heroes and hero worship-第7部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


t　matter　is　a　thing　no　man　will　ever；　in　time　or　out　of　time；　comprehend；　after　thousands　of　years　of　ever…new　expansion；　man　will　find　himself　but　struggling　to　comprehend　again　a　part　of　it：　　the　thing　is　larger　shall　man；　not　to　be　comprehended　by　him；　an　Infinite　thing！〃


The　essence　of　the　Scandinavian；　as　indeed　of　all　Pagan　Mythologies；　we　found　to　be　recognition　of　the　divineness　of　Nature；　sincere　communion　of　man　with　the　mysterious　invisible　Powers　visibly　seen　at　work　in　the　world　round　him。　　This；　I　should　say；　is　more　sincerely　done　in　the　Scandinavian　than　in　any　Mythology　I　know。　　Sincerity　is　the　great　characteristic　of　it。　Superior　sincerity　（far　superior）　consoles　us　for　the　total　want　of　old　Grecian　grace。　　Sincerity；　I　think；　is　better　than　grace。　　I　feel　that　these　old　Northmen　wore　looking　into　Nature　with　open　eye　and　soul：　　most　earnest；　honest；　childlike；　and　yet　manlike；　with　a　great…hearted　simplicity　and　depth　and　freshness；　in　a　true；　loving；　admiring；　unfearing　way。　　A　right　valiant；　true　old　race　of　men。　　Such　recognition　of　Nature　one　finds　to　be　the　chief　element　of　Paganism；　recognition　of　Man；　and　his　Moral　Duty；　though　this　too　is　not　wanting；　comes　to　be　the　chief　element　only　in　purer　forms　of　religion。　　Here；　indeed；　is　a　great　distinction　and　epoch　in　Human　Beliefs；　a　great　landmark　in　the　religious　development　of　Mankind。　　Man　first　puts　himself　in　relation　with　Nature　and　her　Powers；　wonders　and　worships　over　those；　not　till　a　later　epoch　does　he　discern　that　all　Power　is　Moral；　that　the　grand　point　is　the　distinction　for　him　of　Good　and　Evil；　of　_Thou　shalt_　and　_Thou　shalt　not_。

With　regard　to　all　these　fabulous　delineations　in　the　_Edda_；　I　will　remark；　moreover；　as　indeed　was　already　hinted；　that　most　probably　they　must　have　been　of　much　newer　date；　most　probably；　even　from　the　first；　were　comparatively　idle　for　the　old　Norsemen；　and　as　it　were　a　kind　of　Poetic　sport。　　Allegory　and　Poetic　Delineation；　as　I　said　above；　cannot　be　religious　Faith；　the　Faith　itself　must　first　be　there；　then　Allegory　enough　will　gather　round　it；　as　the　fit　body　round　its　soul。　　The　Norse　Faith；　I　can　well　suppose；　like　other　Faiths；　was　most　active　while　it　lay　mainly　in　the　silent　state；　and　had　not　yet　much　to　say　about　itself；　still　less　to　sing。

Among　those　shadowy　_Edda_　matters；　amid　all　that　fantastic　congeries　of　assertions；　and　traditions；　in　their　musical　Mythologies；　the　main　practical　belief　a　man　could　have　was　probably　not　much　more　than　this：　　of　the　_Valkyrs_　and　the　_Hall　of　Odin_；　of　an　inflexible　_Destiny_；　and　that　the　one　thing　needful　for　a　man　was　_to　be　brave_。　　The　_Valkyrs_　are　Choosers　of　the　Slain：　　a　Destiny　inexorable；　which　it　is　useless　trying　to　bend　or　soften；　has　appointed　who　is　to　be　slain；　this　was　a　fundamental　point　for　the　Norse　believer；as　indeed　it　is　for　all　earnest　men　everywhere；　for　a　Mahomet；　a　Luther；　for　a　Napoleon　too。　　It　lies　at　the　basis　this　for　every　such　man；　it　is　the　woof　out　of　which　his　whole　system　of　thought　is　woven。　　The　_Valkyrs_；　and　then　that　these　_Choosers_　lead　the　brave　to　a　heavenly　_Hall　of　Odin_；　only　the　base　and　slavish　being　thrust　elsewhither；　into　the　realms　of　Hela　the　Death…goddess：　　I　take　this　to　have　been　the　soul　of　the　whole　Norse　Belief。　　They　understood　in　their　heart　that　it　was　indispensable　to　be　brave；　that　Odin　would　have　no　favor　for　them；　but　despise　and　thrust　them　out；　if　they　were　not　brave。　Consider　too　whether　there　is　not　something　in　this！　　It　is　an　everlasting　duty；　valid　in　our　day　as　in　that；　the　duty　of　being　brave。　　_Valor_　is　still　_value_。　　The　first　duty　for　a　man　is　still　that　of　subduing　_Fear_。　We　must　get　rid　of　Fear；　we　cannot　act　at　all　till　then。　　A　man's　acts　are　slavish；　not　true　but　specious；　his　very　thoughts　are　false；　he　thinks　too　as　a　slave　and　coward；　till　he　have　got　Fear　under　his　feet。　　Odin's　creed；　if　we　disentangle　the　real　kernel　of　it；　is　true　to　this　hour。　　A　man　shall　and　must　be　valiant；　he　must　march　forward；　and　quit　himself　like　a　man；trusting　imperturbably　in　the　appointment　and　_choice_　of　the　upper　Powers；　and；　on　the　whole；　not　fear　at　all。　　Now　and　always；　the　completeness　of　his　victory　over　Fear　will　determine　how　much　of　a　man　he　is。

It　is　doubtless　very　savage　that　kind　of　valor　of　the　old　Northmen。　　Snorro　tells　us　they　thought　it　a　shame　and　misery　not　to　die　in　battle；　and　if　natural　death　seemed　to　be　coming　on；　they　would　cut　wounds　in　their　flesh；　that　Odin　might　receive　them　as　warriors　slain。　　Old　kings；　about　to　die；　had　their　body　laid　into　a　ship；　the　ship　sent　forth；　with　sails　set　and　slow　fire　burning　it；　that；　once　out　at　sea；　it　might　blaze　up　in　flame；　and　in　such　manner　bury　worthily　the　old　hero；　at　once　in　the　sky　and　in　the　ocean！　　Wild　bloody　valor；　yet　valor　of　its　kind；　better；　I　say；　than　none。　　In　the　old　Sea…kings　too；　what　an　indomitable　rugged　energy！　Silent；　with　closed　lips；　as　I　fancy　them；　unconscious　that　they　were　specially　brave；　defying　the　wild　ocean　with　its　monsters；　and　all　men　and　things；progenitors　of　our　own　Blakes　and　Nelsons！　　No　Homer　sang　these　Norse　Sea…kings；　but　Agamemnon's　was　a　small　audacity；　and　of　small　fruit　in　the　world；　to　some　of　them；to　Hrolf's　of　Normandy；　for　instance！　Hrolf；　or　Rollo　Duke　of　Normandy；　the　wild　Sea…king；　has　a　share　in　governing　England　at　this　hour。

Nor　was　it　altogether　nothing；　even　that　wild　sea…roving　and　battling；　through　so　many　generations。　　It　needed　to　be　ascertained　which　was　the　_strongest_　kind　of　men；　who　were　to　be　ruler　over　whom。　　Among　the　Northland　Sovereigns；　too；　I　find　some　who　got　the　title　_Wood…cutter_；　Forest…felling　Kings。　　Much　lies　in　that。　　I　suppose　at　bottom　many　of　them　were　forest…fellers　as　well　as　fighters；　though　the　Skalds　talk　mainly　of　the　latter；misleading　certain　critics　not　a　little；　for　no　nation　of　men　could　ever　live　by　fighting　alone；　there　could　not　produce　enough　come　out　of　that！　　I　suppose　the　right　good　fighter　was　oftenest　also　the　right　good　forest…feller；the　right　good　improver；　discerner；　doer　and　worker　in　every　kind；　for　true　valor；　different　enough　from　ferocity；　is　the　basis　of　all。　　A　more　legitimate　kind　of　valor　that；　showing　itself　against　the　untamed　Forests　and　dark　brute　Powers　of　Nature；　to　conquer　Nature　for　us。　In　the　same　direction　have　not　we　their　descendants　since　carried　it　far？　May　such　valor　last　forever　with　us！

That　the　man　Odin；　speaking　with　a　Hero's　voice　and　heart；　as　with　an　impressiveness　out　of　Heaven；　told　his　People　the　infinite　importance　of　Valor；　how　man　thereby　became　a　god；　and　that　his　People；　feeling　a　response　to　it　in　their　own　hearts；　believed　this　message　of　his；　and　thought　it　a　message　out　of　Heaven；　and　him　a　Divinity　for　telling　it　them：　this　seems　to　me　the　primary　seed…grain　of　the　Norse　Religion；　from　which　all　manner　of　mythologies；　symbolic　practices；　speculations；　allegories；　songs　and　sagas　would　naturally　grow。　　Grow；how　strangely！　　I　called　it　a　small　light　shining　and　shaping　in　the　huge　vortex　of　Norse　darkness。　　Yet　the　darkness　itself　was　_alive_；　consider　that。　　It　was　the　eager　inarticulate　uninstructed　Mind　of　the　whole　Norse　People；　longing　only　to　become　articulate；　to　go　on　articulating　ever　farther！　　The　living　doctrine　grows；　grows；like　a　Banyan…tree；　the　first　_seed_　is　the　essential　thing：　any　branch　strikes　itself　down　into　the　earth；　becomes　a　new　root；　and　so；　in　endless　complexity；　we　have　a　whole　wood；　a　whole　jungle；　one　seed　the　parent　of　it　all。　　Was　not　the　whole　Norse　Religion；　accordingly；　in　some　sense；　what　we　called　〃the　enormous　shadow　of　this　man's　likeness〃？　Critics　trace　some　affinity　in　some　Norse　mythuses；　of　the　Creation　and　such　like；　with　those　of　the　Hindoos。　　The　Cow　Adumbla；　〃licking　the　rime　from　the　rocks；〃　has　a　kind　of　Hindoo　look。　　A　Hindoo　Cow；　transported　into　frosty　countries。　　Probably　enough；　indeed　we　may　say　undoubtedly；　these　things　will　have　a　kindred　with　the　remotest　lands；　with　the　earliest　times。　　Thought　does　not　die；　but　only　is　changed。　　The　first　man　that　began　to　think　in　this　Planet　of　ours；　he　was　the　beginner　of　all。　　And　then　the　second　man；　and　the　third　man；nay；　every　true　Thinker　to　this　hour　is　a　kind　of　Odin；　teaches　men　_his_　way　of　thought；　spreads　a　shadow　of　his　own　likeness　over　sections　of　the　History　of　the　World。


Of　the　distinctive　poetic　character　or　merit　of　this　Norse　Mythology　I　have　not　room　to　speak；　nor　does　it　concern　us　much。　　Some　wild　Prophecies　we　have；　as　the　_Voluspa_　in　the　_Elder　Edda_；　of　a　rapt；　earnest；　sibylline　sort。　　But　they　were　comparatively　an　idle　adjunct　of　the　matter；　men　who　as　it　were　but　toyed　with　the　matter；　these　later　Skalds；　and　it　is　_their_　songs　chiefly　that　survive。　　In　later　centuries；　I　suppose；　they　would　go　on　singing；　poetically　symbolizing；　as　our　modern　Painters　paint；　when　it　was　no　longer　from　the　innermost　heart；　or　not　from　the　heart　at　all。　　This　is　everywhere　to　be　well　kept　in　mind。

Gray's　fragments　of　Norse　Lore；　at　any　rate；　will　give　one　no　notion　of　it；any　more　than　Pope　will　of　Homer。　　It　is　no　square…built　gloomy　palace　of　black　ashlar　marble；　shrouded　in　awe　and　horror；　as　Gray　gives　it　us：　no；　rough　as　the　North　rocks；　as　the　Iceland　deserts；　it　is；　with　a　heartiness；　homeliness；　even　a　tint　of　good　humor　and　robust　mirth　in　the　middle　of　these　fearful　things。　　The　strong　old　Norse　heart　did　not　go　upon　theatrical　sublimities；　they　had　not　time　to　tremble。　　I　like　much　their　robust　simplicity；　their　veracity；　directness　of　conception。　　Thor　〃draws　down　his　brows〃　in　a　veritable　Norse　rage；　〃grasps　his　hammer　till　the　_knuckles　grow　white_。〃　　Beautiful　traits　of　pity　too；　an　honest　pity。　Balder　〃the　white　God〃　dies；　the　beautiful；　benignant；　he　is　the　Sungod。　They　try　all　Nature　for　a　remedy；　but　he　is　dead。　　Frigga；　his　mother；　sends　Hermoder　to　seek　or　see　him：　　nine　days　and　nine　nights　he　rides　through　gloomy　deep　valleys；　a　labyrinth　of　gloom；　arrives　at　the　Bridge　with　its　gold　roof：　　the　Keeper　says；　〃Yes；　Balder　did　pass　here；　but　the　Kingdom　of　the　Dead　is　down　yonder；　far　towards　the　North。〃　　Hermoder　rides　on；　leaps　Hell…gate；　Hela's　gate；　does　see　Balder；　and　speak　with　him：　Balder　cannot　be　delivered。　　I