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 ...

, Herfjötur (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ''Herfjǫtur'', "host-fetter"Orchard (1997:194). or "fetter of the army"Simek (2007:142).) is a

valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

. Herfjötur is attested as among the 13 valkyries listed in the '' Poetic Edda'' poem '' Grímnismál'', and in the longer of the two ''

Nafnaþulur ''Nafnaþulur'' (Old Norse: ) is a subsection of the ''Prose Edda'', the last part of the ''Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Language of Poetry'; c. 50,000 words; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda''. The sectio ...

'' lists found in the ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been t ...

''. Rudolf Simek says the name is kenning-like and that the name likely refers to the "fortune determining function of the valkyries especially in battle." Simek points to a connection between the name and the

idisi In Germanic mythology, an idis (Old Saxon, plural idisi) is a divine female being. ''Idis'' is cognate to Old High German itis and Old English ides, meaning 'well-respected and dignified woman.' Connections have been assumed or theorized between th ...

mentioned in one of the two Merseburg Incantations and says that "these Idisi are obviously a kind of valkyrie, as these also have the power to hamper enemies in Norse mythology."Simek (2007:171).

Notes

References

* Orchard, Andy (1997). ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. Cassell. * Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. D.S. Brewer {{DEFAULTSORT:Herfjotur Valkyries