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 as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

, Róta is a

valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

. Róta is attested in chapter 36 of the ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' () or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often considered to have been to some exten ...

'' book ''

Gylfaginning ''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first main part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'', after the initial Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' takes the form of ...

'', where she is mentioned alongside the valkyries Gunnr and Skuld, and the three are described as "always idingto choose who shall be slain and to govern the killings."Faulkes (1995:31). Otherwise, Róta appears in two

kenning A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech, a figuratively-phrased compound term that is used in place of a simple single-word noun. For instance, the Old English kenning () means , as does (). A kenning has two parts: a base-word (a ...

s, one by Egill Skallagrímsson and one by Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld.

Finnur Jónsson Finnur Jónsson (May 29, 1858 – March 30, 1934) was an Icelandic philologist and Professor of Nordic Philology at the University of Copenhagen. He made extensive contributions to the study of Old Norse literature. Finnur Jónsson was born a ...

. Lexicon Poeticum. http://www.septentrionalia.net/lex/index2.php?book=e&page=178&ext=png Theories have been proposed about the possible appearance of Róta in and the meaning of her name.

Theories

Name

According to Guðbrandur Vigfússon, the name ''Róta'' is connected to the Old Norse

noun In grammar, a noun is a word that represents a concrete or abstract thing, like living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, and ideas. A noun may serve as an Object (grammar), object or Subject (grammar), subject within a p ...

''róta'' (meaning "sleet and storm") and Róta is "a goddess who sends storm and rain."Vigfusson (1874:503).

''Gesta Danorum''

In book two of , a female by the name of "Ruta" is mentioned:

:Arise too, Ruta, and show your snow-pale head, :come forth from hiding and issue into battle. :The outdoor carnage beckons you; fighting now :shakes the court, harsh strife batters the gates.Davidson, Fisher (2008:I 59).

Axel Olrik Axel Olrik (3 July 1864 – 17 February 1917) was a Denmark, Danish folklore, folklorist and scholar of mediaeval historiography, and a pioneer in the methodical study of oral narrative. Olrik was born in Frederiksberg, the son of the artist H ...

considered this as an isolated reference to Hrólfr Kraki's widow Hrut mourning on the battlefield with blond hair.

Hilda Ellis Davidson Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson (born Hilda Roderick Ellis; 1 October 1914 – 12 January 2006) was an English folklorist. She was a scholar at the University of Cambridge and The Folklore Society, and specialized in the study of Celtic and G ...

says "it seems more probable that it is a reference to the deathly pale head of the valkyrie, the spirit brooding over the battlefield personifying slaughter, who is summoned at the outset of battle." Davidson points out that ''Róta'' is the name of a valkyrie, and that "it seems preferable to assume" this to Olrik's theory. Davidson says that while this is, however, complicated by an earlier mention in book two of Hrólfr Kraki's sister and Bödvar Bjarki's wife ''Hrut'', yet this ''Hrut'' is not found elsewhere as a female name.Davidson, Fisher (2008:II 45 and 47–48). In book six of , a figure by the name of "Rothi" is mentioned:

:Say, Rothi, perpetual mocker of cowards, do you think :we have made Frothi adequate restitution :by paying him seven deaths in revenge for one? :See, they are borne lifeless who gave you homage :only in show and beneath subserviance planned :treachery."Davidson, Fisher (2008:I 194).

According to Davidson, this "Rothi" may be the same as Róta, though it has been alternately theorized that "Rothi" may be a name of Odin.Davidson, Fisher (2008:II 107).

Notes

References

* Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Fisher, Peter (2008). ''Saxo Grammaticus: The History of the Danes''. D. S. Brewer. * Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). ''Edda''. Everyman. * Vigfusson, Gudbrand (1874). ''An Icelandic-English Dictionary: Based on the MS. Collections of the Late Richard Cleasby''. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rota Valkyries