of fo wonderful a contexture, that by means of them he can walk in air, and tread upon water. He is almost as strong as the God THOR himself; and in all critical conjunctures, affords the Gods great confolation. The tenth God, VILE, or VALI, is one of the fons of ODIN and RINDA. He is bold in war, and an excellent archer. The eleventh is ULLER, the offspring of Sifia, and fon-in-law of THOR. He is fo quick in shooting his arrows, and fo nimble in the ufe of his fkates, that nobody can stand before him. He is alfo very handfome in his perfon, and poffeffes every quality of a hero; wherefore it is very proper to invoke him in duels, or fingle combats. FORSETE is the name of the twelfth God: he is the fon of Balder. He hath a palace in heaven, named Glitner. All who refer to him the decifion of their controverfies, return from his tribunal mutually fatisfied. It is the most excellent tribunal that is found among Gods or Men, according to these verses, "Glitner is the name of "palace, which is upheld by pillars of gold, and co"vered with a roof of filver. There it is that For"fete refides the greatest part of his time, who reconciles and appeafes all forts of quarrels."

This, I prefume, alludes to FABLE XXVIII.

RE

REMARKS ON THE FIFTEENTH FABLE.

I have no remark to offer upon this fable, but what every reader may make as well as myself. Moft of the divinities, mentioned here, are only known to us by the EDSA. Perhaps fome of them were

unknown to the other Gothic and' Celtic nations, and are only to be confidered as companions of the great northern conqueror, who were deified in subsequent ages.

SOM

THE SIXTEENTH FABLE.

Of Loke.

OME reckon LOKE in the number of the Gods; others call him, " The calumniator of the "Gods," "The artificer of fraud," "The disgrace "of Gods and Men." His name is Loke. He is the son of the Giant Farbautes and of Laufeya. His two brothers are Bileipter and Helblinde, or Blind Death. As to his body, Loke is handsome and very well made; but his foul is evil, light, and inconftant.. He furpaffes all beings' in that fcience which is called Cunning and Perfidy. Many a time hath he expofed the Gods to very great perils (A), and hath often extricated them again by his artifices. His wife is called Siguna. He hath had by her Nare, and some other children. By the Giantefs Angerbode, or Meffenger of Ill, he hath likewise had three children. One is the wolfe Fenris, the fecond is the great Serpent of Midgard, and the third is Hela, or Death.

The