Nótt
In
Attestations
Poetic Edda
In stanza 24 of the poem Vafþrúðnismál, the god Odin (disguised as "Gagnráðr") asks the jötunn Vafþrúðnir from where the day comes, and the night and its tides. In stanza 25, Vafþrúðnir responds:
- Delling hight he who the day's father is,
- but night was of Nörvi born;
- the new and waning moons the beneficent powers created,
- to count the years for men.[2]
In stanza 14 of the Vafþrúðnismál, Odin states that the horse
In
- Hail to the Day! Hail to the sons of Day!
- To Night and her daughter hail!
- With placid eyes behold us here,
- and here sitting give us victory.
Prose Edda
In the Prose Edda book
However, scholar Haukur Thorgeirsson points out that the four manuscripts of Gylfaginning vary in their descriptions of the family relations between Nótt, Jörð, Dagr, and Dellingr. In other words, depending on the manuscript, either Jörð or Nátt is the mother of Dagr and partner of Dellingr. Haukur details that "the oldest manuscript, U, offers a version where Jǫrð is married to Dellingr and the mother of Dagr while the other manuscripts, R, W and T, cast Nótt in the role of Dellingr's wife and Dagr's mother", and argues that "the version in U came about accidentally when the writer of U or its antecedent shortened a text similar to that in RWT. The results of this accident made their way into the Icelandic poetic tradition".[7]
In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, means of referring to Jörð are provided, including "daughter of Nótt".[8] Chapter 58 states that "Hrimfaxi or Fiorsvartnir draw the night",[9] and in chapter 64, "nótt" is stated as one of various words for time and a version of the Alvíssmál passage is cited.[10]
See also
Notes
- ^ Orchard (1997:120).
- ^ Thorpe (1907:13).
- ^ Larrington (1996:42).
- ^ Translation of all of this section minus "dream-Njörun" from Larrington (1996:113). Larrington glosses draum-Njörun (Jónsson (1931:84, Old Norse "dream-Njörun") as "dream-goddess".
- ^ Thorpe (1907:181).
- ^ Byock (2005:19).
- ^ Haukur (2008:159—168).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:90).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:137).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:144).
References
- Byock, Jesse (Trans.) (2006). The Prose Edda. ISBN 0-14-044755-5
- Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). Edda. ISBN 0-460-87616-3
- Jónsson, Finnur(1931). Lexicon poeticum. S. L. Møllers bogtrykkeri.
- Haukur Thorgeirsson (2008). "Hinn fagri foldar son" as published in Gripla XIX, pages 159–168. Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.
- Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). The Poetic Edda. ISBN 0-19-283946-2
- Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. ISBN 0-304-34520-2
- Thorpe, Benjamin (Trans.) (1907). The Elder Edda of Saemund Sigfusson. Norrœna Society.
- Calaway, Bernie L. (2019-10-22). History and Mystery: The Complete Eschatological Encyclopedia of Prophecy, Apocalypticism, Mythos, and Worldwide Dynamic Theology Vol 4. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-387-70316-6.