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888 PERSONIFICATIONS.
Abstract immaterial objects open a far wider field for personifi
and here we see female ones decidedly predominate over
cations ;
male.
Of the latter the most striking instances are, I think, the
following. Donar is pictured at once as father and grandfather
(p. 167) ; Aija to the Lapps, Ukko to the Finns, are grandfather
as well as thunder. Wunscli, Oski, a name of Wuotan (p. 143)
signifies much the same as the female figures Salida, Fruma,Xapt<? ;
and the Gr. TTO^O? (wish, longing) occasionally occurs as Ho#o?.
If I am right in my interpretations of Gibika (p. 137), Gduts (pp.
23. 367 72), Sigi (pp. 27. 371), we can easily find female beings
to match them also. All these names belonged to the highest
god, whose creative bounty blesses ; others to his near kinsman
the majestic god of war : Wig (pugna, p. 203, conf. Graff" 1, 740)
and Hadu (pp. 207. 223), to which many female names corre
spond, Hilta, etc, 1 With Yggr
Pallor and Pavor of the Romans ;
(p. 208) I have identified the
Omi, Woma is better explained
as elemental. What comes nearer to Wig and Hadu is Death,
Daufius (p. 842), which likewise from a male becomes a female
is shewn
person ; that death is immediately related to hunger
in our language, Goth, svults being mors, and ON. sultr fames
[Germ, sterben, Eng. starve], like Tu/zo? hunger, Xo^o? pesti
lence ; and personifications start up on every side : hungr is
Hel s dish, sultr her knife (Sn. 33), Herbout (Renart 23362.
Roman de la rose 18097) is a visitation of famine, a name I derive
from the OHG. Heribalt, for Hunger stalks like a mighty warrior
through the world : ferid unmet grot Ilungar hetigrim obar
helido barn/ Hel. 132, 8. der in die werlt wite,
Hunger gie liberal, breite sich
Diut. 3, 101. The Roman Fames is fern., her
personality comes out in Ov. Met. 8, 800. Doubt still hangs over
the comparison attempted on p. 374 between a MHG. Billich and
the Eddie Bil or Bil, whose own being is as yefc unexplained ;
but that the sexes do interchange is most satisfactorily proved
by the frequent appearance, side by side, of an identical god and
goddess, who are parent and child, or brother and sister, as
Nior^r and Nerthus, Freyr and Freyja, Liber and Libera. So
Berhta became Berchtolt, p. 279 (see Suppl.).
1 Bruoder Zornli, Ergerli (p. 274). H. Sachs i. 5, 538 d exhibits Hederlein in a
bear s hide as brother of Zenklein.