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THE SIXTH FABLE.

Of the Giant Nor.

HE Giant Nor was the first who inhabited the country of Jotunheim (A), 'or Giants-Land.' He had a daughter, named NIGHT; who is of a dark complexion, as are all her family. She was at first married to a man called Naglefara, and had by him a fon, named Auder. Then she espoused Onar; and the daughter of this marriage was the Earth. At last she was wedded to Daglingar, who is of the family of the Gods. Between them they produced DAY, a child beautiful and shining, as are all his father's family (в).

Then the Universal Father took NIGHT and Day, and placed them in heaven; and gave them two horses and two cars, that they might travel successively, one after the other, round the world. NIGHT goes first, upon her horse, named Rimfaxe (or

Frofty-mane) who, every morning when he VOL, II.

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begins begins his course, bedews the earth with the foam that drops from his bit; this is the Dew. The horse made use of by Day, is named Skinfaxa (or Shining-mane;) and by his radiant mane, he illuminates the air and the earth (c). Then Gangler asked, How the Day regulates the course of the Sun and the Moon. Har answers, There was formerly a man, named Mundilfara, who had two children so beautiful and wellshaped, that he called the male Mane, or the Moon; and the female Sunna, or the SUN (D). She married a man called Glener. But the Gods, angry at their prefumption in taking upon them such sublime names, carried them up to heaven, and obliged the daughter to guide the car of the Sun, which the Gods, to illuminate the earth, had composed of the fires that issued from Mufpelsheim, or the flaming world. At the fame time, the Gods placed under each horse two skins filled with air, to cool and refresh them; and hence, according to the most ancient accounts, comes the Freshnefs of the morning. As for Mane, he was set to regulate the course of the Moon, and its different quarters. One day he carried off two children, named Bil and Hiuke, as they were returning from a fountain, carrying between them a pitcher suspended on a stick. These two children always accompany the Moon, as

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one may observe easily even from the earth. But, interrupted Gangler, The Sun runs very fwiftly, as if the were afraid fome one should overtake her. So she well may, replied Har; for there are very near her two Wolves, ready to devour her. One of them closely perfues the Sun, who is afraid of him, because he shall one day swallow her up. The other as eagerly follows the Moon, and will make him one day or other undergo the same fate. Gangler faid, Whence come these Wolves? Har replied, There was at the east of MIDGARD a Giantess, who dwelt in the foreft of farnvid (or IRON-WOOD) all the trees of which are of iron. The Giantesses of that place, derive their names from her. This old forceress is the mother of many Giants, who are all of them shaped like favage beafts. From her also sprung these two Wolves. One in particular of that race is faid to be the most formidable of all; he is called Managarmer; a monster that fattens himself with the substances of men who draw near to their end. Sometimes he swallows up the Moon, and stains the heaven and the air with blood (E). Then the Sun is also darkened, as it is fald in these verses of VOLUSPA: "Near the rifing " of the Sun, dwelleth the old witch of "the forest of Jarnvid. There the brings " fortht

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" forth the sons she hath by Fenris. One " of these is become the most powerful of "all. He feeds himself with the lives of "those who approach to their end. Cloath"ed with the spoils of the other Giants, " he will one day stain with blood the army of the Gods: the following Summer the fight of the Sun shall be extinguished. Noxious winds shall blow

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" from all quarters. Do not you compre" hend this saying?"

REMARKS ON THE SIXTH FABLE.

(A) "The country of the Giants, &c."] There are great contests among the learned about this country of Jotunheim, or of the Giants; which so conftantly occurs in all the ancient Chronicles of the north. I needed only have given a sketch of their principal conjectures, to have produced a note of great erudition; which would certainly have tired my readers, but could have taught them nothing they wanted to know.

(B) " All his father's "family."] One may remark, that aceording to

this allegoric genealogy, it is NIGHT that brings forth the DAY. All the Celtic, as well as Go'thic' nations, were of this perfuafion. The ancient reasoners, more often even than the modern, were reduced to the neceffity of explaining what was obscure, by what was still more obfcure. That was a method very well fuited, and intirely analogous to the turn of the human mind, whose curiofity is very voracious, but yet is easily fatisfied, and often as well with words as ideas. NIGHT being thus the mother of DAY, they thought them

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selves obliged, in their computation of time, to prefer the name of the Mother to that of the Son. Besides, as they reckoned by months purely lunar, it was natural for them to compute the civil day from fun-fet, and from the time when the Moon appears above the horizon. It will not be amiss here briefly to take notice of the universality of this custom: it was observed by the Gauls, even in the time of Cæfar, who pofitively affirms this of them; and that the Germans did the fame, we have the testimony of Tacitus. The same modes of speech occur in the Salique-law, and in the constitutions of Charlemaigne. (Vid. Keyfl. Antiq. p. 197.) The fentences pronounced in the Tribunals of France not long ago, often ordered the parties (comparoir dedans 14 nuits) appear within 14 " nights * ;" and as the DAY was thought to bring the NIGHT along with it, they afterwards

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expressed themselves (dans 15 jours) " within 15 "days," a manner of speaking no less familiar to the Goths and' Celts, than to the Romans. The English even at this day, say fenight for seven-night, or feven nights, that is, a week; and fortnight, (i. e. fourteen nights) for two weeks, or 14 days. (See Vol. I. p. 358.) In the ancient histories of the north, frequent mention is made of "Children of " two or three nights," and "of two winters and " two nights."

(c) "He illuminates "the air, &c."] We have here a specimen of the natural philosophy of the first ages. In attempting to explain things the causes of which are obscure, men of all countries have gone in the same track; and have represented what was unknown by the image of something they were well acquainted with. This is doubtless the true ori

* It may deserve inquiry, whether the French had not those modes of expreffion from the Franks, rather than the Gauls; i. e, rather from

their Gothic, than their Celtic ancestors.

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