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MINISTERS OF EELIGION. 163
"Women also sometimes conducted the sacrifices
and. performed other sacred rites belonging to the
Asa worship,* and we eyen find that in Iceland
they sometimes presided at the temples. Such a
priestess was called GySia or HofgySia.
The Go5ar, or priests, had charge of the continua-
tion and propagation of the religious, doctrines,
which in those times took place by oral delivery
from generation to generation. It is probable that
they delivered the religious tenets publicly at the
solemn festivals, and most generally in poetry.
The name Thulr, a speaker,f which occurs in many
places in the poems of the Older Edda, was the appellation
of such a teacher,. . who during his dis-
course was accustomed to sit upon a seat of distinc-
tion (JularstoU). The religious tenets themselves
are often called, in the ancient poems, runar or
stafir. The former denotes originally speech, the
latter, written characters / which latter signification
the' word runar also obtained afterwards. In
ancient times, however, both terms appear to have
been used synonymously of the doctrines which
were orally delivered and retained in the memory.
Many of the mythologic poems of the Older Edda
are evidently didactic poems which were delivered
before the assembled multitude at the sacrificial fes-
tivals, as well as in the instruction of the intended
ministers of religion. The continual employment in
the Skaldic minstrelsy of the myths of the Asa
mythology to form its poetic figures, proves that a
* FriB>. S. 9 ; KristnL S. 2.
f From J)ylia, to recite, speak extempore.