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Philip»feto: Surt.
28
clusion as to Surt’s exact nature. All that we have been
able to gløan from them is that he is an agent in the
final destruction of tlje world, and that he is connected with
fire. Besides this, it is true, we have the unequivocal
testi-mony of his name, but it is well that we can still refer to
the original and fullest source, from which to gain a clearer
conception of Surt’s part in the great tragedy of Ragnarpk.
Yøluspe’ gives a detailed account of the destruction of the
world, and it is a graphic description of a volcanic eruption
on a gigantic scale.
First we have the mention of the general gloom of the
weather throughout the preceding summer, probably due to
the poets’ experience of preliminary clouds of fine dust
is-8uing from a volcano prior to its explosion: —
Vsp. 41. Svprt verþa sólskin
of sumra epter,
veþr 9II válynd.
Then the premonitory rumblings and shakings of the earth,
with which it is interesting to compare Pliny, who says that
the great eruption of Vesuvius in A. D. 79 was preceded by
earthquakes:
47. Skelfr Yggdr&sels
askr standande,
ymr et aldna tré.
Now the mountain itself begins to heave and disturb its
wonted inhabiants:
48. Hvat’s meþ <J>som,
h vat’s meþ plfora?
gnýr allr jptonheimr ..
stynja dvergar
fyr steindurom
veggbergs viser.. etc.
It is surely not fanciful to see in this special mention of the
dwarfs — ’those who know the precipices’ — an indication
that the poet had mountains especially in his mind, and that
by the anxious groane of the dwarfs prisoned in the cliffs
he represents the subterranean thunders ef the mountains.
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