Berserking and Poetic connection

[eyja]

óðr adj. 'mad, frantic'
Is stated by H.R. Ellis Davidson that it can be used to describe going berserk. It can also be used to describe the inspiration of poetry. (Citation pending -- book's at home and I'm not)

óðr m. (gen. óðs and óðar) 1. 'mind, wit, soul, sense,' 2. song, poetry

Comments

[chimeramonster]

Do you have any idea how amazingly obscure your whole knowledge base is? I love it. I love that people know these things. Love it. Do what you do, cut dammit, it's awesome. Yaye, you!

[eyja]

Awww... *blush*

[liadan_m]

Odr is distinct from Odinn, but this is one of those weird spots of norse mythology. Frigg was married to Odinn and Freja married to Odr, which links into the threefold god/dess section of things, but I'm at work and without my references. Gah.

[eyja]

I never claimed Óðinn and Óðr were the same person, only that their names came from similar roots. There is a little contention that Óðr might be a form of Óðinn, but there's really not enough information to say one way or another. Snorri lists them as separate, so by the 13th century it was either thought they were separate or was unknown since if something was another name for Óðinn, it was generally said. That same argument can be made of Bragi and Óðinn. Bragi is not mentioned to be a name for Óðinn, so Snorri probably didn't think they were or knew they weren't. And there really isn't a good way to reconstruct that sort of stuff.

[liadan_m]

I didn't mean to imply that you thought they were the same person- It's an argument that I keep ending up in. *sigh* It was more along the lines of looking at the roots of Odinn & Odr along with Frigg & Freja, and noting the massive confusion of the masses at the name similarities.

[eyja]

Ah, ok. Agreed -- there is mass confusion with these names, especially with Frigg and Freyja since we know so little about them and they have vaguely related roles as goddesses. It is a bit frustrating. But I'm pretty sure Frigg is not etymologically related to Freyja. Freyja means something along the lines of 'lady.' As for Frigg, I'm going to have to look it up.

Liberman mentioned last week in class that Frigg's hall translates to something about the Fends, which might give Frigg a link to water or marshlands. I'll have to look it up. (I of course grabbed the wrong notebook this week. *sigh*)