The two charms translated in the text are remnants of a kind of incantation whose origins must be looked for in the pagan past of the Germanic races. They are echoes of the solemn chant that anciently accompanied religious processions, and properly represent the earliest and most primitive strata of Old English poetry. In the form in which they have been handed down they are much overlaid with Christian lore, but it is not difficult to recognize the primitive mythologic strata. The Christian church made no attempt ruthlessly to eradicate all ancient beliefs and practices. Pope Gregory advised the English Christians to consecrate the places of pagan ritual to the new religion, but not to destroy them; to respect the ancient forest sanctuaries and sacrifices, and to proceed everywhere with restraint and moderation. This explains the strange medley of Christian and Pagan conceptions so common in Old English literature.
Cockayneâs Leechdoms, Wortcunning and Starcraft of Early England (London, 1866) contains an interesting collection of charms, spells, cures, etc. On the subject of Germanic charms consult Gummereâs Germanic Origins (Scribnerâs, 1891), pp. 373 ff. and 405 ff., where both of our charms are translated in full, and commented on.
1. Erce Erce. An unexplained term, probably the name of an ancient Earth-goddess. We are reminded of a famous passage in the of Tacitus (cap. 40) where he describes the cult of the Earth-goddess Nerthus, as practised by the Ingvaeonic races of the North Sea coast. ãAll of these people 381 (among them ÎAngliiâ) worship Nerthus, i.e. mother earth. They believe that she intervenes in human affairs, and visits the people.ä [in commune Nerthum, id est terram matrem colunt, camque intervenire rebus hominum, et inveni populis arbitrantur.] Like the Norse Freyja, she is a kind of Germanic Demeter (Koegel), a goddess of earth and mother of vegetation. In the springtime she holds her progress, and is welcomed everywhere with eager joy, for in the tracks of her chariot drawn by cows, ancient symbols of fertility, rich harvests spring up. When she has blessed meadow and field, she returns to her underworld home beneath the surface of a lonely mere.
2 — 17. Hail to thee, Earth, mother of men. According to Tacitus, the Germanic peoples believed mankind to be descended from Tuisto, whose mother was the earth. In Chaucerâs Pardonerâs tale (see p. 217), the old man knocks with this staff on the ground, ãwhich is my moodres gateä and says ãLeeve mooder, leet me in,ä and it is quite possible that in the poetic figure there lurks a reminiscence of the old pagan notion of the earth mother of men. The next lines in the charm are pure pagan, and reveal the same conception that underlies the myth of Freyr and Gertha in the Icelandic Skirnismal. Freyr the son of Njord (another form of the root found in Nerthus) is the god of the fertilizing rain, and then of fertility in general. He rides on the ship Skidbladnir (the cloud), which he can fold and slip into his pocket when his journey is done. His flashing sword is the sunshine, that comes after the rain to make the world green. His sword he gives to his servant Skirnir (the polisher, burnisher, cleanser), who is to woo for him the beautiful giantsâ daughter Gerd (the plant-world, released by the sunshine from the fetters of the wintry frost-giants). In the last lines the Christian coloring again predominates.
The rheumatism to be cured is thought to be caused by the darts of the ãmighty womenä that ride through the air. 382 ãHexenschussä (Hagshot), and ãHexensticjä (Hagstitch), are still popular names in Germany for rheumatism. It is possible that there is in this charm a faint reminiscence of the northern myth of the Valkyrias, the shield-maidens of Odin, who bring to Valhalla (hall of the slain), the heroes that fall in the battle.
`In one of the Eddic songs we read of a band of Valkyrias riding through the air and led by a maiden with a gleaming gold helmet. ãTheir chargers tossed their heads; from their manes the dew dropped into the deep valleys.ä In an Old High German charm for the release of prisoners, three bands of ãaugust womenä are described settling down upon earth, and helping the warriors against the foe. With the introduction of Christianity, the ãaugust womenä and the shield-maidens of Odin degenerated into hags and witches who send their darts into the vitals of unwary mortals.
(See the whole poem in Standard English Poems, p. 112.)
`3. — 26. Shot of Esa, i.e. of the gods. ãEsaã is gen. pl. The nom. pl. would be Es (Susan note e with dot over it). The sing. ãOsã is preserved in proper names, Oswald, Oscar, etc. In Old German the root appeared as ãans,ä preserved in Anselm (Ans-helm). The Norse pl. is Æsir. In the Eddas the Esir are specialized into war-sprites, while the spirits of nature kindly to man, like Njord and Freyr, are called ãVanir.ä — 27. Shot of Elves. In the Eddas ãEsir ok alfar,ä i.e. gods and elves, are often mentioned together. The sing., Ælf, ius preserved in Æfred, i.e. the Elf-counselled, the Elf-wise, and in Alberich, i.e. the ruler of Elves. Originally friendly beings, they have become malicious sprites in our charm, together with the Æsir. In Scotland flint arrow-heads, relics of an earlier age, are called 383 elf-arrows or elf-bolts, and they are supposed to be hurled not only at human beings, but especially at cattle.
34. Witch fly away. In old German, witches are called wood-wives, and were supposed to inhabit the wild forest. We must not lay too much stress on the echoes of the Valkyria myth in our charm. Even before the introduction of Christianity, Germanic folklore had its wicked women and wood-wives, who had nothing to do with the shield-maidens of Norse mythology. The Norse had their ãsvart-alfar,ä black or wicked elves, as well as their ãljos-alfar,ä light or good elves. ãThe heathen Teuton saw all round him a varied race of demons (especially wood-sprites such as O.H.G. haga-zussa, O.E. haegtes, i.e, German hexe, witch and Goth. haljaruna, O.H.G. helleruna, O.E. hellerune) in their several haunts, against whose malignant power his only resource was zealous devotion to witchcraft.ä — KAUFMANN, Northern Mythology, Temple Primers, p. 118.
`In the Havamal, one of the Eddic poems, there is an interesting allusion to just such a ãspellã as is preserved in our charm. The poet says:
`Other charms he claims to know which have the power of releasing foot from fetter, hand from haft, and of checking an arrow in full flight.