In Norse mythology , Sessrumnir ( Old Norse "seat-room" ^[1] or "seat-roomer" ^[2] ) is both the goddess Freyja 's hall located in Folkvangr , a field where Freyja receives half of those who die in battle ( Odin takes the other half to Valhalla ), and also the name of a ship . Both the hall and the ship are attested in the Prose Edda , written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson . Scholarly theories have been proposed regarding a potential relation between the hall and the ship.

Attestations [ edit ]

Sessrumnir is specifically referred to as a hall in chapter 24 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning . After describing Folkvangr , High tells Gangleri (described as king Gylfi in disguise) that Freyja has the hall Sessrumnir, and that "it is large and beautiful". ^[3]

Sessrumnir is secondly referred to in chapter 20 of the Prose Edda book Skaldskaparmal . In the chapter, means of referring to Freyja are given, including a reference to Sessrumnir: "possessor of the fallen slain and of Sessrumnir [...]". ^[4] Sessrumnir is referenced a third and final time within a list of ship names in chapter 75. ^[5]

Theories [ edit ]

Rudolf Simek theorizes that one of the two notions of Sessrumnir (as a ship or as a hall) may come from a misunderstanding, as the meaning of the name can be understood in both cases as "space with many or roomy seats." ^[6] In a 2012 paper, Joseph S. Hopkins and Haukur Þorgeirsson propose a connection between Folkvangr, Sessrumnir, and numerous stone ships found throughout Scandinavia. According to Hopkins and Haukur, Folkvangr and Sessrumir together paint an image of a ship and a field, which has broader implications and may connect Freyja to the "Isis" of the Suebi mentioned by Roman senator Tacitus in his first century Germania . ^[7]

See also [ edit ]

• Ran , a goddess and personification of the sea?the sea may be referred to as 'Ran's Hall'
• Valfreyja , a name appearing in a kenning Njals saga meaning 'lady of the slain' or 'Freyja of the slain'

Notes [ edit ]

References [ edit ]