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Breidablik

This article is about the location in Nordic mythology. For other uses, see Breiðablik.

Breiðablik (sometimes anglicised as Breithablik or Breidablik) is the home of Baldr in Nordic mythology.

Meaning

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The word Breiðablik has been variously translated as 'broad sheen', 'Broad gleam', 'Broad-gleaming' or 'the far-shining one', [1][2][3][4]

Attestations

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Grímismál

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The Eddic poem Grímnismál describes Breiðablik as the fair home of Baldr:

Old Norse text[5] Bellows translation[6]
Breiðablik eru in sjaundu, en þar Baldr hefir
sér of gerva sali, á því landi,
er ek liggja veit fæsta feiknstafi.
The seventh is Breithablik; Baldr has there
For himself a dwelling set,
In the land I know that lies so fair,
And from evil fate is free.

Gylfaginning

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In Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning, Breiðablik is described in a list of places in heaven, identified by some scholars as Asgard:[7]

Old Norse text[8] Brodeur translation[9]

Þar er einn sá staðr, er Breiðablik er kallaðr, ok engi er þar fegri staðr.

Then there is also in that place the abode called Breidablik, and there is not in heaven a fairer dwelling.

Later in the work, when Snorri describes Baldr, he gives another description, citing Grímnismál, though he does not name the poem:

Old Norse text[10] Brodeur translation[11]

Hann býr þar, sem heitir Breiðablik. Þat er á himni. Í þeim stað má ekki vera óhreint...

He [Baldr] dwells in the place called Breidablik, which is in heaven; in that place may nothing unclean be...

Interpretation and discussion

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The name of Breiðablik has been noted to link with Baldr's attributes of light and beauty.[1]

Similarities have been drawn between the description of Breiðablik in Grímnismál and Heorot in Beowulf, which are both free of 'baleful runes' (Old Norse: feicnstafi and Old English: fācenstafas respectively). In Beowulf, the lack of fācenstafas refers to the absence of crimes being committed, and therefore both halls have been proposed to be sanctuaries.[12]

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See also

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Liberman & Lindow 2004, p. 22.
  2. ^ Orchard 2011, p. 52.
  3. ^ Branston 1980, p. 86.
  4. ^ Simek 2008, p. 44.
  5. ^ Grímnismál (ON), Stanza 12.
  6. ^ Bellows 2004, Grimnismol stanza 12.
  7. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 20, 42.
  8. ^ Gylfaginning (ON), Chapter 17.
  9. ^ Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 17.
  10. ^ Gylfaginning (ON), Chapter 22.
  11. ^ Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning, chapter 22.
  12. ^ Liberman & Lindow 2004, p. 40.

Bibliography

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Primary

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  • Bellows, Henry Adam (2004). The poetic Edda : the mythological poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486437101.
  • Orchard, Andy (2011). The Elder Edda : a book of Viking lore. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780141393728.
  • Sturluson, Snorri (2018). The Prose Edda. Translated by Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist. Franklin Classics Trade Press. ISBN 9780344335013.
  • "Grímnismál (Old Norse)". heimskringla.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  • "Gylfaginning (Old Norse)". heimskringla.no. Retrieved 4 October 2022.

Secondary

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