arly　Christian　Missionaries　found　to　resemble　Christ）；　is　the　Sun；　beautifullest　of　visible　things；　wondrous　too；　and　divine　still；　after　all　our　Astronomies　and　Almanacs！　　But　perhaps　the　notablest　god　we　hear　tell　of　is　one　of　whom　Grimm　the　German　Etymologist　finds　trace：　　the　God　_Wunsch_；　or　Wish。　　The　God　_Wish_；　who　could　give　us　all　that　we　_wished_！　Is　not　this　the　sincerest　and　yet　rudest　voice　of　the　spirit　of　man？　　The　_rudest_　ideal　that　man　ever　formed；　which　still　shows　itself　in　the　latest　forms　of　our　spiritual　culture。　　Higher　considerations　have　to　teach　us　that　the　God　_Wish_　is　not　the　true　God。
  Of　the　other　Gods　or　Jotuns　I　will　mention　only　for　etymology's　sake；　that　Sea…tempest　is　the　Jotun　_Aegir_；　a　very　dangerous　Jotun；and　now　to　this　day；　on　our　river　Trent；　as　I　learn；　the　Nottingham　bargemen；　when　the　River　is　in　a　certain　flooded　state　（a　kind　of　backwater；　or　eddying　swirl　it　has；　very　dangerous　to　them）；　call　it　Eager；　they　cry　out；　〃Have　a　care；　there　is　the　_Eager_　coming！〃　Curious；　that　word　surviving；　like　the　peak　of　a　submerged　world！　　The　_oldest_　Nottingham　bargemen　had　believed　in　the　God　Aegir。　　Indeed　our　English　blood　too　in　good　part　is　Danish；　Norse；　or　rather；　at　bottom；　Danish　and　Norse　and　Saxon　have　no　distinction；　except　a　superficial　one；as　of　Heathen　and　Christian；　or　the　like。　　But　all　over　our　Island　we　are　mingled　largely　with　Danes　proper；from　the　incessant　invasions　there　were：　　and　this；　of　course；　in　a　greater　proportion　along　the　east　coast；　and　greatest　of　all；　as　I　find；　in　the　North　Country。　　From　the　Humber　upwards；　all　over　Scotland；　the　Speech　of　the　common　people　is　still　in　a　singular　degree　Icelandic；　its　Germanism　has　still　a　peculiar　Norse　tinge。　　They　too　are　〃Normans；〃　Northmen；if　that　be　any　great　beauty！
  Of　the　chief　god；　Odin；　we　shall　speak　by　and　by。　　Mark　at　present　so　much；　what　the　essence　of　Scandinavian　and　indeed　of　all　Paganism　is：　　a　recognition　of　the　forces　of　Nature　as　godlike；　stupendous；　personal　Agencies；as　Gods　and　Demons。　　Not　inconceivable　to　us。　　It　is　the　infant　Thought　of　man　opening　itself；　with　awe　and　wonder；　on　this　ever…stupendous　Universe。　　To　me　there　is　in　the　Norse　system　something　very　genuine；　very　great　and　manlike。　　A　broad　simplicity；　rusticity；　so　very　different　from　the　light　gracefulness　of　the　old　Greek　Paganism；　distinguishes　this　Scandinavian　System。　　It　is　Thought；　the　genuine　Thought　of　deep；　rude；　earnest　minds；　fairly　opened　to　the　things　about　them；　a　face…to…face　and　heart…to…heart　inspection　of　the　things；the　first　characteristic　of　all　good　Thought　in　all　times。　　Not　graceful　lightness；　half…sport；　as　in　the　Greek　Paganism；　a　certain　homely　truthfulness　and　rustic　strength；　a　great　rude　sincerity；　discloses　itself　here。　　It　is　strange；　after　our　beautiful　Apollo　statues　and　clear　smiling　mythuses；　to　come　down　upon　the　Norse　Gods　〃brewing　ale〃　to　hold　their　feast　with　Aegir；　the　Sea…Jotun；　sending　out　Thor　to　get　the　caldron　for　them　in　the　Jotun　country；　Thor；　after　many　adventures；　clapping　the　Pot　on　his　head；　like　a　huge　hat；　and　walking　off　with　it；quite　lost　in　it；　the　ears　of　the　Pot　reaching　down　to　his　heels！　A　kind　of　vacant　hugeness；　large　awkward　gianthood；　characterizes　that　Norse　system；　enormous　force；　as　yet　altogether　untutored；　stalking　helpless　with　large　uncertain　strides。　　Consider　only　their　primary　mythus　of　the　Creation。　　The　Gods；　having　got　the　Giant　Ymer　slain；　a　Giant　made　by　〃warm　wind；〃　and　much　confused　work；　out　of　the　conflict　of　Frost　and　Fire；determined　on　constructing　a　world　with　him。　　His　blood　made　the　Sea；　his　flesh　was　the　Land；　the　Rocks　his　bones；　of　his　eyebrows　they　formed　Asgard　their　Gods'…dwelling；　his　skull　was　the　great　blue　vault　of　Immensity；　and　the　brains　of　it　became　the　Clouds。　　What　a　Hyper…Brobdignagian　business！　　Untamed　Thought；　great；　giantlike；　enormous；to　be　tamed　in　due　time　into　the　compact　greatness；　not　giantlike；　but　godlike　and　stronger　than　gianthood；　of　the　Shakspeares；　the　Goethes！Spiritually　as　well　as　bodily　these　men　are　our　progenitors。
  I　like；　too；　that　representation　they　have　of　the　tree　Igdrasil。　　All　Life　is　figured　by　them　as　a　Tree。　　Igdrasil；　the　Ash…tree　of　Existence；　has　its　roots　deep　down　in　the　kingdoms　of　Hela　or　Death；　its　trunk　reaches　up　heaven…high；　spreads　its　boughs　over　the　whole　Universe：　　it　is　the　Tree　of　Existence。　　At　the　foot　of　it；　in　the　Death…kingdom；　sit　Three　_Nornas_；　Fates；the　Past；　Present；　Future；　watering　its　roots　from　the　Sacred　Well。　Its　〃boughs；〃　with　their　buddings　and　disleafings？events；　things　suffered；　things　done；　catastrophes；stretch　through　all　lands　and　times。　Is　not　every　leaf　of　it　a　biography；　every　fibre　there　an　act　or　word？　　Its　boughs　are　Histories　of　Nations。　　The　rustle　of　it　is　the　noise　of　Human　Existence；　onwards　from　of　old。　　It　grows　there；　the　breath　of　Human　Passion　rustling　through　it；or　storm　tost；　the　storm…wind　howling　through　it　like　the　voice　of　all　the　gods。　　It　is　Igdrasil；　the　Tree　of　Existence。　It　is　the　past；　the　present；　and　the　future；　what　was　done；　what　is　doing；　what　will　be　done；　〃the　infinite　conjugation　of　the　verb　_To　do_。〃　Considering　how　human　things　circulate；　each　inextricably　in　communion　with　all；how　the　word　I　speak　to　you　to…day　is　borrowed；　not　from　Ulfila　the　Moesogoth　only；　but　from　all　men　since　the　first　man　began　to　speak；I　find　no　similitude　so　true　as　this　of　a　Tree。　　Beautiful；　altogether　beautiful　and　great。　　The　〃_Machine_　of　the　Universe；〃alas；　do　but　think　of　that　in　contrast！
  Well；　it　is　strange　enough　this　old　Norse　view　of　Nature；　different　enough　from　what　we　believe　of　Nature。　　Whence　it　specially　came；　one　would　not　like　to　be　compelled　to　say　very　minutely！　　One　thing　we　may　say：　　It　came　from　the　thoughts　of　Norse　men；from　the　thought；　above　all；　of　the　_first_　Norse　man　who　had　an　original　power　of　thinking。　　The　First　Norse　〃man　of　genius；〃　as　we　should　call　him！　　Innumerable　men　had　passed　by；　across　this　Universe；　with　a　dumb　vague　wonder；　such　as　the　very　animals　may　feel；　or　with　a　painful；　fruitlessly　inquiring　wonder；　such　as　men　only　feel；till　the　great　Thinker　came；　the　_original_　man；　the　Seer；　whose　shaped　spoken　Thought　awakes　the　slumbering　capability　of　all　into　Thought。　It　is　ever　the　way　with　the　Thinker；　the　spiritual　Hero。　　What　he　says；　all　men　were　not　far　from　saying；　were　longing　to　say。　　The　Thoughts　of　all　start　up；　as　from　painful　enchanted　sleep；　round　his　Thought；　answering　to　it；　Yes；　even　so！　　Joyful　to　men　as　the　dawning　of　day　from　night；_is_　it　not；　indeed；　the　awakening　for　them　from　no…being　into　being；　from　death　into　life？　　We　still　honor　such　a　man；　call　him　Poet；　Genius；　and　so　forth：　but　to　these　wild　men　he　was　a　very　magician；　a　worker　of　miraculous　unexpected　blessing　for　them；　a　Prophet；　a　God！Thought　once　awakened　does　not　again　slumber；　unfolds　itself　into　a　System　of　Thought；　grows；　in　man　after　man；　generation　after　generation；till　its　full　stature　is　reached；　and　_such_　System　of　Thought　can　grow　no　farther；　but　must　give　place　to　another。
  For　the　Norse　people；　the　Man　now　named　Odin；　and　Chief　Norse　God；　we　fancy；　was　such　a　man。　　A　Teacher；　and　Captain　of　soul　and　of　body；　a　Hero；　of　worth　immeasurable；　admiration　for　whom；　transcending　the　known　bounds；　became　adoration。　　Has　he　not　the　power　of　articulate　Thinking；　and　many　other　powers；　as　yet　miraculous？　　So；　with　boundless　gratitude；　would　the　rude　Norse　heart　feel。　　Has　he　not　solved　for　them　the　sphinx…enigma　of　this　Universe；　given　assurance　to　them　of　their　own　destiny　there？　　By　him　they　know　now　what　they　have　to　do　here；　what　to　look　for　hereafter。　Existence　has　become　articulate；　melodious　by　him；　he　first　has　made　Life　alive！We　may　call　this　Odin；　the　origin　of　Norse　Mythology：　　Odin；　or　whatever　name　the　First　Norse　Thinker　bore　while　he　was　a　man　among　men。　His　view　of　the　Universe　once　promulgated；　a　like　view　starts　into　being　in　all　minds；　grows；　keeps　ever　growing；　while　it　continues　credible　there。　In　all　minds　it　lay　written；　but　invisibly；　as　in　sympathetic　ink；　at　his　word　it　starts　into　visibility　in　all。　　Nay；　in　every　epoch　of　the　world；　the　great　event；　parent　of　all　others；　is　it　not　the　arrival　of　a　Thinker　in　the　world！
  One　other　thing　we　must　not　forget；　it　will　explain；　a　little；　the　confusion　of　these　Norse　Eddas。　　They　are　not　one　coherent　System　of　Thought；　but　properly　the　_summation_　of　several　successive　systems。　　All　this　of　the　old　Norse　Belief　which　is　flung　out　for　us；　in　one　level　of　distance　in　the　Edda；　like　a　picture　painted　on　the　same　canvas；　does　not　at　all　stand　so　in　the　reality。　　It　stands　rather　at　all　manner　of　distances　and　depths；　of　successive　generations　since　the　Belief　first　began。　　All　Scandinavian　thinkers；　since　the　first　of　them；　contributed　to　that　Scandinavian　System　of　Thought；　in　ever…new　elaboration　and　addition；　it　is　the　combined　work　of　them　all。　　What　history　it　had；　how　it　changed　from　shape　to　shape；　by　one　thinker's　contribution　after　another；　till　it　got　to　the　full　final　shape　we　see　it　under　in　the　Edda；　no　man　will　now　ever　know：　　_its_　Councils　of　Trebizond；　Councils　of　Trent；　Athanasiuses；　Dantes；　Luthers；　are　sunk　without　ec