Mannus
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Mannus, son of Tuisto was a mythological character from whom the Germanic peoples were descended.
The name of this deity means human or man (as in Homo sapiens). It stems from the same root as the Indo-Iranian Manu, progenitor of humanity, first holy king to rule this earth who saves mankind and the Vedas and the priesthood from the universal flood. This is akin to the Semitic Noah. It might also be related to the name of the Irish deity Manannan mac Lir, for whom the Isle of Man is named.
According to Tacitus (Germania), Mannus had three sons whose names can be extrapolated as Ing, Irmin, and Istaev/Iscio. The three can be positively identified as Freyr (aka Yngvi) and Thor and Odinn (aka Jormun) of the Icelandic Eddas.
In the Eddas, Mannus seems to most closely resemble Heimdall (World's Brightness). In the opening passage of the Voluspa, men are referred to as being Heimdall's kin, while in the poem Rigsthula he is shown uniting each of the hierarchal ranks in siblinghood. Furthermore, while Mannus is remembered as being the father of both Odin and Frey, Heimdal is remembered as being an Aesir, but also to have qualities directly linked to the Vanir and to exist in a close paternal relationship to Freyja.
In Eddaic Creation, Mannus is comparable to Bor.
Finally, given his relationship to Tuisto, and their mutual association with the founding of the Germanic peoples, it is possible that both Tuisto and Mannus are those deities alluded to at the end of the Little Voluspa; ushering in the new age according to patterns laid down in the past.
Tacitus (Germania, chapter 2) explicitly mentions the names of these Germanic tribes, claiming descent from Mannus:
- Ingvaeones (living at the coastal line of the North Sea)
- Irminones (living in the interior part around the Elbe)
- Istvaeones (living at the borders of the river Rhine)
[edit] See also
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