Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1999, Blaðsíða 52

32
Part One
cording to Riihs there was no doubt that they were composed and writ-
ten down by Christians, which explains why the heathen gods are fre-
quently seen in a comic light and why the mythology is mixed up with
Christian and antique elements. Eddie mythology must not, therefore, be
mistaken for Old Norse religion, he maintained, apart from some stray
elements from popular belief which may have found their way into a
few poems (Riihs 1813: 35). This is an important, “modem” point of
view already found in his study of Scandinavian history (1801: 77). The
myths had been invented in order to embellish the poetic language, he
thought, which provided a plausible explanation for the striking toler-
ance of the clergy; the myths were concemed merely with literature, not
religion (Riihs 1812: 128, 141). “According to its origin, mythology is
not a means in the service of poetic or pictorial art, it is poetry or picture
itself.”9
A further consequence was that the men of the Church would feel no
more guilty in composing mythological poems than in writing them
down.10 Like Adelung, Riihs pointed to Solarljod as a typical mixed
product, and saw no reason for assuming that this poem was later than
other Eddie poems, as he believed it was transmitted in the same manu-
scripts (Riihs 1812: 128-29).* 11 Even Vgluspa might have been knocked
together by some “brainless and tasteless monk”.12 Neither could skaldic
poetry warrant the authenticity of the Edda because skaldic stanzas may
be spurious; an obvious example is the stanza said to be composed by
the three-year-old Egill Skallagrimsson. Also Snorri may have com-
posed stanzas attributed to other skalds.13
9 “Die Mythologie ist, ihrem Ursprunge nach, nicht ein Hiilfsmittel fur die dichtende oder
darstellende Kunst, sondem Dichtung oder Darstellung selbst” (Riihs 1803: 124).
10 “Waren jene Mythen also nur fur die Dichter bestimmt, so konnten die Geistlichen sich
unbedenklich diesem Spiel der Phantasie, zur Lust und Erheiterung tiberlassen, das ihr Ge-
wissen nicht beeintrachtigte” (Riihs 1812: 129).
11 This is not true, as Solarljod now is preserved only in paper manuscripts; but this mis-
understanding, originating in Adelung, persisted as late as in Ettmiiller (1847: 62): “So fin-
det sich denn in der That dieses Gedicht [Solarljod] in allen Handschriften der Samun-
dischen Edda”.
12 “[...] es ist mir wahrscheinlicher, daB irgend ein kopf- und geschmackloser Monch [...]
die ganze Dichtung zusammengewebt hat” (Riihs 1801: 116-17).
13 Riihs 1812: 97, 99. Also this argument goes back to Adelung, who suspected even
Snorri of composing most of his skaldic references - at least those attributed to PjoSolfr -
as a pastime in the long winter evenings (Adelung 1797b: 162).