THE SIXTH FABLE.

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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 the efpoused Onar; and the daughter of this marriage was the Earth. At laft fhe was wedded to Daglingar, who is of the family of the Gods. Between them they produced DAY, a child beautiful and fhining, as are all his father's family (B).

Then the Univerfal Father took NIGHT and DAY, and placed them in heaven; and gave them two horfes and two cars, that they might travel fucceffively, one after the other, round the world. NIGHT goes firft, upon her horfe, named Rimfaxe (or. Frofty-mane) who, every morning when he VOL, II. D begins

begins his courfe, 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 afked, 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 fo beautiful and wellfhaped, 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 fuch fublime 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 compofed of the fires that iffued from Mufpelfheim, 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 moft ancient accounts, comes the Freshness of the morning. As for Mane, he was fet 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 fufpended on a stick. These two children always accompany the Moon, as

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one may obferve eafily even from the earth. But, interrupted Gangler, The Sun runs very swiftly, as if fhe were afraid fome one fhould overtake her. So the well may, replied Har; for there are very near her two Wolves, ready to devour her. One of them clofely perfues the Sun, who is afraid of him, because he fhall one day fwallow her up. The other as eagerly follows the Moon, and will make him one day or other undergo the fame fate. Gangler faid, Whence come thefe Wolves? Har replied, There was at the east of MIDGARD a Giantess, who dwelt in the foreft of Jarnvid (or IRON-WOOD) all the trees of which are of iron. The Gianteffes of that place, derive their names from her. This old forcerefs is the mother of many Giants, who are all of them fhaped like favage beafts. From her alfo fprung these two Wolves. One in particular of that race is faid to be the most formidable of all; he is called Managarmer; a monfter that fattens himself with the fubftances of men who draw near to their end. Sometimes he swallows up the Moon, and ftains the heaven and the air with blood (E). Then the Sun is alfo darkened, as it is faid in these verses of VOLUSPA: "Near the rifing.

of the Sun, dwelleth the old witch of "the forest of Jarnvid. There he brings " forth

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forth the fons the hath by Fenris. One "of these is become the moft powerful of "all. He feeds himself with the lives of "those who approach to their end. Cloath"ed with the fpoils of the other Giants, "he will one day ftain with blood the 66 army of the Gods: the following Sum"mer the fight of the Sun fhall be extinguished. Noxious winds fhall blow " from all quarters. Do not you compre"hend this faying?"

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 fo 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 according 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 reafoners, more often even than the modern, were reduced to the neceffity of explaining what was obfcure, by what was ftill 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 satisfied, and often as well with words as ideas. NIGHT being thus the mother of DAY, they thought them

*It may deferve 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.