Hræsvelgr

In Norse mythology, Hræsvelgr (Old Norse "Corpse Swallower") is a giant who takes eagle form. According to stanza 37 of the poem Vafþrúðnismál from the Poetic Edda, he sits at the end of the world (or the northern edge of the heavens) and causes the wind to blow when he beats his wings in flight. This is repeated by Snorri in the Gylfaginning section of his Prose Edda.

Hræsvelgr's name is sometimes anglicised as Hraesvelgr, Hresvelgr, Hraesveglur, or Hraesvelg. The common Danish form is Ræsvelg and the common Swedish form is Räsvelg.

In popular culture

In Pokemon X and Y, the Pokemon "Yveltal" likely draws inspiration from Hræsvelgr, as it has a bird-like body and is called the "Destruction Pokemon", similar to Hræsvelgr's name of "Corpse Swallower".

References

• Faulkes, Anthony (transl.) (1987). Edda (Snorri Sturluson). Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
• Larrington, Carolyne (transl.) (1996). The Poetic Edda. Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 0-19-283946-2.

Further reading

• Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson (1998). "Hræsvelgr, the Wind-Giant, Reinterpreted" in A Piece of Horse Liver: Myth, Ritual and Folklore in Old Icelandic Sources. ISBN 978-9979-54-264-3.