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 peri ...
, Niðafjöll (pronounced , also written Niðvellir, often anglicized as Nidafjöll), which means ''dark mountains'', are located in the northern
underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld ...
. Niðafjöll is the site from which the dragon
Níðhöggr
In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr (''Malice Striker'', in Old Norse traditionally also spelled Níðhǫggr , often anglicized NidhoggWhile the suffix of the name, ''-höggr'', clearly means "striker" the prefix is not as clear. In particular, the ...
comes. According to
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
, the good and virtuous people will live here in a golden palace after the
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, (; non, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disasters, and the submers ...
, despite its proximity to
Hel.
Niðafjöll is mentioned in ''
Völuspá
''Vǫluspá'' (also ''Völuspá'', ''Vǫlospá'' or ''Vǫluspǫ́''; Old Norse: 'Prophecy of the völva, a seeress'; reconstructed Old Norse: ) is the best known poem of the '' Poetic Edda''. It tells the story of the creation of the world an ...
'' from the
Poetic Edda
The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the '' Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic me ...
.
''Voluspo, The Wise-Woman's Prophecy'' (The Poetic Edda, by Henry Adams Bellows, 1936)
/ref>
References
Other sources
*Faulkes, Anthony (trans. and ed.) (1987) ''Edda of Snorri Sturluson'' (Everyman's Library)
* Lindow, John (2001) ''Handbook of Norse mythology'' (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio)
* Orchard, Andy (1997) ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend'' (Cassell)
* Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology'' (D.S. Brewer)
External links
* Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.) (1923) ''The Poetic Edda''. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) is an American non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting international understanding through educational and cultural exchange between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Swede ...
. Available online i
www.voluspa (org)
Locations in Norse mythology
Mythological mountains
Norse underworld
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