Untitled - Centrostudirpinia.it

780 SUMMEE AND WINTEE.
(p. 273), Fricg (p. 304), and other deities besides, whose car or
ship an exulting people goes forth to meet, as they do the waggon
of May, who, over and above mere personification, has from of old
his ere and strdze (p. 670 n.) : in heathen times he must have had
an actual worship of his own. All these gods and goddesses
appeared at their appointed times in the year, bestowing their
several boons ; deified Summer or May can fairly claim identity
with one of the highest divinities to whom the gift of fertility
belonged, with .Fro, Wuotan, Nerthus. But if we admit goddesses,
then, in addition to Nerthus, Osfara has the strongest claim to
consideration. To what was said on p. 290 I can add some signi
ficant facts. The heathen Easter had much in common with the
May-feast and the reception of spring, particularly in the matter
of bonfires. Then, through long ages there seem to have lingered
among the people Easter-games so-called, which the church itself
had to tolerate : I allude especially to the custom of Easter eggs,
and to the Easter tale which preachers told from the pulpit for
the people s amusement, connecting
it with Christian reminis
cences. In the MHG. poets, mines herzen osterspil, ostertac,
my heart s Easter play or day, is a complimentary phrase for lady
love, expressing the height of bliss (MS. 2, 52 b . 37 b . Iw. 8120.
Frib. Trist. 804) ; Conr. Troj. 19802 makes the osterlichen tac
mit lebender wunne spiln out of the fair one s eye. Later still,
there were dramatic shows named osterspile, Wackern. Ib. 1014,
30. One of the strongest proofs is the summer and dance song
of lord Goeli, MS. 2, 57 a
(Haupt s Neidh. xxv)
when ea and eyot are grown green, Fridebolt and his companions
enter with long swords, and offer to play the osterspil, which
: at the season
seems to have been a sword-dance for twelve performers, one
of whom apparently was leader, and represented Summer beating
Winter out of the land :
Fridebolt setze uf den huot F., put on thy hat,
wolgefriunt, und gang ez vor, well backed, and go before,
bint daz ostersahs zer linken siten bind o. to thy left side,
bis dur Kiinzen hochgemuot,
leite uns viir daz Tinkuftor,
be for K/s sake merry,
lead us outside the T. gate,
la den tanz al uf den wasen riten ! let dance on turf be rid.
This binding on of the c
Easter seax/ or sword-knife, leads us to