TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY. - Centrostudirpinia.it

NIKDU. 217
than 05inn, for in the Egilssaga p. 365, Freyr, Nidrffr and the
landds (Thorr) are likewise mentioned together. In the same
Egilss. p. 672, Freyr ok Nidr&r are again placed side by side. The
story of the Brisinga-men (-monile ; append, to Sn. 354) says, Oftinn
had appointed both Freyr and Niorffr to be sacrificial gods. Hall-
freSr sang (Fornm. sog. 2, 53, conf. 12, 49) :
Mer skyli Freyr oc Freyja, narft laet ek ae)ul Niarftar,
liknist groin vi5 Grimni gramr ok Thorr enn rammi !
That Freyr in these passages should be brought forward with
Freyja and Nior Sr, is easy to understand (see SuppL).
Of Niorffr our German mythology would have nothing to tell,
any more than Saxo Gram, ever mentions him by that name, had
not Tacitus put in for us that happy touch of a goddess Nertlius,
whose identity with the god is as obvious as that of Fro with
Frouwa. The Gothic form Natrjnis would do for either or
even for both sexes ; possibly Frauja was considered the son
of the goddess Nairjms, as Freyr is of the god NiorSr, and in
the circuit which the goddess makes in her car, publishing peace
and fertility to mortals, we can recognise that of Freyr or of his
father NiorSr. According to Yngl. saga cap. 11, these very bless
ings were believed to proceed from NiorSr also :
auftigr sem
NiorSr (rich as N.) was a proverbial saying for a wealthy man,
Vatnsd. p. 202. Snorri, in Formali 10, identifies him with Saturn,
for he instructed mankind in vine-dressing and husbandry ; it
would be nearer the mark to think of him and Freyr in connexion
with Dionysus or Liber, or even with Noah, if any stress is to be
laid on NiorS s abode being in Noatun, As freyr was affixed
to other names of heroes (p. 211-2), I find geirnidrffr used for a hero
&c. The
in general, Stem. 266 b ; conf. geirmimir, geirniflungr,
name itself is hard to explain is it akin to ; north, AS. norS, OK
norSr, Goth. naur]?s ? In Seem. 109 b there is niarSlas for sera
firma, or pensilis ? I have met with no Nirdu, Nerd, Nird among
OHG. proper names, nor with a NeorS in the AS. writings.
Irminon s polyptych 22 2 a has Narthildis (see SuppL).
Niordr appears to have been greatly honoured : hofum oc
hb rgum hann rseSr hundmorgum, Ssem. 36 a ; especially, no doubt,
among people
that lived on the sea coast. The Edda makes him
rule over wind, sea and fire, he loves waters and lakes, as Nerthus
in Tacitus bathes in the lake (Sn. 27) ;
from the mountains of the