Tales of Valhalla

by Martyn Whittock

  The god Tyr loses his hand to Fenrir

  None of the Æsir was keen to place their hand into the jaws of the great wolf for they knew he would bite it off if the ribbon-like chain held him firm. At last, the god Tyr acted and put his right hand in between the great jaws of the wolf. Then Fenrir submitted to being bound with the ribbon-like Gleipnir.

  Once the band was on him, the wolf kicked as he had done before. But the harder he kicked the more firmly did the band hold him. Now at last he was held and bound. All the Æsir laughed to see the wolf finally restrained. The only one of the Æsir who did not laugh was Tyr, because the wolf bit off his right hand!

  The restraining of Fenrir

  Now that the wolf was bound, the Æsir secured him with a cord that they threaded through a huge piece of rock. They then took that rock and secured it firmly by driving it deep into the ground. As if that was not enough, they then took another great piece of stone and pegged the other rock into the ground with it. This rocky peg was driven even further down into the ground. As they secured it, the wolf lunged at them with its great open jaws and tried to bite them. But the Æsir took a sword and forced it upright between his jaws, so that it wedged the jaws open. With this done, the wolf could not savage them. He howled wildly and from his mouth enough saliva flowed to form the Hope river. And this is how it will be with Fenrir, the son of Loki, until the day of Ragnarok.

  Even though that wolf was prophesied to eventually cause the death of Odin All-Father, the Æsir did not kill him. Had they done so, they would have polluted their sanctuary with the blood of the wolf and this they did not do from respect for that place. And so Fenrir waits – chained, jaws fixed apart and howling – until the day when he will finally break loose at the end of the world.

  6

  The goddesses of the Asyniur, the valkyries and the wife of Freyr

  INFORMATION ABOUT THE female deities is found in a number of places in Norse literature. These include: the Tricking of Gylfi section of the Prose Edda; a poem called Thrym’s Poem in the Poetic Edda; Eulogy on the House, a skaldic poem that is only partially preserved in the Prose Edda; and Sorli’s Story, a short story in the later and extended version of The Saga of Olaf Tryggvason, which itself survives in the Icelandic manuscript known as Flateyjarbók, as well as in other places in both the Prose and Poetic Eddas. The story of Freyr and Gerd is also found in the Icelandic manuscript Heimskringla, in which Freyr was considered a king of Sweden and founder of the royal Yngling dynasty. The female deities are almost always beautiful and, while important figures, tend not to play an active or leading role in the stories in which they appear.

  The valkyries are a particularly interesting female dimension to the Norse mythological world. They are the choosers of the slain who live in Valhalla but are sent to earth to collect those warriors chosen by Odin. However, as an intermediary is used to convey Odin’s wishes, there is a possibility of these wishes being subverted. Valkyries are often depicted as semi-divine beings but they can also be royal princesses who decide to take on this role. Valkyries can fall in love, and can protect and bring good luck to their chosen hero in battle. The warriors, no matter how brave or strong they are, do not have the ultimate control; this control over victory, glory, life and death is left in the hands of women who belong to both the mythological and human world. This enables the hero to initially escape death, but he is not able to escape it for ever and his involvement with the valkyries inevitably leads him onto a collision course with previous lovers or family members. This is a common theme in the Eddic heroic poems, with those of Helgi Hundingsbane, in particular, built around the love and battles of the hero and his valkyrie lover, leading to his ultimate demise.

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  The goddesses of the Asyniur

  Among the divine race of the Æsir there are both gods and goddesses. Properly speaking, the Æsir are the gods and the Asyniur are the goddesses. Of these goddesses, the highest is Frigg. She lives in a place called Fensalir, which is a very beautiful place indeed. She is married to Odin All-Father and is the mother of the god Baldr, who was killed as a result of Loki’s cruel trickery.

  Also high in rank and next to Frigg is Freyia. She is married to Od and their daughter is Hnoss. So beautiful is Hnoss that anything beautiful or of great value is described as being ‘hnossir’ (treasured). When Od went travelling he left Freyia behind and she was lonely and wept tears of red gold. So much did Freyia miss Od that she went after him to try to find him. For this reason she is known by many names, for she took on different names among the different people where she travelled. To some she became known as Mardoll, to others Gefn or Syr. Freyia is known as the Lady of the Vanir (those gods and goddesses of fertility who made alliance with the Æsir after the war between them ended in a truce and then lasting peace).

  On her neck Freyia wears a necklace called Brisingamen or Brising’s necklace. It was this necklace that broke and fell from her neck when, in great anger, she heard news from Loki that Thrymr, king of the giants, demanded to marry her. She loaned it to Thor to wear when he impersonated her and went to Thrymr’s court in her place. This necklace was also once stolen by Loki but Freyia enlisted the assistance of the god Heimdall (whom some consider a member of the Vanir) to find it. Finding Loki in the form of a seal, Heimdall took on seal-shape too and regained the necklace for Freyia. Some say that Freyia was also wife of Odin All-Father and it was in that role that she first gained possession of the necklace. According to this tale, one day in Asialand, Freyia came upon the cave of the dwarfs Alfrig, Dwalin, Berling and Grer. Seeing they were making a beautiful necklace she offered them gold and silver for it. But the price they demanded was to spend one night each with her. So great was her desire for the necklace that she slept with each of them for one night. In return she was given Brisingamen. The trickster and troublemaker Loki discovered her secret and told Odin, her husband, who was furious. He demanded that Loki should get the necklace and bring it to him. This Loki did by entering her room in the form of a fly, then changing into a flea and biting her as she slept until she restlessly turned and revealed the lock on the necklace, which Loki then unlocked and stole. Odin would only return it to her if she would cause two groups of warriors to fight each other for ever; a curse that would only be broken when a Christian (the later king named Olaf Tryggvason) would slay them and cause them to remain dead.

  Other goddesses are found among the Asyniur. One, named Saga, lives in Sokkvabekk, a large palace. Another is a goddess of healing and this is Eir. Her medical skills are renowned. A virgin goddess is Gefion and all women who die as virgins become her attendants. Another virgin goddess is Fulla. Her hair flows freely and she wears a golden headband. Fulla is a close companion of Frigg. She carries Frigg’s treasure-casket, takes care of her shoes and knows all her secrets. Siofn concerns herself with love and directs the minds of men and women when they fall in love. From her name men describe love between people by the word ‘siafni’. Those whose marriage union has been forbidden pray to the goddess Lofn, for she is so kind-hearted that she can persuade Odin All-Father or Frigg to allow it to take place, even if previously it was banned. For this reason, her name is used in the form ‘lof’ (permission) when describing such unions and ‘lofat’ (praised) is used when something is particularly noteworthy and of good report. Contracts between men and women that are made in private are called ‘varar’, after the goddess Var. For she is highly attentive to such oaths and contracts and makes them a matter of her personal concern. Nothing escapes her close attention in such matters. For this reason, a woman who discovers a secret is described as using the word ‘vor’ (discovered). And Var punishes all who break such oaths and contracts. The goddess Syn is guardian of doorways of the hall and of assemblies where things are in dispute. To declare ‘no’ to something at such an assembly is therefore called ‘syn’ (refute) after her. Those whom Frigg wishes to protect are placed under the protection of the goddess Hlin; from her name those in refuge are describe
d as being in ‘hleinir’ (refuge/protection). Those who are wise are called ‘snotr’ (wise) after Snotra, the goddess of wisdom. Finally, there is the goddess Gna. Riding a horse named Hofvarpnir, which can cross the sky and sea, she is sent on journeys by Frigg. As a result, if something is very high, people say it is ‘gnæfa’ (towering), after her, because she is seen flying across the sky on Hofvarpnir. The mother of Thor, named Iord, and Rind, the mother of Vali, are also considered to be of the Asyniur.

  The valkyries and Valhalla

  Others among the goddesses of the Asyniur are those called valkyries. They serve in Valhalla and serve drinks to those warriors chosen to live there. They include those named Hrist, Mist, Skeggiold, Skogul, Hlokk and Reginleif. The valkyries are sent by Odin to attend every battle that occurs. There they decide who shall live and who shall die; who shall be defeated and who shall be victorious. Those valkyries called Gunn, Rota and Skuld (who is a norn) are those who decide among the warriors who will die. The norns rule the destinies of gods and people.

  Those chosen for Valhalla are many in number and great is the amount of food they eat. Yet they always have enough for they are fed from the boar named Saehrimnir. It is cooked each day and yet is whole again that evening! So there is food enough for all that mighty crowd of warriors – yet there will still not be enough of these fighting men to withstand the wolf, Fenrir, when he breaks free at Ragnarok.

  Odin himself, though, does not eat, for wine is both food and drink to him, though he gives meat to his wolves named Geri and Freki; while the two ravens that sit on his shoulders – named Hugin and Munin – whisper to him of all that they have seen between dawn and the evening feasting-time, as they fly out over the world.

  But to return to Valhalla – the place to which the valkyries bring the slain – on its roof feeds a goat from whose udders flows mead to the warriors, and a stag from whose antlers drips enough water to be the source of many rivers. And the hall is so large that it is entered through five hundred and forty doors. And from these doors the warriors shall pour forth on the day that the wolf comes. Until that day comes, these warriors of Odin All-Father pass the time fighting each other by day and, come evening, they ride back to Valhalla and feast together on the meat from the boar named Saehrimnir.

  Gerd: the most beautiful of women, the wife of Freyr

  Though not of the Asyniur, the daughter of the mountain-giant Gymir and his wife Aurboda was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. Her name was Gerd. One day, she was spied on by the god Freyr of the Vanir. He went into the place called Hlidskialf, where he was not allowed to go since it is Odin’s throne, and from that place he was able to look into all worlds. Gazing towards the north, he saw a woman approaching a great and beautiful hall and when she opened the door he saw that light flooded from her over the sea and sky and, having seen her, he went away downcast because he desired her so much. His father, Niord, noticed he was grief-stricken and sent his servant Skirnir to discover why Freyr was so unhappy. It was this same Skirnir who had been sent by Odin All-Father to secure the making of the fetter, named Gleipnir, that was used to bind the great wolf, Fenrir.

  On asking Freyr what ailed him, Skirnir discovered the reason for his unhappiness and Freyr commanded him to go to the north and seek out the hand of the woman for him and to do so whether her father allowed it or not. Skirnir agreed but asked that he might take Freyr’s sword with him to defend himself. Now this sword was like no other; it would fight on its own without even being held in the grip of its owner. It is for this reason that when Freyr later fought the giant Beli he was armed with nothing more than a deer’s antler; and it was with the antler that he killed that giant. Far more serious, though, would be his lack of this sword when in time he would face Ragnarok without it. At that time the sons of Muspell will ride out and break the bridge Bifrost and wage war on the Æsir. Then will Freyr wish he had his famous sword in his grasp.

  When Skirnir went to woo Gerd, he returned with the news that she would come to Freyr in nine nights’ time to marry him, though Freyr found it a very long time to wait for the woman to come. In time she came, though, and married him and some say that they began the royal dynasty of the Ynglings in Sweden. Some say she only came after Skirnir threatened her, while some say she came willingly. In this manner, Gerd, the mountain-giantess, became one of the goddesses and was married into the race of the Vanir.

  7

  The cunning of Loki and the adventures of Thor

  FOUND IN the Tricking of Gylfi section of the Prose Edda, this tells of the trickery of Loki, and of a journey of Thor and Loki, and then of Thor alone, with the mischief and adventures that accompany these events.

  These stories show frequent references to Thor’s magical hammer, Miollnir. It is depicted as a fearsome weapon, which can crush skulls and level mountains. The Prose Edda tells us that it was made by dwarfs and it has become the symbol most commonly associated with Thor. Miollnir seems to have been used as a pendant or amulet by some followers of Thor during the early medieval period. It is interesting to note, though, that they are most often found in areas of strong Christian influence and may be a reaction to the wearing of crosses by Christian converts. If correct, this reveals another way in which Viking Age religious behaviour was affected by the interaction with Christianity.

  Utgarda-Loki (or Utgard-Loki) is a major figure in these stories. He is the ruler of a castle called Utgard in Giantland and is himself a giant. His name literally means ‘Loki of the castle Utgard’ and he is called this to distinguish him from Loki who is also travelling with Thor. This story does not appear in the Poetic Edda.

  The appearance of giants in these stories reminds us of the complex interconnection between gods and giants in Norse mythology. The relationship encompasses some grudging cooperation (as in the fortress building) and even sexual relations (not apparent in these particular accounts); but is usually also associated with simmering threat and fear (as in the need for a fortress against the giants, Thor’s killing of the giant-builder, the encounter with Skrymir and humiliation in the hall of King Utgarda-Loki). In such conflicts, Thor was traditionally seen as the enemy of the giants and his hammer was used against them to devastating effect.

  These stories also show Thor battling twice with the Midgard serpent (in other accounts named Jormungand). This is the creature that will ultimately destroy him at Ragnarok. In Norse mythology, the Midgard serpent is a sea serpent fathered by Loki with a giantess (Angrboda) and it is so large that it encircles the entire world. Thor will encounter the Midgard serpent three times, the final time being at Ragnarok, the end of the world, when they will destroy each other. The encounter during the fishing trip seems to have been a fairly common motif in Viking Age art and appears on a number of picture stones. One of these is the Ardre VIII stone, which is a stone from the eighth or ninth century from Gotland in Sweden. If the picture really is the fishing trip with Hymir, then this shows the story to have been in existence for at least several hundred years before first being written down in the Prose Edda.

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  The tricking of the builder of a fortress

  Long, long ago . . . when the gods had only just built Midgard and Valhalla, they were approached by a builder, who promised them that he could construct for them a fortification so strong that no mountain-giant or frost-giant could break into it, even if they had succeeded in getting through the boundary of Midgard. Furthermore, he said that he would be able to complete the construction in just three seasons of building. But the price of such a building would be high. He asked for Freyia as his wife and ownership of both the sun and the moon.

  At this, the Æsir met together to discuss his terms and they made a counter-proposal to him. This was that he would get the payment that he demanded – but on condition that he completed the work in one season only. They would give him just one winter to build it and if it was not completed on the first day of summer then the builder would receive no payment whatsoever. In additio
n, no man was to assist him in the construction of the fortification.

  The builder considered this counter-proposal. He replied that he would accept it if the Æsir would allow him just one assistant and this was the help of his stallion, which was named Svadilfaeri. The Æsir thought about this and, on the advice of Loki, they accepted this request.

  On the first day of winter the building began. By day the builder worked on construction and by night he hauled stone to the site using the stallion, Svadilfaeri. The stones he hauled were enormous. Indeed, the stallion was twice as strong as the builder, and the Æsir saw that the builder was very strong indeed.

  It should be noted that giants – for such the builder was – were fearful of being among the Æsir in case Thor arrived home while they were there, for Thor was a slayer of giants. It was for this reason that when the original contract to build the fortification had been agreed, it had been guaranteed by oaths and the witnessing of it by many powerful witnesses. It was only then that the giant-builder felt safe to go about his business, even though Thor was away killing trolls in the eastern mountains.

  To return to the building . . . that winter the walls and gateways of that fortification rose at astonishing speed. And it was built so well that no enemy could ever break into it. Finally, just three days from the start of summer, the fortress was almost completed. This caused great concern among the gods of the Æsir because they knew that if it was completed by the start of summer then the details of their agreement meant that Freyia would go from Asgard into Giantland and, furthermore, the sun and the moon would be lost from the sky and would become the possession of giants. They looked for someone to blame for their dilemma and decided that it was the one who had persuaded them to agree to the builder’s demands in the first place. Having considered this, they decided that the one to blame was Loki, son of Laufey. After all, it was Loki who was usually responsible for most evil things that occurred and it was he who had persuaded the gods to allow the builder the use of the stallion, Svadilfaeri. Consequently, they threatened Loki with death if he did not find a way to get them out of their difficulties. Loki was afraid because he could see that the gods were prepared to attack and kill him and so he swore oaths that he would free them from their obligation to pay the builder, whatever the cost to him personally.