Chapter 18

Heroes in the Prose Edda—

Snorri Sturluson
 Review: Prose Edda as a Contest
• The stories in this chapter belong to Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda,
which, as explained in Chapter 7, is structured as a riddle contest
between Gylfi, the Christian king of Sweden, and the Æsir.
• Gylfi keeps asking the Æsir questions.
• If they run out of answers before he runs out of questions, Gylfi (and
Christianity) prevail over the Æsir paganism.
• The resolution of the contest, the defeat of the Æsir, is presented in
Chapter 13 on Ragnarok:

The next thing was that Gangleri heard a tremendous noise on all
sides and turned about; and when he had looked all round him [he
found] that he was standing in the open air on a level plain. He saw
neither hall nor stronghold. Then he went on his way and coming
home to his kingdom related the tidings he had seen and heard, and
after him these stories have been handed down from one man to
another (153).
 Contests in the Prose Edda
• Several episodes within the Prose Edda
are also structured as contests:
– The binding of Fenrir
– Thor’s visit to the home of Utgard-Loki
– The death of Baldr
 The Prose Edda and Norse Ritual
Practices
• Snorri’s story seems to be a reflection of
the actual beliefs and practices of the
Icelandic people.
• Example: In the story of Baldr’s death, we
read the details of Baldr’s funeral. This
event in the myth corresponds to rituals
actually practiced by the Icelandic people
in burying their dead, as determined by
archeologists.
 Loki as a Trickster Hero
• Loki is an inconsistent character: he is a god, but he is
also a thief and a deceiver who is often helpful to others,
including the gods.
• Georges Dumézil, the French comparative philologist
and mythology scholar, found redeeming characteristics
in Loki, giving examples of him as very intelligent but
impulsive with an uncontrollable desire to act
dramatically.
• Loki can be compared to the trickster-heroes of Native
American mythology. Like Raven and many other
American Indian tricksters, Loki can change his shape;
and, like them, he often uses his powers to outwit figures
of authority.
 Odin and Thor
• Odin is described as the father of Thor, but the
two deities operate in very different domains.
Odin is a god of warriors and aristocrats,
whereas Thor functions more in the realm of
agriculture and those who practice it.
• Odin is a more transcendent figure – one who
holds himself aloof from human concerns –
whereas Thor is more immanent, that is, he is
more involved with and cares about humans.
 Æsir and Vanir
• Njord, Frey, and Freyja are the main gods
of the Vanir, who are described as gods of
“peace and plenty.”
• The Vanir are thought to be an earlier
family of gods.
• Snorri spoke of a war between the Æsir
and Vanir.
• See Chapter 30 (pp. 439–442) for more on
this family of gods.
 The Binding of Fenrir
• The story is represented as a contest
between Fenrir and the Æsir.
• The Æsir present three fetters to Fenrir.
The last one, Gleipnir, is made by magic.
• Fenrir agrees to be bound when Tyr
agrees to put his hand in the wolf’s mouth.
• Tyr loses his hand. On the importance of
Tyr, see Chapter 30 (pp. 434–435).
 Valhalla and the Valkyries
• Valhalla is Odin’s hall: it is not heaven or a
generalized afterlife.
• In it, the boar called Saehrinmner is boiled
every day, and comes alive again every
evening.
• The Valkyries: “Odin sends them to every
battle, and they choose death for the men
destined to die, and award victory.”
• For more on them, see Chapter 30 (pp.
435–436).
 Thor and Utgard-Loki
• “Thor-the-charioteer was on a journey with his
goats and in his chariot and with him the god
Loki” – This shows that Loki is not evil: he can
be included as a helpful companion.
• “Thor saw their terror, his anger left him and he
calmed down and took from them in
reconciliation their children Thjalfi and Roskva.”
– This shows the kindly nature of Thor.
 The Contests
• Eating – Loki is defeated by Logi (wildfire).
• Running – Thjalfi is defeated by Hugi (thought).
• Drinking – Thor is unable to drain the horn (the
sea).
• Strength – Thor is unable to pick up the cat (the
Midgard Serpent, the boundary of the universe).
• Wrestling – Thor is unable to defeat Elli (old
age).
 The Outcome
• Thor’s victory is described in terms much
like those of Gangleri’s victory:
When Thor heard this speech he gripped
his hammer and swung it aloft but, when
he was going to strike, he saw no Utgard-
Loki. Then he turned round to the
stronghold with the idea of destroying it.
He saw no stronghold there – [only]
spacious and beautiful plains.
 The Death of Baldr
• The story is structured as a contest between
Loki and the Æsir.
• Loki wins, but at great cost: he loses his freedom
until Ragnarok.
• The story shows the weaknesses of the
Icelandic gods: this may be due to the nature of
Icelandic religion, or to its diminished status in
the time when Snorri was writing. See the
introduction to Chapter 30 (p. 431) on
euhemerism.
 The Death of Baldr, 2
• Baldr the Good has terrible dreams.
• His mother Frigg exacts oaths from most things except
mistletoe.
• Loki learns she omitted this plant.
• Hod, at the instigation of Loki, throws mistletoe at Baldr.
• Baldr dies, but Hermod the Bold, on Odin’s horse
Sleipnir, learns that he can be released from Hel if
everyone weeps for him.
• A giantess named Thökk refuses to weep for Baldr.
• Loki is bound and punished by the Æsir for his role.