Hrímgrímnir

In Norse mythology, Hrímgrímnir (Old Norse "frost-masked"[1]) is the name of a jötunn mentioned by Freyr's servant Skírnir as he was attempting to court the jötunn maiden Gerðr on his master's behalf. Faced with Gerðr's reluctance to marry Freyr, Skírnir resorts to bribery and threats to force her compliance, and finally begins cursing her with the horrors of the underworld if she will not agree to the union:

"Hrímgrímnir is the giant who shall possess you
down in the depths by the gates of Hel
There let wretches on the roots of the tree [ Yggdrasil ]
give you goat urine to drink." - Skírnismál

Hrímgrímnir is also listed in the thulur for jötnar but is not otherwise found elsewhere. Scholar John Lindow comments that Hrímgrímnir is evidently a part of something larger; if Gerðr refuses Skírnir's offer, she will "be denied all ordinary sexual congress", resulting in social consequences—even though she would be married, she would live in social exile.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Orchard (1997:90) and Lindow (2001:183).
  2. ↑ Lindow (2001:183).

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.