Be ( dr. Scand. Vé ) - type of sanctuary or fenced sacred territory in Scandinavian paganism. In skaldic poetry and place names ve , as a rule, is mentioned along with the name of a deity to whom it is dedicated. The name of the Scandinavian god Ve is probably based on this tradition.
In his work “ Germany ”, Tacitus points out that the Germans (unlike the Romans) do not seek to enclose their deities in the walls of the temple. It is assumed that ve could enclose the temple or represent a marked area where rituals were performed [1] . Probably, the grove at the Uppsala temple , described by Adam of Bremen , also refers to the concept of ve.
Etymology
The word vé comes from the common Germanic word meaning sacred or holy: Gothic. weihs - saint, eng. wéoh, wig - idol, dumb . weihen - sanctify, sanctify.
Toponyms
In toponyms “ve” can be found both at the beginning of a compound name and at its end.
Options with vé- :
- Vébólstaðr, Vésetr, Véstaðir - farm with ve,
- Védalr - Valley with Ve
- Véló - holy meadow,
- Vésteinn is the holy stone
- Vévatn - holy lake,
- Véøy is a holy island.
Options with -vé are found in places dedicated to deities:
- Idises - Disevid ( Swede. Disevid ) in Östergötland , Sweden ;
- Freya - Hernevi ( Swede. Härnevi ) in Uppland and Järnevi ( Swede. Järnevi ) in Östergötland , Sweden ;
- Freyr - Frösvi ( Swede. Frösvi ) in Östergötland , Sweden ;
- Nyörd - Nawalı ( Swede. Nalavi ) in Nerk and Mjärdevi ( Swede. Mjärdevi ), Sweden ;
- One is Odenswi ( Swede. Odensvi ) in Nerk , Sweden and Odense ( dat. Odense ), Denmark ;
- Rind - Vrinnevid ( Swede. Vrinnevid ) in Östergötland , Sweden ;
- Skadi - Skadevi ( Swede. Skadevi ) in Uppland and many names Sked (e) vi , Sweden ;
- Thor - Torsvi ( Swede. Torsvi ) in Uppland , Sweden ;
- Ull - the many names Ull (e) vi or Ullavi , Sweden .
Also, eight ancient farms in Flo , Norderhof , Ringsaker , Sand , Stamnes , Twight , Tyssnes and Ordal are named Vé.
Notes
- ↑ Dictionary of Scandinavian myths and legends - Andy Orchad // Cassell , 1997. ISBN 0-304-34520-2