- Sinthgunt
Sinthgunt is a figure in
Germanic mythology , attested solely in theOld High German 9th or 10th century "horse cure" Merseburg Incantation. In the incantation, Sinthgunt is referred to as the sister of the personified sun, Sunna (whose name is alliterative to "Sinthgunt"Orchard (1997:112).] ), and the two sisters are cited as both producing charms to heal Phol's horse, a figure also otherwise unattested. The two are then followed by "Friia" and "Uolla", also alliterative and stated as sisters. As Sinthgunt is otherwise unattested, her significance is otherwise unknown, but an amount of scholarly theories exist about her role in Germanic mythology based on proposed etymologies, and the potential significance of her placement within the incantation.Etymology
The etymology of "Sinthgunt" is unclear. Within the original manuscript, "Sinthgunt" is spelled "Sinhtgunt" (emphasis added). Sticking directly to this reading has yielded interpretations such as "the night-walking one". As a result of the paring with Sunna, the personified sun, this etymology has been interpreted as a reference to the
moon . However, this reading has yielded problems; the moon in Germanic mythology is considered masculine, examplified in the personification of the moon inNorse mythology ,Máni , a male figure. Interpretations from the amended "Sinthgunt" have resulted in readings such as "the one moving into battle" or "heavenly body, star".Simek (2007:285-286).]Placement
The figures
Fulla ("Uolla") andFrigg ("Friia") are attested together in later Old Norse sources (though not as sisters), and theories have been proposed that the Fulla may at one time have been an aspect of Frigg. As a result, this notion has resulted in theory that a similar situation may have existed between the figures of Sinthgunt and Sól, in that the two may have been understood as aspects of one another rather than entirely separate figures.Bostock (1976:29).]Notes
References
* Bostock, John Knight. King, Charles Kenneth. McLintock, D. R. (1976). "A Handbook on Old High German Literature".
Oxford University Press . ISBN 0198153929
* Orchard, Andy (1997). "Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend".Cassell . ISBN 0 304 34520 2
* Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. "Dictionary of Northern Mythology". D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0859915131
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
