Chap. 15 Sup.

p. 376.) In Eigls-perge, MB. 28, 2, 173 (Passau urbar.). Juxta portam quae de Eigeles (at Cologne), Lacomblet 318, yr. 1134.

p. 378.)

The Heldensage p. 288 has two sons of Wieland, (full) brothers: Wittich and Wittich von der aue; conf. Lat. Silvanus, a forest-god of secondary rank: Silvani lucus extra murum est avius crebro salicto oppletus, Plaut. Aul. iv. 6, 8. Ought we to read Viltinus for Vilkinus? Hpt's Ztschr. 6, 446. Schott conn. Wate with Wuotan, Introd. to Gudr. lvi. To things named after Wieland add the Wielandstein, Schwab's Alp. p. 136 seq.; after Galans a pratum Galandi, now Préjelan in Bourgogne, Garnier's Pagi Burg. p. 83. Dan. Velants-urt, also velamsrot, vendelsrot, Dyb. 1845, 49. 50. On Wielets-kinder conf. Schm. sub v. Valföður vél framtelja, patris artem (mysterium?) enarrare, Sæm. 1a. Another point of likeness betw. Wieland and Hephæstos is, that both are masters of forging dwarfs (p. 471-2). Their handiwork was famous: ergon Hfaistoio, Od. 4, 617. 15, 116. ouj Hfaistoj eteuxe 7, 92.

p. 380.)

'Mime the old' in Bit. 138 seems to have a short i, and can hardly belong here. Karajan in Verbrüd. von S. Peter has Mimilo, Mimistein. To Mîmigernegord (conf. Ledebur's Bructeri p. 328), perhaps from an adj. mîmi-gern, and Mîmidun (Mîmidomensis = Mindensis, Lappbg no. 25; Mimende on Weser, Schrader's Dyn. 104), add a third Westph. locality Mimegersen, now Memsen in Hoya country, Lappbg no. 48. Again, Mimmelage near Osnabrück. Mimirberh, perhaps Mimisberh, Pertz 8, 776. The names Memeln-brun, -born, Memel-born, Memilsdorf, Henneb. urk. 2, nos. 153-6. 169. 1, 166. 125, and Memelen-born (Melborn by Eisenach), Thür. Ztschr. 4, 210 suggest the Mîmis brunnr of the Edda. With Mimingus, silvarum satyrus, agrees the sword's name in En. 5694; conf. Mumminc, Upstdge 137, (Muma in Thidrekss. 65). There are yet to be considered Söck-mîmir, Sæm. 46b; Hoddmîmir who dwells î holti 37; Mîmsvinr, Mîmisvinr, Egilss. 641. Like Mîmi's head is Virgil's head which prophesies, MSH. 4, 246. A head of brass prophesies in Val. et Ourson c. 25; enn spinnen-hoofd in the Dutch transl. arose perhaps from taking tête d'airain for t. d'araigne. Heads often speak in churches, F. Magn. Edda-laere 2, 264.

p. 383.)

On Tell conf. Böhmer's Reg. p. 197 and Sinner in the Solothurner Wtb. 1845, p. 198. Th. Platter 87 (abt 1532) names him Wilhelm Täll, and Garg. 180b Wilh. Dell, while Rabelais 1, 23 does not mention him. A picture of Tell in Schwzbg's Memorial 116a. Some stories make the son shoot the apple off the father's head. Schützeichel is at this day a family-name at Bonn, Simrock's Edda p. 396.

Many single heroes remain to be considered, such as Poppo the strong, Hpt's Ztschr. 3, 239, conf. 8, 347; Hugleich 5, 10. Also lines of heroes: stirps Immidingorum (Saxon) et Erbonum (Bavar.), Pertz. 8, 226.

p. 383.)

The god must stand at the head of the line, because he passes for the father and grandfather of the men. Still there remains an enormous difference between gods and men; hence in Saxo, ed. M. 117, the (earthly) Nanna rejects the suit of Balder: nuptiis deum mortali sociari non posse, quod ingens naturae discrimen copulae commercium tollat ........ supernis terrestria non jugari.

p. 385n.)

Saxo calls Othin, Thor, etc. merely opinative, not naturaliter deos (ed. M. 118), and Balder a semideus (conf. p. 340); whereupon P. E. Müller om Saxo p. 54 remarks: Odin lived neither before nor after Christ. Old Conrad in his Troj. Kr. 858-911 is not quite of that opinion: 'si wâren liute als ir nu sît, wan daz (they were men like you, only) ir krefteclîch gewalt was michel unde manicvalt von kriutern und von steinen ........ ouch lepten gnuoge (lived plenty) bî der zît, die zouberaere wâren, und wunder in den jâren mit gougelwîse worhten (with jugglery wrought).' How the old gods were degraded into conjurors, is shown p. 1031. ----- Of the deification of men there are plenty of examples: 'daz kint waere mit den goten ein got,' Pass. 298, 27. The heathen adore Sigelôt as a god, Rol. 198, 21. Ipomidon will be a god himself, Tit. 3057. 4147-60. er wolde got hien erde sîn, Diemer 139, 24. als er iz waere got 131, 22. mîn wirde gelîch den goten steic, Turl. Wh. 66a. Of Caligula: 'wart hi so sot, dat hi wilde wesen god, ende hi seide openbare dat hi Jupiters broeder ware,' Maerl. 2, 236, conf. 333. 'Grambaut, roi de Baviere, se nommoit dieu en terre,' and called his castle Paradis, Belle Hellene p.m. 23. The Mongols practise the worship of ancestors, deific. of rulers, Klemm 3, 194-5; also veneration of saints and relics.

p. 392.)

The Greeks required beauty of form in heroes as well as gods, Lucian's Charid. 6. 7. Of Charlem. it is said: anges resemble du ciel ius devolé, Aspr. 21a. Heroes share the lofty stature of gods. Of Huglâcus the legend says: quem equus a duodecimo anno portare non potuit; cujus ossa in Rheni fluminis insula, ubi in oceanum prorumpit, reservata sunt, et de longinquo venientibus pro miraculo ostenduntur (Suppl. to 365). ----- Manyhandedness is often mentioned. Ancient men with four hands, four feet, and two faces, Plato symp. 189, four ears 190. ex gar ceirej ekastw ap wmwn aissonto, Orph. arg. 519. Men with 8 toes, 6 hands, Megenb. 490, 2. 30; conf. gods and giants (p. 527). From the three-handed and three or four-elbowed Heime (Germ. 4, 17) perh. the Heimenstein takes its name, about which there is a folk-tale, G. Schwab's Alb pp. 161-165. A story about 'so Heyne, so,' who helps to raise a treasure, in H. v. Herford, Potth. p. 93; conf. Brîsînga-men (p. 306). A three-headed figure on the Gallehus horn discov. 1734 (Henneb., plate 2). ----- Most akin to the gods seem those heroes who are favoured with a second birth. (p. 385). The fact of many heroes' names being repeated in their descendants may have to do with this belief, GDS. 441. But Helgi and Svava are genuine endrbornir, Sæm. 148. 169. 159b. As late as in MS. 1, 97b we read: 'sturbe ich nâch ir minne, und wurde ich danne lebende, sô wurbe ich aber umbe daz wîp (I would woo her again).' Contrariwise MS. 1, 69b: 'sô bin ich doch ûf anders niht geborn.' Solinus says Scipio was another of the Unborn, and was therefore called Cæsar, Maerl. 1, 401; conf. the Lay of Mimmering tand, Danske Vis. 1, 100. ----- Karna, son of the Sun, was born with earrings and a coat of mail, Holtzm. 2, 123-9. 136. wart ie man mit wâfen geborn, Krone 10534; conf. 'born with a fiddle.' To phenomena occurring at the birth of a hero, add the storm that attended Alexander's, Pseudocallisth. p.m. 12. Alcmena tests Hercules with snakes, which he kills lying in his cradle, as Sigmund does Sinfjötli by kneading the dough that had snakes in it, Völs. saga c. 7. Kullervo, when 3 nights old, tears up his swathings, Castrén 2, 45. In the Sv. folks. 1, 139. 140, the child walks and talks as soon as born. Of the grown-up hero's strength the examples are countless. Tied to an oak, he pulls it up, Sv. forns. 1, 44. Danske V. 1, 13; Beowulf has in his hand the strength of thirty, Beow. 756. They eat and drink enormously, like Thôrr (Suppl. to 320); so Hammer grå, Sv. forns. 1, 61-2, conf. the giant bride 1, 71-2. Syv. 49. ----- Heroes have beaming godlike eyes, snake's eyes, ormr î auga; so have kings, Saxo, ed. M. p. 70. Aslög's son (Sigurð's and Brynhild's grandson) is called Sigurðr ormr-î-auga, gen. Sigurðar orms-î-auga, Fornald. s. 1, 267. 273. 2, 10-4. Fornm. 1, 115. His step-brothers say: eigi er oss î augum ormr ne frânir snâkar, Fornald. 1, 268 (conf. orm frânn, Heimskr. 7, 238. Sæm. Hafn. 2, 13). Sigurðr Oðins aettar, þeim er ormr î auga, Fornald. 1, 258. Aslög prophesies of her unborn son: 'enn â þeim sveini mun vera þat mark, at svâ mun þikkja, sem ormr liggi um auga sveininum' ---- a false interpretation, for not the eyebrows coiling round, but the inner look (î auga) was meant, Fornald. 1, 257. In Sæm. 187a he is called 'inn frân-eygi sveinn.' brann Brynhildi eldr or augom (fire flashed from B.'s eyes) 215b. âmun (minaces) eru augu ormi þeim enum frâna (Völundr) 156a. hvöss eru augu î Hagals þýju (Helgi in disguise) 158b. We still say: something great shines out of his eyes. GDS. 126-7. ----- Other heroes show other marks: on Hagen's breast is a golden cross, Gudr. 143-7. 153; betw. Wolfdietrich's shoulders a red cross, Hugd. 139. 189. Valentin and Namelos have also a cross betw. the shoulders, like the mark of the lime-leaf on Siegfried's back, where alone he is vulnerable (as Achilles was in one heel), Nib. 845, 3. 4. Swan-children have a gold chain about the neck, the reali di Franza a niello on the right shoulder, Reali 6, 17. p.m. 344; conf. the wolfs-zagelchen betw. the shoulder-blades (Suppl. to 1097). Of the Frankish hero Sigurd, the Vilk. saga c. 319 says: 'hans horund var svâ hart sem sigg villigaltar; sigg may mean a bristly skin, and seems conn. with the legend of the bristled Merowings. (1) In cap. 146 we are told that Sigurd's skin grew hard as horn; and in Gudr. 101, that wild Hagen's skin hardened through drinking the monster's blood. No doubt the original meaning was, merely that he gained strength by it. The great, though not superhuman age of 110 years is attained by Hermanaricus, Jorn. c. 24. We read in Plaut. mil. glor. iv. 2, 86: meri bellatores gignuntur, quas hic praegnates fecit, et pueri annos octingentos vivunt. The gods bestow blessings, the heroes evils, Babr. 63.

p. 392.)

Strong Franz also holds converse with his knowing steed, Müllenh. p. 422. The hero talks with his sword as well as his horse, Sv. forns. 1, 65. Klage 847 seq. Wigal. 6514. Drachenk. 161a. Vilkinas. pp. 54. 160-1. The dying hero would fain annihilate his sword, e.g. the Servian Marko and Roland, Conr. Rol. 237, 3.

p. 394.)

Where a god, devil or hero sits, there is left a mark in the stone. Their hands and feet, nay, their horses' hoofs, leave marks behind (Suppl. to 664). ons heren spronc, Maerl. 2, 116. Stone remains wet with a hero's tears: hiute (to this day) ist der stein naz, dâ Karl uffe sâz, Ksrchr. 14937.


1. Thorpe (ad Cod. Exon. p. 511) sees the Merowings in the North-Elbe Maurungani and AS. Myrgingas. Might not these Myrgingas be those of Mercia?. Back