Hræsvelgr


Hræsvelgr is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is portrayed as the eagle-shaped originator of the wind.

Name

The Old Norse name Hræsvelgr has been translated as 'corpse-swallower', or as 'shipwreck-current'.
Hræsvelgr's name is sometimes anglicised as Hraesvelgr, Hresvelgr, Hraesveglur, or Hraesvelg. The common Danish form is Hræsvælg and the common Swedish form is Räsvelg.

Attestation

In Vafþrúðnismál, Odin questions the wise jötunn Vafþrúðnir about the origin of the wind, and the jötunn answer:
This stanza is paraphrased by Snorri Sturluson in Gylfaginning, when Hárr answers the same question, that time asked by Gangleri. Snorri adds that Hræsvelgr sits at the north end of heaven, and that winds originate from under his gigantic eagle’s wings when he spreads them for flight.