Chapter 15

In confirmation, AS. glosses collected by Junius (Symb. 372) give 'via secta: Iringes uuec,' from which Somner and Lye borrow their 'Iringes weg, via secta'. Conf. via sexta iringesuuec, Haupts zeitschr. 5, 195. Unpubl. glosses of the Amplonian libr. at Erfurt (10-11th cent. bl 14ª) have 'via secta: Iuuåringes uueg'; which Iuwaring agrees very remarkably with the later form Euring in Euringsstrass, Aventin 102b 103ª.

In the Nibelungenlied 1285. 1965-2009, these heroes appear again, they are the same, but differently conceived, and more akin to the H. German version in Goldast: (32) Iravrit of Düringen and Irinc of Tenemarke, one a landgraf, the other a markgraf, both vassals of Etzel (Attila). The Lied von der klage (threnody) adds, that they had fallen under the ban of the empire, and fled to Hunland; here we see a trace of the banishment that Dieterich pronounced on Iring. In the poems of the 13th century, however, Iring is not a counsellor, still less a traitor and a murderer of Irmenfried: the two are sworn friends, and both fall before the irresistible Hagene and Volker.

Add to all this, that the Vilk. saga cap. 360, though silent on Irnfried, tells of Irung's last combat with Hogni, and makes him sink against a stone wall, which is still called Irûngs veggr in memory of the hero. The Norse redactor confounded vegr (via) with veggr (murus); his German source must have had Iringes vec, in allusion to the 'cutting his way' in Widukind.

So now the road is paved to the conclusions we desire to draw: German legend knew of an Iringes wec on earth and in heaven, so did AS. legend of a double Wætlinga-stræt, and so was the road to Rome and St. James set in the firmament as well. These fancies about ways and wains, we know, are pagan, and indicate god-myths. The Thuringian Irnvrit, originally Irmanfrit, it is reasonable to suppose, is the same as irman, Irmin (conf. Sigfrit, Sigmunt, Sigi), and the Hermunduri = Irman-duri are plainly connected with the Durings (Thuringians): so that Irman assumes a peculiar significance in Thuringian tradition. If this would but tell us of an Irmines wec, all would come right.

It does tell, however, in three or four places, of an Iringes wec. The names Irinc and Irmin, apart from the alliteration which doubtless operated in the ancient lay, have nothing in common; the first has a ling î, (33) and of themselves they cannot have represented one another. Now, either the legend has made the two friends change places, and transferred Irmin's way to Iring, or Iring (not uncommon as a man's name too, e.g., Trad. Fuld. 1, 79) is of himself a demigod grown dim, who had a way and wain of his own, as well as Irmin. Only, Irmin's worship seems to have had the deeper foundations, as the image of the Irmansûl sufficiently shows. As the name of a place I find Iringes purc (burg), MB. 7, 47. 157. 138. 231. Iringisperc (berg) 29, 58.

Up to this point I have refrained from mentioning some Norse traditions, which have a manifest reference to the earthly hero-path. It had been the custom from of old, for a new king, on assuming the government, to travel the great highway across the country, confirming the people in their privileges (RA. 237-8). This is called in the O. Swed. laws 'Eriksgatu ridha,' riding Eric's road. (34) Sweden numbers a host of kings named Erik (ON. Eirîkr), but they are all quite historical, and to none of them can be traced this custom of the Eriksgata. With the royal name of Erik the Swedes must from very early times have associated the idea of a god or deified king; the vita Anskarii written by his pupil Rimbert, has a remarkable passage on it (Pertz 2, 711). When the adoption of christianity was proposed to king Olef about 860, a man of heathen sentiments alleged, 'Se in conventu deorum, qui ipsam terram possidere credebantur, et ab eis missum, ut haec regi et populis nunciaret: Vos, inquam, (35) nos vobis propitios diu habuistis, et terram incolatus vestri cum multa abundantia nostro adjutorio in pace et prosperitate longo tempore tenuistis, vos quoque nobis sacrificia et vota debita persolvistis, grataque nobis vestra fuerunt obsequia. At nunc et sacrificia solita subtrahitis, et vota spoutanea segnius offertis, (36) et, quod magis nobis displicet, alienum deum super nos intro ducitis. Si itaque nos vobis propitios habere vultis, sacrificia omissa augete et vota majora persolvite, alterius quoque dei culturam, qui contraria nobis docet, ne apud vos recipiatis et ejus servitio ne intendatis. Porro, si etiam plures deos habere desideratis, et nos vobis non sufficimus, Ericum, quondam regem vestrum, nos unanimes in collegium nostrum asciscimus, (37) ut sit unus de numero deorum.'---I have transcribed the whole passage, because it aptly expresses the attitude of the pagan party, and the lukewarmness already revailing towards their religion: the heathen priests thought of adding a fresh hero to their throng of gods. (38) This seems to exclude all later Erics from any claim to the Eriksgata; probably there were mixed up even then, at least in Rimbert's mind, traditions of a divine Erik.

It can no longer remain doubtful now, what god or divine hero lies hidden in this Erik. I had at one time thought of Er (Mars), because the form Erctag is met with a few times for Ertag (p. 124), but the short vowel in Er, and the long one in Irinc, Eirîkr, are enough to warn us off. Instead of Eriksgata we also meet with Riksgata, and this points decidedly to Rîgr, the earthly name of the god Heimdallr, who in the Edda walks the green raods (grœnar brautir) of earth, to beget the three races of men. In the green earthly roads are mirrored the white and shining paths of heaven. (39) Then the problem started on p. 234, whether the ON. form Rîgr arose out of Irîngr by aphæresis and syncope, now finds a solution approaching to certainty. Heimdallr dwells in Himinbiörg on the quaking roost (Bifröst), the rainbow, which is the bridge or path by which the gods descend from heaven to earth. The rainbow is the celestial ring, as the galaxy is the celestial road, and Heimdalr keeper of that road, Heimdallr is Rîgr = Iring, walking the earth and translated to the skies; now we comprehend, why there lived among the nations many a various tale of Eriksgata, Iringeswec, Iringesstrâza, and was shifted now to one and now to the other celestial phenomenon. Iring, through Iuwaring, borders on Eburðrung the old name of Orion (see Suppl.). And if our heroic legend associates Irmenfrit, i.e., Irmin with Iring, and Irmin-street alternates with Iring-street, then in the god-myth also, there must have existed points of contact between Irmin = Oðinn and Iring = Heimdallr: well, Heimdallr was a son of Oðinn, and the Welsh milky way was actually named after Gwydion, i.e., Wôden. From the Irminsûl four roads branched out across the country, Eriksgata extended in four directions, four such highways are likewise known to English tradition, though it gives the name of Ermingestret to only one, and bestows other mythic titles on the rest. Of Irmin and of Iring, both the divine personality and the lapse into hero nature seem to be made out.



ENDNOTES:

32. As already quoted, Deutsch. heldens. p. 117. Back

33. Or iu, as some roots shift from the fourth to the fifth vowel-series (like hîrât and hiurât, now both heirat and heurat; or tir and týr, p. 196), so Iurinc (expanded into Iuwarinc, as the OHG. poss. pron. iur into iuwar); so in the 16-17th cent. Eiring alternates with Euring. A few MSS. read Hiring for Iring, like Hirmin for Irmin, but I have never seen a Heuring for Euring, or it might have suggested a Saxon hevenring, as the rainbow is called the ring of heaven. An old AS. name for Orion, Eburðrung, Ebirðring, seems somehow connected, especially with the Iuwaring above. Back

34. The venerable custom still prevailed in the 15-16th cent. : 'statuta provincialium generose confirmavit et sigillavit in equitatu qui dicitur Eriksgata,' Diarium Vazstenense ad an. 1441 (ed. Benzel, Ups. 1721) p. 86. 'Rex Christoferus Sueciae et Daciae equitatum fecit qui dicitur Eriksgata secundum leges patriae,' ibid. ad an. 1442. Even Gustavus Vasa rode his Eriksgata. Back

35. For inquimus, as elsewhere inquit for inquiunt. Back

36. Votum, what an individual offers, as opposed to the sacrificium presented publicly and jointly; conf. supra, p. 57. Back

37. So king Hâkon is admitted into the society of gods, Hermôðr and Bragi go to meet him: 'siti Hâkon með heiðin goð' (Hâkonarmâl). Back

38. Dahlmann guesses it may be the Upsal Erik (d. 804). Back

39. Altd. blätter 1, 372-3. Back