# The Monthly Magazine or British Register/Volume 6/December 1798/Runic Sagas

ORIGINAL POETRY.
RUNIC SAGAS.
MR. Cottle's Icelandic Poetry is by this time in the hands of every lover of wild imagery and harmonious verse. It is a rimed paraphrase of the Latin version of Sœmund's Edda, published in 1787, at Copenhagen. As this interpretation departs widely from the text, it may not appear superfluous to the curious in antiquity, to attempt a less free translation of the first and most curious of these sagas, which unfolds the Gothic cosmogony.
The Runic alphabet is of uncertain origin; but as most of the inscriptions in this character which have been discovered on the Scandinavian rocks, record the fortunes of some soldier who had been in the service of the Greek emperor, it may be presumed, that the art of writing was derived by the Goths from Constantinople. Antiquaries, however, have ascribed to far earlier periods the literary firstlings of the north, and consider the sagas, or mythic songs, which constitute the Edda, as productions contemporary with the heroes whom they celebrate.
The age and history of Odin is again liable ​to controversy. Schöning and Suhm incline to distinguish between Woden the god of war, and Odin chief of the Asæ; and suppose the apotheosis of the former to have long preceded that of the latter, who perhaps was merely the conductor of the first colony of Goths which ventured to forsake the southern shores of the Baltic and to take up its abode in Scandinavia. Gibbon (i. 204) inclines to the speculation which makes the enterprises of the northern Mahomet co-æval with those of Pompey. Gröter, struck with a resemblance between the cosmogony of the Edda and that of Melissus of Samos, as described by Diogenes Laertius, has attempted to prove from a passage in the Ægisdrecka (Str. 24.), that Odin visited the island of Samos (Sams-egio), and derived his doctrines from this Grecian philosopher, who flourished in the eighty-fourth Olympiad. In confirmation of a theory which aligns to this earlier æra the exploits of the northern divinities, it might be pleaded that Herodotus mentions (Melpomene LXXXI.) an immense brewing-copper, in high estimation among the Scythians, the acquisition of which by Thor, appears to be celebrated in the Hymis-Quida. The identity of the elder Anacharsis, and of Odin, may one day not seem indefensible.
But at whatever period those persons flourished, whose actions form the themes of the Edda: whether their deeds and their doctrines were chronicled in verse by theScalds of their own times; or were preserved by tradition merely, until the northern dawn of literature broke forth over Iceland; the sagas which preserve these transactions, are equally interesting. They are, and must remain the earliest monuments of Gothic intellect. They are, and must remain the first fruits of that noble stem of language, whose spreading branches yet overshadow Scandinavia, Germany, and Britain. They are the childhood stammerings of those nations who have created a school of poetry superior to the Greek. They will acquire an increasing interest among all the descendants from the Gothic stock. They are supplying to new poets the outlines of an original mythology: and they will afford a favourite text for commentary to all the antiquaries who shall in future busy themselves with arctic paleosophy.
The poetical value of the elder northern reliques, is far inferior to that of the fanciful stories, which compose the new Edda: no metaphors equally bold, no adventures equally prodigious, no descriptions equally romantic here startle and reward the curiosity. In their stead occur definite allegories, which throw much light on the manner in which rude nations endeavour to account to themselves for the origin of things, and in which moral facts assume in their minds a mythic, form. Much information too is afforded concerning the different tribes into which the Goths and the contiguous nomade nations were divided, and concerning the geographical allotment of their respective territory. But it is time to pass from prosing to scanning.
* ↑ Schlötzer's Nordische Geschichte, p. 550.
* ↑ The Runic alphabet expreffes only the long vowels a, o, and u: it has but one cha- rafter for band p, but one for dand t, but one forg and t, and in all fixteen letters. This ftructure countenances the hypotheſis of an Oriental origin. The Phoenicians, as appears from the Aufculcationes mirabiles afcribed to Ariftotle, came to fish on the coafts of Thule (probably, Norway), falted there the Thyn- nus which they caught, and carried it to the Mediterranean. From them, perhaps, the Runes.
* ↑ Klopstock erroneously ascribes bards to the Gothic nations on the faith of a false reading in Tacitus: this word is Cimbric, or Welth, and includes both the civil and ecclesiastical magistracy. Milton, with learned accuracy, notices the steep, “Where your old bards, the famous druids lie.”
* ↑ The Danish interpreters should not be always followed in the use of the words god and giant. The Goths and the Jutes were contiguous nations, part of whom ultimately became stationary in Gothland and Jutland. From the name of the latter, by coalescence with the article, is formed the denomination Teutones, Deutch. (Thus the French call the Antinous le L'antin, instead of l’ Amin, and the English say a newt, instead of an ewt, using in fact a double article. These two nations were early hostile: Lucian (in his letter to Philo on history-writing) alludes to some account of a war between the Goths and the Jutes: and the Edda abounds with traces of their habitual rivalry.Vafthruni was a king of the Jutes.
* ↑ Gangrath means seek-advice. If this was the travelling name of Odin, it would easily assume in Greek the form Anacharsis.
* ↑ In the Grecian mythology, the gods of day are charioteers; but in the Gothic, notwithstanding Goranson, they seem to have been cavaliers.
* ↑ Skin-faxi means shiny-locks; but to this horse is never ascribed the supremacy among horses. On the contrary, the saga quoted in Percy's edition of “Mallet's Northern Antiquities,” vol. ii. page 109, expressly says: “The ash Ydrafil is the first of trees; Sleipner, of horses; Bifrost, of bridges,” &c.
* ↑ The line Nott oc nyt reginn, literally night eke bliss showers, is misrendered by the Danish interpreter. It is only capable of the sense here given, as will appear by consulting the word Nyt in the vocabulary of the Edda Sæmundar.
* ↑ The river Ifing was in Polish Prussia.
* ↑ The last day of the week was consecrated to Surtur, and named from him.
* ↑ Vigrith seemingly means drunkenness and Surtur the funeral flame: The allegory in this case intimates that a loss of the faculties is the harbinger of death. Gräter however translates it by noise of battle, burly-burly; and is perhaps in the right. It might however be sought in real geography.
* ↑ The former half of this Saga exhibits symptoms of a higher antiquity, more allusions to local nature, and a mythology less, evolved.
* ↑ Ymer answers to chaos: it means ever,or eternity.
* ↑ Mundilfær means gift-bestowing. The allegory therefore describes Beneficence as producing the sun and moon.
* ↑ Delling, twilight; Naurvi, north; Vindsual, wind-swell; Suafuthur, much-soothing; Bergelmer, old man of the mountain; Thrugelmer, old man of the deep: Aurgelmer, original old man.
* ↑ Vagom, waves, ocean. The waves, the subjects of Niord the sea-god, are often personified in Scaldic song; and are called Vanes and Vauns in Percy’s Mallet. For what reason two words have been contracted into one to form the proper name Elivogi appears not: yet Goranson and all the authorities countenance Mr. Cottle’s interpretation of this passage.
* ↑ Hræsvelger, corse-greedy.
* ↑ The Danish interpreters render Einheriar by Monoheroes, whereas it seems rather to answer, to the Teutonic Anherr, patriarch, ancestor, forefather. What idea should be annexed to this newly minted term monohero? That of Champion, perhaps of a warrior, who, by solitary exploits and without co-operation, attains the heroic rank: In this case it were a fit epithet for but few of the inmates of Valhalla. For Starkader, indeed, the Samson or Herkules of the north.
* ↑ The Niflhel of the text is probably an erroneous reading for Nifelheim, home of mists, which was the favourite epithet of the Goths for the nether world. Does Vafthruni mean by the nine nations, the nine, regions subject to Hela?
* ↑ The giant Mimis, and the spring which he has in custody, are mentioned in the eighth fable of the newer Edda: to this fountain-head the words bod mimis seem to allude. Gräter translates—“Life and warmth shall lie hidden in the flesh of the earth.” See Nordische Blumen, p. 141.
* ↑ The Goths make the sun feminine, and the moon masculine. This is natural in a cold climate. Among savages every male is a foe, every female a friend. Displeasing and unwelcome objects therefore are in their languages masculine, pleating and welcome objects feminine. In hot countries where the night is more welcome than the day, an opposite allotment of gender takes place.
* ↑ Vali and Vithar are apparently the gods of death and sleep. Mothi signifies mould, corruption; and Magni nobody: so that these allegories obviously describe the state of the departed.
* ↑ Vitnis, wolf, is here mistaken for a proper name by the Danish interpreter; and for a name of Odin by the English poet.