Þul Ása I 1III/6 — Hermóðr ‘Hermóðr’
Burir ’ro Óðins Baldr ok Meili,
Víðarr ok Nepr, Váli, Áli,
Þórr ok Hildolfr, Hermóðr, Sigi,
Skjǫldr, Yngvi-Freyr ok Ítreksjóð,
Heimdallr, Sæmingr, Hǫðr ok Bragi.
Burir Óðins ’ro Baldr ok Meili, Víðarr ok Nepr, Váli, Áli, Þórr ok Hildolfr, Hermóðr, Sigi, Skjǫldr, Yngvi-Freyr ok Ítreksjóð, Heimdallr, Sæmingr, Hǫðr ok Bragi.
Óðinn’s sons are Baldr and Meili, Víðarr and Nepr, Váli, Áli, Þórr and Hildólfr, Hermóðr, Sigi, Skjǫldr, Yngvi-Freyr and Ítrekr’s offspring, Heimdallr, Sæmingr, Hǫðr and Bragi.
notes
[6] Hermóðr: A son of Óðinn whose name translates as ‘war-spirit’ (from her- ‘war’ and the noun móðr m. ‘spirit, wrath, passion’). In Gylf (SnE 2005, 46) he is called Hermóðr inn hvati, sveinn Óðins ‘Hermóðr the Bold, Óðinn’s boy’. After Baldr’s death, Hermóðr acted as the messenger of the gods who rode Óðinn’s horse Sleipnir to the realm of death in an attempt to ransom his brother and bring him home to Ásgarðr. In Eyv Hák 14I Hermóðr and Bragi are sent to welcome King Hákon Haraldsson to Valhǫll. Hermóðr is the name of a legendary hero in Hyndl 2/5; cf. also Heremóð in the Prologue to SnE (2005, 5) and OE Heremōd, the name of a king of the Danes in Beowulf (ll. 901, 1709). See also Note to Anon Mhkv 9/3.