![]() In Norse mythology, Odin is described as a god who is close to being all-knowing and all-seeing. ![]() Read More: How Odin lost one of his eyes in the pursuit of knowledge Odin’s way of staying abreast of the issues taking place in Midgard Odin would then use the information received to develop war strategies against creatures and beasts that sought out to do serious harm on Asgard, the home of the Norse gods. These ravens would report to Odin whatever they saw and heard in those realms. In some regard, Hugin and Munin more or less acted like spies for the all father god. Therefore, having creatures like Hugin and Munin came in very handy, as Odin would send those birds out every day to gather information across the Nine Realms. Take the examples of Odin and Heimdallr – two gods who sacrificed a part of their bodies to drink from Mimir’s well of wisdom. Therefore, boosting one’s stockpile of knowledge seemed like a reasonably logical thing to do in order to avert the impeding doom (i.e. The gods in Norse mythology have this constant fear of the events of a bleak future, a future where many of the gods are doomed to perish. Time and time again, we see many characters in the pantheon going to great lengths to enhance their wisdom and knowledge. Similar to the world we have today that thrives on information and knowledge, the Norse world also valued knowledge. We begin by exploring the importance of Hugin and Munin in Norse mythology. Instead, Simek connects Huginn and Muninn with wider raven symbolism in the Germanic world, including the Raven Banner (described in English chronicles and Scandinavian sagas), a banner which was woven in a method that allowed it, when fluttering in the wind, to appear as if the raven depicted upon it was beating its wings.A plate from a Vendel era helmet featuring a figure riding a horse, holding a spear and shield, and confronted by a serpent. Rudolf Simek is critical of the approach, stating that "attempts have been made to interpret Odin's ravens as a personification of the god's intellectual powers, but this can only be assumed from the names Huginn and Muninn themselves which were unlikely to have been invented much before the 9th or 10th centuries" yet that the two ravens, as Odin's companions, appear to derive from much earlier times. However, Rudolf Simek has an entirely different point to make, saying that the names of the ravens were only used in later times: Winterbourne states that “ The shaman’s journey through the different parts of the cosmos is symbolized by the hamingja concept of the shape-shifting soul, and gains another symbolic dimension for the Norse soul in the account of Oðin’s ravens, Huginn and Muninn.” It’s often claimed that Munin’s name means “Memory,” but for this to be so, it would have to be derived from minni, “memory,” rather than munr, “desire.” The latter, however, is by far the more parsimonious derivation if the former were the case, we should expect Munin’s Old Norse name to have been something like “Minninn” rather than “Muninn.” Moreover, the above verse from the Grímnismál makes much more sense if Munin’s name means “Desire” rather than “Memory”.Īnother possible explanation is the following, which is similar to first one:Īnthony Winterbourne connects Huginn and Muninn to the Norse concepts of the fylgja-a concept with three characteristics shape-shifting abilities, good fortune, and the guardian spirit-and the hamingja-the ghostly double of a person that may appear in the form of an animal. However, it is implied the name of one of the ravens is mistranslated: The Well of Remembrance by Ralph Metzner, Shambala, Boston, 1994 This poem expresses the shaman's fear of his loss of magical powers. In the Norse shamanic tradition, Odin's ravens represent the powers of necromancy, clairvoyance and telepathy, and they were guides for the dead. The meaning of those two ravens is not 100% answered, yet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |