Editing Nine Mothers of Heimdallr (section)

==Attestations==
The Nine Mothers of Heimdallr are mentioned in two books of the ''[[Prose Edda]]''; ''[[Gylfaginning]]'' and ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]''. In ''Gylfaginning'', Heimdallr is introduced in chapter 27, where the enthroned figure of [[High, Just-As-High, and Third|High]] tells the disguised mythical king [[Gylfi|Gangleri]] details about the god. Among other details, High says that Heimdallr is the son of nine sisters and, as a reference, provides two lines of the (otherwise now lost) poem ''[[Heimdalargaldr]]'', in which Heimdallr says that he was born of nine sisters:
<blockquote>
:"Offspring of nine mothers am I, of nine sisters am I the son."<ref name="FAULKES25-26">Faulkes (1995:25-26).</ref>
</blockquote>
In chapter 16 of ''Skáldskaparmál'' a work by the 10th century [[skald]] [[Úlfr Uggason]] is quoted. The poem refers to Heimdallr as the "son of eight mothers plus one". Prose following the poem points out that the poem refers to Heimdallr as the son of nine mothers.<ref name="FAULKES77">Faulkes (1995:77).</ref>

The poem ''[[Völuspá hin skamma]]'' (contained within the poem ''[[Hyndluljóð]]'', often considered a part of the ''Poetic Edda'') contains three stanza that scholars have frequently theorized as referring to Heimdallr and his nine mothers. According to the stanzas, long ago, a mighty god was born by nine [[jötunn]] maidens at the edge of the world. This boy grew strong, nourished by the strength of the earth, the ice-cold sea, and the blood of swine. Names are provided for these nine maidens. For discussion of these names, see ''Names'' section below (note that the translations below present anglicizations of Old Norse forms). The stanzas in question read as follows:

<blockquote>
{|
|
<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation (1866):</small>
:There was one born, in times of old,
:with wondrous might endowed, of origin divine:
:nine Jötun maids gave birth, to the gracious god,
:at the world's margin.
:Giâlp gave him birth, Greip gave him birth,
:Eistla gave him birth, and Angeia;
:Ulfrûn gave him birth, and Eyrgiafa,
:Imd and Atla, and Jârnsaxa.
:The boy was nourished with the strength of the earth,
:with the ice-cold sea, and with Sôn's blood.<ref name="THORPE112">Thorpe (1866:112).</ref>
|
<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation (1923):</small>
:One there was born in the bygone days,
:Of the race of the gods, and great was his might;
:Nine giant women, at the world's edge,
:Once bore the man so might in arms.
:Gjolp there bore him, Greip there bore him,
:Eistla bore him, and Eyrgjafa,
:Ulfrun bore him, and Angeyja,
:Imth and Atla, and Jarnsaxa.
:Strong was he made with the strength of the earth,
:With the ice-cold sea, and the blood of swine.<ref name="BELLOWS230">Bellows (1923:230).</ref>
|
<small>[[Jeramy Dodds]] translation (2014):</small>
:'One was born in olden days,
:endowed with power from the gods.
:Nine Jotun maids carried him,
:a spear-splendid man, along the Earth's edge.
<br>
:...
<br>
:Gjalp bore him, Greip bore him,
:Eistla bore him and Eyrgjafa,
:Ulfrun and Angeyja, Imd,
:Atla and Jarnsaxa.
<br>
:He was endowed with the Earth's power,
:with the cold sea, with boar's blood.<ref name="DODDS-2014-260">Dodds (2014:260).</ref>
|}
</blockquote>

===Names===
Some of the names of Heimdallr's mothers found in ''[[Völuspá hin skamma]]''  appear in a variety of other sources, where they may or may not refer to separate entities:
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 90%; width: 100%"
!scope=col|Name
!class="unsortable" scope=col|Meaning
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|Angreyja
|Meaning obscure. Proposed etymologies yield 'the harasser', 'bark', and 'those of the narrow island'.<ref name="SIMEK-16">Simek (2007:16).</ref>
|
|-
|Atla
|'The argumentative one'<ref name="SIMEK-21">Simek (2007:21).</ref> or 'the hefty'/'the forceful'<ref name="Magnusson-19">Magnússon (1822:19)</ref>
|Name appears listed among jötnar in the ''[[Nafnaþulur]]''<ref name="SIMEK-21"/>
|-
|Eistla
|Meaning obscure. Suggestions include 'the stormy one' (from ''eisa'', meaning 'hurry'), to a potential a sea god (from ''eista'' 'testicles', in other words, 'the swollen, swelling ones'), and 'the glowing one' (from ''eisa'' 'glowing ash, fire').<ref name="SIMEK-72">Simek (2007:27).</ref>
|
|-
|Eyrgjafa
|Possibly 'sand donor' or ''Ørgjafa'' 'scar donor'<ref name="SIMEK-77">Simek (2007:77).</ref>
|
|-
|[[Gjálp and Greip|Gjálp]]
|Possibly 'seeress' or 'roaring one'<ref name="SIMEK-111">Simek (2007:111).</ref>
|The name ''Gjálp'' appears frequently for jötnar in the Old Norse corpus. ''Gjálp'' and ''Greip'' appear together as names of the daughters of the jötunn [[Geirröðr]] in '' Skáldskaparmál ''. Gjálp attempted to kill Thor by causing a river to swell.<ref name="RIVER-SWELL">Simek (2007:111), Faulkes (1995:82).</ref>
|-
|[[Gjálp and Greip|Greip]]
|'Grasp'<ref name="SIMEK-116">Simek (2007:116).</ref>
|''Gjálp'' and ''Greip'' appear together as names of the daughters of the jötunn [[Geirröðr]] in ''Skáldskaparmál''.<ref name="FAULKES-1995">Faulkes (1995:82).</ref>
|-
|Imðr or Sindur
|Possibly related to ''íma'' 'wolf'.<ref name="SIMEK-173">Simek (2007:173).</ref>
|
|-
|[[Járnsaxa]]
|'The one with the iron knife'<ref name="SIMEK-178">Simek (2007:178).</ref>
|Name appears listed among the jötnar in the ''Nafnaþulur'' and the name refers to an apparently separate figure with whom the god Thor mothered [[Móði and Magni|Magni]]<ref name="SIMEK-178"/>
|-
|Ulfrún
|'Wolf [[rune]]' or 'wolf-woman'<ref name="SIMEK-339">Simek (2007:339).</ref>
|Occurs as an Old Norse female personal name.<ref name="SIMEK-339"/>
|}