TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY. - Centrostudirpinia.it

heathen poetry.
GOD. 27
But these gen. plurals regano, metodo again point
to the plurality of the binding gods.
The collection of Augustine s letters contains (cap. 178), in the
altercatio with Pascentius, a Gothic or perhaps a Vandal formula
sihora armen, the meaning of which is simply tcvpie eXerjcrov. 1 Even
if it be an interpolation, and written in the fifth or sixth century,
instead of at the end of the fourth, it is nevertheless remarkable
that sihora should be employed in it for God and Lord. Ulphilas
if not a mistake
would have said : frauja armai. The inf. armen,
for arme, might do duty as an imperative ;
at the same time there
is a Finn, and Esth. word armo signifying gratia, misericordia. But
sihora, it seems, can only be explained as Teutonic, and must have
been already in heathen times an epithet of God derived from his
victorious might (see SuppL). Goth, sigis, ON. sigr, OHG. sigu y
AS. sige victoria, triumphus. OcSinn is styled sigrgo ft, sigtfjr,
sigfoftur ; and the Christian poets transfer to God sigidrohtin , Hel.
47, 13. 114, 19. 125,6. sigidryhten, Ceedm. 33, 21. 48, 20.
sigmetod, Beow. 3544. vigsigor, Beow. 3108. 2 elsewhere sigoradryhten,
sigorafred, sigorawealdend, sigoragod, sigoracyning. It is even pos
sible that from that ancient sihora sprang the title sira, sire still
current in Teutonic and Ptomance languages. 3
The gods being represented as superi and uppffyin, as dwelling
on high, in the sky, uphimin, up on the mountain height (as, ans),
it was natural that individual gods should have certain particular
mountains and abodes assigned them.
Thus, from a mere consideration of the general names for God
and gods, we have obtained results which compel us to accept an
intimate connexion between expressions in our language and con
ceptions proper to our heathenism. The me and God, the graci
ous and the angry God, the froho (lord) and the father, the behold
ing, creating, measuring, casting, the images of ans, fastening, band,
1 The Tcheremisses also pray juma sirlaga, and the Tchuvashes c
tora
sirlag, i.e., God have mercy ; G. J. Miillers saml. russ. gesch. ?, 359. The
Morduins say when it thunders pashangui Porgiiini pas, have mercy, god
Porguini ; Georgi description 1, 64.
2
den sig hat got in a siner hant, MS. . 2,16
1,41.
3 Gott. anz. 1833, pp. 471-2. Diez however raises doubts, Roman, gram.