Idunn

In Norse mythology, Iðunn (Old Norse: [ˈiðonː]) is a goddess associated with apples, youth, and spring. Iðunn is described in both the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. In both sources, she is portrayed as the wife of the skaldic god Bragi, and in the Prose Edda, she is also described as the guardian of apples and the giver of eternal youth.

In the Prose Edda, it is told how Loki was once forced by the Jötunn Þjazi to lure Iðunn from Asgard into a forest, promising her apples more beautiful than her own. Þjazi, in the shape of an eagle, kidnaps Iðunn and carries her off to his house. Iðunn’s absence causes the gods to grow old and grey, and they realise that Loki is responsible for her disappearance. Under duress, Loki promises to bring her back and, in the shape of a falcon, sets out to find her, eventually discovering her alone in Þjazi’s house. He transforms her into a nut and flies back to Asgard. When Þjazi returns and discovers that Iðunn is gone, he takes on his eagle form again and flies off to pursue Loki and his precious cargo. The gods set up a bonfire in the courtyard of Asgard and light it just as Loki is about to reach safety. Unable to stop his furious charge, Þjazi plunges headfirst into the fire and falls to the ground with his feathers aflame, after which the gods attack and kill him.

A range of theories surround Iðunn, including possible connections to fertility and her potential origins in Proto-Indo-European religion. Iðunn has long been a subject of artwork and is occasionally mentioned in modern popular culture.

Name

There are several explanations for the name Iðunn: it means "eternally young," "rejuvenator," or "the rejuvenating one." As the letter eth (ð) is missing in the modern English alphabet, Iðunn is sometimes anglicised as Idhunn, Idunn, Idun, or Ithun. Sometimes, a suffix "-a" is added to denote femininity, leading to forms like Iduna and Idunna.

The name Iðunn appears in several historical sources as a personal name, and it is noted in the Landnámabók that it was used as a personal name in Iceland since the pagan period (10th century). The Landnámabók mentions two women named Iðunn: Iðunn Arnardóttir, the daughter of an early settler, and Iðunn Molda-Gnúpsdóttir, the granddaughter of one of the earliest settlers mentioned in the book. The name Iðunn was thought to be the origin of the Old English name Idonea. The 19th-century writer C.M. Yonge states that the derivation of Idonea from Iðunn is "almost certain" and notes that although Idonea "could be the feminine form of the Latin idoneus (suitable), its absence in Romance countries may be taken as a sign that it is merely a classification of the Nordic goddess of the apples of youth."

The scholar Jacob Grimm from the 19th century suggested a possible etymological connection to the word idis. Grimm noted that "the original form idis might possibly be associated with the goddess Iðunn." Grimm further suggested that Iðunn might have been known by another name and that "Iðunn, according to Saem. 89a, seems to be an Elvish word, but we hear of no other name for the goddess."

Sources

Poetic Edda

Iðunn appears in the poem Lokasenna from the Poetic Edda and, in some modern editions of the Poetic Edda, in the later poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins.

Iðunn is introduced as Bragi’s wife in the prose introduction of Lokasenna, where the two attend a feast by Ægir. In stanzas 16, 17, and 18, a dialogue takes place between Loki and Iðunn after Loki insults Bragi. In stanza 16, Iðunn (here anglicised as Idunn) says:

Idunn said:

"I beg you, Bragi, to do a service for your kin, and all the adopted relatives, that you shall not speak reproachful words to Loki in Ægir’s hall."

Loki spoke: "Be silent, Idunn, I declare, that of all women you are the maddest, since you have laid your arms, freshly washed, around the murderer of your brother."

Idunn said: "I speak no words of reproach to Loki, in Ægir’s hall. I have calmed Bragi, made him talkative with beer; and all living beings love him."

In this conversation, Loki accuses Iðunn of sleeping with the murderer of her brother. However, neither this brother nor the murderer are mentioned in any other preserved source. After this, the goddess Gefjon speaks, and the poem continues.

In the poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins, additional information about Iðunn is provided, though it is otherwise not attested. Here, Iðunn is described as being of Elven descent, as one of "Ivaldi’s older children" and as a Dís who dwells in the valleys. Stanza 6 reads:

"In the valleys dwells, the foresighted Dís, descended from Yggdrasil’s ashes fallen down, of the elf-kindred, named Idun, the youngest of Ivaldi’s older children."

Prose Edda

Iðunn is introduced in chapter 26 of Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda. Here, she is described as Bragi’s wife and the keeper of a chest (an eskis) made of ash wood, in which she keeps apples. The apples are eaten by the gods when they begin to age, and they become young again, a process that continues until Ragnarök. Gangleri (described as the disguised king Gylfi) expresses the impression that the gods are highly dependent on Iðunn’s loyalty and care. Laughing, Hárr responds that once misfortune was very near, and he could tell Gangleri the story, but first, he must hear the names of other Æsir, and he continues giving information about the gods.

In the book Skáldskaparmál, Iðunn is mentioned in the first chapter (numbered as 55) as one of eight Ásynjur (goddesses) sitting at a banquet in Asgard for Ægir. In chapter 56, Bragi tells Ægir about Iðunn’s kidnapping by the Jötunn Þjazi. Bragi recounts that Loki, after striking an eagle (the disguised Þjazi) with a staff, becomes entangled with the bird. Loki is pulled higher into the sky, his feet hitting stones, gravel, and trees, until, fearing his arms might be torn from their sockets, he begs for mercy and implores the eagle to release him. The eagle agrees, but only on the condition that Loki swear an oath to lure Iðunn with her apples of youth out of the safety of Asgard. Loki accepts Þjazi’s terms and returns to his friends Odin and Hœnir. At the time agreed upon by Loki and Þjazi, Loki lures Iðunn out of Asgard to "a certain forest" and tells her that he has discovered apples that she should keep, and furthermore, she should bring her own apples to compare with the ones he has found. Þjazi arrives in the form of an eagle, snatches Iðunn, and carries her off to his home, Þrymheimr.

The Æsir begin to grow old and grey due to Iðunn’s absence. The Æsir gather together to ask when Iðunn was last seen. They realise that Iðunn was last seen when she was with Loki outside Asgard, and so they have Loki arrested and brought before a council. Loki is threatened with death and torture. Fearing for his life, Loki says he will search for Iðunn in the land of Jötunheimr if the goddess Freyja will lend him her "falcon shape." Freyja lends Loki the falcon shape, and he flies north to Jötunheimr. A day later, Loki reaches Þjazi’s house. There he discovers that Þjazi has gone to sea in a boat and has left Iðunn alone at home. Loki transforms the goddess into a nut, takes her in his claws, and flies as quickly as he can.

When Þjazi returns home and finds that Iðunn is gone, he takes on his eagle form once more and flies off to pursue Loki, stirring up a storm with his mighty wings. The Æsir, seeing a falcon flying with a nut in its claws being pursued by an eagle, hasten to stack a large pile of firewood and set it ablaze. The falcon flies over the walls of Asgard and lands behind the ramparts. The eagle, however, flies over the falcon, cannot stop in time, crashes through the fire, ignites his feathers, and falls before the gates of Asgard, where the Æsir pounce on the Jötunn and kill him. This killing is famously noted.

In chapter 10, "husband of Iðunn" is given as a reference to Bragi. In chapter 86, references to Iðunn are given as "wife of Bragi," "guardian of the apples," and her apples as "the ancient remedy of the Æsir." In connection with the story of her kidnapping by Þjazi, she is also referred to as "Þjazi’s prey." A passage from the 10th-century poem Haustlöng provides an elaborate description of a richly decorated shield given to Þjóðólfr of Hvinir, depicting the kidnapping of Iðunn. In the quoted sections of Haustlöng, Iðunn is described as "the maid who knew the age-healing of the Æsir," "the goddess-lady," "ale-Gefn," "the friend of the Æsir," and is mentioned by name.

In chapter 33, Iðunn is named as one of the six Ásynjur who visit Ægir. Iðunn appears for the final time in the Prose Edda in chapter 75, where she appears in a list of Ásynjur.