Tags
Death, etin, faith, gjallarbru, gjoll, goddess, Heathen, heimdal, Hel, helheim, jotun, mordgud, Pagan, Religion
In Asatru, Heathen, or any of the Northern Paths, or even just those who like Norse Mythology, there is one bridge keeper that we all know. Heimdal, keeper of the Bifrost, Guardian of Asgard. He can hear the grass grow, and see a dew drop in deepest black.
But there is another. Someone who keeps a bridge as vital, if not more so, than the Bifrost. For while the rainbow bridge rises to the highest of heavens to blessed Asgard, there is another bridge. But this bridge crosses a river, not sky. The river Gjoll, which guards the borders of another Realm. And over this river Gjoll is the bridge Gjallarbru, and it is the sole entrance into what is the second most important realm: Helheim. The keeper of this bridge is a female Jotun, an maiden etin (female warrior), trusted to keep those who would trespass from entering, and those who would escape from leaving.
Her name is Mordgud. She is the bridge keeper. Like her Mistress, often forgotten. But she keeps our ancestors safe, just as Hel cares for them. She is a warrior, and one whose power puts her beyond being trifled with. Not even Gods dare to cross her as she carries out her duty. Though she appears young, like her Queen, youth belies power, and just as none escape the gaze of Heimdal, none escape her challenge. She will ferry the dead home, and keep them safe.
Hail unto Mordgud, the bridge keeper, the guardian of dead, keeper of those who walk the path of guardians. Give praise to her, and honor, for her deeds are as important as they are unsung.
Son of Hel 
“Mord” in norröna means “murder” and “gud” is a masculine word. Not to be a pointdexter, but I’ve always seen Hel’s female bridgekeeper and chief attendant spelled “Modgunn” even though you may of course have philosophical reasons for spelling her name another way… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B3%C3%B0gu%C3%B0r. “Mod” means courage, and Gunn of course is “battled” like in the very common Norse female name “Gunnhild” which is just “battle” or strife twice over. Perhaps, the bridgekeeper needs to be called courageous, or valiant, as it might take some resolve to face her (see for example the story about Hermod’s descent in Hel) but “mord” I think, would be a trifle too much, or a misnomer..
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I wrote it that way because of how I saw it spelled when I first found out about her. Though I thank you for the additional info on the name. 🙂
It might be important to remember though that she is a Jotun, so in the Jotun tongue that name might mean something else, or they could use a “masculine” word as part of their female names. A Jotun with the word “murder” and a name that means something like “murder good” or even “great killer” isn’t exactly beyond the realm of possibility, especially for a warrior strong enough to guard the gates of Helheim. At least to my mind. I could be wrong though. I didn’t know what it meant, as I haven’t had much in the way of resources to learn the old tongue, sadly.
I guess we’ll just have to ask her how to say it right when we get to Helheim. 😀
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True enough – one must say – and Hel’s Halls, all things considered, isn’t a bad place… one abode, the name of which ever aludes me, for some reason, is the one Viktor Rydberg makes much of in his classic “studier i germanisk mytologi” – the hall in which Lif, Liftraser and Balder lives, until Ragnarök, and which lies in a warmer, greener part of the Hel-world. You certainly is right about Modgunns character though..
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From what I’ve read, most of Helheim isn’t that bad. Mostly like Scandinavia in the summer. Not the nicest place in the world, but hardly something you’d hate to live in. But we are talking about an entire world here, so differences in climate are to be expected, even if Helheim is just a part of said world. (sadly, we’re left not knowing if the nine worlds work like earth as an entire planet, or if they float like something else, much like Asgard in the Thor movie, or Jotunheim like in the Thor movie.)
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Nice post. I like when people shine a little light into the darker corners of the myths and Helheim has to be one of the darker corners out there.
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Thank you, I like to do my part. 🙂
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