Saturday 9 May 2020

A New Heaven And A New Earth

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
-copied from here.
 
After Ragnarok, the returning or surviving gods are Baldr, Hoth, Honir, Odin's nephews. (Later: I must have meant Odin's grandsons.) and a mighty lord who comes on high, all power to hold, all lands to rule. The author of Voluspa can, like Virgil, be seen as a pagan prophet but post-Christians can simply appreciate the connections between mythologies.
-copied from here.

"'...the spaewife who made known to me what shall be has foretold that at the downfall of the gods, you will go home to your Vanir; and when the new world rises from the sea and Baldr comes back from the dead, you will be there to help build its peace.'"
-Poul Anderson, War Of The Gods (New York, 1999), XXXV, pp. 297-298.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I remember that bit from the ELDER EDDA, the "Voluspa." Some critics detect Christian influence in that part, most likely from Scandinavians getting some familiarity with
Christian beliefs. Perhaps some time after AD 900?

Ad astra! Sean