Bragi (Old Norse) is theskaldicgod ofpoetry inNorse mythology.
Thetheonym Bragi probably stems from the masculine nounbragr, which can be translated inOld Norse as 'poetry' (cf.Icelandicbragur 'poem, melody, wise') or as 'the first, noblest' (cf. poetic Old Norsebragnar 'chiefs, men',bragningr 'king'). It is unclear whether the theonymsemantically derives from the first meaning or the second.[1]
A connection has been also suggested with the Old Norsebragarfull, the cup drunk in solemn occasions with the taking of vows. The word is usually taken to semantically derive from the second meaning ofbragr ('first one, noblest'). A relation with theOld English termbrego ('lord, prince') remains uncertain.[1]
Bragi regularly appears as a personal name in Old Norse and Old Swedish sources, which according to linguistJan de Vries might indicate the secondary character of the god's name.[1]
Snorri Sturluson writes in theGylfaginning after describingOdin,Thor, andBaldr:
One is called Bragi: he is renowned for wisdom, and most of all for fluency of speech and skill with words. He knows most of skaldship, and after him skaldship is calledbragr, and from his name that one is calledbragr-man or -woman, who possesses eloquence surpassing others, of women or of men. His wife isIðunn.
InSkáldskaparmál Snorri writes:
How should one periphrase Bragi? By calling himhusband of Iðunn,first maker of poetry, andthe long-bearded god (after his name, a man who has a great beard is called Beard-Bragi), andson of Odin.
That Bragi is Odin's son is clearly mentioned only here and in some versions of a list of the sons of Odin (seeSons of Odin). But "wish-son" in stanza 16 of theLokasenna could mean "Odin's son" and is translated by Hollander asOdin's kin. Bragi's mother is possiblyFrigg.
In that poem Bragi at first forbids Loki to enter the hall but is overruled by Odin. Loki then gives a greeting to all gods and goddesses who are in the hall save to Bragi. Bragi generously offers his sword, horse, and an arm ring as peace gift but Loki only responds by accusing Bragi of cowardice, of being the most afraid to fight of any of theÆsir andElves within the hall. Bragi responds that if they were outside the hall, he would have Loki's head, but Loki only repeats the accusation. When Bragi's wife Iðunn attempts to calm Bragi, Loki accuses her of embracing her brother's slayer, a reference to matters that have not survived. It may be that Bragi had slain Iðunn's brother.
A passage in thePoetic Edda poemSigrdrífumál describes runes being graven on the sun, on the ear of one of the sun-horses and on the hoofs of the other, onSleipnir's teeth, on bear's paw, on eagle's beak, on wolf's claw, and on several other things including on Bragi's tongue. Then the runes are shaved off and the shavings are mixed with mead and sent abroad so that Æsir have some, Elves have some,Vanir have some, and Men have some, these being speech runes and birth runes, ale runes, and magic runes. The meaning of this is obscure.
The first part of Snorri Sturluson'sSkáldskaparmál is a dialogue betweenÆgir and Bragi about the nature of poetry, particularly skaldic poetry. Bragi tells the origin of the mead of poetry from the blood ofKvasir and how Odin obtained this mead. He then goes on to discuss various poetic metaphors known askennings.
Snorri Sturluson clearly distinguishes the god Bragi from the mortal skaldBragi Boddason, whom he often mentions separately. The appearance of Bragi in theLokasenna indicates that if these two Bragis were originally the same, they have become separated for that author also, or that chronology has become very muddled and Bragi Boddason has been relocated to mythological time. Compare the appearance of theWelshTaliesin in the second branch of theMabinogi. Legendary chronology sometimes does become muddled. Whether Bragi the god originally arose as a deified version of Bragi Boddason was much debated in the 19th century, especially by the scholarsEugen Mogk andSophus Bugge.[2] The debate remains undecided.
In the poemEiríksmál Odin, inValhalla, hears the coming of the deadNorwegian kingEric Bloodaxe and his host, and bids the heroesSigmund andSinfjötli rise to greet him. Bragi is then mentioned, questioning how Odin knows that it is Eric and why Odin has let such a king die. In the poemHákonarmál, Hákon the Good is taken to Valhalla by thevalkyrieGöndul and Odin sendsHermóðr and Bragi to greet him. In these poems Bragi could be either a god or a dead hero in Valhalla. Attempting to decide is further confused becauseHermóðr also seems to be sometimes the name of a god and sometimes the name of a hero. That Bragi was also the first to speak to Loki in theLokasenna as Loki attempted to enter the hall might be a parallel. It might have been useful and customary that a man of great eloquence and versed in poetry should greet those entering a hall. He is also depicted in tenth-century court poetry of helping to prepare Valhalla for new arrivals and welcoming the kings who have been slain in battle to the hall of Odin.[3]
In theProse Edda Snorri Sturluson quotes many stanzas attributed toBragi Boddason the old (Bragi Boddason inn gamli), a Norwegian court poet who served several Swedish kings,Ragnar Lodbrok,Östen Beli andBjörn at Hauge who reigned in the first half of the 9th century. This Bragi was reckoned as the first skaldic poet, and was certainly the earliest skaldic poet then remembered by name whose verse survived in memory.
Snorri especially quotes passages from Bragi'sRagnarsdrápa, a poem supposedly composed in honor of the famous legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok ('Hairy-breeches') describing the images on a decorated shield which Ragnar had given to Bragi. The images included Thor's fishing forJörmungandr,Gefjun's ploughing ofZealand from the soil of Sweden, the attack ofHamdir and Sorli against KingJörmunrekk, and the never-ending battle betweenHedin and Högni.
Bragi son of Hálfdan the Old is mentioned only in theSkjáldskaparmál. This Bragi is the sixth of the second of two groups of nine sons fathered by King Hálfdan the Old on Alvig the Wise, daughter of King Eymund ofHólmgard. This second group of sons are all eponymous ancestors of legendary families of the north. Snorri says:
Bragi, from whom the Bragnings are sprung (that is the race of Hálfdan the Generous).
Of the Bragnings as a race and of Hálfdan the Generous nothing else is known. However,Bragning is often, like some others of these dynastic names, used in poetry as a general word for 'king' or 'ruler'.
In the eddic poemHelgakviða Hundingsbana II,Bragi Högnason, his brother Dag, and his sister Sigrún were children ofHögne, the king ofEast Götaland. The poem relates howSigmund's sonHelgi Hundingsbane agreed to take Sigrún daughter of Högni as his wife against her unwilling betrothal to Hodbrodd son ofGranmar the king ofSödermanland. In the subsequent battle of Frekastein (probably one of the 300hill forts of Södermanland, asstein meant "hill fort") against Högni and Granmar, all the chieftains on Granmar's side are slain, including Bragi, except for Bragi's brother Dag.
In the 2002Ensemble Studios gameAge of Mythology, Bragi is one of nine minor gods Norse players can worship.[4][5][6]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Media related toBragi at Wikimedia Commons