Guðmundr shared the same name with his father; Úlfhéðinn was added to the son's name to differentiate father from son.[1] According to some sources, Guðmundr Úlfhéðinn's son was Heiðrekr Úlfhamr.[3] However, in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks Guðmundr's son was Höfund, who married Hervor, and their sons were Angantýr and Heiðrekr. Saxo Grammaticus, in Gesta Danorum (VIII), referred to Guðmundr Ulfheðinn as Guthmundus, calling him a giant and the brother of Geruthus (Geirröðr).
He is sometimes given the epithet faxi, 'the one with a mane', i.e., a horse. This suggests a connection with the army of the dead who roam Norway at Yule, the Oskorei.[3]Otto Höfler, drawing on earlier theories of Nils Lid, argued that it was actually a word found in modern Norwegian dialect as both fax and faxe and referring to a kind of grass, and that it referred to the fertility symbol of the sheaf in Norwegian Yule celebrations.[4] According to Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, the Norwegians came to see Guðmundr as a god; Höfler argued that in both the wolf-form suggested by Úlfhéðinn and the horse-form suggested by faxi, Guðmundr was a death-demon and his death-horse the prototype of the death-horse Sleipnir portrayed on the Gotland picture stones.[5][3]
Ingemar Nordgren regards the first Guðmundr as "a cult-god" and his son, the Guðmundr of the sagas, as portraying him in theriomorphic form, and suggests that he is either an earlier fertility god who came to be identified with Óðinn and that Glæsisvellir was influenced by Valhalla, or that he is a local variant of a precursor of Óðinn.[6]
Guðmundr and the Lombards are said to have battled Helgi and Sinfjötli; it is Guðmundr who engages in the flyting with Sinfjötli from shore in Helgakviða Hundingsbana I. The latter are called the Ylfings, the 'wolf clan'. As Höfler noted, both armies are spoken of as animals, and Paulus Diaconus identifies the Lombards with mares with white bands around their legs symbolising fetters (they did in fact bind their legs with white bands).[7][8] Since Óðinn is patron of the Lombards, this is another Odinic connection.
Einar Ólafur Sveinsson thought Guðmundr was Irish in origin while Geirröðr was native Scandinavian.[9]
ReferencesEdit
^ abOtto Höfler, Kultische Geheimbünde der Germanen, volume 1, Frankfurt a. M.: Diesterweg, OCLC 459349888, p. 172. (in German)
^A History of Icelandic Literature, ed. Daisy Neijmann, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska, 2006, ISBN978-0-8032-3346-1, Sverrir Tómasson, "The Middle Ages: Old Icelandic Prose", p. 140.
^ abcIngemar Nordgren, The Well Spring of the Goths: About the Gothic Peoples in the Nordic Countries and on the Continent, New York: iUniverse, 2004, ISBN0-595-33648-5 (revised translation of Goterkällan: Goterna - Religion, Organisation, Struktur: om den Gotiska Etniciteten, dissertation Odense University, 1998), p. 69.
^"Celtic Elements in Icelandic Tradition, til Séamus Ó Duilearga á sextugsafmœli hans", Béaloides 25 (1957) 3-24, cited in Ásdís R. Magnúsdóttir, Quatre sagas légendaires d'Islande, Grenoble: ELLUG, 2002, ISBN2-84310-043-7, p. 12 (in French).
guðmundr, norse, ˈɡuðˌmundz, sometimes, anglicised, godmund, semi, legendary, norse, king, jotunheim, ruling, over, land, called, glæsisvellir, which, known, warrior, paradise, appears, following, legendary, sagas, bósa, saga, herrauðs, helga, þáttr, Þórissona. Gudmundr Old Norse ˈɡudˌmundz sometimes anglicised as Godmund was a semi legendary Norse king in Jotunheim ruling over a land called Glaesisvellir which was known as the warrior s paradise 1 Gudmundr appears in the following legendary sagas Bosa saga ok Herrauds Helga thattr THorissonar Hervarar saga ok Heidreks Norna Gests thattr THorsteins thattr baejarmagnsHe also appears in Saxo Grammaticus Gesta Danorum Book VIII and in Samsons saga fagra one of the chivalric sagas 2 Gudmundr shared the same name with his father Ulfhedinn was added to the son s name to differentiate father from son 1 According to some sources Gudmundr Ulfhedinn s son was Heidrekr Ulfhamr 3 However in Hervarar saga ok Heidreks Gudmundr s son was Hofund who married Hervor and their sons were Angantyr and Heidrekr Saxo Grammaticus in Gesta Danorum VIII referred to Gudmundr Ulfhedinn as Guthmundus calling him a giant and the brother of Geruthus Geirrodr He is sometimes given the epithet faxi the one with a mane i e a horse This suggests a connection with the army of the dead who roam Norway at Yule the Oskorei 3 Otto Hofler drawing on earlier theories of Nils Lid argued that it was actually a word found in modern Norwegian dialect as both fax and faxe and referring to a kind of grass and that it referred to the fertility symbol of the sheaf in Norwegian Yule celebrations 4 According to Hervarar saga ok Heidreks the Norwegians came to see Gudmundr as a god Hofler argued that in both the wolf form suggested by Ulfhedinn and the horse form suggested by faxi Gudmundr was a death demon and his death horse the prototype of the death horse Sleipnir portrayed on the Gotland picture stones 5 3 Ingemar Nordgren regards the first Gudmundr as a cult god and his son the Gudmundr of the sagas as portraying him in theriomorphic form and suggests that he is either an earlier fertility god who came to be identified with odinn and that Glaesisvellir was influenced by Valhalla or that he is a local variant of a precursor of odinn 6 Gudmundr and the Lombards are said to have battled Helgi and Sinfjotli it is Gudmundr who engages in the flyting with Sinfjotli from shore in Helgakvida Hundingsbana I The latter are called the Ylfings the wolf clan As Hofler noted both armies are spoken of as animals and Paulus Diaconus identifies the Lombards with mares with white bands around their legs symbolising fetters they did in fact bind their legs with white bands 7 8 Since odinn is patron of the Lombards this is another Odinic connection Einar olafur Sveinsson thought Gudmundr was Irish in origin while Geirrodr was native Scandinavian 9 References Edit a b Otto Hofler Kultische Geheimbunde der Germanen volume 1 Frankfurt a M Diesterweg OCLC 459349888 p 172 in German A History of Icelandic Literature ed Daisy Neijmann Lincoln Nebraska University of Nebraska 2006 ISBN 978 0 8032 3346 1 Sverrir Tomasson The Middle Ages Old Icelandic Prose p 140 a b c Ingemar Nordgren The Well Spring of the Goths About the Gothic Peoples in the Nordic Countries and on the Continent New York iUniverse 2004 ISBN 0 595 33648 5 revised translation of Goterkallan Goterna Religion Organisation Struktur om den Gotiska Etniciteten dissertation Odense University 1998 p 69 Hofler p 174 Hofler p 175 Nordgren pp 69 70 Hofler 186 Nordgren p 70 Celtic Elements in Icelandic Tradition til Seamus o Duilearga a sextugsafmœli hans Bealoides 25 1957 3 24 cited in Asdis R Magnusdottir Quatre sagas legendaires d Islande Grenoble ELLUG 2002 ISBN 2 84310 043 7 p 12 in French nbsp Mythology portal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gudmundr amp oldid 1146538210, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
