Chapter 13

The Roman de la rose (Méon 18622 seq.) informs us:

qui les cinc sens ainsinc deçoit

par les fantosmes, quil reçoit,

dont maintes gens par lor folie

cuident estre par muit estries

errans auecques dame Habonde,

et dient, que par tout le monde

li tiers enfant de nacion

sunt de ceste condicion.

qu'il vont trois fois en la semaine.

si cum destinee les maine,

et par tous ces ostex se boutent,

ne cles ne barres ne redoutent,

ains sen entrent par les fendaces,

par chatieres et par crevaces,

et se partent des cors les ames

et vont avec les bonnes dames

par leus forains et par maisons,

et le pruevent par tiex raisons:

que les diversités veues

ne sunt pas en lor liz venues,

ains sunt lor ames qui laborent

et par le monde ainsinc sen corent, &c

18686. Dautre part, que li tiers du monde

aille ainsinc avec dame Habonde,

si cum voles vielles le pruevent

par les visions que truevent,

dont convient il sans nule faille

que trestous li mondes i aille.

As Ratherius and the Reindardus represent a third part of the world as given up to the service of Herodias, the same statement is here applied to dame Habonde; Herodias and Abundia are therefore one. A connexion between Abundia and our native Folla, Fulla (fulness) will presently be made apparent. The term enfans may refer either to the unchristened babes above, or to the great multitude of heathen, who remained shut out of the christian community. It had long been the custom to divide the known world into three parts. (75) The domina clothed in white reminds one of Perahta the bright, the bona domina or bona socia (76) of Holda the gracious, and Herodias haunting the oaks by night of the Old German tree-worship. They are originally benignant beings all, whose presence brings prosperity and plenty to mankind; hence to them, as to friendly spirits or gods, meat and drink are set for a sacrifice in the night season. Holda, Berhta and Werra seem to love a particular kind of food, and look for it on their feast day.

Thus far we have got acquainted with the names and worship of several goddesses, who were honoured under different names by particular tribes of Teutondom (Nerdu, Hludana, Tanfana, Holda, Berhta), and other resembling them have only become known to us under foreign appellations (Isis, Diana, Herodias, Abundia): of all these (so long as I consider still doubtful the connexion of 'Erce' with our Herke) not one is to be found among the Anglo-Saxons.

On the other hand. the Anglo-Saxon historian tells us the names of two beings, whom he expressly calls ancient goddesses of his people, but of whose existence not a trace is left amongst other Germans. A clear proof, that here as well as there, heathenism was crowded with divinities of various shape and varying name, but who in their characteristics and cultus corresponded to one another. Why this multiplicity of form should prevail more in the case of the female deities than of the male, can be fairly explained, I think, by the greater respect paid to the chief masculine divinities: they were too famous and too highly thought of, for their principal names not to have penetrated all branches of the nation.

The two goddesses, whomBeda (De temporum ratione cap. 13) cites very briefly, without any description, merely to explain the months named after them, are Hrede and Eástre, March taking its name from the first, and April from the second: 'Rhedmonath a dea illorum Rheda, cui in illo sacrificabant, nominatur.'----'Antiqui Anglorum populi, gens mea............apud eos Aprilis Esturmonath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretatur, quondam a dea illorum, quae Eostra vocabatur et cui in illo festa celebrantur (?), nomen habuit; a cujus nomine nunc paschale tempus cognominant, consueto antiquae observationis vocabulo gaudia novae solennitatis vocantes.' (77)

It would be uncritical to saddle this father of the church, who everywhere keeps heathenism at a distance, and tell us less of it than he knows, with the invention of these goddesses. There is nothing improbable in them, nay the first of them is justified by clear traces in the vocabularies of other German tribes. March is in OHG. lenzinmânôt, named for the season lenzo, lengizo [lengthening of days]; (78) but it may have borne other names as well. Oberlin quotes, from Chorion's Ehrenkranz der teutschen sprach, Strassb. 1644, p. 91, Retmonat for March; and a doc. of 1404 (Weisth. 1, 175) has Redtmonet, it is not clear for what month. When we find in the Appenzeller reimchronik p. 174:

In dem Redimonet

die puren kamen donet,

do der merzenmonat gieng herzu

an ainem morgen fru

do zundentz Rorschach an;




ENDNOTES:

75. Agitur pars tertia mundi, Ovid met. 5, 372; tertia pars mundi fumans perit Africa flammis, Coripp. 1, 47: tertia pars orbis Europa vocatur, Walthar. 1. Back

76. Is the name socia connected with the Satia in Guilielmus Alvernus? Back

77. One MS. (Kolmesen opusc. p. 287; this ref. given in Rathlef's Hoya and Diepholz 3, 16) reads: Veteres Anglicani populi vocant Estormonath paschalem mensem, idque a dea quadam cui Teutonici populi in paganismo sacrificia fecerunt mensis Aprilis, quae Eostra est appellata. Back

78. Gramm. 2, 510. Langez. Diut. 3, 88. Back