"Upon [Naerdha's] brow a star burned white as the fire's heart." (II, p. 557)
"In the end [Naerdha] found [Wotan's] spear floating beneath the evening star." (II, pp. 560-561)
Poul Anderson imaginatively recreates earlier stages of Northern European mythology and the goddess's name changes appropriately.
The following passage brings together the morning and evening stars and is quoted at greater length because of its beauty:
"Mindful of thanks he owed, [Gutherius] raised an altar to Nehalennia, where after each voyage he made generous offering; and whenever he saw the evening star or the morning star shine forth, he bowed low, for they too are Nehalennia's.
"Hers are the trees, the vine, and the fruits thereof. Hers are the sea and the ships that plow it. Hers are the well-being of mortals and peace among them." (III, p. 628)
And this passage shows why some of us appreciate an imaginative polytheism.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Except, of course, real paganism was very seldom like that. And Anderson knew that, as his foreword to HROLF KRAKI'S SAGA made plain.
Ad astra! Sean
Note the linguistic changes Poul follows.
Eg., early in the evolution of Old Norse out of Proto-Germanic, it dropped initial "W", unlike the other Germanic languages.
So Wotan ==> Odhin.
Conversely, southern England is studded with names derived from Wodan. (The mutation of t == d in some circumstances did happen in West Germanic.)
This is equivalent to Proto-Celtic's dropping of initial "P". So Phater ==> aithair.
Just as some English dialects drop initial 'h'. So house ==> 'ouse.
Incidentally, this is one way to spot a loanword and date it.
You can tell the Irish name Padraig (Patrick, as in St. Patrick) is a loanword that came in after this change, because it has an initial "P". It's from Late Latin, in fact, "Patricius", "noble', which became a proper name by St. Patrick's time.
Likewise, there are a number of early Celtic loanwords in Proto-Germanic; words like "iron" and "ruler".
But you can tell they're very early because they undergo the First Germanic Sound Shift.
At the time the early parts of "Star of the Sea" are set, all the Germanics were still speaking Proto-Germanic -- there were only mutually comprehensible dialects of the same language from Scandinavia to the Rhine and Danube.
In Proto-Germanic, the name of that God would be *Wōdanaz, which I think Poul avoided because it wouldn't be easily recognizable to many readers.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I read these comments with interest. So the name of this god evolved roughly like this: Wodunaz--Woden--Wotan. With it changing to Odhin/Odin in Scandinavia.
I thought Patricius/Padraig/Patrick meant "noble father"? And I recalled how St. Martin, in THE KING OF YS, said the young Sucat/Patrick-to-be would be "Christ's patrician."
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: it could mean a number of things, including "father", "noble father", and "noble man".
Late Latin was given to that. For example, the same word could. mean "niece" or "granddaughter" according to context.
As a character in one of my recent books says, "language be tricksy".
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Language can be very tricksy indeed!
And "patrician" applied to members of the upper aristocracy of Rome.
Ad astra! Sean
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