Heimo

By: Steve Anthonijsz

 

 

 

ON:            HeimðallR; Heimdallr; RígR; Skelfir; Yngvi; Rati

OE:            Háma; Ing; Sceaf; Scef

OHG:            Heimo; Iring

MHG:            Irinc

 

 

 

Many writers have made Heimo out to sound like one of the most perplexing and mysterious of all the gods. Yet our ahnen have passed on plenty of information about him—one only has to dig a little deeper in the texts than in the cases of some of the other götter. Heimo may be thought of as the god of human development--not the spiritual advancement of the individual, but of the race as a whole. This, in fact, may be precisely why he seems so enigmatic—because the way his work is symbolically treated in the myths appears inconsistent when compared to the way other götter are portrayed. But, then, how do we mythically depict Cultural Development?

            As if to complicate matters, the stories of Heimo were, at an early period in Scandinavian history, confounded with those of Frô leading to the bizarre Northern Germanic tag of “Ynvi-FreyR” in lieu of the previously used Ingunar FreyR[1]. This confusion has subsequently led to some rather interesting interpretations.

 

            Heimo is unique in that neither his nature nor the bulk of the stories about him has changed significantly since Aryan times. He might easily be compared to Agni of the Hindu tradition[2] or to the Keltic Manannán mac Lir[3] to such a degree that their names could be substituted in their stories and few would be the wiser! His character is so fundamental to the very concept of Religion that he has even been compared to the Persian Mithras, the Christian St. Michael and the West African (Yòrubá) Orúnmìlá!

 

            Descriptions of Heimo prove to be very colourful indeed. He has “a fine exterior, and over his hair, though he was young, a so remarkably white splendour was diffused that rays of light seemed to issue from his silvery locks[4]”; he is described as being extremely white in pallor[5]; he has been called Gullintari (“gold toothed”) in the Edda, and similarly, we are told,  rides a horse called Gulltop (“gold-topping” = golden mane). He has a sun-dis wife named Alfhild[6] about whom nearly all written information has been lost.

 

            In Gylfaginning 27[7] Heimo informs us, “I am the son of nine mothers and nine sisters too.” Although the Snorra Edda may be considered a less reliable source, this is echoed in Hyndlaljóð 35 :

 

            There was one born in the early days, endowed with wondrous

might, of divine origin; Nine giant maids gave him birth, that

gracious god, on the edges of the earth.

 

It does not require much to recognize that these nine giantesses are the nine waves that turn the great world-mill, the descendants of Eger and Rahana. His father is Mundilfaro, the progenitor of the Wanen. Thus, Heimo is not born of the Ensi, and this is attested to in Þrymskviða 15--despite his being called “the whitest Ase,” as later in life he is accepted into the fold of the Ensi. Seeing Mundilfaro sire a child with the nine waves is typical of the Wanen, as we see many similar pairings occur in the Eddas.

 

            Preparing the young god for his life’s purpose, Heimo needed to be elevated in strength, endurance and wisdom. To accomplish this purpose he was allowed to drink the Mead of Inspiration from Mimesbrunno[8].

 

            The next time Heimo appears is in Anglo-Saxon sources under the name of Scef. Scef came across the sea as a child, bringing the fire-auger to mankind[9]. This account is repeated in the Old English Rune Poem well, where Heimo is now referred to as Ing:

 

Ing wæs ærest | mid Eastdenum
Ing was first | amid East-Danes

gesewen secgun, | oþ hé siððan eft
seen, they say,| until he then eft

ofer wæg gewát, | wæn æfter ran;
over wave went | wagon after ran;

þus heardingas | þone hæle nemdon
thus the Heardings | the hero named.[10]

 

Growing up, Scef-Ing establishes Farming, the Smithy, and various other institutions. 

            Again Heimo appears among men; this time in Scandinavia going by the name of RígR. Here he founds the three major castes of Teutonic society: earls, freemen and indentured servants. These are produced, according to the Rígsþula[11], by his sharing a bed with three particular couples. It is significant here to note, however, that he is not credited with having produced a semi-divine race or class, nor do his actions justify the idea that one class is ‘more connected’ with the gods; quite the opposite, in fact, is true. It is because of this that Vóluspá 1 may address its readers as megir Heimðallar “the Children of Heimo” without regard as to whom those readers might be.  In this same story we learn that he was the god who taught the runes to mankind[12], who taught us to worship and to sacrifice. When he dies he is placed back on the ship that brought him and sent back across the sea.

            Interestingly, there is a similar German tradition[13] corresponding to the tales of Scef and of RígR, where Heimo comes to Mittigart under the name of Iring. Unfortunately, this has not been translated into English.

The next appearance we see is of Heimo as the guardian of Ensiweg, the bridge leading from Mittigart to Ensigart. To alarm the gods of attack he is armed with a horn he will blow that will echo throughout Ensigart known as Gellanhorn—simply meaning “resounding horn.” Although, according to Snorri, Heimo requires little sleep, can see great distances day or night, and can hear the growing of grass and wool, he still maintains a hall at the edge of this bridge called Himilberg. As warder he is also, by inference, the messenger of the gods. He represents the gateway through which we might gain entrance to the divine. Heimo was the forerunner upon which the later christian church based its saintly intercessors.

Since Heimo is the messenger of the gods, why do we not have to approach the other gods through him as is seen in other tribal religions? The myths are not clear on this. My own personal theory is that Wuldar removed this prerequisite, most likely around the same time that he altered the requirements of Sacrifice[14].

Name references reveal little to us about Heimo, and we do not know the direct translation of his name. Some writers have suggested some sort of connection between his Icelandic name , HeimðallR and Frûâ’s Icelandic byname of Mardöll, but these theories have been substantiated. Some of Heimo’s Scandinavian bynames (e.g. Hallinskíða, Heimdali) refer to a ram—but his associations to this animal have been lost.

Virtually all the gods are described in the Eddas as having a particular enemy. Heimo is no exception. His mortal enemy is Locho himself, whom he will battle at Götterdämmerung. These two have fought before[15], fighting over Frûâ’s necklace in the shape of seals. Although Heimo won the battle, it was not decisive.

 

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