In
Norse mythology, Árvakr (
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
: , "early awake"
[Simek (2007:19).]) and Alsviðr (, "very quick"
[Simek (2007:10—11).]) are the
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
s which pull the sun, or
Sól's chariot, across the sky each day.
It is said that the gods fixed bellows underneath the two horses' shoulders to help cool them off as they rode.
Both horses are only mentioned in ''
Gylfaginning
''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; c. 20,000 words; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'' after the Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' deals with t ...
'' and ''
Grímnismál
''Grímnismál'' (Old Norse: ; 'The Lay of Grímnir') is one of the mythological poems of the ''Poetic Edda''. It is preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript and the AM 748 I 4to fragment. It is spoken through the voice of ''Grímnir'', one of ...
'' and their names are frequently associated with descriptions of the Sun.
In Nordic mythology, gods govern the passage of days, nights, and seasons,
and shape the Sun from a spark of the flame
Muspelheim
In Norse cosmology, Muspelheim ( on, Múspellsheimr), also called Muspell ( on, Múspell), is a realm of fire.
The etymology of "Muspelheim" is uncertain, but may come from ''Mund-spilli'', "world-destroyers", "wreck of the world".
Narrative ...
, but the Sun stands still without a driver.
Sól is kidnapped by the gods to drive the Sun in a chariot pulled by two horses. Two large bellows (''Isarnkoll''; cold iron) were placed under the shoulders of the two horses to protect them from the immense heat of the Sun. Sól is unable to stop driving the chariot or else
Sköll
In Norse mythology, Sköll (Old Norse: ''Skǫll'', "Treachery"Orchard (1997:150). or "Mockery"Simek (2007:292)) is a wolf that, according to Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edda'', chases the Sun (personified as a goddess, Sól). Hati Hróðvitn ...
will catch the Sun and devour it; the Sun is expected to be caught and devoured on the day of
Ragnarök.
[Snorri Sturluson, Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning: Edited by Anthony Faulkes, London, Viking Society for Northern Research. .]
The antiquity of the myth that the Sun is pulled by horses is not definitely from the Nordic religion. Many other mythologies and religions contain a
solar deity or carriage of the Sun pulled by horses. In Persian and Phrygian mythology,
Mithras
Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras is link ...
and
Attis
Attis (; grc-gre, Ἄττις, also , , ) was the consort of Cybele, in Phrygian and Greek mythology.
His priests were eunuchs, the ''Galli'', as explained by origin myths pertaining to Attis castrating himself. Attis was also a Phrygian v ...
perform this task. In Greek mythology,
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...
performs this task, although it was previously performed by
Helios.
The myth of Árvakr and Alsviðr is thought to have inspired English dramatist and poet
James Shirley
James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist.
He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so m ...
's play ''The Triumph of Peace'' (1663).
See also
*
Trundholm sun chariot
The Trundholm sun chariot ( da, Solvognen), is a Nordic Bronze Age artifact discovered in Denmark. It is a representation of the sun chariot, a bronze statue of a horse and a large bronze disk, which are placed on a device with spoked wheels.
...
*
Ashvins
The Ashvins ( sa, अश्विन्, Aśvin, horse possessors), also known as Ashwini Kumara and Asvinau,, §1.42. are Hindu twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn and sciences. In the ''Rigveda'', they are described as youthful div ...
*
Alcis (gods)
The Alcis (Proto-Germanic *') were a pair of young brothers worshipped by the Naharvali, an ancient Germanic tribe.
Name and origin
According to some scholars, the name ''Alcis'' should be interpreted as a Latinized form of Proto-Germanic '' ...
*
List of fictional horses
References
Bibliography
* Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''.
D.S. Brewer.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arvakr and Alsvidr
Horses in Norse mythology
Solar chariot