In
Norse mythology, Andlang (also Andlàngr or Öndlangr) is described as the second heavenly realm which stretches between the first, containing the halls of the gods, and the third, named
Vídbláin. In all there are nine heavens according to
Snorri
Snorri (; ) is a masculine given name. People with the name include:
* Snorri Þorbrandsson, a character in the Icelandic ''Eyrbyggja saga''
* Snorri Goði or Snorri Þorgrímsson (963–1031), a prominent chieftain in Western Iceland, featured i ...
. Andlang will serve as a shelter and dwelling place for the souls of the dead during and after the destruction of
Ragnarök.
Holtsmark (1964) noted that Snorri's Andlang derived from ''andlegr himinn'' ("spiritual heaven") in the medieval Icelandic version of the ''
Elucidarius'', crediting
Hjalmar Falk
Peterolsen Groth Hjalmar Seierstedt Falk (April 2, 1859 – November 2, 1928) was a Norwegian linguist and philologist.
Early life and education
Falk was born in Vang. He started his university studies in 1876 and graduated with an education ...
for this inspiration, adding her own insight that the ''and-'' heading made the term readily associable with ''andi'' "spirit" ( no, ånd) which was in a way synonymous "elves," which fits in with the fact that Snorri describes
light elves
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 terahe ...
as denizens of the third heaven, Vídbláin.
Rudolf Simek
Rudolf Simek (born 21 February 1954) is an Austrian philologist and religious studies scholar who is Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn. Simek specializes in Germanic studies, and is the author o ...
(1995), in similar line of inquiry, explores a functional connection between Andlang and the ''Coelus Spiritualis'' (the "spiritual heaven" in the original Latin version of the ''Elucidarius'').
Other attempts at interpretation include "long-" or "far-breathing" (Magnusen 1828) and "limitless aether" (), which identify the stem ''önd-'' "breath". It has also been glossed as "endlessly long" (), consistent with the gloss "extended" or "very long" given in Anthony Faulkes's translation of 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 t ...
''.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Norse mythology
Locations in Norse mythology
Conceptions of heaven