Árvakr and Alsviðr
In
Sól's chariot, across the sky each day.[2] It is said that the gods fixed bellows underneath the two horses' shoulders to help cool them off as they rode.[3]
Both horses are only mentioned in 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 will catch the Sun and devour it; the Sun is expected to be caught and devoured on the day of Ragnarök.[6][7]
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
Mithras and Attis perform this task. In Greek mythology, Apollo performs this task, although it was previously performed by Helios.[8] The myth of Árvakr and Alsviðr is thought to have inspired English dramatist and poet James Shirley's play The Triumph of Peace (1663).[9]
See also
- Alcis (gods)
- Ashvins
- Horses in Germanic paganism
- List of horses in mythology and folklore
- Trundholm sun chariot
References
- ^ Simek (2007:19).
- ^ a b Simek (2007:10—11).
- ISBN 978-1-4351-1086-1.
- ISBN 9781604134117.
- ISBN 978-2-7453-1216-7.
- ISBN 0-903521-21-0.
- ISBN 9782757401200.
- ISBN 9781844838370.
- ISBN 9780199562183.
Bibliography
- Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. ISBN 0-85991-513-1
