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Grimm's TM - Chap. 14 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.). 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.). << Previous Page Next Page >>
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