94 skuld
S kuld (Future)
One of the three principle Norns,
or Fates, of Norse mythology. They are named in the
P oetic E dda . Her sisters are Urd (Past) and Ver-
dandi (Present). While many Norns in the form of
spirits who determine the fates of gods and humans
are often referred to in the Eddic and skaldic poetry,
only these three sisters are named specifically.
Skuld’s name is associated with the Old Norse
verb skulu, which means “shall” or “should.” Some
translators interpret this broadly as “something that
will happen.” Skuld is often pictured wearing a veil
and carrying a scroll.
S ky
In the Norse creation myth, the sky was
made from the dome of the giant Ymir’s skull. It
was held up at the corners by four dwarfs, Nordi,
Sudri, Austri, and Vestri. It was lit by the Sun and
the Moon (see “Sun and Moon,” under creation);
the stars were created from sparks borrowed from
Muspellheim, the land of fire; and it was shaded by
clouds made from Ymir’s brains.
S leipnir (Glider)
Odin’s eight-legged horse, the
offspring of Svadilfari and Loki, the shape-shifter
god who disguised himself as a mare to tempt
Svadilfari away from his work for the Giant Master
Builder (see “Asgard’s Wall and the Giant Master
Builder,” under Asgard).
Sleipnir was no ordinary horse. He could gallop
over the sea and through the air as well as on land
and could outrun any horse in all the Nine Worlds,
including Gullfaxi. Sleipnir was able to journey
to the world of the dead; he carried both Hermod
and Odin there. At Ragnarok, the end of the world,
Sleipnir carried Odin into battle.
S norri S turluson (1179–1241)
A leading
figure in Norse literature, Snorri Sturluson was
Iceland’s most distinguished author. He was the
author of the P rose E dda , of Heimskringla (a history
of Norwegian kings), and of Hattatal (a poem in
praise of King Haakon and Duke Skuli of Nor-
way), plus various sagas. One of Iceland’s greatest
chieftains, Snorri came from the powerful Sturlung
dynasty. He was educated at Iceland’s foremost cul-
tural center, Oddi, where he received strong training
in law, history, poetry, and the telling of sagas. He
became renowned as a lawyer and a skald, or poet.
Politically ambitious, Snorri was welcomed at all the
Scandinavian courts. He acquired great wealth and
power but was involved in numerous disputes and
battles. He was finally assassinated in a political coup
at the command of the king of Norway.
It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance
of the Prose Edda, sometimes called the Younger
Edda or the Snorra Edda. It gives the most complete
picture of Norse mythology dating from the Middle
Ages. The Prose Edda had great influence on medi-
eval Icelandic literature and helped to preserve the
ancient skaldic tradition.
S notra (Clever) A minor goddess named by
Snorri Sturluson, who described her as clever and
well-behaved. Scholars suspect that she might have
been created by Snorri.
S okkvabekk
The upper right corner of this runestone depicts
Odin riding the eight-legged horse, Sleipner. (Photo
by Berig/Used under a Creative Commons license)
The great home of Odin and the
goddess Saga in Asgard, according to the poem
G rimnismal . It stood “where cool waves flow” and is
identified by different scholars as on a farm and near
a deep stream. It may be another name for Fensalir,
the home of Frigg, who was Odin’s wife.