eye was the sea-shore, where the sea-mew screams. The hovering crows were numberless: the ravens croaked, they were ready to suck the prostrate carcases. His enemies are scattered as leaves on the side of hills driven by hurricanes. He is a warrior like a surge on the beach that covers the wild salmons. Her piercing like that of the hawk: her face shone like the pearly dew on Eryri. Llewellyn is a hero who setteth castles on fire. I have watched all night on the beach, where the seagulls, whose plumes glitter, sport on the bed of billows; and where the herbage, growing in a solitary place, is of a deep green," These images are all drawn from their own country, from their situation and circumstances; and, although highly poetical, are in general of a more sober and temperate colouring. In a word, not only that elevation of allusion, which many suppose to be peculiar to the poetry of Wales, but that fertility of fiction, and those marvellous fables recorded in Geoffrey of Monmouth, which the generality of readers, who do not sufficiently attend to the origin of that historian's romantic materials, believe to be the genuine offspring of the Welsh poets, are of foreign growth. And, to return to the ground of this argument, there is the strongest reason to suspect, that even the Gothic EDDA, or system of poetic mythology of the northern nations, is enriched with those higher strokes of oriental imagination, which the Arabians had communicated to the Europeans. Into this extravagant tissue of unmeaning allegory; false philosophy, and false theology, it was easy to incorporate their most wild and romantic conceptions 2. w See infr. SECT. xiii. vol. ii. p. 216. * Mountains of snow, from Eiry, snow. y See Evans, ubi supr. p. 8. 10, 11. 15, 16. 21, 22, 23. 26. 28. 34. 37. 39, 40, 41, 42. And his Diss. de Bard. p. 84. Compare Aneurin's ode, cited above. z Huet is of opinion, that the EDDA is entirely the production of Snorro's fancy. But this is saying too much. See Orig. Roman. p. 116. The first Edda was compiled, undoubtedly with many additions and interpolations, from fictions VOL. I. and traditions in the old Runic poems, by Sæmund Sigfusson, surnamed the Learned, [Sage] about the year 1057. He seems to have made it his business to select or digest into one body such of these pieces as were best calculated to furnish a collection of poetic phrases and figures. He studied in Germany, and chiefly at Cologne. This first Edda being not only prolix, but perplexed and obscure, a second, which is that now extant, was compiled by Snorro Sturleson, born in the year 1179. [This has been copied from Mallet, e It must be confessed, that the ideas of chivalry, the appendage and the subject of romance, subsisted among the Goths. But this must be understood under certain limitations. There is no peculiarity which more strongly discriminates the manners of the Greeks and Romans from those of modern times, than that small degree of attention and respect with which those nations treated the fair sex, and that inconsiderable share which they were permitted to take in conversation, and the general commerce of life. For the truth of this observation, we need only appeal to the classic writers: in which their women appear to have been devoted to a state of seclusion and obscurity. One is surprised that barbarians should be greater masters of complaisance than the most polished people that ever existed. No sooner was the Roman empire overthrown, and the Goths had overpowered Europe, than we find the female character assuming an unusual importance and authority, and distinguished with new privileges, in all the European governments established by the northern conquerors. Even amidst the confusions of savage war, and among the almost incredible enormities committed by the Goths at their invasion of the empire, they forbore to offer any violence to the women. This perhaps is one of the most striking features in the new state of manners, which took place about the seventh century: and it who seems only to have seen the Edda of Snorro as published by Resenius. The Edda of Sæmund has since been published at Copenhagen by the ArnæMagnæan Commission. The labours of Sæmund were confined to collecting the mythological and historical songs of his country, which he probably prefaced and interspersed with a few remarks in prose; -those of Snorro, to reducing the same or a similar collection into a more intelligible and connected prose narrative. The object of Sæmund appears to have been, the formation of a poetic Anthology, rather than a regular series of mythic and historic documents;--that of Snorro, to offer a general outline of the Northern mythology. The Rev. P. Erasmus Müller, in his tract "Ueber die Asalehre," has successfully vindicated Snorro from the charge of palming upon the world his own inventions as the religious code of the North. It should however be remarked, that tradition alone or very recent manuscripts attribute the formation of the first collection to Sæmund. This does not rest on certain testimony.-EDIT.} It is certain, and very observable, that in the EDDA we find much more of giants, dragons, and other imaginary beings, undoubtedly belonging to Arabian romance, than in the earlier Scaldic odes. By the way, there are many strokes in both the EDDAS taken from the REVELATIONS of Saint John, which must come from the compilers who were Christians. is to this period, and to this people, that we must refer the origin of gallantry in Europe. The Romans never introduced these sentiments into their European provinces. The Goths believed some divine and prophetic quality to be inherent in their women; they admitted them into their councils, and consulted them on the public business of the state. They were suffered to conduct the great events which they predicted. Ganna, a prophetic virgin of the Marcomanni, a German or Gaulish tribe, was sent by her nation to Rome, and admitted into the presence of Domitian, to treat concerning terms of peace". Tacitus relates that Velleda, another German prophetess, held frequent conferences with the Roman generals; and that on some occasions, on account of the sacredness of her person, she was placed at a great distance on a high tower, from whence, like an oracular divinity, she conveyed her answers by some chosen messenger. She appears to have preserved the supreme rule over her own people and the neighbouring tribes. And there are other instances, that the government among the antient Germans was sometimes vested in the women. This practice also prevailed among the Sitones or Norwegians. The Cimbri, a Scandinavian tribe, were accompanied at their assemblies by venerable and hoaryheaded prophetesses, apparelled in long linen vestments of a splendid white. Their matrons and daughters acquired a reverence from their skill in studying simples, and their knowledge of healing wounds, arts reputed mysterious. The wives frequently attended their husbands in the most perilous expeditions, and fought with great intrepidity in the most bloody en y Dio. lib. lxvii. p. 761. 2 Hist. lib. iv. p. 953. edit. D'Orlean. fol. * He says just before, "ea virgo late imperitabat." Ibid. p. 951. He saw her in the reign of Vespasian. De Morib. German. p. 972. Where he likewise mentions Aurinia. supr. See Tacit. Hist. lib. v. p. 969. ut De Morib. German. p. 983. ut sup). d Strab. Geograph. lib. viii. p. 205. edit. Is. Cas. 1587. fol. Compare Keysler, Antiquit. Sel. Septentrional. p. 371. viz. DISSERTATIO de Mulieribus Fatidicis veterum Celtarum gentiumque Septentrionalium. See also Cluverius's GER MANIA ANTIQUA, lib. i. cap. xxiv. pag.165. edit. fol. Lugd. Bat. 1631. It were easy to trace the WEIRD sisters, and our modern witches, to this source. gagements. These nations dreaded captivity, more on the account of their women, than on their own: and the Romans, availing themselves of this apprehension, often demanded their noblest virgins for hostages. From these circumstances, the women even claimed a sort of precedence, at least an equality subsisted between the sexes, in the Gothic constitutions. But the deference paid to the fair sex, which produced the spirit of gallantry, is chiefly to be sought for in those strong and exaggerated ideas of female chastity which prevailed among the northern nations. Hence the lover's devotion to his mistress was encreased, his attentions to her service multiplied, his affection heightened, and his sollicitude aggravated, in proportion as the difficulty of obtaining her was enhanced: and the passion of love acquired a degree of delicacy, when controlled by the principles of honour and purity. The highest excellence of character then known was a superiority in arms; and that rival was most likely to gain his lady's regard, who was the bravest champion. Here we see valour inspired by love. In the mean time, the same heroic spirit which was the surest claim to the favour of the ladies, was often exerted in their protection: a protection much wanted in an age of rapine, of plunder, and piracy; when the weakness of the softer sex was exposed to continual dangers and unexpected attacks 8. It is easy to suppose the officious emulation and ardour of many a gallant young warrior, pressing forward to be fore See SECT. vii. infr. vol. ii. p. 88. Diodorus Siculus says, that among the Scythians the women are trained to war as well as the men, to whom they are not inferior in strength and courage. L. ii. p. 90. f Tacit. de Morib. Germ. pag. 972. ut supr. See instances of this sort of violence in the antient HISTORY of HIALMAR, a Runic romance, p. 135, 136. 140. Diss. Epist. ad calc. Hickes. Thesaur, vol. i. Where also is a challenge between two champions for king Hialmar's daughter. But the king composes the quarrel by giving to one of them, named Ulfo, among other rich presents, an inestima- [This "History of Hialmar" is a 1 most in this honourable service, which flattered the most agreeable of all passions, and which gratified every enthusiasm of the times, especially the fashionable fondness for a wandering and military life. In the mean time, we may conceive the lady thus won, or thus defended, conscious of her own importance, affecting an air of stateliness: it was her pride to have preserved her chastity inviolate, she could perceive no merit but that of invincible bravery, and could only be approached in terms of respect and submission. Among the Scandinavians, a people so fond of cloathing adventures in verse, these gallantries must naturally become the subject of poetry, with its fictitious embellishments. Accordingly, we find their chivalry displayed in their odes; pieces, which at the same time greatly confirm these observations. The famous ode of Regner Lodbrog affords a striking instance; in which, being imprisoned in a loathsome dungeon, and condemned to be destroyed by venomous serpents, he solaces his desperate situation by recollecting and reciting the glorious exploits of his past life. One of these, and the first which he commemorates, was an atchievement of chivalry. It was the delivery of a beautiful Swedish princess from an impregnable fortress, in which she was forcibly detained by one of her father's captains. Her father issued a proclamation, promising that whoever would rescue the lady should have her in marriage. Regner succeeded in the attempt, and married the fair captive. This was about the year 860h. There are other strokes in Regner's ode, which, although not belonging to this particular story, deserve to be pointed out here, as illustrative of our argument. Such as, "It was [not*] like being placed near a beautiful virgin on a couch.-It was [not*] like kissing a young widow in the first seat at a feast. I made to h See Torf. Histor. Norw. tom. i. lib. 10. Saxo Grammat. p. 152. And Ol. Worm. Lit. Run. p. 221. edit. 46. I suspect that the romantic amour between Regner and Aslauga is the forgery of a much later age. See REGNARA LODBROG's Saga. C. 5. apud Biorneri Histor. Reg. Her. et Pugil. Res præclar. gest. Stockholm. 1737. • The original in both passages reads: Verat sem-It was not like.-EDIT.] |