Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-27
WHAT MEN BELIEVED
Away Back Beyond the Days When
History First Was Written.
SUPERsTITIONs OF SCANDINAVIA
Spirits of Fallen Braves Fought All Day
and Feasted All Night.
LEGENDS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH.


Mankind has from all ages been prone to
the most lamentable superstition. The most
enlightened nations of antiquity were as
| liable to it as the ignorant. The Hebrews,
according to the Bible, could scarcely be re-
strained from following after the golden
calf, Baal and other strange gods. They
probably had some ta1nt of superstition left
in them after laboring for 400 years for the
Egyptians, whose whole system was mass
of mysterious observances. With all of
their advanced civilization and great learn
ing, the Egyptians possessed remarkable
belief in dreams, omens, magic, charms,
lucky days and astrology.
| The Greeks and Romans learned all of the
black arts from Egypt, and added many of
their own. They believed in the power of
insects and of animals to give warning of
approaching danger, and the appearance of
comets and eclipses put them into wild
frights as indicating great national dis
asters, and every brain seemed to
be fertile with superstitions, delusions
| and faith in divination and oracles.
The grossness Of these superstitious beliefs
| was relieved by the refnements of advanc-
| ing Christianity, but astrology and alchemy
held their own until the eighteenth century,
when they gradually died out, especially
alchemy, which claimed to make gold out of
| baser metals. But even to this day there is
| a trace Of superstition in the hearts of al
most everybody in every civilized Christian
nation.
THE EARLY SCANDINAvIANs.
The superstitions of the early Scandi-
navians accorded with their cold and stern
country. They, too, had abodes for their
gods, which they called Asgard and Val
halla. Odin. their principal deity, was a
distinguished chief and warrior bold OF past
| ages. The Scandinavians believed that the
universe was originally chaos of confused
vapors inhabited by race of evil spirits of
vast bulk. Odin was born from these gi-
gantic monsters and commenced war against
them, and overcoming their great chief
made the world out of him. He placed four
dwarfs called North, South, East and West
at the corners of the world whose duty it
was to hold up the dome, after which the
luminaries were appointed. Every great
body was represented by divinity. Frigga,
the earth, became the wife of Odin, and
through them came the inhabitants of the
world.
The fabulous Asgard was represented as
containing many beautiful palaces and
halls, the chief of which was called The
Mansion of Joy, where Odin sat on his
throne, which was called the Terror of
Nations. Two ravens sat always at his ear
telling him of everything then going on in
the universe. Among the deities in Asgard
was Thor, son of Odin, and Warrior, god of
the Scandinavians. Thor was the God of
Thunder and when he moved the earth
trembled. He always held In his hand a
great hammer called the crusher, which was
invincible, and had boomerang tendency
of returning after being thrown, to the hand
of its powerful wielder. Thor rode in
chariot drawn by two powerful goats named
Sangniostr and Tangrisner.
THE REALM OF BRAVE SPIRITS.
The great hall appointed for the reception
of the spirits of the brave when they left
the earth for the realms of the gods, was
called Valhalla. Twelve beautiful but
AWFUL Nymphs called Valkyries, sur
rounded by lightnings, rode forth with
bloody corselets and radiant spears to choose
on every battlefield those who should fall,
| and lead them as chosen heroes into Val
halla. Thry were there occupied all night
| drinking mead, the northern nectar, and
of eating the fat Of the wild boar
Serimner, which, like the cruise of
oil failed not, but filled up again and be-
came whole every night. This drinking and
eating refreshed the noble warriors whose
pleasant duty it was in Valhalla to fight
until nearly all of them were cut to pieces,
which was not of much consequence, as
those ethereal spirits soon recovered them
selves and were always ready to attack the
feasts which followed those dreadful battles.
The skulls of their enemies upon earth
were used as drinking cups, and the warriors
were almost always IN a state of spiritual
inebriation. When the cock crew for day
light these heroes would hurriedly abandon
their seats and rush out through the $40
gates of Valhalla and hack each other to
pieces again. This was the eternal round of
pleasures assigned to departed heroes of
Scandinavia.
Hell was the Scandinavian goddess of the
dead, and her residence was called He'll
hiem. Gloomy rivers flowed around her
world, one of which ran through valleys
filled with swords. A dog stands guard at
her cave, whose bark awakes the goddess
and also gives warning to all who hear it
that death is at hand. Niord ruled over the
elves Of light and controlled the winds and
waves. His sister and wife, Freyza, was
the goddess of love. Hell chariot was drawn
by cats who are the emblems of fondness
and passion.
QUAFFING BRAGI'S CUP.
Bragi was the god of eloouence and when
men drank Bragi's cup, they vowed to do
some great thing. Even the heir apparent
was not allowed to take the throne until he
had quaffed Bragi's cup. (From this came
our word "brag').. His wife, Idun, guarded
the basket Of apples which gave to those who
ate them perpetual youth. The Scandi-
naviaus believed that the spirit OF evil was
bound, but that his progeny would prevail
over the gods and the world. This will be
a period of great destruction, the twilight of
the gods, which will be marked by years of
hard frost and sunless air, when there will
be great bloodshed in the world. The great
wolf will devour the sun, and his brother
the moon, while the world is in darkness
and the stars will vanish from heaven. The
heavens will burst asunder while the ship
Naglfar, which is made of dead mems nails,
will float on the waters, while the gods will
ride across the rainbow bridge which will
disappear behind them.
After the destruction of the universe
there will be left dwellings, for the evil and
the good, the worst of which is Nostrand,
where serpents' heads line the walls spit
/, ting venom; while in Gimli the good and
yirtuous will find perfect peace and repose.
But another earth verdant and fresh will
arise from the deep ocean; the uncultivated
fields will bear fruits and strife and evil
will cease; and recovering their records the
gods will await the coming of the ALL
father who will pronounce judgments and
establish peace that shall endure forever.
THE FORMS OF WORSHIP.
The worship OF the gods was always cele-
brated in spacious temples or on stone heaps
near some sacred grove where the offerings
could be suspended after being eleansed in
neighboring fountain by the priestesses.
Human sacrifices were offered in times of
great danger or distress, while horsehesh
was highly esteemed as an offering. They
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