Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/302

 290 The Ancient Teutonic Priesthood.

May not the priesthood of {e.g^j the Semnones have originated in a similar manner ? Although this tribe formed only an outlying portion of Maroboduus' kingdom, they claimed to be the oldest and noblest branch of the Suevic race. The chief ground of this claim seems to have lain in the possession of an ancient grove-sanctuary, which they believed to be the dwelling place of their god and the cradle of their race. The presence of embassies from all the kindred tribes at their national festivals testifies to the general acceptance of the claim. I do not see how such assent can have been gained, unless the Semnones had once possessed a powerful native dynasty tracing its descent to the tribal god.^

Note I. — The Tribal Tradition.

One of the most important elements in the law, which it was the special duty of the priests to preserve, was doubt- less the tradition of the tribe's origin. We find references to these traditions even in the Germania. Indeed from C. 2 it would seem that the Germans had already become conscious of the unity of their race, and had classified the various ancestors in a common genealogy. Such a genea- logy necessarily presupposes the existence of many tribal traditions, and consequently also of tribal cults. The question of these tribal cults has hardly received the attention it deserves. I believe that many of the difficulties of Germanic mythology are due to the combination into one system, of cults which were once peculiar to different tribes and localities.

to the tradition, have lost the kingdom about the end of the seventh century. The greater part of Sweden, together with Denmark, then passed into the hands of a family which is said to have belonged originally to Skano. Since both the nation and the national cult survived the change of dynasty, the substitution of a foreign king for the old native line may somewhat have favoured the development of priestly powers in the hands of those princes of the native house who remained.

' Irmin ? But the words regnator onmiiim dens refer probably not to the tribal god but to the thunder-god. In the temple at Upsala also it is not Fro but Thor who occupies the chief place.