"Bote's Saxon Chronicle, under the year 780, relates that King Charles, during his conquest of the East Saxons on the Hartesburg, overthrew an idol similar to Saturn, which the people called Krodo."

*Tacitus' Germania has been known to modern scholars since 1525, when it was first rediscovered and recognized.  Ertha, "Earth" is an early textual reading error by German scholars for "Nerthum", now considered to be the best reading of the available manuscripts. The case for the reading Nerthum (neuter form of the name Nerthus) was first argued by Jacob Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology, and most recently by John McKinnell in the early 21st century.

One great object of fear with the Saxons was the evil being whom they called Foul, a name which occurs in their form of exorcism against the bite of serpents. Beyond this we know nothing of him, and perhaps, after all, the word, Foul, may not have been used as applicable to an individual, but to the foul, or evil, spirits in general. Flinn, or Flint, and Zernebock, are also mentioned by some writers as being amongst their evil deities, whose influence was to be propitiated by prayer and sacrifice. The first is described by Verstegan as an idol, who had that name from his being set on a great flint stone. This idol was made like the image of death, and naked save only a sheet about him. In his right hand he held a torch, or, as they term it, a fire-blase. On his head a lion rested his two fore-feet, standing with the one of his hinder feet upon his left shoulder, and with the other in his hand; which to support he lifted up as high as his shoulder.

Zernebock, that is the block, or malevolent deity, seems more particularly to have been the devil of the Anglo-Saxons. He was sometimes simply termed the Black, or as it is translated in the Latin chronicles, Ater, that colour seeming to be inseparable from the popular ideas of the demon. He would indeed appear to have been the symbol of night or darkness, as Juterbag played the opposite part of the classical Aurora. Siba, Seba, or Sjeba, was represented in the shape of a beautiful woman, her heir falling down below her knees, her hands behind her, and in one a golden apple, while the other held a bunch of grapes with a golden leaf.

A deity called Crodo, or Crodus, is mentioned by several writers. Albinus, in his Novce Saxonum Historiue Progymnasmata, thus describes him :

"Crodus is an old man, in the form of a reaper, standing with naked feet upon a little fish, called a perch. He was clad in a white tunic, with a linen girdle, in his left handa wheel, in his right a small vessel filled with water in which floated roses and every sort of garden-fruit. The picture is in the Brunswick Chronicle."

The Irmensul, or Irmensul, Hermessul, or Armessul, has found so many different interpretations, as well as modes of spelling, that it is hard to say what it precisely was. Grimm in his invaluable Deutsche Mythologie tells us that it meant the "universal column," the sustainer, namely, of all things, and closely connected with the Ydrasil of the Scandinavians. Albinus in his Meisnic Chronicles says it might have meant the pillar of Arminius—the leader who defeated the Romans—; or the pillar of Hermes, that is, Mercury; or the pillar supporting the poor and feeble. The Saxon Chronicle describes it as representing Mars, in the shape of an armed man, who stands in a green field, up to his middle in flowers, and girded with a sword. In his right hand he has a flag on which is a rose or wild-flower; in his left a scale; on his helmet, a weathercock; on his shield a lion, above which is a scale, and below it a rose; and some add that upon his breast was a bear.

But whatever the Irminsula may have been intended to represent, it was the most celebrated idol in all Saxony, and its picture found a place in many temples. The fane of the great image was at Marsberg, or Mersberg. It stood upon a column about eleven feet high, composed of light red marble, with belts of orichalcus, the upper and lower gilt, as was the one between these and the crown,—also gilt;—so too was the upper circle incumbent upon it, with three heroic verses. The base was of a rude gravelstone; the whole being surrounded with an iron railing to keep it sacred from the multitude, or to save it from injury. The idol itself was of wood, and about it were three other figures. The Irminsala was served both by priests and priestesses, who acquired no little dignity and influence from the votaries of so honoured a deity. The woman pretended to fortune-telling and divination. The man performed the sacrifices, and had besides considerable influence in political affairs, their sanction being held essential to success. They moreover appointed the district governors of continental Saxony, and named the judges who annually decided whatever disputes might occur in the provinces. When the day of battle came, they took the idol down from its pillar, and carried it to the field in hopes by its presence to secure victory to their people. The conflict being over, they then immolated to it war-prisoners, and such of their own army as had proved cowards. When Charlemagne had defeated the Saxons, he broke the idol, and demolished its temple, a pious work which occupied one part of his army for three days while the other stood by under arms to prevent its worshippers from coming to the rescue. The column was flung into a waggon, and buried near the Weser, on the spot where Corbie afterwards arose. Upon the death of Charlemagne, for some reason,—probably to prevent its falling into the hands of the idolaters,—it was transported beyond the Weser, and, the Saxons attempting to rescue their favourite, a battle took place, in which they were defeated. From this circumstance the spot received the name of Armensula. To prevent the recurrence of such attempts the pillar was thrown into the Inner, but only, as it turned out, to undergo a yet stranger vicissitude. When a church was built near Hillesheim, it was brought into it after much preliminary lustration, and set up in the choir, where it long was used to hold the lights upon the days of festival. We have dwelt more at length upon this idol, as there seems a certainty, or at least a strong probability of its worship having continued with the Saxons who possessed themselves of Britain. The ancient name of Irmin Street would appear to have been derived from Irmensal.

The Saxons had many other deities; indeed their number is so great that the detail of them would too severely task the patience of most readers; we shall therefore mention but two more —Ochus Bocus, and Neccus. The first of these, under the corrupted names of old Bogey and Bogle still lingers in nursery tales and among our northern peasantry. We also find it, if Verelius be right, in the legerdemain of the Italian conjurors— "ochus pocus!" but they probably borrowed it from our own Hocus Pocus. Bochus is no doubt derived from the genuine Teutonic Bock, a goat, for without any apparent reason the goathas often been made symbolical of evil, amongst Christians as well as Pagans. Thus we read in Matthew;