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Læraðr
Læraðr (Laerad) is a tree in Norse mythology, often identified with Yggdrasil. It stands at the top of the Valhöll. Two animals, the goat Heiðrún and the hart Eikþyrnir, graze its foliage. Etymology The meaning of Læraðr / Léraðr is unclear. One of the meanings of ''læ'' is "harm", "betrayal". A possible translation of Læraðr could therefore be "arranger of betrayal", which would relate to Yggdrasill as the place of Odin's self-sacrifice. Another reading is sometimes suggested, *hléradr, whose first component means "shelter" and which could thus be rendered as "giver of protection". Attestations ''Poetic Edda'' Læraðr is mentioned in two stanzas of the '' Grímnismál'': :Heidrûn the goat is called, :that stands o’er Odin’s hall, :and bites from Lærâd’s branches. :He a bowl shall fill :with the bright mead; :that drink shall never fail. :Eikthyrnir the hart is called, :that stands o’er Odin’s hall, :and bites from Lærâd’s branches; :from hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heiðrún By Lorenz Frølich
Heiðrún or Heidrun is a nanny goat in Norse mythology, that consumes the foliage of the tree Læraðr and produces mead from her udders for the einherjar. She is described in the ''Poetic Edda'' and ''Prose Edda''. Etymology The etymology of ''Heiðrún'' remains debatable.Liberman (2016:337–346). Anatoly Liberman suggests that ''Heiðþyrnir'', the name of the lowest heaven in Scandinavian mythology (from ''heið'' "bright sky"), was cut into two, and on the basis of those halves the names the heavenly goat ''Heiðrún'' and of the heavenly stag Eikþyrnir were formed (the element ''rún ~ run'' concealed several puns, but it is a common suffix of female names).Liberman (2016:345). The etymology of the New High German name ''Heidrun'' is also debatable. Heiðrún's name is sometimes anglicized ''Heidrun'', ''Heidhrun'', ''Heithrun'', ''Heidrún'', ''Heithrún'' or ''Heidhrún''. ''Prose Edda'' ''Poetic Edda'' In the ''Poetic Edda'' Heiðrún is mentioned twice. She ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valhöll
In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvangr, ruled by the goddess Freyja. The second was Hel, ruled by Hel, Loki's daughter. The third was that of the goddess Rán. The fourth was the Burial Mound where the dead could live. The fifth and last realm was Valhalla, ruled by Odin and was called the Hall of Heroes. The masses of those killed in combat (known as the einherjar), along with various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, live in Valhalla until Ragnarök, when they will march out of its many doors to fight in aid of Odin against the jötnar. Valhalla was idealized in Viking culture and gave the Scandinavians a widespread cultural belief that there is nothing more glorious than death in battle. The belief in a Viking paradise and eternal life in Valhalla with Odin may have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil () is an immense and central sacred tree in Norse cosmology. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in the ''Prose Edda'' compiled in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree that is central to the cosmos and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble at their traditional governing assemblies. The branches of Yggdrasil extend far into the heavens, and the tree is supported by three roots that extend far away into other locations; one to the well Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. Creatures live within Yggdrasil, including the dragon Níðhöggr, the squirrel Ratatoskr, the hawk Veðrfölnir, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. Scholars generally consider '' Hoddmímis holt'', '' Mímam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Sweden. The Foundation's headquarters, Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, is located at 58 Park Avenue, New York City. History ASF was founded in 1910 by the Danish-American industrialist Niels Poulsen, founder of the Hecla Iron Works. It is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that carries out an extensive program of fellowships, grants, intern and trainee J-1 visa sponsorship, publishing, membership offerings, and cultural events. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees of individuals from the United States and Scandinavia, representing diverse interests, yet linked by personal or professional ties to the Scandinavian countries. The five Nordic heads of state serve as the organization's patro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hvergelmir
Hvergelmir (Old Norse "bubbling boiling spring"Orchard (1997:93)) is an important primal wellspring in Norse mythology. Hvergelmir is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In the ''Poetic Edda'', Hvergelmir is mentioned in a single stanza, which details that it is the location where liquid from the antlers of the stag Eikþyrnir flow, and that the spring, "whence all waters rise", is the source of numerous rivers.Thorpe (1866:23). The ''Prose Edda'' repeats this information and adds that the spring is located in Niflheim, that it is one of the three major springs at the primary roots of the cosmic tree Yggdrasil (the other two are Urðarbrunnr and Mímisbrunnr), and that within the spring are a vast amount of snakes and the dragon Níðhöggr. Attestations Hvergelmir is attested in the following works: ''Poetic Edda'' Hvergelmir receives a single men ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Níðhöggr
(, , , "Malice Biter/Striker"?), often anglicized Nidhogg, is a Germanic dragon in Norse mythology who is said to gnaw at the roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil, and is likewise associated with the dead in Hel and Niflheim. Etymology While the suffix of the name, ''-höggr'', literally "hewer", clearly means "biter, striker", etc, the prefix is not as clear. In particular, the length of the first vowel is not determined in the original sources. Some scholars prefer the reading "Striker in the Dark". In historical Viking society, níð was a term for a social stigma, implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. Thus, its name might refer to its role as a horrific monster in its action of chewing the corpses of the inhabitants of Niflheim: those guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking, thus something akin to "Malice Biter". Orthography In the standardized Old Norse orthography, the name is spelled ', but the letter ' is frequently replaced with the Mod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Stags Of Yggdrasill
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hindu-Arabic digit Brahmic numerals represented 1, 2, and 3 with as many lines. 4 was simplified by joining its four lines into a cross that looks like the modern plus sign. The Shunga would add a horizontal line on top of the digit, and the Kshatrapa and Pallava evolved the digit to a point where the speed of writing was a secondary concern. The Arabs' 4 still had the early concept of the cross, but for the sake of efficiency, was made in one stroke by connecting the "western" end to the "northern" end; the "eastern" end was finished off with a curve. The Europeans dropped the finishing curve and gradually made the digit less cursive, ending up with a digit very close to the original Brahmin cross. While the shape of the character ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratatoskr
In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr (Old Norse, generally considered to mean "drill-tooth"Orchard (1997:129), Simek (2007:261), and Byock (2005:173). or "bore-tooth"Lindow (2001:259).) is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the eagles perched atop it and the serpent Níðhöggr who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree. Ratatoskr is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Etymology The name ''Ratatoskr'' contains two elements: ''rata-'' and ''-toskr''. The element ''toskr'' is generally held to mean "tusk". Guðbrandur Vigfússon theorized that the ''rati-'' element means "the traveller". He says that the name of the legendary drill Rati may feature the same term. According to Vigfússon, ''Ratatoskr'' means "tusk the traveller" or "the climber tusk."Guðbrandur (1874:483). Sophus Bugge theorized t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books by decree in 1586. It is the second-oldest university press after Cambridge University Press, which was founded in 1534. It is a department of the University of Oxford. It is governed by a group of 15 academics, the Delegates of the Press, appointed by the Vice Chancellor, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford. The Delegates of the Press are led by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's chief executive and as its major representative on other university bodies. Oxford University Press has had a similar governance structure since the 17th century. The press is located on Walton Street, Oxford, Walton Street, Oxford, opposite Somerville College, Oxford, Somerville College, in the inner suburb of Jericho, Oxford, Jericho. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Lindow
John Frederick Lindow (born July 23, 1946) is an American philologist who is Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley. He is a well known authority on Old Norse religion and literature. Biography John Lindow was born in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 1946, the son of Wesley Lindow and Eleanor Niemetta. His father was a banker and his mother was a teacher. John Lindow received his undergraduate degree at Harvard University, where he gained an A.B., ''magna cum laude'', in 1968, and a PhD in 1972, both in Germanic Languages and Literatures. After gaining his Ph.D, Lindow joined the faculty at University of California, Berkeley, serving as Acting Assistant Professor (1972–1974), Assistant Professor (1974–1977), Associate Professor (1977–1983), and Professor of Scandinavian (1983-?). He was since retired as Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore. In 1977, Lindow was elected as a corresponding member of the Royal Gustavus Ado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the many guises of the god Odin. The very name suggests guise, or mask or hood. Through an error, King Geirröth tortured Odin-as-Grímnir, a fatal mistake, since Odin caused him to fall upon his own sword. The poem is written mostly in the ljóðaháttr metre, typical for wisdom verse. Structure and history The work starts out with a lengthy prose section describing the circumstances leading up to Grímnir's monologue. The monologue itself comprises 54 stanzas of poetic verse describing the worlds and Odin's many guises. The third and last part of the poem is also prose, a brief description of Geirröth's demise, his son's ascension, and Odin's disappearance. The prose sections were most likely not part of the original oral versi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
