1 REMARKS ON THE FIRST FABLE. This fable is remarkable upon many accounts. It throws great light upon one of the principal doctrines of the ancient reli* gion of Europe *;' and in particular, confirms what Tacitus tells us, concerning the idea which the Germans entertained of the Supreme God: Regnator omnium deus, cætera fubjecta atque parentia. Germ. c. 39. The Germans and Scandinavians at first called this divinity, Tis, Tuis or Teut, a word to which the Gauls added that of Tad, or Tat, which signifies FATHER at this day in the British language. (v. Rostrenen Diction. Celt. p. 712.) We fee in the Edda that the name of Father was also given him by the Scandinavians. In future ages, and doubtless after the time of Tacitus, these people accustomed themselves to call him by an appellative name, God, or Guodan, i. e. THE GOOD: This, by degrees, they changed into ODIN, which the Anglo-Saxons pronounced WODAN. Wodan (fays Paulus Diaconus. Rer. Langobard. 1. I. c. 3.) quem, adjecta litera Guodan dixere, ab univerfis Germaniæ gentibus, ut Deus adoratur. Consult, on this subject, Pelloutier Hift. des Celtes, tom. ii. p. 74. & feq. (A) "He hath twelve "names."] These twelve names are enumerated in the Edda; but I did not chuse to interrupt the text with a list of such harsh and unusual founds: I shall therefore give them here for the curious, together with some conjectures that have been made by the learned concerning their fignifications. I. Alfader (the Father of all.) 2. Herian (the Lord, or rather, the Warrior.) 3. Nikader (the fupercilious.) 4. Nikuder (the God of the sea.) 5. Fiolner (he who knoweth much.) 6. Omi (the fonorous.) 7. Biflid (the agile, or nimble.) 8. Vidrer (the munificent.) 9. Suidrer (the exterminator.) 10. Suidur (the destroyer by fire.) 12. 11. Ofki (he who chuses such as are to die.) Salkir (the happy, or blessed.) The name of Alfader is what occurs most frequently in the EDDA, I have tranflated it Universal Father. (B) " To display his "glory."] These are important questions; but the answers are still more remarkable. From their conformity with the christian doctrines, one would be tempted to believe that Snorro had here embellished the religion of his Pagan ancestors, by bringing it as near as poffible to the Gospel, if we did not find the fame unfolded system literally expressed in the VOLUSPA, a poem of undoubted antiquity, and which was composed long before the name of Chriftianity was known in the north; and also if the same system were not continually referred to in every other place of the EDDA. But what ought to remove every remaining doubt, is that we know from other proofs, that the belief of the 'Gothic and Celtic nations upon most of these points, was much the fame with what we have read in the text. I shall give many proofs of this below. (c) 66 He was then " with the giants."] It is not easy to tranflate the original word. The 'Go'thic*' nations had Giants and Spirits of many different orders, which we want terms to distinguish. Those mentioned in the text are called in the original Icelandic Rymthuffe, from the word Rym, Froft, and Thufs, a Giant or Satyr. We shall fee presently the origin of this denomination. With respect to the word Thufs, it may serve to show, by the bye, the conformity of thinking between the • Gothic and' Celtic nations, even upon the most trivial subjects. The Gauls, as well as the northern nations, believed the existence of the Thusses, and gave them the same names. Only the Thuffes, or Satyrs of the Gauls, seem to have been somewhat more difposed to gallantry than those of the north; which * Les Celtes. Fr. Orig. we we shall not be surprized at. Many of the fathers of the church speak of the strange liberties which these gentry took with women: They called them in Latin Dufii. St. Augustin, in particular, tells us, he had been affured by so many persons that those beings fought a commerce with women, and seduced them; that none but an imprudent perfon could pretend to disbelieve it. De Civit. Dei, 1. 15. c. 23. If it were not for incurring this imputation, I should have been tempted to look upon these stories as only so many excuses, which love invents to cover the faults it induces frail females to commit. (D) "All was one vast ""abyss."] It will not, I hope, be expected of me here, that I should heap together all the paffages of Greek and Latin authors, which are analogous to this in the text. Nobody is ignorant of them. Almost all the ancient fects agree in the doctrine of the Primitive Chaos. To create Matter out of Nothing, ap peared in ages so little metaphysical as those, a thing incomprehensible or impoffible. I shall only remark, that of all the systems we know, that of the ancient Persians bears the greatest resemblance to this of the EDDA. I shall have occafion more than once to repeat this observation, which confirms what has been advanced by some of the learned, That the Goths 'and' Celts were formerly the same people with the Persians. Is it not fingular, that all those who have treated of the religion of these people, should have given themselves so much trouble to guess at what they thought concerning the creation of the world, and should at length conclude that they could know nothing about it, but what was very uncertain; when at the same time, they had at their elbow an authentic book, which offered them a detail of almost all the particulars they could defire to know? I cannot help making this reflection, in its utmost extent, upon reading what the learned Abbé Banier hath 1 hath published concerning the religion of the Gauls, the Germans, and the nations of the north. (E) " NIFLHEIM, or "Hell."] The original word " Niflheim," signifies in the Gothic language, the abode of the wicked, or more literally, Evil-home. We fee, by this description of Hell, how much the genius of the ancient northern poets and philosophers * inclined them to allegory; and it is very probable that almost all the fables that we shall meet with hereafter, contained in them some truth, the interpretation of which they reserved to themselves. This is confirmed by Cæfar and others, 'concern ing the Gauls; and needs no other proof here' than the mysterious and significant name which is given to every thing. So much for the HELL of the Celtic ' and Gothic' nations, on which I shall make no farther remarks at present, because they will occur more naturally on many occafions hereafter. * Des anciens Philosophes Celtes. Fr. Orig THE THE SECOND FABLE Of the burning World, and of Surtur. T HEN Thridi opened his mouth and faid, Yet, before all things, there existed what we call Muspelsheim (A). It is a world luminous, glowing, not to be dwelt in by strangers, and situate at the extremity of the earth. Surtur, (the Black) holds his empire there. In his hands there shines a flaming sword. He shall come at the end of the world; he shall vanquish all the Gods, and give up the universe a prey to flames. Hear what the VOLUSPA says of him. " Surtur, filled " with deceitful stratagems, cometh from "the South. A rolling Sun beams from "his sword. The Gods are troubled; " men tread in crouds the paths of death; "the Heaven is split asunder." But, says Gangler, What was the state of the world, before there were families of men upon the earth, and before the nations were formed? Har |