In Norse mythology, Vidar is a god of vengeance and the son of Odin and the giantess Grid. During the endtime conflict of Ragnarok, the great final battle between the Aesir (gods) and the Jotnar (giants), the wolf Fenrir will devour Odin. Vidar will then avenge his father's death when he slays the wolf with either a sword thrust through the heart or by tearing his jaws apart according to separate Eddic traditions. Vidar is one of the few gods destined to survive Ragnarok when the flames die down and the earth is reborn from the sea.
Vidar is known as the silent god. The reason for this is not made clear in the mythological sources but it may be derived from ritual vows of silence or other abstentions which are often involved in acts of vengeance. This is similar to the manner in which Vali, Vidar's brother, vows not to wash his hands or comb his hair until he avenges the death of Baldr.
According to the Prose Edda, Vidar is second only to Thor in strength and can always be depended upon to support the gods in their struggles. He wears a heavy shoe which is made from all the leather waste pieces that men have removed and discarded from their own shoes throughout time. During Ragnarok, Vidar will step down with this shoe upon the lower jaw of Fenrir, and grabbing his upper jaw with one hand he will tear the wolf's mouth asunder. For this reason, a kenning (poetic metaphor) for Vidar is "owner of the iron shoe".
Although Vidar's mother Grid is a giantess, she appears to have had a peaceful relationship with the Aesir. When Thor found himself about to confront the giant Geirrod unarmed, Grid lent Thor the use of certain weapons for the encounter including a pair of gauntlets and a belt of strength to replace his own as well as a magic staff.
Irminsul ("Earth Tree" or "Great Pillar"), the sacred oak pillar (of which there were probably several) venerated by the pagan Saxon tribes of Germany, which connects heaven and earth and corresponds to Yggdrasil the World Tree from Norse mythology. A cult figure of a god or totem often rested on top of the pillar. When the Saxons of the mainland were finally conquered by the emperor Charlemagne during the late 8th century after decades of conflict, the Irminsul began to be depicted as bent (but never broken) beneath the weight of Christian subjugation. During modern times the pillar has been straightened again to its former glory as a visual representation of the Tyr rune, a symbol of victory, and its resemblance to the Scales of Justice is likewise appropriate.
During the final conflict of Ragnarok between the gods and giants the World Tree suffers hardship from fire and the shock of cosmic battle but is destined to be regenerated when the earth and the universe are reborn. Likewise, the Irminsul suffered during the Frankish campaigns but eventually regrew from the ashes of Christian domination, stronger than before. Since the Irminsul so closely resembles a sword hilt it is not surprising that it should be connected with Tyr, the god of war. In the Norse mythological poem "The Lay of Sigrdrifa" from the Poetic Edda, the sixth stanza instructs that runes of victory should be carved into one's sword hilt and twice invoke Tyr when engaged in battle.
The Irminsul is also associated with shamanism, of enlightenment or the flowering of consciousness obtained through hardship. As a tree, it is connected with Yggdrasil upon which Odin hanged himself, suffering from hunger and thirst and impaled with his own spear (a mirror reflection of the Christ myth) until he gained knowledge of the runes. Odin of course also sacrificed an eye to the god Mimir in order to drink from the well of knowledge and wisdom, and he experienced shamanic visions when he allowed himself to be bound between two fires and tortured in the hall of the human king Geirrod. The biting off of Tyr's right hand during the binding of Fenrir symbolizes pain endured before breaking away from a spiritually repressive monotheistic faith, and this idea is reflected also in the Irminsul's own bloody history. Yggdrasil itself is a potent shamanic symbol since, in addition to being the nexus of all worlds, during the course of its existence it endures the depredations of ravenous beasts including the serpents of Hel that gnaw on its roots and the stags of Asgard that feed on its branches and leaves. Cosmic balance is maintained as the Norns, the three maidens of Fate, use the sacred water from the Well of Urd to heal its wounds and stimulate growth until after Ragnarok when, from new seeds, the tree springs eternal.
"Ruler of Asgard, father of Thor, send me your power divine. Grant me your wisdom, strengthen my soul, so revenge of our blood shall be mine. Allfather, Odin, I entreat you with awe, to ride with me side by side. So avenged shall all be, who have died in the past, by the power of heathen pride. Strong is my heart, and strong is my will, soon I will break our chain. Then the swords shall be raised and our flag held high, the banner of the heathen domain." ~ Falkenbach, "When Gjallarhorn Will Sound"
"Hrungnir had a heart that is renowned, made of solid stone and spiked with three points just like the symbol for carving called Hrungnir's Heart has ever since been made." ~ "Skaldskaparmal", Prose Edda
Although traditionally associated with Odin (found on stones bearing his image) and referred to by the modern term "valknut", this symbol as the above passage indicates was also connected with Hrungnir, the strongest of all giants until he was killed by Thor. Thus, among other things it represents strength as well as tribal unity and the universe with the nine points of its three interlocking triangles corresponding to the Nine Worlds of Norse cosmology. When inverted it takes on a sinister aspect, representing chaos (personified by the giants), the universe turned upside down, and the descent into Hel.
"Brushwood grows, and high grass, in Vidar's wide land. And there the son proclaims on horseback, that he shall avenge his father." ~ "Grimnismal", stanza 17, Poetic Edda
"Brother will rise against brother, laws of kinship will be broken, the world is troubled. An axe age, a sword age, shields are shattered. A storm age, a wolf age, before the world plunges headlong. No man will spare another." ~ "Voluspa", stanza 45, Poetic Edda
"The sun turns black, the earth sinks into the sea, and the bright stars vanish from the sky. Smoke rises up in the conflagration, and flames burn high against the heavens themselves." ~ "Voluspa", stanza 57 "She sees, rising up again, the earth from the ocean, eternally green. A waterfall plunges, above soars an eagle, hunting fish on the mountain." ~ "Voluspa", stanza 59
"As the hours passed the land changed. The wide plains gave way to low hills, marching upward in broken ranges. Far to the north he caught a glimpse of towering mountains, their eternal snows blue with distance. In the darkening skies above them shone the flaring rays of the aurora. They spread fanwise into the sky, frosty blades of cold flaming light, changing in color, growing and brightening." ~ Robert E. Howard, "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
"That was the warrior's last word. He had no more to confide. The furious heat of the pyre would assail him. His soul fled from his breast to its destined place among the steadfast ones." ~ Beowulf
"These lords may light the mystery, of mastery or victory, and these ride high in history, but these shall not return..."
War Chants
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