1 about it is placed the deep sea; the shores REMARKS ON THE I beg leave here, once for all, to observe, that my divisions do not always agree with those of the EDDA Of Resenius, or those of the EDDA of Upfal. For as they differ in the feveral manuscripts, I thought I might regard them all as arbi " Of where. The ancient priests of the north affirmed themselves to be descended of the family of Bore; and in this, they might the more eafily obtain credit, because among the Celts, as among the Jews, the priesthood defcended from father to fon. .. (B) " This Giant " was saved .. on board "his bark."] We difcover here evident traces of the history of the deluge. That all the nations of Afia, and even those of America, had preserved some remembrance of it, was generally known: but that the same prevailed among our northern ancestors, the Goths and' Celts, has never I believe been remarked before. (c) " They infixed the "earth."] The reader will remember that nothing existed as yet, but the Flaming World towards the south, wherein refided evil Genii; and those masses of Ice towards the north, which Fr. Des Celtes. ! were formed by the rivers of hell. Between these was a void space, called the ABYSS. This is the place into which the Gods threw the body of the Giant. This monstrous fiction probably at first contained some important doctrine: but as at present little regard is paid to profound and learned conjectures, I shall not give myself the trouble to. fathom the meaning of so strange an allegory. Whatever was couched under it, it hath been a fruitful fource of poetic figures and expressions; of which the ancient SCALDS incessantly availed themselves. Poets have in all ages been fond of appearing to speak the language of the Gods, by using these sorts of phrases; as by this means they could conceal their own want of invention, and poverty of genius. Of all the ancient Theogonies, I find only that of the Chaldees, which has any resemblance to this of the EDDA. Berosus, cited by Syncellus, informs us that that peo ple, : (D) "The stars knew "not, &c."] The matter of the fun and stars existed long before the formation of those bodies: this matter was the Æther, the Luminous World. One cannot but remark in this Fable, the remains of the Mosaic doctrine; according to which the creation of a luminous substance, in like manner, preceeded that of the fun and moon. And what indicates one common origin of both accounts, is what Mofes adds in the same place. "And God said, Let "there be lights in the "firmament of heaven, " to divide the day from "the night; and let " them be for figns of seasons, and of days "and of years, &c." Gen. c. i. ver. 14. ple, one of the most an- tions that prodigious va cient in the world, be- riety, which was display. lieved that in the begin- ed in succeeding ages. ning there was only Water and Darkness; that this Water and Darkness contained in them divers monstrous animals, different in form and fize, which were all represented in the temple of Bel; that a female, named Omorca, was the mistress of the Universe; that the God Bel put to death all the monsters, destroyed Omorca herself, and dividing her in two, formed of the one half of her the Earth, and of the other the Heavens: to which another tradition adds, that men were formed out of her head; whence Berofus concludes, that this occafioned man to be endowed with intellectual powers. I do not pretend to aver, that the Chaldeans and northern nations borrowed all these chimæras of each other, although this is not impossible. These ancient 'nations had as yet but a few ideas, and their imaginations, however fruitful, being confined within narrow limits, could not at firft give their inven a (E) " A fortress against "the Giants, &c."] The Persian mythology bounds with circumftances analogous to this. There are always Giants, or mifchievous Genii, who with with ill to men, and hurt them whenever it is in their power. The Heroes have no employment so dear and so glorious as that of making war upon those Genii. At this very day they are supposed to be banished among the rocks of Caucafus, or Imaus, ever fince Tahmu ras, fur-named Divbend (he who subdued the Dives) vanquished and put them to flight. Mahometism has not been fo severe as Christianity, in eradicating these ancient superstitions, and therefore the inhabitants of Persia are still very much infatuated with them, THE THE FIFTH FABLE. Of the formation of Afke and Emla. HESE were indeed important labut whence came the men, who at present inhabit the world? Har answered, The fons of Bore, as they were walking one day upon the shore, found two pieces of wood floating on the waves. They took them, and made a man of the one, and a woman of the other (A). The first gave them life and foul; the second reason and motion; the third, hearing, sight, speech, garments, and a name. They called the man Afke, and the woman Emla. From these two, are descended the human race; to whom the Gods have assigned a habitation near MIDGARD. Then the fons of Bore built, in the middle of the world, the fortress of ASGARD; where dwell the Gods, and their families (B). There it is, that so many wonderful works are wrought on the earth, |