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PEEFACE. 7
tional ligtt or interest to the subject on hand.
Many notes, merely of reference to the Eddas and
Sagas, have been left out of the First and Third
Parts, while the notes to the Second Part have been
materially enlarged and increased in number.
The Introductory Chapters grew up of necessity.
The subject before us and the constant reference to
the Eddas and Sagas— ^the sources of Scandinavian
Mythology and History— ^make it desirable, and
-even necessary, to have some knowledge of their
•character and their history. Unfortunately there is
not yet, in the English language, any history of the
Old-Icelandic literature and its Restoration, to
which reference can be made.. An Abstract has,
therefore, been here compressed within the limits of
an " Introduction," where it must, of necessity, be
brief. In preparing it, the writer has availed him-
•self of Nyerup's " Survey of the History of Studies
in Scandinavian Mythology,"* Koeppen's " Literary
Introduction to l^^orthern Mythology,"f the publica-
tions of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries,
of Copenhagen, and the works referred to, gen-
erally.
It is gratifying to know that while the desire of
penetrating further into this field of ancient litera-
ture is daily increasing, the facilities for gaining a
knowledge of its rich stores are still more improved.
The student of Scandinavian lore may now rejoice
* Uebersieht der Gesehichte des Stadiums der Scandinavischen
Mythologie ;
f
ISST.
CopenhageD, 1816.
Literarische Einleitung in die Nordisehe Mythologie ; Berlin,