Nine Mothers of Heimdallr

Snorri Sturluson wrote the Prose Edda during the 13th century. This text contains two books that mention Heimdallr's nine mothers. Chapter 27 of Gylfaginning features High speaking to Gangleri about the god. High states that Heimdallr is the son of nine sisters. The text quotes lines from a lost poem called Heimdalargaldr. These lines read: I am the son of nine mothers and I was born of nine sisters. Chapter 16 of Skáldskaparmál quotes a work by Úlfr Uggason from the 10th century. That poem calls Heimdallr the son of eight mothers plus one. Prose following the quote clarifies this means nine mothers total.

Poetic Edda Stanza Analysis

Völuspá hin skamma appears within the larger poem Hyndluljóð in the Poetic Edda. Three stanzas list names for the giantess maidens who bore Heimdallr. Benjamin Thorpe translated these lines in 1866 as Nine jötun maids gave birth, to the gracious god at the world's margin. Henry Adams Bellows published his translation in 1923 stating Nine giant women once bore the man so might in arms. Jeramy Dodds released a version in 2014 describing them as Nine jotun maids carried him along the Earth's edge. The stanzas name Gjálp, Greip, Eistla, Angeyja, Ulfrûn, Eyrgiafa, Imd, Atla, and Járnsaxa. These figures nourished the boy with earth strength, ice-cold sea water, and boar blood.

Etymological Breakdowns

Rudolf Simek provided meanings for each mother's name in his 2007 Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Angeyja translates to The stalker or the one of the narrow island. Atla means The argumentative one or the forceful. Eistla signifies The stormy one or glowing ash. Eyrgjafa denotes Sand donor. Gjálp represents Seeress or the roaring one. Greip stands for Grasp. Imd implies Latent power. Járnsaxa describes The one armed with an iron knife. Ulfrún simply means Wolf. Finnur Magnússon offered translations in 1822 that align closely with these modern definitions.

Scholarly Identification Debates

John Lindow published Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs in 2002. He notes scholars link Heimdallr's mothers to the Nine Daughters of Ágir and Rán. This theory suggests Heimdallr was born from sea waves. Rudolf Simek questioned this connection in 2007 because the names do not match between traditions. Lindow argues two separate traditions explain the differences. Both groups are sisters. The identification remains debated among experts studying Old Norse texts.

Cross-Reference Confusions

Who wrote the Prose Edda and when was it written?

Snorri Sturluson wrote the Prose Edda during the 13th century. This text contains two books that mention Heimdallr's nine mothers.

What are the names of the nine mothers who gave birth to Heimdallr according to Völuspá hin skamma?

The stanzas name Gjálp, Greip, Eistla, Angeyja, Ulfrûn, Eyrgiafa, Imd, Atla, and Járnsaxa. These figures nourished the boy with earth strength, ice-cold sea water, and boar blood.

How did Rudolf Simek translate the meaning of each mother's name in his 2007 Dictionary of Northern Mythology?

Rudolf Simek provided meanings for each mother's name in his 2007 Dictionary of Northern Mythology. For example, Járnsaxa describes The one armed with an iron knife while Ulfrún simply means Wolf.

Why do scholars link Heimdallr's mothers to the Nine Daughters of Ágir and Rán?

John Lindow published Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs in 2002. He notes scholars link Heimdallr's mothers to the Nine Daughters of Ágir and Rán because this theory suggests Heimdallr was born from sea waves.

What other mythological roles do Gjálp and Greip hold besides being mothers of Heimdallr?

Andy Orchard wrote Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend in 1997. He points out that Gjálp and Greip appear elsewhere as daughters of Geirröðr who tried to kill Thor by swelling a river or knocking down mountain stones.