New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-03
GERMAN SUN WORSHIP.
Discovery of Sun Chariot Three
Thousand Years old.

Tn peat moor OF Trundholm. in the Danish
island OF Seeiand. remarkable discovery has been
made In connection with the sun worship. which
once was widely difUsed among the whole Ger
manic race-Teutons. hence also Anglo-saxons.
Danes. Swedes ard Norwegians.' says Karl Blind
IN The Illustrated London News.
six inches under the decayed vegetable growth
was found a bronze sun chariot. partly broken.
which represents the disk Of the heavenly orb
drawn three pairs Of wheels by a horse. This
hieratic object unearthed Nykjobing.
where. according TO the distinguished archeologist
and director Of the National Museum at Copen-
hagen, Or. sophus Muller. many objects OF a sim
liar style have been discovered before.
Danish writers conclude that this sun chariot
must be about three thousand years old. Yet it is
OF mean artistic merit. The sun disk is COW
cred with circular and spiral ornamentation. diff
ferent on its two sides. The design evidently
first worked IN with a graver. and then thin
plate OF gold pressed IN. The horse, rather
archaically shaped, WAS connected with the disk
by loophoes on his neck for slipping rens through.
His tail docked: for the animal. cast hol-
low. shows opening ar the tail where OF old
probably horsehaiT appendage was put in.
1.-The disk is only thirteen and one-hah inches
long. The whole structure, the wheels OF which
damaged, could doubt have been once
rolled about altar The fact Of its having
been purposely broken points TO an ancient sacri-
aciai custom in the North. This wasteful practice
Of destroying valuable things by way OF an offer
ing 10 the gods has ats counterpart in the law of
Odin, which said that the dead should be burnt
and that everything which had been their own
should be earned TO the Eyre
The OGin question. may add is not the god
Of that name but serni-mythlcai. semi historic
oonqueror. According TO the Morse saga, ne came
ND with his Asic people from the shores OF the
Black Sea. marching through Gardariki (Russia)
and Saxony Germany. crossing over 70 Denmark.
and thence TO Scandinavia. When dying from Ill
ness he marked himself with a spear, so as not TO
die 'straw-death. and cremated with great
pomp. AS 10 the wasteful practice mentioned IL
Is on record that the Vikings by their Berserk
bravery. recoUped themselves frequently enough IN
foreign lands where they got many valuable things
when appearing as somewhat unwelcome seaside
visitors.
THE elaborate involutions IN the designs on the
sun disk remind US some extent Of the orua-
mentation found at Mykene, Tiryns and Troy.
These were. in most ancient tines not Hellenic.
but Thrakan CThTacian} settlements and strong
holds. Now. the Thrakians-red golden haired.
tall martial. musical much addicted also to the
cup as they are described by classical writers
were kindred 10 the GerInanic. Getic or Gothic
stock The line OF their tribal connections can be
traced from Southeastern Europe and Asia Minor
up to the High North. 1t is recorded also that
since olden times there sacred road or trade
route from a northern Scythian region down 10 the
Adriatic Gulf. which road amber carried
from the Baltic and the German Ocean to the
South. All this might make ask whether there
has been. perhaps. early artistic intercourse
even between the South and the North.
s'On the other hand. the place where this sun
chariot was embedded to point 70 a time
when-at least far know-there not
Yet any such communication. Herodotux, in the
hfb century before our era, would not even believe