ODIN'S GAME |
Norse Mythology, Ragnarok, and the Mystery of the Runes |
One of the most compelling aspects of the Old Norse mythology is that the gods themselves must die and with them the cosmic order they uphold.
As Thor engages in his last titanic struggle with the Midgard Serpent, and Odin struggles against the great wolf Fenhir in Asgard, the day of reckoning, or Ragnarök, is accompanied by cataclysm in the human realm. The world dissolves into chaos and anarchy with the cries of combat and the roar of tornadoes and the rumble of earthquakes. All of this is foreseen by an ancient sibyl in a mysterious old Icelandic poem entitled the Völuspa: |
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- Now death is the portion of doomed men,
- Red with blood the buildings of gods,
- The sun turns black in the summer after,
- Winds whine. Well, would you know more?
The poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue in which we are invited to imagine Odin, the Allfather of the Norse gods, consulting the aged prophetess who recalls how the world of the Aesir sky-gods came into being, and how the nine worlds of gods, men, dwarves, and giants, thrive on the world tree Yggdrasil.
Throughout the poem, as she unravels the riddling future. the sibyl taunts Odin with the rhetorical question: "Well, would you know more?"
The sibyl well knows that it is Odin's nature to seek out the truth of things, no matter where the truth will lead.
Odin learns that the nine worlds of gods and men will perish, and the he himself will be devoured by the terrible Fenriswolf.
He may take heart, however, for out of cosmic destruction comes cosmic rebirth:
- I see Earth rising a second time
- Out of the foam, fair and green;
- Down from the fells fish to capture,
- Wings the eagle; waters flow.
Baldur the Beautiful returns to govern the new heaven and a new Adam and Eve, Lif and Lifthrasir, are given the opportunity to make earth a heaven too.
The Völuspa is part of the great Norse drama told by Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241) in the Prose Edda, a drama recalled in this vivid set of stamps produced by Sweden in 1980.
Issued in booklet form, these small engraved stamps present five of the most potent deities who ruled in the sky realm of Asgard. Designed by Svenolov Ehrén, they have the rugged appearance of old wood cuts or stone carvings. Rich in symbolic and mythological detail, each is adorned with the runic names of the god or goddess.
Well, readers, would you know more?
To play Odin's Game, see if you can identify the five Norse gods in the set.
Choose from the following: Odin, Freya, Frey, Heimdal, & Thor.
Then click on the stamp to reveal the identity of the god or goddess and an explanation of the symbolism on the stamps. Uf Da! ...and Good Luck!
Do you have a question about History, Mystery, or Stamps? Ask Frederick!
Dr. Highland's StampWhys feature appears the first of the month in Linn's Stamps News.
