w more of these gods when we find
them in the Eddas, but it is scarcely legitimate to fill in the South
German gods of the first century from the North German gods of the
same names of the eleventh or twelfth. We reserve, therefore, our
description of the German gods till we come to the Northern
mythology.

The Roman writers do not furnish any accurate idea of the working
religion of the Germans of their day. Caesar says they were not so
much under the guidance of priests as the Gauls were, and that they
were not greatly addicted to sacrifice; neither statement can be
received without scrutiny. Tacitus idealises the untutored savage as
Rousseau does, in order to rebuke the vices of a luxurious
civilisation; but his statements of actual facts may be trusted.
Knowledge recently acquired of early forest-cults disposes us to
trust him when he speaks, as he does more than once, of the peculiar
sacredness the Germans attached to woods and groves. He is idealising
when he says, "They did not confine their gods in walls nor represent
them under the likeness of men, being led thereto by considering the
greatness of the heavenly beings." A few centuries later at least we
find Christian bishops busy destroying temples of German heathenism
and burning images found in them. Undoubtedly, however, the great
sanctuary of a district was frequently, as he represents, in the
recesses of a wood. Under a mighty tree a tribe would hold its
meetings and sit in judgment and in council; and there were sacred
groves in which no human foot might stray, where the god was supposed
to dwell, where great sacrifices both of animal and of human victims
took place, where the boughs were hung with the bones of former
sacrifices which in war were carried forth at the head of the tribe
as its sacred standards. This was done by the priests, who
accompanied the host to battle, and were charged at such a time with
the infliction of all necessary punishments, since they represented
the god who was supposed to be personally present as commander. The
priests had to work the auguries when consulted on matters of state;
on private matters the paterfamilias might do this himself. The
priests also had charge of the sacred white horses, by whose neighing
the will of the deity became known. Several women are also mentioned
as having enjoyed the reputation of sacred personages; and "even in
their wives they considered that there was a certain holiness and
inspiration