BOOK CXLVII. BOOK CXLVII. Language of the Scald Poetry. EUROPE. Europe continued. - Description of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Kingdom of Norway. AT the northern extremity of Europe, in those regions where winter, characterised by long and severe frosts, and losing the gray complexion which it presents in temperate climates, covers the ground with a dazzling carpet of snow, and adorns itself with the brilliant fires of the Aurora Borealis; where the long days of summer, even hotter than under the sky of Italy, are indebted to the scorching rays of the sun for the blessings of a vegetation which unfolds itself with surprising rapidity, there lives a people, who, in the bosom of an advanced civilization, have religiously preserved the laws and manners of their ancestors. people is the Norwegian. This Descended probably from the same source, the Norwegian speaks a language, which has the same origin with that of the Swedes and Danes. In the eighth century one dialect formed one great family, and in this dialect were composed the songs consecrated to the mysteries and mythological creed of the Scandinavians. The brilliant fictions which still enliven our poetry, appear to have been, if not produced, at least tastefully coloured under the beautiful sky of Greece; yet we find a part of their lustre in the ancient Edda, the most valuable collection we possess of Scandina- Scandinavian poems. Let us open one of these poems, the Vol-Uspa, or the Oracle of the Prophetess Vola, in which the creation of the world, and its destruction, are vian Po ems. 1 described in glowing language. We there read that in the BOOK beginning a vast chaos reigned over the universe; the CXLVII. gods themselves slumbered in the repose of a long and dark night. At last appeared the giant Imer, with his brothers, in the midst of that ocean of vapours which filled the immensity of space, and framed a world, gigantic indeed, but without proportion, and as yet enveloped in darkness. But Odin, the god of light, accompanied by his two brothers Ve and Vite, extended his reign over this universe, still shapeless and rude: then the sun, hitherto wandering in space, drew the other stars after him around our planet. Now the seasons succeeded each other regularly. Ymer fell under the blows of Odin, and in his blood the giants his brothers were drowned, one excepted, who, more fortunate than the rest, took refuge in the mountains, where he propagated a race destined one day to embrue the earth with blood. the world Odin, intent upon beautifying the universe, created man Creation of and woman from the trunk of a tree thrown by the waves and of man upon the beach. Does not this incident conceal a philosophical idea? May we not discover in this wreck, tossed upon the ocean, and which becomes the origin of the human race, the cause of that stormy life that attends man in this world? Whatever there may be in this, the deities hastened to adorn this new race of beings with the finest qualities; the earth presented the image of happiness; innocence and knowledge reigned in it; the arts diffused themselves; gold became the most common of metals. But the daughters of the giants descended from their mountains; one of them, Gullveiga or the Weigher of Gold, spread among men avarice and the love of gain; thrice the gods delivered her over to the flames, and thrice she revived from her ashes. And she still lives. She it is who first caused human blood to flow, and, through her influence, it will never cease flowing. pus of the Asagard is the Scandinavian Olympus. There, amidst The Olymsurrounding clouds, arises, resplendent with light, Valhalla, north. or the palace of Odin, the abode of the gods, the asylum destined for those mortals, who have by their virtues rendered themselves worthy of it. There the hero slain in battle BOOK is admitted to the banquet of the gods. There Freya, the CXLVII. daughter of the god of the seas, as Venus is of the foam, adorns herself with all the charms of youth. She is the goddess of love and of beauty, and, under the name of Vanadis, also the goddess of hope. She shares with Odin the empire of the dead; because it is often unsuccessful love which hurries its victims into the heart of battle. Frigga, the chaste spouse of Odin, the Ceres and Juno of the Scandinavians, receives, after death, such wives as have been distinguished by a heroic fidelity; while Thor, her eldest son, who, with his club, terrifies the giants, and makes them re-enter the limits of Jotounheim, the prison reserved for them, in like manner rewards after their death faithful slaves. In the palace of the Immortals, Bragor, the god of the arts and of music, charms the ears of the deities with the notes of his golden harp. Idunna, his wife, distributes among the inhabitants of heaven apples, which perpetuate their immortality. Forsete, another son of Odin, has for his employment the preserving peace among mankind; and the goddess Vara presides over the sacredness of oaths. Without this hallowed mansion, the god Uller, gliding on his sparkling skates, cuts the air with the rapidity of lightning, surpassing the winds in swiftness; while the watchful Heimdal, a sentinel ever attentive to the motions of the evil genii, guards night and day that ærial arch, the seven colours of which are so often seen by men. But the object beloved by all the gods is Balder, the son of Odin, the most amiable of the immortals, and out-dazzling them all, endued by destiny with every good quality of the heart, with every intellectual gift, and with every physical advantage. Nothing equals his beauty: his eyes shine with a lustre more brilliant than that of the rays of the morning star. To him alone belongs the power of appeasing tempests. A stranger to the passions which agitate the other gods; unfond of their warlike projects, and their obstreperous mirth, he seldom appears at their assemblies, living peaceably in a palace, whose situation is pointed out by that white belt, which during clear nights shines in the vault of heaven. Destruc But this world, organized by Odin, will one day fall to ruin, BOOK and again become part of the empire of chaos: the death CXLVII, of Balder has been predicted, and Odin has read this terrible secret in the Book of Fate. Siona, the goddess of sympathy tion of the and love; Snotra, who bestows prudence and moderation; universe. Lowna, who presides over conjugal fidelity; the three Nornies, who regulate the destiny of mortals; the twelve Valkiries, nymphs who accompany heroes to battle; in short, all the gods tremble in the knowledge of the future that threatens them. All these deities have brought the parts of nature, which are subject to them, under an oath to furnish no arms fatal to the life of Balder. Fire, water, vegetables, rocks, are bound by this oath; one parasitical plant alone, the misletoe, was forgotten. Loke, the genius of evil, has discovered the fatal omission, and he will employ this contemptible vegetable to accomplish the decree of fate. Assured that all the elements respect his life, Balder, amidst the warlike exercises of Valhalla, feels a pleasure in presenting his invulnerable breasts to the darts thrown at him by the gods; but Loke, at one of these celestial assemblies, will engage Hoder, the son of Odin, to take part, although blind, in the tournaments. Putting into his hand a branch of the misletoe, and directing his arm, the genius of evil will see his wishes accomplished by an unintentional fratricide. Loke will then re-assemble the giants his sons; he will open the gates of Nastrond, a frozen hell, where rivers of poison alone preserve their fluidity, and he will bring from thence the perjured, the assassins, and the dreadful Hela, the goddess of death. Surtur, the genius of fire, will at the same time escape from Muspalheim, his abode of flames. Then all these monsters and their attendants will attack the gods; the serpent Jormungandur will crush the earth in his immense folds; the wolf Fenris will devour the star of day and the mighty Odin; the stars will fall from the azure vault; the two celestial armies will perish, annihilated by each other; and the universe, disorganized by so many opposing struggles, will present only a vast collection of elements confusedly mixed. BOOK Resurrec The predictions, however, of the Sybil Vola, do not ter CXLVII. minate with this frightful catastrophe. She invokes a deity greater than all those who are to perish in the genetion of the ral conflagration. This being, superior to all others, will world. appear to establish eternal laws; a new earth will proceed from chaos, in the splendour of youth; the climates of the north will no longer have either ice or frost, but a perpetual spring will reign there; and Balder, the god of peace, raised again from the dead, will gather around him all virtuous men.* gony. Origin of In this exposé of Scandinavian mythology, we perceive this cosmo- resemblances to the writings of Plato, and many fictions similar to those which distinguish the philosophical systems of the Slavonians, Persians, and Indians. Do these different points of analogy prove, that in every climate man has given the same form to his religious ideas, as an author of merit supposes? Or, do they rather point out to us, that the ancient dogmas of the north derive their origin from the sacred reveries, which are regarded as having their birth in India? Or, lastly, have they not rather been carried from the regions of the north even as far as the east? The study of such monuments as have survived the destruction of ages, the knowledge of the ancient languages of the north, and a comparison of them with those of India, have probably not yet thrown sufficient light upon these questions. Runic Alphabet. - It is not difficult to recognise the striking resemblance that exists between the Norman-Gothic, the language of the Scaldes, that in which are written the two poems of the Edda and Voluspa, and the Sanscrit. The Runic alphabet, which resembles the Phenician characters, and those of the ancient inscriptions at Persepolis, has been in use in the north from time immemorial. Can we admit, with certain modern authors, that See the work entitled, Edda rhythmica seu Antiquior, vulgo soemundina dicta, &c. Copenhagen, 1827. + Summary of the History of Sweden, by C. Coquerel, 2d edit. 1825. The Runic characters are so called from the old Latin word runa, (a javelin); because they are of a sharp or pointed form; the Persepolitan writing is formed of letters which we call wedge-shaped (cuneiformes), from their resemblance to a wedge or an arrow-head. |