Viking & Germanic People Star Lore in Viking and Germanic Mythology

Aquila In Norse mythology, Veđrfölnir, meaning "storm pale" or "wind bleached" is a hawk sitting between the eyes of an unnamed eagle that is perched on top of the world tree Yggdrasil. In Star Myths of the Vikings, Bjorn Jónsson suggests, that the eagle could be seen in the constellation Aquila, while the hawk Veđrfölnir is Altair (α Aql). Source: germanicmythology.com

Veđrfölnir Bjorn Jónsson's Viking starmap Source: germanicmythology.com

Boötes In his interpretation of the Völundarkviða, a mythological poems of the Poetic Edda, Peter Krüger identifies the constellation Boötes as Níðuðr (or Niðhad), a cruel king in Germanic legend. In this theory, Níðuðr holds a sword forged by legendary smith Wayland. The sword is represented by Arcturus, the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Source: Germanic Astronomy: Völund Star-Smith: The Kneeling man and the Virgin with the Golden Ring

Canis Major In Norse mythology, Sirius is called Lokabrenna, literally meaning "burning done by Loki". Commonly, it is referred to as "Loki's torch." Loki was first mentioned in the 13th century in the Heimskringla and in the Poetic Edda. He was described as a shapeshifter and is perhaps the most colorful of the Nordic Gods, sometimes assisting his fellow gods and sometimes tricking them and behaving in a malicious manner towards them. As far as we know, there is no story in which Loki would have used a torch; however, the name "Loki's torch" for the brightest star in the night sky is commonly used in Northern Europe. Sources: Wikipedia, Richard Denning: What did the Vikings and Saxons call the Stars?

Loki in a 16th-century Icelandic manuscript Source: norse-mythology.org

Cepheus, Lyra and Perseus In Norse mythology, Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraţrór are four stags that eat among the branches of the World Tree Yggdrasill. Richard Denning identified three of them in the northern skies: Dáinn: The bright star Vega is its eye, and the four Lyra stars form its antler. Dvalinn: Much of the constellation Cepheus with the Polaris being its rear foot. Duraţrór: Much of the Perseus collection. Duneyrr: Timothy Stephany puts Duneyrr into the southern stars of Ursa Major, but there is no confirmation. Source: Richard Denning: What did the Vikings and Saxons call the Stars?

The four stags in the Tree of Yggdrasill Sæmund's Edda, 1908 Source: Wikipedia

Gemini The formation Auguthjaza (Eyes of Þjazi) is the only formation of stars mentioned in the Edda. The formation Auguthjaza (Eyes of Þjazi), consisting of Castor, and Pollux (α and β Gem), is the only formation of stars mentioned in the Edda. Þjazi, anglicized as Thiazi, Thjazi, Tjasse or Thiassi was a Frost Giant and a shapeshifter. Wikipedia quotes the Skáldskaparmál, the second part of the Poetic Edda, explaining how Þjazi's eyes made it into the skies. One day, while on a journey, Odin, Loki and Hœnir set up an earth oven to cook an oxen they just hunted. After a while they found that it would not cook. They found out that Þjazi in the form of a great eagle, stopped the oven from heating and demanded a part of the oxen. When the oxen was cooked, Þjazi ate so much of it that Loki became angry, grabbed his long staff and attempted to strike him, but the weapon stuck fast to Þjazi's body and he took flight, carrying Loki up with him. As they flew across the land Loki shouted and begged to be let down as his legs banged against trees and stones, but Þjazi would only do so on the condition that Loki must lure Iðunn, the goddess of youth out of Asgard with her apples of youth, which he solemnly promised to do. Later, Þjazi, again in the form of an eagle, carried Iðunn and her apples away and the gods, deprived of Iðunn's apples, began growing old and grey. Loki was going to bring back Iðunn. He borrowed a magical coat from Freyja, transformed into a falcon, flew to the hall of Þjazi, transformed Iðunn into a nut and carried her back to Asgard. When the other gods saw Þjazi in close pursuit of Loki, they lit a fire which burned Þjazi's feathers, causing him to fall to the ground where he was killed. When Þjazi's daughter Skadi came to avenge her father, the gods offered her atonement and compensation. She was given the hand of Njord in marriage and Odin took Þjazi's eyes and placed them in the night sky as stars. Sources: Wikipedia, Richard Denning: What did the Vikings and Saxons call the Stars?

Þjazi, Odin, Loki and Hœnir Source: Wikipedia Loki poking Þjazi Source: Rakuten Kobo

The Hárbarðsljóð is one of the poems in the Poetic Edda, describing a verbal contest between Thor and Odin who appeared as the ferryman Hárbarðr (Greybeard). According to this poem, it was not Odin but Thor who claimed to have made Þjazi's eyes into stars: In the poem, Thor said: I killed Þjazi, the powerful minded giant. I threw up the eyes of Olvaldi's son into the bright heavens. Source: Wikipedia

Thor by W. G. Collingwood

Hárbarðr by W. G. Collingwood

Lyra According to Jonas Persson, Vega was called Sudrstjarna, the "South Star", as it is visible in the southern sky during summer and in the south at midnight during summer solstice. Source: Jonas Persson: Norse Constellations

Milky Way Bifröst, a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard (the realm of the gods) is described in 13th century Norse mythology in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Scholars have proposed that the bridge may have originally represented the Milky Way. Source: Wikipedia

Thor and the æsir crossing Bifröst Lorenz Frølich, 1895; Wikipedia

Orion In at least one study, Orwandil is identified as the Norse name of Orion with Rigel being one of Orwandil's toes. This refers to Aurvandil the Valiant a figure from 13th century's Younger Edda. In Norway and Iceland, Orion's Belt was known as Fiskikarlar (the Fishermen), while in Sweden and in Germany, it was known as Friggerock (Swedish) or Friggas Rocken (German), meaning Frigg's or Freyja's distaff. Freya is the goddess of love, beauty and fertility in Norse mythology; Frigg is the goddess of wisdom and the wife of Odin in Germanic mythology. Weather both are actually the same is still debated among scholars, but both are credited with teaching the people spinning. Later, in German folklore the image of the distaff became part of the fairy tale of Little Briar Rose (Dornröschen), today best known as Sleeping Beauty from the 1959 Disney movie. In the original version, the princess falls asleep after she pricks her finger on a piece of flax from the distaff - still represented by Orion's Belt; later the injury was caused by a spindle. Sources: Richard H. Allen: Star Names and their Meanings, Jonas Persson, Norse Constellations, Arthur Drews: DerSternenhimmel, Schmidt, Floss: Germanisches Sagen und Märchenbuch, Ralf Koneckis: Mythen und Märchen - Was uns die Sterne darüber verraten

Aurvandil the Valiant Source: Viking talizmánok Frigg and a handmaiden with a distaff Ludwig Pietsch, 1885 Source: Wikipedia

Orion and Scorpius There may be some analogies between the Greek legend of Orion and the Scorpion in Germanic mythology, where a mystic sword takes the place of the scorpion's stinger. In the Ţiđreks saga King Niđung orders two smiths, Wayland (also known as Velent or Volund and Amilias, to forge an armor, a helmet and a sword, to determine, which of them is the better smith. Amilias forged a helmet and suit of armor while Wayland forged a sword, named Mimung. When the king puts both to the test, the sword easily cuts through the helmet and the suit of armor, killing Amilias. There are theories that the constellation Orion in its characteristic form of shoulders, belt, and feet stands for Amilias' armor, and that the Germanic gods put the armor (Orion) and the sword (Scorpio) on opposite sides of the sky as the Greek gods did with Orion and the scorpion. Sources: Germanic Astronomy: The Forging of the Sword Mimung Germanic Astronomy: Germanic Variants of The Scorpio and Orion Myth

Velent, forging the Sword Mimung Source: Germanic Astronomy

Pleiades The Vikings called the Pleiades Freyja's hens. Many other European cultures, such as Hungarian similarly compared them to a hen with chicks. Source: Wikipedia The star cluster of the Pleiades is part of the constellation Taurus, but given the amount of Star Lore related to them, they deserve a separate entry.

Scorpius Richard Denning identified Scorpius as Níðhöggr. In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr (anglicized Nidhogg) is is a dragon or serpent who gnaws at a root of the world tree, Yggdrasil. In historical Viking society, níð was a term for a social stigma implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. It is sometimes believed that the roots are trapping the beast from the world. This root is placed over Niflheimr (the lowest sphere of Norse cosmology and Níðhöggr gnaws it from beneath. Sources: Richard Denning: What did the Vikings and Saxons call the Stars?, Wikipedia

Níðhöggr gnaws the roots of Yggdrasill 17th-century Icelandic manuscript. Sources: Wikipedia, Mathisen Corollary Níðhöggr on the cover of Sæmund's Edda, 1908 Source: Wikipedia

In Star Myths of the Vikings, Bjorn Jónsson suggests, that the southern part of Scorpius represents Hvergelmir, a spring mentioned in both the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. The spring is located in Niflheim the realm of primordial ice and cold. It is the origin of all the cold water in the world. The spring is fed by dew dripping from his horns of a stag named Eikthyrinr. into the well. In spite of being the source of could water, Hvergelmir is also the home of countless snakes. Sources: Bjorn Jónsson, Blog Mythology and Cultures.

Hvergelmir Bjorn Jónsson's Viking starmap Source: germanicmythology.com

Taurus The Hyades are a star cluster that is part of the constellation Taurus. Alfræði íslenzk identified the Hyades as Ulf's Keptr, the "Mouth of the Wolf." In Norse mythology, there are two wolves hunting the sun and the moon. The mouth of the wolf is close to the ecliptic, and it can be interpreted as one of these wolves. Source: Jonas Persson: Norse Constellations

Ulf's Keptr; Norse Constellations

Ursa Major In Norse mythology, the Big Dipper was seen as a wagon driven by a god. Richard Denning refers to it as Wodan's Wagon. According to Jonas Persson, the Big Dipper and Ursa Minor are called the Karlsvagn (Man’s Chariot) and Kvennavagn (Woman’s Chariot), respectively, suggesting that the man is Thor, while the woman in the smaller wagon is Freyja.

Karlsvagn; Jonas Persson

The Nordic version of the wagon has survived into modern times. In German, the Big Dipper is still called Grosser Wagen (Great Wagon). In Scandinavia, it is called Karlavagnen (Swedish), Karlsvognen (Norwegian) or Karlsvognen (Danish), all meaning Charle's Wagon, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word Churl for man. Sources: Wikipedia, Jonas Persson: Norse Constellations, Richard Denning: What did Vikings and Saxons call the stars

Ursa Minor According to Jonas Persson, the Big Dipper and Ursa Minor are called the Karlsvagn (Man’s Chariot) and Kvennavagn (Woman’s Chariot), respectively, suggesting that the man is Thor, while the woman in the smaller wagon is Freyja. The Nordic version of the wagon has survived in Germany and Denmark, where Ursa Minor is still called Kleiner Wagen and Litli Vagn, respectively - both meaning Little Wagon. Sources: Jonas Persson: Norse Constellations, R. H. Allen

Kvennavagn; Jonas Persson

Virgo In his interpretation of the Völundarkviða, a mythological poems of the Poetic Edda, Peter Krüger identifies the constellation Virgo as Böðvildr (or Bodhild), daughter of king Niðhad (who, in Krüger's theory is represented by Boötes). In early Germanic mythology, Böðvildr was the tragic victim of Wayland the smith's revenge on her father. (For Wayland's complete story, see Hercules). From her mother, Böðvildr had inherited a broken ring, once made by Wayland. When she took the ring to the smith to have it mended, Wayland took the ring and raped her, fathering a son. In later Scandinavian versions, however, Böðvildr and Wayland were a happy couple, parents of hero Viðga. According to Peter Krüger, Böðvildr's ring is represented by Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.

Böðvildr, handing the broken ring to Weyland 1901 illustration by Johannes Gehrts Source: religion.wikia.org

Source: Germanic Astronomy: The Kneeling man and the Virgin with the Golden Ring

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