Sinthgunt is a figure in
Germanic mythologyGermanic mythology refers to:*any myths associated with historical Germanic paganism*Norse mythology*Continental Germanic mythology*Anglo-Saxon mythology*Germanic folklore -See also:*Common Germanic deities*Germanic paganism...
, attested solely in the
Old High GermanThe term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
9th or 10th century "horse cure"
Merseburg IncantationThe Merseburg Incantations are two medieval magic spells, charms or incantations, written in Old High German. They are the only known examples of Germanic pagan belief preserved in this language...
. In the incantation, Sinthgunt is referred to as the sister of the personified sun, Sunna (whose name is
alliterativeIn prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of alliterative verse are those found in the oldest literature of many Germanic...
to
Sinthgunt), and the two sisters are cited as both producing charms to heal Phol's horse, a figure also otherwise unattested. The two are then followed by
FriiaFrigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, and is the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological stories as a wife and a mother. She is also described as having the power...
and
UollaIn Germanic mythology, Fulla or Volla is a goddess. In Norse mythology, Fulla is described as wearing a golden snood and as tending to the ashen box and the footwear owned by the goddess Frigg, and, in addition, Frigg confides in Fulla her secrets...
, also alliterative and stated as sisters.
As Sinthgunt is otherwise unattested, her significance is otherwise unknown, but an amount of scholarly theories exist about her role in Germanic mythology based on proposed etymologies, and the potential significance of her placement within the incantation.
The etymology of
Sinthgunt is unclear.
Sinthgunt is a figure in
Germanic mythologyGermanic mythology refers to:*any myths associated with historical Germanic paganism*Norse mythology*Continental Germanic mythology*Anglo-Saxon mythology*Germanic folklore -See also:*Common Germanic deities*Germanic paganism...
, attested solely in the
Old High GermanThe term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
9th or 10th century "horse cure"
Merseburg IncantationThe Merseburg Incantations are two medieval magic spells, charms or incantations, written in Old High German. They are the only known examples of Germanic pagan belief preserved in this language...
. In the incantation, Sinthgunt is referred to as the sister of the personified sun, Sunna (whose name is
alliterativeIn prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of alliterative verse are those found in the oldest literature of many Germanic...
to
Sinthgunt), and the two sisters are cited as both producing charms to heal Phol's horse, a figure also otherwise unattested. The two are then followed by
FriiaFrigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, and is the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological stories as a wife and a mother. She is also described as having the power...
and
UollaIn Germanic mythology, Fulla or Volla is a goddess. In Norse mythology, Fulla is described as wearing a golden snood and as tending to the ashen box and the footwear owned by the goddess Frigg, and, in addition, Frigg confides in Fulla her secrets...
, also alliterative and stated as sisters.
As Sinthgunt is otherwise unattested, her significance is otherwise unknown, but an amount of scholarly theories exist about her role in Germanic mythology based on proposed etymologies, and the potential significance of her placement within the incantation.
Etymology
The etymology of
Sinthgunt is unclear. Within the original manuscript,
Sinthgunt is spelled "Sin
htgunt" (emphasis added). Sticking directly to this reading has yielded interpretations such as "the night-walking one". As a result of the paring with Sunna, the personified sun, this etymology has been interpreted as a reference to the
moonThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is , about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system is located at about —a quarter the Earth's...
. However, this reading has yielded problems; the moon in Germanic mythology is considered masculine, examplified in the personification of the moon in
Norse mythologyNorse, North Germanic, or Scandinavian mythology comprises the myths of North Germanic pre-Christian religion.Most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled in medieval Iceland in Old Norse, notably as the Edda....
,
MániMani is a name or word occurring in several ethymologically-unrelated languagues and cultures, including:* Maní, a Spanish word for peanut* El Juego de Maní, an Afro-Cuban martial art/dance similar to Capoeira...
, a male figure. Interpretations from the amended "Sinthgunt" have resulted in readings such as "the one moving into battle" or "heavenly body, star".
Placement
The figures
FullaIn Germanic mythology, Fulla or Volla is a goddess. In Norse mythology, Fulla is described as wearing a golden snood and as tending to the ashen box and the footwear owned by the goddess Frigg, and, in addition, Frigg confides in Fulla her secrets...
(
Uolla) and
FriggFrigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, and is the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological stories as a wife and a mother. She is also described as having the power...
(
Friia) are attested together in later Old Norse sources (though not as sisters), and theories have been proposed that the Fulla may at one time have been an aspect of Frigg. As a result, this notion has resulted in theory that a similar situation may have existed between the figures of Sinthgunt and Sól, in that the two may have been understood as aspects of one another rather than entirely separate figures.