Indian Antiquary Vol 16

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 17

JANUARY, 1887.]
ASIATIC SYMBOLISM
been successful in his religious crusade, and man is unquestionably "sky-clad," and the have taken a place at first amongst the inferior dog may pass for a grey-hound, which was gods. Adam of Bremen, as quoted by | Odin's dog. In the German as well as in the Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie, is of opinion that Aryan mythology, the dog is an embodiment this was the case,' and that after a time of the wind," and the German name for a Odin came to be ranked amongst the superior grey-hound is wind-hund. gods.
I would here draw attention to this type of In his capacity of superior god, Odin was brooch: fig. 2 of the same plate, though its the storm-god; and according to Kelly, Indo- subject is different, seems to belong to the same European Traditions and Folk-lore, the name period as fig. 1. This last was found in Woden or Wuotan denotes the stormy and an ancient grave near Bregenz on the Lake furious goer,'-Gothic, wods; Norwegian bdr, of Constance, and most probably dates like the 'enraged." The name must therefore be closely former from either the Later Bronze or the Earlier allied to the Lowland Scotch woud, mad or Iron Age of Scandinavia. The only way in furious.' A Jacobite song of 1745 says,-"The which we can reasonably account for the prewomen are al gone wud." There is also a sence of such objects, su far away from their Scotch proverb-"Dinna put a knife in a wud original home is, that, when the Swedes took man's hand." Odin, as the storm-god, may Bregenz by stratagem about two hundred well be supposed to have ridden like one that is years ago, Norwegian soldiers formed part wud.
of their army and that some of these woro Now, Odin, the storm-god, has been consi- buried with their ornaments, as they fell. The dered to be the original of the Wild Horseman two specimens here mentioned must have of the German legends. So the legend of been either reproductions of the old forms, or the Erl King or Wild Huntsman probably have been preserved for generations as heircame from the same source as that of Odin's looms, Wild Hunt, which in some parts of Germany To return to Odin. In his Manual of Scandiis called the Hel-jagd, and in others the English navian Art, Dr. Hans Hildebrand gives an Hant.'
illustration of a warrior on horseback with Kamer Herr Worsaee is of opinion that the sword and shield on an embossed bronze which inferior gods were always represented clothed, was found at Vendel in Sweden. He is of and those of a superior order naked, or with a opinion that this is no doubt a mythological girdlo only,' and if this be the invariable rule subject, and presumes that its ocrrect ez. it seems not impossible that the man on horse- planation is to be found not very far off. back in the brooch belonging to an early type "The horseman is Wodan, who, according to figured on Plate XVIII. fig. 1 (ante, Vol. XV. the Scandinavian legends, had a heavy spear, p. 333),' may have been intended for Odin and was, as here represented, attended by two himself, after he had been exalted to the highest ravens, which brought him news from all over grade in the Scandinavian Pantheon." The the world. The serpent attacking the borse
Because in the temple of Ola Uprala in Sweden the statue of Thor oooupied the place of honour between Odin and Frey the Sun.god.
• Or according to Grimm, old German, watan; Nor wegian, bada, go away.
[There appears to be a serious flaw in this argument. If Odin is the same as Buddha, the root of the word is budh, 'to know but in order to show that Odin is the Wild Huntsman, and thus that the Wild Huntsman is of Agiatio origin, it seems to be necessary to show that Odin is derived from root meaning to be furious.' The two derivations are not compatible. Besides, the one root is Sanskrit and the other Soandinavian.-ED.)
• Odin and his wifo Freyja, are fabled to have had two MONS, Baldr and Hermod. Freyja had made all created thing awon that they would never hurt Baldr, "that whitent and mont boloved of the gods." But there was one little shoot "that groweth East of Valhalla, so small
alhalla, so small and delicate that she forgot to take its oath." It was the mistletoe, and with a branch of that feeble plant flung by
the hand of the blind Hode, Baldr was struok dead. He then descended into the gloomy make-oovered Helheim, whither. Hermod made a violent but unsuccess ful ride from star-spangled Valhalla, mounted on his father's horse named Sleipner, in order to obtain hin brother's body.
Both refer to the nether world. We have already seen, ante, Vol. XV., that Great Britain was formerly popularly supposed to be the Land of Departod souls.
i Sky-cled, as the Jains of India term it.
• The ornament is in my possession and was purchased in Norway.
10 Kamer Herr Woraaee thinks that the worship of Odin in Scandinavia dates from what is styled the Earlier Iron Age in those countries, which oooupied the first 450 years A.D., and that it extended to the Middle Iron Ace. i.e. to 700 A.D.
And also an attendant on the dond. 13 Together with another brooch which is also of Norwegian character.