Divine figures in Norse mythology
Þorgerðr Holgabruðr
(
Thorgerdr Holgabrudr
) and
Irpa
are divine figures in
Norse mythology
. They appear together in
Jomsvikinga saga
,
Njals saga
, and
Þorleifs þattr jarlsskalds
. Irpa's name does not appear outside of these four attestations, but Þorgerðr also appears in the
Prose Edda
book
Skaldskaparmal
,
Færeyinga saga
, and
Harðar saga ok Holmverja
and is mentioned in
Ketils saga hœngs
.
Þorgerðr Holgabruðr is particularly associated with
Haakon Sigurdsson
(d. 995), and, in
Jomsvikinga saga
and
Þorleifs þattr jarlsskalds
, Þorgerðr and Irpa are described as sisters. The roles of the Þorgerðr Holgabruðr and Irpa in these sources and the implications of their names has been the topic of some scholarly discourse and conjecture.
Etymology
[
edit
]
The name
Þorgerðr Holgabruðr
(or
H?lgabruðr
) is
Old Norse
and literally means "Þorgerðr, Holgi's bride".
[1]
According to
Skaldskaparmal
chapter 42, Holgi (a traditional
eponym
of the northernmost
Norwegian
province
Halogaland
) is also Þorgerðr's father.
[1]
The first name
Þorgerðr
is a compound of two names: the god name
Þor (Thor)
and
gerðr
? the latter name meaning "fenced in".
[2]
The figure's second name sometimes appears in sources featuring
-
bruðr
replaced with
-troll
, and, in place of
Holg-
, the prefixes
Horða-
,
Horga-
, and
Holda-
also appear.
[1]
It has been suggested that name
Þorgerðr
derives from the name of the
jotunn
Gerðr
, as Þorgerðr is also described at times as a troll or giantess.
[1]
Alternatively,
Gerðr
may simply be an abbreviated version of the name
Þorgerðr.
[3]
Þorgerðr is referred to as
Gerðr
in
Tindr Hallkelsson
's 10th century
drapa
on Haakon, quoted in chapter 43 of
Olafs saga Tryggvasonar
, found in the
Heimskringla
.
John McKinnell states that the name of Þorgerðr's father is probably a later addition used to explain the origins of the name of Halogaland, and that "Holgabruðr" probably means "bride of the (rulers of) Halogaland" and that Horðabruðr, similarly, may mean "bride of the (rulers of) Horðaland".
[4]
Horgabruðr
as "bride of the
heathen
shrines", and
holdabruðr
as either "bride of the people of Holde" or "bride of noblemen".
[4]
McKinnell says that the variety of stories and names suggest that the tradition of Þorgerðr Holgabruðr was wide spread, and that she was venerated in more than one area.
[4]
The name
Irpa
may derive from the Old Norse term
jarpr
"dark brown", which has led to a number of theories about the goddess.
[5]
Jarpr
is derived from the earlier
Proto-Germanic
word *
erpaz
.
[6]
Attestations
[
edit
]
Þorgerðr and/or Irpa are attested in the following works:
Jomsvikinga saga
[
edit
]
Irpa appears in chapter 21 of the
Jomsvikinga saga
, which focuses on the late 10th century
Battle of Hjorungavagr
between the fleet of the
Jomsvikings
under
Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson
and the fleet of Haakon Sigurdsson and
Sweyn Haakonsson
. Haakon calls a meeting during a lull in the fighting, and says that he feels that the tide of the battle is going against his allies and him. Haakon then goes to an island called Primsigned, north of Hjorunga Bay.
[7]
On the island, Haakon falls to his knees, and, while looking northward,
prays
to what is described as his patron goddess, Þorgerðr Holgabruðr. According to the saga, Þorgerðr repeatedly refuses his offers, but finally accepts the
blot
of his 7-year-old son. Haakon's slave, Skopti, slaughters the boy.
[8]
Haakon returns to his fleet and presses his men to engage in an attack, and commends his men to ("Þorgerðr" is here anglicized as "Thorgerd"):
Press the attack all the more vigorously, because I have invoked for victory both the sisters, Thorgerd and Irpa.
[9]
Haakon enters his ship, the fleet rows forward for the attack, and battle ensues. The weather becomes thick in the north, the clouds cover the sky, daylight becomes sparse, thunder and lightning ring out, and it begins to rain. The Jomvikings fleet fights facing the storm and cold, and they have trouble standing due to the heavy wind. The Jomsvikings throw weapons, missiles, and stones at Haakon's fleet but the winds turn their projectiles back at them.
[9]
Havard the Hewing, in the fleet of Haakon, first spots Þorgerðr there and then many others see her. The wind wanes and the men witness arrows flying from the fingertips of Þorgerðr, each arrow killing a man of the Jomsviking fleet. The Jomsvikings tell Sigvaldi that although they are no longer fighting men alone, they will still do their best.
[9]
The storm lessens again and once again Haakon invokes Þorgerðr. The saga describes this attack:
And then it grew dark again with a
squall
, this time even stronger and worse than before. And right at the beginning of the squall Havard the Hewing saw that two women were standing on the earl's ship, and both were doing the same thing that Thorgerd had done before.
[10]
Sigvaldi tells his men to retreat, and reasons that this is not what he vowed to fight, especially since there are now two women, whom he refers to as "ogresses" and "trolls". After the Jomvikings' fleet has been defeated, Haakon's men weigh the
hailstones
that had fallen during the storm, to detect "what power" Þorgerðr and Irpa had, and they find that the hailstones weigh an
ounce
each.
[11]
Njals saga
[
edit
]
Þorgerðr and Irpa are again mentioned together in chapter 88 of
Njals saga
, set in the 10th and 11th centuries. Here, Hrapp breaks into the temple owned by Haakon and Gudbrand while Haakon is at a feast at Gudbrand's home. Hrapp plunders a seated depiction of Þorgerðr; he takes a large gold ring from her plus the linen hood she is wearing. Next, Hrapp spots a depiction of
Thor
and Thor's
wain
. He takes a gold ring from the depiction of Thor too, and, thirdly, he takes a ring from a depiction of Irpa there. Hrapp takes all of the images from the temple, strips them of their items, and then burns the temple until leaving at dawn.
[12]
Skaldskaparmal
[
edit
]
Þorgerðr is mentioned in the
Prose Edda
book
Skaldskaparmal
. Here, Halogaland is described as named after king Holgi, and that he was Þorgerðr's father. According to
Skaldskaparmal
,
blot
were made to them both that included money, and a
tumulus
was made for Holgi that was built with layers of gold and silver, then covered by a layer of earth and stone.
[13]
Later in
Skaldskaparmal
, a list of "troll-wives" is given that includes Holgabruðr.
[14]
Færeyinga Saga
[
edit
]
In chapter 23 of
Færeyinga Saga
, Haakon asks Sigmund where he puts his trust. Sigmund responds that he puts his trust nowhere but with himself. Haakon responds:
"That must not be," the Earl [Haakon] answered, "but thou shalt put thy trust where I have put all my trust, namely, in Thorgerd Shinebright," said he. "And we will go and see her now and seek luck for thee at her hands."
[15]
The two then follow a small path through the woods until they come to a house with a stake fence around it. The house is described as beautiful, featuring carvings filled with gold and silver. They enter the house with a few men, and find that it is lit from glass windows in the ceiling, so that the daylight illuminates the room and there are no shadows to be seen due to this. There were depictions of many gods there and a woman who is described as well dressed near the door.
[15]
The saga relates that Haakon throws himself to the ground before the woman for some time. When he gets up, he tells Sigmund that they should give her an offering, that they ought to lay silver on the stool before her. Haakon says:
And we shall have it as a mark of what she thinks of this, if she will do as I wish and let the ring loose which holds in her hand. For thou, Sigmund, shalt get luck by that ring.
[15]
Haakon takes hold of the ring, and, seemingly to Sigmund, she clasps her hand around it. Haakon does not receive the ring. Haakon casts himself down before her a second time, and Sigmund notices that Haakon is weeping. He stands up again, takes hold of the ring, and finds that it has become loose. Haakon gives the ring to Sigmund, and tells him that he must never part with it. Sigmund gives him his word on it and the men part, each returning to their ships. A storm appears and the two ships are swept apart, and many days are described as passing afterwards.
[15]
Harðar saga ok Holmverja
[
edit
]
In chapter 19 of the saga
Harðar saga ok Holmverja
, Grimkell Bjarnarson, a
goði
closely related to Haakon, goes to the temple (Old Norse
hof
) of Þorgerðr Horgabruðr to ask for a successful marriage for his daughter. When he arrives, the gods are preparing to leave. After an angry exchange with Þorgerðr, who tells him he does not have long to live, Grimkell burns down the
hof
with all the gods in it. Later that evening, Grimkell suddenly falls dead at dinner.
[16]
Ketils saga hœngs
[
edit
]
In chapter 5 of
Ketils saga hœngs
, Ketill encounters a troll-woman in the forest. The troll-woman tells him she is traveling to a
trolla-
þing
?an assembly of trolls. Among the major figures who will be present, she continues, are Skelkingr, the king of the trolls, and Þorgerðr Horgatroll.
[17]
Þorleifs þattr jarlsskalds
[
edit
]
In
Þorleifs þattr jarlsskalds
,
Þorleifr Asgeirsson
, known as
jarlsskald
("the
Jarl's
skald
"), recites an abusive and magically aggressive poem in Earl Haakon's hall. In chapter 7 (chapter 173 of
Olafs saga Tryggvasonar
), Haakon recovers from his injuries and offers gifts to Þorgerðr Hordabruðr and her sister Irpa, seeking their counsel on how best to take vengeance on Þorleifr. Following their advice, Haakon has a wooden man (Old Norse
tremaðr
) built out of driftwood and endows it with a human heart. Haakon and the two sisters then bring the
tremaðr
to life, arm him with a
halberd
, and send him to Iceland to kill Þorleifr, which he does.
[18]
Theories
[
edit
]
A number of theories surround the figures of Þorgerðr and Irpa:
[19]
Guardian goddesses
[
edit
]
Hilda Ellis Davidson
counts Þorgerðr and Irpa as examples of
guardian goddesses
in
Germanic paganism
, and compares their roles to that of the
disir
and
valkyries
.
[20]
Davidson says that if Helgi is the mythical founder of Halogaland, it would explain Þorgerðr's last name ("bride of Helgi") and that, subsequently, she would be the
wife of each ruler
of the kingdom in turn.
[20]
Substantially the same argument has been advanced by McKinnell.
[21]
Davidson compares this role to accounts of kings or leaders being granted entry into
Valhalla
in the
Viking Age
, that the idea of a guardian goddess welcoming kings was essentially an aristocratic concept, and that a tradition such as this could explain noble valkyries welcoming dead kings into the after life, using the poem
Hakonarmal
as an example.
[20]
Þorgerðr and Freyja
[
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]
Davidson further theorizes that Þorgerðr's name may have originally been Gerðr, reasons that this form is what is found in early
skaldic verse
, and, further, that this is one of the names given for the goddess
Freyja
.
[20]
Davidson points out that Haakon may have later turned to the same goddess soon before he met his death, when he hid in the earth beneath a
swine
in
Olafs saga Tryggvasonar
(collected in
Heimskringla
) chapter 48, and that this could symbolize a mound of Freyja, one of whose names means "sow" (Old Norse
syr
).
[20]
Davidson theorizes that the account of
Olaf I of Norway
dragging Þorgerðr's image out of its temple after Haakon's death, and burning it next to a depiction of
Freyr
(Freyja's male twin), further supports this view.
[20]
Irpa
[
edit
]
Irpa has been proposed as an
earth goddess
due to the derivation of her name to a word for "dark brown",
[22]
but F.R. Schroder has expressed criticism at the notion of concluding that Irpa is an earth goddess based on this evidence.
[5]
John McKinnell proposes that the Irpa may represent a "dark" aspect of Þorgerðr, in that her name may mean "swarthy", and that the two were probably of contrasting appearance; Irpa being unlucky to name and seen as a
troll
.
[4]
McKinnell further proposes a connection between Irpa and
Hel
, stating that the two may have been seen as synonymous.
[4]
Miscellaneous theories
[
edit
]
Nora Chadwick (1950) suggested that mythical legends of Þorgerðr and Irpa have become confused and intertwined with historical accounts of Haakon's wife Þora and her sister, Guðrun;
[23]
and that the figure of the shieldmaiden
Lagertha
in the
Gesta
may also be an aspect of Þorgerðr.
[24]
Lotte Motz
(1993) proposed that Þorgerðr was a rare instance of a giantess who was the recipient of cultic worship in her own right in heathen Scandinavia.
[25]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Simek (2007) pp 326-327.
- ^
Orchard (1997) p 54.
- ^
Chadwick (1950) pp 400-401.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
McKinnell (2005) pp 84-85.
- ^
a
b
Simek (2007) p 176.
- ^
Hellquist (1922) p 286.
- ^
Hollander (1955) p 94. The location of the island is described as being north of a
skerry
in the center of Hjorunga Bay. South of the skerry lies the island of Horund.
- ^
Hollander (1955) p 100.
- ^
a
b
c
Hollander (1955) p 101.
- ^
Hollander (1955) p 102.
- ^
Hollander (1955) p 104.
- ^
Hollander (1997) p 171.
- ^
Faulkes (1995) p 112.
- ^
Faulkes (1995) p 75.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Powell (1896) p 31.
- ^
Kellogg (1997) pp 214-215.
- ^
Chadwick (1950) p 397.
- ^
Jesch (1997) pp 365-368.
- ^
For a useful summary of existing scholarship and theories concerning Þorgerðr, see Røthe (2006).
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Davidson (1998) pp 177?178.
- ^
McKinnell (2002) p 268: "All the variants of Þorgerðr's name make sense if we take it that she was regarded as the jarl's sexual partner, and that the separate name
H?lgi
applied to him or to any of his dead predecessors."
- ^
Simek (2007) p 327.
- ^
Chadwick (1950) p 408.
- ^
Chadwick (1950) p 414.
- ^
Motz (1993) p 78: “From a local daimon she has turned into a national deity.”
References
[
edit
]
- Chadwick, Nora K. (1950). "Thorgerðr Holgabruðr and the Trolla Þing: A Note on Sources," in
The Early Cultures of North-West Europe
, Cyril Fox & Bruce Dickins, eds. Cambridge Univ. Press, LCCN 51001760; pp. 397?417.
- Davidson, Hilda Ellis
(1998, 2002).
Roles of the Northern Goddess
.
Routledge
,
ISBN
0-415-13611-3
- Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995).
Edda
.
Everyman
.
ISBN
0-460-87616-3
- Hellquist, E. (1922).
Svensk etymologisk ordbok
. C. W. K. Gleerups forlag, Lund.
- Hollander, Lee
, (trans.) (1955).
The Saga of the Jomsvikings
.
University of Texas Press
ISBN
0-292-77623-3
- Hollander, Lee
(trans.) (1997).
Njal's Saga
. Wordsworth Editions
ISBN
1-85326-785-6
- Jesch, Judith (trans.) (1997).
The Tale of Thorleif, the Earl’s Poet
, in
The Complete Sagas of Icelanders
, Viðar Hreinsson, gen. ed. Leifur Eiriksson,
ISBN
9979-9293-1-6
, I, pp 362?369.
- Kellogg, Robert (trans.) (1997).
The Saga of Hord and the People of Holm
, in
The Complete Sagas of Icelanders
, Viðar Hreinsson, gen. ed. Leifur Eiriksson,
ISBN
9979-9293-2-4
, II, pp 193?236.
- McKinnell, John (2002). "Þorgerðr Holgabruðr and
Hyndluljoð
," in
Mythological Women: Studies in Memory of Lotte Motz (1922-1997)
, Rudolf Simek & Wilhelm Heizmann, eds. Wien: Fassbaender,
ISBN
3-900538-73-5
; pp. 265?290.
- McKinnell, John (2005).
Meeting the Other in Norse Myth in Legends
. D.S. Brewer.
ISBN
1-84384-042-1
.
- Motz, Lotte (1993). The Beauty and the Hag: Female Figures of Germanic Faith and Myth. Wien: Fassbaender,
ISBN
3-900538-40-9
, pp. 75?84.
- Orchard, Andy (1997).
Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend
.
Cassell
.
ISBN
0-304-34520-2
- Powell, Frederick York (trans.) (1896).
The Tale of Thrond of Gate: Commonly Called Færeyinga Saga
. D. Nutt.
- Røthe, Gunnhild (2006). "
The Fictitious Figure of Þorgerðr Holgabruðr in the Saga Tradition
," in
Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Saga Conference, Durham and York, 6?12 August 2006
.
- Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall.
Dictionary of Northern Mythology
.
D.S. Brewer
ISBN
0-85991-513-1
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