older folks, even, are the grand forms of Siegfried, Chriemhild, and Brunhild more than mere names? It is true that a tendency is now springing up in England and in Germany once more to enquire into these old tales, nay beliefs, of our common ancestry. It is true that we have a Morris and they a Wagner; but we should wish to see the people of both nations take a more general interest in a subject of such intrinsic worth to them, their long-forgotten heritage. It is not the history of class-books that they will find in it—it is that of their fathers’ manners and customs, of their joys and sufferings, their games and occupations, festivals and religious observances, battles, victories and defeats, their virtues and their crimes. Such is the golden field that lies beneath our feet, which, unheeded, we have let lie fallow, till it has almost faded from memory. In a previous volume, _Asgard and the Gods, the Tales and Traditions of our Northern Ancestors_, we have endeavoured to give an account of the _religion_ of our ancient Norse parents. In this volume we are occupied with their _legendary lore_. To what extent these legends formed a part of their religion proper it is impossible for us now to say. Of later origin and more poetic treatment, they stood in a similar position toward the old Teutons as the later Greek heroic legend stood to the Greeks of history. Some say, and the learned Grimm amongst them,[1] that the heroes were historical men raised to the dignity of gods, others that they were humanized gods themselves; but may be neither theory is exactly true, though both contain a portion of the truth. In the hero-legends we certainly find heroes possessed of the distinctive attributes of certain gods, and we are tempted to add others to their characters, but we consider that these divine qualities were looked upon rather as divine _gifts_ of the gods and did not thereby exactly deify the recipients. It was similar with the Greeks, and perhaps with all nations at a stage when their heroes really formed an essential element in their belief. The gods were never human heroes, the heroes never became gods, though each approached the other so nearly that we are often misled into assuming that they were identical. W. S. W. ANSON. ----- Footnote 1: “Teutonic Mythology,” translated by J. S. Stallybrass. Vol. i. p. 315. [Illustration] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration] CONTENTS. PART FIRST. _THE AMELUNG AND KINDRED LEGENDS._ I. LANGOBARDIAN LEGENDS. PAGE 1. ALBOIN AND ROSAMUND 19-27 2. KING ROTHER 28-54 3. ORTNIT 55-81