Hræsvélgr

Authors: Youla Azkarrula

---

Hraesvelgr, painting by Jessica Gullberg for Stellarium.

Hraesvelgr, the eagle giant, 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

Hræsvélgr (Hraesvelgr) is the giant in eagle form sitting at the edge of the sky, generating wind through the beating of his wings (Sturluson 2017, p. 33). The Edda also mentions an eagle perched in Yggdrasil (Sturluson 2017, p. 30). The constellation’s shape and position on the Milky Way fit this model, and the eagle is visible in the early evening during autumn, assigning Hraesvelgr a role as a sign of autumnal storms.

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 Hraesvelgr (CC BY Jakob Eyermann).

References

• References (general)