I And there you were not able to untie your wallet, because I had fastened it with a magic chain. You afterwards aimed three blows at me with your mace: the first stroke, though flight, would have brought me to the ground, had I received it: but when you are gone hence, you will meet with an immenfe rock, in which are three narrow valleys of a square form, one of them in particular remarkably deep: these are the breaches made by your mace; for I at that time lay concealed behind the rock, which you did not perceive. have used the same illusions in the contests. you have had with the people of my court. In the first, LOKE, like Hunger itself, devoured all that was set before him: but his opponent, LOGE, was nothing else but a wandering Fire, which instantly confumed not only the meat, but the bones, and very trough itself., Hugo, with whom THIALFE disputed the prize of swiftness, was no other than Thought or Spirit; and it was impoffible for Thialfe to keep pace with that. When you attempted to empty the Horn, you performed, upon my word, a deed so marvellous, that I should never have believed it, if I had not seen it myself; for one end of the Horn reached to the fea, a circumstance you did not observe: but the first time you go to the feafide, you will see how much it is dimi nished. 1 nished. You performed no less a miracle in lifting the Cat, and to tell you the truth, when we faw that one of her paws had quitted the earth, we were all extremely furprized and terrified; for what you took for a Cat, was in reality the great Serpent of Midgard, which encompasses the earth; and he was then scarce long enough to touch the earth with his head and tail; fo high had your hand raised him up towards heaven. As to your wrestling with an old woman, it is very astonishing that she could only bring you down upon one of your knees; for it was DEATH you wrestled with, who first or last will bring every one low. But now, as we are going to part, let me tell you, that it will be equally for your advantage and mine, that you never come near me again; for should you do so, I shall again defend myself by other illufions and enchantments, so that you will never prevail against me. - As he uttered these words, Thor in a rage laid hold of his mace, and would have lanched it at the king, but he suddenly disappeared; and when the God would have returned to the city to destroy it, he found nothing all around him but vast plains covered with verdure. Continuing therefore his course, he returned without ever stopping, to his palace. REMARKS ON THE TWENTY-THIRD, AND FOLLOWING FABLES. to I was unwilling to fuppress the fables we have been reading, however trifling they may appear at first fight; partly that I might give the original compleat, and partly because I thought them not altogether useless, as they would contribute still farther to lay open the turn of mind and genius of the ancient inhabitants of Europe. We have feen above, that THOR was regarded as a Divinity favourable mankind, being their protector against the attacks of Giants and evil Genii. It is pretty remarkable, that this fame God should here be liable to illufions, snares and trials; and that it should be the Evil Principle, that perfecutes him. Ut-garda Loke, fignifies "the LOKE, or Demon "from without." "But may not all this fable have been invented in imitation of the labours of Hercules?" The analogy is fo fmall in general be tween the mythology of the Greeks, and that of the northern nations, that I cannot think the imperfect resemblance which is found between these two stories deserves much attention. I am of opinion that we shall be more likely to succeed, if we look for the origin of this fable in the religion formerly spread throughout Perfia and the neighbouring countries; whence, as the ancient Chronicles inform us, ODIN and his companions originally came. There first arose the doctrine of a Good and Evil Principle, whose conflicts we here see described after an allegorical man ner. It appears probable to me that this doctrine, which was carried into. the north by the Afiatics who established themfelves there, hath had many puerile circumstances added to it, in successively paffing through the mouths of of the Poets, the sole depositaries of the opinions of those times. In reality, we find in every one of those additions, somewhat that strongly marks the foil from whence they sprung. Such, for example, are the contests about eating and drinking most; who should scate best on the 'snow;' and the horns out of which the courtiers were obliged to drink, when they committed a fault. These, and some other strokes of this kind, strongly savour of the north. But what most of all shows fomewhat of mystery after the Oriental manner, is THOR's wrestling with Death, or Old Age; to whom he seems to pay a flight tribute, in falling down upon one of his knees, and immediately again raising up himself. In the next fable he preserves and continues, as indeed throughout all this Mythology, the character and functions which were at first ascribed to him. He enters into conflict with the great Serpent, a monster descended from that Evil Principle, who is at enmity with Gods and men: but he will not be able perfectly to triumph over him, till the last day; when recoiling back nine paces, he strikes him dead with his thunder, and destroys him for ever. more There are few methods of interpretation equivocal, more fubject to abufe, and more difcredited, than that which hath recourse to allegory. But the turn of genius which seems to have dic. tated all this Mythology, and the fignificant words it affects to employ, feem to prescribe this method to us on this occafion. Befides, we are to remember that the whole of it hath been transmitted to us by Poets, and that those Poets, in their manner, have been partly Oriental and partly Celtic. We have therefore abun dant reason to be convinced, that we ought not to interpret any thing here in a fimple or literal fenfe. THE TWENTY-SEVENTH FABLE. Of the Journey undertaken by Thor, to goto fish for the great Serpent. I Find by your account, says Gangler, that the power of this King, you have been mentioning, must be very great, and there cannot be a stronger proof it, than his having courtiers so skilful and dexterous in all respects. But, tell me, did THOR never revenge this affront ? 'Tis well known, says Har, (though no body has talked of it) that Thor had refolved to attack the great Serpent, if an opportunity offered: with this view he set out from ASGARD a second time, under the form of a young boy, in order to go to the Giant EYMER *. When he was got there, he befought the Giant, to permit him to go * I here give this name as it is in the Icelandic: M. Mallet writes it HYMER. The Reader must not confound this name with that of the Giant YMI, or YMIR, mentioned in the second fable, &c. т. aboard |