The Norns in Old Norse Mythology by Bek-Pedersen Karen

Author:Bek-Pedersen, Karen [Bek-Pedersen, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Dunedin Academic Press Ltd
Published: 2011-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

3.4 Summary: Fate Comes from the Well

In this chapter, answers have been sought to two major questions: what can be made of the stereotypical idea that there are three nornir, as Vǫluspá and Snorra-Edda portray them? And why is fate so strongly associated with the feminine?

As regards the three names, Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld, it was found that the evidence for this constellation is not only relatively late but also confined to only two sources (Snorri probably copying from Vǫluspá). The notion of a triple division of the collective group of nornir is supported by Fáfnismál 13, which, in turn, may be drawing on traditions similar to those underlying the First Merseburg Charm. The strongest evidence for a trinity of nornir is the Roman-inspired votive altars depicting three ‘mothers’, but the ways in which they relate to the Old Norse nornir cannot be determined exactly.

On the whole, it seems a futile quest to argue for or against any specific enumeration of the nornir; were there any such ideas in heathen tradition, these are likely to have been subject to change throughout time and space anyway and the question in itself does not really bring us any closer to an understanding of what the nornir are.

Of greater interest are the names given to the three nornir. The temporal interpretation of the names as ‘Past’, ‘Present’ and ‘Future’ seems to be evident in, even built into, the idea of there being three. On the other hand, Verðandi was found to be a late addition, serving primarily as a grammatical link between the other two names. Urðr and Skuld, however, are certainly old, not as representatives of specific chronological periods but rather of aspects of death and fate. Both portray an image of fate, Urðr related specifically to the well, Skuld specifically to battle. Whereas the name Urðr is closely connected to the nornir, Skuld appears to span the grey area dividing nornir from (and linking them to) valkyrjur.

It is hard to reach any firm conclusions regarding a group of three nornir; the evidence is inconclusive and probably reflects a situation similar to that of the Saami akkas: different regions knew different traditions concerning their enumeration (Kulonen et al., 2005, p. 281).

The arguments presented in this chapter establish a connection between specific supernatural female figures (nornir, vǫlur, Frigg, Sága, Grendel’s mother and Gunnlǫð) on the grounds that they share a certain set of features. They are all associated with the underground and many of them with wet or humid places, and this dark abode is aligned with the specific feminine workspace of the dyngja. Dyngjur are by no means the only type of halfunderground pit houses revealed by archaeology, yet it is not only their physical layout but also their strongly gendered associations that make them relevant to a discussion of the many female guises of fate. The emphasis here is placed on the symbolic value of the type of work which goes on inside the dyngja, namely weaving, combined with the association of textile work with magic, with birth and with women in general.

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