In Norse mythology, Móðguðr (

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

: , "Furious Battler"; also Modgud) refers to the female guardian of the bridge over the river

Gjöll Gjöll (Old Norse: ''Gjǫll'' ) is the river that separates the living from the dead in Norse mythology. It is one of the eleven rivers traditionally associated with the Élivágar, rivers that existed in Ginnungagap at the beginning of the worl ...

("Noisy"), Gjallarbrú. She allowed the newly dead to use the bridge to cross from one side of the river

to the other if the soul stated their name and business, and possibly in turn prevented the dead beyond the river from crossing back over Gjöll into the lands of the living.

''Gylfaginning''

In the book ''

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 t ...

'', at the end of chapter 49, the death of Baldr and Nanna is described.

Hermóðr Hermóðr (Old Norse: , "war- spirit";Orchard (1997:83). anglicized as Hermod) is a figure in Norse mythology, a son of the god Odin and brother of Baldr. He is often considered the messenger of the gods. Attestations ''Prose Edda'' Hermóðr a ...

, described as Baldr's brother in this source, sets out to Hel on horseback to retrieve the deceased Baldr. To enter Hel, Hermóðr rides for

nine nights Nine-Nights, also known as Dead Yard, is a funerary tradition practiced in the Caribbean (primarily Belize, Antigua, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Haiti). It is an extended wake that lasts for several days, ...

through "valleys so deep and dark that he saw nothing" until he arrives at the river

("Noisy") and its bridge, Gjallarbrú, which is guarded by Móðguðr. The bridge is described as having a roof made of shining gold. Hermóðr crosses it before being challenged at the far end by Móðguðr.Byock (2006:67-69). Móðguðr speaks to Hermóðr and comments that the bridge echoes beneath him more than the entire party of five people who had just passed. This is a reference to Baldr, Nanna and those that were burnt in their funeral pyre passing over the bridge upon death. Móðguðr also says that the dead in Hel appear as a different color from the living and tells him that to get to Hel he must go "down and to the North" where he would find the Road to Hel.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Modgudr Gýgjar Norse underworld Underworld deities Underworld gods Underworld Mythological characters Underworld goddesses