Aurvandil- Norse HeroHero"the Bold"
Also known as: Aurvandill
Description
A hero and husband of the völva Gróa. Thor carried Aurvandil in a basket across the Élivágar, and when one of his toes froze, Thor broke it off and cast it into the sky as the star Aurvandilstá.
Mythology & Lore
The Frozen Toe
Aurvandil's sole myth appears in the Skáldskaparmál. After Thor's duel with the giant Hrungnir, Thor found Aurvandil in the frozen north and carried him across the icy rivers Élivágar in a basket on his back. During the crossing, one of Aurvandil's toes stuck out from the basket and froze solid. Thor broke the toe off and threw it into the sky, where it became the star called Aurvandilstá, "Aurvandil's Toe."
Thor then went to the home of Aurvandil's wife, the völva Gróa, to have a whetstone fragment from the Hrungnir fight removed from his skull. He told Gróa her husband would be home soon. She was so overjoyed that she lost her concentration and could not finish the healing spell. The stone stayed lodged in Thor's head.
Relationships
- Associated with