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In Norse mythology, Óðr (Old Norse: "the frenzied one"1) or Óð, sometimes angliziced as Odr, is a figure associated with the major goddess Freyja. The Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, both describe Óðr as Freyja's husband and father of her two daughters Hnoss and Gersemi. A number of theories have been proposed about Óðr, generally that he is somehow a hypostasis of the deity Odin due to their similarities.
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Attestations
Óðr is attested in the following sources:
Poetic Edda
Óðr is mentioned in stanza 25 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá. The name appears in a kenning for the major goddess Freyja; "Óð's girl" (Old Norse Óðs mey gefna), pointing to a relation with the goddess.2
Stanza 47 of the poem Hyndluljóð contains mention of a figure by the name of Œdi. There, Hyndla taunts Freyja, stating that Freyja had ran to Œdi, "always full of desire". The identity of Œdi is uncertain; it has been theorized that this may simply be Óðr, or that the figure may be another lover of Freyja's.3 This reference has been described as "puzzling" as no other information is provided regarding the situation referred to by Hyndla.4
Prose Edda
In section 35 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning. There, he is described as the husband of Freyja, and the two are described as having produced a daughter, Hnoss, so beautiful that her name is used as a word for an extremely valuable and beautiful treasure. Óðr is described in this section as traveling far away, while Freyja stays behind. In his absence, she is described as crying tears of red gold, and, further, when Freyja searches for him in distant lands, she goes by many different names.
Some skaldic poems stored in the book Skáldskaparmál also briefly mention Óðr and Freyja's daughter (sometimes referred to as Freyr's niece) and mentions Gersemi as a second daughter.
Heimskringla
In the Ynglinga saga, chapter 1 of the 13th century kings' saga Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson refers to the two in an euhemerized account, stating that Freyja had a husband named Óðr, two daughters named Hnoss and Gersemi, and that they were so beautiful that their names became terms for jewels (both of their names literally mean "jewel".).5
Theories
Odin
Óðr is often theorized as somehow connected to Odin (Old Norse: Óðinn), the head of the Æsir in Norse mythology, by way of etymological similarities between the two (Lindow states that the linguistic relationship is identical to that of Ullr and Ullin—often considered as variant names of a single god), and the fact that both are described as going on long journeys, though Lindow points out that Snorri is careful to keep them apart.4
Theories have been proposed that Freyja, wife of Óðr, and Frigg, wife of Odin, were likely originally two versions of the same goddess (see Connections between Frigg and Freyja), therefore Óðr has been theorized as a doublet or another name of Odin.
Vanir
Hilda Ellis Davidson proposes that the cult of the Vanir may have influenced the cult of the Æsir in the waning days of Norse paganism during the Christianization of Scandinavia, potentially resulting in the figure of Óðr in Norse mythology, which she refers to as a "strange double of Odin".6
Hermóðr
The lexeme is also part of the name of Hermóðr, a son of Odin, which Viktor Rydberg theorized to be another name of Óðr. Rydberg further associated Óðr with Óttar and with Svipdag.7 According to Rydberg, Óðr is maybe the same as Óttar ("otter"), Freyja's protégé in Hyndlulíoð, whom Hyndla referred to as "Freyja's man". Freyja, on the other hand, is sometimes referred to as "Óðr's bride".
Gesta Danorum
Viktor Rydberg suggests that in Saxo's Gesta Danorum, the figures Syritha and Otharus bear resemblances to Freyja and Óðr, both in their names and their story. Viktor Rydberg suggests Syritha is a Latinized form of Sýr (one of Freyja's names) and Otharus is a Latinized form of Óðr or Óttar.78 In this account, Syritha is a beautiful woman whom a giant wanted to marry, and she travelled seeking for Otharus who had slain the giant to save her.
Notes
- ^ Orchard (1997:121).
- ^ Larrington (1996:7).
- ^ Larrington (1999:297).
- ^ a b Lindow (2001:246-247).
- ^ Hollander (1964:14).
- ^ Davidson (1965:154).
- ^ a b Rydberg, Viktor (1889). "Teutonic Mythology". Rasmus B. Anderson transl. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. (2001), Elibron Classics. ISBN 1-4021-9391-2.
- ^ Grimm, Jacob. Deutsche Mythologie (1835) S. Stallybras transl. (2004) "Teutonic Mythology", Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-43615-2
References
- Ellis Davidson, H. R. (1965). Gods And Myths Of Northern Europe. Penguin. ISBN 0140136274
- Hollander, Lee Milton. (Trans.) (1964). Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway. University of Texas Press ISBN 0292730616
- Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). The Poetic Edda. Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 0192839462
- Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515382-0.
- Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0 304 34520 2
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