"the victorious ODIN takes no other nourishment to himself, than what arifes from the unintermitted "quaffing of wine." Two ravens conftantly fit upon his shoulders, and whifper in his ear whatever news they have feen or heard. The one of them is named Hugin, or Spirit; the other Munnin, or Memory. Odin lets them loofe every day; and they, after hav ing made their excurfions over the whole world, return again at night about the hour of repaft. Hence it is, that this god knows fo many things, and is called the God of the Ravens. Gangler proceeds, and demands, And what is the beverage of the heroes, which they have in as great abundance as their food? Do they only drink water? Har fays to him, You put a very foolish queftion. Can you imagine that the Universal Father would invite kings, and chiefs *, and great lords; and give them nothing to drink but water? In that cafe, certainly very many of those, who arrive at the palace of Odin, and who had endured cruel torments and received mortal wounds in order to obtain accefs thither, would have reafon to complain this honour would indeed coft them dear were they there to meet with no better entertainment. But you fhall fee, that the cafe is quite otherwise. For in VALHALL, there is a fhe goat, which feeds on the leaves of the tree Lerada. From her paps flows hydromel, or mead, in fuch great abundance, that it every day completely fills a pitcher, large enough to inebriate all the heroes (c). Truly, fays Gangler, this is a very useful, and very furprising she goat : I fancy the tree fhe feeds upon, must have many fin : gular The original Icelandic word is Tarls (Lat. Duces), whence is dèrived our title, EARLS; the word Iarls however had not acquired fo precife a meaning, gular virtues. Har anfwered him, What is related of a particular ftag is much more marvellous. This stag alfo is in Valhall, and feeds upon the leaves of that fame tree: there iffues from his horns fuch an abundance of vapour, that it forms the fountain of Vergelmer, out of which arife the rivers that water the refidence of the Gods. Gangler goes on, and fays, Valhall muft needs be an immenfe palace; yet I imagine there must often arife ftruggles and contefts at the gate, among fuch a crowd of people as are continually thronging in and out. Har replied, Why do not you inquire, how many gates there are; and what are their dimenfions? Then you would be able to judge, whether there be any difficulty in going in and out, or not. Know then, that there is plenty of feats and doors, as it is faid in the poem of Grimnis; " İ "know that there are five hundred and forty gates "in Valhall. Out of each, eight heroes may march "abreaft when going to battle, followed by crowds "of spectators." A world of people! fays Gangler; and Odin muft needs be a great chieftain, to command fo numerous an army. But tell me, How do the heroes divert themselves when they are not drinking? Every day, replies Har, as foon as they have dreffed themselves, they take their arms; and entering the lifts, fight, till they cut one another in pieces (D): this is their diverfion: but no fooner does the hour of repaft approach, than they remount their steeds all fafe and found, and return to drink in the palace of ODIN. Thus have you good reason to say, that Odin is the greatest and most mighty of lords; which is also confirmed to us by these verses, compofed in honour of the Gods. "The afh Udrafil is the greatest of trees; "Skidbladner, of Veffels; Odin, of Gods; Sleipner, "of Horfes; Bifroft, of Bridges; Bragè, of Scalds, "or Poets; Habroc, of Hawks; and Garmer, of "Hounds." REMARKS REMARKS ON THE TWENTIETH FABLE, (^)“ When the wolf FENRIS “arrives at the last day.”] I have already remarked, that the EQDA never lofes fight of that grand event, the Deftruction of the World. The inferior Gods were, at that time, to undergo rude affaults. This was pointed at in the preceding fable; where a reafon is affigned why Frey will not be able to refift the attacks of the evil Genii. It was owing to this expectation that the inferior Gods received with pleasure warriors of approved valour, and fuch as they could depend on at the last times. (B) The heroes are fed with the fat of this animal."] This defcription of the palace of Odin is a natural picture of the manners of the ancient Scandinavians and Germans. Prompted by the wants of their climate, and the impulfe of their own temperament, they form to themselves a delicious pa radife in their own way; where they were to eat and drink, and fight. The women to whom they affign a place there, are introduced for no other purpose, but to fill their cups. One wild boar furnishes out the whole of this celeftial banquet: for, not very nice, they were only folicitous about the quantity of their food. The flesh of this animal, as well as that of the Hog, was formerly the favourite meat of all these nations. The ancient Franks were no lefs fond of it; a herd of fwine was, in their eyes, an affair of such importance, that the fecond chapter of the Salic Law, confiting of twenty articles, is wholly taken up in inflicting penalties on thofe who ftole them. In Gregory of Tours, Queen Fredegond, in order to alienate the mind of the King from one Nectarius, blackens him with the crime of having ftolen a great many Gammons or Hams, from the place where K. Chilperic laid up his provisions. The King did not confider this at all as a laughing matter, but took it in a very grave and serious light. (c) “ To (e) "To inebriate all the "Heroes."] Wine was very scarce in those times, and almost unknown. BEER was, 'perhaps,' a liquor too vulgar for the Heroest; the EDDA therefore makes them drink Hydromel, or Mead, a beveage in great esteem among all the German nations. The ancient Franks made great use of it. Gregory of Tours, fpeaking of a certain lord who generally drank of it, adds, Ut mos barbarorum habet. Greg. Turon. L. 8. c. 3. દ (D)" They cut one another in "pieces."] From this paffage of the EDDA, we may form to ourfelves an idea of the amufements of the ancient Goths and' Celtes. "When they were not engaged in any real war, they endeavoured by the reprefentation of battles, to gratify that fierce difpofition which made them fond of the profeffion of arms. "The Goths are "extremely fond of throwing "their darts, and handling their arms; and it is their daily praetice, to divert themselves with "mock-fights:" fays Ifidore in his Chronic. The fame prevailed among the Gauls and Germans, as is plain from a paffage in the fragments of Varro. To this custom we may ascribe the rise and eftablishment of Justings and Turnaments. There are many inftitutions of this kind, whose origin is no less ancient, loft in the clouds of a very remote antiquity, whatever fome learned men may affert, who affign them much later eras; not confidering that customs are commonly more ancient than the firft hiftorian who speaks of them; and that a new name, or more regular form, which may have been given them, imply not neceffarily their first beginning. In fact, we have never seen, nor ever fhall fee, any important custom fpring up all at once, and establish itself with fuccefs, without there having exifted fomething analogous to it before-hand, to prepare and lead mens minds to adopt it. To return to the PALACE of ODIN; in order that the Heroes might repair betimes in the morning to the celeftial Tilt-Yard, there was a Cock in the neighbourhood, which awaked them. At the great day of the overthrow of + Yet we find in some of the Icelandic Odes, the Heroes rejoicing in the expectation that they should quaff BEER out of the fculls of their enemies, when once they were received into Valhall, or the Palace of ODIN. See below, Regner Lodbrog's Ode in this volume. T. of the world, the shrill screams of this bird will be the first fignal of the approach of the evil Genii. This particular is related in the VOLUSPA, a poem wherein we have fome flashes of true poetic fire, amidst a great deal of smoke. The paffage is this: "That animal which gives such a brilliancy to his golden creft, "hath already pierced with his cries the abode of the Gods: he hath "awakened the Heroes; they run to their arms; they run to the Fa"ther of Armies. To his fcreams answer, under ground, the dismal "cries of the Black Cock, which dwells in the palace of Death.” See Barthol. Antiq. Dan. p. 563. VOL. II, L THE |