Northern mythology

268 EPITOME OF GERMAN MYTHOLOGY.
matters of warfare and the lieatlienism still practised in the
fields the clergy were equally powerless. Hence the Christian
Franks^ as we have already seen^ when they invaded
Italy, sacrificed men, while such cruelty in ordinary life
had long been abolished among them. Thus did much
heathenism find its way back during the first Christian age,
or maintained its ground still longer, because it was sanctioned
by law and usage. Where the converters in their
blind zeal would make inroads into the social relations, the
admission of Christianity met with many hindrances. The
teaching of St. Kilian had found great favour with the
Frankish duke Gozbert ; but when he censured that prince
for having espoused a relation, he paid for his presumption
with his life. Among the Saxons Christianity encountered
such strong opposition, because with its adoption was connected
the loss of their old national constitution^.
As the missionaries thus found themselves obliged to
proceed with caution, and were unable to extirpate heathenism
at one efi'ort, they frequently accommodated themselves
so far to the heathen ideas as to seek to give them
a Christian turn. Many instances of such accommodations
can be adduced. On places, for instance, regarded
by the heathen as sacred. Christian churches were constructed^,
or, at least crosses there erected^, that they
i Miiller, p. 104.
2 Vita S. Agili Eesbac. in Act. Bened. sec. 2. p. 317; Vita S. Araandi,
ib. p. 715; Vita Liudgeri ap. Pertz, ii. p. 410; Gregor. M. Ep. ad Mellitum
(Beda, H. E. I. 30) :
" Dicite ei (Augustino) quid diu mecum de
causa Aiiglorum cogitans tractavi : videlicet, quia fana idolorum destrui
in eadem gente minime debeant ; sed ea quae in ipsis sunt idola destruantur
; aqua benedicta fiat, in eisdem fanis aspergatur, altavia construantur,
reliquife ponantur ;
quia si fana eadem bene constructa sunt, necesse est ut
a cultu dajmonum in obsequium veri Dei debeant commntari, ut, dum gens
ipsa eadem fana sua non videt destrui, de corde errorem deponat, et Deum
verum cognoscens et adorans, ad loca qua; consuevit familiarius concurrat."
3 Mone, Gesch. des Ileidcnthums, ii. 52. Schreiber, die Feen in Europa,
p. 18.