(

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 settlement ...

: , "strength"),Lindow (2001:291). sometimes anglicized as Thrúd or Thrud, is a daughter of the major god

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...

and the goddess

Sif In Norse mythology, Sif (Old Norse: ) is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century ...

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern per ...

. Þrúðr is also the name of one of the

valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997: ...

s who serve ale to the einherjar in

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat e ...

('' Grímnismál'', stanza 36). The two may or may not be the same figure.

Attestations

Þrúðr is attested in the following sources: Hild, Thrud and Hløkk by Frølich

''Poetic Edda''

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 med ...

'' poem '' Alvíssmál'', in which a

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

, Alvíss, claims to be engaged to Thor's daughter, may be about Þrúðr, but the daughter is not named.

''Prose Edda''

The ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been ...

'' book ''

Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Language of Poetry'; c. 50,000 words; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda''. The section consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bragi, the god of poetry, ...

'' (4) tells that Thor can be referred to by the

kenning A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English ...

"father of Þrúðr" (''faðir Þrúðar''). Eysteinn Valdason uses it in his poem about Thor (2). The ''Skáldskaparmál'' (21) adds that her mother is

. In Bragi Boddason's '' Ragnarsdrápa'', the

jötunn A (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; ; plural / ) or, in Old English, (plural ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods ( Æsir and Vani ...

Hrungnir Hrungnir (Old Norse: , 'brawler') is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is described as made of stone and is ultimately killed in a duel with the thunder god Thor. Prior to his demise, Hrungnir engaged in a wager with Odin in which Odin stakes his ...

is called "thief of Þrúðr" (''Þrúðar þjófr''). But there is no direct reference to this myth in any other source. ''Skáldskaparmál'' (17), in which Snorri relates the fight between Thor and Hrungnir, mentions a very different cause, and Þjóðólfr of Hvinir's ''

Haustlöng ''Haustlǫng'' (Old Norse: 'Autumn-long'; anglicized as ''Haustlöng'') is a skaldic poem composed around the beginning of the 10th century by the Norwegian skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. The poem has been preserved in the 13th-century ''Prose E ...

'' only describes the fight without giving the reason for it. This poem depicts two mythological scenes painted on a shield, the first being

Iðunn In Norse mythology, Iðunn is a goddess associated with apples and youth. Iðunn is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri St ...

's abduction by the giant

Þjazi In Norse mythology, Þjazi (Old Norse: ; anglicized as Thiazi, Thjazi, Tjasse or Thiassi) was a giant. He was a son of the giant Ölvaldi, brother of giants Iði and Gangr, and the father of Skaði. His most notable misdeed was the kidnapp ...

. Margaret Clunies Ross suggested that the two episodes might be complementary, both dealing with the abduction of a goddess by a giant, its failure and the death of the abductor.Clunies Ross 1994, p. 114. Another kenning may allude to this myth: in

Eilífr Goðrúnarson Eilífr Goðrúnarson (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a late 10th-century skald, considered to be the author of the poem ''Þórsdrápa ''Þórsdrápa'' (also ''Thorsdrapa''; Old Norse: 'The Lay of Thor') is a skaldic poem by Eilífr ...

's ''

Þórsdrápa ''Þórsdrápa'' (also ''Thorsdrapa''; Old Norse: 'The Lay of Thor') is a skaldic poem by Eilífr Goðrúnarson, a poet in the service of Jarl Hákon Sigurðarson. The poem is noted for its creative use of kennings and other metaphorical devic ...

'' (18), Thor is called "he who longs fiercely for Þrúðr" (''þrámóðnir Þrúðar'').

Karlevi Runestone

Þrúðr is mentioned on the 10th-century Karlevi runestone on the island of

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, where a chieftain is referred to as the "tree of Þrúðr".Entry Öl 1 in Rundata 2.0 for Windows.

Kennings

The name Þrúðr could be used in

kennings A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English ...

for chieftains, as exemplified on the Karlevi Runestone. The name is also used in kennings for women. For instance,

Ormr Steinþórsson Ormr Steinþórsson was a skald about whom little is known. Seven fragments of poetry by him are quoted in the ''Skáldskaparmál'' section of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda. One of those fragments is also quoted in the ''Third Grammatical Treatise'' ...

in his poem about a woman (4) uses the kenning ''hrosta lúðrs gæi-Þrúðr'', which, according to Anthony Faulkes, can be rendered "keeper of the malt-box (mash-tub) or ale-vessel".Faulkes 1998, p. 297.

Notes

References

* Clunies Ross, Margaret (1994). ''Prolonged Echoes. Old Norse Myths in medieval Northern Society. Vol. 1: The myths.'' Odense: Odense University Press. The Viking Collection; vol. 7. . * Faulkes, Anthony (1998), edition of: Snorri Sturluson. ''Edda. Skáldskaparmál. 2. Glossary and Index of Names.'' London: Viking Society for Northern Research. . * Lindow, John (2001).
Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
'.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

. . * Rundata 2.0 for Windows. * Simek, Rudolf (1987). ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. Translated by Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Thrudr Valkyries Ásynjur