Davidson, H. - Gods and Myths of Northern Europe

HELGI THE LEAN: Early settler in Iceland, of mixed faith, who came out from the Hebrides

HELGRIND: ‘Death gate’, between the worlds of the living and the dead

HELI AND: Old Saxon poem of the ninth century about Judgement Day

HEOROT: Hall built by the Danish king Hrothgar, as recounted in Beowulf

HEREBEALD: Son of King Hrethel of the Geats, killed accidentally by his brother, according to Beowulf

HERMOD (HERMÓðR): Son of Odin, who rode to Hel to seek Balder

HERVARAR SAGA OK HEIðREKS: One of the legendary sagas in the Fornaldar Sǫgur collection, the story of King Heiðrekr and his descendants (translated by N. Kershaw, Stories and Ballads of the Far Past , Cambridge University Press, 1921)

HILDISVÍN: ‘Battle Pig’. Boar owned by Freyja, and also name of helmet possessed by Swedish kings

HLIðSKJÁLF: Seat of Odin from which he can look out to all worlds

HODER (HǪðR): Hotherus in Saxo’s account. A god, said to be blind, who slew Balder, but a hero in Saxo

HOENIR (HŒNIR): A god, renowned for his silence

HÓLMGANGA: ‘To go to the island’. Term used for the official duel, fought at an accepted duelling place, which at Thingvellir in Iceland was an island beside the place of assembly

HORD (HǪRðR): Famous outlaw, hero of Harðar Saga

HRAFNKELL: Hero of Hrafnskels Saga Freysgoða , one of the Icelandic family sagas, where he is represented as a worshipper of Freyr (translated by G. Jones, Four Icelandic Sagas , Princeton, 1935)

HRAFNSMÁL: Poem by Þorbjǫrn Hornklofi, composed in the ninth century, about the followers of Harald Fairhair. Also known as Haraldsmál and Haraldskvœði (translated by N. Kershaw, Anglo-Saxon and Norse Poems , Cambridge University Press, 1922)

HRETHEL (HREðEL): King of the Geats in Beowulf and grandfather of the hero of the poem

HROLF KRAKI (HRÓLFR KRAKI): Famous warrior-king of Denmark, whose story is told in one of the legendary sagas, Hrólfs Saga Kraka (translated by G. Jones, in Eric the Red and other Icelandic sagas , World’s Classics, 1961)

HROTHGAR (HROðAR): King of the Danes who built the hall Heorot and was visited by Beowulf

HRUNGNIR: Giant who was killed in a duel with Thor

HUGI: ‘Thought’. Youth who competed with Thialfi in a race in the hall of Utgard-Loki

HUGINN: From hugi , thought. One of Odin’s ravens

HÚSDRAPA: Tenth-century poem by Ulfr Uggarson describing various mythological scenes

HYMIR: Sea giant with whom Thor went fishing on his expedition to catch the World Serpent, as told in the poem Hymiskviða in the Edda

HYNDLULJÓð: Lay of Hyndla, a giantess who appears as the rival of Freyja and is persuaded to reveal the ancestry of Ottar. A poem in the Edda

IBN FADLAN: Arab traveller and diplomat who visited Swedish settlers on the Volga in the tenth century and left an account of them

IDUN (IðUNN): Wife of Bragi and goddess who guarded the golden apples of youth for the gods

ING: God or hero of Anglo-Saxon tradition, connected with Denmark, and the founder of the royal dynasty of Bernicia

INGIMUND: Icelandic settler, the story of whose family is told in Vatnsdœla Sag a, one of the Icelandic family sagas

IRMINSUL: Pillar which supports the world in Germanic tradition

JOMSBORG: Viking stronghold, said to be built by Harald Gormsson of Denmark, somewhere on the coast of Wendland, in the late tenth century. Held by garrison known as Jomsvikings

JORDANES: Historian of the sixth century who wrote a history of the Goths, De origine actibusque Getarum (translated Mierow, Princeton, 1915)

JOTUNHEIM (JǪTUNHEIMR): Realm of the Jǫtnar, or giants

KALEVALA: National epic of the Finns, put together from old lays by Elias Lonnrot (translated by W. F. Kirby, 1907)

KETILS SAGA HŒNGS: One of the legendary sagas telling the story of the Norwegian hero Ketill, in the Fornaldar Sǫgur series

KJALNESINGA SAGA: One of the Icelandic family sagas, containing legendary material similar to that in the Fornaldar Sǫgur

KORMÁKS SAGA: One of the Icelandic family sagas, the story of Kormak, a poet and adventurer of the ninth century (translated by L. M. Hollander, New York, 1949)

KVASIR: Called the wisest of the gods, a being made from the saliva of the Aesir and Vanir, from whose blood was made the mead of inspiration

LANDNÁMABÓK: Book of the settlement of Iceland, originally written by Ari the Wise in the eleventh century, but added to by others

LEMMINKAINEN: Hero of some of the lays in the Kalevala , who was killed and brought to life again by his mother

LODUR (LÓðURR): One of the gods said to take part in the creation of man

LIF (LÍF): ‘Life’. Said in Vafþruðnismál to be preserved through Ragnarok in order to found a new race of men

LIFTHRASIR (LÍFÞRASIR): ‘Eager for life’ (?). Companion of Lif

LOGI: ‘Flame’. Competitor who outdid Loki in an eating contest in the hall of Utgard-Loki

LOKASENNA: ‘Loki’s Mocking’. Poem in the Edda which describes Loki mocking and abusing all the gods and goddesses in turn

LOKI: Inhabitant of Asgard who frequently causes mischief, and who was bound under the earth for his part in the slaying of Balder, to break loose at Ragnarok

LYTIR (LÝTIR): God who according to a story in Flateyjarbók was worshipped by the Swedes

MAGNI: Son of Thor and the giantess Járnsaxa, who survives Ragnarok and has part possession of Thor’s hammer

MANANNÁN MAC LIR: Celtic god of the sea

MENGLAD (MENGLǪð): ‘Necklace-glad’. Maid of supernatural realm, wooed by Svipdagr in the Edda poem Svipdagsmál

MERSEBURG CHARMS: Two pagan spells found in 1841 in a ninth-century MS. in the Merseburg Cathedral Library.

MIDGARD (MIDGARðR): The world of men, midway between the gods and the giants

MIDGARD SERPENT (MIðGARðSORMR): The World Serpent, curled round the earth, beneath the sea, which is to break loose at Ragnarok

MIMIR (MÍMIR): Also found as Mímr and Mími. A wise being associated with the World Tree and the Spring of Urd. Put to death by the Vanir, after which his head was kept by Odin and consulted in time of perplexity

MIMINGUS: Old man from whom Hotherus (Hoder) obtained a magic sword with which to kill Balder, in Saxo’s account

MIST-CALF (MǪKKURKALFI): Clay man made by the giants to support Hrungnir in his duel with Thor

MISTLETOE (MISTILLTEINN): Name of a wonderful sword possessed by Hromund Greipsson and others

MJOLLNIR (MJǪLLNIR): Hammer of Thor, made by the dwarfs, to protect the gods from their enemies

MODGUD (MOðGUðR): Maiden who kept the bridge on the road to Hel

MOTHERS: Group of female deities connected with plenty who were worshipped by the Germans and Celts in Roman times

MUSPELL (MÚSPELL): Realm of fire, the heat from which helped in the creation of the world. The sons of Muspell ride out against the gods at Ragnarok

MUSPILLI: Name given to a German poem about the end of the world, where this word is used. The poem is in a tenth-century MS.

MUNINN: From muna , to remember. One of Odin’s ravens

NAGLFAR: Ship of dead men’s nails, which is to bring Loki and the giants against the gods at Ragnarok

NANNA: Wife of Balder, who died at his funeral and was burned with him

NEHALENNIA: Goddess of plenty worshipped on the Island of Walcheren in Roman times

NERTHUS: Fertility goddess worshipped in Denmark in the first century A.D., as described by Tacitus

NIðHǪGGR: Serpent at the foot of the World Tree, also described as a flying dragon, who feeds on corpses