fcribed to the Supreme Deity, are either epithets taken from the qualities attributed to him, or the places where he was worfhiped, or from the actions he had performed, &c. This diverfity of names hath often misled thofe of the learned, who have applied themselves to the ftudy of the Celtic religion, juft in the fame manner as hath happened to thofe, who applied: themselves to the Greek or Roman mythology. In the ancient Icelandic poetry, we find the Supreme God denominated in more than a hundred and twenty-fix different phrafes. They are all enumerated in the Scalda, or Poetic: Dictionary. It would therefore (as Gangler ob ferves) require fome application, to give the reafons of all these different denominations, many of which allude to particular

vents.

THE

THOR, fays

of the northern nations *. The function afcribed to him of launching the thunder, made him pafs for the most warlike and formidable of all the Gods. It was alfo Thor who reigned in the air, diftributed the seasons, and raised or allayed tempests. "Adam of Bremen, is "the God who, accord"ing to these people, .. governs the thunder, "the winds, the rains, "the fair weather, and "harvest." (See Hift. Ecclef.) This Mace or Club, which he hurled against the Giants, and with which he crushed their heads, is doubtless the Thunder, which moft frequently falls upon elevated places. He was in general regarded as a divinity favourable to mankind; as he who guarded them from the attacks of Giants and wicked Genii; whom he never ceafed to encounter and perfue. The name of his palace fignifies, in Gothic, "The place of re"fuge from Terrour." As he was the first-born

of the Supreme God; of to speak in the language of the EDDA, " The "Eldeft of Sons;" the first and principal intelligence proceeding from the union of the Deity with Matter; they have made him a middle divinity, a mediator between God and Men. It is probable that a great many people venerated him alfo, as the intelligence who animated the Sun and Fire. The worship of the Perfians had in this refpect, as in a great many others, the moft exact resemblance to that of this people. The Perfians held, that the most illuftrious of all created intelligences was what they paid homage to under the fymbol of Fire or the Sun, wherein the intelligence refided. They called it Mithr-as, or the Mediator Lord. (The word As still fignifies Lord, in Perfian.) They, as well as the Scandinavians, kept a perpetual and facred fire, in confequence of this perfuafion. The Scythians, according to Herodotus and He

Tychius, adored this divinity under the title of Goeto-Syrus, which fignifies The Good Star. This word Syr, or Seir, which the Perfians employed to denominate the Sun, feems to be the fame with Thor, only in a different dialect. The ancient people of the north pronounced the th in the fame manner as the English do at prefent; not very different from fs. They had a particular character for that letter, which was afterwards loft in the other dialects of the Saxon language. All the Celtic nations have

in like manner,' been accustomed to the worship of the Sun; either as diftinguished from Thor, or confidered as his fymbol. It was a custom that every where prevailed in ancient times, to celebrate

a feaft at the winter fol ftice, by which men testified their joy at seeing this great luminary return again to this part of the heavens. They facrificed horfes to him, as an emblem, fays Herodotus, of the rapidity of this planet. This was

the greatest folemnity in the year. They called it in many places, Yole, or Yuul, from the word Hiaul, or Houl, which even at this day fignifies the SUN, in the languages of Bafs Britagne, and Cornwal *. When the ancient Pagan religion gave place to the Chriftian, the rejoicings, feasts and nocturnal affemblies which that feftival authorifed, indecent as they were, were not fuppreffed, left, by endeavouring to gain all, all fhould be loft.

T.

The