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Asgard

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This article is about the location in Nordic Mythology. For other uses, see Asgard (disambiguation).
Look up Asgard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
File:Asgard and Bifrost in interpretation of Otto Schenk in Wagner's Das Rheingold.jpg
Asgard and Bifrost in Otto Schenk's interpretation of Wagner's drama Das Rheingold

In Norse mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: Ásgarðr [ˈɑːsˌɡɑrðz̠]; "enclosure of the Æsir") is one of the nine worlds that exist in the universe. It is considered the home of the Æsir gods and goddesses, who are the principal deities in Norse mythology. Asgard is often depicted as a magnificent fortress or city that is located at the center of the universe, surrounded by high walls that are guarded by the god Heimdall.

The exact location of Asgard in Norse mythology is not always clear, but it is generally believed to be situated high above the earth, possibly in the sky or in the clouds. It is said to be connected to the other worlds by the Bifrost bridge, which is a rainbow bridge that can only be crossed by the gods and certain legendary heroes. Many of the well-known Nordic gods are Æsir or live in Asgard such as Odin, Thor, Loki, and Baldr.

In some myths, Asgard is also depicted as being located on a mountaintop or on a sacred island. Overall, the location of Asgard in Norse mythology is symbolic rather than physical, representing a spiritual and mystical realm that is separate from the human world.

Etymology

The word Ásgarðr is a compound formed from Template:Lang-non ("god") and Template:Lang-non ("enclosure").[1] Possible anglicisations include: Ásgarthr, Ásgard, Ásegard, Ásgardr, Asgardr, Ásgarth, Asgarth, Esageard, and Ásgardhr.[2]

Attestations

The Poetic Edda

In the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems that were compiled in the 13th century, Asgard is mentioned frequently as the home of the gods and goddesses. The poem Völuspá provides a detailed account of the creation of the universe, including the building of Asgard by the gods. It is also mentioned in Hymiskviða, when Thor and Týr journey from Asgard to Hymir's hall to obtain a cauldron large enough to brew beer for a feast for Ægir and the gods.[3][4][5] The second instance is in Þrymskviða when Loki is attempting to convince Thor to dress up as Freyja in order to get back Mjölnir by claiming that without his hammer to protect them, jötnar would soon be living in Asgard.[4]

Other poems in the collection describe Asgard as a magnificent fortress that is protected by the god Heimdall, and as a place where the gods hold court and make decisions. The poem Grímnismál also provides a list of the twelve halls that are located in Asgard and are associated with different gods and goddesses. Grímnismál contains among its cosmological descriptions, a number of abodes of the gods, such as Álfheim, Nóatún and Valhall, which some scholars have identified as being in Asgard. It is to be noted, however, that Asgard is not mentioned at any point in the poem.[6][7] . Furthermore, Völuspá references Iðavöllr, one of the most common meeting places of Æsir gods, which in Gylfaginning, Snorri locates in the centre of Asgard.[8][9]

Overall, the Poetic Edda portrays Asgard as a central and important location in Norse mythology, where the gods reside and from where they rule over the universe.

The Prose Edda

Prologue

In the Prose Edda, Asgard is depicted as a magnificent city that is situated in the middle of the universe, and is surrounded by a high wall that is guarded by the god Heimdall. The city is said to be comprised of many different halls and houses, each associated with a different god or goddess.

The Prose Edda also provides more information about the history and mythology of Asgard, including the story of how the gods built the city and how they acquired various magical objects that are kept in Asgard, such as Thor's hammer Mjolnir.

The Prose Edda's euhemeristic prologue portrays the Æsir gods as people that travelled from the East to northern territories.[10] According to Snorri, Asgard represented the town of Troy before Greek warriors overtook it. After the defeat, Trojans moved to northern Europe, where they became a dominant group due to their “advanced technologies and culture”.[10] Eventually, other tribes began to perceive the Trojans and their leader Trór (Thor in Old Norse) as gods.[1]

Additionally, the Prose Edda describes Asgard as a place where the gods hold court and make decisions, and where they prepare for the final battle of Ragnarok, which will mark the end of the world. Overall, the Prose Edda provides a more comprehensive and detailed account of Asgard and its importance in Norse mythology.

Gylfaginning

In Gylfaginning, Snorri Sturluson describes how during the creation of the world, the gods made the earth and surrounded it with the sea. They made the sky from the skull of Ymir and settled the jötnar on the shores of the earth. They set down the brows of Ymir, forming Midgard, and in the centre of the world they built Asgard, which he identifies as Troy:[11]

Old Norse text[12] Brodeur translation[13]

Þar næst gerðu þeir sér borg í miðjum heimi, er kölluð er Ásgarðr. Þat köllum vér Trója. Þar byggðu goðin ok ættir þeira, ok gerðust þaðan af mörg tíðendi ok greinir bæði á jörðu ok í lofti. Þar er einn staðr, er Hliðskjálf heitir, ok þá er Óðinn settist þar í hásæti, þá sá hann of alla heima ok hvers manns athæfi ok vissi alla hluti, þá er hann sá.

Next they made for themselves in the middle of the world a city which is called Ásgard; men call it Troy. There dwelt the gods and their kindred; and many tidings and tales of it have come to pass both on earth and aloft. There is one abode called Hlidskjálf, and when Allfather sat in the high-seat there, he looked out over the whole world and saw every man's acts, and knew all things which he saw.

After Asgard is made, the gods then built a hof named Glaðsheimr at Iðavöllr, in the centre of the burg, with a high seat for Odin and twelve seats for other gods.[9] It is described as like gold both on the inside and the outside, and as the best of all buildings in the world.[14] They also built Vingólf for the female gods, which is described as both a hall and a hörgr, and a forge with which they crafted objects from gold.[9] After Ragnarök, some gods such as Váli and Baldr will meet at Iðavöllr where Asgard once stood and discuss matters together. There they will also find in the grass the golden chess pieces that the Æsir had once owned.[15]

Later, the section describes how an unnamed jötunn came to the gods with his stallion, Svaðilfari and offered help in building a burg for the gods in three winters, asking in return for the sun, moon, and marriage with Freyja. Despite Freyja's opposition, together the gods agree to fulfill his request if he completes his work in just one winter. As time goes on, the gods grow desperate as it becomes apparent that the jötunn will construct the burg on time. To their surprise, his stallion contributes much of the progress, swiftly moving boulders and rocks. To deal with the problem, Loki comes up with a plan whereupon he changes his appearance to that of a mare, and distracts Svaðilfari to slow down construction.[16] Without the help of his stallion, the builder realises he cannot complete his task in time and goes into a rage, revealing his identity as a jötunn. Thor then kills the builder with Mjöllnir, before any harm to the gods is done.[17] The chapter does not explicitly name Asgard as the fortress but they are commonly identified by scholars.[18]

In Gylfaginning, the central cosmic tree Yggdrasil is described as having three roots that hold it up; one of these goes to the Æsir, which has been interpreted as meaning Asgard. In Grímnismál, this root instead reaches over the realm of men.[19][20] The bridge Bifröst is told to span from the heavens to the earth and over it the Æsir cross each day to hold council beneath Yggdrasil at the Urðarbrunnr. Based on this, Bifröst is commonly interpreted as the bridge to Asgard.[21]

Skáldskaparmál

Asgard is mentioned briefly throughout Skáldskaparmál as the name for the home of the Æsir, as in Gylfaginning.[22] In this section, a number of locations are described as lying within Asgard including Valhalla, and in front of its doors, the golden grove Glasir.[23] It also records a name for Thor as 'Defender of Ásgard' (Template:Lang-non).[24][25]

Ynglinga Saga

In the Ynglinga saga, found in Heimskringla, Snorri describes Asgard as a city in Asia, based on a perceived, but erroneous, connection between the words for Asia and Æsir. Odin then leaves to settle in the northern part of the world and leaves his brothers Vili and Vé to rule over the city. When the euhemerised Odin dies, the account states that the Swedes believed he had returned to Asgard and would live there forever.[26]

Interpretation and discussion

Cosmology in Old Nordic religion is presented in a vague and often contradictory manner when viewed from a naturalistic standpoint. Snorri places Asgard in the centre of the world, surrounded by Midgard and then the lands inhabited by jötnar, all of which are finally encircled by the sea. He also locates the homes of the gods in the heavens. This had led to the proposition of a system of concentric circles, centred on Asgard or Yggdrasil, and sometimes with a vertical axis, leading upwards towards the heavens. There is debate between scholars over whether the gods were conceived of as living in the heavens, with some aligning their views with Snorri, and others proposing that he at times presents the system in a Christian framework and that this organisation is not seen in either Eddic or skaldic poetry. The concept of attempting to create a spatial cosmological model has itself been criticised by scholars who argue that the oral traditions did not form a naturalistic, structured system that aimed to be internally geographically consistent. An alternative proposal is that the world should be conceived of as a number of realms connected by passages that cannot be typically traversed. This would explain how Asgard can be located both to the east and west of the realm of men, over the sea and over Bifröst.[27]

It has been noted that the tendency to link Asgard to Troy is part of a wider European cultural practice of claiming Trojan origins for one's culture, first seen in the Aeneid and also featuring in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae for the founding of Britain.[28]

Thor first appeared in the Marvel Universe within comic series Journey into Mystery in the issues #83 during August 1962. Following this release, he becomes one of the central figures in the comics along with Loki and Odin. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor and Loki make their first appearance together in the 2011 film Thor. After that, Thor becomes a regular character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reappears in several films, including the Avengers series. Asgard becomes the central element of the film Thor: Ragnarok, where it is destroyed following the Old Norse mythos. These and other Norse mythology elements also appear in video games, TV series, and books based in and on the Marvel Universe, although these depictions do not closely follow historical sources.[29]

Asgard is an explorable realm in the video game God of War: Ragnarök, a sequel to 2018's soft reboot Norse-themed God of War.[30]

In the Assassin's Creed Valhalla video game, Asgard is featured as part of a "vision quest".[31]

See also

Citations

  1. ^ a b Lindow 2002.
  2. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica, Asgard.
  3. ^ Orchard 2011, p. 77, Hymiskvida: The song of Hymir, stanza 7.
  4. ^ a b Bellows 1923, Þrymskviða, stanza 17.
  5. ^ Simek 2008, p. 167-169.
  6. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 8, 235, 329.
  7. ^ Mattioli 2018, p. 102.
  8. ^ Boult 1948.
  9. ^ a b c Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 14.
  10. ^ a b Sturluson & Byock 2005.
  11. ^ Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 8, 9.
  12. ^ Gylfaginning (ON), Chapter 9.
  13. ^ Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 9.
  14. ^ Simek 2008, p. 112.
  15. ^ Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 53.
  16. ^ Fontenrose 1983.
  17. ^ Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 42.
  18. ^ Simek 2008, p. 108.
  19. ^ Crawford 2015.
  20. ^ Simek 2008, p. 375.
  21. ^ Simek 2008, p. 36.
  22. ^ Simek 2008, p. 20.
  23. ^ Simek 2008, p. 113.
  24. ^ Sturluson 2018, 11. Kennings for Thor.
  25. ^ Skáldskaparmál, Chapter 11.
  26. ^ Laing 1961, pp. 8–13.
  27. ^ Heide 2014, pp. 103–104, 125–127.
  28. ^ Fontenrose 1983, p. 56.
  29. ^ Syam & Prakash 2019.
  30. ^ God Of War Interview.
  31. ^ PC Games AC.

Bibliography

Primary

  • Bellows, Henry Adams, ed. (1923). "Lays of the Gods: Voluspo". The Poetic Edda. Scandinavian classics, vols. 21, 22. Translated by Bellows, Henry Adams. New York: American-Scandinavian Foundation (published 1926). p. 3. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  • Crawford, Jackson (2015). The Poetic Edda : stories of the Norse Gods and heroes. Chicago: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 12–14, 47–58, 68, 95. ISBN 978-1-62466-358-1. OCLC 905921490.
  • Laing, Samuel (1961). Heimskringla. Part two, Sagas of the Norse Kings. London: Dent. ISBN 0460008471.
  • Orchard, Andy (2011). The Elder Edda : a book of Viking lore. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780141393728.
  • Sturluson, Snorri; Byock, Jesse L. (2005). The prose Edda: Norse mythology. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 30–48, 55–78, 80–83, 93–94, 97. ISBN 0-14-044755-5. OCLC 59352542.
  • Sturluson, Snorri (2018). The Prose Edda. Translated by Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist. Franklin Classics Trade Press. ISBN 9780344335013.
  • "Gylfaginning (Old Norse)". heimskringla.no. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  • "Skaldskáparmál (Old Norse)". heimskringla.no. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

Secondary

  • MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image repository) illustrations of Asgard from Victorian and Edwardian retellings of Norse Mythology. Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it.
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