M
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M agni (Mighty)
Heidrun, and the gods and heroes never lacked the
heavenly brew.
See also “The Mead of Poetry,” under Odin.
One of the two sons of the god
Thor and the giantess Jarnsaxa. His brother is Modi.
At an early age, Magni was strong enough to rescue
his father from under the leg of the giant Hrungnir.
As a reward, Thor gave him the magnificent horse
Gullfaxi, which had belonged to the giant. Magni
was one of the seven Aesir who survived Ragnarok,
the end of the world, and inherited, with his brother,
Thor’s hammer, Mjollnir. Magni’s story is in Snorri
Sturluson’s P rose E dda , though he quotes the 10th-
century poem V afthrudnismal .
M egingjardir (M egingjorð , M egingiorð ,
Power Belt) The name Snorri Sturluson gave
to the god Thor’s magic belt. When the thunder
god fastens it on, his already great powers become
twice as strong. Megingjardir was one of three of
Thor’s great treasures, which included his mighty
hammer, Mjollnir, and iron gloves. The belt is
M anagarm (Moon Dog)
A name used by 13th-
century Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson for
one of the horrible wolves that destroy the Sun and
Moon at the time of Ragnarok. The other wolf was
Skoll. Managarm was also known as Hati Hrod-
vitnisson. Managarm was one of the many sons of
an old giantess who lived in Jarnvid, all of whom
were wolves.
M ani
The man who drove the chariot that carried
the Moon across the sky. He is the son of Mundilfari
and the brother of Sol. For company, Mani stole two
children from Midgard (Middle Earth). Their names
were Bil and Hjuki (Waning and Waxing). Some say
that on a clear night the children in the Moon can
be seen as dark shapes on the Moon’s face, as they
eternally carry a pail of water on a pole (see “Sun and
Moon,” under creation). At Ragnarok, the wolf
Hati Hrodvitnisson, which pursues the chariot
across the skies, will devour the Moon.
mead An alcoholic drink made by ferment-
ing honey and water. The creators of the Norse
myths considered mead superior to the usual beer
and ale (made by fermenting cereals flavored with
hops) drunk by ordinary people. In Valhalla, mead
was supplied in a never-ending flow by the goat
Depiction of warriors drinking mead on a rune-
stone (Photo by Berig/Used under a Creative Commons
license)
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