Читать книгу The Gods of the North: an epic poem - Adam Oehlenschläger - Страница 6

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Finn Magnussen says in his notes to the Vaftrudnismal, speaking of the Einherier and their amusements: “This account of the amusements of the heroes in Valhalla seems, with respect to the ideas of our forefathers about the games suited to warriors, to correspond perfectly with Xenophon’s relation of the warlike diversions of the Thracians, at a great banquet in his time. These are his words: ‘A large round table was prepared; the guests sat round it on benches strewed with leaves, and drank out of large drinking-horns. After they had drank in honour of the gods, and sung to them hymns of praise, the most distinguished Thracians rose up, and began to dance and put on their armour, leaped up and down, and fought with naked swords. One cut at another, who immediately fell in such a manner, that we all thought he was slain; but it was merely a feigned death in a mimicked fight. Then the Paphlagonians gave a great shout. The conquerors stripped the conquered of their armour, and chaunted a hymn in honour of Sitalka; but the other Thracians bore out the fallen, and stretched them out, as if they were dead, although no mischief had happened.’ ”

(Xenophon’s Anabasis, book VI.)

“After that, other warlike spectacles and dances took place, in which women, who were real Amazons, took part. As such games were the delight of the Thracians on the borders of the Black Sea, who were either closely related to the Goths or the same people, so were they also among the customs of our forefathers; at least their ideas of the glories and delights of Valhalla seem to confirm it.”