Hyndluljóð

Freya (Old Norse: Freyja), the sister of Frey (Freyr) and the daughter of Niord (Njǫrðr), is usually seen as the fertility goddess of Norse mythology. Freya means lady, female ruler, in Old Norse (cf. fru or Frau in Scandinavian and German). While there are no sources suggesting that she was called on to bring fruitfulness to fields or wombs, she was a goddess of intimacy whose tears were gold. She was also goddess of love, sex, war, beauty, prophecies, and attra ...

Including:

• Freya - Freya as goddess of love
• Freya - Freya as battle goddess
• Freya - Freya as a witch
• Freya - Freya's possessions
• Freya - Other names
• Freya - Forms of Freyja
• Freya - Other forms
• Freya - Sources

Read more here: » Freya: Encyclopedia - Freya

Angrboda (Old Norse Angrboða 'Harm-foreboding') appears in Norse Mythology as a giantess. She is mentioned in the Eddic poems only in the Shorter Völuspá (in some edition included in the Hyndluljóð) as the mother of Fenrir by Loki. However, she is also (by Loki) mother of Fenrir's siblings, Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, and Hel, ruler of the underworld. Snorri Sturluson in his Prose Edda (in the Gylfaginning) calls Angrboda a "giantess in Jötunheimr" and mother by Loki of Fenrir, Jörmungandr, an ...

Read more here: » Angrboda: Encyclopedia - Angrboda

Hermóðr the Brave (Old Norse Hermóðr 'Courage-Battle') appears, in Norse mythology, clearly among the gods only in Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning where Hermóðr is the messenger sent by Odin to find out what ransom Hel would accept to return Baldr to Ásgarðr. Hermóðr is there called "son" of Odin in most manuscripts, but in the Codex Regius version—the Codex Regius is normally considered the best manuscript—Hermóðr is called sveinn Óðins 'Odin's boy', which might mean Odin's son but in the contex ...

Read more here: » Hermóðr: Encyclopedia - Hermóðr

Gullveig (seemingly "gold drink" or "gold might") is, in Norse mythology, a mysterious goddess or giantess who became the igniting source for the War of the gods. She is said have been burned three times in Odin's hall, to have been three times born, and to live yet as a seeress performing dark magic. She is only mentioned, at least by that name, in the Völuspá, stanzas 21–22. The seeress, after her ...

Including:

• Gullveig - External references

Read more here: » Gullveig: Encyclopedia - Gullveig

According to Skáldskaparmál they were daughters of the giant Geirröðr. As Thor was wading across Vimur the river "waxed so greatly that it broke high upon his shoulders". He finds out why. "Then Thor saw Gjálp, daughter of Geirrödr, standing in certain ravines, one leg in each , spanning the river, and she was causing the spate. Then Thor snatched up a great stone out of the river and cast it at her, saying these words: 'At its source should a river be stemmed.' Nor did he ...

See also:

Gjálp and Greip, Gjálp and Greip - Thor's visit to Geirröðr, Gjálp and Greip - Other mentions

Read more here: » Gjálp and Greip: Encyclopedia II - Gjálp and Greip - Thor's visit to Geirröðr

Poetic Edda - Mythological Poems. Völuspá Wise-woman's prophecy, The Prophecy of the Seeress, The Seeress's Prophecy Hávamál The Ballad of the High One, The Sayings of Hár, Sayings of the High One Vafþrúðnismál The Ballad of Vafthrúdnir, The Lay of Vafthrúdnir, Vafthrúdnir's Sayings Grímnismál The Ballad of Grímnir, The Lay of Grímnir, Grímnir's Sayings Skírnismál The Ballad of Sk ...

See also:

Poetic Edda, Poetic Edda - Style, Poetic Edda - Authorship, Poetic Edda - Time of composition, Poetic Edda - Location of composition, Poetic Edda - Editions, Poetic Edda - Poems included by various editors, Poetic Edda - Mythological Poems, Poetic Edda - Heroic lays, Poetic Edda - Sólarljóð, Poetic Edda - Bibliography in reverse chronological order with some web links

Read more here: » Poetic Edda: Encyclopedia II - Poetic Edda - Poems included by various editors

Freya was thought to be the most desirable of all goddesses, owner of the attractive piece of jewellery Brosingamen (Brísingamen), which she bought from four dwarfs (Dvalin, Alfrik, Berling, and Grer) for the price of a night with her. Freya loved jewellery so much that she named her daughter "Hnoss", meaning "jewel". According to Snorri's Edda Freya had a husband named Odr. He often went away on long journeys, and for this reason Freya cried tears of red gold. Th ...

See also:

Freya, Freya - Freya as goddess of love, Freya - Freya as battle goddess, Freya - Freya as a witch, Freya - Freya's possessions, Freya - Other names, Freya - Forms of Freyja, Freya - Other forms, Freya - Sources

Read more here: » Freya: Encyclopedia II - Freya - Freya as goddess of love

Some poems similar to those found in Codex Regius are normally also included in editions of the Poetic Edda. Important manuscripts include AM 748 4to, Hauksbók and Flateyjarbók. Many of the poems are quoted in Snorri's Edda but usually only in bits and pieces. What poems are included in an edition of the Poetic Edda depends on the editor. Those not in Codex Regius are sometimes called Eddica minora from their appearance in an edition with that title edited by Andr ...

See also:

Poetic Edda, Poetic Edda - Style, Poetic Edda - Authorship, Poetic Edda - Time of composition, Poetic Edda - Location of composition, Poetic Edda - Editions, Poetic Edda - Poems included by various editors, Poetic Edda - Mythological Poems, Poetic Edda - Heroic lays, Poetic Edda - Sólarljóð, Poetic Edda - Bibliography in reverse chronological order with some web links

Read more here: » Poetic Edda: Encyclopedia II - Poetic Edda - Editions

Freya - Forms of Freyja. Freia Froya Freja - common Danish and literary Swedish form. Frøya, Fröa - common Norwegian, and rural Swedish form. Frya - the name of the eponymous Frisian goddess in the Oera Linda Book, though her attributes are somewhat different. Freya - Other forms. Gefn (according to Snorri Gefyon/Gefjun is not the same as Gefn)See also:

Freya, Freya - Freya as goddess of love, Freya - Freya as battle goddess, Freya - Freya as a witch, Freya - Freya's possessions, Freya - Other names, Freya - Forms of Freyja, Freya - Other forms, Freya - Sources

Read more here: » Freya: Encyclopedia II - Freya - Other names

As a battle-goddess, Freya rides a boar called Hildisvín the Battle-Swine. In the poem Hyndluljóð, we are told that in order to conceal Ottar, Freya transformed him into the guise of a boar. The boar has special associations within Norse Mythology, both relative to the notion of fertility and also as a protective talisman in war. Seventh century Swedish helmet plates depict warriors with large boars as their crests, and a boar-crested helmet has survived from Anglo-Saxon time and was retrieved from a tumulus at Benty Grange in Derbyshire. In Beowulf, it is said that a boar on the helmet was t ...

See also:

Freya, Freya - Freya as goddess of love, Freya - Freya as battle goddess, Freya - Freya as a witch, Freya - Freya's possessions, Freya - Other names, Freya - Forms of Freyja, Freya - Other forms, Freya - Sources

Read more here: » Freya: Encyclopedia II - Freya - Freya as battle goddess

Freya was the driver of a wagon drawn by a pair of cats as big as lions. She was queen of the elves. Her chambermaids were Fulla, Hlín and Gná. Her palace was in Fólkvangr and her hall was Sessrúmnir. Besides the necklace, she owned a cloak of hawk/eagle feathers, which gave her the ability to change into any bird. She lends this garment to Loki in Þrymskviða. ...

See also:

Freya, Freya - Freya as goddess of love, Freya - Freya as battle goddess, Freya - Freya as a witch, Freya - Freya's possessions, Freya - Other names, Freya - Forms of Freyja, Freya - Other forms, Freya - Sources

Read more here: » Freya: Encyclopedia II - Freya - Freya's possessions

The Eddic poems are composed in alliterative verse. Their bread and butter meter is fornyrðislag, while málaháttr is a common variation. The rest, about a quarter, are composed in ljóðaháttr. The language of the poems is usually clear and relatively unadorned. While kennings are often employed they do not rise to the frequency or complexity found in skaldic poetry. ...

See also:

Poetic Edda, Poetic Edda - Style, Poetic Edda - Authorship, Poetic Edda - Time of composition, Poetic Edda - Location of composition, Poetic Edda - Editions, Poetic Edda - Poems included by various editors, Poetic Edda - Mythological Poems, Poetic Edda - Heroic lays, Poetic Edda - Sólarljóð, Poetic Edda - Bibliography in reverse chronological order with some web links

Read more here: » Poetic Edda: Encyclopedia II - Poetic Edda - Style

The dating of the poems has been a lively source of scholarly argument for a long time. Firm conclusions are hard to reach. While lines from the Eddic poems sometimes appear in poems by known poets such evidence is difficult to evaluate. For example Eyvindr skáldaspillir, composing in the latter half of the 10th century, uses in his Hákonarmál a couple of lines also found in Hávamál. It is possible that he was quoting a known poem but it is also possible that Hávamál, or at least the s ...

See also:

Poetic Edda, Poetic Edda - Style, Poetic Edda - Authorship, Poetic Edda - Time of composition, Poetic Edda - Location of composition, Poetic Edda - Editions, Poetic Edda - Poems included by various editors, Poetic Edda - Mythological Poems, Poetic Edda - Heroic lays, Poetic Edda - Sólarljóð, Poetic Edda - Bibliography in reverse chronological order with some web links

Read more here: » Poetic Edda: Encyclopedia II - Poetic Edda - Time of composition

The problem of dating the poems is linked with the problem of finding out where they were composed. Since Iceland wasn't settled until about 870 anything composed before that time would necessarily have been elsewhere, most likely in Norway. Any young poems, on the other hand, are likely Icelandic in origin. Scholars have attempted to localize individual poems by studying the geography, flora and fauna which they refer to. This approach usually doesn't yield firm results. While there are, for example, no wolves in Iceland we can be su ...

See also:

Poetic Edda, Poetic Edda - Style, Poetic Edda - Authorship, Poetic Edda - Time of composition, Poetic Edda - Location of composition, Poetic Edda - Editions, Poetic Edda - Poems included by various editors, Poetic Edda - Mythological Poems, Poetic Edda - Heroic lays, Poetic Edda - Sólarljóð, Poetic Edda - Bibliography in reverse chronological order with some web links

Read more here: » Poetic Edda: Encyclopedia II - Poetic Edda - Location of composition