Jacob Grimm
Deutsche Mythologie
Translated as Teutonic Mythology
by James Steven Stalleybrass



[Germanic Astronomy]
  Chapter 15
(An Excerpt)

XV. Heroes
Iring

 

 Widukind of Corvei is the first who gives us out of of old songs the beautiful and truly epic story of the Saxons' victory over the Thuringians, which Ruodolf before him (Pertz 2, 674) had barely touched. Irmenfried, king of the Thuringians, being oppressed by Dieterich, king of the Franks, called the Saxons to his aid: they appeared, and fought valiantly. But he began to waver in his mind, he secretly negotiated a treaty with the Franks, and the two nations were about to unite against the formidable Saxon host. But the Saxons, becoming aware of the treachery, were beforehand; led by the aged Hathugât, they burst into the castle of the Thuringians, and slew them all; the Franks stood still, and applauded the warlike renown of the Saxons. Irmenfried fled, but, enticed by a stratagem, returned to Dieterich's camp. In this camp was staying Irmenfried's counsellor Iring, whose prudent plans had previously rendered him great services. When Irmenfried knelt before Dieterich, Iring stood by, and having been won by Dieterich, slew his own lord. After this deed of horror, the Frankish king banished him from his sight, but Iring said, 'Before I go, I will avenge my master,' drew his sword, stabbed Dieterich dead, laid his lord's body over that of the Frank, so that the vanquished in life might be the victor in death, opened a way for himself with the sword (viam ferro faciens), and escaped. 'Mirari tamen non possumus' adds Widukind, in tantum famam praevaluisse, ut Iringi nomine, quem ita vocitant, lacteus coeli circulus usque in praesens sit notatus, "Whether this narrative should be attached to some belief, I ask the reader, but it cannot fail to surprise us that the saga has gained such importance that  the Milky Way in the sky even at the present day is called by Iring's name." (I, 13) Or, with the Auersberg chronicler: 'famam in tantum praevaluisse, ut lacteus coeli circulus Iringis nomine Iringesstrâza usque in praesens sit vocatus' (sit notatus in Pertz 8, 178).

   

In confirmation, Anglo-Saxon glosses collected by Junius (Symb. 372) give 'via secta ('cut way'): Iringes uuec,' from which Somner and Lye borrow their 'Iringes weg, via secta'. Conf. via sexta iringesuuec, Haupts zeitschrift 5, 195. Unpublished glosses of the Amplonian library at Erfurt (10-11th cent. bl 14ª) have 'via secta: Iuuåringes uueg'; which Iuwaring agrees very remarkably with the later form Euring in Euringsstrass, Aventin 102b 103ª.

In the Nibelungenlied 1285. 1965-2009, these heroes appear again, they are the same, but differently conceived, and more akin to the High German version in Goldast: (32) Iravrit of Düringen and Irinc of Tenemarke, one a landgraf, the other a markgraf, both vassals of Etzel (Attila). The Lied von der klage (threnody) adds, that they had fallen under the ban of the empire, and fled to Hunland; here we see a trace of the banishment that Dieterich pronounced on Iring. In the poems of the 13th century, however, Iring is not a counsellor, still less a traitor and a murderer of Irmenfried: the two are sworn friends, and both fall before the irresistible Hagene and Volker.

  

Add to all this, that Thidrek's Saga, ch. 389 (Vilkinasaga cap. 360), though silent on Irnfried, tells of Irung's last combat with Högni, and makes him sink against a stone wall, which is still called Irûngs veggr in memory of the hero. The Norse redactor confounded vegr (via, 'way') with veggr (murus, 'wall'); his German source must have had Iringes vec, in allusion to the 'cutting his way' in Widukind.

  

So now the road is paved to the conclusions we desire to draw: German legend knew of an Iringes wec on earth and in heaven, so did Anglo-Saxon legend of a double Wætlinga-stræt, and so was the road to Rome and St. James set in the firmament as well. These fancies about ways and wains, we know, are pagan, and indicate god-myths. The Thuringian Irnvrit, originally Irmanfrit, it is reasonable to suppose, is the same as irman, Irmin (conf. Sigfrit, Sigmunt, Sigi), and the Hermunduri = Irman-duri are plainly connected with the Durings (Thuringians): so that Irman assumes a peculiar significance in Thuringian tradition. If this would but tell us of an Irmines wec, all would come right.

  

It does tell, however, in three or four places, of an Iringes wec. The names Irinc and Irmin, apart from the alliteration which doubtless operated in the ancient lay, have nothing in common; the first has a ling î, (33) and of themselves they cannot have represented one another. Now, either the legend has made the two friends change places, and transferred Irmin's way to Iring, or Iring (not uncommon as a man's name too, e.g., Trad. Fuld. 1, 79) is of himself a demigod grown dim, who had a way and wain of his own, as well as Irmin. Only, Irmin's worship seems to have had the deeper foundations, as the image of the Irmansûl sufficiently shows. As the name of a place I find Iringes purc (burg), MB. 7, 47. 157. 138. 231. Iringisperc (berg) 29, 58.

  

Up to this point I have refrained from mentioning some Norse traditions, which have a manifest reference to the earthly hero-path. It had been the custom from of old, for a new king, on assuming the government, to travel the great highway across the country, confirming the people in their privileges (RA. 237-8). This is called in the Old Swedish laws 'Eriksgatu riða,' riding Eric's road. (34) Sweden numbers a host of kings named Erik (ON. Eirîkr), but they are all quite historical, and to none of them can be traced this custom of the Eriksgata. With the royal name of Erik the Swedes must from very early times have associated the idea of a god or deified king; the Vita Anskarii [Life of Anskar]written by his pupil Rimbert, has a remarkable passage on it (chapter 24, Pertz 2, 711). When the adoption of Christianity was proposed to king Olaf about 860, a man of heathen sentiments alleged:

 

"Se in conventu deorum, qui ipsam terram possidere credebantur, et ab eis missum, ut haec regi et populis nunciaret: Vos, inquam, (35) nos vobis propitios diu habuistis, et terram incolatus vestri cum multa abundantia nostro adjutorio in pace et prosperitate longo tempore tenuistis, vos quoque nobis sacrificia et vota debita persolvistis, grataque nobis vestra fuerunt obsequia. At nunc et sacrificia solita subtrahitis, et vota spoutanea segnius offertis, (36) et, quod magis nobis displicet, alienum deum super nos intro ducitis. Si itaque nos vobis propitios habere vultis, sacrificia omissa augete et vota majora persolvite, alterius quoque dei culturam, qui contraria nobis docet, ne apud vos recipiatis et ejus servitio ne intendatis. Porro, si etiam plures deos habere desideratis, et nos vobis non sufficimus, Ericum, quondam regem vestrum, nos unanimes in collegium nostrum asciscimus, (37) ut sit unus de numero deorum."
 

"...that he had been present at a meeting of the gods, who were believed to be the owners of this land, and had been sent by them to make this announcement to the king and the people:
 
"You, I say, have long enjoyed our goodwill, and under our protection the land in which you dwell has long been fertile and has had peace and prosperity. You have also duly sacrificed and performed the vows made to us, and your worship has been well pleasing to us. But now you are keeping back the usual sacrifices and are slothful in paying your freewill offerings ; you are, moreover, displeasing us greatly by introducing a foreign god in order to supplant us. If you desire to enjoy our goodwill, offer the sacrifices that have been omitted and pay greater vows. And do not receive the worship of any other god, who teaches that which is opposed to our teaching, nor pay any attention to his service. Furthermore, if you desire to have more gods and we do not suffice, we will agree to summon your former King Eric [I.e. Eric III, the predecessor of Biörn] to join us so that he may be one of the gods."
[This devilish announcement, which was publicly made on the arrival of the bishop, disturbed the minds of all, and their hearts were deceived and disquieted. For they had resolved to have a temple in honour of the late king, and had begun to render votive offerings and sacrifices to him as to a god.]"
 
I have transcribed the whole passage, because it aptly expresses the attitude of the pagan party, and the lukewarmness already prevailing towards their religion: the heathen priests thought of adding a fresh hero to their throng of gods. (38) This seems to exclude all later Erics from any claim to the Eriksgata; probably there were mixed up even then, at least in Rimbert's mind, traditions of a divine Erik.
 

It can no longer remain doubtful now, that god or divine hero lies hidden in this Erik. I had at one time thought of Er (Mars), because the form Erctag is met with a few times for Ertag (p. 124), but the short vowel in Er, and the long one in Irinc, Eirîkr, are enough to warn us off. Instead of Eriksgata we also meet with Riksgata, and this points decidedly to Rîgr, the earthly name of the god Heimdallr, who in the Edda walks the green roads (grœnar brautir) of earth, to beget the three races of men. In the green earthly roads are mirrored the white and shining paths of heaven. (39) Then the problem started on p. 234, whether the ON. form Rîgr arose out of Irîngr by aphæresis and syncope, now finds a solution approaching to certainty. Heimdallr dwells in Himinbiörg on the quaking roost (Bifröst), the rainbow, which is the bridge or path by which the gods descend from heaven to earth. The rainbow is the celestial ring, as the galaxy is the celestial road, and Heimdalr keeper of that road, Heimdallr is Rîgr = Iring, walking the earth and translated to the skies; now we comprehend, why there lived among the nations many a various tale of Eriksgata, Iringeswec, Iringesstrâza, and was shifted now to one and now to the other celestial phenomenon. Iring, through Iuwaring, borders on Eburðrung the old name of Orion (see Supplement, Vol. IV). And if our heroic legend associates Irmenfrit, i.e., Irmin with Iring, and Irmin-street alternates with Iring-street, then in the god-myth also, there must have existed points of contact between Irmin = Oðinn and Iring = Heimdallr: well, Heimdallr was a son of Oðinn, and the Welsh milky way was actually named after Gwydion, i.e., Wôden. From the Irminsûl four roads branched out across the country, Eriksgata extended in four directions, four such highways are likewise known to English tradition, though it gives the name of Ermingestret to only one, and bestows other mythic titles on the rest. Of Irmin and of Iring, both the divine personality and the lapse into hero nature seem to be made out.
 
ENDNOTES:

32. As already quoted, Deutsches Heldensbuch p. 117.


33. Or iu, as some roots shift from the fourth to the fifth vowel-series (like hîrât and hiurât, now both heirat and heurat; or tir and týr, p. 196), so Iurinc (expanded into Iuwarinc, as the OHG. poss. pron. iur into iuwar); so in the 16-17th cent. Eiring alternates with Euring. A few MSS. read Hiring for Iring, like Hirmin for Irmin, but I have never seen a Heuring for Euring, or it might have suggested a Saxon hevenring, as the rainbow is called the ring of heaven. An old AS. name for Orion, Eburðrung, Ebirðring, seems somehow connected, especially with the Iuwaring above.


34. The venerable custom still prevailed in the 15-16th cent. : 'statuta provincialium generose confirmavit et sigillavit in equitatu qui dicitur Eriksgata,' Diarium Vazstenense ad an. 1441 (ed. Benzel, Ups. 1721) p. 86. 'Rex Christoferus Sueciae et Daciae equitatum fecit qui dicitur Eriksgata secundum leges patriae,' ibid. ad an. 1442. Even Gustavus Vasa rode his Eriksgata.

35. For inquimus, as elsewhere inquit for inquiunt.


36. Votum, what an individual offers, as opposed to the sacrificium presented publicly and jointly; conf. supra, p. 57.

37. So king Hâkon is admitted into the society of gods, Hermôðr and Bragi go to meet him: 'siti Hâkon með heiðin goð' (Hâkonarmâl).


38. Dahlmann guesses it may be the Upsal Erik (d. 804).

39. Altdeustches blätter 1, 372-3.
 

[The Milky Way] [Germanic Astronomy]