Hindarfjall
Encyclopedia
Hindarfjall or Hindafjall ("Hind mountain") is the mountain where Brynhildr
lives in the Völsung cycle
.
In Snorri Sturluson
's account of the Völsung cycle (Skáldskaparmál
), Sigurðr first meets Brynhildr, whom he finds asleep, in a building on a mountain whose name is not given. Later, Brynhildr is said to live on Hindafjall, in a hall surrounded by wavering flames (vafrlogi). Sigurðr rides through them and asks for Brynhildr's hand, having taken the appearance of Gunnarr.
In the other sources (Sigrdrífumál
, Völsunga saga
), Hindarfjall is mentioned in relation with the first encounter: after killing Fáfnir
and Reginn, Sigurðr rides up onto Hindarfjall and goes south toward Frakkland. Then he sees a great light on a mountain. There stands a wall of shield, and behind it Sigrdrífa-Brynhildr
asleep. The name of the place where the second meeting takes place, when Sigurðr rides through the flames after he and Gunnar exchanged forms, is not given.
Hindarfjall is also mentioned in Fáfnismál
, where the birds, which Sigurðr can understand after tasting Fáfnir's blood, talk about a hall on Hindarfjall, surrounded with flames, where Sigrdrífa sleeps.
In Helreið Brynhildar
, it is called Skatalundr, and there is an obscure stanza that Sigurðr first meet Brynhildr in her foster-father's home.
Brynhildr
Brynhildr is a shieldmaiden and a valkyrie in Norse mythology, where she appears as a main character in the Völsunga saga and some Eddic poems treating the same events. Under the name Brünnhilde she appears in the Nibelungenlied and therefore also in Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des...
lives in the Völsung cycle
Volsung Cycle
The Völsung Cycle is a series of legends in Norse mythology that were first recorded in medieval Iceland. The original Icelandic tales were greatly expanded with native Scandinavian folklore, including that of Helgi Hundingsbane, which, in turn, originally appears to have been a separate tradition...
.
In Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
's account of the Völsung cycle (Skáldskaparmál
Skáldskaparmál
The second part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál or "language of poetry" is effectively a dialogue between the Norse god of the sea, Ægir and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined...
), Sigurðr first meets Brynhildr, whom he finds asleep, in a building on a mountain whose name is not given. Later, Brynhildr is said to live on Hindafjall, in a hall surrounded by wavering flames (vafrlogi). Sigurðr rides through them and asks for Brynhildr's hand, having taken the appearance of Gunnarr.
In the other sources (Sigrdrífumál
Sigrdrífumál
Sigrdrífumál is the conventional title given to a section of the Poetic Edda text in Codex Regius....
, Völsunga saga
Volsunga saga
The Völsungasaga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry...
), Hindarfjall is mentioned in relation with the first encounter: after killing Fáfnir
Fafnir
In Norse mythology, Fáfnir or Frænir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin and Ótr. In the Volsunga saga, Fáfnir was a dwarf gifted with a powerful arm and fearless soul. He guarded his father's house of glittering gold and flashing gems...
and Reginn, Sigurðr rides up onto Hindarfjall and goes south toward Frakkland. Then he sees a great light on a mountain. There stands a wall of shield, and behind it Sigrdrífa-Brynhildr
Brynhildr
Brynhildr is a shieldmaiden and a valkyrie in Norse mythology, where she appears as a main character in the Völsunga saga and some Eddic poems treating the same events. Under the name Brünnhilde she appears in the Nibelungenlied and therefore also in Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des...
asleep. The name of the place where the second meeting takes place, when Sigurðr rides through the flames after he and Gunnar exchanged forms, is not given.
Hindarfjall is also mentioned in Fáfnismál
Fáfnismál
Fáfnismál is an Eddic poem, found in the Codex Regius manuscript. The poem is unnamed in the manuscript, where it follows Reginsmál and precedes Sigrdrífumál, but modern scholars regard it as a separate poem and have assigned it a name for convenience.The poem forms a more coherent whole than...
, where the birds, which Sigurðr can understand after tasting Fáfnir's blood, talk about a hall on Hindarfjall, surrounded with flames, where Sigrdrífa sleeps.
In Helreið Brynhildar
Helreið Brynhildar
Helreið Brynhildar or Brynhild's Hel-Ride is a short Old Norse poem that is found in the Poetic Edda. Most of the poem is also quoted in Norna-Gests þáttr....
, it is called Skatalundr, and there is an obscure stanza that Sigurðr first meet Brynhildr in her foster-father's home.