Rindr
Encyclopedia
Rindr or Rinda (Latin) (sometimes Anglicized Rind) is a female character in Old Norse mythology, alternatively described as a giantess
, a goddess or a human princess from the east (somewhere in present-day Russia). She was impregnated by Odin
and gave birth to Váli
.
The main account of Rindr is book III of the Gesta Danorum
, written by Saxo Grammaticus
around the early thirteenth century. There she is called Rinda and is the daughter of the King of the Ruthenians. After Balderus' death Odin consulted seers on how to get revenge. On their advice Odin went to the Ruthenians disguised as a warrior called Roster. There he was twice turned down by Rinda. He then disguised himself as a medicine woman called Wecha. When Rinda later fell ill, the disguised Odin said he had medicine with which to cure her but it would cause a violent reaction. On advice from Odin the king tied Rinda to her bed. Odin then proceeded to rape her. From the rape was born Bous who would later avenge Balderus.
Óðinn’s seduction of Rindr is described once outside the Gesta Danorum, in a line of stanza 3 of Sigurðarkviða, a poem by Kormákr Ögmundarson
praising Sigurðr Hlaðajarl, who ruled around Trondheim in the mid-tenth century. Like other such praise-poems, it is generally assumed to be genuine rather than a later pseudo-historical composition. Kormákr’s verse mentions that ‘Óðinn seið til Rindar’ (‘Óðinn ?enchanted Rindr’), denoting Óðinn’s magical seduction of Rindr with the verb síða. This suggests that Kormakr thought the magic known as seiðr
was integral to Óðinn’s wooing of Rindr, and is important evidence for Óðinn's association with this kind of magic.
Giantess
A giantess is a female giant. The term may refer either a mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality ....
, a goddess or a human princess from the east (somewhere in present-day Russia). She was impregnated by Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
and gave birth to Váli
Váli (son of Odin)
In Norse mythology, Váli is a son of the god Odin and the giantess Rindr. He was birthed for the sole purpose of killing Höðr as revenge for Höðr's accidental murder of his half-brother, Baldr. He grew to full adulthood within one day of his birth, and slew Höðr...
.
The main account of Rindr is book III of the Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
, written by Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...
around the early thirteenth century. There she is called Rinda and is the daughter of the King of the Ruthenians. After Balderus' death Odin consulted seers on how to get revenge. On their advice Odin went to the Ruthenians disguised as a warrior called Roster. There he was twice turned down by Rinda. He then disguised himself as a medicine woman called Wecha. When Rinda later fell ill, the disguised Odin said he had medicine with which to cure her but it would cause a violent reaction. On advice from Odin the king tied Rinda to her bed. Odin then proceeded to rape her. From the rape was born Bous who would later avenge Balderus.
Óðinn’s seduction of Rindr is described once outside the Gesta Danorum, in a line of stanza 3 of Sigurðarkviða, a poem by Kormákr Ögmundarson
Kormákr Ögmundarson
Kormákr Ögmundarson was a 10th century Icelandic skald. He is the protagonist of Kormáks saga which preserves a significant amount of poetry attributed to him. According to Skáldatal he was also the court poet of Sigurðr Hlaðajarl and fragments of a drápa to the jarl are preserved in...
praising Sigurðr Hlaðajarl, who ruled around Trondheim in the mid-tenth century. Like other such praise-poems, it is generally assumed to be genuine rather than a later pseudo-historical composition. Kormákr’s verse mentions that ‘Óðinn seið til Rindar’ (‘Óðinn ?enchanted Rindr’), denoting Óðinn’s magical seduction of Rindr with the verb síða. This suggests that Kormakr thought the magic known as seiðr
Seiðr
Seid or seiðr is an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery or witchcraft which was practiced by the pre-Christian Norse. Sometimes anglicized as "seidhr," "seidh," "seidr," "seithr," or "seith," the term is also used to refer to modern Neopagan reconstructions or emulations of the...
was integral to Óðinn’s wooing of Rindr, and is important evidence for Óðinn's association with this kind of magic.