- Hyrrokkin
In
Norse mythology , Hyrrokkin ("Fire-Smoked", possibly referring to a dark, shrivelled appearance. [Lindow, John (2001). "Norse Mythology".Oxford University Press . ISBN 0195153820.] ) is a giantess. She appears to be depicted on [http://web.telia.com/~u85906673/asar/hyrrok.html one of the surviving stones] from theHunnestad Monument near Marsvinsholm,Sweden called DR 284.It is told in
Snorri Sturluson 's "Gylfaginning " that atBaldr 's funeral his wife Nanna died of grief and was placed alongside him on hispyre , thus joining her husband in Hel.Hringhorni , Baldr's ship, was the largest of all such vessels and was to serve as the god's funeral ship. No one, however, could seem to launch the boat out to sea.The gods then enlisted the help of Hyrrokkin, who came from
Jötunheimr , arriving on a giant wolf with vipers as reins. When she dismounted,Odin summoned fourberserks to look after the animal but they were unable to control it without first rendering it unconscious. With her seismic strength, the giantess rolled the boat into the water. This caused the earth to quake and the rollers to set on fire, which angeredThor . He was about to kill Hyrrokkin with his hammerMjöllnir , but the other gods insisted that he spare her.
Contrary to this account of Thor's act of mercy, Hyrrokkin is mentioned in a list of giants and giantesses killed by him, as told byÞorbjörn dísarskáld in "Skáldskaparmál ".The poem "
Húsdrápa ", composed byÚlfr Uggason inIceland in the late10th century and partially preserved in the "Prose Edda ", refers to Hyrrokkin at Baldr's funeral::"The very powerful Hild of the mountains [giantess] [Hild or
Hildr in this context is simply akenning for "giantess" generally and Hyrrokkin specifically.] caused the sea-Sleipnir [ship] to lumber forward, but the wielders of the helmet flames [warriors] of Hropt [Odin] felled her mount."She is also mentioned in a list of troll women by an anonymous
skald ::Gjölp, Hyrrokkin,:Hengikepta,:Gneip ok Gnepja,:Geysa, Hála,:Hörn ok Hrúga,:Harðgreip, Forað,:Hryðja, Hveðra:ok Hölgabrúðr. [http://skaldic.arts.usyd.edu.au/db.php?table=verses&id=1105]References
*Faulkes, Anthony (transl.) (1987). "Edda" (Snorri Sturluson). Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3
Notes
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