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112 RELIGION OF THE NOETHMEN.
nourishes the chaotic "World-mass, calls forth at the
same time by its refining agency—by licking the
Eime-clumps—a higher spiritual "World-life, which
unfolds itself through several links—through Buri
the Bearing, and Burr* the Born—until it has
gained power sufficient to overcome chaotic matter
—to kill "fmir- and his offspring.
This high conquering "World-life is Divinity itself,
which now goes forth as creative power in a three-
fold form—as Spirit, "Will or Power, and Holiness
— ;
in the brothers 06inn, Yih, and Ye. The Spi/rit
quickens, the Will arranges, and Holiness banishes
the Impure and Evil-t It. is, however, only in the
creation of the world that these three beings are
represented as cooperating. Vili and Ve are not
mentioned again ; they are blended together again
in the all-embracing "World-spirit—in Odin. He is
the Essence of the "World, the Almighty As ; he
alone is Al-father, from whom all the other supe-
rior, world-directing beings, the ^^Esir, are de-
scended.:]:
* Buri, burr, bbr, derived from bera, to bear, bring forth ;
cogn.
with A.-S. beran: whence also the Banish Barn and Scottish
bairn, a child.
f
OBinn; A.-8. V6den; L. Oerm. W6dan ; M. Qerm. Wnotanj
Ooth. 'V6dang ; IFrii. W6da. The word ia cogn. with ve5, 65, va8a,
to wade, go through, and with (55r, mind, understanding ; hence de-
notes Spirit, the All-pervading {Deul. Myth,ol.). Vili signifies "Will;
Ve, holiness.
X As, plv/r. MAv ; fern. Asynja, pi. Asynjur. The corresponding
Germanic names are; A.-S. ts.pl. 6s; Ooth. ans. pi. anseis;
cogn. with the Celtic Es, Esus ; . Old
JEtruscan, ^s, Ais, iEsar
Pers. Ii.ed. Grimm remarks that a cognate expression -was in all