Chapter 14

The mighty gods would doubtless have moved withersoever it pleased them, without wings or sandals, but simple antiquity was not content with these: the human race used carriages and horses, and the gods cannot do without them either. On this point a sensible difference is to be found between the Greek and German mythologies.

All the higher divinities of the Greeks have a chariot and pair ascribed to them, as their kings and heroes in battle also fight in chariots. An ochma for the god of thunder would at once be suggested by the natural phenomenon itself; and the conception of the sun-chariot driven by Helios must also be very ancient. The car of Here, and how she harnesses her steeds to it, mounts it in company with Athene, and guides it, is gorgeously depicted in Il. 5, 720-76; so likewise Demeter and Kora appear seated in a carriage. Hermes is drawn by rams, (16) as the Norse Thôrr [by he-goats]. The Okeanides too have their vehicle, Aesch. Prom. 135. But never are Zeus, Apollo, Hermes or any of the most ancient gods imagined riding on horseback; it is Dionyso, belonging to a different order of deities, that rides a panther, as Silenus does the ass, and godlike heroes such as Perseus, Theseus, and above all the Dioscuri are mounted on horses. Okeanos bestrides a winged steed, Prom. 395. It seems worth remarking, that modern Greek legend represents even Charon as mounted.

In Teutonic mythology the riding of gods is a far commoner thing. In the Merseburg poem both Wuotan and Phol ride in the forest, which is not at all inconsistent with the word used, 'faran'; for it is neither conceivable that Wuotan drove while Balder rode, nor that Balder drove a one-horse carriage. Even Hartmann von Aue still imagines God riding a horse, and contented with Enit for his groom (p. 18). Among those that ride in the Edda are Oðinn (who saddles his Sleipnir for himself, Sæm. 93ª), Baldr and Hermôðr; in Sæm. 44ª and Sn. 18 are given the names of ten other horses as well, on which the Ases daily ride to council, one of them being Heimdall's Gulltoppr, Sn. 30. 66; the owners of the rest are not specified, it follows that each of those gods had his mount, except Thôrr, who is invariably introduced either driving or walking (p. 167), and when he gets Gullfaxi as spoil from Hrûngnir, gives him away to his son Magni, Sn. 110. Oðin's horse leaps a hedge seven ells high, Fornm. sög. 10, 56. 175. Even the women of the gods are mounted: the valkyrs, like Oðinn, ride through air and water, and witches are imagined riding a wolf, a he-goat or a cat. Night (fem.) had a steed Hrîmfaxi, rimy-mane, as Day (masc.) had Skînfaxi, shiny-mane.

At the Same time carriages are mentioned too, especially for goddesses (p. 107). The sacred car of Nerthus was drawn by cows, that of Freyja by cats, Holda and Berhta are commonly found driving waggons which they get mended, the fairies in our nursery tales travel throught he air in coaches, and Brynhildr drives in her waggon to the nether world, Sæm. 227. The image of a Gothic deity in a wagon was alluded to on p. 107; among the gods, Freyr is expressly described as mounted on his car, while Thôrr has a waggon drawn by he-goats: on Wôden's waggon, conf. p. 151 (see Suppl.).
When we consider, that waggons were proper to the oldest kings also, especially the Frankish kings, and that their riding on horseback is nowhere mentioned; it seems probable that originally a similar equipage was alone deemed suitable to the gods, and their riding crept in only gradually in the coarser representations of later times. From heroes it was transferred to gods, though this must have been done pretty early too, as we may venture to allow a considerable antiquity to the story of Sleipnir and that of Balder's horse or foal. The Slavs also generally furnished their god Svantovit with a horse to ride on.

Some few divinities made use of a ship, as may be seen by the stories of Athene's ship and that of Isis, and Frey's Skîðblaðnir, the best of all ships, Sæm. 45b.

But whichever way the gods might move, on earth, through air or in water, their walk and tread, their riding and driving is represented as so vehement, that it produces a loud noise, and the din of the elements is explained by it. The driving of Zeus or Thôrr awakens thunder in the clouds; mountains and forests tremble beneath Poseidon's tread, Il. 13, 18; when Apollo lets himself down from the heights of Olympus, arrows and bow clatter (eklagxan) on his shoulder 1, 44, deinh de klaggh genet argureoio bioio, dreadful was the twang of his silver bow 1, 49. In the lays of the Edda this stirring up of nature is described in exactly the same way, while the AS. and OHG. writings, owing to the earlier extinction of the heathen notions, have preserved us no traces of it: 'framm reið Oðinn, foldvegr dundi,' forth rode O., earth's way thundered, Sæm. 94ª; 'biörg brotnoðo, brann iörð loga, ôk Oðins sonr î Iötunheima,' mountains crumbled, earth blazed, when rode, &c. 73ª; 'flô Loki, fiaðrhamr dundi,' the wing-coat whirred, 70ª 71ª; 'iörð bifaz (quaked) enn allir for sciâlfa garðar Gymis' when Skîrnir came riding 83ª. The rage and writhing of gods who were bound produced equally tremendous effects (p. 246).

On the other hand, delightful and salutary products of nature are also traced to the immediate influence of the gods. Flowers spring up where their feet have strayed; on the spot where Zeus clasped Here in his arms, shot up a thick growth of sweet herbs and flowers, and glittering dewdrops trickled down, Il. 14, 346-51. So, when the valkyrs rode through the air, their horses' manes shook fruitful dew on the deep vales below, Sæm. 145b; or it falls nightly from the bit of Hrîmfaxi's bridle 32b (see Suppl.).

Of one thing there is scarcely a trace in our mythology, though it occurs so often in the Greek: that the gods, to screen themselves from sight, shed a mist round themselves or their favourites who are to be withdrawn from the enemy's eye, Il. 3, 381. 5, 776. 18, 205. 21, 549. 597. It is called heri kaluptein, hera cein, aclun or nefoj stefein, and the contrary aclun skedazein to scatter, chase away, the mist. We might indeed take this into account, that the same valkyrs who, like the Servian vîly, favour and shield their beloved heroes in battle, were apble to produce clouds and hail in the air; or throw into reckoning our tarnkappes and helidhelms, whose effect was the same as that of the mist. And the Norse gods do take part with or against certain heroes, as much as the Greek gods before Ilion. In the battle of Brâvîk, Oðinn mingled with the combatants, and assumed the figure of a charioteer Brûni; Saxo Gram., p. 146. Fornald. sög. 1, 380. The Grîmnismâl makes Geirröðr the protégé (föstri) of Oðinn, Agnarr that of Frigg, and the two deities take counsel together concerning them, Sæm. 39; in the Völs. saga cap. 42, Oðinn suggest the plan for slaying the sons of Ionakr. The Greek gods also, when they drew night to counsel or defend, appeared in the form of a human warrior, a herald, an old man, or they made themselves known to their hero himself, but not to others. In such a case they stand before, beside or behind him (para 4, 129. egguqi, Od. 1, 120. agcou, Il. 2, 172. 3, 129. 4, 92. 5, 123. prosqen 4, 129. opiqen 1, 197); Athene leads by the hand through the battle, and wards the arrows off 4, 52; she throws the dreadful ægis round Achilles 18, 204; Aphrodite sheilds Aeneas by holding her veil before him 5, 315; and other heroes are removed from the midst of the fray by protecting deities (p. 320). Venus makes herself visible to Hippomenes alone, Ovid Met. 10, 650. Now they appear in friendly guise, Od. 7, 201 seq.; now clothed in terror: calepoi de qeoi fainesqai enargeij, Il. 20, 131 (see Suppl.).



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