Editing Bifröst

{{Short description|Rainbow bridge between Asgard and Midgard}}
{{redirect|Bifrost}}
{{Good article}}
[[File:Heimdall an der Himmelsbrücke.jpg|thumb|The god [[Heimdallr]] stands before the rainbow bridge while blowing his horn (1905) by [[Emil Doepler]].]]
In [[Norse mythology]], '''Bifröst''' ([[Icelandic language|modern Icelandic]]: '''Bifröst''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɪ|v|r|ɒ|s|t|audio=Bifrost.ogg}};<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bifrost?showCookiePolicy=true|title=Definition: Bifrost|date=n.d.|access-date=16 October 2014|publisher=Collins Dictionary}}</ref> from [[Old Norse]]: {{lang|non|Bifrǫst}} /ˈbiv.rɔst/), also called '''Bilröst''' and often anglicized as '''Bifrost''', is a burning [[rainbow]] bridge that reaches between [[Midgard]] (Earth) and [[Asgard]], the realm of the [[Æsir|gods]]. The bridge is attested as ''Bilröst'' in the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; as ''Bifröst'' in the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', written in the 13th century by [[Snorri Sturluson]]; and in the poetry of [[skald]]s. Both the ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' alternately refer to the bridge as '''Ásbrú''' ([[Old Norse]] "[[Æsir]]'s bridge").<ref name=SIMEK19>{{harvnb|Simek|2007|p=19}}</ref>

According to the ''Prose Edda'', the bridge ends in heaven at [[Himinbjörg]], the residence of the god [[Heimdall]], who guards it from the [[Jötunn|jötnar]]. The bridge's destruction during [[Ragnarök]] by the forces of [[Múspellsheimr|Muspell]] is foretold. Scholars have proposed that the bridge may have originally represented the [[Milky Way]] and have noted parallels between the bridge and another bridge in Norse mythology, [[Gjallarbrú]].

== Etymology ==

Scholar [[Andy Orchard]] suggests that ''Bifröst'' may mean "shimmering path." He notes that the first element of ''Bilröst''—''bil'' (meaning "a moment")—"suggests the fleeting nature of the rainbow," which he connects to the first element of ''Bifröst''—the [[Old Norse]] verb ''bifa'' (meaning "to shimmer" or "to shake")—noting that the element evokes notions of the "lustrous sheen" of the bridge.<ref name=ORCHARD19>{{harvnb|Orchard|1997|p=19}}</ref> Austrian Germanist [[Rudolf Simek]] says that ''Bifröst'' either means "the swaying road to heaven" (also citing ''bifa'') or, if ''Bilröst'' is the original form of the two (which Simek says is likely), "the fleetingly glimpsed rainbow" (possibly connected to ''[[Hjuki and Bil|bil]]'', perhaps meaning "moment, weak point").<ref name=SIMEK36-37>{{harvnb|Simek|2007|pp=36–37}}</ref>

== Attestations ==

Two poems in the ''Poetic Edda'' and two books in the ''Prose Edda'' provide information about the bridge:

=== ''Poetic Edda'' ===

[[File:Thor wades while the æsir ride by Frølich.jpg|thumb|Thor wades through rivers while the rest of the æsir ride across Bifröst (1895) by [[Lorenz Frølich]].]]

In the ''Poetic Edda'', the bridge is mentioned in the poems ''[[Grímnismál]]'' and ''[[Fáfnismál]]'', where it is referred to as ''Bilröst''. In one of two stanzas in the poem ''[[Grímnismál]]'' that mentions the bridge,  [[List of names of Odin|Grímnir]] (the god [[Odin]] in disguise) provides the young [[Agnarr Geirröðsson|Agnarr]] with cosmological knowledge, including that Bilröst is the best of bridges.<ref name=LARRINGTON44>{{harvnb|Larrington|1999|p=44}}</ref> Later in ''Grímnismál'', Grímnir notes that Asbrú "burns all with flames" and that, every day, the god [[Thor]] wades through the waters of [[Körmt and Örmt]] and the two [[Kerlaugar]]:

<blockquote>
{|
|
:<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation:</small>
:Körmt and Ormt, and the Kerlaugs twain:
:these Thor must wade
:each day, when he to council goes
:at [[Yggdrasil]]'s [[ash tree|ash]];
:for as the As-bridge is all on fire,
:the holy waters boil.<ref name=THORPE22>{{harvnb|Thorpe|1907|p=22}}</ref>
|
:<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation:</small>
:Kormt and Ormt and the Kerlaugs twain
:Shall Thor each day wade through,
:(When dooms to give he forth shall go
:To the ash-tree [[Yggdrasil]];)
:For heaven's bridge burns all in flame,
:And the [[sacred waters]] seethe.<ref name=BELLOWS96>{{harvnb|Bellows|1923|p=96}}</ref>
|
|}
</blockquote>

In ''Fáfnismál'', the dying [[wyrm (dragon)|wyrm]] [[Fafnir]] tells the hero [[Sigurd]] that, during the events of Ragnarök, bearing spears, gods will meet at [[Óskópnir]]. From there, the gods will cross Bilröst, which will break apart as they cross over it, causing their horses to dredge through an immense river.<ref name=LARRINGTON160>{{harvnb|Larrington|1999|p=160}}</ref>

===''Prose Edda''===

[[File:Kampf der untergehenden Götter by F. W. Heine.jpg|thumb|Bifröst appears in the background as the gods do battle in ''Battle of the Doomed Gods'' (1882) by [[Friedrich Wilhelm Heine]].]]

[[File:The twilight of the gods by Willy Pogany.png|thumb|Bifröst is shattered in ''The Twilight of the Gods'' (1920) by [[Willy Pogany]].]]

The bridge is mentioned in the ''Prose Edda'' books ''[[Gylfaginning]]'' and ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'', where it is referred to as ''Bifröst''. In chapter 13 of ''Gylfaginning'', [[Gylfi|Gangleri]] (King [[Gylfi]] in disguise) asks the enthroned figure of [[High, Just-As-High, and Third|High]] what way exists between heaven and earth. Laughing, High replies that the question isn't an intelligent one, and goes on to explain that the gods built a bridge from heaven and earth. He incredulously asks Gangleri if he has not heard the story before. High says that Gangleri must have seen it, and notes that Gangleri may call it a [[rainbow]]. High says that the bridge consists of three colors, has great strength, "and is built with art and skill to a greater extent than other constructions."<ref name=FAULKES15>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|p=15}}</ref>

High notes that, although the bridge is strong, it will break when "[[Muspelheim|Muspell]]'s lads" attempt to cross it, and their horses will have to make do with swimming over "great rivers." Gangleri says that it doesn't seem that the gods "built the bridge in good faith if it is liable to break, considering that they can do as they please." High responds that the gods do not deserve blame for the breaking of the bridge, for "there is nothing in this world that will be secure when Muspell's sons attack."<ref name=FAULKES15/>

In chapter 15 of ''Gylfaginning'', [[High, Just-As-High, and Third|Just-As-High]] says that Bifröst is also called ''Asbrú'', and that every day the gods ride [[Horses of the Æsir|their horses]] across it (with the exception of Thor, who instead wades through the boiling waters of the rivers [[Körmt and Örmt]]) to reach [[Urðarbrunnr]], a holy well where the gods have their court. As a reference, Just-As-High quotes the second of the two stanzas in ''Grímnismál'' that mention the bridge (see above). Gangleri asks if fire burns over Bifröst. High says that the red in the bridge is burning fire, and, without it, the frost jotnar and mountain jotnar would "go up into heaven" if anyone who wanted could cross Bifröst. High adds that, in heaven, "there are many beautiful places" and that "everywhere there has divine protection around it."<ref name=FAULKES17-18>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|pp=17–18}}</ref>

In chapter 17, High tells Gangleri that the location of [[Himinbjörg]] "stands at the edge of heaven where Bifrost reaches heaven."<ref name=FAULKES20>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|p=20}}</ref> While describing the god [[Heimdallr]] in chapter 27, High says that Heimdallr lives in Himinbjörg by Bifröst, and guards the bridge from mountain jotnar while sitting at the edge of heaven.<ref name=FAULKES25>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|p=25}}</ref> In chapter 34, High quotes the first of the two ''Grímnismál'' stanzas that mention the bridge.<ref name=FAULKES34>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|p=34}}</ref> In chapter 51, High foretells the events of [[Ragnarök]]. High says that, during Ragnarök, the sky will split open, and from the split will ride forth the "sons of [[Muspelheim|Muspell]]". When the "sons of Muspell" ride over Bifröst it will break, "as was said above."<ref name=FAULKES53>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|p=53}}</ref>

In the ''Prose Edda'' book ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'', the bridge receives a single mention. In chapter 16, a work by the 10th century [[skald]] [[Úlfr Uggason]] is provided, where Bifröst is referred to as "the powers' way."<ref name=FAULKES77>{{harvnb|Faulkes|1995|p=77}}</ref>

== Theories ==

[[File:Heimdall and little Hnossa by Willy Pogany.png|thumb|Bifröst in the background, Heimdallr explains to a young [[Hnoss]] how all things came to be (1920) by [[Willy Pogany]].]]

In his translation of the ''Poetic Edda'', [[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] comments that the ''Grímnismál'' stanza mentioning Thor and the bridge stanza may mean that "Thor has to go on foot in the last days of the destruction, when the bridge is burning. Another interpretation, however, is that when Thor leaves the heavens (i.e., when a thunder-storm is over) the rainbow-bridge becomes hot in the sun."<ref name=BELLOWS96/>

[[John Lindow]] points to a parallel between Bifröst, which he notes is "a bridge between earth and heaven, or earth and the world of the gods", and the bridge [[Gjallarbrú]], "a bridge between earth and the underworld, or earth and the world of the dead."<ref name=LINDOW81>{{harvnb|Lindow|2001|p=81}}</ref> Several scholars have proposed that Bifröst may represent the [[Milky Way]].<ref name=MILKYWAY>{{harvnb|Lindow|2001|p=81}} and {{harvnb|Simek|2007|p=36}}</ref>

== Adaptations ==

In the final scene of [[Richard Wagner]]'s 1869 opera ''[[Das Rheingold]]'', the god [[Froh]] summons a rainbow bridge, over which the gods cross to enter [[Valhalla]].{{sfn|Holman|2001|pp=126–127}}
In [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[legendarium]], the "level bridge" of "The Fall of Númenor", an early version of the ''[[Akallabeth]]'', recalls Bifröst. It departs from the earth at a tangent, allowing immortal Elves but not mortal Men to travel the [[Old Straight Road]] to the lost [[earthly paradise]] of [[Valinor]] after the world has been remade.{{sfn|Whittingham|2008|p=115}}{{sfn|Garth|2003|p=86}}

Bifröst appears in comic books associated with the [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]] and in subsequent adaptations of those comic books. In the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] film ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', [[Jane Foster (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Jane Foster]] describes the Bifröst as an [[Einstein–Rosen bridge]], which functions as a means of transportation across space in a short period of time.<ref name="SEE">{{cite web |title=Under the Microscope: Thor |url=http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/article/under-microscope-thor |website=The Science & Entertainment Exchange |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |access-date=May 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726111354/http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/article/under-microscope-thor |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Notes ==

{{reflist}}

== References ==

{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bellows |first=Henry Adams |author-link=Henry Adams Bellows (businessman) |year=1923 |title=The Poetic Edda |url=https://archive.org/details/poeticedda00belluoft |publisher=American Scandinavian Foundation}}
* {{cite book |last=Faulkes |first=Anthony |author-mask=Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) |year=1995 |title=Edda |publisher=[[Everyman's Library|Everyman]] |isbn=978-0-460-87616-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Garth |first=John |author-link=John Garth (author) |title=[[Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth]] |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-618-57481-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Holman |first=J.K. |title=Wagner's Ring: A Listener's Companion & Concordance |publisher=Amadeus Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-57467-070-7 |location=Portland, Oregon}}
* {{cite book |last=Larrington |first=Carolyne |author-mask=Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) |year=1999 |title=The Poetic Edda |publisher=[[Oxford World's Classics]] |isbn=978-0-19-283946-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=Lindow |first=John |author-link=John Lindow |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KlT7tv3eMSwC |title=Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-515382-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Orchard |first=Andy |author-link=Andy Orchard |year=1997 |title=Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5hbPHQAACAAJ |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group|Cassell]] |isbn=978-0-304-34520-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Simek |first=Rudolf |author-link=Rudolf Simek |year=2007 |translator=Angela Hall |title=Dictionary of Northern Mythology |publisher=[[Boydell & Brewer|D.S. Brewer]] |isbn=978-0-85991-513-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Thorpe |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Thorpe |year=1907 |title=Edda Sæmundar Hinns Frôða: The Edda of Sæmund the Learned Part I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QrcxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR1 |location=London |publisher=Trübner & Co }}
* {{cite book |last=Whittingham |first=Elizabeth A. |author-link=Elizabeth Whittingham |title=The Evolution of Tolkien's Mythology: A Study of the History of Middle-earth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22EqDwAAQBAJ |year=2008 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |isbn=978-1-4766-1174-7}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Bifröst (mythology)|Bifröst}}

{{Norse mythology}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bifrost}}
[[Category:Locations in Norse mythology]]
[[Category:Mythological bridges]]
[[Category:Rainbows in culture]]