Neorxnawang
Encyclopedia
Neorxnawang is an Old English term used to translate the Christian
concept of "paradise" in Anglo-Saxon literature
. The term is often theorized as originally having referred to a mythological
"heavenly meadow", or place without toil or worries, in Germanic paganism
.
, the first half of the word has not resulted in a standard result, though at least a dozen attempts have been made to interpret it. Scholar Rudolf Simek
states that it is possible to consider the term as a Proto-Germanic term for "Asgard
" or "Other World" due to the unclear meaning, that Christian authors who used it seemed have a poor understanding of it as well, and that it corresponds with the North Germanic
terms Iðavöllr (possibly "field of activity" or "the continually renewing, rejuvenating field") and Glæsisvellir
("the shining fields").
19th century scholar Jacob Grimm
comments that etymological connections have been proposed between Norn and Neorxnawang, but says that the theory raises etymological and lore problems: "The A. gen. pl. neorxana, which only occurs in 'neorxena wong' = paradisus, has been proposed, but the abbreviation would be something unheard of, and even the nom. sing. neorxe or neorxu at variance with norn; besides,the Parcae
are nowhere found connected with paradise."
Late 19th and early 20th century philologist James Bright
proposes that the variant neorxena- element derives from the phrase ne wyrcan, meaning "no working".
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
concept of "paradise" in Anglo-Saxon literature
Anglo-Saxon literature
Old English literature encompasses literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period from the 7th century to the Norman Conquest of 1066. These works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles, riddles, and others...
. The term is often theorized as originally having referred to a mythological
Germanic mythology
Germanic mythology is a comprehensive term for myths associated with historical Germanic paganism, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, Continental Germanic mythology, and other versions of the mythologies of the Germanic peoples...
"heavenly meadow", or place without toil or worries, in Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
.
Etymology
While the second half of the word, "-wang", is widely considered to mean "field" and is waggs appears for "paradise" in GothicGothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
, the first half of the word has not resulted in a standard result, though at least a dozen attempts have been made to interpret it. Scholar Rudolf Simek
Rudolf Simek
Rudolf Simek is an Austrian Germanist and Philologian.Simek studied German literature, philosophy and Catholic theology in the University of Vienna, before becoming a librarian and a docent at the institution. He taught among others in the universities of Edinburgh, Tromsø and Sydney...
states that it is possible to consider the term as a Proto-Germanic term for "Asgard
Asgard
In Norse religion, Asgard is one of the Nine Worlds and is the country or capital city of the Norse Gods surrounded by an incomplete wall attributed to a Hrimthurs riding the stallion Svadilfari, according to Gylfaginning. Valhalla is located within Asgard...
" or "Other World" due to the unclear meaning, that Christian authors who used it seemed have a poor understanding of it as well, and that it corresponds with the North Germanic
North Germanic languages
The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages, the languages of Scandinavians, make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages...
terms Iðavöllr (possibly "field of activity" or "the continually renewing, rejuvenating field") and Glæsisvellir
Glæsisvellir
Glæsisvellir was a location in Jotunheim in Norse mythology. It is mentioned in sources, such as Bósa saga ok Herrauds and Hervarar saga. -Legend:...
("the shining fields").
19th century scholar Jacob Grimm
Jacob Grimm
Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was a German philologist, jurist and mythologist. He is best known as the discoverer of Grimm's Law, the author of the monumental Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie and, more popularly, as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy...
comments that etymological connections have been proposed between Norn and Neorxnawang, but says that the theory raises etymological and lore problems: "The A. gen. pl. neorxana, which only occurs in 'neorxena wong' = paradisus, has been proposed, but the abbreviation would be something unheard of, and even the nom. sing. neorxe or neorxu at variance with norn; besides,the Parcae
Parcae
thumb|#00px|Early 16th-century [[millefleur tapestry]] depicting the Three Fates under their Greek namesIn Roman mythology, the Parcae were the personifications of destiny, often called The Fates in English. Their Greek equivalent were the Moirae. They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of...
are nowhere found connected with paradise."
Late 19th and early 20th century philologist James Bright
James Bright
James Wilson Bright was an American philologist active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He was a Professor of English Philology at Johns Hopkins University, and specialized in early Germanic languages and Old and Middle English specifically.Bright was the first person to...
proposes that the variant neorxena- element derives from the phrase ne wyrcan, meaning "no working".
See also
- FólkvangrFólkvangrIn Norse mythology, Fólkvangr is a meadow or field ruled over by the goddess Freyja where half of those that die in combat go upon death, while the other half go to the god Odin in Valhalla...
, the Old Norse afterlife field of the goddess Freyja - MuspilliMuspilliMuspilli is one of but two surviving pieces of Old High German epic poetry , dating to around 870. One large fragment of the text has survived in the margins and empty pages of a codex marked as the possession of Louis the German and now in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek . The beginning and end of...
, an Old High German poem where pagan vocabulary and Christian concepts mingle - Þrúðvangr, the field of the god Thor
- WelkinWelkinWelkin is an archaic, English term; it refers to the sky, the upper air, the firmament, the heavens or the Celestial sphere. Especially the highest celestial sphere e.g...
, an Old English term for the sky, heavens, and clouds