Heimdall Article

(From Gylfaginning)
XV. Then said Gangleri: "Where is the chief abode or holy place of the gods?" Hárr answered: 'That is at the Ash of Yggdrasill; there the gods must give judgment everyday." Then Gangleri asked: "What is to be said concerning that place?" Then said Jafnhárr: "The Ash is greatest of all trees and best: its limbs spread out over all the world and stand above heaven. Three roots of the tree uphold it and stand exceeding broad: one is among the Æsir; another among the Rime-Giants, in that place where aforetime was the Yawning Void; the third stands over Niflheim, and under that root is Hvergelmir, and Nídhöggr gnaws the root from below. But under that root which turns toward the Rime-Giants is Mímir's Well, wherein wisdom and understanding are stored; and he is called Mímir, who keeps the well. He is full of ancient lore, since he drinks of the well from the Gjallar-Horn. Thither came Allfather and craved one drink of the well; but he got it not until he had laid his eye in pledge. So says Völuspá:

All know I, Odin, where the eye thou hiddest,
In the wide-renowned well of Mímir;
Mímir drinks mead every morning
From Valfather's wage.
Wit ye yet, or what?

The third root of the Ash stands in heaven; and under that root is the well which is very holy, that is called the Well of Urdr; there the gods hold their tribunal. Each day the Æsir ride thither up over Bifröst, which is also called the Æsir's Bridge. These are the names of the Æsir's steeds: Sleipnir[1] is best, which Odin has; he has eight feet. The second is Gladr,[2] the third Gyllir, [3] the fourth Glenr, [4] the fifth Skeidbrimir, [5] the sixth Silfrintoppr, [6] the seventh Sinir, [7] the eighth Gisl, [8] the ninth Falhófnir, [9] the tenth. Gulltoppr, [10] the eleventh Léttfeti. [11] Baldr's horse was burnt with him; and Thor walks to the judgment, and wades those rivers which are called thus:

Körmt and Örmt and the Kerlaugs twain,
Them shall Thor wade
Every day when he goes to doom
At Ash Yggdrasill;
For the Æsir's Bridge burns all with flame,
And the holy waters howl."

[1. The Slipper.
2. Bright or Glad.
3. Golden.
4. The Starer.
5. Fleet Courser.
6 Silver-top.
7 Sinewy.
8. Beam, Ray.
9. Hairy-hoof.
10. Gold-top.
11. Light-stepper.]

XXVII. "Heimdallr is the name of one: he is called the White God. He is great and holy; nine maids, all sisters, bore him for a son. He is also called Hallinskídi[1] and Gullintanni; [2] his teeth were of gold, and his horse is called Gold-top. He dwells in the place called Himinbjörg, [3] hard by Bifröst: he is the warder of the gods, and sits there by heaven's end to guard the bridge from the Hill-Giants. He needs less sleep than a bird; he sees equally well night and day a hundred leagues from him, and hears how grass grows on the earth or wool on sheep, and everything that has a louder sound. He has that trumpet which is called Gjallar-Horn, and its blast is heard throughout all worlds. Heimdallr's sword is called Head. It is said further:

Himinbjörg 't is called, where Heimdallr, they say,
Aye has his housing;
There the gods' sentinel drinks in his snug hall
Gladly good mead.

And furthermore, he himself says in Heimdalar-galdr:

I am of nine mothers the offspring,
Of sisters nine am I the son.

[1. Ram (Cl.-Vig.).
2. Golden-teeth.
3. Heaven-fells.]

(From Skaldskaparmal)

VIII. "How should one periphrase Heimdallr? By calling him Son of Nine Mothers, or Watchman of the Gods, as already has been written; or White God, Foe of Loki, Seeker of Freyja's Necklace. A sword is called Heimdallr's Head: for it is said that he was pierced by a man's head. The tale thereof is told in Heimdalar-galdr; and ever since a head is called Heimdallr's Measure; a sword is called Man's Measure. Heimdallr is the Possessor of Gulltoppr; he is also Frequenter of Vágasker and Singasteinn, where he contended with Loki for the Necklace Brísinga-men, he is also called Vindlér. Úlfr Uggason composed a long passage in the Húsdrápa on that legend, and there it is written that they were in the form of seals. Heimdallr also is son of Odin.

LXIX. "A man's head is termed thus: [thus should it he periphrased: call it Toil or Burden of the Neck; Land of the Helm, of the Hood, and of the Brain, of the Hair and Brows, of the Scalp, of Ears, Eves, and Mouth; Sword of Heimdallr, arid it is correct to name any term for sword which one desires; and to periphrase it in terms of every one of the names of Heimdallr[2] the Head, in simple terms, is called Skull, Brain, Temple, Crown. The eyes are termed Vision or Glance, and Regard, Swift-Appraising; [they may he so periphrased as to call them Sun or Moon, Shields and Glass or Jewels or Stones of the Eyelids, of the Brows, the Lashes, or the Forehead]. The ears are called Listeners[3] or Hearing; [3]

(From Voluspa – trans by Henry Adams Bellows, [1936],)

27. I know of the horn of Heimdall, hidden
Under the high-reaching holy tree;
On it there pours from Valfather's pledge
A mighty stream: would you know yet more?

[27. Here the Volva turns from her memories of the past to a statement of some of Othin's own secrets in his eternal search for knowledge (stanzas 27-29). Bugge puts this stanza after stanza 29. The horn of Heimdall: the Gjallarhorn ("Shrieking Horn"), with which Heimdall, watchman of the gods, will summon them to the last battle. Till that time the horn is buried under Yggdrasil. Valfather's pledge: Othin's eye (the sun?), which he gave to the water-spirit Mimir (or Mim) in exchange for the latter's wisdom. It appears here and in stanza 29 as a drinking-vessel, from which Mimir drinks the magic mead, and from which he pours water on the ash Yggdrasil. Othin's sacrifice of his eye in order to gain knowledge of his final doom is one of the series of disasters leading up to the destruction of the gods. There were several differing versions of the story of Othin's relations with Mimir; another one, quite incompatible with this, appears in stanza 47. In the manuscripts I know and I see appear as "she knows" and "she sees" (cf. note on 21).]

28. Alone I sat when the Old One sought me,
The terror of gods, and gazed in mine eyes:
"What hast thou to ask? why comest thou hither?
Othin, I know where thine eye is hidden."

29. I know where Othin's eye is hidden,
Deep in the wide-famed well of Mimir;
Mead from the pledge of Othin each mom
Does Mimir drink: would you know yet more?

[28. The Hauksbok version omits all of stanzas 28-34, stanza 27 being there followed by stanzas 40 and 41. Regius indicates stanzas 28 and 29 as a single stanza. Bugge puts stanza 28 after stanza 22, as the second stanza of his reconstructed poem. The Volva here addresses Othin directly, intimating that, although he has not told her, she knows why he has come to her, and what he has already suffered in his search for knowledge regarding his doom. Her reiterated "would you know yet more?" seems to mean: "I have proved my wisdom by telling of the past and of your own secrets; is it your will that I tell likewise of the fate in store for you?" The Old One: Othin. 29. The first line, not in either manuscript, is a conjectural emendation based on Snorri's paraphrase. Bugge puts this stanza after stanza 20.]

46. Fast move the sons of Mim, and fate
Is heard in the note of the Gjallarhorn;
Loud blows Heimdall, the horn is aloft,
In fear quake all who on Hel-roads are.

47. Yggdrasil shakes, and shiver on high
The ancient limbs, and the giant is loose;
To the head of Mim does Othin give heed,
But the kinsman of Surt shall slay him soon.

[46. Regius combines the first three lines of this stanza with lines 3, 2, and I of stanza 47 as a single stanza. Line 4, not found in Regius, is introduced from the Hauksbok version, where it follows line 2 of stanza 47. The sons of Mim: the spirits of the water. On Mini (or Mimir) cf. stanza 27 and note. Gjallarhorn: the "Shrieking Horn" with which Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, calls them to the last battle.
47. In Regius lines 3, 2, and I, in that order, follow stanza 46 without separation. Line 4 is not found in Regius, but is introduced from the Hauksbok version. Yggdrasil: cf. stanza 19 and note, and Grimnismol, 29-35. The giant: Fenrir. The head of Mim: various myths were current about Mimir. This stanza refers to the story that he was sent by the gods with Hönir as a hostage to the Wanes after their war (cf. stanza 21 and note), and that the Wanes cut off his head and returned it to the gods. Othin embalmed the head, and by magic gave it the power of speech, thus making Mimir's noted wisdom always available. of course this story does not fit with that underlying the references to Mimir in stanzas 27 and 29. The kinsman of Surt: the wolf [fp. 21] Fenrir, who slays Othin in the final struggle; cf. stanza 53. Surt is the giant who rules the fire-world, Muspellsheim; cf. stanza 52.]

***
So here we're beginning to see a bit of a pattern. Heimdall is best known to the casual reader - as well as to many of the more learned scholars - as being little more than the "Watchman of the gods." The Rigsthula, or the Lay of Rig, tells a different story, as well, wherein Heimdall (under the name Rig) goes out into the world and fathers the three "castes" of humankind - the thrall, or labourer; the freeman; and the nobleman. It goes on to tell how he teaches one of the sons of the noble caste the secrets of runelore and magic, at which he comes to excel. Many scholars attribute this lay to Odhinn, however, despite the introduction clearly stating that it is Heimdall the lay is about.

Another heathen scholar I know has drawn connections between Heimdall and Man (no, not humankind. The god Man, son of Tuisto, as discussed by Tacitus in his Germania). While I tend to agree with his conclusions (sorry, I have no link for them), I do think that there's a lot more to the story. Throughout the lore there really isn't a lot about this mysterious god, nor of his cult. But obviously he was seen by the ancients as being a god of great importance, if he is the father of humankind (or at least of humanity's social structures). I think that the above quotes quite nicely illustrate some of this importance, perhaps even a heretofore unknown byname.

In short, Heimdall is Mimir. The god Odhinn goes to to gain wisdom is the same as the god who watches over Asgard. It also gives a different take on the term "sons of Mim." In the footnotes above, it tells us that the term is used to refer to the spirits of water. But if Mimir is Heimdall is Rig, then the Sons of Mim would be humankind, giving us a greater role in Ragnarok than previously thought.

The name of his horn, Gjallerhorn, is noted as translating to "Roaring Horn." Despite being stored in the Well, it is generally assumed to be called thus due to the great roaring sound it will make when sounded at the beginning of Ragnarok. But in Sumbel, the "rite of toasting" (my interpretation), one is known to use a drinking horn, and over that horn one brags of their past deeds, their families, etc. Ancestors and gods are honoured over the horn. If the 'Roaring Horn' is the horn of sumbel, this even more strongly supports the idea of Heimdall as Mimir, because it means that he has access to the wisdom of the ancestors - through the well of knowledge.

Okay, I know that my writings on this are a bit rambling, but I needed to get them out there. I'm sure I can rewrite them another time, a bit more concisely.