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Originally Posted by Pieeyeddragon
Beg pardon, but Iceland's pre-human inhabitants were not all trolls and elves.
Here is a link to a loose translation of the Official version of the tale of the Guardian Spirits of Iceland (I have my own version, from a unique perspective.)
Official version of "The Guardian Spirits of Iceland" |
The idea of Guardian Spirits is one Tolkien seems to have avoided (probably it crossed the line into the area of 'Just
too pagan - mind you, Legolas does speak about the memory of the stones of Hollin....). However, it was a big part of Norse belief. The scene in which Egil Skallagrimson sets up a 'Scorn Pole against his enemies, Erik Bloodaxe & his Queen Gunnhild comes to mind. He sticks a horses head on a pole & declaims:
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"Here I set up a níð-pole, and declare this níð against King Eiríkr and Queen Gunnhildr," — he turned the horse-head to face the mainland — "I declare this níð at the land-spirits there, and the land itself, so that all will fare astray, not to hold nor find their places, not until they wreak King Eiríkr and Gunnhildr from the land." He set up the pole of níð in the cliff-face and left it standing; he faced the horse's eyes on the land, and he rist runes upon the pole, and said all the formal words of the curse. (ch. 57) ('níð' has been translated as 'scorn' or 'curse')
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And I recall reading that the Dragon head-pieces on Viking ships were removable, & were taken down on returning home, in order to avoid frightening the Guardian Spirits. By extension, it seems that the purpose of such Dragon heads was not simply to terrify the Vikings' human enemies, but also the Guardian Spirits of the lands they attacked - scaring them off, so they couldn't offer their protection to the people.