Thor's Return of the Giant Geirrod's Red-Hot Missile Seen in a Cosmic Context
Discussion of the specific episode is preceded by a brief presentation of current theory concerning Indo-European myth in its cosmological framework to provide context. In the cosmological view sketched by Michael Witzel in The Origins of the World's Mythologies, the hero/young god must engage...
Publié dans: | Temenos |
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Auteur principal: | |
Type de support: | Électronique Article |
Langue: | Anglais |
Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Publié: |
[publisher not identified]
[2019]
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Dans: |
Temenos
Année: 2019, Volume: 55, Numéro: 1, Pages: 121-136 |
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés: | B
Geirröd
/ Donar
/ Mythologie comparée
/ Cosmologie
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RelBib Classification: | AA Sciences des religions BD Religions européennes anciennes KBE Scandinavie |
Sujets non-standardisés: | B
Thor
B Giants B Mythology B Edda B Old Norse B Indo-European cosmology B Odin |
Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Résumé: | Discussion of the specific episode is preceded by a brief presentation of current theory concerning Indo-European myth in its cosmological framework to provide context. In the cosmological view sketched by Michael Witzel in The Origins of the World's Mythologies, the hero/young god must engage in a series of feats to create the conditions for human life to flourish. I have suggested that the conditions before the hero's actions in the Indo-European context are envisaged as the extremes: too close; too hot; too dry; and too wet. It is argued that this particular threat is too hot' and comes from a giant figure who is one of the old gods, probably identifiable as Odin. When Geirrod throws a red-hot missile at Thor, Thor catches it and kills the giant when he sends it back. The related stories of Thor's visit to Utgarthaloki and Thorstein's visit to Geirrod are also treated, and attention is drawn to Welsh and Irish parallels which make an equivalence between thrown weapon and destructive gaze. It is suggested that the story may culminate in the motif of eye as star found separately. |
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ISSN: | 2342-7256 |
Contient: | Enthalten in: Temenos
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