As Helgi enters Uppsala, lur horns low. It is a big, sprawling, busy town with timber houses usually two stories high. The gloomy ways between are full of people and swine. On a hill outside the town, the biggest temple in Northern Europe has piled roofs with gold-sheathed gables and monster-headed beam-ends and tall wooden images of twelve high gods although Anderson names only seven and includes Aegir of the Sea who I thought was a giant although he clearly deserves honor as the equivalent of Lir or Poseidon/Neptune.
Four gods are accompanied by their symbol:
Odin with the Spear;
Thor with the Hammer;
Frey on his boar;
Heimdall with the Gjallar Horn.
Frey also has something else which I prefer not to mention. The other two gods are Baldr and Tyr.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
The image of Uppsala Cathedral seen here is actually the second cathedral, building of which started in the 1270's. The first cathedral was built at a different location, the site of the pagan temple you mentioned. The original site was thought too small for the second cathedral.
Sean
Sean,
Interesting history.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
But I forgot to find out what happened to the original site of the first cathedral, whether another church was built on the site.
Sean
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