Aurwandilsta
Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Youla Azkarrula
Aurwandilsta is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is Old Norse. It is the name of the star ι CrB in constellation Corona Borealis.
Concordance, Etymology, History
Aurvandils tá, the Toe of Aurwandill, is a constellation in Norse mythology. It is prominantly mentioned together with Þjaza augu (Thiazi's Eyes) in Snorri's Edda, a piece of prose literature from Mediaeval Epochs, likely written in the 13th century CE. Parallel to the ongoing Christianisation on the island of Iceland, that had been inhabited by settlers from today's Norway since the 9th century, the scholar Snorri Sturluson also wrote up some Old Norse mythology. Although much of the contemporary literature shows influences of the Christianisation, Snorri provided the most comprehensive documentation of myths from Old Norse culture that we know of today; this work is called (Prose) Edda.
Note: The association of Aurwandill with the morning star is considered likely wrong in the current academic discourse. In contrast, the identification of his toe with the constellation Corona Borealis is common.
Mythology
The hero Ǫrvandill (Aurwandill) is only mentioned once, in the section Skáldskaparmál. He is called Aurvandill inn frækni (“Aurvandill the Bold”), the husband of the sorceress Gróa. When he had apparently been stranded or held in Jötunheimr, Thor rescued him and carried him in a basket across the icy rivers called Élivágar. During the journey, one of Aurvandill’s toes stuck out of the basket and froze. Thor broke off the frostbitten toe and threw it into the sky.
Scholars often connect him with the Old English figure Ēarendel, which inspired J. R. R. Tolkien’s character Eärendil.
IAU Working Group on Star Names
The name was discussed and adopted to the IAU-CSN by the IAU WGSN in 2026.
Iota Coronae Borealis, ι CrB, is an evolved, orange-hued K-type giant that has already left the main sequence and is now ascending the red-giant branch. It has exhausted the hydrogen in its core and expanded substantially. Its cool temperature and large radius place it firmly on the red-giant branch of the Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram. It is a chemically pecular component of a binary system.
