Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 163
loud-soundingf etc. ; of tliose tliat take their course by
men, the friendly, way-hiowing, folk-griping, useful, fertilizing,
rushing, swelling, roaring, etc. All these names, as
well as the whole context, which begins with the upper
air, and ends with the before-mentioned Gioll and Leipt,
show that by these rivers nothing more is meant than the
higher and lower clouds. Through some of these, too, the
Thunder-god must pass on his way to the place of meeting
under Yggdrasil, as he could not go over the rainbow
without setting it on fire. These are named Kormt and
Ormt, and the two Kerlaugar, names which cannot be explained.
The foregoing may serve as examples of the old
enigmatic, periphrastic way of expressing very simple
things, and, I believe, no deeper signification is to be
sought for. The chosen heroes were called Einheriar
(from einn, one, chosen, single, and heri, lord, hero), also
Odin^s Oskasynir^; Odin himself, as god of war, being
named 6ski, the granter of wishes'^. The number of the
Valkyriur is sometimes three, sometimes nine, also thirteen,
and twenty-seven, sometimes an indefinite number.
The youngest Norn, Skulld, was one of them. They crave,
and long after war. They are white maidens that ride
through the air, from the manes of whose horses dew falls
in the valleys, and hail on the high woods ^. Their names
have reference sometimes to war, sometimes to clouds,
rain and wind : as Hild and Gunn, war ; Svafa, the hovering,
impendijig ',
Kara,
river Gioll ;
wind-, Goll, the same word as the
Sigurdrifa and Sigrun, from sigr, victory, and
drifa, to drive. They are also called Oskmeyiar"^. Odiums
spear, Gungnir (from at gungna, to shake, brandish), is a
symbol of his warlike might. His horse Sleipnir^ (from
sleipr, smooth, gliding) is described as having eight legs,
1 Gylf. 20. "
Page 15, note \ Grimm, D. M. p. 126.
3 Helgakv. Hatingask. Str. 28.
4 Oddrunar-gratr, Str. 18. Grimm, D. M. p. 370. ^ Page 36.