Asgard

Asgard (Old Norse: Ásgarðr; "Enclosure of the Æsir") is a place in Nordic mythology tied to the gods. It shows up in various Old Norse sagas and mythological writings, like the Eddas, and is sometimes thought to be hinted at indirectly in those sources. It is portrayed as the fortified home of the Æsir gods, frequently linked to gold imagery, and is the site of other well-known mythological locations such as Valhöll, Iðavöllr, and Hlidskjálf. In Greek mythology, it serves a similar role to Mount Olympus.

Some euhemeristic accounts treat Asgard as a city in Asia or Troy. Other descriptions, which probably better reflect its original place in Old Norse religion, do not give it a natural geographic position. In these versions, it can be found in various spots: across the rainbow bridge Bifröst, at the center of the world, or over the sea.

The word Ásgarðr is a compound of Old Norse *áss* ("god") and *garðr* ("enclosure"). Possible anglicisations include Ásgarthr, Ásgard, Ásegard, Ásgardr, Asgardr, Ásgarth, Asgarth, Esageard, and Ásgardhr.

In the Poetic Edda, Asgard is named twice. In *Hymiskviða*, Thor and Týr travel from Asgard to Hymir's hall for a cauldron to brew beer for a feast. In *Þrymskviða*, Loki tries to convince Thor to dress as Freyja to reclaim Mjölnir, warning that without the hammer, jötnar would soon live in Asgard. *Grímnismál* describes several divine abodes—such as Álfheim, Nóatún, and Valhalla—that some scholars place in Asgard, though the poem never names Asgard itself. *Völuspá* mentions Iðavöllr, a common meeting place for the Æsir, which Snorri later locates in the center of Asgard in *Gylfaginning*.

In the Prose Edda's euhemeristic prologue, the Æsir are presented as people who migrated from the East. Snorri claims Asgard was the town of Troy before Greek warriors conquered it. After that defeat, Trojans moved to northern Europe, where their advanced technology and culture made them dominant, and other tribes eventually saw them and their leader Trór (Thor) as gods.

In *Gylfaginning*, Snorri describes the gods creating the world: they made the earth, surrounded it with the sea, formed the sky from Ymir's skull, settled the jötnar on the shores, and used Ymir's brows to create Midgard. In the center of the world, they built Asgard, which Snorri identifies with Troy. Inside, at Iðavöllr, they built a hof called Glaðsheimr, with a high seat for Odin and twelve seats for other gods. It is described as golden inside and out, the finest building in the world. They also built Vingólf for the female gods, which served as both a hall and a hörgr, and a forge for crafting gold objects. After Ragnarök, gods like Váli and Baldr will meet at Iðavöllr where Asgard once stood, and find the golden chess pieces the Æsir once owned in the grass. Later, an unnamed jötunn with his stallion Svaðilfari offered to build a burg for the gods in three winters, asking for the sun, moon, and Freyja. The gods agreed if he finished in one winter. As the deadline neared, the stallion's work made completion likely, so Loki turned into a mare to distract Svaðilfari. The builder, unable to finish, revealed himself as a jötunn, and Thor killed him with Mjöllnir. The chapter does not name Asgard as the fortress, but scholars commonly identify it as such. Yggdrasil's three roots include one reaching to the Æsir, interpreted as Asgard, though *Grímnismál* says this root goes to the realm of men. Bifröst spans from heaven to earth, and the Æsir cross it daily to hold council at Urðarbrunnr under Yggdrasil, so it is often seen as the bridge to Asgard.

In *Skáldskaparmál*, Asgard is briefly mentioned as the home of the Æsir, with locations like Valhalla and the golden grove Glasir inside it. Thor is given the name "Defender of Ásgard" (Old Norse: *verjandi Ásgarðs*).

In the *Ynglinga saga* from *Heimskringla*, Snorri describes Asgard as a city in Asia, based on a mistaken link between the words for Asia and Æsir. It is the capital of Asaland, a part of Asia east of the river Tana-kvísl or Vana-Kvísl (kvísl means "arm"), which Snorri identifies as the Tanais (now Don) flowing into the Black Sea. Odin leaves to settle in the north, leaving his brothers Vili and Vé to rule the city. After the euhemerised Odin dies, the account continues.