atter

Atter is an older Germanic term for " poisonous bodily fluid", especially venom of a venomous animal, such as a snake, dragon or other reptile, but also other vile corrupt or morbid substance from the body, such as pus from a sore or wound, as well as bitter substance, such as bile. Figuratively, it can also mean moral corruption or corruptness; noxious or corrupt influence, poison to the soul, evil, anger, envy, hatred; as well as destruction and death.

Today, atter is commonly associated with the Norse mythology, where it plays an important role in various contexts – see subsequent section: .

Etymology

'' Atter'' is derived from , '' ātor'' and '' ǣttor'', which in turn derives from , which stems from a , meaning "poison, pus", ultimately stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root of "to swell; swelling, tumour, abscess", related to (''oîdos''), "swelling, tumour, abscess, produced by internal action". It is directly cognate with and its derivatives, , , , , as well as and , all with similar meaning. In Scots, the cognate terms are ''atter'' and ''etter'', variously meaning "poison", "purulent matter from a sore" and "quarrelsomeness".

While mostly archaic or archaized in English, the word lives on with some strength in other languages. The Icelandic form ''eitur'' is the common word for "poison", while the Swedish form ''etter'' is a word for “venom”, as well as the full poetic meaning in dialectal and archaized language. The German form ''Eiter'' and the Dutch form ''etter'' are the common word for “pus”.

Its derivative, ''attery'' means "venomous", "poisonous" or "bitter". It is also found in compound nouns such as the now dialectal term for a spider ''attercop'', literally "atter-top" or "atter-cup" (compare cobweb, previously (atter)copweb), cognate with Norwegian and , and . It is also found in the term '' atterlothe'', meaning "an antidote to poison".

In Norse mythology

In Norse mythology, atter () plays an important role in various contexts. In one instance in ''Gylfaginning'', atter is dripped on Loki by a snake placed above him by Skaði. In another, it is blown by the worm Jörmungandr during Ragnarök, leading to the death of Thor. Also in ''Gylfaginning'', atter is described as forming in Ginnungagap, which gave rise to the primordial being Ymir, as described by the jötunn Vafþrúðnir in Vafþrúðnismál:

See also

* Germanic dragon

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

Primary

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Secondary

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External links

Snorra-Edda: Gylfaginning

Mythological poisons
Norse mythology
Germanic words and phrases