![]() Thor's fishing for Jörmungandr was one of the most popular motifs in Norse art. The Eddic poem Hymiskviða has a similar ending to the story, but in earlier Scandinavian versions of the myth in skaldic poetry, Thor successfully captures and kills the serpent by striking it on the head. As Thor grabs his hammer to kill the serpent, the giant cuts the line, leaving the serpent to sink beneath the waves and return to its original position encircling the earth. Thor pulls the serpent from the water, and the two face one another, Jörmungandr blowing poison. Thor then prepares a strong line and a large hook and baits it with the ox head, which Jörmungandr bites. Thor demands to go further out to sea and does so despite Hymir's protest. They row to a point where Hymir often sat and caught flatfish and where he drew up two whales. When Hymir refuses to provide Thor with bait, Thor strikes the head off Hymir's largest ox to use it. Jörmungandr and Thor meet again when Thor goes fishing with the giant Hymir. Thor's fishing trip depicted on the Altuna Runestone, one of the few confirmed Viking Age depictions of Jörmungandr. There are three preserved myths detailing Thor's encounters with Jörmungandr: There are also several image stones depicting the story of Thor fishing for Jörmungandr. Other sources include the early skaldic poem Ragnarsdrápa and kennings in other skaldic poems for example, in Þórsdrápa, faðir lögseims, "father of the sea-thread", is used as a kenning for Loki. The major sources for myths about Jörmungandr are the Prose Edda, the skaldic poem Húsdrápa, and the Eddic poems Hymiskviða and Völuspá. The term "Jörmungandr" therefore has several possible meanings in connection with its mythology, such as: "the vast serpent", "the vast river" (a synonym for the sea where he dwells), "the vast staff or stick" (a connection to the world tree Yggdrasil), as well as "the vast bind" (the serpent's coiling around the world, biting its own tail, symbolising the world's circle of life). Gandr can refer to, among other things: snake, fjord, river, staff, cane, mast, penis, bind, and the like (mainly in "supernatural" or "living" senses). The word "gandr" can mean a variety of things in Old Norse, but mainly refers to elongated entities and or supernatural beings. The prefix "Jörmun-" denotes something huge, vast superhuman. ![]() The term Jörmungandr is a poetic title and consist of the prefix Jörmun- and the word gandr. During Ragnarök, Thor and Jörmungandr will fight each other to the death. The old Norse thunder-god, Thor, has an on-going feud with Jörmungandr in their epics and the two can be seen as archfoes. ![]() There the serpent grew so large that it was able to surround the Earth and grasp its own tail. ![]() The serpent Jörmungandr was tossed into the great ocean that encircles Midgard. According to the Prose Edda, Odin took Loki's three children by Angrboða – the wolf Fenrir, the goddess Hel, and the serpent Jörmungandr – and removed them from Asgard (the world of the Æsir). Jörmungandr is said to be the middle child of the trickster god Loki and the giantess Angrboða. When it releases its tail, Ragnarök (the final battle of the world) will begin. As a result of it surrounding Midgard (the Earth) it is referred to as the World Serpent. In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr ( Old Norse: Jǫrmungandr, lit.'the Vast gand', see Etymology), also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent ( Old Norse: Miðgarðsormr), is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth ( Midgard) and biting his own tail, an example of an ouroboros. ![]() Jörmungandr in the sea during Ragnarök, drawn by the Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe in 1898. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |