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812 TIME AND WORLD.
Antichristo took the place of to Bavarians and Alamanns, it must
have been one similar to the Norse Surtr. Antichristo plays the
fiendish hypocrite, Surtr is painted as the adversary of the Ases,
as a giant, and his fire consumes the world. The muspells-synir
are all drawn up in squadrons of light, they and Surtr by their
fighting bring about a higher order of things, while Antichrist is
but transiently victorious, and is
finally overthrown by a mightier
power (see Suppl.).
What adds new weight to the whole comparison is the affinity
between Donar and Elias, which was made out on p. 173-4 and
is clear on other grounds. To the 8th cent. Elias might well seem
something more than the Hebrew prophet, viz. a divine hero,
a divinity. The Edda makes all the Ases, O&inn, Thorr, Freyr,
and Tyr, unite their powers to do battle with the sons of fire
and their confederates, yet they are beaten like Enoch and Elias :
Elias bears a marked resemblance to Thorr (or Donar), Michael
to the queller of Garmr or Fenris-ulfr ; I do not say that Enoch
is equally to be identified with any particular god, but he might.
Surtr with the flaming sword may remind us of the angel that
guards Paradise, but he also finds his counterpart in the story of
Enoch and Elias, for these two, at least in the legend of Brandan
(in Bruns p. 187), have an angel with a fiery sword standing by
their side. 1 An AS. homily De temporibus Antichristi quoted
by Wheloc on Beda p. 495 (supra p. 161n.)
contains remarkable
statements. Arrogant Antecrist, it says, not only strives against
God and his servants, but sets himself up above all heathen gods :
( He ahefS hine silfne ofer ealle ]?a ]?e hsej^ene men cwaedon }?8et
godas beon sceoldon, on hsej?ene wisan. Swylc swa wass Erculus
se ent, and Apollinis, j?e hi maerne god leton, l)Jwr eac and Eowffen,
]>e hse)?ene men heriaft swifte. Ofer ealle ]?8es he hine aenne up
ahefS, forSam he last poet lie ana si strengra fronne hi ealle. 3
Why
does the preacher say all this ? Had Saxon songs also identified
the advent of Antichrist with heathen traditions, and recognised
his victory, like that of Surtr, over Woden and Thunor ? The
un-Saxon forms Eowften and Dhor indicate Norse or Danish
influence. But a decisive connexion is established by the
AS. Salomon and Saturn (Kemble p. 148) : in the great battle
1 M. Nethl. poems in Blommaert 1, 105a. 2, 12 a have simply an out man in
Enoch s place, but they mention the cherubin med enen swerde vierin.