Aurvandill
Figure in Germanic mythology
"For by his rain of blows he destroyed Koll's shield"

Aurvandill (Old Norse) is a figure in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, the god Thor tosses Aurvandill's toe – which had frozen while the thunder god was carrying him in a basket across the Élivágar rivers – into the sky to form a star called Aurvandils-tá ('Aurvandill's toe'). In wider medieval Germanic-speaking cultures, he was known as Ēarendel in Old English, Aurendil in Old High German, Auriwandalo in Lombardic, and possibly as auzandil (𐌰𐌿𐌶𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌻) in Gothic. An Old Danish latinized version, Horwendillus (Ørvendil), is also the name given to the father of Amlethus (Amleth) in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum.

Comparative studies have led scholars to reconstruct a Common Germanic mythic figure, *Auza-wandilaz ('light-beam' or 'ray of light'), associated with brightness and dawn-light imagery. On the basis of the Old English and Gothic evidence, and to a lesser degree the Old Norse text (which mentions a star without additional details), this figure has been interpreted as relating to the rising light of the morning, sometimes identified with the Morning Star (Venus). The German and Old Danish material, however, is more difficult to integrate into this interpretative model.[1]

Name and origin

Etymology

The Old Norse name Aurvandill stems from a Proto-Germanic form reconstructed as *Auza-wandilaz,[2] *Auzi-wandalaz,[3] or *Auzo-wandiloz.[4] It is cognate with Old English Ēarendel, Old High German Aurendil (≈ Orentil), and Lombardic Auriwandalo.[5] The Gothic word auzandil, which can be read in the Gothica Bononiensia according to the interpretation of several experts, is probably another cognate.[6]

Main interpretation

The exact meaning of the Proto-Germanic name has been the subject of sustained scholarly discussion.[7] Most scholars favour a connection with dawn-light imagery, making Aurvandill a figure associated with brightness, the morning star, or a celestial phenomenon.[8]

A commonly cited interpretation, first proposed by Rudolf Much in 1934, analyses *Auza-wandilaz as a compound meaning 'light-beam' or 'ray of light'.[9] In this view, the prefix *auza- is derived from Proto-Germanic *auzom ('gloss, shiny liquid'),[note 1] while the second element *-wandilaz is traced to *wanđuz ('rod, cane').[note 2][9] The latter likely originates from the verb *wenđanan ('to wind'),[note 3][16] carrying connotations of suppleness and flexibility, that is, something that bends or moves with ease.[13]

On this basis, Proto-Germanic *Auza-wandilaz may be interpreted as denoting the 'Morning Star' (Venus) or, more broadly, the 'rising light of the morning' (sunrise), a meaning that would be semantically parallel to Latin lucifer ('light-bringer, morning star').[17] Support for this interpretation comes from its descendant cognates, particularly the Old English figure Ēarendel, whose name is associated with the idea of 'rising light'.[18] Ēarendel has been variously translated as 'brillance, ray of light', 'dawn, sunrise', and 'morning star',[19] and is attested as a rendering of Latin lūcifer in the Blickling Homilies.[20][17] Further evidence have been drawn from the Gothic word auzandil, which translates the Koine Greek word heōsphóros ('dawn-bringer') in the Septuagint, itself rendered in Latin as lūcifer.[21][17] In Old Norse tradition, Aurvandill is likewise connected with a star, though its identity remains uncertain.[22]

Alternative theories

Other etymologies have been suggested. A different line of interpretation takes the prefix aur- from Proto-Germanic *aura- ('mud, sand, sediment'),[note 4] rendering the name as 'gravel-beam' or 'swamp-wand'.[25] Christopher R. Fee thinks that this may imply the idea a phallic figure related to fertility, and notes that the name of Aurvandill's spouse, Gróa, literally meaning 'Growth'.[26] Rudolph Much initially suggested to derive the second element from *wanđilaz ('Vandal'), with *Auza-wandilaz interpreted as 'the shining Vandal', although this has been rejected by later scholarship.[27]

More recently, Piotr Gąsiorowski (2012) has proposed deriving the name from a Pre-Proto-Germanic form *h₂au̯sro-u̯óndh-elo-s ('the one wandering in the early morning'), yielding interpretations such as 'shining wanderer' or 'wandering light'.[28] However, this raises phonological difficulties, since regular Gothic sound laws would be expected to produce **aurawandils rather than auzandil(s).[29] Alternatively, Stefan Schaffner (2021) has posited an original form *h₂au̯s-ont-eló-s ('the little one rising in the morning'), with a diminutive suffix -eló.[30]

Origin

Commentators since at least the time of Jacob Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie, published in 1835, have emphasized the great age of the tradition reflected in the mythological material associated with this name, without being able to fully reconstruct the motifs of a Common Germanic myth. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that the narratives surrounding Orendel and Horwendillus appear to be unrelated to those of Ēarendel and Aurvandill.[31] However, some scholars, including Georges Dumézil and Stefan Schaffner, have attempted to demonstrate that Saxo's Horwendillus and Snorri's Aurvandill may ultimately derive from a shared archetypal myth.[31][32]

The apparent discrepancies may be partly explained by the occurrence of derivatives of *Auza-wandilaz as personal names in the Lombardic and German traditions. Such usage is attested by historical figures named Auriwandalo and Aurendil in the 8th century AD, suggesting that the name circulated beyond a strictly mythological context.[33][34] From this perspective, the Orendel of the Middle High German epic could represent an independent figure who merely bore the same name.[33] Although some scholars have also conjectured that he may constitute a saga-figure derived from the myth, they acknowledge that no substantive correspondences with the Old Norse tradition can be established.[34]

Nevertheless, Rudolf Simek and John Lindow argue that the linguistic relationship between the Old Norse and Old English names still points to a Common Germanic origin of the myth, despite the absence of Aurvandill from the Poetic Edda. They maintain that Aurvandill was probably already associated with a star in the original tradition, and that Snorri, in order to explain the name Aurvandils tá ('Aurvandill's Toe'), may have reshaped the narrative on the model of the tale in which Thor casts Þjazi's eyes into the sky to form stars.[35]

Attestations

Old Norse

The Old Norse figure Aurvandill is mentioned only once in Norse mythology, in Skáldskaparmál, a book of Snorri Sturluson's 13th-century Prose Edda. In the passage, Thor tells to Aurvandill's wife Gróa that he waded through the river Élivágar, coming from the north, while carrying Aurvandill in a basket on his back. During the crossing, one of Aurvandill's toes protruded from the basket, froze, and broke off. Thor then picked up the severed toe and threw it into the sky, where it became a star known as Aurvandils tá.[36]

Thor went home to Thrúdvangar, and the hone remained sticking in his head. Then came the wise woman who was called Gróa, wife of Aurvandill the Valiant: she sang her spells over Thor until the hone was loosened. But when Thor knew that, and thought that there was hope that the hone might be removed, he desired to reward Gróa for her leech-craft and make her glad, and told her these things: that he had waded from the north over Icy Stream and had borne Aurvandill in a basket on his back from the north out of Jötunheim. And he added for a token, that one of Aurvandill's toes had stuck out of the basket, and became frozen; wherefore Thor broke it off and cast it up into the heavens, and made thereof the star called Aurvandill's Toe. Thor said that it would not be long ere Aurvandill came home: but Gróa was so rejoiced that she forgot her incantations, and the hone was not loosened, and stands yet in Thor's head. Therefore it is forbidden to cast a hone across the floor, for then the hone is stirred in Thor's head.[37]

According to Georges Dumézil, this passage appears to be part of a broader story in which Aurvandill is abducted by the jǫtnar. The thunder-god Thor confronts one of them (Hrungnir in Snorri's version) and ultimately frees Aurvandill, but departs with the jǫtunn's weapon lodged in his head.[38]

At the end of the story, Aurvandill's frost-bitten toe is made into a new star by Thor. However, it is not clear what celestial object is indicated in this passage. Guesses as to its identity have included Sirius or the planet Venus.[39] Aurvandilstá ('Aurvandill's Toe') has also been identified with blue-white star Rigel, which could be viewed as forming the foot of the constellation Orion (the latter equated with Aurvandill itself).[22]

Christopher R. Fee has proposed that the myth reflects an ancient Indo-European fertility tradition, in which the jötnar represent chaotic natural forces embodied as arctic cold that threaten agricultural fertility. Gróa's practice of seiðr (magic) associates her with the fertility gods of the Vanir, and the toe could be associated with the frozen phallus of the captive Aurvandill.[26]

Gothica Bononiensia

The oldest attestation of this name may occur in the Gothica Bononiensia, a sermon from Ostrogothic Italy written in the Gothic language not later than the first half of the 6th century, and discovered in 2009.[40]

On folio 2 recto, within a quotation of Isaiah 14:12, the linguist P. A. Kerkhof proposed reading the word 𐌰𐌿𐌶𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌻 (auzandil) in a difficult-to-decipher part of the palimpsest. This interpretation has been accepted by several experts, including Carla Falluomini, Stefan Schaffner, and Roland Schuhmann.[6] Some scholar have suggested emending the form to *auzandils to better account for its etymological relationship with other Germanic names.[41][42] The term translates the Koine Greek word ἑωσφόρος (heōsphóros, 'dawn-bringer') from the Septuagint, which is rendered in Latin as lūcifer ('light-bringer, morning star').[21] In this passage, auzandil corresponds precisely to Old English ēarendel ('morning star'), which likewise serves as a translation of Latin lucifer in the Blickling Homilies.[17]

... ƕaiwa usdraus us himina auzandil sa in maurgin urrinnanda ...
... how Lucifer did fall from heaven, he who emerges in the morning ...

Old English

The term ēarendel (≈ eorendel, earendil) appears seven times in the Old English corpus, where it is used in certain contexts to interpret the Latin oriens ('rising sun'), lucifer ('light-bringer'), aurora ('dawn') or iubar ('radiance').[20] According to J. E. Cross, textual evidence indicate that it originally meant 'coming or rising light, beginning of light, bringer of light', and that later innovations led to an extended meaning of 'radiance, light'.[43] Philologist Tiffany Beechy writes that "the evidence from the early glossary tradition shows earendel to be a rare alternative for common words for the dawn/rising sun."[44] According to her, the "Anglo-Saxons appear to have known earendel as a quasi-mythological figure who personified a natural phenomenon (sunrise) and an astrological/astronomical object (the morning star)."[45]

Crist I

The lines 104–108 of the Old English poem Crist I (Christ I) describe the coming of Ēarendel to the earth:

Crist I (104–108):[46]
Eala Earendel, engla beorhtast,
ofer middangeard monnum sended,
ond soðfæsta sunnan leoma,
torht ofer tunglas, – þu tida gehwane
of sylfum þe symle inlihtes.
 B. C. Row translation (1997):[47]
Oh rising light, brightest of angels
sent to men throughout the world,
and true light of the sun,
bright above the stars, you constantly enlighten
all seasons by your presence.
 T. Beechy translation (2010):[48]
Eala earendel, brightest of angels,
sent over the earth to mankind,
and truest light of the sun,
bright above the stars, all spans of time you,
of yourself, enlighten always.

The impetus of the poem comes from the Latin Advent Antiphon: "O Orient/Rising One (= Oriens), splendour of eternal light and sun of justice: come and illuminate one sitting in darkness and the shadow of death".[note 5] Scholars agree that Ēarendel was chosen in Crist I as an equivalent of the Latin Oriens, understood in a religious-poetic context as the 'source of true light', 'the fount of light', and the 'light (which) rises from the Orient'.[49][50][51]

Traditionally, Ēarendel in Crist I is taken to personify either John the Baptist or Christ himself (depicted as the rising sun), the morning star, or the dawn.[52] In the poem, he is described as the "true(st) light of the sun" (soðfæsta sunnan leoma) and as the "brightest of angels [≈ messengers]" (engla beorhtast). This portrayal suggests the idea of a heavenly or divine radiance sent both physically and metaphorically over the earth for the benefit of mankind. The lines 107b–8 (þu tida gehwaneof sylfum þe symle inlihtes), translated as "all spans of time you, of yourself, enlighten always", or as "you constantly enlighten all seasons by your presence", may also imply that Ēarendel exists in the poem as an eternal figure existing outside of time, and as the very force that makes time and its perception possible.[53]

Beechy argues that the expression Ēalā Ēarendel ('O Ēarendel') could be an Old English poetic stock formula, as it finds "phonetic-associative echoes" in the expressions eorendel eall and eorendel eallunga from the Durham Hymnal Gloss.[54]

Blickling Homilies

Ēarendel also appears in the Blickling Homilies (10th century AD), where he is explicitly identified with John the Baptist:

Blickling Homilies XIV (30–35):[55]
... onđ nu seo Cristes gebyrd at his æriste, se niwa eorendel Sanctus Iohannes; and nu se leoma þære soþan sunnan God selfa cuman wille. Sylle se friccea his stefne; and forþon þe nu þæt is se dema Drihten Crist, seo beme Sanctus lohannes, and nu mid God selfa on þysne middangeard cuman wile, — gange se engel beforan him Sanctus Iohannis;
 R. Morris translation (1880):[55]
... and now the birth of Christ [was] at his appearing, and the new Ēarendel was John the Baptist. And now the gleam of the true Sun, God himself, shall come; let the crier give out his voice. And because that the Lord Christ is now the Judge, Saint John will be the trumpet, and will therefore come with God himself upon this earth; — let the messenger Saint John go before him.

The passage is based on a Latin sermon by the 5th-century Archbishop of Ravenna Petrus Chrysologus: "But since he is about to appear, now let John spring forth, because the birth of Christ follows closely; let the new Lucifer arise, because now the light (= iubar) of the true Sun is breaking forth".[note 6]. Since the Old English version is close to the original Latin, ēarendel can be clearly identified in the this passage with lucifer, meaning in liturgical language the 'light bearer, the planet Venus as morning star, the sign auguring the birth of Christ'.[56][57] In this context, ēarendel is to be understood as the morning star, the light whose rising signifies Christ's birth, and whose appearance comes in the poem before the "gleam of the true Sun, God himself".[57]

Durham Hymnal Gloss

In the Durham Hymnal Gloss (early 11th century AD), the name ēarendel is used in specific contexts to gloss the Latin aurora ('dawn; east, orient') instead of the more common equivalent dægrima ('dawn'), also mentioned in the same line. Hymns 15.8 and 30.1 imply that ēarendel appears with the dawn, as the light that "quite suffuses the sky", rather than being the dawn itself ("the dawn comes up in its course, eorendel steps fully forth").[58]

Durham Hymnal Gloss:[59][60]
Hymn 15.8
aurora cursus provehit—aurora tota prodeat
(the dawn in its course draws near—the dawn fully appears)
Hymn 30.1
aurora iam spargit polum
(the dawn quite suffuses the sky)
 Old English version:[59][58]
Hymn 15.8
dægrima rynas upalymþ – eorendel eall forðstæppe
(the dawn comes up in its course, eorendel steps fully forth)
Hymn 30.1
eorendel eallunga geondstret heofon
(eorendel quite suffuses the sky)

Épinal Glossary

The Épinal Glossary, written in England in the 8th century, associates ēarendel with the Latin iubar ('brightness, radiance' [especially of heavenly bodies]) as an alternative to the more frequent Old English equivalent leoma ('ray of light, gleam').[61][58] Two copies of the Épinal Glossary were produced in the late 8th or early 9th century: the Épinal-Erfurt Glossary, which gives the equation leoma vel earendiI (≈ leoma vel oerendil), and the Corpus Glossary, which was redacted from an archetype of the Épinal-Erfurt exemplar.[58]

German

The forms Aurendil (≈ Horindil, Urendil), dating from the 8th century, and Ōrendil (≈ Orentil), dating from the 9th–10th century, are attested as personal names in Old High German.[62][34]

The Middle High German epic poem Orendel, written in the late 12th century, presents a fictional story of how the Holy Mantle of Christ arrived in the city of Trier. This narrative was likely inspired by the actual transfer of the Mantle to the main altar of Trier Cathedral in 1196. The poem's style, characterized by its "paratactic organization of episodes and the repetition of poetic formulas", suggests it may be rooted in an older oral tradition.[63]

The eponymous hero of the tale, Orendel, son of King Ougel, sets sail with a formidable fleet to reach the Holy Land and seek the hand of Bride, Queen of Jerusalem. After enduring a shipwreck, Orendel is rescued by a fisherman and eventually retrieves the lost Mantle from the belly of a whale. The coat grants him protection, enabling him to win Bride's hand in marriage. Together, they rule Jerusalem for a time and embark on numerous adventures. In the end, Orendel disposes of the Holy Coat after bringing it to Trier.[63]

The appendix to the Strassburger Heldenbuch (15th c.) names King Orendel (≈ Erentel) of Trier as the first of the heroes that were ever born.[64][65] The name also gave way to various toponyms found in modern Germany, including Orendileshûs (in Grabfeld), Orendelsall (now part of Zweiflingen), and Orendelstein (in Öhringen).[66]

Lombardic

The Lombardic form Auriwandalo appears twice as a personal name in the 8th century. According to Jan de Vries, these occurrences indicate the wide diffusion of the figure across the Germanic-speaking area by the Early Middle Ages.[34][33]

Danish

A Latinized version of the Old Danish name, Horwendillus (Ørvendil), appears in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum (ca. 1200) as the father of Amlethus (Amlet):[67]

Now Ørvendil, after controlling the [Jutland] province for three years, had devoted himself to piracy and reaped such superlative renown that Koller, the king of Norway, wishing to rival his eminent deeds and widespread reputation, judged it would suit him very well if he could transcend him in warfare and cast a shadow over the brilliance of this world-famed sea-rover. He cruised about, combing various parts of the seas, until he lit upon Ørvendil's fleet. Each of the pirates had gained an island in the midst of the ocean and they had moored their ships on different sides. (...)

Both gave and accepted their word of honour on this point and fell to battle. They were not deterred from assailing each other with their blades by the novelty of their meeting or the springtime charm of that spot, for they took no heed of these things. Ørvendil's emotional fervour made him more eager to set upon his foe than to defend himself; consequently he disregarded the protection of his shield and laid both hands to his sword. This daring had its results. His rain of blows deprived Koller of his shield by cutting it to pieces; finally he carved off the other's foot and made him fall lifeless. He honoured their agreement by giving him a majestic funeral, constructing an ornate tomb, and providing a ceremony of great magnificence. After this he hounded down and slew Koller's sister Sæla, a warring amazon and accomplished pirate herself and skilled in the trade of fighting.

Three years were passed in gallant military enterprises, in which he marked the richest and choicest of the plunder for Rørik, to bring himself into closer intimacy with the king. On the strength of their friendship Ørvendil wooed and obtained Rørik's daughter Gerutha for his bride, who bore him a son, Amleth.

In view of Saxo's tendency to euhemerise and reinterpret traditional Scandinavian myths, philologist Georges Dumézil has proposed that his story was based on the same archetype as Snorri's Aurvandill. In what could be a literary inversion of the original myth, Horwendillus is portrayed as a warrior who injures and vanquishes his adversary, whereas Aurvandill was taken as a hostage by the jǫtnar and wounded during his deliverance. Dumézil also notes that, although the event does not take a cosmological turn in Saxo's version, Aurvandill's toe was broken off by Thor, while Collerus' (Koller's) entire foot is slashed off by Horwendillus.[68]

According to scholar Stefan Schaffner, Koller (Collerus) may have originally meant 'the cold one', and the story could be based on an ancient myth of the battle between the seasons, in which the cold winter (Collerus) is defeated by spring or summer (Horwendillus). In this view, "Horwendillus, as the representative of summer, would fit very well with the identification of Aurvandill as Orion, the constellation that rises early in midsummer at the time of the grain harvest."[32]

Tolkien's The Silmarillion

The English writer J. R. R. Tolkien discovered the lines 104–105 of Cynewulf's Crist in 1913.[69] According to him, the "great beauty" of the name Ēarendel, and the myth he seems to be associated with, inspired the character of Eärendil depicted in The Silmarillion.[70] In 1914, Tolkien published a poem originally entitled "The Voyage of Earendel the Evening Star" as an account of Ēarendel's celestial course as the bright Morning-star.[39] In a personal letter from 1967, Tolkien wrote:

When first studying A[nglo]-S[axon] professionally (1913) ... I was struck by the great beauty of this word (or name), entirely coherent with the normal style of A-S, but euphonic to a peculiar degree in that pleasing but not 'delectable' language ... it at least seems certain that it belonged to astronomical-myth, and was the name of a star or star-group. Before 1914, I wrote a 'poem' upon Earendel who launched his ship like a bright spark from the havens of the Sun. I adopted him into my mythology in which he became a prime figure as a mariner, and eventually as a herald star, and a sign of hope to men. Aiya Earendil Elenion Ancalima (II 329) 'hail Earendil brightest of Stars' is derived at long remove from Éala Éarendel engla beorhtast.[70]

Tolkien interpreted Ēarendel as a messenger, probably inspired by his association with the word engel ('angel, messenger') in both Crist I (104) and the Blickling Homilies (21 & 35), and his identification with John the Baptist in the latter text.[39] Tolkien's depiction of Eärendil as a herald also has echoes in the interpretation of the Old English Ēarendel as the Morning-star physically heralding the rising of the sun, which finds a figurative parallel in the Blickling Homilies, where Ēarendel heralds the coming of the "true Sun", Christ.[71] Another pervasive aspect of Tolkien's Eärendil is his depiction as a mariner. Carl F. Hostetter notes that, although "the association of Eärendil with the sea was for Tolkien a deeply personal one", the Danish Horvandillus and the German Orendel are both portrayed as mariners themselves.[71]

Others

In 2022, a group of scientists led by astronomer Brian Welch named star WHL0137-LS "Earendel" from the Old English meaning.[72]

In the 2022 revenge thriller The Northman, written and directed by Robert Eggers, Aurvandill is portrayed by Ethan Hawke as the Raven King, father of Amleth, played by AAlexander Skarsgård. The film draws on the medieval Scandinavian legend of Amleth, which also inspired Hamlet by William Shakespeare.[73]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Compare with Old Norse aurr ('shine, gold'?) and OE ēar ('wave, sea'). From the PIE root *h₂ews- ('to shine, glow [red]'). Pro-Germanic *auzom is either cognate or borrowed from Latin aurum.[10]
  2. ^ Compare with Gothic wandus ('rod') and Old Norse vǫndr ('wand, switch, twig').[11][12] Middle English wond (modern wand 'a stick or rod') was borrowed from Old Norse.[13]
  3. ^ Compare with Gothic bi-windan ('to wind, wrap'), Old Norse vinda ('to wring, twist'), Old Saxon windan ('turn, move') and Old High German wintan ('turn, move').[14][15]
  4. ^ Compare with Old Norse aurr ('wet clay, mud, wet soil') and Old English ēar ('earth; sea').[23][24]
  5. ^ Latin: O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae et sol justitiae: veni et illumina sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.
  6. ^ Latin: Sed si processurus est, iam nascatur Ioannes, quia instat nativitas Christi; surgat novus Lucifer, quia iubar iam veri Solis erumpit.

References

Citations

  1. ^ de Vries 1957, pp. 137–138; Dumézil 1970, p. 1171; Simek 1993, p. 24; Lindow 2001, p. 65; Schaffner 2021.
  2. ^ de Vries 1962, p. 20.
  3. ^ Hatto 1965, p. 70.
  4. ^ Ström & Biezais 1975, p. 139.
  5. ^ de Vries 1962, p. 20; Simek 1993, p. 24; Falluomini 2017, p. 286.
  6. ^ a b Falluomini 2017, p. 286; Schuhmann 2016, p. 56; Schaffner 2021.
  7. ^ de Vries 1962, p. 20; Dumézil 1970, p. 1171; Simek 1993, p. 24.
  8. ^ Schaffner 2021.
  9. ^ a b de Vries 1962, p. 20: "[Much] stellt -vandill zu vǫndr und deutet: ‘lichtstreif, lichtstrahl’ (ae Earendel also erst später als lichtheros aufgeffasst)."; Simek 1993, p. 24: "The most plausible explanation, semantically speaking, is Much’s later suggestion of ‘stripe, ray of light’ (from vǫndr ‘staff, stick’), but this too is questionable even though it does suit the star-myth."; Beechy 2010, p. 15: "Despite disagreement over the derivation of the second element, all roads eventually lead to a definition ‘‘shining one’’ or ‘‘ray of light.’’".
  10. ^ de Vries 1962, p. 20: "Das wort wird auch gedeutet als ‘glanz’ und in diesem fall entweder aus urgerm. *auzom 'glanz, glänzende flüssigkeit', verwandt mit oder oder entlehnt aus lat. aurum 'gold'."; Simek 1993, p. 24: "from ON aurr ‘gold’?, related to Latin aureum ‘gold’?"; Beechy 2010, p. 15: "The first element in the word, PGmc *auz-, comes from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *aus- ‘‘to shine,’’ related to the noun *ausos - ‘‘dawn; goddess of the dawn.’’ English east and Easter come from this root, as does Latin aurora, which retains the full range of meaning of the parent PIE *ausos-."
  11. ^ Orel 2003, p. 446.
  12. ^ Kroonen 2013, p. 573.
  13. ^ a b Oxford University Press (2025). "wand (n.)". Oxford English Dictionary. doi:10.1093/OED/1121762228.
  14. ^ Orel 2003, p. 454.
  15. ^ Kroonen 2013, p. 587.
  16. ^ Orel 2003, p. 446; Kroonen 2013, p. 573.
  17. ^ a b c d Schaffner 2021, p. 99–101.
  18. ^ Cross 1964, pp. 73–74: "... some rendering to hold the equivalence – perhaps' rising light' – would be suitable."; Beechy 2010, p. 16: "The evidence from the early glossary tradition shows earendel to be a rare alternative for common words for the dawn/rising sun."
  19. ^ Dumézil 1970, p. 1171: "en vieil-anglais, earendel désignait l’étoile du matin."; Simek 1993, p. 24: "Earendel, is a name for ‘brilliance, morning star’"; p. 69: "Earendel (OE, ‘sunrise, morning star’)."; Lindow 2001, p. 65: "Old English earendel, “dawn, ray of light”"; Falluomini 2017: "ae. ēarendel 'Morgenstern'.".
  20. ^ a b Beechy 2010, p. 6.
  21. ^ a b Falluomini 2017, pp. 288–291.
  22. ^ a b Schaffner 2021, pp. 105–108.
  23. ^ Orel 2003, p. 29.
  24. ^ Kroonen 2013, p. 42.
  25. ^ Originally proposed by Schröder 1938, p. 100. Mentioned by de Vries 1962, p. 20, Simek 1993, p. 24 and Orchard 1997, p. 11, with doubts, although still supported by Fee 2004, pp. 39–40.
  26. ^ a b Fee 2004, pp. 39–40.
  27. ^ Originally proposed by Much 1926, pp. 20–22. Rejected by de Vries 1962, p. 20 and Simek 1993, p. 24.
  28. ^ Gąsiorowski 2012, p. 124.
  29. ^ Schaffner 2021, p. 114.
  30. ^ Schaffner 2021, pp. 121–122.
  31. ^ a b Dumézil 1970, p. 1171.
  32. ^ a b Schaffner 2021, p. 105.
  33. ^ a b c de Vries 1957, pp. 137–138.
  34. ^ a b c d Schaffner 2021, p. 110.
  35. ^ Simek 1993, p. 24: "Snorri probably invented this anecdote as an explanation of the name Aurvandils tá (i.e. ‘Aurvandill’s toe’) following the pattern of the tale of the creation of stars from Þjazi’s eyes. Even before this, however, Aurvandill certainly had something to do with a star because the Old English equivalent of the name Aurvandill, Earendel, is a name for ‘brilliance, morning star’."; Lindow 2001, p. 65: "Although the etymology of the name is unknown, it is cognate with Old English earendel, "dawn, ray of light", so there may be a Germanic myth here, despite the absence of Aurvandil from the Norse poetic corpus. Thor also made stars out of Thjazi's eyes, and in my view we should read these acts as his contribution to cosmogony, an area in which he is otherwise absent."
  36. ^ Simek 1993, p. 24.
  37. ^ A. G. Brodeur's translation (New York: American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1916).
  38. ^ Dumézil 1970, p. 1178.
  39. ^ a b c Hostetter 1991, p. 6.
  40. ^ Falluomini 2017, p. 286.
  41. ^ Falluomini 2017, p. 291.
  42. ^ Schaffner 2021, p. 96.
  43. ^ Cross 1964, p. 74: "For the total evidence stresses that OE. earendel has an area of meaning which allows it to represent Latin words describing varying concepts of 'light'; and on occasions, (aurora, lucifer, dægrima) this area is limited to permit equation with words meaning: 'coming or rising light, beginning of light, bringer of light'. It would appear from discussions of the etymology of earendel that the more limited meaning is the original one, and the meanings attested in equations with OE. leoma and Latin jubar are later extensions."
  44. ^ Beechy 2010, p. 16.
  45. ^ Beechy 2010, p. 9.
  46. ^ Cook 1900, p. 5.
  47. ^ Raw, Barbara C. (1997). Trinity and Incarnation in Anglo-Saxon Art and Thought. Cambridge University Press. p. 75 n. 102. ISBN 978-0-521-55371-1.
  48. ^ Beechy 2010, pp. 3–4.
  49. ^ Cook 1900, pp. 88–91.
  50. ^ Cross 1964, p. 74: "In these explanations Oriens is seen to be the 'source of true light', 'the fount of light' and 'light (which) rises from the Orient'. In view therefore of the application of OE. earendel, the explanations of Latin oriens and the OE. poet's close attention to the Latin antiphon, it is reasonable to conclude that earendel was chosen as an equivalent of oriens."
  51. ^ Beechy 2010, pp. 2–3: "Eala earendel in Christ I, line 104, translates O Oriens from the Latin antiphon on which the Old English lyric is based."
  52. ^ Beechy, Tiffanya (2010b). The Poetics of Old English. Ashgate. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-7546-6917-3.
  53. ^ Beechy 2010, p. 11.
  54. ^ Beechy 2010, pp. 18–19.
  55. ^ a b Morris 1880, pp. 162–163.
  56. ^ Cross 1964, pp. 72–74.
  57. ^ a b Beechy 2010, pp. 7–8.
  58. ^ a b c d Beechy 2010, pp. 16–17.
  59. ^ a b Milfull 1996, pp. 143, 173.
  60. ^ Beechy 2010, pp. 16–18.
  61. ^ Cross 1964, pp. 73–74.
  62. ^ Kitson, Peter R. (2000). "Gawain/Gwalchmai and his Peers: Romance Heroes (and a Heroine) in England, the Celtic Lands, and the Continent". Nomina. 23: 149–166.
  63. ^ a b Gibbs & Johnson 2002, pp. 112–113.
  64. ^ Grimm 1844, p. 347.
  65. ^ Gerritsen, Willem P.; van Melle, A. G. (2000). A Dictionary of Medieval Heroes: Characters in Medieval Narrative Traditions and Their Afterlife in Literature, Theatre and the Visual Arts. Boydell & Brewer. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-85115-780-1.
  66. ^ Heinzel 1892, p. 14.
  67. ^ Fischer 2015, pp. 178–183.
  68. ^ Dumézil 1970, pp. 1176–1178.
  69. ^ Hostetter 1991, p. 5; see n. 4.
  70. ^ a b Tolkien 1981, p. 385.
  71. ^ a b Hostetter 1991, p. 7.
  72. ^ Welch, Brian; Coe, Dan; Diego, José M.; Zitrin, Adi; Zackrisson, Erik; Dimauro, Paola; et al. (March 2022). "A highly magnified star at redshift 6.2". Nature. 603 (7903): 815–818. arXiv:2209.14866. Bibcode:2022Natur.603..815W. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04449-y. PMID 35354998. S2CID 247842625.
  73. ^ Zalutskiy, Artyom (10 July 2022). "Commitment to historical accuracy helps turn the Northman into a masterpiece". FilmDaze.

Bibliography

Primary sources:

  • Cook, Albert S. (1900). The Christ of Cynewulf; a poem in three parts, The advent, The ascension, and The last judgment. Boston: Ginn & Company.
  • Faulkes, Anthony (1987). Edda. Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
  • Fischer, Peter (2015). Gesta Danorum. Vol. I. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-820523-4.
  • Milfull, Inge B. (1996). The Hymns of the Anglo-Saxon Church: A Study and Edition of the 'Durham Hymnal'. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-46252-5.
  • Morris, Richard (1880). The Blickling homilies of the tenth century: From the Marquis of Lothian's unique ms. A.D. 971. Early English Text Society. London: N. Trübner & Co.

Secondary sources:

  • Beechy, Tiffany (2010). "Eala Earendel : Extraordinary Poetics in Old English". Modern Philology. 108 (1): 1–19. doi:10.1086/656221. ISSN 0026-8232. S2CID 163399025.
  • Cross, J. E. (1964). "The 'Coeternal beam' in the O.E. advent poem (Christ I)ll.104–129". Neophilologus. 48 (1): 72–81. doi:10.1007/BF01515526. ISSN 1572-8668. S2CID 162245531.
  • de Vries, Jan (1957). Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte. Vol. 2 (1970 ed.). Walter De Gruyter.
  • de Vries, Jan (1962). Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch (1977 ed.). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-05436-3. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  • Dumézil, Georges (1970). "Horwendillus et Aurvandill". In Lévi-Strauss, Claude; Pouillon, Jean; Maranda, Pierre (eds.). Échanges et communications. De Gruyter. pp. 1171–1179. ISBN 978-3-11-169828-1.
  • Falluomini, Carla (2017). "Zum gotischen Fragment aus Bologna II: Berichtigungen und neue Lesungen". Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und deutsches Literatur. 146 (3): 284–294. doi:10.3813/zfda-2017-0012. S2CID 217253695.
  • Fee, Christopher R. (2004). Gods, Heroes, & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-029170-9.
  • Gąsiorowski, Piotr (2012). "The Germanic reflexes of PIE *-sr- in the context of Verner's Law". In Whitehead, Benedicte Nielsen (ed.). The Sound of Indo-European: Phonetics, Phonemics, and Morphophonemics. Museum Tusculanum Press. pp. 117–128. ISBN 978-87-635-3838-1.
  • Gibbs, Marion; Johnson, Sidney M. (2002). Medieval German Literature: A Companion. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-95678-3.
  • Hatto, Arthur T. (1965). Eos: An enquiry into the theme of lovers' meetings and partings at dawn in poetry. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-170360-2.
  • Heinzel, Richard (1892). Über das Gedicht vom König Orendel. F. Tempsky. Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien.
  • Hostetter, Carl F. (1991). "Over Middle-earth Sent Unto Men: On the Philological Origins of Tolkien's Eärendel Myth". Mythlore. 17 (3 (65)): 5–10. ISSN 0146-9339. JSTOR 26812595.
  • Kroonen, Guus (2013). Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18340-7.
  • Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-983969-8.
  • Much, Rudolf (1926). "Wandalische Götter". Mitteilungen der schlesischen Gesellschaft für Volkskunde. 27: 20–41.
  • Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-34520-5.
  • Orel, Vladimir E. (2003). A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Brill. ISBN 978-9004128750.
  • Schröder, F. R. (1938). "Der Ursprung der Hamletsage". Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift. 26: 81–108.
  • Simek, Rudolf (1993). Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 978-0-85991-513-7.
  • Schaffner, Stefan (2021). "Gotisch auzandil(s) ,ἑωσφόρος; Lucifer' in dem gotischen Fragment von Bologna (Gothica Bononiensia)". Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes. Vol. 22. Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 93–129.
  • Schuhmann, Roland (2016). "A linguistic analysis of the Codex Bononiensis". Le palimpseste gotique de Bologne. Études philologiques et linguistiques / The Gothic Palimpsest from Bologna. Philological and Linguistic Studies. Vol. 50. Cahier de l’ILSL. pp. 55–72.
  • Ström, Åke V.; Biezais, Haralds (1975). Germanische und baltische Religion. Kohlhammer. ISBN 978-3-17-001157-1.
  • Tolkien, J. R. R (1981). Carpenter, Humphrey (ed.). The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-31555-2.

Further reading

  • Birkhan, Helmut (1974). "Irisches im "Orendel"?". Kurtrierisches Jahrbuch. 14: 33–45.
  • Grimm, Jacob (1844). Deutsche Mythologie. Göttingen: Dieterichsche Buchhandlung. pp. 347–349.
  • Laistner, Ludwig (1894). "Der germanische Orendel". Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und deutsche Literatur. 38: 113–135. ISSN 0044-2518. JSTOR 20651106.
  • Ker, W. P. (1897). "Notes on Orendel and Other Stories". Folklore. 8 (4): 289–307. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1897.9720426. ISSN 0015-587X. JSTOR 1253421.
  • Much, Rudolf (1934). "Aurvandils tá". Festschrift H. Seger. Breslau.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Tarcsay, Tibor (2015). "Chaoskampf, Salvation, and Dragons: Archetypes in Tolkien's Earendel". Mythlore. 33 (2): 139–150. ISSN 0146-9339.
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