Iðunn
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Iðunn (possibly meaning "ever young"[1]) is a goddess in Norse mythology. Iðunn only appears in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, she is described as the wife of the skaldic god Bragi, and in the Prose Edda, also as a keeper of apples that grant the gods eternal youthfulness. Idunn Mons, a mons of the planet Venus, is named after Iðunn.
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[edit] Characteristic apples
Some surviving stories regarding Iðunn focus on her youth-maintaining apples. English scholar H. R. Ellis Davidson links apples to religious practices in Germanic paganism. She points out that buckets of apples were found in the 9th century Oseberg ship burial site in Norway and that fruit and nuts (Iðunn having been described as being transformed into a nut in Skáldskaparmál) have been found in the early graves of the Germanic peoples in England and elsewhere on the continent of Europe which may have had a symbolic meaning and also that nuts are still a recognized symbol of fertility in Southwest England.[2]
Davidson notes a connection between apples and the Vanir, a tribe of gods associated with fertility in Norse mythology, citing an instance of eleven "golden apples" being given to woo the beautiful Gerðr by Skírnir, who was acting as messenger for the major Vanir god Freyr in stanzas 19 and 20 of Skírnismál. In Skírnismál, Gerðr mentions her brother's slayer in stanza 16, which Davidson states has led to some suggestions that Gerðr may have been connected to Iðunn as they are similar in this way. Davidson also notes a further connection between fertility and apples in Norse mythology; in chapter 2 of the Völsunga saga when the major goddess Frigg sends King Rerir an apple after he prays to Odin for a child, Frigg's messenger (in the guise of a crow) drops the apple in his lap as he sits atop a mound.[2] Rerir's wife's consumption of the apple results in a six-year pregnancy and the caesarean section birth of their son - the hero Volsung.[3]
Davidson points out the "strange" phrase "apples of Hel" used in an 11th century poem by the skald Thorbiorn Brúnarson. Davidson states this may imply that the apple was thought of by the skald as the food of the dead. Further, Davidson notes that the potentially Germanic goddess Nehalennia is sometimes depicted with apples and parallels exist in early Irish stories. Davidson asserts that while cultivation of the apple in Northern Europe extends back to at least the time of the Roman Empire and came to Europe from the Near East, the native varieties of apple trees growing in Northern Europe are small and bitter. Davidson concludes that in the figure of Iðunn "we must have a dim reflection of an old symbol: that of the guardian goddess of the life-giving fruit of the other world."[2]
John Lindow theorizes that the possible etymological meaning of Iðunn - "ever young" - would potentially allow Iðunn to perform her ability to provide eternal youthfulness to the gods without her apples, and further states that Haustlöng does not mention apples but rather refers to Iðunn as the "maiden who understood the eternal life of the Æsir." Lindow further theorizes that Iðunn's abduction is "one of the most dangerous moments" for the gods, as the general movement of female Jötunn to the gods would be reversed.[1]
[edit] Poetic Edda
Iðunn appears in the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna and, included in some modern editions of the Poetic Edda, in the late poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins.
[edit] Lokasenna
Iðunn is introduced as Bragi's wife in the prose introduction to the poem Lokasenna, where the two attend a feasted held by Ægir. In stanzas 16, 17, and 18, dialog occurs between Loki and Iðunn after Loki has insulted Bragi. In stanza 16, Iðunn (here anglicized as Idunn) says:
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In this exchange, Loki has accused Iðunn of having slept with the killer of her brother. However, neither this brother nor killer are accounted for in any other surviving source.[1] Afterwards, the goddess Gefjun speaks up, claiming that Loki is joking and the poem continues in turn.
As for the accusations leveled towards Iðunn by Loki, modern scholars such as Lee Hollander explain that Lokasenna was intended to be humorous and that the accusations thrown by Loki in the poem are not necessarily to be taken as "generally accepted lore" at the time it was composed. Rather they are charges that are easy for Loki to make and difficult for his targets to disprove, or which they do not care to refute.[5]
[edit] Hrafnagaldr Óðins
In stanzas 6 and 7 of the late poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins, additional information is given about Iðunn, though this information is otherwise unattested. Here, Iðunn is identified as descending from elves, and is described as a dís dwelling in dales.
[edit] Prose Edda
Iðunn is mentioned in section 26 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, and in sections 1 and 6 of Skáldskaparmál.
[edit] Gylfaginning
Iðunn is introduced in the Prose Edda in section 26 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning. Here, Iðunn is described as Bragi's wife and keeper of an eski (a wooden box made of ash and often used for carrying personal possessions)[6] within which she keeps apples. The apples are bitten into by the gods when they begin to grow old and they then become young again, which is described as occurring up until Ragnarök. Gangleri (described as King Gylfi in disguise) states that it seems to him that the gods depend greatly upon Iðunn's good faith and care. With a laugh, High responds that misfortune once came close, that he could tell Gangleri about it, but first he must hear the names of more of the Æsir and he continues.
[edit] Skáldskaparmál
As related in the stanzas of Haustlöng by Þjóðólfr of Hvinir preserved in the book Skáldskaparmál, Iðunn was abducted with her apples by Þjazi, a jotun (giant) who used Loki as a stooge to lure Iðunn out of Ásgarðr. During her absence, the Æsir began to age without the rejuvenating qualities of her apples, prompting them to press Loki into the task of rescuing her. Borrowing Freyja's falcon skin, Loki retrieved Iðunn from Þrymheimr, transforming her into the form of a nut for the flight back. Þjazi, displeased, pursued them in the form of an eagle, but was defeated by having his wings set afire by a bonfire created by the Æsir.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Lindow, John. (2001) Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs, pages 198 to 199. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515382-0.
- ^ a b c Ellis Davidson, H. R. (1965) Gods And Myths Of Northern Europe, page 165 to 166. Penguin Books ISBN 0140136274
- ^ Ellis Davidson, H. R. (1998) Roles of the Northern Goddess, page 146 to 147. Routledge ISBN 0415136105
- ^ Larrington, Carolyne. (Trans.) (1999) The Poetic Edda, pages 87 to 88. Oxford World's Classics ISBN 0192839462
- ^ Hollander, Lee. (Trans.) (1990) The Poetic Edda (2nd edition) Introduction to "Lokasenna", page 90. University of Texas Press ISBN 0292764995
- ^ Byock, Jesse. (Trans.) The Prose Edda, page 141. (2006) Penguin Classics ISBN 0140447555
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