Page images
PDF
EPUB

G

THE THIRD FABLE

Of the Cow OEdumla.

ANGLER then defired, to know where the Giant Ymir dwelt, and in what manner he was fed. Har anfwered, Immediately after this breath from the fouth had melted the gelid vapours, and refolved them into drops, there was formed out of them a Cow named OEdumla. Four rivers of milk flowed from her teats, and thus fhe nourished Ymir. The cow, in her turn, fupported herself by licking the rocks that were covered with falt and hoar-froft. The first day that she licked thefe rocks, there fprung from her, towards evening, the hairs of a man; the fecond day, a head; on the third, an intire man, who was endowed with beauty, agility, and power. He was called Bure, and was the father of Bore, who married Beyzla, the daughter of the Giant Baldorn. Of that marriage were born three fons, Odin, Vile, and Ve; and 'tis our belief,

that

that this ODIN, with his brothers, ruleth both heaven and earth, that ODIN is his true name, and that he is the most powerful of all the Gods (a).

REMARKS ON THE THIRD FABLE

In all likelihood this fable is only an allegory; but whatever right my privilege of commentator may give me to explain it, I fhall decline the attempt.

There is, however, a very important remark to be made here. A powerful Being had with his breath animated the drops out of which the first Giant was formed. This Being, whom the EDDA affects not to name, was intirely diftinct from Odin, who had his birth long after the formation of Ymir. One may conjecture, therefore, (fince we know that the Druids never revealed their my fteries, but by degrees, and with great precaution) that the hidden philofophy of the Celts*,

[ocr errors]

meant to inculcate that the fupreme, eternal, invifible, and incorruptible God, whom they durft not name out of fear and reverence, had appointed inferior divinities for the government of the world: and that it was thofe divinities who, at the laft day, were to yield to the efforts of powerful enemies, and be involved in the ruins of the universe: and that then the fupreme God, ever exifting, and placed above the reach of all revolution and change, would arife from his repofe, to make a new world out of the ruins of the old, and begin a new period, which should in its turn give place to another; and fo on through all eternity. The fame was the system of the Sto

* It is fufficient juft to hint to the reader, that our ingenious author goes here upon the hypothesis of M. Pelloutier, that the Goths and Celts were the fame people, and that the doctrine of the Druids was also that of the Scandinavian Scalds ; an hypothesis which I take to be extremely erroneous,

T.

[blocks in formation]

ics; who, as well as the philofophers of the north*, supposed that the world, after it had been confumed by flames, fhould be renewed; and that the inferior Deities fhould be deftroyed at the fame time. What confirms all this, is, that this God, fuperior to Odin himself, and of whom the vulgar among this people had fcarce any idea, is reprefented in the Icelandic poems as making a fecond appearance, after the death of all the Gods, in order to diftribute juftice, and establish a new order of things. See the Icelandic odes, cited in the antiquities of Bartholin, 1. 2. c. 14.

(A)" The moft pow"erful of all the Gods."] 'Tis not undeferving of notice, that all the ancient nations of Europe + defcribe their origin with the fame circumstances. Tacitus favs, that the Germans, in their verses, celebrated a God born of the earth, named Tuifion (that is, the fon of Tis, or Tuis, the fupreme God.) This

* Fr. Les Celtes.

Tuifton had a fon named Mannus, whofe three fons were the original ancestors of the three principal nations of Germany. The Scythians, according to Herodotus, lib. 4. c. 6. & 10. faid that Targytaus (i. e. the Good Taus) the founder of their nation, had three fons, Leipoxain, Anpoxain and Kolaxain. A tradition received by the Romans, imported (according to Appian, Illyr. Lib.) that the Cyclop POLYPHEME had by Galatea three fons, named Celtus, Illyrius, and Gallus. SATURN, the father of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, might very well come from the fame fource; as well as the three fons whom Hefiod makes to fpring from the marriage of HEAVEN and EARTH, Coltus, Briareus, and Gyges. A tradition fo ancient and fo general, muft have certainly had its foundation in fome real fact, though I pretend not to decide with Cluverius, that this fact is what the Scripture tells us of NOAH and his fons; yet one cannot deny, that there is fome

† Fr. Tous les Peuples Celtes.

thing very probable in this; unless the reader is inclined to give the preference to the fons of GOMER, Afkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. Gen. x. 3.

If I were not already too prolix, I might find here the traces of another tradition, not lefs ancient, very far fpread over the eaft, and in fome degree confirmed by the 6th chapter of Genefis *. I mean those two different races, the one good, the

other evil, whom love at laft united. But I leave the pleasure of making. this research, to those who are fond of difquifitions of this kind. Let me only invite them to read, upon this fubject, the pretended prophefy of Enoch, cited in Syncellus, p. 11, & feq. and Lactantius's Origin of Errors. They will find there many furprizing conformities with the above doctrines of the EDDA.

* The common verfions of the paffage referred to by our author, run as follows: "The fons of God

faw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and "they took them wives of all which they chose. . . . "There were GIANTS in the earth in thofe days;

66

namely, after that the fons of God came in unto "the daughters of Men, and they bare children to "them: the fame became mighty men; which were "of old men of renown, &c." Gen. vi. 2, 4.It is however but juftice to the facred writer, to obferve, that it is only from a mifinterpretation of the original words, that the wild traditions mentioned by our author could have any countenance from the above paffage: For, by "the fons of God," the beft commentators underftand the virtuous race of Seth; and by "the daughters of men," the vicious offspring of Cain: and the fruits of this marriage were Nephilim, (not GIANTS, but) Men of Violence, from , ruit, irruit, &c.

T.

[blocks in formation]

THE FOURTH FABLE.

How the fons of Bore made heaven and earth.

W

AS there, proceeded Gangler, any kind of equality, or any degree of good understanding between those two different races? Har anfwers him; Far from it: the fons of Bore (A) flew the Giant Ymir, and there ran fo much blood from his wounds, that all the families of the Giants of the Froft were drowned in it, except one fingle Giant, who faved himfelf, with all his household. He is called Bergelmer. He efcaped by happening to be aboard his bark; and by him was preferved the race of the Giants of the Froft. This is confirmed by the following verfes. Many winters before the earth was fafh

66

[ocr errors]

ioned, was Bergelmer born; and well I "know that this fage Giant was faved and

preferved on board his bark (B)." Gangler demands, What then became of the fons of Eore, whom you look upon as

Gods?

« PreviousContinue »