Northern mythology

KORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 155
or sacred oak of Geismar, destroyed by Boniface ^^ and the
Irminsul of the Saxons ^^ the Columna universalis, the terrestrial
tree of offerings, an emblem of the whole world,
as far as it is under divine influence. The giant-powers
and the children of death are not overshadowed by it. But
the gods, as well as mortals, must have their offering-tree,
and one naturally of far greater magnitude. The animals
described as living in the tree, bear, without doubt, an
allusion to real symbols on the terrestrial one; but unfortunately
nothing worthy to be called a description of
this tree has reached our time. There was on it a sort of
weathercock, which is, perhaps, alluded to by the hawk
Vedurfolnir. As from the ash Yggdrasil three roots issue
in different directions, so from the Irminsul proceeded
three or four great highways. According to the old scholiast
on Adam of Bremen, such a tree—which was green
both summer and winter— stood near the ancient temple
at Upsala ; near which was the sacred spring, into which
the offerings were sunk^. Ratatosk is a name of very
doubtful etymon. Finn Magnusen would derive it from
at rata, vagari, and tauta, susurrare, therefore (an animal)
going up and down, whispering tales of strife between the
serpent and the eagle. The names of the four harts are
also the names of dwarfs, viz. Dain, swooning; Dvalin,
torpid; Duneyr, the noisy, maker of din? Durathror, the
door-hreaker ? Nidhogg (of very doubtful etymon) is the
gnawing serpent. The whole tree and its inmates are significant,
but an allegorical interpretation of them is no
longer possible. The myth is both Indian and Lamaic.
It is the tree of life, which gathers around it all higher
^
Grimm, D. M. pp. G2, 63, from Willibaldi Vita Bonifacii.
- Grimm, D. M. p. 106, who gives the following passage from Ruodolf of
Fulda " Truncum ligni non parva? magnitudinis in altum erectum sub divo
:
colebant, patria eum lingua Irminsul a])pellantes, quod Latine dicitur universalis
columna, quasi sustinens omnia."
Ed. Lindenbr. p. 61.