Rig
;)
was the name assumed by the Germanic god Heimdall when be created the three categories of men the slave or thrall; the free peasant or karl and the noble or chieftain known as jarl. Though usually imagined as the watchman of the gods, scanning the horizon for the final frost giant attack at Ragnarok Heimdall was also identified with Rig, or 'king'. According to Rig's myth, the god once approached the lowly dwelling of an old couple,
Ai and Edda (literally 'great-grandfather' and 'great-grandmother'). After introducing himself as a lone wayfarer, Rig was given coarse food to satisfy his hunger and a place in the bed between them when it was time to sleep. Rig stayed three nights and gave them good advice. Nine months afterwards Edda bore a son, Thrall, who was black-haired and ugly, with rough skin, thick fingers, short nails, swollen knuckles, long heels and bent back; but he was strong. Thrall took as his wife an equally ungainly person, a drudge with crooked legs, dirty feet, sunburned arms and a big nose. Their many children included boys like Noisy, Roughneck and Horsefly, as well as girls such as Lazybones, Fatty and Beanpole. From these ill-favoured children descended the thralls, the enslaved labourers of the oppressed class. Eddar's son Thrall himself perfectly sums up the back-breaking toil of his oppressed class, weighed down with generations of hard labour.
Rig visited a second house, warm and better furnished. Inside he encountered an industrious couple, Afi and Amma (literally 'grandfather' and 'grandmother'). The well-dressed pair were spinning and weaving: Afi prepared a loom, Amma spun a thread. Once again Rig shared their table and bed, gave good advice and departed after three nights. Nine months afterwards Amma bore a son, Karl, who was red and fresh and brighteyed. Karl took to wife Snor (meaning 'daughter-in-law') and their children included boys named Strongbeard, Husbandman and Smith, and girls called Prettyface, Maiden and Capable. Together they ran farms and were free.
A third dwelling Rig stayed at was a splendid hall belonging to Fadir and Modir ('father' and 'mother'). While Fadir attended to his bow and arrows, Modir saw to her own looks and clothes. After a large meal, accompanied by fine conversation and drink, Rig slept between his well-off hosts. He stayed three nights and gave good advice. Nine months afterwards Modir bore a son, Jarl, who was fair-haired and handsome, with a bright cheek and an eye as piercing as a serpent's. When he grew to manhood, Jarl could use bow, spear, sword and shield; he could ride and swim and hunt expertly. One day Rig returned and greeted Jarl as his special son, imparting wisdom and telling him how to claim his lands. In obedience to the god, Jarl rode through the world, fighting and slaying, seizing booty and distributing treasure to his free followers. At last he married Erna ('lively'), a fair and wise noble-woman, and she bore him twelve sons. One of these learned magic so well that he could prevent forest fires, control storms and cure the sick. It was said that he excelled even Rig in understanding and almost became a god. The implication is that in his person he combined the roles of priest and king.
The myth of Rig sheds light on the structure of Viking society. In contrast with the Celts, the other main tribal people of pre-Christian Europe, the Germanic tribes of Scandinavia and northern Europe had already lost a priestly class by the time we encounter their mythology. As Julius Caesar noted, the ancient Germans had no equivalent of the druids and cared little for ritual. They found religious significance in the depths of forests. But the Romans, and later the Vikings victims, were in no doubt about the Germanic love of warfare and the role of the armed retainer, the sturdy free peasant, in battle.