338
THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND.
[book I.
of idolatry, but the glorious almighty God the
spacious skies : ” and an early missionary is de-
scribed to have thus taught his hearers: “Woden
vero quern principalem deum Crediderunt et prae-
cipuum Angli, de quo originem duxerant, cui et
quartam feriam consecraverant, hominem fuisse
mortalem asseruit, et regem Saxonum, a quo plures
nationes genus duxerant. Huius, inquit, corpore in
pulverem resoluto, anima in inferno sepulta aeter-
num Sustinct ignem1.”
To Woden was dedicated the fourth or mid-day
of the week, and it still retains his name: this
among other' circumstances tends to the identifi-
cation of him with Mercurius2. The Old-norse
Runatale J>attr which introduces Opinn declaring
himself to be the inventor of runes3, is confirmed
by the assertion in the dialogue of Salomon and
Saturn, which to the question “ Who invented let-
ters 1 ” answers, “ I tell thee, Mercury the giant ”—
that is, “ Woden the god :” and this is further evi-
ɪ Legend. Nova, fol. 210, b.
2 This probably was the case even before any German settlement was
made in Britain. But no argument can be raised on this ground against
the genuineness of the Wiiden worship here ; because, if the continental
Germans worshiped him, they probably earned his rites with them to
England. We know that he is one of the gods named in the cele-
brated formulary of renunciation, which the missionary Christians pre-
pared for the use of the Saxon converts. Why the interprétatif) Romana
(Tac. Germ, xliii.) fixed upon Woden as the corresponding god to
Mercury we do not clearly see : but we are not acquainted with the
rites and legends which may have made this perfectly clear to the
Romans.
3 Namek upp rιinar : Grimm seems to have some doubt of the ac-
curacy of this translation. Deut. Mj th. p. 136 (edition of 1844), but I
think unnecessarily. At all e∖ents the invention of the Hugrunar, or
CH. XII.] HEATHENDOM. WO’DEN. 339
dence of resemblance. A metrical homily in vari-
ous collections, bearing the attractive title De falsis
diis, supplies us with further proof of this identi-
fication, not only with Woden, but with the Norse
OJiinn : it says,
Sum man was gehιiten
Mercuriiis on life,
se was swɪ'ðe facenful
and swɪ'eol on dt&dum,
and Iufode e.ic stala
and Iciisbrednysse :
δone ɪnaeodon Sa h⅛δenan
him to ɪnaʒran gode,
and æt wega gel*tum
him Lie offrodon,
and to heιigum bcorgum
him brohton onsægdnysse.
Dæs god wæs ιirwurδa
bctwux callum hæðenum,
and he is Opon gehιiten
ой rum naman on Denise.
A man there was, called
Mercurj' during life,
who was very fraudulent
and deceitful in deeds,
and eke loved thefts
and deception :
him the heathen made
a powerful god for themselves,
and by the road-sides
made him offerings,
and upon high hills
brought him sacrifice.
This god was honourable
among all the heathen,
and he is called Odin
by another name in Danish.
Done fcorSan dæg
hi scaldon him to frυfre
Siim foresædan Morcurie
heora m½ran gode1.
The fourth day
they gave for their advantage
to the aforesaid Mercury
their great god.
Dunes, the possession of which makes men dear to their companions,
is distinctly attributed to him in the Edda :
hær of hugdi IIroptr
af heim Iegi
er Iekip hafdi
or havfi Heiddravpnis
ok or horni Hoddropnis. (Brynh.-qu. i. 13.)
But this is an additional point of approximation to the deities whom
we consider identical with Hermes, and in some respects with Mercury,
as for instance Thoth.
ɪ MS. Cotton, Julius E. vii. 237, b. etc. Seetheauthor1Seditionof
Salomon and Saturn, p. 120, seq.