Irminsul

Irminsul (German Irminsäule , Norrois Irminsûl ) was either a tree - more precisely a Chêne - or a trunk totemic carved, dedicated to a divinity saxonne (teutonic) of the war, named simply Irmin. It is known at the old Saxon ones, at the end of the 8th century.

Written testimonys

Irmin, known at Tacit, was sometimes brought closer to the Scandinavian god Týr because of the form of the rune Ansuz directly related to this last (a “arrow pointed to the top” meaning conquest and victory). It was also brought closer to the norrois Jörmun which is one of the names/aspects of Odin N.

In the same way, one saw in the tree/totem an evocation of the “Monde tree” of the Germanic myths, i.e. a representation of the equivalent of Yggdrasil evoked in the Edda and the Scandinavian Mythologie.

The Rodolphe monk of Fulda († 865), with which one owes the most complete description of Irminsul, brings back to chapter 3 of his hagiography “ Of miraculis sancti Alexandri ”:

Religious aspect

The tree World, or “pillar of the world” is an element of the Germanic Cosmogonie which symbolizes the union of the Man and Cosmos (of the gods with the best matter) and which is the bond which links the Earth and the Sky. It is with this tree that Odinn (Germanic Woden ) remained suspended nine days and nine nights, still according to the Scandinavian Mythologie and the Edda , thus achieving a sacrifice. It there learned the secrecy from the runes and was ressucity.

The popularity of this myth near the old Saxon ones is in addition attested at the Anglo-Saxon of the Early middle ages, in particular through many representations which mix Germanic myths and Christian religion and which associates Odin/ Woden to Christ on the Cross (in particular the Croix of Ruthwell).

With final, on the existence of the crowned tree - or the idol: its true nature is not distinct - Irminsul, one knows actually very few things.

At the same time symbol of the resistance of the Saxon paganism and meeting room of the Pagan ones which brought an offering to him after each victory, Irminsul was cut or cut down in 772 on the order of the king of the Francs, Charlemagne. This last then got busy to subject and christianize the pagan Saxony: its campaigns, bloody, lasted nearly thirty years. Irminsul was located close to the Château of Eresburg, with Paderborn, in the current Germany.

It is often reported that Charlemagne made fun of the belief of the Saxon S according to which Irminsul prevented the sky from falling to them on the head , and that it saw a reason thus to attack to discredit its adversaries.

An equivalent of Irminsul would be the crowned yew of Uppsala, in Sweden. It is in addition known that certain noble Saxon opposed to Charlemagne took refuge with the Denmark (see Widukind).

Random links: