Byggvir is a figure inNorse mythology. The only surviving mention of Byggvir appears in the prose beginning ofLokasenna, and stanzas 55 through 56 of the same poem, where he is referred to as one ofFreyr's servants and as the husband ofBeyla.
Bygg is theOld Norse word forbarley. Subsequently, Byggvir[ˈbyɡːvir] is often identified with thisetymology of his name and connections have been placed with the mentioning of Byggvir's described involvement with mill-grinding as being potential references to barley processing.[1] Comparisons to theAnglo-Saxon figure ofBeowa (Old English "barley") have been put forth.[2]
In relation to Loki's comments inLokasenna, proposals have been made that Beyla and her husband are personifications ofagriculture associated with Freyr: Beyla as themanure that softens the earth and develops the seed, Byggvir as the refuse of the mill,chaff.[4]
