Hræsvelgr in Norse mythology is a jötunn in the form of an eagle, who creates the wind with his wings. His name means ‘corpse-swallower’ or’shipwreck-current’ in Old Norse. As stated in the song Vafþrúðnismál from the Poetic Edda, Hræsvelgr sets the wind in motion as he beats his wings in flight. He sits at the extremity of the universe, or the northern tip of the skies. The Gylfaginning (The Beguiling of Gylfi) is the part in Snorri’s Prose Edda that reiterates this character. Hræsvelgr is thought by some to be identical to the eagle that sits on the summit of Yggdrasil in the story of Veðrfölnir.
-> See also: Veðrfölnir: The Wise Hawk of Norse Mythology
| Fact | Description |
|---|---|
| Names | Hraesvelgr, Hresvelgr, Hraesveglur, or Hraesvelg |
| Origin | Norse mythology |
| Meaning of Name | “Corpse-swallower” or “shipwreck-current” |
| Role | A jötunn who sits in an eagle’s guise at the northward end of heaven. |
| Associated Characters | Odin |
| Significance | The wind rises from under his wings when he stretches them. |
References to Hræsvelgr
The sole poem in the Poetic Edda that mentions Hræsvelgr is called Vafþrúðnismál (The Lay of Vafþrúðnir). The intelligent jötunn Vafþrúðnir is asked by Odin where the wind comes from, and the jötunn gives an explanation. This poem was originally composed before the Christianization of Scandinavia and Iceland in the 10th century with the name “The Ballad of Vafþrúðnir.” Snorri, who lived many years after his conversion to Christianity, was familiar with the ballad and quoted the poem.
In the poem, the god Odin and the giant Vafþrúðnir test each other’s wisdom by asking questions. Odin’s first nine questions deal with the creation of the cosmos. His ninth question is:
“Say you this, the ninth,
since they call you wise,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from where the wind comes,
so that it travels over the waves;
men never see it themselves.”
Vafþrúðnir replies:
He is called Hræsvelgr,
who sits at the end of heaven,
a giant in eagle’s guise;
from his wings,
it is said, the wind comes over all men.”
– Vafþrúðnismál 36–37According to Snorri Sturluson’s addition in the Prose Edda, the eagle perches on the northern skyline, and the wind is created when Hraesvelgr expands his wings. When Gangleri (appears as Gylfi) asks Hárr a similar question, he gives this response:
“Where does the wind come from? […]
At the northern edge of the sky sits that giant,
who is called Hræsvelgr.
He has the guise of an eagle, and when he directs his flight,
winds stand up under his wings.”
– Snorri Sturluson: Prosa-Edda: Gylfaginning 18The final portion of the Skáldskaparmál, Nafnaþulur, is a subsection of the Prose Edda. The names of gods, jötnar, humans, animals, and weapons are all included in this poetic inventory. The Nafnaþulur includes the name “Hræsvelgr” both as a heiti (synonym) for giants (Jötunn) and for eagles. In other words, a poet might use the term “Hraesvelgr” to imply either something enormous or an eagle, not always the Hræsvelgr itself.
Who Really Was Hræsvelgr?
As Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241) describes it in his account of the poem Vafþrúðnismál, Hræsvelgr is located at the northernmost tip of the globe, possibly Helheim. The fact that he represents the wind itself gives the bird cosmic importance. As he spreads his wings, he ignites the ethereal breeze that envelops humans. This is a widespread concept since other civilizations likewise attribute wind generation to a gigantic bird.
True, Hraesvelgr takes the shape of an eagle, but he is just a jötunn. Underneath its eagle exterior is a gigantic being. It is usual for gods or giants to take on the form of eagles in Norse mythology. Their ability to transform into eagles for flight has been documented on several occasions. The fact that wind and giants were both thought to be ravenous is, according to Jacob Grimm, how the two got linked.
Even in the Norse setting, giants were named for this trait. The word “jotunn” in Old Norse means “giant” and actually comes from the Germanic root *etunaz, which means “glutton” and is a derivative of the verb *etan, meaning “to eat.” An alternative view that has gained traction in recent years holds that the giant form is more likely linked to the perception of eagles as simply being extraordinarily large.
What Does “Hræsvelgr” Mean?
‘Corpse Swallower, Corpse Devourer’ is the literal translation of Hræsvelgr’s Old Norse name. Originating from the Old Norse words “hræ” meaning ‘corpse’ and “svelga” meaning ‘to swallow,’ the term is connected to the Modern German word schwelgen meaning ‘to revel.’ The bird’s name is Hræsvælg in Danish and Räsvelg in Swedish.
Origin of the Hræsvelgr Myth
Thus, the name alludes to a link between the eagle, the wind, and the afterlife (corpse). Because of its large wings and role as a scavenger, the eagle exemplifies this link in nature. For many scholars, Germanic mythology is synonymous with Norse mythology. The Germanic people saw the wind, and particularly storms, as a ravenous monster, like giants. In fact, offerings were still offered to the storm in later times in Germany in an effort to calm it. They were known as “Windfüttern,” which means something like “Feeding the Wind.”
“The storm wind […] is imagined by the people as a voracious, hungry being and is sought to be appeased by throwing flour into the air.”
Jacob Grimm: Deutsche Mythologie. Volume 1, p. 528It was also believed in Germany that a storm arises when someone is hanged. The approach of a storm would foretell it. Since the eagle was also found on Germanic graves, it seems to have played a role as a guide for souls – someone who led the souls to the realm of the dead.
Hræsvelgr is occasionally confused with other birds from Norse mythology, such as the hawk Véðrfölnir, the unnamed eagle where Véðrfölnir resides, and the rooster Víðópnir.
Hræsvelgr in Other Mythologies
Traces of an eagle with the power to dominate the winds are also found in Greek culture, in particular in the story in which Chiron, after curing Achilles, got lost on his way home. This eagle, sent to him by Zeus, helped him find his way home.
Hræsvelgr in Our Modern World
Video Games
- Bravely Default: Hresvelgr is a summon that appears in Bravely Default, a 2012 Japanese role-playing game published by Square Enix. Its animation makes it look like an airplane, while it depicts a gigantic iron bird.
- Final Fantasy: In the Heavensward expansion of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, Hresvelgr is a legendary dragon, brother and foe of Nidhogg, trying to remain neutral in the face of the war between dragons and humans. It is also the name of a recurring weapon.
- Ace Combat: In the video game Ace Combat Zero, Hresvelgr is the name of a fortress plane that must be destroyed after it assaults the Valais base.
- God of War: In God Of War, Hræsvelgr also appears as part of Helheim. He is depicted in the form of an emaciated bird of prey, chained to one of the mountains of the world of the dead; Thus, it serves more as a set piece than as an essential point of gameplay or story.
- Pokemon: In Pokémon Y, the Legendary Pokémon: Yveltal, is strikingly similar to Hræsvelg, like him, he depicts a bird and symbolizes death.
- Fire Emblem: Hræsvelg, is also the name of a very powerful wind magic tome in the Fire Emblem series of games.
- Also in the Fire Emblem series, the Three Houses installment, sees one of the 3 playable houses, led by Edelgard von Hresvelg, whose emblem is a black eagle.
- For Honor: In Ubisoft’s For Honor game, Hræsvelg is a motif present on a series of weapons for the Viking hero: Jarl (or Warlord). Namely: blade, pommel and fuse of the sword hilt, and shield; the latter showing the eagle Hræsvelg, wings outstretched.
- Summoners War: In Summoners War, Hraesvelg is a character with the appearance of a barbarian with two axes.
Animation
- Ghostbusters: Harasvelg was one of the ghosts caught by the main characters of the animated series Extreme Ghostbusters.
- Zegapain: In Zegapain, a 2006 Japanese anime by the well-known producer Sunrise, Hraesvelg is the name of one of the mechas used by the protagonists for fights.
- Saint Seiya: In the spinoff of Saint Seiya: Soul Of Gold, set in Asgard, Hræsvelg is the name of the God robe (armor) associated with the divine warrior reputed to be immortal: Balder, holder of the “sword of victory and ruin”: Tyrfing. Balder of Hræsvelg is both the guardian of Alfheimr’s chamber, the “Hall of Light” in the heart of the sacred ash tree Yggdrasil, and one of the seven protectors of the antagonist of this chapter of the anime: Andreas/Loki.