Hœnir
In
) that created the first humans.Attestations
In Völuspá, at the creation of the first human beings, Ask and Embla, Hœnir and Lóðurr help Odin. According to the Prose Edda, Hœnir is said to have given reason to man.[1]
In for all of his decisions, grunting noncommital answers when Mímir was absent.
Hœnir also has a minor role in Haustlöng and Reginsmál.
In the medieval
swans.[2]
Theories
According to
Gudbrand Vigfusson, the epithets langifótr 'Long-legs' and aurkonungr 'mud-king', together with the Greek cognate κύκνος 'swan' and Sanskrit शकुन (śakuna) 'bird of omen', suggest that Hœnir was connected with the stork.[3] This seems to be supported by Hœnir's connection with the European folkloric legend of the stork delivering babies to their parents, and his role in the medieval folktale Loka Táttur
, which further confirms his association with birds.
Notes
- ISBN 1-59605-416-6.
- ^ Joseph S. Hopkins for Mimisbrunnr.info, November 2021. Lokka Táttur. 1. Introduction.
- ^ Rydberg 1886, p. 552
Sources
- Viktor Rydberg 1886, Undersökningar i germanisk mythologi, first part.
External links
- MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository) Illustrations of Hœnir from manuscripts and early print books.