Northern Antiquities/Chapter 7

by Paul Henri Mallet

CHAPTER VII.

Of the exterior worship and religious ceremonies of the northern nations.

IN laying open the principal doctrines of the ancient Danes, I have already had frequent occasion to remark their conformity with those of the other ‘Gothic and’ Celtic nations of Europe. The same conformity is observable in the worship which they paid the Deity; and one may presume that it would appear still greater if it were easy to pursue with exactness, the history of that religion through its several stages of purity and alteration. Thus, for instance, it is easy to comprehend why the ancient Danes made use of temples; although, on the other hand, it is very certain, that the use of them was proscribed by the primitive religion, which taught that it was offensive to the gods to pretend to inclose them within the circuit of walls; and that men thereby checked and restrained their action, which is to penetrate all creatures freely in order to support them in being. There was doubtless a time, when the Danes, admitting the same doctrine, worshipped their divinities only in open air, and either knew not or approved not of the use of temples. Although we want the greatest part of the monuments which might instruct us concerning that stage of their religion, the traces of it are not yet entirely deftroyed. We find at this day here and there in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, in the middle of a plain, or upon some little hill, altars, around which they assembled to offer sacrifices and to assist at other religious ceremonies. The greatest part of these altars are raised upon a little hill, either natural or artificial. Three long pieces of rock set upright serve for basis to a great flat stone, which forms the table of the altar. There is commonly a pretty large cavity under this altar, which might be intended to receive the blood of the victims; and they never fail to find stones for striking fire scattered round it; for no other fire, but such as was struck forth with a flint, was pure enough for so holy a purpose. Sometimes these rural altars are constructed in a more magnificent manner; a double range of enormous stones surround the altar and the little hill on which it is erected. In Zealand we fee one of this kind^[1]; which is formed of stones of a prodigious magnitude. Men would even now be afraid to undertake fuch a work, notwithſtanding all the affiftance of the mechanic powers which in thofe times they wanted. What redoubles the aftoniſhment is, that ftones of that fize are rarely to be feen throughout the iſland, and that they muſt have been brought from a great diftance. What labour, time and fweat then muſt have been beftowed upon thefe vaft rude monuments, which are unhappily more durable than thofe of the fine arts? But men in all ages have been perfuaded, that they could not pay greater honour to the Deity, than by making for him (if I may fo exprefs it) a kind of ftrong bulwarks; in executing prodigies of labour; in consecrating to him immense riches. The sacrifice of whatever is vicious in our paffions, which he only requires of us for our own happiness, is always the laft thing that is thought of to offer to him, becauſe it is perhaps what is after all the moft difficult. At Ephefus they difplayed their devotion, by laying out upon one fingle temple all the treasures of Greece and Afia. The Goths, whose bodily strength was all their riches, shewed their zeal by rolling enormous rocks to the summits of hills.

In fome places of Norway, are found grottos, which have alfo been employed for religious ufes. Some of them have been cut with incredible pains in the hardeft rocks; others are formed of prodigious stones brought near and combined together with a force no less surprizing^[2].

By degrees, as the Scandinavians formed new intercourfes and connections with the other nations of Europe, whether by the expeditions they undertook, or by the foreign colonies which came to eftablish themfelves among them, their religion, changing by degrees, tolerated insensibly temples and idols, and at length adopted them without referve. The three principal nations of Scandinavia^[3] vied with each other in erecting temples, but none were more famous than that of Upsal in Sweden. It glittered on all fides with gold. A chain of the fame metal (or at least gilded) ran round the roof, although the circumference was not less than nine hundred ells. Hacon earl of Norway had built one near Drontheim, which was not inferior to that of Upfal. When Olaus with a silver bridle, and his head, surrounded with stars. FRIGGA ftood at the left hand of Thor; fhe was reprefented of both fexes (as an hermaphrodite) and with di- vers other attributes, which characterized the goddefs of pleaſure. Odin was in- voked as the god of battles and victory. Thor, as the governor of the feafons, who difpenfed rains, dry weather and fertility. Frigga as the goddess of pleafures, of love and marriage. I do not here enter into a minute account of the worship rendered to the other gods: That which was paid to the three fuperior deities confifted principally in facrifices, and deferves to be defcribed more at large.

There were three great religious feftivals in the year. The firft was celebrated at the winter folftice. They called the night on which it was obferved, the MOTHER-NIGHT, as that which produced all the reft: and this epoch was rendered the more remarkable as they dated from thence the beginning of the year, which among the northern nations was computed from one winter folftice to another, as the month was from one new moon to the next. This feaft which was very considerable, was named Iuul^[4], and was celebrated in honour of THOR, or the fun, in order to obtain a propitious year, and fruitful feafons. Sacrifices, feafting, dances, nocturnal affemblies, and all the de-. monftrations of a moft diffolute joy, were then authorized by the general ufage: Thefe anfwered to the Saturnalia of the Romans, and were in a great meaſure re- newed afterwards among the people, on oc- cafion of the feaft of Chriftmas. The fe- cond feftival was inftituted in honour of the earth or of the goddefs GOYA or FRIGGA, to requeft of her pleafures, fruit- fulneſs, and victory: And it was fixed at the first quarter of the fecond moon of the year. The third, which feems to have been the moft confiderable in ancient times, was inftituted in honour of ODIN; it was celebrated at the beginning of the fpring, in order to welcome in that pleafant feafon, and efpecially to obtain of the god of battles happy fuccefs in their projected expeditions. There were alfo fome feafts in honour of the other gods, and they were often mul- tiplied on occafion of particular events.

In the earlieft ages the offerings were fimple, and fuch as fhepherds and ruftics could prefent. They loaded the altars of the gods with the firft fruits of their crops, and the choiceft products of the earth: After- wards they facrificed animals. They offered to Thor, during the feast of Iuul, fat oxen and hotfes; to Frigga the largeft hog they could get^[5]; to Odin horfes, dogs, and falcons, sometimes cocks, and a fat bull. When they had once laid it down as a principle that the effufion of the blood of thefe animals appeafed the anger of the gods, and that their juftice turned afide up- on the victims thofe ftrokes which were deftined for men; their great care then was for nothing more than to conciliate their favour by fo eafy a method. It is the nature of violent defires and exceffive fear to know no bounds, and therefore when they would ask for any favour which they ardently wished for, or would deprecate fome public calamity which they feared, the blood of animals was not deemed a price sufficient, but they began to shed that of men. It is probable that this barbarous practice was formerly almost universal, and that it is of a very remote antiquity: It was not entirely abolished among the northern nations till towards the ninth century, because before that time they had not received the light of the gospel, and were ignorant of those arts which had softened Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/208 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/209 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/210 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/211 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/212 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/213 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/214 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/215 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/216 the hand of the pontiff, whom they took for the instrument of an angry deity^[6]. In short, the credulity of the people, and the craft and presumption of the priest went so far, that these pretended interpreters of the Divine Will dared even to demand, in the name of heaven, the blood of kings them- felves; and they obtained it. To succeed in this, it was only requisite for them to avail themſelves of those times of calamity, when the people, distracted with sorrow and fear, lay their minds open to the most horrid impressions. At those times, while the prince was slaughtered at one of the altars of the gods; the others were covered with offerings, which were heaped up on all fides for their ministers.

I have already observed, that the ancient religion of the northern nations^[7] made the deity to interpose in the moft indifferent events, as well as the moft confiderable; and they only confidered the elements, as fo many organs by which he manifefted his will and his refolves. This opinion once admitted, intereft or fuperftition quickly drew from thence a confequence natural enough: namely, that by studying Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/218 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/219 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/220 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/221 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/222 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/223 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/224 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/225 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/226 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/227 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/228 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/229 Page:Northern Antiquities 1.djvu/230

1. Vide Olai Wormii Monum. Danic.
2. Worm. Monum. Danic. lib. i. p. 6.
3. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
4. Hence is derived the word Yeol or Yule, [Ang. Sax. Geol,] the old name for Christmas. Vide Junii Etymolog. Anglican. T.
5. Matrem Deûm venerantur Æstii: insigne superstitionis, formas aprorum geslant. Tacit. Germ. c. 45.
6. Neque animadvertere, neque vincire, neque verberare nisi sacerdotibus permissum, non ducis jussu, sed velut Deo imperante. Tacit. Germ.
7. Celtic nations. Orig.