Hvergelmir

Authors: Youla Azkarrula

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Hvergelmir, painting by Jessica Gullberg for Stellarium.

Hvergelmir, the boiling well, is a Norse constellation mentioned in the Rímtǫl glosses, which dates back to the 11th century CE and is an Old Norse calendar of 52 weeks (364 days).

Concordance, Etymology, History

Origin of Constellation

Hvergelmir (the boiling well) is one of the springs under Yggdrasil’s three roots. Nidhögg also dwells there, gnawing at the root (Sturluson 2017, p. 28). The wells are represented by gaps in the bright band of the Milky Way, with a larger dark area near Alhena corresponding to the serpent’s proximity.

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

nothing known

Rökstenen, rune stone near Ödeshög in south Sweden (CC BY Bengt Olof ÅRADSSON)

Weblinks

• Norse Constellations by Digitalis Solutions
• Valkyria.com Norse Calendar

All HIP Stars within this constellation

Convex Hull for the stars inside Hvergelmir (CC BY Jakob Eyermann).

References

• References (general)