norance had occafioned, and was not able to ac count for; they very wifely fent to Odin himfelf, to inquire the cause. We have feen that this was the end, which GANGLER, or the king who affumed that name, proposed to himself. Here he learned fo many new circumstances concerning the functions of the feveral Gods, and the worfhip to be paid them in order to fecure their fa-, vour, that he thought he had discovered the mystery, and was now in a condition to cope with his rival. THE THE FOURTEENTH FABLE. HA Of the God Tyr. AR answered, There is the God TYR, who is the moft bold and intrepid of all the Gods. "Tis he who difpenfes victories in war; and therefore warriors do well to pay their addreffes to him. It hath become proverbial to fay, of a man who furpaffes others in valour, that he is as BRAVE AS TYR. Let me give you a proof of his intrepidity. The Gods one day would fain have perfuaded the wolf FENRIS, their enemy, to permit himself to be chained up; but he, fearing left they should never afterwards unloofe him, perfifted in his refufal, till Tyr put his hand, by way of pledge, into the mouth of this monster. The Gods not judging it proper to redeem the pledge by unchaining the wolf, he bit off the God's hand, fevering it at that part, which has been ever fince called ' Uflithr, 'or' THE WOLF'S JOINT. From that time this God hath had but one hand. His remarkable prudence has given occafion to this form of expreffion, fuch a one is "fa gacious as Tyr:" but it is believed, that he does not love to fee men live in peace. There is another God, named BRAGE, who is celebrated for his wifdom, eloquence and majestic air. He is not only eminently fkilled in poetry, but the art itself is called from his name Brager, and the most diftinguished poets receive their names from him. His wife is called Iduna. She keeps in a box certain apples, which 'the Gods tafte of, whenever they feel old age approaching; for these apples have the virtue of reftoring youth to all who eat them: it is by this means that the Gods will fubfift tilk the darkness of the last times. Hereupon Gangler cried out, Certainly the Gods have committed a great treafure to the guardianfhip and good faith of Iduna. Har smiling, fays to him, And hence it happened, that they once ran the greatest risk in the world; as I fhall have occafion to tell you, when you have learnt the names of the other Gods. REMARKS ON THE FOURTEENTH FABLE. TYR was fome inferior divinity, who prefided particularly over battles. I do not believe that mention is made of him any where elfe, except in the EDDA EDDA and other Icelandic monuments. And yet it is certain that this God hath been adored by all the northern nations; fince in all the different dialects of this people, the name of the third day of the week, which the Romans confecrated to Mars (Dies Martis) hath been formed from the name of Tyr. This day is called Tyrfdag in Danish and Swedish and in the other dialects by a fomewhat fofter modulation, Thifdag, Diflag, Tufdag, TUESDAY. (See Vol. I. pag. 99.) Tacitus, here, as almoft every where elfe, perfectly agrees with our monuments. He renders the name TYR, by that of Mars, and makes him a fubaltern, and inferior divinity to the God ODIN, whom he defcribes under the name of Mercury. As to the God BRAGE, we know nothing more of him than what we learn from the EDDA; and yet the Gauls had likewife a God of eloquence, named by the Romans Herculus Ogmius; but whether he was the fame with Brage does not appear. The apples of Iduna are a very agreeable fiction. In this part of the story we again difcover the favourite fyftem of the Celtes, respecting the infenfible and continual decay of nature, and of the Gods, who were united to it, and depended upon it. VOL. II. G THE THE FIFTEENTH FABLE. Of Heimdall, and fome other Gods. DALL. HERE is another very facred and powerful Deity, who is called HEIM He is the fon of nine Virgins, who are fifters. He is likewife called the "God with the Golden Teeth," because his teeth are of that metal. He dwells at the end of the bridge Bifroft, or the RAINBow, in a caftle called "the Celeftial "Fort." He is the fentinel or watchman of the Gods. The poft affigned him is to abide at the entry into heaven, to prevent the Giants from forcing their way over the bridge. He fleeps lefs than a bird; and fees by night, as well as by day, more than a hundred leagues around him. So acute is his ear, that he hears the grafs growing on the earth, and the wool on the fheep's back; nor doth the fmalleft found escape him. Befides all this, he hath a trumpet, which is heard through all the worlds. 1 |