In Norse mythology, Gullinbursti (Old Norse: Gullinburste, literally “golden bristle,” also known as Old Norse: Slíðrugtanni — “Sharp-tooth,” “Fearsome Tooth”) is a swiftly moving boar with a golden mane, belonging to the god Freyr. It is mentioned in several places in Snorri Sturluson’s “Prose Edda.” Gullinbursti was created during a dispute between the skilled dwarf brothers, Brokkr and Sindri, and the cunning and deceptive god, Loki.
Gullinbursti is owned by Freyr, a Vanir god known for his association with fertility and prosperity. With its golden bristles and magical qualities, the Gullinbursti is unique and a symbol of fertility and divine craftsmanship.
Gullinbursti in Mythology
According to Germanic-Scandinavian mythology, the boar Gullinbursti belongs to Freyr (Germanic Frey), the god of the sun, fertility, peace, prosperity, and masculine strength. Among Germanic peoples, the boar was a sacred symbol, embodying martial valor and courage. It was depicted on banners, placed on helmets, and so forth.
Researchers have been intrigued by the question of why Gullinbursti, with its dynamic character, became an attribute of one of the peaceful Vanir (nature beings)—Freyr. The boar’s second name, “sharp-tooth” (Slíðrugtanni), contrasts with the “humanistic” nature of Freyr. Jacob Grimm dubbed Gullinbursti a “bold and courageous boar.” However, it was noted that despite the warlike nature of the Scandinavians, the god Freyr represented a “daunting and fervent warrior.”
Creation: Gullinbursti was created by the dwarves Brokk and Eitri as one of the treasures commissioned by the trickster god Loki to redeem his head from the gods.
In the second part of Prose Edda” (Skáldskaparmál or The Language of Poetry) by the Icelandic skald Snorri Sturluson, there is an account of the origin of the magical boar. Loki, the god of trickery, once committed mischief by cutting off all the hair from the head of Sif, the goddess of fertility and wife of Thor, the god of thunder and lightning. When Thor learned of this, he seized Loki, threatening to break his bones. However, Loki swore that he could get the black elves to make golden hair for the goddess, which would grow like real hair.
To fulfill his oath, Loki went to the dwarves (dwarfs)—the sons of Ivaldi. In response to the cunning god’s request, the brothers not only crafted such hair but also made the sailing ship Skidbladnir and the spear Gungnir for Odin. Loki then wagered with Brokkr (a dwarf from another clan) and even staked his head, claiming that Eitri (Brokkr’s brother) couldn’t create treasures of similar quality.
Snorri Sturluson reports the following: “And when they came into the smithy, Eitri laid a pigskin in the hearth and bade Brokkr blow, without stopping, until he should take out of the hearth that which he had laid in. But hardly had he left the smithy when his brother Brokkr took hold of the bellows, a fly settled upon his hand, and stung; yet he blew as before, until the smith took out of the hearth that which he had laid in, and it was a boar with mane of gold.”
Attributes: The boar possessed golden bristles that glowed in the dark, giving it a radiant appearance.
Despite further interference from Loki, the dwarves managed to forge the magical golden ring Draupnir and the hammer Mjolnir. The dispute was settled at a council involving Odin, Thor, and Freyr, the supreme deities of the Norse pantheon. Loki gave Gungnir to Odin, Sif’s hair to Thor, and Skidbladnir to Freyr. Brokkr gave Draupnir to Odin and Mjolnir to Thor. Freyr received the boar from the dwarf, stating that it “can run over land and water without stopping, night and day; it is faster than any horse, and at night, even in the darkest places, it will be light for him; such is its mane’s glow.”
The gods deemed Thor’s hammer the best of all treasures, awarding victory to Brokkr. In the skaldic poem fragment Husdrapa, Freyr arrives at Balder’s funeral riding the boar. The poem “The Vision of Gudrun” also mentions this episode, stating: “And Freyr rode in a chariot drawn by the boar with the Golden Bristles, or the Fearsome Tooth.”
The Role of Boar in Traditions
In the mythologies of world cultures, the boar often symbolizes the onset of autumn, the hunting season for boars, and the cessation of vegetation, signifying winter. This role is associated with mythological motifs where the boar acts as the slayer of the sun, a deity of vegetation, and/or the sun itself. Examples of such myths include the demise of Adonis, Attis, Ankeya, Osiris, and Diarmuid (Irish: Diarmuid, Diarmaid). In Celtic mythology, the boar Gulban and especially Twrch Trwyth (from the Welsh tale “Culhwch and Olwen”) embody the personification of winter and death.
Notably, there were beliefs in the mythological embodiment of boars as deities or characters associated with the sun. During the Germanic festival Yule, dedicated to Freyr, celebrated during the winter solstice, a boar was sacrificed to ensure a prosperous new year. According to a widespread perspective, many Christmas rituals trace their origins to pagan traditions.
Prophecy: Gullinbursti is briefly mentioned in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems. In the poem “Grímnismál,” a prophecy foretells that the boar will be ridden by a valiant man during Ragnarök, the end of the world.
For instance, there was a ritualistic “sacrificial dance” in Sweden that included music or songs. Typically performed by youths with painted faces, one version of the game involved a person sitting on a stool wrapped in hide, holding a bunch of straws in their mouth, symbolizing bristles. This represented the offering of a boar to Freyr and was associated with the day of Yule.
-> See also: Christmas in Sweden: Traditions, Celebrations, and History
During this period, a special bread or pie known as “Yule boar” (julgalt) was baked and stored throughout the winter to feed animals in the spring, aiding in agricultural tasks. The tradition of baking bread or pie in the shape of a boar for Christmas, symbolizing a fruitful harvest, has persisted. Olaf Verelius, in his commentary on the “Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks,” noted that Swedish peasants would dry this bread, preserving it until spring. During that season, they would finely crush it into a vessel, mixing it with barley for seeding. The crumbs were fed to horses before plowing, with the remainder sustaining laborers following the plow.
The Saxo Grammaticus message informs us that sacrifices were offered to Freyr, most commonly livestock such as bulls, horses, and even humans. During Yule, a boar was also sacrificed to Freyr. Jacob Grimm cited the Gelderland superstition, where the god is replaced by the hero Dietrich, who, on the night before Christmas, walks the streets accompanied by a boar. In this tradition, all agricultural tools are kept indoors, as the boar might trample on them and damage them. Grimm commented on traditions related to the wild boar as follows:
As even at the present day on festive occasions a wild boar’s head is seen among the other dishes as a show-dish, they used in the Middle Ages. Ages to serve it up at banquets, garnished with laurel and rosemary, to carry it about and play all manner of pranks with it: Where stood a boars head garnished with bayes and rosemarye,’ says one ballad about Arthur’s Table; when three strokes have been given with a rod over it, it is only the knife of a virtuous man that can carve the first slice. At other times, even a live boar makes its appearance in the hall, and a bold hero chops its head off.
Jacob Grimm Teutonic Mythology Vol 1.The cult of Freyr and Gullinbursti existed on the British Isles as well. Records of Christmas traditions among the Scots in the 8th and 11th centuries have been preserved. On the eve, all men of the kin celebrated the feast at a long table led by their chief. The main ritual dish of the feast was a boar’s head, associated with the worship of Freyr. It was placed on a large plate and ceremoniously brought into the room where the celebration took place. Only the most respected guests were entrusted with the task of cutting the head.
After the banquet, men with torches in hand would exit the house, light a ritual bonfire, and then join hands to form a circle. Accompanied by the music of bagpipes, a dance ensued, its rhythm escalating into a frenzy. In a state of ecstasy, the dancers would shout, “Haile, Yule, Haile” and “Thor is with us!” After the fire was extinguished, people returned to the hall, continuing the feast.