Muspell
Muspell ( Old Norse Muspellr ) is the fire personified by a giant in Norse mythology . The giant rules Muspellsheim , is probably identical to Surtr and appears in the time of the Ragnarök as an enemy of the gods and their creation.
During this time his sons ( Muspellz synir ) fight on the death ship Naglfar . They also destroy the Bifröst sky road as they ride over it. ( Gylfaginning , Chapter 13). The Muspellz people ( Muspellz lýđir ) march with Surtr against the gods in the all-important battle. The fire giant ignites the world fire .
background
In the Nordic mythologies of the Edda a concrete picture of the world and its hemispheres is described, including the ice world Niflheimr ("The Dark World") in the north and the Fireland Muspellzheimr ("World of Muspell") in the south . Between these was the Ginnunga Gap (“yawning gorge”). Ice glaciers poured into them from the north and glowing sparks of fire sprayed into them from the south, which melted the ice and thus created the first living being, the giant Ymir ("twin" or "hermaphrodite") and the original cow Audhumbla ("the hornless" or “The milk kingdoms”).
The first gods, Odin , Vé and Vili , killed Ymir and created the world from his body and made the stars from the sparks that were still sparkling.
Only when this world is destroyed is the talk of Muspell again, when the sons or the people of Muspell rise up against the gods from the south. Muspell is the owner of the ship Naglfari , which brings the attackers to the site of the final battle. The fire giant Surtr is named as the ruler of Muspelheim, who defends his country with a fire sword that shines brighter than the sun. With this he goes into battle against the gods and ultimately burns the whole world with his fire, which is why the world fire is also known as surtalogi .
Word meaning
In Old High German or Old Saxon, mutspelli or muspilli means something like “The Last Judgment” or “End of the world through fire”. In his Norse cosmogony, Snorri Sturluson (13th century) describes a kingdom of fire (Muspellzheimr, "Muspelheim") and the icy Niflheim as a counterpoint.
literature
- John Lindow: Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002, ISBN 0-19-515382-0 .
- Rudolf Simek : Middle-earth: Tolkien and the Germanic mythology. CH Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-52837-6 .
- Rudolf Simek: Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X .
Web links
- Jan de Vries: Muspellr . In: ders. Old Norse Etymological Dictionary. Brill, Leiden / Boston 1961. (books.google.ch)
Individual evidence
- ↑ John Lindow: North Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford 2002, p. 234 (online at: books.google.ch) , accessed on January 22, 2013.
- ^ Rudolf Simek: Middle Earth: Tolkien and Germanic mythology. P. 131. (online at: books.google.ch ) , accessed on January 22, 2013.