Andhrímnir is the chef of the Aesir and einherjar, those who have died in battle and have been brought to Valhalla. Every day, he slaughters the beast Sæhrímnir and prepares it in the cauldron Eldhrímnir. Sæhrímnir, depicted as either a boar or simply a “beast,” is resurrected every day for the process to begin again.
This story can be found in both the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda.
(Source: fuckyeahnorsemythology)
Alright! After a short hiatus due to university and getting my things together to finally move to Sweden, this blog will finally get the attention it deserves!
I would love to hear anything people would like to see more of, or like to learn more about! Messages and submissions are greatly appreciated!
Anonymous asked: could you maybe possibly post more often? because i love your stuff < 3
Of course! I’ve been a little busy with classes and Finals and getting ready to move to Sweden. But there will soon be many new posts. Thank you for your message, I appreciate it! :)
natradzi asked: Ohhh, this is going to sound so stupid, but I really love this blog and I follow you, but I... can't seem to find a "reblog" or "like" option on any of the posts... =/ Confused as to whether it's there and I'm just being stupid (likely) or it's missing.... Sorry!
It’s not stupid! There’s a little tiny star next to the top left of each post. If you click that it will take you to the page of the post. Though you’re right, it is difficult to find. I will work on fixing that. Thank you!
— An excerpt from Egil’s Saga, from The Sagas of Icelanders, as translated by Bernard Scudder.
— Icelandic Church Saga, by John C. F. Hood, D.D.
(Source: fuckyeahnorsemythology)
Þjazi was a giant, son of the giant Olvaldi, brother of giants Idi and Gangr, and the father of Skaði. He is most remembered for the kidnapping of Iðunn, a story told both in the Prose Edda and the Haustlöng. With Iðunn having been carried off by Þjazi in eagle form, the gods were deprived of her apples, and began to grow old and weak. However, Loki, by means of transforming Iðunn into a nut, managed to rescue her in a dangerous journey ending with the death by fire of Þjazi. His daughter, Skaði, travels to Asgard to seek retribution, and is pacified both by marriage to Njord and the transformation by Odin of the eyes of her father into stars in the night sky.
Image from 18th-century Icelandic manuscript “NKS 1867 4to”, courtesy of the Danish Royal Library.
The Prose Edda, often referred to as simply Edda, is a poetic text from ca 13th-century Iceland. Attributed to Snorri Sturluson, the Edda features various tales concerning Norse Mythology. Consisting of four parts, the Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál, and Háttatal, the Edda discusses the origin of the gods, creation and destruction of the world, the language of poetry, and rules of acceptable poetic verse forms.
(Approx) 18th-century manuscript, unattributed.
Image courtesy of the Icelandic National Library.
The Norns are female beings who govern the destinies of both gods and men. Other than the three main Norns, identified by Snorri Sturluson in the Völuspá as Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld, there are many other norns who arrive at one’s birth to determine their fate. Often, peoples’ futures depended on the benevolence or malevolence of particular norns. In addition, many individuals featured in sagas are said to cry out to or blame the norns in times of great need or misfortune.
From Alkuna: Nordische und Nordslawische Mythologie, by Gustav Thormod Legis. 1831.
