medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I will try checking this out on Monday as I do not have the appropriate critical
editions at home. But, as I recall the geneologies there are some (mine too,
and probably some of you on the list) which go back to Woden, but do not stop
there. They continue to Woden's ancestors and eventually to Japheth, Noah,
etc. ending at Adam.
Anyone who has any English ancestry can probably trace themselves to a member of
a royal family somewhere (in Anglo-Saxon times there were always several) and
since the Anglo-Saxon chronicle has geneologies linking them to Adam, you can,
without fabrication, link yourself to the line. Of course you just have to set
asside your critical reasoning powers for the exercise, and wow! You have a
geneology that not only takes you back to royalty, but to pagan gods (Woden)and
Adam and Eve.
Now back to Woden, since he appears in the line with parentage, the suggestion
is often made that Woden was originally a real person who was an important king
and ancestor. Somewhere along the line he became revered (whatever the pagan
equivalent of sainthood is) and eventually deified.
As I said, I don't have the books at home, but I believe this account is correct
(except the accuracy of my geneology of course).
--V. K. Inman
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