Gunnlöð


Gunnlǫð is a jötunn in Norse mythology. She is the daughter of Suttungr, for whom she guards the mead of poetry.

Name

The Old Norse name Gunnlǫð has been translated as 'war-invitation', or 'battle-invitation'. It stems from Old Norse gunnr.

Attestations

Skáldskaparmál mentions that the jötunn Suttungr has entrusted his daughter Gunnlöð to the guard of the mead of poetry:
But Odin, in the form of a snake, manages to gain access to the chamber within the Hnitbjörg mountain where the mead is kept. The god seduces the guardian Gunnlöð, and sleeps with her three nights. In return, Gunnlöð allows Odin to obtain three drinks of the mead, after which he immediately flies himself out of the cavern as an eagle.
In Hávamál, the account given by Odin differs in a number of details, and the narrative pays most attention to Gunnlöð herself.