Hermóðr

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hermóðr the Brave (Old Norse Hermóðr 'Courage-Battle') appears, in Norse mythology, clearly among the gods only in Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning where Hermóðr is the messenger sent by Odin to find out what ransom Hel would accept to return Baldr to Ásgarðr.

Hermóðr is there called "son" of Odin in most manuscripts, but in the Codex Regius version—the Codex Regius is normally considered the best manuscript—Hermóðr is called sveinn Óðins 'Odin's boy', which might mean Odin's son but in the context is as likely to mean Odin's servant. However Hermóðr in a later passage is called Baldr's brother and also appears as son of Odin in a list of Odin's sons. See Sons of Odin.

Hermóðr rode Odin's horse Sleipnir for nine nights though deep and dark valleys to the Gjöll bridge covered with shining gold, the bridge being guarded by the maiden Móðguðr 'Battle-frenzy' or 'Battle-tired'. Móðguðr told Hermóðr that Baldr had already crossed the bridge and that Hermóðr should ride downwards and northwards.

Upon coming to Hel's gate, Hermóðr dismounted, tightened Sleipnir's girth, mounted again, and spurred Sleipnir so that Sleipnir leapt entirely over the gate. So at last Hermóðr came to Hel's hall and saw Baldr seated in the most honorable seat. Hermóðr begged Hel to release Baldr, citing the great weeping for Baldr among the Æsir. Thereupon Hel announced that Baldr would only be released if all things, dead and alive, wept for him.

Baldr gave Hermóðr the ring Draupnir which had been burned with him on his pyre, to take back to Odin. Nanna gave a linen robe for Frigg along with other gifts and a finger-ring for Fulla. Thereupon Hermóðr returned to the upper world with his message.

The name Hermód seems to be applied to a mortal hero in the eddic poem Hyndluljóð (stanza 2):

The favor of Heerfather       seek we to find,
To his followers gold       he gladly gives;
To Hermód gave he       helm and mail-coat,
And to Sigmund he gave       a sword as gift.

Heerfather is a name for Odin.

In the skaldic poem Hákonarmál (stanza 14) Hermóðr and Bragi appear in Valhalla receiving Hákon the Good. It is not certain that either Hermóðr or Bragi is intended to be a god in this poem.

In the Old English poem Beowulf, Heremod is the name of a Danish king who was driven into exile and in Old English genealogies Heremod appears appropriately as one of the descendants of Sceaf and usually as the father of Scyld.

Accordingly it is debated whether Hermóðr might not have been the name of one or more ancient heroes or kings as well as the name of a god or whether the god mentioned by Snorri was in origin the same as an ancient hero or king named Hermóðr. In Beowulf Heremod is first mentioned by a bard immediately after the bard tells an episode from the life of the hero Sigmund and his nephew Fitela. In the Old Norse Eiríksmál it is Sigmund and his nephew Sinfjötli (= Fitela) who are sent to greet the dead King Eirík Bloodaxe and welcome him to Valhalla while in the Hákonarmál it is Bragi and Hermóðr who are sent to greet King Hákon the Good in the same situation, suggesting an equivalence between the two was seen. In the Hyndluljóð (stanza 2) Hermóðr and Sigmund are again paralleled:

To Hermód gave he       helm and mail-coat,
And to Sigmund he gave       a sword as gift.

That the apparently villainous Heremod of Beowulf could also be honored as a great hero is not as unusual as it may seem, though for a hero to outreach himself and die in shame is indeed more common in Greek mythology where, for example the hero Theseus of Athens, the greatest of the Athenian mythology heroes, was driven also into exile by his people and was murdered treacherously.

See also Heremod.

	Norse mythology
	List of Norse gods | Æsir | Vanir | Giants | Elves | Dwarves | Valkyries | Einherjar | Norns | Odin | Thor | Freyr | Freyja | Loki | Balder | Tyr | Yggdrasil | Ginnungagap | Ragnarök
	Sources: Poetic Edda | Prose Edda | The Sagas | Volsung Cycle | Tyrfing Cycle | Rune stones | Old Norse language | Orthography | Later influence
	Society: Viking Age | Skald | Kenning | Blót | Seid | Numbers
	The nine worlds of Norse mythology | People, places and things