they should make no difficulty of fetting him at liberty without delay. I am very much afraid, replied the monster, that if you once tye me fo fast that I cannot work my deliverance myself, you will be in no hafte to unloofe me. I would not therefore voluntarily permit myself to be tied, but only to fhow you that I am no coward: yet I infift upon it, that one of you put his hand in my mouth, as a pledge that you intend me no deceit. Then the Gods, wiftfully looking on one another, found themselves in a very em, barraffing dilemma; till Tyr prefented himself, intrepidly offering his right hand to the monster. Hereupon the Gods having tied up the Wolf, he forcibly stretched himself, as he had formerly done, and exerted all his powers to difengage himself: but the more efforts he made, the clofer and ftraiter he drew the knot; and all the Gods (except Tyr, who loft his hand,') burst into loud peals of laughter at the fight. Obferving him then so fast tied, as to be unable ever to get loofe again, they took one end of the string, and having drilled a hole for it, drew it threw the middle of a large broad rock, which they funk very deep into the earth; afterwards, to make it ftill more fecure, they tied the end of the cord which came through the rock, to a great ftone which they funk ftill deeper. The Wolf, opening wide his tremendous jaws, endeavoured to devour them, and rushed upon them with violence. Which the Gods feeing, thrust a sword into his mouth, which pierced his under jaw up to the hilt, fo that the point touched his palate. The howlings which he then made were horrible; and fince that time, the foam flows continually from his mouth, in fuch abundance that it forms a river, called Vam, or The Vices. But that monster fhall break his chain at the Twilight of the Gods, that is, at the end of the world (A).

Such

Such is the wicked race engendered by Loke. Hereupon Gangler fays to Har, But fince the Gods have so much to fear from the Wolf, and from all the other monsters whom Loke' hath produced; why have they not put them to death? Har replied, The Gods have so much respect for the fanctity of their tribunals, and cities of peace (B), that they will not have them ftained with the blood of the Wolf; although the oracles have intimated to them, that he will one day be destructive to Odin.

REMARKS ON THE SEVENTEENTH FABLE.

(A)" At the end of the world."] It cannot be doubted that the Wolf is the end of the Evil Principle, or of fome power at enmity with nature. The river of Vices, faid to flow from the foam of his mouth, is one of thofe ftrokes which manifeftly indicate an allegory. I fhall fhow in another place, that the paffage we have now read, as well as all of the fame kind oc

curring in the EDDA, are no other than figurative, and poetic ways

of propounding that philofophic

doctrine of the Celtes, Stoicks, and fome eastern fages, which affirms that the world and the inferior Gods must one day yield to their enemies, and be again reproduced, in order to fulfil a new feries of deftinies.

(B)" The fanctity of "their cities of peace."] There were cities, where the holiness of the place forbad all quarrels and bloodshed.

THE

THE EIGHTEENTH FABLE.

G

Of the Goddeffes.

ANGLER asks, Who are the Goddeffes? The principal, replies Har, is FRIGGA (A), who hath a magnificent palace, named Fenfaler, or the Divine Abode. The fecond is called SAGA. EIRA performs the function of phyfician to the Gods (B). GEFIONE is a virgin, and takes into her fervice all chafte maids after their death. FYLLA, who is also a virgin, wears her beautiful locks flowing over her fhoulders. Her head is adorned with a golden ribband. She is entrusted with the toilette, and flippers of Frigga*; and admitted into the most important fecrets of the Goddefs. FREYA is the moft illuftrious of the Goddesses, next to Frigga. She married a perfon named Oder, and brought him a daughter named Noffa, fo very handfome, that whatever is beautiful and precious is called by her name. But Oder left her, in order to travel into very remote countries. Since that time Freya continually weeps, and her tears are drops of pure gold. She has a great variety of names; for having gone over many countries in search of her husband, each people gave her a different name; fome calling her Vanadis, or the Goddefs of Hope, &c. &c. She wears a very rich chain of gold.

*The Icelandic is, Ok ber efki Friggiar: Ok gietr foklatha hennar, &c. i. e. according to Goranfon's Latin verfion, " Eique Pyxis Frigga "concredita eft, ut et ejufdem Calcei.”

T.

gold. The feventh Goddess is SIONA. She employs herself in turning mens hearts and thoughts to love, and in making young men and maidens well with each other. Hence lovers bear her name, LOVNA is fo good and gracious, and accords fo heartily to the tender vows of men, that by a peculiar power which Odin and Frigga have given her, fhe can reconcile lovers the most at variance. VARA, the ninth Goddess, prefides over the oaths that men make, and particularly over the promises of lovers. She is attentive to all concealed engagements of that kind, and punishes those who keep not their plighted troth. VORA is prudent, and wife, and fo penetrating and curious, that nothing can remain hid from her. SYNIA is the portress of the palace, and fhuts the gates against all thofe who ought not to enter: fhe alfo prefides in trials, where any thing is about to be denied upon oath; whence the proverb, " Signia is not far from "him who goes about to deny." The twelfth is called LYNA. She has the care of those whom Frigga intends to deliver from peril. SNOTRA is a wife and intelligent Goddess; men and women who are prudent and virtuous bear her name. GNA is the meffenger whom Frigga dispatches into the various worlds, to perform her commands. She has a horse which runs over the air (c), and across the waters *. They reckon alfo SoL and BIL in the number of the Afes, or' Divinities; but their nature hath been already explained to you. There are, befides, a great many virgins who officiate in Valhall, pouring out BEER and ALE for the Heroes, and taking care of the cups, and whatever belongs to the table. To this refers what

The curious reader will find an additional passage here in Goranfon's Latin tranflation.

This, I fuppofe, refers to FABLE VI, &c.

T

T

what is faid in the poem of Grimnis, "I with Rifta "and Mifta would fupply me with the drinking "horns; for they are the nymphs who fhould give

cups to the heroes." Thefe Goddeffes are called Valkyries; Odin fends them into the fields of battle, to make choice of those who are to be flain, and to bestow the victory. GUDUR, ROSTA, and the youngeft of the Destinies or Fairies * who prefide over Time, viz. SKULDA (or the FUTURE) go forth every day on horseback to chufe the dead, and regulate what carnage fhall enfue. IORD, or the Earth, the mother of Thor; and RINDA, the mother of Vale, ought also to be ranked among the Goddeffes.

fon.

Inlandic, Norn en yngla, i. c. Nornarum natu Minima. Goran

T.

REMARKS ON THE EIGHTEENTH FABLE.

(A) "The principal is Frigga."] Ihave already remarked that FRIGGA was the Earth, the fpouse of Odin, and mother of the inferior Divinities; and that THOR WAS her firft-born. She, with these two other Gods, made that facred Triad, who were ferved and attended with fo much refpect in the famous Temple of Upfal. Frigga, or Frea, was there reprefented as repofing upon cushions between Odin and Thor; and by various emblems, was denoted to be the

Goddess of Plenty, Fruitfulness and Pleasure. The fixth day of the week is Frea's day in all the northern languages, (fc. FRIDAY †) She being the mother of the whole human race, the people regarded one another as brethren, and lived in ftrict unity and concord, during⚫ the fhort time that her festivals lafted. Non bella ineunt, faid Tacitus refpecting thofe feafons, non arma fumunt, claufum omne ferrum ; pax & quies tum tantum amata. But as foon as thefe were over, they

+ Sce Vol. I. pag. 80.

made