Monday, March 7, 2011

Well, what do you know?

According to the German 'Weland's Saga' (that would be Wayland Smith in England, Volundr in Scandinavia), swan mays are actually valkyries.  The saga begins with a trio of valkyries taking a break on their way to some battle, and getting caught by Weland and his brothers who, of course, steal their feathered cloaks to prevent them from returning to swan form.

These guys...

...are actually these guys.

Good to know.
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Posted by Dennis Laffey at 7:21 AM
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5 comments:

  1. Theodric the ObscureMarch 7, 2011 at 8:35 AM

    You don't happen to be reading this online, are you? I'd love to see a link, if you have one.

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  2. Theodric the ObscureMarch 7, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    Ah...I see Wikipedia is my friend here.

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  3. Dennis LaffeyMarch 7, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    I was reading it in a book, actually. Northern Hero Myths, by Otto Jiriczek. But I'm sure Wikipedia covers it as well. :)

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  4. rebelwarriorMarch 8, 2011 at 2:53 AM

    Wow note how much the first one looks like the sorcerers from He-Man.
    Also what do you think between this and he portrayal of angels with wings. I know that's a Greek tradition but I wonder what role that played when Christianity spilled into the Nordic lands.

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  5. Dennis LaffeyMarch 8, 2011 at 7:03 AM

    I don't remember reading anything specifically about it, David. But it's worth looking into. The early Christians were pretty adept at adjusting their lore to fit new locales, turning certain gods/goddesses into saints, others into devils. That would fit their MO.

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