Week Ten Reaction: Prologue to the Prose Edda

What strikes me as most significant about the prologue to the Prose Edda is the excuses the author makes for ancient humans forgetting the Christian God. This by itself would not seem so extreme if then the excuse was not stretched to explain how they could remember to worship a vague deity who they perceived controlled earth and the heavens. And, "that they might fasten it in memory, they gave names out of their own minds to all things", which they could then remember? I just found that section a little sketchy, but I can guess that the connection between the two religious views had to be inserted so that later Christians would not feel they were being pagans in learning about the old gods of the unconverted heathens.

I also found it curious that Asia is described by men from northern Europe as "the centre of the earth; and even as the land there is lovelier and better in every way than in other places, so also were the sons of men there most favored with all goodly gifts: wisdom, and strength of the body, beauty, and all manner of knowledge." I would think the culture would try to bolster its own importance, aside from the fact that they are claiming descent from Troy (which is what the Romans did too.... interesting). I would think most cultures would say they were the best, but perhaps this idea is tainted by my American background.