Skírnismál
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''Skírnismál'' (
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
: 'The Lay of
Skírnir In Norse mythology, Skírnir (Old Norse" ; "bright one"Orchard (1997:149).) is the god Freyr's messenger and vassal. In the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''Skírnismál'', Skírnir is sent as a messenger to Jötunheimr to conduct lovesick Freyr's wooing o ...
') is one of the poems of the ''
Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic me ...
''. It is preserved in the 13th-century manuscripts
Codex Regius Codex Regius ( la, Cōdex Rēgius, "Royal Book" or "King's Book"; is, Konungsbók) or GKS 2365 4º is an Icelandic codex in which many Old Norse poems from the ''Poetic Edda'' are preserved. Thought to have been written during the 1270s, it i ...
and
AM 748 I 4to AM 748 I 4to is an Icelandic vellum manuscript fragment containing several Eddaic poems. It dates to the beginning of the 14th century. AM 748 I is split into two parts. AM 748 I a 4to is kept in the Arnamagnæan Institute in Copenhagen. AM 748 ...
but may have been originally composed in the early 10th century. Many scholars believe that the poem was acted out, perhaps in a sort of '' hiéros gamos''.


Synopsis

The prose prologue to the poem says that the god
Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...
, the son of
Njörðr In Norse mythology, Njörðr (Old Norse: ) is a god among the Vanir. Njörðr, father of the deities Freyr and Freyja by Sister-wife of Njörðr, his unnamed sister, was in an ill-fated marriage with the goddess Skaði, lives in Nóatún (myt ...
, sits in
Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
's throne,
Hliðskjálf In Norse mythology, Hliðskjálf is the high seat of the god Odin allowing him to see into all realms. ''Poetic Edda'' In ''Grímnismál'', Odin and Frigg are both sitting in Hliðskjálf when they see their foster sons Agnarr and Geirröð ...
and looked over all the worlds. On looking to
Jötunheimr The terms Jötunheimr (in Old Norse orthography: Jǫtunheimr ; often anglicised as Jotunheim) or Jötunheimar refer to either a land or multiple lands in Nordic mythology inhabited by the jötnar. are typically, but not exclusively, presente ...
, the land of the giants, Freyr sees a beautiful girl, Gerðr, and is immediately seized by desire. Fearing that the object of his heart's desire is unattainable, gloom settles upon him. The poem itself starts with the wife of Njörðr, Skaði, bidding Skírnir to ask Freyr why he is so sad. Freyr's response is sullen, yet he does confess his feelings and asks Skírnir to undertake a journey to woo Gerðr on Freyr's behalf. Skírnir agrees, and Freyr furnishes him with his magical steed and sword. Skírnir makes his way to Jötunheimr, and eventually arrives at the hall of the giant Gymir.
Gerðr In Norse mythology, Gerðr (Old Norse: ; "fenced-in"Orchard (1997:54).) is a jötunn, goddess, and the wife of the god Freyr. Gerðr is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the ''Prose Ed ...
, the daughter of Gymir, greets him; Skírnir immediately sets about trying to set up a sexual rendezvous between Gerðr and Freyr. He tries bribing her first with gifts, but when these are refused, he is quick to turn to coercion, with threats of violence and curses. Gerðr has no choice but to submit to Skírnir's wishes and agree to the rendezvous with Freyr.
:Seest thou, maiden, this keen, bright sword :That I hold here in my hand? :Before its blade the old giant bends,— :Thy father is doomed to die. :... :I strike thee, maid, with my
gambantein In Norse mythology, Gambanteinn (Old Norse ''gambanteinn'' 'magic wand') appears in two poems in the Poetic Edda. ''Hárbarðsljóð'' In ''Hárbarðsljóð'' stanza 20, Hárbarðr says: A giant hard       was Hlébard, methinks: ...
, :To tame thee to work my will; :There shalt thou go where never again :The sons of men shall see thee. In Snorri Sturluson's version of the tale, Skírnir successfully woos Gerðr without threatening to curse her. Skírnir returns to
Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
and reports to Freyr, who asks him: Tell me, Skírnir, before unsaddling :Or stepping forth another pace :Is the news you bring from Jotunheim :For better or for worse? ''Skírnir replies:'' :In the woods of Barri, which know we both so well, :A quiet still and tranquil place :In nine nights time to Njörd's son :Will Gerd give herself. ''Freyr responds:'' :One night is long enough, yet longer still are two; :How then shall I contend with three? :For months have passed more quickly :Than half a bridal eve.


Curses

There is material evidence tha
the contemporary audience of ''Skírnismál'' believed in the effectiveness of curses like Skírnir's and even attempted to employ them.
Aslak Liestøl published a thirteenth-century text which contains a curse that is notably similar to the curse Skírnir's threatened Gerðr with. Liestøl asserts that the runic inscription is a genuine spell, and was intended to work on a real woman. Carolyne Larrington outlines the different elements of the curse Gerðr is threatened with: # She will be invisible, but also a public spectacle. # She will experience intolerable sexual frustration. # She will have
"physically repulsive"
husband. # She will fall to a low social status, and will lose the little autonomy she has. # She will experience
[m
le,_authoritarian_disapproval.html" ;"title="">[m
le, authoritarian disapproval
">">[m
le, authoritarian disapproval
.


Cultural references

Skírnir's curse has partial parallels in a number of
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
texts, including the curse known as ''Buslubæn'' in ''Bósa saga'' and the Bergen rune-charm. The Misty Mountains of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Hobbit'' are likely to have been inspired by the ''úrig fiöll'' in the ''Skírnismál''. Tolkien was familiar with the ''Poetic Edda''.Tom Shippey (2003), ''
The Road to Middle-earth ''The Road to Middle-earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology'' is a scholarly study of the Middle-earth works of J. R. R. Tolkien written by Tom Shippey and first published in 1982. The book discusses Tolkien's philology, and then ex ...
'', Houghton Mifflin, ch. 3 p. 70–71, .


References


Bibliography

*


External links


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


Translations



Henry A. Bellows' translation and commentary

Bellows' translation with clickable names *''The Poetic Edda.'' 1996. Translated by Carolyne Larrington, Oxford University Press, 2014.
Birkett, Tom. ''The Norse Myths. Quercus'', 2018.
*Gaiman, Neil. ''Norse Mythology''. ''Bloomsbury Publishing'', 2018.


Editions



The prose Edda. s Bugge's edition
Skírnismál
Guðni Jónsson's edition


Scholarship



Article by Rick McGregor
Heinz Klingenberg, "''För Skírnis'': Brautwerbungsfahrt eines Werbungshelfers", ''Alvíssmál'' 6 (1996): 21–62 (see English summary, pp. 59–62).

Anatoly Liberman, Review of Klaus von See et al., ''"Skírnismál": Modell eines Edda-Kommentars''
''Alvíssmál'' 6 (1996): 114–18.]
Anne Heinrichs, "Der liebeskranke Freyr, euhemeristisch entmythisiert", ''Alvíssmál'' 7 (1997): 3–36 (see English summary, p. 36).
*Larrington, Carolyne. "What Does Woman Want? Mær und munr in ''Skírnismál". Alvíssmál'', vol. 1, 1992, pp. 3-16. {{DEFAULTSORT:Skirnismal Sources of Norse mythology Eddic poetry Freyr