According to the German 'Weland's Saga' (that would be Wayland Smith in England, Volundr in Scandinavia), swan mays are actually valkyries. The saga begins with a trio of valkyries taking a break on their way to some battle, and getting caught by Weland and his brothers who, of course, steal their feathered cloaks to prevent them from returning to swan form.
These guys...
...are actually these guys.
Good to know.
Monday, March 7, 2011
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You don't happen to be reading this online, are you? I'd love to see a link, if you have one.
ReplyDeleteAh...I see Wikipedia is my friend here.
ReplyDeleteI was reading it in a book, actually. Northern Hero Myths, by Otto Jiriczek. But I'm sure Wikipedia covers it as well. :)
ReplyDeleteWow note how much the first one looks like the sorcerers from He-Man.
ReplyDeleteAlso what do you think between this and he portrayal of angels with wings. I know that's a Greek tradition but I wonder what role that played when Christianity spilled into the Nordic lands.
I don't remember reading anything specifically about it, David. But it's worth looking into. The early Christians were pretty adept at adjusting their lore to fit new locales, turning certain gods/goddesses into saints, others into devils. That would fit their MO.
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