Towards a Method of Mythology
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With a Particular Focus on the Saga of Grettir the Strong, Gisfi Surrson's
Volume 3: 2010-2011 ISSN: 2041-6776 School of English Studies With a particular focus on The Saga of Grettir the Strong, Gisfi Surrson’s Saga and Nijar’s Saga, discuss the nature and role of the supernatural in Icelandic saga literature and assess the extent to which it reveals a religious significance. Georgina Georghiou At the end of the Viking Age, the Icelanders developed a literary tradition in the vernacular, Old Icelandic, in which the legendary tales of Iceland’s sogooki (the Saga Age, c. 9E1030 CE) were written.’ Hitherto sustained by the oral tradition (hence the designation saga, from segja, to say, tell’), the tales which constitute the islendrgasogur (Sagas of Icelanders, written between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries) journeyed through phases of Iceland’s cultural evolution, most notably its political movement from the Commonwealth to the Norwegian monarchy in 1262 CE, and its religious conversion from Norse paganism to Christianity under the sovereignty of King Olaf Tryggvason (995-1000 CE). Chronicling events which occurred during and after this cultural whirlwind, the sagas in their present form reflect a mystical synthesis of Norse-pagan and Christian conceptions of the sacred, both of which incited a conviction in the Supernatural’. Despite their differences, they commonly present the Scandinavian world as one which interacts with unworldly beings and forces, and whilst this ‘unworldliness’ has contributed to the modern view that the sagas are ‘pseudo- historical’,5 for the medieval Icelander, they were a record of historical truth. The truth’ invested in the supernatural involves it, inevitably, in sacred matters, and the affiliation between the supernatural and the religious has thus been a highly debated topic among saga scholarship. -
Sidelights on Teutonic History During the Migration Period
SIDELIGHTS ON TEUTONIC HISTORY DURING THE MIGRATION PERIOD M. G. CLARKE ^=00 ICO 'CO GIRTON COLLEGE STUDIES No, III GIRTON COLLEGE STUDIES EDITED BY LILIAN KNOWLES, LITT.D., READER IN ECONOMIC HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY OP LONDON No. 3 SIDELIGHTS ON TEUTONIC HISTORY DURING THE MIGRATION PERIOD CAMBEIDGE UNIVERSITY PEESS Edition: FETTER LANE, E.G. C. F. CLAY, MANAGER 100, PRINCES STREET Btrlin : A. ASHER AND CO. leipjifi: F. A. BROCKHAUS #efo 8orh: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Bambap. anH Calcutta : MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD. All rights reserved SIDELIGHTS ON TEUTONIC HISTORY DURING THE MIGRATION PERIOD BEING BY M. G. CLARKE, M.A. Cambridge : SEEN BY at the University F ress 1 PRESERVATION 191 SERVICES \\ PR SI PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNTVEKSITY PRESS PREFACE following chapters are the outcome of two periods THEof stud}7 undertaken during the tenure of research scholarships awarded by Girton College, and form an attempt to discover the amount of historical truth under lying the allusions to persons and events in the Old English heroic poems. The essay deals with an aspect of these poems, which I has not, so far as know, been treated systematically by- anyone who has previously written on the subject. Thus, in the absence of any model, I have had to work on independent lines, especially as regards the grouping and arrangement of different traditions, and the method of discussion followed in the several chapters. The actual arrangement has been adopted for convenience of discus sion, according to the nationality of the persons concerned, except in cases where a particular section forms a complete epic narrative with a personal (as opposed to a national) interest of its own: in these cases the tradition has been discussed under the heading of the poem in which it is contained, or that of the character round whom the narrative centres. -
De Maskers Van Odin
DeDe MaskersMaskers vanvan OdinOdin Oud-NoorseOud-Noorse wijsheidwijsheid Elsa-BritaElsa-Brita TitchenellTitchenell De Maskers van Odin De Maskers van Odin Oud-Noorse wijsheid Elsa-Brita Titchenell Theosophical University Press Agency Den Haag Oorspronkelijke titel: The Masks of Odin 1985, 3de druk 1998 Theosophical University Press, Pasadena, Californië ELSA-BRITA TITCHENELL De Maskers van Odin ISBN 978- 90-70328-93-1, E-boek Nur 345 Trefwoorden: theosofie; mythologie (Oud-Noorse); Edda’s Foto omslag: Ernest Braun Dit boek waarop copyright bestaat, mag kosteloos worden gedownload om het off-line te lezen, maar mag in geen enkele vorm of op geen enkele manier – elektronisch, mechanisch, of door middel van fotokopieën, of opnames, of op een andere manier – voor commerciële of andere doel- einden worden gereproduceerd en/of gedistribueerd, zonder eerst toe- stemming aan Theosophical University Press Agency te vragen. © 2011 Theosophical University Press Agency Daal en Bergselaan 68, 2565AG Den Haag +31 (0)70 3231776 www.theosofie.net / [email protected] Inhoud Voorwoord vii Inleiding xi Dankbetuiging xvii Deel 1 Toelichtingen 11 Mythen – een tijdcapsule 3 12 De levensboom – Yggdrasil 32 13 Goden en reuzen 41 14 Kosmische schepping 57 15 De schepping van de aarde 65 16 De rijken van de natuur 72 17 Rig, Loki en het denkvermogen 82 18 Dood en wedergeboorte van de mens 86 19 Inwijding 90 Fotografische reproducties uit Codex Regius 104 Deel 2 Aantekeningen, vertaalde liederen en verhalen 10 Völuspá (De profetie van de Sibille) 113 11 Gylfaginning -
Myths — a Time Capsule
Chapter 1 Myths — A Time Capsule Among the most intriguing things about myths is the air they have of being more permanent than life. Anonymous and timeless, they seem to exist uncreated in some universal limbo, waiting to be discovered. Their message is as eternal as boundless space, as pervasive as the energies that swirl cosmic dust into spirals and spin atomic worlds into the organized formations that are larger worlds. There can exist but one truth, one all-embracing reality, which is the common property of all mankind. It has always existed and it exists today. Out of the white light of that primordial truth radiate the mythologies and scriptures of the world and, though the light still remains, it is diffracted through innumerable human minds into the prismatic colors of partial knowledge and diverse beliefs. Nevertheless, by comparing the different mythologies we may still discern in them the truth which gave them rise. Among the many expressions of ancient lore in various parts of the globe we find that the Norse Eddas contain science and philosophy of a high order, a rounded knowledge which also constituted religion to some long forgotten people who must have preceded the Viking age by no one knows how long. Judging by the thoughts they incorporated in their tales they included in their world picture an awareness of many of the forces and potencies we know by different names and which have been rediscovered by science during the past century or so. Considering that the Norse tradition, though dating back in essentials to an unknown prehistory, has had to pass through the rough-and-tumble world of the Viking warriors and has no doubt had to draw on a more vivid palette in depicting the adventures of gods and giants than originally used, it is remarkable how much profound philosophy is recognizable to us today. -
Viktor Rydberg's Investigations Into Germanic Mythology Volume II
Viktor Rydberg's Investigations into Germanic Mythology Volume II Translated and Annotated by William P. Reaves © 2007 15. The Primeval Smiths. 36) It has already been stated that in Germanic mythology, primeval smiths contribute to the adornment and perfection of the world's creation. They form different groups: Mimir with his smiths, Ivaldi's sons, "swarthy elves" and "dwarves." In the beginning they stand in the best relationship to the gods and forge the finest precious objects for them, but later a breech occurs between the gods and certain smiths that afflicts Creation with severe suffering and threatens it with ruin. The Germanic myths have all these features in common with the Vedic myths.1 Later, I will return to a most remarkable story about a rising enmity between the gods and the primeval smiths and the results of this enmity. 37) One among the circle of Rigveda's smiths, although not of divine birth, has high god-rank, and because he is simultaneously the source of religious wisdom, sacred ancient hymns, prayers and sacrifices, as well as being the guardian of the mead-well in the underworld, he occupies a high position in Rigveda, and becomes the highest omniscient god after the end of the Vedic period and into the Brahmanic epoch. There, he still retains his character of primeval smith, who artistically unites creation (Rigv. X, 72, 2), gives the sun-disc her brilliance (Rigv. IX, 28, 5), adorns her with rays (Rigv. IX, 97, 31) and sharpens heaven's stone for Indra. Because his activity is compared in other places with a weapon-smith's, he probably was one in the epic songs as well. -
The Masks of Odin: Wisdom of the Ancient Norse Elsa-Brita Titchenell
Theosophical University Press Online Edition The Masks of Odin: Wisdom of the Ancient Norse Elsa-Brita Titchenell Copyright © 1985 by Theosophical University Press (print version also available). Electronic version ISBN 1-55700-137-5. All rights reserved. This edition may be downloaded for off-line viewing without charge. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial or other use in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Theosophical University Press. For ease of searching, no diacritical marks appear in the electronic version of the text. Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Pronunciation Guide Bibliography Glossary Plates: Codex Regius PART I: COMMENTARY 1 Myths — A Time Capsule 2 The Tree of Life — Yggdrasil 3 Gods and Giants 4 Cosmic Creation 5 Terrestrial Creation 6 Nature's Kingdoms 7 Rig, Loki, and the Mind 8 Human Death and Rebirth 9 Initiation PART II: NOTES, TRANSLATED LAYS, AND STORIES 10 Voluspa (The Sibyl's Prophecy) 11 Gylfaginning (The Apotheosis of Gylfe) 12 Havamal (The High One's Words) 13 Vaftrudnismal (The Lay of Illusion) 14 Thor and Loki in Jotunheim (Gianthome) 15 Hymiskvadet (Hymer's Lay) 16 Grimnismal (Grimner's Lay) 17 Trymskvadet (The Theft of Thor's Hammer) 18 Kvadet om Rig (The Lay of Rig) 19 Loki Steals the Brisinga-Gem 20 Grottasongr (The Song of the Mill) 21 Volundskvadet (The Lay of Volund) 22 Lokasenna (Loki's Flyting) 23 Allvismal (The Lay of Allwise) 24 Grogaldern and Fjolsvinn's Ordskifte (The Spells of Groa and Verywise's Exchange) 25 Skirnismal (The Lay of Skirner) 26 Vagtamskvadet (The Lay of Waywont) 27 Odens Korpgalder (The Lay of Odin's Corpse or The Lay of Odin's Ravens) 28 A Summing Up Foreword A good many people hearing of the Edda or of the Norse myths think mainly of Balder, the sun-god, who was slain by a twig of mistletoe; or they may conjure up mighty Thor, hurler of thunderbolts and lightning, whose footsteps make the earth quake. -
The Poetic Edda Contents*
This compilation © Phoenix E-Books UK SCANDINAVIAN CLASSICS VOLUMES XXI AND XXII THE POETIC EDDA CONTENTS* General Introduction xi Lays of the Gods Voluspo I Hovamol 28 Vafthruthnismol 68 Grimnismol 84 Skirnismol 107 Harbarthsljoth 121 Hymiskvitha 138 Lokasenna 151 Thrymskvitha 174 Alvissmol 183 Baldrs Draumar 195 Rigsthula 201 Hyndluljoth 217 Svipdagsmol 234 Lays of the Heroes Volundarkvitha 252 Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar 269 Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I 290 Helgakvitha Hundingsbana H 309 Fra Dautha Sinfjotla 332 Gripisspo 337 Reginsmol 356 • For the phonetic spellings of the proper names see the Pronouncins Index. Contents—Continued Fafnismol 370 Sigrdrifumol 386 Brot af Sigurtharlcvithu 402 Guthrunarkvitha I 411 Sigurtharkvitha en Skamma 420 Helreith Brynhildar 442 Drap Niflunga 447 Guthrunarkvitha II, en Forna 450 Guthrunarkvitha III 465 Oddrunargratr 469 Atlakvitha en Gronlenzka 480 Atlamol en Gronlenzku 499 Guthrunarhvot 53^ Hamthesmol 545 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The General Introduction mentions many of the scholars to whose work this translation owes a special debt. Particular reference, however, should here be made to the late William Henry Schofield, Professor of Comparative Literature in , Harvard University and President of The Amer- ican-Scandinavian Foundation, under whose guid- ance this translation was begun; to Henry God- dard Leach, for many years Secretary of The American-Scandinavian Foundation, and to Wil- liam Witherle Lawrence, Professor of English in Columbia University and Chairman of the Foundation's Committee on Publications, for their assistance with the manuscript and the proofs ; and to Hanna Astrup Larsen, the Foundation's lit- erary secretary, for her efficient management of the complex details of publication. GENERAL INTRODUCTION is scarcely any literary work of great im- portance which has been less readily available for THEREthe general reader, or even for the serious student of literature, than the Poetic Edda. -
Investigations Into Germanic Mythology, Volume I
Viktor Rydberg's Investigations into Germanic Mythology, Volume I Translated and annotated with modern references by William P. Reaves © 2010 III. THE IVALDI FAMILY [561] 96. SVIPDAG AND GROA Groa's son Svipdag is mentioned by this name in two Old Norse songs: Gróugaldur and Fjölsvinnsmál, which, as Bugge has already pointed out, are mutually connected and describe episodes from the same chain of events.1 Gróugaldur‟s contents are the following: Groa is dead when the event that the song describes occurs. Svipdag is then still quite young. Before her death she has told him that he should go to her grave and call on her if he needs her help. The grave is a “cairn-cromlech,”2 a grave-chamber built of great slabs over an “earth-fast stone,” furnished with a door (str. 1, 15). Svipdag's father has married again. The stepmother commands her young stepson to go away in order to seek Menglöðum, "those fond of ornaments." From Fjölsvinnsmál we learn that one of them called thus is a maiden who becomes Svipdag's wife. Her proper name is not given. She is continually designated only as Menglöð, Menglad, one of "those fond of ornaments," whom Svipdag receives as his task to find. 1 These poems, both written in ljódaháttr, an eddic meter, are preserved in seven paper manuscripts all dated from the 17th century. In three of these, the two poems appear together in sequence. In the remaining four, the two sections are reversed with the eddic poem Hyndluljóð standing between them. [Einar Ólafur Sveinsson, “Svipdag‟s Long Journey. -
Rooma Riik Ja Germaani Hõimud Meie Ajaarvamise Alguses
TARTU ÜLIKOOL FILOSOOFIATEADUSKOND AJALOO JA ARHEOLOOGIA INSTITUUT ÜLDAJALOO ÕPPETOOL Silver Paling ROOMA RIIK JA GERMAANI HÕIMUD MEIE AJAARVAMISE ALGUSES Magistritöö Juhendaja dotsent Mait Kõiv Tartu 2013 Sisukord Sisukord ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Kasutatud lühendid ..................................................................................................................... 7 Sissejuhatus ................................................................................................................................ 8 Historiograafia ............................................................................................................................ 9 1. Germaani hõimude pärand ............................................................................................... 16 2. Germaani rahvad ja roomlased vabariigi perioodil .......................................................... 22 2.1 Kimbrid, teutoonid ja ambroonid .............................................................................. 22 2.2 Caesar ja germaanlased ............................................................................................. 29 3. Germaania vallutamine .................................................................................................... 39 4.1 Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa ........................................................................................ 39 4.2 Clades Lolliana ......................................................................................................... -
THE POETIC EDDA Translated by HENRY ADAMS BELLOWS
The Poetic Edda Index THE POETIC EDDA translated by HENRY ADAMS BELLOWS [1936] This text is in the public domain because it was not renewed in a timely fashion as requrired at the time by copyright law. (U.S. Copyright Office online records) Start Reading List of Files Many of the texts at sacred-texts are of interest only to the specialist, somewhat like small art movies. By contrast The Poetic Eddas, the oral literature of Iceland which were finally written down from 1000-1300 A.D, are like big summer movies, full of gore, sex, revenge and apocalyptic violence. This translation of the Poetic Eddas is highly readable. They are also a primary source for our knowledge of ancient Norse paganism. The poems are great tragic literature, with vivid descriptions of the emotional states of the protagonists, Gods and heroes alike. Women play a prominent role in the Eddic age, and many of them are delineated as skilled warriors. The impact of these sagas from a sparsely inhabited rocky island in the middle of the Atlantic on world culture is wide-ranging. Wagners' operas are largely based on incidents from the Edda, via the Niebelungenlied. J.R.R. Tolkien also plundered the Eddas for atmosphere, plot material and the names of many characters in the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings. -- jbh Title Page Contents General Introduction Voluspo Hovamol Vafthruthnismol Grimnismol Skirnismol Harbarthsljoth Hymiskvitha Lokasenna Thrymskvitha Alvissmol Baldrs Draumar Rigsthula Hyndluljoth file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/sacred-texts/neu/poe/index.htm (1 of 2) -
POETIC EDDA Pr
•^'*'" ./y5<fc To George Lyman Kittredge SCANDINAVIAN CLASSICS VOLUMES XXI AND XXII THE POETIC EDDA Pr ESTABUSHED BY NIELS POXn.SON ^> DEC I 2 1965 I iC^^s/TycfW**?^ 1033014 THIS VOLUME IS ENDOWED IN PART BY CHARLES S. PETERSON OF CHfCAno The poetic Edda Translated from the Icelandic with an introduction and notes by Henry Adams Bellows New York; The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1923 CONTENTS* General Introduction xi Lays of the Gods Voluspo I Hovamol 28 Vafthruthnismol 68 Grimnismol 84 Skirnismol 107 Harbarthsljoth 121 Hymiskvitha 138 Lokasenna 151 Thrymskvitha 174 Alvissmol 183 Baldrs Draumar 195 Rigsthula 201 Hyndluljoth 217 Svipdagsmol 234 Lays of the Heroes Volundarkvitha 252 Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar 269 Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I 290 Helgakvitha Hundingsbana H 309 Fra Dautha Sinfjotla 332 Gripisspo 337 Reginsmol 356 • For the phonetic spellings of the proper names see the Pronouncins Index. Contents—Continued Fafnismol 370 Sigrdrifumol 386 Brot af Sigurtharlcvithu 402 Guthrunarkvitha I 411 Sigurtharkvitha en Skamma 420 Helreith Brynhildar 442 Drap Niflunga 447 Guthrunarkvitha II, en Forna 450 Guthrunarkvitha III 465 Oddrunargratr 469 Atlakvitha en Gronlenzka 480 Atlamol en Gronlenzku 499 Guthrunarhvot 53^ Hamthesmol 545 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The General Introduction mentions many of the scholars to whose work this translation owes a special debt. Particular reference, however, should here be made to the late William Henry Schofield, Professor of Comparative Literature in , Harvard University and President of The Amer- ican-Scandinavian Foundation, under whose guid- ance this translation was begun; to Henry God- dard Leach, for many years Secretary of The American-Scandinavian Foundation, and to Wil- liam Witherle Lawrence, Professor of English in Columbia University and Chairman of the Foundation's Committee on Publications, for their assistance with the manuscript and the proofs ; and to Hanna Astrup Larsen, the Foundation's lit- erary secretary, for her efficient management of the complex details of publication. -
Investigations Into Germanic Mythology, Volume I
Viktor Rydberg's Investigations into Germanic Mythology, Volume I Newly translated and annotated with modern references by William P. Reaves © 2010 III. THE IVALDI FAMILY [561] 96. SVIPDAG AND GROA Groa's son Svipdag is mentioned by this name in two Old Norse songs: Gróugaldur and Fjölsvinnsmál, which, as Bugge has already pointed out, are mutually connected and describe episodes from the same chain of events.1 Gróugaldur’s contents are the following: Groa is dead when the event that the song describes occurs. Svipdag is then still quite young. Before her death she has told him that he should go to her grave and call on her if he needs her help. The grave is a “cairn-cromlech,”2 a grave-chamber built of great slabs over an “earth-fast stone,” furnished with a door (str. 1, 15). Svipdag's father has married again. The stepmother commands her young stepson to go away in order to seek Menglöðum, "those fond of ornaments." From Fjölsvinnsmál we learn that one of them called thus is a maiden who becomes Svipdag's wife. Her proper name is not given. She is continually designated only as Menglöð, Menglad, one of "those fond of ornaments," whom Svipdag receives as his task to find. 1 These poems, both written in ljódaháttr, an eddic meter, are preserved in seven paper manuscripts all dated from the 17th century. In three of these, the two poems appear together in sequence. In the remaining four, the two sections are reversed with the eddic poem Hyndluljóð standing between them. [Einar Ólafur Sveinsson, “Svipdag’s Long Journey.