ereas it is perfectly well known
that Mercury is Jove's son, and also that Woden is the father of Thor--a
comic "embarras". That the persians the heathens worshipped as gods
existed, and that they were men and women false and powerful, Saxo
plainly believes. He has not Snorre's appreciation of the humorous side
of the mythology. He is ironic and scornful, but without the kindly,
naive fun of the Icelander.

The most active god, the Dane's chief god (as Frey is the Swede's god,
and patriarch), is "Woden". He appears in heroic life as patron of great
heroes and kings. Cf. "Hyndla-Lay", where it is said of Woden:--

"Let us pray the Father of Hosts to be gracious to us!
He granteth and giveth gold to his servants,
He gave Heremod a helm and mail-coat,
And Sigmund a sword to take.
He giveth victory to his sons, to his followers wealth,
Ready speech to his children and wisdom to men.
Fair wind to captains, and song to poets;
He giveth luck in love to many a hero."

He appears under various disguises and names, but usually as a one-eyed
old man, cowled and hooded; sometimes with another, bald and ragged, as
before the battle Hadding won; once as "Hroptr", a huge man skilled in
leechcraft, to Ragnar's son Sigfrid.

Often he is a helper in battle or doomer of feymen. As "Lysir", a rover
of the sea, he helps Hadding. As veteran slinger and archer he helps his
favourite Hadding; as charioteer, "Brune", he drives Harald to his death
in battle. He teaches Hadding how to array his troops. As "Yggr" the
prophet he advises the hero and the gods. As "Wecha" (Waer) the leech he
woos Wrinda. He invented the wedge array. He can grant charmed lives to
his favourites against steel. He prophesies their victories and death.
He snatches up one of his disciples, sets him on his magic horse that
rides over seas in the air, as in Skida-runa the god takes the beggar
over the North Sea. His image (like that of Frey in the Swedish story
of Ogmund dytt and Gunnar helming, "Flatey book", i, 335) could speak by
magic power.

Of his life and career Saxo gives several episodes.

Woden himself dwelt at Upsala and Byzantium (Asgard); and the northern
kings sent him a golden image ring-bedecked, which he made to speak
oracles. His wife Frigga stole the bracelets and played him false with a
servant, who advised her to destroy and rob the image.

When Woden was away (hiding the disgrace brought on him by Frigga