heroes and hero worship-第5部分

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n　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　echo　in　the　dark　night！　　Only　that　it　had　such　a　history　we　can　all　know。　　Wheresover　a　thinker　appeared；　there　in　the　thing　he　thought　of　was　a　contribution；　accession；　a　change　or　revolution　made。　　Alas；　the　grandest　〃revolution〃　of　all；　the　one　made　by　the　man　Odin　himself；　is　not　this　too　sunk　for　us　like　the　rest！　　Of　Odin　what　history？　　Strange　rather　to　reflect　that　he　_had_　a　history！　　That　this　Odin；　in　his　wild　Norse　vesture；　with　his　wild　beard　and　eyes；　his　rude　Norse　speech　and　ways；　was　a　man　like　us；　with　our　sorrows；　joys；　with　our　limbs；　features；intrinsically　all　one　as　we：　　and　did　such　a　work！　But　the　work；　much　of　it；　has　perished；　the　worker；　all　to　the　name。　〃_Wednesday_；〃　men　will　say　to…morrow；　Odin's　day！　　Of　Odin　there　exists　no　history；　no　document　of　it；　no　guess　about　it　worth　repeating。

Snorro　indeed；　in　the　quietest　manner；　almost　in　a　brief　business　style；　writes　down；　in　his　_Heimskringla_；　how　Odin　was　a　heroic　Prince；　in　the　Black…Sea　region；　with　Twelve　Peers；　and　a　great　people　straitened　for　room。　　How　he　led　these　_Asen_　（Asiatics）　of　his　out　of　Asia；　settled　them　in　the　North　parts　of　Europe；　by　warlike　conquest；　invented　Letters；　Poetry　and　so　forth；and　came　by　and　by　to　be　worshipped　as　Chief　God　by　these　Scandinavians；　his　Twelve　Peers　made　into　Twelve　Sons　of　his　own；　Gods　like　himself：　　Snorro　has　no　doubt　of　this。　　Saxo　Grammaticus；　a　very　curious　Northman　of　that　same　century；　is　still　more　unhesitating；　scruples　not　to　find　out　a　historical　fact　in　every　individual　mythus；　and　writes　it　down　as　a　terrestrial　event　in　Denmark　or　elsewhere。　　Torfaeus；　learned　and　cautious；　some　centuries　later；　assigns　by　calculation　a　_date_　for　it：　Odin；　he　says；　came　into　Europe　about　the　Year　70　before　Christ。　　Of　all　which；　as　grounded　on　mere　uncertainties；　found　to　be　untenable　now；　I　need　say　nothing。　　Far；　very　far　beyond　the　Year　70！　　Odin's　date；　adventures；　whole　terrestrial　history；　figure　and　environment　are　sunk　from　us　forever　into　unknown　thousands　of　years。

Nay　Grimm；　the　German　Antiquary；　goes　so　far　as　to　deny　that　any　man　Odin　ever　existed。　　He　proves　it　by　etymology。　　The　word　_Wuotan_；　which　is　the　original　form　of　_Odin_；　a　word　spread；　as　name　of　their　chief　Divinity；　over　all　the　Teutonic　Nations　everywhere；　this　word；　which　connects　itself；　according　to　Grimm；　with　the　Latin　_vadere_；　with　the　English　_wade_　and　such　like；means　primarily　Movement；　Source　of　Movement；　Power；　and　is　the　fit　name　of　the　highest　god；　not　of　any　man。　　The　word　signifies　Divinity；　he　says；　among　the　old　Saxon；　German　and　all　Teutonic　Nations；　the　adjectives　formed　from　it　all　signify　divine；　supreme；　or　something　pertaining　to　the　chief　god。　　Like　enough！　　We　must　bow　to　Grimm　in　matters　etymological。　　Let　us　consider　it　fixed　that　_Wuotan_　means　_Wading_；　force　of　_Movement_。　　And　now　still；　what　hinders　it　from　being　the　name　of　a　Heroic　Man　and　_Mover_；　as　well　as　of　a　god？　　As　for　the　adjectives；　and　words　formed　from　it；did　not　the　Spaniards　in　their　universal　admiration　for　Lope；　get　into　the　habit　of　saying　〃a　Lope　flower；〃　〃a　Lope　_dama_；〃　if　the　flower　or　woman　were　of　surpassing　beauty？　　Had　this　lasted；　_Lope_　would　have　grown；　in　Spain；　to　be　an　adjective　signifying　_godlike_　also。　Indeed；　Adam　Smith；　in　his　Essay　on　Language；　surmises　that　all　adjectives　whatsoever　were　formed　precisely　in　that　way：　　some　very　green　thing；　chiefly　notable　for　its　greenness；　got　the　appellative　name　_Green_；　and　then　the　next　thing　remarkable　for　that　quality；　a　tree　for　instance；　was　named　the　_green_　tree；as　we　still　say　〃the　_steam_　coach；〃　〃four…horse　coach；〃　or　the　like。　　All　primary　adjectives；　according　to　Smith；　were　formed　in　this　way；　were　at　first　substantives　and　things。　　We　cannot　annihilate　a　man　for　etymologies　like　that！　　Surely　there　was　a　First　Teacher　and　Captain；　surely　there　must　have　been　an　Odin；　palpable　to　the　sense　at　one　time；　no　adjective；　but　a　real　Hero　of　flesh　and　blood！　　The　voice　of　all　tradition；　history　or　echo　of　history；　agrees　with　all　that　thought　will　teach　one　about　it；　to　assure　us　of　this。

How　the　man　Odin　came　to　be　considered　a　_god_；　the　chief　god？that　surely　is　a　question　which　nobody　would　wish　to　dogmatize　upon。　　I　have　said；　his　people　knew　no　_limits_　to　their　admiration　of　him；　they　had　as　yet　no　scale　to　measure　admiration　by。　　Fancy　your　own　generous　heart's…love　of　some　greatest　man　expanding　till　it　_transcended_　all　bounds；　till　it　filled　and　overflowed　the　whole　field　of　your　thought！　　Or　what　if　this　man　Odin；since　a　great　deep　soul；　with　the　afflatus　and　mysterious　tide　of　vision　and　impulse　rushing　on　him　he　knows　not　whence；　is　ever　an　enigma；　a　kind　of　terror　and　wonder　to　himself；should　have　felt　that　perhaps　_he_　was　divine；　that　_he_　was　some　effluence　of　the　〃Wuotan；〃　〃_Movement_〃；　Supreme　Power　and　Divinity；　of　whom　to　his　rapt　vision　all　Nature　was　the　awful　Flame…image；　that　some　effluence　of　Wuotan　dwelt　here　in　him！　　He　was　not　necessarily　false；　he　was　but　mistaken；　speaking　the　truest　he　knew。　　A　great　soul；　any　sin