Surt (mythology)

Surt in a representation by the English draftsman John Charles Dollman

Surt or Surtur ( Old Norse Surtr "the black") is a fire giant and an enemy of the sir in Norse mythology . He is the ruler of Muspellsheim .

In the Ragnarök he cuts the Bifröst bridge , the connection between Midgard and Asgard, with his fire sword Surtalogi . With the sons of Muspel he sets the world on fire, hurls fire in all directions and destroys all life ( world fire ). He kills the unarmed Freyr in a fight.

Impact history

A volcanic cave in Iceland is called Surtshellir after Surt (Surtur) . An island southwest of Iceland that was not formed until 1963-67 through volcanic activity is named after him Surtsey ("Island of Surt").

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 .

Web links

Commons : Surtr  - collection of images, videos and audio files