TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY. - Centrostudirpinia.it

zio. 205
the Teutonic nations swore by their weapons, with a touching of
the weapon, 1
just as the Scythians and Eomans did per Martis
frameam, Juvenal 13, 79. So Arnobius 6, 11 : Eidetis temporibus
priscis coluisse acinacem Scythiae nationes, . . . pro Marte
Eomanos hastam, ut Varronis indicant Musae ; this framea and
hasta of the Eomans is altogether like the Scythian sword. 2
Jornandes, following Priscus 201, 17, tells of the Scythian sword,
how it came into the hands of Attila, cap. 35 : Qui (Attila),
quamvis hujus esset naturae ut semper conficleret, addebat ei tamen
confidential!! gladius Martis inventus, apud Scytharum reges semper
habitus. Quem Priscus historicus tali refert occasione detectum,
quum pastor, inquiens, quidam gregis unam buculam conspiceret
claudicantem (noticed one heifer walking lame), nee causam tanti
vulneris inveniret, sollicitus vestigia cruoris insequitur, tandemque
venit ad gladium, quem depascens herbas bucula incaute calcaverat,
effossumque protinus ad Attilam defert. Quo ille munere gratu-
latus, ut erat magnanimus, arbitratur se totius mundi principem
constitutum, et per Martis gladium potestatem sibi concessam esse
bellorum. But the sword degenerated into an unlucky one, like
some far-famed northern swords. Lambert relates, that a queen,
Solomon of Hungary s mother, made a present of it to Otto, duke
of Bavaria, that from this Otto s hands it came by way of loan to
the younger Dedi, margrave Dedi s son, then to Henry IV., and lastly
to Lupold of Mersburg, who, being thrown by his horse, and by
the same sword transpierced, was buried at Mertenefeld. It is a
question whether these local names Mersburg and Mertenefeld can
have any reference to the sword of Mars. A great while after, the
duke of Alba is said to have dug it out of the earth again after the
battle of Miihlberg (Deutsche heldensage p. 311). We see through
what lengthened periods popular tradition could go on nourishing
itself on this world-old worship (see Suppl.).
With the word "Aprjs the Lat. Mars appears to have nothing to
do, being a contraction of Mavors, and the indispensable initial
being even reduplicated in Mamers ; so the fancied connexion
between Eresburg and Marsberg will not hold.
In the Old Eoman worship of Mars a prominent place is given
1 Conf. RA. 896 ; and so late as Wigal. 6517 : Swert, uf dinem knopfe ich
des swer, Sword, on thy pommel I swear it.
2 Juro per Dianam et Martem, Plaut. Mil. glor. 5, 21.