''Almáttki áss'' (the almighty ''
áss'' "god") is an unknown
Norse god evoked in an
Icelandic legal oath sworn on a
temple ring
A temple ring is an ornament that hangs from a headdress or in braids of hair in the front area at the side of the head i.e. near a person's anatomical temple. Temple rings were part of Slavic, Scandinavian and others' medieval women's dress. ...
, mentioned in
Landnámabók (
Hauksbók 268).
Attestations
The reference in Landnámabók is found in a section describing the old
heathen __NOTOC__
Heathen or Heathens may refer to:
Religion
*Heathen, another name for a pagan
*Heathen, an adherent of Heathenry
Music
*Band of Heathens, a North American rock and roll band
*Heathen (band), a North American thrash metal band
*The Hea ...
laws for how one should swear legal oaths:
Theories
The identity of this divinity has given rise to much speculation.
Thor
The identification with
Thor is by far the most common. The adjective "almighty" applies particularly well to him and he had a prominent position by the time of the settlement of Iceland.
Ullr
The ''almáttki áss'' can be identified with
Ullr for in
Atlakviða (30) Gudrún
Gudrun ( ; non, Guðrún) or Kriemhild ( ; gmh, Kriemhilt) is the wife of Sigurd, Sigurd/Siegfried and a major figure in Germanic heroic legend and literature. She is believed to have her origins in Ildico, last wife of Attila the Hun, and ...
mentions the oaths
Gunnar
Gunnar is a male first name of Nordic origin (''Gunnarr'' in Old Norse). The name Gunnar means fighter, soldier, and attacker, but mostly is referred to by the Viking saying which means Brave and Bold warrior (''gunnr'' "war" and ''arr'' "warrior ...
sworn by Ull's ring.
Rudolf Simek theorizes that this hypothesis was in contradiction with the insignificance of the cult of Ullr.
[Simek (1996).]
Odin
The expression could also refer to
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 ...
, represented in much of the Old Norse corpus as the important god of the Norse pantheon.
Týr
Rudolf Simek also suggested that the ''almáttki áss'' might be
Týr.
Even if this god was little known in Iceland, the oath was a legal one and Týr was historically linked to law (cf.
Mars Thingsus)..
Christianity
Finally, as the oath was transmitted by a Christian author, the could have a Christian meaning.
John Lindow thus suggested that maybe the author "meant the 'almighty áss' to be a noble pagan anticipation of the new religion that was to come".
Régis Boyer shares this opinion, underscoring that the word "almáttki" is nowhere else to be found in a pagan context.
[Boyer (2000).]
See also
*
Regnator omnium deus (Latin 'god, ruler of all'), a deity mentioned by Tacitus in 1 CE as venerated by the Semnones
Notes
References
Bibliography
Primary
*
*
Secondary
* ''Livre de la colonisation de l'Islande selon la version de
Sturla Þórðarson (Sturlubók)''. Traduit de l'islandais ancien, annoté et commenté par Régis Boyer. Turnhout: Brepols, 2000. Miroir du Moyen Âge. .
*
Lindow, John.
Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs'. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2002. .
* Simek, Rudolf. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. Translated by Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almattki ass
Æsir
Norse gods
Open problems
Thor
Odin