Heimdal

I've read a few theories about Heimdall. Little of his story has survived the ages. The following text is in parts objective and in parts my own or others subjective theories. I write this kind of text / blog because it helps me bring order to the ideas swimming around my mind.

The God Heimdall, also called Rig Is the Guardian of Asgard and father to the 3 classes of man. Subjectively, he might be thought of as half of the divine pair matched with Thor in the same way Tyr's sense of justice counters / compliments Odin's rage for war and Ingui Freyr with Freya work hand in hand. One of Heimdall's mothers 'Jornsaxa' is also Magni's mother (Magni being son of Thor). This gives us another connection to Thor. In the poem Thrymskvida it states that Heimdall is both Aesir and Vanir and that he knows the future like other Vanir? This is the least confusing element of Heimdall's story........

In the Eddic poetry Heimdall is called whiter than white and in another verse whitest of the Aesir. This could be an old norse compliment. It refers to how nobles tend to have whiter skin as they don't have to work in the hot sun of the fields. It is a way of saying someone is handsome or pretty for females. It can also mean that he had very bright blond hair and beard. The translation of 'whiter' that interests me is that it can mean ancient or possibly old age. Interestingly Heimdalls other name 'Rig' from the Rigsthula poem sounds very similar to the 'Rig' component in 'Rig Veda' the Sanskrit term. Etymologists tell us this component 'Rig' of this term means bright, to radiate, beam and praise. That one of Heimdall's names is a very ancient name suggests subjectively that Heimdall is one of the older Gods. That Voluspa calls humans 'the children of Heimdall' is one of several pieces of evidence that Rig and Heimdall are the same God.

In the prose Edda Snorri quotes a poem called Heimdallargaldar where Heimdall says he is the son of 9 mothers and 9 sisters. In Voluspa it is mentioned that one of the earliest memories is of 9 worlds and 9 Jotan woman who gave birth to a very strong child of Gods, a shield glorious God born at the edge of the earth. This adds further weight to the idea that Heimdall is an ancient God of great strength who may have some kind of connection to the beginning of the 9 worlds. Indeed, the first component of Heimdalls name 'heim' can mean home but refers to world or realm in Voluspa. As to how a God can have 9 mothers...... we will chalk that one up as a mystery for the moment!

It is interesting that there are no place names named after Heimdall when you consider how central he is to the Gods stories. Some scholars have suggested Ullr and Heimdall are the same God and that Heimdall is a later name which is why Heimdal has no towns or rivers etc named after him. Ullr was sometimes called the bow God with the word Ydallr or 'Yew Dales' being cognate with Ullr. This ties in with Heimdall which can be taken to mean home Dale or perhaps valley of the realms/worlds (Dale = valley). So with this connection to the Yew tree and the 9 worlds we have to wonder if Heimdall is an ancient God who has something to do with yggdrasil and the 9 worlds?

It is said that Heimdall will blow his horn to warn the Gods of Ragnarok. Twice in the Eddas, it is mentioned that Heimdall has some kind of old grudge against Loki who heimdall did battle with in the form of seals over Freya's necklace (don't ask....) Whilst we don't know the finer details of this grudge, it, along with Heimdall being the father of the 3 classes of man and the premonition that Heimdall will fight Loki during Ragnarok does suggest that Heimdall is an agent of order who opposes chaos. A God worthy of our devotion.

Because so little of Heimdall's story has survived he is often forgotten by modern day Odinists or only mentioned in passing. I would say to everyone that we should all make time for Heimdall. Create a wooden carved statue of him for your altar? Talk of heimdall at your blots. Remember that we are essentially the children of Heimdall. He is our folks ancestral connection to the Gods (and ours alone). If you practice martial arts or other forms of self defence perhaps Heimdall could be your inspiration. In the Odinic Rite we have an informal group within the group called the OR Fyrd where some folk practice physical fitness and defence training. Maybe these folk might find Heimdall the guardian a good source of inspiration. Admin Gary Hazel