VÃðblindi or Viðblindi ("Very blind") is a
jötunn 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 ...
.
Attestations
The
skald
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
Hallar-Steinn Hallar-Steinn (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was an Icelandic poet active around the year 1200. He is best known for the poem ''Rekstefja'', preserved in Bergsbók and ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta''. A few other disjoint verses by him are ...
uses the
kenning "Viðblindi's boar" () for whale in a stanza quoted by
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 the ...
in his ''
Skáldskaparmál''. Snorri explains it as follows:
:Here the whale is called Boar of Viðblindi; this Viðblindi was a giant who drew whales out of the sea like fishes.
:
::—''Skáldskaparmál''
(XLVI)Brodeur's translation
A similar kenning for whale, "VÃðblindi's pig" ( non, VÃðblinda svÃn), can be found in an anonymous stanza from the 13th century preserved in ''
Laufás-Edda Laufás-Edda (''Edda Magnúsar Ólafssonar'') is a 17th-century redaction of the Snorra Edda, which survives in numerous Icelandic manuscripts.
History
Laufás Edda was compiled by the Icelandic priest and poet Magnús Ólafsson (c.1573–1636) on ...
''.
VÃðblindi is also listed among the in the ''
þulur''.
Interpretation and discussion
Rudolf Simek noted that the only known for fishing whales is
Hymir, but he is never called VÃðblindi / Viðblindi.
[Simek 1996.]
Notes
References
*
Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (trans.). 1916.
Snorri Sturluson: The Prose Edda'. New York:
The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
*
Simek, Rudolf. 1996. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. Translated by Angela Hall. First published: Alfred Kröner Verlag, 1984. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidblindi
Jötnar