Ten Great Religions Part 34

According to this mythology, there is coming a time in which the world will be destroyed by fire and afterward renewed. This will be, preceded by awful disasters; dreadful winters; wars, and desolations on earth; cruelty and deceit; the sun and moon will be devoured, the stars hurled from the sky, and the earth violently shaken. The Wolf (Fenrir), the awful Midgard Serpent, Loki, and Hela come to battle with the G.o.ds. The great Ash-tree will shake with fear. The Wolf (Fenrir) breaks loose, and opens his enormous mouth. The lower jaw reaches to the earth, and the upper to heaven. The Midgard Serpent, by the side of the Wolf, vomits forth floods of poison. Heaven is rent in twain, and Surtur and the sons of Muspell ride through the breach. These are the children of Light and Fire, who dwell in the South, and who seem to belong neither to the race of G.o.ds nor to that of giants, but to a third party, who only interfere at the close of the conflict. While the battle goes on between the G.o.ds and the giants they keep their effulgent bands apart on the field of battle. Meantime Heimdall--doorkeeper of the G.o.ds--sounds his mighty trumpet, which is heard through the whole universe, to summon the G.o.ds to conflict. The G.o.ds, or aesir, and all the heroes of Valhalla, arm themselves and go to the field. Odin fights with the Wolf; Thor with the Midgard Serpent, whom he kills, but being suffocated with the floods of venom dies himself. The Wolf swallows Odin, but at that instant Vidar sets his foot on its lower jaw, and laying hold of the upper jaw tears it apart. He accomplishes this because he has on the famous shoe, the materials of which have been collecting for ages, it being made of the shreds of shoe-leather which are cut off in making shoes, and which, on this account, the religious Scandinavians were careful to throw away. Loki and Heimdall fight and kill each other. After this Surtur darts fire over the whole earth, and the whole universe is consumed. But then comes the rest.i.tution of all things.

There will rise out of the sea a new heaven and a new earth. Two G.o.ds, Vidar and Vali, and two human beings, a man and woman, survive the conflagration, and with their descendants occupy the heavens and earth.

The suns of Thor come with their father's hammer and put an end to war.

Baldur, and Hodur, the blind G.o.d, come up from h.e.l.l, and the daughter of the Sun, more beautiful than its mother, occupies its place in the skies.

-- 4. The G.o.ds of Scandinavia.

We can give no better account of the Norse pantheon than by extracting the pa.s.sages from the prose Edda, which describe the G.o.ds. We take the translation in Mallet's Northern Antiquities:--

"OF ODIN.

"'I must now ask thee,' said Gangler, 'who are the G.o.ds that men are bound to believe in?'

"'There are twelve G.o.ds,' replied Har, 'to whom divine honors ought to be rendered.'

"'Nor are the G.o.ddesses,' added Jafhhar, 'less divine and mighty.'

"'The first and eldest of the aesir,' continued Thridi, 'is Odin. He governs all things, and although the other deities are powerful, they all serve and obey him as children do their father. Frigga is his wife.

She foresees the destinies of men, but never reveals what is to come.

For thus it is said that Odin himself told Loki, "Senseless Loki, why wilt thou pry into futurity? Frigga alone knoweth the destinies of all, though she telleth them never."'

"'Odin is named Alfadir (All-father), because he is the father of all the G.o.ds, and also Valfadir (Choosing Father), because he chooses for his sons all those who fall in combat. For their abode he has prepared Valhalla and Vingolf, where they are called Einherjar (Heroes or Champions). Odin is also called Hangagud, Haptagud, and Farmagud, and, besides these, was named in many ways when he went to King Geirraudr.'....

"OF THOR.

"'I now ask thee,' said Gangler, 'what are the names of the other G.o.ds?

What are their functions, and what have they brought to pa.s.s?'

"'The mightiest of them,' replied Har, 'is Thor. He is called Asa-Thor and Auku-Thor, and is the strongest of G.o.ds and men. His realm is named Thrudvang, and his mansion Bilskirnir, in which are five hundred and forty halls. It is the largest house ever built. Thus it is called in the Grimnismal:--

"Fire hundred halls And forty more, Methinketh, hath Bowed Bilskirnir.

Of houses roofed There's none I know My son's surpa.s.sing."

"'Thor has a car drawn by two goats called Tanngniost and Tanngrisnir.

From his driving about in this car he is called Auku-Thor (Charioteer-Thor). He likewise possesses three very precious things.

The first is a mallet called Mjolnir, which both the Frost and Mountain Giants know to their cost when they see it hurled against them in the air; and no wonder, for it has split many a skull of their fathers and kindred. The second rare thing he possesses is called the belt of strength or prowess (Megingjardir). When he girds it about him his divine might is doubly augmented; the third, also very precious, being his iron gauntlets, which he is obliged to put on whenever he would lay hold of the handle of his mallet. There is no one so wise as to be able to relate all Thor's marvellous exploits, yet I could tell thee so many myself that hours would be whiled away ere all that I know had been recounted.'

"OF BALDUR.

"'I would rather,' said Gangler, 'hear something about the other aesir.'

"'The second son of Odin,' replied Har, 'is Baldur, and it may be truly said of him that he is the best, and that all mankind are loud in his praise. So fair and dazzling is he in form and features, that rays of light seem to issue from him; and thou mayst have some idea of the beauty of his hair when I tell thee that the whitest of all plants is called Baldur's brow. Baldur is the mildest, the wisest, and the most eloquent of all the aesir, yet such is his nature that the judgment he has p.r.o.nounced can never be altered. He dwells in the heavenly mansion called Breidablik, in which nothing unclean can enter. As it is said,--

"'T is Breidablik called, "Where Baldur the Fair Hath built him a bower, In that land where I know The least loathliness lieth."'

"OF NJoRD.

"'The third G.o.d,' continued Har, 'is Njord, who dwells in the heavenly region called Noatun. He rules over the winds, and checks the fury of the sea and of fire, and is therefore invoked by seafarers and fishermen. He is so wealthy that he can give possessions and treasures to those who call on him for them. Yet Njord is not of the lineage of the aesir, for he was born and bred in Vanaheim. But the Vanir gave him as hostage to the aesir, receiving from them in his stead Hoenir. By this means was peace re-established between the aesir and Vanir. Njord took to wife Skadi, the daughter of the giant Thja.s.si. She preferred dwelling in the abode formerly belonging to her father, which is situated among rocky mountains, in the region called Thrymheim, but Njord loved to reside near the sea. They at last agreed that they should pa.s.s together nine nights in Thrymheim, and then three in Noatun. One day, when Njord came back from the mountains to Noatun, he thus sang:--

"Of mountains I'm weary, Not long was I there, Not more than nine nights; But the howl of the wolf Methought sounded ill To the song of the swan-bird."

'"To which Skadi sang in reply:--

"Ne'er can I sleep In my couch on the strand, For the screams of the sea-fowl.

The mew as he comes Every morn from the main Is sure to awake me."

"'Skadi then returned to the rocky mountains, and abode in Thrymheim.

There, fastening on her snow-skates and taking her bow, she pa.s.ses her time in the chase of savage beasts, and is called the Ondur G.o.ddess, or Ondurdis.....'

"OF THE G.o.d FREY, AND THE G.o.dDESS FREYJA.

"'Njord had afterwards, at his residence at Noatun, two children, a son named Frey, and a daughter called Freyja, both of them beauteous and mighty. Frey is one of the most celebrated of the G.o.ds. He presides over rain and suns.h.i.+ne, and all the fruits of the earth, and should be invoked in order to obtain good harvests, and also for peace. He, moreover, dispenses wealth among men. Freyja is the most propitious of the G.o.ddesses; her abode in heaven is called Folkvang. To whatever field of battle she rides, she a.s.serts her right to one half of the slain, the other half belonging to Odin.....'

"OF TYR.

"'There is Tyr, who is the most daring and intrepid of all the G.o.ds. 'T is he who dispenses valor in war, hence warriors do well to invoke him.

It has become proverbial to say of a man who surpa.s.ses all others in valor that he is _Tyr-strong_, or valiant as Tyr. A man noted for his wisdom is also said to be "wise as Tyr." Let me give thee a proof of his intrepidity. When the aesir were trying to persuade the wolf, Fenrir, to let himself be bound up with the chain, Gleipnir, he, fearing that they would never afterwards unloose him, only consented on the condition that while they were chaining him he should keep Tyr's right hand between his jaws. Tyr did not hesitate to put his hand in the monster's mouth, but when Fenrir perceived that the aesir had no intention to unchain him, he bit the hand off at that point, which has ever since been called the wolf's joint (ulflidr). From that time Tyr has had but one hand. He is not regarded as a peacemaker among men.'

"OF THE OTHER G.o.dS.

"'There is another G.o.d,' continued Har, 'named Bragi, who is celebrated for his wisdom, and more especially for his eloquence and correct forms of speech. He is not only eminently skilled in poetry, but the art itself is called from his name _Bragr_, which epithet is also applied to denote a distinguished poet or poetess. His wife is named Iduna. She keeps in a box the apples which the G.o.ds, when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to become young again. It is in this manner that they will be kept in renovated youth until Ragnarok.....

"'One of the G.o.ds is Heimdall, called also the White G.o.d. He is the son of nine virgins, who were sisters, and is a very sacred and powerful deity. He also bears the appellation of the Gold-toothed, on account of his teeth being of pure gold, and also that of Hallinskithi. His horse is called Gulltopp, and he dwells in Himinbjorg at the end of Bifrost.

He is the warder of the G.o.ds, and is therefore placed on the borders of heaven, to prevent the giants from forcing their way over the bridge.

He requires less sleep than a bird, and sees by night, as well as by day, a hundred miles around him. So acute is his ear that no sound escapes him, for he can even hear the gra.s.s growing on the earth, and the wool on a sheep's back. He has a horn called the Gjallar-horn, which is heard throughout the universe.....

"'Among the aesir,' continued Har,'we also reckon Hodur, who is blind, but extremely strong. Both G.o.ds and men would be very glad if they never had occasion to p.r.o.nounce his name, for they will long have cause to remember the deed perpetrated by his hand.

"'Another G.o.d is Vidar, surnamed the Silent, who wears very thick shoes. He is almost as strong as Thor himself, and the G.o.ds place great reliance on him in all critical conjunctures.

"'Vali, another G.o.d, is the son of Odin and Rinda; he is bold in war, and an excellent archer.

"'Another is called Ullur, who is the son of Sif, and stepson of Thor.

He is so well skilled in the use of the bow, and can go so fast on his snow-skates, that in these arts no one can contend with him. He is also very handsome in his person, and possesses every quality of a warrior, wherefore it is befitting to invoke him in single combats.

"'The name of another G.o.d is Forseti, who is the son of Baldur and Nanna, the daughter of Nef. He possesses the heavenly mansion called Glitnir, and all disputants at law who bring their cases before him go away perfectly reconciled.....'

"OF LOKI AND HIS PROGENY.