No-one except Thor Heyerdahl, according to a most erudite friend, takes seriously Snorri Sturluson's contention the "Aesir" came to Scandinavia from the Black Sea region. Why not? Grant that elements of Yngling Saga are (perhaps) obviously fanciful: Snorri's etymology of "Aesir" as deriving from "Asia;" the fact that some of his early Norse kings (particularly "Odin") were potent sorcerers; and so on. What remains? The legend of an ancient migration. Couldn't Snorri's account be based on oral or even written traditions that, in turn, are rooted in historical reality? Why is it far fetched to imagine that some Scandinavians, at least, are descended from a tribe or tribes wandering from the Black Sea? They had to come from somewhere.
Ilium, once, was also just a myth, until it was proved true. Or true enough.
I prefer to believe that "Odin" was a real person, or an amalgam, that time and liberal retellings of his deeds gradually elevated him to the status of a god--indeed, the greatest of gods--and that the Christian Snorri, intentionally or not, struck close to historical truth by demoting him back to a mere king.
Where does he mention the Aesir and the Vanir? I thought they were always divine, and not 'from' any part of earth. They suckled on the divine cow or whatnot.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between the Scandinavians and the Russians is a hot topic. My teacher suggested that the Swedes that traded down the Volga and with Constantinople (Myklegaard) were the ancestors of Russians; thus all the blondes. The Russians are generally insulted by this though, and will only concede to the idea of interbreeding.
I have not yet read Heyerdahl's "Search for Odin," only about it. I don't know whether he mentions the Vanir. As I understand it, Heyerdahl claims that the gods were prehistoric chieftains who, over time, came to be remembered as divinities. This theory on the origin of gods(called "Euhemerism" after an ancient Greek philospher) is far from unique to Heyerdal, and seems plausible to me (although undoubtedly the whole truth is more complex).
ReplyDeleteI was aware of the Swedes in Russia controversy. They were certainly there, trading along the rivers,and it's undoubtedly true that many Russians have Swedish ancestors. As I understand it, the controversy surrounds just how great an impact they had on Russian history. I'm going to attempt to tackle this on my chapter on Rurik. I will also probably touch on it in my chapters on Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII.