TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY. - Centrostudirpinia.it

THUNAK. 187
Thdrsleinn, Thorketill, TMrvaldr, Thorfinnr, TMrger&r, &c. of their
long vowel ; it is not the abstract ]?or, audacia, that they are com
pounded with, and the Nialssaga, e.g. cap. 65, spells IVtdrgeirr,
TAorkatla. The frequent name Thorketill, abbrev. Thorkell, Dan.
Torkild, AS. Turketulus, Thurkytel (Kemble 2, 286, 349. v. supra,
p. 63), if it signifies a kettle, a vessel, of the thundergod, resembles
Wuotan s sacrificial cauldron (p. 56). The Hymisqvifta sings of
Thorr fetching a huge cauldron for the ases to brew ale with, and
wearing it on his head, Ssem. 57 ; which is very like the strong
man Hans (ans, as ? ) in the nursery-tale clapping the church bell
on his head for a cap. The coupling of Alp (elf) with Donar in
Albthonar and Thoralfr is worthy of notice, for alpgeschoss (elf-shot)
is a synonym for the thunderbolt, and Alpruthe (elf-rod) for the
donnerkraut [donnerbesen ? see p. 183]. An intimate relation must
subsist between the gods and the elves (p. 180), though on the part
of the latter a subordinate one (see Suppl.). 1
It is observable that in different lays of the Edda Thorr goes
by different names. In Lokaglepsa
and HarbardslioS he is 4
Thorr,
Asa}?6rr, but in Hamarsheimt Ving]?6rr, HlorrioY (yet Thorr as well),
in Alvismal always VingJ?6rr, in HymisqviSa Veorr, Hlorriol, not
to mention the periphrases vagna verr (curruum dominus), Sifjar verr,
OSins sonr. Hlorriffi was touched upon in p. 167, note. Vingthdrr
they derive from vsengr, ala ; as if Wing-thunder, the winged one,
aera quatiens ? This appears to be far from certain, as he is else
where called fostri Vingnis, Sn. 101, and in the genealogies this
Vingnir appears by the side of him. Especially important is
Veorr, which outside of Hymisqvifta is only found once, Sa3m. 9 a ,
and never except in the nom. sing. ; it belongs doubtless to ve,
wih, and so betokens a holy consecrated being, distinct from the
Ve, gen. Yea on p. 163 ; the OHG. form must have been Wihor,
Wihar ? (see Suppl.).
As OSinn was represented journeying abroad, to the Eastern land
(p. 163), so is Thorr engaged in eastward travels: Thorr var i
austrvegi, Ssem. 59, a austrvega 68a ; for or austrvegi, 75 ; ec var
austr, 78 a>b
; austrforom J?inom scaltu aldregi segja seggjom fra, 68 a .
In these journeys he fought with and slew the giants : var hann
1 To the Boriat Mongols beyond L. Baikal, fairy-rings in grass are
the sons of the lightning have danced." TRANS.
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where