In Norse mythology, Jörð (Old Norse "earth", pronounced ˈjɔrð, sometimes anglicized as Jord or Jorth) is a female jötunn, the mother of Thor and Meili, and the personification of the Earth. Fjörgyn and Hlôdyn are considered to be other names for Jörð. Jörð is reckoned a goddess, like other jötnar who coupled with the gods.[1] Jörð's name appears in skaldic poetry both as a poetic term for the land and in kennings for Thor.
Etymology[]
Jörð is the common word for earth in Old Norse, as are the word's descendants in the modern Scandinavian languages; Icelandic jörð, Faroese jørð, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian jord. It is cognate to English "earth" through Old English eorðe.[2]
Attestations[]
Gylfaginning[]
In Gylfaginning, the first part of the Prose Edda, Jörð is described as one of Odin's concubines and the mother of Thor.[3]
Skáldskaparmál[]
In Snorri Sturluson's Skáldskaparmál, Jörð is called the rival of Odin's wife Frigg and his other giantess concubines, Rindr and Gunnlöd. She is the daughter of Annar and Nótt and half-sister of Auðr and Dagr.[4]
Notes[]
- ↑ Orchard (1997:98).
- ↑ "Earth" in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ Gylfaginning 10, 36.
- ↑ Lindow (2001:205).
References[]
- 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, London: ISBN 0-304-34520-2
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Jörð. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. |