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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 ...
, Hliðskjálf is the high seat of the god 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 ...
allowing him to see into all realms.
''Poetic Edda''
In ''Grímnismál
''Grímnismál'' (Old Norse: ; 'The Lay of Grímnir') is one of the mythological poems of the ''Poetic Edda''. It is preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript and the AM 748 I 4to fragment. It is spoken through the voice of ''Grímnir'', one of ...
'', Odin and Frigg
Frigg (; Old Norse: ) is a goddess, one of the Æsir, in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about her, she is associated with marriage, prophecy, clairvoyance and motherhood, and dwells in the wet ...
are both sitting in Hliðskjálf when they see their foster sons Agnarr and Geirröðr
Geirröðr (also Geirröd) is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is the father of the Gjálp and Greip, who are killed by the thunder-god Thor.
Geirröðr is mentioned in the skaldic poem '' Þórsdrápa'', written by Eilíf Godrúnarson (l ...
, one living in a cave with a giantess
A giantess is a female giant: either a mythical being, such as the Amazons of Greek mythology, resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality ( ...
and the other a king. Frigg then made the accusation to her husband that Geirröðr was miserly and inhospitable toward guests, so after wagering with one another over the veracity of the statement, Odin set out to visit Geirröðr in order to settle the matter.
In ''Skírnismál
''Skírnismál'' (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Skírnir') is one of the poems of the ''Poetic Edda''. It is preserved in the 13th-century manuscripts Codex Regius and AM 748 I 4to but may have been originally composed in the early 10th century. Many sc ...
'', Freyr sneaks into Hliðskjálf when he looks into Jötunheimr
The terms Jötunheimr (in Old Norse orthography: Jǫtunheimr ; often anglicised as Jotunheim) or Jötunheimar refer to either a land or multiple lands in Nordic mythology inhabited by the jötnar. are typically, but not exclusively, presented ...
and sees the beautiful giant maiden Gerðr
In Norse mythology, Gerðr (Old Norse: ; "fenced-in"Orchard (1997:54).) is a jötunn, goddess, and the wife of the god Freyr. Gerðr is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the ''Prose Ed ...
, with whom he instantly falls in love.
''Prose Edda''
In ''Gylfaginning
''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; c. 20,000 words; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'' after the Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' deals with th ...
'', Snorri
Snorri (; ) is a masculine given name. People with the name include:
* Snorri Þorbrandsson, a character in the Icelandic ''Eyrbyggja saga''
* Snorri Goði or Snorri Þorgrímsson (963–1031), a prominent chieftain in Western Iceland, featured i ...
mentions the high seat on four occasions. In the first instance he seems to refer to it rather as a dwelling place:
"There is one abode called Hliðskjálf, and when Allfather sat in the high seat there, he looked out over the whole world and saw every man's acts, and knew all things which he saw."
However, later he explicitly refers to it as the high seat itself:
"Another great abode is there, which is named Valaskjálf. Odin possesses that dwelling. The gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
made it and thatched it with sheer silver, and in this hall is the Hliðskjálf, the high seat so called. Whenever Allfather sits in that seat, he surveys all lands."
The third mention made of Hliðskjálf is during Snorri's recounting of the wooing of Gerd, quoted by him from ''Skírnismál''. Lastly, Snorri relates how Odin used the high seat to find Loki
Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...
after he fled from the scene of his murder of Baldr
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 ...
.
See also
*Öndvegissúlur
Öndvegissúlur (), or high-seat pillars, were a pair of wooden poles placed on each side of the high-seat—the place where the head of household would have sat—in a Viking-period Scandinavian house.
According to descriptions in ''Landnámabók ...
* Valaskjálf
References
{{Norse mythology Locations in Norse mythology Odin