98 swan
Menglod. The story combines elements of mythol-
ogy with elements of the heroic legend, and some
scholars point out that the scribes who created
the manuscripts containing Svipdagsmal often made
errors in recounting the Norse myths.
Modern experts believe that the existing manu-
scripts combine two older poems, Grogald (Groa’s
Spell ) and Fjolsvinnsmal (The Lay of Fjolsvith), into
one story, but even these poems appear to have been
composed later than the Viking Age, in which Norse
mythology had its strongest expression.
While experts on Old Norse mythology still
disagree on the origins of Svipdagsmal, they do agree
that the story of Svipdag and Menglod became
extremely popular in Scandinavia and became the
subject of many ballads and legends.
swan The swan appears in Norse mythology as
a symbol of grace, beauty, and mystery. The feathers
of the swan bring magical power, as do the feathers of
the hawk and eagle.
Two swans lived near Urdarbrunn (Urd’s Well),
feeding on its dew. They were, according to Snorri
Sturluson, the parents of the species of swan.
The song of the swan was seen as a sign of death,
since the swan was believed never to make a sound
during its life but only as it was dying. However, the
song of the swan was beautiful music to Skade, who
refused to leave her mountain home to live by the sea
with her husband, Njord.
Swan maidens appear in several of the heroic
poems of the P oetic E dda . In some, such as that
of Volund in Volundarkvitha, they are believed to
be Valkyries in disguise. In order to discard their
warrior nature, these women put on swans’ feathers
and fly away. When they take off these robes of
feathers, they appear to be human. Experts on Norse
and Germanic mythology believe that these tales of
swan maidens began south of Scandinavia and were
later blended into the tales of Norse legends and
mythology.
S weden
A nation in northern Europe form-
ing the eastern half of the Scandinavian peninsula.
Sweden is part of Scandinavia, which includes Nor-
way, making up the western part of the peninsula,
Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. Together
these nations form the home of the Norse culture
and its mythology.
Archaeological finds and a significant number of
Norse artifacts from Sweden have helped scholars
Burial site from about a . d . 500 in Anundshog, Swe-
den (Photo by Christer Johansson/Used under a Creative
Commons license)
piece together the stories of the gods and goddesses
of the northlands. Huge burial mounds of ancient
kings of Sweden—three located in Old Uppsala,
about 50 miles north of Stockholm—have provided
scientists with significant information about the
Nordic people and their religious beliefs. Even farm
fields in Sweden have been rich sources of informa-
tion. Amulets, brooches, and stone carvings have
been plowed up, uncovered, and preserved to provide
information and greater understanding of the age of
Norse mythology.
One of the richest sites of archaeological informa-
tion is the Swedish island of Gotland, which lies in
the Baltic Sea near the southern end of the peninsula.
Here outlines of ships made with huge rocks still dot
the landscape, and some of the most prominent rock
carvings of ancient Scandinavia stand as reminders of
this earlier age.
sword The sword was a symbol of power
throughout Norse mythology and the heroic leg-
ends of Scandinavia. It was the weapon of the king
and the leader. The sword was essential during the
Viking Age to defend one’s life and possessions.
Odin, though the leader of the Aesir, did not carry
a sword himself. His weapon was the spear, Gungnir.
He did drive a great sword into the huge oak tree that