Wichita eagle., 1889-11-06
MYTHS OF THE NORTH.
CHARMING AND GRoTEsouE ICE
LANDIC TRADITIONS.

LANDIC TRADITIONS.
The Reward which Awaits the valorou,
Warrior-LiteraI foundations That Roh
the Poet Of His Pet Thsmes-Beer and
Pork, Instead Of Nectar and Anbrosia
An old Icelandic romance tells Us that
there Is a rock in Iceland " here people who
were sick OF otherwise wretched used to be-
take themselves, and thence leap down to GER
tain death, and as certain q reception into
the halls Of joy prepared for the brave, add
ing: "It Is useless, therefore, to give our
selves up to grosns and complaints, or to put
our relatives to needless expense, since we
can easily follow the example Of our fathers,
who have gone by the way of this rock" In
Sweden there arc several Of these rocks, three
of which bear the name eff Valhalla, the war
riors heaven, because they were used asI q
sort of a vestibule to that glorious ball Of
Odin.
One of these rocks, called Stafva Hall, used
to be the scene OF remarkable annual festi-
vals A number Of people, after singing and
feasting, and entering fully into the dancing
and general merriment would throw them
solves from the cliff into the lake below, in
| the same manner as the classic writers tell us
that the Scythians and Hypoboreans used to
do. But if none Of these relefs were at hand,
and natural death was unavoidable. as was
frequently the case after Christianity had
put an end to these practices, heroes generally
consoled themselves by putting on their COM
plete armor, thus meeting their end fully
equipped for battle, as sort Of protest against
the ignominious death forced upon them
against their will.
TEE HOUSE OF GLADNEss.
The reward of all this valor awaits the
warrior in the dwelling Of Odin and Glad
sheim 11ouse Of gladness) where in the gilt
tering hail, Valhala, A1father gathers the
souls Of all who died the death of heroes.
Over the field Of battle hover the Valkyries,
maids OF Odin, who choose the champions to
be honored by death, and conduct them to
this abode OF perpetual JOY. Here the ceiling,
splendid with Shields rests on columns Of
spears. while over the benches hang glisten-
ing coats Of mail This dwelling stands in
the shining grove of Chaser, where every leaf
is Of pure red gold. That Is why gold is
sometimes called Glasers leaves.
On the roof Of Valhalla, feeding on the
leaves of the tree Lerad the PROTECTOR,
stands goat which yields an abundance Of
mead for gods and heroes; and feeding from
the same tree is the stag Eikthyrner (knotty
horned, from whose antlers drips SO much
water that it flls thirty-six rivers, twelve Of
which water tho celestial plains; twelve the
abodes of men and twelve the chill regions Of
Niflheim, where reigns Hela or Hell, who takes
charge Of all souls not having made their
exit from tho body by the prescribed route.
In ValkaIa swords serve to warn the inhabi-
tants, and the whole palace is Respondent
with gold
The amusements of the blest are quite in
accord with the views they entertained in
life, for we arc told that every day, as soon
as they are dressed, they ride out to the field
of battle and there cut each other to pieces
until near meal time when, prestol they put
their various fragments together again in
proper order, Ike so many animated puzzle
cards, don their armor, mount their steeds
and prance arnicably back to Valhalla, in
time for dinner. There they are served at
table by the Vall,yries, the same fair ones
who, lowering over tho earthly Geld Of fray,
first choose them to enter this Paradise of the
brave. As fast as the dishes are emptied
these maidens fill them again with meat or
with mead, for neither the food nor the drink
ever gives out.
But to say, as somo writers do, that they
drink from the skulls OF their enemies Is
neither truth nor reason; for their enemies,
If they died honorObly, are in Valhalla, and
OF course using their skulls for normal pur
poses. If they died ingioriously, they are
wearing all their bones in Nif1heim The lit
eral translation of King Ragnar Lodbrok's
dying utterance, which has caused tho curl
GUS mistake, is ''Soon shall we drink ale out
OF the curved branches of the skull" refer
ring, no doubt, to the horns of animals
which were the common drinking cups Of the
Odinic worshipers.
Now, am afraid that literal translation
has let out fact dangerous to the projects
OF any poet lying in wait for an illustration.
Ihave not only robbed him of pet horror
In depriving him Of the use Of the traditional
gruesome beaser, but have mentioned ale as
the drink of gods and heroes Nevertheless,
like little George, l cannot tell Iie and ale
is the wofd-the veritable "wine of barley" !
described Of old by Aristotle, Theophrastus,
Herodotus ct al, and psrpetuated to this day |
under the musical names Of London porter,
German lager, and various other names /
which viii be readily recalled by those &C.
Quainted with the mundane article. Let the |
fact be what comfort it may to those who |
love it not wisely but too we'll that 1t Is the /
delight of suoh numerous and brilliant oe-
lestial company.
BOILED PORK AND BEER
Another shock which truth compsls me to
intjct tender literary nerves, turning the
into the rlEninant, so to speak, Is
the statement that the meat Of the Valhallians
is porki Think Of it-boiled pork washed
down with beerl Facts are stubborn things
what shall the poet do with this onei Nee
tar and ambrosia are so much better because
perhaps, you do not know what they arel
One writer Of repute makes the pork and
beer much easier to swallow by explaining
that the words from which they are derived
signify ''air fire and water" which may be-
freely translated air and fi-ewater if you de-
sire,, with nothing earthly in them" and
by Asgardian alchemy into
the purest and most delicate breath Of the
nutritious, no doubt, than the pork
and beer, but then more poetic, too, and We
are grateful
The boar, Sahrimner, whose flesh L. food
for the heroes, has, like each Of his devourees,
the happy propensity to put himself together
again as fast as he IS cut to pieces, 50 that at
The close Of the battle every day they find
him on the table ready for business
Valhalla, delightful though you perceive 1t
10 be, is not, however, the ultimate paradise
If the brave; for we are told that the abode
If the Asss shall not endure forever, but that
It the south there Is dwelling place named
iiInls. which at the twilight OF the gods the
il uphesSsl Of all things shall escape the