Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 129
;
the parts of the day and night_, according to which the
year may be calculated_, without^ by any more precise data,
bringing it in connection with the sun and moon. Of the
moon they observed two principal changes, Nyi and Nithi,
which impHes an observation of its course. Of the sun,
on the contrary, we find nothing, except in connection
with the day. This leads to the supposition, that the
oldest year among the inhabitants of the North, as among
other nations, was a lunar year, which is
corroborated by
the Vafthrudnismal ^, where, after having made mention
of day and night, in the same strophe it adds, that the
gods created Nyi and Nithi for the calculation of the year
nor is there any historic information to the contrary. On
the other hand, the earliest mention of a regular computation
by the solar year of 364 days, or 12 months, is
from the years 950 to 970, that is, at the utmost, only
fifty years older than the introduction of Christianity.
The Icelanders, therefore, who at that time adopted a
similar computation, cannot have brought such accurate
knowledge with them when they emigrated from Norway,
where, it can hardly be assumed such a calculation was in
use at the time of Harald Harfagr ^, much less before his
time.
Hence some doubt may be entertained whether the
twelve mansions of the JEbiy ^ have reference to the year
determined by the course of the sun. As, however, some
distinguished commentators have adopted this view, a
short sketch of the system adopted by the late Professor
Finn Magnusen"^ is here given, as most in accordance
with the Grimnismal.
1 Str. 25.
2 In whose reign the colonization of Iceland commenced, an. 874.
3 Grimnismal, Str. 4-17.
* See commentary in Den ^Eldre Edda,' * i. pp. 148,^^5'.
G 5