The Influence of Old Norse Literature on English Literature | Page 5

have
tried similar imitations ascribe to Thomas Gray the mastership.
That this poet of the eighteenth century, who "equally despised what
was Greek and what was Gothic," should have entered so fully into the
spirit and letter of Old Norse poetry is little short of marvelous. If
Professor G.L. Kittredge had not gone so minutely into the question of
Gray's knowledge of Old Norse,[3] we might be pardoned for still
believing with Gosse[4] that the poet learned Icelandic in his later life.
Even after reading Professor Kittredge's essay, we cannot understand
how Gray could catch the metrical lilt of the Old Norse with only a
Latin version to transliterate the parallel Icelandic. We suspect that
Gray's knowledge was fuller than Professor Kittredge will allow,
although we must admit that superficial knowledge may coexist with a
fine interpretative spirit. Matthew Arnold's knowledge of Celtic
literature was meagre, yet he wrote memorably and beautifully on that
subject, as Celts themselves will acknowledge.[5]
THE SOURCES OF GRAY'S KNOWLEDGE.
It has already been said that only antiquarians had knowledge of things
Icelandic in Gray's time. Most of this knowledge was in Latin, of
course, in ponderous tomes with wonderful, long titles; and the list of
them is awe-inspiring. In all likelihood Gray did not use them all, but

he met references to them in the books he did consult. Professor
Kittredge mentions them in the paper already quoted, but they are here
arranged in the order of publication, and the list is lengthened to
include some books that were inspired by the interest in Gray's
experiments.
=1636= and =1651=. Wormius. _Seu Danica literatura antiquissima,
vulgo Gothica dicta, luci reddita opera Olai Wormii. Cui accessit de
prisca Danorum Poesi Dissertatio._ Hafniæ. 1636. Edit. II. 1651.
The essay on poetry contains interlinear Latin translations of the
Epicedium of Ragnar Loðbrók, and of the _Drápa_ of Egill
Skallagrímsson. Bound with the second edition of 1651, and bearing
the date 1650, is: _Specimen Lexici runici, obscuriorum quarundam
vocum, quæ in priscis occurrunt historiis et poetis Danicis enodationem
exhibens. Collectum a Magno Olavio pastore Laufasiensi, ... nunc in
ordinem redactum, auctum et locupletatum ab Olao Wormio_. Hafniæ.
This glossary adduces illustrations from the great poems of Icelandic
literature. Thus early the names and forms of the ancient literature were
known.
=1665.= Resenius. _Edda Islandorum an. Chr. MCCXV islandice
conscripta per Snorronem Sturlæ Islandiæ. Nomophylacem nunc
primum islandice, danice et latine ... Petri Johannis Resenii_ ... Havniæ.
1665.
A second part contains a disquisition on the philosophy of the
_Völuspá_ and the _Hávamál_.
=1670.= Sheringham. _De Anglorum Gentis Origine Disceptatio. Qua
eorum migrationes, variæ sedes, et ex parte res gestæ, a confusione
Linguarum, et dispersione Gentium, usque ad adventum eorum in
Britanniam investigantur; quædam de veterum Anglorum religione,
Deorum cultu, eorumque opinionibus de statu animæ post hanc vitam,
explicantur._ Authore Roberto Sheringhamo. Cantabrigiæ. 1670.

Chapter XII
contains an account of Odin extracted from the _Edda_, Snorri
Sturluson and others.
=1679-92.= Temple. Two essays: "Of Heroic Virtue," "Of Poetry,"
contained in The Works of Sir William Temple. London. 1757. Vol. 3,

pp. 304-429.
=1689.= Bartholinus. _Thomæ Bartholini Antiquitatum Danicarum de
causis contemptæ a Danis adhuc gentilibus mortis libri III ex vetustis
codicibus et monumentis hactenus ineditis congestæ._ Hafniæ. 1689.
The pages of this book are filled, with extracts from Old Norse sagas
and poetry which are translated into Latin. No student of the book
could fail to get a considerable knowledge of the spirit and the form of
the ancient literature.
=1691.= Verelius. _Index linguæ veteris Scytho-Scandicæ sive
Gothicæ ex vetusti ævi monumentis ... ed Rudbeck._ Upsalæ. 1691.
=1697=. Torfæus. _Orcades, seu rerum Orcadensium historiæ_.
Havniæ. 1697.
=1697=. Perinskjöld. _Heimskringla, eller Snorre Sturlusons
Nordländske Konunga Sagor_. Stockholmiæ. 1697.
Contains Latin and Swedish translation.
=1705=. Hickes. _Linguarum Vett. Septentrionalium thesaurus
grammatico criticus et archæologicus_. Oxoniæ. 1703-5.
This work is discussed later.
=1716=. Dryden. _Miscellany Poems. Containing Variety of New
Translations of the Ancient Poets_.... Published by Mr. Dryden.
London. 1716.
=1720=. Keysler. _Antiquitates selectæ septentrionales et Celticæ
quibus plurima loca conciliorum et capitularium explanantur, dogmata
theologiæ ethnicæ Celtarum gentiumque septentrionalium cum moribus
et institutis maiorum nostrorum circa idola, aras, oracula, templa, lucos,
sacerdotes, regum electiones, comitia et monumenta sepulchralia una
cum reliquiis gentilismi in coetibus christianorum ex monumentis
potissimum hactenus ineditis fuse perquiruntur._ Autore Joh. Georgio
Keysler. Hannoveræ. 1720.
=1755=. Mallet. _Introduction à l'Histoire de Dannemarc où l'on traite
de la Réligion, des Lois, des Moeurs, et des Usages des Anciens Danois.
Par_ M. Mallet. Copenhague. 1755.
Discussed later.
=1756=. Mallet. _Monumens de la Mythologie et la Poësie des Celtes
et particulièrement des anciens Scandinaves ... Par_ M. Mallet.
Copenhague. 1756.
=1763=. Percy. Five Pieces of Runic Poetry translated from the

Islandic Language. London. 1763.
This book is described on a later page.
=1763=. Blair. _A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian, the