ODIN'S GAME |
Norse Mythology, Ragnarok, and the Mystery of the Runes |
HEIMDAL
A celestial gatekeeper, the god Heimdal, shown on the 15 ore, guards the entrance to Asgard, home to the Aesir sky gods.
As the branches on the stamp indicate, Asgard is located at the top of the world tree, Yggdrasil. A rainbow bridge known as Bifrost connects Asgard to the human realm of Midgard. The gods make this crossing whenever assemblies are held at the great well of wisdom known as Urd. Heimdal is shown blowing Gjallerhorn, his left hand on his sword, a symbolic reference to the coming Ragnarök, for it is Heimdal's blast that alerts Odin that the final conflict between the gods of Aesir and the giants of Jötunheim is at hand.
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Dr. Highland's StampWhys feature, now in its second year, appears the first of the month in Linn's Stamps News.
