Göndul
Encyclopedia
In Norse mythology
, Göndul (Old Norse
"wand
-wielder") is a valkyrie
. Göndul is attested in Heimskringla
, Sörla þáttr
, and a 14th century Norwegian charm. In addition, Göndul appears within the valkyrie list in the Poetic Edda
poem Völuspá
, in both of the two Nafnaþulur
lists found in the Prose Edda
, and among the valkyries listed in Darraðarljóð
.
, Odin
sends forth the two valkyries Göndul and Skögul
to "choose among the kings' kinsmen" and decide who in battle should dwell with Odin in Valhalla
. A battle rages with great slaughter, and part of the description employs the kenning "Skögul's-stormblast" for "battle". Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that "groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads." Haakon hears "what the valkyries said," and the valkyries are described as sitting "high-hearted on horseback," wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them. A brief exchange follows between Haakon and the valkyrie Skögul:
Skögul says that they shall now ride forth to the "green homes of the godheads" to tell Odin the king will come to Valhalla. The poem continues, and Haakon becomes a part of the Einherjar in Valhalla, awaiting to do battle with the monstrous wolf Fenrir.
, a short late 14th century narrative from a later and extended version of the Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar
found in the Flateyjarbók
manuscript, a figure by the name of Göndul appears and instigates the meeting of the kings Hedinn of Serkland
and Hogni of Denmark
and, by means of seduction and a memory-altering drought, provokes a war between the two.
In the work (chapter 5), Hedinn and his household enter a wood in his realm. Hedinn is separated from his men and enters a clearing. He sees a tall, beautiful woman sitting on a chair, and he asks her what her name is, and the woman replies that her name is Göndul. The two talk, and she asks him of his great deeds. He tells her of his deeds and asks her if she knows of any king who is his equal in accomplishments and stature. She says that she knows of one named Hogni of Denmark
, who also rules over no less than twenty kings. Hogni says that they two must compete to find which is better. Göndul comments that Hogni should now go back to his men, for they are searching for him:
In chapter 6, Hedinn travels with his men to meet Hogni in Denmark and there the two test their skills in swimming, archery, fencing and by other means and find their skills to be evenly matched. The two make an oath of brotherhood and halve all their possessions between themselves. Hogni soon leaves to go warring and Hedinn stays behind to guard their combined realm. On a day with beautiful weather, Hedinn goes for a walk in the woods and, like back in Serkland, loses his men and finds himself in an open meadow. In the lawn sits the same woman, Göndul, in the same chair, and yet she seems more beautiful than before. His heart years for her. In her hand she holds a drinking horn
, shut with a lid, and she tells the king to drink. Hedinn is thirsty from the heat, and drinks from the horn. The drink causes Hedinn to forget his oath of brotherood with Hogni.
Göndul asks if Hedinn has tried his prowess against that of Hogni, as she had suggested. Hedinn says that he has done this and that, indeed, they found themselves to be equal. Göndul says that he is mistaken, they are not equal at all. Hogni asks her what she means, and she responds that he no bride, yet Hogni has a noble wife. Hogni says that he will marry Hedinn's daughter Hildr
, and that Hogni surely approve. Goöndul replies that it would be more glorious for Hedinn to take Hildr and to slay Hogni's bride, specifically by placing her on a ship and then to kill her before launching it. Influenced by the drought he drank, Hedinn leaves with only this plan in mind.
After Hedinn has executed the plan as Göndul suggested, he returns alone to the wood in Serkland and again sees Göndul sitting in the same chair. The two greet one another and Hedinn tells her that he has completed the plot. With this she is pleased. She again gives him the horn, from which he again drinks, yet this time he falls asleep in her lap. Göndul draws away from his head and says "Now hallow
I thee, and give thee to lie under all those spells and the weird
that Odin commanded, thee and Hogni, and all the hosts of you."
Hedinn wakes up and sees the ghostly shadow of Göndul. She has become black and huge, and he remembers everything. Great woe comes over him.
in Bergen, Norway held in 1324 resulted in the recording of a spell used by the witch Ragnhild Tregagás
to end the marriage of her former lover, a man named Bárd. The charm contains a mention of Göndul being "sent out":
says that the name Göndul is etymologically
rooted in Old Norse
gandr (meaning "magic, magic wand"), yet in the Norwegian 'Göndul charm' it appears to mean "magical animal; werewolf
?", and that, whatever the case, the name "awakens magical associations which certainly are connected with the function of the Valkyries as directors of human fate."
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...
, Göndul (Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
"wand
Wand
A wand is a thin, straight, hand-held stick of wood, stone, ivory, or metal. Generally, in modern language, wands are ceremonial and/or have associations with magic but there have been other uses, all stemming from the original meaning as a synonym of rod and virge, both of which had a similar...
-wielder") is a valkyrie
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who decides who dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle , the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin...
. Göndul is attested in Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, Sörla þáttr
Sörla þáttr
Sörla þáttr is a short narrative from a later and extended version of the Saga of Olaf Tryggvason found in the Flateyjarbók manuscript, which was written and compiled by two Christian priests, Jon Thordson and Magnus Thorhalson, in the late 14th century.The narrative begins 24 years after the death...
, and a 14th century Norwegian charm. In addition, Göndul appears within the valkyrie list 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...
poem Völuspá
Völuspá
Völuspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end related by a völva addressing Odin...
, in both of the two Nafnaþulur
Nafnaþulur
Nafnaþulur is a subsection of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the last part of the Skáldskaparmál. It is a listing in verse of names that may be used in poetry for various items, such as gods, giants, people, animals, and weapons...
lists found 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...
, and among the valkyries listed in Darraðarljóð
Darraðarljóð
Darraðarljóð is a skaldic poem in Old Norse found in chapter 156 of Njáls saga. The song consists of 11 stanzas, and within it twelve valkyries weave and choose who is to be slain at the Battle of Clontarf . Of the twelve valkyries weaving, six of their names are given: Hildr, Hjörþrimul,...
.
Heimskringla
In HákonarmálHákonarmál
Hákonarmál is a skaldic poem which the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir composed about the fall of the Norwegian king Hákon the Good at the battle of Fitjar and his reception in Valhalla. This poem emulates Eiríksmál and is intended to depict the Christian Hákon as a friend to the pagan gods...
, 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"....
sends forth the two valkyries Göndul and Skögul
Skögul
In Norse mythology, Skögul and Geirskögul are valkyries who alternately appear as separate or individual figures...
to "choose among the kings' kinsmen" and decide who in battle should dwell with Odin in Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
. A battle rages with great slaughter, and part of the description employs the kenning "Skögul's-stormblast" for "battle". Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that "groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads." Haakon hears "what the valkyries said," and the valkyries are described as sitting "high-hearted on horseback," wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them. A brief exchange follows between Haakon and the valkyrie Skögul:
- Hákon said:
- "Why didst Geirskogul grudge us victory?
- though worthy we were for the gods to grant it?"
- Skogul said:
- "'Tis owing to us that the issue was won
- and your foemen fled."
Skögul says that they shall now ride forth to the "green homes of the godheads" to tell Odin the king will come to Valhalla. The poem continues, and Haakon becomes a part of the Einherjar in Valhalla, awaiting to do battle with the monstrous wolf Fenrir.
Sörla þáttr
In Sörla þáttrSörla þáttr
Sörla þáttr is a short narrative from a later and extended version of the Saga of Olaf Tryggvason found in the Flateyjarbók manuscript, which was written and compiled by two Christian priests, Jon Thordson and Magnus Thorhalson, in the late 14th century.The narrative begins 24 years after the death...
, a short late 14th century narrative from a later and extended version of the Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar
Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar
Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar or the Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason can refer to several different kings' sagas.* Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar by Oddr Snorrason* Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar by Gunnlaugr Leifsson...
found in the Flateyjarbók
Flateyjarbók
The Flatey Book, is an important medieval Icelandic manuscript. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name Codex Flateyensis.- Description :...
manuscript, a figure by the name of Göndul appears and instigates the meeting of the kings Hedinn of Serkland
Serkland
In Old Norse sources, such as sagas and runestones, Særkland or Serkland was the name of the Abbasid Caliphate and probably some neighbouring Muslim regions....
and Hogni of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and, by means of seduction and a memory-altering drought, provokes a war between the two.
In the work (chapter 5), Hedinn and his household enter a wood in his realm. Hedinn is separated from his men and enters a clearing. He sees a tall, beautiful woman sitting on a chair, and he asks her what her name is, and the woman replies that her name is Göndul. The two talk, and she asks him of his great deeds. He tells her of his deeds and asks her if she knows of any king who is his equal in accomplishments and stature. She says that she knows of one named Hogni of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, who also rules over no less than twenty kings. Hogni says that they two must compete to find which is better. Göndul comments that Hogni should now go back to his men, for they are searching for him:
- "Then whot I," said Hedinn, "that we shall try it which of us twain is foremost."
- "Now will it be time for thee to go to thy men," said Gondul; "they will be seeking thee."
In chapter 6, Hedinn travels with his men to meet Hogni in Denmark and there the two test their skills in swimming, archery, fencing and by other means and find their skills to be evenly matched. The two make an oath of brotherhood and halve all their possessions between themselves. Hogni soon leaves to go warring and Hedinn stays behind to guard their combined realm. On a day with beautiful weather, Hedinn goes for a walk in the woods and, like back in Serkland, loses his men and finds himself in an open meadow. In the lawn sits the same woman, Göndul, in the same chair, and yet she seems more beautiful than before. His heart years for her. In her hand she holds a drinking horn
Drinking horn
A drinking horn is the horn of a bovid used as a drinking vessel. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity especially in Thrace and the Balkans, and remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period in some parts of Europe, notably in Germanic...
, shut with a lid, and she tells the king to drink. Hedinn is thirsty from the heat, and drinks from the horn. The drink causes Hedinn to forget his oath of brotherood with Hogni.
Göndul asks if Hedinn has tried his prowess against that of Hogni, as she had suggested. Hedinn says that he has done this and that, indeed, they found themselves to be equal. Göndul says that he is mistaken, they are not equal at all. Hogni asks her what she means, and she responds that he no bride, yet Hogni has a noble wife. Hogni says that he will marry Hedinn's daughter Hildr
Hildr
In Norse mythology, Hildr is a valkyrie. Hildr is attested in the Prose Edda as Högni's daughter and Hedin's wife in the legend of Hedin and Högni...
, and that Hogni surely approve. Goöndul replies that it would be more glorious for Hedinn to take Hildr and to slay Hogni's bride, specifically by placing her on a ship and then to kill her before launching it. Influenced by the drought he drank, Hedinn leaves with only this plan in mind.
After Hedinn has executed the plan as Göndul suggested, he returns alone to the wood in Serkland and again sees Göndul sitting in the same chair. The two greet one another and Hedinn tells her that he has completed the plot. With this she is pleased. She again gives him the horn, from which he again drinks, yet this time he falls asleep in her lap. Göndul draws away from his head and says "Now hallow
Hallow
To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form hallowed, as used in The Lord's Prayer, means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered.-Etymology:...
I thee, and give thee to lie under all those spells and the weird
Wyrd
Wyrd is a concept in Anglo-Saxon culture roughly corresponding to fate or personal destiny. The word is ancestral to Modern English weird, which retains its original meaning only dialectally....
that Odin commanded, thee and Hogni, and all the hosts of you."
Hedinn wakes up and sees the ghostly shadow of Göndul. She has become black and huge, and he remembers everything. Great woe comes over him.
Ragnhild Tregagás charm
A witchcraft trialWitch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
in Bergen, Norway held in 1324 resulted in the recording of a spell used by the witch Ragnhild Tregagás
Ragnhild Tregagås
Ragnhild Tregagås or Tregagás was a Norwegian woman from Bergen. In 1324/1325 she was accused and convicted for exercising witchcraft. She was sentenced to strict fasting and a seven year long pilgrimage to holy places outside of Norway...
to end the marriage of her former lover, a man named Bárd. The charm contains a mention of Göndul being "sent out":
- I send out from me the spirits of (the valkyrie) Gondul.
- May the first bite you in the back.
- May the second bite you in the breast.
- May the third turn hate and envy upon you.
Theories
Rudolf SimekRudolf Simek
Rudolf Simek is an Austrian Germanist and Philologian.Simek studied German literature, philosophy and Catholic theology in the University of Vienna, before becoming a librarian and a docent at the institution. He taught among others in the universities of Edinburgh, Tromsø and Sydney...
says that the name Göndul is etymologically
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
rooted in Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
gandr (meaning "magic, magic wand"), yet in the Norwegian 'Göndul charm' it appears to mean "magical animal; werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
?", and that, whatever the case, the name "awakens magical associations which certainly are connected with the function of the Valkyries as directors of human fate."