#hervarar saga ok Heiðreks

[bright-thehawksflight]

Ok so today I'm in my pheels (philology feels) about Hervör and Angantýr let me tell you for why. Angantýr is dead right? And Hervör grew up with her maternal grandfather and hated the jarl lifestyle and made much mischief including running the fuck away to be a murderer in the forest for a bit. She's a fucking criminal is what she is. And then she goes to meet her dad, she walks right up to his grave dressed as a man and armed to the teeth and curses and yells and generally disturbs the peace until Angantýr shows up AND HIS FIRST INSTINCT IS TO BABY HER???? He calls her daughter and maiden and my little one and tries to protect her from what they both know is her destiny and she gets so pissed at him because of course she does but he still tries over and over again! And over and over again she has a response, and she's not afraid and she doesn't care, she's not his son but she's his heir and he'll act like it if he knows what's good for him! And lemme quote from this old ass translation just because it's pretty, she says "and what care I for the destiny/of children as yet undreamed by me?". Like. Can you see it? She's not fully an adult yet, this is a teen having her rebellious fase, running away from home to have great adventures like her father did and damn the consequences! As far as she's concerned the future is tomorrow, she won't look beyond that because she's young and stupid BUT SHE'S BRAVE. And Angantýr the dead berserk can recognize that and respect that and so he GIVES HER the cursed sword that's been in the family since king Svafrlami bullied a pair of dwarves way back when because it's hers and there's nothing he can do about it, BUT! BUT! He's still her dad and she's still his baby, so along with the family curse he gives her something else, he gives her "the strength and vigour and hardihood,/all that we had that was great and good,/that has vanished and passed away!" And she walks away, says goodbye over and over again, and when she's sure she's out of hearing range THEN she admits that she was kinda shitting herself for a second back then, and says "surely in terror I drew my breath/between the worlds of life and death"!

Just. I. I'm soft.

[broomsick]

List of interesting ressources pertaining to norse paganism, scandinavian folklore and history, and nordic religions in general

These are sources I have personally used in the context of my research, and which I've enjoyed and found useful. Please don’t mind if I missed this or that ressource, as for this post, I focused solely on my own preferences when it comes to research. I may add on to this list via reblog if other interesting sources come to my mind after this has been posted. Good luck on your research! And as always, my question box is open if you have any questions pertaining to my experiences and thoughts on paganism.

Mythology

The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion

Dictionnary of Northern Mythology

The Prose and Poetic Eddas (online)

Grottasöngr: The Song of Grotti (online)

The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes

The Wanderer's Hávamál

The Song of Beowulf

Rauðúlfs Þáttr

The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings (Kevin Crossley-Holland's are my favorite retellings)

Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and the Sagas (online) A source that's as old as the world, but still very complete and an interesting read.

The Elder Eddas of Saemung Sigfusson

Pocket Hávamál

Myths of the Pagan North: Gods of the Norsemen

Lore of the Vanir: A Brief Overview of the Vanir Gods

Anglo-Saxon and Norse Poems

Gods of the Ancient Northmen

Gods of the Ancient Northmen (online)

Two Icelandic Stories: Hreiðars Þáttr and Orms Þáttr

Two Icelandic Stories: Hreiðars Þáttr and Orms Þáttr (online)

Sagas

Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes: Hervor and Heidrek & Hrólf Kraki and His Champions (compiling the Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks and the Hrólfs saga kraka)

Icelandic Saga Database (website)

The Saga of the Jómsvíkings

The Heimskringla or the Chronicle of the Kings of Norway (online)

Stories and Ballads of the Far Past: Icelandic and Faroese

Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway

The Saga of the Volsungs: With the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok

The Saga of the Volsungs (online) Interesting analysis, but this is another pretty old source.

The Story of the Volsungs (online) Morris and Magnusson translation

The Vinland Sagas

Hákon the Good's Saga (online)

History of religious practices

The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia

Nordic Religions in the Viking Age

Agricola and Germania Tacitus' account of religion in nordic countries

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions

Tacitus on Germany (online)

Scandinavia and the Viking Age

Viking Age Iceland

Landnámabók: Book of the Settlement of Iceland (online)

The Age of the Vikings

Gesta Danorum: The Danish History (Books I-IX)

The Sea Wolves: a History of the Vikings

The Viking World

Guta Lag: The Law of the Gotlanders (online)

The Pre-Christian Religions of the North This is a four-volume series I haven't read yet, but that I wish to acquire soon! It's the next research read I have planned.

Old Norse Folklore: Tradition, Innovation, and Performance in Medieval Scandinavia

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings by John Haywood

Landnámabók: Viking Settlers and Their Customs in Iceland

Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark For a little literary break from all the serious research! The stories are told in a way that can sometimes get repetitive, but it makes it easier to notice recurring patterns and themes within Scandinavian oral tradition.

Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction

Saga Form, Oral Prehistory, and the Icelandic Social Context

An Early Meal: A Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Oddyssey

Runes & Old Norse language

Uppland region runestones and their translations

Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas and Viking Language 2: The Old Norse Reader

Catalogue of the Manks Crosses with Runic Inscriptions

Old Norse - Old Icelandic: Concise Introduction to the Language of the Sagas

A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture

Nordic Runes: Understanding, Casting, and Interpreting the Ancient Viking Oracle 

YouTube channels

Ocean Keltoi

Arith Härger

Old Halfdan

Jackson Crawford

Wolf the Red

Sigurboði Grétarsson

Grimfrost

(Reminder! The channel "The Wisdom of Odin", aka Jacob Toddson, is a known supporter of pseudo scientific theories and of the AFA, a folkist and white-supremacist organization, and he's been known to hold cult-like, dangerous rituals, as well as to use his UPG as truth and to ask for his followers to provide money for his building some kind of "real life viking hall", as supposedly asked to him by Óðinn himself. A source to avoid. But more on that here.)

Websites

The Troth

Norse Mythology for Smart People

Voluspa.org

Icelandic Saga Database

Skaldic Project

Life in Norway This is more of a tourist's ressources, but I find they publish loads of fascinating articles pertaining to Norway's history and its traditions.

[the-grey-hunt]

time to inflict myself on the internet

there IS a correct answer. do not pick leif just because you heard his name on spongebob that one time

[samhainmemories]

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (/ˈvælkɪri/ VAL-kirr-ee or /vælˈkɪəri/ val-KEER-ee; from Old Norse: valkyrja, lit. 'chooser of the slain') is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').When the einherjar are not preparing for the cataclysmic events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses.

A shield-maiden (Old Norse: skjaldmær [ˈskjɑldˌmæːr]) was a female warrior from Scandinavian folklore and mythology.

The term Old Norse: skjaldmær most often shows up in fornaldarsögur such as Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. However, female warriors are also mentioned in the Latin work Gesta Danorum. Both the fornaldarsögur and Gesta Danorum were written after the Viking Age and are considered fictional. Earlier reports of fighting women occur in some Roman sources from Late Antiquity. They are often associated with the mythical Valkyries, which may have inspired the shieldmaidens. They may have also been inspired by accounts of Amazons. (Source: Wikipedia)

women in norse mythology;

Brynhildr,

shieldmain and valkyrie, daughter of King Budli.

[thecrowsart]

i did this about a year ago, really like jackson crawford's translation of hervarar saga ok heiðreks, in my dreams i want to make a comic version but who knows if i could actually complete it lol

[illustratus]

Gizur challenges the Huns | The Battle of the Goths and Huns

by Peter Nicolai Arbo

"Neither the Huns nor their hornbows make us afraid!" The Geatish king Gizur challenges the invading Huns to a pitched battle on behalf of the Goths, from the Scandinavian epic poem Battle of the Goths and the Huns, which preserves place names from the Gothic rule in South-Eastern Europe.

[skirwitte]

God, it is so hard to find Viking women in the sagas who aren’t portrayed as conniving bitches.... and my lecturer really praised them as “feminist”, I wanna cry

[laurellerual]

For the fanart, could you do Val full shieldmaiden stlye, post-battle?

I am so proud of this! I love it, if I can say so myself.

I think that the equipment of the skjaldmær (shielmaiden) is quite historically accurate.

The swan feather cloak is not. I chose it because Val, shieldmaiden version, reminded me of  Hervör (also a shieldmaiden from the Hervarar saga ok Heiðrek). And  Hervör + Val reminded me of the homonymous valkyrie from the Vǫlundarkviða, also a swan-maiden.

I hope you like it :)

[dailylogyn]

Logyn Meta: Loki & Sigyn’s Family in Myth and Marvel (Comparison)

Photo Source: https://www.deviantart.com/youkai-no-shimo/art/Colouring-LOKI-s-FAMILY-260392721

The family that is ready to begin Ragnarok in order to defend your honor. It’s a tragic tale, but family is something worth fighting for!

Follow me as we explore this crazy, wonderful family that is probably the most famous of the Myth’s. 

We may not know much about Sigyn’s side, but Loki’s side is one that legends are made of. 

From the Norse Myths, to Marvel Comics and the MCU, we will see the similarities and differences for each member in the different universes as well as learn facts about each one and why they are important. 

Laufey (or Nál) - Loki’s Mother 

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

She is Loki’s Mother in Mythology.

Mostly mentioned by the matronymic, “Loki Laufeyjarson” meaning: Loki Laufey’s Son.

Her name (Laufey) is typically thought to mean leaves/foilage. Nal means Needle. 

Not much is known about her. We don’t even know if she was a Goddess, human or giant so it is assumed Loki gets his godhood from her. 

In the poem Sörla þáttr, Nál and Laufey are portrayed as the same person: "She was both slender and weak, and for that reason she was called Nál [Needle]." 

Laufey is listed among Ásynjar (goddesses) in one of the þulur, an ancestry that perhaps led her son Loki to be "enumerated among the Æsir", as Snorri Sturluson puts it in Gylfaginning.

Related to nature like forests and leaves.

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Laufey is Loki’s Father in this universe. 

As Loki was born small, a motive of embarrassment for his parents, his existence was kept a secret.

A younger Loki sends Laufey into a fateful battle between Odin, leading the All-Father to claim Loki as a son. Laufey was left for dead, wounded, but alive, leaving a future Loki to kill him. 

A group of Frost Giants try to revive Laufey by retrieving his skull. It ends with Malekith performing a spell to resurrect King Laufey. 

Laufey hates Loki and thinks of him as a disgrace

It ends with Loki killing his father again after he tries to steal the Casket of Winters and kill Frigga. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Same as Marvel Comics Counterpart. Appears in the first Thor movie. 

Fárbauti - Loki’s Father

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

He is Loki’s Father in Mythology. 

Attested in the Prose Edda and in Kennings of Viking Age Skalds.

A Jotunn

The Old Norse name Fárbauti has been translated as 'dangerous striker','anger striker',or 'sudden-striker'.

Related to lightning

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Mother of Loki in this universe.

Gave birth to an unusually small child to the annoyance of her husband.

It is said the night Loki was born that she stabbed her own heart with an ice dagger, but Loki suspects Laufey is the one who killed her. 

Appears as a figment taken on by a parasite. She’s mostly deceased in the comics. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Does not appear or have a reference in the MCU

Loki Laufeyjarson - Son of Laufey & Farbauti. Lover of Sigyn & Angrboda (and many others honestly)

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Everyone already knows the tales about Loki, so I won’t repeat it all again. It’s pretty lengthy. I’ll just point down the basics for him with it. 

He’s famous for causing trouble among the gods as the Trickster and God of Mischief. Not a bad guy, but misinterpreted that way, although he can be a dick too. Despite how much he causes trouble for them, he also helps them out of situations too. He just wants to have fun, even if he takes it overboard at times.

Some sources put as Jotun and some say he is Half-Jotun, Half-Aesir (on his mother’s side.) 

A well-known Shapeshifter who can be anything: Salmon, Male, Female, Horse. The list just goes on. 

A really handsome being who loved to get it on. *finger guns*

Blood Brother’s with Odin. How? We don’t know. It’s interpreted as a friendship or foster-brothers. It’s unclear really.

Gonna start Ragnarok for valid reasons honestly after having his entire family taken away from him or killed by the Gods. #TeamLoki

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Far too many appearances to document here from 1942 to present. There has been some retcons as well with the fact the current Loki has been reborn in a new incarnation also known as Ikol.

In the comics Loki is the adopted son of Odin and Frigga and Adoptive brother to Thor & Balder. 

He’s depicted as being the God of Evil in the classic comics serval times. In fact, it’s one of his titles. 

Depending on the writer for the classic comics, Loki can have moments of humanity, but all around he causes trouble.

Just wants to rule Asgard and get rid of Thor who is his enemy. 

He’s honestly a bad guy most of the time in the classic comics #VillianTrope

I personally have yet to read any current comics of Loki that aren’t the classics so this is where my knowledge and research stops. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

First off, Tom Hiddleston as Loki is just *chefs kiss* perfection. 

Pretty much the same as comics except for the fact he isn’t really a villain. He plays tricks on people for fun and laughs and truly cares about his family. 

However, things change when he discovers the truth that he is a Jotun and has been lied to about it his whole life despite being told countless stories of how Jotun’s are monsters to be slain (You fucked up a perfectly good kid, Odin. Look, he has anxiety and trauma.) 

He develops major identity problems on top of others things, but despite it, Loki tries to still do best by his family as he wants to belong. Yes, he becomes a villain in The Avengers movie, but not for the hell of it. #Thanos

Honestly, he just deserves better. That’s where this leads. Thank you.

Angrboda - Loki’s Consort/Lover (Fenrir, Jormungandr & Hel’s Mother)

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

She is only mentioned once in the Poetic Edda as the mother of Fenrir by Loki. The Prose Edda describes her as "a giantess in Jotunheim" and as the mother of three monsters: the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard serpent Jörmungand, and the ruler of the dead Hel.

A Jotun known as Mother of Monsters and Giantess of Ironwood. 

In Old Norse, Angrboda means: 'the one who brings grief', 'she-who-offers-sorrow', or 'harm-bidder'.

According to scholars, the name Angrboða is probably a late invention dating from no earlier than the 12th century, although the tradition of the three monsters born of Loki and a jötunn may be of a higher age.

Some scholars say she was a very powerful witch and that she had the ability to see into the future. She was confined to Hel and would not be released from the realm of the dead until Loki was unbound.

In some versions of the Myth’s she knows her children will bring about the end of the world (Ragnarok) as well as being a witch set on fire three times before Loki eats her heart. 

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

A giantess of Jotunheim and a Witch.

Born to Elderspawn Vârcolac and Echidna.

She mated with Loki and gave birth to Fenrir and Jormungadr. Legends say she also gave birth to Hela, but it seems to be nothing more but legends. 

Angrboda died of unknown causes and was sent to the Underworld of Hel. 

When Thor needed to know how to get to Hela's realm because she had been taking mortals to Niffleheim, he went to the Hlidskjalf and summoned Angerboda from the underworld, forcing her to tell him how to get there. Once she revealed to Thor the path he had to follow, she tried to take him with her to the underworld.

Only has one appearance in the comics -- Thor #360 (1985)

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Does not appear or have a reference in the MCU

Sleipnir - Loki’s Son

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Attested in the Poetic and Prose Edda. In both Sleipnir is Odin's eight-legged steed and child of Loki by Svaðilfari. He is described as the best of all horses.

The Prose Edda contains extra information saying he is grey. 

Old Norse meaning: Slippy or the Slipper. 

Sleipnir is also mentioned in a riddle found in the 13th century legendary saga Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, in the 13th-century legendary saga Völsunga saga as the ancestor of the horse Grani, and book I of Gesta Danorum, written in the 12th century by Saxo Grammaticus, contains an episode considered by many scholars to involve Sleipnir. Sleipnir is generally accepted as depicted on two 8th century Gotlandic image stones: the Tjängvide image stone and the Ardre VIII image stone.

Scholarly theories have been proposed regarding Sleipnir's potential connection to shamanic practices among the Norse pagans.

Sleipnir was born when Loki shape-shifted into a mare and became pregnant by the stallion of a giant, as is recounted in the tale of The Fortification of Asgard.

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

There are two different origins for Sleipnir in the comics: 1. Thor fighting off an army of the undead on Midgard. He promised to help as long as his horses weren’t eaten, however, Thor was betrayed and took his horses remains back to Asgard, coupling it with Asgardian Magic to create Sleipneir. 2. Loki had hastily agreed to let a Frost Giant re-build the wall around Asgard, in exchange for the Moon, the Sun, and Freya, only he had to do it in six months. The Frost Giant had only asked to use his grey stallion, Svadilfari. Right as the last brick was about to be placed, Loki transformed into a beautiful white mare, and lured Svadilfari off. Loki later gave birth to Sleipnir. (Just like in the Myths.) 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Odin’s eight-legged steed. 

Sleipnir’s origins are unknown. He appears in the first Thor Movie. 

Fenrir Wolf - Loki & Angrboda’s Son

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Attested in the Prose and Poetic Edda as the first son of the Jotun couple. He is a wolf destined to kill Odin. So, they bind and seal him when he's still young, with Tyr losing his arm in the process. When Ragnarok comes, he indeed kills Odin, but is killed by Odin's son Vidar in return.

Fenrir is the father of the wolves Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson. 

In the Prose Edda, additional information is given about Fenrir, including that, due to the gods' knowledge of prophecies foretelling great trouble from Fenrir and his rapid growth, the gods bound him, and as a result Fenrir bit off the right hand of the god Týr.

No chain can hold him, except for Gleipnir, a rope made by Dwarves containing the roots of a mountain, the breath of a fish, the sound of a cat's footfall, the sinews of a bear, the beard of a woman and the spittle of a bird, all of which were impossible items to obtain.

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Pretty much the same as his Mythos with some additional storylines. 

When Raganrok happened, Fenrir was reborn with the other gods on the New Asgard universe on Midgard. No details of his fate on Earth have been revealed.

Fenrir helped the mutant Wolfsbane as she was carrying the child of one of his descendants. 

It is one of the few individuals believed to be more powerful, or equally as powerful, as Dormammu; the others being galactic entities like The Beyonder.

Fenrir is Genderfluid in the comics. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Fenris is a giant Asgardian Wolf who serves under Hela and is portrayed as Female. She resurrects her as they take over Asgard. 

Instead of being her brother, Fenris is her loyal companion and mount. 

Fenris ends up getting into a fight against Hulk as he pushes her off, sending her falling into the void below to her supposed death. 

Appears in Thor: Ragnarok. 

Hel - Loki & Angrboda’s Daughter

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Attested in the Prose and Poetic Edda. She is a giantess/goddess who resides over the Underworld that is also called Hel, a place where many of the dead reside. She is the daughter of Loki and Angrboda, sister to Fenrir and Jormungandr and usually depicted as the youngest of the three.

Goddess of Death and Graves and ruler of Hel who welcomes the souls of those who died of old age, disease or by accident.

Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim.

The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr.

Old Norse Name Meaning: Hidden

She’s mostly mentioned only in passing. Snorri describes her appearance as being half-black, half-white, and with a perpetually grim and fierce expression on her face.

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Renamed Hela in the comics.

Allegedly the daughter of Loki and Angrboda, but it’s never made clear or stated. Hela's genealogy is the subject of controversies and retellings. 

Her path pretty much follows her Mythos where she is destined to do terrible things and Odin makes her the ruler over the dead in the realms of Hel and Niflheim until maturity. 

At some point, she was considered the daughter of Odin and of a long-lost goddess.

Honestly, she usually tries to expand her powers, wanting to rule over Vahalla and obtain Asgardian souls. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU):

Appears in Thor: Ragnarok as Odin’s firstborn and only daughter. Sister to Thor and Loki.

Kinda pissed her dad locked her away and wants to rule Asgard and take revenge.

The cause of Ragnarok and supposedly dies on Asgard after everything is said in done in the movie.

Jormungandr - Loki & Angrboda’s Son

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Usually depicted as the middle child of Loki and Angrboda, he is known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent who is a giant snake. When Odin takes Loki’s kids away from him, he tosses Jormungadr into the ocean that encircles Midgard. The serpent grew so large that is was able to surround the Earth and grasp it’s own tail. When it releases it’s tail, Ragnarok will begin and he will fight his arch-enemy, Thor. 

The major sources for myths about Jörmungandr are the Prose Edda, the skaldic poem Húsdrápa, and the Eddic poems Hymiskviða and Völuspá. Other sources include the early skaldic poem Ragnarsdrápa and kennings in other skaldic poems; for example, in Þórsdrápa, faðir lögseims, "father of the sea-thread", is used as a kenning for Loki. There are also several image stones depicting the story of Thor fishing for Jörmungandr.

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Both Loki and Angerboda were descended from the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and were of humanoid appearance; however, the sons Angerboda bore Loki, Jormungand and the Fenris Wolf, did not. It has been suggested that Jormungand and the Fenris Wolf were born as sentient animals because their parents each had the magical ability to change his or her own shape. Hence, Jormungand and the Fenris Wolf each bear the form of the animal that their parents had assumed at the moment they were conceived.

Jormungandr follows the same as his Mythos to a certain degree with his fate to fight Thor during Ragnarok as the God of Thunder would die from his venom. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Does not appear or have a reference in the MCU

Sigyn - Loki’s Wife

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Sadly, not many stories that have Sigyn in them have survived to this day. She is only attested in the followings works: Poetic Edda & Prose Edda. 

The most famous of her story tells of how Loki has been bound by the gods with the guts of his son, Nari, and how his son, Vari, has been turned into a wolf. The Goddess Skadi fastens a venomous snake over Loki’s face, from which venom drips. Sigyn, stated as Loki’s wife, stays by his side and holds a basin under and catches the venom so it won’t drip onto her husband, but when the basin grows full, she pulls it away to empty it, during which time venom drops onto Loki, causing him to wither so violently that earthquakes occur that shake the entire earth.

In the poem, Gylfaginning, Sigyn is introduced in Chapter 31 as being married to Loki and that they have a son by the name of “Narfi or Nari”. She is then mentioned again in Chapter 50 where events are described differently than in Lokasenna; Vali, described as a son of Loki only, is changed into a wolf by the gods and rips apart his brother, “Narfi or Nari.” The guts of Nari are then used to tie Loki to three stones, after which the guts turn to iron, and Skadi places a snake above Loki. Sigyn of course catches the venom in a bowl. This process is repeated until he breaks free, setting Ragnarok into motion.

In the poem, Skáldskaparmál, Sigyn is introduced as a goddess, an Æsir, where the gods are holding a feast for their visitors and in kennings for Loki: “husband of Sigyn” and “cargo [Loki] of incantation-fetter’s [Sigyn’s] arms.”

Old Norse Name meaning: Victory Girlfriend. 

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Lonely and looking for female companionship, Loki ends up coming across Sigyn and plans to make her his. However, she is already engaged to a warrior of Odin’s Crimson Hawks -- Theoric. Hence, Loki sets up a trap to have Theoric killed during a mission so Loki can disguise himself as Theoric. Once they are wed, Loki reveals himself and despite Odin attempting to annul the marriage (which goes against Asgardian Law)), Sigyn tells the Allfather that she will follow the duties of a loyal wife since she is Loki’s now. 

This is when Odin proclaims her to be the Goddess of Fidelity. This was a thing first started by the Marvel Comics.

Sigyn doesn’t have much of an agency in the comics except being a loyal wife to Loki, sometimes going along with his plans or getting on him for it. 

I personally haven’t been able to find any evidence of Sigyn’s parents being Iwaldi and Freya in the comics, so I’m not sure if this fact is Fanon or not. 

Sigyn has suddenly seemed to vanish from the comics with her last official appearance being in 1996. It has been allueded at that she died or was killed during Ragnarok. 

Her relationship with Loki in the comics is...complicated and changes a lot depending on the writer. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Does not appear or have a reference in the MCU

Narvi/Narfi & Vali - Loki & Sigyn’s Sons

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Not much is known about Narfi and Vali except for being Loki & Sigyn’s sons with Vali being transformed into a wolf by the gods and killing his brother whose inners are used as a chain to bind Loki in the cave. 

Narfi and Vali are referred to in a number of sources. According to the Gylfaginning section of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, he was also called Nari and was killed by his brother Váli, who was transformed into a wolf; in a prose passage at the end of the Eddic poem "Lokasenna", Váli became a wolf and his brother Nari was killed.

Snorri also names "Nari or Narfi" as the son of Loki and his wife Sigyn earlier in Gylfaginning, and lists "father of Nari" as a heiti for Loki in the Skáldskaparmál section of his work.

Narfi’s name could mean “Corpse” in Old Norse, relating to how he was killed by his brother. 

There's no mention of what became of Vali after he became a wolf.

MARVEL COMICS (Earth 616)

Narvi never makes an appearance in the comics and is only mentioned in: Free Comics Book Day Vol 2018 Avengers. 

There is a Vali in the comics called Vali Halfling. He is the son of loki and a unnamed mortal woman. So, I don’t consider this to be the same Vali that is the son of Loki and Sigyn. 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

Does not appear or have a reference in the MCU

_________________________________________________

Thanks for reading everyone. This required a bunch of research, but I hope this helps and has been educational. We only have what we can work with considering the surviving myths, but there is so many stories out there that we don’t know of that aren’t clear because of it. 

I tried my best to cover everything I knew about them in Marvel too, but sometimes so many retcons is too much to keep up with. I know there may be some errors in places, but it’s the best I could get this with what we have to work with.

SOURCES:

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Laufey_(Earth-616)

https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Laufey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laufey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fárbauti

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Farbauti_(Earth-616)

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Angerboda_(Earth-616)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angrboða

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Hela_(Earth-616)

https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/giants/hel/

https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/giants/jormungand/

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Jormungand_(Earth-616)

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Sleipnir_(Earth-616)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipnir

https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Sleipnir

https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/giants/fenrir/

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Fenris_Wolf_(Earth-616)

https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Fenris

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigyn

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Sigyn_(Earth-616)

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Narvi_(Earth-616)

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Vali_Halfling_(Earth-616)

https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/loki/

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Loki_Laufeyson_(Earth-616)

https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Loki

https://skjalden.com/narfi-and-vali/

https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Hela

[thorsvinur]

I've come to accept the fact that one of my annual Yule traditions is coming back to my Tumblr blog and posting things, mostly pertaining to Yule; runes; etc., and then forgetting about it again sometime in January. Oh well. 😅

Anyway, I made these to post on my living history group's FB page over the past few weeks. Below are their respective commentaries:

(1/3) Feeling it difficult to wait to get into the holiday spirit? Well don't feel bad. According to "Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning" by Andreas Nordberg, the Old Norse month names of Ýlir and Jólmánuðr (later renamed to Mörsugur) both share a common root with Jól or Yule, suggesting that the Norse people may have had a two lunar month-long "Yule season" culminating in the major three night-long celebration in what is now mid-January.

Going by the lunar Old Icelandic calendar, today (24 Nov) is the 2nd day of Ýlir, so if you want to break out some decorations, do some holiday baking or sip some glögg then get your holiday season started! Plus, it's 2020; the rules have kinda gone out the window here anyway. 😉

(2/3) Save the date! Yule is commonly regarded as being at the winter solstice (Dec 21) in modern times, but according the Hákonar saga Góða the major celebration was held a fair amount later at Midwinter, which was (generally) in what is now January. Since Old Norse time reckoning was lunar based, this date would move around relative to the modern Gregorian calendar, but at the earliest this could be January 5th and at the latest it could potentially be up to February 2nd. This was a three night-long celebration according to the saga, but may have been the end of a two month-long "Yule season" encompassing the months of Ýlir and Jólmánuðr.

King Hákon eventually moved the date to be closer to the Christmas celebrations that occured what is now December, and required that people celebrate one or the other. Over time these two holidays merged, resulting in the word Yule being preserved in many modern Christmas traditions as well as the modern Scandinavian words for Christmas (Icelandic and Faroese Jól; Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Jul).

(3/3) For as important a celebration as Jól apparently was, there's a surprisingly small amount of information on how it was celebrated. Many claims are made on this subject including such things as the Christmas tree, even though the first record of a decorated evergreen tree comes from 16th century Germany while the closest parallels in more ancient sources involve hanging evergreen boughs inside the home in ancient Rome; Egypt (palm leaves); etc. However, there are a few sources that give a glimpse of actual Yuletide practices from the Viking Era that have been, in one way or another, carried through into modern Christmas traditions.

Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks and Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar both mention the practice of sonargöltr, being the sacrifice and eating of a prized boar.

Gift giving certainly wasn't exclusive to the Norse people, but it is mentioned at this time in Fóstrbræðra Saga and was a major element of the culture itself.

The Yule Log isn't directly mentioned in any sources from the Viking Era or before, but it is mentioned in the centuries following shortly after and could potentially be older.

Along with sonargöltr, Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks includes a mention of oaths being sworn at Yuletide, similar to the modern New Year's resolution (although hopefully kept better).

Lastly, drinking seems to have been a major element of these celebrations. Hákonar Saga Góða and Haralds Saga Hárfagra both make this clear in the mention of King Hákon requiring that people each brew a measure of ale and not cease celebrations until it was depleted and the use of the phrase "drinking Yule". Additionally, "Yule-drinking" and "Yule-ale" are both featured in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic by Geir T Zoëga.

One practice that didn't make it through, though, is eating horse meat. This is mentioned in Hákonar Saga Góða during a ceremony at Yule, but eating horse meat was banned post-conversion and became heavily stigmatized.

While this isn't a ton of information to go on, it at least gives us a peek into ancient Yuletide traditions and how they melded into what has become our modern Christmas.

[paganimagevault]

Hervor, daughter of Heidrek, dying at the Battle of the Goths and Huns by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892)

"From the south I've come     to say this news:     burnt is Mirkwood Heath     and the whole forest,     Goth-folk all blotched     with blood of men.     Down, I hear,     is Heidrek's lass;     heard your sister,     the Huns felled her —     and of your people     plenty more.     More cheery in battle     than chatting to suitors     or taking the bench     at a bridal feast." -Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks

https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2020/04/hervor-daughter-of-heidrek-dying-at.html

[artsandoddities]

Here’s the latest page of my current comic- I went with depicting Hervor/ Hjorvard from Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks as being gender queer

The whole story can be read on my patreon

https://www.patreon.com/malkydungeon

[gunnr-lp]

Hervors død (The death of Hervor)

Artist: Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892)

Depicting the death of Hervor, the heroine of the 13th century CE Scandinavian Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks.

Hervör was a shieldmaiden in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in̪ the Hervarar saga, of which parts are found in the Poetic Edda. Greatly outnumbered, she died leading the army against the first assault of the Huns in an inheritance conflict between her brothers (Hlöd and Angantýr).

[sinni-ok-sessi]

Incomplete List of Characters in Norse Literature Who Are Hella Trans

Loki. Genderfuck. Like. Does this one even need to be said? Turns into a mare, turns into a serving girl, has probably turned into a sexy cow just to fuck with Óðinn. the walking definition of ‘my type is ‘has a pulse’’ and ‘doing it for the vine’ (the Eddas)

Óðinn. Maverique. Beyond your petty human concerns. Fuck you. (the Eddas)

Hervör. Agender/genderfluid. Essentially pragmatic about her gender presentation. Want to go grave-robbing with a bunch of Vikings? probably easier to be a dude. Want to marry rich? probably easiest to be a lady. Gender identity: *elaborate shrug* (Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks)

Þórbergr. Trans guy. Will literally kill you for misgendering him. He fought the patriarchy and the patriarchy won :( (Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar)

Hildigerður. Trans woman. Cursed by some random lady (*cough* TERF *cough*) to be perceived as a man by day, only allowed to express her true identity in a fabulously shiny otherworld (*cough* queer bar *cough*) (Snjáskvæði)

[d-write]

FGO中的现实历史(一）"盾娘"

起始

总是有人说战争让女人走开，可是战争却从没让女人走开过。其中例子很多很多，在文学中有魔戒里的伊欧玟怒杀安格马巫王的壮举，在绘画中有《自由引导人民》中领头冲锋的自由女神。现实中就更多了，其中有部分还是FGO玩家熟悉的人物，这里有“不列颠的布狄卡女王，小亚细亚的亚马孙女战士，英法百年战争中的贞德，其他还有亨利五世的孙女蒙庞西埃公主，东方有宋代的杨门女将，明代的秦良玉等等“。我这里引出女战士，但不准备写她们，太大，写不开，引出来的玉还是讲咱们FGO中的历史故事。学妹玛修其实不能算是FGO中唯一的“盾娘”，除了她以外还有一位“盾娘“，她就是北欧神话中的女武神布伦希尔德，有着悲剧身世的她是以枪兵职阶出现。而除了布伦希尔德的神话外，在古代历史中也流传着一些“盾娘”们的故事，只不过她们从来都环绕在历史传说的迷雾中，亦真亦假的让人无法辨别。 ### 历史迷雾 **众多传说中的布伦希尔德（Brynhildr）**  她出现在众多的传说中，名字也被译作“伯伦希尔”��这名耳熟吧）。她不光是「沃尔松格传说」（Volsunga saga）和「埃达」（Edda）里的角色，还出现在日耳曼故事「尼伯龙根之歌」中。在众多故事中，她有时是女武神，也有时是冰岛女王。在「沃尔松格传说」中被西格鲁德所救，西格鲁德本答应以后回来娶她，这本是一桩好事，只可惜，最后变成了悲剧，简单说就是，西格鲁德中计失去了记忆，没有娶布伦希尔德，后来心生怨恨的她找人杀了西格鲁德。历史中的原型是西哥特人的布伦希尔德王妃，只不过下场与传说中一样悲剧。 **13世纪的（Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks）里的赫尔薇尔/亚尔薇特（Hervor）**  在「赫瓦拉尔传奇」的一些译本中，出现过两名盾女，其中赫尔薇尔打扮成男性的模样，经常袭击过往的旅行者。后来她得到了提尔锋剑（Tyrfing），成为一位海盗。赫尔薇尔有一个与她同名的孙女，这名孙女是Angantyr的孩子，也成为了一名盾女（神话中是军队守护神），儿时就不像其他女孩那样成长（与她奶奶类似），她像男孩子一样强壮，学会了射箭、剑术和骑马。当她知道自己父亲的身份后，找到了那把魔剑“提尔锋剑“（得到后有点悲剧）。最后这名英勇的女子死于匈奴西侵哥特人的战役中。 这赫尔薇尔还能说出一些题外话，我自认为千年后的文学作品「哈利波特」中出现的老魔杖，多少都和这提尔锋剑很类似，都是有魔力的武器，都威力无比，也都给它的持有者或多或少地带来了一些灾难（赫尔薇尔用这把剑杀死了自己的哥哥）。不知道J.K.罗琳有没有从提尔锋剑中找到灵感。 **拉葛莎**  拉葛莎是朗纳尔·洛德布罗克的前妻，她的故事被12世纪作家萨克索•格拉玛提库斯（Saxo Grammaticus）记载了下来，据萨克索记录，拉葛莎居住在挪威南部的Gaula山谷。虽是位女子，但却有男子气概，战斗勇敢，只有她将头发披散在肩上时人们才知道她是女人。 根据萨克索·格拉玛提库斯（Saxo Grammaticus）记载，八世纪中期，由赫德（Hed）率领300名盾女参加了布尔瓦拉战役（Bravalla会战）。在这场战斗中，丹麦领袖朗纳尔·洛德布罗克（Ragnar Lodbrok）的妻子，盾女拉葛莎（Lagertha）也参加了这次战役，并且救了朗纳尔的命。后来这位朗纳尔后来还娶了亚斯拉琪为妻，就是上面提到的盾女布伦希尔德的女儿。 上面说的这几位“盾娘”，经历也是混合了各种现实与传说，亦真亦假，全当故事听也不错。在这八到十一世纪，相较其他文明相对先进的地区，其实斯堪的纳维亚地区的女性拥有更多的权利，可以自由的和男人离婚，可以继承财产，这在当时其他地区是不敢想象的。造就了这一地区神话传说中女人与男人一样勇敢、聪明、狡猾、谈吐文雅和受人尊敬，而从中诞生勇敢过人，能征善战的“盾娘”就一点也不奇怪了。 ### 考古发现 上面说了一堆故事，多少都有点让人真假难辨。下面要说一下盾娘的考古证据。一座一百多年前维京人古墓的DNA和同位素检测结果，在2017年公布，确定这座墓中的遗骸是一名女性。  Hjalmar Stolpe  Bj 581 这座墓是考古学家Hjalmar Stolpe于19世纪70年代在比尔卡（BIrka）发掘的。这个比尔卡（BIrka）是维京时代一座重要的城镇，居民近千人，是那时期这一地区贸易中心，这里有很多墓穴，其中这座女性的墓穴被称为Bj 581. Bj 581中埋葬品包括战斧、长剑、长矛、箭、盾牌、桌面游戏碎片和牲畜的骨头。最初被认为是男性的墓穴。但在最新的检测结果下，我们现在知道了墓主人是位女性，30岁左右，还有可能是位军队指挥官。这也是第一次从考古上证明“盾娘”的存在 Bj 581发现的意义，有助于我们了解维京时期社会流动性与职业构成。与以前考古发现一样，持盾女战士的发现可能再次改写我们的历史。 ### 扩展阅读   Tafl/hnefatafl **棋类碎片**上面提到了棋类碎片，查一些资料发现有一种7*7和19 *19的游戏板，人们可以用各种材��当作棋子，但目前还不清楚这个游戏板需不需要骰子。其它还有一种叫Tafl或hnefatafl的棋类游戏，虽然它的规则还没搞清楚，但已经知道的是双方的棋子数量并不相同，一方需要用少一些的棋子来保护己方的BOSS，这些棋子大部分是用海洋哺乳类动物的牙齿做的。在公元前400年这种棋就已经在大部分斯堪的纳维亚地区流行了。  提尔锋剑 **神剑/魔剑**神话中从来就不缺乏各种有神奇功能的剑，上面文章就出现了圣剑格拉墨（Gram）和神剑提尔锋剑，这两把剑也都是矮人打造，因为在神话中他们都是优秀的工匠。  **布伦希尔德/伯伦希尔**如果说起Brunhild的另一个译名伯伦希尔，都应该知道它大部分时间指的都是银河英雄传说中的皇帝莱因哈特的座舰，一艘外形优美的宇宙战舰，完全配得上这个名字。

[notasapleasure]

Wulf and Eadwacer

The Exeter Book Riddles

Wonders of the East

The Mabinogi

Hrólfs saga Kraka

Eyrbyggja saga

Eiríks saga rauða and Groenlendinga saga

Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks

Probably any saga being called a legendary or chivalric saga - Seven Viking Romances is suggested by someone else and it's a great collection

Medievalists: what are some of the most weirdest medieval texts you’ve read? I’m looking for primary sources that are just bonkers to give to a friend. Here’s what I have so far:

Þrymskviða

Chapter 43 of Prose Edda (origin of Sleipnir)

Quant fu en ma jevente (Harley 2253)

Infancy Gospel of Thomas

Martyrdom of St. Edmund

Letter 221 of Saint Catherine of Siena (foreskin wedding ring)

The Fates of Men (Old English Poem)

Passages Omitted from the Second Battle of Mag Tured

Chaucer’s Miller’s Tale

Exeter Riddle 74, 75, 76, 77, 80

The Mead of Poetry from Norse myth

Bérangier au lonc cul (Bérangier of the long arse)

Le Chevalier qui fit les cons parler (The Knight who made c*nts speak)

The Pangs of Ulster

Mac Datho’s Pig