InNorse mythology,Kvasir (Old Norse:[ˈkwɑsez̠]) was a being born of thesaliva of theÆsir and theVanir, two groups of gods. Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide, teaching and spreading knowledge. This continued until thedwarfsFjalar and Galar killed Kvasir and drained him of his blood. The two mixed his blood withhoney, thus creating theMead of Poetry, amead which imbued the drinker withskaldship and wisdom, and the spread of which eventually resulted in the introduction of poetry to mankind.
Kvasir is attested in theProse Edda andHeimskringla, both written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, and in the poetry ofskalds. According to theProse Edda, Kvasir was instrumental in the capture and binding ofLoki, and aneuhemerized account of the god appears inHeimskringla, where he is attested as the wisest among the Vanir.
Scholars have connected Kvasir to methods of beverage production and peacemaking practices among ancient peoples.
In theProse Edda, Kvasir appears in the booksGylfaginning andSkáldskaparmál. Kvasir is mentioned a single time inGylfaginning; in chapter 50, where the enthroned figure ofHigh tells Gangleri (Gylfi in disguise) of how Loki was caught by the gods after being responsible for the murder of the godBaldr. In the chapter, High says that whileLoki was hiding from the gods, he often took the form of asalmon during the day and swam in the waterfallFranangrsfors. Loki considered what sort of device the gods might craft to catch him there, and so, sitting in his four-door mountain lookout house, knotted together linen thread in "which ever since thenet has been". Loki noticed that the gods were not far away from him and that Odin had spotted him fromHliðskjálf. Loki sat before a fire, and when he noticed the gods were coming near him, he threw the net into the fire and jumped up, and slipped into the river. The gods reached Loki's house, and the first to enter was Kvasir, who the High describes as "the wisest of all". Kvasir saw the shape of the net in the ash of the fire, and so realized its purpose; to catch fish. And so Kvasir told the gods about it. The gods used the shape found in the ash as their model, and with it fished Loki from the river to make him their prisoner, later binding him in torment until the coming ofRagnarök.[1]
InSkáldskaparmál, Kvasir is mentioned several times. In chapter 57 of the book,Ægir asks the skaldic godBragi where the craft of poetry originated. Bragi says that theÆsir once wrangled with theVanir (seeÆsir–Vanir War) but eventually came together to make peace. The two groups decided to form a truce by way of both sides spitting into a vat. After they left, the gods kept the vat as a symbol of their truce, "and decided not to let it be wasted and out of it made a man". The man was named Kvasir, and he was extremely wise; he knew the answer to any question posed to him. Kvasir traveled far and wide throughout the world teaching mankind and spreading his vast knowledge. In time, twodwarfs,Fjalar and Galar, invited Kvasir to their home for a private talk. Upon Kvasir's arrival, the two dwarfs killed him and drained his blood into three objects. Two of the objects were vats, calledSón andBoðn, and the third was a pot calledÓðrerir. Fjalar and Galar mixed the blood with honey and mademead of it. Whoever drank of it would become a poet or scholar (Kvasir's blood had become theMead of Poetry). The two dwarfs explained to the Æsir that Kvasir had died from "suffocating in his own intelligence", as there were none among them who were so well educated as to be able to pose him questions. Bragi then tells how the Mead of Poetry, by way of the godOdin, ultimately came into the hands of mankind.[2]
In chapter 2Skáldskaparmál, poetic ways of referring to poetry are provided, including "Kvasir's blood". In reference, part ofVellekla by the 10th century IcelandicskaldEinarr skálaglamm is provided, where the term "Kvasir's blood" for 'poetry' is used.[3] Further, in chapter 3, a prose narrative mentions that the Kvasir's blood was made into the Mead of Poetry.[4]
Kvasir is mentioned in aneuhemerized account of the origin of the gods in chapter 4 ofYnglinga saga, contained withinHeimskringla. The chapter narrative explains that Odinwaged war on the Vanir, yet the Vanir could not be defeated, and so the two decided to exchange hostages in a peace agreement. Kvasir, here a member of the Vanir and described as the "cleverest among them", is included among the hostages.[5]
The etymology of the name is uncertain.[6][7] The rootkvas- inKvas-ir likely stems from theProto-Germanic base *kvass-, meaning "to squeeze, squash, crush, bruise". Regarding this etymology,linguistAlbert Morey Sturtevant comments that "fluids may result from the crushing or pressing of an object (cf.Dan.kvase 'to crush something in order to squeeze out the juice'). Hence we are justified in assuming the stem syllable inkvas-ir has reference to the fluid (saliva) out of which he was created and that the nameKvas-ir denotes the person who possesses the characteristic qualities inherent in this fluid, viz., poetic inspiration and wisdom."[8]
The same rootkvas- may also be related tokvass, afermented drink of theSlavic peoples.[6][7] The common Slavic word stems fromProto-Slavic*kvasъ ("leaven", "fermented drink") and ultimately fromProto-Indo-European base*kwh₂et-.[9] This etymological connection, as considered by some scholars (Alexander Afanasyev,[10]Richard Heinzel,[11]Jooseppi Julius Mikkola,[12]Georges Dumézil,[13] et al.), is motivated by the consideration of kvasir as a personification offermented beverages.
Rudolf Simek comments thatkvasir likely originally referred to juice squeezed fromberries and then fermented. In some ancient cultures, berries were communally chewed before being spat into a container, which exactly parallels Kvasir's mythical creation.[14]
Simek says that Snorri's description is further proven faithful by way of the (above-mentioned) 10th-century skaldic kenning "Kvasir’s blood" (Old NorseKvasis dreyra). He also points out strong parallels exist between the Old Norse tale of the theft of the Mead of Poetry by Odin (in the form of an eagle) and theSanskrit tale of the theft ofSoma (beverage of the gods) by the godIndra (or an eagle), and that these parallels point to a commonProto-Indo-European basis.[14]
Further, the mixing of spit in a vat between the two groups of gods points to an ancient basis for the myth: The customs of mixing spittle and the group drinking of the intoxicating beverage are well rooted in traditional peacemaking and group binding customs among various ancient peoples.[14]
A Norwegian search engine, Kvasir, takes its name from the god.[15]