ТОП просматриваемых книг сайта:
The Viking Age (Vol. 1&2). Paul B. Du Chaillu
Читать онлайн.Название The Viking Age (Vol. 1&2)
Год выпуска 0
isbn 4064066309206
Автор произведения Paul B. Du Chaillu
Жанр Документальная литература
Издательство Bookwire
“Then they (Fridthjof and Björn) heard that Beli’s sons were in Baldr’s hagi at the disablót;274 they went up there, and asked Hallvard and Asmund to damage all ships small and large which were near; and so they did. They went to the door in Baldr’s hagi; Fridthjof wanted to go in; Björn told him to be wary, but he wanted to go alone. Fridthjof asked him to stay outside and keep watch. Then Fridthjof went in, and saw that few people were in the disar-hall. The kings were at the disablót and sat drinking; there was fire on the floor, and their wives sat at the fireside and warmed the gods, and some besmeared them with grease and wiped them with a cloth” (Fridthjof’s Saga, 9).
When Sigmund was ready to start for an expedition to avenge his father—
“The Jarl (Hakon) went out with him and asked, ‘What belief hast thou?’ Sigmund answered, ‘I believe in my might and strength.’ The Jarl replied, ‘It must not be so; thou must seek for help where I put all my trust, which is in Thorgerd Hördabrud. Let us go to her, and try to get luck for thee from her.’ Sigmund told him to do as he liked; they went to the woods, and then, by a little by-path, to an open space in the forest where there was a house with a fence around it; this house was very fine, and the carvings were ornamented with gold and silver. Hakon and Sigmund entered with a few men; there were many gods, and so many glass-windows, that there was no shadow anywhere. A splendidly dressed woman was in the inner part of the house opposite the entrance. The Jarl threw himself down, and lay long before her feet; then he rose and told Sigmund that they must make her some sacrifice, and put silver on the stool before her. ‘But as a mark that she will accept, I want her to let loose the ring she wears on her arm; thou, Sigmund, wilt get luck from that ring.’ The Jarl took hold of the ring, but it seemed to Sigmund that she clenched her fist and he did not get it. He threw himself down a second time before her, and Sigmund saw that he wept; he rose, and took hold of the ring, which then was loose, and gave it to Sigmund, who promised not to part with the ring” (Færeyinga Saga, ch. 23).
When Hakon Jarl, after having been baptized in Denmark, had again adopted the practice of the pagan religion,
“He heard of a temple which was the largest in Gautland, while it was heathen. In that temple were one hundred gods. Hakon took all the property which was in it. The men who guarded the temple and the sacrificing-place fled, while some of them were slain; Hakon went back to his ships with the property and burnt and destroyed all that he met with on the way, and had very much property when he came down. While he was making this ravage in Gautland, Ottar Jarl, who ruled over a great part of Gautland, heard of it; he quickly started and gathered all the land host against Hakon Jarl, and attacked him. They at once began the battle; Hakon was overpowered, and at last fled with his men, and went to Norway. Thereafter Ottar Jarl summoned a Thing, and declared at it that Hakon should be called varg-i-veum (wolf in the holy place), because, said he, no man had done worse deeds, for he had destroyed the highest temple in Gautland, and wrought many other evil deeds; that no one knew any example of such things, and that wherever he went he should have that name” (Jómsvikinga Saga, ch. 12).
“King Olaf Tryggvason (995–1000) went to Thrandheim to christianize the bœndr; they agreed that he should go into their temple and observe their customs. He went into the temple, with a few of his men and some of the bœndr. They were all unarmed except the king, who had a staff ornamented with gold in his hand. As they entered there was no lack of carved idols: Thor sat in the middle, for he was most worshipped; he was large and ornamented all over with gold and silver; he sat in a splendid chariot, to which were harnessed two very well-made wooden he-goats. Both the chariot and the he-goats rested on wheels, and the rope around their horns was of twisted silver. All was made with wonderful skill” (Flateyjarbók i., p. 319).
Votive offerings of jewels and other valuable objects have been made in temples and churches in all lands and ages, and to this day the practice holds in some Roman and Greek Catholic countries.
The use of small images as amulets by the Northmen is shown by Kálf’s answer when asked by the King (Olaf Tryggvason) where Halfred was.
“ ‘He probably still adheres to his custom of sacrificing secretly; he has the image of Thor made of a tooth in his purse, and too little is told to thee, lord, about him, and thou canst not see how he really is.’ The King asked them to call Halfred that he might answer for himself. Halfred came. The King said, ‘Is it true of thee, that thou sacrificest?’ ‘It is not true, lord,’ answered Halfred; ‘now search my purse; here no trick is possible, even if I had wanted to use one.’ Nothing of the kind was found with him” (Olaf Tryggvason’s Saga).
“When King Olaf (Tryggvason) had been a short while in Thrandheim he heard a rumour that some men in Thrandheim still kept up heathendom, and that the idol of Frey stood there unbroken, and that those men who were there sacrificed to the idol. When he heard this he was displeased, and at the time he got these evil tidings he was at a feast. There were also some men from Thrandheim with him. He accused them of sacrificing to Frey as some witnesses had told him, and as they knew that they were not guiltless they did not deny it boldly, but would not acknowledge it. He said: ‘It will be seen how much of your words is true, and I will try it in this way—I command you to break the idol of Frey, to which I am told you sacrifice, and if you will not do that I believe that the accusation I bring against you is true.’ They answered: ‘We will not break the idol of Frey, for we have served him long, and it has helped us well.’ He said: ‘I and my men will break it though you forbid it.’ They answered: ‘Certainly we will forbid and hinder the destruction of Frey, though we expect that he will valiantly defend himself and help us if we follow him boldly, for he has more power than thou thinkest.’ He said: ‘This shall be tried. You shall defend Frey and I will attack him with God’s grace and the help of good men. Let him then defend himself if he is able. To-morrow we shall hold a Thing where I appoint. I will take Frey there and judge him boldly, and slay him, and do the good for you which God teaches me, if you will leave your false belief.’ They did not think this very advisable, but saw it had to be as the king wished. They went to their ships and rowed in the fjord and strove with both sails and oars. The luck of the king was stronger than the witchcraft of Frey and the evil belief of those who followed him, and therefore it happened as the best one (God) wished, and the king’s ship went much faster and he got first to the temple. When he came ashore his men saw some stud horses near the road which they said belonged to Frey. The king mounted a stallion and let others take the geldings, and they rode to the temple. He alighted from the stallion, went into the temple, and struck down the gods from their altars. Then he took Frey under his arm and carried him out to the horse, and shut up the temple. He rode with Frey to the meeting and came before those summoned. His land-tent was pitched, and he waited there. Now the men of Thrandheim came to the temple and opened it and went in. They saw that Frey had disappeared and the other gods were maimed, and they knew for certain that the king had caused this. They went to the meeting. When they had come there the king spoke mostly of things connected with the rule of the land and the laws. He then sent men to his tent and bad them carry Frey out, and when he was brought to the king the king took him and set him up and said: ‘Do you know this man?’ They answered: ‘We know him.’ ‘Who is he then?’ said the king. ‘One whom thou dost not know; he is Frey, our god.’ He said: ‘What good can Frey do, that you think it needful or a great necessity to believe in him?’ They answered: ‘We thought him very powerful until within a few years.’ ‘Why is he less powerful now?’ said the king. They answered: ‘Because he is now angry with us, which thou causest, for since thou didst tell us to believe in another god, and we partly followed thy persuasions, he thinks we have forsaken him, and therefore will not take any care of us.’ He then said, as if in mockery or jest: ‘It is unfortunate that Frey is angry with you, but in what way did he before show the power which you now miss?’ They answered: ‘He often spoke with us and foretold future things, and gave us good years and peace.’ He said: ‘I maintain that Frey has not spoken with you, but the devil himself.’ … He took a large axe and went to Frey, and said: ‘Now I will try, Frey, if thou canst talk and answer me.’