Editing Víðarr (section)

==Attestations==
[[Image:Víðarr on horseback by Lorenz Frølich.jpg|thumb|A depiction of Víðarr on horseback by [[Lorenz Frølich]], 1895]]

===''Poetic Edda''===
In the ''Poetic Edda'', Víðarr is mentioned in the poems ''[[Völuspá]]'', ''[[Vafthrúdnismál]]'', ''[[Grímnismál]]'', and ''[[Lokasenna]]''.

In stanzas 54 and 55 of the poem ''Völuspá'', a [[völva]] tells Odin that his son Víðarr will avenge Odin's death at Ragnarök by stabbing Fenrir in the heart:
:Then comes Sigfather's | mighty son,
:Vithar, to fight | with the foaming wolf;
:In the giant's son | does he thrust his sword
:Full to the heart: | his father is avenged.<ref name="Bellows154-155">Bellows (1923:23)</ref>

In stanzas 51 and 53 of ''Vafthrúdnismál'', [[Vafþrúðnir]] states that Víðarr and his brother [[Váli]] will both live in the "temples of the gods" after [[Surtr]]'s fire has ceded and that Víðarr will avenge the death of his father, Odin, by sundering the cold jaws of Fenrir in battle:
{|
|
:<small>Stanza 51:</small>
:"In the gods' home Vithar | and Vali shall dwell,
:When the fires of Surt have sunk;
:Mothi and Magni | shall Mjollnir have
:When Vingnir falls in fight."<ref name="Bellows82-83" />
|
:<small>Stanza 53:</small>
:"The wolf shall fell | the father of men,
:And this shall Vithar avenge;
:The terrible jaws | shall he tear apart,
:And so the wolf shall he slay."<ref name="Bellows82-83">Bellows (1923:82-83)</ref>
|}

In stanza 17 of ''Grímnismál'', during Odin's visions of various dwelling places of the gods, he describes Víðarr's (anglicized as "Vidar") residence:
:Brushwood grows and high grass
:widely in Vidar's land
:and there the son proclaims on his horse's back
:that he's keen to avenge his father.<ref name=LARRINGTON54>Larrington (1999:54).</ref>

According to ''[[Lokasenna]]'', [[Loki]] rebukes the gods at the start of the poem for not properly welcoming him to the feast at Ægir's hall. In stanza 10, Odin finally relents to the rules of hospitality, urging Víðarr to stand and pour a drink for the quarrelsome guest. Víðarr follows his orders. Loki toasts the Æsir before beginning his [[flyting]].<ref name=LARRINGTON86>Larrington (1999:86).</ref>

===''Prose Edda''===
Víðarr is referenced in the ''Prose Edda'' books ''[[Gylfaginning]]'' and ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]''.

[[Image:Fenrir and Víðarr by Lorenz Frølich.jpg|thumb|A depiction of Víðarr defeating Fenrir by Lorenz Frølich, 1895]]
Víðarr is referenced in the book ''Gylfaginning'' in chapters 29, 51, and 53. In chapter 29, Víðarr is introduced by the enthroned figure of High as "the silent god" with a thick shoe, that he is nearly as strong as the god [[Thor]], and that the gods rely on him in times of immense difficulties.<ref name=BYOCK37>Byock (2006:37).</ref>

In chapter 51, High foretells that, during Ragnarök, the wolf [[Fenrir]] will devour Odin, and Víðarr will avenge him by stepping down with one foot on the lower jaw of the monster, grabbing his upper jaw in one hand and tearing his mouth apart, killing him. Víðarr's "thick shoe" is described as consisting of all the extra leather pieces that people have cut from their own shoes at the toe and heel, collected by the god throughout all time. Therefore, anyone who is concerned enough to give assistance to the gods should throw these pieces away.<ref name=BYOCK73>Byock (2006:73).</ref> According to some mythologists, he owed this peculiar footgear to his mother Grid, who, knowing that he would be called upon to fight against fire on the last day, designed it as a protection against the fiery element, as her iron gauntlet had shielded Thor in his encounter with Geirrod.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/28497/pg28497-images.html}}</ref>

In chapter 54, following Ragnarök and the rebirth of the world, it is told that Víðarr along with his brother [[Váli (son of Odin)|Váli]] will have survived both the swelling of the sea and the fiery conflagration unleashed by [[Surtr]], completely unharmed, and shall thereafter dwell on the field [[Iðavöllr]], "where the city of [[Asgard]] had previously been".<ref name=BYOCK77>Byock (2006:77).</ref>

According to ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'', Víðarr was one of the twelve presiding male gods seated in their thrones at a banquet for the visiting [[Ægir]].<ref name=FAULKES59>Faulkes (1995:59).</ref> At a point in dialogue between the [[skald]]ic god [[Bragi]] and Ægir, [[Snorri Sturluson|Snorri]] himself begins speaking of the myths in [[euhemerism|euhemeristic]] terms and states that the historical equivalent of Víðarr was the [[Troy|Trojan]] hero [[Aeneas]] who survived the [[Trojan War]] and went on to achieve "great deeds".<ref name=FAULKES66>Faulkes (1995:66).</ref>

Later in the book, various [[kennings]] are given for Víðarr, including again the "silent [[Æsir|As]]", "possessor of the iron shoe", "enemy and slayer of [[Fenrir|Fenrisulf]]", "the gods' avenging As", "father's homestead-inhabiting As", "son of Odin", and "brother of the Æsir".<ref name=FAULKES76>Faulkes (1995:76).</ref> In the tale of the god [[Thor]]'s visit to the hall of the [[jötunn]] [[Geirröd]], Gríðr is stated as the mother of "Víðarr the Silent" who assists Thor in his journey.<ref name=FAULKES82>Faulkes (1995:82).</ref> In chapter 33, after returning from Asgard and feasting with the gods, Ægir invites the gods to come to his hall in [[Numbers in Germanic paganism|three]] months. Fourteen gods make the trip to attend the feast, including Víðarr.<ref name=FAULKES95>Faulkes (1995:95).</ref> In chapter 75, Víðarr's name appears twice in a list of Æsir.<ref name=FAULKES156-157>Faulkes (1995:156—157).</ref>