The Death of Balder Part 16

HAELWAY, the way of the dead, or the path to Haelheim.

HERTE, HERTA, or HERTHA, the earth, considered as a divine being and wors.h.i.+pped as a G.o.ddess by the old German and Northern people, as likewise by the Romans and others. The Edda calls this G.o.ddess Jord (that is, earth), and makes her the daughter and wife of Odin, and the mother of Thor, his first son.

HERTEDAL, the place in Sielland where Herte's grove was.

HOTHBROD, the father of Hother, according to Saxo, who makes him king of Sweden, and thus Hother a Swede. Contrary to which, the author of this piece found himself justified in reckoning Hother amongst the Skioldungs.

HOTHER, according to Saxo, was king of Denmark and Sweden; but his Life, by the same, is a chain of fables, which has yet given considerable occasion to the contents of this piece.

LEIRE, the ancient place of residence of the Danish kings, whence they were termed "Kings of Leire."

LIDSKIALF, in the Edda Klidskialf, a place in Asgard from which Odin surveys the whole world.

LOKE, a very wicked G.o.d, who, according to the Edda, was the cause of the death of Balder, and was therefore conducted by the other G.o.ds to a cavern, where they chained him to three rocks, there to suffer the most painful punishment until the destruction of the world. By the giantess Angerbode he begot Fenri's Wolf, Midgard's Serpent, and Hael. He was reckoned among the Aser, and was, notwithstanding his wickedness, beautiful of appearance.

MIDGARD'S SERPENT, a serpent begot by Loke with the giantess Angerbode.

It was to be one of the occasioners of the world's destruction, and was on that account cast by Odin into the deep sea, where it grew to such a degree that it lay round the whole earth, and bit its own tail.

MIMMER, the owner of a fountain wherein wisdom and knowledge of the future lay concealed, out of which he drank every morning. Odin was once obliged to lay one of his eyes in p.a.w.n, in order to obtain a draught from this fountain. He was likewise, when Surtur should attack the G.o.ds, to ride to this fountain and seek counsel from Mimer on his own and his army's account.

MIMRING, this is the sword called here, which Hother, according to the relation of Saxo, took from a satyr or wild man of the same name.

NANNA, daughter of Gevar, beloved by Hother, and by Balder, son of Odin, according to Saxo, whose narration bears that Hother wedded Nanna, and afterwards slew Balder by the a.s.sistance of an enchanted belt which three nymphs had bestowed upon him.

NASTROUD, was properly the place where the unG.o.dly were to be after the destruction of the world, but here the word is intended to signify the glowing and burning world towards the south, at whose extremest end Surtur had his habitation, and which is called in the Edda, Muspel, or Muspelheim.

NORNIES, were the G.o.ddesses of destiny, whose messages Odin himself was compelled to fear and to attend to. They were three in number. But the eldest, Urd (been), presided over the past; the second, Verande (being), the present; and the youngest, Skuld (shall be), the future.

ODIN, the G.o.d of war, the most exalted of the G.o.ds, and father of them all.

ROTA, one of the Valkyrier. See VALKYRIER.

SKIOLDUNG. Skiold, son of Odin, was the founder of the Danish monarchy.

His descendants were called after him Skioldungs, or, contractedly, Skiolds.

SKULDA (in the Edda, SKULD), the youngest Nornie. See NORNIES.

SURTUR (the Black), the ruler of the glowing or burning world, at whose extremest end was his seat or dwelling. See above: NASTROUD. At the fated time he was with his army to overcome and slaughter Odin and all the G.o.ds, and thereupon set fire to the whole world.

THOR, was the G.o.d of thunder and strength: with his hammer he slew Yults, Trolds, and other foes of Odin and the G.o.ds.

TYR, one of the bravest and wisest G.o.ds, so that it was customary to say proverbially, "As bold as Tyr," "Wise as Tyr."

VALFATHER, the father of the slain or fallen in battle: one of Odin's surnames.

VALHALL, (the Hall of the Slain), the place where all warriors who had fallen by the enemy were so n.o.bly entertained by Odin. It is commonly called Valhalla; but Valhall is the right, and Valhalla only the Latinized name in Resenius' edition of the Edda.

VALKYRIER, were virgins, or war-maids, who waited upon the heroes in Valhall. Three of them, amongst whom was Rota, were commonly dispatched to the field of battle by Odin, in order to choose them who were to be slain, which employment the name Valkyrier denotes. These three have obtained a place in this tragedy, and Rota is made the princ.i.p.al of them.

UDGAARD (UDGARD), Loke's dwelling outside of heaven. His usual name in the Edda is Udgarda Loke, Loke of Udgard; and thus Saxo in the Life of Gorm the first calls him Ugartiloc.u.m.

YMER, the first giant, Yutt, or Jotun, who lived before the heaven and the earth existed, and who was killed with all his offspring by Odin and his brothers. Only one of this giant race, by name Borgeline, escaped, together with his wife, and became the stem-father of the subsequent Jotuns.

Footnotes:

{1} Wadmal, a coa.r.s.e woollen stuff, much worn by Norwegian peasants.

{2} Skiers are wooden pattens to run upon over the frozen snow