Ullr
Encyclopedia
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
, *Wulþuz ("glory
Glory (religion)
Glory is used to denote the manifestation of God's presence in the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. God's glory is often associated with visible displays of light, e.g. thunderbolts, fire, brightness....
"; Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Ullr) appears to have been a major god, or an epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
of an important god, in prehistoric times.
The term wolþu- "glory", possibly in reference to the god, is attested on the 3rd century Thorsberg chape
Thorsberg chape
The Thorsberg chape , is an archeological find from the Thorsberg moor, Germany, that appears to have been deposited as a votive offering...
(as owlþu-),
but medieval Icelandic sources have only sparse material on Old Norse Ullr.
The Old English cognate wuldor means "glory" but is not used as a proper name, although it figures frequently in kennings for the Christian God
Names of God in Old English poetry
In Old English poetry, many descriptive epithets for God were used to satisfy alliterative requirements. These epithets include:- References :*Swanton, Michael James, ....
such as wuldres cyning "king of glory", wuldorfæder "glory-father" or wuldor alwealda "glorious all-ruler".
The medieval Norse word was Latinized as Ollerus. The Modern Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
form is Ullur. In the mainland Scandinavian languages the modern form is Ull.
Thorsberg chape
The Thorsberg chape (a metal piece belonging to a scabbard found in the Thorsberg moorThorsberg moor
The Thorsberg moor near Süderbrarup in Anglia, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, is a peat bog in which the Angles deposited votive offerings for approximately four centuries...
) bears an Elder Futhark
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
inscription, one of the earliest known altogether, dating to roughly AD 200.
owlþuþewaz / niwajmariz
The first element owlþu, for wolþu-, means "glory", "glorious one", Old Norse Ullr, Old English wuldor. The second element, -þewaz, means "slave, servant". The whole compound is a personal name or title, "servant of the glorious one", "servant/priest of Ullr". Niwajmariz means "well-honored".
Lilla Ullevi
In Lilla Ullevi ("little shrine of Ullr") north of Stockholm archaeologists excavated during 2007 the site of a religious worshiping ground for Ullr (from 500 to 800 AD).The well-preserved state of the shrine may be unique in Scandinavia: it was shaped like a platform with two "arms" of rocks having four erected poles in front of it where there was probably a wooden platform. Moreover, the archaeologists found 65 "amulet rings" in the area; rings are reported to have been used when people swore oaths. They may be the rings of Ullr that are referred to in the eddic poem
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
Atlakviða
Atlakviða
Atlakviða is one of the heroic poems of the Poetic Edda. One of the main characters is Atli who originates from Attila the Hun. It is one of the most archaic Eddic poems. It is preserved in the Codex Regius and the same story is related in the Völsunga saga...
.
Gesta Danorum
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...
' 12th century work Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
, where gods appear euhemerized, Ollerus is described as a cunning wizard with magical means of transportation:
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When Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
was exiled, Ollerus was chosen to take his place. Ollerus ruled under the name Odin for ten years until the true Odin was called back, whereupon Ollerus retired to Sweden where he was slain by Danes.
Poetic Edda
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...
where the homes of individual gods are recounted.
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Ydalir In Norse mythology, Ýdalir is a location containing a dwelling owned by the god Ullr. Ýdalir is solely attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources... it is called, |
The name Ýdalir, meaning "yew dales", is not otherwise attested. The yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
was an important material in the making of bows, and the word ýr, "yew", is often used metonymically
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
to refer to bows. It seems likely that the name Ýdalir is connected with the idea of Ullr as a bow-god.
Another strophe in Grímnismál also mentions Ullr.
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The strophe is obscure but may refer to some sort of religious ceremony. It seems to indicate Ullr as an important god.
The last reference to Ullr in the Poetic Edda is found in Atlakviða
Atlakviða
Atlakviða is one of the heroic poems of the Poetic Edda. One of the main characters is Atli who originates from Attila the Hun. It is one of the most archaic Eddic poems. It is preserved in the Codex Regius and the same story is related in the Völsunga saga...
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Both Atlakviða and Grímnismál are often considered to be among the oldest extant Eddic poems. It may not be a coincidence that they are the only ones to refer to Ullr. Again we seem to find Ullr associated with some sort of ceremony, this time that of swearing an oath by a ring, a practice associated with Thor in later sources. During an excavation in 2007, of a Vendel era
Vendel era
In Swedish prehistory, the Vendel era is the name given to a part of the Germanic Iron Age ....
shrine for Ullr north of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, many symbolic rings were discovered and which are considered to represent Ullr's ring (see the archaeology section below).
Prose Edda
In chapter 31 of GylfaginningGylfaginning
Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
in the Prose Edda
Prose Edda
The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Nordic mythology...
, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
, Ullr is referred to as a son of Sif
Sif
In Norse mythology, Sif is a goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds...
(with a father unrecorded in surviving sources) and as a stepson of Sif's husband; the major Germanic god Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
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In 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...
, the second part of the Prose Edda, Snorri mentions Ullr again in a discussion of kenning
Kenning
A kenning is a type of literary trope, specifically circumlocution, in the form of a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse and later Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry...
s. Snorri informs his readers that Ullr can be called ski-god, bow-god, hunting-god and shield-god. In turn a shield can be called Ullr's ship. Despite these tantalising tidbits Snorri relates no myths about Ullr. It seems likely that he didn't know any, the god having faded from memory.
Skaldic poetry
Snorri's note that a shield can be called Ullr's ship is borne out by surviving skaldic poetry with kennings such as askr Ullar, far Ullar and kjóll Ullar all meaning Ullr's ship and referring to shields. While the origin of this kenning is unknown it could be connected with the identity of Ullr as a ski-god. Early skis, or perhaps sleds, might have been reminiscent of shields. A late Icelandic composition, Laufás-EddaLaufás-Edda
The Laufás-Edda was written in the period 1608-9 by the priest Magnús Ólafsson at Laufás on the request of Arngrímur Jónsson.The purpose was to make a systematic and encyclopedic version of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda. The myths in Gylfaginning are presented as a series of examples and the...
, offers the prosaic explanation that Ullr's ship was called Skjöldr, "Shield".
The name of Ullr is also common in warrior kennings, where it is used as other god names are.
- Ullr brands – Ullr of sword – warrior
- rand-Ullr – shield-Ullr – warrior
- Ullr almsíma – Ullr of bowstring – warrior http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/tvoca.html
Three skaldic poems, Þórsdrápa
Þórsdrápa
Þórsdrápa is a skaldic poem by Eilífr Goðrúnarson, a poet in the service of Jarl Hákon Sigurðarson. The poem is noted for its creative use of kennings and other metaphorical devices, as well as its labyrinthine complexity....
, Haustlöng
Haustlöng
Haustlöng is a skaldic poem composed around the beginning of the 10th century. The poem is preserved in the 13th century Prose Edda, which quotes two groups of stanzas from it, and is attributed to the Norwegian skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. The poem describes mythological scenes painted on a shield...
and a fragment by Eysteinn Valdason
Eysteinn Valdason
Eysteinn Valdason was a 10th century Icelandic skald. Three half-stanzas from a poem about Thor are all that survive of his work. Preserved in Snorri Sturluson's Skáldskaparmál only, they deal with Thor's fishing expedition with the giant Hymir, where the god attempts to kill Jörmungandr.-External...
, refer to Thor as Ullr's stepfather, confirming Snorri's information.
Etymology
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
wuldor and the Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
wulþus, meaning "glory". The reconstructed Proto-Germanic form is *Wulþuz.
Ullr's name appears in several important Norwegian and Swedish place names (but not in Denmark or in Iceland). This indicate that Ullr had at some point a religious importance in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
that is greater than what is immediately apparent from the scant surviving textual references.
Toponymy
NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- Ullarhváll ("Ullr's hill") - name of an old farm in OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. - Ullarnes ("Ullr's headland") - name of an old farm in RennesøyRennesøyRennesøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Ryfylke. The administrative center is the village of Vikevåg....
. - UllarvinUllernUllern is an affluent borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.- History :The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse Ullarin. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The last element is vin, meaning pasture or meadow. In Medieval times, the farm belonged to the...
("Ullr's meadow") - name of four old farms in HoleHole, NorwayHole is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vik. Hole is located around lake Tyrifjorden and extends to the woodland around Oslo...
OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, UllensakerUllensakerUllensaker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jessheim. It has a population of approximately 30,000 inhabitants...
and Øvre EikerØvre EikerØvre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Øvre Eiker and Nedre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...
. - UllarøyUllerøyUllerøy is a peninsula and urban area in the municipality of Sarpsborg, Norway. Its population is 363. Before 1992 Ullerøy was a part of Skjeberg municipality.-The church:...
("Ullr's island") - name of four old farms in SkjebergSkjebergSkjeberg is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The last administrative centre was Borgenhaugen.The parish of Skjeberg was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
, SpindSpindSpind is a village and a former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located on the Spind peninsula in the western part of the present-day municipality of Farsund...
, Sør-OdalSør-OdalSør-Odal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skarnes....
and Vestre MolandVestre MolandVestre Moland is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the present-day municipality of Lillesand in the Sørlandet region. Villages in Vestre Moland include Brekkestø and Justøy...
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- Ullinsakr ("Ullin's field") - name of two old farms in HemsedalHemsedalHemsedal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Trøym. In 1897, Hemsedal was separated from the municipality of Gol to become a municipality of its own.Hemsedal is the...
and TorpaTorpa, NorwayTorpa is a former municipality in Oppland county, Norway.It was created by a split from Nordre Land on 1 January 1914. At that time Torpa had a population of 2,219. On 1 January 1962 Torpa was reincorporated into Nordre Land. Prior to the merger Torpa had a population of 2,620.Torpa constitutes the...
(old church site). - Ullinshof ("Ullin's temple") - name of three old farms in Nes, HedmarkNes, HedmarkNes is a former municipality in Hedmark county, Norway.The parish of Næs was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . The whole parish, except for the island of Helgøya, lies on a large peninsula located in Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake. Nes was merged with Ringsaker January 1, 1964...
(old church site), Nes, AkershusNes, AkershusNes is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årnes.-Name:...
and UllensakerUllensakerUllensaker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jessheim. It has a population of approximately 30,000 inhabitants...
(old church site). - UllinsvangrUllensvangUllensvang is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the village of Kinsarvik....
("Ullr's field") - name of an old farm in UllensvangUllensvangUllensvang is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the village of Kinsarvik....
(old church site). - Ullinsvin ("Ullin's meadow") - name of an old farm in VågåVågåVågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
(old church site).
(For a possible nickname *Ringir for Ullr see under the name Ringsaker
Ringsaker
is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Brumunddal.The municipality of Ringsaker was established on 1 January 1838...
.)
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- Ulleråker ("Ullr's field") UpplandUpplandUppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
- UltunaUltunaUltuna is the location of the headquarters and main campus of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in southern Uppsala, Sweden....
("Ullr's town") UpplandUpplandUppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea... - UllaredUllaredUllared is a locality situated in Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 820 inhabitants in 2005.The village hosts a large department store, Gekås. It is one of the largest stores in Sweden and the growth of the store has made Ullared more or less synonymous with low prices among...
("Ull's clearing?") HallandHalland' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:... - UlleviUlleviUllevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
("Ullr's sanctuary") VästergötlandVästergötland', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia.... - Ullvi ("Ullr's sanctuary") VästmanlandVästmanland' is a historical Swedish province, or landskap, in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland.The name comes from "West men", referring to the people west of Uppland, the core province of early Sweden.- Administration :...
- Ullene ("Ullr's meadow") VästergötlandVästergötland', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
- UllångerUllångerUllånger is a locality situated in Kramfors Municipality, Västernorrland County, Sweden with 606 inhabitants in 2005....
("Ullr's bay") ÅngermanlandÅngermanland' is a historical province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders to Medelpad, Jämtland, Lapland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name "Ångermanland" comes from the Old Norse "anger", which means "deep fjord" and refers to the deep mouth of the river Ångermanälven... - Ullen Värmland, Hagfors springsource lake
- ärmullen] Värmland, Hagfors
- Ullsberg ("Ull's mountain") Värmland, Hagfors
Rydberg's theories
In Viktor RydbergViktor Rydberg
Abraham Viktor Rydberg was a Swedish writer and a member of the Swedish Academy, 1877-1895...
's idiosyncratic Teutonic Mythology Ullr is the son of Sif and Egill
Agilaz
Egil is a legendary hero of the Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga. The name is from Proto-Germanic *Agilaz, and the same legend is reflected in Old English Ægil of the Franks Casket and Alamannic Aigil of the Pforzen buckle....
-Örvandill, half-brother of Svipdagr-Óðr
Óðr
In Norse mythology, Óðr or Óð, sometimes angliziced as Odr or Od, is a figure associated with the major goddess Freyja...
, nephew of Völundr
Weyland
In Germanic and Norse mythology, Wayland the Smith is a legendary master blacksmith. In Old Norse sources, Völundr appears in Völundarkviða, a poem in the Poetic Edda, and in Þiðrekssaga, and his legend is also depicted on the Ardre image stone VIII...
and a cousin of Skaði
Skaði
In Norse mythology, Skaði is a jötunn and goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains...
. His father, Egill, was the greatest archer in the mythology, and Ullr follows in his father's footsteps. Ullr helped Svipdagr-Eiríkr rescue Freyja from the giants. He also ruled over the Vanir when they held Ásgarðr during the war between the Vanir and the Æsir.
While most of Rydberg's theories are dismissed as fanciful by modern scholars his idea that Ullr is connected with the elves of Völundarkviða
Völundarkviða
Völundarkviða is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda...
is not absurd. Both seem associated with skiing and hunting and since Ullr's father is not identified as one of the Æsir he may have been of another race.