Chapter V: The Ivalde Race (9)

According to the historified saga, Hengest was the leader of the first Saxon army which landed in Britain. All scholars have long since agreed that this Hengest is a mythical character. The migration saga of the Teutonic mythology was transferred by the heathen Saxons to England, and survived there until Christian times. After the names of the real leaders of the Saxon immigration were forgotten, Hengest was permitted to take their place, because in the mythology he had been a leader of the Saxon emigrants from their original country, the Scandian peninsula (see No. 16), and because this immigration was blended in Christian times with the memory of the emigration from Germany to Britain. Thus, while the Longobardians made Volund and Egil (Ajo and Ibor) the leaders of their emigration, the Saxons made Volund's and Egil's brother Slagfin (Hengest-Gjuke) their leader. The Burgundians also regarded Slagfin (Gjuke) as their emigration hero and royal progenitor. Of this there is evidence partly in _Lex Burgundionum_, the preface of which enumerates Burgundian kings who have Gjukung names; partly in a Middle High German poem, which makes the Gjukungs Burgundian kings. The Saxon migration saga and the Burgundian are therefore, like those of the other Teutonic races, connected with the Ivalde race and with the fimbul-winter.

THE END.

DICTIONARY OF PRINCIPAL PROPER NAMES IN TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY,

_with Explanations of the Character, Attributes and Significance of the Gods, Goddesses, Giants, Dwarfs and associated creatures and places._

DICTIONARY OF GODS AND GODDESSES.

A

ÆGIR. [Anglo-Sax., _eagor_, the sea]. The god who presides over the stormy sea. He entertains the gods every harvest, and brews ale for them. _Æger._

AGNAR. A son of King Hraudung and foster-son of Frigg. _Agnar._

AGNAR. A son of King Geirrod. He serves drink to Grimner (Odin). _Agnar._

ALFR. An elf, fairy; a class of beings like the dwarfs, between gods and men. They were of two kinds: elves of light (_Ljosalfar_) and elves of darkness (_Dokkalfar_). The abode of the elves is _Alfheimr_, fairy-land, and their king is the god Frey. _Elf._

ALFODR or ALFADIR [Father of all]. The name of Odin as the supreme god. _Allfather._

ALFHEIMR. Elf-land, fairy-land. Frey's dwelling. _Alfheim._

ALSVIDR. The all-wise. One of the horses of the sun. _Alsvid._

ALVISS. The dwarf who answers Thor's questions in the lay of Alvis. _Alvis._

AMSVARTNIR. The name of the sea, in which the island was situated where the wolf Fenrer was chained. _Amsvartner._

ANNARR or ONARR. Husband of night and father of Jord (_the earth_). _Annar._

ANDHRIMNIR. The cook in Valhal. _Andhrimner._

ANDVARI. The name of a pike-shaped dwarf; the owner of the fatal ring called _Andvaranautr_. _Andvare._

ANDVARAFORS. The force or waterfall in which the dwarf Andvare kept himself in the form of a pike fish. _Andvare-Force._

ANDVARANAUTR. The fatal ring given Andvare (the wary spirit). _Andvarenaut._

ANGANTYR. He has a legal dispute with Ottar Heimske, who is favored by Freyja. _Angantyr._

ANGEYJA. One of Heimdal's nine mothers. The Elder Edda says in the Lay of Hyndla: Nine giant maids gave birth to the gracious god, at the world's margin. These are: Gjalp, Greip, Eistla, Angeyja, Ulfrun, Eyrgjafa, Imd, Atla, and Jarnsaxa. _Angeyja._

ANGRBODA [Anguish-creating]. A giantess; mother of the Fenris-wolf by Loke. _Angerboda._

ARVAKR [Early awake]. The name of one of the horses of the sun. _Aarvak._

ASS or AS; plural Æsir. The _asas_, gods. The word appears in such English names as _Os_born, _Os_wald, etc. With an _n_ it is found in the Germ. _Ans_gar (Anglo-Sax. _Os_car). The term _æsir_ is used to distinguish Odin, Thor, etc., from the _vanir_ (vans). _Asa._

ASA-LOKI. Loke, so called to distinguish him from Utgard-Loke, who is a giant. _Asa-Loke._

ASA-THORR. A common name for Thor. _Asa-Thor._

ASGARDR. The residence of the gods (_asas_). _Asgard._

ASKR. The name of the first man created by Odin, Hœner and Loder. _Ask._

ASYNJA; plural ASYNJUR. A goddess; feminine of _Ass_. _Asynje._

ATLA. One of Heimdal's nine mothers. _Atla._

AUDHUMLA; also written AUDHUMBLA. The cow formed from the frozen vapors resolved into drops. She nourished the giant Ymer. _Audhumbla._

AURBODA. Gymer's wife and Gerd's mother. _Aurboda._

AURGELMIR. A giant; grandfather of Bergelmer; called also Ymer. _Aurgelmer._

AUSTRI. A dwarf presiding over the east region. _Austre. East._

B

BALDR. God of the summer-sunlight. He was son of Odin and Frigg; slain by Hoder, at the instigation of Loke. He returns after Ragnarok. His dwelling is Breidablik. _Balder._

BARREY. A pleasant grove in which Gerd agreed with Skirner to meet Frey. _Barey._

BAUGI. A brother of Suttung, for whom (Baugi) Odin worked one summer in order to get his help in obtaining Suttung's mead of poetry. _Bauge._

BELI. A giant, brother of Gerd, who was slain by Frey. _Bele._

BERGELMIR. A giant; son of Thrudgelmer and grandson of Aurgelmer. _Bergelmer._

BESTLA. Wife of Bur and mother of Odin. _Bestla._

BEYLA. Frey's attendant; wife of Bygver. _Beyla._

BIFROST. [To tremble; the trembling way]. The rainbow. _Bifrost._

BILSKIRNIR. The heavenly abode of Thor, from the flashing of light in the lightning. _Bilskirner._

BOLTHORN. A giant; father of Bestla, Odin's mother. _Bolthorn._

BOLVERKR [Working terrible things]. An assumed name of Odin, when he went to get Suttung's mead. _Bolverk._

BODN. One of the three vessels in which the poetical mead was kept. Hence poetry is called the wave of the _bodn_. _Bodn._

BORR [_burr_, a son; Scotch _bairn_]. A son of Bure and father of Odin, Vile and Ve. _Bor._

BRAGI. The god of poetry. A son of Odin. He is the best of skalds. _Brage._

BREIDABLIK. [Literally to gleam, twinkle]. Balder's dwelling. _Breidablik._

BRISINGAMEN. Freyja's necklace or ornament. _Brisingamen._

BURI. The father of Bor. He was produced by the cow's licking the stones covered with rime, frost. _Bure._

BYGGVIR. Frey's attendant; Beyla's husband. _Bygver._

BYLEIPTR [Flame of the dwelling]. The brother of Loke. _Byleipt._