|
|
Home
Pearsall Surname Project
Number of Pearsalls By Location
Maps by Family
Surname
History and Genealogy
of the Pearsall Family in England
and America:
Volume I
Front Cover
Inside Front Cover
The Motive
Thanks
Illustrations
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Appendix I
Volume II
Volume III
|
|
the same before the
king, his household or the nobility, and before other officials who were
being trained in the truthful repetition of these same sagas, to the end
that the ancient rights, laws, usuages and
customs might be maintained inviolate. The sagas quite naturally recorded
the history of the kings and of the outstanding men of each generation,
and thereby their recital became a most interesting form of entertainment
in which the listeners were not only as well informed as the reciter, but they were very jealous to see that no
untruths were permitted to be interpolated, or new incidents introduced. It
is doubtful if our modern system of recording history gives half so
accurate a story of events, past or present, relating to our country.
Snore Sturlason states this very clearly in the
Preface to the Saga of The Heimskringla which
he compiled from the old stories concerning those who held dominion in
the northern countries, and who spoke the Danish tongue. After reciting
the Mss from which he compiled his saga he says; We rest the foundation
of our story principally upon the songs which were sung (and stories
told) in the presence of the chiefs themselves or of their sons, and take
all to be true that is found in such poems (and sagas) about their feats
and battles; for although it be the fashion with the skalds to praise
most those in whose presence they are standing, yet no one would dare to
relate to a chief what he, and all those who heard it, knew to be false
and imaginary, not a true account of his deeds; because that would be
mockery, not praise.
With the change
of faith and conversion to Christianity, about the year 1000, writing,
and the materials for writing, first came into the land. With the Roman
alphabet came not only a readier means of expressing thought, but also a
class of men who were wont thus to express themselves. Hence Saga after
Saga was reduced to writing, and before the year 1200 it was reckoned
that all the pieces of that kind of composition, which related to the
history previous to the introduction of Christianity, had passed from the
oral into the written shape.
It is now
accepted as true by all investigators that the rulers of the North-men
represent the Northern branch of the Aryan race of mankind, who, leaving
their place of origin in Asia, pushed out across and settled Northern Europe. If we locate this point of
departure by Odin and his followers as being situated on the shores of
either the Black or the Caspian Sea, it will avoid all necessity cif determining the place where the Aryan Race
originated, and the extent of their dispersion at this particular period
of historical time, for we shall be well within the bounds of Turkeyland, and yet not far removed from the places
fixed by the savants who severally claim an Asian or an European locality
as the district which was the original home of the Aryan Race, and where
Odin resided. That it was on the seashore is shown by the common name,
mere, preserved in all the branches of this race for this body of water.
And likewise it is known that it was a land of mountains, valleys,
streams, brooks and trees, located in a temper-ate climate, with the
snows and storms of winter when all things are dead, the opposite season
of summer when all things are living, and with the resurrection time of
spring when the dead come to life again. These saga genealogies point to
a series of events which certainly occurred, and it is equally certain
that so great a human movement must have produced a great leader like
Odin, the same as the similar, movement of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan
developed Moses
|
|
