The Journal of Indo-European Studies
Monograph Series

Essays on Germanic Religion
Monograph No. 6 By Edgar C. Polomé

Edgar C. Polomé of the University of Texas, co-editor for many years of the renowned Journal of Indo-European Studies, investigates the names, attributes and roles of the ancient German divinities and identifies the characteristically Indo-European components of early Germanic religious beliefs as well as parallel deities in other Indo-European societies. These beliefs are separated from the web of magic that is closely associated with Odin, the warrior deity, which were probably acquired from neighboring shamanistic Finno-Ugric peoples. It is suggested that Thor, the thunder god who fought against Giants, probably dating from the New Stone Age, and was seen as a farmer’s deity, may have been formerly more eminent than Odin, whose popularity was greatest amongst the Germanic war bands of the later period of the Folkwandering. Substantial attention is also paid to the Vǫluspá.

Introduction; The Indo-European Component in Germanic Religion; Some Comments on Vǫluspá, Stanzas 17-18; Divine Names in Indo-european, Germanic Religion; Postscript.


ISBN 0-941694-34-8
1989, Pages 148
Paperback, Illustrated: $36.00

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