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 as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

, the sword belonging to

Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested Æsir, god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, prosperity, fair weather, and good harvest. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was ...

, a Norse god associated with sunshine, summer, and fair weather, is depicted as one of the few weapons that is capable of fighting on its own. Since Freyr gave up the sword to

Skírnir In Norse mythology, Skírnir (Old Norse" ; "bright one") is the god Freyr's messenger and vassal. He appears in both the Poetic and Prose Eddas. Attestations ''Poetic Edda'' In the Eddic poem '' Skírnismál'', Skírnir is sent as a mes ...

for the hand of the giantess

Gerðr In Norse mythology, Gerðr (Old Norse: ; "fenced-in"Orchard (1997:54).) is a jötunn, Æsir, 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 ''P ...

, he will die at

Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (also Ragnarok; or ; ) is a foretold series of impending events, including a great battle in which numerous great Norse mythological figures will perish (including the Æsir, gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdall, a ...

Norse mythology

''Prose Edda''

Freyr asks

to bring

to him, but his messenger demands his sword from him, and Frey readily gives it. However, the loss of Freyr's sword has long-term consequences. According to the ''Prose Edda'', Freyr had to fight Beli without his sword and slew him with an

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

. The result at

, the end of the world, will be much more serious. Freyr is fated to fight the fire-giant

Surtr In Norse mythology, Surtr (Old Norse "black"Orchard (1997:154). or more narrowly "swart",Simek (2007:303–304) Surtur in modern Icelandic language, Icelandic), also sometimes written Surt in English, is a jötunn; he is the greatest of the fire ...

and, since he does not have his sword, he will be defeated.

''Poetic Edda''

In Ragnarok, the sun of warrior gods shines from Surtr's sword. One theory is that the sword which Surtr uses to slay Freyr with is his own sword, which Freyr had earlier bargained away for Gerðr. This would add a further layer of tragedy to the myth.

Sigurður Nordal Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors. Education Nor ...

argued for this view, but the possibility represented by

Ursula Dronke Ursula Miriam Dronke (née Brown, 3 November 1920 – 8 March 2012Heather O'Donoghue"Ursula Dronke obituary: Inspirational teacher of Old Norse literature specialising in the sagas and poetry of medieval Iceland" ''The Guardian'' 25 March 201 ...

's translation that it is a simple coincidence is equally possible.Völuspá 50–51,

's translation In the poem ''

Skírnismál ''Skírnismál'' (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Skírnir', but in the Codex Regius known as ''Fǫr Skírnis'' ‘Skírnir’s journey’) is one of the poems of the ''Poetic Edda''. It is preserved in the 13th-century manuscripts Codex Regius and AM ...

'', the sword is given to Skírnir and used to threaten

, but not explicitly given to either the giantess or her father, much less Surtr.

In popular culture

Freyr's sword appears throughout

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Jr. ( ; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million cop ...

's fantasy novel series '' Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard'' as the sword "Sumarbrander" (nicknamed "Jack"), the main weapon of the titular protagonist.

References

Medieval European swords Freyr Mythological Norse weapons Germanic paganism Mythological swords Religious symbols Heraldic charges Viking swords {{Norse-myth-stub