Gríðr


Gríðr is a jötunn in Norse mythology. She is the mother of Víðarr the silent and the consort of Oðinn.

Name

The poetic Old Norse name Gríðr has been translated as "vehemence, violence, or impetuosity". Its etymology is unclear.

Attestations

Prose Edda

In Skáldskaparmál, Gríðr is portrayed as equipping the thunder-god Thor with her belt of strength, her iron glove, and her staff Grídarvöl on Thor's journey to the abode of Geirröðr.
Gríðr is also mentioned in a list of troll-wives.

Viking Age

Grídarvöl is also mentioned in the poem Þórsdrápa by the late 10th-century skald Eilífr Goðrúnarson.
Gríðr appears in 10th-century kennings for 'wolf' and for 'axe'.

Other texts

refers to her as Grytha, the wife of the legendary king Dan I of Denmark, "a matron most highly revered among the Teutons". A witch of the same name appears in Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra.

Theory

Her role as the donor of information and necessary items to the hero has been analyzed by folklorists as a commonplace of folk narrative.