Har answered him. The rivers, called Elivages, flowed fo far from their fources, that the venom which they rolled along became hard, like the fcoria of a furnace when it grows cold. Hence was formed the ice; which sftopped and flowed no more. Then all the venom that was beginning to cover it, also became frozen: And thus many ftrata of congealed vapours were formed, one above another, in the vast abyss, Jafnhar added; By this means that part of the abyfs which lies towards the north, was filled with a mafs of gelid vapours and ice; whilft the interior parts. of it were replete with whirlwinds and tempefts. Directly oppofite to it, rose the fouth part of the abyfs, formed of the lightnings and sparks which flow from the world of fire. Then Thridi proceeded, and faid; By this means a dreadful freezing wind came from the quarter of Niflheim, whilft whatever lay oppofite to the burning world was heated and enlightened. And as to that part of the abyfs which lay between these two extremes; it was light and ferene like the air in a calm. A breath of heat then spreading itself over the gelid vapours, they melted into drops; and of these drops were formed a man, by the power of him who governed (B). This man was named YMIR; the Giants call him Aurgelmer. From him are descended all the families of the Giants; according to that of the Voluspa; "The prophetef❝fes are all come of Vittolfe, the spectres "of Vilmode, and the Giants of YMIR." And in another place; "The rivers Eli vages have run drops of poifon; and "there blew a wind, whence a Giant was "formed: From him came all the fami"lies of the Giants." Then fpake Gangler, and faid, How did this family of YMIR fpread itself? Or do ye believe that he was a God? Jafnhar replied, we are far from believing him to have been a God; for he was wicked, as were all his posterity. Whilft he flept, he fell into a fweat, and from the pit of his left arm were born a male and female. One of his feet begot upon the other a fon, from whom is defcended the race of the Giants, called from their original, the Giants of the Frost (c). REMARKS ON THE SECOND FABLE. (A) Mufpels-heim fignifies, the abode or refidence of MuSPEL *. But who is this Mufpel? Of this we are intirely ignorant. The ancient fages of the north were defirous to explain how the world. had been framed, and to advance fomething pro bable for its being fo cold towards the north, and warm towards the fouth. For this purpose they placed, towards the fouth, a huge mafs of fire, which they fuppofed had been there for ever, and served as a refidence to wicked Genii. This was the matter of which the Sun was made. This Ether, or Fire, fo placed at one extremity of the world, enabled them alfo to affign a probable reafon for its final, conflagration; for they were abfolutely perfuaded, that it would at the last day be confumed by fire. And as to the north, it was continually cold there, because oppofite to that quarter lay immense mountains of ice. But whence came that ice? Nothing could be more eafily accounted for; for Hell, which had been prepared from the beginning of ages, was watered by thofe great rivers mentioned in the preceding fable; and thofe great rivers themselves, in flowing at fo vaft diftance from the fouth, whilft the courfe of their streams carried them ftill farther from it, froze at last in their currents, and swelled into huge heaps of ice, which communicated a chilliness to the northern winds. Between that world of fire and this of ice, there lay a grand abyfs, which contained nothing but air; and here was placed, in procefs of time, the earth which we inhabit. If we read the fragment of Sanchoniathon, preferved by Eu febius, De Prep. 1. 2. c.10. we shall find there a hiftory of the formation of the world, very much refembling this. (B) By the power ઘઉં of him who governed."] Here we have the pleasure to observe, that our philofophers faw the neceffity of having recourse to the intervention of a Deity in forming the world. The vivifying breath here mentioned, feems to carry in it a ftrong affinity to the "Breath of Life" which God breathed into the noftrils of the firft man; according to the phrase of Scripture, Gen. chap. ii. ver. 7-One cannot doubt that the Celtic and Gothic nations, as well as the Perfians, and moft of the Orientals, derived many of their traditions from Scripture. which fome way or other relate to the subject of the text. It hath been a general opinion in the eaft, that God began with creating Genii, both good and bad, of very immense powers: who for a long time before we exifted, inhabited a world prior to this of ours. One may fee in Herbelot, what the Perfians relate concerning the Dives, Nere, Peris, and their king Eblis. Eblis.YMIR having been formed, as we fee, out of the congealed drops, all the Giants defcended from him are called, upon that account, THE GIANTS OF THE FROST. It must be obferved, that thefe Giants are a species intirely dif tinct from the men of our race, the EDDA having not yet given any account of THEIR formation. VOL. II. C THE G THE THIRD FABLE. Of the Cow OEdumla. ANGLER then defired to know where the Giant Ymir dwelt, and in what manner he was fed. Har answered, Immediately after this breath from the fouth had melted the gelid vapours, and refolved them into drops, there was formed out of them a Cow named OEdumla. Four rivers of milk flowed from her teats, and thus fhe nourished Ymir. The cow, in her turn, fupported herself by licking the rocks that were covered with falt and hoar-froft. The first day that the licked these rocks, there fprung from her, towards evening, the hairs of a man; the fecond day, a head; on the third, an intire man, who was endowed with beauty, agility, and power. He was called Bure, and was the father of Bore, who married Beyzla, the daughter of the Giant Baldorn. Of that marriage were born three fons, Odin, Vile, and Ve; and 'tis our belief, that |
