Heimdallr brings forth the gift of the gods to humanity (1907) by Nils Asplund
InNorse mythology,Heimdall (fromOld NorseHeimdallr; modernIcelandicHeimdallur) is agod. He is the son ofOdin andnine sisters. Heimdall keeps watch for invaders and the onset ofRagnarök from his dwellingHiminbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridgeBifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing foreknowledge and keen senses, particularly eyesight and hearing. The god and his possessions are described in enigmatic manners. For example, Heimdall is golden-toothed, "the head is called his sword", and he is "the whitest of the gods."
Heimdall possesses the resounding hornGjallarhorn and the golden-maned horseGulltoppr, along with a store ofmead at his dwelling. He is the son of nine mothers, and he is said to be the originator ofsocial classes among humanity. Other notable stories include the recovery of Freyja's treasured possessionBrísingamen while doing battle in the shape of aseal withLoki. The antagonistic relationship between Heimdall and Loki is notable, as they are foretold to kill one another during the events of Ragnarök. Heimdallr is also known asRig,Hallinskiði,Gullintanni, andVindlér orVindhlér.
Heimdall is attested in thePoetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material; in theProse Edda andHeimskringla, both written in the 13th century; in the poetry ofskalds; and likely in arunic inscription on theSaltfleetby spindle-whorl found inEngland. Two lines of an otherwise lost poem about the god,Heimdalargaldr, survive. Due to the enigmatic nature of these attestations, scholars have produced various theories about the nature of the god, including his relation tosheep, borders, and waves.
The etymology of the name is obscure, but 'the one who illuminates the world' has been proposed.Heimdallr may be connected toMardöll, one ofFreyja's names.[1]Heimdallr and its variants are usuallyanglicized asHeimdall (/ˈheɪmdɑːl/;[2] with the nominative-r dropped).
Heimdall is attested as having three other names;Hallinskiði,Gullintanni, andVindlér orVindhlér. The nameHallinskiði is obscure, but has resulted in a series of attempts at deciphering it.Gullintanni literally means 'the one with the golden teeth'.Vindlér (orVindhlér) translates as either 'the one protecting against the wind' or 'wind-sea'. All three have resulted in numerous theories about the god.[3]
Heimdallr is likely mentioned on theSaltfleetby spindle-whorl, aleadspindle whorl bearing anOld NorseYounger Fuþark inscription that was discovered inSaltfleetby in easternEngland in 2010. The spindle-whorl itself is dated from the 10th to 12th centuries CE, with the writing possibly being added significantly after the object was made. Whilst there are difficulties in interpreting the inscription, it likely records a charm asking for help fromOdin, Heimdallr andÞalfa, a figure whose name closely resembles that ofÞjálfi, one ofThor's servants. The religion of the writer is debated, with the invoking of Germanic gods not procluding adherence to Christianity, but also possibly attesting to the continuing ofOld Nordic religion in some English communities significantly after theestablishment of Christianity in the region.[4][5]
Heimdall is mentioned three times inVöluspá. In the first stanza of the poem, the undeadvölva reciting the poem calls out for listeners to be silent and refers to the Norse god:
This stanza has led to various scholarly interpretations. The "holy races" have been considered variously as either humanity or the gods. The notion of humanity as "Heimdall's sons" is otherwise unattested and has also resulted in various interpretations. Some scholars have pointed to the prose introduction to the poemRígsþula, where Heimdall is said to have once gone about people, slept between couples, and so doled out classes among them (seeRígsthula section below).[8]
Heimdall blows Gjallarhorn in an 1895 illustration byLorenz Frølich.
Later inVöluspá, the völva foresees the events ofRagnarök and the role in which Heimdall andGjallarhorn will play at its onset; Heimdall will raise his horn and blow loudly. Due to manuscript differences, translations of the stanza vary:
Regarding this stanza, scholarAndy Orchard comments that the nameGjallarhorn may here mean "horn of the riverGjöll" as "Gjöll is the name of one of the rivers of the Underworld, whence much wisdom is held to derive", but notes that in the poemGrímnismál Heimdall is said to drink finemead in his heavenly homeHiminbjörg.[11]
Earlier in the same poem, the völva mentions a scenario involving the hearing or horn (depending on translation of the Old Norse nounhljóð—translations bolded below for the purpose of illustration) of the god Heimdall:
Scholar Paul Schach comments that the stanzas in this section of Völuspá are "all very mysterious and obscure, as it was perhaps meant to be". Schach details that "Heimdallar hljóð has aroused much speculation. Snorri [in theProse Edda] seems to have confused this word withgjallarhorn, but there is otherwise no attestation of the use ofhljóð in the sense of 'horn' in Icelandic. Various scholars have read this as "hearing" rather than "horn".[15]
ScholarCarolyne Larrington comments that if "hearing" rather than "horn" is understood to appear in this stanza, the stanza indicates that Heimdall, like Odin, has left a body part in the well; his ear. Larrington says that "Odin exchanged one of his eyes for wisdom from Mimir, guardian of the well, while Heimdall seems to have forfeited his ear."[16]
In the poemGrímnismál, Odin (disguised asGrímnir), tortured, starved and thirsty, tells the youngAgnar of a number of mythological locations. The eighth location he mentions is Himinbjörg, where he says that Heimdall drinks finemead:
Regarding the above stanza,Henry Adams Bellows comments that "in this stanza the two functions of Heimdall—as father of humanity [ . . . ] and as warder of the gods—seem both to be mentioned, but the second line in the manuscripts is apparently in bad shape, and in the editions it is more or less conjecture".[18]
In the poemLokasenna,Lokiflyts with various gods who have met together to feast. At one point during the exchanges, the god Heimdall says that Loki is drunk and witless, and asks Loki why he won't stop speaking. Loki tells Heimdall to be silent, that he wasfated a "hateful life", that Heimdall must always have a muddy back, and that he must serve as watchman of the gods. The goddessSkaði interjects and the flyting continues in turn.[19]
The poemÞrymskviða tells of Thor's loss of his hammer,Mjöllnir, to thejötnar and quest to get it back. At one point in the tale, the gods gather at thething and debate how to get Thor's hammer back from the jötnar, who demand the beautiful goddessFreyja in return for it. Heimdall advises that they simply dress Thor up as Freyja, during which he is described ashvítastr ása (translations of the phrase vary below) and is said to haveforesight like theVanir, a group of gods:
Regarding Heimdall's status ashvítastr ása (variously translated above as "brightest" (Thorpe), "whitest" (Bellows), and "most glittering" (Dodds)) and the comparison to the Vanir, scholarJohn Lindow comments that there are no other indications of Heimdall being considered among the Vanir (on Heimdall's status as "hvítastr ása", see "scholarly reception" below).[23]
The introductory prose to the poemRígsþula says that "people say in the old stories" that Heimdall, described as a god among theÆsir, once fared on a journey. Heimdall wandered along a seashore, and referred to himself asRígr. In the poem, Rígr, who is described as a wise and powerful god, walks in the middle of roads on his way to steads, where he meets a variety of couples and dines with them, giving them advice and spending three nights at a time between them in their bed. The wives of the couples become pregnant, and from them come the various classes of humanity.[24]
Eventually a warrior home produces a promising boy, and as the boy grows older, Rígr comes out of a thicket, teaches the boyrunes, gives him a name, and proclaims him to be his son. Rígr tells him to strike out and get land for himself. The boy does so, and so becomes a great war leader with many estates. He marries a beautiful woman and the two have many children and are happy. One of the children eventually becomes so skilled that he is able to share in runic knowledge with Heimdall, and so earns the title ofRígr himself. The poem breaks off without further mention of the god.[24]
The cockGullinkambi atop his head and the burning rainbow bridgeBifröst in the background, Heimdall blows into Gjallarhorn while holding a sword with a man's face on it (a reference to the "man's head"kenning). Illustration (1907) by J. T. Lundbye.
In theProse Edda, Heimdall is mentioned in the booksGylfaginning,Skáldskaparmál, andHáttatal. InGylfaginning, the enthroned figure ofHigh tells the disguised mythical kingGangleri of various gods, and, in chapter 25, mentions Heimdall. High says that Heimdall is known as "the whiteAs", is "great and holy", and thatnine maidens, all sisters, gave birth to him. Heimdall is calledHallinskiði andGullintanni, and he has gold teeth. High continues that Heimdall lives in "a place" calledHiminbjörg and that it is nearBifröst. Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, and he sits on the edge of heaven to guard the Bifröst bridge from the bergjötnar. Heimdall requires less sleep than a bird, can see at night just as well as if it were day, and for over a hundred leagues. Heimdall's hearing is also quite keen; he can hear grass as it grows on the earth, wool as it grows on sheep, and anything louder. Heimdall possesses a trumpet, Gjallarhorn, that, when blown, can be heard inall worlds, and "thehead is referred to asHeimdall's sword". High then quotes the above-mentionedGrímnismál stanza about Himinbjörg and provides two lines from the otherwise lost poem about Heimdall,Heimdalargaldr, in which he proclaims himself to be the son ofNine Mothers.[25]
In chapter 49, High tells of the godBaldr's funeral procession. Various deities are mentioned as having attended, including Heimdall, who there rode his horse Gulltopr.[26]
In chapter 51, High foretells the events of Ragnarök. After the enemies of the gods will gather at the plainVígríðr, Heimdall will stand and mightily blow into Gjallarhorn. The gods will awake and assemble together at thething. At the end of the battle between various gods and their enemies, Heimdall will face Loki and they will kill one another. After, the world will be engulfed in flames. High then quotes the above-mentioned stanza regarding Heimdall raising his horn inVöluspá.[27]
At the beginning ofSkáldskaparmál, Heimdall is mentioned as having attended a banquet inAsgard with various other deities.[28] Later in the book,Húsdrápa, a poem by 10th centuryskaldÚlfr Uggason, is cited, during which Heimdall is described as having ridden to Baldr's funeral pyre.[29]
In chapter 8, means of referring to Heimdall are provided; "son of nine mothers", "guardian of the gods", "the white As" (seePoetic Edda discussion regardinghvítastr ása above), "Loki's enemy", and "recoverer ofFreyja's necklace". The section adds that the poemHeimdalargaldr is about him, and that, since the poem, "the head has been called Heimdall's doom: man's doom is an expression for sword". Heimdallr is the owner ofGulltoppr, is also known as Vindhlér, and is ason of Odin. Heimdall visitsVágasker andSingasteinn and there vied with Loki forBrísingamen. According to the chapter, the skald Úlfr Uggason composed a large section of hisHúsdrápa about these events and thatHúsdrápa says that the two were in the shape of seals. A few chapters later, ways of referring to Loki are provided, including "wrangler with Heimdall andSkadi", and section of Úlfr Uggason'sHúsdrápa is then provided in reference:
Renowned defender [Heimdall] of the powers' way [Bifrost], kind of counsel, competes withFarbauti's terribly sly son at Singastein. Son of eight mothers plus one, might of mood, is first to get hold of the beautiful sea-kidney [jewel, Brisingamen]. I announce it in strands of praise.
The chapter points out that in the aboveHúsdrápa section Heimdall is said to be the son of nine mothers.[30]
Heimdall is mentioned once inHáttatal. There, in a composition bySnorri Sturluson, a sword is referred to as "Vindhlér's helmet-filler", meaning "Heimdall's head".[31]
InYnglinga saga compiled inHeimskringla, Snorri presents aeuhemerized origin of the Norse gods and rulers descending from them. In chapter 5, Snorri asserts that theÆsir settled in what is now Sweden and built various temples. Snorri writes that Odin settled inLake Logrin "at a place which formerly was calledSigtúnir. There he erected a large temple and madesacrifices according to the custom of the Æsir. He took possession of the land as far as he had called it Sigtúnir. He gave dwelling places to the temple priests." Snorri adds that, after this,Njörðr dwelt inNóatún,Freyr dwelt inUppsala, Heimdall at Himinbjörg,Thor atÞrúðvangr,Baldr atBreiðablik and that to everyone Odin gave fine estates.[32]
TheGosforth Cross panel often held to depict Heimdall with Gjallarhorn
A figure holding a large horn to his lips and clasping a sword on his hip appears on a stone cross from theIsle of Man. Some scholars have theorized that this figure is a depiction of Heimdall with Gjallarhorn.[33]
A 9th or 10th centuryGosforth Cross inCumbria,England depicts a figure holding a horn and a sword standing defiantly before two open-mouthed beasts. This figure has been often theorized as depicting Heimdall with Gjallarhorn.[34]
Heimdall's attestations have proven troublesome and enigmatic to interpret for scholars.[35] A variety of sources describe the god as born from Nine Mothers, a puzzling description (for more in-depth discussion, seeNine Mothers of Heimdallr). Various scholars have interpreted this as a reference to theNine Daughters of Ægir and Rán, personifications of waves. This would therefore mean Heimdall is born from the waves, an example of a deity born from the sea.[36]
In the textual corpus, Heimdall is frequently described as maintaining a particular association with boundaries, borders, and liminal spaces, both spatial and temporal. For example,Gylfaginning describes the god as guarding the border of the land of the gods, Heimdall meets humankind at a coast, and, if accepted as describing Heimdall,Völuspá hin skamma describes him as born 'at the edge of the world' in 'days of yore' by the Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán, and it is Heimdall's horn that signals the transition to the events ofRagnarök.[37]
Additionally, Heimdall has a particular association with malesheep, rams. A form of the deity's name,Heimdali, occurs twice as a name for 'ram' inSkáldskaparmál, as does Heimdall's nameHallinskíði. Heimdall's unusual physical description has also been seen by various scholars as fitting this association: As mentioned above, Heimdall is described as gold-toothed (by way of his nameGullintanni), as having the ability to hear grass grow and the growth of wool on sheep, and as owning a sword called 'head' (rams have horns on their heads). This may mean that Heimdall was associated with the ram perhaps as a sacred and/or sacrificial animal or that the ancient Scandinavians may have conceived of him as having been a ram in appearance.[38]
All of these topics—Heimdall's birth, his association with borders and boundaries, and his connection to sheep—have led to significant discussion among scholars. For example, influentialphilologist andfolkloristGeorges Dumézil, comparingmotifs and clusters of motifs in western Europe, proposes the following explanation for Heimdall's birth and association with rams (italics are Dumézil's own):
Many folklores compare waves which, under a strong wind, are topped with white foam ... to different animals, especially to horses or mares, to cows or bulls, to dogs or sheep. We say in France, "moutons, moutonner, moutannant" (white sheep, to break into white sheep, breaking into white sheep) and the English "white horses." The modern Welsh, like the Irish, speak of "white mares (cesyg)" but the old tradition linked to the name of Gwenhidwy, as in French, Basque, and other folklores, turned these waves into sheep. Conversely, in many countries the sailors or the coast dwellers attribute to certain wave sequences particular qualities or forces, sometimes, even, ... a supernatural power: it happens that the third, or the ninth, or the tenth wave is the biggest, or the most dangerous, or the noisiest or the most powerful. But what I have found nowhere else but in the Welsh tradition concerning Gwenhidwy is a combination of these two beliefs, the final result of which isto make the ninth wave the ram of the simple ewes that are the eight preceding waves.
This concept furnishes a satisfactory explanation of that section of Heimdall's dossier which we are considering: it allows us to combine his birth—nine mothers who are waves, at the confines of the earth—and his attributes of a ram. We understand that whatever his mythical value and functions were,the scene of his birth made him, in the sea's white frothing, the ram produced by the ninth wave.[39]
^For example, scholarGeorges Dumézil summarizes the difficulties as follows:
The god Heimdall poses one of the most difficult problems in Scandinavian mythography. As all who have dealt with him have emphasized, this is primarily because of a very fragmentary documentation; but even more because the few traits that have been saved from oblivion diverge in too many directions to be easily "thought of together", or to be grouped as members of a unitary structure. (Dumézil 1973:126)
^See for example Lindow (2002: 169) and Simek (2007: 136).
^For brief discussion of this topic, see Lindow (2002: 170).
^For discussion on this, see for example Lindow (2002: 171), Simek (2007: 136), and Much (1930).
Cöllen, Sebastian (2015).Heimdallr – der rätselhafte Gott. Eine philologische und religionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung. Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 94. Berlin & Boston:Walter de Gruyter.ISBN978-3-11-042195-8
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