Heimdaller—guardian of the bridge Bifrost, or the rainbow, by which the happy dead ascended into Asgard. He received the souls who were selected by the Valkyries, and conducted them to Odin.
Vile—god of archery; son of Odin and Rinda.
PART V.
Brage—god of music and song.
Hovamaal—bible of Odin.
Odin—a wise and virtuous warrior, whose beneficence procured him among the early Scythians, deification. As a divinity, the father of gods and men, he is the husband of Frea (the earth), and from the union of divine love and the earth, spring light, heat, the elements, the seasons, strength, and genius, typified by Balder, Thor, Frey, Hoder, and Balder again, as orator and poet. Odin, mounted upon his horse Sleipner, represents active benevolence.
THE SPECTRE BARBER.
Sir Ryence of North Gales greeteth well thee,
And bids thy beard anon to him send,
Or else from thy jaws he will it off rend.—Percy.
There formerly lived at Bremen, a wealthy merchant named Melchior, of whom it was remarked that he invariably stroked his chin with complacency whenever the subject of the sermon was the rich man in the Gospel; who, by-the-bye, in comparison with him, was only a petty retail dealer. This said Melchior possessed such great riches, that he had caused the floor of his dining-room to be paved with crown-pieces, which ridiculous luxury gave great offence to his fellow-citizens and relations. They attributed it to vanity and ostentation, but did not guess its true motive; however, it perfectly answered the end Melchior designed by it; for, by their constantly expressing their disapprobation of this ostentatious species of vanity, they spread abroad the report of their neighbour’s immense riches, and thereby augmented his credit in a most astonishing degree.
At length Melchior died suddenly, while at a corporation dinner, and consequently had not time to make a disposition of his property by will; so that his only son Francis, who was just of age, came into possession of the whole. This young man was particularly favoured by fortune, both with respect to his personal advantages and his goodness of heart; but his immense inheritance caused his ruin. He had no sooner got into the possession of so considerable a fortune, than he squandered it, as if it had been a burthen to him; ran into every possible extravagance, and neglected his concerns. Two or three years passed over without his perceiving that, owing to his dissipations, his funds were considerably reduced; but at length his coffers were emptied: and one day, when Francis had drawn a draft to a very considerable amount on his banker, who had no funds to meet it, it was returned to him protested. This disappointment greatly vexed our prodigal, but only as it caused a temporary check to his wishes; for he did not even then give himself the trouble to inquire into the reason of it. After swearing and blustering for some time, he gave his steward a positive but laconic order to get money.