Norse Mythology: Heimdall Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nine

The most widely purported theory about Heimdall's mothers are that his mothers are the Nine Daughters of Ćgir and Rán, the rulers of the sea. The daughters are said to be the personification of the nine types of waves specified in Norse poetry. Their names, as given by Snorri Sturluson, are Gjálp ("Screaming one"), Greip ("Grasp" or "Gripper"), Eistla ("Stormy one" or "rushing"), Eyrgjafa ("Sandbank giver" or "gravel giver"), Úlfrún ("Wolf woman"), Angeyja ("Sorrow Island"), Imđr ("Dusky" or "wolf like"), Atla ("The terrible one"), and Járnsaxa ("She with the iron sword").

Heimdall was sometimes also thought to be the ninth wave. There was a common belief at the time that waves function in cycles, with the ninth wave always being the most devastating and powerful. This wave was called the "ocean ram." Heimdall is heavily associated with rams, wearing a ram horn helmet.

Answer: Two

"Heimdalargaldr" is only known to have existed because Icelandic scholar and historian Snorri Sturluson quoted the poem in the 13th century "Prose Edda". The surviving lines of "Heimdalargaldr" read, "I am of nine mothers the offspring, Of sisters nine am I the son."

A Nordic poetic fragment, "Völuspá", also states that Heimdall had nine mothers, proving that this legend was widely held in tradition.

Answer: Himinbjorg

Himinbjörg is Heimdall's mountain fortress. Located on the edge of the Bifröst Bridge, Himinbjörg allows Heimdall to have an unobstructed view of the horizon. The Bifröst Bridge is the rainbow bridge that the connects Asgard to Midgard, the human realm. From his home, Heimdall can hear grass growing on Earth and see for one hundred leagues in every direction.

Himinbjörg is not only useful for its function strategically. The Grímnismál of the Poetic Edda describes a comfortable, luxurious home where Heimdall enjoys drinking mead.

Answer: Gjallarhorn

Gjallarhorn gets its name from Old Norse, translating to "the Resounding Horn" or "the Yelling Horn." It is so powerful that once blown the sound does not just echo across Asgard, but tears through space to be heard in Midgard by humans and is even heard by the deceased.

Although Heimdall uses the horn for other warnings, the primary use of the Gjallarhorn is to sound the alarm for Ragnarök. When the Bifröst is approached by monsters and giants, Heimdall will blast the Gjallarhorn to warn other gods for the final battle, and awaken the fallen soldiers of Valhalla.

Answer: Gulltoppr

Gulltoppr gets his name from the Old Norse for "Gold Mane" or "Gold Top." In the poem "Grímnismál" of the "Poetic Edda", Gulltoppr is chronicled alongside ten other holy horses of the gods. The gods ride these horses over the Bifröst every day to hold court.

Gulltoppr has a prominent role in the poem "Húsdrápa" after the death of Baldr. Ridden by Heimdall, he leads the funeral procession for Baldr to the massive funeral pyre built on Baldr's ship. It is said that Gulltoppr's mane was so bright and brilliant that it counteracted the blazing fire of the funeral pyre by reflecting it.

Answer: Seals

In the poem "Húsdrápa", Loki stole Freya's necklace, the Brísingamen, from her bedchamber. When the necklace was found to be missing, the ever-watching Heimdall discovered Loki with it on Singasteinn, a remote rock far out to sea.

To escape an advancing Heimdall, Loki shapeshifted into a seal and dived into the sea. Refusing to let Loki evade justice, Heimdall also shapeshifted into a seal and chased him. Both in seal form, the two gods battled. Heimdall got the better of Loki and recovered the necklace, which he returned to Freya.

Answer: Thraell

Thrćll translates from Old Norse to "slave" or "thrall." He is described as having a broad back, gnarled fingers, an ugly face and thick joints. He was deliberately given an unpleasant and unaesthetically pleasing appearance because of Medieval prejudices at the time regarding the lower classes. Thrćll grows to become a labourer who does much manual work. This section of the poem creates the ancestry for the lowest classes in society.

Thrćll was fathered when Heimdall, as Ríg, approaches an elderly couple, Ái and Edda, who welcome him into their home. He sleeps between them for three nights then leaves. Edda becomes pregnant soon after. It is debated whether the conception was divine or if Heimdall had intercourse with the couple to produce Thrćll.

Answer: Afi and Amma

After fathering Thrćll with Ái and Edda, Heimdall as Ríg travelled to a more prosperous farm. Here he meets Afi and Amma, who welcome him. He sleeps between them as he did with his previous mortal bed partners. Following this, Karl is born, with "Karl" meaning "free peasant" in Old Norse. Karl is hailed to be the ancestor of free farmers and freemen in Rígsţula. Again, the poem does not explicitly imply intercourse, but it is strongly implied that Heimdall is responsible for Karl's birth.

In contrast to Thrćll, Karl is described as healthy, capable, strong and energetic, growing up to be a proficient farmer.

Heimdall later fathers "Jarl" with Fađir and Móđir, aristocrats. They are described as a richly dressed couple living in luxury. This is where he spends three nights with them, implying that this resulted in the birth of Jarl, the ancestor of the aristocracy and noble classes, according to the poem.

Answer: Less sleep than any bird

Heimdall is such an ideal watchman for the gods not just because of his incredible hearing and eyesight, but also because of his ability to function efficiently with very little sleep. Old Norse society noticed that birds awaken at the smallest of noise and appear to require very little sleep, hence the comparison in regards to Heimdall.

Heimdall does sleep, but sparingly. As he is almost always awake, he is almost always ready to sound the Gjallarhorn to alert the gods of any danger.

Answer: Head

The exact meaning of why heads are referred to as "Heimdall's measure" or "Heimdall's doom" has been lost to history as it was recorded in the "Heimdalargaldr", where only two lines of the poem survived.

The most widely accepted theory for this metaphor is Heimdall's feud with Loki. Scholars suspect that Loki threw a giant severed head at Heimdall and injured him in one of the lost lines of the poem. It is also speculated that the metaphor could refer to Heimdall's birth, where a giant his size could have caused an aggressive childbirth for his nine mothers.