Svalinn - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Norse mythology

Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...

, Svalinn is a shield which stands before the sun. It is attested in Grímnismál
Grímnismál
Grímnismál is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript and the AM 748 I 4to fragment. It is spoken through the voice of Grímnir, one of the many guises of the god Odin, who is tortured by King Geirröth...

:

Svalinn heitir,

hann stendr sólu fyrir,

skjöldr, skínanda goði;

björg ok brim,

ek veit, at brenna skulu,

ef hann fellr í frá. Grímnismál 38, Guðni Jónsson's edition

Svalin the shield is called,

which stands before the sun,

the refulgent deity:

rocks and ocean must, I ween,

be burnt,

fell it from its place. Grímnismál 38, Thorpe's translation

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