The Oak and the Thunder-God Author(S): H

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Oak and the Thunder-God Author(S): H The Oak and the Thunder-God Author(s): H. Munro Chadwick Source: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 30 (1900), pp. 22-44 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2842615 Accessed: 10/12/2010 11:29 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=rai. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. http://www.jstor.org ( 22 ) THE OAK AND THE THUNDER-GOD. BY H. MUNROCHADWICK, M.A., Fellow of Clare College,Cambridge. [PRESENTED JANUARY 9TH, 1900.] INTRODUCTION. THE objectof this paperis to discussthe connectionbetween the sacred oak and the cultof the thunder-god.For this purposeit is necessaryto give an account, first,of the cult of the thunder-godas practisedby the chiefpeoples of Europe, and secondly,of the tree-sanctuarieswhich are foundamong the same peoples. Afterthis we may considerthe evidencefor connectingthe sacred oak with the cult of the thunder-god;and in conclusionan attemptwill be madeto give some explanationof this connection. Since the mythsand cults of the Greeks and Romansare comparativelywell known,it seemedunnecessary in most cases to do morethan give referencesto easily accessibleauthorities. On the otherhand I have thoughtit advisable to illustrateat soniewhatgreater length the less familiarreligions of thenorthern peoples. In the courseof the discussionI hope to show that the thunder-godwas the chief deity of the early inhabitantsof Europe,and furtherthat the temples of late heathentimes were, to a greatextent, developedout of tree-sanctuaries.I think,therefore, it will be admittedthat the subjectis one of considerableimportance for the study of earlyEuropean religion. CHAPTEI 1:. ?1. ThexThqvtder-Go(i in the North. H. Petersenin his book On-Nordboernes Gudedygikelse og Gudetro i Hedenold, has shownthat in the Northduring the last centuriesof theheathen age Thorwas moreworshipped than any othergod, and that his cutltbears everysign of a remoteantiquity. This subjecthas beenso fullyand ably discussedby Petersen thatit is needlesshere to do morethan brieflyrecapitulate the main arguments whichhe has advanced. Theyare as follows:-(1) Whenevermention is made of figuresof the gods in temples,Thor's figure seems always to take the chiefplace. In no case is it statedthat the centralposition was occupiedby any othergod. In severalcases Thor'sfigure is the onlyone mentioned. (2) In compoundpersonal names /hd- is yastlymore frequent than the nameof any othergod. Thus in the Landn4ina Bo6kTh&or- o-curs in 30 miieln'salnd 21 womenl'sniameis, distributed over about800 H. MUNROCHADWICK.-The Oak flndthe Thunder-Cod. 23 and 300 personsrespectively. On the otherhand Frey-occurs only in twomen's namesand one woman'sname (four persons in all), while 6i5dn-does not occur. The significanceof thesestatistics is shownby thefact that persons who borethe nameof a god were regardedas being underhis special protection.' In place- namesalso Tlhdr-is farmore irequent than the nameof any othergod. (3) When Scandinaviangods are mentioned by foreign writers, either Thor is mentionedalone or he is representedas the chiefof the gods. (4) Especiallysignificant is the title AittgardtsTzqtrr " sanctifierof the earth" whichis applied to Thor in the Edda. Petersenillustrates this by the use of the phrasebur uiki Jisi kuml (or Y.u. Pasi runar) "may Thor sanctifythese mounds" (or " these letters") which occurson two monumentsin Jutland. The same idea is symbolicallyexpressed by thereprcsentation of the hammeron severalinscriptions in Jutlandand Sweden. That thehammer was used at funeralsis madeprobable by the accountof Balder's funeralin Gyjlfaginning49, whereThor consecrates the pyrewith his hammer. A similar usage at weddingsnmay be inferredfrom the story in fThrymskvida. Peterseninfers that the hammerwas used on many otherimportant occasions, especiallyat the openingof the assembly. Hammersused as personaladornments have frequentlybeen found. That theywere used also in publicworship is made probableby Saxo's account (xiii, p. 630) of the large metal hammers(malleos loticales)which Magnus Nielsen carried away froma templeof Jupiteron one of the Swedishislands (about A.D. 1130). As sanctifieraild guardianof the home Thor's figurewas carved upon the &ndvcgisszlur"pillars of the high-seat"(the place of honourreserved for the head of thehouse). The reverenceattached to thesepillars is shownby several storiesdealilng with the colonisationof Iceland. The colonistsbrought their high-seat pillars with them. Thorolfrthrew the high-seatpillars of his templeoverboard on approachinglanid aind accepted the directionwhich they took as an indicationwhere to fixhis newhome.2 Hallsteinn, son of Thorolfr,prayed Thor to send himhigh-seat pillars.3 (5) It is likelyalso thatThor was regardedas the patronof theassembly. In Iceland,Thursday was the day on whichthe Al-ingi (generalassembly) was opened. This was also the case withthe Gulapingin Norwayand withmost of the districtassemblies in the Danish islands. (6) Evidencefor the cult of Thorin timeof war is givenby the accountof Styrbiorn'scampaign against Eirekr, king of Sweden,and by Dudo in his accountof the Normans. Snchare, according to Petersen,the mainfeatures of the cult of Thor. The importanceof the cult maybe estimatedby the fact that it embracesevery side of publicand privatelife, whereas the cult of Othinis concernedchiefly with the militaryside. LastlyThor seems to embodythe ideal of the nationalcharacter; he is representedas fearless,impetuous, but benevolenttowards men. Othin on the otherhand is distinguishedrather by shrewdnessand cunning. I Cf. EyrbyggiaSaga, c. 7, 11, and the passage from Grwnl.Anndll. appended to Vigfusson's edition of the Saga. 2 Eyrbyggia,s. 4. a LandndmaBOk, i, 23. 24 H. MUNROCIIADWiOK.- 1ThC Oak and the Ikunder-God. It is unfortunatethat no figureshave suirvivedwhich may be identifiedwith certaintyas representationsof Thor. Yet therecan be little doubt howhe was depicted,for the, Sagas containseveral storiesof his appearingto his friendsor enemiesupon earth.' He is representedas a man of largeand powerfulbuild, in theprilmle of life,and havinga red beard. The equipmentof thegod as depicted in themythological poems is renmarkable,especially from the negativeside. His weaponis almostalways the hammer.2He is never representedas possessing spear,sword, shield, helmet, or coat of mail. Againin travellillghe eithergoes on footor drivesin a carriagedrawn by goats. A horse is neverascribed to him. In Grm12nnismll29, immnediately before the enumerationof the horseswhich the godsride when they comneto do justice underYggdrasill's Ash, it is statedthat Thorhas to wade throughseveral streams on his way thither.The horsesof Othin, Freyr,Heimdallr and Balderare mentionedalso elsewhere. The antiquityof the representationof Thormay be estimatedby the absenceof the horseand of all the ordinaryweapons of war. His equipmentindeed resembles that of a hero of the StoneAgte rather than of any sutbsequentperiod. Bothfronm the shape of the hammeras depicted onl Rlunic stones,etc., and fromthe fact that the word (O.Norae Itarnarr)also means "rock" and is perhapsrelated to O.Bulg. kamy "stone" and kinldredwords, it appears n1otunlikely that Thor's hammerwas originiallya stone implement. Humansacrifices in connectionwith thiscult are seldommettioned. They were known,lhowever, both among the Norlmans(Dn)do, i, 1) and in Iceland (Eyrbyggia,s. 10), thoughin the lattercase the victimiiswere probably condemned criminals.4It is solmiewhatremarkable that in both these cases death seems to have beeninflicted by fellingwith a woodeninstrumiiient. Elsewhere sacrifices of horsesand oxen5and offeringsof bread and meat6are miientioned.Besides the sacrificesthere is one otherpoint which deservesmiientioln. In Icelandic temples it seems to have beenthe customto keep a sacred firein the aflh?'s(cj: p. 28) whichwas neverallowed to die ouit. Since the templedescribed in Kialnesingas.2, wherethis notice occurs, was primarilya Thor-temple,it is likely that thislholy firewas connectedwith the cult of Thor. It has been shownby Petersen(see above) that the blessingsconferred by Thorapply to all departmentsof human life. His connectionwith weatherand natural phenomenais surprisinglylittle evidenlcedin Norwegian-Icelandic
Recommended publications
  • Religious Foundations of Group Identity in Prehistoric Europe: the Germanic Peoples
    PETER BUCHHOLZ Religious Foundations of Group Identity in Prehistoric Europe: The Germanic Peoples Any reader of Heimskringla ("circle of the earth"), the history of the kings of Norway by the great 13th century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, will be struck by the enormous weight which the author attaches to religion. This refers both to Christianity and to pagan phenomena which preceded and even co-existed with it for some time. Snorri's work should, in my view, be ascribed a relatively high source value, if only because it is demonstrably based on older traditions either fixed in poetry or transmitted as oral prose. Öral tradition is of course not the topic of the present paper (cf. Buchholz 1980; Buchholz 1991), but the preservation of such traditions alone, many of which contain religious material, does indeed show that society or parts of it attached sufficient importance to such phenomena as to commit them to memory, parchment, runic signs or pictorial representation. The last scribe or "author" may of course have had considerable antiquarian interests, as is evident e.g. in some of the mythic poems of the Elder Edda, but such interests cannot be regarded as the cause for the existence of the myth, but only as one of the reasons for its preservation. We shall hopefully glimpse something of the role of myth in Germanic societies in the course of my paper. Leaving Myth aside for the moment, I want to stress that ÖN prose material, including Heimskringla, shows a marked interest in the concrete manifestations of cult (which, for paganism as seen through Christian eyes at least, definitely includes magic) and belief.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT Savannah Dehart. BRACTEATES AS INDICATORS OF
    ABSTRACT Savannah DeHart. BRACTEATES AS INDICATORS OF NORTHERN PAGAN RELIGIOSITY IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES. (Under the direction of Michael J. Enright) Department of History, May 2012. This thesis investigates the religiosity of some Germanic peoples of the Migration period (approximately AD 300-800) and seeks to overcome some difficulties in the related source material. The written sources which describe pagan elements of this period - such as Tacitus’ Germania, Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, and Paul the Deacon’s History of the Lombards - are problematic because they were composed by Roman or Christian authors whose primary goals were not to preserve the traditions of pagans. Literary sources of the High Middle Ages (approximately AD 1000-1400) - such as The Poetic Edda, Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda , and Icelandic Family Sagas - can only offer a clearer picture of Old Norse religiosity alone. The problem is that the beliefs described by these late sources cannot accurately reflect religious conditions of the Early Middle Ages. Too much time has elapsed and too many changes have occurred. If literary sources are unavailing, however, archaeology can offer a way out of the dilemma. Rightly interpreted, archaeological evidence can be used in conjunction with literary sources to demonstrate considerable continuity in precisely this area of religiosity. Some of the most relevant material objects (often overlooked by scholars) are bracteates. These coin-like amulets are stamped with designs that appear to reflect motifs from Old Norse myths, yet their find contexts, including the inhumation graves of women and hoards, demonstrate that they were used during the Migration period of half a millennium earlier.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cimbri of Denmark, the Norse and Danish Vikings, and Y-DNA Haplogroup R-S28/U152 - (Hypothesis A)
    The Cimbri of Denmark, the Norse and Danish Vikings, and Y-DNA Haplogroup R-S28/U152 - (Hypothesis A) David K. Faux The goal of the present work is to assemble widely scattered facts to accurately record the story of one of Europe’s most enigmatic people of the early historic era – the Cimbri. To meet this goal, the present study will trace the antecedents and descendants of the Cimbri, who reside or resided in the northern part of the Jutland Peninsula, in what is today known as the County of Himmerland, Denmark. It is likely that the name Cimbri came to represent the peoples of the Cimbric Peninsula and nearby islands, now called Jutland, Fyn and so on. Very early (3rd Century BC) Greek sources also make note of the Teutones, a tribe closely associated with the Cimbri, however their specific place of residence is not precisely located. It is not until the 1st Century AD that Roman commentators describe other tribes residing within this geographical area. At some point before 500 AD, there is no further mention of the Cimbri or Teutones in any source, and the Cimbric Cheronese (Peninsula) is then called Jutland. As we shall see, problems in accomplishing this task are somewhat daunting. For example, there are inconsistencies in datasources, and highly conflicting viewpoints expressed by those interpreting the data. These difficulties can be addressed by a careful sifting of diverse material that has come to light largely due to the storehouse of primary source information accessed by the power of the Internet. Historical, archaeological and genetic data will be integrated to lift the veil that has to date obscured the story of the Cimbri, or Cimbrian, peoples.
    [Show full text]
  • The Interpretatio Romana and Tacitus' Germania, XL Revisited
    NERTHUS AS A FEMALE DEITY The interpretatio romana and Tacitus' Germania, XL revisited by Marco Battaglia - University of Basilicata It is well known that the information Tacitus required to compile his 'Germani a' [= G.] was based on a fragmentary bulk of direct and in­ direct sources, both contemporary and older. Amongst these, one of the most striking is the e silentio testimony provided by Aufidius Bas­ sus' and Pliny the Elder's lost commentaries on the early 1st century AD Germanic wars, which would probably have constituted (the con­ ditional is compulsory) an invaluable instrument in the interpretation of Tacitus' affirmations and allusions. In addition, considering the author's indirect experience and knowledge of the territory known as Germania libera, the 'uncomfortable' family relationship which con­ nected him to general Agricola, his father-in-law, and the enmity be­ tween him and emperor Domitian and, consequently, the troubled gestation of the work, Tacitus' text perhaps demands a more accurate investigation, especially in those parts, such as the one dealing with religion, which have often been accorded a cursory and generic Indo­ European label. An equally well-known problem arises from one of a rare ritual description (G., ch. 40), where he gives an account of a Germanic dei­ ty, whose name is Nerthus [sci!.: *Nerpuz]. Next come the Reudigni, the A viones, the Anglii, the Varini, the Eudoses, the Suardones, and Nuithones, who are sheltered by rivers and forests. None of these tribes has any remarkable feature, except their common worship of Nerthus, the Mother Earth, and the belief that she interferes in human affairs, when she is carried through the nations in her chariot.
    [Show full text]
  • Ways of the Asatru
    Ways of the Ásatrú Beliefs of the Modern, Northern Heathens By Michael J. Smith © Michael J. Smith 2003 All Rights Reserved. Permission to reprint, reproduce, or utilize sections of this book is given, so long as it remains unaltered, in its entirety, that it is not sold for monetary gain, and acknowledgement of the author is given. Harvest-Moon Publishing ***Author’s Note: The Old Norse/Scandinavian letter “þ” is pronounced like in “thin” but with a more pronounced “t” sound and the letter “ð” is pronounced harder, like in “the”.*** 2 Ways of the Ásatrú Beliefs of the Northern, Modern Heathens By Michael J. Smith Published by: Harvest-Moon Publishing 3 Contents: Preface ……………………………………………………………..5 Introduction ………………………………………………………..6 Chapter 1: The Tenets of Ásatrú ………………………………….7 Chapter 2: The Nature of Divinity and Deity in Ásatrú …………..9 Chapter 3: The Deities of Ásatrú ………………………………..12 Chapter 4: Other Divine/Semi-Divine Beings …………………..26 Chapter 5: Ancestors and Ancestor-Worship …………………...30 Chapter 6: Blóts, Fórns, Feasts, and Sumbles …………………...31 Chapter 7: Daily Devotions and Rites of Passage ……………….41 Chapter 8: Living Trú …………………………………………...46 Afterword ………………………………………………………...49 Appendix A: Ritual Regalia ……………………………………..50 Appendix B: Holy Symbols ……………………………………...52 Appendix C: Sample Hátíð Rituals ………………………………54 Appendix D: The Beginner’s Booklist …………………………...67 Appendix E: Bibliography ………………………………………..69 About the Author ………………………………………………….73 4 Preface: ..."Heed my words, my children, and the gods of antiquity will be the gods of the future." --The Odin Brotherhood, by Dr. Mark L. Mirabello There are two issues which I would like to bring to the reader's attention concerning this book. The first would be that this book should not, by any means, be considered an absolute authority on Ásatrú.
    [Show full text]
  • Regnator Omnivm Devs *)
    XII REGNATOR OMNIVM DEVS *) According to the evidence of Tacitus, the Germans had no temples 1), only sacred woods, in which was feit the presence of a deity (Germania 9) 2), and where the cult-ceremonies took place. One of these sacred forests was in the territory of the Semnones, whom Tacitus (ibid. 39, I) styles uetustissimos nobilissimosque Sue­ borum. The Semnones, of whom we he ar for the first time in the Res Gestae of Augustus (Mon. Ancyranum v, 17), appear originally placed in the region between the EIbe and Oder (Velleius Paterculus ii, 106) 3), and there, in the woods of what is now the Mark of Bran­ denburg, or still further south-east in Lausitz 4), they seem to have had their religious centre, the very ancient grove (siluam auguriis patrum et prisca formiJine sacram) 5) where periodically at an ap- *) The original of this article appeared in S.M.SR. xix-xx (1943-46), 142-56. Cf. Rendiconti deli' Acad. dei Lincei, CIasse di scienze morali, storiche e filo­ logiehe, Sero viii, Vol. i, fase. 11-12 (Rome 1946), 379-86. I) The celeberrimum templum of the goddess Tamfana among the Marsi (TAC., Ann. i, 51) razed to the ground by Germanieus in 14 A.D., may have been due to Roman or GaIIo-Roman influenees. The templum of the goddess Nerthus, Germ. 40, 5 is the same as her castum nemus, ibid. 3, even if it had in it some sort of building for eult-purposes. 2) lueos et nemora, Germ. 9, 3 (nemoribus ac lucis, 10, 4).
    [Show full text]
  • University of Copenhagen
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Copenhagen University Research Information System Did the Romans really know (or care) about South Scandinavia? – An archaeological perspective Grane, Thomas Published in: Beyond the Roman Frontier: Roman Influences on the Northern Barbaricum Publication date: 2007 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (APA): Grane, T. (2007). Did the Romans really know (or care) about South Scandinavia? – An archaeological perspective. In T. Grane (Ed.), Beyond the Roman Frontier: Roman Influences on the Northern Barbaricum (pp. 7-29). Rom: Quasar. Analecta Romana Instituti Danici. Supplementum, Vol.. 37 Download date: 08. Apr. 2020 Analecta Romana Instituti Danici Supplementum XXXIX BEYOND THE ROMAN FRONTIER Roman Influences on the Northern Barbaricum EdiTED BY THOMAS GRANE estratto EDIZIONI QUASAR ROMA MMVII Contents Foreword 5 THOMAS GRANE : Did the Romans Really Know (or Care) about Southern Scandinavia? An Archaeological Perspective 7 LISBE T H M. IMER : Greek and Latin Inscriptions in the Northern Barbaricum 31 LINE MAJ -BRI tt HØJBER G BJER G : Roman Coins – Evidence of Possible Nodal Points? 61 MADS DREVS DYHRFJE L D -JOHNSEN : Roman Ideological Influences 67 THOMAS GRANE : Southern Scandinavian Foederati and Auxiliarii? 83 Ull A LU ND HANSEN : Barbarians in the North – The Greatest Concentration of Roman Weaponry in Europe 105 XENIA PA ul I JENSEN : Preliminary Remarks on Roman Military Equipment from the War Booty Sacrifice of Vimose, Denmark 131 KL A U S S. HVID : Reconstruction of the North Germanic Armies AD 200 137 XENIA PA ul I JENSEN : The Use of Archers in the Northern Germanic Armies.
    [Show full text]
  • NINE NORSE STUDIES by Gabriel Turville-Petre
    VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH TEXT SERIES General Editors G. Turville-Petre and P. G. Foote VOLUME V NINE NORSE STUDIES By Gabriel Turville-Petre NINE NORSE STUDIES BY GABRIEL TURVILLE-PETRE Vigfusson Reader in and Professor of Ancient Icelandic Literature, History, and Antiquities, in the University of Oxford Honorary Life Member of the Society VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON Made in Great Britain and printed by Western Printing Services Ltd, Bristol © 1972 Gabriel Turville-Petre © 1972 Modern Humanities Research Association (Chapter viil, first published in the Modern Language Review and here reproduced by permission of the Editors). PREFACE The nine studies selected for publication in this volume were written over a number of years, although nothing that has ap­ peared since 1962 is included. Various minor amendments have been made, some references updated, and bibliographical and other conventions normalized throughout, doubtless not with perfect consistency. Postscripts have been added to five of the papers, showing that in some cases I have revised my opinions slightly. Two of the articles were first published in Icelandic. 'The Cult of 09inn' has been translated by me, 'Drottkvatt and Irish syllabic measures' by Professor Gearoid Mac Eoin, to whom I am most grateful, as I am also to Professor David Greene for re­ moving errors and suggesting improvements after the paper had been put into English. My thanks are also due to Mr P. Cahill who checked references in papers V, VI, and VII, and to Mr M. P. Barnes who read a proof of the whole book. Mr David Thomas, Honorary Member of the Society, has given unstinting help in designing the book and seeing it through the press.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix Epsilon
    Appendix Epsilon: The Pavia Intellectual Line Connecting brothers of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at Cornell University, tracing their fraternal Big Brother/Little Brother line to tri-Founder John Andrew Rea (1869) John Andrew Rea, tri-founder of Phi Kappa Psi at Cornell . . was advised by Andrew Dickson White, . Olybrius was nephew to Flavius President of Cornell . Maximus . who was lectured by, and referred Jack . Flavius Maximus was grandson to Sextus Rea to, Washington Irving . Probus . and then through the Halle line, Appendix . Sextus Probus was son-in-law and first Delta, to the University of Pavia . cousin to Quintus Olybrius . . Pavia was elevated by the Carolingian . Quintus Olybrius was the son of to Clodius Emperor Lothair . Celsinus Adelphus spouse to Faltonia Betitia Proba . whose grandfather deposed the last . all of the above were Neo-Platonists in the Lombardic king Desiderius . tradition of Plotinus . who ruled in succession to the founder of . Plotimus was a student of Ammonius, he of his dynasty, Alboin . Numenius, he of Pythagoras, he of Pherecydes . Alboin forcefully married Rosamund, . Pythagoras also studied under princess of the Gepids . Anaximenes, he under Anaximander, he under Thales . Rosamund was daugther to Cunimund, last . king of the Gepids. Thales studied in the school of Egyption priest Petiese, who was invested by king Psamtik . the story of Cunimund’s court was . who served under Assyria king preserved by Cassiodorus . Esarhaddon, successor to Sennencherib . . Cassiodorus succeeded Boethius as first . successor to the two Sargons . Minister to the Ostrogoths . Boethius was grandson of Emperor Olybrius . Below we present short biographies of the Pavia intellectual line of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at Cornell University.
    [Show full text]
  • Turville Petre Myth and Religion of the North
    Myth and Religion of the North The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia E. O. G. TURVILLE-PETRE GREENWOOD PRESS, PUBLISHERS WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT ( —— CONTENTS Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Turville -Petrs, Edward Oswald Gabriel. Myth and religion of the North. Reprint of the ed. published by Holt, Rinehart and PREFACE ix Winston, New York. Bibliography: p. Includes index. I THE SOURCES I -Religion. 1. Mythology, Norse. 2. Scandinavia- Introductory—Old Norse Poetry—Histories and Sagas I. Title. Snorri Sturluson—Saxo Grammaticus [BL860.T8 1975] 293' -0948 75-5003 ISBN 0-8371-7420-1 II OBINN 35 God of Poetry—Lord of the Gallows—God of War—Father of Gods and Men— 5dinn and his Animals—Odinn’s Names Odinn’s Eye—The Cult of Odinn—Woden-Wotan / III VxV‘~W'- \ THOR 75 Thdr and the Serpent—Thdr and the Giants—Thdr’s Ham- mer and his Goats—The Worship of Thor—Thdr in the Viking Colonies—Thdr-Thunor—Conclusion IV BALDR 106 The West Norse Sources—Saxo—The Character of Baldr and his Cult Continental and English Tradition * 2551069268 * — Filozoficka fakulta V LOKI 126 Univerzity Karlovy v Praze VI HEIMDALL 147 VII THE VANIR 156 The War of the JSsir and Vanir—Njord—Freyr-Frddi-Ner- thus-Ing—Freyja Winston, New York Originally published in 1964 by Holt, Rinehart and VIII LESSER-KNOWN DEITIES 180 1964 by E.O.G. Turville-Petre Copyright © Tyr—UI1—Bragi—Idunn—Gefjun—Frigg and others permission of Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Reprinted with the IX THE DIVINE KINGS 190 Reprinted in 1975 by Greenwood Press X THE DIVINE HEROES 196 A division
    [Show full text]
  • From Adam to Alemanni to America
    This picture of an Oberholzer stained glass was sent to the OFA by Adrian Overholser, Hong Kong, which hangs on the outside of Oberholzer Inn, Oberholz Switzerland From A to A to A Page 1 From Adam to Alemanni to America ©2000Dennis Lee Oberholtzer Printed & Published by Paradise Living Publishing 49 Paradise Lane, Paradise, PA 17562 June 15, 2000 Given for usage by the Overholser Family Association 2019 From A to A to A Page 2 C O N T E N T S Stained Glass of Oberholzer Coat of Arms Cover The Beginnings of our Family 4 Early History of the Suevi (1000-500 b.c.e.) 9 Barbarian Life 15 Map of Zurich Lake & Surrounding Communities 21 Settling in Oberholtz 700-1000 C.E. 22 Hohenstauffen Dynasty 1000-1267 C.E. 30 Habsburg Dynasty 32 Events That Promoted Anabaptism 34 Swiss Independence 36 Research 45 From A to A to A Page 3 THE BEGINNINGS OF OUR FAMILY Antediluvian Percentile Chart of Known Dates F rom Year of Creation % of Weeks # of Weeks # of Years B.C.E. Years Lived 0 Biological creation of Adam 0. 0.00 0.000 4120,Eve of 1st of Tishri * 0 Start of Jubilee Calender 0. 0.00 0.000 4119.0 * 50 First Family Jubilee 2549.0 49. 4069 49 130 Seth born 7.86 6790. 130.57 3990 217 Extinct Calender in Book of Jubilees began 11,284.0 217.0 3902 216 235 Enos born 14.17 12,246. 235.5 3885 235 Men began to proclaim YHWH 12,246.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding 6Th-Century Barbarian Social Organization and Migration
    Understanding 6th-Century Barbarian Social Organization and Migration through Paleogenomics Supplementary Information Carlos Eduardo G. Amorim, Stefania Vai, Cosimo Posth, Alessandra Modi, István Koncz, Susanne Hakenbeck, Maria Cristina La Rocca, Balazs Mende, Dean Bobo, Walter Pohl, Luisella Pejrani Baricco, Elena Bedini, Paolo Francalacci, Caterina Giostra, Tivadar Vida, Daniel Winger, Uta von Freeden, Silvia Ghirotto, Martina Lari, Guido Barbujani, Johannes Krause, David Caramelli, Patrick J. Geary, Krishna R. Veeramah Contents (click on links to move directly to section of interest) S1. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LOMBARDS AND THE MIGRATION PERIOD S2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SZÓLÁD S3. ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF COLLEGNO S4. DNA ISOLATION, LIBRARY PREPARATION, SCREENING AND GENOME-WIDE CAPTURE S5. BIOINFORMATIC PROCESSING S6. MODERN AND ANCIENT REFERENCE DATASET CONSTRUCTION S7. PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS S8. MODEL-BASED CLUSTERING ANALYSIS S9. CHROMOSOME-Y HAPLOGROUP INFERENCE S10. POPULATION ASSIGNMENT ANALYSIS S11. RARE VARIANT ANALYSIS S12. BIOLOGICAL KINSHIP INFERENCE S13. SPATIAL ANCESTRY ANALYSIS S14. COMPARING GENETIC ANCESTRY, GRAVE GOODS AND MORTUARY PRACTICES S15. ISOTOPE ANALYSES IN COLLEGNO AND COMPARISON TO SZÓLÁD REFERENCES 1 S1. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LOMBARDS AND THE MIGRATION PERIOD Walter Pohl, Patrick J. Geary, Cristina La Rocca The Longobardi first appear in Roman texts early in the first century of the Common Era (CE), when the Roman historian Velleius Paterculus, writing about the military expedition of Tiberius around 10 CE in which he himself participated, listed among the peoples defeated by the Romans the “Longobardi, a people surpassing even the Germans in savagery.” The geographer Strabo, writing around the same time, considered the Longobards a part of the Suebi and stated that they were at present living on the eastern banks of the Elbe.
    [Show full text]