Þórs vagn

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Authors: Youla Azkarrula


Þórs vagn, painting by Jessica Gullberg for Stellarium.

Þórs vagn, the Thor’s chariot, 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

Þórs vagn (Thor’s chariot) is the chariot of the thunder god Thor, drawn by two goats (Sturluson 2017[1] p. 35). Thor, alongside Odin, was one of the principal deities in Old Norse mythology. Due to his strong connection to weather, he was crucial not only for seafaring but also for agriculture (Lorenz 1984[2] p. 308). The shape of a chariot formed by the brightest stars of the Big Dipper lends itself well to association with Thor’s chariot. The Rimtöl gloss also records the constellation under the name Karlvagn or “man’s chariot”.[3]

Identification

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

nothing known

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

Religion/ Tales/ Mythology

All HIP Stars within this constellation

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

References

  1. Sturluson, S. (2017) The Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Translated by K. Simrock. Bibliographically updated edition. Stuttgart: Reclam.
  2. Lorenz, G. (1984) Gylfaginning. Text, translation and commentary. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. (Texte zur Forschung, 48).
  3. Persson, J.R. (2017) Norse Constellations. ResearchGate. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15662.92483.
  4. Digitalis Solutions (website) on Norse