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defign; and therefore, as foon as he arrived, they fascinated his eyes by their inchantments (B). Immediately appeared to his fight a very lofty palace; the roof of which, as far as his eyes could reach, was covered with golden fhields. The poet Diodolfe thus describes it, "The Gods had formed the roof of bril"liant gold, the walls of ftone, the foundations of the "hall were mountains (c)." At the entrance of this palace, GYLFE faw a man playing with feven little fwords, which he amused himself with toffing into the air and catching as they fell, one after another. This perfon asked his name; the difguised monarch told him, it was Gangler, and that he came from the rocks of Riphil. He afked, in his turn, to whom that palace belonged? The other told him it belonged to their king, and that he would introduce him to his prefence. Gangler entering, faw many stately buildings, and innumerable halls crowded with people; fome drinking, others engaged in various fports, others wrestling. Gangler feeing a multitude of things, the meaning of which he could not comprehend, foftly pronounced the following verses. "Carefully exa"mine all the gates, before thou advanceft further; "for thou canst not tell where the foes may be fit"ting, who are placed in ambush against thee." He afterwards beheld three thrones, raised one above another, and on each throne fat a man (D). Upon his afking which of these was their king, his guide anfwered, "He who fits on the loweft throne is the king, his name is HAR, or the lofty one: The second is JAFNHAR, i. e. equal to the lofty one: But he who fits on the highest throne is called THRIDI, or the third (E)." Har perceiving Gangler, defired to know what bufinefs had brought him to Afgard: Adding, that he fhould be welcome to eat and drink without coft, along with the other guests of his court. Gangler said, He defired first to know whether there was any per

fon

fon prefent who was famous for his wifdom and knowledge. Har answered, If thou art the more knowing, I fear thou wilt hardly return fafe: But go, stand below, and propose thy queftions; here fits one who will be able to answer thee.

REMARK S.

In the edition of the EDDA, published by Refenius, there is a Chapter before this: But I have not tranflated it, because it has little or no relation to the reft, and contains nothing remarkable: It is alfo not found in the MS, at Upfal. That chapter feems to have been only prefixed by way of preamble, by SNORRO STURLESON, the compiler of the EDDA. As for GYLFE, Snorro informs us in the beginning of his larger Chronicle, that this prince, who governed Sweden before the arrival of Odin and his Afiatics, was obliged to yield to the fupernatural power, which those intruders employed against him, and to refign his kingdom up to them. This gave rife to the fuppofition that Gylfe, was willing to make trial himself of the skill and fagacity of these new-comers, by propofing to them a variety of captious queftions. In the history of ancient Scandinavia, as well as that of all the eastern countries, we often fee

these contests or trials of skill between kings and princes, in which the victory is always affigned to him who could give an answer to every queftion, and affign a caufe (true or falfe) for every phænomenon. This was called Science or Wisdom; words originally fynonimous in all languages, but at present so easily distinguished. It will be neceffary here, to refer the reader to the account of Odin's arrival in the north, given in the former volume, (chap. II. III. &c.) for his more readily understanding this and the following chapters.

(A)" He refolved to go to Afgard."] Odin and his companions came from ASGARD: A word which fignifies the "abode "of Lords or Gods." Some words are difficult to be understood, because we cannot difcover. any meaning in them. Here, on the contrary, the difficulty lies in the variety or multiplicity of fignifications. The word As, in the

⚫ ancient

mong many of our contempora ries. [This note is only in the first edit, of the orig.]

ancient languages of Europe *,' generally fignified Lord or God but in the EDDA, and other Ice landic writings, it fignifies also Afiatics; and we know not in which of these senses the name is given to Odin and his companions. Eccard, in his treatife De Origine Germanorum, pag. 41. pretends that this word was never used in the laft fenfe, and that the arrival of Odin from Afia was a mere fiction, founded on the resemblance of sounds; or that he certainly came from Vandalia, at present Pomerania. I refer the reader to the work itself, for the reasons on which this conjecture is founded; which would deserve the preference for its fimplicity, if a uniform and ancient tradition did not place the original country of the Scandinavians in the neighbourhood of the Tanais. See Vol. I. c. IV, &c.

(B)" By their inchantments."] It should be remembered that the author of the EDDA was a Chriftian: On this account he is unwilling to allow Odin the honour of having performed real miracles. It was believed, indeed, in our author's time, that it was impoffible to do fupernatural things, but that yet there was an art of perfuading others that they faw them done. The fame opinion ftill prevails a

"Diodolfe thus describes

(c) " it."] Diodolfe, or Thiodolfe, was a celebrated ancient SCALD, who compofed a long poem, containing the history of more than thirty princes of Norway. We fee in the text SNORRO's care to quote almost always his authorities for whatever he relates: This will appear throughout his work. He has purfued the fame method in his great Chronicle, where we find every fact confirmed by a fragment of fome old historical poem. This shows, at the fame time, both the great erudition of this hiftorian, and the amazing quantity of fuch kind of verfes that fubfifted in his time. In like manner among the Gauls, their ancient poems were fo numerous, that the young people found sufficient employment for feveral years in committing them

to memory.

(D) "Three thrones "and on each fat a man."] In the MS. copy of the EDDA preferved at Upfal, there is a representation or drawing (very rudely done, as may be fuppofed) of these three thrones, and of the three perfons fitting on them. They have

* Fr. Dans toutes les Branches de la langue Celtique.

· crowns

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(E) "He who fits on the high"eft throne."] Is it Odin, or formie one of his court that fills this throne? This it is not easy to decide. It appears to me, however, that throughout this whole preamble, the ODIN here spoken of is only the prince, the conqueror of the north, and not ODIN the father and ruler of the Godst. Gangler had betaken himself to 'Odin's court, while that prince was fubduing Sweden. He found

therefore at Afgard, only his vice gerents, that ruled in his abfence. The names that are given them, perhaps allude to their rank and employments. Upon this fuppofition, there will be nothing in the relation but what is natural and eafy. But I must here repeat it, that we must expect to fee, throughout this Mythology, ODIN the conqueror of the north, every where confounded with ODIN the fupreme Deity: Whofe name was ufurped by the other, at the fame time that he came to establish his worship in Scandinavia. JUPITER, the king of Crete, and the sovereign lord of Heaven and Earth; ZOROASTER, the founder of the worship of the Magi, and the God to whom that worship was addreffed; ZAMOLXIS, the highprieft of the Thracians, and the fupreme God of that people, have not been more conftantly confounded, than these two ODINS.

* The reader may find it engraven on a copper-plate in Bartholini Caufæ contemptæ à Danis mortis, &c. pag. 473. 4to. T.

The reader will remember the diftinction made in pag. 51, 59, 60, &c, of the preceding volume. T.

THE

(6)

THE FIRST FABLE.

G

Questions of Gangler.

ANGLER thus began his difcourfe. Who is the fupreme or firft of the Gods? Har anfwers: We call him here ALFADER, or the universal father; but in the ancient Afgard, he hath twelve names (A.) Gangler afks, Who is this God? What is his power? and what hath he done to difplay his glory (B)? Har replies; He lives for ever; he governs all his kingdom; and directs the great things as well as the fmall. Jafnhar adds: He hath formed the heaven, the earth, and the air. Thridi proceeds, He hath done more; he hath made man, and given him a spirit or foul, which fhall live, even after the body fhall have mouldered away. And then all the just shall dwell with him in a place named Gimle (or Vingolf, the palace of friendship :) But wicked men fhall go to HELA, or death, and from thence to Niflheim, or the abode of the wicked, which is below in the ninth world. Gangler then asked, how this God was employed before he made the heaven and the earth? Har replied, He was then with the Giants (c). But, fays Gangler, With what did he begin? or what was the beginning of things? Hear, replied Har, what is faid in the poem of the VOLUSPA.

* Goranfon tranflates this, Ubi eft hic deus? HUAR ES SA GUD? Where is this God? Which is doubtlefs the true meaning. T.

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