Hrungnir ( Old Norse : [ˈhruŋɡnez̠] , 'brawler') is a jötunn in Norse mythology . He is described as made of stone and is ultimately killed in a duel with the thunder god Thor .
77-397: Prior to his demise, Hrungnir engaged in a wager with Odin in which Odin stakes his head on his horse, Sleipnir , being faster than Hrungnir's steed Gullfaxi . During the race, which Sleipnir wins, Hrungnir enters Ásgard , and there becomes drunk and abusive. After they grow weary of him, the gods call on the god Thor to battle Hrungnir. He is slain by Thor's hammer Mjölnir . Hrungnir
154-576: A calque of Latin Mercurii dies ('Day of Mercury '; cf. modern Italian mercoledì , French mercredi , Spanish miércoles ). The earliest records of the Germanic peoples were recorded by the Romans, and in these works Odin is frequently referred to—via a process known as interpretatio romana (where characteristics perceived to be similar by Romans result in identification of a non-Roman god as
231-625: A sleeping spell on her which she could not break, and due to that spell she has been asleep a long time. Sigurd asks for her name, and the woman gives Sigurd a horn of mead to help him retain her words in his memory. The woman recites a heathen prayer in two stanzas. A prose narrative explains that the woman is named Sigrdrífa and that she is a valkyrie. A narrative relates that Sigrdrífa explains to Sigurd that there were two kings fighting one another. Odin had promised one of these— Hjalmgunnar —victory in battle, yet she had "brought down" Hjalmgunnar in battle. Odin pricked her with
308-407: A Christian context 'hanging in heaven' would refer to the crucifixion ; but (remembering that Woden was mentioned a few lines previously) there is also a parallel, perhaps a better one, with Odin, as his crucifixion was associated with learning." The Old English gnomic poem Maxims I also mentions Woden by name in the (alliterative) phrase Woden worhte weos , ('Woden made idols'), in which he
385-593: A Roman deity)—as the Roman god Mercury . The first clear example of this occurs in the Roman historian Tacitus 's late 1st-century work Germania , where, writing about the religion of the Suebi (a confederation of Germanic peoples ), he comments that "among the gods Mercury is the one they principally worship. They regard it as a religious duty to offer to him, on fixed days, human as well as other sacrificial victims. Hercules and Mars they appease by animal offerings of
462-518: A cloak and a broad hat. He is often accompanied by his animal familiars —the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens Huginn and Muninn , who bring him information from all over Midgard —and he rides the flying, eight-legged steed Sleipnir across the sky and into the underworld. In these texts he frequently seeks greater knowledge, most famously by obtaining the Mead of Poetry , and makes wagers with his wife Frigg over his endeavors. He takes part both in
539-467: A dialogue with an undead völva , who gives him wisdom from ages past and foretells the onset of Ragnarök , the destruction and rebirth of the world. Among the information the völva recounts is the story of the first human beings ( Ask and Embla ), found and given life by a trio of gods; Odin, Hœnir , and Lóðurr : In stanza 17 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá , the völva reciting
616-647: A heathen invocation known as the Second Merseburg Incantation , which calls upon Odin and other gods and goddesses from the continental Germanic pantheon to assist in healing a horse: Phol ende uuodan uuoran zi holza. du uuart demo balderes uolon sin uuoz birenkit. thu biguol en sinthgunt , sunna era suister, thu biguol en friia, uolla era suister thu biguol en uuodan, so he uuola conda: sose benrenki, sose bluotrenki, sose lidirenki: ben zi bena, bluot si bluoda, lid zi geliden, sose gelimida sin! Phol and Woden travelled to
693-410: A list of valkyries , referred to as nǫnnor Herians 'the ladies of War Lord'; in other words, the ladies of Odin. In foretelling the events of Ragnarök , the völva predicts the death of Odin; Odin will fight the monstrous wolf Fenrir during the great battle at Ragnarök . Odin will be consumed by the wolf, yet Odin's son Víðarr will avenge him by stabbing the wolf in the heart. After
770-405: A race towards Ásgard , "intending to pay him back for his boasting". Although Sleipnir turns out to be the fastest horse, the race is very close and Odin is not able to keep Hrungnir out of the place of gods, Ásgard. There, the Æsir (gods) invites Hrungnir for a drink. Hrungnir becomes so intoxicated that he threatens to remove "Val-hall and take it to Giantland" and to "bury Asgard and kill all
847-481: A reward, Thor offers him Hrungnir's horse Gullfaxi . Then he saw Thor in an As-rage, he was travelling at an enormous rate and swung his hammer and threw it from a great distance at Hrungnir. Hrungnir raised the whet stone with both hands, threw it in return. It met the hammer in flight, the whetstone, and the whetstone broke in two. One piece fell to the ground, and from it have come all whetstone rocks. The other piece crashed into Thor’s head so that he fell forwards to
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#1732772536953924-456: A sleeping-thorn in consequence, told her that she would never again "fight victoriously in battle", and condemned her to marriage. In response, Sigrdrífa told Odin she had sworn a great oath that she would never wed a man who knew fear. Sigurd asks Sigrdrífa to share with him her wisdom of all worlds. The poem continues in verse, where Sigrdrífa provides Sigurd with knowledge in inscribing runes , mystic wisdom, and prophecy . Odin
1001-417: A woman. The woman's corslet is so tight that it seems to have grown into the woman's body. Sigurd uses his sword Gram to cut the corslet, starting from the neck of the corslet downwards, he continues cutting down her sleeves, and takes the corslet off her. The woman wakes, sits up, looks at Sigurd , and the two converse in two stanzas of verse. In the second stanza, the woman explains that Odin placed
1078-509: Is a homophone for Old English os , a particularly heathen word for 'god'. Due to this and the content of the stanzas, several scholars have posited that this poem is censored, having originally referred to Odin. Kathleen Herbert comments that " Os was cognate with As in Norse, where it meant one of the Æsir , the chief family of gods. In Old English, it could be used as an element in first names: Osric, Oswald, Osmund, etc. but it
1155-785: Is a skaldic poem said to have been composed in honour of the Scandinavian hero, Ragnar Lodbrok , but likely actually addressed to some later Ragnar. It is attributed to the oldest known skald , Bragi Boddason , who lived in the 9th century, and was composed for the Swedish king Björn at Haugi . Bragi describes the images on a decorated shield which Ragnar had given to him. The images included: The extant fragments of Ragnarsdrápa are preserved in Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda . The episodes of Hamdir and Sorli and Heðinn and Hǫgni are explicitly ascribed to Ragnarsdrápa while
1232-560: Is comparable to the Hurrian Ullikummi , a stone-giant who grew so quickly that he reached the heavens. He was slain by the thunder-god Teshub who is equivalent also to the Luwian Tarḫunz and Hittite Tarḫunna . The Old Norse name Hrungnir has been translated as 'brawler', or as 'big person, strong man', 'noise-maker'. In Skáldskaparmál (The Language of Poetry), written in the 13th century CE by Snorri Sturluson ,
1309-606: Is contrasted with and denounced against the Christian God . The Old English rune poem recounts the Old English runic alphabet, the futhorc . The stanza for the rune ós reads as follows: ōs byþ ordfruma ǣlcre sprǣce wīsdōmes wraþu and wītena frōfur and eorla gehwām ēadnys and tō hiht god is the origin of all language wisdom's foundation and wise man's comfort and to every hero blessing and hope The first word of this stanza, ōs (Latin 'mouth')
1386-572: Is frequently referred to as a founding figure among various other Germanic peoples, such as the Langobards , while some Old Norse sources depict him as an enthroned ruler of the gods. Forms of his name appear frequently throughout the Germanic record, although narratives regarding Odin are mainly found in Old Norse works recorded in Iceland , primarily around the 13th century. These texts make up
1463-402: Is from this association that Odin is referred to as "raven-god". The above-mentioned stanza from Grímnismál is then quoted. In the same chapter, the enthroned figure of High explains that Odin gives all of the food on his table to his wolves Geri and Freki and that Odin requires no food, for wine is to him both meat and drink. Ragnarsdr%C3%A1pa Ragnarsdrápa (Ragnar's Poem )
1540-695: Is mentioned throughout the books of the Prose Edda , composed in the 13th century and drawing from earlier traditional material. The god is introduced at length in chapter nine of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning , which explains that he is described as ruling over Asgard , the domain of the gods, on his throne, that he is the 'father of all', and that from him all the gods, all of humankind (by way of Ask and Embla ), and everything else he has made or produced. According to Gylfaginning , in Asgard: In
1617-434: Is near universally accepted as the cosmic tree Yggdrasil , and if the tree is Yggdrasil , then the name Yggdrasil (Old Norse 'Ygg's steed') directly relates to this story. Odin is associated with hanging and gallows ; John Lindow comments that "the hanged 'ride' the gallows". In the prose introduction to the poem Sigrdrífumál , the hero Sigurd rides up to Hindarfell and heads south towards "the land of
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#17327725369531694-407: Is said to be "quite terrified" and he "wets himself" at the sight of Thor, whereas Hrungnir, whose heart, head and shield appear to be made of stone, is "standing unguardedly". After the fight is over and Hrungnir eventually defeated, Thor turns out to be stuck under the jötunn 's leg. Thor's three-year-old son Magni is the only one able to lift up the gigantic leg among all the present Æsir (gods). As
1771-511: Is said to be the son of a god other than Yahweh. This lines up with the Lindsey genealogy which says that Frealaf was the son of Friothulf, son of Finn, son of Godulf, son of Geat, although Nennius seems to have replaced Godulf with Fodepald. Other genealogies of Odin include further ancestry beyond Geat, giving Geat's father as Tætwa son of Beaw son of Sceldi son of Heremod son of Itermon son of Hathra son of Guala son of Bedwig son of Sceaf, who
1848-578: Is said to have slain a wyrm (serpent, Germanic dragon ) by way of nine "glory twigs". Preserved from an 11th-century manuscript, the poem is, according to Bill Griffiths, "one of the most enigmatic of Old English texts". The section that mentions Woden is as follows: + wyrm com snican, toslat he nan, ða genam woden VIIII wuldortanas, sloh ða þa næddran þæt heo on VIIII tofleah Þær gaændade æppel and attor þæt heo næfre ne wolde on hus bugan. A serpent came crawling (but) it destroyed no one when Woden took nine twigs of glory, (and) then struck
1925-542: Is that the inscription "gutaniowi hailag" means "sacred to Wodan-Jove", but this is highly disputed. The earliest clear reference to Odin by name is found on a C- bracteate discovered in Denmark in 2020. Dated to as early as the 400s, the bracteate features a Proto-Norse Elder Futhark inscription reading "He is Odin’s man" ( iz Wōd[a]nas weraz ). Although the English kingdoms were nominally converted to Christianity by
2002-646: Is the son of Noah from the Bible . In the 11th century, chronicler Adam of Bremen recorded in a scholion of his Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum that a statue of Thor, whom Adam describes as "mightiest", sat enthroned in the Temple at Uppsala (located in Gamla Uppsala, Sweden) flanked by Wodan (Odin) and " Fricco ". Regarding Odin, Adam defines him as "frenzy" ( Wodan, id est furor ) and says that he "rules war and gives people strength against
2079-494: Is venerated with other Germanic gods in most forms of the new religious movement Heathenry ; some branches focus particularly on him. The Old Norse theonym Óðinn (runic ᚢᚦᛁᚾ on the Ribe skull fragment ) is a cognate of other medieval Germanic names, including Old English Wōden , Old Saxon Wōdan , Old Dutch Wuodan , and Old High German Wuotan ( Old Bavarian Wûtan ). They all derive from
2156-470: The einherjar , sending the other half to the goddess Freyja 's Fólkvangr . Odin consults the disembodied, herb-embalmed head of the wise Mímir , who foretells the doom of Ragnarök and urges Odin to lead the einherjar into battle before being consumed by the monstrous wolf Fenrir . In later folklore, Odin sometimes appears as a leader of the Wild Hunt , a ghostly procession of
2233-512: The Franks ". On the mountain Sigurd sees a great light, "as if fire were burning, which blazed up to the sky". Sigurd approaches it, and there he sees a skjaldborg (a tactical formation of shield wall ) with a banner flying overhead. Sigurd enters the skjaldborg , and sees a warrior lying there—asleep and fully armed. Sigurd removes the helmet of the warrior, and sees the face of
2310-506: The Latin term vātēs ('prophet, seer') is probably a Celtic loanword from the Gaulish language, making *uoh₂-tós ~ *ueh₂-tus ('god-inspired') a shared religious term common to Germanic and Celtic rather than an inherited word of earlier Proto-Indo-European (PIE) origin. In the case a borrowing scenario is excluded, a PIE etymon *(H)ueh₂-tis ('prophet, seer') can also be posited as
2387-441: The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning (chapter 38), the enthroned figure of High (Harr), tells Gangleri (king Gylfi in disguise) that two ravens named Huginn and Muninn sit on Odin's shoulders. The ravens tell Odin everything they see and hear. Odin sends Huginn and Muninn out at dawn, and the birds fly all over the world before returning at dinner-time. As a result, Odin is kept informed of many events. High adds that it
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2464-588: The Proto-Germanic theonym * Wōðanaz , meaning 'lord of frenzy', or 'leader of the possessed'. Odin appears as a prominent god throughout the recorded history of Northern Europe , from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania (from c. 2 BCE) through movement of peoples during the Migration Period (4th to 6th centuries CE) and the Viking Age (8th to 11th centuries CE). In
2541-563: The Solomon and Saturn poems is additionally in the style of later Old Norse material featuring Odin, such as the Old Norse poem Vafþrúðnismál , featuring Odin and the jötunn Vafþrúðnir engaging in a deadly game of wits. The 7th-century Origo Gentis Langobardorum , and Paul the Deacon 's 8th-century Historia Langobardorum derived from it, recount a founding myth of
2618-498: The creation of the world by slaying the primordial being Ymir and in giving life to the first two humans Ask and Embla . He also provides mankind knowledge of runic writing and poetry , showing aspects of a culture hero . He has a particular association with the Yule holiday. Odin is also associated with the divine battlefield maidens, the valkyries , and he oversees Valhalla , where he receives half of those who die in battle,
2695-624: The reconstructed Proto-Germanic masculine theonym *Wōðanaz (or *Wōdunaz ). Translated as 'lord of frenzy', or as 'leader of the possessed', *Wōðanaz stems from the Proto-Germanic adjective *wōðaz ('possessed, inspired, delirious, raging') attached to the suffix *-naz ('master of'). Internal and comparative evidence all point to the ideas of a divine possession or inspiration, and an ecstatic divination . In his Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum (1075–1080 AD), Adam of Bremen explicitly associates Wotan with
2772-423: The substantivized forms Old Norse óðr ('mind, wit, sense; song, poetry'), Old English wōþ ('sound, noise; voice, song'), Old High German wuot ('thrill, violent agitation') and Middle Dutch woet ('rage, frenzy'), from the same root as the original adjective. The Proto-Germanic terms *wōðīn ('madness, fury') and *wōðjanan ('to rage') can also be reconstructed. Early epigraphic attestations of
2849-463: The 9th-century skald Bragi Boddason mentions "Hrungnir's skull-splitter". And the ugly ring [serpent] of the side-oared ship’s road [sea] stared up spitefully at Hrungnir’s skull-splitter Bragi also refers to the shield as "Hrungnir's sole-blade" and refers to Hrungnir as the "thief of Þrúðr ", the daughter of Thor. Will you hear, Hrafnketil, how I shall praise the sole-blade of the thief of Thrud [Hrungnir], which has fine colour planted on it, and
2926-709: The Irish missionary Columbanus disrupted an offering of beer to Odin ( vodano ) "(whom others called Mercury)" in Swabia . A few centuries later, 9th-century document from what is now Mainz , Germany, known as the Old Saxon Baptismal Vow records the names of three Old Saxon gods, UUôden ('Woden'), Saxnôte , and Thunaer ('Thor'), whom pagan converts were to renounce as demons . A 10th-century manuscript found in Merseburg , Germany, features
3003-704: The Langobards ( Lombards ), a Germanic people who ruled a region of the Italian Peninsula . According to this legend, a "small people" known as the Winnili were ruled by a woman named Gambara who had two sons, Ybor and Aio . The Vandals , ruled by Ambri and Assi , came to the Winnili with their army and demanded that they pay them tribute or prepare for war. Ybor, Aio, and their mother Gambara rejected their demands for tribute. Ambri and Assi then asked
3080-739: The Latin term furor , which can be translated as 'rage', 'fury', 'madness', or 'frenzy' ( Wotan id est furor : "Odin, that is, furor "). As of 2011, an attestation of Proto-Norse Woðinz , on the Strängnäs stone , has been accepted as probably authentic, but the name may be used as a related adjective instead meaning "with a gift for (divine) possession" (ON: øðinn ). Other Germanic cognates derived from *wōðaz include Gothic woþs ('possessed'), Old Norse óðr ('mad, frantic, furious'), Old English wōd ('insane, frenzied') and Dutch woed ('frantic, wild, crazy'), along with
3157-423: The Winnili and their whiskered women and asked, "who are those Long-beards?" Frea responded to Godan, "As you have given them a name, give them also the victory". Godan did so, "so that they should defend themselves according to his counsel and obtain the victory". Thenceforth the Winnili were known as the Langobards ('long-beards'). Writing in the mid-7th century, Jonas of Bobbio wrote that earlier that century
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3234-409: The adder so that it flew into nine (pieces). There archived apple and poison that it never would re-enter the house. The emendation of nan to 'man' has been proposed. The next stanza comments on the creation of the herbs chervil and fennel while hanging in heaven by the 'wise lord' ( witig drihten ) and before sending them down among mankind. Regarding this, Griffith comments that "In
3311-400: The adjective include un-wōdz ('calm one', i.e. 'not-furious'; 200 CE) and wōdu-rīde ('furious rider'; 400 CE). Philologist Jan de Vries has argued that the Old Norse deities Óðinn and Óðr were probably originally connected (as in the doublet Ullr–Ullinn ), with Óðr (* wōðaz ) being the elder form and the ultimate source of the name Óðinn ( *wōða-naz ). He further suggested that
3388-426: The bulk of modern understanding of Norse mythology. Old Norse texts portray Odin as the son of Bestla and Borr along with two brothers, Vili and Vé , and he fathered many sons , most famously the gods Thor (with Jörð ) and Baldr (with Frigg ). He is known by hundreds of names . Odin is frequently portrayed as one-eyed and long-bearded, wielding a spear named Gungnir or appearing in disguise wearing
3465-593: The common ancestor of the attested Germanic, Celtic and Latin forms. More than 170 names are recorded for Odin; the names are variously descriptive of attributes of the god, refer to myths involving him, or refer to religious practices associated with him. This multitude makes Odin the god with the most known names among the Germanic peoples. Steve Martin has pointed out that the name Odinsberg (Ounesberry, Ounsberry, Othenburgh) in Cleveland Yorkshire , now corrupted to Roseberry (Topping) , may derive from
3542-505: The dead through the winter sky. He is associated with charms and other forms of magic, particularly in Old English and Old Norse texts. The figure of Odin is a frequent subject of interest in Germanic studies , and scholars have advanced numerous theories regarding his development. Some of these focus on Odin's particular relation to other figures; for example, Freyja 's husband Óðr appears to be something of an etymological doublet of
3619-482: The duel while the cosmological elements are reacting: the "ground all low" (earth) is "battered with hail" and "all the hawk's sanctuaries" (the skies) are in flame; "Svolnir’s widow" (Odin's consort, Jörð [Earth]) practically split apart". Then Hrungnir and Thor fight by hurling their weapons at each other (the jötunn's whetstone and Thor's hammer ), and the poem alludes to the removal of the piece of whetstone from Thor's head. Baldr’s brother [Thor] did not spare there
3696-590: The end of the 7th century, Woden is frequently listed as a founding figure among the Old English royalty. Odin is also either directly or indirectly mentioned a few times in the surviving Old English poetic corpus, including the Nine Herbs Charm and likely also the Old English rune poem . Odin may also be referenced in the riddle Solomon and Saturn . In the Nine Herbs Charm , Woden
3773-410: The enemy" and that the people of the temple depict him as wearing armour, "as our people depict Mars". According to Adam, the people of Uppsala had appointed priests ( gothi ) to each of the gods, who were to offer up sacrifices ( blót ), and in times of war sacrifices were made to images of Odin. In the 12th century, centuries after Norway was "officially" Christianised, Odin was still being invoked by
3850-428: The forest. Then was for Baldur 's foal its foot wrenched. Then encharmed it Sindgund (and) Sunna her sister, then encharmed it Frija (and) Volla her sister, then encharmed it Woden , as he the best could, As the bone-wrench, so for the blood wrench, (and) so the limb-wrench bone to bone, blood to blood, limb to limb, so be glued. Old English royal genealogies record Woden as an ancestor of
3927-538: The fray [valkyries] wished it. The rock-gentleman [giant] did not have to wait long after that for a swift blow from the tough multitude-smashing friend [Thor] of hammer-face-troll [Miollnir]. Compared to Snorri's account, Þjóðólfr emphasizes more on Thor's journey to the battle, escorted by noise and flames, while Snorri makes relatively little of it and also describes Hrungnir's journey. Thor's servant Þjálfi and Hrungnir's clay-made giant Mokkurkálfi are absent from Þjóðólfr ’s 10th-century version. In Ragnarsdrápa ,
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#17327725369534004-624: The god Godan for victory over the Winnili, to which Godan responded (in the longer version in the Origo ): "Whom I shall first see when at sunrise, to them will I give the victory." Meanwhile, Ybor and Aio called upon Frea, Godan's wife. Frea counselled them that "at sunrise the Winnil[i] should come, and that their women, with their hair let down around the face in the likeness of a beard should also come with their husbands". At sunrise, Frea turned Godan's bed around to face east and woke him. Godan saw
4081-478: The god Odin is portrayed as riding his horse Sleipnir into Jötunheim when he meets the jötunn Hrungnir, mounted on his horse Gullfaxi (Gold-mane). They have a short verbal exchange about the quality of their respective horse, during which Odin states his willingness to bet his head (his life) on the result. Hrungnir declares that he has "a horse that must be much longe-paced, it [is] called Gullfaxi." Then Hrungnir gets angry, leaps upon his horse and follows Odin in
4158-716: The god as Wotan , a spelling of his own invention which combines the Old High German Wuotan with the Low German Wodan . The modern English weekday name Wednesday derives from Old English Wōdnesdæg , meaning 'day of Wōden'. Cognate terms are found in other Germanic languages, such as Middle Low German and Middle Dutch Wōdensdach (modern Dutch woensdag ), Old Frisian Wērnisdei (≈ Wērendei ) and Old Norse Óðinsdagr (cf. Danish, Norwegian, Swedish onsdag ). All of these terms derive from Late Proto-Germanic * Wodanesdag ('Day of Wōðanaz'),
4235-690: The god of rage Óðr–Óðinn stood in opposition to the god of glorious majesty Ullr–Ullinn in a similar manner to the Vedic contrast between Varuna and Mitra . The adjective *wōðaz ultimately stems from a Pre-Germanic form *uoh₂-tós , which is related to the Proto-Celtic terms * wātis , meaning 'seer, sooth-sayer' (cf. Gaulish wāteis , Old Irish fáith 'prophet') and * wātus , meaning 'prophesy, poetic inspiration' (cf. Old Irish fáth 'prophetic wisdom, maxims', Old Welsh guaut 'prophetic verse, panegyric'). According to some scholars,
4312-405: The god, while Odin's wife Frigg is in many ways similar to Freyja , and Odin has a particular relation to Loki . Other approaches focus on Odin's place in the historical record, exploring whether Odin derives from Proto-Indo-European mythology or developed later in Germanic society . In the modern period, Odin has inspired numerous works of poetry, music, and other cultural expressions. He
4389-586: The gods Mercury is the one they principally worship" is an exact quote from Julius Caesar 's Commentarii de Bello Gallico (1st century BCE) in which Caesar is referring to the Gauls and not the Germanic peoples. Regarding the Germanic peoples, Caesar states: "[T]hey consider the gods only the ones that they can see, the Sun, Fire and the Moon", which scholars reject as clearly mistaken, regardless of what may have led to
4466-406: The gods", besides the beautiful goddesses Freyja and Sif whom he intends to keep for himself. The gods then call the thunder-god Thor to expel the unwanted guest, and the two of them agree to a duel. Thor arrives at the appointment with his servant Þjálfi , and Hrungnir is escorted by Mokkurkálfi ('Mist-calf'), a mighty creature made of clay, and with the heart of a mare. But the giant Mokkurkálfi
4543-467: The gods, but appears to be due to Mercury's role of psychopomp . Other contemporary evidence may also have led to the equation of Odin with Mercury; Odin, like Mercury, may have at this time already been pictured with a staff and hat, may have been considered a trader god, and the two may have been seen as parallel in their roles as wandering deities. But their rankings in their respective religious spheres may have been very different. Also, Tacitus's "among
4620-399: The greedy enemy of men [Hrungnir], Mountains shook and rocks smashed; heaven above burned. I have heard that the watcher [Hrungnir] of the dark bone [rock] of the land [sea] of Haki’s carriages [ships] moved violently in opposition when he saw his warlike slayer. Swiftly flew the pale ring-ice [shield] beneath the soles of the rock-guarder [giant]. The bonds [gods] caused this, the ladies of
4697-441: The ground, but the hammer Miollnir hit the middle of Hrungnir’s head and shattered his skull into small fragments, and he fell forwards over Thor so that his leg lay across Thor’s neck. Thialfi attacked Mokkurkalfi, and he fell with little glory. Haustlöng (Autumn-long, 14–20 ), a poem written by the early 10th-century skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir and from which Snorri claims to derive his own account, depicts Thor's journey to
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#17327725369534774-561: The kings of Lindsey , Mercia , Deira and Bernicia (which eventually became Northumbria , Wessex , and East Anglia accounting for in 7 of the 8 genealogies, and all but Essex, who instead traced their ancestry to Saxnot . Some of these genealogies expand on ancestry beyond Woden, giving his father as Frealaf beginning in the 8th century. The Welsh 9th centurry Historia Brittonum also includes Woden in its pedigree of Hengist, and shows Woden's ancestry as "VVoden, filii Frealaf, filii Fredulf, filii Finn, filii Fodepald, filii Geta", who
4851-415: The modern period, the rural folklore of Germanic Europe continued to acknowledge Odin. References to him appear in place names throughout regions historically inhabited by the ancient Germanic peoples, and the day of the week Wednesday bears his name in many Germanic languages, including in English. In Old English texts, Odin holds a particular place as a euhemerized ancestral figure among royalty, and he
4928-402: The mythological (such as Odin's recounting of his retrieval of Óðrœrir , the vessel containing the mead of poetry ), and to the mystical (the final section of the poem consists of Odin's recollection of eighteen charms). Among the various scenes that Odin recounts is his self-sacrifice: While the name of the tree is not provided in the poem and other trees exist in Norse mythology, the tree
5005-408: The other parts are inferred by scholars to belong to the same poem, describing the images on the four quarters of the shield, in four stanzas each with, presumably, a lost refrain. The poem is often compared with Húsdrápa and Haustlöng , which also describe artworks depicting mythological scenes. Like Haustlöng, it uses archaic and complex kennings in a manner that strains the syntax. Although
5082-512: The permitted kind" and adds that a portion of the Suebi also venerate "Isis". In this instance, Tacitus refers to the god Odin as "Mercury", Thor as " Hercules ", and Týr as " Mars ". The "Isis" of the Suebi has been debated and may represent " Freyja ". Anthony Birley noted that Odin's apparent identification with Mercury has little to do with Mercury's classical role of being messenger of
5159-417: The poem states that Hœnir , Lóðurr and Odin once found Ask and Embla on land. The völva says that the two were capable of very little, lacking in ørlög and says that they were given three gifts by the three gods: The meaning of these gifts has been a matter of scholarly disagreement and translations therefore vary. Later in the poem, the völva recounts the events of the Æsir–Vanir War ,
5236-618: The population, as evidenced by a stick bearing a runic message found among the Bryggen inscriptions in Bergen, Norway. On the stick, both Thor and Odin are called upon for help; Thor is asked to "receive" the reader, and Odin to "own" them. Odin is mentioned or appears in most poems of the Poetic Edda , compiled in the 13th century from traditional source material reaching back to the pagan period. The poem Völuspá features Odin in
5313-533: The prince? According to scholar John Lindow , the reaction of cosmological elements (the earth is cracking, the sky burning) during Thor's journey to the battle, as told in Haustlöng , "suggests the cosmic nature of Thor’s duel with Hrungnir". The motivation for the duel, which is not mentioned by 10th-century skald Þjóðólfr in Haustlöng , could have originally been the abduction of Thor's daughter Þrúðr by
5390-458: The rune name without obviously referring to Woden." In the prose narrative of Solomon and Saturn , "Mercurius the Giant" ( Mercurius se gygand ) is referred to as an inventor of letters. This may also be a reference to Odin, who is in Norse mythology the founder of the runic alphabets, and the gloss a continuation of the practice of equating Odin with Mercury found as early as Tacitus. One of
5467-816: The source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet , and depicts him as the husband of the goddess Frigg . In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, the god was also known in Old English as Wōden , in Old Saxon as Uuôden , in Old Dutch as Wuodan , in Old Frisian as Wêda , and in Old High German as Wuotan , all ultimately stemming from
5544-625: The statement. There is no direct, undisputed evidence for the worship of Odin/Mercury among the Goths , and the existence of a cult of Odin among them is debated. Richard North and Herwig Wolfram have both argued that the Goths did not worship Odin, Wolfram contending that the use of Greek names of the week in Gothic provides evidence of that. One possible reading of the Gothic Ring of Pietroassa
5621-501: The stone-made giant Hrungnir, as suggested by an earlier kenning by 9th-century skald Bragi : 'leaf of the soles of the thief of Þrúðr [SHIELD]' ( blað ilja Þrúðar þjófs ). Georges Dumézil argues that the story involves the initiation of Þjálfi by Thor in the killing of the clay-made monster. Odin Odin ( / ˈ oʊ d ɪ n / ; from Old Norse : Óðinn ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism . Norse mythology ,
5698-621: The time of the Anglian settlements, with nearby Newton under Roseberry and Great Ayton having Anglo Saxon suffixes. The very dramatic rocky peak was an obvious place for divine association, and may have replaced Bronze Age/Iron Age beliefs of divinity there, given that a hoard of bronze votive axes and other objects was buried by the summit. It could be a rare example, then, of Nordic-Germanic theology displacing earlier Celtic mythology in an imposing place of tribal prominence. In his opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , Richard Wagner refers to
5775-457: The war between Vanir and the Æsir , two groups of gods. During this, the first war of the world, Odin flung his spear into the opposing forces of the Vanir . The völva tells Odin that she knows where he has hidden his eye; in the spring Mímisbrunnr , and from it " Mímir drinks mead every morning". After Odin gives her necklaces, she continues to recount more information, including
5852-500: The world is burned and renewed, the surviving and returning gods will meet and recall Odin's deeds and "ancient runes". The poem Hávamál (Old Norse 'Sayings of the High One') consists entirely of wisdom verse attributed to Odin. This advice ranges from the practical ("A man shouldn't hold onto the cup but drink in moderation, it's necessary to speak or be silent; no man will blame you for impoliteness if you go early to bed"), to
5929-450: Was not used as a word to refer to the God of Christians. Woden was equated with Mercury, the god of eloquence (among other things). The tales about the Norse god Odin tell how he gave one of his eyes in return for wisdom; he also won the mead of poetic inspiration. Luckily for Christian rune-masters, the Latin word os could be substituted without ruining the sense, to keep the outward form of
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