Aurvandils tá: Difference between revisions
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Aurvandils tá, Aurvandil's Toe, is a Norse constellation from Iceland, used in Scandinavia, Northern Europe, attested since the Middle Ages. | Aurvandils tá, Aurvandil's Toe, is a Norse constellation from Iceland, used in Scandinavia, Northern Europe, attested since the Middle Ages. It is prominantly mentioned together with Þjaza augu (Thiazi's Eyes) in Snorri's Edda .. | ||
==Concordance, Etymology, History== | ==Concordance, Etymology, History== | ||
=== Origin of Constellation === | === Origin of Constellation === | ||
Aurvandils tá (Aurwandill’s toe) is the toe of the hero Aurwandill, which froze when he was carried by Thor across the icy river Eliwagar. Thor broke off the toe, cast it into the sky, and thereby transformed it into an asterism. | Aurvandils tá (Aurwandill’s toe) is the toe of the hero Aurwandill, which froze when he was carried by Thor across the icy river Eliwagar. Thor broke off the toe, cast it into the sky, and thereby transformed it into an asterism. | ||
==== The Source (Edda) ==== | |||
In the 13th century, Snorri Sturluson provided the most comprehensive documentation of myths from Old Norse culture that we know of today in his Edda. In this sky culture, the Eddic myths are to be brought into the sky in the form of constellations. Since there are no records of constellations from this time and region, the reconstruction of these constellations is not always certain (in some cases even speculative). In our visualisations we follow various literary scholars who found parallels to Norse mythology in the Edda. | |||
The Eddic myths were widespread in the North Germanic cultural area, which encompasses present-day Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland). They were written down in the 13th century in Iceland, predominantly in two literary works, the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, this way representing the most important sources of our knowledge on Norse mythology. The culture referred to here therefore includes the North Germanic peoples from the 13th century and earlier. An important factor in observing the sky at this latitude is the brightness of the midnight sun in summer. During several weeks, the sky at Iceland's latitude does not get dark or only for a very short time, which severely limits the possibility of observing stars during this period. Given the fact that Snorri’s Edda was written in Iceland and under the assumption that some of the myths describe celestial phenomena, this plays an important role in the localization of assumed constellations: for instance, the modern constellation of Scorpius, the Scorpion, is hardly visible, so, it won't be identified with any Norse constellation. | |||
===== Sky ===== | |||
The origin of the Eddic myths remains disputed (Jonsson 1994<ref>Jonsson, B. (1994) Star Myths of the Vikings: A New Concept of Norse Mythology. Swan River, Manitoba: The Author.</ref>, p. 41). In recent decades, some attempts have been made to map the sagas of the Edda onto constellations in the night sky. However, this fact does not negate Snorri's statement that the phenomena he describes are quite literally located in the sky (Sigurdson 2022<ref name=":1">Sigurðsson, G. (2022) ‘How Gylfi’s Illusion Breathes Life into the Sky’, Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 74, pp. 231–246. DOI: 10.7146/rt.v74i.132105.</ref>, p. 239). Snorri Sturluson provides a systematic, sequential description of mythological cosmogony in his Edda. Gangleri, the protagonist of Gylfaginning, is told that in the beginning lights were assigned a staðr (place) and a path in the sky. Their movements marked the passage of time. The Sun is given salir (halls) and the stars staðir (places) by the gods (Æsir). These are the key terms in Gylfaginning for celestial locations and phenomena (Sigurdson 2022<ref name=":1" />, p. 239). After that several places in the sky are described, some of which can be found here as constellations. The sky itself was created by the Æsir from the skull of the primeval giant Ymir, whom they had slain (Sturluson 2017<ref name=":2">Sturluson, S. (2017) The Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Translated by K. Simrock. Bibliographically updated edition. Stuttgart: Reclam.</ref>, p. 21). Subsequently, they took sparks that had flown from Muspelheim, the realm of fire, and set them in the sky as stars (Sturluson 2017<ref name=":2" />, p. 22). | |||
===== Constellations ===== | |||
Although many Eddic constellations are based on on many assumptions and guesses, those that are also mentioned in the Rimtöl-gloss (Úlfs Keptr, Asar Bardagi, Fiskikarlar) are described with more certainty. The only constellations the Edda specifically describes as stars are Aurvandils tá and Þjaza augu. | |||
==== Identifications ==== | ==== Identifications ==== | ||
(Sturluson 2017<ref | (Sturluson 2017<ref name=":2" />, p. 111). Persson (2017)<ref name=":0">Persson, J.R. (2017) Norse Constellations. ResearchGate. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15662.92483.</ref> suggests Corona Borealis as the corresponding constellation. On the one hand, its shape resembles that of a toe; on the other, as a spring constellation, it allows an interpretation of the toe as a symbol of the victory of spring over winter (Persson 2017<ref name=":0" />). | ||
=== Sources, Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation === | === Sources, Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation === | ||
Revision as of 08:00, 17 April 2026
Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann
Aurvandils tá, Aurvandil's Toe, is a Norse constellation from Iceland, used in Scandinavia, Northern Europe, attested since the Middle Ages. It is prominantly mentioned together with Þjaza augu (Thiazi's Eyes) in Snorri's Edda ..
Concordance, Etymology, History
Origin of Constellation
Aurvandils tá (Aurwandill’s toe) is the toe of the hero Aurwandill, which froze when he was carried by Thor across the icy river Eliwagar. Thor broke off the toe, cast it into the sky, and thereby transformed it into an asterism.
The Source (Edda)
In the 13th century, Snorri Sturluson provided the most comprehensive documentation of myths from Old Norse culture that we know of today in his Edda. In this sky culture, the Eddic myths are to be brought into the sky in the form of constellations. Since there are no records of constellations from this time and region, the reconstruction of these constellations is not always certain (in some cases even speculative). In our visualisations we follow various literary scholars who found parallels to Norse mythology in the Edda.
The Eddic myths were widespread in the North Germanic cultural area, which encompasses present-day Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland). They were written down in the 13th century in Iceland, predominantly in two literary works, the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, this way representing the most important sources of our knowledge on Norse mythology. The culture referred to here therefore includes the North Germanic peoples from the 13th century and earlier. An important factor in observing the sky at this latitude is the brightness of the midnight sun in summer. During several weeks, the sky at Iceland's latitude does not get dark or only for a very short time, which severely limits the possibility of observing stars during this period. Given the fact that Snorri’s Edda was written in Iceland and under the assumption that some of the myths describe celestial phenomena, this plays an important role in the localization of assumed constellations: for instance, the modern constellation of Scorpius, the Scorpion, is hardly visible, so, it won't be identified with any Norse constellation.
Sky
The origin of the Eddic myths remains disputed (Jonsson 1994[1], p. 41). In recent decades, some attempts have been made to map the sagas of the Edda onto constellations in the night sky. However, this fact does not negate Snorri's statement that the phenomena he describes are quite literally located in the sky (Sigurdson 2022[2], p. 239). Snorri Sturluson provides a systematic, sequential description of mythological cosmogony in his Edda. Gangleri, the protagonist of Gylfaginning, is told that in the beginning lights were assigned a staðr (place) and a path in the sky. Their movements marked the passage of time. The Sun is given salir (halls) and the stars staðir (places) by the gods (Æsir). These are the key terms in Gylfaginning for celestial locations and phenomena (Sigurdson 2022[2], p. 239). After that several places in the sky are described, some of which can be found here as constellations. The sky itself was created by the Æsir from the skull of the primeval giant Ymir, whom they had slain (Sturluson 2017[3], p. 21). Subsequently, they took sparks that had flown from Muspelheim, the realm of fire, and set them in the sky as stars (Sturluson 2017[3], p. 22).
Constellations
Although many Eddic constellations are based on on many assumptions and guesses, those that are also mentioned in the Rimtöl-gloss (Úlfs Keptr, Asar Bardagi, Fiskikarlar) are described with more certainty. The only constellations the Edda specifically describes as stars are Aurvandils tá and Þjaza augu.
Identifications
(Sturluson 2017[3], p. 111). Persson (2017)[4] suggests Corona Borealis as the corresponding constellation. On the one hand, its shape resembles that of a toe; on the other, as a spring constellation, it allows an interpretation of the toe as a symbol of the victory of spring over winter (Persson 2017[4]).
Sources, Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation
Here we give a list of all sources where the name is attested.
| Source | Identification |
|---|---|
| Pleiades | |
| The Hyades | |
| The tail of Scorpius (η, θ, ι, κ, λ, and υ Scorpii) |
Mythology
mnemonic tales and cultural significance
Weblinks
References
- References (general)
- ↑ Jonsson, B. (1994) Star Myths of the Vikings: A New Concept of Norse Mythology. Swan River, Manitoba: The Author.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sigurðsson, G. (2022) ‘How Gylfi’s Illusion Breathes Life into the Sky’, Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 74, pp. 231–246. DOI: 10.7146/rt.v74i.132105.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sturluson, S. (2017) The Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Translated by K. Simrock. Bibliographically updated edition. Stuttgart: Reclam.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Persson, J.R. (2017) Norse Constellations. ResearchGate. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15662.92483.
