Eikthyrnir

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Eikthyrnir is a stag in Norse mythology . He stands on the roof of Valhalla and gnaws at the branches of the Lärad tree . In the song as well as the prose Edda it says: “It drips from its horned antlers to Hvergelmir . All streams come from there. "

Lärad is a synonym for the world tree Yggdrasil . Hvergelmir is the fountain of primal becoming, the source of creation. According to the Prosa Edda text variant T, the stag is not on the roof, but in Valhalla. Rudolf Simek interprets the dripping antlers as an echo of other mythical primeval creatures such as the goat Heidrun or the primitive cow Audumla .

The name Eikthyrnir, Old Norse Eikþyrnir, is made up of Old Norse eik 'oak, (large) tree' and a second component, which is mostly seen in connection with Old Norse þorn 'thorn'. The name is interpreted as 'Eichdorn', 'eichendornig', 'Eichdornbusch' or 'the one with oak-like antlers'.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lieder-Edda: Grimnismál 26; Prose Edda: Gylfaginning 39. Translation from: Karl Joseph Simrock : Die Edda . 1851.
  2. ^ A b Rudolf Simek: Lexicon of Germanic mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition. Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X , (keyword: Eikthyrnir).
  3. ^ Gerhard Köbler: Old Norse Dictionary. 2nd edition, 2003. Keywords: eik, þorn, þyrna and þyrnir. Online ( Memento of the original from April 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . - Walter Baetke: Dictionary of Norse prose literature. 1st & 2nd edition. Digital version, Greifswald 2006, keywords: eik, þorn. - According to Gerhard Köbler's Old Norse dictionary, there is the word þyrnir 'thorn bush', which comes from the Old Norse þyrna 'defend oneself , surrounded by thorn bushes', a derivation from Old Norse þorn 'thorn, needle'. Only þorn is mentioned in Walter Baetke's dictionary . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / homepage.uibk.ac.at
  4. ↑ Arthur Häny: The Edda (translation). 3. Edition. Manesse Verlag, Zurich, 1989, ISBN 3-7175-1731-7 .
  5. ^ Andy Orchard: Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. London 1998, ISBN 0304-35134-2 .
  6. ^ Gerhard Köbler: Old Norse Dictionary. 2nd edition, 2003.