norse

The Mead of Inspiration

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:53:37 +0100

Slaying Kvasir (1920) by Franz Stassen (Source - Germanicmythology.com)

Kvasir was the wisest man that had ever lived and was born from the spit of the gods. He travelled the world giving sound advice to all who asked it of him, never being asked a question that he could not answer.

Fjalar and Galar – The Murderous Dwarves

While on his travels, he met two mischievous dwarves, Fjalar and Galar, who invited him into their home where they brutally murdered him. The dwarfs wanted Kvasir’s wisdom for themselves so they brewed three vats of mead by mixing his blood with honey, knowing that anyone who drank it would become a great poet or scholar; when asked by the gods where Kvasir was, the two dwarfs replied that he had choked on his own wisdom.

Fjalar and Galar apparently had a taste for murder and soon after, they drowned the giant Gillig then killed his wife by dropping a milestone on her head. However when their son, Suttung, heard what had happed he was furious. He threatened to kill the dwarfs but was persuaded to spare them when they offered to give him the brew they had made, which became known as the Mead of Inspiration. After receiving the alcohol, Suttung hid the vats beneath a mountain and appointed his daughter, Gunnlod, to guard them.

Odin’s Quest for the Mead of Inspiration

When Odin learned of Kvasir’s death and the existence of the knowledge giving drink from his trusted adviser, the decapitated head Mimir, he was furious and vowed to acquire the mead for himself. He disguised himself as an old man and made his way to the farm of Baugi, Suttung’s brother. While there, he met with the farm hands and offered to sharpen their scythes, which he did so well that each wanted to buy the whetstone that he had used. He agreed and threw it into the air, watching in amusement as the farmhands scrambled for it, killing each other in the process with their supernaturally sharpened scythes.

He then made his way to the farm house and told Baugi that his servants had all killed each other in a dispute. Odin offered to do the work they could not now do and in return, all he wanted was a sip of the Mead of Inspiration. The giant replied that while he had no control over the mead, if the old man could live up to his end of the bargain and do the work of nine men, he would help him in any way he could.

Odin wins for men the magic mead (1920) by Willy Pogany (Source - Wikipedia)

At the end of the growing season, Odin had done as he promised and Baugi reluctantly agreed to help him gain access to the mountain where the mead was hidden. He told the giant to drill a hole into the ground and after much work, Baugi claimed he had finished. To check, Odin blew into the hole and when the dust blew into his face, he knew he had been lied to. He bade his companion to keep going until the job was finished which was complied with and the next time Odin checked, the dust blew through the hole signalling the job was indeed done.

The Seduction of Gunnlod

So as to be able to fit into the hole, Odin transformed himself into a snake and made it in just in time, as the double-crossing giant tried to stab him as he slithered his way into the mountain. He then transformed again, this time into a young giant so irresistibly hansom, he knew he would be able to seduce Gunnlod, who guarded the vats of mead for her father Suttung.

His plan to seduce her worked and he promised to sleep with her for three nights if in return, she allowed him to take three sips of the mead. After the third night, Odin went to the three vats and emptied the contents of each one in three giant sips. Odin then changed his shape again, this time into an eagle and flew off towards the home of the gods, Asgard. Suttung happened to be nearby and when he learned that his daughter had been tricked, he also turned into an eagle and set off after Odin.

How Man Acquired Inspiration

The other Aesir gods set out three vats just outside their fortress in preparation for their lord’s return. Suttung realised that he was in great danger being so close to the home of the gods and tried to make a hasty retreat. However he was too late and as the sun came up and its beams touched the wings of the giant in eagle form, it turned him into stone and he crashed down to the ground. On seeing this, Odin pronounced;

"So shall it be with all Giants. If the sun shines upon them in the holy land of Asgard, the evil that is in them shall weigh them down and they be turned into stone".

When Odin made it to the vats, he regurgitated the mead into them but as he did so, some of it fell from his beak down to the dwelling of mankind, Midgard. These drops would go on to be the source of inspiration for all bad and mediocre poets and scholars amongst men. Conversely, those who are talented in these fields have had, so the legend goes, the Mead of Inspiration given to them by Odin himself.

An 18th century illustration of Odin being chased by Suttungr by
Jakob Sigurðsson (Source - Wikipedia)

References

McCoy, D. [Internet]. 2012. The Mead of Poetry. Norse-Mythology.org. Available from: http://norse-mythology.org/tales/the-mead-of-poetry/ [Accessed October 29, 2013].

The Mead of Poetry- Its Function and Origins. [Internet]. 2013. ThinkQuest.org. Available from: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118142/norsepan/meadpoet.php [Accessed October 29, 2013].

The Gods at War – The Aesir vs. the Vanir

Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:05:37 +0100

Gullveig (1895) by Lorenz Frølich (Source – Wikipedia)

Gullveig was a member of the earth gods, the Vanir of Vanaheim, who travelled to visit the deities of the sky, the Aesir. She was an expert in the art of seidr, a type of magic that gave her the skill to alter the course of destiny which initially made her very popular amongst the Aesir, many of whom sought her services.

Their desire to use here magic engulfed them, soon making them push aside their usual values such as honour, loyalty and respect for the law in exchange for material things. When they realised this, they blamed Gullveig and instead of concentrating on mending their own ways, they turned on the witch accusing her of being too lustful after gold. They bound her up in Odin’s hall and speared her before burning her three times; however each time they set her alight, she was reborn from the ashes.

The First War in the World

The Vanir were outraged at the treatment of one of their own and demanded compensation, which was not given. As a result, both sides prepared for war and when Odin cast his spear at his foe, the first war the world had ever seen began.

The Aesir Against the Vanir (1882) by Karl Ehrenberg (Source - Wikipedia)

The war raged on for years with the Aesir using their conventional weapons and their enemies mostly fighting with magic. Each side gaining the upper hand for a while, only to go on to lose ground to their opponents. They both realised that this could not go on so a truce was called and each sent hostages to live amongst their enemies, as was the custom of the time.

The Hostages

The Vanir sent Freya, her brother Freyr and their father Njord to go and live with their enemies and the Aesir send Hoenir and Mimir. The Vanir hostages were treated well in Asgard, who appointed Njord and Freyr as honoured priests and Freya as a priestess, charged with teaching her hosts the common magic of her land. However the Aesir gods that were sent to Vanaheim did not share the same fate.

Hoenir it seemed was a very wise person imparting great advice on any problem. What his hosts did not notice was that it was in fact Mimir who was the wise one and all the good advice was a result of his council. The two became separated but the Vanir continued to ask the slow witted Hoenir for advice, to which all he would reply was “let others decide”. After hearing this once too often the earth gods became enraged and believing they had been cheated in the exchange of hostages, beheaded the wise Mimir and sent his head and body back to the Aesir.

Odin stands by Mímir's beheaded body (1893) by Georg
Pauli (Source - Wikipedia)

On hearing the news, Odin was beside himself and had the head embalmed. He recited enchanted poems to prevent his trusted adviser from dying and so the dismembered head of Mimir would continue to give Odin wise council when he needed it the most. Not wishing to renew years of fighting over what was clearly a tragic misunderstanding, the leaders of the two tribes of gods came together and all of them spat into a cauldron, from which Kvasir, the wisest man ever to live, was born.

References

McCoy, D. [Internet]. 2012. The Aesir-Vanir War. Norse-Mythology.org. Available from: http://norse-mythology.org/tales/the-aesir-vanir-war/ [Accessed September 30, 2013].

Sheppard, N. [Internet]. 2012. The War of the Aesir and Vanir. Thenorsegods.com. Available from: http://thenorsegods.com/the-war-of-the-aesir-and-vanir/ [Accessed September 30, 2013].

The war between the Aesir and Vanir. [Internet]. 2013. Think Quest. Available from: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118142/norsepan/warbtwav.php [Accessed September 30, 2013].

Norse Creation Myth – The Creation of the Universe

Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:09:25 +0100

The Giant with the Flaming Sword (1909), a depiction of Surtr by
John Charles Dollman. (Source Wikipedia)

According to Norse creation myth, in the beginning there was only the void named Ginnungagap until that is, the appearance of Muspell. Muspell was a place so hot that only those native to the land could endure it and was guarded by Surtr, the giant who awaits end times when he will use his flaming sword to annihilate all the gods and set the whole world on fire.

At the other end of Ginnungagap lay the dark, cold realm of Niflheim, from which ice, frost, wind, rain and heavy cold spilled into the void until it met the heat, light and soft air emanating from Muspell. This resulted in the thawing of ice drops and from this fluid emerged a giant frost ogre named Ymir.

While he slept, Ymir produced a male and female frost ogre from his armpit and a young male from his legs. Audhumla, a cow also born from thawing frost then fed them from the rivers of milk that ran from her teat. Audhumla licked salty ice blocks for a whole day, after which, she freed a man's hair from the ice. After a further two days, his head appeared and on the third day, the whole man was freed.

His name was Buri, a tall, strong, and handsome being who would marry Bestla, the daughter of a giant and together, they produced a son, Bor. Bestla loved her son and together they would have three children of their own, the eldest was Odin, then came Vili, and Ve was their third born. Together these three, led by Odin, would become the rulers of heaven and the Earth.

The Creation of the Earth

Odin, Vili, and Ve went to battle with the frost ogre, who had turned to evil ways. They killed Ymir and when he fell, the blood that flowed from his body caused such a flood that it drown all the other frost ogres; all that is except for Bergelmir, who escaped with his wife after building an ark and thus becoming the forefather to all future families of giants.

Odin, Vili, and Ve create the world out of Ymir's body, by Lorenz
Frølich (1820–1908). (Source Wikimedia).

Ymir’s body was then carried to the centre of Ginnungagap, the great void and used to make the world. They found a use for all of his body parts so that creation of the Earth was formed as follows;

Bodies of Water – First, the seas and the lakes were made from the giant’s blood.

Earth – All manner of earth and mud was made from his flesh.

Trees – All the trees were fashioned from his hair and arranged into forests.

Mountains and Rocks – The mountains took shape from Ymir’s bones and rocks, stones and pebbles were made from his teeth, jaws and those bones that were broken.

Dwarfs – Maggots appeared in Ymir's flesh and by the decree of the gods, they were turned into dwarves then given human understanding and the appearance of men (although they lived in the earth and in rocks).

Sky – From Ymir's skull the three gods created the sky and set it over the Earth with its four sides. Then, under each corner they stationed dwarfs, who were called North, South, East and West. They used the brains from within the skull to form the clouds and took some embers and sparks that had emerged from Muspell to give light to the Earth and sky above.

Territory – Once the world was made, Odin and his brothers realised that they would need somewhere to live apart from the giants so they allowed their foes to settle on lands near the rim of the disc shaped realm they had constructed. They built for themselves an inland stronghold called Midgard, making use of Ymir’s eyebrows to build barriers to keep the frost giants out.

The Creation of Man and Woman

An 1895 depiction of the creation of Ask and Embla by Lorenz Frølich (Source Wikipedia).

During the process of creating the Earth, Odin, Vili, and Ve were walking along a beach one day when they came across two trees, from which they created man and woman. From Odin, they received spirit and life, from Vili they gained understanding and the power to move and Ve bestowed upon them names and clothing. The man was called Ask and his female counterpart Embla, and from them would come all future generations of people in Midgard.

After setting up the sky and the stars, Odin and his brothers had left the heavens as they were until one day, two descendants of Ask and Embla were born; the son was called Moon and the daughter Sol. So jealous were the gods of their beauty that they pulled them up to the sky and set them to work. Sol was made to drive a chariot that carried the sun across the sky, never able to stop or slow down as she was chased by a giant wolf. Her brother, who pulls the moon each night is not chased however, so can complete his task with a little less haste.

Asgard and the Aesir

After creating man, Odin decided to build a new stronghold called Asgard where there was a great hall named Hlidskjálf. Here, Odin would sit on a high seat that allowed him to observe the whole world and see what all manner of beings within it were doing. Soon, the leader of the gods would marry Frigg, the daughter of Fjorgvin and from him would come all the future inhabitants of Asgard and the kingdoms that it owned; all members of the family were gods like their father and were known as the Aesir.

Odin was also married to his daughter Earth, who gave him his first and most famous son, Thor. The fearless warrior Thor would go on to dominate every living creature in the world and was known for his great strength, which he would put to good use protecting mankind.

Olaus Magnus’ 1555 illustration: From left to right – Frigg, Thor and Odin. (Source Wikipedia)

References

Faulkes, A. [Internet]. 1987. Odin and Ymir. The University of Georgia. Available from: http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CS/CSOdin&Ymir.html [Accessed August 7, 2013].

Ashliman, D.L. [Internet]. 2010. The Norse Creation Myth. The University of Pittsburgh. Available from: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/creation.html [Accessed August 7, 2013].