What is the etymology of Midgard in Old Norse?
The word Midgard appears in the Old Norse form Miðgarðr, meaning middle yard or middle enclosure. This term shares a common ancestor with Gothic Midjun-gards found in the Gospel of Luke translation.
The word Midgard appears in the Old Norse form Miðgarðr, meaning middle yard or middle enclosure. This term shares a common ancestor with Gothic Midjun-gards found in the Gospel of Luke translation.
Norse gods constructed a wall around the world using Ymir's eyebrows after slaying the first created being who lived in Jotunheim east of Manheimr. His flesh became land while his blood formed oceans and mountains rose from his bones.
The Eddas describe how Midgard will be destroyed during Ragnarök when Jörmungandr rises from the ocean to poison the land and sea. The final battle takes place on the plain of Vígríðr after which almost all life perishes before Earth sinks into the sea.
The Fyrby Runestone Sö 56 is located in Södermanland Sweden and bears runes spelling a:miþkarþi meaning in Midgard. Brothers Hásteinn and Holmstein placed the stone there in memory of their father Freysteinn.
J. R. R. Tolkien popularized the name Middle-earth for his fantasy setting through The Lord of Rings starting with references to middangeard and Éarendel in the Old English poem Crist. He transformed an ancient cosmological term into a modern literary landscape that influenced countless subsequent fantasy authors.