[1] Surtr: A fire-giant, the guardian of Muspell, the world of fire, and one of the main enemies of the gods. At the end of the world (Ragnarǫk), Surtr will come from the south with a sword of fire and defeat the gods (Gylf, SnE 2005, 9, 50-2; Vsp 52-3; Vafþr 17/4-6, 18, 51/3; Fáfn 14/4-6, etc.). In Hellismanna saga (ch. 13, Guðni Jónsson 1946-9, 2, 426-32), Surtr is a giant who dwells in Surtshellir. Surtr means ‘black one’ (cf. also Svartr and Alsvartr, ll. 5, 7 below), and in skaldic kennings the name occurs as the determinant of various kennings for ‘giant’ in general (LP: Surtr 2).
References
- Bibliography
- LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
- SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
- Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1946-9. Íslendinga sögur. 13 vols. Reykjavík: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan. Rpt. 1953.
- Internal references
- (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Gylfaginning’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=113> (accessed 3 May 2024)
- Not published: do not cite ()
- Not published: do not cite ()
- Not published: do not cite ()
- Not published: do not cite ()