Delling
Encyclopedia
Dellingr is a god
in Norse mythology
. Dellingr is attested in the Poetic Edda
, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in the Prose Edda
, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson
. In both sources, Dellingr is described as the father of Dagr
, the personified day
. The Prose Edda adds that he is the third husband of Nótt
, the personified night
. Dellingr is also attested in the legendary saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. Scholars have proposed that Dellingr is the personified dawn
, and his name may appear both in an English surname and place name.
and Hávamál
. In stanza 24 of Vafþrúðnismá, the god Odin
(disguised as "Gagnráðr") asks the jötunn Vafþrúðnir
from where the day comes, and the night and its tides. In stanza 25, Vafþrúðnir responds:
In Hávamál, the dwarf Þjóðrœrir is stated as having recited an unnamed spell "before Delling's doors":
In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál
, Svipdagr asks "What one of the gods has made so great the hall I behold within?" Fjölsviðr responds with a list of names, including Dellingr. In a stanza of the poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins
, the appearance of Dagr, horse, and chariot are described, and Dagr himself is referred to as "the son of Delling."
, the enthroned figure of High states that Dellingr is a god
and the third husband of Nótt. The couple have Dagr
, who carries the features of his "father's people", which are described as "bright and beautiful". Odin placed both Dellingr's son, Dagr, and Dellingr's wife, Nótt, in the sky, so that they may ride across it with their horses and chariots every 24 hours.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks employ the phrase "Delling's doors" (Old Norse Dellings durum) once each. As an example, in one stanza where the phrase is used Gestumblindi
(Odin
in disguise) poses the following riddle:
states that Dellingr is the assimilated form of Deglingr, which includes the name of Dellingr's son Dagr. Grimm adds that if the -ling likely refers to descent, and that due to this Dellingr may have been the "progenitor Dagr before him" or that the succession order has been reversed, which Grimm states often occurs in old genealogies. Benjamin Thorpe says that Dellingr may be dawn personified, similarly to his son Dagr, the personified day.
Regarding the references to "Delling's door" as used in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Christopher Tolkien
says that:
John Lindow
says that some confusion exists about the reference to Dellingr in Hávamál. Lindow says that "Dellingr's doors" may either be a metaphor for sunrise
or the reference may refer to the dwarf of the same name.
The English family name
Dallinger has been theorized as deriving from Dellingr. The English place name Dalbury
(south of Derbyshire
) derives from Dellingeberie, which itself derives from Dellingr.
Æsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
in Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
. Dellingr is attested in the Poetic Edda
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in the Prose Edda
Prose Edda
The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Nordic mythology...
, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
. In both sources, Dellingr is described as the father of Dagr
Dagr
In Norse mythology, Dagr is day personified. This personification appears in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
, the personified day
Day
A day is a unit of time, commonly defined as an interval equal to 24 hours. It also can mean that portion of the full day during which a location is illuminated by the light of the sun...
. The Prose Edda adds that he is the third husband of Nótt
Nótt
In Norse mythology, Nótt is night personified. In both the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Nótt is listed as the daughter of a figure by the name of Nörvi and is associated with the...
, the personified night
Night
Night or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. This occurs after dusk. The opposite of night is day...
. Dellingr is also attested in the legendary saga
Saga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. Scholars have proposed that Dellingr is the personified dawn
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
, and his name may appear both in an English surname and place name.
Poetic Edda
Dellingr is referenced in the Poetic Edda poems VafþrúðnismálVafþrúðnismál
In Norse mythology, Vafþrúðnismál is the third poem in the Poetic Edda. It is a conversation in verse form conducted initially between the Æsir Odin and Frigg, and subsequently between Odin and the giant Vafþrúðnir...
and Hávamál
Hávamál
Hávamál is presented as a single poem in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking age. The poem, itself a combination of different poems, is largely gnomic, presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom....
. In stanza 24 of Vafþrúðnismá, the god Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
(disguised as "Gagnráðr") asks the jötunn Vafþrúðnir
Vafþrúðnir
Vafþrúðnir is a wise jötunn in Norse mythology. In the Poetic Edda poem Vafþrúðnismál, Vafþrúðnir acts as both Odin's host and opponent in a deadly battle of wits, resulting in Vafþrúðnir's defeat....
from where the day comes, and the night and its tides. In stanza 25, Vafþrúðnir responds:
- Delling hight he who the day's father is, but
- night was of Nörvi born; the new and waning moons the
- beneficient powers created, to count the years for men.
In Hávamál, the dwarf Þjóðrœrir is stated as having recited an unnamed spell "before Delling's doors":
- For the fifteenth I know what the dwarf Thiodreyrir
- sang before Delling's doors.
- Strength he sang to the Æsir, and to the Alfar prosperity,
- wisdom to Hroptatyr.
In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál
Fjölsvinnsmál
Fjölsvinnsmál or The Sayings of Fjölsvinnr is the second of two Old Norse poems commonly published under the title Svipdagsmál "The Lay of Svipdagr". These poems are found together in several 17th century paper manuscripts with Fjölsvinnsmál...
, Svipdagr asks "What one of the gods has made so great the hall I behold within?" Fjölsviðr responds with a list of names, including Dellingr. In a stanza of the poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins
Hrafnagaldr Óðins
Hrafnagaldr Óðins or Forspjallsljóð is an Icelandic poem in the style of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved only in late paper manuscripts. In his influential 1867 edition of the Poetic Edda, Sophus Bugge reasoned that the poem was a 17th century work, composed as an introduction to Baldrs draumar...
, the appearance of Dagr, horse, and chariot are described, and Dagr himself is referred to as "the son of Delling."
Prose Edda
In chapter 10 of the Prose Edda book GylfaginningGylfaginning
Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
, the enthroned figure of High states that Dellingr is a god
Æsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
and the third husband of Nótt. The couple have Dagr
Dagr
In Norse mythology, Dagr is day personified. This personification appears in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
, who carries the features of his "father's people", which are described as "bright and beautiful". Odin placed both Dellingr's son, Dagr, and Dellingr's wife, Nótt, in the sky, so that they may ride across it with their horses and chariots every 24 hours.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks
Five riddles found in the poem Heiðreks gátur contained in the legendary sagaLegendary saga
A Legendary saga or Fornaldarsaga is a Norse saga that, unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place before the colonization of Iceland. There are some exceptions, such as Yngvars saga víðförla, which takes place in the 11th century...
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks employ the phrase "Delling's doors" (Old Norse Dellings durum) once each. As an example, in one stanza where the phrase is used Gestumblindi
Gestumblindi
Gestumblindi is a character in Norse mythology who appears in Hervarar saga and in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum as Gestiblindus. Later, he also appears in several Scandinavian folk tales as Gest Blinde.-Hervarar saga:...
(Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
in disguise) poses the following riddle:
- What strange marvel
- did I see without,
- in front of Delling's door;
- its head turning
- to Hel downward,
- but its feet ever seek the sun?
- This riddle ponder,
- O prince Heidrek
HeidrekHeidrek or Heiðrekr was one of the main characters in the cycle about the magic sword Tyrfing. He appears in the Hervarar saga, and probably also in Widsith, line 115, as Heathoric together with his sons Angantyr and Hlöð , and Hlöð's mother Sifka...
!
'Your riddle is good, Gestumblindi,' said the king; 'I have guessed it. It is the leekLeekThe leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
; its head is fast in the ground, but it forks as it grows up.'
Theories
Jacob GrimmJacob Grimm
Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was a German philologist, jurist and mythologist. He is best known as the discoverer of Grimm's Law, the author of the monumental Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie and, more popularly, as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy...
states that Dellingr is the assimilated form of Deglingr, which includes the name of Dellingr's son Dagr. Grimm adds that if the -ling likely refers to descent, and that due to this Dellingr may have been the "progenitor Dagr before him" or that the succession order has been reversed, which Grimm states often occurs in old genealogies. Benjamin Thorpe says that Dellingr may be dawn personified, similarly to his son Dagr, the personified day.
Regarding the references to "Delling's door" as used in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
says that:
- What this phrase meant to the maker of these riddles is impossible to say. In Hávamál 160 it is said that the dwarf Thjódrørir sang before Delling's doors, which (in view of the fact that Delling is the father of Dag (Day) in Vafþrúðnismál 25) may mean that he gave warning to his people that the sun was coming up, and they must return to their dark houses; the phrase would then virtually mean 'at sunrise.' As regarding dǫglings for Dellings in H, and Dǫglingar were the descendants of Dagr (according to SnE
Prose EddaThe Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Nordic mythology...
. 183).
John Lindow
John Lindow
John Lindow is a professor specializing in Scandinavian medieval studies and folklore at the University of California, Berkeley and author. Lindow's works include Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Rituals, and Beliefs, a handbook for Norse mythology...
says that some confusion exists about the reference to Dellingr in Hávamál. Lindow says that "Dellingr's doors" may either be a metaphor for sunrise
Sunrise
Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight...
or the reference may refer to the dwarf of the same name.
The English family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
Dallinger has been theorized as deriving from Dellingr. The English place name Dalbury
Dalbury Lees
Dalbury Lees is a parish in south Derbyshire. It is about six miles from both Burton-on-Trent and Derby and just under four miles from Egginton. The parish contains the villages of Dalbury and Lees which are just under apart from one another...
(south of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
) derives from Dellingeberie, which itself derives from Dellingr.