heir
souls through the purifying rites of his Mysteries. The initiation
shadowed out an esoteric doctrine of death and a future life, in
the mock murder and new birth of the aspirant, who impersonated
Zagreus.31

The Northmen constructed the same drama of death around the young
Balder, their god of gentleness and beauty. This legend, as Dr.
Oliver has shown, constituted the secret of the Gothic
Mysteries.32 Obscure and dread prophecies having crept among the
gods that the death of the beloved Balder was at hand, portending
universal ruin, a consultation was held to devise means for
averting the calamity. At the suggestion of Balder's mother,
Freya, the Scandinavian Venus, an oath that they would not be
instrumental in causing his death was

27 Asiatic Researches, vol. iii. p. 187.

28 See article Atys in Smith's Class. Dict. with references.

29 Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, lib. ii. 11. 605-655.

30 Muller, Hist. Greek Lit., ch. xvi.

31 Lobeck, Aglaophamus, lib. iii. cap. 5, sect. 13.

32 History of Initiation, Lect. X.

exacted from all things in nature except the mistletoe, which, on
account of its frailty and insignificance, was scornfully
neglected. Asa Loke, the evil principle of the Norse faith, taking
advantage of this fatal exception, had a spear made of mistletoe,
and with it armed Hodur, a strong but blind god. Freya, rejoicing
in fancied security, to convince Balder of his charmed exemption
from wounds, persuaded him to be the mark for the weapons of the
gods. But, alas! when Hodur tilted at him, the devoted victim was
transpierced and fell lifeless to the ground. Darkness settled
over the world, and bitter was the grief of men and gods over the
innocent and lovely Balder. A deputation imploring his release was
sent to the queen of the dead. Hela so far relented as to promise
his liberation to the upper world on condition that every thing on
earth wept for him. Straightway there was a universal mourning.
Men, beasts, trees, metals, stones, wept. But an old withered
giantess Asa Loke in disguise shed no tears; and so Hela kept her
beauteous and lamented prey. But he is to rise again to eternal
life and joy when the twilight of the gods has passed.33 This
entire fable has been explained by the commentators, in all its
details, as a poetic embodiment of the natural phenomena of the
seasons. But it is not improbable that, in addition, it bore a
profound doctrinal reference to the fate of man which w