- Vingólf
In
Norse mythology , Vingólf is one of the buildings of the gods. It is described as the hall or "hörgr " of the goddesses and also as a place where righteous men and those slain in battle go after death. It is mentioned only in theProse Edda and in the enigmatic poem "Hrafnagaldur Óðins ".The Prose Edda
Vingólf is mentioned three times in the "
Gylfaginning " section ofSnorri Sturluson 'sProse Edda .The three mentions of Vingólf seem somewhat contradictory. In the first instance it appears as an alternative name for
Gimlé , a paradise where righteous people go after death. In the second instance it is the hall orhörgr of the goddesses. In the third instance it is a residence for those slain in battle.The name does not occur in Eddaic or
skaldic poetry .Hrafnagaldur Óðins
The enigmatic "
Hrafnagaldur Óðins ", a young mythological poem composed in the Eddic style, mentions Vingólf in one of its strophes.The context is enigmatic but Vingólf seems to be a place where the Æsir have gathered for an ale feasts. The significance of this mention hinges on the interpretation of "Hrafnagaldur Óðins" as a whole.
Vingólf's name
The name "Vingólf" is usually thought to be composed of "vinr" (friend) and "gólf" (floor, hall) and mean something like "pleasant hall". Alternatively the name could be read Víngólf and the meaning would be "wine hall".
"
Uppsalabók ", one of the four main manuscripts of the Prose Edda, has the variant reading Vindglóð seemingly meaning "wind ember" but most variant readings which occur only in that manuscript are thought to be corrupted.References
* Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989). "Íslensk orðsifjabók". Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans.
* Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (transl.) (1916). "The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson". New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/index.php Available online]
* Eysteinn Björnsson (ed.). "Snorra-Edda: Formáli & Gylfaginning : Textar fjögurra meginhandrita". 2005. http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/gg/
* Eysteinn Björnsson (ed. & tr.) (2002). "Hrafnagaldur Óðins : Forspjallsljóð". http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/hrg/hrg.html
* Finnur Jónsson (1931). "Lexicon Poeticum". København: S. L. Møllers Bogtrykkeri.
* Simek, Rudolf. "Dictionary of Northern Mythology". 1993. Trans. Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. ISBN 0859913694. New edition 2000, ISBN 0859915131.
* Thorpe, Benjamin (tr.) (1866). "Edda Sæmundar Hinns Froða : The Edda Of Sæmund The Learned". (2 vols.) London: Trübner & Co. [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poetic2/000.php Available online]Further reading
In the entry for Vingólf in the "Dictionary of Northern Mythology", Rudolf Simek lists the following articles.
* W. Braune (1889). "Vingólf". "Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 14".
* F. Jónsson (1890). "Vingólf". "Arkiv för nordisk Filologi 6".
* F. Kauffmann (1892). "Vingólf". "Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum 36".External links
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~9worlds/asg12.html Artist's conception of Vingólf]
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~9worlds/asg16.html Artist's conception of Vingólf at night]
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