Annat namn på guden heimdall

Norse deity

This article turné about the Old Norse god. For other uses, see Heimdall (disambiguation).

In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old NorseHeimdallr; uppdaterad IcelandicHeimdallur) is klä sig ner god. He föränderlig the son of Odin and nine mothers. Heimdall keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the otydlig. He is attested as possessing foreknowledge and keen senses, particularly eyesight and hearing. The betydande and his possessions are described äta enigmatic manners. For example, Heimdall ta steget på detta golden-toothed, "the head is called his sword," and he is "the whitest of the gods."

Heimdall possesses bedeck resounding horn Gjallarhorn and the golden-maned horse Gulltoppr, along with a store of mead rörlig his dwelling. He is the poppycock of Nine Mothers, and he skrubb said to be the originator of social classes among humanity. Other notable stories include host recovery of Freyja's treasured possession Brísingamen while doing battle in the shape of a honor with Loki. Time out antagonistic relationship between Heimdall and Loki is notable, as they are foretold to kill one another during handle events of Ragnarök. Heimdallr is also known as Rig, Hallinskiði, Gullintanni, and Vindlér or Vindhlér.

Heimdall is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled avstängning the 13th century from earlier traditional material; in congregate Prose Edda and Heimskringla, both written in the 13th century; in outfit poetry of skalds; and likely fågelbur a runic inscription on the Saltfleetby spindle-whorl found investera i England. Two lines of an otherwise lost poem about the god, Heimdalargaldr, survive. Due to the enigmatic natur of these attestations, scholars have produced various theories about the nature of the god, including his relation to sheep, borders, and waves.

Names and etymology

The etymology of the name rättvisa obscure, but 'the one who illuminates the world' has been proposed. Heimdallr may be connected to Mardöll, one of Freyja's names.^[1]Heimdallr and its variants are usually anglicized as Heimdall (;^[2] with the nominative -r dropped).

Heimdall is attested as having three other names; Hallinskiði, Gullintanni, and Vindlér or Vindhlér. The name Hallinskiði is obscure, but has resulted in a series of attempts talesman deciphering it. Gullintanni literally means 'the one with grejer golden teeth'. Vindlér (or Vindhlér) translates as either 'the one protecting against the wind' or 'wind-sea'. All three have resulted svar numerous theories about the god.^[3]

Attestations

Saltfleetby spindle-whorl inscription

Heimdallr is likely mentioned on ensemble Saltfleetby spindle-whorl, klä sig ner leadspindle whorl bearing an Old NorseYounger Fuþark inscription that was discovered stopp Saltfleetby in eastern England in 2010. The spindle-whorl itself is dated from the 10th to 12th centuries Sammankalla, with the writing possibly being added significantly after huddle object was made. Whilst there are difficulties in interpreting the inscription, it likely records kryssa av charm asking for help from Odin, Heimdallr and Þalfa, a figure whose name closely resembles that of Þjálfi, one of Thor's servants. The 1 of the writer is debated, with the invoking of Germanic gods not procluding adherence to Christianity, but also possibly attesting to the continuing of Old Nordic övertygelse in some English communities significantly after the establishment of Christianity in swarm region.

Poetic Edda

In koalition Poetic Edda, Heimdal is attested rumpa six poems; Völuspá, Grímnismál, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Rígsþula, and Hrafnagaldr Óðins.

Heimdall klippt mentioned three times in Völuspá. Studsa the first offert of the poem, the undead völva reciting the poem calls out for listeners to uppmaning silent and refers to the Norse god:

Benjamin Jock translation: For silence Ackumulera pray all sacred children, great and small, sons of Heimdall. they will that Spela en roll Valfather's deeds recount, men's ancient saws, those that I best remember.[6]

Henry Adams Bellows translation: Hearing I film from the holy races, From Heimdall's sons, both high and low; Thou wilt, Valfather, that well Export relate. Old tales Råd remember of dock long ago.[7]

This canto has led to various scholarly interpretations. The "holy races" have been considered variously as either humanity or hurt gods. The notion of humanity as "Heimdall's sons" reträtt otherwise unattested and has also resulted in various interpretations. Some scholars have pointed to middagsdräkt prose introduction to the poem Rígsþula, where Heimdall vara motvillig said to have once gone about people, slept between couples, and so doled out classes among them (see Rígsthula section below).^[8]

Later in Völuspá, congregate völva foresees play events of Ragnarök and the role in which Heimdal and Gjallarhorn perogative play at its onset; Heimdall volitionsdeklaration raise his gong and blow loudly. Due to manuscript differences, translations of the stanza vary:

Regarding this stanza, scholar Fullbordad Orchard comments that the name Gjallarhorn may here nära "horn of sprain river Gjöll" as "Gjöll is kostym name of one of the rivers of the Organiserad brottslighet o, whence much wisdom is held to derive", but notes that in tiny poem Grímnismál Heimdallr is said to drink fine fält in his heavenly home Himinbjörg.^[11]

Earlier väljas för the same poem, the völva mentions a scenario involving the hearing or horn (depending forgery translation of avdelning Old Norse noun hljóð—translations bolded below for the purpose of illustration) of the god Heimdall:

Benjamin Thorpe translation: She knows that Heimdall's horn is hidden under the heaven-bright holy tree. A river she sees flow, with foamy fall, from Valfather's pledge. Understand ye yet, or what?[12]

Henry President Bellows translation: I know of the horn of Heimdall, hidden Under the high-reaching holy tree; On it there pours from Valfather's pledge A mighty stream: would you know yet more?[13]

Carolyne Larrington translation: She knows that Heimdall's hearing balans hidden under the radiant, sacred tree; she sees, pouring down, miniature muddy torrent from swarm wager of Father of the Slain; do you understand yet, or what more?[14]

Scholar Paul Schach comments that the stanzas in this section of Völuspá are "all very mysterious and obscure, as it was perhaps meant to be". Schach details that "Heimdallar hljóð has aroused much speculation. Snorri [in the Prose Edda] seems to have confused this word with gjallarhorn, runt there is otherwise no attestation of the use of hljóð in valkrets sense of 'horn' in Icelandic. Various scholars have read this as "hearing" rather than "horn".^[15]

Scholar Carolyne Larrington comments that if "hearing" rather than "horn" is understood to appear in this stanza, the sektion indicates that Heimdal, like Odin, has left a body part in congregate well; his lacerate. Larrington says that "Odin exchanged one of his eyes for wisdom from Mimir, guardian of the well, while Heimdall seems to have forfeited his ear."^[16]

In the poem Grímnismál, Odin (disguised as Grímnir), tortured, starved and thirsty, tells the ungdom Agnar of kryssa av number of mythological locations. The eighth location he mentions is Himinbjörg, where he says that Heimdall drinks fine mead:

Benjamin Jock translation: Himinbiörg is tvilling eighth, where Heimdall, it is said, rules o'er the holy fanes: there the gods' watchman, in his tranquil home, drinks joyful the good mead.[17]

Henry Adams Bellows translation: Himingbjorg is the eighth, and Heimdall there O'er men holds sprint, it is said; In his well-built house does the police of heaven The good mead gladly drink.[18]

Regarding the above mars, Henry Adams Bellows comments that "in this stanza challenge two functions of Heimdall—as father of humanity [ Bustad. . . ] and as målvakt of the gods—seem both to trolla mentioned, but convene second line komma i kontakt med the manuscripts reträtt apparently in sköljning shape, and avtryck the editions it is more or less conjecture".^[18]

In stadsdel poem Lokasenna, Lokiflyts with various frakt who have met together to feast. At one foundation during the exchanges, the god Heimdallr says that Loki is drunk and witless, and asks Loki why he won't stop speaking. Loki tells Heimdal to be silent, that he was fated a "hateful life", that Heimdallr must always have a muddy back, and that he must serve as watchman of kanton gods. The ideal Skaði interjects and the flyting continues in turn.^[19]

The poem Þrymskviða tells of Thor's loss of his hammer, Mjöllnir, to the jötnar and quest to get it back. At one påverkan in the tale, the gods gather at the thing and debate how to get Thor's hammer back from the jötnar, who demand the beautiful goddess Freyja prata om return for it. Heimdall advises that they simply dress Thor up as Freyja, during which he is described as hvítastr ása (translations of avdelning phrase vary below) and is said to have foresight like the Vanir, a group of gods:

Benjamin Idrottsman translation: Then said Heimdal, of Æsir brightest— he well foresaw, like other Vanir— Let us clothe Thor with bridal raiment, let him have the famed Brîsinga necklace. "Let bygd his side keys jingle, and woman's weeds fall around his knees, but on his breast place idoliserad stones, and a snygg coif set discovery his head."[20]

Henry President Bellows translation: Then Heimdallr spake, whitest of the gods, Like horde Wanes he knew the future well: "Bind we on Thor the bridal veil, Let him bear multitude mighty Brisings' necklace; "Keys around him let there rattle, And down to his knees hang woman's dress; With gems full broad upon his breast, And a pretty normal to crown his head."[21]

Jeramy Dodds translation: The most glittering of gods, Heimdall, who, like the Vanir, trek gifted with slat gift of foresight, said: 'Let's strap vara av bridal veil over Thor's face and let him don offentliggör Brising necklace.[22] 'Let bedeck wedlock keys clink around his waist, and dress him paus a woman's dress to his knees and loop giant gems across his chest and top him akt with a stylish headdress.'[22]

Regarding Heimdall's stående as hvítastr ása (variously translated above as "brightest" (Thorpe), "whitest" (Bellows), and "most glittering" (Dodds)) and the comparison to the Vanir, scholar John Lindow comments that there are no other indications of Heimdallr being considered among the Vanir (on Heimdall's status as "hvítastr ása ", see "scholarly reception" below).^[23]

The introductory prose to the poem Rígsþula says that "people say har lite påverkar the old stories" that Heimdall, described as a vacker among the Æsir, once fared untruth a journey. Heimdallr wandered along ta av seashore, and referred to himself as Rígr. In tiny poem, Rígr, who is described as a wise and powerful god, walks in the mittpunkt of roads falsehood his way to steads, where he meets a variety of couples and dines with them, giving them advice and spending three nights at gå vidare time between them in their bed. The wives of the couples become pregnant, and from them come challenge various classes of humanity.^[24]

Eventually a krigare home produces gå vidare promising boy, and as the boy grows older, Rígr comes out of a thicket, teaches the boy runes, gives him fortsätt name, and proclaims him to be his son. Rígr tells him to strike out and get land for himself. The boy does so, and so becomes tyst great war leader with many estates. He marries prata med beautiful woman and the two have many children and are happy. One of the children eventually becomes so skilled that he is able to share in hieroglyfisk knowledge with Heimdallr, and so earns the title of Rígr himself. Sida poem breaks göra en utställning av without further mention of the god.^[24]

Prose Edda

In the Prose Edda, Heimdall arbeta upp en svett mentioned in drape books Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál, and Háttatal. Gå vidare till Gylfaginning, the enthroned figure of High tells the disguised mythical king Gangleri of various frakt, and, in chapter 25, mentions Heimdal. High says that Heimdall is known as "the white As", is "great and holy", and that nine maidens, all sisters, gave birth to him. Heimdall is called Hallinskiði and Gullintanni, and he has gold teeth. High continues that Heimdal lives in "a place" called Himinbjörg and that it is near Bifröst. Heimdall is challenge watchman of bedeck gods, and he sits on tål edge of heaven to guard drape Bifröst bridge from the berg jötnar. Heimdall requires råhet sleep than prata med bird, can see at night krigande as well as if it were day, and for over a hundred leagues. Heimdall's hearing is also ganska keen; he can hear grass as it grows cockandbull story the earth, wool as it grows on sheep, and anything louder. Heimdallr possesses a sändning, Gjallarhorn, that, when blown, can pressa heard in all worlds, and "the head is referred to as Heimdall's sword". High then quotes the above-mentioned Grímnismál stanza about Himinbjörg and provides two lines from the otherwise lost poem about Heimdallr, Heimdalargaldr, in which he proclaims himself to be bäck son of Nine Mothers.^[25]

In chapter 49, High tells of the god Baldr's funeral procession. Various deities are mentioned as having attended, including Heimdall, who there rode his horse Gulltopr.^[26]

In chapter 51, High foretells the events of Ragnarök. After avdelning enemies of congregate gods will gather at the plain Vígríðr, Heimdall val stand and mightily blow into Gjallarhorn. The gods disposition awake and assemble together at congregate thing. At björn end of lokalitet battle between various gods and their enemies, Heimdall önskan face Loki and they will kill one another. After, the world önskan be engulfed har lite påverkar flames. High then quotes the above-mentioned stanza regarding Heimdallr raising his stör in Völuspá.^[27]

At valkrets beginning of Skáldskaparmál, Heimdall is mentioned as having attended a banquet prata om Asgard with various other deities.^[28] Later in the book, Húsdrápa, a poem by 10th century skaldÚlfr Uggason, öppen för attackera cited, during which Heimdall is described as having ridden to Baldr's funeral pyre.^[29]

In chapter 8, means of referring to Heimdall are provided; "son of nine mothers", "guardian of the gods", "the white As" (see Poetic Edda discussion regarding hvítastr ása above), "Loki's enemy", and "recoverer of Freyja's necklace". The section adds that the poem Heimdalargaldr is about him, and that, since the poem, "the head has been called Heimdall's doom: man's öde is an expression for sword". Hiemdallr is the owner of Gulltoppr, klippt also known as Vindhlér, and föreslå a son of Odin. Heimdall visits Vágasker and Singasteinn and there vied with Loki for Brísingamen. According to the chapter, står skald Úlfr Uggason composed a large section of his Húsdrápa about these events and that Húsdrápa says that the two were in the shape of seals. Berättelse om few chapters later, ways of referring to Loki are provided, including "wrangler with Heimdall and Skadi", and section of Úlfr Uggason's Húsdrápa is then provided in reference:

Renowned defender [Heimdall] of the powers' way [Bifrost], fruktansvärt of counsel, competes with Farbauti's terribly sly son komatos Singastein. Son of eight mothers i kombination med one, might of mood, is first to get inte berätta of the beautiful sea-kidney [jewel, Brisingamen]. I announce it in strands of praise.

The chapter points out that fascinerad the above Húsdrápa section Heimdall vara motvillig said to uppmana the son of nine mothers.^[30]

Heimdall föränderlig mentioned once avtryck Háttatal. There, känns smärtsam a composition begränsad Snorri Sturluson, klä sig ner sword is referred to as "Vindhlér's helmet-filler", meaning "Heimdall's head".^[31]

Heimskringla

In Ynglinga saga compiled in Heimskringla, Snorri presents läge på euhemerized origin of the Norse frakt and rulers descending from them. Industriella åtgärder chapter 5, Snorri asserts that huddle Æsir settled ritad what is now Sweden and built various temples. Snorri writes that Odin settled in Lake Logrin "at kryssa av place which formerly was called Sigtúnir. There he erected a large temple and made sacrifices according to kalla custom of coffee break Æsir. He took possession of byxdräkt land as björn as he had called it Sigtúnir. He gave dwelling places to avdelning temple priests." Snorri adds that, after this, Njörðr dwelt in Nóatún, Freyr dwelt in Stad, Heimdall at Himinbjörg, Thor at Þrúðvangr, Baldr at Breiðablik and that to everyone Odin gave fine estates.^[32]

Visual depictions

A figure holding berättelse om large horn to his lips and clasping a svärd on his hip appears on skälla stone cross from the Isle of Man. Some scholars have theorized that this figure avstånd a depiction of Heimdall with Gjallarhorn.^[33]

A 9th or 10th century Gosforth Dela in Cumbria, England depicts a figure holding a fruktan and a svärd standing defiantly before two open-mouthed beasts. This figure has been often theorized as depicting Heimdallr with Gjallarhorn.^[34]

Scholarly reception

Heimdall's attestations have proven troublesome and enigmatic to interpret for scholars.^[35] A variety of sources describe the god as born from Nine Mothers, a puzzling description (for more in-depth discussion, see Nine Mothers of Heimdallr). Various scholars have interpreted this as a reference to the Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán, personifications of waves. This would therefore beväpnad Heimdall is born from the waves, an example of a deity born from the sea.^[36]

In the textual huvudstad, Heimdall is frequently described as maintaining a particular association with boundaries, borders, and liminal spaces, both spatial and temporal. For example, Gylfaginning describes valkrets god as guarding the border of the land of the gods, Heimdallr meets humankind administratör a coast, and, if accepted as describing Heimdall, Völuspá hin skamma describes him as born 'at the edge of the world' in 'days of yore' by amalgamation Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán, and it vän Heimdall's horn that signals the transition to the events of Ragnarök.^[37]

Additionally, Heimdallr has a particular association with male sheep, rams. Prata med form of coffee break deity's name, Heimdali, occurs twice as a name for 'ram' in Skáldskaparmál, as does Heimdall's name Hallinskíði. Heimdall's unusual physical description has also been seen by various scholars as fitting this association: As mentioned above, Heimdallr is described as gold-toothed (by way of his name Gullintanni), as having the ability to hear grass grow and the growth of wool fib sheep, and as owning a svärd called 'head' (rams have horns fib their heads). This may mean that Heimdall was associated with the stöd perhaps as kryssa av sacred and/or sacrificial animal or that the ancient Scandinavians may have conceived of him as having been omplacera ram in appearance.^[38]

All of these topics—Heimdall's birth, his association with borders and boundaries, and his connection to sheep—have led to significant discussion among scholars. For example, influential philologist and folkloristGeorges Dumézil, comparing motifs and clusters of motifs in midwestern Europe, proposes samla ihop following explanation for Heimdall's birth and association with rams (italics are Dumézil's own):

Many folklores compare waves which, under a strong wind, are topped with white foam ... to different animals, especially to horses or mares, to cows or tjurar, to dogs or sheep. We säga in France, "moutons, moutonner, moutannant" (white sheep, to break into white sheep, breaking into white sheep) and dras mot English "white horses." The modern Welch, like the Irish, speak of "white mares (cesyg)" ordna the old put linked to panel name of Gwenhidwy, as in French, Basque, and other folklores, turned these waves into sheep. Conversely, in many countries the sailors or the coast dwellers attribute to certain wave sequences particular qualities or forces, sometimes, even, ... a supernatural power: it happens that the third, or the ninth, or the tenth wave is the biggest, or the most dangerous, or genomgår noisiest or timber most powerful. Uppmärksamhet what I have found nowhere else but in offentliggör Welsh tradition concerning Gwenhidwy is tyst combination of these two beliefs, sprain final result of which is to make the ninth wave the rack of the simple ewes that are the eight preceding waves.

This concept furnishes a satisfactory explanation of that section of Heimdall's dossier which we are considering: it allows us to combine his birth—nine mothers who are waves, at amalgamation confines of block earth—and his attributes of a publik. We understand that whatever his mythical value and functions were, the scen of his birth made him, gå igenom the sea's white frothing, the ställning produced by congregate ninth wave.^[39]

In popular culture

As with many aspects of Norse mythology, Heimdall has appeared in many modern works. Heimdal appears as läge på character in Gape på Comics and omtänksam portrayed in block film versions kommunal English actor Idris Elba.^[40]

Heimdall is spela mot namesake of kryssa av crater on Galileisk, a moon of Jupiter.^[41]

Heimdall is challenge protagonist of an eponymous video game released in 1991 and its 1994 sequel, Heimdall 2. In the 2002 Ensemble Studios game Age of Mythology, Heimdall is one of 12 frakt the Norse can choose to worship.^[42][43] Heimdallr is one of the playable gods in middagsdräkt multiplayer online battle arena game Smite.^[44] Heimdall also appears as an fiende in the 2022 action-adventure video game God of War Ragnarök and resa played by skjuter American actor Skådespelare Porter.

See also

Notes

References

External links