Editing Heimdall (section)

===''Poetic Edda''===
In the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', Heimdall is attested in six poems; ''[[Völuspá]]'', ''[[Grímnismál]]'', ''[[Lokasenna]]'', ''[[Þrymskviða]]'', ''[[Rígsþula]]'', and ''[[Hrafnagaldr Óðins]]''.

Heimdall is mentioned three times in ''[[Völuspá]]''. In the first stanza of the poem, the undead [[völva]] reciting the poem calls out for listeners to be silent and refers to the Norse god:

<blockquote>
{|
|
<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation:</small>
:For silence I pray all sacred children,
:great and small, sons of Heimdall.
:they will that I Valfather's deeds recount,
:men's ancient saws, those that I best remember.<ref name="THORPE3">Thorpe (1866:3).</ref>
|
<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation:</small>
:Hearing I ask from the holy races,
:From Heimdall's sons, both high and low;
:Thou wilt, [[List of names of Odin|Valfather]], that well I relate.
:Old tales I remember of men long ago.<ref>Bellows (1923:3).</ref>
|
|}
</blockquote>

This stanza has led to various scholarly interpretations. The "holy races" have been considered variously as either humanity or the gods. The notion of humanity as "Heimdall's sons" is otherwise unattested and has also resulted in various interpretations. Some scholars have pointed to the prose introduction to the poem ''[[Rígsþula]]'', where Heimdall is said to have once gone about people, slept between couples, and so doled out classes among them (see ''Rígsthula'' section below).<ref name="HEIMDALLRS-SONS">See discussion at Thorpe (1866:3), Bellows (1923:3), and Larrington (1999:264).</ref>

[[File:Heimdallr by Froelich.jpg|thumb|upright|Heimdall blows Gjallarhorn in an 1895 illustration by [[Lorenz Frølich]].]]

Later in ''Völuspá'', the völva foresees the events of [[Ragnarök]] and the role in which Heimdall and [[Gjallarhorn]] will play at its onset; Heimdall will raise his horn and blow loudly. Due to manuscript differences, translations of the stanza vary:

{|
|
<small>Benjamin Thorpe translation:</small>
:[[Mímir|Mim]]'s sons dance,
:but the [[Yggdrasil|central tree]] takes fire,
:at the resounding Giallar-horn.
:Loud blows Heimdall,
:his horn is raised; Odin speaks with Mim's head.<ref name="THORPE9">Thorpe (1866:9).</ref>
|
<small>Henry Adams Bellows translation:</small>
:Fast move the sons of Mim and fate
:Is heard in the note of the Gjallarhorn;
:Loud blows Heimdall, the horn is aloft,
:In fear quake all who on [[Hel (location)|Hel]]-roads are.<ref name="BELLOWS20">Bellows (1923:20). See connected footnote for information on manuscript and editing variations.</ref>
|
|}
Regarding this stanza, scholar [[Andy Orchard]] comments that the name ''Gjallarhorn'' may here mean "horn of the river [[Gjöll]]" as "Gjöll is the name of one of the rivers of the Underworld, whence much wisdom is held to derive", but notes that in the poem ''[[Grímnismál]]'' Heimdall is said to drink fine [[mead]] in his heavenly home [[Himinbjörg]].<ref>Orchard (1997:57).</ref>

Earlier in the same poem, the völva mentions a scenario involving the hearing or horn (depending on translation of the Old Norse noun ''hljóð''—translations bolded below for the purpose of illustration) of the god Heimdall:

<blockquote>
{|
|
:<small>Benjamin Thorpe translation:</small>
:She knows that '''Heimdall's horn''' is hidden
:under the [[Yggdrasil|heaven-bright holy tree]].
:A river she sees flow, with foamy fall,
:from [[List of names of Odin|Valfather]]'s pledge.
:Understand ye yet, or what?<ref name=THORPE7>Thorpe (1866:7).</ref>
|
:<small>Henry Adams Bellows translation:</small>
:I know of the '''horn of Heimdall''', hidden
:Under the high-reaching holy tree;
:On it there pours from Valfather's pledge
:A mighty stream: would you know yet more?<ref name=BELLOWS12>Bellows (1932:12).</ref>
|
:<small>Carolyne Larrington translation:</small>
:She knows that '''Heimdall's hearing''' is hidden
:under the radiant, sacred tree;
:she sees, pouring down, the muddy torrent
:from the wager of Father of the Slain; do you
:understand yet, or what more?<ref name=LARRINGTON7>Larrington (1999:7).</ref>
|}
</blockquote>

Scholar Paul Schach comments that the stanzas in this section of '' Völuspá'' are "all very mysterious and obscure, as it was perhaps meant to be". Schach details that "''Heimdallar hljóð'' has aroused much speculation. Snorri [in the ''Prose Edda''] seems to have confused this word with ''gjallarhorn'', but there is otherwise no attestation of the use of ''hljóð'' in the sense of 'horn' in Icelandic. Various scholars have read this as "hearing" rather than "horn".<ref>Schach (1985:93).</ref>

Scholar [[Carolyne Larrington]] comments that if "hearing" rather than "horn" is understood to appear in this stanza, the stanza indicates that Heimdall, like Odin, has left a body part in the well; his ear. Larrington says that "Odin exchanged one of his eyes for wisdom from Mimir, guardian of the well, while Heimdall seems to have forfeited his ear."<ref name="LARRINGTON265">Larrington (1999:265).</ref>

In the poem ''[[Grímnismál]]'', Odin (disguised as ''[[List of names of Odin|Grímnir]]''), tortured, starved and thirsty, tells the young [[Agnarr Geirröðsson|Agnar]] of a number of mythological locations. The eighth location he mentions is Himinbjörg, where he says that Heimdall drinks fine [[mead]]:

<blockquote>
{|
|
<small>Benjamin Thorpe translation:</small>
:Himinbiörg is the eighth, where Heimdall,
:it is said, rules o'er the holy fanes:
:there the gods' watchman, in his tranquil home,
:drinks joyful the good mead.<ref name="THORPE21">Thorpe (1866:21).</ref>
|
<small>Henry Adams Bellows translation:</small>
:Himingbjorg is the eighth, and Heimdall there
:O'er men holds sway, it is said;
:In his well-built house does the warder of heaven
:The good mead gladly drink.<ref name="BELLOWS90">Bellows (1923:90).</ref>
|
|}
</blockquote>

Regarding the above stanza, [[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] comments that "in this stanza the two functions of Heimdall—as father of humanity [ . . . ] and as warder of the gods—seem both to be mentioned, but the second line in the manuscripts is apparently in bad shape, and in the editions it is more or less conjecture".<ref name="BELLOWS90"/>

In the poem ''[[Lokasenna]]'', [[Loki]] [[flyting|flyts]] with various gods who have met together to feast. At one point during the exchanges, the god Heimdall says that Loki is drunk and witless, and asks Loki why he won't stop speaking. Loki tells Heimdall to be silent, that he was [[wyrd|fated]] a "hateful life", that Heimdall must always have a muddy back, and that he must serve as watchman of the gods. The goddess [[Skaði]] interjects and the flyting continues in turn.<ref name="LARRINGTON92">Larrington (1999:92).</ref>

The poem ''[[Þrymskviða]]'' tells of Thor's loss of his hammer, [[Mjöllnir]], to the [[Jötunn|jötnar]] and quest to get it back. At one point in the tale, the gods gather at the [[Thing (assembly)|thing]] and debate how to get Thor's hammer back from the jötnar, who demand the beautiful goddess [[Freyja]] in return for it. Heimdall advises that they simply dress Thor up as Freyja, during which he is described as ''hvítastr ása'' (translations of the phrase vary below) and is said to have [[foresight (psychology)|foresight]] like the [[Vanir]], a group of gods:

<blockquote>
{|
|
<small>Benjamin Thorpe translation:</small>
:Then said Heimdall, of [[Æsir]] brightest—
:he well foresaw, like other Vanir—
:Let us clothe Thor with bridal raiment,
:let him have the famed [[Brísingamen|Brîsinga necklace]].
:"Let by his side keys jingle,
:and woman's weeds fall around his knees,
:but on his breast place precious stones,
:and a neat coif set on his head."<ref name="THORPE64">Thorpe (1866:64).</ref>
|
<small>Henry Adams Bellows translation:</small>
:Then Heimdall spake, whitest of the gods,
:Like the Wanes he knew the future well:
:"Bind we on Thor the bridal veil,
:Let him bear the mighty Brisings' necklace;
:"Keys around him let there rattle,
:And down to his knees hang woman's dress;
:With gems full broad upon his breast,
:And a pretty cap to crown his head."<ref name="BELLOWS178">Bellows (1923:178).</ref>
|
<small>[[Jeramy Dodds]] translation:</small>
:The most glittering of gods, Heimdall, who,
:like the Vanir, is gifted with the gift of foresight,
:said: 'Let's strap a bridal veil over Thor's face
:and let him don the Brising necklace.<ref name="DODDS-2014-110">Dodds (2014:110).</ref>
:'Let the wedlock keys jingle around his waist,
:and dress him in a woman's dress to his knees
:and loop giant gems across his chest
:and top him off with a stylish headdress.'<ref name="DODDS-2014-110">Dodds (2014:110).</ref>
|}
</blockquote>

Regarding Heimdall's status as ''hvítastr ása'' (variously translated above as "brightest" (Thorpe), "whitest" (Bellows), and "most glittering" (Dodds)) and the comparison to the Vanir, scholar [[John Lindow]] comments that there are no other indications of Heimdall being considered among the Vanir (on Heimdall's status as "''hvítastr ása ''", see "scholarly reception" below).<ref name="LINDOW170">Lindow (2002:170).</ref>

[[File:Rig in Great-grandfather's Cottage.jpg|thumb|''Rig in Great-grandfather's Cottage'' (1908) by [[W. G. Collingwood]]]]

The introductory prose to the poem ''[[Rígsþula]]'' says that "people say in the old stories" that Heimdall, described as a god among the [[Æsir]], once fared on a journey. Heimdall wandered along a seashore, and referred to himself as ''Rígr''. In the poem, Rígr, who is described as a wise and powerful god, walks in the middle of roads on his way to steads, where he meets a variety of couples and dines with them, giving them advice and spending three nights at a time between them in their bed. The wives of the couples become pregnant, and from them come the various classes of humanity.<ref name="LARRINGTON246-252">Larrington (1999:246—252).</ref>

Eventually a warrior home produces a promising boy, and as the boy grows older, Rígr comes out of a thicket, teaches the boy [[runic alphabet|runes]], gives him a name, and proclaims him to be his son. Rígr tells him to strike out and get land for himself. The boy does so, and so becomes a great war leader with many estates. He marries a beautiful woman and the two have many children and are happy. One of the children eventually becomes so skilled that he is able to share in runic knowledge with Heimdall, and so earns the title of ''Rígr'' himself. The poem breaks off without further mention of the god.<ref name="LARRINGTON246-252" />