Chapter 8

Other names of places compounded with that of the thundergod, besides the numerous Donnersbergs already cited, are forthcoming in Germany. Near Oldenburg lies a village named Donnerschwee, formerly Donnerswe, (42) Donnerswehe, Donnerswede (Kohli handb. von Oldenb. 2, 55), which reminds us of Oðinsve, Wodeneswege (p. 151), and leaves us equally in doubt whether to understand wih a temple, or weg a way. Th Norwegian folk-tale tells us of an actual Thors vej (way, Faye p. 5). A village Donnersreut is to be found in Franconia towards Bohemia, a Donnersted in Thedinghausen bailiwick, Brunswick, a Thunresfeld [Thurfield] in AS. documents, Kemble 2, 115. 195. 272, &c. &c. ----Many in Scandinavia, e.g., in Denmark, Torslunde (Thôrs lundr, grove), Tosingo (Thôrs engi, ing); (43) several in Sweden, Tors måse (gurges) in a boundary-deed of Östergötland, Broocman 1, 15, Thorsborg in Gothland, Gutalag p. 107. 260. Thôrsbiörg (mountain) and Thôrshöfn (haven) in Norway, Fornm. sög. 4, 12. 343; Thôrsmörk (wood, a holy one?), Nialss. cap. 149. 150. (44) Thôrs nes (nose, cape), Sæm. 155 and Eyrb. saga cap. 4 (see Suppl.). Thors bro (Thôrs brû, bridge) in Schonen, like the Norwegian Thor's-way, leads us to that prevalent belief in devil's bridges and other buildings, which is the popular way of accounting for peculiarly shaped rocks, precipices and steep mountain paths: only God or the devil could have burst them so.

As a man's name, Donar in its simple form is rarely found; one noble family on the Rhine was named Donner von Lorheim, Siebmach. 5, 144. Its derivatives and compounds are not common in any High Germ. dialect; a Carolingian doc. in the Cod. lauresh. no. 464 has Donarad, which I take to be the ON. Thôrâlfr inverted. Such name-formations are far more frequent in the North, where the service of the god prevailed so long: Thôrarr (OHG. Donarari?), Thôrir, Thôrðr, Thôrhallr, Thôrôlfr (OS. Thunerulf in Calend. merseb. Septemb.), Thôroddr, and the feminines Thôra, Thôrun, Thôrarna (formed like diorna, Gramm. 2, 336), Thôrkatla, Thôrhildr, Thôrdîs, &c. I cannot see why the editors of the Fornmanna sögur deprive such proper names as Thôrgeirr, Thôrbiörn, Thôrsteinn, Thôrketill, Thôrvaldr, Thôrfinnr, Thôrgerðr, &c. of their long vowel; it is not the abstract þor, audacia, that they are compounded with, and the Nialssaga, e.g. cap. 65, spells Thôrgeirr, Thôrkatla.---The frequent name Thôrketill, abbrev. Thôrkell, Dan. Torkild, AS. Turketulus, Thurkytel (Kemble 2, 286, 349. v. supra, p. 63), ifit signifies a kettle, a vessel, of the thundergod, resembles Wuotan's sacrificial cauldron (p. 56). The Hymisqviða sings of Thôrr fetching a huge cauldron for the âses to brew ale with, and wearing it on his head, Sæm. 57; which is very like the strong man Hans (ans, âs?) in the nursery-tale clapping the church bell on his head for a cap.---The coupling of Alp (elf) with Donar in Albthonar and Thôrâlfr is worthy of notice, for alpgeschoss (elf-shot) is a synonym for the thunderbolt, and Alpruthe (elf-rod) for the donnerkraut [donnerbesen? see p. 183]. An intimate relation must subsist between the gods and the elves (p. 180), though on the part of the latter a subordinate one (see Suppl.). (45)

It is observable that in different lays of the Edda Thôrr goes by different names. In Lokaglepsa and Harbardslioð he is 'Thôrr, Asaþôrr,' but in Hamarsheimt 'Vingþôrr, Hlôrriði' (yet Thôrr as well), in Alvismâl always 'Vingþôrr,' in Hymisqviða 'Veorr, Hlôrriði,' not to mention the periphrases vagna verr (curruum dominus), Sifjar verr, Oðins sonr. Hlôrriði was touched upon in p. 167, notes. Vîngthôrr they derive from vængr, ala; as if Wing-thunder, the winged one, aëra quatiens? This appears to be far from certain, as he is elsewhere called fôstri Vîngnis, Sn. 101, and in the genealogies this Vîngnir appears by the side of him. Especially important is Veorr, which outside of Hymisqviða is only found once, Sæm. 9, and never except in the nom. sing.; it belongs doubtless to ve, wih, and so betokens a holy consecrated being, distinct from the Ve, gen. Vea on p. 163; the OHG. form must have been Wihor, Wihar? (see Suppl.).

As Oðinn represented journeying abroad, to the Eastern land (p. 163), so is Thôrr engaged in eastward travels: Thôrr var î austrvegi, Sæm. 59, â austrvega 68; fôr or austrvegi, 75; ec var austr, 78; austrförom þînom scaltu aldregi segja seggjom frâ, 68. In these journeys he fought with and slew the giants: var hann farinn î austerveg at berja tröll, Sn. 46. And this again points to the ancient and at that time still unforgotten connexion of the Teutonic nations with Asia; this 'faring east-ways' is told of other heroes too, Sn. 190. 363; e.g., the race of the Skilfingar is expressly placed in that eastern region (sû kynslôð er î austrvegum), Sn. 193; and Iötunheim, the world of the giants, was there situated.

Thôrr was considered, next to Oðinn, the mightiest and strongest of all the gods; the Edda makes him Oðin's son, therein differing entirely from the Roman view, which takes Jupiter to be Mercury's father; in pedigrees, it is true, Thôrr does appear as an ancestor of Oðinn. Thôrr is usually named immediately after Oðinn, sometimes before him, possibly he was feared more than Oðinn (see Suppl.). In Saxo Gramm., Regner confesses: Se, Thor deo excepto, nullam monstrigenae virtutis potentiam expavere, cujus (sc. Thor) virium magnitudini nihil humanarum divinarumque rerum digna possit aequalitate conferri. he is the true national god of the Norwegians, landâs (patrium numen), Egilss. p. 365-6, nd when âss stands alone, it means especially him, e.g., Sæm. 70, as indeed the very meaning of ans (jugum montis) agrees with that of Faírguneis. His temples and statues were the most numerous in Norway and Sweden, and âsmegin, divine strength, is understood chiefly of him. Hence the heathen religion in general is so frequently expressed by the simple Thôr blôta, Sæm. 113, hêt (called) â Thôr, Landn. 1, 12, trûði (believed) â Thôr, Landn. 2, 12. He assigns to emigrants their new place of abode: Thôrr vîsaði honum (shewed him), Land. 3, 7. 3, 12. From the Landnâmabôk we could quote many things about the worship of Thôrr: þar stendr enn Thôrs steinn, 2, 12. gânga til frêtta við Thôr, 3, 12. Thôrr is worshipped most, and Freyr next, which agrees with the names Thôrviðr and Freyviðr occuring in one family line 2, 6; viðr is wood, does it here mean tree, and imply a priestly function? Oðinviðr does not occur, but Týviðr is the name of a plant, ch. XXXVII. It is Thôr's hammer that hallows a mark, a marriage, and the runes, as we find plainly stated on the stones. I show in ch. XXXIII how Thôrr under various aspects passed into the devil of the christians, and it is not surprising if he acquired some of the clumsy boorish nature of the giant in the process, for the giants likewise were turned into fiends. The foe and pursuer of all giants in the time of the Ases, he himself appeared a lubber to the christians; he throws stones for a wager with giants (conf. ch. XVIII). But even in the Eddic Thrymsqviða, he eats and drinks immoderately like a giant, and the Norwegian folk-tale makes him take up cask after cask of ale at the wedding, Faye p. 4; conf. the proverb: mundi enginn Asathôr afdrecka (outdrink). Conversely, the good-natured old giant Thrymr is by his very name a Donar (conf. ch. XVIII). The delightful story of the hobergsgubble (old man of the mountain, giant) was known far and wide in the North: a poor man invites him to stand godfather to his child, but he refuses to come on hearing that Thor or Tordenveir is also a bidden guest (conf. ch. XVIII); he sends however a handsome present (conf. Afzelius 2, 158. Molbech's eventyr no. 62, F. Magn. p. 935). In spite of all divergences, there appears in the structure of this fable a certain similarity to that of Gossip Death, ch. XXVII, for death also is a devil, and consequently a giant; conf. Müllenhoff, schl. holst. p. 289. That is why some of the old tales which still stood their ground in the christian times try to saddle him with all that is odious, and make him out a diabolic being of a worse kind than Oðinn; conf. Gautrekssaga p. 13. Finnr drags the statue of Thôrr to King Olafr, splits and burns it up, then mixes the ashes in furmety and gives it to dogs to devour: 'tis meet that hounds eat Thôrr, who his own sons did eat,' Fornm. sög. 2, 163. This is a calumny, the Edda knows of no such thing, it relates on the contrary that Môði and Magni outlived their father (see Suppl.). Several revived sagas, like that of the creation of wolves and goats, transform Wuotan into the good God, and Donar into the devil.




ENDNOTES:

42. 'to Donerswe, dar heft de herscup den tegenden (teind, tithe),' Land register of 1428.  (back)

43. Others specified in Suhm, krit. hist. 2, 651.  (back)

44. The settlers of Iceland, when they consecrated a district to Thôrr, named it Thôrsmörk, Land. 5, 2. ed. nova p. 343. From Donnersmark (Zschötör tökely) in the Hungarian county of Zips, comes the Silesian family of Henkel von Donnersmark. Walach. manura: die Donnersmarkt.  (back)

45. To the Boriât Mongols beyond L. Baikal, fairy-rings in grass are "where the sons of the lightning have danced."----Trans.  (back)