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Philip»feto: Surt. 28
28
8cribes this cave, which still goes by the name of Surtshellir,
as follows:
„Clear trace« of the cult of Surt in Ioeland are not entirely læking.
The name Surt was in old times given to the largest and most splendid
cave of the island, in the desert called Arnavatnsheidi. This cave is oalled
in the vernacular Surtshellir’or Surtarhellir, and is surrounded on all sides
by a region which is volcanic, or completely burnt out by flames from the
earth and so turned into aspretum, which the Ioelanders call Araim-lava.
This huge cavern contains various smaller caves or Chambers. The position
and appearance, as above described, of the cave, lead to the conclusion that
the Icelandic people believed that once upon a time the surrounding region
had been devastated and utterly burnt up by Surt with volcanic flames, but
that nevertheless, by his superhuman strength and skill, he had raised up
this marvellous temple to himself in the midst of the flames, and had leit it
to men as a memorial of himself on earth."
F. Magnusson is attempting to prove that Surt was
originally a Light god, but incidentally and without intending
it he has convincingly demonstrated the essential connection
between Surt and volcanic action. On the old hypothesis,
the de8ignation of a volcanic cleft as a ’cave of Surt, the
fire giant’, does not seem particularly illuminating, but the
case alters completely, when we render it ’a cave of Surt,
the volcano dæmon’. This gigantic lava bubble — for that
is the true origin of the cave — in the midst of a vast
desert due to 8ome prehistoric eruption, is indeed a fitting abode
for the giant who was held responsible for the disaster.
The other word compounded with the name Surt which
has come down to us is Surtarbrandr. Vigfússon and
Cleas-by’s Dictionary states that it is the common word for jet,
and refers to Eggerts Itinerarium. It appears that the word
is found in a 14:th Century vellum M. S. (Bretasogur in A.
M. 573, 4°), and Vigfússon observes that it *is therefore
old, and interesting, as the name of the mythical fire-giant
and destroyer is applied to the prehistoric fire as a kind of
heathen geologicai term". No doubt the ancients considered
this lignite or jet to be connected with volcanic heat. The
word brandr in Hø’vamp’l 57, 1, is translated by Gering:
iKKIT röft NORDISK FU OLOGI XXI, NT FÖLJD XVII.
2
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