Gestumblindi is a character in

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

who appears in '' Hervarar saga'' and in

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. ...

' ''

Gesta Danorum ''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark an ...

'' as Gestiblindus. Later, he also appears in several Scandinavian folk tales as Gest Blinde.

Hervarar saga

According to Hervarar saga, Gestumblindi was a powerful man in

Reidgotaland Reidgotaland, Reidgothland, Reidgotland, Hreidgotaland or Hreiðgotaland was a land mentioned in Germanic heroic legend (mentioned in the Scandinavian sagas as well as the Anglo-Saxon Widsith) usually interpreted as the land of the Goths. Etymol ...

, i.e. a

Goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

, who had angered king

Heidrek Heidrek or Heiðrekr (Old Norse: ) is one of the main characters in the cycle about the magic sword Tyrfing. He appears in the '' Hervarar saga'', and probably also in ''Widsith'',line 115, as ''Heathoric'' together with his sons Angantyr (''Incgen ...

by refusing to pay him tribute. King Heidrek had in his

hird The hird (also named "Håndgangne Menn" in Norwegian), in Scandinavian history, was originally an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls, but came to mean not only the nucleus ('Guards') of the royal army, but also d ...

twelve men who were entrusted to take care of all the legal disputes in the kingdom. If anyone had any complaint, they had the right to approach these men and would have right to both life and limb on the condition that they asked the king a number of riddles that the king could not answer. Heidrek sent a message to Gestumblindi that if he did not appear at the court at a certain date, he would be imprisoned. In desperation, Gestumblindi sacrificed to

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

asking him for assistance. Shortly thereafter, a stranger appeared at Gestumblindi's homestead, and this stranger also called himself Gestumblindi. The two men were so similar that no one could tell them apart. They changed clothes and Gestumblindi went away to hide. Everyone thought that the new man was the real Gestumblindi and then the stranger went to king Heidrek and between them was the most exquisite contest in wisdom. Gestumblindi told riddles, mostly about nature but also about Norse mythology, and Heidrek answered them all (these riddles are presented in detail and they are among the most interesting riddles in Norse mythology). Finally, Odin/Gestumblindi told Heidrek the same riddle that he had once asked Vafthruthnir, i.e. "What did Odin whisper in

Balder Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kno ...

's ear before Balder was cremated?" Heidrek, realising that Gestumblindi was Odin, became very angry and wanted to strike Odin with his cursed sword

Tyrfing Tyrfing, Tirfing or Tyrving (the name is of uncertain origin, possibly connected to the Terwingi) was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which features in the Tyrfing Cycle, which includes a poem from the ''Poetic Edda'' called ''Hervararkvi� ...

. Odin turned into a

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

, but Heidrek's sword cut off a piece of the bird's tail, which is why the hawk has the tail he has.

Gesta Danorum

Saxo Grammaticus relates that Gestiblindus was a

king of the Geats Geatish kings ( la, Rex Getarum/Gothorum; sv, Götakungar), ruling over the provinces of Götaland (Gautland/Geatland), appear in several sources for early Swedish history. Today, most of them are not considered historical. This list follows t ...

who gave himself and his kingdom up to Frodi, the king of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

on condition that Frodi would defend him against

Alrik Alaric and Eric (Old Norse: ''Alrekr'' and ''Eiríkr''), according to legend, were two kings of Sweden. In the ''Ynglinga saga'' According to the ''Ynglinga saga'', Alaric and Eric were sons and heirs of the previous king Agni. They shared the ...

, the king of Sweden. {{Tyrfing Tyrfing cycle Legendary Norsemen Kings of the Geats Odin