Líf and Lífthrasir
Líf and Lífthrasir ( Old Norse Líf ok Lífþrasir , both names contain the root "life") are the names of the human couple who, in Germanic mythology, are the only ones to survive the twilight of the gods and the associated catastrophes and, after the end of the apocalyptic events, the world with theirs Offspring repopulated.
The names are mentioned in the 45th stanza of Vafþrúðnismál . Odin , who appears incognito, is put into his mouth a riddle in which he asks about the human survivors of the Fimbulwinter , to which the giant Wafthrudnir answers correctly that Líf and Lífthrasir are the names of those sought, who seek refuge "in Hoddmímir's wood" and only each other feed on morning dew before a new human race arises from their children. Snorri Sturluson refers to this passage: “ In a place called Hoddmimir's Wood, two people, called Líf and Lífthrasir , hid themselves during the Surts , and fed on the morning dew. From these two comes such a large generation that it will inhabit the whole world. "( Gylfaginning 53)
literature
- Rudolf Simek : Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X .