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 ...

, Kára is a valkyrie, attested in the prose epilogue of the '' Poetic Edda'' poem '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana II''. The epilogue details that "there was a belief in the pagan religion, which we now reckon an old wives' tale, that people could be reincarnated," and that the deceased valkyrie Sigrún and her dead love Helgi Hundingsbane were considered to have been reborn as another Helgi and valkyrie couple; Helgi as Helgi Haddingjaskati and Sigrún as the daughter of Halfdan—the valkyrie Kára. According to the epilogue, further information about the two can be found in the work '' Káruljóð'', which has not survived.Larrington (1999:141). The name ''Kára'' either means "the wild, stormy one" (based on Old Norse ''afkárr'', meaning "wild") or "curl" or "the curly one" (from Old Norse ''kárr'').

Otto Höfler Otto Eduard Gotfried Ernst Höfler (10 May 1901 – 25 August 1987) was an Austrian philologist who specialized in Germanic studies. A student of Rudolf Much, Höfler was Professor and Chair of German Language and Old German Literature at the Univ ...

theorizes a connection between the "curl" etymology and the

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 ...

ic cult name '' Odinkar'' that appears in

runic inscriptions A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of El ...

, which means "the one with the (long?) Odin's curls."Simek (2007:182) citing Höfler (1952).

Notes

References

* Höfler, Otto (1952). ''Germanisches Sakralkönigtum''. Tübingen, Münster, Köln. * Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). ''The Poetic Edda''. Oxford World's Classics. * Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''.

D.S. Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, edition ...

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