DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0112
Iupiter-Columns 63
with his club is Donar as the stormy god of autumn1; and that
consequence the Heerstrasse, Helweg, Wagenpat, etc. {id. ib. p. 241, cp. p. 238), it
becomes probable that Platon's myth of the soul-procession following the chariot of Zeus
along the Milky Way {supra p. 43 f.) presupposes a popular belief akin to that of the
Furious Host. If so, the earliest allusion to das tuiitende Heer is not after all the feralis
exercitits of Tac. Germ. 43, but the arpanct deu>i> re nai Baifxovwv of Plat. Phaedr. 246 E.
See further K. Dilthey ' Die Artemis des Apelles und die wilde Jagd ' in the Rhein. Mus.
1870 xxv. 321 ff., P. Sartori ' Das wilde Heer ' in the Zeitschri/t des Vereins fur Volks-
kunde 1894 iv. 289—292, L. Weniger 'Feralis exercitus ' in the Archiv f. Rel. 1906 ix.
201 — 247 ('Das schwarze Heer der Harier'), 1907 x. 61—81 and 229—256 ('Das weisse
Heer der Phoker') with L. R. Farnell in The Years Work in Class. Stud. 1907 p. 63.
On the common equation of Wodan with Mercurius see J. Grimm Teutonic Mythology
trans. J. S. Stallybrass London 1882 i. 119 ff., E. H. Meyer Germanische Mytliologic
Berlin 1891 p. 229 f., W. Golther Handbuch der ger/nanisehcn Mythologie Leipzig 1895
p. 295 n. 2, K. Miillenhoff Deutsche Altertumskunde Berlin 1900 iv. 2 12 f., P. D. Chantepie
de la Saussaye The Religion of the Teutons Boston and London 1902 pp. 103, 221 f.,
E. Mogk in the Grundriss der germanischen Philologie'1 Herausgegeben von II. Faul
Strassburg 1900 iii. 331, R. M. Meyer Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte Leipzig 1910
p. 226, K. Helm Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte Heidelberg 1913 i. 259, 356 ff.
1 The Germanic god *pimaraz bore a name derived from the Indo-Europaean root
*{s)te?i-, 'to growl, to roar' (Walde Lat. etym. Worterb. p. 630 f. s.v. 'tono'), which
occurs in Norse as porr (for * ponraz), on the larger fibula from Nordendorf in Bavaria
as ponar (R. Henning Die deutschen Runendenkmaler Strassburg 1889 p. 102, G. Stephens
The Old-Northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England ed. S. O. M. Soderberg
London 1901 iv. 9), in a Saxon baptismal vow as Tinnier (K. Miillenhoff—W. Scherer
Denkmiiler deutscher Poesic itnd Prosa aits dem viii—xii fahrhundert3 Berlin 1892 i. 19N,
ii. 316 ff. no. Li), in Old English as Thunor (cp. J. M. Kemble The Saxons in England'1
London 1876 i. 346 ff.), and in Germanic designations for the fifth clay of the week (Old
High German Donarestac, Old Frisian Thunresdey, Anglo-Saxon Thunresdxg, Norse
porsdagr). These names, as J. Grimm long ago pointed out (J. Grimm ' Uber die Namen
des Donners' in his Kleinere Schriften Berlin 1865 ii. 410 ff. and in his Teutonic-
Mythology trans. J. S. Stallybrass London 1882 i. 166), stand in obvious relation to the
Germanic words for 'thunder' (Old High German donar, Middle High German doner,
Anglo-Saxon Jmnor). Since, however, the name of a natural phenomenon raised to the
rank of a personal deity tends to drop out of common parlance (II. Usener Gotternamen
Bonn 1896 p. 316 f.), it has been conjectured that the living words Donner, thunder, etc.
have come from the name of the god, not vice versa (K. Helm Altgermanische Religions-
geschichte Heidelberg 1913 i. 275 11.86). In any case Donar was essentially a thunder-god.
Not impossibly he, like Wodan {supra p. 62 n. 1), was a by-form differentiated from
the early Germanic sky-god Ziu (so E. Mogk in the Grundriss der germanischen Philologie-
Herausgegeben von H. Paul Strassburg 1900 iii. 354).
In common with many another storm-god Donar was also a fertilising power (E. Mogk
in Hoops Reallex. i. 481, K. Helm Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte Heidelberg 1913
i. 278 f.): cp. Thor, who fructifies the bride (E. H. Meyer Germanisclie Mythologie
Berlin 1891 p. 212 b, W. Golther Handbuch der germaiiischeu Mythologie Leipzig 1895
p. 251 f.), brings to life again his team of goats that have been cooked in a cauldron
(W. Golther ib. p. 276), etc. Such a divinity, storm-god and fertility-god in one, might
well serve as the Germanic i-epresentative of autumn.
As regards the interpretatio Romana, Donar was at first perhaps equated with Volcanus
(Caes. de bell. Gall. 6. 21, cp. H. Rueckert Ctilturgeschichte des deutschen Volkes in der
Zeit des Uebergangs aus dem Heidenthum in das Christenthum Leipzig 1853 i. 126), then
with Hercules (Tac. Germ. 3, 9, 34 (?), ann. 2. 12, cp. E. H. Meyer Germanische
Mythologie Berlin 1891 pp. 202, 211, P. D. Chantepie de la Saussaye The Religion of the
Teutons Boston and London 1902 pp. 1036°., 235, 239 n. 3, E. Mogk in the Grundriss
with his club is Donar as the stormy god of autumn1; and that
consequence the Heerstrasse, Helweg, Wagenpat, etc. {id. ib. p. 241, cp. p. 238), it
becomes probable that Platon's myth of the soul-procession following the chariot of Zeus
along the Milky Way {supra p. 43 f.) presupposes a popular belief akin to that of the
Furious Host. If so, the earliest allusion to das tuiitende Heer is not after all the feralis
exercitits of Tac. Germ. 43, but the arpanct deu>i> re nai Baifxovwv of Plat. Phaedr. 246 E.
See further K. Dilthey ' Die Artemis des Apelles und die wilde Jagd ' in the Rhein. Mus.
1870 xxv. 321 ff., P. Sartori ' Das wilde Heer ' in the Zeitschri/t des Vereins fur Volks-
kunde 1894 iv. 289—292, L. Weniger 'Feralis exercitus ' in the Archiv f. Rel. 1906 ix.
201 — 247 ('Das schwarze Heer der Harier'), 1907 x. 61—81 and 229—256 ('Das weisse
Heer der Phoker') with L. R. Farnell in The Years Work in Class. Stud. 1907 p. 63.
On the common equation of Wodan with Mercurius see J. Grimm Teutonic Mythology
trans. J. S. Stallybrass London 1882 i. 119 ff., E. H. Meyer Germanische Mytliologic
Berlin 1891 p. 229 f., W. Golther Handbuch der ger/nanisehcn Mythologie Leipzig 1895
p. 295 n. 2, K. Miillenhoff Deutsche Altertumskunde Berlin 1900 iv. 2 12 f., P. D. Chantepie
de la Saussaye The Religion of the Teutons Boston and London 1902 pp. 103, 221 f.,
E. Mogk in the Grundriss der germanischen Philologie'1 Herausgegeben von II. Faul
Strassburg 1900 iii. 331, R. M. Meyer Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte Leipzig 1910
p. 226, K. Helm Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte Heidelberg 1913 i. 259, 356 ff.
1 The Germanic god *pimaraz bore a name derived from the Indo-Europaean root
*{s)te?i-, 'to growl, to roar' (Walde Lat. etym. Worterb. p. 630 f. s.v. 'tono'), which
occurs in Norse as porr (for * ponraz), on the larger fibula from Nordendorf in Bavaria
as ponar (R. Henning Die deutschen Runendenkmaler Strassburg 1889 p. 102, G. Stephens
The Old-Northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England ed. S. O. M. Soderberg
London 1901 iv. 9), in a Saxon baptismal vow as Tinnier (K. Miillenhoff—W. Scherer
Denkmiiler deutscher Poesic itnd Prosa aits dem viii—xii fahrhundert3 Berlin 1892 i. 19N,
ii. 316 ff. no. Li), in Old English as Thunor (cp. J. M. Kemble The Saxons in England'1
London 1876 i. 346 ff.), and in Germanic designations for the fifth clay of the week (Old
High German Donarestac, Old Frisian Thunresdey, Anglo-Saxon Thunresdxg, Norse
porsdagr). These names, as J. Grimm long ago pointed out (J. Grimm ' Uber die Namen
des Donners' in his Kleinere Schriften Berlin 1865 ii. 410 ff. and in his Teutonic-
Mythology trans. J. S. Stallybrass London 1882 i. 166), stand in obvious relation to the
Germanic words for 'thunder' (Old High German donar, Middle High German doner,
Anglo-Saxon Jmnor). Since, however, the name of a natural phenomenon raised to the
rank of a personal deity tends to drop out of common parlance (II. Usener Gotternamen
Bonn 1896 p. 316 f.), it has been conjectured that the living words Donner, thunder, etc.
have come from the name of the god, not vice versa (K. Helm Altgermanische Religions-
geschichte Heidelberg 1913 i. 275 11.86). In any case Donar was essentially a thunder-god.
Not impossibly he, like Wodan {supra p. 62 n. 1), was a by-form differentiated from
the early Germanic sky-god Ziu (so E. Mogk in the Grundriss der germanischen Philologie-
Herausgegeben von H. Paul Strassburg 1900 iii. 354).
In common with many another storm-god Donar was also a fertilising power (E. Mogk
in Hoops Reallex. i. 481, K. Helm Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte Heidelberg 1913
i. 278 f.): cp. Thor, who fructifies the bride (E. H. Meyer Germanisclie Mythologie
Berlin 1891 p. 212 b, W. Golther Handbuch der germaiiischeu Mythologie Leipzig 1895
p. 251 f.), brings to life again his team of goats that have been cooked in a cauldron
(W. Golther ib. p. 276), etc. Such a divinity, storm-god and fertility-god in one, might
well serve as the Germanic i-epresentative of autumn.
As regards the interpretatio Romana, Donar was at first perhaps equated with Volcanus
(Caes. de bell. Gall. 6. 21, cp. H. Rueckert Ctilturgeschichte des deutschen Volkes in der
Zeit des Uebergangs aus dem Heidenthum in das Christenthum Leipzig 1853 i. 126), then
with Hercules (Tac. Germ. 3, 9, 34 (?), ann. 2. 12, cp. E. H. Meyer Germanische
Mythologie Berlin 1891 pp. 202, 211, P. D. Chantepie de la Saussaye The Religion of the
Teutons Boston and London 1902 pp. 1036°., 235, 239 n. 3, E. Mogk in the Grundriss