Himinhjǫrð

Authors: Youla Azkarrula

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Himinhjǫrð, painting by Jessica Gullberg for Stellarium.

Himinhjǫrð, ox’s head, 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

Himinhjǫrð (ox’s head) is the largest ox in Hymir’s herd, which Thor beheads to use as bait for fishing the Midgard Serpent (Sturluson 2017, p. 65). The bright star Procyon, situated between Thor and the Midgard Serpent, provides a suitable reference point.

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 Himinhjǫrð (CC BY Jakob Eyermann).

References

• References (general)