Álfheimr

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Álfheimr , also Albenheim ( Old Norse álfheimr "world of albums"), is the place in Norse mythology where the god Freyr received a tooth present from the gods. The tooth gift is a gift on the occasion of a child's first tooth. Since the place is mentioned in the series of gods' dwellings, it is obvious to see Freyr's place of residence in it.

In contrast, Snorri Sturluson describes Álfheimr in the Prose Edda as the home of the light albums (ljósálfar) . Spatially, the place in heaven for him is in contrast to the home of the dark albums deep in the earth.

The connection between Wanen and Alben results from the chthonic nature of both. The separation into a light and a dark album world by Snorri is evidently Christian motivated, but it is already contained in the two-sided nature of the albums, which are closely related to the fertility cult and its death-and-return myth.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lieder-Edda: Grímnismál. Verse 5. (Citation of the Lieder-Edda after Arnulf Krause: Die Götter- und Heldenlieder der Älteren Edda. Philipp Reclam jun. Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 978-3-15-050047-7 )
  2. ↑ Jan de Vries: Old Germanic history of religion. 2nd edition, 1957, § 471 - Compare also Rudolf Simek: Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition. Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X , p. 13, which puts a question mark behind this statement, indicating that it is ultimately not secured.
  3. ^ Snorri Sturluson: Prose-Edda, Gylfaginning . Chapter 17 (citation of the prose Edda after Arnulf Krause: Die Edda des Snorri Sturluson. Philipp Reclam jun. Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 978-3-15-000782-2 )
  4. ↑ Jan de Vries: Old Germanic history of religion. 2nd edition, 1957, § 471
  5. ^ Compare Rudolf Simek: Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition. Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X , pp. 81 f., 244.