Wikipedia

Surtr

"Surtur" redirects here. For the moon of Saturn, seeSurtur (moon).For the comic book character, seeSurtur (character).For the Fire Emblem character, seeFire Emblem Heroes.For the Rhodes Island operator, seeArknights.

InNorse mythology,Surtr(Old Norse"black"[1]"the swarthy one",[2]Surturin modernIcelandic), also sometimes writtenSurtin English,[3]is ajötunn;he is the greatest of the fire giants, who serves as the guardian ofMuspelheimwhich is along withNiflheim,the only two realms to exist before the beginning of time.[4]Surtr is attested in thePoetic Edda,compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and theProse Edda,written in the 13th century bySnorri Sturluson.In both sources, Surtr is foretold as being a major figure during the events ofRagnarök;carrying his bright sword, he will go to battle against theÆsir,he will battle the major godFreyr,and afterward theflamesthat he brings forth will engulf the Earth.

The Giant with the Flaming Sword(1909) byJohn Charles Dollman

In a book from theProse Eddaadditional information is given about Surtr, including that he is stationed guarding the frontier of the fiery realm Múspell, that he will lead "Múspell's sons" to Ragnarök, and that he will defeat Freyr. Surtr has been the subject of place names and artistic depictions, and scholars have proposed theories regarding elements of Surtr's descriptions and his potential origins.

Attestations

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Poetic Edda

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Surtr with the Flaming Sword(1882) by F. W. Heine, based on a plaster frieze designed by Friedrich Wilhelm Engelhard (1859)

Surtr is mentioned twice in the poemVöluspá,where avölvadivulges information to the godOdin.The völva says that, during Ragnarök, Surtr will come from the south withflames,carrying a very bright sword:

Old Norse:

Sutr ferr sunnan
með sviga lævi:
skinn af sverði
sól valtiva.[5]

English:

Surtr moves from the south
with thescathe of branches:
there shines from his sword
the sun of Gods of the Slain.[5]

Following this, the völva says that "stone peaks clash", "troll wives take to the road", "warriors tread the path fromHel",and the heavens" break apart ". The next stanza relates that Odin is to be killed by the wolfFenrir,and that Surtr will go to battle against "Beli's bane ", akenning for the god Freyr,who slew thejötunnBeli. No further detail is given about the fight between Surtr and Freyr in the poem. In the stanzas that follow, a number of gods and their opponents are described as doing battle at Ragnarök, and that the world will be consumed in flames, yet afterward a new world rises from the sea, fertile and teeming with life, and the surviving gods will meet again.[6]

In the poemVafþrúðnismál,the wise jötunnVafþrúðnirposes the question to Odin (disguised as "Gagnráðr" ) "what the plain is called where in battle Surt and the sweet gods will meet". Odin responds that the "ordained field" isVígríðr,and that it stretches "a hundred leagues" in every direction.[7]Later in the poem, Odin, still disguised and now questioning Vafþrúðnir, asks which of the Æsir will "rule over the possessions of the gods when Surt's fire is slaked". Vafþrúðnir responds that, "when Surt's fire is slaked" the godThor's sonsMóði and Magnishall possess Thor's hammerMjöllnir.[8]

In the poemFáfnismál,the heroSigurdasks the mortally woundeddragonFáfnirthe name of the island where Surtr and theÆsir"will mingle sword-liquid together". Fáfnir says that the island is calledÓskópnir,that all of the gods shall go there bearing spears, and that on their way there the bridgeBifröstwill break beneath them, causing their horses to "flounder in the great river".[9]The late Eddic poemFjölsvinnsmál,stanza 24, contains the line "Surtur sinn mautu" or "surtur sinn mantu" according to the best manuscripts.[10]The last two words, which are otherwise without meaning, are sometimes emended to "Sinmöru" and the entire phrase is taken to mean that Surtr has a female companion namedSinmara.[11]Based on the same passage,Lee Hollandertentatively identifies Sinmara as Surt's wife, stating that she is "unknown elsewhere."[12]

Prose Edda

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Battle of the Doomed Gods(1882) byFriedrich Wilhelm Heine

In chapter 4 of theProse EddabookGylfaginning,the enthroned figure ofThirdtellsGangleri(described as KingGylfiin disguise) about the location ofMúspell.Third says that the bright and flaming region of Múspell existed prior toNiflheim,and it is impassable to those not native to the region. To defend Múspell, Surtr is stationed at its frontier. Third adds that Surtr has a flaming sword, and that "at the end of the world he will go and wage war and defeat all the gods and burn the whole world with fire". The stanza fromVöluspáthat foretells Surtr moving from the south is then quoted.[13]In chapter 18, Gangleri asks what will protect the fair hallGimlé"when Surtr's fire burns heaven and earth".[14]

In chapter 51 ofGylfaginning,High describes the events of Ragnarök. High says that "amid this turmoil the sky will open and from it will ride the sons of Muspell. Surtr will ride in front, and both before and behind him there will be burning fire. His sword will be very fine. Light will shine from it more brightly than from the sun." High continues that when the sons of Múspell ride over the bridgeBifröstit will break, and that they will continue to the field of Vígríðr. The wolfFenrirand theMidgard Serpentwill also arrive there. By then,Lokiwill have arrived with "all of Hel's people",Hrym,and all of the frost jötnar; "but Muspell's sons will have their own battle array; it will be very bright". Further into the chapter, High describes that a fierce battle will erupt between these forces and the Æsir, and that during this, Surtr and Freyr will engage in battle "and there will be a harsh conflict before Freyr falls". High adds that the cause of Freyr's death will be that Freyr is lacking "the good sword" that he once gave his servantSkírnir.[15]

As foretold by High further into chapter 51Gylfaginning,onceHeimdallrandLokifight (and mutually kill one another), Surtr "will fling fire over the earth and burn the whole world". High quotes ten stanzas fromVöluspáin support, and then proceeds to describe the rebirth and new fertility of the reborn world, and the survivors of Ragnarök, including various gods and the two humans namedLíf and Lífthrasirthat will have hid from "Surtr's fire" in the woodHoddmímis holt.[16]

In the Epilogue section of the bookSkáldskaparmál,aeuhemerizedmonologue states that "what they called Surt's fire was whenTroy burned".[17]In chapter 2, a work by theskaldEyvindr skáldaspilliris quoted that mentions "Surt's deep vales", using the nameSurtras acommon nounfor a jötunn, with "deep vales" referring to the depths of the mountains (specificallyHnitbjorg).[18]

Theories

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See also:Śuri § Norse mythology
The battle between Surtr and Freyr at Ragnarök, illustration (1895) byLorenz Frølich

ScholarRudolf Simektheorizes that "the concept of Surtr is undoubtedly old", citing examples of Surtr being mentioned in works by the 10th century skalds Eyvindr skáldaspillir andHallfreðr vandræðaskáld,in poems collected in thePoetic Edda,and that the name of the volcanic cavesSurtshellirin westernIcelandwas already recorded in theLandnámabókmanuscript. Simek notes that jötnar are usually described as living to the east in Old Norse sources, yet Surtr is described as being from the south, and that this "surely has to do with his association with fire and heat". Simek says that "in Iceland Surtr was obviously thought of as being a mighty giant who ruled the powers of (volcanic) fire of the Underworld", and Simek theorizes that the notion of Surtr as an enemy of the gods likely did not originate in Iceland.[2]Simek compares Surtr to the jötnar Eldr, Eimnir,Logi,and Brandingi, noting that they all appear to be personifications of fire.[19] A link has been proposed withŚuri,the Etruscan god of Sun, volcanic fire and underworld, noting that they also share the same etymology.[citation needed]

The scholarBertha Phillpottstheorizes that the figure of Surtr was inspired by Icelandic eruptions, and that he was a volcano demon.[20]Scholar Andy Orchard theorizes that the description of Surtr found inGylfaginning"appears to owe something to biblical andpatristicnotions of the angel with a flaming sword who expelledAdam and Evefrom paradise and who stands guard over theGarden of Eden."[1]Scholar John Lindow states that the nameSurtrmay imply Surtr's charred appearance.[21]

Richard Cole draws a comparison between Snorri's depiction of the sons of Muspell and theRed Jewsmotif. Cole writes that "Snorra Edda is closer to the Red Jews motif than it is to Vǫluspá", pointing out many similarities between Snorri's narrative in his Edda and the Red Jews motif in which the Prose Edda differs from Völuspá.[22]

Worship

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The 12th-13th century Icelandic "Book of Settlements" (Landnámabók) describes the 150 km journey of a chieftain's son, Þorvaldur holbarki ( "hollow throat" ) Þorðarson, through Iceland's interior to sing a poem of praise (a "drápa" ) – a ritual act – to the giant that lived inside "hellisins Surts", Surt's cave, which is calledSurtshellirin modern Icelandic.[23]Archaeological research inside the cave in 2001,[23][24][25][full citation needed][26][full citation needed]2012, and 2013 has shown that what was once theorized to be evidence of outlaws' activity in the cave – bones of sheep and oxen – instead documents evidence of Viking Age ritual activities undertaken inside the cave for 65–100 years prior to Iceland's conversion to Christianity around 1000 AD. This suggests a possible cult to appease the fire giant, perhaps the first concrete evidence of worship of thejötnar,or of efforts to strengthen the gods in order to restrain Surtr or other jötnar under his control.

Place names and modern influence

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In modern Iceland, the notion of Surtr as a giant of fire lives on;Surtsey( "Surtr's island" ), a volcanic island that appeared in 1963 inVestmannaeyjar,Iceland, is named after Surtr much like Surtshellir.

The description found inGylfaginningof Surtr guarding the frontier of Múspell is depicted inJohn Charles Dollman's paintingThe Giant with the Flaming Sword.[2]

Surtur,anatural satelliteof the planetSaturn,andSurt,a volcano on the planetJupiter's moonIo,are both named after him. In 2019 theIAUnamed the starHAT-P-29and its Jupiter-sized planet HAT-P-29b, respectively, Muspelheim and Surt,[27]as a result of the NameExoWorlds 2019 campaign.[28]

Surtr was adapted asa characterbyMarvel Comics,first appearing inJourney into Mystery#97 (October 1963).[29]Surtur was important to the backstory in the animated filmThor: Tales of Asgard,before making a full appearance in the 2017MCUfilmThor: Ragnarok.[30]

A female operator in the mobile video gameArknightsis named after the giant, and is regarded as one of the most powerful units in the game.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^abOrchard (1997:154).
  2. ^abcSimek (2007:303–304)
  3. ^Birkett, Tom (2018).The Norse Myths: Stories of The Norse Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold.Quercus. p. 114.ISBN978-1-78648-880-0.Surt is the most powerful of the fire-giants, and he rules over the realm known as Muspelheim.
  4. ^Wilkinson, Philip;Carroll, Georgie; Faulkner, Mark;Field, Jacob F.;Haywood, John; Kerrigan, Michael; Philip, Neil; Pumphrey, Nicholaus; Tocino-Smith, Juliette (2018).The Mythology Book(First American ed.). New York:DK.pp. 130, 153.ISBN978-1-4654-7337-0.
  5. ^abDronke (1997:21).
  6. ^Dronke (1997:21–24).
  7. ^Larrington (1999:42).
  8. ^Larrington (1997:48).
  9. ^Larrington (1997:160).
  10. ^Robinson, Peter. An Edition of Svipdagsmál (1991) p. 76.
  11. ^Bellows (2004:243).
  12. ^Poetic Edda (1962), p. 146.
  13. ^Faulkes (1995:9–10).
  14. ^Faulkes (1995:20).
  15. ^Faulkes (1995:53–54).
  16. ^Faulkes (1995:54–56).
  17. ^Faulkes (1995:66).
  18. ^Faulkes (1995:68 and 254).
  19. ^Simek (2007:44).
  20. ^Phillpotts (1905:14 ff.) in Davidson (1990:208).
  21. ^Lindow (1997:282).
  22. ^Cole, Richard."Snorri and the Jews".Old Norse Mythology - Comparative Perspectives.Center for Hellenic Studies - Harvard University. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-08-05.Retrieved2020-04-27.
  23. ^abSmith, Kevin P.; Ólafsson, Guðmundur; Pálsdóttir, Albína Hulda (2021-02-01)."Ritual responses to catastrophic volcanism in viking age Iceland: Reconsidering Surtshellir cave through Bayesian analyses of AMS dates, tephrochronology, and texts".Journal of Archaeological Science.126:105316.doi:10.1016/j.jas.2020.105316.hdl:10852/86044.ISSN0305-4403.S2CID234081231.
  24. ^Ólafsson, Guðmundur; Smith, Kevin P.; Stefánsdóttir, Agnes (2004) [2001]."Rannsókn á minjum í Surtshelli"(PDF)(Report). Rannsóknarskyrslur Þjóðminjasafns. Vol. VIII. Reykjavík, Iceland: Þjóðminjasafn Íslands / The National Museum of Iceland – via thjodminjasafn.is.
  25. ^Smith, Kevin P.; Ólafsson, Guðmundur; Howatt McGovern, Thomas (January 2006)."Outlaws of Surtshellir cave: The underground economy of viking age Iceland".Retrieved2021-07-29– viaResearchGate.
  26. ^Smith, Kevin P.; Ólafsson, Guðmundur; Howatt McGovern, Thomas (January 2010)."Surtshellir: A fortified outlaw cave in west Iceland".Retrieved2021-07-29– viaResearchGate.
  27. ^"Denmark names new planet after Norse fire giant Surt".The Local. 17 December 2019.Retrieved10 December2020.
  28. ^"2019 Approved Names".NameExoWorlds.17 December 2019. Archived fromthe originalon Sep 30, 2023.Retrieved20 July2023.
  29. ^Rovin, Jeff (1987).The Encyclopedia of Supervillains.New York: Facts on File. p. 334.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
  30. ^Tyler, Adrienne (25 September 2020)."How Thor Defeated Surtur So Easily (But Couldn't Beat Hela)".Screen Rant.Archivedfrom the original on Jul 21, 2023.
  31. ^"Surtr".Arknights Wiki.GamePress.Archivedfrom the original on Nov 16, 2023.

References

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