- Auðumbla
Auðumbla (also spelled Auðumla, Auðhumbla or Auðhumla) is the
primeval cow ofNorse mythology . She is described in the "Gylfaginning " part ofSnorri Sturluson 'sProse Edda after the description ofGinnungagap andYmir .Auðumbla is not mentioned again in the Prose Edda and, apart from one mention in "
Nafnaþulur ", her name does not occur in any other ancient source. Nevertheless she is generally accepted by scholars as a genuine part of the Norse mythos and not dismissed as an invention of Snorri Sturluson.Auðumbla's name
Auðumbla's name appears in different variations in the manuscripts of the Prose Edda. Its meaning is unclear. The "auð"- prefix can be related to words meaning "wealth", "ease", "fate" or "emptiness", with "wealth" being, perhaps, the most likely candidate. The -"(h)um(b)la" suffix is unclear but, judging from apparent cognates in other
Germanic languages , could mean "polled cow". Another theory links it with the name "Ymir". The name may have been obscure and interpreted differently even in pagan times.The name can be represented or Anglicized as "Audumbla", "Audumla", "Audhumbla", "Audhumla", "Authumbla", "Authumla", "Authhumbla", "Authhumla", "Audhhumbla" or "Audhhumla".
Parallels
The Swedish scholar
Viktor Rydberg , writing in the late 19th century, drew a parallel between the Norsecreation myth s and accounts in Zoroastrian andVedic mythology , postulating a common Proto-Indo-European origin. While many of Rydberg's theories were dismissed as fanciful by later scholars his work oncomparative mythology was sound to a large extent. Zoroastrian mythology does have a primeval ox which is variously said to be male or female and comes into existence in the middle of the earth along with the primeval man.In
Egyptian mythology theMilky Way , personified as the cow goddessHathor , was seen to be a river of milk flowing from the udders of a heavenly cow. Hathor also has a role in Egyptian creation myths. Due to the large distance in time and space separating the Old Norse and Ancient Egyptian cultures a direct connection seems unlikely. Similar mythological themes may arise independently in different cultures.References
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