The iron forest ( other scand. Járnviðr , Yarnvid) is a forest in Scandinavian mythology , whose inhabitants are Eutuns in the form of witches and wolves. Located between Yotunheim and Midgard , the world of people [1] . The forest is mentioned in the eddict poem “The Prophecy of the Velva ” in verse 40, as well as in “The Vision of Gulvi ” from the Younger Edda , whose authorship is attributed to Snorri Sturluson . [one]
Gulve's Vision Then Gangleri asked: “Who bred those wolves [ Skol and Hati ]?” Tall says: “There is a giantess who lives east of Midgard in a forest called the Iron Forest. In this forest, the witches dwell, which is what they call: the witches of the Iron Forest. The old giant gave birth to many giant sons, all of them like wolves. From here came these wolves. It is said that the strongest wolf named Moon Dog will be the same tribe. He will devour the corpses of all the dead and swallow a month and spray the whole sky and air with blood. Then the sun will extinguish its light, the winds will go mad, and their howling will be carried far away. So it is said about this in “Divination of the Volva”: ... Translation by O. A. Smirnitskaya [2] Original Text (Other) : Æá mælti Gangleri: "Hverr er ætt úlfanna?" | “Divination of the Velva” Sat old woman Translation by A.I. Korsuna [4] Original Text (Other) : Austr sat in aldna |
In these descriptions, the Iron Forest is a dark and dangerous place. The words "giantess" and "old woman" are associated with Angrboda , from whose alliance with Loki was born the wolf Fenrir . Snorri places the forest east of Midgard. Based on the descriptions, it can be argued that the Iron Forest does not perform border functions, in contrast to Murkwid, located between Midgard and Muspellheim [6] .
Literature
- Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (Trans.) (1916). The Prose Edda . New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
- Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). The Poetic Edda . Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 0-19-283946-2
- Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs . Oxford University Press . ISBN 0-19-515382-0
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Claude Lecouteux. Forest, Járnviðr // Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic . - Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 2016. - 352 p. - ISBN 162055481X .
- ↑ Gulvi's vision , norroen.info
- ↑ Gylfaginning , the Goodyon Jonsson edition.
- ↑ Divination of a volva , norroen.info
- ↑ Völuspá , edition of Goodna Jonsson.
- ↑ Lucía Triviño Guerrero. EL ÁRBOL Y EL BOSQUE EN LA MITOLOGÍA NÓRDICA : [ isp. ] // academia.edu.