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Forseti

January 01, 1970

Forseti (Old Norse "the presiding one", "president" in modern Icelandic and Faroese) is the god of justice and reconciliation in Norse mythology. He is generally identified with Fosite, a god of the Frisians.

Forseti, 1680
Forseti Seated in Judgment (1881) by Carl Emil Doepler

Name edit

Grimm took Forseti, "praeses, princeps", to be the older form of the name, first postulating the Old High German equivalent *forasizo (cf. modern German Vorsitzender "one who presides", Old English fore-sittan 'to preside').[1] but later preferring a derivation from fors, a "whirling stream" or "cataract", connected to the spring and the god's veneration by seagoing peoples.[2] It is plausible that Fosite is the older name and Forseti a folk etymology.[3] According to the German philologist Hans Kuhn the Germanic form Fosite is linguistically identical to Greek Poseidon, hence the original name may have been introduced before the Proto-Germanic sound change, possibly via Greek sailors purchasing amber (cf. Phol as a cognate of Baldr).[4][5] The etymologist Wolfgang Laur, is highly critical, however, as the names of Germanic gods are composed almost exclusively of Germanic components. According to Laur, the name Forseti remains largely unexplained.[6]

Old Norse Forseti edit

According to Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda,[7] Forseti is the son of Baldr and Nanna. His is the best of courts; all those who come before him leave reconciled. This suggests skill in mediation and is in contrast to his fellow god Týr, who "is not called a reconciler of men."[8] However, as de Vries points out, the only basis for associating Forseti with justice seems to have been his name; there is no corroborating evidence in Norse mythology.[9] 'Puts to sleep all suits' or 'stills all strifes' may have been a late addition to the strophe Snorri cites, from which he derives the information.[10]

The first element in the name Forsetlund (Old Norse Forsetalundr), a farm in the parish of Onsøy ('Odin's island'), in eastern Norway, seems to be the genitive case of Forseti, offering evidence he was worshipped there.[10][11]

Glitnir edit

Glitnir (meaning "one who shines")[12] is the hall of Forseti, and the seat of justice amongst gods and men. It is also noted to have been a place of dwelling for Baldr, Forseti's father in Norse and Germanic mythologies. Glitnir is symbolic of the importance of discussion rather than violence as a means of resolution of conflict within the Norse tradition. It has pillars of gold and is roofed with silver, which radiated light that could be seen from a great distance.[13] The stories of Baldr and his son Forseti may have been contaminated with legends about king Guðmundr and his son Höfundr ('the judge'), who inhabited the otherworld land of Glæsisvellir.

Frisian Fosite edit

According to Alcuin's Life of St. Willebrord, the saint visited an island between Frisia and Denmark that was sacred to Fosite and was called Fositesland after the god worshipped there. There was a sacred spring from which water had to be drawn in silence, it was so holy. Willebrord defiled the spring by baptizing people in it and killing a cow there.[10] Altfrid tells the same story of St. Liudger.[14] Adam of Bremen retells the story and adds that the island was Heiligland, i.e., Heligoland.[15]

There is also a late-medieval legend of the origins of written Frisian laws. Wishing to assemble written lawcodes for all his subject peoples, Charlemagne summoned twelve representatives of the Frisian people, the asega's ('law-speakers'), and demanded they recite their people's laws. When they could not do so after several days, he let them choose between death, slavery, or being set adrift in a rudderless boat. They chose the last and prayed for help, whereupon a thirteenth man appeared, with a golden axe on his shoulder. He steered the boat to land with the axe, then threw it ashore; a spring appeared where it landed. He taught them laws and then disappeared.[16][17] The stranger and the spring have traditionally been identified with Fosite and the sacred spring of Fositesland.

This hypothesis has not met with universal acceptance.[18]

Reception edit

Jacob Grimm noted that if, as Adam of Bremen states, Fosite's sacred island was Heligoland, that would make him an ideal candidate for a deity known to both Frisians and Scandinavians, but that it is surprising he is never mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus.[19]

In modern culture edit

The German neofolk band Forseti named itself after the god.[20]

In the 2002 Ensemble Studios game Age of Mythology, Forseti is one of 9 minor gods Norse players can worship.[21][22][23]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Grimm, p. 231.
  2. ^ Grimm, p. 232, note 2; volume 4 (Supplement, 1883) p. 1360.
  3. ^ Jan de Vries, Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, volume 2, 2nd ed. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1957, repr. 1970, p. 283 (in German).
  4. ^ Hans Kuhn, Kleine Schriften IV: Aufsätze aus den Jahren 1968-1976, ed. D. Hofmann, Berlin/New York 1978, p. 186-188.
  5. ^ Ludwig Rübekeil, "Scandinavia in the Light of Ancient Tradition", translated by James E. Cohen, in The Nordic Languages, ed. Oscar Bandle et al., Walter de Gruyter, Berlin and New York. 2002. p. 598.
  6. ^ Wolfgang Laur, Germanische Heiligtümer und Religion im Spiegel der Ortsnamen: Schleswig-Holstein, nördliches Niedersachsen und Dänemark, Neumünster 2001, p. 84.
  7. ^ Gylfaginning ch. 32: text and translation online at voluspa.org.
  8. ^ Gylfaginning ch. 25, tr. Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, online at voluspa.org.
  9. ^ De Vries, p. 283.
  10. ^ a b c Hilda R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, London: Pelican, 1964, repr. Penguin, 1990, ISBN 0-14-013627-4; repr. as Gods and Myths of the Viking Age, New York: Bell, 1981, ISBN 0-517-33644-8, p. 171.
  11. ^ E.O.G. Turville-Petre,Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia, London, Weidenfeld, 1964, p. 238.
  12. ^ Guðrún Kvaran. "Hvað merkir orðið Glitnir og hvaðan er það upprunnið?". Vísindavefurinn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  13. ^ . Northvegr. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  14. ^ De Vries, p. 282.
  15. ^ Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum Book IV (Descriptio insularum aquilonis), ch. 3.
  16. ^ Ellis Davidson, pp. 171-72.
  17. ^ Thomas L. Mackey, Frisian, Trends in Linguistics, The Hague: Mouton, 1981, ISBN 90-279-3128-3, pp. 63-64 calls this "the king Karl and King Redbad episode" and notes there are several versions.
  18. ^ Willy Krogmann, 'Die friesische Sage von der Findung des Rechts', in: Zeitschrift für Rechtsgeschichte, Germanische Abteilung 84 (1967), pp. 72-127.
  19. ^ Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology, tr. James Steven Stallybrass, volume 1 London: Bell, 1882, p. 231.
  20. ^ Andreas Diesel, Dieter Gerten. Looking for Europe: Neofolk und Hintergründe. Index Verlag 2007. p. 217 ISBN 978-393687802-8
  21. ^ "The Minor Gods: Norse - Age of Mythology Wiki Guide - IGN".
  22. ^ "Age of Mythology".
  23. ^ "Age of Mythology Reference Manual".

External links edit

  •   The dictionary definition of forseti at Wiktionary
  •   Media related to Forseti at Wikimedia Commons

January 01, 1970
forseti, norse, presiding, president, modern, icelandic, faroese, justice, reconciliation, norse, mythology, generally, identified, with, fosite, frisians, 1680, seated, judgment, 1881, carl, emil, doepler, contents, name, norse, glitnir, frisian, fosite, rece. Forseti Old Norse the presiding one president in modern Icelandic and Faroese is the god of justice and reconciliation in Norse mythology He is generally identified with Fosite a god of the Frisians Forseti 1680Forseti Seated in Judgment 1881 by Carl Emil Doepler Contents 1 Name 2 Old Norse Forseti 2 1 Glitnir 3 Frisian Fosite 4 Reception 5 In modern culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksName editGrimm took Forseti praeses princeps to be the older form of the name first postulating the Old High German equivalent forasizo cf modern German Vorsitzender one who presides Old English fore sittan to preside 1 but later preferring a derivation from fors a whirling stream or cataract connected to the spring and the god s veneration by seagoing peoples 2 It is plausible that Fosite is the older name and Forseti a folk etymology 3 According to the German philologist Hans Kuhn the Germanic form Fosite is linguistically identical to Greek Poseidon hence the original name may have been introduced before the Proto Germanic sound change possibly via Greek sailors purchasing amber cf Phol as a cognate of Baldr 4 5 The etymologist Wolfgang Laur is highly critical however as the names of Germanic gods are composed almost exclusively of Germanic components According to Laur the name Forseti remains largely unexplained 6 Old Norse Forseti editAccording to Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda 7 Forseti is the son of Baldr and Nanna His is the best of courts all those who come before him leave reconciled This suggests skill in mediation and is in contrast to his fellow god Tyr who is not called a reconciler of men 8 However as de Vries points out the only basis for associating Forseti with justice seems to have been his name there is no corroborating evidence in Norse mythology 9 Puts to sleep all suits or stills all strifes may have been a late addition to the strophe Snorri cites from which he derives the information 10 The first element in the name Forsetlund Old Norse Forsetalundr a farm in the parish of Onsoy Odin s island in eastern Norway seems to be the genitive case of Forseti offering evidence he was worshipped there 10 11 Glitnir edit Glitnir meaning one who shines 12 is the hall of Forseti and the seat of justice amongst gods and men It is also noted to have been a place of dwelling for Baldr Forseti s father in Norse and Germanic mythologies Glitnir is symbolic of the importance of discussion rather than violence as a means of resolution of conflict within the Norse tradition It has pillars of gold and is roofed with silver which radiated light that could be seen from a great distance 13 The stories of Baldr and his son Forseti may have been contaminated with legends about king Gudmundr and his son Hofundr the judge who inhabited the otherworld land of Glaesisvellir Frisian Fosite editAccording to Alcuin s Life of St Willebrord the saint visited an island between Frisia and Denmark that was sacred to Fosite and was called Fositesland after the god worshipped there There was a sacred spring from which water had to be drawn in silence it was so holy Willebrord defiled the spring by baptizing people in it and killing a cow there 10 Altfrid tells the same story of St Liudger 14 Adam of Bremen retells the story and adds that the island was Heiligland i e Heligoland 15 There is also a late medieval legend of the origins of written Frisian laws Wishing to assemble written lawcodes for all his subject peoples Charlemagne summoned twelve representatives of the Frisian people the asega s law speakers and demanded they recite their people s laws When they could not do so after several days he let them choose between death slavery or being set adrift in a rudderless boat They chose the last and prayed for help whereupon a thirteenth man appeared with a golden axe on his shoulder He steered the boat to land with the axe then threw it ashore a spring appeared where it landed He taught them laws and then disappeared 16 17 The stranger and the spring have traditionally been identified with Fosite and the sacred spring of Fositesland This hypothesis has not met with universal acceptance 18 Reception editJacob Grimm noted that if as Adam of Bremen states Fosite s sacred island was Heligoland that would make him an ideal candidate for a deity known to both Frisians and Scandinavians but that it is surprising he is never mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus 19 In modern culture editThe German neofolk band Forseti named itself after the god 20 In the 2002 Ensemble Studios game Age of Mythology Forseti is one of 9 minor gods Norse players can worship 21 22 23 See also edit nbsp Mythology portal Poetic EddaReferences edit Grimm p 231 Grimm p 232 note 2 volume 4 Supplement 1883 p 1360 Jan de Vries Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte volume 2 2nd ed Berlin de Gruyter 1957 repr 1970 p 283 in German Hans Kuhn Kleine Schriften IV Aufsatze aus den Jahren 1968 1976 ed D Hofmann Berlin New York 1978 p 186 188 Ludwig Rubekeil Scandinavia in the Light of Ancient Tradition translated by James E Cohen in The Nordic Languages ed Oscar Bandle et al Walter de Gruyter Berlin and New York 2002 p 598 Wolfgang Laur Germanische Heiligtumer und Religion im Spiegel der Ortsnamen Schleswig Holstein nordliches Niedersachsen und Danemark Neumunster 2001 p 84 Gylfaginning ch 32 text and translation online at voluspa org Gylfaginning ch 25 tr Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur online at voluspa org De Vries p 283 a b c Hilda R Ellis Davidson Gods and Myths of Northern Europe London Pelican 1964 repr Penguin 1990 ISBN 0 14 013627 4 repr as Gods and Myths of the Viking Age New York Bell 1981 ISBN 0 517 33644 8 p 171 E O G Turville Petre Myth and Religion of the North The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia London Weidenfeld 1964 p 238 Gudrun Kvaran Hvad merkir ordid Glitnir og hvadan er thad upprunnid Visindavefurinn in Icelandic Retrieved 2020 03 27 Grimm s TM Chap 11 Northvegr Archived from the original on 2008 05 17 Retrieved 2018 05 24 De Vries p 282 Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum Book IV Descriptio insularum aquilonis ch 3 Ellis Davidson pp 171 72 Thomas L Mackey Frisian Trends in Linguistics The Hague Mouton 1981 ISBN 90 279 3128 3 pp 63 64 calls this the king Karl and King Redbad episode and notes there are several versions Willy Krogmann Die friesische Sage von der Findung des Rechts in Zeitschrift fur Rechtsgeschichte Germanische Abteilung 84 1967 pp 72 127 Jacob Grimm Teutonic Mythology tr James Steven Stallybrass volume 1 London Bell 1882 p 231 Andreas Diesel Dieter Gerten Looking for Europe Neofolk und Hintergrunde Index Verlag 2007 p 217 ISBN 978 393687802 8 The Minor Gods Norse Age of Mythology Wiki Guide IGN Age of Mythology Age of Mythology Reference Manual External links edit nbsp The dictionary definition of forseti at Wiktionary nbsp Media related to Forseti at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Forseti amp oldid 1220813457 Glitnir, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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