Northern mythology

—
APPENDIX. 275
;
Do
wliich is said to signify remuneration for the hard harvestwork,
and is to be met with also in some of the neighbouring
villasies. From amon^: O the several harvest-verses we
select the following —
:
Ich sage einen arndtekranz,
I saw a harvest-garland,
es ist aber ein Vergutentheils but it is a VergutentheiVs garland.
kranz.
Dieser kranz ist niclit von This garland is not of thistles and
disteln und dornen,
thorns,
sondern von reinem aiiserlese- but from clean, selected winternem
winterkorne,
corn,
es sind auch viele ahren darin ;
so mannich ahr,
so mannich gut jahr,
so mannich korn
there are also many ears therein
so many ears,
so many good years,
so many corns,
so mannich wispeln auf den so many wispels ^ for the master's
wirth seinen born (boden) -.
granary.
As the resemblance between this custom and the Meklenburg
one is obvious^ the " Vergodendeels struus
'' may
without hesitation be explained by Fro Goden deels struus^
i. e. the strauss or wisp, which Fro (Lord) Wodan gets for
his share ^. Hence a similar harvest custom in Lower
Saxony, at w^hich Fru Gaue is invoked, may likewise refer
to Wodan. When the reapers mow the rye, they leave
some straws standing, twine flowers among them, and,
after the completion of their labour, assemble round the
wisp thus left standing, take hold of the ears and cry :
Fru Gaue, haltet ju fauer,
diit jar up den wagen,
dat andar jar up der kare.
Fru Gaue, hold your fodder,
this year on the wagon,
the next year on the cart.
It will excite but httle surprise that in the uncertainty of
^
A wispel = 24 bushels.
2 Miiller, p. 116. Kuhn, Mark. Sagen, p. VI, and p. 339.
3 We must here bear in mind the dialectic form Givodan (Goden). On
the Elbe Wodan is still called Fru Wod. Lisch, Meklenb. Jahrb. 2, 133.